Descent of the Demon Master

‘...And how nice it would’ve been if it ended right then.’

The eventful day was supposed to end on a poetic note.

Being able to hang out with Park Yu-Min in a long while filled Kang Jin-Ho with joy. And resolving the potentially deadly disaster without too many issues was worthy of a celebration as well.

No wonder Kang Jin-Ho was in a good mood as he reached home. But it didn’t take long for him to realize the real struggle had only just begun.

When he returned home, Kang Jin-Ho was greeted by Baek Hyeon-Jeong emitting a cold aura akin to a terrifying specter. Meanwhile, Kang Eun-Yeong was glaring at him with her cheeks puffed up. Even Kang Yu-Hwan, someone Kang Jin-Ho thought he could count on for backup, had entered the strict and solemn father mode!

‘This… is illogical.’

Didn’t logic dictate that… people should be worried about someone who had gone through such an ordeal? Wasn’t that the usual thing to do?!

Actually, that wasn’t quite right. Kang Jin-Ho’s family did worry about him. For the first ten minutes, that was!

The Kang family used a somewhat thorough and won't-take-no-for-an-answer examination to determine their son was fine both physically and mentally. And that was when their attitude underwent a series of shocking changes.

Even someone of Kang Jin-Ho’s caliber couldn’t withstand the constant barrage of nagging from three people and sagged on the floor like lettuce in a day-old salad.

This… had to be a sound-related martial art technique. A type of sonic attack! However, none of the sonic attacks Kang Jin-Ho had to deal with back in Murim managed to exhaust him to this degree!

Of course, he understood where his family was coming from. Even then, how could they express their worries through nagging? Also, why did his family’s nagging wildly veer off the boundary of the aquarium incident and forge a brave new path?!

At least Kang Jin-Ho could understand his family telling him to be careful wherever he went. He wholeheartedly agreed with them, after all.

Even when the nagging became, ‘That’s why you should’ve been more careful!’ Kang Jin-Ho was still prepared to see things from his family’s perspective.

Although Kang Jin-Ho wasn’t sure what he could’ve done to be more ‘careful’ about an aquarium rupturing its wall, he was ready to admit that yes, carelessly waltzing into a location when his safety wasn’t assured could be classified as his fault.

But when the family started asking, ‘Why do you keep getting involved in these kinds of things?!’ Kang Jin-Ho began tilting his head a little. And when they started saying, ‘You weren’t like this before, so why do you always get involved in one thing after another these days?’ Kang Jin-Ho pretty much resigned himself.

‘This is unfair!’

Even though Kang Jin-Ho was 100% certain that he hadn't done anything to deserve this treatment, it seemed his family was utterly convinced that he deliberately went around looking for trouble.

All Kang Jin-Ho was guilty of in the past was not calling his family on time, so wasn't this a bit too much…?

Their nagging eventually got to him, and in the end, he reached the stage where he began wondering if he really was guilty of causing all these problems.

Only after the family’s nagging had ruptured a blood vessel or two in his ears did they allow Kang Jin-Ho to get some rest for the night. However, when Kang Jin-Ho noticed his mother’s lips twitching ominously early in the morning…

He swiftly evacuated from his own home!

***

-So, you ran away from your home?

“...Basically, yes,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

He could hear Jo Gyu-Min's laughter through the phone's speaker. And no, the Chief Secretary of the Jaegyeong Corporation wasn't merely laughing. He was rolling on the floor while clutching at his guts!

‘He thinks this is funny?’

Did Jo Gyu-Min find Kang Jin-Ho’s troubles… entertaining? Seriously?!

A vein bulged subtly on Kang Jin-Ho’s forehead, but he found it a bit too embarrassing to complain about it.

-Ah, ah… Oops, my bad. Sorry about that. I shouldn’t have laughed like that.

What was the point of trying to fix the situation when Jo Gyu-Min had already laughed his butt off?

-Every time I hear stories like this from you, I can't help but think of you as yet another regular twenty-something young man. And that's what cracks me up every single time.

“...Regular?”

-Yes. How should I explain this… In all honesty, Mister Jin-Ho? Your status in society and political influence in this country can be classified as fairly impressive.

‘Fairly impressive’ was not quite an accurate representation of the truth. In terms of political influence and martial prowess, not many people in this country wielded as much power as Kang Jin-Ho.

-But now, someone like that got nagged nearly to death and ran away from home to avoid his mother. That’s like listening to a regular uni student’s life story, you see? That’s why I had to laugh, Mister Jin-Ho.

“...Is that so? But what’s so funny about it?”

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-My apologies.

Jo Gyu-Min instantly changed his attitude after spying the hint of a sulky solemnness in Kang Jin-Ho's voice. This level of quick-wittedness was why Jo Gyu-Min had managed to reach his current position in his relatively brief career!

Kang Jin-Ho tutted before moving on to the next topic. “How are you feeling, though? Is your body okay?”

-Yes, more or less. Although I’m aching all over, the doctors said I’m not injured too badly overall. My leg will have to be in a cast for a while, but that won’t stop me from carrying out my duties, Mister Jin-Ho.

“Wait, what? Your leg is in a cast?”

-Oh, sorry about alarming you like that. It's not as serious as it sounds, though. Having one of your legs in a cast is nothing to worry about, you know? Also, the gash on my face turned out to be deeper than it looked, so I had to get a number of stitches for it. But I did that with a plastic surgeon, not your regular doctor, so there shouldn't be any lasting ugly scars to worry about.

“…”

-Ehhh, I'm telling you, there's nothing to worry about here, Mister Jin-Ho. I also got stitches for the wound on my gut and other body parts. Those will leave one or two scars, but that's only going to enhance my masculine charm, wouldn't you agree? This much is completely fine with me. I'm just thankful that none of my injuries required surgery.

“...It must’ve been difficult for you.”

-Yes, yes. The doctor told me to take a week off or something since I've got a lot of swelling and bruises on me, but that's what the doctors are supposed to say, am I right? They all say, get some rest, don't strain yourself, it's risky… Hahah! I'm too wise to get spooked by such recommendations, Mister Jin-Ho. That's why I'm at work today, doing my best as always.

“…”

-Ehheii~, you’re doing it again, Mister Jin-Ho. I’m telling you, I’m fine. Yes, I get that you feel guilty since I got injured while listening to your request. But you know I’m not the type to be condescending about such things! That’s why you can stop worrying about me now. It’s not like my arm’s fallen off or I’ve broken my back, anyway. A man isn’t supposed to whine about something this minor. So, please don’t worry, and…

“Sorry, I’ve arrived at my destination.”

-I’m sorry?

“I gotta go now. Later.”

-M-Mister Jin-Ho? Hold on, Mister Jin-Ho! Y-you are not supposed to…!

...And that was where Kang Jin-Ho ended the call. While staring at his phone’s screen, Kang Jin-Ho slowly shook his head.

‘Chief Jo’s become a bit weird lately.’

Jo Gyu-Min wasn’t like this in the past, so why…?

Lee Hyeon-Su's presence could be the reason.

Jo Gyu-Min's attitude wouldn't change just because Lee Hyeon-Su was his sworn older brother. The proof was in the subtle change in Jo Gyu-Min's attitude toward Kang Jin-Ho.

Jo Gyu-Min probably thought his job was to be the center of Kang Jin-Ho, and that his role entailed taking care of all the small things for the latter… All the while ensuring that Kang Jin-Ho wouldn't create too big of a mess!

The odds of Jo Gyu-Min thinking of his role that way were quite high. But now, Lee Hyeon-Su had joined the party to share Jo Gyu-Min’s burden.

Since Jo Gyu-Min now didn’t have to deal with all the burden, it made sense his attitude would also change accordingly.

‘I’m not sure if this is a good thing or not…’

Still, Jo Gyu-Min had become a more… amusing person, so maybe Kang Jin-Ho should let him be? At least for a while, anyway?

Kang Jin-Ho exited his car while smirking softly. The first thing he did afterward was mouthing a fresh cigarette and lighting it up.

“Fuu-woo…”

Kang Jin-Ho puffed away while raising his head to scan the sprawling construction site before his eyes.

‘Well, things sure have changed a lot.’

When he first came here, he didn't particularly get the impression that buildings were being constructed in this location. But now, Kang Jin-Ho could see plenty of new structures had gone up.

As he was totally clueless about this sort of thing, Kang Jin-Ho couldn't figure out how far along the construction project was from what he could see. Still, even he could tell that the project was making steady progress.

“Sir! You’re here!”

“Mm?” Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head when he spotted Lee Hyeon-Su emerging from the construction site’s front entrance. “What are you doing here?”

“I thought you might stop here first. So, I decided to wait for you."

“Hmm…” Kang Jin-Ho frowned a little. It felt like his intentions were seen through.

‘He really is like Azure Demon in that regard.’

Azure Demon used to be like this. He’d figure out Kang Jin-Ho’s intentions first and take appropriate measures beforehand. And what Lee Hyeon-Su did here was largely similar in spirit.

Lee Hyeon-Su obviously had no idea what Kang Jin-Ho was thinking and continued with his briefing. “The construction is coming along swimmingly, sir. If we keep moving at this pace, I believe we can finish this project in two months.”

“So soon?” Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head. Constructing an apartment building could take up to a year or more, so how could setting up a large village be done so quickly?

“Well, that’s because we’re building fakes here.”

“...Fakes?”

“Yes, sir.” Lee Hyeon-Su casually shrugged before continuing with his report. “When we left this project in Jaegyeong’s hands, they tried to construct regular buildings instead.”

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head in genuine confusion. Was constructing regular buildings the wrong thing to do here?

“There are too many unnecessary things in a regular building, sir. For instance, things like thermal insulation and soundproofing. Trying to build homes with fittings meant for a normal family will take forever to finish, you see?”

“...Aha!” Kang Jin-Ho realized what Lee Hyeon-Su meant and nodded in agreement.

Insulation material would mostly be meaningless to martial artists. They were tough against cold and hot conditions, after all. It was largely the same story for soundproofing too, since martial artists could hear practically everything if they wanted to, thanks to their hearing being so much sharper than a regular person's.

“Besides those, we've also taken out other unnecessary things. We only focused on the goal of providing a shelter and a place to sleep. Oh, and the construction crew was also trying to attach stuff onto the buildings' exterior.”

“Attach stuff? Like what?”

“Things like bricks, sir.”

“…?”

“Bricks are unnecessary decorations, sir. People don’t seem to understand that. We don’t need anything more than some paint on the walls. Although, I think that’s also a bit of a time-wasting annoyance. Personally speaking, of course.”

Kang Jin-Ho was convinced now. Something was definitely not right with Lee Hyeon-Su! This dude's idea of tasteful aesthetics didn't align with everyone else, it seemed.

“In any case... By simplifying the construction this way, and having the crew operate 24-7, the project will finish much sooner than we initially planned for, sir. At least, that's what they told me. Of course, the end of the construction only means the demon cult believers can move into their new homes. We will still have various other things to do afterward.”

“Mm…” Kang Jin-Ho nodded, then walked past the entrance of the construction site. Even though it was still early in the day, he could see many people diligently doing their jobs.

“Greetings to the demon emperor! Sir!”

“Good day to you, sir!”

The demonic cultivators, who had been carrying construction material or working as a part of a team here and there, hurriedly threw away the stuff in their hands and prostrated on the ground the moment they noticed Kang Jin-Ho’s presence.

“...Kuh-hum.” Kang Jin-Ho grimaced a little. Maybe he shouldn’t have come?

Whether it was an impromptu inspection or not, a higher-up showing up unannounced would only serve as a hindrance, a distraction. And Kang Jin-Ho was seriously getting their way right now.

How could Kang Jin-Ho forget that he had to sweep and mop the floors of his base whenever the regiment commander or division commander was scheduled to show up?

The construction site manager in the distance discovered Kang Jin-Ho and hurriedly ran toward the latter’s position.

Kang Jin-Ho sighed loudly at this sight. “...Let’s get out of here.”

Lee Hyeon-Su tilted his head. “Sir? Aren’t you going to check out the rest?”

“I won’t know what’s what even if I check them out.”

Medicine should be left up to pharmacists, while diagnosis should be handled by doctors. In the same vein, construction should be left up to… construction professionals.

“In any case, have everything wrapped up as soon as possible,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

“Understood, sir. It's just that I need to confirm something with you if you don't mind…”

“Mm?”

“How long will the demonic cultivators work in this place, sir? After all, we won’t be able to count on them once their training commences in earnest. We need to know how long they’ll work here to estimate the project’s duration. That estimate of two months is only when the demonic cultivators are still involved with the construction, you see…?”

“It’ll be very soon.”

“Sorry? How soon?”

“They will be leaving in a day or two.”

“That soon?”

Kang Jin-Ho smirked at Lee Hyeon-Su’s surprise. “We can’t keep wasting time like this. It’s time to begin, after all.”

Lee Hyeon-Su clamped his mouth shut. He could sense the unyielding will contained within Kang Jin-Ho’s voice.

“I’ve wasted enough time dawdling within my heart demon. And now, I should only look forward and keep charging ahead.”

Kang Jin-Ho left those words behind and walked back to his car.

Lee Hyeon-Su sucked in a deep breath.

‘Does that mean he's gonna move even faster now?'

Even though the reform was happening at a sufficiently quick pace? So, what would happen if things were sped up even more?

‘I think it might get real hard to keep up…?’

The prospect of the increase in his workload sent a dreadful chill down Lee Hyeon-Su's spine, yet he could also sense this strange anticipation building inside him. That was because he had not seen Kang Jin-Ho making such a refreshed face in a long while.

“Wait up, sir! Let’s go together!” Lee Hyeon-Su hurriedly ran toward Kang Jin-Ho’s car, the corners of his lips gradually curling up.

‘This is why things are so much more interesting in this place.’

While looking forward to finding out what the future had in store for him and everyone else, Lee Hyeon-Su quickly climbed into the waiting car's passenger seat.