Descent of the Demon Master

“I'm getting worried,” Park Yu-Min muttered while making an unwilling face.

“About what?” Ju Yeong-Gi asked while driving the car. He glanced at his friend and noticed Park Yu-Min staring out the car's window. “...Hey, you brat! I've told you many times already, haven't I! My car might look this way, but it's still perfectly functional, dammit!”

“I'm not talking about that!” Park Yu-Min loudly groaned.

If he was being honest, this car did make Park Yu-Min a tiny bit nervous. The fact that this vehicle was still on the road working as intended seemed like proof of the Korean motor industry's evolution and advancement over the decades. Sure, there were lots of 'classic cars' still pootling around in other countries, but how many of them still had all the original parts fitted back in the factory as new?

In that sense, this car still being on the road was a pretty great advertisement for how far South Korea's car production and repair industries had come over the years.

Park Yu-Min tutted quietly. “...Yeong-Gi, when are you thinking of getting a new car?”

“I said, it's working perfectly fine!”

“You know, you and Jin-Ho are pretty similar in a certain sense.”

Ju Yeong-Gi frowned deeply. “That's an insult, right?”

Park Yu-Min shook his head. In terms of not caring about whether a car was expensive or not, Ju Yeong-Gi and Kang Jin-Ho were very much alike. These two didn't care one jot about the various utilities and functionalities a vehicle offered and only thought about going from A to B, after all!

'Hmm, should I get a car of my own, too?'

Now that the adult men in his life all owned cars, Park Yu-Min couldn't help but wonder about this. He had some money saved up during his previous stint as a pro gamer, so owning a car shouldn't put too much strain on his finances.

'...Nah. Forget about it.'

Now didn't seem the right time for that. Besides, Park Yu-Min would start staying in the team's dormitory soon, which would practically eliminate the need to own a car in the first place.

Ju Yeong-Gi grumbled, then glanced at his friend. “By the way, are you really practicing seriously?”

“Yeah,” Park Yu-Min nodded.

“From what I heard, sneaking in a couple of practice sessions now and then won't cut it, right? I also heard that you even fall out of love with gaming from how brutal the practice sessions can get, even if you are those kinds of kids who always have dreamed about making it as a pro gamer.”

Park Yu-Min nodded affirmatively. “Yeah. But... Isn't that true for everyone?”

“Mm?” Ju Yeong-Gi tilted his head.

“How many jobs in the world do you think you can actually enjoy doing? It's just that people grin and bear it because they have bills to pay at the end of the month.”

“Eh? But I enjoy working in our pizzeria, though?”

“...Yeong-Gi, promise me you'll take over the pizzeria one day.”

“I ain't gonna, you dummy. You think this big bro will keep doing this kinda work?”

'But you are born for this job, Yeong-Gi.'

Park Yu-Min decided not to say that out loud. Initially, he thought the sight of Ju Yeong-Gi strutting around in an apron would be a vomit-inducing GIF coming to life, but the truth was the exact opposite. Ju Yeong-Gi actually looked great in an apron. It was similar to how a scary-looking celebrity would instantly transform into someone indescribably adorable after putting on a pink apron. It seemed that this innocuous piece of cooking apparel had the power to decrease a person's intimation factor.

However, saying that out loud would definitely make Ju Yeong-Gi angry, so...

Park Yu-Min was a wise man who didn't want to create conflict if he could help it.

“Kang Jin-Ho is actually a weird dude, you know?”

“Mm?” Park Yu-Min tilted his head at Ju Yeong-Gi's sudden declaration.

“Even if it's something you'd normally not enjoy doing, it kinda looks fun if it's that guy doing it, know what I mean? Seriously now, do you honestly think either you or me would have fun working as waiters in a pizzeria if it hadn't been for Jin-Ho?”

“...You have a point there.”

“That guy has a talent for attracting people. The thing is, though, he will have plenty of opportunities to get up no matter how many times he falls down, but that's not the case for us. Especially you, Yu-Min.”

“Hmm, you don't look too good on that front either, you know...”

“For me... Come on, man. Even if I try my best, you think I can earn as much as you? For me, I'm still at the phase of my life where I need to prepare for the rest of my life, but you need to make as much hay as possible while the sun still shines. Right?"

Park Yu-Min slowly nodded. Indeed, Ju Yeong-Gi had a point.

The career path of a pro gamer ran on a different trajectory than other professions. The... 'intensity' of time Park Yu-Min must spend could very well be several times higher than most normal people's.

“Sure, helping Jin-Ho out is great. Hanging out together is fun, too. Even I'm having fun while working, you know? But... We still need to stick to certain boundaries, know what I mean? For instance, it shouldn't impact or hinder your life, right? If I stop working in the pizzeria starting tomorrow, I will have nothing to do at home, but that ain't the story for you, right?”

“I know what you're trying to say.”

Ju Yeong-Gi sneaked a quick glance at Park Yu-Min's face. Even though some unpleasant-sounding things were said, Park Yu-Min's expression didn't have any hints of displeasure whatsoever.

'Can't you at least worry about it, you dumbass?'

Ju Yeong-Gi owed Kang Jin-Ho a great deal of debt. A kind of debt similar to owing his life. But it wasn't like that with Park Yu-Min. However, his gratitude toward Kang Jin-Ho seemed bizarrely stronger than Ju Yeong-Gi's.

'Yu-Min probably won't regret it even if his life gets wrecked while trying to help Jin-Ho...'

All the while grinning sheepishly with a look that said, 'Oh well, it can't be helped, I guess?'

Park Yu-Min's attitude was the culprit for Ju Yeong-Gi's deep groans. The attitude of wanting to sacrifice everything of his if he could help out in matters involving Kang Jin-Ho... That was what aggravated Ju Yeong-Gi.

That was not something everyone could readily do just because they received some favors. Hell, even a twenty-year-old would know that the world didn't operate on the principle of 'Give back as much as you receive, and you'll receive as much as you give,' after all!

But that was what Park Yu-Min was like. That was his true nature, wasn't it?

Park Yu-Min sighed. “Yeah, I know.”

“Mm?”

“I know I mustn't be like this. I'm not an idiot who can't figure that much out, you know?”

“So what's stopping you?”

“It's just...” Park Yu-Min hesitated slightly. “It's like this for everyone, right? Friends who are closer than actual brothers drift apart after getting jobs and start living their lives until... Until you can only hang out with your friends maybe once a year or so.”

“Well, yeah...”

“I think about how that will happen to us, too. That's why I try to delay the inevitable, even if it's only by a little, you know? Yeah, living my life is important, I know. And making a living is important, too. But I don't mind making a little less if I can extend this time we have, even by a little bit. It's not just because I want to help Jin-Ho out, you know?”

“Mm...” Ju Yeong-Gi nodded in agreement.

'Well, yeah. I also think that way, so...'

Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

Extending their current time, even if it was only by a little bit. Because, things would not be the same anymore if just one of them was gone from the picture. Even if this kind of thought process could only come from a couple of youngsters as a sign of their immaturity...

Ju Yeong-Gi cocked an eyebrow. “So, what was that thing about you getting worried?”

“That? Mm... I'm not sure. For some reason, I'm getting all antsy and stuff.”

“Hah. Silly kid.” Ju Yeong-Gi shook his head before fixing his gaze on the road up ahead.

'Right. Just a little more like this...'

***

“Did he enter the tunnel?” Lee Hyeon-Su quietly asked.

“Sir, looks like he's about to,” said the subordinate while glancing at a CCTV monitor.

“Keep your voice down.”

“...We're over three kilometers away, sir. Even if that Kang Jin-Ho bastard is absurdly strong, he can't possibly hear us this far away unless he's a monster, not a human being. Not even animals have hearing that good.”

“So? What are you trying to say?”

The subordinate, Jo Myeong-Su, saw Lee Hyeon-Su's withdrawn eyes and promptly clamped his mouth shut.

'Crazy son of a...'

Jo Myeong-Su could only grimace. Lee Hyeon-Su's eyes weren't like his usual self.

His usual self was like... Like a deep, still lake? A calm lake that could make anyone staring into it settle down and feel relaxed. However, it could also make one nervous and spooked from how bottomless it seemed. Lee Hyeon-Su's eyes resembled a lake like that.

But the current Lee Hyeon-Su wasn't like that at all. No, the light burning in his eyes was frenzied and restless like a torrent of water violently spinning around under the lake's surface.

Jo Myeong-Su wordlessly lowered his head. Even a three-year-old kid knew now wasn't the time to unnecessarily agitate Lee Hyeon-Su.

“We only get this one chance, you hear me? I'm sure you've also realized how crazy this plan is, right?” Lee Hyeon-Su quietly growled.

'Well, that's a relief,' Jo Myeong-Su inwardly mused.

When he first heard about this plan, Jo Myeong-Su thought Lee Hyeon-Su had finally lost his mind. Someone with a sane mind couldn't have cooked up a plan this insane in the first place.

In this world, certain things were accepted as universal truths. Inalienable common sense, so to speak. For instance, tools that could be utilized to murder someone were limited to handheld weapons such as baseball bats, knives or, in cases of other countries, firearms. Not too long ago, the Yeongnam Group resorted to subjecting Kang Jin-Ho to a hail of machine gun fire in order to kill him. That already seemed like a crazy act, but Lee Hyeon-Su still decided to go even further up the crazy scale.

'This... Will this really be okay?'

Jo Myeong-Su could only grimace. He was prepared to do anything as long as it was effective, but... There was the matter of whether they could deal with the aftermath or not to worry about.

“Sir, are you sure we can really deal with the mess afterward?”

Lee Hyeon-Su snapped at his underling. “It's not your job to worry about that, Myeong-Su.”

“...Well, that is true.”

“Making sure there's no blowback is my and the Chairman's job, okay? You only have to do as you're told, that's all.”

Jo Myeong-Su clamped his mouth shut again.

'That's easier said than done...'

This wouldn't simply end with a segment in the local news. Even if they shot up a vehicle minding its own business and even blew it up, hiding the crime was easy as long as there were no witnesses and all evidence was erased from the scene, including the car itself.

However, what Lee Hyeon-Su was about to do right now would result in a mess that none of them could sweep under the carpet. Without a doubt, the media would descend on this like vultures, and the politicians would raise one hell of a stink about it, too. So, how would Lee Hyeon-Su go about dealing with all that?

“We'll simply ignore most of the noises, that's all,” Lee Hyeon-Su quietly muttered.

“Sir? But that will...”

“If not, we can always choose to do nothing and watch the goddamn Jap bastards eventually run wild and do whatever they want in Korea.”

“...We can't allow that, of course.” Jo Myeong-Su shook his head. As a Korean male, he, too, naturally possessed some level of animosity toward the Japanese. Moreover, the Korean martial world's hostility toward the Japanese was far more intense and deep-seated than the surface world's.

The number of Korean martial artists killed while opposing the Japanese Occupation should be much higher than regular civilians dying from forced labor. The truth was, the Japanese martial artists always viewed their Korean counterparts not as subjects to rule but as targets to exterminate.

The infamous Japanese plot called the 'Rescuing the Masses from Harmful Beasts' operation back then wasn't about killing wild tigers hiding in mountains, but sniffing out and murdering the Korean martial artists minding their own business while cultivating away from the public's eyes. And this secret would probably be lost in history for the rest of the time. [1]

'Well, Lee Hyeon-Su isn't wrong about that.'

If Kang Jin-Ho was left to act as he pleased, the Yeongnam Group would be too busy keeping a wary eye on him and the Martial Assembly to respond properly toward the Japanese incursion.

Jo Myeong-Su didn't have any ill feelings toward Kang Jin-Ho, but that guy simply had to die for the sake of this country.

“He's going inside!” Lee Hyeon-Su glared at the image of Kang Jin-Ho entering the tunnel through the CCTV feed.

“Should I press the button?” Jo Myeong-Su asked.

“No, not yet!” Lee Hyeon-Su gulped back nervously as he continued to glare at the CCTV monitor.

'Kang Jin-Ho would've surely sensed people's presence if there had been any!'

Indeed, hiding one's presence from Kang Jin-Ho was impossible. However...!

'However, there is this thing called science in the modern era, you primitive son of a b*tch!'

Even if Kang Jin-Ho was scarily capable, he'd never guess that his movements were being monitored through CCTV cameras. Lee Hyeon-Su took into account the bicycle's traveling speed and estimated the moment Kang Jin-Ho might arrive at the central point in the tunnel, then hurriedly yelled loudly. “Do it, now!”

***

KA-BOOOOOOM!

That explosion was like a thunderclap going off. It was so loud that his hearing went momentarily deaf.

Kang Jin-Ho's brows shot up as he looked up.

It was collapsing! The dome-shaped tunnel's ceiling began splitting apart before large boulders and lumps of soil began raining down. Kang Jin-Ho's eyes caught this sight in far-too-clear slow motion.

'A cave-in?!'

The tunnel was collapsing!

Kang Jin-Ho yanked Choi Yeon-Ha close as soon as realizing what was happening right now. She had also realized the current situation by then and could only dazedly stare at the collapsing ceiling with her mouth agape, having forgotten to scream from the shock of it all.

'I'm not gonna make it!'

Even if he started running now, he knew he couldn't escape the tunnel before it came down on top of him. Kang Jin-Ho's expression crumpled hideously. “Dammit!”

He yelled loudly enough for his voice to reverberate within the crumbling tunnel. While still holding onto Choi Yeon-Ha, Kang Jin-Ho threw himself forward.

And then, the tunnel completely collapsed on top of them.

Dark dust clouds and smoke plumes exploded and gushed up nonstop from the debris of the collapsed tunnel.

1. This operation wasn't made up by the author, but it actually happened during the Japanese Occupation of the Korean peninsula, although you won't find (many) references to it in English. The Japanese decided to exterminate tigers, wild boars, deer and other animals from the Korean wilderness. Probably to make the land uninhabitable or something. They even went as far as killing migrating birds, too. ☜