Descent of the Demon Master

Life in university turned out to be nothing special. The act of going to a class instead of waiting for a teacher to come to you felt fresh and a little strange, but repeating it for a while meant its charms wore off pretty quickly. In fact, it no longer felt any different from high school in Kang Jin-Ho's view.

The free time between classes with no lectures to attend could be used as a welcome break to do other things, but Kang Jin-Ho simply treated them all as a long continuous chain of boredom. At least having Park Yu-Min around like today was better, but if he was absent due to his gaming commitments, then well...

It wasn't like Kang Jin-Ho was by himself all the time. For some strange reason, there would always be a crowd hanging around him, making it nearly impossible to be alone. But conversations he had and relationships he formed were simply meaningless distractions to waste time.

“Hey, Jin-Ho~, wanna catch a movie later on?”

“Mm?” Kang Jin-Ho snapped out of his thoughts and glanced at the person asking him. It was Jin Mi-Hui. He asked back just in case, “A movie, you say?”

"Yeah. A movie on the big screen! Wanna go after class?"

Kang Jin-Ho briefly shook his head. “Not feeling it. Sorry.”

“Why not~? Come on, let's go. The movie I'm talking about is supposed to be great, you know? It's the talk of the town and all!”

He sighed and honestly replied to her, “I've never been to a cinema before.”

“Seriously?!”

“Mmhm.”

Jin Mi-Hui had a disbelieving look on her face as she scanned him from top to bottom. Eventually, a big grin bloomed on her face. "You gotta be pulling my leg, Jin-Ho. Are you telling me you've never been to a cinema before in your entire life?"

Well, Kang Jin-Ho did go to a cinema once before... around fifty years ago. However, who would believe that?

"I'm not making it up."

Jin Mi-Hui looked genuinely overjoyed as she clapped her hands. "Wow. In that case, you have to be the one-of-a-kind national treasure! I mean, really? Never been to a cinema before? It's been decided, then! Let me help you experience the wonders of the big screen for the first time in your life. Sooo, after class, we're going, okay~?"

Kang Jin-Ho found himself in a dilemma. Actually, going to a cinema might be a good experience. Unlike his past self, he had grown rather fond of TV lately, so experiencing the big screen could open up a whole new world.

However, his reply remained the same in the end. “Next time, okay?”

A cinematic experience could be a fun one, no doubt. However, the problem was the idea of going to a cinema with this woman. Spending a lot of time in an enclosed space with someone he didn't even know was kind of uncomfortable for him. Burdensome, even.

Jin Mi-Hui pouted cutely. "It would've been fun, though. I guess it can't be helped, then. Buuuut, you gotta go with me next time, okay?"

“Got it.”

She seemed happy enough with his reply and returned to her seat.

Park Yu-Min eavesdropping from the side waited until she was gone and asked in a shocked voice, "You've really never been to a cinema before, Jin-Ho?"

“Yeah...”

“That's incredible. Seriously?”

Kang Jin-Ho tutted. "Hmph. Have you been to one, then?"

Park Yu-Min smirked as he replied, “Of course not…”

“...”

"You know I'm not a fan of crowded places."

"In that case, why did you speak as if you've been to one?" Kang Jin-Ho grunted in an accusatory tone.

“My bad...”

"Hmm. In that case, how about you and I go watch a movie?"

Park Yu-Min stared weirdly at him. “You mean... you and me?”

"What's the matter?" Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head, wondering if his suggestion warranted such a reaction.

Park Yu-Min slowly shook his head. “Jin-Ho, listen.”

“Yeah?”

"I'm sorry. Yes, we're friends, but... See, the thing is, I am your friend, but that one thing is out of the question. Just the idea of it is making me depressed."

“I don't get it...”

Park Yu-Min chuckled awkwardly. "I'm sure you won't understand the indescribable feeling I'm getting."

Kang Jin-Ho frowned deeply after failing to understand it, just as his friend had alluded to.

As he shook his head, he noticed the figure of Han Se-Yeon hurriedly walking up to him. She called out his name. “Kang Jin-Ho!”

“Yeah?”

She pressed her face really close to his and intensely glared at him.

He cocked an eyebrow. “What is it now?”

“You have a car, right?!”

“A car?”

“Yeah, a car! You have one, right?!”

Kang Jin-Ho silently nodded while his eyebrow rose even higher.

Han Se-Yeon glared sharply. “Come and pick me up tomorrow morning.”

“Why?”

"Don't argue and just come, will you?! Otherwise, I might really lose my mind this time!"

"Hmm?" Kang Jin-Ho wasn't sure what was going on and could only stare at her while waiting for an explanation.

Park Yu-Min pulled out a chair for Han Se-Yeon to sit down. "Here, take a seat and calm down, Se-Yeon."

“Haaa… Haaa…” Han Se-Yeon sucked in a deep breath, then settled down with a huge frown on her face.

“Okay. Now, can you tell us what happened? From the beginning, obviously,” Park Yu-Min asked.

Han Se-Yeon began her explanation with a name, "Do you know a guy named Kim Cheol-Jung?"

“Kim Cheol-Jung? Isn't he one of our seniors?”

Her voice got sharper. "Yeah, him!"

"What did he do now?" Park Yu-Min asked while tilting his head a little.

"That son of a... Ahem, I mean, that senior keeps insisting that he wants to give me a ride, so he says he'll show up at my house!"

Park Yu-Min chuckled. “That senior is pretty popular with women, right? Good-looking, has money, and I hear he's also a nice guy too.”

Han Se-Yeon was stunned by her friend's opinion. "You think he's popular?"

“Y-Yeah?”

“A guy who looks like he just came out of a barrel full of slimy oil is popular with women?!”

Park Yu-Min inadvertently facepalmed after realizing that this girl's standards on men had become skewed. If her standards were based on Kang Jin-Ho's specs, then every other man on earth would come across as chatty and slimy to her.

Park Yu-Min groaned. "Yeah, he's popular with women."

Han Se-Yeon's shrill voice shot back at her friend as if he was in the wrong here. "In that case, why won’t he offer his ride to those women? Why is he drooling all over me like this?!"

“D-Drooling...?”

Kang Jin-Ho unwisely decided to butt in just then with an unconcerned voice. "Isn't it fine to let him give you a ride?"

Han Se-Yeon's face reddened in anger, and she began pinching his ear. "Hey, you! Are you telling me to ride in some random stranger's car?! Is that it?"

“Why don't you let me go and let’s talk like civilized people?”

She released his ear and panted like a raging bull for a long while. "I told him I'm not interested, but he says it's soooo much nicer to commute in a car! So, I told him I already have a car, but then he says his car is an Audi or something, and riding it once will change my mind! Oh my gosh! What kind of a man is so persistent like that?!"

Kang Jin-Ho tutted quietly.

'No, it's more like you're the weird one here.'

If Han Se-Yeon knew how many female students in Business Management were dying to hitch a ride at least once in Kim Cheol-Jung's fancy car, she would not say such things. No, hang on... Maybe she would still say them?

"So, I told him that someone will come and pick me up! That's why you! You gotta come tomorrow morning to pick me up, okay!" Han Se-Yeon pointed at Kang Jin-Ho.

“Me?”

"Yeah!"

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head in puzzlement. "Why should I?"

“Are you telling me to ride in that guy's car?”

“Well, that's not for me to decide, but I don't see why I should...”

Han Se-Yeon's glare quickly became deadly. “Your friend is asking for your help, yet you can't even be bothered?! How can you call yourself a friend?!”

“Mmm...”

“Don't you understand how slimy that senior is? I get nasty goosebumps whenever he's looking at me!”

Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow, then glanced at Park Yu-Min.

His friend quickly responded, “I'm not coming to class tomorrow. Tournament commitments, you see.”

“Is that so?” Kang Jin-Ho groaned and nodded as if it couldn't be helped. “Okay, fine.”

Han Se-Yeon reminded him with a sharp voice. “Be on time tomorrow morning, okay?”

“By the way...”

“What now?!”

"I'll be using my bicycle. That's fine, right?" Kang Jin-Ho cautiously asked.

Han Se-Yeon coldly smiled. "Sure thing."

“Really?”

“However, you shall learn how merciless I can be for the next year or so.”

Kang Jin-Ho immediately revised his thoughts. “Mmhm, I see. I'll drive my car, then.”

Only then did the fierce grin on Han Se-Yeon's face soften a tad. "You made a wise decision, Mister Jin-Ho."

Park Yu-Min spectating this exchange suddenly decided to say something, "By the way... Se-Yeon, have you ever been in a car driven by Jin-Ho?"

"No. Why do you ask?"

"You see, I had a chance to ride in the back seat when Jin-Ho was practicing for his license test. And well..."

Han Se-Yeon was getting more confused. "Okay, so what?"

Park Yu-Min was about to explain something, but he suddenly stopped and shook his head. "No, I can't explain this in mere words. You've got to personally experience it."

“What are you even talking about, Yu-Min?”

“Nah, it's nothing.” Park Yu-Min replied like that, but his gaze on Han Se-Yeon was overflowing with pity.

***

The next morning...

Han Se-Yeon was anxiously staring at her phone's screen. “Why isn't he here yet?”

She had been waiting for over ten minutes now, but Kang Jin-Ho hadn't shown up yet. Unable to wait any longer, she finally called him.

- Hello?

“Hey!!! Why aren't you here yet?!”

- I'm on my way.

“Hurry!”

- Yes, yes. I'm coming…

Han Se-Yeon ended the call and groaned deeply. Just what did she do to deserve this mess?

Honk, honk~!

That was when she heard a car's horn bleating at her. She raised her head to look and spotted a brand-new Audi A6 gliding smoothly to her position. The driver's door opened, and a man with a clean-cut appearance climbed outside.

He grinned and greeted her. "Aha. You've been waiting for me?"

Han Se-Yeon pouted. "No, senior."

“You were waiting for me. Come on, get in. It's cold outside.”

“No, senior. I was not waiting for you.”

The Audi's driver, Kim Cheol-Jung, couldn't hold back his laughter. “I see that you were serious about someone coming to pick you up. But it looks like this friend of yours is running late. In that case, wouldn't it be better to just accept my offer?”

"No, senior. It's fine." Han Se-Yeon avoided making eye contact with him.

"Don't be like that and get in. I promise it'll be a smooth, trouble-free ride."

Her voice got a little louder. "I told you, I'm not interested, senior."

Kim Cheol-Jung frowned slightly. This girl wasn't even a slippery eel or something, so why was she playing so hard to get? “Hmm. I guess your friend drives a nice car?”

She patiently replied to him, "I'm not picky about cars, senior."

"But, a nice car is on another level compared to your regular runabouts, you know?"

“I am picky about the drivers, though.”

"Does that mean I'm not up to your standards, then?"

"Yes, senior," Han Se-Yeon replied with an affirmative nod.

By now, Kim Cheol-Jung's temper had begun flaring up. Most girls would have started seeing the light with how much hustle he had put in by now, but this Han Se-Yeon was like a granite wall. Never mind breaking down her stubbornness, he couldn't even scratch the surface!

'Fine! Let's see how amazing of a driver is coming to pick you up, then!'

Kim Cheol-Jung was very much inclined to insult and mock this mystery driver if that person rocked up in a rubbish car. Women might not know much about cars, but men certainly did. If the mystery driver was a guy, Kim Cheol-Jung wanted to trample on that person's pride as a consolation prize for failing to conquer Han Se-Yeon. That alone should be enough to restore his pride as a man.

Kim Cheol-Jung asked one last time, “Will you really be fine?”

“Yes, senior,” Han Se-Yeon replied curtly.

“I'm curious. Just who is coming to pick you up?”

“It's a friend.”

“Which friend?”

She spat out a reply, hoping to shut this slimy senior's mouth up. "It's Kang Jin-Ho."

“Kang... Jin-Ho?” Kim Cheol-Jung combed over his memories and finally remembered something. “Wait, the God of Liquor Kang Jin-Ho? Your fellow Three Dongmyeong High Musketeers?”

“...Yes, he's a friend from Dongmyeong High.”

“He's famous, isn't he? As a heavy drinker or something…”

She almost lost her composure just then. "No, he's not like that."

“Ah, so that's why you're getting a ride from him. He's your high school friend and all. I was low-key worried that your boyfriend or something was coming to pick you up." Kim Cheol-Jung sighed in relief.

Han Se-Yeon sharply glared at him. “Why are you worried about something like that, senior?”

“Nah, it's nothing, really. Right, right. Kang Jin-Ho, is it...” Kim Cheol-Jung smirked softly.

Kang Jin-Ho had become pretty famous in the department lately. One of the Three Dongmyeong High Musketeers, his fame was earned through his good looks and his title of God of Liquor.

Kim Cheol-Jung was confident of his own looks, but objectively speaking, he couldn't deny he was inferior to Kang Jin-Ho. Fortunately, though, looks weren't everything for men. The really-important aspect was a man's abilities. Han Se-Yeon was still too young to understand this, but soon enough, she would get a chance to learn how important a man's abilities were in the real world.

'Kang Jin-Ho, eh...?'

Despite his good looks, Kang Jin-Ho always showed up wearing shabby-looking clothes from no-name cheapo brands. That could only mean he was poor. It also meant that Kim Cheol-Jung had the financial superiority to deal with him.

He chuckled and asked another question, “You know what car he drives?”

Han Se-Yeon curtly replied, "No, I don't."

"I guess you don't know much about cars?" Kim Cheol-Jung smirked deeply again.

'Urgh, so annoying!'

Han Se-Yeon groaned, not knowing how to respond to this guy. She knew how to tell different types of cars apart. However, she had never seen Kang Jin-Ho's car before, so how could she know what it was? Of course, that didn't mean she should be honest and say that today would be her first time seeing it, though!

“Senior, just go without me, please.”

Kim Cheol-Jung grinned slyly. “Nah, can't do that. Your friend might not show up, after all.”

“He said he's coming, so no need to worry, senior.”

“You never know. And if he doesn't show up, you need to get a ride in my car to avoid being late to class.”

Han Se-Yeon looked away while replying in a resolute voice, "No, I'll catch a taxi."

“That'll be too late by then, you know?”

“I don't mind being late to class.”

Kim Cheol-Jung sidled up close to her and continued to grin away. "Is there a need to go that far, Se-Yeon? Mmm?"

Han Se-Yeon was literally fed up now with Kim Cheol-Jung's oily replies. She began anxiously biting her lip.

'Urgh, where are you, Jin-Ho?!'

Something strange happened right at that moment. A pure-white sleek sportscar rapidly slipped into the street, then stopped right in front of Han Se-Yeon. She tilted her head slightly.

'What's this now?'

Honk, honk!

The sportscar's horn loudly honked at her. Han Se-Yeon's annoyance level shot up at that, and she unhappily addressed Kim Cheol-Jung. “I think that car's driver wants your car out of the way, senior.”

"Eh? But there's enough room here to... Hang on a second, isn't that an Aventador?! Do you have any idea how expensive that is?! Holy sh*t! I heard there’s only a handful of them in the country, and I actually get to see one for myself?!"

“Is it such a nice car?”

"Did you really ask me that? Argh, I don't even..."

Just as Kim Cheol-Jung expressed his dismay, the driver's door swung upward, and a man climbed outside. It was none other than Kang Jin-Ho. "Why aren't you getting in, Se-Yeon?"

Han Se-Yeon and Kim Cheol-Jung were struck numb at the same time and stared at Kang Jin-Ho in pure stupefaction. Why was he climbing out of this super-fancy car?

Kang Jin-Ho pointed at the passenger's side with his chin. “Come on, get in.”

“Eh? A-ah! Okay, hold on.” Han Se-Yeon snapped awake and hurriedly rushed to the passenger's door. But she suddenly came to a halt... “Uhm... How do I open this door, Jin-Ho?”

Kang Jin-Ho slid back inside, then opened the door for her. Han Se-Yeon stared in amazement at the weird door and climbed inside. Afterward, she deliberately asked in a loud voice, “Hey, Jin-Ho?”

“Yeah?”

“Is that car in front of us expensive?”

Kang Jin-Ho replied disinterestedly, "No idea."

“You think it costs more than this one?”

“No idea…”

"Ah. You've never really cared about such stuff, haven't you?"

Their casual-sounding exchange utterly destroyed Kim Cheol-Jung's pride as a man.

She smirked softly and landed the finishing blow. “Okay, let's go. Wow, a nice car feels really great, doesn't it?!”

She closed the door shut, and the white Lamborghini set off.

Kim Cheol-Jung could only stand there in a daze and stare at the white Aventador as it drove away.