Descent of the Demon Master-Chapter 1410. Released (5)

Kang Jin-Ho stared at Choi Yeon-Ha in silence for a long, long time.

Her question shouldn’t be too difficult to answer, yet he still hesitated. Because he could feel an emotion he had never heard before in Choi Yeon-Ha’s voice.

Thankfully, though, he didn’t have to say anything as Choi Yeon-Ha spoke first instead.

“Before you misunderstand me, I’m not saying I’m disappointed or dissatisfied by you, okay? Yes, I’m uncomfortable with you acting like an international mafia boss, and with the government trying its hardest to throw you behind bars, but still...”

“...”

That sounded like she was very uncomfortable, though?

No, wait. Something doesn’t sound right with her evaluation, does it? It all feels a bit off, but...

But Kang Jin-Ho realized she wasn’t exactly wrong about her assumption here. And that made him feel even worse.

“However, that’s who you are, after all,” said Choi Yeon-Ha with a soft sigh. “Besides, I’m not amazing or great enough to tell other people how to live their lives. Instead of lecturing others, I should just fix myself first.”

“...”

“But the thing is...” Choi Yeon-Ha stared intently at Kang Jin-Ho. “After meeting you, I got involved in various incidents. I got buried alive, and even became acquaintances with strange people in another country. And let’s not forget what happened recently, too.”

“...Indeed.”

Now that she had mentioned it, Choi Yeon-Ha also went through a lot thanks to Kang Jin-Ho, didn’t she? He belatedly remembered that.

“But... This event gave me enough time to sit down and think about this, Mister Jin-Ho. And that’s when I realized something. The events happening around you and to you have been growing in scale. And so is the accompanying danger.”

Kang Jin-Ho briefly squeezed his eyes shut. He knew she was right.

“I don’t want to lecture you about what to do and what not to get involved in. That’s the burden I gotta bear, anyway. But you know what else I’ve realized? To me, it’s like you’re struggling more and more to handle these events.”

“No, that’s...”

“As proof, you ended up in jail.”

Kang Jin-Ho grimaced slightly, unable to respond.

“Look, I get it. The same thing won’t happen again. But events don’t have to be exactly the same every time, right? Something similar enough will keep happening to you. Things big enough to cause a serious incident. Or even cause your death. Can you confidently say things like that won’t happen to you ever again?”

Of course Kang Jin-Ho couldn’t. Because those life-threatening events would definitely occur again.

Even if Kang Jin-Ho wanted to stop now, the world would never let him be.

“Mister Jin-Ho, I... I get scared sometimes.”

Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brow. “But I...”

“Scared of you just disappearing one day. Dying.”

Kang Jin-Ho sighed deeply. “That won’t...”

“That won’t happen?”

“...”

“Really? It never will?”

Again, Kang Jin-Ho couldn’t respond. Because he knew better than anyone that his life could crumble at any moment, as if he was walking on a tightrope.

He certainly had slipped this time, but eventually got back on the rope. However, what about in the future? What if he never gets back on the rope?

To him, there was only one way to resolve such a situation. Either he gritted his teeth and kept going till the end, or... Or get down on the ground and wait for someone to rescue him.

Of course, he always chose the first option. Always.

Choi Yeon-Ha sighed. “I’m not trying to criticize you. And I wasn’t going to say we should go our separate ways if you didn’t want to stop.”

“I know.”

“It’s just that... Mm, I figured we needed to have this talk sooner or later. Because things looked really dangerous this time.”

Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded in silence.

“Your good life didn’t come from living dangerously, right? You could just leave these things behind and still be happy, you know? You have your family, your friends, and me. It’s not too late, don’t you think? Can’t you leave it all behind and live like an ordinary person?”

Why... Why did Kang Jin-Ho’s chest begin aching a little just then?

Not only did Choi Yeon-Ha sound emotional, but the “ordinary person” part of her pleading struck him so hard just then. Was that why?

When Kang Jin-Ho had returned to the modern era, he tried so hard to attain that, the so-called ordinary life. A life where he wasn’t any different from other people.

That was what he wanted to acquire. Now that Choi Yeon-Ha had brought that topic up, though...

He couldn’t help but realize just how far his current life had drifted away from that dream.

An ordinary life, is it...?

Yes, he did fight for that kind of life after his return. He knew how unforgiving the world was and that it’d try to destroy his life at every chance it got. A man who didn’t fight back had no hope of protecting those things he held precious to him. That was why he fought and shed blood.

But from a certain moment in time, Kang Jin-Ho stopped dreaming about attaining an ordinary life. Because he finally learned that he’d never lead such a life.

Choi Yeon-Ha cautiously spoke up. “Mister Jin-Ho? Do you mind if I say something else?”

Kang Jin-Ho sobered up. “Yes, of course.”

“This might sound like I’m being a little arrogant here, but...”

Choi Yeon-Ha pondered something for a bit, then looked at Kang Jin-Ho.

“You see, in this world?”

“Yes?”

“There is no such thing as a job only you can do, Mister Jin-Ho.”

“...”

Choi Yeon-Ha sighed deeply.

“A... busybody is not someone who wants to help everyone around them, but more like a person who thinks they are the only one qualified for the job at hand. They think everyone will fall to their knees without them around.”

“...”

“But that’s not how life works, you know? Even without you, the world will keep chugging forward. Only the busybodies don’t believe that.”

Again, Kang Jin-Ho couldn’t think of anything to argue back. That didn’t mean he accepted everything she said, though.

“Yes, there will be some... losses. Someone like you doesn’t come around every day, after all,” said Choi Yeon-Ha. “But things getting a tiny bit worse won’t kill anybody, you know?”

“No, I get that.”

“Okay, so...” Choi Yeon-Ha subtly chewed on her lips. “I hope you take your time and think about this. Think about if you’re living for yourself, and if this life is making you happy. I don’t want to imagine a world without you in it. But that might happen regardless of how you or I feel, and that terrifies me.”

Kang Jin-Ho contemplatively nodded before raising his head and looking straight into Choi Yeon-Ha’s eyes.

“I’m not sure from where I should start explaining this, but...”

That was because even Kang Jin-Ho had trouble organizing his thoughts. Still, his gut told him to say this first.

“I was also thinking that the events happening to me were growing in scale lately.”

When he said that, Kang Jin-Ho’s voice grew weightier than before. From this moment on, he’d be speaking his true thoughts, something he hadn’t revealed to anyone yet.

“From a certain moment on, larger and larger incidents kept happening to us even though I hadn’t done anything to trigger them.”

First of all, he fought against the Crimson King. Then that war against the Japanese broke out. And now, he even had to fight against the Korean government.

The enemies he must fight were progressively getting stronger, even though Kang Jin-Ho hadn’t done anything. Judging from this trend, the enemies he must fight in the future would undoubtedly get stronger and stronger, too.

For instance, he’d have to finish things off with the Crimson King sooner or later. And the other Two Kings wouldn’t just sit by and do nothing, either.

He was already riding on the proverbial tiger’s back. There was no going back now. Even if he wanted to stop, his enemies wouldn’t let him. Because they simply didn’t want to accept Kang Jin-Ho’s existence.

To survive, to fight and win... Kang Jin-Ho and the Martial Assembly had no choice but to continuously get stronger, too.

What waited for him were endless battles and endless struggles. Of course, Kang Jin-Ho wasn’t afraid.

But he was afraid of something, although that wouldn’t be his death. The idea of every person he made a connection with being left behind once he died... Now that scared him. People like Choi Yeon-Ha, his family, his friends, and allies in the Assembly...

They would have to go on in this life without him. That was the only thing scaring him to death.

The weight he couldn’t handle was bound to get distributed to the people around him.

“Yes, it’s not as if I’ve never thought about taking that path in life.”

Choi Yeon-Ha cautiously asked, “When you said that path...?”

“Will I be able to return to an ordinary life by leaving everything behind, like you said?”

“...”

“Rather than wondering if such a thing was realistically possible, I was trying to figure out if I could be happy by doing so.”

A subtle but rueful smile formed on his face.

“But I realized I wouldn’t be.”

“Why not?”

“Because I wouldn’t be able to decide.”

“...?”

Kang Jin-Ho explained in a calm voice. “Maybe I could have done what you said a few years ago. But now, it’s not possible. Back then, I was satisfied with my life. Simply being with my family and living an ordinary life was perfectly fine for me. But now...”

He then glanced at Choi Yeon-Ha, warmth now spreading on his expression.

“Who should I leave behind and who should I keep holding on to become happy?”

“...”

“If I stop spending time with the Seongsim kids, I might have more time for myself. My life might become a little easier. But can I really do that? What about my friends? And my comrades back in the Assembly?”

He ruefully shook his head.

“That’s why I said I can’t decide. Back then, my family was my life. But that wasn’t because they were the most important people in my life, but more like they were the only people I cared about.”

“Are you saying that’s not the case anymore?”

“Yes.”

Finally, here was the question he could confidently answer.

“Now, I have lots of people I care about. My family is important to me. But so are my friends. And the kids from Seongsim. Even though my allies in the Assembly can give me headaches sometimes, they are also important. And...”

Kang Jin-Ho locked his gaze on Choi Yeon-Ha again.

“And yes, you’re also important to me.”

“Wow. Goosebumps of cringe...”

“...”

“Sorry, sorry. I’ll stop messing around. Please continue.”

“Not sure what else I can say, but...” Kang Jin-Ho pondered some more before resuming his explanation. “Yes, it’s because I can’t decide. My life might become simpler and less stressful if I leave everything behind, like you say. But how will I decide on what to leave behind and what to hold on to?”

“Is that why...” Choi Yeon-Ha frowned a little. “...You’d shoulder them all?” 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

“Yes. Although it won’t be easy.” Kang Jin-Ho shrugged. “But I know I’ll feel better this way, instead of just thoughtlessly dropping everything.”

“I’m not sure if you’re dumb or just greedy, Mister Jin-Ho.”

Kang Jin-Ho faintly smiled. Both descriptions seemed to fit him somewhat, didn’t they?

“Seriously...” Choi Yeon-Ha faltered before she could say something, then groaned deeply. “Yup, that answer is so like you, Mister Jin-Ho.”

“...”

“You know, us humans can be so weird sometimes. I hoped you wouldn’t reply that way, but a part of me knew I’d get disappointed if you replied the way I wanted. But now... I used to hate girls acting so vague and wishy-washy with me like this, but here I am, acting exactly the same as those girls.”

Choi Yeon-Ha nodded, her expression saying that a load had been lifted off her shoulders.

“Very well. I won’t bring this topic up again. However, you gotta promise me something.”

“Promise you?”

“Yes. Please don’t die.”

“...?”

Kang Jin-Ho blinked his eyes in sheer flabbergast.

“I don’t mind you causing a scene. And I won’t mind even if you get thrown behind bars again or get abandoned in a space station or something. But I won’t forgive you if you get yourself killed somewhere, okay? Can you promise me that?”

Kang Jin-Ho gently smiled and nodded. “Yes, I promise.”

“Don’t smile like that! You’re gonna make me fall for you again. Honestly, I’m a little peeved right now.”

“Mm, really? You might feel better after eating something delicious, though.”

“Hah! Don’t make me laugh.”

Choi Yeon-Ha harrumphed and spun on her heels, then quickly trotted toward the parked car. Despite Kang Jin-Ho calling out to her and saying, “Let’s go together,” she roundly ignored him.

However, she did turn her head ever so slightly to stare at the setting sun bathing the world in its amber glow.

Seriously, what a steadfast and determined person he is.

Then again, wasn’t that why she was attracted to Kang Jin-Ho in the first place?

She didn’t expect him to change his mind overnight just because she had said these things. However, at the very least, she wanted him to know.

She wanted him to know that the people he wanted to help so much didn’t expect things from him, but to see him be happy.

Choi Yeon-Ha glanced at the smiling Kang Jin-Ho standing beside her before playfully elbowing him in the side.

“...Can you at least pretend that it hurts?”

“Oh. Ouch...?”

“Oww! Seriously?”

Choi Yeon-Ha pulled him close and locked her arm with his. She didn’t even know that a smile was spreading on her face.

Well, this is fine for now.

Indeed, for now.