Descent of the Demon Master

Lee Hyeon-Su asked weirdly, “An aquarium?”

-Yes.

“Well, I'll be… I had no idea that our Assembly Master had such a hobby. It's not like he's a little kid, so why the aquarium?”

A hollow chuckle left Lee Hyeon-Su’s lips.

Kang Jin-Ho might be on vacation, but that didn’t stop Lee Hyeon-Su from getting reports of his boss’s activities. The Martial Assembly could get destroyed if something untoward happened to Kang Jin-Ho, after all!

‘Although, I might not be still alive to witness that.’

Kang Jin-Ho meeting a tragic end somewhere would also be when Chang Min discharging demonic qi pounced on Lee Hyeon-Su like a crazed killer. Quite literally, too! At the same time, Vator would also crash through the walls to invade Lee Hyeon-Su's office!

In that scenario, Lee Hyeon-Su should count himself lucky if his soul was still in one piece while heading to the netherworld.

“Yup, I’ll end up as a bloody pulp.”

The Martial Assembly was filled with strong, capable people, now wasn't it? If they were worried about Kang Jin-Ho, why didn't they act as his escort instead of dumping the responsibility on Lee Hyeon-Su's shoulders? And was it necessary to nag him constantly about it, too?!

If that was their plan all along, they could've supported Lee Hyeon-Su with a few capable people as his assistants, no?!

‘Besides, let’s get one thing straight here. Escort? Escort who now?’

Indeed, who was going to escort who?

What did it mean to escort someone in this situation? It meant you’d follow someone around closely and protect them from external dangers.

So, to complete the image of escorting… It should be something like a cute puppy surrounded by a pack of vicious wolves baring their fangs.

A tiger being surrounded by several little pet dogs was not the definition of ‘escort’ in this situation. No, that'd be more like providing a free lunch!

‘Who's gonna protect who here!’

Who could be strong enough to escort Kang Jin-Ho in this world?

Sure, even the top MMA fighters had bodyguards accompanying them. No matter how capable a human was, they could never win against a sharp dagger or a gun, after all. So, it made sense to protect them from harm.

However, what about Kang Jin-Ho’s situation?

Something Kang Jin-Ho couldn’t stop would obviously be beyond the Martial Assembly’s capabilities to stop, too. Since that was the case… Who was supposed to protect and escort who here?

Lee Hyeon-Su slowly shook his head.

“Anyways. Isn’t that place teeming with people?”

-Of course it is. In fact, it's positively overflowing with people there.

“Huh. And you thought it was a good idea to let the Assembly Master loose in a place like that?”

-What can I do? When the man himself said he wanted to go there?

“…”

In that case, it couldn’t be helped, then. Especially when Kang Jin-Ho wanted to go there. Lee Hyeon-Su had already experienced countless times how impossible it was to change Kang Jin-Ho’s mind once he had set his sights on something.

What got on his nerves wasn’t that, though.

“By the way… Hey, man. What’s up with all this sass?”

-Who? Me?

“Unless two people are answering this call, yeah, it’s obviously you.”

-Eiii, that doesn’t sound right, hyung. I’ll never do that~.

Lee Hyeon-Su’s cheeks twitched ominously.

‘Imma start recording our calls next time, you punk!’

The person on the other side of the line was, of course, Jo Gyu-Min. The two men met up some time ago and came to a mutual understanding, which led to the formation of a brotherhood of sorts. However, Lee Hyeon-Su… wasn't receiving the treatment befitting the older brother at the moment!

‘Who knew he’d be this kind of punk?’

Lee Hyeon-Su took Jo Gyu-Min to be a very serious and dignified man, but once they became sworn brothers, the latter seemed to have changed somewhat. It was as if…

-Okay, so! What do you think we should do in this situation, dear hyung?

‘Gee whiz, you really are trying to get on my nerves, aren’t you!’

If only this punk was right next to him! Dragging Jo Gyu-Min to some dark, dank corner and landing an accurate punch in his gut could blow away ten years’ worth of frustration piling up inside Lee Hyeon-Su!

Unfortunately, Lee Hyeon-Su couldn’t afford to leave his post, not even for a bit, and Jo Gyu-Min was somewhere too far away.

“Looks like my side should dispatch some people, just in case.”

-Mister Jin-Ho won’t be happy about that, though?

“I'm sure that will be the case. That's why you could've given me a heads-up, you know? Before something like this happens. Then, I could've sent people ahead of time to inspect the premises or something. Is this how you handle your business, man?”

-Mm? I didn't know it was my job to report to you.

Lee Hyeon-Su was left speechless.

Jo Gyu-Min was right, though. He had no reason to report anything. And this phone call was done out of courtesy, to begin with.

After all, Lee Hyeon-Su wasn’t Jo Gyu-Min’s superior and didn’t have the qualifications to demand reports regarding things the latter did for Kang Jin-Ho.

“No, well, I didn't mean you should report to me like you're, you know, my underling. Maybe just a heads-up would've been…”

-I'm stuck at work even on weekends, trying my best, yet you're getting angry at me instead of cheering me on? That's a bit harsh, don't you think?

“What the hell? You think I'm at home? Do you think I'm lazily rolling around on my bed while talking to you on the phone?!”

-Well, that’s your problem, hyung.

“What the hell…!” Lee Hyeon-Su shot up to his feet and huffed angrily before sucking in several deep breaths to control himself.

‘Calm down, Lee Hyeon-Su!’

If he lost his temper and Jo Gyu-Min said he’d never call again on matters like this… The only one losing out will be Lee Hyeon-Su!

“Fine, fine. We will handle this situation from our side. Still, let me know if something happens, okay? Please. I'll leave it to you. You're the only one I can entrust this matter with.”

-Oh… Without any compensation, though?

‘Of course not. Next time we meet, you'll get your compensation... In the form of blood filling your mouth! And that will be my compensation, too.’

Lee Hyeon-Su groaned. “…Fine. I’ll treat you to a good meal.”

-A good meal... And?

“And booze, too.”

-What kind of booze?

“The expensive kind…”

-Deal. Hyung-nim, I shall perfectly handle this matter, so you don't have to worry about a thing anymore. After all, I'm Jo Gyu-Min, hyung.

“Yes, I know who you are.”

As a matter of fact, he knew that all too bloody well!

‘Jo. Gyu. Min!’

Lee Hyeon-Su engraved those three words deep in his mind. And he also swore to get payback on Jo Gyu-Min one day. Or his name wouldn't be Lee Hyeon-Su!

-I’m going to hang up now. I need to take care of a few things, you see.

“Sure. Later.”

Lee Hyeon-Su hung up, then dazedly stared at the ceiling of his office.

‘How did things end up this way?’

Even though he was treated like a scary monster within the Martial Assembly’s corridors, it still felt like he was losing more and more ground with every passing day.

To be more precise, it wasn’t the case of losing ground, but more like Lee Hyeon-Su’s surroundings were being filled up with more and more crazy people!

Things weren't like this before, though.

Sure, Lee Hyeon-Su also had to deal with a lunatic back when he was still working for the Yeongnam Group. And that man was… Kim Seok-Il.

However, Kim Seok-Il was insane in a different sense compared to the current set of people near Lee Hyeon-Su. He wasn't figuratively 'insane' but really required psychiatric care!

Still, Lee Hyeon-Su only needed to worry about Kim Seok-Il back then. As long as he could keep that bastard occupied and happy, Lee Heyon-Su had almost no other stress-inducing elements to lose sleep over.

That was because he had surrounded himself with 'loyal' subordinates who would try to carry out his orders regardless of what back then.

But now… What about here in the Martial Assembly?

His direct superior often did some outlandish things. And the scale of those things would be in another world altogether. As for the directors of the Assembly, they walked around like enraged bulls but nagged Lee Hyeon-Su like a cat with its tail stepped on!

Amidst all this, Lee Hyeon-Su consoled himself with the fact that now he had acquired a reliable, dependable little sworn brother, but this…!

‘I must be losing my mind.’

His forehead was boiling hot. To cool himself off, Lee Hyeon-Su hurriedly shook his head. Unfortunately, now wasn't the right time to lament what his life had turned into.

‘An aquarium, is it…?’

There shouldn't be any major issues in a tourist attraction like that, but that didn't mean Lee Hyeon-Su should take it easy. He still needed to do his job. Like what Wiggins had told him earlier, a loyal subordinate didn't just perform things he was ordered to.

“Besides, this matter isn’t as simple as it sounds, either…”

While mouthing a fresh cigarette, Lee Hyeon-Su groaned loudly.

Of course, he was aware of Kang Jin-Ho's involvement with the Seongsim Orphanage. However, Lee Hyeon-Su thought it was nothing more than a hobby, a side distraction of sorts, so he chose not to bring up the matters related to the orphanage during the Assembly meetings.

However, with how things were playing out, it became clear that this orphanage meant so much more to Kang Jin-Ho.

This was a good thing, of course. A good thing, indeed.

In this world, plenty of highly competent folks with fame and fortune only used their talents for themselves. More often than not, being wealthy was synonymous with being villainous these days, so someone like Kang Jin-Ho, who cared about an orphanage, was worthy of a round of applause.

It was just that…

“...I hope it won’t come back as his Achilles heels.”

Lee Hyeon-Su chuckled bitterly while lighting the cigarette.

There were two ways to bring down a giant. Either cut off its ankles or destroy something the giant held dear to negatively affect his equilibrium.

As a man who had cooked up countless dastardly schemes before, Lee Hyeon-Su could clearly see it. He could see various ways to exploit the care and devotion Kang Jin-Ho had poured into that orphanage.

However, increasing the orphanage’s protection also posed a problem in its own right.

‘And that is the problem of where to draw the line.’

Kang Jin-Ho was in the middle of establishing a welfare foundation with Jaegyeong’s assistance. According to Jo Gyu-Min, the preparations were almost over, and the foundation could open its doors at any time now.

In that case, it was inevitable that the number of orphanages under Kang Jin-Ho's care would increase. In other words, the things and people he must protect would be increasing in numbers.

Although no one knew where Kang Jin-Ho would draw the boundaries of his territory and how much of it he’d try to protect…

“Regardless of what, it’s still gonna expand greatly.”

Lee Hyeon-Su rubbed his face. Despite his gesture suggesting he wasn't happy, a subtle smile was still etched on his lips.

“Geez. What a headache this is.”

Objectively speaking, Lee Hyeon-Su's job should be to advise Kang Jin-Ho to start distancing himself from the orphanage and focus more on the Martial Assembly. Having more things to protect meant it got harder to focus. Losing focus meant gaps would open up here and there.

Despite knowing this, though… Lee Hyeon-Su had no plans to speak to Kang Jin-Ho regarding this topic. Was it because he knew Kang Jin-Ho wouldn’t be interested? No.

‘Well, the thing is, I prefer this Assembly Master.’

The Assembly Master who got flustered by a bunch of little kids despite possessing incredible strength; the Assembly Master who could do anything he wanted choosing to go to an aquarium with a bunch of orphans…

Lee Hyeon-Su actually preferred this version of Kang Jin-Ho, who acted slightly differently from his usual self. This behavior was almost impossible to see from the people of the martial world, after all.

‘And it proves that our Assembly Master is human like everyone else.’

Indeed, this was the reason why Lee Hyeon-Su wanted to serve Kang Jin-Ho. Because Kang Jin-Ho was a human being, a man who didn't lose himself to the powerful position of the Assembly Master.

Since he was a mere human being, his heart sometimes overrode his rational mind, creating various openings here and there.

“Oopsie daisie…” Lee Hyeon-Su grunted while standing up.

It was his job to plug up those openings. He wasn't here to change Kang Jin-Ho but to accept his boss as who he was and fill up the gaps where necessary. That was Lee Hyeon-Su's role.

“It’d be wonderful if he tries to avoid getting involved in incidents…” Lee Hyeon-Su muttered, then pressed the call button on the intercom. “Tell Yi Myeong-Hwan to come to my office.”

-Yes, sir.

Lee Hyeon-Su slowly shook his head. “I wonder. Is he having fun?”

Truth be told, Lee Hyeon-Su also wanted to go to this aquarium. Just how long had it been since he last had a few days off?

He should seriously consider getting some rest, at least for the sake of managing his condition. And a visit to an aquarium could go a long way in improving his mental state. Watching pretty fish swim lazily around could help him calm his mind.

“Maybe I should ask Miss Lee to accompany me…”

Just as those words left Lee Hyeon-Su's lips, he abruptly clamped his mouth shut.

‘What the hell? Have I finally gone insane?’

Why did he think about Lee Hyeon-Ju just then? Was it because he had overworked himself too much lately? It seemed he had misplaced a couple of screws in his brain!

Lee Hyeon-Su powerfully shook his head to get rid of the mental image of… Lee Hyeon-Ju’s face.

‘I’m a sworn celibate!’

Lee Hyeon-Su never entertained the idea of dating someone, never mind getting married one day. Not only did he have to consider all the realistic problems precluding him from a love life, but… Even if he had plenty of time to kill, Lee Hyeon-Su was not even remotely interested in participating in something as unproductive as dating someone.

Besides! Even if a miracle occurred and he had a change of heart, the woman he'd date would never be Lee Hyeon-Ju!

‘I prefer the good wife and wise mother type, you know!’

Lee Hyeon-Ju was the complete opposite of Lee Hyeon-Su’s ideal woman.

He violently shook his head after recalling that woman’s violent tendencies and acerbic attitude. There were plenty of good women in this world, so why Lee Hyeon-Ju, of all people!

‘No, hang on! Before all that!’

He wasn’t even interested in dating anyone, anyway!

“Yes! I need to sober up!”

Lee Hyeon-Su promptly began slapping himself in the face repeatedly. The stinging pain from his cheeks helped him sober up instantly.

Clack!

Unfortunately, the timing was all wrong.

Yi Myeong-Hwan opened the office door without bothering to knock and could only stare dazedly at Lee Hyeon-Su busy slapping himself.

Lee Hyeon-Su flinched nastily and hurriedly stared back at his visitor, but…

Yi Myeong-Hwan's expression quickly grew weird. “Sir… I didn't know you had strange fetishes.”

...And that was how a new misunderstanding was born.