Descent of the Demon Master

One by one, they left his side, and now, no one bothered to come to visit him.
And after only one year, Hwang Jeong-Hu found himself abandoned in this luxurious hospital room where practically no one showed up…
except for one man.

And that man was Director Baek Yeong-Gi, who almost got demoted in the past, even though he was undoubtedly Hwang Jeong-Hu's right-hand man.
The irony here was that Hwang Jeong-Hu had evaluated Baek Yeong-Gi as loyal, affectionate, and diligent but not quite talented enough, and as a result, he had never entrusted the latter with important tasks in the past.

But when he collapsed from the illness, every single bastard he evaluated as capable abandoned him while only Baek Yeong-Gi stayed by his side.
The latter would always show up once every week to make reports regarding the company.
He didn't care whether Hwang Jeong-Hu was listening or not; he always did his best to inform his boss.

And now…

Hwang Jeong-Hu was still reeling from a shocking piece of news he heard yesterday. It was news concerning his sons fighting over the currently-unoccupied seat of the group's chairman.
He wasn't even dead yet, but those bastards were already searching for lawful ways to get their hands on their inheritance early.
And they had apparently declared him publicly as “a man who should've died is still alive, making our lives rather cumbersome.”

Even worse, his eldest son had apparently come to the hospital one day and told the doctor in charge of Hwang Jeong-Hu’s treatment, “My father is suffering greatly, so isn't it the correct course of action to let him have his rest?”

That son with oh-so-wonderful filial love for his father didn't even bother to pop in by Hwang Jeong-Hu's hospital room that day.

Director Baek Yeong-Gi held Hwang Jeong-Hu's hand and shed sorrowful tears as he talked about those events.
But the latter couldn't cry alongside his loyal subordinate.
His dried eyes couldn't produce tears, after all.

What could he possibly do in his current condition? There was nothing else other than to stare at the ceiling enveloped in darkness and reminisce the good ol' past.

He had been overflowing with energy in the past and was always motivated to succeed in every business venture.
His subordinates trusted him without question, while his sons deeply respected him.
Just a brief glare from him was enough to make others bow to him, and one word from him was enough to turn the world upside down.
But now…

All of those were in vain.
He had been too obsessed with what was ahead and failed to notice what was below.
He was too busy ordering people around and couldn't see what kind of people they were.
In the end, he had no one and nothing left.

'I…' 

Hwang Jeong-Hu stared at the darkness as he swam inside the pool of thoughts. 

'Was my life a good one?'

His life had indeed been a dramatic one.
A TV show depicting his life story with different names for the real-life characters had already aired, while his biographies were being sold globally.
Things he had said in the past were regularly quoted as examples to follow for his fellow humans, while the company he had built with his blood, sweat, and tears had also become a pillar supporting Korea.

Even so…

Even so, Hwang Jeong-Hu couldn't readily say that his life had been a good one.
All he had to show for his life's work was just a pitiful reality of no one and nothing staying by his side during his final moments.

'What was that all for, then?'

Just why did he struggle so hard during his life?

What made him fight all those years while neglecting to look after himself?

After all, everything would be useless once he died, so why?

Hwang Jeong-Hu squeezed his eyes shut.

'If I can start over…’

‘If I get another chance…’

‘I swear, I'll never be this stupid again.’

‘I will never live a life this moronic only to die empty-handed…'

Hwang Jeong-Hu slowly opened his eyes…
only to spot a blurry figure standing in front of the bed.

“…?!” He was taken aback, his lips parting weakly.
However, his agitation quickly died down.
After all, the emotions in his eyes were close to resignation at this point.

He believed that seeing things like this shouldn't come as a surprise in his current condition.
While he was rueful about regrets being his only company, maybe it was time to accept his fate—accept that he didn't have much left to live.

But then, the figure before his eyes whispered quietly to him, “Does it feel like you've seen a grim reaper?”

“…?” Hwang Jeong-Hu sobered up immediately and took another look at this figure.
Only then did he realize that it was no grim reaper.
It…
seemed like a living, breathing person?

But how was that possible? How could a stranger waltz into this room unnoticed? The S Hospital's VVIP room was famous for its unparalleled security.
One needed to pass through the triple-layered doorway to enter.
That wasn't all, either, as Hwang Jeong-Hu's sons even left several bodyguards to monitor the corridors, too.

So, how did a total stranger slip into the room unnoticed?

“I have a question for you,” the man clad in black slowly spoke.
He didn't even wait for Hwang Jeong-Hu's reply.
“Is it fair to die just like this?”

Hwang Jeong-Hu couldn't reply even if he wanted to.
However, if he could…
He would have shaken his head urgently like a lunatic.
He still had too many things left—not as in enjoying the riches of his life, but matters he hadn't settled yet.
He would never find peace if he died without getting closure on those matters.

“In that case, let us enter an agreement,” said the man in black.

Hwang Jeong-Hu stared intensely at this man, knowing that the latter was not a grim reaper.
However, he could very well be a devil in disguise.
That was the only explanation for why anyone would want to enter an agreement with a dying man.

“You will decide on the conditions after I show you what I can do.”

However, this devil didn't seem to know how to negotiate.
To think that a devil was this amateurish when trying to form a contract! If Hwang Jeong-Hu had been healthy, he would have roared at the top of his lungs at this fake devil, telling the latter to go back to school and learn how to negotiate first.
Of course, all he could do right now was just lay on the bed, silently witnessing the devil do his thing.

“It'll only be for half a day.
But during that half-day, you shall experience what I can do for you.
I'll return tomorrow.
Until then, you will have to seriously consider what you can do for me.”

Hwang Jeong-Hu asked with his eyes, wanting to know what the devil would do to him.
It should have been impossible to understand him, yet the man—the devil—seemed to have understood him, evidenced by the faint grin creeping up on the devil’s face.
The devil slowly pressed his hand on Hwang Jeong-Hu’s lower abdomen and quietly muttered, “I shall allow you to dream again.”

All of a sudden, something began boiling deep inside Hwang Jeong-Hu's abdomen, and he blacked out almost right away.

The man in black observed the unconscious Hwang Jeong-Hu for a little while, then leisurely stepped outside the hospital room.

Of course, the devil in black was none other than Kang Jin-Ho.

1.
1 pyeong = approximately 3.3 square meters ☜