Descent of the Demon Master

breaking point.
Spooked by the volatile public atmosphere, other talent agencies scrambled to be the first to 'reform' themselves.
At the same time, various investigations into the shady dealings of the entertainment industry were launched by the prosecuting authority.

Everything was turned on its head seemingly overnight.

***

Jo Gyu-Min pointed at the article on his phone.
“Did you do this, Mister Jin-Ho?”

Kang Jin-Ho narrowed his eyes at Jo Gyu-Min and asked flatly, “What are you talking about?”

“Park Hyeok-Gi, of course.”

Instead of a verbal reply, Kang Jin-Ho simply smiled in silence.
The smile gave Jo Gyu-Min a chill down his spine.

Park Hyeok-Gi was one unlucky man.
By provoking Kang Eun-Yeong, his life fell apart into pieces.
If only he had left that girl alone, he would still be enjoying his life right about now.
Unfortunately, his rotten luck led him to be on the wrong side of Kang Jin-Ho's anger, and now, he would be remembered for being at the center of this massive incident.

Kang Jin-Ho changed the subject.
“What happened to the other ones?”

“The matter with Hwangseong Corporation was dealt with as you instructed, Mister Jin-Ho.
I heard that Hwangseong's representative was so mad at his daughter's conduct that he apparently shaved her head bald.”

“Hmm…”

“Quite a few other things have happened as well.
Would you like to hear about them?”

“No, it's fine.
Thank you.” Kang Jin-Ho shook his head.
That part of the tale was already the proverbial water under the bridge.
He didn't see a need to get involved in it anymore.
No point in dwelling on it in that case.

Jo Gyu-Min shrugged his shoulders.
“To summarize, others were made to pay a suitable price.
Some got punished more than they deserved, while some got off lightly compared to their crimes.
However, it's fine to assume that the majority received appropriate punishments.”

Kang Jin-Ho asked about something that had been bugging him slightly, “What happened to Starwiz's other trainees?”

“They probably transferred to other agencies.
As long as they have what it takes, of course.”

“What if they don't?”

“Then, they wouldn't have made their debuts in the first place.
They got to leave this industry before it's too late, so it's a blessing in disguise for them,” Jo Gyu-Min replied in an unconcerned voice.

Kang Jin-Ho silently nodded while making a slightly bitter expression.
This thing called the entertainment industry…
Even he could tell that beneath all the glitz and glamour, tears of countless many stained its foundation.
This line of profession shone brighter than most, yet the shadow it cast was just as dark and deep.

Kang Jin-Ho sighed softly.
“I'm worried, Mister Gyu-Min.”

“About your little sister?”

“Yes…”

Jo Gyu-Min spoke confidently, “Don't worry about her.
I shall personally see to her wellbeing by taking care of everything.
I'll continuously look after her, as well.”

“I'll trust you on this, Mister Gyu-Min.”

“Also, her new agency, Code, is in another realm compared to Starwiz, Mister Jin-Ho.
Besides, they wouldn't dare to try anything funny since they know Jaegyeong Group is involved.”

Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded, thinking that his sister would be fine.
But what about the other kids? Would they no longer be exposed to such dangers moving forward?

'Whether it's the past or present, devouring dreams to fatten oneself is still the same, isn't it…'

Kang Jin-Ho looked outside the office window as another bitter expression formed on his face.

***

Park Yu-Min tilted his head before asking, “Jin-Ho…
What are you doing?”

Kang Jin-Ho nonchalantly replied, “I'm filling out the enlistment form.”

“E-Enlist?” Park Yu-Min's stared at Kang Jin-Ho in a daze.
Enlistment, out of the blue? Was his friend on drugs or something?!

It was Kang Jin-Ho's turn to tilt his head.
“Is there something wrong?”

“You were thinking of joining the army?”

“Yeah…”

Park Yu-Min was taken aback.
“So soon, though? It has only been one semester, you know?”

“Since it's inevitable, I might as well get it out of the way as soon as possible, don't you agree? If I can avoid going, then I might have.
However, I don't feel the need to do that.”

“Well, if it's you…
I think you can dodge the draft, though.”

Kang Jin-Ho replied with a tut, “Maybe, but it'll be unsightly.”

It would be possible to dodge the draft with Jaegyeong Group's power, just as Park Yu-Min had alluded to.
For instance, Kang Jin-Ho could get a green card from another country.
But such a method didn't sit well with him.

Kang Jin-Ho firmly believed that avoidable pain should be avoided.
However, he figured that life in the Korean military couldn't be bad enough to avoid it at any cost.

'Well, it can't be as bad as the demon cult, at least.'

Indeed, the modern military would be like going to a kindergarten compared to the demon cult of the ancient past.
Besides, Kang Jin-Ho thought that getting a residency permit in another country just to avoid the draft wouldn’t exactly go well with his idea of ordinary life.

Park Yu-Min faltered slightly.
“Most guys go after spending around a year in universities first, you know…”

“I don't think it's good to delay it.”

“I guess…” Park Yu-Min unwillingly nodded.

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at him.
“What about you? Aren't you going to the army, too?”

“I'm…
exempted, you see.”

“Mm? There’s one good thing about your condition, then.”

“It's the only good thing, though.
Honestly, I'd rather be fine and join the military like everyone else.”

Kang Jin-Ho grimaced.
“I shouldn't have said that.
I'm sorry.”

“Nah, it's fine.
It's not a big deal,” Park Yu-Min replied, then he seemed to ponder something before eventually nodding his head.
“Mmhm, this means I'll get to concentrate on tournaments now.”

“How come?”

“I'll apply for time off.
Since you're not here, I don't see the point of coming to lectures, you see.
It's not like I can understand what's going on with the class, anyway.”

“Hmm…” Kang Jin-Ho wasn't pleased.
Park Yu-Min's idea wasn't bad, but saying that out loud didn't feel right.
However, telling his friend not to do it didn't seem right either.
Since it was Park Yu-Min's decision, Kang Jin-Ho had no choice but to respect it.

Park Yu-Min chuckled sheepishly.
“The thing is, though, coming to the university seemed to have worsened my records lately.
So this is actually for the best.”

“Your records?”

“Yeah.
My ranking within the team has fallen a bit, you see? Director said he'll rip me a new one if I don't get a better result during the next ranking matches.”

Kang Jin-Ho tutted loudly.
“He sounds a little too enthusiastic.”

“A little bit, yeah.”

“Mm. Don't you need to compete in a tournament soon?”

“Yeah.
The spring tournament is over, and the summer tournament's main matches are about to get underway.
The finals should be held around the first half of July.”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded with pursed lips.
“In that case, I'll get to see you win the finals before leaving, then.”

“Huh?”

“Win.
No matter what,” said Kang Jin-Ho in a stern voice.

“H-Hang on.
It's not as easy as you make it sound, you know?”

“I want it as an enlistment present.
So, win.”

Park Yu-Min's expression stiffened a little.
After hesitating for a while, he finally replied in a determined voice, “Okay, I'll try.”

“Good.” Kang Jin-Ho grinned.

Park Yu-Min began scratching his cheek.
“Hey, by the way…”

“Yeah?”

“Did you tell Se-Yeon about your plan to enlist?”

Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow.
“Should I tell her?”

“You haven't told her yet?”

“No…”

“Oh, I see…
You haven't told her yet.
That's too bad.”

Kang Jin-Ho frowned and tilted his head.
“What's the problem?”

“Well, it's…
nothing.
Not really.” Park Yu-Min groaned deeply.
He couldn't figure out whether Kang Jin-Ho or Han Se-Yeon deserved his sympathy more.