Descent of the Demon Master-Chapter 1097. Taking Care of Things (2)

Ju Yeong-Gi tutted. “Dude, what’s the matter with you?”

Park Yu-Min snapped out of his thoughts. “Eh?”

“Why are you so jittery?”

Park Yu-Min turned to look and saw Ju Yeong-Gi’s less-than-impressed gaze staring right back at him.

“Is something wrong?” Park Yu-Min asked.

“Did you just ask me that? Really?” Ju Yeong-Gi chuckled in dismay.

Searching for what was not wrong would be faster at this rate! Park Yu-Min's feet repeatedly tapped on the floor like a sewing machine while his eyes shifted nervously around every second.

But Ju Yeong-Gi was willing to overlook those things. What he couldn't overlook, though, was his friend staring at the menu for twenty minutes!

Although he had worked hard to develop a menu containing a wide variety of foods, Ju Yeong-Gi held no illusions about his own business. That was why he knew that menu wasn't good enough for someone to stare at it for twenty minutes straight!

“You. Didn’t you say Jin-Ho’s coming, too?”

“Uh, yeah...”

“In that case, just order the usual, okay?”

“N-no, well, someone else is about to join us, you see?”

“Someone else? Who?”

“It's an old... friend.” Park Yu-Min hesitated, then licked his lips. That word, friend, got stuck in his throat and refused to come out.

An old friend, was it? What a... vaguely defined notion that was.

Ju Yeong-Gi tilted his head. “An old friend, eh?”

“Yeah. We were friends back in high school, you see? But then, she went overseas to study and only returned recently.”

“Huh. A globetrotter, eh?” Ju Yeong-Gi’s lips twitched. “Then why are you so jittery like that? People might think you’re waiting for your debt collector, not some long-lost friend.”

“Well, the thing is...”

Park Yu-Min faltered, a sigh leaking out of his mouth.

‘It should be fine to discuss this with Yeong-Gi, right?’

It should be, since Kang Jin-Ho usually didn’t hide anything from Ju Yeong-Gi.

‘Which means it's fine to complain to Yeong-Gi about this situation...’ freeweɓnøvel.com

Park Yu-Min sneakily glanced at the clock mounted on a nearby wall. There were still twenty minutes left before everyone was supposed to meet here in the pizzeria.

“Yeong-Gi, do you mind staying for a bit?”

“Mm? Well...” Ju Yeong-Gi sneakily glanced at the kitchen to see if the coast was clear, then settled on the chair opposite his friend after getting the silent permission. “What's going on, dude?”

“What happened was...”

***

Once the explanation ended, Ju Yeong-Gi stared at the ceiling, his expression clearly conveying how unimpressed he was with what he heard.

Park Yu-Min cautiously asked, “So, uh... What do you think?”

Ju Yeong-Gi wordlessly picked up a cup of Coke and downed it in one go.

“Keuh~!” He put the empty cup down, then scowled deeply in unhappiness. “You know what? I don’t get it at all, man!”

“Eh?”

“What’s so good about that brat, Jin-Ho!”

“Eh? What do you mean?”

“No, I mean...” Ju Yeong-Gi groaned loudly. “Look, as a friend, Jin-Ho’s a great guy. And as a fellow man, he’s a great man, too. But that's because we're his guy friends, right? Let's be brutally honest, okay? Jin-Ho's got no sense of humor. And his manners suck, too! He can be so uptight and boring, know what I mean? So why does he always get the chicks? Why! When I’m so much better than him!”

“Because Jin-Ho’s good-looking?”

“...!” Ju Yeong-Gi hurriedly clutched at his chest. The sharp, uncaring dagger called “Facts” ruthlessly stabbed his solar plexus and emerged from his back. “D-damn it! A pretty face can only take you so far, you know!”

“Nah, not really. In this day and age, you can go really far with a pretty face, you know? Jin-Ho could’ve made it as a model or an actor if he wanted to. And make a fortune while doing so.”

“...!”

Ju Yeong-Gi couldn’t find anything to retort with.

Even from the perspective of a man, Kang Jin-Ho was handsome as hell. The only person who didn’t think much of Kang Jin-Ho’s looks was himself!

Ju Yeong-Gi desperately tried to fight back. “Dang it! C’mon, man! You think Miss Yeon-Ha is the type to fall for a pretty-boy face? Get real!”

Park Yu-Min tutted. “Why not? She’s a woman, isn’t she? Aren’t they the same? As in, why wouldn’t she not prefer handsome men?”

“Haaaah?” Ju Yeong-Gi shuddered in indignation. “But, but! Even if he’s good-looking, so what? He's boring as heck!”

“Well, that is true.”

“I-in that case, shouldn’t women get tired of him quickly?!”

“Huh? Didn't you hear that actor say you get a new appreciation every day? That being handsome is the best?”[1]

“Eiii, this sh*tty-ass society...!”

Ju Yeong-Gi felt so wronged by life and the world at large. As far as he was concerned, this whole crap about lookism could go to Hell!

Park Yu-Min asked sourly. “So? Is that all you have to say about this situation?”

Ju Yeong-Gi groaned. “What do you want me to say, dude?”

“I was an idiot for asking you in the first place.”

“Would you listen to this guy? Hey, our little Yu-Min is all grown up now, eh?”

Park Yu-Min groaned grandly, prompting Ju Yeong-Gi to chuckle.

“Hey, why are you worrying yourself sick with this?”

“Huh?”

Ju Yeong-Gi tutted again, but playfully this time. “You know what the problem is with you and Jin-Ho? It’s that you two can be way too nosy for your own good sometimes. Listen, dude. Not even the best divorce lawyers can figure out the relationship between men and women, okay?

“I know this dude who’s a divorce lawyer, so he gets to meet all sorts of clients, right? Guess what happened? He also got divorced recently!”

“...”

“Not a single idiot who talks like an expert on relationships is in a functioning relationship, okay? Only a couple will know about their situation. Outsiders like us can never truly figure out why someone likes the other person and wants to be in a relationship with them.”

“Well, I guess...”

“So, here’s my advice. Don’t think about getting involved and just disappear into the background. Why would you want to get in the middle of all that mess and lose sleep over it? They are adults. They’ll sort out their own mess.”

“But they are both my friends, you know?”

“So what? Be friends with both of them, then.”

“Eh?”

Ju Yeong-Gi stared unimpressed at his friend. “Dude. Are you going to stop seeing one of the two just because something happened between them?”

“No.”

“There you go, then. What’s the problem? As I said, let them sort this out themselves. You just stay back, observe the situation, then meet up with them separately later. What’s stopping you? You think Earth will explode if you do? You think meeting them later will make KOSPI fall off the cliff or something?”[2]

Park Yu-Min flatly replied, “Your choice of metaphor is pretty good, I must say.”

“Whatever, man. Just let them be, okay? Listen, Yu-Min. Life is tough. It's already tough trying to live your own life, so why worry about others? You're gonna go insane while doing that. Besides...”

Ju Yeong-Gi leaned over the table and got closer to Park Yu-Min. His expression became somber as he whispered quietly.

“It doesn’t matter what you cook up, cuz Jin-Ho ain’t gonna listen.”

“...”

Ju Yeong-Gi sat up straight while crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“I'm telling you, you're making things harder for yourself for no reason. So, stop it. Let them be. Otherwise, you’ll just irritate yourself to death. You focus on the upcoming play-off instead. Save us the trouble of listening to you whining about how you messed up because you were worrying about this crap.”

“I won’t do that,” said Park Yu-Min with a slight pout.

“I’m saying all this out of concern, dude. Besides, whether it’s that ex who went to the UK to study at her tender age or Choi Yeon-Ha, or even Jin-Ho, those folks are on a fast track to mega success in life, right? Who are we to worry about them? Yu-Min, let’s worry about our own lives, okay? For instance, this big bro of yours is losing sleep from how tough the business has been lately.”

Park Yu-Min sneakily scanned the interior of the pizzeria. And he could see that every table in this joint was occupied by eager customers.

When his friend stared back with an unimpressed expression, Ju Yeong-Gi fake-coughed and sheepishly looked away. “It's dinner time, okay? It might not look like it, but this is only temporary.”

No self-respecting entrepreneur would willingly admit that their business was doing great.

“So? When are they coming?” Ju Yeong-Gi asked in a sneaky attempt to change the topic.

Despite knowing that, Park Yu-Min still played along. “They should be here soon.”

“Okay! Then, I should get going. Listen, Yu-Min.”

Park Yu-Min looked at his friend. “Yeah?”

“Don't overreact and let them be, okay? If your conscience can’t handle it... Just let them be and leave first.”

“Okay, I’ll try.”

“Try, my foot.”

Ju Yeong-Gi scoffed while pushing himself up from the chair. While shaking his head, he headed to the counter.

‘That has to be a sickness or something.’

Park Yu-Min had a bad habit of going overboard in things that didn't really concern him and exhausting himself in the process. Then again, that was one of his good points, now wasn't it?

Ju Yeong-Gi perched himself on a stool behind the counter, his gaze fixed on the pizzeria's entrance.

‘So, they should be here soon, eh?’

Sure enough, the door swung open, and a young woman stepped inside. Ju Yeong-Gi instinctively realized she was Han Se-Yeon, one of the protagonists mentioned in Park Yu-Min’s explanation.

‘Kang Jin-Ho, you bastard!’

Ju Yeong-Gi immediately felt his blood pressure spike up after taking a gander at Han Se-Yeon's face.

She was a beauty. It felt like his attention was completely stolen by her presence in that brief moment.

‘That bastard! Even back in high school, he was a player?!’

Ju Yeong-Gi was already intensely envious of Kang Jin-Ho dating Choi Yeon-Ha, so finding out that the ex-girlfriend was this good-looking only worsened his indignant trembling.

‘For sure, though...’

Even though his standards had gone up a bit after interacting with Choi Yeon-Ha in real life, Ju Yeong-Gi had to admit that Han Se-Yeon was a beautiful woman. Would it be accurate to say her presence alone could brighten the room?

If they had walked past in the street, Ju Yeong-Gi would’ve turned his head to do a double take.

“Over here,” said Park Yu-Min while waving his hand.

Han Se-Yeon smiled brightly and waved back while walking up to the table, then took up a chair opposite Park Yu-Min's. “Hey, Yu-Min. Did you order anything yet?”

“No, not yet. I just got some soda to kill time, waiting for you.”

“Really? I thought this was a pizzeria? Do they allow you to do that?”

Park Yu-Min chuckled slightly. “It’s a friend’s place, so it should be fine.”

“Eh?” Han Se-Yeon opened her eyes wide before sneakily glancing at the counter.

Ju Yeong-Gi turned his head slightly to avoid meeting eyes with her.

Han Se-Yeon looked back at Park Yu-Min. “Wow. Since he’s your friend, he’s the same age as us?”

Park Yu-Min faltered. “Eh? Uh...”

“That’s amazing. To think he’s already an owner of such a big pizzeria at a young age.”

Actually, Jin-Ho owns this place...

Park Yu-Min wanted to say that out loud, but something prevented him. He wasn't sure what that could be. All he could do was smile awkwardly and try to brush this topic aside.

“I guess so...”

“Where’s Jin-Ho, though?”

“He's not here yet. But he's coming,” Park Yu-Min replied while glancing at the clock again. There were still around five minutes or so left.

Kang Jin-Ho was rarely late for anything, so he should show up pretty soon.

“Oh, really?” Han Se-Yeon smiled a little while nodding. “By the way...”

“Yeah?”

“When you were talking to him, did Jin-Ho sound unwilling? Or not happy?”

“Mm...?” Park Yu-Min slowly shook his head. “No, I didn’t get that impression. It was more like he didn’t seem to care much.”

“Oh... I see.” Han Se-Yeon quietly replied, her lips twitching a little.

She couldn’t tell which was better in this situation. Was Kang Jin-Ho being prickly about this situation better? Or did him not ‘minding it’ more preferable to her?

Park Yu-Min looked at Han Se-Yeon submerged deep in her thoughts and frowned slightly.

‘Even a blind can see you haven’t gotten over him, so how can you say you will stay as friends?’

This had to be one of the worst lies Park Yu-Min had heard so far. Then again, that lie convinced him to set this meeting up, didn't it? He knew he had no right to criticize anyone.

‘I’m just as bad, I guess.’

Park Yu-Min groaned in his mind.

Han Se-Yeon finally snapped out of her thoughts and looked at Park Yu-Min again. “I’m sorry for taking up your time, Yu-Min. You must be busy with practicing, right?”

“Nah, it’s okay. I’m not that busy.”

He was lying, of course.

He had to jump through so many loops to get a few hours off for this get-together. Even the team director, who never questioned Park Yu-Min and always supported his decisions, gave him a stern lecture earlier in the day.

‘Still, this is for the best.’

Tying up the loose ends this way was good for everyone involved, including Park Yu-Min. Because he might get a nasty ulcer if this uncertainty continued to hover over everyone’s heads!

Just as his thoughts reached that point...

Clink!

The door chime rang out, and almost at the same time, Park Yu-Min and Han Se-Yeon turned their heads to look at the pizzeria’s exit.

“Ah!”

Kang Jin-Ho entered the pizzeria, his face expressionless as usual. The two people waiting for him couldn’t say anything and silently stared at him.

After scanning the interior for a bit, Kang Jin-Ho discovered the two and walked over to their table. “Hey. Am I late?”

“No,” Park Yu-Min shook his head. “You’re on time as usual.”

“Mm...” Kang Jin-Ho confirmed the time on the wall-mounted clock, then took up the empty chair next to Park Yu-Min.

Han Se-Yeon remained silent until Kang Jin-Ho’s gaze landed on her. That was when she reflexively spoke up. “Hey, Jin-Ho. Been a while.”

“Haven’t we seen each other not too long ago?”

“Sure, but we didn’t get to talk properly back then.” Han Se-Yeon coolly nodded, then glanced at Park Yu-Min. “Before we start, let’s order a pizza first.”

Park Yu-Min stammered briefly. “Uh? S-sure. We should order something. But what should we get? Do you have anything in mind?”

“I don’t know what’s good here, though. But you do, right?”

“Then, I’ll order for all of us. Will that be fine?”

“Yeah.”

Park Yu-Min called out to Ju Yeong-Gi while picking up the menu.

Ju Yeong-Gi pouted deeply while walking up to the table. “Oii. Our waiters aren’t for show, okay?”

“But I like ordering from you,” said Park Yu-Min.

“Gimme a break...”

When Ju Yeong-Gi headed to the kitchen with the orders, Han Se-Yeon sucked in a quick but deep breath before slowly exhaling. Then, she asked Kang Jin-Ho while smiling casually.

“How have you been, Jin-Ho?”

Park Yu-Min also sucked in a deep breath without realizing it.

1. Hoo, boy. I had to google a bit for this reference. The actor in question is Jung Woo-Sung, who jokingly replied with that line when asked if he was sick of people complimenting him for his good looks in a TV interview. Before you ask, yes, he's known as one of the most handsome actors in Korea. ☜

2. KOSPI is the major stock market index of South Korea. ☜