Descent of the Demon Master

ightly.
“Apologies.
I shall do it again.”

“Hey, I was just kidding, so relax.
This is pretty good, actually.”

“Thank you…”

The manager sighed at Choi Yeong-Su's stiff attitude.
“I don't mind that you're a hard-working type, but fella, you're a bit too stiff.
You'll stumble and fall sooner or later if you don't relax.
The more urgent you feel, the slower you should do something.”

However, Choi Yeong-Su's reply remained stiff as always, “I see.
I'll remember that, sir.”

“You're only twenty this year, right?”

“Yes, sir…”

The manager spoke as some concern crept into his voice.
“Others your age must be having fun like there's no tomorrow, yet you're here, working your butt off.
Isn't it difficult?”

“I'm fine, sir.”

“Guys over thirty run away from this job because of how hard it is.
People think working in the Office of Secretaries is a fast track to success.
When you peel back the layers, though, we, the secretaries, have got to deal with all sorts of sundry chores.
That's what our job is.”

Choi Yeong-Su stood at attention and replied, “But sir, I like doing this.”

“I don't get you…”

“I'm sorry?”

“As I said before, kids your age should be having fun and adventures and whatnot.
And I personally think that's how things should be.
That's why I don't get your willingness to do this difficult work at your age.
If you're hurting for money, there are always other options.
Besides, I heard you haven't even gone to a university yet.
Getting an order to let a high school dropout work here is highly amusing in itself, but I find you even more interesting for working without a single complaint.
Hey, could you be a hidden child of one of the directors or something?”

Choi Yeong-Su could only chuckle wryly.
“No, sir.
I'm not.”

“Then, why are you here?”

“I have something I must do, you see.”

The manager leaned forward in his seat.
“And what would that be?”

“Apologies, but I'm unable to tell you that…”

“Fine, fine! You're no fun, kid.
Anyway, the Chairman will arrive soon, so make sure that the report is ready ahead of time.”

“Yes, sir.”

The manager clicked his tongue.
“If you fail to do it right like the last time, I'm gonna put you through hell, got that?”

“Yes, sir.
Leave it to me.”

“Urgh, fine.
Fine! Let me tell ya, you're one amazing kid.
I'm beginning to respect you even more.”

Choi Yeong-Su smiled stiffly.
“Thank you for the praise.”

***

The most notable event during the period, of course, was Park Yu-Min reaching the finals.

Kang Jin-Ho and Han Se-Yeon arrived at the tournament venue and had to push past a huge crowd to get inside.

Han Se-Yeon scanned the distant stage.
“Can you see Yu-Min anywhere?”

Kang Jin-Ho glanced around before replying to her, “Yeah, I can see him.”

“Sheesh, were you born with a hawk's eyes or something? Can you really see him?”

“Yeah, I can.”

Han Se-Yeon pouted unhappily.
“But, I can't see anything down there, though.”

Kang Jin-Ho shrugged his shoulders.
“You can always watch the match on the big screen.”

“I didn't come here to watch the game, you know! We're here to cheer Yu-Min on, right? Urgh, this is why I told you that we have to come here early!”

“Mm? Why?”

Han Se-Yeon unhappily reminded him.
“The sooner we arrive, the better our seats will be! That way, we'll be closer to Yu-Min during the match.”

But Kang Jin-Ho was confused by her words.
“Mm? There's no reason for that, though?”

“What do you mean?!”

Kang Jin-Ho pointed to the front.
“The seats nearest the stage are reserved for family members, after all.”

“So what?”

“That's where our seats are.
We can just go take them any time we want.”

Han Se-Yeon nearly stumbled on her feet.
“W-Who told you that?”

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head.
“Yu-Min did, of course.”

She began puffing her cheeks.
“You know, it feels like you two always leave me out of whatever you are doing.”

“Do we?” Kang Jin-Ho faintly smiled and led her toward the stage.
The security guards stopped them, but a quick explanation of who they were with the help of their IDs resolved the issue.
They were then led to the reserved seats right next to the stage.

Han Se-Yeon spotted the orphanage's director and greeted her with a bright smile.
“Ma'am! You arrived before us?”

“Se-Yeon, Jin-Ho.
Good to see you two again.
I'll be honest, I'm too nervous to watch.”

“Even so, it's great to have you here, Ma'am.
Yu-Min can finally relax and compete to his fullest potential.
Let's cheer him on together, Director!”

“Yes, let us do that.”

Han Se-Yeon turned her head.
“Hey, Kang Jin-Ho! You cheer, too!”

“No need,” said Kang Jin-Ho as he sat down on his assigned seat.

Han Se-Yeon glared at him.
“Why not? Why don't you want to cheer your friend on? Yu-Min worked hard to reach the finals, you know?”

“He's going to win whether I cheer him on or not.”

“Wha? Don't you know that his opponent is no pushover? He's the previous tournament's winner, you know?”

Kang Jin-Ho tutted and shook his head.
“Doesn't matter.
Yu-Min will win regardless.”

“And how can you be so sure?”

“It's obvious, that's why.”

Han Se-Yeon nearly threw up her hands in the air.
“Urgh, fine.
Pray tell, what is obvious, good sir?”

Kang Jin-Ho grimly replied, “No one in this world is good enough to beat Park Yu-Min… aside from me.”

“You know, I think your condition qualifies as a mental illness at this stage.”

Kang Jin-Ho confidently harrumphed.
“Just wait and see…”

However, the match didn't unfold as he had predicted.
Currently, it was right before the start of the third round in the five-round match.
Park Yu-Min had tasted an overwhelming defeat in the first two rounds.
He couldn't even do much during those two painful defeats, too.

Han Se-Yeon glared at Kang Jin-Ho.
“Hey, it's your fault for jinxing it, you know!”

Kang Jin-Ho groaned softly.
He could see Park Yu-Min inside the competition-use gaming capsule, frozen stiff in nervousness like a deer in the headlights.
Even though the second round had ended, Park Yu-Min remained inside the capsule and continued to stare at the monitor in a daze.
Anyone could tell his current state from the stupefied look on his face.

Han Se-Yeon bit her lower lip.
“Oh, no! Look, I think Yu-Min's too nervous! What should we do? He can't hear us from here!”

“Is that right?” Kang Jin-Ho narrowed his eyes, then called out his friend's name.
“Park Yu-Min.”

Park Yu-Min sitting inside the capsule was jolted awake.

Kang Jin-Ho continued.
“What are you doing?”

Park Yu-Min turned his head and stared at Kang Jin-Ho.

“Are you done warming up your wrists now?” Kang Jin-Ho mouthed those words while pointing at his own wrists.

Park Yu-Min nodded in silence.

Kang Jin-Ho grinned.
“Then you're finished messing around, right?”

At that provocative question, a grin began forming on Park Yu-Min's face.

This was the 'Heavenly Mind Communication' technique at work.
If Kang Jin-Ho willed it, no soundproofing could stop his voice from reaching his target.

“In that case, it's time to start winning.
Don’t forget.
You losing is the same as me losing.
And I hate losing more than death itself.”

Park Yu-Min cackled, then he said something.

Han Se-Yeon saw Park Yu-Min’s lips move, but she couldn’t hear him, so she asked Kang Jin-Ho.
“What did he say?”

“He said some insolent things.”

“Like what?”

“In.
That.
Case.
I.
Will.
Win.”

Han Se-Yeon smiled while glancing back at Park Yu-Min.
“Wow, Yu-Min.
You've grown a lot, haven't you?”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded in agreement.
“Yeah.
He's grown so much that it's getting harder to handle him these days.”

The flow of the match changed from the third round onward.
Park Yu-Min's previous powerless display during the first two rounds was nowhere to be found.
He maintained a steady, sturdy defense against the enemy raids and used just one powerful counterattack to win the round.
In other words, he had returned to his usual self.

Han Se-Yeon grinned at that.
“I think Yu-Min has sobered up now.”

“It's about time,” said Kang Jin-Ho with a deep grin of his own.

Park Yu-Min was a friend he met through a strange set of circumstances.
Yet, look at the kid—there he was, competing on the main stage to become the best in Korea.
He was trying to become the best in esports, a profession that most of the world hadn't fully embraced yet, and the amount of effort Park Yu-Min had put in to reach this stage must be comparable to the top athletes of regular, normal sports.

Park Yu-Min was giving his all to stand at the top right now.

Han Se-Yeon tilted her head a little.
“Since when did our crybaby Yu-Min become such a cool guy?”

“You think he's cool?”

“Yeah.
Don't you?”

“Mm…” Kang Jin-Ho chuckled softly while studying Park Yu-Min closely.

By now, Park Yu-Min had completely regained his confidence.
The fourth round was easily won by him after he went with an early-round rush to rout his opponent in one go.
And just like that, the final match went down to the wire.

The hoarse voices of the commentators fervently explaining the situation echoed in the tournament venue.
Their voices were audibly ready to give out, but the commentators remained professional and continued to commentate the match while cheering for each contestant.
Even though this was a competition involving a 'mere' computer game, tens of thousands of people had descended to the venue to cheer on their favorite finalists.

The final round was a nail-biting affair, a battle of titans deserving of its spot in history.
No matter who won, it would not be seen as an injustice or an incorrect outcome.

Kang Jin-Ho bore witness to this spectacle.
On a realm where he couldn't reach stood his friend, Park Yu-Min, displaying his utmost best.

“Hmm. He’s kinda cool, I guess?” Kang Jin-Ho smirked softly to himself.