Descent of the Demon Master

Chapter 644. Dealt With (4)

Chapter 644. Dealt With (4)

Elegant life, they said. Yes, that was what the people of the bygone era called it... living an elegant life.

Of course, people also held extremely unrealistic fantasies about masculinity back then. Not only was a man expected to down a keg of wine and chase after the skirts of every pretty woman, such a behavior was actively recommended if he wanted to be acknowledged as a 'real man' in that era.

It might be unimaginable now, but back then, a man in a lofty position like the demon cult leader not drooling after women was seen as a deep character flaw.

Which was a problem considering Kang Jin-Ho just couldn't bring himself to... 'like' the women of that era.

A woman was all about her looks? Kang Jin-Ho could decisively say that wasn't the case.

On average, the outer appearances of Zhongyuan's women fell behind that of their modern-day counterparts. No one would argue against this. Since getting a good, balanced nutritional diet was difficult back then, many people didn't physically develop correctly, and the much-lower standards of hygiene meant the womanly charm would often be buried under layers of dirt.

Of course, you'd still get those anomalies, the exceptions to the norm. Even back then, quite a lot of women were beautiful enough to cause a huge stir in the modern era. And the women were also incomparably more docile and submissive than their modern-day counterparts.

Even so, Kang Jin-Ho couldn't view them as women. Any physical attraction he might have felt from their looks would dissipate like melting snow while chatting with them for any longer than three seconds.

That was because their thought processes were simply too different to be compatible with him. Modern-era folks started off on a similar footing since they learned and lived in mostly the same world. When they chatted and shared opinions with their fellow modern-era people, they did so from a kind of common background.

However, denizens of Zhongyuan and Kang Jin-Ho came from two vastly disparate backgrounds. No wonder he couldn't hold a proper conversation with the womenfolk back then, never mind feeling any attraction toward them!

As a result...

It gave birth to a terrifying creature called a hundred-year solo player! And that solo player was experiencing a torrent of cold sweat right now!

“...I'm sorry?”

“Sleep here tonight with me,” Choi Yeon-Ha repeated herself.

Of course Kang Jin-Ho had some tolerance to women. Having a bratty little sister helped massively in that regard. Indeed, having the experience of chatting to a woman near his age made a big difference. Even so, Kang Jin-Ho had been left greatly flustered by what Choi Yeon-Ha said.

Wasn't this, like...

“What is this! So you really were coming here to perform reproductive acts! I was completely right, wasn't I?!”

Vator's determined protest despite getting punched in the jaw suddenly reared itself in Kang Jin-Ho's memories. If only that big idiot hadn't said those unnecessary things...! Kang Jin-Ho wouldn't be this confused and flustered right about now!

“You, uh... want me to sleep here?”

“Yes.”

Kang Jin-Ho clamped his mouth shut as he didn't know how to respond to this kind of situation. No matter how much he thought about it... Wasn't this a checkmate move?

'No, wait. Compose yourself!'

What if he jumped the gun only to realize this situation wasn't what he thought? The embarrassment alone should be intense enough for him to jump out the window and kill himself right this instant! So, he should pretend nothing was amiss, and then...

Kang Jin-Ho reached out to grab the bottle of cold water, then took several gulps. Yes, just like that... As if nothing was...

“In that case, I'm going to take a shower first,” said Choi Yeon-Ha.

“Fuuuuuuuhuuph?!” Kang Jin-Ho violently spewed the water from his mouth. Not even decades of cultivation was enough to prevent him from reacting this way!

Choi Yeon-Ha blinked her eyes in surprise. “What's gotten into you?”

“I-it's nothing!” Kang Jin-Ho hurriedly wiped his mouth while shaking his head. Why was she taking another shower?! Why? When she seemed to have taken one already!

That was when Choi Yeon-Ha discovered thick cold sweat droplets on Kang Jin-Ho's forehead, and demonic flames suddenly lit up in her eyes. “Hey, you!”

“...”

“What have you been thinking about just now?!”

“N-no, wait...!”

Choi Yeon-Ha finally guessed what had been flummoxing Kang Jin-Ho and slapped her forehead in dismay. “What the hell! I'm showering because that bastard licked my leg! Obviously, I gotta wash that off me, wouldn't you say!?”

Kang Jin-Ho grimaced slightly. “I see. It seems I must rip that fool's tongue off later!”

“That's supposed to be a joke, yes?”

'I was being serious, though...'

Kang Jin-Ho could only put on a cramped smile. For some reason, people sometimes took what he said as his version of humor. Even though he had never been a person with a sense of humor...

“...In any case, I'm going to wash up,” said Choi Yeon-Ha with a small shake of her head.

Kang Jin-Ho stopped her. “Hold on for a second.”

“Eh? Why?”

“Just wait. Please. It won't take long.”

“Oh, uh... Okay?”

Kang Jin-Ho left behind the head-tilting Choi Yeon-Ha and headed to the living room of the suite to pick up the phone and call the lobby. He then exited the suite and waited in the corridor. A short while later, the elevator's door opened, and the pale-faced hotel manager anxiously stood before Kang Jin-Ho.

“G-good day to you, sir...!”

Kang Jin-Ho silently stared at the manager with his cold, withdrawn eyes before pointing at the wrecked doorway. “Fix that, or change the room.”

“My profound apologies, sir...!” The manager repeatedly bowed his head.

Kang Jin-Ho obviously had figured out how Guo Liqin had accessed Choi Yeon-Ha's suite. Since the manager knew of his guilt, he couldn't say anything as an excuse. Despite knowing the truth, however... Kang Jin-Ho didn't try to take the manager to task for it.

How could a normal, powerless civilian like this hotel manager resist a determined martial artist? That was not going to happen. Resisting would only result in the manager losing his life for no good reason since Guo Liqin would've still taken the key card, anyway.

“I don't care about blaming you. However, the doorway looking like that will inconvenience the guest," said Kang Jin-Ho.

“I will immediately transfer the guest to another suite, sir!”

“I'll leave it to you, then.”

“Yes, sir! Allow me to quickly head to the lobby first. In the meantime, please get the guest's luggage ready to...”

“Yes, I got it. Go.”

The manager hurriedly bowed deeply in Kang Jin-Ho's direction, then rushed inside the elevator.

“Ohhh!” Choi Yeon-Ha, who had been standing behind the doorway and eavesdropping, gave Kang Jin-Ho a thumbs-up. “I didn't think about this because of everything that happened, so wow... Mister Jin-Ho, you're surprisingly thoughtful, aren't you?”

“...”

Maybe he shouldn't have said anything?

***

The luggage had been moved to a new suite soon afterward.

The manager said the remaining luggage would be moved the following morning since he didn't want to inconvenience other guests by raising a ruckus this late in the evening. Of course Kang Jin-Ho was about to unleash his anger after listening to that excuse, but Choi Yeon-Ha said she was too exhausted to deal with this nonsense and sent the manager away.

After all that was said and done...

Whirrrrrr...

While Choi Yeon-Ha dried her hair post-shower with a hair dryer, Kang Jin-Ho remained frozen-stiff like a stone statue. Despite knowing this situation wasn't what he 'worried' about earlier, he couldn't compose himself for some unfathomable reason.

Choi Yeon-Ha turned off the hair dryer, then glanced at Kang Jin-Ho. “Aren't you going to wash up as well?”

“O-of course.” Kang Jin-Ho stiffly nodded, then headed to the bathroom like a creaky robot.

Choi Yeon-Ha covered her mouth to stifle her laughter at this scene.

'Why is he so innocent in things like this?'

With a face like his, no one would criticize Kang Jin-Ho for frequenting clubs and living a fast life every single night. The worst thing they could've said about it would be that he was doing right by his looks.

However, it seemed Kang Jin-Ho was totally oblivious to such things. Rather shockingly, his mind was as pure as it could get!

'Even then, he can be so vicious and straightforward when it actually matters...'

That gap in his character was one of his most charming points. She could kind of predict how Kang Jin-Ho would react depending on the topic thrown his way, but every so often, his response would be completely out of her expectations. And that gap had this power to always quicken her heart rate.

However, today was the day of expected reactions. Choi Yeon-Ha deliberately tried to be a bit more subtle with her word choices, and to think Kang Jin-Ho would produce such a response!

'You won't even see a situation like this in a sitcom, you know? People will laugh it off for being too juvenile, after all!'

Now that she had encountered the juvenile response in real life, though... Forget juvenile, she found it rather adorable instead! Although, she might be feeling that way because it involved Kang Jin-Ho...

'I better stop before the mood gets any weirder...'

Gently teasing him was indeed fun. However, Choi Yeon-Ha wasn't doing this just to amuse herself but to forcibly suppress her still-turbulent emotions. Her heart was still pounding unsteadily out of anxiety.

Yes, the front entrance was firmly shut, and Kang Jin-Ho was inside the bathroom, but... But, the anxiety of some unknown intruder suddenly jumping on her didn't want to let her go.

Her reaction was understandable. No one on this planet, and absolutely no one, would regain their composure so quickly after going through what she experienced.

'Seriously now, he's such an idiot...'

Of course Choi Yeon-Ha knew. She knew that Kang Jin-Ho was behaving like an idiot to put her mind at ease. So, they were... trying to be more considerate toward each other. As if there was nothing wrong here and that nothing bad had happened tonight.

Even then...

'...Heol? Why am I blushing like this?'

Choi Yeon-Ha panicked grandly when her reflection in the mirror revealed her changed complexion. Her intention was to tease Kang Jin-Ho, yet it was her blood coursing at a million miles per hour instead!

“Maybe I'm a pervert...?”

Choi Yeon-Ha hurriedly slapped her cheeks to sober herself up.

'Now's not the time. It's too early!'

Especially in a place like this! That would be too...

'What?! Am I crazy! Why did I tell myself it's too early?'

Choi Yeon-Ha shot up to her feet and began stomping and jumping up and down on the spot. Rather coincidentally, that was also when Kang Jin-Ho opened the door to exit the bathroom.

“...”

“...”

“N-no, this isn't what it looks like...!” Choi Yeon-Ha desperately tried to look composed, but...

“...”

Kang Jin-Ho still stared dazedly at her, and all Choi Yeon-Ha could do was stare back while trying to hold back her tears.

***

“...I'm gonna be honest. It's really difficult for me, Mister Jin-Ho.”

“I see.” Kang Jin-Ho nodded.

“Think about it for a minute. Even though the door was locked tight, some crazy guy still barged inside and tried to... You know. Right?”

“Yes, he did.”

“I'm sure you can imagine how scared I was. I'm trying to stay strong, you know? But my heart is just about ready to explode, and... When it's like this, I don't think I can sleep alone. It's too terrifying.”

“I see.”

“Did you know how scared I was about you just leaving me behind just now? That's why I... That's why I'm asking you like this, you see? Also... Yes, I can see there's a spare bed over there. But I'm asking you to share this bed because of that reason. I hope you understand where I'm coming from.”

“I do.”

“I, uh, I'm not expecting anything to happen tonight, okay? So please don't misunderstand me! I seriously think it's uncool to even try something like that after what happened today. I'm being serious! I-if you cross the line, I'm not gonna... say something as cliched as you're an animal, but please, not today, okay! Do you understand what I'm trying to say?”

“Excuse me, Miss Yeon-Ha...?”

“Yes?”

Kang Jin-Ho muttered in a pained voice. “Can we... go to sleep now? Please?”

“...”

Kang Jin-Ho was mentally exhausted. That was because Choi Yeon-Ha had been badgering him with repeated explanations... As if she was a defenseless rabbit sharing a nest with a tiger. At this rate, Kang Jin-Ho might go deaf after overworking his ear canals!

“O-okay. But you better not get any ideas!”

“I won't,” Kang Jin-Ho softly groaned.

“If you do, I'm gonna...!”

“I told you, I won't!”

“What?! Did you just shout at me? Goodness me!”

“No, wait. That's not... Urgh.” Kang Jin-Ho slowly rubbed his face. He dearly wanted to escape this place. As soon as possible, too!

Even though he was a man who stood his ground and fought against countless orthodox sect experts, Kang Jin-Ho was ready to choose cowardice and run away! At least for today, that was!

Choi Yeon-Ha harrumphed. “Hmph! Fine. You can turn the lights off now.”

“Thank you...”

“And this is not a romcom but a medical drama, so... Even after you turn off the lights, no funny business, okay?”

“...Okay.” Kang Jin-Ho sighed a little louder this time while turning the lights off.

“...Kkywaaaahk!”

And then, he had to switch the lights back on less than one second later.

“W-what's the matter?” Kang Jin-Ho hurriedly sat up on the bed.

“N-no, I was, just, uh...” Choi Yeon-Ha hurriedly waved her hands in panic. “I just lost it when the lights went off, you know? I'm sorry, I didn't know I'd react like that.”

Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded. Her reaction wasn't surprising, considering what she went through. He suddenly wanted to 'see' the face of that martial artist who should have been retrieved by Zhang Dajing by now. He glanced at Choi Yeon-Ha. “Do you want to leave the lights on?”

“N-no, it's fine. I don't want to raise a fuss like that. Please turn them off.”

“Understood.”

Choi Yeon-Ha gritted her teeth. Actually, she always left lights on during bedtime since that tunnel incident. However, saying that out loud right now might make Kang Jin-Ho even more apologetic, so she didn't.

'I can nag him. But I mustn't make him apologetic toward me.'

Choi Yeon-Ha believed friendly bickering was fine, but feeling genuinely apologetic toward each other was not. That tunnel incident was not Kang Jin-Ho's fault, but he was an idiot. If Choi Yeon-Ha said something, he'd genuinely try to apologize. That was why she needed to endure.

Even if it was a little terrifying...

“...Kuh-hum,” Kang Jin-Ho fake-coughed, then slipped under the sheets. The vibration transmitted through the mattress and the undulating sheets instantly froze Choi Yeon-Ha up like a stone statue.

'W-w-what should I do now?!'

Choi Yeon-Ha suddenly had a realization herself. Although she had a good chuckle at Kang Jin-Ho getting flustered by this situation, wasn't she just as clueless about the opposite sex? Maybe even more so than Kang Jin-Ho?

She didn't have any brothers, so Choi Yeon-Ha had never once experienced what it was like to lie in bed with a guy until today!

And so... Choi Yeon-Ha doing her best impression of a stone statue, and Kang Jin-Ho, soaked from head to toe in sweat, lay side by side and silently stared at the ceiling.

Awkwardness weightily descended on these two clueless people.