Descent of the Demon Master-Chapter 1390. Arrested (5)

A deeply unimpressed gaze scanned Kang Jin-Ho from top to bottom. He reflexively swallowed his saliva in nervousness.

He had been under intense scrutiny almost his entire life. Some of the attention had been deeply resentful, while some others had been filled with absolute faith and adulation.

Of course, some people stared at him in fright. And there were a few who looked at him affectionately, too.

However, none of those gazes sent a chill down Kang Jin-Ho’s spine quite like Choi Yeon-Ha’s glare right now!

“Hnnng~?”

The subtle, high-pitched snort from her was more than enough to make Kang Jin-Ho flinch nastily.

As Choi Yeon-Ha stood on the other side of the acrylic glass, it felt as if an Arctic-level of icy aura was emanating from her figure.

“Seriously? Now I’ve seen everything...!”

“...”

“But, how...?”

Not even the one and only Choi Yeon-Ha was immune from being rendered speechless, it seemed!

Then again, her state was more or less understandable. After barely managing to get back to Korea after her ordeal, she found her boyfriend behind bars for some unfathomable reason, so how could she not be speechless?

It would’ve been far stranger to be unaffected by this situation, after all!

“Excuse me, Mister Jin-Ho?”

“Yes?”

“Is this a prank? A hidden camera skit?”

“...”

“I’m really, really shocked and dismayed and all that, you know?!”

Kang Jin-Ho’s forehead progressively grew more soaked in cold sweat.

He thought two things would present a pretty difficult hurdle to clear if something like this happened to him one day. One of those things was how to explain the situation to his family.

Since they saw him getting arrested, he didn’t have to explain where he was, but convincing them why he got locked up would still take some work.

The second hurdle was explaining the situation to Choi Yeon-Ha, but this...!

Her and her decisiveness...!

Choi Yeon-Ha didn’t even bother to give Kang Jin-Ho enough time to weigh his options and charged straight toward the prison he was in. Most likely, she heard about his situation right after getting off the plane and headed here straight away.

Choi Yeon-Ha’s blade-like glare continued to stab painfully into Kang Jin-Ho’s face. So much so that he reflexively backed off a little. Even the guard sitting some distance behind him shuddered from a mysterious chill in the air!

“National? Security? Aaaaact?”

“...”

“THE National Security Act???”

“...”

Choi Yeon-Ha chuckled hollowly. “Seriously? It’s not like we’re back in the Fifth Republic days, so how could you get arrested for violating that law? What happened here?”[1]

Kang Jin-Ho smiled wryly back at her. Not only him, but it seemed Choi Yeon-Ha also knew how absurd this false accusation was.

She asked again. “It’s not true, right?”

“Of course.”

“Good. That’s all I need to hear.”

Choi Yeon-Ha coolly nodded in acceptance, which left Kang Jin-Ho somewhat stunned. So much so that he had to ask to make sure!

“Is that... all?”

“Yep. The man himself said it’s not true, so why shouldn’t I believe him?”

Kang Jin-Ho’s eyes quaked ever so slightly as he stared at Choi Yeon-Ha.

He wasn’t worried about convincing other people. That was because the Assembly’s people already knew why he was in this predicament, while his family would still accept him regardless of what he had done.

However, Choi Yeon-Ha was different.

Kang Jin-Ho couldn’t explain everything to her, but still had to convince her why he was behind bars right now. Indeed, it seemed like an impossible mission, yet here she was, nodding first as if she understood his situation!

“Mister Yeon-Ha, thank you for...”

“I know you don’t have a reason to do what they say you did. I mean, you have more money than you know what to do with, don’t you? Besides, you know nothing at all about politics, either.”

“...”

Choi Yeon-Ha continued her critical evaluation of Kang Jin-Ho. “And you don’t even have any great causes you’re fighting for. You’re basically drifting from day to day like a bum, so someone like that violating the National Security Act? Yeah, that’s a load of rubbish, alright.”

Kang Jin-Ho sure was grateful for her for being so understanding, yet... How should he describe this? This... strange feeling?

“How did this happen, Mister Jin-Ho?”

“Mm, well...”

“Did you do something wrong?”

“Mm, that is...”

Kang Jin-Ho sheepishly scratched his head. He’d unhesitantly say no if the question was about breaking the National Security Act. But when Choi Yeon-Ha framed her question like that? His conscience stopped him from casually replying to her.

In the end, he could think of only one reply.

“Things got complicated. A little bit.”

“...”

“But there is nothing to worry about. We’ll sort it out very soon.”

Choi Yeon-Ha wordlessly stared at Kang Jin-Ho. He was about to say something else, but promptly clamped his mouth shut. Even though she remained expressionless, a single teardrop sneakily trickled down the corner of her eye just then.

“...”

As if nothing important had happened, she nonchalantly turned her head away and wiped at her cheek with her sleeve.

Of course she wouldn’t be fine. That much should have been obvious if Kang Jin-Ho had bothered to think about it some more.

Since Choi Yeon-Ha hated showing weakness to other people, she was obviously acting tough right now. But deep inside, it must’ve felt like the world was crumbling around her.

Most average people would’ve found it impossible to stay composed if their significant others got arrested for endangering their country’s security. But Choi Yeon-Ha had gone through a series of stressful events in the last few days, so her emotions must be in an even worse state right now.

“I’m sorry,” said Choi Yeon-Ha.

“Why are you apologizing?”

“I’m supposed to make you feel better, but all I’m doing is shouting at you and being so unsightly.”

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled helplessly.

What a strange woman Choi Yeon-Ha was.

Most people’s usual response in this situation would have been to demand answers or try their best not to get involved any further, yet she was actually apologizing for failing to console him?

Kang Jin-Ho gently asked, “Is it okay to be here? You have your public image to consider, after all.”

“That’s not important, you know. Besides, I can’t worry about stuff like that right now.”

“But it will be a problem if someone publishes an article about you coming here.”

“Let them. It’s not like not being an actor will kill me, right?! Even if a scandal kills my career for good, you’ll provide for me, won’t you? You are loaded, after all.”

“Sounds like you’ll bankrupt me, though?”

“It’ll be fine! Considering your strengths, we won’t starve to death even if you work construction jobs. I can be surprisingly frugal, you know?”

“Hah...”

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled again. This was the first time he genuinely smiled after being thrown in here.

Choi Yeon-Ha spoke again, this time with more conviction. “Don’t worry about the company. I’m sure it’s in chaos right now, but I’ll do something about it.”

Kang Jin-Ho looked up and stared at Choi Yeon-Ha in surprise.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that? I’m a director, you know? The only people higher up in the hierarchy are the chairman and presidents, so the employees better listen to me. Or else!”

“No, that’s not it, but...”

“What is it?”

Kang Jin-Ho couldn’t say anything and just chuckled away.

She was right, wasn’t she?

Of course he knew Choi Yeon-Ha had been a massive help. And in various meanings, too. However, the help he thought of was psychological in nature. And he never once wondered if she had been physically helping him in his life.

But here was Choi Yeon-Ha, trying to do just that.

This is so strange.

Kang Jin-Ho wanted to become a giver. All he yearned from this life was to be happy, even if it was only by a little bit. For that purpose, he made sacrifices. He believed he must support others to reach his goal.

Now that he found himself stuck in a crisis, though? People he thought he was supporting turned around and tried to support him instead.

Now that he thought about it some more, those people never asked something from Kang Jin-Ho one-sidedly. As much as they had received from him, they tried to give back.

It was just that Kang Jin-Ho had been pushing that away until now. This conversation helped him realize that.

Choi Yeon-Ha frowned and asked, “Mister Lee Hyeon-Su and the others know about this, right?”

“Yes, they do.”

“Tell them to focus solely on this situation. I’ll handle MK for the time being. Should I also introduce them to a good lawyer?”

Kang Jin-Ho shook his head. “My people are searching as we speak, so we have that covered. Thanks.”

“How about food? I heard prison food can be horrifying, though?”

“Nothing to complain in that regard, actually.”

“Do you want me to bring snacks next time? How about pocket money to use in here?”

“I... don’t think I’ll need them.”

“You never know, though. I’ll deposit the money before leaving.”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded slightly. He didn’t think money would be necessary, but still accepted it for her. She probably wanted to feel subconsciously that she had at least done something to help.

“Seriously though... Gimme a break!”

Choi Yeon-Ha hurriedly looked away. It seemed she didn’t want Kang Jin-Ho to look at her expression.

She kept her head turned away for what felt like a blink and an eternity to compose herself again, then looked back at Kang Jin-Ho.

“Whenever something like this happens, I can’t think of what to do. I want to help you, but I don’t think I’ve ever been helpful to you. Not even once...”

“No, not true. You’ve been enormously helpful,” said Kang Jin-Ho earnestly. “I’ve never once thought you were unhelpful.”

He spoke while staring straight into her eyes. She could tell he was being serious, and sighed deeply.

“If only you didn’t know how to talk the good talk...! I wouldn’t be this mad, you know? How did I even end up with a hoodlum like you, I wonder...”

“...”

“I thought you were a hoodlum, then you were actually a crime syndicate boss. But then, it turns out you’ve been running an international mafia! And now? Say what? The National Security Act? Did I start a relationship with a secret agent from the North?”

“Definitely not.”

Choi Yeon-Ha narrowed her eyes. “I don’t mind giving up on my career. However! I don’t want to hear some random idiot online yapping about how Choi Yeon-Ha got in bed with a bloody North Korean spy, okay?! Do whatever it takes to clear your name, Mister Jin-Ho! Do you understand!”

“Yes, ma’am,” Kang Jin-Ho gently smiled. “You don’t have to come here anymore, because I’ll be out soon.”

“That’s up to me, isn’t it? Just refuse the visitation if you don’t wanna see me. Because I’m gonna show up here every day just to annoy you. If you don’t want that, get out of here as quickly as possible.”

“I’ll... do my best,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

To his ears, she sounded quite serious just then.

“Oh. By the way...” Kang Jin-Ho sighed deeply. “Don’t tell anyone from Seongsim, please.”

“You’re actually worried about that right now? When now is absolutely not the time to care about other people?”

“I’m just worried about the kids getting anxious over something so trivial. Please tell them I’ve traveled overseas temporarily for work. And don’t tell Yu-Min, either. He’s in the middle of an important tournament, isn’t he? We can’t disrupt his focus.”

“Seriously, you...”

Choi Yeon-Ha bit her lower lip, hard. How could he worry about other people in this situation? She just couldn’t understand him.

Eventually, though, her raised brows returned to their usual spots, along with an escaping sigh.

What could she do, when this was what Kang Jin-Ho was like? And wasn’t she attracted to him precisely because he was like this?

Criticizing him for his nature at this point seemed like something only a thoughtless idiot would do.

She calmly asked, “Can you really get out of this situation, Mister Jin-Ho?”

“Yes, I can.”

“How long will it take, though?”

“That I... can’t guarantee yet.”

Choi Yeon-Ha’s cheeks twitched ominously, forcing Kang Jin-Ho to sneakily turn his head and avoid meeting her sharp glare.

“Are you crazy?! Wait a minute, are you trying to turn me into a wrinkly spinster?! Listen here, you dummy! As long as it’s not straight to the gallows or a life without parole, you will come out eventually, right?!”

“H-hold on, it’s not like that, but...”

Kang Jin-Ho scratched the back of his head. Since it might take a few years if things dragged on—or maybe a few months—even he couldn’t tell for sure. As a matter of fact, he might get released tomorrow. Or maybe a decade from now.

Choi Yeon-Ha eventually stopped scowling and groaned deeply again. “Look, Mister Jin-Ho.”

“Yes?”

“I can’t wait that long, okay?”

“...”

She stared sharply at him and growled. “Botox and fillers can only last for so long, okay? So you better get out of here before I get too old and wrinkly and ugly to look at. At least you won’t feel short-changed that way, right?!”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded while chuckling away. “I’ll be out soon. Don’t worry.”

“...”

Kang Jin-Ho’s expression grew somber just then. “I give you my word.”

Choi Yeon-Ha saw that determined look on his face and subtly looked down at her own hands.

He could be such a scammer, no? To think he’d make such a face in this situation!

In moments like this, Kang Jin-Ho just knew how to get a rise out of her.

After regaining her composure, Choi Yeon-Ha looked up again.

“When you come out of here, Imma seriously yank out all of your hair. You hear me?”

“...”

For some reason, Kang Jin-Ho got a hunch that she wasn’t joking this time!

1. The Fifth Republic of Korea was the government of South Korea from February 1981 to 1988, established by the political strongman Chun Doo-Hwan. ☜