Epilogue Chapter 30 - Aftermath — Mother and Son

A month passed since Kang-Hyun decided to receive special training every weekend in Hell. Kang-Hee’s patience was almost bottoming out as she was forced to be apart from her beloved big brother every weekend.

Slam!

“M-Mom!”

Kang-Hyun barged into Cha Yeon-Joo’s room with a bright expression. Yeon-Joo, who was having fun playing games on the gaming laptop Oh Kang-Woo gave her as a gift, slammed the laptop shut in surprise.

“S-Son? Wh-Wh-What’s up?”

“Were you... gaming?”

“N-No! I wasn’t!”

Yeon-Joo shook her head as she hugged the laptop like Gollum with the One Ring.

“Haaa,” Kang-Hyun sighed deeply in exasperation.

“That aside, what’s up?” Yeon-Joo asked.

“Oh, I did it!”

“Did what?”

Kang-Hyun approached Yeon-Joo tilting her head in wonder.

“Just a moment.”

Kang-Hyun closed his eyes to focus.

‘From my heart... slowly down my arm and spouting from my hand.’

He recalled the sensation he felt during his training and controlled the demonic energy inside him that used to not budge no matter how desperately he tried to move it. However, it squirmed down his arm, albeit a negligible amount compared to the amount of demonic energy lying dormant in his heart.

“Haap!” Kang-Hyun shouted as he stretched his arm forward.

Schwing!

The palm of his hand split open and a black blade sprouted from it.

“Whoa!” Yeon-Joo stood up in surprise. “Did you finally succeed in using demonic energy?”

Kang-Hyun smiled in embarrassment. “Hehe, yes. I’m still nowhere near Kang-Hee and Lia’s level, though.”

Yeon-Joo smiled brightly and lifted her son to hug him tightly.

“You succeeded, that’s all that matters!”

“O-Ouch. Th-That hurts, Mother.”

“I’m so proud of you, my son! So proud! Here, take Mommy’s kisses!”

“I-I’m good!” Kang-Hyun twisted around in embarrassment. “More importantly, I’m holding a knife, so it’s dangerous. Please let go of me.”

“Hehe. You little brat. I won’t get hurt from something like that.”

Yeon-Joo was already taking caution not to make contact with the blade as she hugged Kang-Hyun. She put Kang-Hyun back down and thoroughly examined the black blade sprouted from his palm.

“Oh, your dad used to use this technique often.”

‘Authority of Blades, was it?’

She rarely saw him using it lately but it was practically the Authority he used the most back in the day.

“R-Really?” Kang-Hyun asked.

“Yeah. I don’t think he uses it as much now but he used it super often back when we first met.”

“A technique Father used often...”

Kang-Hyun smiled brightly after hearing that. Yeon-Joo patted her son’s head and smiled faintly.

“You did your best, my baby. You’re amazing.”

“I just did as Uncle Balrog taught me.”

“That aside, I didn’t think that ridiculous training would actually work.”

“Ah.” Kang-Hyun turned pale as he recalled his training this past month. “T-Tentacles... No. No more... tentacles.”

“S-Son? Are you okay?”

Yeon-Joo patted Kang-Hyun’s back as he trembled with her head covered by his hands. She just barely calmed him down after his trauma activated.

“Huuu. I’m fine now.”

“For God’s sake. Like father, like son, I tell you.”

Yeon-Joo giggled and messied Kang-Hyun’s hair. Kang-Hyun looked up at Yeon-Joo and smiled gently.

“I’m glad...” he mumbled quietly.

“Huh? Glad about what?”

“N-Nothing.”

“There’s no way it’s nothing. Come on, spit it out.”

“It’s really nothing—”

“Don’t make Mommy angry.”

“...” Kang-Hyun remained silent for a moment. He smiled awkwardly and continued, “Since I can use demonic energy now... you and Father... umm... won’t grow apart.”

𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

“Eh? What does that have to do with you being able to use demonic energy?”

Yeon-Joo couldn’t understand why Kang-Hyun would think she and Kang-Woo would grow apart if he was unable to use demonic energy. She stared in confusion at Kang-Hyun looking down.

He answered, “It might be okay now because I’m still young, but... I thought you and Father would grow apart if I stayed being unable to use demonic energy.”

“What?”

“Because... I have human blood in my veins, unlike Kang-Hee and Lia.”

Kang-Hee was the child between an angel and a demon while Lia had pure demon blood. Unlike them, Kang-Hyun was half demon and half human— he was half of what could never compare to angels and demons in terms of strength.

“That’s why if I stay unable to use demonic energy... Father might think it’s... Mother’s fault. Th-That’s why I thought... I might be the reason you two... grow apart from each other in the future.”

Kang-Hyun cautiously uttered what he had been hiding deep inside him all this time.

“...” Yeon-Joo was left speechless at Kang-Hyun’s unexpected statement.

‘I never thought he would be thinking about something like that.’

She knew Kang-Hyun was a very thoughtful boy but she never expected him to have such thoughts.

Yeon-Joo asked, “Then am I the reason why you tried so hard to control demonic energy?”

“There is another reason too, but... yes.”

“Haaa. You...” Yeon-Joo sighed and pinched Kang-Hyun’s cheek hard.

“Ouch! TH-That’s hurts, Mother!”

“You cheeky brat! Who do you think you’re worrying about? Huh?”

Yeon-Joo had shown many immature sides of herself to her son but had not lived pathetically enough to make him worry about her.

“You think Kang-Woo will be disappointed if you can’t control demonic energy? Is that how you see your dad?”

“W-Well, no, but...”

“Mommy and Daddy couldn’t care less that you can’t control demonic energy.”

They only wanted Kang-Hyun to live happily and healthily. They did not want him to live in sorrow, desperation, or fear.

“We couldn’t be happier as long as you live the way you want.”

“Mother...”

“Come on, man. Call me

Mom

at a time like this.”

“Th-That’s...” Kang-Hyun turned away in embarrassment. “Mom... are you okay with me being a half-blood who can’t even control demonic energy?”

“Half-blood? Who the hell called you that? My son is the best in the world.”

“Haha. No one called me that.”

Kang-Hyun simply thought of himself that way because he couldn’t even use demonic energy despite being the son of the Demon King.

“I... don’t really understand,” he remarked.

“Hm? What don’t you understand?”

“My classmates tell me their parents nag at them to study, go to cram school, and stop playing games.”

Kang-Hyun had never heard from kids his age that their parents told them to live as they wanted. They wanted their children to study more and work harder to become better than they were now.

Yeon-Joo smiled awkwardly and nodded. “Oh... I mean, I can see where their parents are coming from.”

Parents naturally worried about their children’s futures. They were just unaware of how much pressure and stress it brought to them.

“Do you feel the same way, Mother?”

“Hmm, I wonder?”

Yeon-Joo also wanted Kang-Hyun to become a better person. Since he could use demonic energy now, he might become as strong as— no, stronger than Kang-Woo through painstaking effort. He might succeed Kang-Woo and become a Demon King to unite the Nine Hells or the guardian of Earth.

However, one couldn’t definitively say it would make Kang-Hyun a

better

person.

“No, I like my baby as he is now the best,” Yeon-Joo remarked.

She didn’t care if he couldn’t use demonic energy. It didn’t matter if he was half-human. It would simply mean he lacked talent, not his worth as a person.

“I like my kind son who acts mature despite being a brat and knows how to work hard for others the best.”

Yeon-Joo smiled brightly and placed her hand on Kang-Hyun’s hair to mess it up.

“M-Mother.”

“Anyway! No more worrying about pointless stuff like that! Understood?”

“Okay... No more.”

“Hehe. That’s my clever baby.”

Yeon-Joo smiled widely and hugged Kang-Hyun tightly.

“Hmm.”

“What’s wrong, son?”

“Nothing, I was just curious what it would feel like if I had kids too.”

Kang-Hyun was curious about the love parents had for their children.

Yeon-Joo burst into laughter. “Bwahaha! What the hell are you thinking about at your age, you brat?!”

Kang-Hyun stared at his laughing mother and asked, “Mother, can I ask you something?”

“Huh? What is it?”

“Actually... never mind. It might be better to ask Father later.”

“What? That’s not fair!”

Yeon-Joo raised her head high as she pounded her chest excitedly, getting a chance to teach her son something after being on the nagged end daily.

“Mommy will answer any~ question you have!”

She did not know what kind of question Kang-Hyun would ask but it was merely a nine-year-old’s question. Unlike her husband who did not even finish middle school, she had graduated from high school. She was confident she could answer any question Kang-Hyun had—

“How are babies made?”

“Huh?”

“Well, I said I was curious what it would feel like if I had kids, so I want to know how to make them if I have the chance to in the future.”

“Huh? O-Oh, yeah. I see. It’s best to know for the future.”

“How can I make babies? I’m sure you know since you gave birth to me, right?”

“U-Uhh... The thing is...”

‘I do. Of course, I know. I do, but... umm...’

“H-Hubby! Help Help—!!!”