Park Ji-hoon
Chapter 23.
Park Ji-hoon.
The only son of Chairman Park.
The reason I remember him is simple.
He's a strong one.
A viciously strong one at that.
In the original timeline, he would awaken a year from now.
Thanks to the 'Elixir' that his father poured his entire fortune into acquiring.
Once awakened, he immediately made his mark.
Overwhelming martial prowess. A cruel disposition.
He inherited his father's organization and unified the underworld.
People called him the 'Demon King.'
But I'm certain.
He's not a god's avatar.
The reason is paradoxical—his personality.
He's ruthlessly self-centered.
He pursues only his own glory, nothing more.
Even as humanity teetered on the brink of extinction, he scoffed at it.
He didn't even join the final expedition climbing the tower.
-Why the hell should I? Go die on your own.
He was content to stay on Earth and play king.
If he were a god's avatar?
He would've wormed his way into the expedition to sabotage it.
That's how they operate—destroy from within.
But Park Ji-hoon didn't.
That utter selfishness.
Proof that he's human.
'Useful.'
Handleable, depending on how you play it.
Give him money and power, and he'd make an excellent pawn.
Knock knock.
The knock snapped me out of my thoughts.
The door opened, and men in black suits filed in.
Each carried a box of apples.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The boxes piled up on the table.
Ten in total.
Chairman Park wiped his sweat and said,
"Ten billion. Check it."
I didn't even glance at the boxes.
"No need."
"......Not gonna count it?"
"You're not the type to joke around with your son's life."
Chairman Park's eye twitched.
I'd hit the nail on the head.
Right now, he was desperate enough to grasp at straws.
Freaking out that I might get offended and refuse treatment.
No way he'd pull a stunt with the money in this situation.
"Let's go."
I stood up.
"To the hospital."
Korea University Hospital VIP ward.
We breached the ironclad security and entered the room.
"......"
It was dead silent.
Only the steady beeps of machines.
A man lay on the bed.
Park Ji-hoon.
I approached the bedside.
It was worse than I'd imagined.
Three years was a long time.
His muscles had withered away to bones, his skin pale to the point of translucency.
Barely clinging to life on an oxygen respirator.
'This is the Demon King Park Ji-hoon.'
No trace of that future imposing figure.
Just a patient awaiting death.
Chairman Park stood beside me.
His hand trembled faintly.
"......Can you save him?"
His voice was thick with emotion.
Even the mighty Chairman Park was just a weak father before his child.
I didn't answer.
Instead, I reached into my pocket.
Pulled out the prepared item.
One of the relics I'd snagged from Daegu's antique district.
A fist-sized jade vial.
I uncorked it, and a faint fragrance filled the room.
"What's that?"
Chairman Park frowned, eyes scanning the jade vial.
He was an awakener too.
Probably had observation or appraisal skills.
The info this vial showed him would've been pathetic.
Grade: Normal
Permanently emits a faint fragrance when uncorked. Nothing more than a decorative item.
"You joking? Gonna fix my son with some air freshener?"
Anger edged his voice.
With his son's life on the line, this looked like a prank—he was ready to draw a gun.
I calmly headed to the water purifier in the corner.
"It looks that way."
Filled a paper cup with water.
Poured it into the jade vial.
"But this relic has a hidden option."
I lifted the sloshing vial and returned to the bed.
Chairman Park eyed my hand suspiciously.
I slammed the jade vial onto the floor without hesitation.
Crash!
"Wh-what the hell?!"
Chairman Park yelped in shock.
Shards flew everywhere.
But.
"......Huh?"
His eyes went wide.
The floor didn't get wet.
The water inside didn't splash—it floated up, coalescing into a perfect sphere.
A glistening emerald droplet brimming with vibrant life force.
The room filled with potent vitality.
"The vial's true purpose is 'purification.' A one-use alchemy tool that turns plain water into life water."
I caught the floating droplet on my palm.
Low-grade Elixir.
Not quite the legendary miracle drug that revives the dead, but enough to snatch back a dying man's thread of life.
Still, not enough.
I pulled another item from my inventory.
A rusted bronze mirror.
The 'Truth-Revealing Mirror' I'd bought for 100,000 won from a Daegu antique dealer.
"What's that? Junk mirror?"
"Park Ji-hoon's not waking because it's not just his body."
I held the mirror over his face.
"His brain can't perceive reality. He's trapped in a hallucinatory state. Even if his body heals, without his mind returning, he'll stay a vegetable."
Hallucination.
Perception without an object.
Park Ji-hoon's consciousness wandered a maze of the unconscious.
This mirror maximized resistance to illusion magic.
A compass to shatter delusions and reveal reality.
Finally, I took out a ring.
Jade Ring of Vitality.
An item that amplified regeneration.
I slipped it onto Park Ji-hoon's bony ring finger.
"Preparations complete."
I brought the life water to his lips.
Pried his mouth open, dripped in the glistening droplet.
Gulp.
His throat bobbed.
At the same time, I infused mana into the bronze mirror.
Hummm!
Faint light emanated from the surface, shining on Park Ji-hoon's face.
"Guh... ughhh......!"
His body arched like a bow.
Shuddering violently.
Cold sweat poured like rain, his eyes darting wildly beneath closed lids.
The life water cleared his blocked circuits, the mirror's light dragging his mind back to reality.
But still not enough.
'Gotta fix the mana circuits.'
They were wrecked.
Tangled like a bomb about to blow.
Tampering with someone else's mana circuits was risky, but time was short.
Miss this golden window, and I couldn't wake him.
About ten minutes passed like that.
I barely patched the broken circuits.
But Park Ji-hoon still didn't open his eyes.
Silence returned.
"......Failed?"
Chairman Park's face turned ashen.
His massive hopes crumbling into rage.
He glared at me, fists clenched.
"Scam after all. You dare toy with my son......"
"Not yet."
I shook my head and continued.
"The path is open. But walking through the door is up to him."
I looked at Chairman Park.
"Call his name."
"......His name?"
"He's standing at the door right now. But he can't tell if this is reality or a dream. Call him back with the voice he knows best."
A landmark to return to reality.
A role I couldn't fill.
Only his blood kin, his father, could.
Chairman Park swallowed hard.
He grasped his son's hand with trembling fingers.
Leaned to his ear and whispered,
"Ji-hoon."
His voice cracked.
"Ji-hoon...... It's Dad. Can you hear me?"
No response.
His eyes reddened.
He called more desperately, louder.
"Ji-hoon! Please...... open your eyes! Dad's right here!"
A scream near agony.
Did it reach?
Twitch.
Park Ji-hoon's fingers moved faintly.
And then.
Flutter.
His sealed lashes trembled, slowly lifting.
Unfocused eyes wandered the air, then locked on the man before him.
"......D-Dad?"
A raspy voice.
But a clear call.
"......!"
Chairman Park's eyes widened.
Breath caught.
"J-Ji-hoon......! You recognize me? It's me! Dad!"
"D......Father......"
Park Ji-hoon managed a weak smile.
Reality.
His son had returned after three years.
Whoosh!
Chairman Park embraced his son fiercely.
No thought of dignity.
He sobbed like a child, stroking his son's emaciated back.
"Thank you...... thank you for living......"
The room became an ocean of tears.
I quietly pocketed the bronze mirror.
My work was done.
Demon King Park Ji-hoon had awakened.
Now he'd rapidly build power on his father's organization.
For his own glory if nothing else, he'd defend his home base—Korea.
I slipped out, leaving the emotional father and son.
Manager Kim waited anxiously in the hall.
He tensed at the sight of me.
"H-how'd it go?"
I grinned and gave a thumbs-up.
"Prepare the balance."
The contract with Chairman Park went smoothly.
"From now on, full authority on relics to Mr. Kim. Price? Name it, I'll pay. Just give us first dibs."
Even got the 'Mr. Kim' title.
Unwavering trust.
Having witnessed the miracle of reviving his dying son, it was natural.
He treated me as a lifesaver, an untouchable powerhouse.
Promised the remaining 20 billion immediately.
I returned to my place in high spirits.
And the next day.
Knock knock knock.
A knock at the door.
Figured it was Manager Kim; I opened up.
But an unexpected figure stood there.
"......Park Ji-hoon?"
His face still pale, blood not fully returned.
A baggy black suit instead of patient garb.
The Demon King who'd lain in that bed.
He held a thick briefcase.
"The balance. Here."
"Why come yourself? Send someone else......"
As I reached for the case.
Thud!
Park Ji-hoon dropped to his knees right there.
Not enough—he slammed his forehead to the floor.
Full prostration.
"......?"
I blinked down at him, dumbfounded.
What the hell was this situation?
Whether I was flustered or not, Park Ji-hoon snapped his head up and shouted,
"Big bro! Take me in!"