Chapter 51 -----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Heavenly Demon and the Sink (1)
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The idler the shop was, the more self-conscious the Heavenly Demon felt.
Sitting at the reception table, sipping tea and flipping through interior design books could only entertain him for a day or two.
With not a single job for an entire week, even the Heavenly Demon—who was utterly indifferent to others—was starting to glance at Jang Chaewon's reactions.
"So that's how it is."
Only then did the Heavenly Demon realize why the idle attendants at a quiet inn polished the tables so diligently.
The attendants weren't cleaning the tables out of devotion; they were just fidgeting to avoid the manager's scrutinizing gaze.
"I should at least tidy up the warehouse."
Deeply empathizing with the attendants' plight, the Heavenly Demon was about to lift himself from the chair when—
Ding-a-ling.
The chime rang as the shop door swung open.
"Excuse me."
The man who entered through the glass door appeared to be in his early twenties.
He was extremely tall, but his skinny frame gave him a somewhat impoverished look.
After opening the door, the man stepped back out and returned, wheeling in a young woman seated in a wheelchair.
"Hello."
The woman in the wheelchair was also rail-thin. Yet her features were strikingly beautiful, and she wore a refined smile.
As the Heavenly Demon observed them closely, a flicker of surprise crossed his face.
"You two..."
"Yes?"
The man looked puzzled, so the Heavenly Demon waved it off.
"Ah, it's nothing."
'No way.'
As the Heavenly Demon shook his head, Jang Chaewon stepped forward.
"Welcome."
The man, awkwardly scanning the shop interior, spoke up.
"Um, we're looking to have a custom sink made."
"A custom sink?"
"Yes. Standard ones are inconvenient, so we want one made to order."
Glancing at his wife in the wheelchair, the man said with an embarrassed expression.
"Famous brand custom jobs are way too expensive. But the manager at Royal Real Estate recommended this place as affordable..."
"Ah, referred by Royal Real Estate. Please, have a seat here."
Jang Chaewon smiled warmly and gestured to the reception table.
The man carefully wheeled his wife over and pulled a chair close beside her. Even then, he held her hand tightly, exchanging loving glances nonstop.
"So, you want a custom sink that both you and your wife can use comfortably."
Jang Chaewon, who had been listening intently, summed it up, and the man nodded.
"Yes. When my wife's feeling unwell, I handle most of the housework."
"Yes."
Looking down at her notepad, Jang Chaewon wore a troubled expression.
Sinks with adjustable heights weren't common, but plenty of places made them.
However, low demand meant high production costs.
"Would this fit within my budget?"
Jang Chaewon couldn't answer the man's question right away.
Truth be told, his stated budget could barely cover even a basic marble sink.
"Ah, well..."
As the man noticed Jang Chaewon's distress and lowered his head,
"I see. So you need a sink."
The Heavenly Demon, who had been silently listening from afar, stepped forward.
"Very well. We'll make it here at the head store."
"Yes?"
"It's perfect timing—we're running a free custom sink promotion."
"Really?"
"I'll visit later myself, so leave your address."
Jang Chaewon blinked in stunned silence before leaning in to whisper harshly at the Heavenly Demon.
"Are you insane?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"No matter what, you can't just tell me to make a sink for free."
"That won't happen."
"What?"
Crossing his arms confidently, the Heavenly Demon replied.
"Don't worry. I can just make it myself."
Jang Chaewon was dumbfounded.
Why on earth was the Heavenly Demon offering to craft a sink for this young couple for free?
"You..."
She couldn't fathom it, but arguing in front of customers wasn't an option.
Glancing around nervously, Jang Chaewon forced a bright smile in resignation.
"Ah, right—I forgot. We do have a free custom sink event going on. Haha."
"R-Really?"
"Yes. Our Heavenly Demon here will handle the crafting."
"Th-Thank you!"
The man bowed repeatedly, then took his wife's hand with a beaming smile.
The sight of the couple exchanging glances was heartwarming enough to bring a smile to anyone's face.
'The Heavenly Demon... maybe he's unexpectedly soft on things like this.'
Jang Chaewon narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him when—
"Then we'll wait for your call and visit once it's ready."
The man bowed 90 degrees to Jang Chaewon once more.
"Thank you so much."
"Oh, no—the pleasure's ours for entrusting us."
As Jang Chaewon bowed back, the man turned to the Heavenly Demon and bowed again.
"Thank you truly. We look forward to it."
The Heavenly Demon waved dismissively, as if it were no big deal.
"No need to fret."
"Thank you. Really, thank you."
The couple bowed repeatedly to both Jang Chaewon and the Heavenly Demon before leaving the shop.
Jang Chaewon kept smiling until they were gone, then whipped around to glare at him.
"What the hell are you thinking? How do you plan to make an adjustable-height sink for free?"
"Just go into a dungeon."
"What? A dungeon?"
"Exactly. Combine materials from a dungeon, and a sink should be doable."
"Wait—you took this job planning to do that?"
The Heavenly Demon replied flatly to Jang Chaewon's question.
"Yes."
"Are you crazy? You think dungeons are like public fishing spots where anyone can dip in a line?"
"No reason it can't be done."
"I told you—except for Divine Requests, we can't go for personal gain."
The Heavenly Demon bared his fangs in a sly grin.
His cunning smile, almost sleazy, sparked a realization in Jang Chaewon.
"Because it's free?"
"Right. Making it for free means no personal profit. No issue at all."
"Hey, even so—making a sink from dungeon materials? You think our shop's an Awakener store?"
Swallowing her disbelief, Jang Chaewon wrinkled her nose.
"To normal people, we're just an ordinary interior firm. Making a sink from dungeon stuff?"
"They'd never know."
"Sure, but... I'm against it. No."
Hands on hips, Jang Chaewon shook her head firmly.
"Making a sink from dungeon materials for a regular customer. For free, no less."
"It can't be done?"
"Of course not."
"Troublesome."
Stroking his chin thoughtfully, the Heavenly Demon's eyes deepened with genuine concern.
Watching him lost in thought, Jang Chaewon couldn't make sense of it.
"Heavenly Demon, what's your deal?"
"What do you mean?"
"You're totally indifferent to other people, right? The guy who passes a fallen elder saying, 'Joint damage—exercise more.' Why help this couple?"
"That's..."
The Heavenly Demon hesitated, avoiding Jang Chaewon's piercing gaze.
"You don't need to know."
"What? Why?"
"It's my personal business."
"Personal business? What kind?"
Jang Chaewon felt an unprecedented surge of curiosity.
The Heavenly Demon wasn't just indifferent to others—he was hypersensitive about money too.
For him to offer unpaid manual labor?
"Hmm, if you tell me, I might even help."
Clearing her throat awkwardly, Jang Chaewon glanced at him slyly and muttered.
"I'm not that heartless... I donate plenty on the side. A sink's no big deal."
"Hmm."
Arms crossed in deliberation, the Heavenly Demon finally surrendered.
"I owe them a debt."
"What? Debt? When did you borrow from them? They don't look loaded. You'd squeeze blood from a flea."
Waving off her chatter, the Heavenly Demon cut in.
"Not that."
"Then what?"
"Well..."
Deep in thought, the Heavenly Demon furrowed his brow.
"Even if I tell the truth, I'm not sure you'd believe it. Better to drop this."
"Hey, don't decide that on your own!"
Indignantly pointing at her face, Jang Chaewon said.
"Look at this face. Doesn't it inspire trust?"
"No."
"..."
Blushing and coughing awkwardly, Jang Chaewon pressed on.
"I'm Jang Chaewon, the most trusted interior expert in this city."
With her softest expression, she gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Come on, spill it. I'll believe you."
"Hmm. Fine."
Sighing deeply with arms still crossed, the Heavenly Demon began.
"So, 23 years ago, back when I was shaking up the murim..."
* * *
The murim endlessly demanded blood from the Heavenly Demon—simply because he was the Heavenly Demon, or rather, the supreme martial artist of all time.
Surveying the corpses piled sky-high, soaked in gore, he suddenly grew disillusioned with murim life.
'Maybe I should take a break.'
With Demon Ghost, who could read the heavens, and the Thirteen Night Wolves he'd personally trained, Ten Thousand Demons Palace would endure.
Leaving even his beloved sword, Extreme Heavenly Demon Blade, in his quarters, the Heavenly Demon slipped out.
Wandering the turbulent world incognito, he arrived at a remote mountain hollow untouched by man.
Following a clear stream from the peaks, he found a small vegetable patch.
Deeper in, amid dense woods, hid a modest log cabin.
"Huh, building a home way out here."
"Wh-who are you?"
A young man emerged from the cabin, eyeing the Heavenly Demon fearfully.
"Don't tell me you're from Fortune Pavilion?"
"Fortune Pavilion?"
The Heavenly Demon scowled.
He had no idea where that dump was, and the youth stared at him anxiously.
"I wouldn't know."
The youth blinked at his response.
Towering like a mountain, with crimson eyes flashing an untouchable aura.
'No one Fortune Pavilion could muster.'
Clasping his hands, the youth bowed.
"My apologies, hero. I must have mistaken."
"Hero...?"
Overlooking the fact that this world's most infamous figure went unrecognized, mistaking the supreme demon for a righteous sect member?
Suppressing a laugh, the Heavenly Demon muttered.
"First time I've heard that."
"Ah, sorry. We live secluded in these mountains, so... Might I have your esteemed name?"
"No need. I barged in uninvited anyway."
'I?'
The youth's eyes lit up.
A murim man using a term for high officials? No ordinary fellow.
"Since I'm here, mind if I have some water?"
Glancing around, the Heavenly Demon asked, and the youth nodded hastily.
"Water? Of course!"
"What's going on, dear?"
The cabin door opened, revealing a young woman's voice.
Emerging on a wheeled chair—legs apparently impaired—she gasped at the sight of the Heavenly Demon.
"N-no, don't tell me Fortune Pavilion..."
Outrageous.
Even in this backwater, had the supreme one's fame not reached?
Suppressing his rising ire toward the couple, the Heavenly Demon declared majestically.
"I am the Heavenly Demon."
"Yes?"
"I am none other than..."
Despite his stern expression, the young couple looked as if they'd encountered mountain bandits.
Gritting his teeth, the Heavenly Demon growled irritably.
"You two don't know who I am?"
The woman bowed apologetically.
"Sorry. We've lived here forever, so we're clueless about the outside..."
The Heavenly Demon couldn't hide his bafflement.
A young couple, barely past twenty, hiding in this wilderness. What treason had they committed?
"Hmm."
He grunted.
Even he, indifferent to others' affairs, burned with curiosity about them.
"Here you go."
The youth emerged from the kitchen, respectfully offering a bowl of water with trembling hands.
"You're injured."
The Heavenly Demon clicked his tongue.
The youth's left shoulder sagged severely, and his right foot dragged. Old wounds—muscles and tendons long stiffened. Even his hands might not fully mend them.
"Not from birth, though."
"No. Horse riding accident long ago."
Obvious lie, but the Heavenly Demon said nothing.
Gulp, gulp.
Draining the clear water, he wiped his mouth.
"Much obliged."
"Um, sir."
As the Heavenly Demon turned to leave, the youth spoke up.
"Forgive me, but I have a request."
Right—forgotten.
He never accepted unearned favors, and repaid any debt manifold.
Eyeing the bowl, he nodded calmly.
"Name it."
"Please... forget you saw us here."
"That's your request?"
"Yes."
The youth's eyes held slight fear but were pure and clear.
An innately virtuous face, incapable of evil. Worlds apart from blood-soaked murim folk.
"Fine. But on one condition."
"A condition?"
The couple exchanged frightened glances.
Unable to contain his curiosity, the Heavenly Demon's crimson eyes flashed.
"Tell me in full why you're hiding in these deep mountains."
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