Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 666

‘I need to get a grip.’

A determined look appeared in Choi Yeon-ha’s eyes.

This was a mistake. This was something that should be called a mistake.

‘Did I have a flower stuck in my hair?’ [A Korean expression meaning ‘was I being foolish or naive?’]

Of course, this wasn’t entirely Choi Yeon-ha’s fault. Anyone who gains power is bound to feel the urge to use it.

A person with a gun feels the urge to shoot it somewhere. A person who suddenly has money feels the urge to spend it lavishly.

That’s what power is like.

It’s rarer to find someone who gains power and quietly buries it without using it. So, it couldn’t be said that all of this was Choi Yeon-ha’s fault.

But the repercussions were too great.

Choi Yeon-ha sighed softly. She could see the filming set in her eyes.

Presence.

Overwhelming presence.

Ryu Wei, standing in front of the camera, was acting with an overwhelming presence.

Of course, it was hard to call his acting good. But there was a passion that Ryu Wei had never shown before.

‘But can that be called passion?’

If the sight of a rabbit sprinting to escape a hunting dog chasing from behind could be packaged as passion, then that could be called passion too. But if not, then it should be called desperation, not passion.

Certainly, the quality had improved.

Like water mixed with water, or alcohol mixed with alcohol. [Meaning the improvement was subtle and not a fundamental change]

Instead of worrying about how his acting looked, the rookie who only cared about how to make his face look cool in the camera angle was now actually acting.

Whether the acting was good or not didn’t matter.

What mattered was that he had at least taken on the form of acting.

That alone made Ryu Wei’s current state dozens of times better than before.

It was something to welcome.

But….

Choi Yeon-ha couldn’t be happy watching the scene. It was clear who had created this situation. It must have been Kang Jin-ho.

Just as Choi Yeon-ha still ground her teeth whenever she saw Ryu Wei’s face, Kang Jin-ho wouldn’t have a good opinion of Ryu Wei either.

If Choi Yeon-ha hadn’t stopped him that day, she could guarantee that Ryu Wei wouldn’t be here right now.

She realized it again.

How scary Kang Jin-ho was.

And Choi Yeon-ha was intoxicated by it.

Intoxicated by the fact that someone scarier than anyone else cherished and protected her, she tried to wield his power as she pleased.

And that was the result.

Seeing him sweating profusely while acting, Choi Yeon-ha felt pity for Ryu Wei for the first time. And she faced the fact that it was she, not Kang Jin-ho, who had created this situation.

‘It’s not Kang Jin-ho’s fault.’

It was her fault.

That’s how the world is. Those with power wield those without it. Great power tends to wield more people. But Kang Jin-ho was beyond that standard.

Looking back, was there anything this person had tried to do and failed?

And didn’t she know?

That Kang Jin-ho was not someone who could live in the ordinary world. She tried to create a point of contact with everyday life for such a person, and tried to make herself comfortable with that power.

Choi Yeon-ha’s face flushed.

‘This makes me no different from the bitches I used to hate.’

Choi Yeon-ha slapped her face hard with both hands.

“Huh? Sis, what’s wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Han Eun-sol asked in confusion, but Choi Yeon-ha simply waved her hand dismissively.

Her cheeks felt numb, and it made her feel more alert.

‘Crazy bitch.’

She came all the way to China for filming, trying to become someone worthy of Kang Jin-ho, but the first thing she did when she saw Kang Jin-ho was….

‘Drive me, catch him for me, play with me.’

“Crazy.”

“…Sis, what’s wrong with you?”

“I said it’s nothing! You punk!”

“…If it’s nothing, why are you getting angry?”

Choi Yeon-ha gritted her teeth.

They say a person’s true colors come out when they’re having a hard time, was this her true color?

If so, it was truly disappointing.

How much she had despised her colleagues who clung to successful men and acted like their power was their own. But what she was doing now was no different from what they did.

Ryu Wei’s miserable appearance made her realize that fact.

And one more thing.

When Kang Jin-ho stepped in, most things were resolved cleanly. Choi Yeon-ha had felt that fact several times. So cleanly that it felt refreshing.

But the impact was just as great.

So far, they had managed to prevent rumors from spreading, but if this happened a couple more times, attention would eventually be drawn to Kang Jin-ho. And that could destroy Kang Jin-ho’s life.

The thought that she had used Kang Jin-ho to make herself more comfortable filled her with terrible self-loathing.

“Crazy bitch.”

“…Sis.”

“I got it.”

Choi Yeon-ha, who was about to get angry at Han Eun-sol again, changed her expression and nodded. Han Eun-sol was just worried about her. Why was she getting angry at that?

It was a bad habit to get angry at people around her when she couldn’t resolve her frustrations. She knew it, but she couldn’t fix it.

‘I’m… really pathetic.’

Choi Yeon-ha sighed deeply.

Looking at it one by one, she had been nothing but pathetic recently. Because she had almost been in a big accident, she had been bossing around the people around her and thought that everyone should cater to her mood.

Of course, it wasn’t a bad thing. She had actually been in a big accident, and her mentality had been shattered.

But that didn’t mean she should be whining to the people around her, right?

Was that the kind of person Choi Yeon-ha wanted to be?

Of course not.

If she was going to be satisfied with being an ordinary woman, she wouldn’t have come this far. She wanted to be a better person. Someone who would never be ashamed to stand next to anyone.

Choi Yeon-ha jumped up from her seat.

“Kang Jin-ho!”

“Yes?”

“Look at me for a second.”

Choi Yeon-ha said those words and walked towards the van with heavy steps.

Seeing her intense steps, Kang Jin-ho turned his head and looked at Han Eun-sol, asking.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“…Who knows what’s going on in that sis’s mind.”

“Right?”

As Kang Jin-ho hesitated, Choi Yeon-ha, who was walking ahead, shouted.

“Aren’t you coming quickly!”

“I, I’m coming.”

Kang Jin-ho, still looking uneasy, scurried towards the van.

“Sit down.”

“Yes.”

As he got into the van, Choi Yeon-ha pointed to the back seat. Kang Jin-ho sat down without a word. Then, Choi Yeon-ha grabbed the front seat and struggled to do something, turning the seat backwards. So they could face each other.

“This is amazing.”

“It’s an expensive car.”

Choi Yeon-ha sat across from Kang Jin-ho and stared at him intently.

“Can you take off your hat and mask?”

“Yes.”

As Kang Jin-ho removed the things covering his face, Choi Yeon-ha nodded as if satisfied.

“Do you have something to say?”

“Yes, I do. And quite a lot.”

Choi Yeon-ha raised her body halfway. Then, she bowed her head deeply towards Kang Jin-ho.

“First, I wanted to say thank you. In many ways.”

“I thought that conversation was already over.”

“I’m not just saying thank you for saving me back then. Well, I am thankful for that too, but that’s not all I’m talking about. I’m saying thank you for listening to everything I said without complaining, even though I kept bothering you. And I’m sorry.”

Kang Jin-ho tilted his head as if he didn’t understand Choi Yeon-ha’s words.

“Thinking about it, I was incredibly pathetic. It’s not like I’m some big shot, but if Kang Jin-ho came all the way to China, I should be grateful to Kang Jin-ho and try to do something for him, but instead, like a child, I kept whining and trying to receive things… I’m sorry. Was I annoying?”

“I didn’t particularly feel annoyed.”

“But you weren’t happy either, right?”

Kang Jin-ho didn’t deny it.

Choi Yeon-ha gave a slightly forlorn smile.

“Why wouldn’t you be? Everyone would be like that. It’s not like Kang Jin-ho came all the way here to clean up after me. Today, I suddenly realized that, and it made me feel so strange. But if I tried to tell you later, I would probably put up a front, so I’m telling you right now. I’m really sorry, Kang Jin-ho.”

Kang Jin-ho sighed.

“You don’t have to apologize for that. I didn’t feel burdened either.”

“I want to apologize.”

Choi Yeon-ha said firmly.

“I know one thing for sure. That human relationships are not one-sided. That people want to receive as much as they give. But recently, I feel like I’ve only been receiving one-sidedly. And I took it for granted. So, I have no excuse for being scolded.”

Choi Yeon-ha bowed her head again and said.

“I’m sorry.”

“Hmm…”

Kang Jin-ho scratched his cheek.

This kind of situation was uncomfortable for him.

“And I didn’t just call you here to apologize. There are a few things I wanted to tell you.”

Choi Yeon-ha continued without hesitation.

“From now on, I won’t ask Kang Jin-ho to do this or that. To be honest, if there’s something that only Kang Jin-ho can do, something that I really need, I will ask you, but I won’t ask you to do trivial things.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded silently.

He didn’t know how to react.

“And I won’t drag Kang Jin-ho into my daily life and get you involved. That was burdensome for you, right?”

“I didn’t think of it as a burden…”

Kang Jin-ho paused to think.

It wasn’t exactly a burden, but it wasn’t a pleasant experience either. After all, this place was a world far removed from his own.

“That’s the problem.”

Choi Yeon-ha felt the seriousness.

‘Idiot.’

She asked Kang Jin-ho to come to China because she liked being with him. But what if Kang Jin-ho wasn’t enjoying being with her?

The relationship would soon fall apart.

She was so happy that this stoic man was showing her favor that she crossed the line. It was wrong to cross the line, but it was also wrong that she was the kind of person who crossed the line when she felt better.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she got.

“I won’t do that again, so please be understanding this once. I… I think I was a bit overwhelmed.”

“No, wait a minute.”

Kang Jin-ho waved his hand firmly.

“I understand what you’re saying, but this kind of thing is a bit uncomfortable for me too. Just like you don’t want to burden me, I don’t want to burden you either.”

“Burden?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to be uncomfortable, it’s that I want to be with you, so even if it’s a little uncomfortable, there’s something more than that.”

A smile appeared on Choi Yeon-ha’s lips.

This man was always like this.

He always made people feel up and down with seemingly trivial words. Just like now.

Those words, which might sound dry, made Choi Yeon-ha’s heart flutter.

Choi Yeon-ha, whose face was flushed red, slightly parted her lips.