Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1013

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

Han Eun-sol shivered. That sound coming from the back seat had been grating on her nerves for a while now. The sound of someone biting their nails, making anyone who heard it feel uneasy.

“S-Sis.”

Unable to bear it any longer, Han Eun-sol glanced at the rearview mirror.

Choi Yeon-ha was biting her index fingernail.

“Why, why are you doing that! You paid a lot for that nail art.”

Choi Yeon-ha’s eyes went to her fingernails.

Nodding, Choi Yeon-ha quietly lowered her hand.

“Hoo.”

Han Eun-sol sighed and focused on the road ahead.

She needed to concentrate on driving, but that sound was making it impossible. She needed to focus now…

Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch.

“Ugh, stop it!”

Han Eun-sol pulled the car to the side and hit the brakes.

“It’s so distracting, I can’t drive! I can’t drive!”

“Han Eun-sol.”

“…Yes?”

“You’ve grown up a lot.”

“I’ve been a bit nicer lately, haven’t I? Huh? Right?”

“N-No way, Miss.”

“What? I haven’t gotten nicer?”

“Ah, no. You have. You’re an angel these days.”

Han Eun-sol diligently licked her lips.

‘Honestly, she has gotten nicer.’

In the past, Choi Yeon-ha’s manager position was called the special forces of the manager world, the hell pot of the manager world. Before Han Eun-sol, no one had lasted more than six months, so it was no wonder.

But now, the difficulty level was like a tutorial compared to then. Anyone with the title of manager could handle it without any trouble.

Of course, there was no guarantee that Choi Yeon-ha would act the same way if someone other than Han Eun-sol came.

“Ah, no, I need to drive, but it’s so distracting.”

Choi Yeon-ha crossed her legs and lifted her chin.

“Then wear earplugs. Or put in earphones.”

“…I’ll die, Miss.”

Wear earplugs while driving! People should have common sense, common sense!

“Why are you suddenly like this…? Your nails! I told you not to bite your nails! You paid a lot for that nail art!”

“I have a lot of money.”

“That’s not the point!”

Choi Yeon-ha took her fingernail out of her mouth and frowned.

Han Eun-sol sighed deeply.

‘Why is she suddenly in a bad mood again?’ She didn’t seem particularly upset yesterday, but today, she suddenly seemed down, and I couldn’t understand why.

Well, Choi Yeon-ha’s mood was like the weather in the tropics. The sun would be shining brightly, then suddenly a squall would come, and just when it seemed like it was pouring rain, it would be sunny again in an instant…

But recently, she had been maintaining a relatively calm demeanor, so why was she suddenly in a bad mood again?

“Miss, it’s been a while since your last interview.”

“So?”

“…Still, it’s your first interview in Korea in a while, you should show a bright face.”

“Me?”

Who else would it be?

Should I do the interview?

There were so many things I wanted to say. But saying everything that came to mind was not the way to live in Korean society.

“Why are you suddenly in a bad mood…”

Han Eun-sol looked back at Choi Yeon-ha with slightly nervous eyes.

‘This isn’t good.’

Today was the day for a public broadcast interview after a long time. In China, the drama that Choi Yeon-ha had filmed had already started airing.

‘Now is a really important time.’

In Han Eun-sol’s opinion, the reaction was unusual.

A successful drama usually shows signs of success from the beginning. The broadcasting systems in Korea and China were fundamentally different, so the Korean case could not be directly applied, but this drama clearly showed signs of being a huge hit.

The agency as well as the production company were so excited that it was palpable.

It was important to seize this momentum and solidify her position as a Hallyu star [Korean Wave star] in the Greater China region. She needed to go to China right away and show her face. If not, she needed to continuously expose the ‘Choi Yeon-ha’ product, at least in Korea.

But the state of that product was like this.

“Miss, this is a crucial time. The drama is showing signs of being a hit, and we’re going to change agencies. You know how important it is to be active at this time.”

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

“If I don’t do well, will I fail?”

“…No.”

Choi Yeon-ha tilted her head back slightly.

“I went through so much trouble filming that drama, of course it should do well. I’m not a rookie, do I have to go around promoting it like crazy just because I filmed a drama?”

“…Ah, no.”

Han Eun-sol shrank back.

It was partly because she was overwhelmed by Choi Yeon-ha’s aura, but also because what Choi Yeon-ha said was not wrong.

An actress like Choi Yeon-ha didn’t need to be obsessed with promotion. In the end, promotion was just a means to increase recognition and buzz.

Choi Yeon-ha already had both recognition and buzz.

“Still, it would be nice if we could do it in a good mood.”

3z.

Choi Yeon-ha had definitely changed.

In the past, the car would have flipped over the moment she talked back like this. But she had at least developed to the point where she would pretend to listen if you said something right.

Choi Yeon-ha picked up her phone and looked at the screen.

After staring at the turned-off screen for a while, Choi Yeon-ha lifted her head with a subtle expression.

“Something feels uneasy…”

“Yes?”

“I have a feeling, a feeling.”

Choi Yeon-ha, with her brow furrowed, repeatedly grabbed and released her phone.

“What kind of feeling?”

“There’s still no contact.”

That’s it.

Han Eun-sol sighed openly.

“It’s been a few days. He’s not usually good at keeping in touch.”

“No. This time, it feels different.”

“That feeling again.”

“What, you punk?”

“…No. Nothing.”

Choi Yeon-ha glared at Han Eun-sol once and looked back at her phone.

‘It keeps feeling uneasy.’

It felt like ants were crawling on her back. It wasn’t seriously annoying, but it kept feeling uneasy and bothered her.

Objectively, there was no reason for her to feel this way. That’s why it was even more annoying.

“Women have a feeling sometimes. That guy, something is definitely going on.”

“Then why don’t you call him?”

“My husband went to work, it’s a bit… to call him and nag him.”

“Then just hold it in.”

“I can’t hold it in, that’s why I’m like this.”

…What do you want me to do?

I felt like my stomach was turning inside out. It was a feeling I experienced every hour when I was with Choi Yeon-ha, but it was especially bad today.

“I understand what you’re saying… Miss, it’s time for the interview. Please, please, even if you’re going to explode, explode after the interview.”

“Hey, am I a time bomb? About to explode?”

“Time bombs at least have a set time to explode. You’re an anti-tank mine.”

“I’m not doing the interview! Turn the car around!”

“Ah, please! Please!”

After a long argument, Han Eun-sol, who had barely calmed Choi Yeon-ha down, drove the car with a sullen face.

‘I just hope she doesn’t cause an accident at the broadcasting station.’

Han Eun-sol already knew that this was an almost impossible wish.

“It was really great today.”

“No, PD-nim [PD is a Korean term for a producer or director]. It’s because the interview was good.”

Jo Seul-gi smiled as brightly as she could.

The face of PD Han, who was watching her, also broke into a fatherly smile.

‘She’s so refreshing.’

It was enjoyable to see a fully bloomed actress, but it was also enjoyable to see a flower bud just starting to bloom. The entertainment industry was a place where it was as difficult as being resurrected from the dead to go from a flower bud to a flower, but this actress, Jo Seul-gi, definitely had the potential to become a flower.

“I hope this movie does well.”

“Me too! I worked really hard on it.”

“Haha, you worked hard, so it will do well.”

“Yes, PD-nim! I trust you. Please edit it well.”

“Yes. Don’t worry. Hahahaha.”

Jo Seul-gi bowed ninety degrees.

“Yes. Please take good care of me.”

“I hope we can film together again next time. By then, Seul-gi-ssi will be more popular, so it might be difficult to interview you?”

“No way. If PD-nim calls, I’ll come running anytime!”

“Hahaha, I hope you will.”

“It would be an honor for me. Then.”

“Yes.”

PD Han, who watched Jo Seul-gi turn around and walk out, smiled contentedly.

“It would be nice if all the actors were like her.”

Of course, that was a pipe dream.

Whether it was the job that made people like that, or whether only those kinds of people were drawn to this job, PD Han could confidently say that ‘actresses’ were the worst in terms of personality in Korea.

And the actress he was about to deal with was the top of the worst of those bad-tempered actresses.

“…Is she coming?”

“Yes. They say she’s almost here?” At the assistant director’s words, PD Han sighed deeply.

“Why is she an hour late for the interview?”

“But thanks to that, we didn’t have to wait, did we? If she had come on time and heard that she had to wait because of an interview with a younger rookie actress, the filming set would have been turned upside down.”

“That’s true.”

I didn’t even want to imagine it.

PD Han leaned back in the filming chair and rubbed his face.

“Choi Yeon-ha, why doesn’t she ever fail?”

“PD-nim will fail faster than Choi Yeon-ha will.”

“Hey, you little punk. Are you cursing me?”

“It’s not a curse, it’s the truth. With that face, that acting ability, and that passion, if she fails, the world is wrong.”

“What about her personality?”

“Her personality, you punk! Her personality?”

“No one can be perfect.”

“Bullshit. Stop talking nonsense and get ready quickly. If it’s a mess when Choi Yeon-ha arrives, it’ll be a disaster. If we mess up this interview, the department head will try to bite my neck off.”

“Yes. I’ll get ready right away.”

PD Han sighed and looked at the door.

“…There needs to be a generational shift so I can live.”

The tyrant’s oppression had been going on for too long.

As soon as Jo Seul-gi left the interview room, her expression changed.

‘Acting all happy and giddy.’

Her pretty face slightly contorted.

‘When I become famous, do you think I’ll do an interview with you? What a joke.’

Her manager approached her and said,

“We have to go to the next schedule.”

“Bathroom.”

“Hey, go in the car.”

“Ah, I said I’m going to the bathroom!”

“Ugh.”

Jo Seul-gi walked straight into the actress’s bathroom. It was a bathroom that was separately prepared for actresses who were sensitive about using the same bathroom as the general public or staff.

“Ha, damn it.”

Click.

Jo Seul-gi, who had entered the bathroom, took out a cigarette from her bag and put it in her mouth.

Click.

“You bunch of idiots, asking all sorts of things.”

Even though it was an interview, there were bound to be questions that she didn’t want to answer. Wasn’t it the fate of a celebrity to accept it with a smile?

“Annoying.”

That wasn’t the only reason why Jo Seul-gi was angry.

Throughout the interview, it was obvious that the interviewer and staff were paying attention to other things. They were all glancing at their watches and looking impatient. It was unacceptable for them to be paying attention to other things while she was in front of them.

Who was she?

Wasn’t she the most up-and-coming rookie actress in Korea right now? And yet, they were thinking about other things while she was in front of them.

“…I’ll get you later, you bastards.”

That’s when it happened.

Whoosh!

The toilet flushed in the stall.

Jo Seul-gi didn’t turn around. It didn’t matter who saw her. There wasn’t a woman in this filming set that she needed to worry about. It was also quite common for actresses to smoke in the bathroom.

But the situation didn’t go as she expected.

“Which crazy bitch is smoking in the bathroom?”

Bang!

The door was opened roughly.

“Crazy bitch?”

Jo Seul-gi slightly pursed her lips and turned her head. Who on earth…

“C-Choi Yeon-ha sunbaenim [Sunbae is a Korean term for a senior or someone with more experience]?”

Her eyes caught the sight of Choi Yeon-ha bursting out of the bathroom door.