Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1074

Observing (2)

Park Yu-min put on the expression he had prepared in advance.

From the moment he agreed to this meeting, he knew this question would eventually come up.

It wasn’t like he intended to use her. Park Yu-min and Han Se-yeon were friends, after all. Even if Kang Jin-ho wasn’t in the picture, Han Se-yeon would have come to see Park Yu-min.

And they would have had a pleasant conversation.

However…

With Kang Jin-ho involved, she couldn’t have avoided asking about him.

‘Why did it have to be like this…?’

Park Yu-min didn’t know what Kang Jin-ho thought, but he knew that Han Se-yeon hadn’t broken up with Kang Jin-ho because she disliked him.

And he figured her feelings probably hadn’t changed much even now.

‘Don’t sigh.’

And he shouldn’t make a sour face either.

Han Se-yeon didn’t truly know Kang Jin-ho.

Even though they were so close, she didn’t understand what kind of person Kang Jin-ho was.

Kang Jin-ho was basically a kind person.

Other people might scoff and say, ‘What are you talking about?’ but the Kang Jin-ho that Park Yu-min knew was quite thoughtful and kind, despite his outward appearance.

That’s why he helped Park Yu-min.

And not just Park Yu-min. If you gathered all the people who had received help from Kang Jin-ho, you could easily fill a truck and still have some left over.

But on the other hand, he was also a cold person.

Kang Jin-ho basically lived with boundaries. And he treated the people inside those boundaries and the people outside them as completely separate entities.

The reason Park Yu-min and Kang Jin-ho became friends was very simple. Kang Jin-ho had a simple whim and brought Park Yu-min into his inner circle.

‘Of course, Jin-ho would say that’s not true.’

At least, that’s how Park Yu-min felt.

Han Se-yeon was the same.

She, like Park Yu-min, was someone inside Kang Jin-ho’s circle. But for reasons unknown to others, Han Se-yeon had kicked herself out of that circle.

Kang Jin-ho wouldn’t treat Han Se-yeon the same way he used to.

No, if the situation were different, he might have, since he was a sentimental guy…

‘Her opponent is bad news.’

Park Yu-min, thinking of Choi Yeon-ha, forcefully swallowed the sigh that was about to escape.

Choi Yeon-ha was, how should he put it…

She was a truly overwhelming person in many ways.

Her beauty was undeniable.

But for Kang Jin-ho, that beauty wouldn’t mean much. In the first place, that guy didn’t even know how to properly appreciate a woman’s beauty.

The reason Choi Yeon-ha was truly overwhelming was because of her absurdly aggressive nature.

Basically, Kang Jin-ho was like a rubber ball. If you poked him, he would bounce you away. An ordinary person would give up after being bounced away a couple of times. Even a persistent person would change their mind after being bounced away a few more times.

But Choi Yeon-ha was not like that.

If she wanted something, she would go straight for it, no matter how much she was humiliated or disgraced.

‘It was amazing.’

The more he thought about it, the more amazing it was.

When she first met Kang Jin-ho, Choi Yeon-ha was already a top star. As soon as her schedule was over, she would rush to the pizza place where Kang Jin-ho was and eat pizza by herself like she was chewing on steel bars.

It was not a situation that was logically possible.

At that time, Kang Jin-ho was literally nothing.

He heard that he was dabbling in various things now, but back then, Kang Jin-ho was just a college student who had just finished his military service. Of course, he ran a pizza place, but what meaning would the title of pizza place owner have for Choi Yeon-ha?

Park Yu-min didn’t know how much Kang Jin-ho’s assets were. Of course, if Park Yu-min didn’t know, there was no way Choi Yeon-ha at the time would have known.

So, to put it simply…

Choi Yeon-ha was a woman who had been single-mindedly pursuing Kang Jin-ho since he was a penniless nobody.

‘She can’t win.’

Kang Jin-ho was also a human being, and as a human being, there was no way he would dislike someone who consistently showed him favor.

In the end, Choi Yeon-ha had won Kang Jin-ho over.

But now, could Han Se-yeon really break them up?

The outcome seemed obvious.

But the problem was that telling Han Se-yeon this wouldn’t mean much. After all, there were some things you couldn’t know until you experienced them yourself.

“Jin-ho?”

“Yeah, Jin-ho.”

“You met him, right?”

“I did meet him, but the timing was awkward, so I didn’t get to talk to him properly.”

“Didn’t you contact him while you were in England?”

“It’s a bit awkward, right?”

Well, yeah.

It was strange for the one who declared the breakup to contact the other first.

“Jin-ho, well…”

Park Yu-min scratched his head.

“No, I don’t really know what Jin-ho’s been up to these days either. He had that side to him before, but it’s gotten worse lately.”

“Aren’t you curious?”

“Curious?”

Park Yu-min tilted his head.

“I don’t think I’ve ever thought of being curious. Whatever he does, Jin-ho is Jin-ho. He’ll do well no matter what.”

“…That’s the kind of thing that would be super cringey if a woman said it to a man.”

“Is it better because I’m saying it?”

“It’s even more cringey.”

Han Se-yeon squinted as if she had seen something she shouldn’t have.

“You guys really seem to have a good relationship. I felt it before, but it’s really amazing. You and Jin-ho don’t match at all in terms of personality, right?”

“…Right?”

“But how are you so in sync?”

“Maybe we’re in sync because our personalities don’t match. If our personalities were similar, it wouldn’t be fun.”

“You guys are really weird.”

Park Yu-min shrugged. He didn’t feel like dragging this conversation on.

“I don’t know what he’s doing, but it doesn’t seem like he’s planning to go back to school. It seems like he’s about to do something big soon.”

“You say you’re close, but you don’t know anything.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Han Se-yeon subtly glanced at Park Yu-min.

Park Yu-min quickly noticed Han Se-yeon’s mood. His keen senses, honed since childhood, didn’t miss things like this. Sometimes, it was an uncomfortable feeling.

“Jin-ho has a girlfriend, right?”

“You heard?”

“Yeah, from Jin-ho.”

Park Yu-min unconsciously smacked his lips.

‘Amazing, Kang Jin-ho.’

According to Han Se-yeon, it didn’t seem like they had talked much, but he had already revealed the existence of his girlfriend.

What an amazing iron wall of a man.

“Is she someone you know?”

“Yeah… I guess you could say I know her.”

No, they were past that stage now.

If Park Yu-min and Choi Yeon-ha’s relationship was just that of acquaintances until recently, they had now developed into ‘acquaintances’ after filming a commercial together.

If he went a little further, she would be his friend’s girlfriend.

“Who is it?”

Park Yu-min looked at Han Se-yeon with a slightly sulky expression.

“Why are you so curious about that?”

“Aren’t you my friend?”

“I am.”

“What about Jin-ho and me?”

“Well…”

He was at a loss for words.

Han Se-yeon said as if she had seen it coming.

“I know. It might be a bit awkward. That’s how it is when a man and a woman date and then break up.

But I still think of Kang Jin-ho as a friend, at least. Don’t you?”

“…I guess so.”

“Then shouldn’t I be able to hear who my friend’s girlfriend is?”

“I guess so.”

It’s just that it wouldn’t be good for you to hear it.

“Is she someone I know?”

“Huh?”

“Right?”

Park Yu-min’s eyes wavered.

“Don’t give me that weird look. It’s not like I did a background check.

If she was someone I didn’t know at all, there’s no reason for you not to tell me. I wouldn’t know her anyway.”

“I’ve never thought that far?”

“Anyway, she’s someone I know, right?”

“…I guess so.”

I guess so.

Since more than half of the people in South Korea would know her.

“Who is it?”

Park Yu-min made an awkward face. But he didn’t really hesitate. It was something she would find out anyway, and nothing would change if he told her in advance.

“Choi Yeon-ha.”

“Yeah. What does she do?”

“An actress.”

“…An actress?”

“Yeah.”

“The Choi Yeon-ha I know? The one who appears in dramas?”

“…Choi Yeon-ha?”

Park Yu-min finally sighed.

“Stop asking. The Choi Yeon-ha you know, the movie actress Choi Yeon-ha, the one who just finished filming a drama in China…”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

Park Yu-min looked at Han Se-yeon with a slightly pitiful expression.

Han Se-yeon’s face was not just surprised, but slightly dazed.

‘I guess it’s understandable.’

In Park Yu-min’s view, the fact that Kang Jin-ho’s girlfriend was a top actress was meaningless. Kang Jin-ho didn’t care about things like that.

But from Han Se-yeon’s perspective?

‘It must be bleak.’

It all depended on the opponent.

If someone was in their right mind, they wouldn’t think they could steal Choi Yeon-ha’s boyfriend.

Park Yu-min opened his mouth with a slightly sympathetic heart.

“They’re dating well. They’re very close.”

So just give up from the start.

“Jin-ho usually wouldn’t be like this, but it seems like he’s going on dates even though he’s busy.”

There’s no room for you to interfere.

“I’ve seen them a few times too.”

They’re at the stage where they introduce each other to their friends.

Park Yu-min, who had said everything he wanted to say in a roundabout way, rested his chin on his hand and looked at Han Se-yeon.

‘What lingering feelings are left…?’

Honestly, there was something else Park Yu-min wanted to say.

Choi Yeon-ha wasn’t the problem.

The moment Han Se-yeon broke up with Kang Jin-ho, the probability of Han Se-yeon and Kang Jin-ho getting back together was close to zero. That was Kang Jin-ho’s style. He might have lingering feelings, but he wouldn’t regret it. Kang Jin-ho was the type of person who would move on from the past.

Han Se-yeon never had a chance in the first place.

“…It’s a bit shocking.”

“I guess so.”

“But how did Jin-ho meet that person? Why would he date a celebrity?”

“It’s a bit complicated to explain, but Jin-ho’s younger sister is an idol.”

“Right.”

“It seems like they first met when he went to the filming set where his sister was filming a drama.”

“How did that lead to this? Jin-ho wouldn’t have approached her just because she was pretty.”

“Choi Yeon-ha approached him.”

“…Huh?”

“Choi Yeon-ha approached him.”

Han Se-yeon’s face went blank.

‘She wouldn’t understand.’

Park Yu-min didn’t understand either. That was a normal reaction.

‘So let’s stop here.’

Park Yu-min knew why Han Se-yeon wanted to meet him. Since she had returned to Korea, she probably wanted to try to reconnect. But unfortunately, during the time she was away from Korea, Kang Jin-ho, and the situation surrounding Kang Jin-ho, had changed too much.

So, at this point…

“That’s great.”

“Huh?”

Han Se-yeon suddenly raised her head.

Park Yu-min flinched slightly when he saw Han Se-yeon’s face.

An ordinary woman would never start a fight with Choi Yeon-ha. There was no one who would try to fight someone they couldn’t beat.

But at this moment, Park Yu-min realized one thing again.

“He has a pretty girlfriend and seems to be doing well. Then, since we don’t have any burdens, shall we meet up together sometime? I want to see the three of us together like before. Yu-min, can you call Jin-ho?”

She wasn’t an ordinary woman either.

Come to think of it, she had always been a bit crazy.

“T-the three of us?”

“Yeah.”

“No, there’s no need to…”

“Why? Is there a reason why we can’t meet?”

“There’s no particular reason, but…”

“That’s great. Check Jin-ho’s schedule and tell him to meet up. I’m free anytime. Got it?”

“Uh, um…”

The face of Choi Yeon-ha, who had been looking at him with a blank expression, flashed through Park Yu-min’s mind.

That face that was the scariest in the world.

‘No, what am I supposed to do?’