Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1387

[What? Why are you all making a fuss about me going to see my boyfriend? What, you got a problem with that? Huh!]

Kang Eun-young’s jaw dropped.

“Wow, that unnie [older sister or close female friend] has gone crazy!”

Somehow, she could handle the bizarre stories popping up on social media.

Social media is just social media.

There’s a difference between public opinion on social media and what gets reported to the general public.

But that, that’s not it.

“Wow, what am I even supposed to say about that?”

Kang Eun-young was speechless as she pushed past the reporters and watched Choi Yeon-ha’s back as she entered the detention center.

The video ended, and the panelists started rambling on, but Kang Eun-young didn’t hear a word. It was all predictable anyway.

Kang Eun-young turned off the TV and opened her social media. There were so many posts coming up in real-time that she didn’t know where to start.

‘It’s explosive.’

Of course, it would be.

Choi Yeon-ha is a top star of this era. In the entertainment industry, where countless stars rise and fall, few would deny that Choi Yeon-ha is the brightest star right now.

Just a dating rumor would be a huge deal, but she admitted it herself, and the person she’s dating is currently in detention.

‘Has there ever been a bigger scandal in the entertainment industry?’

Unless a top celebrity gets caught with drugs, it’s hard to imagine anything surpassing this impact.

It’s so big that there are even suspicions that the political world might have leaked this to bury something else.

Kang Eun-young glanced through social media and called Choi Yeon-ha.

The phone rang.

This is a number that Choi Yeon-ha hasn’t made public, so it seems she can avoid the reporters’ calls. Otherwise, her phone would be ringing off the hook, and she wouldn’t even be able to try calling.

[Why?]

“Unnie, are you okay?”

[What do you mean?]

“It’s a mess out there.”

[I guess so.]

Choi Yeon-ha’s voice was indifferent.

‘Is she just letting things go?’ She doesn’t seem to have given up.

Kang Eun-young bit her lip slightly.

“Unnie, even I think this is not right. Try to fix it.”

[Fix what?]

“Just say you were angry and did it. It’s so absurd that people will believe it. People don’t believe what they should, they believe what they want to.”

[Forget it.]

“Unnie! How much have you built up until now! This is a problem that won’t be solved even if Oppa [older brother or close male friend] is proven innocent later. You know, once an image is tarnished…”

[Se-ah.]

“Yes, Unnie.”

[Did I do anything wrong?]

“…No, you didn’t.”

Kang Eun-young chewed on her lip.

[I didn’t do anything wrong, so why should I lie? I was already frustrated. I feel so relieved after doing that.]

Kang Eun-young sighed quietly. She knew she was reckless, but she didn’t know she was this reckless. When they weren’t close, she thought of her as a very dignified senior, but now that they’re close…

‘She’s a ditz, a ditz.’

Kang Eun-young would never have done something like this.

When Kang Jin-ho was detained for violating the National Security Law, she was worried that she would be swamped with interviews just because she was his sister.

But Choi Yeon-ha was saying things that didn’t need to be said and was now facing the backlash head-on.

[I’ll take care of my own business, so don’t worry. It’s not a big deal.]

“It’s not a big deal, that’s why.”

[Don’t worry. If I can’t make a living as a celebrity, Jin-ho will take care of me. Surely, he won’t look away after all this, right?]

“Then he’s not human. Don’t worry, Unnie. I’ll make sure that never happens.”

[That’s reassuring. And you take care of Mom and Dad so they don’t worry. Oppa will be out soon, so relax.]

“Yes, I understand. Unnie, get some rest.”

[Okay.]

Kang Eun-young hung up and sighed deeply.

“Is that Choi Yeon-ha?”

Baek Hyun-jung, who had come out of her room, sat on the sofa and sighed softly.

“I saw the news.”

“You saw it?”

“How could I not see it with all that commotion?”

“Mom, Unnie…”

“I’m grateful.”

“Huh?”

Kang Eun-young turned to Baek Hyun-jung with slightly widened eyes. Baek Hyun-jung hadn’t strongly opposed Kang Jin-ho and Choi Yeon-ha’s relationship. Sometimes, she even seemed to acknowledge it to some extent.

But Kang Eun-young knew that Baek Hyun-jung didn’t like Choi Yeon-ha, at least not to her.

And now, Baek Hyun-jung was saying she was grateful.

“In a situation where even people who know him would pretend not to, she went that far…”

Baek Hyun-jung stopped talking and closed her mouth tightly. She seemed to be overwhelmed with emotion.

Kang Eun-young nodded, as if she understood Baek Hyun-jung’s feelings.

‘She’s amazing.’

Even if they were the best of friends, they would be careful in this situation. Not just celebrities, but even ordinary people.

“…Tell her to come home sometime.”

“Okay.”

Baek Hyun-jung sighed.

“Jin-ho needs to clear his name and come out soon so we can repay her.”

“He will soon, Mom.”

Kang Eun-young closed her eyes slightly.

She said that, but she knew it wouldn’t be easy.

“…It’s like a prison here.”

“Then why did you do that?”

“What, what did I do!”

Han Eun-sol sighed deeply. Han Eun-sol, who had turned her head slightly, got up from her seat in frustration.

“Ugh, those bastards!”

Through a slightly parted curtain, the reflection of a camera lens could be seen. Han Eun-sol, who was nervously approaching the window, pulled the curtain all the way to completely cover the window.

“Don’t they know it’s rude to film inside the house? I thought they were getting better, but as soon as a scandal breaks out, they turn into hyenas.”

Even if paparazzi follow them, there’s a long-standing culture of refraining from filming inside the house, but because this is such a big scandal, they’re ignoring all the unwritten rules and trying to get a picture at any cost.

She was worried that they might even start wiretapping their phones.

“Three CFs [Commercial Films] have been canceled.”

“Which ones?”

“Domestic ones. There’s no news from China yet. Those might get canceled too.”

“Okay. Well, there’s nothing we can do about it.”

Han Eun-sol’s face contorted.

“No, how can you say there’s nothing we can do about it?”

“What, you brat! Can’t celebrities date? I said I’d be an actress, not that I’d live a life of celibacy! It’s those people who are making a fuss about someone dating that are weird!”

“It’s the dating partner that’s the problem, the dating partner!”

“What’s wrong with Jin-ho!”

“No, it’s not that there’s something wrong with Kang Jin-ho, it’s…”

The situation is the problem, you old lady! The situation!

Han Eun-sol scratched her head vigorously.

“Why did you say that at a time like this? You could have just brushed it off and done it later.”

“Hey!”

“…Yes?”

“I’m going to give you some advice as your older sister, so take it to heart and make it your life’s motto.”

“What are you going to say now?”

“There are moments in life that you can’t avoid.”

Choi Yeon-ha said, leaning back on the sofa.

“It’s the opposite. If it wasn’t for this situation, I would have just glossed over it. I wouldn’t have lied. But not now. You can’t lie at a time like this.”

“…Why?”

Choi Yeon-ha frowned slightly.

“How would you feel if you were in jail and your girlfriend lied in the news that she wasn’t related to you?”

“No, I’d understand.”

“Understanding is one thing, but how would you feel?”

“…I’d feel like crap.”

“Yeah, that’s it.”

Choi Yeon-ha sighed and said,

“Even if I’m having a hard time because of the reporters and losing fans, do you think it’s worse than someone who’s been falsely accused and is in jail? And you want me to add another spoonful of frustration to that person? I can’t do that.”

Han Eun-sol sighed deeply.

“What if Kang Jin-ho really can’t clear his name and ends up in jail?”

“What do you mean, what if? I’ll have to live a life of celibacy.”

Choi Yeon-ha stretched out as if she had given up.

“I’ve confessed my boyfriend to the whole nation, it’s not like some other guy will take me now.”

“There’s a line, there’s a line.”

“I don’t want them, you brat!”

Choi Yeon-ha chuckled.

“I’m too good for them. Honestly, even now, I wonder if I should have done it. But I’m not going to regret it. It’s something I had to do. Even if I went back to that time, I’d do the same thing.”

“…Then at least lower your tone.”

“I do regret that a little.”

Choi Yeon-ha sighed quietly.

Honestly, it was impulsive.

It would be a lie to say that she wasn’t annoyed at being treated like a criminal by the reporters. But the reason Choi Yeon-ha impulsively blurted out those words wasn’t because she was annoyed by the reporters, but because she was angry at herself for thinking about how to get out of the situation at that moment.

Her boyfriend, who had always come running whenever she needed him, was falsely accused, and as his girlfriend, the first thing she thought of was to get out of it with an excuse.

She had never hated herself so much.

“I feel so refreshed. Now I can date more comfortably.”

“A date at the visitation room?”

“This brat, since earlier!”

Choi Yeon-ha grabbed a cushion and threw it at Han Eun-sol’s face. Han Eun-sol caught the cushion and sighed deeply.

“It’s because I’m frustrated, because I’m frustrated.” Han Eun-sol, who had put the cushion on the sofa, opened her mouth in a dejected voice.

“If things go well, everything will be fine. Kang Jin-ho will be released, and then it will be said that Unnie is not the girlfriend of a spy, and you’ll be able to recover to some extent, if not completely. But what if Kang Jin-ho can’t get out?”

“Unnie’s popularity will drop, and she’ll just be twiddling her thumbs, and the people who came to the company because they trusted Unnie will also be harmed. And Kang Jin-ho doesn’t know how long he’ll have to rot in jail.”

“That won’t happen. I’ll never let that happen.”

Han Eun-sol bit her lip slightly.

She didn’t want to argue with that statement. In fact, who doesn’t know that there’s nothing Choi Yeon-ha can do? But arguing with that statement would be too cruel.

‘Kang Jin-ho, please do something.’ Everyone is falling into the abyss. Everyone.

“Isn’t it almost visitation time?”

“Are you going again today? The reporters are protesting outside.”

“I have to go.”

“Unnie, today…”

“We’ve already revealed everything, so what’s there to be afraid of? And…”

Choi Yeon-ha bit her lip.

“There’s nothing I can do, so I have to do this at least. How much have I received from Jin-ho all this time?”

Han Eun-sol, seeing Choi Yeon-ha’s slightly tearful face, nodded with a bitter expression.

“Let’s go. I’ll clear the way.”

“I’m sorry, Eun-sol.”

“Don’t say that. Sorry is a word that should freeze to death between us. Get ready. Don’t come out with a bare face, since it’s come to this… let’s kill them with our beauty.”

“Are you out of your mind?”

“Of course, I’m out of my mind. Hurry up and get ready.”

Han Eun-sol sighed deeply as she watched Choi Yeon-ha go into her room.

‘Please.’

I wish all of this was a dream.

All of this.