Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1404

“So, according to what’s been revealed, are you saying that former Prime Minister Kim Myung-chan requested the Chinese to assassinate a civilian, who was recently arrested for violating the National Security Law, a Mr. Kang?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

The anchor looked back and forth between the script and the reporter, then pushed up his glasses.

“If true, this is shocking. So, what is Mr. Kang’s current status?”

“He has been released and is currently under non-custodial investigation.”

“Does that mean he’s been cleared of charges?”

“It’s not at that stage yet. Being non-custodial basically means that even if the person under investigation is released, it’s because there’s no concern of evidence tampering or flight risk.”

“So, it’s not that he’s been cleared, but there’s a high probability. Is it okay to understand it that way?”

“Considering how unusually quickly he was moved to non-custodial status, I’d say there’s a high possibility.”

The anchor subtly closed his mouth.

The anchor, who had heightened the tension with a brief silence, spoke again.

“So, you’re saying that Prime Minister Kim Myung-chan tried to kill Mr. Kang, and when that failed, he framed Mr. Kang after he returned to Korea and had him arrested?”

“The police have not yet given a clear explanation of the situation. However, that possibility certainly exists.”

“If true, this seems like a truly massive scandal. It means that the Prime Minister of South Korea not only tried to murder a citizen but also manipulated the police and prosecution at will, doesn’t it?”

The reporter spoke cautiously.

“Basically, investigations are based on evidence and tips. If Prime Minister Kim Myung-chan fabricated evidence, and the investigation was conducted based on that evidence, then the police are only responsible for arresting Mr. Kang based on the false evidence. It can’t be seen as them succumbing to power.”

“But the possibility exists, doesn’t it?”

“That will be revealed through the investigation from now on.”

The anchor slightly turned his head towards the camera. The anchor, who was now looking directly at the screen, made a slightly angry expression and spoke in a clear voice.

“Whether former Prime Minister Kim Myung-chan manipulated the police with his power, or whether he fabricated evidence, the suspicion that he tried to frame an innocent and promising young South Korean man as a criminal is clear. I don’t know how to accept this shocking incident where the Prime Minister of South Korea, who should protect the people, tried to frame a citizen. It’s time to resolve the moral decay that is rampant in the political world.”

As the short briefing ended and the cut sign was given, the anchor organized his script and got up from his seat.

The PD [Producer Director] followed him as he walked forward.

“That was a bit of a stretch, but it’ll be okay, right?”

“Hey, I think I wrapped it up pretty well.”

“I don’t know why they’re giving orders like this.”

“They seemed pretty urgent this time. They usually don’t give direct orders to us.”

“Does that Kang Jin-ho kid have connections with the opposition party? Usually, they wouldn’t try to clean up like this.”

“From what I’ve gathered, he’s handling not only this but also the entertainment departments of other media companies.”

“Entertainment departments? Why the entertainment departments?”

The PD grinned.

“Why, wasn’t there a big fuss about Choi Yeon-ha back then? About her dating a spy.”

“Ah? Ah! That’s what it was. I see.”
The anchor nodded as if he understood.

“Wow, they’re even cleaning that up?”

“It seems so.”

The anchor chuckled.

It was only natural to clean up the mess they had caused, but wasn’t the political world a place where that natural thing was ignored?

It was rare to see a big house take responsibility for what they had done.

“Anyway, it’s strange. Usually, they’d try to cut it off at a reasonable level, but it’s rare to see them go this hard.”

“It seems like they’re trying to bury it completely. But were the higher-ups and Prime Minister Kim not on good terms?”

“There’s no way. They were practically soulmates.”

“Politics is scary. To be able to trample on someone like that.”

“If you’ve committed a crime, you should be punished. I think it’s a good thing. If we don’t dig into it now, when will we?”

“That’s true, but…”

As the anchor was about to turn around, the PD raised his voice slightly.

“But…”

“Huh?”

“Why did Prime Minister Kim Myung-chan try so hard to bury that Kang Jin-ho guy?”

“Well, it seems like they had some personal grudge. Those guys are usually ruthless. If they weren’t ruthless, would they have spoken their minds when a knife was at their own throats?”

“That’s true, but…”

“Don’t try to dig too deep. What we need to know is the truth, not the gossip.”

“Yes.”

The PD, looking around the scene being cleaned up, sighed slightly.

‘How many more days will we have to talk about this?’

It’s good to cooperate when you can. It’s not like they’re asking us to hide the truth, they’re just asking us to report the facts a lot, so there’s no reason to refuse.

Moreover, they’re even providing the sources, so what can we do?

Even at times like this, we need to ease the relationship so that it’s a little easier when we report on really sensitive issues later.

“Anyway, so many strange things are happening.” Well, it’s good. The ratings are good.

“Noona [Term of endearment for an older sister or female friend], the public opinion has completely flipped!”

“…What?”

“SNS is going crazy right now! It’s saying that you didn’t date a spy, but that you were being loyal to someone who was framed!”

Choi Yeon-ha nodded indifferently.

“That’s good.”

“No, I’m serious!”

“I know.”

“The CF [Commercial Film] companies that canceled earlier are contacting us again! They want to renew the contracts.”

“Tell them no.”

“Huh?”

Choi Yeon-ha looked at Han Eun-sol and raised her middle finger.

“A person should have loyalty. I don’t like people who are sweet when things are good and bitter when things are bad. It’s not like I’m doing CFs because I’m broke, so why should I try to please those people again? I’m not doing it.”

“They’re offering double the money?”

“When is it? Tell them I’ll go after I’ve managed myself nicely.”

She’s a pro.

She’s a complete pro.

“The situation has completely turned around. The stock price is soaring.”

“What about the insults?”

“Hey, when did you ever care about insults? The people who are going to insult you will insult you anyway, so it doesn’t matter. There are a lot of posts praising you, saying, ‘I thought Choi Yeon-ha was just a sly fox, but she’s surprisingly loyal.'”

“Is that a diss or a compliment?”

“It’s a compliment. There were only insults before.”

Choi Yeon-ha touched her forehead as if she had a headache.

“That’s great, Han Eun-sol. I can finally sleep soundly.”

“No, I’m serious. It’s a big deal on TV too. They’re saying they caught an innocent person.”

“I guess so.”

“Why are you so indifferent? Did something happen?”

“Tsk, tsk.”

Choi Yeon-ha leaned back on the sofa and said,

“It was obvious what would happen when Jin-ho was released, so why are you so surprised? It’s nothing new.”

“That person will take care of it.”

It’s a disease.

At this point, it’s a disease.

‘No, shouldn’t the rose-colored glasses have come off after this much time?’

It’s not just anyone, it’s Choi Yeon-ha, so it feels twice as cringey.

“Is it sad to be someone without a boyfriend?”

“Then get one. I’ll cheer you on.”

“I shouldn’t have said anything.”

Han Eun-sol said seriously.

“You have to time it well. If you resume activities too quickly, you’ll be called a show-off, and if you start too late, all the hype will die down. We should start moving again next week.”

“Yeah, yeah, do that.”

“No, why are you being so uncooperative?”

“I’m just feeling empty, empty.”

“Huh?”

Choi Yeon-ha tilted her head back on the sofa and said blankly.

“I’ve done a lot of things, but after being insulted so much, and now they’re praising me for being loyal, am I supposed to be grateful?”

“What can you do? That’s how people are. If you were in their position, you would have done the same, right?”

“Yeah, I guess I would have. It’s not that I’m dissatisfied with the people who insulted me, but how should I put it… I’m having a fundamental doubt about being a celebrity? It’s not like anything changes if those people praise me, and it’s not like anything changes if they insult me, but I’m not happy about being happy about a single article or getting angry about a single SNS post anymore.”

Han Eun-sol looked at Choi Yeon-ha with a nervous expression.

‘Could it be that it’s come?’

Many celebrities can’t handle this and get stressed. Those who experience excessive emptiness can suffer from panic disorder or depression.

Being monitored and evaluated on every single aspect of your life is a huge burden that ordinary people can never imagine. Especially for actresses like Choi Yeon-ha, it’s even worse.

But I thought Choi Yeon-ha was so self-aware that she could handle it well.

‘Well, it was too much this time.’

She was treated like a national bitch, and then suddenly she’s being treated like a loyal woman, so who could handle that gap?

Even if you just post one wrong thing on the internet, you get a barrage of hate comments, so how much worse would it be to have the whole nation insult you for fun?

While Han Eun-sol was wondering how to comfort her, Choi Yeon-ha turned her head and opened her mouth.

“So, I was wondering…”

“Yes?”

“Could we give one of the CFs that came in to the kids?”

“Is it hard for you to film? If so, we can reduce…”

“That’s not it…”

“Yes?”

Choi Yeon-ha narrowed her brows.

“Hey, I’ve been watching things unfold, and I’ve realized that people should be in business.”

“…What are you talking about?”

“Because when you’re in business and have a lot of subordinates, even if you’re locked up in jail, they’ll run around and solve problems and keep making money on their own.”

“I have to run around like crazy to make money. Isn’t that too unfair?”

“Is that what emptiness was?”

“Yeah. If I tie the kids down with slave contracts and raise them well, won’t they make money for me even when I’m just playing around? I’ve been thinking seriously about raising them. So… hey, where are you going?”

“Yes. Keep thinking about it. I’m going to check with the media.”

“I’m talking to you!”

“I’ll listen if it’s worth listening to!”

Han Eun-sol shouted and left the house, and Choi Yeon-ha slightly changed her expression and slumped on the sofa.

Then, she slyly opened her phone.

Choi Yeon-ha quickly opened SNS and typed Choi Yeon-ha into the search bar.

—

Choi Yeon-ha is really loyal. I don’t think I could have spoken so confidently in that situation. I don’t know about anything else, but I admit she’s confident.

—

Choi Yeon-ha was always a girl crush, but I thought she had a major scandal this time… She’s the ultimate girl crush.

—

I’m rewatching Choi Yeon-ha’s dating announcement video, and now that I know the whole story, it’s amazing. It feels completely different.

Choi Yeon-ha’s lips curled up into a smirk.