Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1480

“The advertiser?”

“Yeah. This cafe is a new franchise, and that guy is the owner of the company that created the franchise.”

“…Wow, that’s amazing.”

The female staff members’ eyes widened as they stared at Kang Jin-ho.

How could they not be surprised? A man with looks that could not only outshine any actor but also dominate them was the owner of a large corporation.

“Choi Yeon-ha is so lucky.”

Just a moment ago, they thought Choi Yeon-ha was just smitten with his face, but after hearing this, they saw things differently.

“…They say men don’t live off their looks.”

“With looks like that, isn’t it worth living off them?”

“That’s true.”

With that face and being an advertiser, it’s unfair.

Everyone was curious about what kind of person had captivated Choi Yeon-ha.

Working in this industry, you inevitably learn about the love lives of celebrities. And the more you know, the more you realize that the entertainment industry is nothing more than a jungle.

An actress who appeals with her purity and innocence changes boyfriends every week, or an actor who stimulates maternal instincts with his cute face is a club regular.

Since the entertainment industry is full of handsome and beautiful people, dating is more active than anywhere else.

But Choi Yeon-ha was an exception.

Numerous men tried to seduce Choi Yeon-ha, but they all got cursed out and rejected. She insulted and crushed their egos so much that those who were rejected by Choi Yeon-ha even had their careers stalled for a while.

So, the man Choi Yeon-ha chose must be something special…

“It’s beyond imagination.”

“It’s too much.”

“I know, right?”

While the women were feeling envious of Choi Yeon-ha, the men were literally seething.

“No, if you’re that good-looking, isn’t being a ‘gold spoon’ [born into wealth] too much?”

Of course, Kang Jin-ho wasn’t a ‘gold spoon’.

But those who didn’t know much about Kang Jin-ho couldn’t help but think that way. Becoming the president of a cafe franchise in your 20s was an achievement that even those called business prodigies couldn’t achieve.

Unless your family is pouring in capital like crazy, it’s not something you can achieve from scratch.

Logically speaking.

“That face, a ‘gold spoon’, and his girlfriend is Choi Yeon-ha?”

This is too much.

He has no conscience.

“Pitchforks! We need pitchforks!”

Choi Yeon-ha’s boyfriend or whatever, one pitchfork strike would…

While they were having such dark imaginations, the director was sweating profusely while explaining the filming to Kang Jin-ho.

Watching that scene made them feel a sense of reality.

Director Park Kang-sung was known as a cold person in this industry. No matter how top-tier you were, he would push you relentlessly and wouldn’t compromise at all.

That’s why many celebrities avoided filming with Park Kang-sung, no matter how much money they were offered.

But that kind of director was now sweating and explaining the composition to someone who was ambiguous about being an actor.

‘Well, what can you do?’

Even if the president of an advertising agency came, Park Kang-sung’s head wouldn’t lower even an inch.

But the person in front of him now was the advertiser.

In the advertising industry, no matter if you own a building or whatever, the advertiser is the highest authority.

“Even so, is it necessary to go that far?”

“Hey, haven’t you heard the story?”

“What story?”

“The filming isn’t ending today.”

“Huh? They said it would end in one day, is there an extension?”

“No, it’s not that… This advertisement isn’t just going to be filmed once. It seems like they’re planning to film several and release them everywhere?”

“…Do they have that much money?”

Choi Yeon-ha’s value alone is something that most companies can’t even dream of. And she’s not an actress who films just anything for money.

“Choi Yeon-ha will keep appearing too?”

“That’s what they say?”

“Does Choi Yeon-ha accept such advertisements? She limits the number of CFs [Commercial Films] to avoid image overexposure.”

“Didn’t you know? This is a subsidiary of Choi Yeon-ha’s company.”

“Wow, really?”

The more they dug, the more it kept coming out like an onion.

“That’s why the director is acting like that. If the series doesn’t do well or the advertiser doesn’t like it, the director’s career is on the line.”

“That’s right. Replacing a director is nothing. There’s more than one CF director.”

“So just close your eyes and pretend you didn’t see it. The director wouldn’t be acting like that in front of all the staff if he didn’t have to.”

“It’s hard to make a living.”

Feeling the pitiful gazes pouring down on his back, Park Kang-sung bit his lip.

‘Those bastards!’

They can be so calm because they’re staff.

It’s common for a filming set to become a mess when advertisers just come to visit. They look at the screen on the spot, not knowing anything properly, and start throwing out all sorts of comments, trying to change the filming to their liking.

That’s how the failed advertisement disasters happen. It’s not that directors don’t fail because they can’t read trends or take unreasonable risks, but while those cases at least become a topic, CFs that fail because of advertiser intervention don’t even become a topic.

It’s literally like throwing money into the trash.

Who can say anything when they’re ruining their own advertisement with their own money? But the problem is that the director has to take responsibility, and it’s the director’s career that gets twisted.

So, Park Kang-sung had to somehow elicit a favorable reaction from this young man.

“So, you just need to look at each other with affectionate eyes. It’s okay to smile awkwardly from time to time. Actually, the storyboard itself is a bit sloppy. This isn’t a story-driven shoot, but one that focuses on color and feel, so ad-libs are important.”

Kang Jin-ho looked blank.

“I came because they said I just had to sit there like a stone…”

“Yes. That was the original plan… But no matter how much I think about it, this seems better.”

Just a moment ago, when Park Kang-sung saw the two of them sitting down, he was horrified.

Choi Yeon-ha would be overshadowed.

Faces are relative, so it’s common for two people who look pretty separately to have a clear difference in superiority when they’re in the same frame.

This is especially true for idols. How many times have idols who were praised for their beauty and then debuted as actors been captured on screen with actors, proving why actors are actors?

In that sense, Choi Yeon-ha had a presence that was too difficult to find a counterpart for.

Putting any random guy next to her wouldn’t work. And even if you put a guy who could compete with her in terms of looks, he would often be crushed by Choi Yeon-ha’s unique aura and composure.

That’s why most of Choi Yeon-ha’s advertisements were solo CFs, weren’t they?

But the advertiser, who was just supposed to be a human prop, was actually overshadowing Choi Yeon-ha’s presence.

‘This has to be saved!’

The storyboard was revised on the spot.

Originally, they were planning to shoot from behind Kang Jin-ho at an angle, but now they were planning to capture at least an equal… no, if possible, capture more of Kang Jin-ho’s face.

The main consumers of cafes are women in their 20s and 30s. And what appeals most to that target audience isn’t Choi Yeon-ha, but Kang Jin-ho.

‘I’m going to shoot one of my best works here today.’

Of course, that’s only if this advertiser cooperates properly.

Kang Jin-ho looked at Choi Yeon-ha with slightly uneasy eyes.

Then Choi Yeon-ha chuckled.

“Just do it. You can do it.”

“I’m terrible at acting…”

“Kang Jin-ho, you’re better at acting than you think. It’s just that the lines are terrible.”

“There are no lines here.”

“That’s true…”

“Just do it. I’ll guide you well. We need to make this a success and contribute to sales.”

At the mention of sales, Kang Jin-ho’s eyes twitched.

That’s right.

Kang Jin-ho wasn’t here to play around. This CF was a necessary element for the success of the cafe franchise.

No, it had to be an element. It would be, probably.

Kang Jin-ho didn’t know well, but since others said so, it must be.

Anyway, if that’s the case, they had to create a good image and make it a hot topic. The livelihoods of over a hundred members of the General Assembly were at stake.

“…I’ll try.”

“Thank you, advertiser.”

That title of advertiser was also very awkward, but if he asked to be called Kang Jin-ho, the director would probably have a heart attack, so he couldn’t say it.

“Okay, let’s start filming.”

“Yes.”

The director hurriedly returned to his seat and began discussing with the filming director. Watching the chaotic situation, Kang Jin-ho sighed and turned his head towards Choi Yeon-ha.

“I don’t know if this will be okay.”

“What do you mean?”

“…In many ways.”

“Filming, or having your face on TV?”

“Both, but if I had to choose one, the latter is more worrying.”

This was breaking the boundaries.

A martial artist should minimize exposure to the outside world. That’s common sense, and that’s the rule. But this was Kang Jin-ho himself breaking that rule.

Think about it.

You’re at home, drinking beer and watching TV, and then Hong Hwang’s face pops up in a Chinese beer commercial?

You’d be lucky if you didn’t spit out the beer you were holding in your mouth.

This was just as absurd as that.

“It’s only a matter of time anyway.”

“Huh?”

“I already said that you’re my boyfriend, how long do you think the reporters will hold back? It’s a miracle they’ve held back this long.”

Kang Jin-ho smiled awkwardly.

It wasn’t that the reporters were holding back, but that the government had warned them. They were told not to approach Kang Jin-ho’s surroundings. Nevertheless, those who couldn’t let go of their lingering attachments were being persuaded by the General Assembly’s bodyguards with kind words (?) and sent back.

“It’s inevitable that your face will be known anyway. So, you should just divide it into two.”

“Divide it?”

“Yes. MK Chairman Kang Jin-ho and the head of the General Assembly, Kang Jin-ho. If you make them coexist, wouldn’t that work? Isn’t that what you ultimately thought of?”

“…I guess so.”

“If that wasn’t your intention, you wouldn’t have taken the position of MK Chairman. Give up now. You can’t live avoiding the eyes of others anymore.”

Kang Jin-ho sighed.

“So, let’s show the most amazing version of ourselves.”

Kang Jin-ho, who had been quietly looking at Choi Yeon-ha, smiled brightly.

“I will.”

Choi Yeon-ha, seeing that face of Kang Jin-ho, covered her face with both hands.

‘Ah, I’m going crazy.’

What is it? Why is he so handsome?

How can he be so heartwarming?

She even thought that maybe Kang Jin-ho usually dressed so shabbily to conceal his looks.

“Yes. Just like that!”

The director shouted excitedly.

“Don’t think about the camera, just talk comfortably like that! We’ll take care of the filming, so just think of it as a date! Hey, you! Why isn’t the coffee ready! Props manager! What are you doing, you bastard!”

The director roared, realizing that he had just ruined all the shots he had secretly taken.

Kang Jin-ho watched the whole process and let out a deep sigh.

‘I don’t know if this is a good thing.’

Anyway, well…

It seems kind of fun…

Kang Jin-ho, looking at his reflection in the window, smiled lightly.

‘Doing this once in a while isn’t so bad.’

Once in a while.

It has to be just once in a while.