Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 229

The water pouring down felt cold, but Choi Yeon-ha didn’t bother to turn the lever to raise the temperature. Taking a cold shower in the morning was like a long-standing jinx for her.

Whenever she had a shoot or an important event, a cold shower would make her feel refreshed. Although her nagging manager and dermatologist had recently advised her to refrain from it because it wasn’t good for her skin, today she felt like she absolutely had to perform this ritual.

As she stepped out of the bathroom, drying herself with a large towel, her phone was ringing frantically.

Choi Yeon-ha looked at her phone with slightly cold eyes before answering the call.

“What?”

[Sis, about that… the press interview scheduled for lunchtime.]

“I told you to cancel it, right?”

[It’s a major outlet. Even so, if we cancel this interview, there’s going to be a lot of talk.]

“Say I’m sick.”

[That kind of excuse is for school. In this industry, they wouldn’t believe you even if you were rushed to the emergency room in an ambulance. Do you think they’d believe that excuse?]

Choi Yeon-ha, who was drying her hair with a towel, replied with a slightly raised voice.

“So what if they’re upset?”

[No, but still…]

“It’s not like I’m going out to play. Didn’t I tell you I have an important meeting because of my next project? Is there anything more important to an actor than their work? Is keeping the press happy more important than my work?”

[No…]

“If you want to last long as a manager in this industry, remember one thing. Don’t think that being friendly with the press is always good. Don’t be ridiculous. The same people who would act like they’d give you their liver will turn around and try to take yours the moment they see a tiny opening. To survive in this industry, you need to focus on your work and make sure you don’t fail, not by sucking up to them. Got it?”

[Yes.]

“So, what about the interview?”

[I’ll cancel it.]

“Good.”

Choi Yeon-ha threw the towel she was using to dry her hair onto the floor and smiled faintly.

“Come pick me up on time. Today’s appointment is one I can’t be late for. Got it?”

[Yes. Don’t worry.]

“Okay.”

Choi Yeon-ha hung up the phone, tossed it onto the sofa, and looked at herself in the full-length mirror.

‘I look amazing!’

It wasn’t just an actress’s self-confidence. Even with an objective eye, she was still beautiful. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that she was at her most attractive as a woman right now. She might have lost a bit of the fresh and pure charm she had when she was actively working, but she had gained a certain allure in its place.

‘It’s time to make my move.’

Depending on what project she takes on now, she would either remain an actress who had a brief moment of fame based on her looks, or she would become an actress who would receive praise just for appearing on screen even ten years from now. Choi Yeon-ha knew this fact better than anyone else.

Choi Yeon-ha had been in this industry for nearly ten years since high school. She had seen countless actresses who were more successful than her disappear as if they were never there.

“Huuuuh.”

Choi Yeon-ha took a deep breath.

Actresses who make a living in this industry all suffer from similar fears. The praise and spotlight that pour down when they are on stage are so dazzling and beautiful, but the backstage is just as dark and depressing.

They can’t live without worrying that the attention they are receiving now might all shift to someone else. Some collapse under this pressure, and even those who are still holding on need psychiatric treatment to stay sane.

‘I’m probably not normal either.’

But she was probably better off.

Compared to those who torment their managers like slaves or pretend to be innocent in public while secretly frequenting host bars at night, she was much better.

Her obsession with her work, if used well, could make her career several times more beautiful.

“Kang Jin-ho.”

Choi Yeon-ha repeated Kang Jin-ho’s name with a stern face.

It was unfortunate, but there was one fact that anyone who knew even a little about movies had to agree on.

That was that in the Korean film industry, female actors had extremely weak ticket power. Just thinking about whether there were any movies that had surpassed ten million viewers where a woman was the main character would lead to an obvious conclusion.

In dramas, the power of female actors might still work, but not in movies. In the Korean film industry, female actors were still just accessories to male actors.

Even in the small discussions on internet communities about who the nation’s actors were, the names of female actors never came up. This was the reality that female actors in Korea faced.

“Complaining won’t change anything.” She stared at herself in the mirror before turning and walking to her dressing table. Her eyes were like those of a general facing a decisive battle.

Clang.

In this day and age, having a bell on the door was a very unusual thing, she thought.

Especially for a cafe where there was no need to keep track of every customer coming in and out. If they were doing something that was not particularly meaningful for the sake of convenience, it meant that the owner of this cafe was a romantic who pursued romance rather than practicality.

‘There’s someone else who does this besides my father.’

Kang Jin-ho looked at the bell that was ringing and swaying at the door before entering the cafe.

11 o’clock, Cafe Illuana.

He had come to the right time and place that Kang Eun-young had told him. So, probably…

“Kang Jin-ho!”

Before Kang Jin-ho could even look for her, Choi Yeon-ha, who had jumped up from her table, waved her hand and quickly walked towards him.

“You’re here?”

Kang Jin-ho slightly turned his head to look at the clock on the cafe wall.

10:30 AM.

Kang Jin-ho, who didn’t like being late for appointments and didn’t have anything to do in the morning, had arrived 30 minutes early, but she was already there before him.

“Hello.”

As he bowed his head slightly in greeting, Choi Yeon-ha smiled brightly and gently pulled Kang Jin-ho’s sleeve towards the table.

“Let’s talk while sitting down, let’s sit down.”

“No, before that, let’s order something…”

“We’ll take an order here.”

“Ah…”

It seemed that there were two people in the world who were the same. There was another person who ran a business in the same style as his father. The fact that they both went against the times and yet managed to keep their businesses afloat was strikingly similar.

As he sat down, a server came over to take their order.

After the order was placed, Choi Yeon-ha quietly looked at Kang Jin-ho and opened her mouth.

“Have you been well?”

“Well…”

Many things had happened, so many things.

When he thought about it, it was the first time since he had returned to this world that so many things had happened in such a short period of time.

“Nothing much has happened.”

“Ah, I see.”

Choi Yeon-ha smiled brightly.

Kang Jin-ho quietly looked at Choi Yeon-ha’s face.

‘Not bad.’

Not her face, but her attitude.

He didn’t know much about Choi Yeon-ha, but just from what Kang Eun-young had said, he couldn’t help but know how great of an actress the person in front of him was.

Considering that the current era was one where celebrities held considerable status, Choi Yeon-ha’s objective status could be said to be very high. She must also be incredibly busy.

Nevertheless, the fact that she had come 30 minutes early for the appointment and was trying her best to match Kang Jin-ho’s mood made it seem like it was worth having a conversation with her.

“I heard you asked Eun-young to set up the appointment.”

“Eun-young? Ah! You mean Se-ah. Yes, I did.”

“What is it that you need?”

Choi Yeon-ha didn’t answer right away and quietly gauged Kang Jin-ho’s reaction. There was no sign of probing from Kang Jin-ho.

‘She really just sent the person.’

She had hoped that she would have told him some things while sending him to lower his guard, but it seemed that she had really just sent him without telling him anything about the situation.

She felt a strange mix of emotions.

It was still a burden to have to explain everything from the beginning, but on the other hand, the fact that Kang Jin-ho had come to the meeting without even knowing what it was about could also be taken to mean that he had some level of interest in her.

Apart from romantic feelings, it was never a good feeling for an actress to be seen as a stone statue by a regular person.

Choi Yeon-ha licked her lips and pondered how to respond.

Trying to coax him might be one way, but based on the Kang Jin-ho she had seen and the personality of Kang Jin-ho that Kang Eun-young had described… trying to coax him clumsily could backfire.

Choi Yeon-ha decided to throw a fastball.

“Kang Jin-ho.”

“Yes.”

“Have you ever thought about becoming an actor?” Kang Jin-ho’s face was filled with bewilderment.

“An actor?”

“Yes, an actor.”

Kang Jin-ho was speechless at Choi Yeon-ha’s overly confident response and stared blankly at her. Just as he was about to open his mouth to say something, the server brought their coffee, so he had no choice but to close his mouth for the time being.

“Here are your Lungo and Iced Lungo.”

Kang Jin-ho gulped down the cold coffee placed in front of him. It felt like his tongue, which had been stiff with bewilderment, was finally moving.

“I’m having a hard time understanding what you’re saying.”

Choi Yeon-ha smiled faintly.

“You’re probably flustered.”

“Very much so.”

Choi Yeon-ha smiled faintly.

It was a genuine smile, not a business smile.

‘He’s a really unique person.’

He was unique, but it didn’t come across negatively.

While there were some people who were unpleasant because they were different from others, there were also people who felt fresh because they were different from others.

To Choi Yeon-ha, Kang Jin-ho was the latter. He was unique and different, but his uniqueness wasn’t burdensome.

“I don’t know what Kang Jin-ho thinks, but I think Kang Jin-ho has a talent for acting.”

“Usually, judgments should have a basis.”

“What if I said it was a woman’s intuition?”

“I’d recommend you not to invest in stocks.”

Choi Yeon-ha chuckled.

“I’ll take your advice. Just kidding. An actor’s talent should be judged by seeing them act. Have you ever seen yourself act?”

“Of course not.”

“Of course not. It hasn’t aired yet. After removing the pronunciation and voice from what you acted, a plausible picture came out.”

A really plausible picture.

It wasn’t just because he was handsome.

When a male actor is captured with a camera for a drama, his handsomeness stands out. But Kang Jin-ho wasn’t simply showing off his face, he was creating a picture with the background as a single painting.

‘His visuals are made for movies.’

“I’m someone who has lived in the movie industry until now. No matter how well you know yourself, you can’t evaluate your acting better than I can. In my opinion, you are someone who should be acting. I’ve already found a suitable role. If you say yes, I’ll do my best to help you. What do you think?”

Compared to her long speech, the answer that came back was too empty and short.

“No. I have no intention.”