Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 316

“I won’t do it.”

“Wait, just a moment, Choi Yeon-ha!”

Choi Yeon-ha frowned at the urgent voice. Perhaps because of her naturally beautiful face, even her scowl looked charming.

“Didn’t I say I wouldn’t do it, Director?”

“Choi Yeon-ha, you said you were considering it positively until recently. You said you were in your prime right now?”

“I don’t have a reason to be in my prime anymore.”

“Choi Yeon-ha, please don’t be like that… This is really good, you know. The script is amazing. If you just hold the center [take the lead role], this movie will definitely attract ten million viewers.”

Choi Yeon-ha scoffed.

“If you want to attract ten million viewers, find a popular male actor instead of me. I’ve never heard of a movie with a female lead exceeding ten million.”

“Hey, then we can be the first, right?”

“Director.”

Choi Yeon-ha put on her sunglasses and turned around.

“We just need you, Choi Yeon-ha. If this movie succeeds, you’ll become a national actress. You know, there aren’t many movies that invest this much in a female lead. If you miss this opportunity…”

“Excuse me, Director.”

“Huh?”

Choi Yeon-ha sighed and said,

“You think that’s a challenge, right?”

“Of course.”

“Do you know that’s the mindset of a gambler?”

“Ga, gambler?”

“Yes, a gambler. A gamble based on the baseless hope that if you create something new, people will recognize and praise it.”

“No… Choi Yeon-ha.”

“I’m sorry, but there’s a reason why people don’t do things. Instead of that, why don’t you find a fresh-faced guy in his twenties? Who knows, it might be a hit?”

“Hey, hey, Choi Yeon-ha! Hey! Choi Yeon-ha!”

No matter what the director said, Choi Yeon-ha got into her car and started the engine. Then, she stepped hard on the accelerator.

‘This is so boring, seriously.’

Choi Yeon-ha knew that to maintain a successful career, it was best not to create trouble with a director of that caliber.

In Chungmuro [the heart of the Korean film industry], gossip was a daily occurrence. If an actor did something even slightly annoying, it would become the talk of the town. A male actor who quietly stayed home would be called gay, and if they went out for a drink, they would be criticized for being flirtatious. That was the nature of the industry.

Since she had done this today, rumors would spread that Choi Yeon-ha had finally revealed her rotten core.

‘Who cares.’

Choi Yeon-ha frowned and stepped hard on the accelerator.

And at that moment, her phone started ringing.

“Ugh, what now!”

Choi Yeon-ha, thoroughly annoyed, answered the phone and pressed the call button.

“What!”

[Noona, where are you?]

“I’m on my way home.”

[Noona, you were going to do the next project. The CEO is freaking out right now.]

“So what?”

[No, it’s not ‘so what.’ I’m asking if you’re not going to do the next project…]

“Tell them not to contact me for a while.”

Silence came from the other end of the phone.

“Hey, hang up.”

[Wa, wait a minute, Noona.]

“What?”

[The CEO said to do just one project quickly. The reaction to your acting in the drama was so good, if you do just one more movie or drama this year…]

“I’ll take care of it.”

Choi Yeon-ha turned off the phone and threw it on the passenger seat.

‘How carefree.’

Being a star is like that.

It’s incredibly difficult to climb up, but when you fall, you plummet like falling off a cliff. If you do too many movies and dramas, your image gets overused, and you fall. But if you don’t appear often, you fall because you’ve become distant from the public.

And from what she had observed, when stars at the top start to fall, they don’t realize it. The first to notice are not themselves, but the people around them.

‘That’s why they’re like this.’

In the past, they wouldn’t have rushed her to do another project. They would have waited until Choi Yeon-ha had enough rest. But the fact that they were talking about her next project so quickly meant that the reaction to the drama wasn’t that good.

No, the drama probably did well.

The drama did well, but the fact that there weren’t many new CF [commercial film] offers for Choi Yeon-ha was proof that she hadn’t made a big impact with this drama.

“Annoying.”

Choi Yeon-ha lowered the car window and cooled down by letting the wind hit her face.

“I can’t end up like this.”

If she jumped into any project just to put out the fire, she would really go downhill. Then, there would be no lifeline to grab onto.

She knew how miserable an actor who lived off public attention became when they were no longer in the public eye. And she had no intention of allowing that to happen.

She drove for a while, but her complicated thoughts didn’t calm down at all.

Then, when she came to her senses,

“Why am I here!”

Choi Yeon-ha slammed her hand on the steering wheel. People turned to look at the car because of the sudden honking. Choi Yeon-ha instinctively lowered her head, even though she knew her face couldn’t be seen through the tinted windows.

‘Calm down.’

Getting angry wouldn’t solve anything.

Choi Yeon-ha pulled her car into the underground parking lot of a nearby building. After handing over her car keys, Choi Yeon-ha took a deep breath and looked at that awful-looking pizza place.

‘Annoying.’

The fact that she had ended up here in such an extremely heated state made her even more unable to calm down. Shouldn’t this place be completely unrelated to her now?

Unlike her, Kang Se-ah was receiving positive reviews for her drama debut. She hadn’t stood out too much, but that was actually seen as a good thing.

She was receiving casting offers, praised for showing potential as a rookie actress rather than an idol. That news had even reached her ears.

Of course, she didn’t want to go into the place where that annoying Kang Se-ah’s brother was. But unlike her mind, her hand was already opening the door to the pizza place.

“Huh?”

As she opened the door and entered, Joo Young-gi stared at her with wide eyes.

“What is it?”

“…Coming in and immediately saying ‘What is it?’ That’s what I should be saying.”

“Is this how you treat customers at this place?”

“Ah, a customer?”

Joo Young-gi straightened his back and then bent it again at a ninety-degree angle.

“Welcome!”

“Tch.”

Choi Yeon-ha sat at a table, annoyed as if Joo Young-gi was very irritating.

“Where’s the menu?”

“Yes, yes. Here you go, customer!”

Choi Yeon-ha glanced at the menu and handed it back to Joo Young-gi, saying,

“Bring me the best pizza, the best pasta, and the best drink.”

“Our place is good at everything.”

“Then just bring me anything.”

Joo Young-gi chuckled and turned around.

“Jin-ho, pizza, anything, pasta, anything, and a drink, anything.”

“That guy!”

Choi Yeon-ha glared at Joo Young-gi with narrowed eyes.

“Oh my, how scary.”

“Tell the chef to come out for a moment.”

“The chef has to bake the pizza?”

“Tell the girl inside to make it. Did I come here to eat pizza?”

“…You came to a pizza place, so why else would you come?”

“The customer service here is terrible. I should post about it on social media.”

“I’ll go grab the chef by the hair and bring him here right away, customer. Please wait a moment!”

“I’ll wait.”

Joo Young-gi smirked. She was being prickly, but since he had seen her a few times, he didn’t find it too annoying.

“But didn’t you pretend to be nice before?”

“There’s no benefit to pretending to be nice, so why would I? I’m originally this kind of woman.”

“Yes, yes, that’s better.”

“Better?”

“Yes.”

Without properly explaining what he meant, Joo Young-gi headed to the kitchen.

As she was fiddling with her phone, Kang Jin-ho came out shortly after. Seeing Kang Jin-ho slowly coming out with an unpleasant expression, she frowned.

“I won’t talk about the movie, so please relax your face.”

“Huh?”

“I didn’t come here to talk about that. I’ve given up. I’ve surrendered completely.”

“Ah!”

Kang Jin-ho sat across from Choi Yeon-ha with a relieved expression.

‘At least pretend to be happy to see me, you jerk.’

A top star had come to see him in person, but he was looking around like he had met an insurance salesman. How could she not get angry?

“Why did you call me?”

“To see your face.”

“Why my face?”

“Because you’re handsome.”

Kang Jin-ho closed his mouth.

“I can’t see you on screen anymore, so I have to see you in person. Why? Is that not allowed?”

“This is a business.”

“I know. Before, you used to take pictures when I ordered pizza. Can I take a picture this time? Or I’ll go around telling everyone that you discriminate against customers.”

As Kang Jin-ho looked troubled, Park Yu-min, who was clearing a nearby table, subtly helped Kang Jin-ho.

“We didn’t get paid for that, Jin-ho.”

At that moment, Kang Jin-ho’s eyes widened.

“That’s what they’re saying?”

“…Anyway, I’m going to blow this place up someday.”

There was probably no other place in Korea where Choi Yeon-ha would receive this kind of treatment. Even her parents didn’t treat her this way.

It was clear that these people’s sense of aesthetics had become strange from seeing Kang Jin-ho every day. Even if they weren’t interested in celebrities or actors, beautiful women were usually treated well by men, but this was…

“Fine! I won’t take a picture!”

Kang Jin-ho scratched his head.

“What are you doing tomorrow?”

“I’m resting.”

Joo Young-gi gritted his teeth.

“That damn boss. He’s resting again, again!” Park Yu-min defended Kang Jin-ho.

“No, it’s his day off.”

“He rests on his day off! And he rests on days he’s not supposed to because he has something to do! Since when was Korea a five-day work week!”

“…Young-gi, it’s originally a five-day work week.”

“Ah, really?”

Choi Yeon-ha grabbed her forehead. Talking to that guy would make her ignorant. It was best not to engage in conversation with him.

“So, you’re resting tomorrow, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s hang out.”

Kang Jin-ho shook his head.

“I have something to do tomorrow.”

“Something to do?”

Choi Yeon-ha narrowed her eyes.

“Kang Jin-ho, do you think I’m the kind of person who asks just anyone to hang out with me?”

“I’ve never thought about it.”

She was furious, but she knew that if she got angry here, she would have to walk around with a flower in her hair from now on.

‘Calm down.’

Things might not go well. But she couldn’t get angry at this person. This person had just made a choice. Even if Choi Yeon-ha’s opportunity had been lost because of that choice, it wasn’t like Choi Yeon-ha had suffered any damage.

‘But I’m still angry.’

The devil inside her was poking her, telling her to find fault.

“Do you have an appointment?”

“No. It’s not an appointment.”

“Then are you going alone?”

“Yes.”

“Oh?”

Choi Yeon-ha smiled.

“Then I’ll go with you.”

Kang Jin-ho and Choi Yeon-ha’s eyes met.

But surprisingly, Kang Jin-ho readily answered.

“Sure.”