Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 378

‘That’s usually how it goes.’

Choi Yeon-ha was in a very bad mood.

No, she was in a good mood.

No! She was not in a good mood.

It’s not a bad thing when someone genuinely asks for help. Especially if that person is someone who doesn’t usually ask for help from others.

For such a person to ask for help is like proving their trust, so it was something to be happy about.

But that was the problem.

‘That’s usually how it goes.’

If the person asking for help is a young and beautiful woman, then a man’s ‘help’ is usually just an excuse.

Behind the word ‘help’ is usually a hidden intention to gain the other person’s attention.

It’s a blatant attempt to subtly make the other person feel superior, while also increasing the time spent together, and through that process, trying to become something more than just acquaintances.

That’s how it usually is…

“Try to make a move!”

But this guy wasn’t the type to make such moves. It was his genuine, unadulterated request for help, without any other intentions, that was making Choi Yeon-ha furious.

“How can a person be so pure!”

Of course, it’s not like she likes men with ulterior motives. She’s seen and suffered enough from men who approach with a kind face but harbor dark intentions.

To be fair, there were some who approached with genuinely good intentions, but they just weren’t up to her standards.

But this guy she was waiting for was specialized in irritating people in many ways. Today, Choi Yeon-ha realized for the first time that being without ulterior motives could make a person angry.

“I don’t like anything!”

From the way he casually contacted her to ask for help, to the fact that she couldn’t even play hard to get and immediately agreed.

And not stopping there, she even made an appointment for the next morning!

And she was here an hour before the appointment, waiting since early morning…

“I’m the problem.”

Choi Yeon-ha sighed deeply, as if the ground was collapsing beneath her.

Thinking about it step by step, it was Choi Yeon-ha who had lost her mind. It wasn’t Kang Jin-ho’s fault.

‘I need to tighten my screws.’

No matter what she did, there was a high chance that Kang Jin-ho wouldn’t even notice, but people leave an impression. Those impressions accumulate and determine whether someone is liked or disliked.

If she kept losing her mind and acting foolishly like this, she could give Kang Jin-ho the impression that she was a pushover.

‘That guy probably likes a sharp, no-nonsense type of woman.’

Isn’t Kang Jin-ho himself a bit of a clueless type?

He’s the type who is decisive and quick when needed, but usually, he’s so clueless that you don’t know what he’s thinking.

How many trials and errors did she go through to figure that out?

His face was so cool that she thought his personality would be the same. When they first met, she tried to get him to act and coax him into acting, so she only saw his sharp, cutting side.

Who would have imagined that his usual self would be so absent-minded and clueless?

“I was fooled by his face.”

Choi Yeon-ha gritted her teeth quietly. Don’t be so clueless with that face! Choi Yeon-ha, who was huffing, suddenly lifted her head at the sound of the chime bell.

Seeing Kang Jin-ho entering, she felt a strange pounding in her heart…

‘Don’t use that face like that!’

Even if it’s a meeting with a woman, don’t come out wearing a stretched-out tracksuit and slippers! You heartless man!

Choi Yeon-ha quickly composed her expression.

There was no point in showing her grumpy side from the morning.

Her expression should be bright, and her tone should be gentle.

“Why are you so late? Don’t you know it’s not polite to make a woman wait?”

As soon as she said the words, Choi Yeon-ha’s expression turned grim.

‘I should just die.’

If she had known this would happen, she should have learned how to speak gently to men her age.

Why did those words come out reflexively!

Choi Yeon-ha bit her lip tightly.

It couldn’t be helped!

In her life, the men she needed to be nice to were all older. They had to be at least twenty years older for her to even consider smiling at them.

Like the president of her agency, the director of a new movie she was in, or a producer or a station director.

Other than that, the young men she encountered were either young punks trying to hit on her with cheesy lines, or managers who were determined to harass her. So, it was only natural that she couldn’t speak kindly to young men…

‘This is my karma.’

She should have been kinder in her heart…

Choi Yeon-ha was now regretting it.

When she was told that she had a terrible personality, she thought to herself, ‘It’s because I don’t need to show you a good personality. I’m actually a nice person if you get to know me.’

‘I never thought my personality was actually this bad.’

They say no one knows themselves well, but why did she have to realize that today? Choi Yeon-ha cursed her fate.

“I’m sorry for being late.”

‘You actually came ten minutes early, you know?’

What would a normal person think of a woman who came ten minutes early but then berated him for making her wait?

‘What would they think? They’d think she’s crazy.’

Seeing herself ruining her image by coming early, she felt like running out and jumping in front of a car.

“Please calm down.”

Kang Jin-ho smiled awkwardly when he noticed Choi Yeon-ha’s subtle expression.

Choi Yeon-ha was flustered and shouted.

“Ah, no. I’m not angry.”

Even in this situation, her high-pitched voice was pathetic.

And she calls herself a leading actress of Korea.

She had always been proud of her acting skills, but all that pride was crumbling at this moment.

‘Calm down.’

She just needed to accept what was happening.

That guy was destroying her composure. The problem was that she kept trying to do what she couldn’t. She just had to accept that it was hard for her to pretend in front of him and just be herself…

“But my true self is a mess!”

“Pardon?”

“…What did I just say?”

“You said you’re a mess.”

“I, I didn’t mean that to Kang Jin-ho!”

Choi Yeon-ha’s embarrassment reached the sky.

“I’m the mess! Me!”

“Yes?”

“What am I even saying!”

Kang Jin-ho silently slid the cold water in front of him towards Choi Yeon-ha.

“Please calm down for now.”

“…Thank you.”

It was over.

Choi Yeon-ha laughed.

‘I’m doomed.’

Her plan to somehow advance their relationship using this as an excuse was shattered within a minute of Kang Jin-ho sitting down. It was a miracle if he didn’t think she was mentally ill, let alone advance their relationship.

“W-would you like to have something to eat?”

“I’m fine.”

“Have something!”

“…I’ll go order.”

“Yes.”

As Kang Jin-ho got up, Choi Yeon-ha quickly took out a mirror and looked at her face.

“…Oh, Lord.”

Seeing her face as red as a carrot, she just wanted to die. What was she even doing! Where did all the resolutions she made yesterday and today go!

Only then did Choi Yeon-ha realize her mistake.

‘Come to think of it, I’m a lifelong single.’

She thought she had indirectly experienced countless romances and romantic feelings through acting, but that wasn’t the case. The critics who said she was strong in portraying realistic characters rather than romantic ones weren’t praising her for her serious acting, but were just saying she was bad at romantic acting in a roundabout way.

It was impossible for a lifelong single to try to seduce a man. Thinking about it, Choi Yeon-ha had no idea what to do to seduce a man.

‘I thought if I was this good-looking and this capable, I’d just naturally attract men,’ but that didn’t work on that wooden man. She had no countermeasure for him.

‘I’m going to reach enlightenment, really.’

Why was she having so many realizations? If she were a religious person, she would have reached sainthood in this one moment.

Choi Yeon-ha took a slow, deep breath.

It was too late to make a good impression. Today, she had to focus on not making things worse and patching up the situation, Choi Yeon-ha thought, but then her face contorted.

‘No, why do I have to come up with a strategy for something like this!’

Even when she was a rookie trying to get into auditions, she never planned and moved her facial muscles to make a good impression like she was doing now!

Choi Yeon-ha felt somewhat wronged.

Kang Jin-ho, who was waiting for his drink at the counter, took his iced Americano and sat down across from Choi Yeon-ha.

Choi Yeon-ha took a deep breath.

‘Let’s change the subject. I keep making mistakes because I’m trying to talk when I have nothing to say. Let’s talk about something ordinary. So…’

“Why did you call me?”

“I explained everything yesterday.”

“…Right. You did. That’s how it is.”

“Yes?”

What would that guy do if I suddenly started crying here?

This wasn’t just a thought. Her eyes were starting to sting.

The first tears she was showing in front of a man weren’t because she was sad or heartbroken, but because she was frustrated and angry, and it was all because she was playing a solo act and getting frustrated, and that thought made her heart sink.

‘This is a dark history. I’ll be kicking my blanket for 20 years.’

If she shed even a single tear here, the blankets in her house wouldn’t survive. Her legs would get prettier though, since she’d be exercising even while sleeping!

“I, I’m a bit sleep-deprived, so I’m not really with it right now.”

“…You do look like it.”

You’re supposed to say no, you man with no manners!

How did I end up with this guy?

“Anyway, thank you for coming.”

“No problem. I don’t have any schedule, and I don’t have anything to do.”

Choi Yeon-ha, who thought that was also a slip of the tongue, blushed as she saw Kang Jin-ho looking at her seriously.

‘Why is he staring like that?’

It was true that the world looked different once you became conscious of it. A gaze that she would have brushed off before now felt burdensome, and words that she would have lightly dismissed before now felt meaningful.

Choi Yeon-ha, who might be the prettiest lifelong single in Korea, was panicking as she felt unfamiliar emotions that kept making her flustered.

“Have you thought about what I asked you?”

“You mean helping the kids?”

“Yes.”

“Well, first…”

Choi Yeon-ha slightly narrowed her brows and continued.

“I heard a bit about it, but I don’t know exactly what’s going on. I think I need to hear more. Can you explain it to me?”

“Well, it’s like this…”

As Kang Jin-ho began to calmly explain the situation, Choi Yeon-ha rested her chin on her hand and listened attentively.