Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 433

“You’re here early. I thought you’d be getting an hour of nagging.”

“I couldn’t do that when my sister is waiting for me.”

“Well, I can just take a taxi.”

Choi Yeon-ha seemed to have no regrets. This kind of cool detachment could feel really refreshing at times, but when you were the target, it could be quite frustrating.

“Sis.”

“Yeah?”

“Let’s talk.”

“What about? I’ve said everything I wanted to say.”

“No, sis.”

Han Eun-sol looked at Choi Yeon-ha calmly and said,

“Seriously.”

“Let’s go to a cafe. Somewhere quiet.”

When Choi Yeon-ha didn’t respond, Han Eun-sol started the car.

“So, what do you want to talk about?”

Before the dewdrop on the coffee cup across from her could even fall, Choi Yeon-ha got straight to the point.

Han Eun-sol turned his head to check if there were people around. Since it was a cafe with partitions, no one would know that Choi Yeon-ha was here, but it was better to be cautious.

“Sis, what are you going to do?”

“That’s a weird way to put it? I’m not trying to do anything, I’m trying to do nothing. You guys are the ones trying to make something happen.”

“But you’re an actress. It’s strange for an actress to say they won’t do a project.”

“What’s so strange about it? There’s an actor who hasn’t done a single project in over seven years, and he’s still considered the most handsome actor in Korea. That kind of thing is common.”

“That’s what you used to say was the weirdest thing.”

Choi Yeon-ha pursed her lips.

“An actor should act, and a singer should sing. If you’re just going to live off of commercials using your past work, you should take down your actor sign, that’s what you used to say.”

“I did.”

Choi Yeon-ha readily admitted.

“Yeah, I did. I did say that. Well, I haven’t really changed my mind. By my standards, I haven’t built up my image enough to just live off of it.”

“Yes, sis. You said that this year is the turning point in your career, that you shouldn’t just be known as a pretty-faced actress.”

“So you want me to do that project?”

“No. I don’t care if you do it or not. I don’t even think about it. What frustrates me is that you’re not doing any projects at all.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to.”

“I know. But you’re not even looking at scripts. You’re not even thinking about looking for a good scenario.”

“Sis.”

Han Eun-sol sighed deeply.

“You were like Wonder Woman to me.”

“Don’t try to make me sound weird.”

“From the time I was a rookie manager, you always seemed so radiant to me. I always thought, I want to climb up the ladder in this industry and become your manager someday.”

“You succeeded?”

“…I was just young and stupid.”

“What, you punk?”

“Anyway, back then, you seemed like someone who was born to be an actress. You would research your roles to understand them, and if you didn’t know something, you’d grab a newbie and ask until you figured it out. Do you remember?”

“Just get to the point, Eun-sol.”

“Looking back, it’s not that you were passionate or had a great sense of pride in acting.”

“Huh?”

“It’s just that you’re someone who can only do one thing, just one thing. If you get fixated on something, you have to do it. Back then, that was acting. Until recently, anyway.”

Choi Yeon-ha closed her mouth and fell into thought.

‘I guess that’s true.’

She had often been told that she was out of it. Even before she became an actress, she had a personality where she had to finish something once she started it. She even once started cross-stitching and ended up wallpapering her room with it.

“But now, you’re fixated on something else. That’s why your passion for acting is fading. To be precise, it’s not that you don’t want to do a project. It’s just that you’re strangely uninterested in it.”

“…Did you stick a bamboo in me?” [A Korean expression meaning ‘did you read my mind?’]

Choi Yeon-ha shuddered, seeing how accurately Han Eun-sol had figured out her state.

Is he some kind of psychological counselor?

“We have ears and mouths too. Managers talk to each other. There are quite a few cases like you, they say. People who suddenly quit after being active, or who get married and barely keep a foot in the entertainment industry.”

“That’s true…”

“Sis, be honest.”

“Huh?”

“It’s not that you didn’t like the script, is it?”

“No. I didn’t like the script.”

“Don’t lie. The you I know would have gone to the writer and demanded they rewrite the script if you didn’t like it.”

“If you really didn’t like the script, you would have tried to revise it. There’s no downside to that. You’re learning Chinese yourself and saying you’ll work harder, who would dislike that? It’s not like they’re using a minor actor, they’re casting you as a lead with a lot of money, so they’d be thankful if you worked hard.”

Choi Yeon-ha didn’t answer.

“You don’t want to be in China for six months, do you? Because you’d have to be apart from Kang Jin-ho for six months?”

“That’s not it? You’re funny.”

Choi Yeon-ha fanned herself as if she was dumbfounded.

“Do you think I’m someone who can’t distinguish between work and personal life?”

“No, sis.”

Han Eun-sol said in a firm tone.

“It’s not that you can’t distinguish between work and personal life. It’s just that what’s important to you has changed. Work used to be important, but now Kang Jin-ho is more important to you than work.”

Choi Yeon-ha couldn’t really argue.

She impulsively wanted to argue, but looking back at her recent life, she couldn’t. Her recent life had been fluctuating depending on how Kang Jin-ho moved.

“Sis.”

“Okay, I know what you’re saying.”

“Huh?”

“You’re saying I should stop dating and focus on work, right?”

“No.”

“…Huh?”

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

“Sis, I’m Han Eun-sol. I know you as my manager, but I think of you as more than a sister. If you choose a path that makes you happy, I’m happy too. Do you think I’m the kind of guy who’s just trying to make money off of you? I’m going to make my own actors and raise them myself.”

“Okay. Our Eun-sol is great.”

“What I’m trying to say is, you can’t date like that.”

“What does that mean?”

“You’re too extreme. You can’t balance work and dating. Once you decide on something, you have to pour 100% of yourself into it, and honestly, think about it if you were a guy. How would you feel if a woman dropped everything and only focused on you?”

“I’d be grateful.”

“…No, not that.”
Han Eun-sol stammered.

That’s not it…

“Hey, just say what you want to say. Don’t beat around the bush. Why are you making it so complicated?”

“Yes, sis.”

Han Eun-sol cleared his throat and said,

“Kang Jin-ho is a great person, right?”

“That’s right.”

“But you haven’t won him over yet, have you?”

“Sis, to win over a great person, you have to be a great person yourself. Of course, you’re pretty. Being pretty is everything. But that guy is handsome and capable, right?”

“But I’m incredibly pretty.”

“Sis, people don’t just live off of looks. There’s something called overall ability. Considering your personality, there are many women better than you.”

“What, you punk?”

“Let’s face the truth, let’s face the truth!” Han Eun-sol started to hit the nail on the head.

“Is Kang Jin-ho the type to look at faces?”

“…No, if he was, it would be game over already.”

“The person I see doesn’t really care about looks. Then it’s about personality and ability… Sis, honestly, you’re a personality disaster.”

There are moments in life when you can’t argue back even if you’re being insulted to your face. That’s exactly how Choi Yeon-ha felt right now. She felt a surge of anger and annoyance, but she couldn’t fight back because it was true.

“Then at least you need to have ability to be competitive. But right now, you’re throwing away the only ability you have. Sis, dating isn’t about one person pulling the other. It’s about equal people supporting each other. But you’re just thinking that if you like someone, everything will be fine.”

Choi Yeon-ha closed her mouth tightly.

“It’s not everything to throw everything away and cling to that person. If you really like that person, you have to improve your own abilities and make it so that they can never give you up. Isn’t that a more Choi Yeon-ha-like way of dating?”

“That’s right.”

Choi Yeon-ha nodded.

“You’re right. That’s exactly right.”

It was a piercing blow.

“I thought that if there was love, everything would work out. But that’s not how relationships work.”

“Yes, sis! That’s it.”

“First, I have to become someone who is not inferior to him, that’s right…”

Choi Yeon-ha frowned.

“Yeah, I was like that. I was that kind of person. I forgot. Thanks to you, I remembered.”

Choi Yeon-ha looked at Han Eun-sol quietly and smiled.

“Thank you.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I don’t want to rely on him, I want to be with him, but if I keep going like this, I’ll just be relying on him. You’re right, you’re right.”

Choi Yeon-ha clenched her fist.

“I have to become someone he can never give up. You’re absolutely right. Yeah, I think I lost my mind for a moment.”

Choi Yeon-ha, who had been looking out the window, got up from her seat.

“I’m going first.”

“I’ll give you a ride.”

“No. I need to sort out my thoughts. Thank you so much today. It was advice that will become my bones and flesh. You’d be good as a dating coach.”

“What am I?”

“No. You were really like a sage. I don’t know how you pinpointed my situation so accurately. I’ll definitely repay this debt. Let’s have a nice dinner.”

“I’m going to eat something expensive.”

“Go ahead. I’m leaving then.”

As Choi Yeon-ha waved her hand and went outside, Han Eun-sol sat there and silently gulped down his drink.

‘A dating coach…’

It’s a funny story.

How could he, who doesn’t have much dating experience, be a dating coach?

The only reason he could give such appropriate advice was one thing.

‘People can only show their hearts when they are on the same level.’

If you can’t rise to your own level, you can’t even show your hidden heart.

Because you feel pathetic.

That’s why he could give that advice. At least, he didn’t want Choi Yeon-ha to feel that way.

“Such a busybody.”