Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 651

“Did you bring them?”

“Yes. I’ll play them now.”

Jang Xiang raised his head and glanced at Choi Yeon-ha. After confirming Choi Yeon-ha’s bewildered expression, Jang Xiang lowered his head again to look at the screen.

After watching the scenes they had filmed today, Jang Xiang raised his hand.

“Play the 19th cut from earlier again.”

“Yes.”

Jang Xiang, who had been intently watching the scene on the screen, nodded.

“It turned out pretty good, right?”

“Huh?”

“I’m asking if it turned out well! Can’t you understand me?”

“Ah… Yes. I think this one is the best too. Personally, I also think the 12th scene is good.”

“That’s why you can’t make it. A scene shouldn’t just be dynamic. It loses its seriousness. If you look at each scene individually, the 12th cut might be the best. But you have to think about the story and the flow of the previous scenes. In a scene where someone gets angry and spills water, if the water splashes beautifully, it breaks the tension.”

“You’re right, Director.”

The assistant director did his best to please the director.

‘Why is this guy acting like this?’

This director doesn’t reuse B-cuts [outtakes or alternative takes]. He’s the type of person who wouldn’t hesitate to film a hundred takes to find the perfect cut. Of course, today’s filming was a tedious repetition to mess with Choi Yeon-ha, but still.

Even so, he wasn’t the type to review footage he had already deemed unusable.

Yet, he was doing just that now.

“I’ve been thinking, and filming at night doesn’t seem to fit the scene. There was a window in the scene we filmed before.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“The outside view from that window was daytime, but it’s too awkward for it to suddenly turn to night. Don’t you think so?”

“Ah… We didn’t think that far.”

The assistant director lowered his head.

‘Did he eat something wrong, this guy?’

Who doesn’t know that? There isn’t a single staff member on this set who doesn’t know that night filming is forced. He’s probably going to torment people until dawn, and then, when he realizes it won’t work, he’ll say they’ll film again during the day tomorrow.

Even knowing that, they couldn’t voice their complaints. That was the power structure of a film set. No one wanted to be on the director’s bad side, especially not with someone like him.

“So, let’s go with this cut. Let’s wrap up this scene here.”

“B-but, is that really okay?”

“Why? Do you have a problem with it?”

“Of course not. I was just wondering if it would meet your standards, Director.”

Jang Xiang slightly raised the corners of his eyes. Instead of berating the assistant director, he raised his head to check Choi Yeon-ha’s condition.

Jang Xiang shrugged his shoulders.

“It’s important to get the perfect scene, but if we keep filming like this, the actress might get hurt. Today’s filming is important, but tomorrow’s filming is important too. Let’s take care of our health while we work.”

“Ah… I understand.”

As the assistant director moved to collect the footage, Jang Xiang stood up from his seat and shouted.

“Choi Yeon-ha, you’ve worked hard. Let’s call it a day!”

Choi Yeon-ha looked at Jang Xiang with a bewildered expression. Then, Jang Xiang cleared his throat and said,

“We’ll be filming a different scene tomorrow and the day after, so get plenty of rest during that time. Don’t catch a cold.”

“What? I thought we had filming scheduled…”

“We’re going to change it. There’s another scene that’s more urgent.”

“Ah… Okay, I understand.”

Han Eun-sol, seeing Choi Yeon-ha’s face, spoke quietly in Korean.

“Unnie [older sister or close female friend], your expression! Your expression!”

“I know.”

Choi Yeon-ha, who had been wearing a ‘Did he eat something wrong?’ expression, smiled awkwardly.

She didn’t know what was going on, but she had finished filming and received two days off, so it was a win. The unpleasant words that had been rising in her throat went down smoothly.

“Okay. Then, see you later.”

As Jang Xiang began to pack up, Han Eun-sol’s gaze turned to one side.

‘What on earth did that person do?’

“Let’s go for now.”

“Yes.”

As Choi Yeon-ha went to change her clothes, Han Eun-sol quickly began to organize the staff.

“…What did you do?”

“Huh?”

“No, I mean…”

Han Eun-sol’s lips quivered.

‘What should I ask?’

The air inside the van was strange. Choi Yeon-ha, who would normally be the first to ask what she had talked about with the director, was leaning back in her seat as if nothing had happened.

‘Why isn’t she asking?’

Like a thirsty person digging a well, if this continued, Han Eun-sol would end up having to ask.

“What did you say to that director to make someone who was so stubborn act like that?”

Kang Jin-ho replied without changing his expression.

“It was nothing much.”

“It can’t be nothing…”

Han Eun-sol looked at the rearview mirror with expectant eyes.

‘I thought he wasn’t an ordinary person, but still.’

To think he could silence Jang Xiang like that.

Jang Xiang wasn’t an ordinary director. He originally had no reason to film a drama. No matter how big the project was, or how much investment had been poured into it, Jang Xiang had already left the drama scene a long time ago. A director who was gaining attention in Hollywood had no reason to film a drama.

However, this drama was being produced with support from the government. That’s why Jang Xiang was forced into that position.

It was a position where investors who had been forced to invest were interfering heavily, and the government was also poking their noses in, causing stress. But he wasn’t someone who would just listen unilaterally.

He was someone who would speak up when he needed to and knew how to secure his position. That’s why he saved Choi Yeon-ha when the government was trying to suppress the Korean wave [Hallyu] and cut out actors.

He was someone who could speak up even to those above him. Because he was such a person, everyone overlooked his personality issues and the chaos he caused on set.

But for that Jang Xiang to let Choi Yeon-ha go so obediently, like a dog with a thousand tails wagging.

‘There’s no way that could have happened naturally.’

It’s more miraculous than water flowing uphill. How could such a thing happen naturally?

“So, what did you do?”

“I just didn’t say much.”

At this point, Choi Yeon-ha also became curious.

Kang Jin-ho would surely know what he was doing.

Choi Yeon-ha always complained, but she absolutely trusted Kang Jin-ho, as long as it wasn’t about matters of the heart.

She didn’t want to give the impression that she was prying into his work, so she had been holding back, but now her curiosity had reached its limit.

“What did you say?”

“Um…”

“I’m just curious. You can tell me that much, can’t you?”

Kang Jin-ho shrugged his shoulders as if he was in trouble.

“No, I really didn’t say much.”

“So, what was that ‘not much’?”

Kang Jin-ho scratched his head.

“Did you threaten him?”

“Huh?”

“Like, did you say you’d beat him to death, or that he should watch out tonight?”

“…Wait a minute.”

Kang Jin-ho cleared his throat.

“I don’t know why I have that kind of image, but I’m not so thoughtless as to say such things on someone else’s film set.”

“You didn’t?”

Choi Yeon-ha’s eyes widened. It was beyond her expectations. The Kang Jin-ho she knew would have grabbed the director by the collar the moment he was cornered, pushed him against the wall, and said through gritted teeth, ‘I’ll kill you,’ or ‘Do you think you can do whatever you want?’ or ‘Don’t touch my woman’… Ah, not that last one.

Anyway, she thought he would have said all sorts of things, but it wasn’t like that.

“Then what on earth did you say?”

Kang Jin-ho shrugged his shoulders.

“I said that if we continued with night filming like this, it could harm the actress’s health, so wouldn’t it be better to stop here?”

Han Eun-sol pulled the car over to the side of the road. Then, with a dumbfounded look, she turned her head to look at Kang Jin-ho.

“That’s it?”

“I said a few more things, but it was similar. I said that we also had to consider the overall filming schedule, so wouldn’t it be better to stop here? I said that a director should be able to see the bigger picture, and even if Choi Yeon-ha had done something wrong, if he acted like this, he would only be seen as petty. So, he agreed.”

“He agreed?”

Han Eun-sol and Choi Yeon-ha looked at each other.

After staring at each other for a while, they both gave subtle smiles.

“Ah, okay. I understand. If you don’t want to tell us, you don’t have to.”

Han Eun-sol started the car again.

“It’s the truth.”

“Yes, yes. It might be difficult to talk about.”

Choi Yeon-ha stretched and said,

“But this isn’t like you, Kang Jin-ho. If you don’t want to talk about it, you can just not say anything. There’s no need to lie.”

“It’s not a lie, it’s the truth.”

Choi Yeon-ha chuckled.

“That director is one of the worst I’ve ever seen in terms of personality. There are trash who try to sleep with actresses and idiots who subtly sexually harass them, but purely in terms of personality, he’s the worst. And you’re saying that he listened to that and agreed?”

“No…”

“If it’s something you can’t talk about, you don’t have to. We’re okay. Right, Eun-sol?”

“Yes, Unnie. Anyway, it’s a good thing it was resolved well.”

“No…”

Kang Jin-ho tilted his head as if he didn’t understand.

“He seemed like someone who was easy to talk to? And he seemed to have a good personality.”

Choi Yeon-ha shook her head.

‘He has absolutely no eye for people, this guy.’

Looking at Kang Jin-ho’s frustrated face, Choi Yeon-ha couldn’t help but laugh.

He probably used some method that was hard to talk about. But it was okay. In the end, Kang Jin-ho had stepped up for her. That alone made Choi Yeon-ha feel good.

“Why the hell did this bastard go into hiding?”

Jang Xiang threw the script onto the floor.

They had a night shoot scheduled, but they couldn’t reach Ryu Wei, the actor who was supposed to be in that scene.

“What are we supposed to do if the lead actor cuts off contact and goes into hiding! And he can’t even act properly, that bastard. I’m going to beat him to death!”

As Jang Xiang vented his frustration, the assistant director tried to appease him.

“We’ve sent someone to his accommodation, so we’ll secure him soon, Director.”

“Ugh.”

Jang Xiang sat down in his chair.

“This is going to mess up the filming schedule.”

Feeling frustrated, Jang Xiang took out a cigarette, and the assistant director immediately pulled out a lighter and lit it for him.

“Hoo.”

Jang Xiang calmed himself by smoking. The assistant director, who had been watching him carefully, opened his mouth quietly.

“But, Director.”

“Huh?”

“…What happened earlier?”

“Earlier?”

“Earlier with that Korean guy…”

“Ah…”

Jang Xiang chuckled.

“What are you curious about?”

“No, no. It’s not that I’m curious, but… I mean, what did that guy say to make you…”

The assistant director couldn’t bring himself to ask if he had changed his mind.

The director chuckled as if he understood the assistant director’s feelings.

“He didn’t say much.”

“Huh?”

The assistant director’s face went blank.

“I said he didn’t say much. He really didn’t say much. He just said that if we kept going like this, the actor’s health could be harmed, so we should stop. That bastard.”

Jang Xiang laughed as if he was amused.

And the assistant director tilted his head as if he couldn’t understand Jang Xiang. Was he saying that this stubborn person had changed his mind just because of those words?

As if to answer his question, the director opened his mouth.

“Normally, that would be nonsense not worth responding to. But you know, assistant director.”

“Yes, Director.”

Jang Xiang put on a subtle smile and opened his mouth.

“Did you see that bastard’s face?”

“Huh?”

The assistant director’s face went blank.

Why was he asking that?

Jang Xiang seemed to hesitate for a moment, then spoke slowly in a very serious tone.

“That bastard is damn handsome.”

“…”

The assistant director had now given up on trying to understand.