Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 682

“Are you leaving?”

“Yes.”

“Where are you going?”

“I have a place to stop by.”

“Hmm?”

Kang Jin-ho couldn’t help but give an awkward smile. He could see Choi Yeon-ha’s expression gradually becoming sulky.

‘I think I’m going to get nagged?’

Kang Jin-ho subtly shrank back.

However, Choi Yeon-ha’s reaction was different from what Kang Jin-ho had expected.

“You’re not planning on coming back, are you?”

“Probably not.”

“Then you’ll go there and then return to Korea?”

“I suppose so.”

“Okay. It can’t be helped. Be careful with your work.”

“Huh?”

“What is it?”

“No…”

Kang Jin-ho hesitated, unable to continue, and Choi Yeon-ha chuckled.

“Why? Were you worried I’d nag you for leaving so soon?”

“No, it’s not that.”

“It seems like it is.”

Choi Yeon-ha didn’t wipe the smile off her face.

“It’s not something to nag about, but something I should apologize for. I called you to hang out, but we couldn’t really hang out and you ended up working, and I keep creating annoying situations.”

“I never thought of it that way.”

“I’m speaking objectively.”

“Isn’t it enough if I’m okay with it?”

“Of course not. Who decides right and wrong by mutual agreement? There’s a clear line. This time, I have nothing to say even if I had ten mouths. I’ve done so many wrong things, I don’t even know where to start apologizing.”

“I don’t want an apology.”

“I won’t apologize either.”

“…Huh?”

Kang Jin-ho looked at Choi Yeon-ha with a questioning gaze. He always felt like he was getting drawn into her when he talked to her.

“What’s so great about an apology? It’s just using words to get away with something you did wrong. If an apology could solve everything, why would there be laws, why would there be wars?”

“…Well, that’s true.”

“In situations like this, you shouldn’t apologize, you should repay. That’s what makes a person, a person with a sense of shame.”

Kang Jin-ho couldn’t say anything.

It was strange to refuse when someone said they would repay. It felt like he was being overly dramatic by jumping in first. But it was also awkward to stay silent.

Fortunately, Choi Yeon-ha didn’t expect a reaction from Kang Jin-ho.

“But this is a real dilemma.”

“What is?”

“I want to repay you, but there’s nothing I can really do for you, Kang Jin-ho. You seem to have more money than me, and you don’t seem to need anything.”

Kang Jin-ho gave an awkward smile. Feeling that the atmosphere was becoming slightly strange, he reached out, picked up the coffee on the table, and took a sip.

“Should I repay you with my body?”

*Pffft!*

The coffee shot out in a straight line. But Choi Yeon-ha, as if she had anticipated it, turned her head to avoid the flying coffee.

“You’re such a predictable person.”

“Ah, no, I was just surprised.”

“Don’t react so violently to a joke. I’m not that easy of a woman, you know?”

“I never thought of you that way.”

“Really?”

“Huh?”

“You never really wanted that?”

“Ah, no…”

“It seems like you secretly want it?”

“No, I don’t.”

Choi Yeon-ha, who had been teasing him, looked at Kang Jin-ho with a subtle smile. A large bead of sweat formed on Kang Jin-ho’s forehead as he received her alluring gaze.

“Anyway, you’re cute.”

When Kang Jin-ho became awkward and couldn’t say anything, Choi Yeon-ha burst into laughter.

“Don’t be so frozen. Why are you so tense when I’m saying I’ll let you go nicely?”

“No, it’s…”

“So, are you leaving right away?”

“I think I should leave around this evening. There’s no point in dragging it out.”

“Hmm, it’s a shame, but it can’t be helped. Okay, I understand. Be careful.”

“Yes.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded, and Choi Yeon-ha smiled back at him. But behind that smile, there was an undeniable hint of bitterness.

“Hmm…”

Choi Yeon-ha quietly looked at the filming set.

It was a scene that didn’t seem particularly strange.

But it seemed there were people who didn’t think so.

“Sis.”

“Huh?”

Han Eun-sol was looking at Choi Yeon-ha with a slightly exasperated expression.

“Get a grip.”

“Why? What’s wrong with me? Is there something weird?”

“Sis.”

“Why? I’m fine.”

“…Aren’t your legs numb?”

“Huh?”

Choi Yeon-ha looked down at her legs. Choi Yeon-ha stopped moving as she was about to slightly straighten her crossed legs. She couldn’t feel her legs.

“W-why is this happening?”

“Of course they’re numb. You’ve been like that for an hour. I thought you had frostbite.”

“Oh…”

Choi Yeon-ha reached out and placed her crossed legs back on the ground. She couldn’t feel anything below her thighs.

“This is strange. Why didn’t I notice? I’m fine.”

“You’re hopeless, really.”

Han Eun-sol shook her head. Then, Choi Yeon-ha looked at Han Eun-sol with slightly teary eyes and said,

“Eun-sol.”

“Agh! Don’t look at me with those eyes. I want to stab you!”

“You little…”

Choi Yeon-ha gritted her teeth. If this scene were on screen, it would be enough to hammer the hearts of many men, but that’s your reaction? That’s your reaction?

Even a sibling wouldn’t do that, you jerk!

“Hey, Eun-sol.”

“Yes.”

“Why can’t I be so cool?”

“What are you talking about? The Ice Witch of Chungmuro [a reference to a district in Seoul known for its film industry]… no, the Ice Queen, the human jerk Choi Yeon-ha, I don’t think you’re the one to say that.”

“I’m going to kill you someday.”

“Could you fire me before that?”

“You said you’d stick by my side.”

“I’ve changed my mind. I don’t know what kind of glory I was chasing. I’ve recently come to realize that life is about simple contentment. I don’t need fame or money, I just want to live without stress.”

“You had a dream, kid?”

“…So, what’s the problem?”

Han Eun-sol forcefully brought the topic back to the original point.

“To look cool, you have to be consistent in your words and actions, right?”

“Usually, that’s not about looking cool, it’s about doing what you should do as a human being. Well, it’s true that people who are consistent in their words and actions look cool. So?”

“But why can’t I do that? I feel like I can’t do that these days.”

“…Sis, you never could.”

“Are you picking a fight with me?”

“I think that when a person takes the truth as a challenge, they need to reflect on the life they’ve lived.”

“Let’s not talk about it.”

Han Eun-sol chuckled.

‘She’s doing fine.’

Choi Yeon-ha seemed dissatisfied with her own state, but Han Eun-sol didn’t think so at all. The fact that he and Choi Yeon-ha were joking around was proof of that.

Just half a year ago, it was unimaginable for Han Eun-sol to joke with her.

‘Unless he was prepared to die.’

She didn’t seem to be fully aware of it herself, but recently, Choi Yeon-ha had become so much more mellow that she could be considered a different person. It was a positive change.

There are definitely times in life when a person needs to be sharp like a blade. People who can’t do that are called pushovers and are just used by others.

The problem was that Choi Yeon-ha had always been like a blade.

It was only after meeting Kang Jin-ho that Choi Yeon-ha learned how to hide her claws, which were always sharp. She herself said it was all an act to deceive Kang Jin-ho, but when an act continues in everyday life, people call it a change in personality. Of course, she doesn’t seem to be aware of it herself.

So, what’s the problem?

“Why? Is it because of Kang Jin-ho?”

“Yeah.”

Of course.

All of Choi Yeon-ha’s recent problems started with Kang Jin-ho and ended with Kang Jin-ho.

‘Romance should be moderate.’ It’s so sickening, I can’t stand it.

If you like him that much, why don’t you make some progress? It’s frustrating to watch from the sidelines. What is this?

Han Eun-sol was burning with anger.

Putting aside his personal feelings, these two were frustrating beyond words. What on earth were they doing?

Even elementary school students don’t date like this these days.

“What’s the problem?”

“He said he has work and has to leave today.”

“So?”

“I told him to go well, but when I turned around, I got annoyed.”

“…”

“He could have stayed a little longer. I’m suffering in this remote place.”

“No, sis…”

“I know, you idiot.”

Choi Yeon-ha pouted.

“It’s me who called him to this remote place and couldn’t spend proper time with him, it’s me who canceled all my plans and flew to the set because of a call from the director, Kang Jin-ho spent a lot of time here, and I know that he has his own schedule and can’t spend all his time with me.”

“…Well, if you know that so well, what’s the problem?”

“Eun-sol, it’s like this?”

“What is?”

“I know it all in my head, but I can’t do it?”

“…Sis, that’s what they call having a bad personality.”

“Shut up, you idiot. Who doesn’t know that?”

Choi Yeon-ha got angry, and Han Eun-sol shook his head.

‘She’s hopeless, really.’

Since ancient times, if someone is hopeless, it is the duty of those around them to find a solution. Han Eun-sol didn’t want to get involved in their romance if he could help it.

‘Do I have to play Cupid?’

He was already feeling rotten inside, and now he had to give advice to help them succeed. What kind of nonsense was this?

But…

Calmly weighing the pain of advising them on their romance and the hell of dealing with Choi Yeon-ha in this state, Han Eun-sol came to a clear conclusion.

‘Let’s suffer now.’

If Kang Jin-ho left like this, Choi Yeon-ha would probably be out of it for a month with the aftereffects. It would be okay if the side effects manifested as depression or lack of motivation. But if it manifested as hysteria, not only her but everyone else on the set would likely go through hell.

Ryoo Wei, who had been able to keep her in check, was out of the picture, and even the director had strangely backed down. Then he had to step up.

“Sis.”

“Yeah?”

“I’ve been thinking about why you’re not cool.”

“Yeah.”

“People are like that, right? We know what we should do, but we can’t do it all. If there were only people who could put the right things they think into practice, this place would be heaven. There wouldn’t be a separate heaven, would there?”

“So what?”

“So, it’s a natural phenomenon, but no matter how I think about it, the reason you’re so restless is because this relationship isn’t clearly defined.”

“Defined?”

“Yes.”

Han Eun-sol delivered the final blow.

“You’re not even dating yet, but you’re about to go back to a situation where you can’t see him and can’t meet him when you want to, so aren’t you suffering from the anxiety that another woman might take him?”

“W-we’re not dating?”

“Huh?”

“W-we even kissed?”

Han Eun-sol’s eyes turned cold.

Han Eun-sol, who was looking at her like she was trash, sighed and said,

“Even elementary school students don’t live like that these days, sis. Get a grip.”

Choi Yeon-ha’s body trembled slightly.

Choi Yeon-ha, having realized the source of her anxiety, asked urgently,

“T-then what should I do? Should I pounce on him?”

“…”

After coming to China, Han Eun-sol was grateful for the first time that this place was China.