Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 696

“Couldn’t you have done this sooner?”

“…Why are you always so dissatisfied with everything, sis?”

“Tsk. You’re talking nonsense again.”

“Nonsense?”

Choi Yeon-ha looked at Han Eun-sol with a pitying gaze.

“It’s the people who are dissatisfied with everything who succeed.”

“What kind of logic is that?”

“Think about it, you idiot. Would someone who is perfectly content with their current life try to change anything? Why would they? They’re fine as they are, so why bother going through the trouble? They’d just keep living as they are.”

“Wow…”

Choi Yeon-ha shrugged and said,

“Successful people are all dissatisfied. How many chairmen are there who have amassed fortunes that others couldn’t spend in a lifetime, yet still berate their subordinates to earn more money? It’s not just that those kinds of people are chairmen, it’s that they’re the kind of people who climb to that position.”

“Are you trying to become a chairman?”

“No. A top actress.”

Choi Yeon-ha said with conviction.

“The fact that I’m dissatisfied with the world means that I’m on the path to success. If I change things one by one, won’t I eventually reach a life where everything is to my liking?”

“I guarantee that day will never come, sis.”

“You wanna die?”

As Choi Yeon-ha started to get angry, Han Eun-sol turned his head to look at the distant sky.

“The filming is going well for once, so why are you so dissatisfied?”

“Couldn’t you have done this sooner?”

“Hmm.”

Han Eun-sol scratched his cheek.

What she said was true.

Since Kang Jin-ho’s departure, they had been on a relentless filming schedule, but strangely, he didn’t feel tired.

Come to think of it, filming in China should be much easier than in Korea. In Korea, when you start a drama, they churn out scripts on the fly as if they’re filming live, and even when making a movie, they push through a hellish schedule to meet the peak season release date. China doesn’t have that kind of pressure.

No matter how fast they film, they still have to get the final cut pre-approved, and that pre-approval never happens quickly.

It wasn’t the busy work that was tiring. What had been tormenting Choi Yeon-ha and Han Eun-sol was in the mental realm.

The lead actor’s terrible acting that constantly grated on their nerves, the director who pretended to acknowledge them but kept trying to discriminate against them, the unfriendly staff, and the unfamiliar environment.

Things that seemed minor at first accumulated as filming dragged on, eventually becoming an unbearable amount of stress. They knew how to solve it, but there was nothing they could do, so they just had to endure it.

But now…

“Hey, you punk. Am I your acting teacher? Can’t you do it yourself?”

“That’s why I’m asking! What’s the director for! Isn’t the director supposed to be the one who makes the work? If I can’t act, then the director can’t make a proper work. You should help me act properly.”

“Hey, there’s a limit to that. Do I have to tell you every single direction your fingertips should be pointing?”

“You’re the one monitoring, so that’s why! Or install a giant monitor in front of me so I can see it in real time!”

Han Eun-sol shook his head, watching the fierce argument between the director and Liu Wei.

‘Anyone would think this is a passionate filming set.’

Well, actually, that’s true. It is passionate. Even if his intention isn’t the pure desire to create a good work, he’s definitely passionate.

Liu Wei acted like an amateur actor who had staked his life on acting. No, even an amateur actor who thought this was his last chance wouldn’t be as desperate as he was.

The results he produced were truly pathetic compared to his passion, but still, it was a huge improvement compared to the terrible acting Liu Wei had shown before.

And the director was so stuck on Liu Wei, who wanted acting guidance like a leech, that he couldn’t pay any attention to Choi Yeon-ha. The bad feelings from the previous incident had subsided, so it didn’t seem like he would cause any problems, but it was more comfortable for them mentally if he just ignored them rather than paying attention.

The filming crew was also busy assisting Liu Wei. So…

“It’s kind of like being a lone duck on the Nakdong River [a major river in Korea, often used in metaphors for loneliness].”

“Right?”

When they were getting attention, it was annoying, but now that the attention had disappeared, they felt a little empty. But it was definitely better than before.

‘Come to think of it, he’s really a superman.’

Their agency and Han Eun-sol had tried their best to resolve the situation, but it had only gotten more tangled. Kang Jin-ho had solved it all at once. And Han Eun-sol still couldn’t figure out how Kang Jin-ho had created this situation.

He had just watched Kang Jin-ho’s actions, and everything had been resolved like magic.

“His abilities are seriously amazing.”

“Me?”

“Not you, sis! I’m talking about Kang Jin-ho.”

“Hehe. Right?”

It was a mistake.

Recently, Choi Yeon-ha seemed to be happier when Kang Jin-ho was praised than when she was. He didn’t know how the witch of Chungmuro [a famous film district in Seoul], Choi Yeon-ha, had become like this.

‘It’s not something I can’t understand.’

It was truly incomprehensible, but Kang Jin-ho knew how to play with people’s hearts.

He didn’t do it on purpose. Han Eun-sol was sure of that. But how should he put it?

It was like he would do something and shake people up at the perfect timing. For example, after seeing Kang Jin-ho off, Han Eun-sol and Choi Yeon-ha received an international package that had been delivered to the filming set.

The package was full of semi-prepared Korean foods that had been flown in from Korea.

Thanks to the Korean Wave ban [a ban on Korean cultural content in some countries], inspections had been tightened, and it was impossible to bring in food or semi-prepared foods. They had tried to get food from local restaurants, but it didn’t taste like what they had eaten in Korea. In the end, the only Korean food they could choose was ramen.

But a huge box full of Korean food that could fit a person inside.

When they called the sender’s number, they were absurdly connected to the Jae Kyung Group. They didn’t know why the package had been delivered under their name either.

‘But it’s obvious.’

The only person who had a relationship with them and with Jae Kyung was one person in the world. It seemed like he was worried about Choi Yeon-ha being too thin. He was the kind of person who would do something like this casually and leave without saying a word.

Han Eun-sol shook his head.

He didn’t know whether to admire his consideration for taking care of Choi Yeon-ha’s food while going somewhere else, or to admire his ability to bring in a box of Korean food that they couldn’t get in no matter how hard they tried. Either way, he couldn’t help but be amazed.

So, it was inevitable that people would be drawn to him.

He was a truly difficult person to understand.

He seemed immune to women, yet he naturally knew how to stir people’s hearts. He seemed aloof, yet he was strangely kind and caring.

‘I can’t compete with him.’

As a fellow man, he should feel a sense of defeat, but you only feel a sense of defeat when you’re competing with someone you can at least try to match. He was so different that he didn’t even feel that way.

‘I’ll just accept whatever falls from him.’ Han Eun-sol turned his head, pledging loyalty in his heart. Choi Yeon-ha was tearing open a sausage.

“Did that come with it too?”

“No. I took it from the manager’s stash.”

“…You said you couldn’t even swallow water before.”

“My appetite has returned. No, it’s returned too much. What if I become a pig? The next scene we have to film is a sickly scene, what if I’m all plump?”

“Don’t say that while you’re eating! While you’re eating! How many have you eaten, you sis!”

Han Eun-sol yelled, looking at the pile of sausage wrappers on the table.

“Don’t eat?”

“…No. That’s not it. Eat. You won’t look fat even if you gain some weight.”

“Really?”

Choi Yeon-ha bit into a sausage, her face lighting up.

‘She’s pretty no matter what.’

Her beauty comes alive when her expression is alive. Until recently, she was definitely beautiful, but she lacked a bit of humanity. Now that her face was brighter, her beauty seemed to shine even more.

“He really solved everything and left. It’s absurd.”

Han Eun-sol laughed in disbelief, and Choi Yeon-ha tilted her head.

“Who? Kang Jin-ho?”

“Yeah.”

“He’s always been like that. I told you.”

“I think I know why you trust him so unconditionally. But if I were you, I’d be a little worried.”

“Why?”

“Well, he’s so capable. What if he gets caught somewhere while wandering around like that?”

“It’s okay.”

“Why?”

Choi Yeon-ha chuckled.

“He wouldn’t want to die.”

A cold chill ran down his spine.

“I’m just kidding.”

“It doesn’t sound like a joke?”

“I’m really kidding. And it’s not easy for something to happen to Kang Jin-ho like you think.”

“Why? He seems like he’d be very popular.”

“First of all, it’s obvious that he’s great, but if someone is that great, it’s also burdensome to approach them. There’s no need to waste energy when it’s obvious that he won’t accept you.”

“Ah…”

“And do you think he’d be interested even if someone approached him?”

“No.”

He completely agreed with that.

Even Choi Yeon-ha had approached him like that, and Kang Jin-ho hadn’t shown much reaction. The reason their relationship had progressed this far was because of Choi Yeon-ha’s tearful efforts.

Would there be any chance to be exposed to such continuous efforts during a trip? He understood why Choi Yeon-ha was relieved.

“But you used to say that I was too good for him.”

“That was when I didn’t know Kang Jin-ho well.”

“You said I shouldn’t meet someone who didn’t even have a proper job.”

“That guy would succeed even if he sold tteokbokki [spicy rice cakes, a popular Korean street food] on the street after graduating.”

“Well, his friend said he opened a second pizza place and told us to come visit.”

“Wow. Kang Jin-ho did?”

“No. Kang Jin-ho’s friend. He said he’d give us free pizza if we came and did a signing.”

“…You’re not going, are you?”

“I’m going?”

Choi Yeon-ha said nonchalantly.

“I decided to stop by as soon as I go back to Korea. I need to secure the perimeter. That way, if he does something stupid, I’ll get a report right away.”

“I need to spread my web wide. That way, he can’t escape. Hehehe.”

Han Eun-sol shook his head. He suddenly started to feel sorry for Kang Jin-ho.

“I wonder what Kang Jin-ho is doing right now?”

“Well, I don’t know where he’s going, so I don’t know when he’ll arrive. He’ll take care of himself.”

“Shouldn’t you be more interested?”

“Do I look uninterested?”

“No.”

“If you keep asking about every little thing, it’ll be a turn-off. Why don’t you know anything about dating?”

“Wow, seriously.”

To hear these words from a lifelong single person. It was a moment that made him want to commit suicide out of shame.

“I’ll take care of everything, so don’t worry. And he’s the kind of person who takes care of his own things. At least he’s kind and caring, so he’s not the kind of person who would cause trouble anywhere.”

“That’s right. He has such a good personality.”

The two of them smiled slightly, thinking of Kang Jin-ho.

A serious misunderstanding was taking place.