Descent of the Demon Master

“Yeon-Ha, you gotta do this.”

When Choi Yeon-Ha heard that, she stared unimpressed at the talent agency's president. The agency president's expression was basically the Ardent Pleading Personified, but Choi Yeon-Ha wasn't moved in the slightest. That man always had a face like that, after all!

Choi Yeon-Ha crossed her arms in front of her chest. “It'll be shot on location?”

“Well, it is a Chinese production, after all.”

“Hmm. I'm not feeling it,” Choi Yeon-Ha furrowed her brow.

The agency president flinched. “Why? Why... aren't you feeling it?”

“I don't like the Chinese cuisine, for one.”

“I'll hire a private chef for you. It'll be fine with a Korean cuisine specialist tagging along, right?”

“It won't taste as good with the local produce, though...”

“What do you mean! How can I let all the delicious food you'll consume include Chinese ingredients! I'll have all the Korean ingredients delivered to you via air freight!”

That didn't improve Choi Yeon-Ha's disinterested expression. “And the production takes too long, too.”

“S-six months won't be that long, you know?”

“That's what I'm saying. Spending six months of my precious youth in China just doesn't sound appealing to me, you see...”

“That's the wrong way to look at this, Yeon-Ha! Maybe you're mistaken about something, but look! The location will be in Beijing! And Beijing is one of the biggest metropolises in the world! You've been there before, right?”

“Yes, and it's got a serious smog problem.”

“...We'll hire a private doctor, then.”

Choi Yeon-Ha slapped the top of the script on the table a couple of times while making a dissatisfied face. “And the story is so cliched and predictable, too!”

“Well, it's a TV production targeting the Chinese audience, so of course it has to be predictable and safe! That's what the general audience over there want!”

“Even so, this is...” Choi Yeon-Ha frowned, still unconvinced.

When his top actress still seemed hesitant, the agency president glanced at Han Eun-Sol. He sent a quick eye signal to Choi Yeon-Ha's manager, telling the latter to do something about this situation.

Han Eun-Sol nodded and stepped forward. “Noona, why are you being like this again?”

“Again? What do you mean?”

“No, wait. Again isn't quite right...” Han Eun-Sol sighed. “You know this is a great opportunity, noona.”

Choi Yeon-Ha crossed her arms again and leaned back in her chair. “Really? Does this look that great to you?”

“Yup. It really is a great opportunity as far as I can tell.”

“Why do you think so?”

Han Eun-Sol gulped back in nervousness. Choi Yeon-Ha's decision potentially hinged on what he said now. To make matters worse, even the agency president was here, intensely staring at him. “First of all... The Chinese market is incomparably larger than Korea's, right?”

“Well, yeah.”

“Being given a chance to conquer such a market is absolutely huge, you know! And you'll soon be making a killing by raising the audience's awareness of you on that side.”

“I'm not an idol, Eun-Sol. I don't have merch to hawk off, so how will I make a killing like you say?”

“You're only saying that because you don't know, noona! The fee you get for shooting one commercial in China has waaaay more digits than what you'd get in Korea! This could be your opportunity to make a real fortune!”

Choi Yeon-Ha's expression became a little more unimpressed than before. When her narrowed eyes zeroed in on Han Eun-Sol, he felt his heart tumbling down to the pit of his stomach.

'Did I... Did I slip up somewhere?'

Choi Yeon-Ha tutted softly. “Eun-Sol?”

“Yes, noona.”

“Yes, I know. We're all doing this to put bread on the table. Isn't that right?”

“...I'm sorry?”

“No, no. I get it. Well, it's not like being an actor will save lives. And even doctors will charge you money after curing you, so... It's not like I'm doing God's work or something like that, right? It's so dumb to not care about money and stuff, am I right?”

“Eh? Noona, uh... That's not what I...”

“However! Don't you think you're too hung up on money? Don't you think so?”

“...”

Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original.

“Like I told you the last time, I have plenty of money already. Enough to last my lifetime and then some. I'm not interested in throwing money around, to begin with, so why would I travel to China for a promise of a fat paycheck?”

Han Eun-Sol clamped his mouth shut and looked at the agency president next. 'Sir, I can't do it. I'm sorry.'

'You incompetent idiot!'

The agency president shot a sideways glare at Han Eun-Sol before focusing on Choi Yeon-Ha. The smile plastered on his face was so much warmer and smoother compared to the icy expression he used to stare at Han Eun-Sol a moment ago. “Now, now. Yeon-Ha, I want you to think about this, okay?”

“Ng?”

“You know what being an actor is like. Your time in the spotlight can be rather brief in this industry. I know that what I'm about to say might piss you off a little, but... Let's be honest here, shall we? The roles you'll be offered will get less 'diverse' as you grow older.”

Choi Yeon-Ha didn't say anything and simply stared at the agency president.

“That's why you should make hay while the sun still shines. Your time is now, so why not star in this massive TV production? We're talking about a production that will become THE highlight of your career, Yeon-Ha. You gotta think about leaving behind at least one massive TV project like this for the future generation to go, yes, for Choi Yeon-Ha, this is the one! You know what I mea...”

“Okay, so…” Choi Yeon-Ha muttered in a flat, cold voice, sending a chill down the agency director's spine. “Before I turn into an old ugly hag, I better star in this Chinese TV production and make lots of money? Is that what you're implying here?”

“No need to be so dramatic about this, Yeon-Ha.”

“Agency President, sir?” Choi Yeon-Ha tutted again.

“...Yeah?”

Choi Yeon-Ha crossed her legs and rested her chin elegantly on her knuckles. “So, this massive project, the highlight of my career you're talking about, is a Chinese TV show?”

“...?”

“If you were talking about a Chinese film, then I might have been persuaded a bit more. There are so many incredible directors in China, after all. However, a TV show? Starring in a TV show designed strictly for the local audience is for my career?” Choi Yeon-Ha's expression grew icier than ever as she glared at the agency president. “You know, I might have been more interested if you were more straightforward with me. However, it seems you see me as a pushover, Mister President. Do I look like an airhead who'll happily sign on to any random project after a rubbish sweet-talking like that? Don't forget that I'm Choi Yeon-Ha, Mister President!”

“Of course, of course! I haven't forgotten that. I know how meticulous and strict you are.”

And how curt and rude she could be, too!

“...For now, let us cool our heads for a bit. Imma pop outside the office for a smoke break, okay?” The agency president said while standing up.

“No, that's fine. You can smoke here,” Choi Yeon-Ha replied curtly.

“Eh? Y-you won't mind it?”

“Yes, I won't. So, go ahead.”

The agency president dazedly blinked at Choi Yeon-Ha. This one time, he smoked during a meeting in the office after his frustration got the better of his senses, which led Choi Yeon-Ha to abruptly leave the meeting, cut off all contact and disappear off the radar for one whole week. After that fiasco, the agency president made sure no one mentioned anything related to smoking in front of Choi Yeon-Ha. But today, she said what now?

The agency president cautiously asked, “So, uh... Is it really okay?”

Choi Yeon-Ha didn't say anything else and pushed the ashtray on the table toward the agency president. She then glanced at her manager. “Eun-Sol, why don't you have a smoke, too? Since Mister President is going to smoke, you can join him.”

“...Noona, you told me to never smoke near you because you hate the smell clinging to your clothes. You even told me to spray deodorants on myself if I take a smoke break somewhere...”

“Don't worry, I've already been abandoned, anyway.”

The agency president hurriedly wiped the cold sweat off his brows, then asked Choi Yeon-Ha, “Wait, do you also smoke?”

“Your jokes are not funny, Mister President.”

The agency president was left stupefied by Choi Yeon-Ha's refreshingly-direct comeback. 'Huh. It doesn't look like her personality has improved, so why...?'

Why did it feel like Choi Yeon-Ha had become more generous in weird things? While still feeling apprehensive, the agency president lit his favorite cigarette and cautiously studied Choi Yeon-Ha's mood. However, when her expression didn't change, the agency president finally sighed in relief before relaxing a little more.

“Okay, Yeon-Ha. Let's all be honest here, shall we?” Said the agency president.

Sweet-talking Choi Yeon-Ha into this role wasn't going to work. In that case, a direct approach might yield a better result.

'Dammit, just how did I...'

The toughest opponent to negotiate with was a person with no desires and nothing to lose. If that person hankered after money, the promise of a handsome reward would be enough to move them. If that person wanted prestige and honor, well, those carrots could be dangled in front of them, too. However, Choi Yeon-Ha was...

Although she was passionate about her craft, it wasn't to the point of picking her next projects based on her feelings. She was also fully aware of the reality of her situation, but her bank balance meant she could easily scoff at that very reality, too!

So, she had no wants or needs. Changing the mind of someone like that was no different than challenging a tall, rugged mountain.

“Yes, I admit it. It's about money, alright. But is there something wrong with being greedy? I mean, it's not like you're making movies for free in Korea, right? You still get paid, anyway.”

Choi Yeon-Ha nodded. “Yes, that's true.”

“Since that's the case, is it such a bad idea to go to a bigger pond and get paid super-well by signing on to this production? If you do this, Yeon-Ha, you will get to shoot whatever you want afterward with the money they give you.”

“Mister President, how many times do I have to tell you I have more than enough money already?”

“No! There is no such thing as enough money!” The agency president suddenly yelled to cut Choi Yeon-Ha off. “How long do you think it will last? How long before you realize you need more money? Yeon-Ha, the way I see it, you're only thinking this way because your wealth is enough to look after your current needs. But do you know why people always say enough is never enough with money? That's because your life ain't gonna work out exactly as you have planned. That's why! I promise you, you will soon run into a situation where what you have is simply not enough!”

“Mister President,” Choi Yeon-Ha muttered in a calm, cold voice. “I get what you're trying to say. However, I'm not interested in making money like this.”

“What? What's wrong with this offer? Wait, are you looking down on this project because it's Chinese?”

“Obviously not. But look! This role is literally whoring myself out for some quick cash!”

“...Eh?”

“Don't tell me... You haven't even read the script?” Choi Yeon-Ha reached out to the half-discarded script on the table, then unhappily shook it. “I have zero dialogues, practically uninvolved in major plot points, and all I do is basically just sit there and smile all the time. Isn't this just a token character in that case?”

“...Really? But, uh... Wouldn't that be even better for you? You can't speak Mandarin, anyway.”

Choi Yeon-Ha furrowed her brow. “Forget it. I have zero interest in signing on to a role like this.”

She pushed her chair back and got up to leave. The agency president jumped up in alarm and hurriedly reached out. However, Choi Yeon-Ha expertly withdrew her hand just in time to avoid being grabbed.

“Y-Yeon-Ha, I'm telling you, this is a major opportunity!”

“Yes, I know. I know this is big. But that doesn't matter since I'm still not interested.”

“N-no, wait...!”

“If that's all, I'll excuse myself first. Call me again when you find a better role for me. And... At a bare minimum, I'd prefer you read the scripts first before calling me.”

With that, Choi Yeon-Ha unhesitantly turned around and walked out of the office. The agency president fell down to his chair while holding his head. “Gimme a freaking break...”

Han Eun-Sol could only sit there, his lips clamped shut in this awkward and uncomfortable situation. What was he supposed to do here? Since he got paid by the agency, Han Eun-Sol had to stick to the agency president's opinion, but a manager's job description made that far trickier than it sounded. Beside the monthly paycheck, a manager like Han Eun-Sol didn't have any other connection to the agency president, so he was bound to grow more loyal toward the talent under his care.

“Hey, Eun-Sol... No, wait. Manager Han.”

“Yes, president.”

“In your opinion... Why is she doing this?”

“...”

“I mean, seriously! She's supposed to be an actor, right! At the very least, shouldn't she actively make movies and TV shows and whatnot! That's her job, right?! Sure, Yeon-Ha has always been rude and fussy, but at least she'd quickly move on to her next role after wrapping up the last one, so... Just why is she so unwilling, Manager Han?”

Han Eun-Sol's lips parted only to clamp shut again.

The agency president narrowed his eyes. “Wait. You know something, don't you?”

“...”

When Han Eun-Sol kept his mouth shut, the agency president leaned closer and stared seriously at Choi Yeon-Ha's manager. “Listen, Manager Han.”

“Yes, sir.”

“This is your workplace.”

“...”

“If you wanna be loyal to your talent, fine. Go independent with that girl after our contract runs out. I'm not gonna stop you. I can't stop you even if I want to, anyway. However, at the very least... As long as you get a paycheck from this place, and as long as Yeon-Ha is contracted to this agency, you're supposed to answer to me. That is the right thing to do here. That's what is expected of you, too. Am I wrong?”

“No, sir. You're correct.”

“So? If you know something, spill it. Why is Yeon-Ha acting like that?”

Han Eun-Sol's head faltered as if he was thinking about something before suddenly shooting up to his feet. “Sir!”

“Eh?”

Han Eun-Sol muttered in a serious tone. “Sir, if I want to stay loyal to both the agency and my talent, I believe spilling the beans to you is not the right way.”

“...Eh? What are you going to do, then?”

“I'll try to convince her, sir.”

“Convince...?” The agency president cocked an eyebrow. Did this guy say he'd convince Choi Yeon-Ha to change her mind? Really? “You think you can do it?”

“I'll do my best, sir. And if I fail, I'll tell you everything. However, that will be after I do everything in my power to persuade noona first. Please believe in me and wait for a few more days.”

The agency president leaned back in his chair and took a deep drag of his cigarette. “...So, can you do it or not?”

“I can do it, sir.”

“Got it. I'll leave this matter to you, Manager Han. I'll 'forget' about this matter until you come to speak to me again in a few days.”

“Thank you, president.” Han Eun-Sol bowed deeply, then quickly left the office.

Now left alone, the agency president groaned loudly to himself.

'There's definitely something going on here, but...'

The agency president mused that maybe he should have someone investigate this.