Descent of the Demon Master

Choi Yeon-Ha glanced at the driver's seat as Han Eun-Sol climbed inside. “Oh? You escaped sooner than I thought? I figured the agency president would nag you for one hour straight, though.”

“We can't keep you waiting, after all.” Han Eun-Sol muttered while putting on his seatbelt.

“I can always catch a taxi, you know?” Choi Yeon-Ha said that while looking totally unapologetic. Her straightforward demeanor was usually refreshing to behold from the sidelines, but not so much when Han Eun-Sol was at the receiving end. She could come across as uncaring and even cruel at times.

“Noona.”

“Yeah?”

“We gotta talk.”

“About what? I've already said everything I want to say.”

“No, noona.” Han Eun-Sol stared intently at Choi Yeon-Ha. “We gotta have a serious talk.”

“...”

“Let's go to a cafe. Preferably somewhere quiet.”

When Choi Yeon-Ha didn't say anything, Han Eun-Sol took that as a yes and started the car.

***

“So? What do you want to talk about?”

Even before the droplets of dew on the coffee cup in front of her started trickling down, Choi Yeon-Ha got the ball rolling first.

Han Eun-Sol looked around their vicinity to check if anyone was nearby. This cafe had partitions between tables, so other patrons shouldn't know about Choi Yeon-Ha's presence, but it still paid to be cautious.

“Noona, what do you think you're doing right now?”

“That's a weird way of putting it. I'm not doing anything, Eun-Sol. In fact, I'm trying to do nothing right now. It's you and the agency trying to goad me into doing something I'm not interested in.”

“Noona, you're an actor, right? Isn't it weird for an actor to refuse to be in a film or TV show?”

“Nothing weird about it,” Choi Yeon-Ha coolly shrugged her shoulders. “A certain Mister Actor hasn't starred in a single production in the last seven years but is still rated as Korea's most handsome celeb, isn't he? Cases like that are pretty common, too.”

“I thought you used to find such things weird and lame?”

Choi Yeon-Ha clamped her mouth shut at that counterattack.

Han Eun-Sol didn't stop there. “An actor can only be called an actor when they star in productions, and a singer must sing to be called a singer. That's what you said. You even said an actor should turn in their actors' guild membership if they want to rely on the goodwill generated from a movie they starred in a long time ago and shoot nothing but commercials to make a living!”

“Right. I said that,” Choi Yeon-Ha nodded, readily admitting to it. “Yes, you're right. I did say all those things. Well, it's not like my mind's changed now. Besides, in my eyes, I still haven't built up enough brand awareness with the public to live off on their goodwill alone yet.”

“Yes, noona. And you said something else, too. You said this year will be the turning point in your career. That you must not remain as yet another pretty face.”

“Oh, so I must sign on to this production? Is that it?”

“No, noona. I don't care whether you say yes to this production or not. I really don't. What frustrates me is that you are clearly not interested in any projects.”

“No, that's not true. I am interested.”

“Really? You might think that way. However, you aren't even looking at scripts coming your way, now are you? And you are not even actively searching and asking around if there's a good role available for you, either!”

“...”

“Noona,” Han Eun-Sol sighed deeply. “You're like Wonder Woman to me.”

Choi Yeon-Ha cocked an eyebrow. “Don't put me on a weird pedestal, okay?”

“Back when I was still a naive rookie manager, I always thought you were like a shining star. Your presence used to motivate me. It motivated me to quickly rise through the ranks so that one day, I can become your manager.”

“So, you succeeded. Congrats.”

“...I was just a naive fool, though.”

“Say what now?”

“In any case! Back then, I really thought you were born to become the greatest actor in history. You did whatever it took to research the role until you could fully understand your character. Even if you could only find an amateur to help you, you'd still try your best to figure out the core of your character. Do you still remember that?”

“Just get to the point, Eun-Sol.”

“After looking back to those days, I now know that you weren't passionate about your work or proud of your craft back then.”

“Ng?”

“Noona, as it turns out, you are the type of person who can do only one thing at a time. Just one! Once you set your sight on something, you focus only on that and nothing else. And back then, your focus was on your career as an actor. In fact, it was like this up until recently.”

Choi Yeon-Ha remained silent as her mind began poring through her memories.

'Hmm. I think Eun-Sol has a point here.'

She used to often hear that she could get too obsessive about some things from other people. Even before becoming an actor, once Choi Yeon-Ha started something, she simply had to see it through till the end, otherwise, she'd never feel satisfied with herself. For example, there was a time when she got into cross-stitch embroidery and ended up filling up an entire room in her home with her handiwork.

“And now, you're obsessed about something else, something that's not acting, noona. That's why your 'passion' for acting has cooled off. Let's be honest here. It's not that you don't want to work, but you just can't be bothered to muster enough interest. Like, abnormally so!”

“...Eun-Sol, just when did you become a psychic?” Choi Yeon-Ha shuddered a little when Han Eun-Sol accurately described her psychological state. Since when did her manager become a psychiatrist?

“Noona, we have eyes and ears too, you know? Us managers talk and share stuff all the time. And they tell me that cases like yours are pretty common in our industry. Actors who were doing great suddenly throw everything away for some inexplicable reasons, or get married without warning and walk away from the industry altogether…”

“Well, yeah. I heard about those, too...”

“Noona, be honest with me, okay?”

“Ng? About what?”

Han Eun-Sol narrowed his eyes. “The script for that Chinese TV show. It's not that you didn't like it, right?”

“No. I really didn't like it.”

“Stop lying. The noona I know wouldn't have turned her nose and walked away from a script like this. No, you'd confront the writers and yell at them to change it. That's your style.”

“...”

“If you were really unhappy with the script, you'd have tried to revise it until it finally met your standard. Something like that wouldn't be such a bad deal for the production company, actually. Why would they stop you when you want to learn Chinese and do an even better job than what they asked you for? It's not like they are hiring you for a quick cameo, right? They want to cast you as one of the main leads and dump a truckload of cash on your doorstep for that privilege, so you taking an active interest in the role? They'd only be grateful.”

Choi Yeon-Ha was left speechless, unable to refute her manager.

“Noona, the truth is this, isn't it? You simply don't want to be stuck in China for six months. Because that means you'll be away from Mister Jin-Ho for half a year, maybe more!”

“Of course not! That's not even funny, okay?” Choi Yeon-Ha dismissively waved her hand. “Do I look like someone who can't separate personal life from her work?”

“No, that's not it, noona,” Han Eun-Sol resolutely shook his head. “It's not that you can't differentiate your career from private life, but more like your priorities have changed. In the past, you prioritized your career, but now? You place far greater importance on Mister Jin-Ho.”

“...” Choi Yeon-Ha grimaced after failing to come up with a retort.

She did want to retort with something, anything, but... After remembering what she had been doing recently, Choi Yeon-Ha realized she had no clever comebacks to offer. After all, her life's direction largely depended on Kang Jin-Ho's choices lately.

Han Eun-Sol noticed the hesitancy in Choi Yeon-Ha and decided to go for the kill. “Noona...”

However, Choi Yeon-Ha immediately cut him off. “Yes, yes. I get what you're trying to say.”

“Sorry?”

“You want me to stop dating that guy, right?”

“Nope,” Han Eun-Sol shook his head.

“...Eh?”

Han Eun-Sol stared weirdly at Choi Yeon-Ha, not even bothering to hide his disappointment in her. “Noona, don't forget that I'm Eun-Sol. Han Eun-Sol! You may think I'm just your manager, but that's not true for me. I consider you as a close friend. No, someone more than that. A family! As long as you find happiness in your life, I'll also be happy. Besides, do I look like a man who wants to cling to you and get fat on all the juicy commissions? No, this Han Eun-Sol will find and raise a talent on my own... With my own two hands!”

“Sure, sure. You're such an amazing man, Eun-Sol.”

“Ahem. What I wanted to tell you was that... Romance is not supposed to be like this.”

Choi Yeon-Ha rolled her eyes in dismay. “What are you even talking about?”

“Noona, you're too obsessive and extreme. As proof, you aren't able to get any work done while dating Mister Jin-Ho at the same time. You're the type who only feels fully satisfied after pouring her 100% on whatever takes her fancy, right? Imagine yourself as a dude. How would you feel if some woman drops everything in her life and only clings to you?”

“I'd be grateful.”

“N-no, that's not what I...” Han Eun-Sol stumbled off his chair just then. That wasn't the response he expected from her, though...

Choi Yeon-Ha tutted unhappily. “Eun-Sol, stop beating the bush and come out with it already. What's the point of taking the long way around when you have something to tell me?”

“Okay, noona.” Han Eun-Sol cleared his throat. “You said Mister Jin-Ho is someone incredible. Is that still true?”

This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

“Yeah, he is.”

“And you still haven't seduced him yet, now have you?”

“...”

“Noona, to seduce an incredible man, you also need to become someone just as incredible. Yes, you're pretty. And being pretty usually works wonders. However, Mister Jin-Ho is just as pretty and even more capable than you, isn't he?”

“E-even so, I'm stupidly beautiful, right?”

“Noona, humans can't survive on their looks alone. Don't you know about the overall stat points? If we add your personality score, well... Let's just say I won't have a tough time finding lots of women who are better than you, noona.”

“Say what now, you punk?!”

“It's time to face reality, noona! Your reality!” Han Eun-Sol didn't back down and directly went for the kill. “Is Mister Jin-Ho the type to care about a person's looks?”

“...No. If he was, I'd have closed the deal by now.” Choi Yeon-Ha sneakily looked away.

“As far as I can tell, Mister Jin-Ho's the type to not care much about a person's looks. Which means, you gotta rely on your personality and abilities, but you... Noona, let's be honest here. You are a wacko with a crap personality.”

There were times in one's life when they couldn't fight back even if someone insulted them right to their face. And Choi Yeon-Ha was currently stuck in one of those times. Blood wanted to rush up to her head as her irritation level rose up, but no counterattack wanted to come out of her mouth. Well, Han Eun-Sol wasn't wrong about her, so...

“In that case, you can only rely on your abilities to compete for his attention. Am I wrong? But you're in the middle of abandoning the only thing you're good at! Noona, a healthy romantic relationship isn't about one person controlling and leading the other person, okay? Two people of equal standing must support each other to maintain a healthy relationship. But you think the situation will work out as long as your heart is in the right place, am I wrong?”

Choi Yeon-Ha clamped her mouth shut.

“Throwing everything away and clinging to that guy won't get you anywhere, noona. If you really like that guy, you gotta improve your talents and force him to pay attention to you. Make sure he can never forget you! Isn't that a romance worthy of Choi Yeon-Ha?”

“Yeah,” Choi Yeon-Ha slowly nodded. “You're right, Eun-Sol. What you said totally makes sense.”

Han Eun-Sol's attack was on the mark this time.

“You're right. I thought everything would work out as long as I cared about him. Even though I know human relationships don't operate that way.”

“Yes, noona! That's exactly it!”

“First of all, I need to become someone on the same level as Mister Jin-Ho. That's the right way to approach this…” Choi Yeon-Ha furrowed her brow. “Right. That's who I am. That's the kind of person I am... I forgot all about that. But you finally helped me remember it.”

Choi Yeon-Ha raised her head and wordlessly stared at Han Eun-Sol's expectant face before smirking softly for some reason.

“Thanks, Eun-Sol.”

“...?”

“Yes, you were right. My intentions were never about relying on Mister Jin-Ho but to walk alongside him. If this keeps going, though, it won't be any different from relying on him for everything. You're right, Eun-Sol.” Choi Yeon-Ha tightly clenched her fist. “I must become someone he can never forget. Everything you said... is correct. Right, I must've been out of my mind for a while there.”

Choi Yeon-Ha turned her head and stared outside the cafe for a while before slowly getting up. “I'll excuse myself first.”

“Let me give you a ride home,” said Han Eun-Sol while standing up.

“No, it's fine. I gotta organize my thoughts first, anyway. Thanks for today. What you said will help me out greatly in the long run. You know what? I think you'll do great as a romance coach.”

“Nah, I know my place, noona.”

“No, no. You are really good at this. How did you even accurately pinpoint my situation like that? No, that doesn't matter. I'll definitely repay this debt later. How about I buy you dinner sometime?”

“Sounds good, noona. I want something expensive, though.”

“Sure, why not. Okay, I'm off.” Choi Yeon-Ha waved her hand and exited the cafe.

Han Eun-Sol sat back down on his chair and silently sipped his coffee.

'A romance coach, eh...?'

What a funny notion that was. How could Han Eun-Sol become a romance coach when he was an inexperienced noob himself? There could be only one reason why he managed to offer the perfect advice to Choi Yeon-Ha today.

'You gotta be on a similar level before you can reveal what's in your heart, after all...'

If one couldn't raise themselves to stand as equals as the object of their desire, they would be forced to hide what was truly in their hearts, their doubts about being unsuitable partners preventing them in the end.

Han Eun-Sol knew this, and that was why he could offer Choi Yeon-Ha the necessary advice. If he could help it, Han Eun-Sol didn't want Choi Yeon-Ha to experience the same frustration as he did.

“Gee whiz. What a do-gooder I am…” Han Eun-Sol grumbled while drinking the rest of his Americano in one go. “...So bitter.”

Indeed, it was so bitter. His tongue, his heart...

Everything was so bitter. Endlessly so...