Descent of the Demon Master

“China, you say?” Kang Jin-Ho finally broke the silence and asked.

That... was a familiar name. In a way, that country was a little more familiar to Kang Jin-Ho than South Korea. His roots might be Korean, but he had spent most of his years in China, after all. A lifetime, in fact.

Even though his concept of 'lifetime' might be somewhat different from other people's, the fact of the matter still didn't change.

In that sense, the name 'China' invited a sense of familiarity rather than foreignness in him. However, for some reason...

Kang Jin-Ho was overcome with this incredibly harsh disharmony from the mere mention of China. As if it was the name of a faraway land he had never been to.

“Yes…” Choi Yeon-Ha slowly nodded. That simple movement seemed a little labored just then. She reached out to bring her drink closer, but instead of drinking it, she absentmindedly flicked on the straw a few times before sighing softly. “Things... somehow worked out that way.”

“Why so suddenly?” Kang Jin-Ho quietly asked.

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“It's not so sudden, if I'm being honest.” Choi Yeon-Ha picked up the cup and slurped up the drink, then put it down with an audible thud. Her eyes locked on Kang Jin-Ho next. Their gazes met, and another bout of silence ensued.

“...I received a pretty great offer from a Chinese production. They want me to star in a TV show they are making.”

“I... see.”

“As it's a huge production, they are offering a large salary, and the merit of being able to break into the Chinese market is very attractive to me.”

“...Sounds like an excellent opportunity for you.”

“Yes, I agree. Except that it has a problem... All the filming will be done on location as it's a historical drama, you see...”

“I guess so.”

“And the Chinese tend to shoot everything in one go, so... Once the filming starts, I might not be able to return to Korea for some time. They really do cram everything into a tight schedule until the end of the production, you see...?”

Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded while off-handedly thinking that... didn't sound like such a bad idea for a TV drama shoot. "...Then, how long will you be away?"

“Around six months or so.”

“I'm sorry?”

Choi Yeon-Ha's expression grew a little weird. “Well, it's a... The show is around eighty episodes long, you see.”

“Eighty?!” Kang Jin-Ho's eyes widened when Choi Yeon-Ha nodded slightly while mouthing “Yes.” He blinked his eyes several times and asked her for clarification. “Hang on. I thought most TV show episodes number between sixteen to twenty? That's what I heard, so why eighty?”

“That is true for a Korean TV production, but it's different in China. Well, their scale is a lot bigger than this side, so...”

Kang Jin-Ho couldn't contain his stupefaction while staring at Choi Yeon-Ha. “Does that mean you'll be staying in China for six months?”

“It seems that way.”

“Mm…” Kang Jin-Ho wasn't sure what to say in a conversation like this. He racked his brain for what could be the most 'suitable' thing to say in this kind of situation. “Am I supposed to say... Have a good trip?”

“Oh, my gosh. What even was that?” Choi Yeon-Ha chuckled in dismay. Kang Jin-Ho had no choice but to chuckle awkwardly as well.

'This... is strange.'

Indeed, Kang Jin-Ho felt weirded out by this conversation. And he couldn't exactly define this weird feeling, either. However, it didn't feel entirely foreign to him. It was as if he had felt something remarkably similar to this in the past, but...

Choi Yeon-Ha quietly asked Kang Jin-Ho. “Why aren't you... asking me that?”

“Mm? Ask you what?”

Choi Yeon-Ha let out a brief harrumph and leaned back against her chair, her arms crossed. Her slightly-furrowed brows and arched-up eyes seemed to reveal her current mood. “Why aren't you asking me about my reason for going to China?”

Kang Jin-Ho replied in slight dismay and confusion. “Didn't you say they offered you a role?”

“Well, I could've chosen a role in Korea, you know?”

“And you said the salary is considerable just now, too...?”

“Mister Jin-Ho, you know I have more than enough money.”

“...” Kang Jin-Ho's eyes began twitching. “I-in that case, why are you going to China?”

Only then did Choi Yeon-Ha finally grin back at him. She smoothly leaned forward and held Kang Jin-Ho's gaze as her grin deepened. Even Kang Jin-Ho had to fake cough at how inviting her smile was.

“Mister Jin-Ho.”

“Yes?”

“Are you aware that you're the type to give people around you a hard time?”

“I'm sorry?”

Choi Yeon-Ha didn't immediately explain herself but stretched her arm high above the table until her hand was well above her head. “Your hurdle is way too high.”

“My hurdle...?”

What was she talking about? When Kang Jin-Ho stared at Choi Yeon-Ha in total confusion, she sighed as if his reaction was completely in line with her expectations. “Yup, you really have no idea.”

“I'm having a hard time understanding you, Miss Yeon-Ha.”

“Yes, I figured as much. It's only obvious that you wouldn't be aware of it yourself.” Choi Yeon-Ha slowly shook her head. 'I gotta hand it to them for their... amazingness.'

At this point, she should applaud not just Kang Jin-Ho but his friends, too. No, maybe they were even more 'amazing' than he was! To be able to live relatively fine next to this guy shouldn't be possible with some weak-sauce mentality, that's for sure!

“Before we start, promise me first.”

“Sorry?” Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head.

“No matter what I say, promise me you won't laugh.”

“...You want me to promise you that?”

“Yes!”

Kang Jin-Ho could only stare at Choi Yeon-Ha with a face that said, 'What is this woman planning to tell me?' before slowly nodding in agreement. “I'm not sure where you're going with this, but... Yes, I promise.”

“Very good.” Choi Yeon-Ha sucked in a deep breath when the reply she wanted to hear finally came out of Kang Jin-Ho's mouth. Before he could think too deeply, though, she quickly began explaining herself. “Mister Jin-Ho, you're obviously an amazing man.”

“I'm sorry?”

“Just listen, okay!”

“...Of course.” Kang Jin-Ho clamped his mouth shut.

“I can't exactly explain why, but whenever I'm with you... I feel very inadequate for some reason,” said Choi Yeon-Ha. Kang Jin-Ho had several questions about that, but Choi Yeon-Ha's serious expression stopped him from asking her. In the meantime, Choi Yeon-Ha continued to speak her mind. “That's why... I think people around you tend to follow you, Mister Jin-Ho. Or participate in things you do.”

Kang Jin-Ho frowned slightly. He had never thought about it that way before. However, what Choi Yeon-Ha said didn't seem entirely incorrect either when he thought about it. After his military service ended, Kang Jin-Ho somehow got Park Yu-Min involved in running the pizzeria to the point where his friend had to temporarily put his pro gaming career on the back burner. Meanwhile, Ju Yeong-Gi was supposed to find a career of his own after his military service but ended up as a pizzeria co-owner instead.

As for Jo Gyu-Min, he used to be on a fast track to success in Jaegyeong, only to step away from the corporation to work closely together with Kang Jin-Ho.

Regardless of whether the end results had been net positive or negative for the people involved... Kang Jin-Ho couldn't deny that he had somehow strongly influenced their lives.

“But, uh…” Kang Jin-Ho, unable to hold back, simply had to ask Choi Yeon-Ha for confirmation, so he did. “Was that wrong?”

“Nope,” Choi Yeon-Ha replied as if she didn't even need to consider the answer. “They chose that path for themselves. It's not like you've been coaxing them from behind or something, right? So, why would anyone blame you for the choices they made?”

“Mm...” Kang Jin-Ho nodded in agreement with her deduction. However, if that was what she thought, why did Choi Yeon-Ha bother to bring this up now?

“The problem in this case is someone like me…” Choi Yeon-Ha sighed weakly. Kang Jin-Ho couldn't help but feel that she was unusually somber today. Choi Yeon-Ha wearily shook her head. “I'm also being influenced by you, but... Unlike others, I can't follow you into whatever you are doing, you see? Thanks to that, my life recently has been nothing but circling around you.”

“...”

“I wasn't able to spot it, but my manager, Eun-Sol, pointed it out to me. He said I'm behaving like so and so, and... When I listened to him and thought about it deeply, I... Mm.” Choi Yeon-Ha shrugged her shoulders. “He was right. I couldn't find any faults with his observation. Like, none at all. All I did was just loiter around you without doing anything meaningful. And I felt so pathetic for doing that. I'm Choi Yeon-Ha the actress, you know? Yet, here I am, the one and only Choi Yeon-Ha following around a man like a little puppy…”

What was Kang Jin-Ho supposed to say after hearing all this? Maybe he should be... trying to persuade her? Or comfort her by saying she shouldn't worry about it?

However, Kang Jin-Ho could do neither. Finding the right words to uplift his conversation partner was still too much for him at this stage in his life.

“That's why I decided to accept the role in China, Mister Jin-Ho,” said Choi Yeon-Ha.

“I don't quite follow.”

A faint grin floated up on Choi Yeon-Ha's lips. “I'm hoping to regain myself, at least a little bit, before it crumbles even more beyond recognition. I know you're not interested in this profession, but let me tell you something, Mister Jin-Ho. I'm a really successful and popular actress, you know? I'm serious.”

“No, I know. And it's not like I'm completely uninterested.”

“Oh, really? In that case, have you sought out any other shows I've been in? No, scratch that. Do you even know the names of any of my shows? Just one will suffice.”

“...”

Choi Yeon-Ha tightly clenched her fists. Kang Jin-Ho noticed the veins bulging on the back of her hand and sneakily turned his head away to avoid her glare.

“Don't say anything you don't mean! Please!” Choi Yeon-Ha yelled sharply at him.

Kang Jin-Ho could only sheepishly fake a cough. “Kuh-hum...”

“In any case!” Choi Yeon-Ha slammed her palm down on the table. “I tried to look back at my behavior, and following you around like some kind of dumb little dog is just... just cramping my style too much! My pride won't allow it. So, to restore my pride, to get my life back on track, and to re-establish my goal as an actor! I decided to accept the role in China.”

“...”

“Now, I shall accept questions!”

Kang Jin-Ho was flustered by that. “H-huh? But, I don't have any...?”

“You don't have any?! Seriously?”

“Yes.”

That was when Choi Yeon-Ha's expression progressively turned into a deep scowl.

'Wait, did I slip up somewhere?'

Kang Jin-Ho nervously sipped his drink nonstop, trying to figure out what he had done wrong. Since his sociability stat had improved lately, he knew the correct thing to do now was to ask a suitable question, but...

What was he supposed to ask her, then?

“How nice it must be for you,” Choi Yeon-Ha tutted in a clear display of her displeasure.

“I'm sorry?”

“One less annoying person in your life, that's why.”

Kang Jin-Ho's expression stiffened.

“So, you must be happy about me going away. Isn't that right?”

“No.” Kang Jin-Ho resolutely shook his head, then stared straight at Choi Yeon-Ha. Her face reddened slightly when his eyes looked straight into hers. “I won't lie and say I never thought of you as annoying or bothersome. However, that does not mean I didn't like it or wished you could just disappear from my life. Definitely not.”

“...Really?”

“Yes. Really.”

Choi Yeon-Ha narrowed her eyes and peered intensely at Kang Jin-Ho's face to figure out how genuine he was. However, when she noticed how unwavering the light in Kang Jin-Ho’s eyes was, Choi Yeon-Ha sneakily lowered her head to avoid his gaze.

'Why is he staring at me like that? Making me feel awkward and all...!'

Choi Yeon-Ha would've loved to cool down her burning face, but hand-fanning now would be the same as announcing how flustered she was to the man sitting on the other side of the table. The best she could do was hold her hands tightly under the table.

“Also, I'm not happy to hear about you going away to China for a job. I can honestly say it feels a little wrong. Although, I can't explain why I feel this way. However, I—”

“T-that's enough, don't you think?” Choi Yeon-Ha hurriedly stopped Kang Jin-Ho.

“Sorry? Why?”

“I-I get what you're saying, so stop right there, Mister Jin-Ho.”

Otherwise, my face will burn down to ashes, you know!

Kang Jin-Ho looked confused, but Choi Yeon-Ha was figuratively burning up inside right now!

'This guy, he's just so good at hitting you unexpectedly in the fatal spot, isn't he!'

He had to be a pro at this, judging from how he usually behaved! The problem with that was Kang Jin-Ho had no freaking self-awareness of it!

Choi Yeon-Ha hurriedly chugged down a cup of cold water to calm her pounding heart, then sucked in a lung full of air to regain control of her wayward breathing. “What you said just now... You're being serious, right?”

“What I said?”

“You know, your feelings about me leaving for China!”

“Of course. Do I have a reason to lie to you about that?”

Choi Yeon-Ha peered closely at Kang Jin-Ho's face again, then a realization washed over her.

'I was... wrong.'

She had jumped her gun a little too early, it seemed. Kang Jin-Ho had said all those things as a friend speaking candidly to another friend. Which meant it wasn't what Choi Yeon-Ha had been hoping to hear. That was slightly disappointing. But it also gave her a small sense of... solace? And...

'Right. This much is already a lot from him, isn't it?'

Expecting something more from this stone statue-like man was unrealistic, anyway. Besides, Choi Yeon-Ha wasn't sure how she'd react if Kang Jin-Ho said those things to her. Would she be... happy about it? Her guess was a solid no.

“Mister Jin-Ho?”

“Yes.”

“I've been meaning to say this to you.”

“I see. Please go ahead.”

Choi Yeon-Ha silently stared at Kang Jin-Ho for a while before faintly smiling. Kang Jin-Ho suddenly felt like he was ever-so-slightly falling into that smile.

“At the very least... I'll become someone who doesn't have to feel insignificant compared to you, Mister Jin-Ho. I really dislike the idea of a woman solely relying on a man and clinging to him for dear life, you see?”

When Choi Yeon-Ha's faint smile grew to something much more radiant, Kang Jin-Ho couldn't help but smile back at her.

This was certainly not his first time thinking this, but...

Choi Yeon-Ha was a beautiful woman, indeed.