Descent of the Demon Master-Chapter 1276. Cooperating (1)

“How dare she try to screw around with me?”

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head. “Sorry?”

“Nope, it’s nothing,” said Choi Yeon-Ha with a smirk. That Goh Ah-Reum must be a smoldering wreck of frustration and annoyance right about now.

The best way to deal with her type was not proving you were stronger and tougher than her in a ring. No, it was to teach her the painful lesson that she didn’t even have the qualifications to enter the ring in the first place!

Even if Goh Ah-Reum somehow rose through the ranks and caught up to where Choi Yeon-Ha was now, the latter would have risen even higher in society by then. To someone who had set Choi Yeon-Ha as their goal, would there be anything more frustrating and hollow-feeling than that?

Choi Yeon-Ha’s smirk deepened. Actually, that won’t even happen in the first place.

She could tell already. The signs were all there. After all, she had survived this industry for over a decade. By now, she had developed a sense on whether a prospective talent could make it or not in this cutthroat profession.

Two hands wouldn’t be enough to count all the actors who got even more famous and more talked about than Choi Yeon-Ha for a year or two. However, none of them maintained that momentum to reach a status above hers.

This was why Choi Yeon-Ha didn’t obsess over fame.

Fame could rise and fall in an instant, depending on the fickle whims of the public. So, to survive this industry, one must possess a tool, a certain special something, that would get them still chosen by the public regardless of all the rumors and scandals swirling around them!

Unfortunately, Goh Ah-Reum didn’t possess that X factor.

Still, I hope she can get through today’s filming without a problem.

Since Goh Ah-Reum was co-starring in the commercial with Choi Yeon-Ha, it’d be better for her to put on a good performance.

Actually, not really. Who cares if she does a crappy job or not? I’ll be the one benefiting either way!

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at Choi Yeon-Ha. “You seem to be in a good mood.”

“Oh, do I?”

“...”

Kang Jin-Ho sensed a subtle snarky tone in Choi Yeon-Ha’s reply and elected to keep his mouth shut. Rather commendably, he had learned from experience how to respond to her varying moods by now!

“Some immature brat disrespected your girlfriend for being over the hill, yet you think I’m in a good mood?”

“...But you’re not over the hill.”

“I know. Compared to you, that is. I must be like a day-old hatchling to you, right?”

Bloody hell, I picked the wrong response!

After being counter-punched painfully for his poor choice of reply, Kang Jin-Ho urgently searched for a more correct response in his head. Unfortunately, he couldn’t think of anything useful.

Choi Yeon-Ha tutted. “It’s... Well, it’s like that, you know?”

“I’m sorry?”

“Not too long ago, I used to think girls like her were insane.”

“...?”

“Either they didn’t know their place, or even if they tried to mess with me, there was no way they could trample on me. So, I wondered why they were trying to one-up me constantly, but now... How should I say it? That I get their mentality a little now? I mean, there are only limited slices of this pie available, right?”

“Mm...”

“This profession called acting can be so weird in that no matter how hard you work, there’s a good chance that you ain’t getting that slice of the pie. That’s because the number of commercials, film and TV roles, and other jobs available in a year are limited, you see? So, if I snatch a lot of those jobs away because of my fame, it means some other people will lose out.”

Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded.

Even if an actor was riding on the waves of popularity, new projects wouldn’t be created just for this actor alone. It’d be more correct to say this actor would appear in more of already-existing projects instead. In that sense, one could say this was a zero-sum game.

Choi Yeon-Ha continued to explain. “That’s why these upstarts are so desperate. After all, only by getting popular and seizing those opportunities coming their way would they be able to survive this industry. I’m guessing that they don’t fully understand it, but their instincts already know this truth.”

“Mm...” Kang Jin-Ho nodded again. “Is that why you gave her advice as her senior?”

“Nope. I crushed her. The so-called new sprout? Hah!”

“...” Kang Jin-Ho dazedly glanced at Choi Yeon-Ha. She smiled brightly as if to say she didn’t see what the problem was here. He cautiously asked again. “Usually... We are not supposed to trample on a new sprout, right?”

“Nah, it’s fine. She’s a weed, anyway.”

Of course. Even a sprout of a weed was a sprout, after all!

“Besides, she didn’t seem the type to crumble after one trampling session, you know?” Choi Yeon-Ha tutted. “I’m sure she’ll survive somehow. If not, that’s all she amounted to.”

“Then, you water the sprouts who are not weeds? And you only crush the potential weeds?”

“Nope. I’m even more ruthless when they are not weeds, I’ll have you know.”

“...”

Kang Jin-Ho smiled gently just then. Ah, that’s right. She’s like this, isn’t she? I forgot for a minute just now.

“I gotta make a living too, you know? I’m not some saint who will nurture upstarts trying to take my spot away. They are my competition, after all.”

The gentle smile on Kang Jin-Ho’s face morphed into an awkward one. “But, what about your juniors in the agency...?”

“Them? They are exceptions. They share their earnings with me, after all!”

What a clear-cut and logical reply that was!

For sure, Kang Jin-Ho, nay, people should learn a few things from Choi Yeon-Ha.

Although she might come across as cold-blooded at times, the truth was that Choi Yeon-Ha was simply being pragmatic. She had a clear idea of what she could do and couldn’t do, and what she should do and shouldn’t do.

Compared to Kang Jin-Ho, who couldn’t define the boundaries separating those things, Choi Yeon-Ha seemed like a more mature person in this regard.

Choi Yeon-Ha glanced at Kang Jin-Ho. “By the way, well done for dressing yourself up like this. If you had shown up in your usual faded tracksuit today, you’d be in hell for at least a month, you see?”

“...!”

Cold sweat trickled down on Kang Jin-Ho’s forehead. When Choi Yeon-Ha told him about having a date after work, he thought dressing up would be for the best. And that decision paid off handsomely right now.

“Then again, you still look handsome in your tracksuits, so there’s that.”

Choi Yeon-Ha grinned brightly while staring at Kang Jin-Ho.

He covered his mouth while fake-coughing. Even he’d feel a bit embarrassed when she stared at him like this. Sometimes, of course.

“Look at you, lecherous grandpa.”

“...Kuh-hmmm!”

...And his embarrassment vanished into thin air.

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at Choi Yeon-Ha again. “Why a date so suddenly, though?”

“Ohh, I had no idea that a girl needs a reason to go on a date with her man. Is that how folks in your age group do things?”

“...”

Now feeling a little depressed about life, Kang Jin-Ho shifted his attention back to the road ahead. It seemed he shouldn’t have told her the truth about his age. He should have kept it a secret till his deathbed!

“I’m joking!” Choi Yeon-Ha giggled. “Don’t pout like that.”

“I’m not pouting.”

“Well, I just wanted to see you. The stress has been getting to me lately.”

“Seeing me will undo your stress?”

“Mm, well... Have you heard about this before?”

“Sorry?”

Choi Yeon-Ha explained as her expression brightened. “We apparently feel most uplifted and friendly when being around people who make us happy. Like, we say complimentary things, buy presents, and... Stuff like that?”

Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow. “Is that so?”

“But good-looking people automatically make you feel better by simply being around them. Apparently. Sooo, such people merely existing in your life will improve your Positive Feelings stat.”

“...”

Choi Yeon-Ha nonchalantly uttered something that all ordinary-looking people would’ve vomited blood for after they heard her.

“So! Even though I know you’re not good with words, and you don’t know how to make people happy... Just be next to me. I’ll lift my mood up myself.”

“...Thank you, I guess?”

Although Kang Jin-Ho couldn’t quite figure out if Choi Yeon-Ha was insulting him or praising him, at least he now understood what he should do.

Choi Yeon-Ha leaned against the car’s seat and sighed deeply. “You know, I’ve been thinking about something lately.”

“Mm? What is it?”

“Should I pay a visit to my previous agency’s president and give him some panax ginseng or something?”

“...”

“While working with me, the president lost a lot of his hair, you see? I figured getting older was to blame, but now that I’m in his shoes, it’s like... I’m half the cause of his hair loss.”

This was why a person must learn to consider other people’s positions. Kang Jin-Ho was given a fresh reminder of this simple yet profound truth.

The pre-talent-agency-operating Choi Yeon-Ha would’ve never said anything like this.

“In the past, these brats wouldn’t even dare talk to me, yet these days, they want me to do this and that, and keep arguing why so-and-so can’t be done... Forget the president’s hair, I should’ve yanked out those brats’ hairs instead!”

“Hah, haha... ha...”

Kang Jin-Ho forced out some unconvincing-sounding chuckle. Because he had a feeling that Choi Yeon-Ha might really do this!

“S-so, how is business? Have you made any headway yet?”

“Are you subtly telling me you want to see positive results already?”

“Definitely not,” Kang Jin-Ho urgently shook his head.

Choi Yeon-Ha chuckled softly. “Some things have gone well, some not so much. Overall, though? I think things are progressing faster than our initial plans.”

“That sounds like a good thing, doesn’t it?”

“Sure, it’s a nice thing when you’re the company. But not so nice when it’s me. I’m busy all the time, lots of things give me headaches, and I’ve got far too many annoying things to handle, too.” Choi Yeon-Ha sneaked a glance at Kang Jin-Ho. “That’s why I’ve been reflecting on myself a little, too.”

“Sorry?”

When Kang Jin-Ho asked back curiously, Choi Yeon-Ha stared at his face.

“I kept thinking that here I was, ranting about my problems to potentially the busiest person in the country who must be racking his brain over so, so many burdensome and annoying matters. That’s why I have to reflect on my actions. If I were in your shoes and heard myself whining about stuff like this... Even I would’ve been annoyed out of my mind. Regardless of whether I like you or not.”

Kang Jin-Ho shook his head. “I never thought about you that way.”

“Yes, I know. I’m just self-reflecting without anyone telling me to. I mean, if you had been an ordinary man, your circuits might have blown up from trying to deal with my shenanigans.”

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled softly, without saying anything else. That sounded like a possibility, sure. But he wasn’t an ordinary person, and neither was Choi Yeon-Ha. Maybe that was why this relationship could continue on.

Choi Yeon-Ha gave him a side-eye just then. “What are you doing?”

“Sorry?”

“Shouldn’t you say something like, do your best? That you’ll root for me? Rather than just smile like that?”

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled again. How could he not, when Choi Yeon-Ha would sometimes hit him with such eccentric behavior? It felt like his head was instantly cleared of all the complicated thoughts regarding the Martial Assembly.

“Do your best, Miss Yeon-Ha. I’ll root for you.”

“Thank you, Chairman. I’ll do my best to make lots of money and faithfully offer them all to the company.”

“...I didn’t mean it that way.”

“Then, what did you mean?”

When Choi Yeon-Ha asked in a suggestive tone, Kang Jin-Ho sneakily looked away. He could tell that she was gearing up to tease him again.

“I think you should be the one who needs to do his best, Mister Jin-Ho.”

“Sorry?”

“I can’t tell if you’re just too innocent or dumb...”

“Huh?”

“Nope, never mind,” Choi Yeon-Ha lightly waved her hand. “In any case. I’ve learned something new while being dragged here and there.”

“Okay?”

“Mister Jin-Ho. If something is stressing you out, just call me.”

“...?”

Kang Jin-Ho couldn’t understand and glanced at Choi Yeon-Ha.

She explained her reasoning. “I might not give you solutions to your problems, but I can help you feel better, even if only by a little bit. Going through all these things recently made me realize that people need time to forget about everything and just relax.”

Choi Yeon-Ha was right. Wasn’t Kang Jin-Ho feeling the need for that as well?

“So! Whenever that happens, I’ll be here to help you unwind, Mister Jin-Ho.”

He frowned slightly. “But you’re also busy.”

“The Chairman is calling, so a mere worker like me gotta cancel all my prior engagements, right? My job is at risk, after all!”

“I see. Then, I’ll do that.”

“Oh, my?”

Choi Yeon-Ha and Kang Jin-Ho grinned at each other. Although their work was different, and how much they understood about each other’s industry differed even more, they could still chat like this and relax. That was all they could ask for.

“Ah, right. I forgot. Don’t call me during the middle of next month, though.”

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head. “Sorry? Why not?”

“I’ll be in China, you see?”

Kang Jin-Ho’s expression grew unreadable as he studied Choi Yeon-Ha’s face. “China, you say?”

“Yes. We received offers for a few commercials. And they also want to talk to us about my next role.”

Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brow. Choi Yeon-Ha noticed that and asked curiously. “What’s wrong?”

“No, it’s... nothing.”

Kang Jin-Ho smiled while lightly depressing the accelerator. China, is it...?

His mind automatically recalled the faces of Cai Kechang and the Crimson King.

He thought now wasn’t the time to think about the Crimson King, so he purposefully removed that man’s existence out of his mind. However, now that this topic was brought up... The Crimson King was the only thing Kang Jin-Ho could think about right this moment!

That man must’ve gotten even stronger by now. Just like Kang Jin-Ho had. Which meant...

“WHA!”

“Heek?!” Kang Jin-Ho flinched nastily from the surprise and reflexively stomped on the brake pedal. The Lamborghini swerved dangerously for a few seconds before regaining its stability. He hurriedly looked at the culprit, Choi Yeon-Ha. “What are you doing?”

“How dare you think about something else when your girlfriend is next to you! Where are your manners?!”

His manners? That must be the first time Kang Jin-Ho heard someone accusing him of that.

“This won’t do!” Choi Yeon-Ha tutted. “Stop the car somewhere nearby! Because I’m gonna make sure you can’t think of anything else besides me today.”

“...”

As it turned out, a woman who could very well be scarier than the Crimson King was sitting next to Kang Jin-Ho. However, was that a good thing or not? He couldn’t tell.