Descent of the Demon Master-Chapter 1307. Infiltrating (2)

Choi Yeon-Ha sarcastically said, “Wow, you sure outdid yourself this time, didn’t you?”

“...”

“So? What was that about our itinerary, Mister Han Eun-Sol?”

Why don’t you just shoot me already? Han Eun-Sol groaned inwardly while closing his eyes.

Plenty of paths existed in life. Which meant Han Eun-Sol must’ve encountered many, maaany different branching forks in his life, too.

One might say a life is all about a series of trials and tribulations meant to put food on one’s table, but there had to be simpler ways to make a living, no?

Oh? You don’t understand what makes my job so stupidly difficult?

If someone dared to say that to his face, Han Eun-Sol would unhesitantly drag that fool in front of Choi Yeon-Ha and make them spend one hour together. Just one hour!

It didn’t matter who, anyone with a sane mind would shout, ‘I didn’t know there was a basement below the pits of hell!’ after an hour in Choi Yeon-Ha’s company before running away for their dear life!

“So? Mister, Han, Eun, Sol?”

“...”

Choi Yeon-Ha cocked an eyebrow while leaning closer. “I would like to hear all about how our itinerary turned into a mess like this. Please, do tell.”

“Well, that’s...” Han Eun-Sol grandly sighed. “Noona... No, I mean, Director Choi.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Our previous agency had a dedicated staff member who handled all business activities in China, didn’t it? And it also assigned a translator for us, too.”

“Sure.”

“But now, I have to do everything by myself.”

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

Han Eun-Sol scratched his head slightly. “So, like... I tried my best, you know? But my Chinese sucks, so things didn’t work out as well as I hoped.”

“Aha, so that’s what happened?”

“...Yes, Director.”

Choi Yeon-Ha smiled gently.

Dissatisfaction bubbling in people’s hearts would instantly melt away and be replaced by warmth and calmness once they took a gander at that angelic face. When Choi Yeon-Ha smiled like that, it was as if a halo was shining brightly around her even though there were no spotlights around, and the destructive power in that smile didn’t discriminate against who it targeted, too.

However, there was one person in this world who didn’t feel happy about seeing that smile, and his name was Han Eun-Sol!

Oh, no! She’s pissed!

Indeed, Choi Yeon-Ha would only make that face when her ire had hit the proverbial roof! How could Han Eun-Sol not recognize that face?

He began stealthily backing away. Unfortunately, running away wouldn’t be enough to evade the verbal assault coming his way.

Choi Yeon-Ha maintained her sarcastic tone. “So, is that why you set our itinerary like this? First, a meeting in Beijing, then fly out to Hong Kong the next day for a commercial shoot, and then return to Beijing on the following day to sit through another meeting with producers?”

“...”

Han Eun-Sol sneakily glanced at the map of China, currently appearing on Choi Yeon-Ha’s phone screen.

Yup, that does look far.

He had to admit that this challenge was at least on the hard mode. This wouldn’t be any different to spending the first day in New York, then heading to London on the following day before returning to New York less than a day later!

“Sure, let’s say this schedule is doable. Even so...!”

Choi Yeon-Ha’s hands began quaking dangerously.

“But what did you say? I don’t have anything to do after that for four days straight, so I must be on standby? And then, I gotta go through another jam-packed schedule like this?!”

“...”

“You call this a schedule?! Even an elementary school kid can cook up an itinerary more sensible than this!”

“Well, an itinerary so tight that it’s difficult to stick to will make people want to give up.”

Choi Yeon-Ha suddenly spoke coldly. “Eun-Sol, listen.”

“Yes, noona?”

“Should I help you out with giving up on your life?”

“...I’m sorry.”

Choi Yeon-Ha yelled at the top of her lungs. “You idiot! Didn’t I tell you that if you need anything, you gotta talk to me about it?! I promised you that you’ll get all the support you need! But then, didn’t you say you don’t need my help and that you can handle everything on your own?!”

“Yes, I did.”

“Then, what is this nonsense!”

“The thing is, Director Choi...?”

“...?”

Han Eun-Sol smiled awkwardly. “As it turns out, some things in this world can’t be taken care of with passion alone. So...”

“Go jump in a lake, will ya!”

Choi Yeon-Ha grabbed the nearby cushions and began hurling them at her manager. Han Eun-Sol could only groan and catch the incoming projectiles.

Those stinking bastards...

To be fair, the messy state of their itinerary was not Han Eun-Sol’s fault.

Both sides should have been working together to set up a reasonable itinerary. At least, that was how it should have been. Once Choi Yeon-Ha’s side picked a reasonable schedule for her, the Chinese producers would try to see what they could accommodate. If different schedules were in conflict, they would resume negotiating to find the happy middle ground.

Indeed, the standard practice was to consider all the time required to travel, the distance, and Choi Yeon-Ha’s stamina. But the negotiation this time turned out a little differently.

Whenever Han Eun-Sol tried to set the itinerary with the Chinese, the other side kept shouting their refusal to cooperate. Even though the process remained the same as before!

All because they now see us as pushovers.

Until recently, Choi Yeon-Ha was represented by a pretty reputable talent agency. But then, she quit and created her own agency. Without a doubt, the Chinese must’ve thought that treating her as well as before was no longer necessary.

This story would’ve been different had MK been a famous company, but even in South Korea, MK was as unheard-of as anyone could realistically get in this industry. So, imagine how much worse it must be in China.

In that case, why hadn’t Han Eun-Sol told Choi Yeon-Ha the truth and cuss at the Chinese together?

Nope, I can’t do that.

Han Eun-Sol wouldn’t be able to sleep well at night if he did that.

Being honest could save him from all this verbal assault, but it’d also hurt Choi Yeon-Ha’s pride.

A manager was someone who should smile even when they got insulted but go on a warpath if the talent in their care was insulted at. Since that was the case, it was better to lie and turn this into the fault of his incompetence instead.

At least, that was supposed to be the case, but...

“Seriously?! You call this a schedule?! And how many years have you been doing this job, Eun-Sol?!”

Maybe it was not better, after all?

Choi Yeon-Ha fumed for a good while before growling menacingly. “No, this won’t do! Get me the phone. I’m gonna talk to them directly!”

“...! Please calm down first, Director Choi.”

“What now?”

“W-well, you aren’t even fluent in Chinese.”

Choi Yeon-Ha tutted. “So what? I can hold simple conversations.”

“...This isn’t something a simple conversation can fix, though?”

“Then get me a bloody interpreter or something!”

Uh? This is not going the way I imagined?

When Han Eun-Sol began fidgeting nervously, Choi Yeon-Ha narrowed her eyes.

“Hey, Han Eun-Sol.”

“Y-yes, Director?”

“You’re hiding something from me, aren’t you?”

“E-eii~! I would never do that.”

“You... Be honest, the other side did this, didn’t they?”

“...!”

How did she figure it out? Was she a detective or something?

“Why, you! How dare you try to lie to me! When I’ve been surviving in this industry for over a decade already!”

For sure, Choi Yeon-Ha deserved the credit in this kind of thing.

Choi Yeon-Ha sharply asked, “What did they say? That they can’t accommodate our scheduling?”

Han Eun-Sol sheepishly nodded. “...Uhm, something like that?”

“Those sons of b*tches...!” Choi Yeon-Ha growled while furrowing her brow. “Tell them we’re calling off this whole deal.”

“E-eh? Why? Even though everything is set and ready to go?”

“Those bastards are looking down on us, that’s why. You want us to turn into a bunch of pushover idiots? Because that’s what’s gonna happen if we go there.”

“B-but, noona! I mean, Director Choi! If we cancel this deal, we might have to wait another half a year just for another chance at...”

“I don’t care. Instead of going through this nonsense, I’d rather stay home.”

Cold sweat began trickling down Han Eun-Sol’s forehead.

Seriously?! Even though we’ve just opened for business and need to make as much money as possible?

Choi Yeon-Ha’s work wasn’t the only thing hanging in the balance during this Chinese trip. The larger purpose of this trip was to pave the way for the talents under contract so that they could hopefully enter the Chinese market one day.

However, with Choi Yeon-Ha flipping the table like this...

“Director, how about just going through with this job...? I’ll make sure this never happens again.”

“Listen, Eun-Sol.”

“Yes, I’m listening.”

“You need to understand this, okay? Those bastards are looking down on us, okay? Which means, even if we go, all we’ll get are cold shoulders.”

“...”

“You think they’ll stop at the scheduling? Nope. We’re already at war, Eun-Sol. If we go along with this schedule like chumps, they’ll think we’re the ones with our feet on fire. You know what will happen, then? They’ll keep pushing our limits.”

“But I’ve made sure that’s not gonna happen. They won’t do that.”

“Nope, sorry. That’s meaningless.”

“...Eh? What do you mean?”

“It’s not that I don’t trust you. I do. But I don’t trust those bastards, okay? How many times have you seen them break their promises and change their tune at the last minute?”

Han Eun-Sol had to admit that Choi Yeon-Ha was right about that one.

The Chinese production houses broke agreements as often as people drank water. This was beyond the issue of trust at this point; they would even try to find loopholes in signed contracts and sneakily change the terms.

“Right now, those bastards see us as easy prey,” said Choi Yeon-Ha. “If we let them, sooner or later, they’ll try to change our deal without warning.”

“Mm...!”

“In that case, it’s better to cancel the whole thing and not go to China. That’s gonna make them think that we don’t have anything to lose. Re-negotiating afterward will benefit us much more.”

“You have a point, but I’m sure they aren’t behaving this way for that simple reason alone.”

“Oh? Then what is it?”

“It might be because of the ban on Korean culture and products in effect right now in China. With the Chinese government in the way...”

“...”

“This might be our last chance, Director,” said Han Eun-Sol. “Even if we have to take on some losses, how about we grin and bear it....?”

Choi Yeon-Ha firmly put her foot down. “Nope, still not going.”

“But, Director Choi...!”

“I can’t do it. It’ll be just a total waste of my time.”

“But, but! How about, uh, treating this as an overseas vacation...”

“What will I even do in China? Besides, I’ve had enough of China already after the last trip.”

“Y-yes, I understand, but...”

Choi Yeon-Ha waved her hand and cut Han Eun-Sol off. “My decision is final. I’m not going, so let’s not waste each other’s energy talking more about this. Please respect my decision.”

“...Got it, Director.”

Han Eun-Sol sighed deeply. Although this was a loss, Choi Yeon-Ha was right with her assertion. He shouldn’t just stubbornly argue with her.

Even if this might really be our last chance...

Of course, Han Eun-Sol wanted to plead his case a bit more. However, with Choi Yeon-Ha being so adamant, the outcome of his efforts would still be the same. In that case, he might as well shut up and not sour each other’s feelings any further.

Just as Han Eun-Sol’s thoughts reached that far, Choi Yeon-Ha’s phone began ringing loudly.

“Ng?” Choi Yeon-Ha tilted her head before answering the call. “Hello?”

As she silently listened, her expression began to contort ever so slightly.

“C-China, you say?”

Who could be on the phone? Han Eun-Sol furrowed his brow.

“N-no, well... Well, around that date I... Ah... Yes, I’m fine with that. Nothing to complain about, really.”

Han Eun-Sol’s frown deepened.

That expression on Choi Yeon-Ha’s face conveyed how flustered she was. An occurrence that might happen only once a year was unfolding right before Han Eun-Sol’s eyes!

“Okay, got it. We’ll talk about the details later. Bye.”

Choi Yeon-Ha demurely ended the call, then crossed her legs while leaning back. She even crossed her arms in front of her chest, too! That haughty demeanor left Han Eun-Sol flinching and shivering.

“Hey, Eun-Sol?”

“Yes, noona?”

“You weren’t lying about making sure, right?”

“Sorry?” Han Eun-Sol tilted his head, wondering what Choi Yeon-Ha meant, only to figure it out belatedly. “A-ah, yes. I’ve spoken to the Chinese and warned them to remain unprofessional.”

Choi Yeon-Ha subtly nodded. “Then, I’ll trust you this one time and go to China. But you better make sure there are no mistakes, okay?”

“Huh? Why did you suddenly change your mind...?”

“Because I felt like it, okay? Why? Is there a problem?”

Han Eun-Sol narrowed his eyes to slits. Now he noticed something else other than fluster in Choi Yeon-Ha’s flushed face. It was... embarrassment!

That means she knows she’s being unreasonable.

Then, what could be the reason for her sudden about-face?

“Wait a minute. Could it be...?”

Choi Yeon-Ha’s fluster grew as she shouted, “W-what? What is it?!”

“Is Mister Jin-Ho going to China?”

“...Oh, my goodness. Aren’t you a strange little man? What are you trying to imply here?!” Choi Yeon-Ha shot up to her feet, then fanned her face with her hand.

But then, she turned around and hastily headed to the office exit.

“Where are you going, noona?”

“To the ladies’ room! Why? You wanna follow me in there, too?”

“Didn’t you go to the loo a couple of minutes ago?”

“So what?! Is there a law stating I can’t go again so soon?! Besides, who do you think you are, asking a woman about such a thing!”

“You still haven’t answered me about Mister Jin-Ho, though!”

Choi Yeon-Ha didn’t reply and rushed toward the office exit. Han Eun-Sol watched that as a strange smirk floated up on his face.

“Then, I’m gonna book the plane tickets, noona. For us and our talents going to China.”

“W-wait. We’re gonna think a bit more about that after my bathroom break. So hold it for a minute, okay?”

“Really? But there might not be any tickets left if we take too long.”

“There will be, okay! There will be, so just wait!”

“I’m not so sure about that~.”

That was when Choi Yeon-Ha abruptly stopped walking.

“...!”

Almost at the same time, Han Eun-Sol realized that he had taken this joke a bit too far. His complexion instantly paled, and he stumbled back in fear.

Choi Yeon-Ha slowly turned around to face her manager.

Han Eun-Sol squeezed his eyes shut after seeing the expression on Choi Yeon-Ha’s face.

“This is funny to you, right?”

“...”

“Very, veeery funny, isn’t it? So much so that you can’t even breathe properly.”

Veins began bulging on Choi Yeon-Ha’s forehead as she began striding over to Hang Eun-Sol.

“Why don’t I make it even funnier for you, my dear Eun-Sol? Let’s have a very fun day today, okay?!”

S-save me!

The final moments of a fool who couldn’t do it in moderation were, as usual, rather tragic.