Descent of the Demon Master-Chapter 1046: Too Vague (1)

“H-hold on, Miss Choi! Please listen to me…!”

Choi Yeon-Ha haughtily cocked an eyebrow. “I have nothing more to discuss with you, Mister Choi.”

Choi Jong-Cheol the Director desperately responded. “But! Isn't this too un…”

“Too ‘un’? What do you mean?”

“…!”

He was rendered speechless at the sight of Choi Yeon-Ha sitting relaxedly with her legs crossed. The aura oozing off of her seemed to forbid anyone from approaching her.

‘You… You f*cking b*tch!’

Choi Jong-Cheol would've dearly loved to unleash a torrent of insults in the face of this witch. However, he knew he must never do that. Worsening the situation would only plunge him even deeper into the depths of unspeakable Hell!

‘Dammit! The issue isn’t with messing up one measly commercial!’

One’s directorial career sliding downhill usually was triggered by something seen as “measly.”

However, this was no ordinary commercial. After all, it was for a large media company. And the significance of such a gig should not be underestimated.

Like how only the top stars were permitted to appear in such commercials, only the best directors were permitted to shoot said commercials. But now, a director hired to shoot a commercial for a large media company got fired on the day of the shoot? And someone else took over the job?

In this industry, rumors and gossip traveled faster than storm winds. And such a story would be worse than a fatal blow to Choi Jong-Cheol's career. No, it'd be akin to an execution!

Obviously, he had to avoid that fate at all cost!

“M-Miss Choi! It’s not like I’ve done something terrible, no?! It was just a small mistake! A dumb slip of my tongue! Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Director Choi.” Choi Yeon-Ha glared at the director, her eyes icy. “Life has taught me many things. Do you want to know what one of them is?”

“I’m sorry?”

“There is no such thing as a small or big mistake. They are all the same.”

“…?!”

Choi Yeon-Ha's voice grew even icier. “Let me be more specific. The scale of a mistake will depend on perspective. Even if you hit someone with your car and they die, you'd only get five years in prison if it was only an accident. However, do you think the victim's family will feel that punishment is adequate? No. I think they would strongly disagree.”

“...I, uh, I don’t follow.”

“Let's say you accidentally killed someone with your car. Do you honestly think you can stand in front of the victim's family and say it was a mistake and you shouldn't be blamed?”

“…” Choi Jong-Cheol grimaced while clamping his mouth shut.

He had to admit that he couldn't do that. Not just him, though, but any functionally sane person would not do that, either!

If it really was an accident, he might feel hard done by the outcome. He might even argue that his blame in the matter was negligible based on the lightness of the sentence. However, that was only when speaking to other unrelated people. Would he still say that to the faces of the victim's family?

No. A man with a beating heart should be too ashamed to do that.

“Of course, I agree it was a trivial slip of the tongue,” said Choi Yeon-Ha. “Unfortunately for you, that trivial mistake acted like a dagger to someone’s heart today. And that someone happens to be me.”

“H-hold on, Miss Choi!”

“Don’t worry, though. I’m not planning to say something bad about you. And I don’t plan to refuse working with you forever. Even so…!”

Choi Yeon-Ha remained firm. Cold. Such was her cold firmness that pricking her skin with a sharp needle wouldn't be enough to produce a single tiny drop of blood!

“...Today is not that day. Regardless of what happens, I will not go through with this shoot as long as you’re at the helm. That is why… You need to go, Mister Choi.”

Choi Yeon-Ha suddenly grinned brightly.

“Congratulations. Now you don’t have to work with a cripple anymore.”

In the end, Choi Jong-Cheol had nothing to say to defend himself.

***

“Wow! You look so good now!”

Park Yu-Min sheepishly replied, “...You think so?”

The stylist enthusiastically nodded. “Definitely! You look like a brand new person, you know!”

“But, uh, I don't feel that way, though…?”

"That's only because you've not gotten used to this new look yet. Trust me, you'll get used to it in no time.”

“…”

While staring silently at his reflection in the mirror, Park Yu-Min couldn’t stop himself from fidgeting around in embarrassment.

‘Who is this gigolo-looking idiot in the mirror…?’

Since he knew actors and celebrities had makeup done before shooting something, Park Yu-Min made sure to stop by a hair salon on his way here. He didn't feel like a transformed person afterward, but now… He genuinely looked like someone else!

Whether he felt good or bad about this transformation seemed beside the point at the moment. He was more worried about looking like a different human being altogether.

‘It’s so… awkward.’

It didn’t matter from which angle he looked at himself. Everything about his appearance seemed so foreign. How could a person transform so much by combing the bangs back and applying some simple makeup?

Creak…

Choi Yeon-Ha opened the door and stepped inside the room, then began scanning Park Yu-Min’s new appearance from top to bottom.

“Hmm…?”

When she mumbled quietly, the makeup team waiting for her evaluation instantly grew tense. Thankfully, though…

“Ohh! I knew it. He looks so much better now!”

The expressions of the makeup team brightened.

“You think so, too? Unnie?”

“We had a pretty solid base to start off with, after all.”

“Nice work,” Choi Yeon-Ha smiled in satisfaction.

Park Yu-Min sheepishly asked, “...Miss Yeon-Ha? Do I really look good?”

“Yes, you do. Much better than before. What’s wrong? Are you uncomfortable?”

“Well, no. It’s just that it’s all a bit too weird…”

Choi Yeon-Ha chuckled while covering her mouth. “Don't worry. It's because you're not used to dolling yourself up like this.”

“...That can’t be it, though.”

Pro gamers enjoyed their fair share of screen time. So, it was natural for them to receive some attention on hair and makeup before entering various tournaments.

However, Park Yu-Min still got a rude awakening today. All those makeup sessions he went through until now were nothing more than child’s play compared to the real deal!

Makeup and hair “fixes” performed by professionals who earned a living from making their clients look good were from another realm of existence altogether. If pro gamers had to go through such an intense makeup session every time they entered a tournament… Park Yu-Min was pretty sure they would all end up suffering from emotional distress disorders or something!

“This is looking good,” said Choi Yeon-Ha. “Next up is the wardrobe, then. The makeup team can take a break now.”

“Thanks, unnie!”

“We'll fix your hair one more time before you start filming, unnie!"

“Okay, got it,” Choi Yeon-Ha nodded back and waited until the stylists filed out of the room. Then, she took up a seat near Park Yu-Min. “Aigoo~. Sorry, Mister Yu-Min. I had a ton of things to take care of. The previous director ran into a… personal issue and had to quit urgently. We’ll have to wait for a bit until his replacement arrives.”

“Oh, uh…” Park Yu-Min smiled awkwardly. “It’s fine. I don’t mind.”

Choi Yeon-Ha seemed to be under the impression that Park Yu-Min had no idea of what went down. However, it was she who had no idea this time. She didn’t know that Park Yu-Min survived the last two decades by relying on his quick wits and eyes of discernment.

He only needed a cursory glance at the overall atmosphere around him to guess what happened.

‘I am grateful, though.’

Only a handful of people got angry for Park Yu-Min's sake so far.

Objectively speaking, he and Choi Yeon-Ha weren't even that close. Knowing that, how could he not be grateful when she was willing to go so far for him?

“I’m sorry, Miss Yeon-Ha.”

Choi Yeon-Ha tilted her head when Park Yu-Min suddenly apologized. “About what?”

“Well, you know.”

Choi Yeon-Ha chuckled slightly. “I heard from somewhere that friends tend to be alike. As it turns out, you and Mister Jin-Ho do share some similarities, like being unnecessarily obtuse.”

Park Yu-Min tilted his head this time. “Mm? Does that mean you’re similar to Jin-Ho, too?”

“Why are you insulting me?”

“…?”

A sudden bout of awkward silence descended between the two.

Park Yu-Min hurriedly raised his voice. “I, I wasn’t trying to insult you…”

“But it sounded that way to me?” Choi Yeon-Ha gave Park Yu-Min a cool sideways glance before shrugging casually away. “Well, truth be told… I guess some of Mister Jin-Ho has rubbed off on me. How should I explain this… If it was old me, I would have exploded in irritation and flipped the set on its head, but wouldn't have tried to handle this situation this way. After hanging around Mister Jin-Ho, though, it’s like I’ve become a bit too extreme in my approach, too.”

Park Yu-Min nodded slightly. For sure, Kang Jin-Ho had a tendency to overreact a bit sometimes, didn’t he?

‘...No, hang on. Forget overreacting a bit, it’s more like he’s nonsensically over the top in most things, no?’

“Still, I’m kinda relieved Mister Jin-Ho wasn’t here. If he was, things wouldn’t have ended so amiably like this, you know? Because it’s me, everyone’s walked away happy now.”

Everyone was what now? Park Yu-Min could only look at Choi Yeon-Ha weirdly just then. It seemed her definition of an amiable ending differed somewhat from his idea of one.

“I-in any case, thank you for…”

Just before Park Yu-Min could express his gratitude, though…

Rrrrrring~

His phone began ringing. He reflexively pulled it out and took a look at the name of the caller on the screen. But then…

‘Mm?’

Choi Yeon-Ha’s eyes subtly narrowed when she spotted Park Yu-Min responding rather suspiciously. That was because his eyes suddenly grew super large… Only for him to…!

Sneak…

‘Hmmmmm?’

It was only for a millisecond, but Choi Yeon-Ha did not miss Park Yu-Min sneakily glancing in her direction.

But, why? Why was Park Yu-Min worried about her response? Surely, he wouldn’t have done anything to potentially upset her, so why?

‘Maybe…?’

Choi Yeon-Ha’s sixth sense was tingling. And it was no mere tingling, either. She was getting nasty goosebumps from it!

She smiled affably at Park Yu-Min. “You should answer that.”

Park Yu-Min's face became pale white. “N-no, it's fine. I don't have to answer this call, you see…”

“Why? Is it from a debt collector?”

“No, it’s nothing like that. Uh…”

“Hnnnng?”

That was when the call finally cut off. Park Yu-Min, still sweating profusely over his pale face, awkwardly smiled back at Choi Yeon-Ha. “Ahahaha! I, uh, I think it was a… A wrong number! Yes, it must be a wrong num…”

Riiiiiiing!

Riiiiiiiiiing!

“…”

“…”

The corners of Choi Yeon-Ha’s lips curled up suspiciously. “You should answer that. Even if it’s the wrong number.”

Park Yu-Min's brain urgently kicked into a higher gear. However, he soon realized there was no escape. He resigned himself and sheepishly answered the phone. “Hello…? Uh, mm… Yeah, but I'm kinda… Ng, you're back in Korea? Oh… Uh, well, uh, the thing is… Mm…”

Wasn't that a woman's voice?

Choi Yeon-Ha's ears perked even more.

She could definitely hear the voice of a young woman. Although she couldn't hear the contents of this conversation, she still was sure about the other person on the line being a young woman.

In that case… Could she be Park Yu-Min’s girlfriend?

No, that couldn’t be it. Why would he be wary of Choi Yeon-Ha’s mood in that case? Maybe regular men, in their desire to score more brownie points with Choi Yeon-Ha, could have hesitated to answer a call from their girlfriends.

But not Park Yu-Min. As far as Choi Yeon-Ha could tell, he wasn’t the type to do that.

Then… What other possible explanation could there be? What were other possibilities?

Just as Choi Yeon-Ha’s thoughts reached that far…

-Jin-Ho… Ng… I will…

‘...Jin-Ho?’

Choi Yeon-Ha clearly heard that name. And she also caught Park Yu-Min momentarily glancing in her way when that name was brought up.

‘I guess Mister Yu-Min will never become a good actor.’

Of course, even a seasoned actor would fail to fool Choi Yeon-Ha, the goddess of acting. Even if that was the case, Park Yu-Min's behavior still had been way too easy to read.

“...Y-yeah, sure. I'll call you back some other time. I'm in the middle of work, you see? Y-yeah. Ng. Got it. Later.” Park Yu-Min finally ended the call and smiled awkwardly at Choi Yeon-Ha. “Ahaha… T-that was from a friend. She said she's back in Korea.”

Choi Yeon-Ha suspiciously smiled again. “Aha~. A friend, you say?”

“Y-yes. A friend.”

“Aha~. And a female friend, to boot?”

“...Yes, a female friend.”

“I see, I see. A female friend who is acquainted with Mister Jin-Ho, too?”

“...Yes.”

“A female friend who calls you riiiight after entering the country to discuss Mister Jin-Ho?”

“…!”

A powerful earthquake erupted within Park Yu-Min’s eyes.

‘That’s so… scary! Her eyes, they are so scary!’

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Choi Yeon-Ha smiled brightly. “So… Who?”

“Sorry?”

“Who~ was it?”

“…”

Choi Yeon-Ha’s bright grin deepened rather sinisterly.

Park Yu-Min learned something valuable today. And that was… A smiling woman could be one hundred times more terrifying than a scowling one!

“Who. Was. It?”

“…!”

I’m sorry, my friend.

I did all I could.

Sorry.

***

Flinch!

Kang Jin-Ho flinched and stopped typing on the keyboard. Then, he quickly looked around him.

‘What was that?’

It didn’t feel like killing intent, but…

Besides, who would emit killing intent toward him in this place? And that sensation didn’t feel the same as killing intent, to begin with.

In that case, what could it be?

What could explain this chilling, creeping sensation that licked past his spine a moment ago?

‘Am I imagining things?’

For some reason, Kang Jin-Ho felt ominous foreboding washing over him. It felt like a massive category 5 thunderstorm was about to make landfall right in his face…!

Kang Jin-Ho hurriedly shook his head to rid himself of this weird feeling, then focused on the computer screen in front of his eyes instead. Right now, it was the time to learn. So, he should focus on that, instead.

He suddenly raised his hand. “Excuse me, instructor?”

Yang Jin-Chan looked back at Kang Jin-Ho. “...Yes? What is it, sir?”

“I'm having slight trouble with this part. Can you help me?”

Yang Jin-Chan sighed deeply.

‘Why are you doing this, man? Why?’

He sure had plenty of things to say. As a matter of fact, he had so many things to get off his chest that he might need a whole stack of A4 papers to write them all down!

Unfortunately, this young man was someone important enough to enjoy a smoke break with the Chairman.

Even if Jaegyeong wasn't as strict in enforcing vertical relationship dynamics as other corporations, there was simply no freaking way Yang Jin-Chan would raise his voice at the Chairman's personal friend!

Before the Chairman could punish Yang Jin-Chan, the people right below him would pounce on the poor veteran instructor like a pack of angry hyenas, that was for sure!

“Mister Kang Jin-Ho…”

“Yes, instructor.”

“I’m not trying to hold you back on your desire to improve yourself, but… But please remember that we’re starting from the beginning.”

“Of course,” Kang Jin-Ho coolly nodded.

“But lessons on pivot tables are reserved for the fifth week of learning.”

“Yes, I get that. However…!” Kang Jin-Ho replied, still unfazed. “I've already finished reviewing what you taught us multiple times. So I thought I shouldn't be wasting my free time doing nothing.”

“…”

“Chairman Hwang also encouraged us to keep improving ourselves, so…”

Yang Jin-Chan panicked slightly. “Y-yes, he did! So, I'll teach you. Of course I will! What part is troubling you, Mister Kang?”

Kang Jin-Ho pointed to the computer monitor in front of him. “Over here. This table doesn't want to accept this formula.”

Yang Jin-Chan saw what Kang Jin-Ho was pointing at, then sneakily wiped away tears from the corners of his eyes.

‘Why! Why are you doing this to me!’

Today was only the first day, so why was Kang Jin-Ho trying to learn stuff reserved for the fifth week?! When no one else was doing that?!

‘Why! When you didn’t even know how to enter anything in the computer earlier in the day?!’

While thinking that this youngster could potentially cause some serious issues during the newbie training program, Yang Jin-Chan began explaining what was what to Kang Jin-Ho.