Descent of the Demon Master

The director deeply scowled and glared at Kang Jin-Ho.

A director as an existence had to be... special. Although this story might not necessarily apply to your average, run-of-the-mill directors, those who wish to become the best of the bunch must never miss or overlook even the most insignificant happenings within his film set. The process of making a film was like a living, breathing organism that would start shining brightly only when everyone involved performed their roles to the absolute highest standards.

In other words, even a single little insignificant factor could negatively affect the filming!

As such, a competent director had to look beyond the monitors. He must always stay on top of who was moving where within his film set. And he must always keep an eye out on the overall flow of what was happening.

The director of this TV production, Zhang Xiang, didn't consider himself one of the greatest, but becoming one was his life's ambition. That was why he already knew.

For someone going so far to cover up his identity, though... He was someone unfamiliar to Zhang Xiang. Even without a mask, no one would've recognized him in this place, so why even bother?

What surprised the director was something else, though.

To say this brat was a local, his enunciation sounded vaguely off. It'd be similar to... listening to a heavily accented local dialect. However, if the director had only been listening casually, this brat's Chinese was good enough to pass off as a local resident.

That sounded plausible. Even if Choi Yeon-Ha's Chinese was good enough to allow her to converse, it'd still be wiser to rely on a professional interpreter than rely on her meager language skills in a film set ripe with lots of technical jargons flying around. However, didn't that mean...

What did he say just now? To have a chat? He and Zhang Xiang needed to have a bloody chat?!

Zhang Xiang's face reddened instantly. He'd have blown his lid off in rage even if Liu Wei said that to him, but a mere interpreter dared to be so cheeky?! The reason why he still hadn't thrown the script clutched in his hand to the ground and shot up to his feet wasn't because of his superhuman level of patience.

No, he simply couldn't decide how to respond to this flabbergast-inducing situation, that was all! This situation was like... A homeowner would instinctively know how to react when a baseball smashed one of his windows, but a cannon shell crashing through one of the walls would plunge him into a pit of panic instead! Yes, that was what this situation was!

If there was a huge chasm of status between them, merely replying would raise the other party's standing. On the other hand, Zhang Xiang's own status might fall precipitously.

Imagine the sight of a lion baring its fangs and genuinely threatening a stray mutt. Would the eyewitnesses shudder at the majesty of the lion? Or laugh at its pettiness for growling at an opponent that didn't even match its status? Most people would obviously fall into the latter category.

That was why Zhang Xiang instantly realized he couldn't lose his temper here. Doing so would be him playing right into this interpreter's schemes. It'd only fuel the circulation of ugly gossip of him losing his cool to a childish provocation.

After quickly analyzing the situation, Zhang Xiang hurriedly scanned the surroundings. He was looking for someone to deal with this brat, and...

That was when he noticed Hang Eun-Sol urgently rushing toward the so-called 'interpreter', Kang Jin-Ho.

Zhang Xiang breathed a sigh of relief after discovering someone willing to resolve this somewhat delicate situation. He couldn't even tell whether he was angry or bemused by what happened here. The absurdity of this situation almost made him laugh out loud, but boiling blood was also rapidly racing up to his head at the same time!

“Get rid of this fool already!” Zhang Xiang angrily shouted at Han Eun-Sol.

The awkward-faced Han Eun-Sol nodded before grabbing Kang Jin-Ho's arm. “Mister Jin-Ho...! Why don't we move over there and...”

Unfortunately for him, though... Kang Jin-Ho didn't budge an inch.

Initially, Han Eun-Sol's tugging effort was mild. However, he strengthened his effort after realizing that Kang Jin-Ho wasn't going anywhere. Even then, Kang Jin-Ho seemed to have morphed into a human-shaped boulder and remained firmly planted to the spot!

“Hold on,” Kang Jin-Ho spoke in a flat, composed voice while raising his hand to stop Han Eun-Sol.

That gesture forced Han Eun-Sol to release Kang Jin-Ho and step back.

Han Eun-Sol instinctively understood that stopping Kang Jin-Ho at this point was impossible. That simple hand-waving gesture was enough to tell him that.

Now feeling lost and panicky, Han Eun-Sol turned his head and stared at Choi Yeon-Ha next. However, other than making a troubled grimace, Choi Yeon-Ha didn't seem willing to talk Kang Jin-Ho out of whatever he was thinking of doing!

Kang Jin-Ho shifted his attention away from Han Eun-Sol and back to the director. “All I need is a little bit of your time.”

“...”

Zhang Xiang blinked his eyes in astonishment while staring at Kang Jin-Ho.

Why did the Korean manager trying to dissuade this interpreter suddenly stop? Maybe this brat wasn't really an interpreter but a big shot from the Korean talent agency? But that couldn't be right, considering his young age...?

In any case, it became clear to Zhang Xiang that no one would stop this man, Mister Jin-Ho, now. So, he was about to raise his voice to summon the security or his assistants to drag this brat out of here, but then...

“Just a little bit of your time.” Kang Jin-Ho muttered in a weighty voice.

For a brief second there, Zhang Xiang trembled slightly.

Zhang Xiang shut his mouth and peered intensely at Kang Jin-Ho as if he had discovered something. That summoned a bizarre silence to descend on the film set. The crew members with no knowledge of who Kang Jin-Ho was tensed up while wondering what that Zhang Xiang, infamous for his rotten personality, would do next. As for Han Eun-Sol, all he could do was ardently pray that the director's anger would remain at a still-manageable level.

However, what Zhang Xiang said next grandly missed everyone's expectations.

“...Do you really need only a little bit of time?”

Kang Jin-Ho coolly nodded. “Yes.”

“I see. Then... Right here or somewhere else?”

“Somewhere else. How about over there?”

“Very well. Let's go.”

To everyone's shock, Zhang Xiang was obediently listening to Kang Jin-Ho!

Han Eun-Sol's shock was so great that his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Although Liu Wei was responsible for irritating Choi Yeon-Ha and Co. during filming, the true culprit responsible for tormenting every single person here was none other than Zhang Xiang the Esteemed Director... No, Zhang Xiang the Bastard!

As he was a unique amalgamation of a perfectionist ideal and a fiery temper, Zhang Xiang would often throw the entire film set into utter chaos through his whims alone. That was why Han Eun-Sol figured the Chinese director would have another temper tantrum, but...!

Kang Jin-Ho took the lead, and Zhang Xiang obediently followed after him!? When the two men went far enough away to be out of earshot, Han Eun-Sol hurriedly clamped his dazed slack jaw and rushed toward Choi Yeon-Ha. "Noona!"

“Yeah?” Choi Yeon-Ha glanced at her manager.

“...Are you alright?”

Seeing how he still prioritized his talent's well-being even in this situation, Han Eun-Sol fully deserved the moniker of the True Manager.

“Me? Well...” Choi Yeon-Ha casually shrugged her shoulders. “I've filmed underwater scenes during Winter, you know. This much is nothing to me.”

“Still! Your condition hasn't been good lately, right?”

“I'm telling you, I'm feeling fine today,” said Choi Yeon-Ha while dismissively waving her hand.

Han Eun-Sol also couldn't continue focusing on Choi Yeon-Ha's physical state anymore. Even as he asked her, his gaze had already shifted toward the corner of a building where Kang Jin-Ho and Zhang Xiang had disappeared to. “Noona... What could they be discussing right now?”

“How should I know?” Choi Yeon-Ha groaned loudly.

“Besides all that! What's gotten into that director, anyway? Why did he obediently follow Mister Jin-Ho like that? I can't wrap my head around this, noona.”

“You know, for the first time in a long while... I totally agree with you,” Choi Yeon-Ha groaned again while frowning in worry.

“I hope Mister Jin-Ho's not gonna cause a problem…” Han Eun-Sol muttered while grimacing.

“Your worries are misplaced, Eun-Sol. Of course he'll cause a problem.”

“...Eh? Noona, I think you made a mistake with your statement just now. You meant Mister Jin-Ho is not the type to cause problems, right?”

“Nope. He's definitely the type.”

“...!” Han Eun-Sol sucked in a deep breath as cold sweat began breaking out on his forehead. “But, but...! Mister Jin-Ho doesn't look that thoughtless to me, though? Isn't he, like, super-serious and stuff?”

Choi Yeon-Ha chuckled hollowly. “I used to think that way once upon a time, too.”

“He's not?”

“The world's most irredeemable is around the corner of that building, Eun-Sol. Can you tell who I'm talking about?”

“...You are joking, right? Please tell me you're joking, noona.”

“Nope. I wish I was joking.”

Han Eun-Sol alternated his dismayed gaze between Choi Yeon-Ha and the corner of the building in the distance.

As far as Han Eun-Sol could tell, Kang Jin-Ho didn't seem like the type to go around causing incidents, so why...

Before Han Eun-Sol could finish that train of thought, Choi Yeon-Ha muttered quietly while making a concerned face. “I hope he doesn't resort to violence...”

“I'm sorry?”

“Well, you know. We might still have a chance at salvaging things if Mister Jin-Ho can keep it civil, but there's nothing we can do if he beats up the director. That's why I'm hoping he can control himself.”

“B-beat up the director?! Mister Jin-Ho will?! Seriously?”

“I'll be relieved if it's only beating, you know?” Choi Yeon-Ha cocked an eyebrow at Han Eun-Sol, wondering just how on God's green Earth her manager had been viewing Kang Jin-Ho until now.

“But, but...? I thought he's a shockingly reasonable man...?”

“Reasonable, my foot. Mister Jin-Ho's probably one of the most irredeemable cases in the whole of South Korea, Eun-Sol.”

“If that's true, shouldn't we try to stop him?!” Han Eun-Sol asked in a slightly panicky voice. It wasn't as if he agreed with what Choi Yeon-Ha had said, but... If there was even a sliver of a chance of violence, wouldn't the right thing be for them to rush over there and talk Kang Jin-Ho out of committing a crime?

Choi Yeon-Ha noticed Han Eun-Sol's desperate expression, but the best she could do in this situation was casually shrug her shoulders. “Sorry. I can't stop him.”

“Huh?!”

“Once that guy gets pissed off, no one can stop him. Not even me.”

“B-but, that can't be? Don't you always phone Mister Jin-Ho and yell at him? Like, all the time?”

“You dummy! A woman only yells at her man after making sure he'll humor her tantrums without losing his temper! Have you ever seen me raise my voice during my early days with Mister Jin-Ho?”

“...No, I haven't.” Han Eun-Sol shook his head. Back then, he thought Choi Yeon-Ha was as crafty as a fox!

“I can whine and get angry at him because Mister Jin-Ho doesn't mind humoring me. That's all! If I get in his face when he's so pissed off like that? I'm only gonna lose points in his book. I can't afford that.”

“Eh? Noona! This whole production is about to go down like a sinking ship, so what are you even saying...!”

“Are you an idiot?”

“Between the show and Mister Jin-Ho, which one do you think is more important to me?”

“Holy cow, noona! Even if it's coming from you, that's totally wrong, don't you think?!”

Choi Yeon-Ha tutted loudly. “Nonsense! A production like this can always recover. However, I can never rescue this relationship if I get on that guy's bad books! This is my life we're talking about!”

“What? This production is just as important, noona!”

“Don't be ridiculous. I'll still find work as an actor even if this whole thing crashes and burns.”

“...Right back at you. Even if you break up with Mister Jin-Ho, I know you can find other men.”

“And that's exactly why you'll always be a solo player, Eun-Sol.”

“And that's not something a thirty-year veteran of solo play should be saying.”

Choi Yeon-Ha got ready to kick Han Eun-Sol just then. “Say what now?!”

Before the assault could begin, though, Han Eun-Sol sensed everyone's attention was suddenly shifting away, so he followed suit by turning his head to look. That was when he discovered two men emerging from around the corner of the distant building.

Not only that, but they were heading to their original positions as if their discussion had ended already!

Han Eun-Sol narrowed his eyes and carefully studied the director, Zhang Xiang's complexion. It wasn't only him, though. Every crew member was holding their breath, utterly focused on figuring out what the director's mood was like!

Zhang Xiang returned to the director's chair, then loudly called out. “Hey, Assistant Director!”

“Yes, sir!” The deeply tense assistant director responded quickly and rushed toward Zhang Xiang's position.

Zhang Xiang stared in silence at the assistant director's face before yelling in a loud voice, “All the B-cuts we shot today! Bring them to me!”

“Sorry?”

“I said, bring me all the B-cuts! You haven't disposed of them yet, have you?”

“Ah, no, sir! We haven't gotten rid of them yet! I'll fetch them right now!”

The atmosphere in the film set rapidly became weird. Han Eun-Sol dazedly stared at Kang Jin-Ho, who had already returned to his original spot and was in the middle of putting on the mask and sunglasses.

No matter how much he thought about this situation, Han Eun-Sol wasn't smart enough to figure out what happened. However, Kang Jin-Ho didn't seem to care either way as he casually sat down on an empty chair, put his baseball cap back on, then relaxedly crossed his legs.

Han Eun-Sol's head filled up with even more questions.