Descent of the Demon Master

That voice...! What a scarily composed voice that was!

It was completely flat and monotone. Neither too fast nor agonizingly slow.

Hearing that voice without context might make people mistakenly think that it was plain and unremarkable. However, that voice still echoed eerily within this dark and damp space, and that created an uncomfortable sense of disharmony in Liu Wei's mind.

Liu Wei stopped curling up and slowly stood up like a hypnotized man.

Maybe he could've tried some form of resistance, no matter how insignificant it might be. Such as... holding his breath and pretending he wasn't here. Or finding another escape route. Things like that.

However, Liu Wei's instincts were busy shouting at him. That all forms of resistance were futile.

If the individual beyond the door was the man Liu Wei was thinking of... It would be meaningless to resist!

Liu Wei desperately suppressed his trembling, staggering knees and headed to the door. He grabbed the doorknob but still flinched and trembled several times. However, he still forced himself to open this door.

When the door finally opened wide, though, a sense of relief suddenly washed over Liu Wei. He realized that maybe this was for the better. Now he didn't need to tremble alone in darkness. At the very least, he'd be liberated from the terror of not knowing when this scary Korean man would show up! After all, a man who was already here wouldn't show up again later, no?!

Of course, he'd have to contend with a new fear from now on instead. The fear of confronting this Korean bastard face to face!

Liu Wei cautiously raised his head. However, he still dared not meet his guest's gaze. The best he could do was fix his gaze near Kang Jin-Ho's jaw and shrink himself as much as possible.

Kang Jin-Ho muttered quietly. “It seems you are bad at listening to orders...”

“...P-please, sir! Please spare me!”

“...”

“I, I was wrong! I made a terrible mistake! P-please, I beg of you, don't kill me...”

“Come on. Get dressed.”

“...Sorry?” Liu Wei raised his head in confusion.

That was when he finally got a better look at Kang Jin-Ho's face. And Liu Wei immediately realized something.

This man, he... He was different. Liu Wei couldn't accurately pinpoint why or how, but this man was not the same person as back then. That Kang Jin-Ho and this Kang Jin-Ho might as well be two different people!

This young man was as ordinary as a human could get. Someone commonly found in the streets everywhere! Sure, his looks were above average, but he still existed within the boundaries of a 'human being'.

Unfortunately, this realization failed to put Liu Wei's mind at ease. How could he feel at ease when he knew how creepy and scary it was for a person to freely switch between human and something else! In fact, Liu Wei's nausea only worsened at this realization.

Kang Jin-Ho tutted. “You need to get back to your film set. So, get dressed.”

“...?” Liu Wei was plunged into even deeper confusion. Film set? Did this scary man really say... Film set?

“I told you this before, didn't I?” Kang Jin-Ho suddenly reached out and grabbed Liu Wei's face.

There wasn't much strength in his grip. All he did was grab Liu Wei, but that was enough for the poor actor to spasm and quiver pitifully as if his face was being burned by a scalding-hot iron!

“I told you I'd come for you when your time was up. I showed you what would happen to you back then, didn't I?”

“Heuh-euh...!”

Sweat began flooding out of Liu Wei's entire body. How could he forget? How! How could he not remember those moments he wished were nothing more than byproducts of his nightmares!

Yes, he knew they had to be a part of an illusion. An illusion where his body was slowly and meticulously... being dissected apart! Even though it was an illusion, the pain he felt back then had been so vivid and real!

If Liu Wei was found even a second later inside that elevator... He would have died from shock. Yes, if people hadn't woken him up from that illusion...!

However, Liu Wei knew the truth. What he experienced back then was merely an illusion, but the man before his eyes possessed the necessary power to bring that horrifying fantasy into reality!

Knowing that, how could he not be scared?!

Kang Jin-Ho quietly whispered, “I told you to think about why you're still alive, didn't I? I spared you simply because... You're still useful. But the current you don’t have much use for me.”

“Euh...! Euh... euh...!”

“Now, speak. With your own mouth. Tell me what you need to do to survive.”

There was no need to even think about it. Liu Wei's brain was spinning at the fastest speed it's ever spun since his birth, after all! “I, I need to be useful to you!”

“So, you know,” Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded. “Keep going. How can you be useful to me?”

“I, I...!” Liu Wei hesitated, his irises powerfully quaking.

What was he good for? No, maybe that line of questioning was wrong? Which of the things Liu Wei could do would satisfy this scary man? What could make him think Liu Wei was still useful?

His revitalized brain didn't take long to find the correct answer.

“A-acting!” Liu Wei cried out. “I, I'm an actor!”

“So you know,” Kang Jin-Ho smirked while letting Liu Wei's face go.

Liu Wei thanked the heavens for the simple fact that... He was an actor. And also that there was still some filming left to do!

“From here on out, you better prove your usefulness to me or else.”

Liu Wei animatedly nodded, his mouth clamped shut. He could easily guess what was in store for him if this scary man decided he was no longer useful. The powerful desire to keep living ruled over every fiber of his being.

“Let's go,” said Kang Jin-Ho, then turned around to take the lead.

Liu Wei tried to follow like a hypnotized man, but his dazed eyes saw Kang Jin-Ho suddenly stop. And that made him gasp in shock again. “Ah...!”

Kang Jin-Ho didn't even bother to turn around while issuing his warning. “I'm saying this just in case. You better think twice before going into hiding like this. It's annoying. If you die, filming will run into some difficulty, but... If it's the setting of a main character losing his legs through an accident, don't you think it can be covered by script revisions?”

Liu Wei couldn't reply. In fact, he couldn't say anything. Not a single word wanted to come out of his mouth!

***

“Now that's what I'm talking about...” said Zhang Xiang.

“Yes, I agree,” said the assistant director.

Zhang Xiang rubbed his chin while peering deep into the director's monitor.

Choi Yeon-Ha was a great actor. Zhang Xiang was more than happy to admit that. It didn't matter how beautiful Choi Yeon-Ha was, Zhang Xiang would've never cast her in the role if her acting chops weren't up to snuff. What he focused the most on during casting calls for the female lead was how good each candidate's acting was, after all!

Since the male lead's acting ability was as good as non-existent, Zhang Xiang figured he at least needed a top-tier female acting talent to cover that part up.

Sometimes, when two actors boasting vastly differing acting abilities were captured together on screen, the terrible acting could become even more noticeable than before. However, Zhang Xiang should be able to mask that to some degree through his excellent directing ability!

So far, Choi Yeon-Ha managed to completely satisfy Zhang Xiang's expectations. However, there was one crucial thing missing from her performance.

Finding someone who sucked at acting among those who made a living from it was as tough as finding a needle in a haystack. Especially the actors qualified enough to star in a TV show of this scale—putting on a convincing performance in front of a camera was a given.

Only after adding extra spices like good looks or some other X-factor to the mix could an actor become a true 'star'. Unfortunately for someone hoping to become a superstar, their acting chops alone wouldn't be enough to get there. No, they also needed to have that inexplicable magnetic charm that sucked the viewers in.

Until now, Choi Yeon-Ha was merely a good actress. However, in this moment, at least... The 'Choi Yeon-Ha' captured through the camera lens had transformed into an actor of a higher caliber.

The assistant director peered closely at the monitor. “You can feel her genuine heartache on screen.”

“Hmm...” Zhang Xiang contemplatively nodded.

With her expression alone, Choi Yeon-Ha was rousing the emotion of sorrow from the viewers. Such was the depth of her performance that Zhang Xiang even failed to notice how beautiful Choi Yeon-Ha was on screen.

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“...Maybe because Liu Wei isn't around?”

“I want to say that can't be it, but... I think you might be onto something, director.”

Zhang Xiang chuckled at his own joke.

Choi Yeon-Ha obviously despised Liu Wei. Unfortunately, this story called for her character to fall in love with Liu Wei's. That estrangement made it impossible for her to give her 100% to the role.

Of course, Choi Yeon-Ha was a pro. She knew how to put on a flawless performance of a woman in love once the camera started rolling. However, a flawless performance of love would be not too dissimilar to a mass-produced consumable pumped out in some nondescript factory somewhere.

Put someone other than Liu Wei in front of her, and her professionalism would still shine through regardless. Meanwhile, no one would feel awkward or leery. On the flip side, that implied the uniqueness of her performance due to her costar being Liu Wei would be lost instead.

But now... Choi Yeon-Ha's performance has transcended past the realm of 'mass-produced'. It was as if she really was in love. Liu Wei's absence could have helped her feel more at ease on set, but such a thing shouldn't be enough to produce such a sterling performance.

“Maybe she's fallen in love,” Zhang Xiang muttered quietly.

“Sorry?”

“Okay! That's it! Cut! Nice work!” Zhang Xiang ignored the assistant director's confused question and sent a thumbs-up sign to his actors.

Choi Yeon-Ha casually shrugged her shoulders. “Thank you. That was a good take.”

“You did great, Miss Choi! Truly exceptional work! Perfection, that's what it is!” Zhang Xiang stood up and began sending an enthusiastic round of applause at Choi Yeon-Ha. That prompted others to follow suit and started a chorus of applause.

Choi Yeon-Ha looked around in a bit of a fluster.

“Miss Choi, that really was perfection. Damn it! If only everyone is like you, I'd never have to worry about film shoots ever again!”

“But I haven't done anything differently, though. Please don't put me on a spot like this, director.”

“What do you mean, you haven't done anything differently? You gotta check the footage for yourself later. You'll see how incredible it really is.”

“Really?” A radiant smile of happiness bloomed on Choi Yeon-Ha's face. After all, the highest praise an actor could receive was how good their performance was.

“Now that this scene is wrapped up, we're almost done with most of the solo scenes...” Zhang Xiang furrowed deeply while glancing at his assistant director. “Have we found that bastard, Liu Wei, yet?”

“...No, not yet.”

“What? Dammit...!” Zhang Xiang's frown deepened.

They had completed most of Choi Yeon-Ha's solo scenes. But their lead male actor was still missing in action. In that case, what were they supposed to do here? Zhang Xiang was about to yell out his frustration, but Choi Yeon-Ha raised her hand to draw his attention first.

“Please wait, director.”

“Mm?”

Choi Yeon-Ha glanced at her manager next. “Any reply from him, Eun-Sol?”

“I got a message from him just now. He's on his way with the cargo, apparently.”

“Ng, got it,” Choi Yeon-Ha nodded, then confidently smiled at Zhang Xiang. “Director. I got confirmation that Liu Wei has been found, and he's being dragged here as we speak.”

“Say what?” Zhang Xiang blinked his eyes in flabbergast. What on Earth was Choi Yeon-Ha even saying here? Not even Liu Wei's talent agency could find him, so who found that bastard? “Who, uh... found him?”

“Well, let's say he's a Superman that I know,” said Choi Yeon-Ha with a content smile.

Zhang Xiang couldn't decipher whether Choi Yeon-Ha was being serious or cracking jokes with him. Before he could scowl and express his frustration at her...

“Oh? They are here already,” said Choi Yeon-Ha while pointing somewhere behind Zhang Xiang.

The director quickly turned his head around to look and spotted a dust-covered white van entering the film location.

Liu Wei was supposed to be in that thing? But... Why would that punk be riding in Choi Yeon-Ha's transport?

The object of everyone's intense curiosity, the white van, eventually came to a stop.

Shortly afterward, the van's side door slid open, and a man with a familiar face slowly climbed outside.

“...It's Liu Wei!”

“What the hell! You bastard! Just where have you been until... now... Eh?”

Several people were about to shout at Liu Wei but promptly shut their mouths instead.

Liu Wei's state was wretched. Utterly disheveled. So much so that some of the crew members briefly wondered if shutting someone inside a coffin for a few days without food could produce such a haunted, gaunt face.

Besides, Liu Wei's current expression wasn't his usual haughty, stuck-up one. His confidence seemed to have evaporated somewhere as only fear remained in his eyes busy glancing behind him.

That was when the driver's side door opened to reveal a man wearing a face mask and a pair of sunglasses. He glanced in Liu Wei's direction. “Hey. Look alive.”

That one order from him was enough to bring a bright smile on Liu Wei's face. And that bizarre spectacle was more than enough to focus everyone's attention on the man exiting the driver's seat.

Unfortunately, no one here could answer their question.