Descent of the Demon Master-Chapter 1094. Dispatched (4)

“Hey, Yu-Min. You must be busy right now, so what’s up?”

Kang Jin-Ho answered the phone while reclining against the driver’s seat.

—Hey, Jin-Ho. How are you?

“It’s okay,” Kang Jin-Ho replied as a puzzled expression subtly formed on his face.

Did something happen? The person on the phone was definitely Park Yu-Min. But he should be incredibly busy at the moment if Kang Jin-Ho’s memories served him right.

Although people who could deftly balance their inhumanly busy work schedule and private lives filled with personal relationships certainly existed, Park Yu-Min wasn't one of them.

He'd often forget about everything else while focusing on one thing. But he still called Kang Jin-Ho out of the blue like this. It indicated a matter of grave importance must've happened.

“Did something happen, Yu-Min?”

—No, well, it’s, uh, mm, not like that...

‘Yup, something did happen.’

The subtle stiffness in Park Yu-Min’s voice only reinforced Kang Jin-Ho’s ominous premonition.

Kang Jin-Ho grinned awkwardly.

‘Wait, isn’t this a bit weird?’

Didn't people constantly nag Kang Jin-Ho for being utterly hopeless in reading the room? So, for him to instantly guess the situation based on nothing more than Park Yu-Min's voice?!

The more he thought about it, the more bizarre it seemed.

—Hey, man. Can we meet up sometime? If you're free, that is.

“You want to hang out?” Kang Jin-Ho quietly muttered, his brows furrowing.

‘But, I don’t have the time...’

If he was being brutally honest, Kang Jin-Ho was also busy right now. He just found the direction for his training. And Lee Hyeon-Su was scheduled to leave for the Round Table tomorrow. Dealing with his workload today had been easy enough, but that story should change drastically tomorrow.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say Kang Jin-Ho didn’t even have enough time for himself, but...

“Got it. Let’s do that. But when it’s most convenient for you. I’ll move my schedule around it.”

...He still replied as if he wasn’t busy at all.

Kang Jin-Ho would’ve flatly rejected other people asking for a meeting, but not when it was Park Yu-Min. After all, he was as close as family to Kang Jin-Ho.

He must never get his priorities mixed up.

The reason for his pursuit of ever-greater strength was to protect his family and friends. What would be the point of it all if he had to distance himself from everyone to become stronger? Why train in the first place, then?

—How about tomorrow evening? It’s a bit too late today, after all.

“Sure, I don’t mind. But aren’t you busy right now? Will it be okay?”

—Yeah. I just need some fresh air. I can’t concentrate lately, you see?

“If you say so.”

Kang Jin-Ho didn’t need to say anything else. Park Yu-Min was a pro, after all.

He wasn't some greenhorn but a veteran in this profession. He should know better than anyone the importance of maintaining his peak condition and must be adjusting his schedule accordingly.

Persistently asking about this situation would no longer be a sign of friendly concern but crossing the line into the territory of disrespect and mistrust.

“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow evening, then.”

—Oh, and also...

“Mm?”

Park Yu-Min’s voice sounded a little more harried just then.

—Another friend might join us, you see...?

“Who? Is it Yeong-Gi?”

—Oh, wait. There is Yeong-Gi, too.

Kang Jin-Ho frowned slightly. “You weren’t talking about Yeong-Gi? Who is it, then?”

—Oh, uh...

Park Yu-Min sounded hesitant and unwilling. But Kang Jin-Ho didn’t urge his friend on and patiently waited.

-Well, it’s... Se-Yeon. She wants to hang out with us...

“Huh?”

Se-Yeon? As in Han Se-Yeon?

“Why?”

—Well, does she have to have a reason? It's just a bunch of friends getting together, anyway.

Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brow. Not because the word "friends" riled him up, but... It sounded so foreign to him for some reason.

‘We are friends?’

Kang Jin-Ho and Han Se-Yeon were? Or was Han Se-Yeon friends with Park Yu-Min?

For Kang Jin-Ho, he couldn’t figure it out.

“I don’t mind it. But are you sure about this?”

—Yeah, kinda... As I said, I need some fresh air to clear up my head.

“Hmm...” Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded. “Got it. See you tomorrow.”

—Where will we meet, though?

“How about we improve Yeong-Gi's bottom line for this month?"

—Okay, sounds good. See you tomorrow.

Kang Jin-Ho ended the call and grabbed the steering wheel while grinning away.

‘Now, let’s see...’

He tentatively depressed the accelerator. Although the sensation felt a little odd, it wasn't bad enough to prevent him from driving. Since that was the case, he could just stop driving if something didn't feel right.

Rumble, vroom...

Kang Jin-Ho drove Zoom Zoom out of the Assembly’s front gate, then nodded slightly.

‘No problem so far...’

He couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

Other people might laugh in dismay at Kang Jin-Ho’s current state. It made no sense for an expert of his level to be worried about driving after training a little too arduously, after all!

However, what could he do about it when that was the reality of the situation?

‘If I flip that sentiment around, it means I’ve never trained to the point of my legs quivering from over-exertion since I got my driver’s license.’

Not only that, but even before getting the license, too!

What a laughable development this was.

Even though Kang Jin-Ho demanded the Demon Flames and others to push themselves beyond the limit through various torturous training, he never once heeded his own advice.

Of course, that didn't mean he never trained. It was just that he believed physical training was meaningless to him. And his thoughts had been more or less correct. Until recently, that was.

After all, regaining his old combat instincts, and improving his cultivation level, should be enough to make him strong again. So why bother with physical training?

‘However, it’s all nothing but an excuse.’

A self-deprecating smirk formed on his face.

It was fine, though. He discovered it before things got out of hand, after all.

Everyone made mistakes. The important part was whether one could fix the mistake or not, and by how much.

‘Right. It’s not too late. That’s why I...’

Kang Jin-Ho's thoughts were interrupted by his phone's loud ringing. He confirmed Choi Yeon-Ha's name on the screen, then answered the call with a warm smile.

“Hello, this is Kang Jin-Ho speaking.”

—Hi, how are you? And what are you up to?

“I’m fine, thank you. Actually, I’m on my way home from work.”

—Really? You’re being so suspicious lately, though. You haven’t even sent me a single DM since yesterday.

“Oh...” Kang Jin-Ho sheepishly scratched his head.

It seemed he was the one, not Park Yu-Min, who forgets about everything else while focusing on one thing considering Choi Yeon-Ha's existence had been completely forgotten in his mind for the last couple of days.

“I had a few things to sort out on my end, you see.”

—Is this a bad time? I can always call you later, you know?

“Ah, no. It’s fine. I’ve already dealt with my issues.”

—That's a relief. Having said that! I’m kinda bummed out that you’re worrying about stuff and dealing with them all by yourself without keeping me in the loop.

Kang Jin-Ho smiled wryly at that.

Unfortunately, his problem was not something he could discuss with others. Not even Vator was qualified to hear his cultivation-related concerns. Because he must walk this path of cultivation alone.

“Ah, you see, the thing is...”

—It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. You’d have called me if you wanted my input, anyway.

Choi Yeon-Ha wasn’t technically wrong. That was that, but...

—Besides all that! Are you free tomorrow? Because I don’t have anything scheduled for tomorrow.

“Tomorrow, you say?”

-Yup.

“Mm... That might be tricky.”

—Why? Are you busy tomorrow?

“No, rather than busy, I’ve already promised my friends that I’d hang out with them tomorrow. It’s been a while, you see?”

—Oh? With Mister Yu-Min and Mister Yeong-Gi?

“Yes, with Yu-Min... I guess Yeong-Gi will be there, too. We're supposed to meet in his pizzeria, after all.”

—Aaaah, I see, I see. I guess it can’t be helped, then.

“Thank you for your understanding. I promise we'll hang out next time.”

—Okay, got it. Imma hold you to your word, though!

“Understood.”

—Then, I’ll call you again later.

“Bye.”

Kang Jin-Ho ended the call, then smiled softly.

Feeling a bit more confident now, Kang Jin-Ho depressed the accelerator a little harder.

***

“...”

Choi Yeon-Ha wordlessly stared at the phone’s screen before reclining against the back of her chair.

“Hmmmm...?”

Her brow subtly furrowed, too.

Her wardrobe coordinator and stylist, who had been keeping their distance and observing this situation with some nervousness, flinched nastily and backed even further away.

“Don’t you think unnie seems unhappy about something?”

“She was on the phone with someone just now, right? Who could it be?”

“How should I know? You know how cranky she gets when people hover around her during phone calls. I want to be at least fifty meters away from her whenever she’s on the phone.”

“Really? Still, can a single phone call sink a person's mood like... Oh.” The coordinator sneakily raised her head before hurriedly shrinking back again.

‘Yup, Yeon-Ha unnie is in a foul mood.’

‘You think so, too?’

‘Shush! Keep it down! When she’s like that, merely locking eyes with her will cause her to enter Rage mode!’

There was no special trick to surviving the natural calamity called Choi Yeon-Ha. One only needed to notice when she was in a foul mood.

Of course, even the top stars infamous for their crappy personality were still cute little kittens compared to Choi Yeon-Ha in a good mood, but that was still waaay better than her in this sort of bad mood.

She switched her job to the Witch when pissed off, after all!

“Miss Yeon-Ha! Are you ready to start filming?”

That was when an oblivious production crew member began approaching Choi Yeon-Ha.

The coordinator and the stylist covered their mouths in shock and urgently and viscerally waved their hands to get the crew member’s attention, but it was all for naught. Their desperate gestures went unnoticed in the end.

“Miss Yeon-Ha, please head to the filming location now,” said the crew member.

Choi Yeon-Ha's head remained unmoving, but her eyes subtly shifted toward the crew member. Then, she quietly addressed him. “For now...”

The coldness in her voice prompted the crew member to clamp his mouth shut.

“...I’d like to postpone the filming.”

The staff member’s jaw fell. “I’m sorry? But, Miss Yeon-Ha, the director was...”

“I said, I, would, like to, postpone it!”

“...!”

Choi Yeon-Ha’s eyes moved away from the crew member and stared at her front. However, she glanced at the crew member again after a few seconds. “Excuse me?”

“Y-yes, Miss Yeon-Ha?”

“Didn’t you hear me?”

“...! N-no, miss! I’ll convey the message right away!”

The crew member hurriedly backed away as if he had been burned nastily just now. With a flushed-red face, he rushed to who knows where.

The coordinator gently placed her hands on her chest at this scene. “Oh, my, gosh! Don’t you think our unnie has mellowed out a lot lately?”

The stylist coolly nodded. “Yup. She’s positively an angel now. An angel! If this happened in the past, that crew member would’ve been washing the hot coffee off his face by now.”

“Maybe she converted to Christianity? Goodness me, is it possible for a person to become so kind almost overnight?”

Other people might call this duo insane for the contents of their conversation alone. However, they were not lying here. They hadn't uttered a single falsehood during their exchange!

In the past, anyone foolishly approaching Choi Yeon-Ha in a foul mood would've led to the eruption of chaos on the film set. Far too many film shoots got ruined because of that.

That shouldn’t come as a surprise when considering Choi Yeon-Ha was the only person to be called the Witch in an industry famed for actresses and their overbearing haughty attitudes.

Strangers might start insulting Choi Yeon-Ha for being rude and inconsiderate toward others, but those in the know would probably rush in with cameras to record for posterity how much mellower she had become lately.

Of course, that didn’t mean the current situation was any better, though!

The stylist cautiously asked, “Wasn’t the production in a major hurry to wrap up the shoot?”

The coordinator nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”

“They were hoping to wrap everything up by today, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then, what’s gonna happen now? You think the director will personally show up here?”

“Of course not. Have you ever seen a director come up to talk to unnie until now?”

“Nope.”

“That’s right. This director also ain’t gonna show up. That’s the only way to avoid getting embarrassed, after all.”

“Then... What do you think will happen now?”

The coordinator chuckled slightly. “Isn’t it obvious? Oh, hey. There he is.”

The stylist turned her head to look. Sure enough, she could see Han Eun-Sol urgently rushing toward the moody Choi Yeon-Ha.

“Oh. Poor guy. I feel sorry for him.”

“Nah, don’t be. He’s gone off the deep end, too.”

“Eh?”

Han Eun-Sol reached Choi Yeon-Ha and stood before her with a deeply cramped expression. “Noona! What's the matter this time? What's going on?”

The stylist’s jaw fell when she heard Han Eun-Sol. “Heol...?”

“See? I told you,” said the coordinator triumphantly. “Eun-Sol's gone insane, too. Acting like that in the past would’ve equaled the sharp end of unnie's high heel stabbing into his forehead, but now?”

“Holy cow. Unnie actually is okay with that?”

“I guess so? She’s totally changed, I’m telling you.”

Actually, they were exaggerating a bit this time. The old Choi Yeon-Ha wouldn’t have lost her temper at Han Eun-Sol for talking to her this way. Instead, she’d head to the talent agency after the shoot wrapped up, then create a massive scene in the agency president’s office!

The worst kind of workplace bullying has always been the top-down kind, after all!

That was when Choi Yeon-Ha finally broke her moody silence. “Hey, Eun-Sol.”

“Yes, noona! Tell me what the problem is, and I...”

“Our team is supposed to get a day off tomorrow, right?”

“...? Yes, noona.”

“Scrap that.”

“...Sorry?”

Choi Yeon-Ha’s expression crumpled hideously. “I need full make-up tomorrow.”

“...Did you say full make-up?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“W-where are you thinking of going?”

“It’s less to do with where I’m going, but...” Choi Yeon-Ha chewed those words out while slowly sitting upright.

Han Eun-Sol was unconsciously oppressed by her menacing aura and reflexively stumbled a step back.

Choi Yeon-Ha fixed her glare into the distance. “Do you remember when I told you about my sixth sense tingling away?”

“...I think so?”

“It’s happening tomorrow.”

“Huh?”

Choi Yeon-Ha declared her plan as her expression hardened indescribably. “I’ll make it worthwhile for our team tomorrow, so get them on standby, okay? I must be ready for a battle.”

Han Eun-Sol panicked slightly. “A b-battle? Is full make-up really necessary for whatever is happening tomorrow?”

“Hey, you!”

“...Yes, noona?”

Choi Yeon-Ha deeply scowled while yelling at her manager. “This is my pride we’re talking about, okay! I swear, Imma rip that b*tch apart with my own bare hands!”

Han Eun-Sol wanted to burst into tears just then.

Stop! Acting serious! When saying stuff like that! Please!