CH 381

'Normally, this is how it's supposed to be!'

Choi Yeon-Ha was in a very bad mood right now. No, actually, her mood was great. No, wait! It wasn't good at all!

She shouldn't feel bad when someone was sincerely requesting her for help. Especially when the person requesting it happened to be a man who usually never asked anyone for assistance!

A man like that requesting her for help obviously indicated his faith in her. She should be celebrating this milestone. However, that was the problem in and of itself!

'That's how it's supposed to be, you know...!'

If a man was requesting help from a beautiful young woman, that usually indicated he had an ulterior motive. Inevitably, it'd be a ruse to attract the beautiful young woman's attention somehow. An all-too-obvious ploy where the man was planning to instill a hint of a sense of superiority in the woman while increasing the length of time they were together so that he'd get a better shot at creating a happy ending later on.

That was how this event should be, but...!

“Do something sneaky and underhanded, will you!”

However, this man wasn't the type to do sneaky stuff like that! He really had no impure intentions and only wanted to ask for help from her! Literally! And that was driving Choi Yeon-Ha up the wall!

“How can a man be this pure?!”

Of course, Choi Yeon-Ha was not trying to say she preferred black-hearted people. She had to deal with far too many people with kind faces but possessing deviant hearts until now. And she had had almost enough of these fake people at this point!

However, if she was being honest... Some of those people did approach her with good intentions, but they were not up to scratch in her view.

But now, the man Choi Yeon-Ha was waiting for... That man seemed to specialize in irritating people in various ways! As an example, Choi Yeon-Ha was learning for the first time in her life that not having an ulterior motive could genuinely piss her off!

“I don't like any of this!”

Whether it was Kang Jin-Ho calling her out of the blue and asking for help or Choi Yeon-Ha immediately agreeing without even playing coy for a second...! What's worse, she even willingly agreed to meet first thing the following morning!

On top of that, she showed up at the meeting spot one hour early, even though they had set the meeting time fairly early in the morning...!

“Yup, I'm the one with a problem…” Choi Yeon-Ha sighed loudly enough to sink the ground.

When she systematically broke this situation down and analyzed it, there was no doubt that she had several screws missing in her head!

She shouldn't blame Kang Jin-Ho at all!

'Right. I better tighten up my screws.'

Choi Yeon-Ha sensed an impending peril. There was a good chance that Kang Jin-Ho wouldn't care about any of Choi Yeon-Ha's antics, but there was this thing called 'impression'. Depending on how these impressions were stacked, Kang Jin-Ho might view her in a favorable light... Or shun her completely!

If Choi Yeon-Ha couldn't pull her socks up and stop acting like a dummy, Kang Jin-Ho might get the impression that she was a moron!

'I bet that man only likes whip-smart women.'

Wasn't Kang Jin-Ho a slightly dense type of guy? Sure, he could be ultra-sharp and professional when the situation required such traits of him, but during normal operating hours? He was so blank and dense that figuring out what was in his mind was practically impossible.

Just how many trials and errors did Choi Yeon-Ha have to experience before figuring that out?

Because of Kang Jin-Ho's cool face and demeanor, Choi Yeon-Ha mistakenly thought his personality would be the same. And that impression was reinforced when they met for the first time, and she tried to coax him into performing in front of the camera, only for him to reject her without mercy.

Who could've guessed that Kang Jin-Ho was usually a slow-witted and dazed-half-the-time type of guy from those things?

“Yup, I got conned by his looks!”

Choi Yeon-Ha quietly gritted her teeth.

Stop acting all dense with a face like that, Kang Jin-Ho! Choi Yeon-Ha panted and huffed like a bull, only for her head to shoot up after hearing the door chime of the cafe.

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

When her eyes landed on the figure of Kang Jin-Ho stepping inside the cafe, Choi Yeon-Ha's heart began racing a million miles an...

'...Stop wasting your looks like that, please!'

You're here to meet a pretty woman, so how could you show up in a worn-out tracksuit and a pair of slippers?! You pathologically indifferent idiot!

Choi Yeon-Ha quickly fixed her expression. Nothing good would come out of making sour faces so early in the morning. She should put on a warm smile and speak in a gentle tone!

“Why are you so late, Mister Jin-Ho? Don't you know it's terrible manners to keep a lady waiting?”

Choi Yeon-Ha's expression grew despondent the moment those words left her lips.

'I better kill myself...!'

If she knew this would happen, maybe she could've learned how to speak more... 'gently' by chatting with other men in her age group! Why did she reflexively start by biting Kang Jin-Ho's head off first?

Choi Yeon-Ha bit her lip. She didn't have a choice in the matter, did she?

All the menfolk she had to treat with respect so far in her life happened to be older than her. Choi Yeon-Ha only felt the need to put on a smile if a man was at least twenty years older than her. For instance, the president of her talent agency, directors of her film projects, PDs or the chiefs of TV stations... Older men like them.

As for the men closer to her age? Most of them were pervy scrubs who only wanted to seduce her somehow or rival managers out to make her life miserable in any way possible. No wonder Choi Yeon-Ha couldn't speak 'nicely' to a younger...

'...I guess this is karma, eh?'

Maybe I should've been kinder to people...?

Choi Yeon-Ha was suddenly hit by a tidal wave of regret. Whenever people called her out for being a b*tch, Choi Yeon-Ha would always think to herself, 'I don't have a reason to show you the nicer side of me, that's all. If you only knew the real me. I'm actually a nice person, you know?'

That was what she always thought, but now...!

'To think my real personality would be so unbearable like this!'

Apparently, people were blind to their own faults, and Choi Yeon-Ha cursed herself for belatedly figuring out the meaning behind that old idiom.

Kang Jin-Ho slightly bowed his head. “My apologies for being late.”

'...Actually, did you know that you're ten minutes early?'

What would a man think about when he arrived ten minutes early only to get his head bitten off with some tirade about making his date wait? How would he see his date in that case?

'What's the point of worrying about it now? He probably already sees me as a crazy b*tch, anyway.'

When Choi Yeon-Ha thought about how she came here one hour early just to damage her carefully-cultivated image like this, it felt like the only option left was to rush outside and jump in front of a speeding truck.

“Please don't be upset,” said Kang Jin-Ho while making an awkward smile after noticing Choi Yeon-Ha's weird expression.

Choi Yeon-Ha panicked and yelled at him. “N-No! I'm not upset!”

The fact that her voice remained high-pitched even while trying to explain herself was making her very sad, indeed.

To think she used to call herself one of the best actresses in the country! Her pride in being on par with the best this industry had to offer was crumbling helplessly right now.

'N-no, Choi Yeon-Ha! You gotta calm down!'

All she had to do was admit to what needed to be admitted!

'Right! This man knows how to break my composure. And my problem is with me forcing something that's clearly not working! Let's just accept the fact that being hard to get won't work with this guy. So, let's be myself and see where that will take me...!'

“...But that's impossible when it's all dogsh*t!” Choi Yeon-Ha suddenly cried out.

Kang Jin-Ho blinked his eyes. “I'm sorry?”

“...Did I say something just now?”

“Yes. Something about dogsh*t...?”

“I-I wasn't talking about you, Mister Jin-Ho! I swear!”

Choi Yeon-Ha's panic rapidly soared higher and seemingly punctured right through the heavens.

“I'm the dogsh*t one, you see! It's me!”

“Huh? I'm sorry?”

“What... What the hell am I even blabbing about?!”

Kang Jin-Ho cautiously pushed a glass of cold water in front of him toward Choi Yeon-Ha. “I think you need to calm down first, Miss Yeon-Ha.”

“...Thank you.”

It's over. All over. Choi Yeon-Ha could only laugh.

'Yup, I've done it now...!'

Choi Yeon-Ha's plan to further develop her relationship with Kang Jin-Ho through this event went out the window less than one minute into their meeting. Never mind their relationship progressing, she should thank her lucky stars if Kang Jin-Ho didn't see her as a nutcase after today!

“W-would you like to eat something? Or drink?”

Kang Jin-Ho slowly shook his head. “No, I'm fine. Thank you.”

“D-drink something! Please!”

“...I'll go order something, then.”

“Yes, please...!”

Kang Jin-Ho got up and headed to the counter, which gave Choi Yeon-Ha a chance to whip out a compact and check the situation with her face.

“...Oh, my dear lord!” Choi Yeon-Ha gasped after seeing the reflection of her beet-red face. She might as well jump in a lake and kill herself! What on Earth had gotten into her?! Where did her determination from yesterday and earlier today disappear to?!

Choi Yeon-Ha suddenly realized what her mistake was.

'Wait! Now that I think about it... I've been a solo player all my life...!'

While acting in various productions, Choi Yeon-Ha believed she had indirectly experienced countless romantic situations and emotions, but she had been gravely mistaken. Critics often said Choi Yeon-Ha's acting strengths lay not in romance but in portraying everyday life stories, and now she knew why they said those things.

Choi Yeon-Ha realized that those critics weren't praising her as a dramatic actor but simply trying to find a way to beat around the delicate bush called 'She sucks as a romantic lead!'

A forever-solo player suddenly decided she'd seduce a man. No wonder it wasn't working out. When Choi Yeon-Ha seriously thought about it, she had absolutely no idea how to seduce a man.

She used to think, 'With my looks and abilities, men will fall for me on their own!' But something like that obviously wouldn't work on a stone statue like Kang Jin-Ho. And that left Choi Yeon-Ha with no options at all.

'Hah. At this rate, I might reach a state of nirvana...!'

Why was she having so many realizations and epiphanies lately? If only Choi Yeon-Ha was a believer in religion! She would've instantly joined the ranks of saints on the back of this morning's meeting alone!

Choi Yeon-Ha slowly sucked in a deep breath. Building a positive impression was as good as impossible now. In that case, her new goal should be preventing the situation from deteriorating even further and ending it on a relatively high note.

When her thoughts reached that far, Choi Yeon-Ha began grimacing.

'What the hell?! Why am I strategizing as if I'm going to war?'

Even back when Choi Yeon-Ha was an aspiring actress practicing and refining her craft to pass auditions, she never tried to exercise her facial muscles and make plans to leave positive impressions on the casting directors. So why the hell was she doing it now?!

Something about this situation felt so... inherently wrong to Choi Yeon-Ha.

Kang Jin-Ho wisely waited at the counter until his iced americano arrived, then returned to the table before sitting opposite Choi Yeon-Ha.

She sucked in a deep breath again.

'First thing first. I need to change the topic. Trying to talk when I have nothing to talk about is what's been tripping me. So, talk about mundane things, Choi Yeon-Ha. Okay...'

Choi Yeon-Ha tried to stare straight at Kang Jin-Ho. “Why did you call me, Mister Jin-Ho?”

“Mm? I explained everything last night, didn't I?”

“...Well, you did. You indeed did. Indeed, it's just like that.”

“Sorry?” Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head and cocked an eyebrow at the same time.

If I suddenly break down and cry, how will Mister Jin-Ho react? And no, it's not just me thinking about weird things. My eyes are starting to get misty, you know?

To think the first genuine tears she'd shed in front of a man weren't because she was sad or heartbroken, but because she was incensed at the unfairness of the situation! And that unfairness was totally unrelated to what the guy did, but more like Choi Yeon-Ha drifting off into the clouds on her own and making an utter fool of herself!

She suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.

'This... This will be etched in my memories as the darkest chapter of my life! It might be equal to at least twenty years of duvet kicks!'

Choi Yeon-Ha was sure that if she shed a tear now, not a single blanket or duvet in her home would be safe! At least her legs would get into a better shape... Since she'd be 'exercising' even in her sleep!

Choi Yeon-Ha ungainly stuttered. “I-I think my lack of sleep is getting to me. I can't seem to think straight.”

“...I agree. You don't look so good, Miss Yeon-Ha.”

Choi Yeon-Ha put on a cramped smile. You were supposed to say, no, you look fine, Miss Yeon-Ha! Did you flush your manners down the nearest toilet or something!

How did I even fall for a guy like this...?!

Kang Jin-Ho nodded. “Whatever the case may be... Thank you for agreeing to see me at such short notice.”

“No, it's not a problem. It's not like I have something to do, anyway. No filming commitments or anything like that, you see…”

The end of Choi Yeon-Ha's sentence trailed off as she thought she made another slip of the tongue just then. And when Kang Jin-Ho stared at her with smoldering intensity, Choi Yeon-Ha's face reddened even more.

'Why is he staring at me like that?'

Once one became conscious about something, the world would start looking different. Choi Yeon-Ha realized that that old saying was indeed true. She'd have no problem brushing aside a gaze like Kang Jin-Ho's in the past, but it felt so much more burdensome now. Even the words she'd have let in one ear and out the other ear in the past sounded as if they contained the truth of the universe.

Choi Yeon-Ha, who could legitimately claim the title of South Korea's most beautiful forever-solo player, continued to swim in panic as this unfamiliar emotion gripped her tighter and tighter.

“Have you thought about what I told you last night, Miss Yeon-Ha?” Kang Jin-Ho finally broke the silence and asked a question.

“You mean... The one about helping Seongsim's kids?”

“Yes.”

“Well…” Choi Yeon-Ha furrowed her brow a little. “You did explain the situation briefly, but I couldn't get a clearer picture from what you told me over the phone. I think I need to hear more. Can you explain in detail?”

“What happened was…”

Kang Jin-Ho began describing the situation, and Choi Yeon-Ha quietly listened while resting her chin on her hand.