CH 385

'This is super-massive!'

Han Eun-Sol instinctively realized that the biggest crisis in five years of his career as a talent manager was unfolding before his eyes.

Countless thoughts got into a messy tangle inside his brain. He was so taken aback that his judgment had frozen up, preventing him from figuring out what to do.

However, one thing was for certain: Han Eun-Sol's pay grade wasn't high enough to decide what to do here! At the very least, the agency president and directors would have to discuss this among themselves first!

'Even then... This could be my chance!'

The one and only Choi Yeon-Ha was...! The wacko warrioress with a terrible personality and even worse temper and ranked world number one in tormenting people was...!

...Finally interested in the opposite sex!

When in a relationship, one would automatically start looking after their image. Let's say there was an attractive woman. If a man she wasn't interested in recommended a type of food she didn't like, this hypothetical woman would decline while waving her hand dismissively. However, if it was a man she was quite interested in, she'd at least pretend to try the food. After all, doing a 'considerate' thing like that was common sense, was it not? 

Every man and woman would behave in a similar manner to that example if they found themselves in that situation.

This might be the heaven-sent opportunity for that minimum-accepted consideration to finally be installed in Choi Yeon-Ha's brain!

'I gotta make sure it happens no matter what!'

Something like this probably had never happened in the history of South Korea's entertainment sector! The weird day when the talent agency wasn't trying to stop its talent from dating someone but racking its proverbial brain to make sure the romance was a success had finally come!

“Fuu-woo…” Han Eun-Sol sucked in a deep breath. “Yeon-Ha noona?”

“What now!”

Choi Yeon-Ha had already reverted to her old self by then, having finished her chat with the mysterious man on the phone.

If being able to piss people off with two simple words like 'What now!' could be considered a talent, then Choi Yeon-Ha certainly was talented in that regard!

“Noona, are you going somewhere to... meet someone?”

“Why do you want to know that? Didn't I tell you to stop meddling in my private life?”

“No, it's not that. I was just wondering if there's anything I can help you with.”

“You? Help me?” Choi Yeon-Ha snorted derisively. “Would you listen to our dear Han Eun-Sol? He's all grown up now, isn't he! To think he'd even say he'll help me, the one and only Choi Yeon-Ha! You think you can help me? Really?”

Choi Yeon-Ha was back to her usual haughty self, but Han Eun-Sol didn't back off this time. He had a powerful ace up his sleeve, after all!

“Noona, if this was about your work, I wouldn't dare say I can help you. I know my limits, at least.”

“...Ng?”

“However, the story will change if it's about dating someone. Let's be honest here, noona. You're a forever virgin, aren't you? A wizard. A card-carrying forever-solo player.”

“...!” Choi Yeon-Ha staggered slightly.

“I've been thinking about this, noona, and... I'm pretty sure you have zero clue about seducing a guy.”

“S-s-seduce?! Who's seducing who! Don't make me laugh, will you! I'm not seducing anyone! How dare you even suggest that the one and only Choi Yeon-Ha is trying to seduce a man! Watch what you say!”

'I've hit the bull's eye!’

Choi Yeon-Ha's response confirmed Han Eun-Sol's suspicions.

If someone suggested such a thing at any other time, the usual response from Choi Yeon-Ha would've been a derisive snort followed by mocking laughter. Actually, she'd act all haughty and superior while saying it might be fun to seduce someone once in a while.

However, the visible panic on her face was all the proof Han Eun-Sol needed.

“Noona, I might not look it, but I have some experience in the dating game.”

“Yes, yes. Thanks for the offer, but no thanks. I don't need your help.”

“No, hang on. At least you should…”

Choi Yeon-Ha sighed deeply. “Listen, Eun-Sol.”

“Yes, noona.”

“I'm not trying to look down on you or anything like that, okay? It's just that you aren't gonna be much help in this situation. This guy isn't your run-of-the-mill man, okay? If I approach him half-heartedly, the only thing waiting for me would be utter humiliation.”

Han Eun-Sol groaned and shook his head. “No, no. Noona, that's not it. I'll be frank, you aren't even equipped to handle the most basic stuff in romance, noona!”

“...Eh? What do you mean?”

“For instance... You were thinking of driving your car to the meeting place, now weren't you?”

“Well, yeah.”

“Doesn't that dude have a car?”

Choi Yeon-Ha slowly nodded. “He does.”

“In that case, he'll drive away in his car when you say goodbye later, right? However, if you also go there in your car, what do you think will happen when it's time to say goodbye? You two will drive away in separate cars! Don't you know you can ask him for a ride home if you don't take your car with you now?”

“...Heol?!” Choi Yeon-Ha's eyes opened super-wide. “What... Really?”

“Noona, this is nothing more than a basic of all basic maneuvers. This is why I said you don't even know the basic dating tactics everyone else already knows. And you will never get anywhere with a man like that.”

“R-really?” Choi Yeon-Ha stepped closer, indicating that she was steadily being reeled in.

“If we're talking about any regular ol' dude, you don't have to do anything, right? You probably don't even need to raise a finger, in fact. Just a discreet little smile from you would be enough to make any man weak at their knees, anyway. But this dude isn't that type, and that's why you're trying to seduce him, aren't you? I guess he's the type that a pretty face doesn't work on?”

“...You, do you have a talent for reading fortunes?”

“Sigh~. Seriously now, you're so helpless, noona.”

Han Eun-Sol was experiencing something truly exciting right now. For the first time in the last two years working as Choi Yeon-Ha's manager, he had finally wrestled the initiative away from her!

To other celebrities, their managers were literally that, managers. However, Choi Yeon-Ha treated her managers as manservants.

While other managers managed the actions of their talents on-site and tried to promote their 'clients' to the staff working in various production companies, Choi Yeon-Ha's managers were forced to learn how to brew the perfect coffee by boiling Choi Yeon-Ha's favorite coffee beans at the right temperature.

Forget about scripts or the environment in the shooting locations; to her managers, Choi Yeon-Ha's moods were the utmost priority.

If Han Eun-Sol had a wish... Well, he wouldn't go as far as wishing for Choi Yeon-Ha's personality to become more docile. However, he'd dearly wish for nothing more than for God to give him Choi Yeon-Ha's mood forecast every morning, like how TV news always had the day's weather forecast! So that he'd not even bother to come to work if Choi Yeon-Ha was in a foul mood!

However, after enduring the last two sorrow-filled years, this incredible moment had landed on his proverbial doorstep!

“Noona, do you want me to tell you what you gotta do?”

“...Say what?” Choi Yeon-Ha narrowed her eyes.

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“If you're curious, please get in my car.”

“Eh?”

Han Eun-Sol smiled brightly. “I'm going to give you a ride to your meeting place. Then, you'll have a perfect excuse to ride in that dude's car later, right? Did you know that a romantic conquest usually starts off with small things?”

“...” Choi Yeon-Ha hesitated for a while, unable to answer Han Eun-Sol.

However, Han Eun-Sol didn't rush her. Since time immemorial, excessive recommendations usually led to a strong pushback, so the wise thing to do was to do it in moderation.

In cases like this one, he needed to behave like a fisherman with the attitude of, 'I'm not interested in you, and the bait dangling on my fishing rod is just there for fun, okay?'

Although Han Eun-Sol's mouth was rapidly drying up from all the tension in the air, he knew he couldn't afford to show any hints of nervousness, such as wetting his lips.

Eventually, though...!

“I, I guess I'll do as you say this one time,” said Choi Yeon-Ha.

After two long years, Han Eun-Sol had his first win.

***

'This is great.'

Indeed, this was great. Wonderful, in fact. However, Han Eun-Sol couldn't help but wonder if they could pull this off in the first place.

'I mean... Let's be real here, this is Choi Yeon-Ha we're talking about!'

While driving the car, Han Eun-Sol sneaked a glance at Choi Yeon-Ha riding shotgun in the passenger seat.

Even as she continued to peer at her reflection in her compact's mirror, her expression silently screamed, 'Did I apply too much makeup? I said I wouldn't wear any makeup, so will he notice that I've put on nude makeup?'

As an actress, Choi Yeon-Ha was so good at her craft that countless directors and PDs heaped endless praises on her. Even the critics gritted their collective teeth and decried the unfairness of the heavens for granting Choi Yeon-Ha head-turning looks and a naturally-gifted acting ability. Of course, they'd always point out how unconvincing Choi Yeon-Ha was in romantic scenes, but still!

Choi Yeon-Ha was someone that incredible, yet here she was, visibly nervous to the point of failing to manage her expressions!

'Just who could it be...?'

Choi Yeon-Ha was the female lead of a big-budget blockbuster shot last year. The male lead in that film was two years older than Choi Yeon-Ha, and one of the top five best-looking actors in the entire country. He was so handsome that people used to joke that his looks could cover everything about him, including his less-than-perfect acting ability!

That actor unfortunately fell head over heels for Choi Yeon-Ha and began showering her with flowers and gifts during the duration of the film shoot. It became so bad that the film crew had to plead with the actor to stop showing his affection on set! They said it didn't matter whether or not he was acting like a lovestruck fool as long as he was doing it out of sight!

That was how strongly he tried to ask her out back then.

If Han Eun-Sol was a manager of a... 'normal' celebrity, he should've actively stopped this. However, the actor was too good-looking, had a good personality, and was even upright enough to secretly do volunteer work without telling anyone. So, the talent agency reasoned, this could be a great chance to get Choi Yeon-Ha hitched, and desperately tried to encourage her, but...

...The end result could only be described as tragic.

From start to finish, Choi Yeon-Ha didn't even spare a minute of her time for the poor man. It was as if he was nothing more than a piece of pebble found on the ground to her.

Toward the end of the film shoot, the actor got desperate and decided to bite the bullet. He asked Choi Yeon-Ha for her number in front of all the film crew, but she proceeded to punt the poor man's mind to the next galaxy with two dismissive sentences, 'Know your place, plebian. You're cramping my style.'

'And that poor dude still hasn't starred in a new film yet...'

Apparently, this story had become such an... 'essential' legend that it'd be the first story told to every intern joining celebrity gossip departments of various news publications. This story was so widespread within the industry that anyone with even the most tenuous link to the entertainment sector would've heard about it. Most people were under the mistaken impression that the humiliation from that rejection was keeping the poor actor away from new projects, but...

From what Han Eun-Sol heard, it wasn't humiliation keeping him away but his damaged mentality.

This didn't seem far-fetched, considering the actor showed up several times at Choi Yeon-Ha's place after the shoot wrapped up and got nearly arrested several times as a stalker!

And his dedication resulted in him running into Choi Yeon-Ha a few more times, but...

'He shouldn't have done that...'

Whenever they encountered each other, Choi Yeon-Ha would verbally assault him to the point of the poor man breaking down into bits and pieces. The last thing Han Eun-Sol heard about that actor was that he was apparently being treated for depression somewhere.

'That's what Choi Yeon-Ha noona is like, so...'

Choi Yeon-Ha the Haughty, Arrogant, and Foul-Tempered... That Choi Yeon-Ha was nervously fidgeting around with a compact, unable to sit still.

“...Noona,” Han Eun-Sol cautiously called out to Choi Yeon-Ha.

“Ng? Y-yeah?”

“...Men don't really care whether you have makeup on or not.”

“R-really?”

“Yes. Looking pretty is all that counts. Whether you're naturally pretty or through the magic of makeup is a problem for another time, so stop shivering nervously, okay?”

“W-who is shivering here! Who! Hey, you! You're getting mighty cheeky, aren't you?! You think I'm the type to shiver in nervousness like an idiot?! Ah?”

Han Eun-Sol sighed deeply.

'Your shivering is more noticeable because you've never done it before!'

If this had been a scene from a TV show, the internet forums would've exploded from all the hate comments saying her character had been effectively destroyed. It'd be seen as such a destructive plot point that the writers and the PD would probably get to live to two hundred years old from all the insults and abuse they receive! [1]

'Seriously now, I still can't believe it!'

Just who could it be? Who could be the man capable of turning the haughty Choi Yeon-Ha into this state?

'No matter who he is, it should be impossible to resist her charms, though...?'

Although it was unfair, being pretty was a powerful weapon for women. If a woman as beautiful as Choi Yeon-Ha pursued you, there was no way any hot-blooded man would refuse. To protect world peace and the continued stability of menfolk, Choi Yeon-Ha had to uphold her sacred duty, which was to maintain her haughtiness!

But, that Choi Yeon-Ha was currently...!

The words 'nervousness' and 'anxious' written on Choi Yeon-Ha's left- and right cheek pushed Han Eun-Sol's curiosity to new heights. At the same time...

'When he finally gets to learn what noona's like, I guess he's gonna vomit blood...'

Han Eun-Sol had a strong hunch that Choi Yeon-Ha would not be able to remain in her current state of mind. In the end, her personality would break through. Imagining what would happen then was making it extra hard for Han Eun-Sol to keep his laughter down.

'Who cares. It'll still be a huge score if I get to prove myself to noona and if her fiery personality finally learns to soften up a bit.'

Han Eun-Sol offered a silent prayer to the mystery man who was about to become his tool for future prosperity.

Choi Yeon-Ha pointed to a fork in the road. “Take that exit.”

“Mm? Isn't that an orphanage?”

“Yeah. It is.”

“Oh. I... see?” Han Eun-Sol tilted his head slightly. Why an orphanage? Didn't Choi Yeon-Ha say she was meeting a man, so why were they heading to an orphanage, of all places? “Noona? Are you trying to improve your public image? Like, you know, that thing? The megastar Choi Yeon-Ha's secret acts of kindness exposed! Like that?”

“Are you mad? Why would I do something like that in secret? I need witnesses before agreeing to do that, you know!”

“Yup, that sounds like you…” Han Eun-Sol helplessly shook his head.

So, it was safe to say Choi Yeon-Ha's personality prevented her from secretly performing volunteer services. In that case, why the orphanage?

“There he is...!” Choi Yeon-Ha gasped when Han Eun-Sol's car drove into the orphanage's parking lot, and they could see a man sitting on one of the benches.

“Is that your guy, noona?”

“Yeah. Eh? N-no, of course not! W-who is my guy! It's not like that, okay!” Choi Yeon-Ha suddenly panicked again.

“Huh? I was only asking if that's the guy you're supposed to meet, noona.”

“Oh, uh... Y-yeah, it's him.”

Han Eun-Sol's curiosity-filled gaze was fixed on the mystery man on the bench.

1. This is a riff on a Korean idiom about 'eating' insults to live a long and prosperous life. ☜