CH 432

“Miss Elena? What happened?”

Elena wordlessly stepped through the hotel room's doorway only to bite her lower lip at the sight of her assistant. “Give me the documents.”

“I'm sorry?”

“I want all the documents related to Kang Jin-Ho, now!”

The assistant stared blankly at Elena, evidently not understanding the situation.

“Didn't you hear me?!” Elena snapped at the assistant.

The assistant jumped up in alarm and hurriedly dashed toward the stack of documents.

'What's gotten into her?'

The assistant could only frown while searching for the report on Kang Jin-Ho. Elena must've already finished studying this report, so why did she want to see it again?

The assistant quickly brought the report to Elena. “Here it is, Miss Elena.”

“Give me a pen, too.”

“Yes, ma'am.”

The assistant took out a ball pen from his shirt pocket and handed it to Elena. She placed it between her lips and plopped down on the nearby couch. She then began poring through the report with a glare intense enough to burn a hole through the pages. “Huh. He usually doesn't talk a lot? And hates to start a conflict?”

“...?”

“Not very independent and usually passive? Really?”

“...”

The assistant wasn't sure why Elena was scowling in dissatisfaction like this and could only flinch whenever she glared at him after reading something off the report.

'Gee whiz... A bed of thorns might be more bearable than this...'

The assistant couldn't stop fidgeting nervously. Just what happened to Elena out there? Judging from all the dissatisfaction written on her face, it couldn't have been something pleasant, that was for sure!

“How can a report be this incorrect? Not a single thing in it is right!” Elena suddenly yelled loudly. The assistant flinched but didn't say anything. “You...! You dare expect to get paid after this kind of sh*tty research?! My fan fiction might be more accurate than this, and I'm not even a writer!”

The assistant quietly squeezed his eyes shut. Elena went out for less than two hours. Even if she ran into Kang Jin-Ho right away, the time spent studying him couldn't have been all that long. In that case... Just what was up with her sour reaction?

Elena pointed at the report. “Throw all this rubbish in the bin and start your investigation from scratch. Again!”

“I'm sorry, ma'am?”

“What, didn't you hear me?”

“But, Miss Elena. Realistically speaking...” The assistant grimaced a little.

What Elena demanded of him was easier said than done. Investigating Kang Jin-Ho again was, realistically speaking, not feasible. Only a handful of operatives were present in South Korea, and they all had their own assignments to worry about. In other words, they couldn't devote much time to a new investigation on Kang Jin-Ho.

The operatives had to sacrifice their sleep to compile this report on time, but Elena still wanted them to re-do the investigation from scratch?

However, Elena remained adamant. “If the intel is trash, you need to start over. Isn't that obvious?”

“...Was Kang Jin-Ho that different, ma'am?” The assistant frowned, still unable to accept Elena's response as he thought their investigation had been fairly thorough despite the lack of resources.

“Listen closely, okay?” Elena gritted her teeth. “All the information on this report is garbage. Completely useless. The only thing we can be sure of is what I've learned today while confronting Kang Jin-Ho.”

“Only one?”

“Yes! Just one!” Elena slapped the cover of the report shut, then glared at the photo of Kang Jin-Ho's face on the front. Then, she began scribbling something on the photograph.

“...?! Heol…” The assistant gasped as cold sweat broke out on his forehead after noticing the large 'Asshole' written across the photo.

“Investigate again! Much more thoroughly this time! He's a total asshole too, so take that into account while you investigate, okay!”

“Understood, ma'am,” The assistant replied as the corners of his eyes grew moist. It seemed that he had no choice but to burn the midnight oil for the next few days.

“That stinking son of a b*tch…” Elena ignored the suffering assistant and glared murderously at Kang Jin-Ho's photo before angrily throwing the pen at the nearby coffee table. “That bastard can't be right in the head! I'm telling you!”

***

“Aaaahk! That woman couldn't be right in the head!” Choi Yeon-Ha yelled angrily.

Her manager, Han Eun-Sol, held back his tears and quietly called out to Korea's top actress sitting in the backseat. “...Noona.”

“What now!”

“I don't know what made you this angry, but... No, wait. I don't want to know, so don't tell me. Even so…”

“Say what?!”

“You gotta stop kicking my seat like that when I'm driving, noona. Otherwise, we'll get into an accident. No one will care what happens to me, but it'll be a big trouble if you get injured, you know?”

Choi Yeon-Ha snorted. “It's your job to avoid getting into accidents, right?”

'Yup, I shouldn't have said anything...' Han Eun-Sol groaned deeply. 'Well, she isn't technically wrong, though.'

Managers looking after high-profile idols needed to learn car control on the level of a race car driver. That was a part of their job description. They had no choice but to break all sorts of speed limits in order to survive the packed daily schedules.

Despite knowing the presence of speed cameras everywhere, the managers knew that the benefits of arriving early, even if it was only by ten minutes, far outweighed the potential traffic fines. So, most of them basically ignored most speeding laws in the area.

Unsurprisingly, that had led to several fatal accidents. Even after so many deadly precedents, though, vans ferrying idols still had to break the national speed limit with alarming regularity and dash across South Korea's road network. That was the sad reality facing South Korea's entertainment industry.

However, that didn't apply to Choi Yeon-Ha. She was an actor, not an idol, so she didn't need to hurry on to the next event or a concert venue. Even if she was heading to an event, was there a need for her to drive fast?

Besides, Choi Yeon-Ha believed that being late was preferable to speeding unnecessarily and getting into an accident. Hell, didn't she also brazenly wreck the office of the agency president—who only expressed how he'd like to see her reach her engagements a bit sooner—while 'asking' if the president was prepared to take responsibility for the ensuing accident injuring her face?

The best thing about working as Choi Yeon-Ha's manager was not being chased around by a tight schedule. And that was about it, really.

'Yup. And the rest are all cons with zero pros...'

If he was being honest, Han Eun-Sol had never seen Choi Yeon-Ha this irritated before. Choi Yeon-Ha usually went super-quiet if rage had gotten the better of her. She was the type to hide her anger in front of other people, after all.

To be more precise, Choi Yeon-Ha would try to avoid expressing her irritation in public. Even if she knew how to hold a grudge and could get super-obsessive about it…!

'Hmm? Didn't she say she was going to hang out with Mister Jin-Ho...?'

Something must've gone wrong during the day out, then?

'So what...? I should just stay out of this.'

Han Eun-Sol knew better than anybody that getting hung up on every single thing happening in Choi Yeon-Ha's life would considerably shorten his lifespan. So, he focused on the road ahead. He didn't forget to occasionally slurp the strong americano in the cupholder, though.

Choi Yeon-Ha suddenly called out in a moody voice. “...Hey, Eun-Sol?”

“Mm?” Han Eun-Sol glanced at her through the rearview mirror, his mouth still full of coffee.

“...Should I get married?”

“Fuuuuuuuuuuuht?!” The coffee spewed out of Han Eun-Sol's mouth like a spray gun and splattered on the windshield. However, he didn't even pay any attention to the mess and hurriedly yelled at Choi Yeon-Ha. “What are you on about, noona?!”

“Well, I'm not getting any younger, now am I? And my friends are all getting married one after the other, too.”

“Noona, you don't have any friends.”

“...Stop the car.”

“My apologies, noona.” Han Eun-Sol quickly apologized since he didn't want to die young. Well, they said people who couldn't lie usually died young, didn't they! “W-why marriage, all of a sudden...?”

“I mean, it's not like it's too early for me to get married, right?”

“Nope! It's too early! Definitely too early! Noona, you're still in your prime! A prime for an actress!”

Although, Choi Yeon-Ha was wasting her prime by not working, which was a problem!

However, they were currently on their way to meet some people with a promise of a potential gig for the 'too-unwilling-to-work' Choi Yeon-Ha. No wonder Han Eun-Sol felt like throwing his hands up in the air when she suddenly started talking about marriage.

“What if I'm in my prime as an actress? Once that's over, people will stop caring about me for being an old spinster. So, I was thinking... To find happiness as a woman, shouldn't I find myself a good husband before it's too late and live happily ever after? Wouldn't that be better for me?”

“No, it's not! Definitely not! Noona, please get a hold of yourself!” Han Eun-Sol broke out in a flood of cold sweat. 'This woman, she's... dead serious!'

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Such things coming out of someone else's mouth? Han Eun-Sol would most likely chalk it down to people having a bad day and brush it aside with a polite chuckle. However, Choi Yeon-Ha wasn't the type to say something she didn't mean... Even if she could crack bad jokes sometimes. So, the fact that she was saying these things? It could only mean Choi Yeon-Ha was seriously considering marriage.

“N-noona, please stop and think more about this! Noona, if your new gig works out, it will be a huge payday for you. And, and... Don't forget all the fame and riches waiting for you in the future!”

“I already have enough money, though?”

“Yeah, I know! However, you can earn even more, right? So much more than what you have right now!”

“Listen, Eun-Sol,” Choi Yeon-Ha cocked an eyebrow while staring at Han Eun-Sol.

“Yes, noona?”

“Money isn't everything in this world, you materialistic brat.”

“Heol...”

“Money works like this. Once you cross a certain threshold of wealth, more money won't make much difference in your life. Besides, do you honestly think I'm doing this for a paycheck?”

“N-no, you are not. I know that, but...”

“With my current bank balance, my future husband and I can live without worries for the rest of our lives. In that case, is there a need for me to get obsessed about making money? It's not like I'm trying to swim in luxury, anyway.”

'...Huh. She is serious, isn't she?!'

Han Eun-Sol gulped back nervously. He couldn't help but remember the existence of a certain subset of actresses. These actresses would suddenly retire from the industry despite their healthy careers, get married, and enjoy blissful family lives away from the public's prying eye. Didn't they all dislike appearing before a crowd of strangers by nature?

'That's noona, isn't it?!'

Han Eun-Sol briefly felt light-headed just then.

No! I gotta stop this! I must do something!

Quite a few people stood to lose a lot if Choi Yeon-Ha suddenly got married and left the industry. First of all, Han Eun-Sol's fate would be left up in the air. Because he was Choi Yeon-Ha's manager, Han Eun-Sol got paid twice as much as most other managers while doing basically nothing. Thanks to that, Han Eun-Sol had been living a pretty good life until now.

The agency president found this arrangement a bit of an eyesore, so he tried to assign Han Eun-Sol to other tasks whenever Choi Yeon-Ha was in-between projects and not doing anything at home. However, one phone call from Choi Yeon-Ha later, and the agency president suddenly handed Han Eun-Sol some pocket money and told him to go to a PC Room or something.

That was how nice Han Eun-Sol's life had been. So, if Choi Yeon-Ha really retired from acting...!

'Damn it! I won't let that happen!'

Han Eun-Sol gritted his teeth and resolved himself. “Noona, how about giving this matter another thought?”

“Doesn't matter...” Choi Yeon-Ha slumped deeper into her seat. “You need a partner to get married, anyway...”

“...”

Choi Yeon-Ha sounded despondent as more lamentation flooded out of her mouth. “I should've closed the deal this time! It was such a perfect opportunity, too! If I had seized that chance, he would've never said no or tried to weasel out of it! But that stupid skank... She just had to...!”

'...I don't know who you are, this mystery lady, but I'm genuinely grateful to you.'

Han Eun-Sol sighed in relief. Somewhere under the same skies as his... His savior existed. And they said people needed to help each other in society, too!

Han Eun-Sol genuinely thanked this mystery 'stupid skank' in his heart. That woman had accidentally prevented the loss of livelihoods for several people! Whoever she was, that woman deserved all the fortune in this world.

“Noona, getting married is nice and all that, but let's deal with your new work first, okay? This is incredibly important for you, you know?”

Choi Yeon-Ha hadn't even spared a cursory glance at all the scripts landing on her lap until now, but this new role was so monumental in scale that it finally managed to attract her attention. A Chinese production company was putting a lot of effort and money into developing a big-budget drama at the moment, and they wanted to cast Choi Yeon-Ha as the female lead!

“You can forget about Japan or Korea, noona. Make it big in China, and you can literally rake in as much money as you want!”

Choi Yeon-Ha tutted. “I told you, I don't need money.”

“No, hang on...”

Choi Yeon-Ha ignored Han Eun-Sol and sighed softly before glancing outside the car's window, her eyes growing a little dreamier, a little more distant. “Seriously, though. I thought I was gonna lose it because of that woman. If it wasn't for Mister Jin-Ho openly swearing at her, I might have passed out from anger back then. I mean, wow... His force and energy back then was, like, really... Wow!”

“Wait, what? Mister Jin-Ho swore at a woman?”

“Well, almost. He almost swore, but whatever.”

Han Eun-Sol looked weirdly at Choi Yeon-Ha. “And you thought that was cool?”

“Obviously.”

“But, how? Being rude and stuff like that is deeply uncool, you know?”

Choi Yeon-Ha chuckled derisively. “You're still single, aren't you?”

“...Why the sudden painful reminder, noona?”

“This is why you're still single, Eun-Sol. You think women like a polite, well-behaved man? Nope. They want their men to be nice only toward them. A man who behaves curtly to other women but is a total gent to me is what we see as cool and considerate. A man who's nice to every random girl off the street is nothing more than a playboy.”

Han Eun-Sol nodded while pursing his lips. “I see. But, noona?”

“Ng?”

“You're also single, you know?”

“...I, I'll escape that lifestyle soon. You'll see.”

“Noona, I don't mind you lecturing me about other things, but definitely not on romance. You just can't say whatever you want as if you know everything. I mean, if you have any conscience, you should just not say anything about it, you know! I might be single right now, but you're a certifiable lifelong solo player, aren't you! And on top of that...!” Han Eun-Sol finished loading the Factriot[1] missiles before ruthlessly pressing the 'Launch!' button. “I'm pretty sure Mister Jin-Ho isn't all that interested in you, either.”

“...!”

“Besides, I don't think Mister Jin-Ho is all that cool or nice.”

When Han Eun-Sol finished saying that, he sensed his seat vibrating ominously from behind. And Choi Yeon-Ha was sitting there, wasn't she?

“Stop. The. Car,” said Choi Yeon-Ha.

“Sorry?” Han Eun-Sol blinked his eyes.

“I said, stop the car!”

“Eh? Why?”

“Imma kill you for real today, that's why! So, stop this bloody car this second! Let's forget who we are for today and fight with everything we've got!”

“N-no! I'm sorry, noona!”

“Stop the car, you punk!”

Han Eun-Sol barely managed to dodge a cushion thrown from the back seat and sighed deeply under his breath.

'Gimme a break. I just can't figure her out...'

Since things had come down to this, Han Eun-Sol had no choice but to pray that Kang Jin-Ho's concrete wall-like heart stay closed for as long as possible.

1. Yes, it really says 'Factriot' in the raw. It's a cute wordplay on the 'Patriot' missiles. ☜