Descent of the Demon Master

Chapter 196: Making An Appearance (1)

Jang Hak-Seon worriedly asked, “Hey, did you make him memorize the script?”

The assistant director glanced in the direction of the makeup trailer. “He's reading it while getting his makeup done, sir.”

“Damn it. How could we forget about something that important?”

“Sir, you don't have to worry too much,” said the assistant director with a slight nod.

Jang Hak-Seon frowned. “Why shouldn't I be worried?”

“Well, he's from Jaegyeong Uni, you know.”

“Jaegyeong Uni? So what?”

“I mean, I heard he's super brainy and stuff.”

“Oh, really?” Jang Hak-Seon tilted his head a little. It was pretty normal for siblings to possess similar levels of academic prowess. Kang Se-Ah didn't seem to be the cleverest girl out there, even if she could be rather shrewd at times. But to think that her older brother was an elite…

'Then again...'

In a way, Kang Jin-Ho seemed to fit the mold of a brainy person quite well. A type who didn't care much about their appearance and simply focused on doing their job... That was the kind of impression Kang Jin-Ho was giving off.

“That means his private life must be spotless, too.”

“I guess so, sir.”

All thanks to Ji Min-Ho's antics, Jang Hak-Seon would always seem like he was ready to start a psychotic episode every time someone mentioned 'private life.’

“What a relief that Miss Se-Ah's oppa said yes…”

“Still, sir...”

“What now?”

The assistant director muttered worriedly, “I'm still kinda nervous about this, sir. Even if the role is small and doesn't require much acting ability, I don't know if an amateur can pull it off...”

“I'm telling you, it'll be fine. With a face like his, that guy can be school-play-level bad, and it'll still be fine. Heh, even if his performance is so bad it becomes the stuff of legends, it still won't make Youtube's funniest videos section, I'd wager. Yeah, it might end up in the 'healing' subreddit or something. A fan club might spring up, too.”

“...Is he that handsome, sir?”

Jang Hak-Seon tutted, unimpressed. “If you wish to make it as a TV PD, then you gotta think about how an actor's face would look on camera. Constantly, too. You need to think of your eyes as cameras, get my drift?”

“...No, sir. I still don't get it.”

“Huh.?Well, you'll see for yourself soon enough.” Jang Hak-Seon then pointed at Kang Jin-Ho emerging from the makeup trailer. “Good timing. Take a look, then.”

“Eh?” The assistant director turned his head and stared at Kang Jin-Ho as an almighty earthquake erupted in his eyes. “W-w-what... What is going on?!”

“I told you, didn't I?” Jang Hak-Seon harrumphed triumphantly.

Instead of the slovenly tracksuits, Kang Jin-Ho in a sharp business suit and makeup was like a completely different person. And with his messy hair now properly combed and styled, what would be the best way to describe him now?

“...A genetics lottery winner, huh?”

Kang Se-Ah was undoubtedly pretty. Some sections of society would even call her a goddess. That was how good-looking she was. However, Kang Jin-Ho easily surpassed the concept of 'handsomeness.’

The assistant director muttered quietly, “...Son of a b*tch.”

“Why are you suddenly swearing at him for?!” Jang Hak-Seon cried out in surprise.

“But, sir! Why would that punk walk around looking like a bum with such a face?! Might as well give that face to me instead, you know!”

“...You have my permission to swear some more.” Jang Hak-Seon groaned, then narrowed his eyes while studying Kang Jin-Ho. Regardless of the camera angle, that young man's face would be more than enough to create pure visual art. Jang Hak-Seon smirked in satisfaction. “Yup, I have great discerning eyes, don't I?”

Seeing Kang Jin-Ho's face was enough to obliterate all of Jang Hak-Seon's worries. He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, then walked over to Kang Jin-Ho. As he walked, the director of photography sidled up to him after sniffing out an enticing scent in the air.

“Holy cow! PD Jang, where did you find a guy like that?”

Jang Hak-Seon grinned proudly. “That's one hell of a face, isn't it?”

“Yup. I filmed that young man coming out of the trailer, and... Holy cow, it's no joke, PD Jang.”

“I had a feeling that might be the case.”

Since even the director of photography reacted like this, it was safe to assume that the 'visual' side of things was now properly taken care of. Especially more so if the director of photography's tendency to harshly criticize male actors was taken into account.

A truly-satisfied smile bloomed on Jang Hak-Seon's face as he approached Kang Jin-Ho. He was even ready to thank Ji Min-Ho in his mind for creating that scandal and exiting the production altogether.

Jang Hak-Seon scanned Kang Jin-Ho from top to bottom and asked slyly, “Have you seen yourself in the mirror lately?”

“This is... kind of awkward, actually.” Kang Jin-Ho was constantly tugging at the seams and fidgeting as if the business suit was uncomfortable to wear.

'Gee whiz, he's even got a great physique, too.'

Kang Jin-Ho's pectoral muscles were no laughing matter, as the dress shirt could barely contain them. Some male actors with great faces were cursed with poor physiques, which made it difficult to film them in wide-angle shots. But it felt like Kang Jin-Ho's physique was in a far more harmonious balance than his facial features.

'Yup, we got ourselves a proper jackpot today.'

Jang Hak-Seon's complexion brightened even more. If the people who knew about his usual abrasiveness saw his current expression, they would never believe that he was the same Jang Hak-Seon.

'Finally, we got ourselves the first episode's attention-grabber!'?

Jang Hak-Seon smiled deeply and tried to offer some words of encouragement. “Don't feel too pressured about this role, Mister Kang. It's a pretty easy role, after all. Doing it a few times will be enough to let you familiarize yourself with it.”

While saying that, Jang Hak-Seon was inwardly going, ‘I don't care even if your acting is at an elementary school level!’

Because Kang Jin-Ho's looks would take care of the rest…

***

Jang Hak-Seon continued to sigh in amazement while checking out the various monitors.

“Damn. That's stunning.”

To begin with, Kang Jin-Ho was already handsome. Now that lights were cast on him, though? His facial features seemed to have become even more vibrant. The for-broadcast makeup and lighting could turn even a plain person with a face of a squid into a king squid on camera. So, imagine the effect on an already-handsome man receiving the same kind of treatment!

“Yes, he's stunning, but...”

The monitor now showed a clapperboard with 'TAKE 15' written on it being shoved next to Kang Jin-Ho's face. Which meant this scene alone was being reshot for the fifteenth time already.

“Mister Kang Jin-Ho! I'll try to go more calmly during this take!”

“...Okay, got it.”

Jang Hak-Seon sucked in two deep breaths, then yelled at his megaphone. “Action!”

The clapperboard disappeared from the monitor, leaving behind just Kang Jin-Ho's face.

'Yes, this much is perfect. Up to this point, that is!'

The scene depicted a man's hair dancing in the sea breeze as the ocean played a magnificent backdrop. A hint of gloominess lurking in that man's eyes gave rise to a quiet yet intense atmosphere. A person's looks could be a killer, they said. And as if to prove that adage, Kang Jin-Ho simply standing there in silence was enough to seemingly make the story progress all on its own.

Everything seemed to be going swimmingly well up to this point. But then...

The assistant director in front of Kang Jin-Ho just out of the frame waved his hand, then signaled for the start of the dialogue. Kang Jin-Ho's hooded eyes shifted over to Choi Yeon-Ha next to him, then his lips parted to say his line. “We. Should. Break. Up…”

“Cuuuuuuuut!” Jang Hak-Seon yelled as if he was having a psychotic breakdown and rushed to Kang Jin-Ho at full steam. “Uwaaaaaah! Mister Kang Jin-Ho! Mister Kaaaang!”

“Yes?”

“Please don't say it like you're reading off a book! This is supposed to be people having a conversation! A conversation! Follow after me! We should break up!”

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head a little. “We should break up.”

“Slow down a little more! Like this! We should break up!”

“We should break up.”

“Yes! Exactly like that! Let's try it one more time! We should break up!”

“...We should break up.”

As if he was teaching a three-year-old child how to speak, Jang Hak-Seon had spent the past hour trying to teach the four simple words “We should break up” to Kang Jin-Ho. Those four words had been repeated so many times during the last hour that Jang Hak-Seon felt like he was really saying goodbye to someone. Hell, even his heart was aching now!

However, Kang Jin-Ho's expression remained unperturbed as he repeated that line over and over again.

While that was happening, Choi Yeon-Ha making a stiff face walked over to the exasperated PD. Her expression wasn't stiff from how serious this situation was, but more like the cold sea breeze hitting her for the past hour while waiting to say her line had frozen her up instead. “...PD Jang? Can we take a break first? I'm having a hard time moving my lips. And I think we may need new makeup done, too.”

“Urgh...” Jang Hak-Seon nodded while his expression was filled with barely-contained pain. How could he not, though? This situation was as miserable as it could get, after all!

Why! Just why was Kang Jin-Ho like this?!

Even if heaven was fair and never gave everything to a single person, how could it be so cruel as to grant a man with such incredible looks no acting talent whatsoever?! Not even on an elementary school level?! Becoming Korea's best actor would be difficult, but a face like his could have made him one of the top stars in Korea! As long as he could recite the dialogue in some capacity, that was!

With Kang Jin-Ho's looks alone, he could have lived in comfort by getting just one good role in a movie and maybe a TV show, while shooting a few commercials every now and then! So, why?! Why was a dude with such a killer face reciting the line as if he was reading it off a bloody Hangul textbook?! What kind of bullsh*t combination was this?!

“...Yes, let's do that. Everyone, let's take a short break.” Jang Hak-Seon announced in a deflated voice. The staff members with tense faces sighed in relief as their bodies went slack at the same time.

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head while heading to the makeup trailer. Jang Hak-Seon figured no one had told that young man about a trailer reserved for the actors to stay and rest between takes. However, the PD had no mental energy left to catch up to that young man and reveal the truth, so he just stood there and dazedly stared at Kang Jin-Ho.

“...Yup, the heavens can be so cruel.”

This was a disaster. Even though Jang Hak-Seon considered himself a top PD and a director, coaxing Kang Jin-Ho into reading the lines right before the end of the day seemed like an impossible task.

“But we need to shoot this scene in daylight...” Jang Hak-Seon's shoulders drooped low.

The director of photography rushed up to Jang Hak-Seon and worriedly asked, “W-what should we do about this, PD Jang?”

Jang Hak-Seon asked back in a defeated voice, “...Any ideas?”

“I think it's almost on the level of a psychological condition! A disease! He's way too camera-shy!”

“In that case, should we hide the cameras somewhere and then film him?”

“Eiii, I don't think that's gonna work, PD Jang. I noticed how smart that young man was earlier, you see? His expression instantly changed when the camera lights came on. He's a first-timer in front of the camera, yet he knew which one was filming without anyone telling him.”

“Urgh...” Jang Hak-Seon groaned while massaging his temples. Indeed, didn't he hear that Kang Se-Ah's oppa was smart? That was the case, but... “Why! Why do you have to be so smart?!”

“...Please calm down, PD Jang!”

“If only he's a bit slow in the head, we could have fooled him into relaxing during filming! Seriously, man! This sh*t is driving me up the wall!”

While Jang Hak-Seon was roaring out hot flames from his mouth, Choi Yeon-Ha walked up to him while gritting her teeth. She had managed to warm herself up with a hot pack, enough to let her speak her mind, at least! “PD Jang? Can I speak to you for a sec?”

“Sorry? Ah, Miss Choi. How are you feeling now?”

“...This scene, we need to switch it to nighttime.”

“...But, it's supposed to take place during the day?”

“I'm sure the night will enhance the mood even more! So, please change it!”

PD Jang Hak-Seon sighed at length. Sure, changing this scene from daytime to night wouldn't matter, story-wise. But the problem at hand wouldn't get resolved just because they delayed the inevitable. He crossed his arms and asked, “Do you have a plan?”

“Yes! Let's just shoot all the scenes that require daylight right now! We shouldn't run into a problem even if we exclude this troublesome scene for now, yes? And we’ve already finished shooting most of my scenes in this location, anyway!"

“Well, that is true...” Jang Hak-Seon nodded.

“In the meantime, I'm going to stick to Mister Jin-Ho like a leech and teach him. He's human, right? If I make him repeat the line again and again until sunset, he'd surely be able to say it once on camera, right?!”

“Well...” Jang Hak-Seon was slightly taken aback by Choi Yeon-Ha and her burning 'passion,’ so he inadvertently nodded in agreement.

Then again, Choi Yeon-Ha was known for having a surprisingly fiery personality. She even had a history of grabbing and shaking another PD by their collars. If she had made up her mind on something, Choi Yeon-Ha wouldn't back down that easily from it.

She clenched her fists tightly. “We! Need! To! Make this scene happen! We cannot afford to let that face slip through our fingers!”

'Miss Choi, that kind of statement might cause misunderstandings, you know...'

***

Jang Hak-Seon stared at a certain trailer in a daze. It had been four hours since Choi Yeon-Ha led Kang Jin-Ho inside that very trailer. In the meantime, all the filming requiring this location had been wrapped up. And now, they only had to shoot just one more scene.

According to the script, this scene involved Choi Yeon-Ha's boyfriend, now played by Kang Jin-Ho, breaking up with her and going overseas. This scene took up less than one minute in the first episode's 65-minute run time, yet it also was responsible for torturing Jang Hak-Seon the most.

While his heart was trembling from dread, Jang Hak-Seon cautiously approached the trailer.

'...Please, let it be laughter. Please...!'

If things were going well, he should hear laughter coming from inside that trailer. A wizened pro on the level of Choi Yeon-Ha should be trying her best to maintain an amiable atmosphere to help relax a newbie's nervousness, after all!

However, what if other loud sounds were coming from the inside? What then? That would signal the impending doom for this series. Simply deleting the scene from the script wouldn't fix the issue, either. After all, doing so would break the story while completely screwing up the filming schedule. Even if the production held an audition now and found a replacement, the end result still wouldn't change by much.

Jang Hak-Seon inwardly prayed to a higher being while cautiously stepping toward the trailer—only to be greeted by a yell loud enough to shatter all the windows!

“Uwaaaaaah?! Why can't you get this?riiiiiiiight?!”

A hollow grin slowly spread on Jang Hak-Seon's lips.

'Yup, let's just quit.'

In all honesty, It might actually be faster to think of an excuse to say to the financiers of this production!

***

Screeeech!

A black sedan came to a screeching halt in a parking bay.

Clunk...

The driver's door slowly opened to reveal a man kitted out in a sharp black business suit and a pair of sunglasses. He mouthed a cigarette while slamming the door shut, then wordlessly lit it up.

“Fuu-woo...” He took a deep drag of the cigarette, then took off his sunglasses. “Why is this film shoot taking so long, I wonder?”

This man leisurely heading toward the filming location was about to become the lone ray of hope for PD Jang Hak-Seon. And his name was Jo Gyu-Min, the 'Kang Jin-Ho Whisperer'.