Chapter 436: The Education (1)

Chapter 436: The Education (1)

Choi Yeon-Ha glanced at the driver's seat as Han Eun-Sol climbed inside. “Oh? You escaped sooner than I thought? I figured the agency president would nag you for one hour straight, though.”

“We can't keep you waiting, after all.” Han Eun-Sol muttered while putting on his seatbelt.

“I can always catch a taxi, you know?” Choi Yeon-Ha said that while looking totally unapologetic. Her straightforward demeanor was usually refreshing to behold from the sidelines, but not so much when Han Eun-Sol was at the receiving end. She could come across as uncaring and even cruel at times.

“Noona.”

“Yeah?”

“We gotta talk.”

“About what? I've already said everything I want to say.”

“No, noona.” Han Eun-Sol stared intently at Choi Yeon-Ha. “We gotta have a serious talk.”

“...”

“Let's go to a cafe. Preferably somewhere quiet.”

When Choi Yeon-Ha didn't say anything, Han Eun-Sol took that as a yes and started the car.

***

“So? What do you want to talk about?”

Even before the droplets of dew on the coffee cup in front of her started trickling down, Choi Yeon-Ha got the ball rolling first.

Han Eun-Sol looked around their vicinity to check if anyone was nearby. This cafe had partitions between tables, so other patrons shouldn't know about Choi Yeon-Ha's presence, but it still paid to be cautious.

“Noona, what do you think you're doing right now?”

“That's a weird way of putting it. I'm not doing anything, Eun-Sol. In fact, I'm trying to do nothing right now. It's you and the agency trying to goad me into doing something I'm not interested in.”

“Noona, you're an actor, right? Isn't it weird for an actor to refuse to be in a film or TV show?”

“Nothing weird about it,” Choi Yeon-Ha coolly shrugged her shoulders. “A certain Mister Actor hasn't starred in a single production in the last seven years but is still rated as Korea's most handsome celeb, isn't he? Cases like that are pretty common, too.”

“I thought you used to find such things weird and lame?”

Choi Yeon-Ha clamped her mouth shut at that counterattack.

Han Eun-Sol didn't stop there. “An actor can only be called an actor when they star in productions, and a singer must sing to be called a singer. That's what you said. You even said an actor should turn in their actors' guild membership if they want to rely on the goodwill generated from a movie they starred in a long time ago and shoot nothing but commercials to make a living!”

“Right. I said that,” Choi Yeon-Ha nodded, readily admitting to it. “Yes, you're right. I did say all those things. Well, it's not like my mind's changed now. Besides, in my eyes, I still haven't built up enough brand awareness with the public to live off on their goodwill alone yet.”

“Yes, noona. And you said something else, too. You said this year will be the turning point in your career. That you must not remain as yet another pretty face.”

“Oh, so I must sign on to this production? Is that it?”

“No, noona. I don't care whether you say yes to this production or not. I really don't. What frustrates me is that you are clearly not interested in any projects.”

“No, that's not true. I am interested.”

“Really? You might think that way. However, you aren't even looking at scripts coming your way, now are you? And you are not even actively searching and asking around if there's a good role available for you, either!”

“...”

“Noona,” Han Eun-Sol sighed deeply. “You're like Wonder Woman to me.”

Choi Yeon-Ha cocked an eyebrow. “Don't put me on a weird pedestal, okay?”

“Back when I was still a naive rookie manager, I always thought you were like a shining star. Your presence used to motivate me. It motivated me to quickly rise through the ranks so that one day, I can become your manager.”

“So, you succeeded. Congrats.”

“...I was just a naive fool, though.”

“Say what now?”

“In any case! Back then, I really thought you were born to become the greatest actor in history. You did whatever it took to research the role until you could fully understand your character. Even if you could only find an amateur to help you, you'd still try your best to figure out the core of your character. Do you still remember that?”

“Just get to the point, Eun-Sol.”

“Yeah, he is.”

“And you still haven't seduced him yet, now have you?”

“...”

“Noona, to seduce an incredible man, you also need to become someone just as incredible. Yes, you're pretty. And being pretty usually works wonders. However, Mister Jin-Ho is just as pretty and even more capable than you, isn't he?”

“E-even so, I'm stupidly beautiful, right?”

“Noona, humans can't survive on their looks alone. Don't you know about the overall stat points? If we add your personality score, well... Let's just say I won't have a tough time finding lots of women who are better than you, noona.”

“Say what now, you punk?!”

“It's time to face reality, noona! Your reality!” Han Eun-Sol didn't back down and directly went for the kill. “Is Mister Jin-Ho the type to care about a person's looks?”

“...No. If he was, I'd have closed the deal by now.” Choi Yeon-Ha sneakily looked away.

“As far as I can tell, Mister Jin-Ho's the type to not care much about a person's looks. Which means, you gotta rely on your personality and abilities, but you... Noona, let's be honest here. You are a wacko with a crap personality.”

There were times in one's life when they couldn't fight back even if someone insulted them right to their face. And Choi Yeon-Ha was currently stuck in one of those times. Blood wanted to rush up to her head as her irritation level rose up, but no counterattack wanted to come out of her mouth. Well, Han Eun-Sol wasn't wrong about her, so...

“In that case, you can only rely on your abilities to compete for his attention. Am I wrong? But you're in the middle of abandoning the only thing you're good at! Noona, a healthy romantic relationship isn't about one person controlling and leading the other person, okay? Two people of equal standing must support each other to maintain a healthy relationship. But you think the situation will work out as long as your heart is in the right place, am I wrong?”

Choi Yeon-Ha clamped her mouth shut.

“Throwing everything away and clinging to that guy won't get you anywhere, noona. If you really like that guy, you gotta improve your talents and force him to pay attention to you. Make sure he can never forget you! Isn't that a romance worthy of Choi Yeon-Ha?”

“Yeah,” Choi Yeon-Ha slowly nodded. “You're right, Eun-Sol. What you said totally makes sense.”

Han Eun-Sol's attack was on the mark this time.

“You're right. I thought everything would work out as long as I cared about him. Even though I know human relationships don't operate that way.”

“Yes, noona! That's exactly it!”

“First of all, I need to become someone on the same level as Mister Jin-Ho. That's the right way to approach this...” Choi Yeon-Ha furrowed her brow. “Right. That's who I am. That's the kind of person I am... I forgot all about that. But you finally helped me remember it.”

Choi Yeon-Ha raised her head and wordlessly stared at Han Eun-Sol's expectant face before smirking softly for some reason.

“Thanks, Eun-Sol.”

“...?”

“Yes, you were right. My intentions were never about relying on Mister Jin-Ho but to walk alongside him. If this keeps going, though, it won't be any different from relying on him for everything. You're right, Eun-Sol.” Choi Yeon-Ha tightly clenched her fist. “I must become someone he can never forget. Everything you said... is correct. Right, I must've been out of my mind for a while there.”

Choi Yeon-Ha turned her head and stared outside the cafe for a while before slowly getting up. “I'll excuse myself first.”

“Let me give you a ride home,” said Han Eun-Sol while standing up.

“No, it's fine. I gotta organize my thoughts first, anyway. Thanks for today. What you said will help me out greatly in the long run. You know what? I think you'll do great as a romance coach.”

“Nah, I know my place, noona.”

“No, no. You are really good at this. How did you even accurately pinpoint my situation like that? No, that doesn't matter. I'll definitely repay this debt later. How about I buy you dinner sometime?”

“Sounds good, noona. I want something expensive, though.”

“Sure, why not. Okay, I'm off.” Choi Yeon-Ha waved her hand and exited the cafe.

Han Eun-Sol sat back down on his chair and silently sipped his coffee.

'A romance coach, eh...?'

What a funny notion that was. How could Han Eun-Sol become a romance coach when he was an inexperienced noob himself? There could be only one reason why he managed to offer the perfect advice to Choi Yeon-Ha today.

'You gotta be on a similar level before you can reveal what's in your heart, after all...'

If one couldn't raise themselves to stand as equals as the object of their desire, they would be forced to hide what was truly in their hearts, their doubts about being unsuitable partners preventing them in the end.

Han Eun-Sol knew this, and that was why he could offer Choi Yeon-Ha the necessary advice. If he could help it, Han Eun-Sol didn't want Choi Yeon-Ha to experience the same frustration as he did.

“Gee whiz. What a do-gooder I am...” Han Eun-Sol grumbled while drinking the rest of his Americano in one go. “...So bitter.”

Indeed, it was so bitter. His tongue, his heart...

Everything was so bitter. Endlessly so...