Chapter 645. Dealt With (5)

Chapter 645. Dealt With (5)

'W-what should I do now?'

Choi Yeon-Ha found herself stuck in a spot of bother. And it was a big spot! How should she describe this situation, then?

If she was being honest with herself, this sense of superiority had been the dominant emotion until now. Since she was dealing with a man so much more innocent than her in the matters of so-called birds and bees, her confidence had been going through the roof. However, the truth was...

'Aren't I actually worse than him in this thing?!'

Objectively speaking, Choi Yeon-Ha was far more clueless in these kinds of adult matters than Kang Jin-Ho.

Of course, it wasn't as if Choi Yeon-Ha leaned the other way. It was simply the case of not finding a man that met her sky-high standards. A woman certainly couldn't grab any random dude off the street for her first time, now could she!

Indeed, she had already steeled herself to do the deed whenever someone she really liked finally entered her life. And it took almost three decades of life on this planet for someone like that to show up.

'I haven't even kissed a man before, you know!'

Sure, she had 'smooched' other people before. How could she avoid doing that when her job as an actor forced her to shoot TV shows and movies? Whenever such a scene needed to be filmed, Choi Yeon-Ha would change the screenplay so she'd now viciously rub (?) her lips all over her co-star while absolutely losing their minds from the unrequited passion. Why would she go that far? A well-placed camera would make it look like she was passionately kissing her man, that was why!

In conclusion, Choi Yeon-Ha was nothing more than an empty can making a lot of noise. And the price for bluffing in a field she had zero expertise in proved steep. Way too steep for her to pay!

She couldn't even move a finger and just lay there, blinking silently in this awkwardness. She kept thinking that even an innocuous little tweak of a muscle somewhere could instantly make this already-awkward atmosphere even more unbearable. And that thought had paralyzed her to the spot.

'Geez! I can't even breathe...'

Although Choi Yeon-Ha wanted to confirm the expression etched on Kang Jin-Ho's face, turning her head to look proved impossible. What if she carelessly turned her head... Only to lock eyes with him accidentally? She just knew her face would melt off from the heat of embarrassment!

If she wanted to prevent the headline of 'Top Actress Choi Yeon-Ha, found dead in mysterious circumstances in a hotel room' appearing in newspapers, she must avoid turning her head to look, no matter what!

'This wasn't what I wanted, though...'

The biggest reason for this situation? It was her 'fear'. Still, people would inevitably start expecting some things to happen in situations like this one, wouldn't they!

Choi Yeon-Ha was an actor. As such, she developed a habit of cooking up various scenarios for each situation she found herself in.

'Okay, so...! The scenario for this situation was supposed to be...!'

The screenplay was supposed to unfold like this: the male lead rescues the female lead from danger. And the female lead puts up a brave front while secretly trembling pitifully from the trauma. After the lights go out, the male lead silently reaches out and holds the female lead's hand. And then, romantic shenanigans ensue...

At least, that was what Choi Yeon-Ha had envisioned, but this...!

'What the hell is romantic about this?! People might think we're shooting a damn thriller here!'

She wouldn't be paralyzed to this degree like a frozen mackerel even if the criminal was locked in here with her! Of course Choi Yeon-Ha knew that fantasy often differed drastically from reality. However, wasn't this difference still too much? Enough to actually change the genre of the fantasy?!

Shuffle...

That was when Kang Jin-Ho suddenly tossed and turned slightly.

'Hiiiiieeeek?!'

Choi Yeon-Ha flinched, although she managed to keep it relatively subtle. She thought her whole body had been paralyzed, so the realization of there being some body parts still left to be paralyzed amazed her somewhat.

'It can't be, right! There's no way! It's not, right? Right? It's probably not what I think!'

It couldn't be it! For one, Kang Jin-Ho wasn't that type of a man, and trying any funny business in this situation was a bit inconsiderate too, no? Even so...!

'R-right! I remember hearing that men usually let their lower half do all the thinking!'

Some people called the entertainment industry a den of beasts. Using such a term denoted that this particular sector of the economy was pulsating with life and creativity, but there was another meaning to it, too.

Lots of people working in the entertainment sector seemed a bit rubbish with getting their priorities right, as they'd often go all-in on their love lives first. Just as the rumors of Mister Someone dating Miss Who began taking off, the involved parties would have already moved on to new partners. Actually, some situations were even more lurid than that!

If the reporters published every little dirty thing they knew to the general public, it'd be like a nuke going off within the Korean entertainment industry! To their credit, these reporters knew that making a living while letting talent agencies pamper them every so often was far better than publishing all the juicy scandals they had uncovered and devaluing the entertainment industry as a whole. Doing so could potentially end their own journalistic career in the process, after all!

Of course, rumors would still do the rounds among the people involved in the industry. Choi Yeon-Ha was one of the insiders, so she was privy to all the salient information. And that led her to conclude that...

All men were animals! And whenever animals gained the strength to lift their limbs...

'N-no, wait! He's not the type!'

Despite Choi Yeon-Ha's desperate attempt to calm herself down... Wasn't Kang Jin-Ho a virile young man? If all human beings acted rationally all the freaking time, why would this world be so full of incidents and accidents? Stuff happened because blood rushed to their heads and paralyzed their brains!

...Maybe the blood wasn't rushing to the head but somewhere much lower in the anatomy?

Of course, if Kang Jin-Ho got serious, Choi Yeon-Ha's defenses would crumble and shatter in the blink of an eye, anyway!

'Although this isn't it...'

The way this situation unfolded didn't match the romantic spectacle she had always envisioned. However, wasn't that what reality was like? Human affairs would never be perfect, no matter how hard people tried.

If Kang Jin-Ho had made his mind up about this, Choi Yeon-Ha must give him a firm answer. So, she bit her lips and got ready.

That was when Kang Jin-Ho began tilting his head slightly. “You're ready? Ready for what?”

“...I'm sorry?”

“I don't quite follow you, so...”

“N-no, I mean... Like... What I meant was... Well, uh... Hah...” Choi Yeon-Ha stuttered and stumbled over her words before quickly turning her head away in embarrassment. “It's as it sounds. I'm ready.”

“Yes, I heard you. But what are you ready for?”

That was when confusion began filling up Choi Yeon-Ha's expression. Kang Jin-Ho might be a dull man, but that didn't make him a moron. Obviously, he shouldn't be that clueless to not understand her intentions, so...

Choi Yeon-Ha cautiously asked back. “W-what were you trying to tell me, Mister Jin-Ho?”

“Mm...” Kang Jin-Ho narrowed his eyes and raised his head a little.

Choi Yeon-Ha saw that look on his face and forced her pounding heart to remain still so she could focus on his voice.

“I've thought hard about this, and I think it'll be better to rethink your decision to resume filming tomorrow,” said Kang Jin-Ho. “You've gone through a traumatic experience, so taking one extra day off might be a good idea. I understand your desire to stick to the filming schedule, but sacrificing your mental health to do so doesn't seem worth it.”

“...”

“That is why, please take tomorrow off.”

Choi Yeon-Ha's cheeks and brows twitched ominously. Even tears began pooling near her eyes. She was so, so grateful for Kang Jin-Ho thinking about her health like this. And she felt like a total idiot for overreacting and misunderstanding him until now. If that was all she felt, then this situation could be closed without an incident, and everyone could sleep while feeling happy about each other, but...

What was this? This boiling anger bubbling up from the fifth vertebrae in her back?! Why did it feel like she was taking a bath in a tub full of boiling water?

Her blood boiled more and more before rushing toward her head. If an event similar to this happened every day, Choi Yeon-Ha wouldn't need a half-bath for the rest of her life. Her blood circulation would always be explosive, after all! [1]

“I-is that all you have to say?” Choi Yeon-Ha urgently asked again.

“Mm? Yes. Were you expecting something else?” Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head oh-so innocently.

“N-no, it's... nothing. Go to sleep.”

“Huh? Sorry?”

Kang Jin-Ho's innocent-to-the-point-of-nonchalant question finally broke down the wall of Choi Yeon-Ha's suppressed rage. “Just go to sleep already, you dummy! Sleep!”

“...Yes, ma'am.” Kang Jin-Ho shrunk back and sheepishly pulled the sheets to cover himself.

And that sight left Choi Yeon-Ha feeling hollow and depressed. She forlornly stared at the ceiling.

'Yup, I've finally lost my mind...'

She must be crazy. After all, she had been counting chickens even though the eggs hadn't hatched yet! With how bad her misunderstanding was, it was safe to say her chickens had died even before they could hatch!

When she confirmed the status of her shattered pride discarded on the floor, Choi Yeon-Ha's entire body began shuddering in renewed resentment.

'You... You animal!'

She was using that word in a different sense this time. Kang Jin-Ho wasn't an animal because of his lust... But for how dense he was!

“Aigoo, my life...” Choi Yeon-Ha painfully muttered to no one in particular.

“Mm? Did you say something?” Kang Jin-Ho casually asked back.

“Go! To! Sleep!”

Kang Jin-Ho flinched grandly at Choi Yeon-Ha's boiling rage. He wordlessly turned away from her in the bed and shrunk into a small ball. And that sight brought out another round of hollow and forlorn groans from Choi Yeon-Ha's lips.

A short while later, Kang Jin-Ho could hear the sounds of sheets being violently kicked around, then felt them fly up in the air. However, he resolutely refused to look behind him.

'I will die if our eyes meet!'

A grim reaper was seething right behind his back. Kang Jin-Ho finally understood what others must've felt while looking at his enraged self.

1. Half-bath is the latest beauty trend that started in Korea. Please google it for more in-depth information... ?