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?
'Have I finally gone crazy?!'
What a stroke of luck it was that her body was frozen stiff! If it hadn't been for that, Choi Yeon-Ha's legs would've automatically kicked the sheets at least five times by now! And this awkward atmosphere would've become Caesar crossing the Rubicon and lost any and all hope of recovering!
Actually, she was wrong. It was already beyond salvage at this point!
'It can't be, right? Right?'
Choi Yeon-Ha's head slowly, oh-so-slowly, turned to the side. She simply had to confirm it with her own two eyes! She must know what that unpredictable man was doing!
Was Kang Jin-Ho lying there in a daze, just like in her imagination? Or had he turned his head and was looking at her? If not...!
Shuffle...
Choi Yeon-Ha slowly turned her head while nervously gulping back her saliva. And then... she saw it. She saw... his eyes! Kang Jin-Ho was staring at her face!
“Hiccup!”
A sound of uncontrollable hiccups jumped out of Choi Yeon-Ha's mouth. If this situation had been a little more... 'normal', hiccuping in front of Kang Jin-Ho would've immediately started a round of sheet-kicking from her legs. However, her whole body didn't have any leeway whatsoever to worry about doing that.
'Why?! Why is he looking at me so passionately?!'
Unmistakable flames of determination were burning in Kang Jin-Ho's eyes. How should she describe those flames? A burning gaze containing ripe passion about to erupt? Regardless of what descriptor Choi Yeon-Ha decided to use, it'd still not stop the flood of sweat breaking out on her back!
'What should I do?! W-w-what should I do if he pounces on me?!'
If this man had been someone else, Choi Yeon-Ha wouldn't have hesitated one second before kicking the living crap out of him, then loudly shout, 'What do you take me for?!' but now...!
She wasn't in the right frame of mind, and the man lying next to her was unlike any man she had dealt with until now!
'I, I, I don't know what to do!'
Choi Yeon-Ha suddenly had a realization. If this innocent, easy-going bovine-like man lost his mind and charged at her like an enraged bull... She knew she'd not be able to stop him. Not as in she didn't have the strength to stop his advances, but more like...
'In any case! I-it's like that, you know?!'
The thoughts of something historic unfolding tonight plunged her mind into chaos, and her breathing became heavy and shallow as if she had participated in an 800-meter Olympic sprint!
'T-this isn't... Oh, no...!'
She knew she mustn't pant heavily like this. It'd only further stimulate the beast (?) on the other side of the bed, after all!
Just as Choi Yeon-Ha was panicking about what to do here, Kang Jin-Ho carefully spoke to her. “Miss Yeon-Ha, listen.”
“Y-y-yes? Yes?” Choi Yeon-Ha hurriedly replied, only to swear inwardly at herself. Wasn't her 'yes' a bit too panicky and loud? Such was the loudness of her reply that even she flinched at herself. Her action was basically shouting at the other party how intense her nervousness was, and that she was ready to have a heart attack if this momentum continued on!
All the carefully-cultivated images of a cool and sophisticated (?) woman were crumbling like a sand castle against a tsunami wave tonight.
“Miss Yeon-Ha, I have been thinking about something, and...”
'W-what is he trying to say here?'
When Choi Yeon-Ha stared at Kang Jin-Ho gazing at her with such solemn determination, her brain was immediately cleared out of all thoughts except for one.
'He's... so handsome!'
But then, another wave of embarrassment crashed into her mind. To think she'd think about something like that in this precarious situation! Could she yank her brain out and rinse it clean somehow?
However, what could she do about it? It was her primal instinct functioning as it should, after all!
Choi Yeon-Ha was confident of being indifferent toward a man's outer appearance in most situations, but not during this moment. Kang Jin-Ho's face, subtly shrouded by the darkness of the night, was ably defeating and forcing back Choi Yeon-Ha's resistance.
'I, I'm not acting like this because of his good looks. Definitely not!'
Choi Yeon-Ha sucked in a deep, deep breath to regain control of her mind.
Obviously, the world was filled with many good-looking men. Objectively speaking, a few of Choi Yeon-Ha's fellow actors were handsome enough to rival Kang Jin-Ho. However, she still mercilessly delivered a sharp kick to their shins if they dared to try their luck with her.
This seemed to be the case of the order of things being swapped around. Choi Yeon-Ha didn't feel this way because Kang Jin-Ho was handsome. No, she saw him as handsome because it was Kang Jin-Ho!
After accurately diagnosing the current state of her mind, Choi Yeon-Ha briefly bit her lower lip.
Kang Jin-Ho continued to speak. “No matter how much I think about this, I...”
“Mister Jin-Ho, I...!”
“Yes?”
“I'm ready,” Choi Yeon-Ha blurted that out as her fingers gripped the sheets tightly. Despite pushing herself to say those simple-enough words, her guards still went up instinctively.
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... ?
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