The Crazy Mercenary Commander Goes to Work in the Entertainment Industry

Translator: Dreamscribe

Kamijo Yuu, who had no idea her newly arrived colleague Sato Shota was Japanese, was quite startled. Understandably so. Every one of her colleagues here at 'MEG' was Korean, and until now she had never once met a Japanese colleague.

For nearly a whole year in Japan, at that.

If Kang Jae-ha hadn't come looking for her, she probably would have spent even longer on her own.

At any rate, Kamijo Yuu, her eyes gone wide.

"......"

She asked Sato Shota, who was chatting casually with the others, in Japanese.

"S-so wait, Sato Shota, back in the Mercenary Corps... did you know about me?"

She was asking whether he had known Kamijo Yuu the actress. Sato Shota glanced at his commander, Kang Jae-ha, then answered evenly.

"I heard from Commander-nim that you'd been an actress since before you went to the Other World."

"Ah... right."

"But I didn't know you. I've never been all that interested in actors or the entertainment world."

Sato Shota brushed it off like it was nothing at all.

"I don't really watch movies or dramas. In the Mercenary Corps, all I ever thought was, huh, kind of a pretty woman. That was it."

"I see......"

"Yeah."

Sure enough, maybe it came from running a detective agency, but from his poker face to his casual deflection, Shota's acting was first-rate. And honestly, what he said wasn't that strange. Kamijo Yuu was fairly well known as an A-list actress in Japan, but.

'Right, unless someone's top-tier, plenty of people wouldn't know them.'

Unless a star had nationwide name recognition, it was common enough for the public not to know their name or face. Then, showing a hint of a smile, Sato Shota spoke again.

"Still, it is pretty amazing. To think my Mercenary Corps comrade was an actress."

Shota had no intention of mentioning that he had been protecting her for nearly a year, and Kang Jae-ha intended to keep that secret for him. Kamijo Yuu, who couldn't possibly have known any of this, put on a beaming eye-smile and cranked up her energy.

"Anyway, it's so great to meet you!! My first Japanese colleague!"

Watching Yuu smile with genuine warmth, Shota felt his heart grow a good deal lighter.

'Kamijo Yuu. For months her face looked so troubled... but now, maybe because she's met her comrades, Commander-nim included, she looks so much more at ease.'

Turning his gaze from Yuu to the colleagues around them, Sato Shota scanned their faces. Everyone was brimming with life. They'd been like that back in the Mercenary Corps days too, but now the texture was a little different. How to put it... like the color had softened a bit?

'Maybe because the slaughter is gone. Either way, the one who can gather people this far outside the norm in one place and put those expressions on their faces is, of course.'

-Swish.

Shota fixed his gaze on Kang Jae-ha, who sat with his chin propped on one hand, surveying his subordinates.

'It's because that man is the center that holds them together.'

The truth was, Shota too had spent all this time struggling to break free of the addiction, along with the mental anguish. And through it all, the boredom had only deepened. Yet the moment he laid eyes on his commander, the boredom vanished without a trace, and now anticipation was welling up instead.

'Back in the Mercenary Corps, and here too, he really is a fascinating man. Strangely magnetic, you could say.'

Around this point, Ha Yeon-ji, one hand over her mouth, having somehow come to learn the story of Shota and Yuu, marveled inwardly.

'Ahh... that's pure devotion right there. It's like a drama come to life.'

Out of nowhere, a squinting Lee Chan-hoo slid into Ha Yeon-ji's field of view.

"Ha Yeon-ji, what's with that face."

"Ah, whatever. Get your mug out of the way, you're blocking my drama."

"Sorry, it's just the kind of face that makes me want to pick a fight."

"Piss off. Don't go picking a fight and getting your ass kicked."

Just before war broke out between the two, Kang Jae-ha addressed all his subordinates.

"Kamijo Yuu and Sato Shota will officially belong to 'MEG' while operating under the Japan Branch, 'MEG Production'. Kamijo Yuu stays an actress like now, and Sato Shota will be Kamijo Yuu's Personal Bodyguard."

The moment she heard this, Kamijo Yuu was startled all over again.

"Huh?? Really?? My Personal Bodyguard?"

Sato Shota nodded.

"Yeah. Looking forward to working with you."

"Wow! No, I'M looking forward to working with YOU!!"

The atmosphere quickly turned lively. Ha Yeon-ji and Choi Ri-na latched onto Kamijo Yuu, chattering away, while Lee Chan-hoo and Ryu Hyuk peppered Sato Shota with questions. On top of that, Go Chun-seok solemnly chimed in a word here and there, and Cha Chung-hyeon had been yawning nonstop for a while now.

Watching his rowdy subordinates, Kang Jae-ha let out a small laugh.

'A picture I used to see all the time in the Mercenary Corps.'

Of course, back then everything rested on war and slaughter, so the tension had run far thicker, but there had still been plenty of moments as boisterous as his subordinates were now.

After surveying his subordinates for a moment, Jae-ha looked at Sato Shota and spoke.

"Sato Shota, what's your 'Ability'."

Turning his head from his comrades to Kang Jae-ha, Shota answered at once in Japanese.

"I can see the memories of the previous day held by the person I'm facing."

"You can see the previous day's memories?"

"Yes. The better I know the person, the clearer they are; if I don't know them, they're blurry. This 'Ability' came in very handy back when I was the Interrogator, too."

Having heard Sato Shota's 'Ability', Kang Jae-ha stroked his chin.

'So he must have used that ability to keep rough tabs on Kamijo Yuu's location and situation while protecting her. And even that was probably only in the early days; later on, guilt or something like it likely kept him from using it much.'

Whatever the case, Jae-ha judged that Sato Shota was plenty useful, both as combat personnel and for his 'Ability'. With Shota added to Lee Chan-hoo, Ryu Hyuk, and Ha Yeon-ji, they could dig up even more solid intel.

'The fact that he protected Kamijo Yuu while fighting off the addiction to slaughter is proof enough of his usefulness.'

Soon Kang Jae-ha rose from his seat and gave instructions to his Japanese subordinate duo.

"You two stay in Korea this week, and head over to Japan once things at 'MEG Production' settle down a bit. Sato Shota, consider yourself on duty as Kamijo Yuu's guard starting tomorrow."

Just as Kamijo Yuu and Sato Shota nodded, the youngest of them all, Choi Ri-na, suddenly shouted.

"Let's have a Company Dinner, a Company Dinner!! Commander-nim, treat us to beef!"

Ha Yeon-ji pulled Choi Ri-na into a light hug.

"So cute, so cute. Commander. Isn't this cuteness worth slaughtering, like, a hundred cows for??"

As things got noisy all over again, Kang Jae-ha let out a small laugh.

"Fine, let's tear into some beef tonight."

In a way, it was 'MEG's first full Company Dinner.

Morning of the 28th, Leon Entertainment.

Kang Jae-ha came in to Team 4. Perhaps because there was a lot of fieldwork, Team 4 looked short-staffed today, and after exchanging brief greetings with Team Leader Jang Hyung-su, Jae-ha crossed his legs the moment he sat down and fell into thought.

Thoughts about his subordinates.

'With Kamijo Yuu and Sato Shota joining, that makes eight in total.'

Compared to the Mercenary Corps, the number was laughably small, but compared to when it had been just Lee Chan-hoo, it had grown considerably. And besides, weren't the circumstances, the whole world, different now?

'The combat squad is Lee Chan-hoo, Go Chun-seok, Ryu Hyuk, Sato Shota, and Ha Yeon-ji. The non-combat squad is Cha Chung-hyeon, Choi Ri-na, and Kamijo Yuu.'

Going back over the 'Abilities' his subordinates held, Kang Jae-ha sorted out which of them had jobs in this world.

'Ryu Hyuk, Ha Yeon-ji, Cha Chung-hyeon, Choi Ri-na, Kamijo Yuu.'

Turning this and that over in his mind, Kang Jae-ha folded his arms and thought of Go Chun-seok and Sato Shota. At present, both held guard positions. Go Chun-seok for Choi Ri-na, Sato Shota for Kamijo Yuu. Then, letting out a low hum, Jae-ha muttered to himself.

"Guess it's about time to get that side ready too."

His mental blueprint spinning at full speed, Kang Jae-ha abruptly stood and walked out into the hallway. Phone in hand, he placed a call to someone. It was Cha Chung-hyeon. The ringing was short.

"Yes, yes... Commander-nim."

Jae-ha put a question to Cha Chung-hyeon, who was radiating lethargy from the crack of dawn.

"You at work?"

"I am. The hangover from the Company Dinner still hasn't worn off, I feel like I'm gonna die..."

"Want me to send you off a little early, then?"

"No, no, it's just a figure of speech. Haha. I'd very much like to live."

Whether it had snapped him wide awake or not, Cha Chung-hyeon tossed a question mark through the phone.

"So what's the occasion, first thing in the morning... Commander-nim."

"Look into security companies for me."

"Ah... a Security Firm?"

"Yeah. Small scale is fine, but somewhere with at least five guards on the roster is best. Anything smaller isn't worth buying."

"Buying? You mean you're acquiring a Security Firm? Why all of a sudden... ah, Commander-nim, could it be."

As if something had clicked, Cha Chung-hyeon ventured a guess.

"I think you mentioned it once before... you're preparing 'MEG's troops, aren't you? A Security Firm under the 'MEG' name."

Kang Jae-ha nodded as if to say, correct.

"That's right. 'MEG's professional security company, with Go Chun-seok and Sato Shota at its head."

Having answered, Kang Jae-ha murmured one thing more.

"And after that, a press company."

Around the afternoon of the same day, a practice room inside Leon.

A song was blasting through the fairly spacious practice room.

-♬♪

Three women in comfortable clothes danced dazzlingly to the track. Their faces were somewhat familiar. They were, after all, the three members who had survived the 'Kisera Rebuilding Project'.

The one with long blonde hair was the Main Vocalist and leader; the one with the short cut and powerful Choreography was the rapper; and the one with slender limbs but a presence that carried a certain fullness was the sub-vocalist.

The three were deep in Choreography practice when the song cut off abruptly.

They'd been at it quite a while, so it seemed they meant to take a short break.

The three surviving members of 'Kisera' gasped for breath, busy wiping away sweat.

Just then.

-Swish.

The closed practice room door opened and someone stepped inside. It was Kang Jae-ha, his expression plain. The moment they saw him in his blazer, the three of 'Kisera' moved in perfect unison, like freshly enlisted recruits.

"Hello!!"

Looking at the girls now standing in a neat row at the center of the practice room, Kang Jae-ha stated calmly.

"We've picked the two members you were missing."

"...Oh, really??"

"Yes. Starting now, you practice together."

The instant he finished speaking, two more women entered the practice room. The two Jae-ha had chosen at the audition. One was on the tall side with red-tipped hair, and the other had a faintly eerie air about her expression.

With this, 'Kisera' was newly complete at five members, and Kang Jae-ha asked the members to introduce themselves to one another. After an exchange of greetings brimming with awkwardness, wonder, and curiosity.

-Swish.

Kang Jae-ha closed the open practice room door and spoke to the five members of 'Kisera' in a cold, unsparing tone.

"The 'Kisera Rebuilding Project' has essentially only just begun, and since we've rebuilt this from the foundation up, every one of you needs to throw absolutely everything you have at it, like your lives depend on it."

Even doing that, 80~90% still failed. That was today's idol market.

"Even when you think you've given everything you've got, scrape out more, squeeze out more, and keep charging. 'Kisera' is in an awkward spot. The company has hopes for you, but it also dismisses you. So there's no looking back; all you have to do is run forward. If anything, it's simple."

Rather than words of encouragement or motivation, what Jae-ha offered the 'Kisera' members was the brutal reality, along with a reminder of the pain that lay ahead.

"A newly assembled lineup, a merciless market, a company that looks down on you. It will be hard. Physically, mentally."

The 'Kisera' members listening to Jae-ha's dry delivery held their very breath, and Kang Jae-ha asked them.

"If you think you can't endure it, then throw in the towel here and now instead. Say you don't think you can do it."

He was telling them to raise the white flag. But original members and newcomers alike, 'Kisera' stood there in silence.

"......"

"......"

Having given them a moment, Kang Jae-ha nodded.

"I'll take that to mean you're all sticking it out, and 'Kisera' launches anew with these five members."

Soon, looking at Jae-ha's composed face, the hearts of the five 'Kisera' members began to pound.

'Oh my god! It feels like the day I first made the Debut Team! C-can they hear my heartbeat?!'

'This time, for sure! I'm going to survive.'

'I can do this... I can do this.'

Gauging the looks on their faces, Kang Jae-ha then, out of nowhere, dropped a fairly shocking line.

"And Korea matters, sure, but the new 'Kisera' will be aiming overseas from the very start. Quite aggressively."

The 'Kisera' members froze as if time itself had stopped.

"......Huh??"

*****

For more extra chapters, you can check out my Patreon here --> patreon.com/dreamscribe

If you enjoy this novel, please review and rate it at Novelupdates. Thanks! 😊

To receive the latest update notifications or report mistakes, join our Discord server linked below.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!