The Crazy Mercenary Commander Goes to Work in the Entertainment Industry

Translator: Dreamscribe

Kim Ho-yeon dropped the sashimi knife he'd been gripping. He released the woman he'd been holding, too. The unconscious woman fell limply to the floor, and Kim Ho-yeon collapsed backward, gagging and choking.

"Ghhk, ack! Guh!"

Sprawled on the ground, Kim Ho-yeon clutched at his chest with one hand. His convulsions grew more violent by the second. His legs kicked wildly against the floor like a man gone mad.

-Hssss.

Dust billowed through the abandoned factory. His thrashing was no different from the woman who had been begging to be spared just moments ago. His eyes turned bloodshot, drool and snot streaming down his face. Because Kim Ho-yeon was dying.

An ordinary person's brain would have short-circuited from the shock and panic, but Kang Jae-ha showed little reaction. He simply.

"......"

Stood there in silence, looking down at the convulsing Kim Ho-yeon. Then, like a final flare of defiance, Kim Ho-yeon clenched his molars with a crunch. Hard enough to shatter them. His eyes bulged wide. With those eyes, he glared at Kang Jae-ha standing just steps away.

His gaze carried the fury of a man who had killed Jae-ha dozens of times over in his mind.

"Grrakh! Y-you fuck!! You! Nngh! Fucking asshole!!!!"

His howl was like a deranged beast. So thunderous that the entire abandoned factory hummed with the echo. Yet Jae-ha's unfazed expression didn't change. His gaze remained still. He took no action whatsoever beyond watching. Lee Chan-hoo, standing behind Kang Jae-ha, was the same.

Then.

-Scrape.

His thrashing weakened, and Kim Ho-yeon crawled forward, trembling violently. He reached out a hand. Not far enough. He crawled again. Heading for the sashimi knife that had fallen nearby.

But his speed, his movements, gradually slowed.

Because his life was on the verge of going out. Kim Ho-yeon's vision blurred. He could barely breathe. Was this what dying felt like? Still, Kim Ho-yeon didn't stop crawling.

-Clack.

He finally grasped the knife. By now his eyes could barely see, yet he kept crawling. Toward the unconscious woman. He knew the direction by smell. Sensing death was right in front of him, Kim Ho-yeon murmured faintly.

"...Ghh, just... just her."

He slashed the sashimi knife toward the woman. Once more, his blade cut through empty air. No chance of reaching her. To the very last, Kim Ho-yeon chose slaughter. But after a few more swipes, the hand holding the knife dropped to the floor with a thud.

"Ack."

Kim Ho-yeon drew his final breaths in ragged gasps. For a brief instant, the Other World flashed through his mind. The smell of blood, flesh being torn apart. It had been fun. Yeah, I'm not dying. I'm going back there. For some reason, a faint smile crept across Kim Ho-yeon's lips.

"......"

His heart stopped dead.

The abandoned factory fell silent once more. Kang Jae-ha stood unchanged, looking down at the extinguished Kim Ho-yeon. He made no fuss. That made sense. He'd witnessed scenes like this countless times over eighteen years.

'Death' was commonplace to Kang Jae-ha.

Around then, Lee Chan-hoo approached Kang Jae-ha's side and let out a sigh. He, too, showed no sign of surprise whatsoever.

"Phew, if it weren't for you, Commander, this would've been a real headache."

He meant it. Without the authority Jae-ha held as Commander, without 'Absolute Obedience' and the rest, things would have gotten considerably complicated.

"I had a feeling someone like this would turn up. You had an inkling too, right, Commander?"

That was right. Kang Jae-ha, having confirmed the existence of his Mercenary Corps subordinates, had anticipated something like this. Lee Chan-hoo simply said it for him.

"After all that bloodshed over there, it'd be weird if there wasn't at least one Deviant."

"Not all of them were in the bloodshed."

"Well, true enough."

The Mercenary Corps had been divided into many branches. Combat was the core focus for units like the Assassination Squad that Lee Chan-hoo had belonged to, but there were also plenty of personnel whose roles supported the fighting. Scout units specializing in intelligence and reconnaissance, medics, merchants, cleanup specialists, and so on.

Regardless, Kang Jae-ha clicked his tongue as he looked down at the lifeless Kim Ho-yeon.

"Should've found him sooner."

"...Easy to say. If it were that simple, we'd have found him ages ago. There wasn't really a way to, either."

Lee Chan-hoo scratched his head vigorously and glanced sideways at Jae-ha.

"Commander, are you alright?"

Kang Jae-ha answered in a low voice.

"It's nothing I haven't seen before. But yeah, it does leave a bad taste. Maybe because it's a different world."

"You know this already, but Kim Ho-yeon... it wasn't you who sent him. It was the system."

"......"

Jae-ha, giving no answer, raised his index finger. He pointed at the woman lying facedown behind Kim Ho-yeon.

"The woman. Check on her."

Lee Chan-hoo moved swiftly the instant the order was given. After checking the woman's breathing, he gave Kang Jae-ha a nod.

"She's fine. Got some scratches, but she's breathing well. Looks like she just passed out."

"Let's clean up."

The quick-witted Lee Chan-hoo asked back.

"We proceed like we were never here, right?"

"Right."

It was better that neither of them had been at this scene. Getting found out would only create unnecessary hassle.

"Text the police from that woman's phone."

Lee Chan-hoo, pulling on the gloves he'd brought, looked around and spotted the woman's bag lying on the far side. He pulled out her phone. He unlocked it with the woman's fingerprint. While Lee Chan-hoo was busy at work, Kang Jae-ha.

-Swish.

Scanned the scene once more. Perpetrator, victim, weapon. Everything was here. If the police saw this, they'd probably conclude it was something like cardiac arrest on Kim Ho-yeon's part. The CCTV and such, Kim Ho-yeon would have already taken care of, just like the other cases. Having finished his work, Lee Chan-hoo placed the phone near the woman and came over.

"All done."

"Yeah. Let's go."

Lee Chan-hoo exited the abandoned factory first, and for a few seconds, Kang Jae-ha looked at the prematurely dead Kim Ho-yeon.

"Not everyone is like you."

Meaning there were comrades who were living just fine. Kang Jae-ha and Lee Chan-hoo themselves were proof of that. Everyone, most people, were living that way. Adapting and accepting. Soon, Jae-ha left the abandoned factory too, and while walking to the car, Lee Chan-hoo abruptly bowed his head deeply.

"Loyalty, loyalty."

"What's that about."

"It means I'm pledging loyalty to you, Commander."

"Don't be dramatic."

"I'm serious though?"

That lunatic Kim Ho-yeon hadn't been able to do a thing before dying. Having witnessed the power of 'Absolute Obedience' firsthand, it was only natural for his knees to go weak.

'Well, the Figurehead CEO life is pretty fun, too.'

The two got into their parked car. Lee Chan-hoo drove, as usual, and Kang Jae-ha, gazing out the window, was thinking about 'Deja Vu'.

'It seems like 'Deja Vu' is showing me the other members too, after all.'

Until now, there had been no real way to track down his subordinates. But starting with this Kim Ho-yeon case, things had changed. The timing was unpredictable, but it was all but certain that 'Deja Vu' was revealing the identities of various Mercenary Corps subordinates.

'I hope the next one is normal. Not a Deviant.'

Thanks to 'Deja Vu', the sense of helplessness had eased somewhat. Still, it was impossible not to overthink. Without a doubt, his Mercenary Corps subordinates were capable. Like Lee Chan-hoo.

They even each possessed their own 'abilities', didn't they?

If he kept recruiting, 'MEG' would accelerate its growth, and 'MEG' would become a Mercenary Corps by another name.

'Though what we'd be doing would be entirely different.'

As Commander, Jae-ha also felt a sense of responsibility. He didn't know what kind of lives they were all living, but he intended to take them in whenever possible. Of course, if they wanted freedom, he'd let them have it.

Around this point, Lee Chan-hoo, still driving, spoke up.

"Uh, now that a Deviant like Kim Ho-yeon has shown up, going public with this is out of the question. I'd been thinking maybe we could put the word out on social media or something to find the Mercenary Corps guys, but..."

"Can't do that. We only stopped Kim Ho-yeon easily because he let his guard down."

"True."

"No matter how many crossed over, no matter what kind of person they are, the world's changed. We can't assume they'll all be friendly."

Neither ally nor enemy. Best to treat them as neutral for now.

"If we give away information first, the other side prepares and sets up countermeasures. Their guard goes up."

"And that'd be throwing away our only advantage. Tch, it's a weird feeling. Annoying but kind of thrilling at the same time. Almost feels like right before going to war, you know?"

Lee Chan-hoo smiled faintly, as if reminiscing about the old days.

"They could be solo, or they might've already formed a team, and also, there's no rule that says they're only in Korea, right? The possibilities are endless."

"For now, it'd be good to think through the different scenarios."

Stopped at a traffic light, Lee Chan-hoo suddenly flashed a thumbs-up at Kang Jae-ha.

"Still, Commander is Commander, right? Everyone opened their eyes because of you. 'Absolute Obedience'. The apex predator."

The mood having lightened a bit, Kang Jae-ha pointed forward with his index finger.

"Just drive."

The next day, around afternoon.

Articles about the recent serial case that had set the public on edge were flooding every search engine.

《[Breaking] Perpetrator of the serial killings that terrorized citizens, found dead at the scene》

《Serial killer caught; perpetrator found dead at the scene》

《Serial case suspect apprehended at an abandoned factory in Yongin, already dead... cause of death appears to be cardiac arrest》

It wasn't just the articles. The same news blazed across various online communities and social media. People's fingers and tongues moved fast.

-holy shit they finally caught the bastard

-good riddance!!

-ㅠㅜㅠㅠㅜㅠ they got him I was so scared...

-but how does the bastard just drop dead of a heart attack

-probably got so high on killing that his dopamine exploded and his heart burst lmaooo

-so glad the victim survived!!

-that piece of shit should've been drawn and quartered

Soon, the case was all over the broadcast news as well.

The coverage was all similar.

《Serial killer found dead at scene; victim present at the location is not in critical condition / Photo》

The serial case perpetrator had been caught, and the perpetrator had died on the spot. The third victim had fortunately regained consciousness and was recovering. However, the victim apparently answered that she had almost no memory of what happened.

Both offline and online, the serial case was the talk of the town. But.

"......"

After briefly checking the articles, Kang Jae-ha quickly dismissed them from his mind. He only needed to confirm whether things had gone according to plan. Fortunately, neither the articles nor the news mentioned the existence of Kang Jae-ha or Lee Chan-hoo. This would likely be where it ended.

After that.

"Did we get cooperation for the locations that were giving us trouble?"

"Yes, Director-nim. The timeline's a bit tight, but we managed to get it sorted."

On Director Kwon Sung-min's face as he pushed up his glasses, the boyish look had given way to the expression of a director carrying real authority. He was growing, steadily.

Experience enough, make enough decisions, shoulder enough responsibility, and one's mindset can't help but expand.

A day later, Kang Jae-ha received a phone call.

It was Director Kwon Sung-min.

"Hello, Manager-nim!"

"Yes, Director-nim. Hello."

Director Kwon Sung-min, his voice brimming with excitement, relayed the news that had just been decided.

"The first filming date for 'Condensation' has been set, so I wanted to let you know! The first shoot is Monday the 23rd!"

At last, the first shoot for 'Condensation' had drawn tantalizingly close. Kang Jae-ha smiled. The arrival of Condensation's first filming day meant the Busan International Film Festival was very near as well.

Jae-ha then relayed the first filming date to Yoon Da-yeon and An Ji-hee.

Each of them, in their own places.

'Phew, how long has it been since a first shoot. Supporting Role or whatever, I'm going to absolutely crush it.'

Was savoring her own brand of excitement.

"First shoot... oh, oh my god! I'm so nervous! Ahhh!"

And so the weekend passed, and the morning of Monday the 23rd dawned.

The noise around the Kim Ho-yeon articles had mostly died down, and inside a van barreling down the road, familiar faces could be seen. Director Kwon Sung-min with a serious expression, CEO Jeong Tae-woo of 'Moonbak Film', among others. It was the Short Film 'Condensation' team.

Currently on the move to the first filming location.

CEO Jeong Tae-woo, with his broad, flat face, rubbed his palms together, apparently feeling the jitters of a first shoot himself.

"Maybe it's because it's been a while? I've got that tingly feeling."

"......"

No answer came from Director Kwon Sung-min, deep in concentration on something. He was engrossed in the 'Condensation' screenplay, looking dead serious. He was jotting things down, too. CEO Jeong Tae-woo tilted his head quizzically and asked again.

"Director-nim? Are you checking the storyboards? Or re-checking the blocking?"

Only then did Director Kwon Sung-min turn his head, scratching it as if embarrassed.

"Then what are you doing now?"

"...W-well."

Director Kwon Sung-min, who for some reason seemed to have lost a bit of confidence, spoke with difficulty.

"If I had to put it a certain way, I guess I'm revising."

"Revising? The 'Condensation' screenplay?"

"Ah! No! I'm not touching the short film 'Condensation'. I was just thinking, what if I created a new 'Condensation'."

To the question-marked CEO Jeong Tae-woo, Director Kwon Sung-min delivered his answer.

"It's more like... remaking the short film 'Condensation' into a feature-length 'Condensation'."

"Feature-length."

"Yes. Of course I'll do the short film 'Condensation' shoot properly. And I'll complete the submission to the Busan International Film Festival properly too. I'm just thinking ahead and trying to expand the short screenplay."

Expanding from a short film to a commercial film. In other words, he was planning to remake the short 'Condensation' into a Feature Film. Essentially, giving birth to a new 'Condensation'.

"Do you think investors will be interested?"

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