The Crazy Mercenary Commander Goes to Work in the Entertainment Industry

Translator: Dreamscribe

The animated film 'House of the Daytime Moon' had its official release. That meant 'House of the Daytime Moon' was now screening across the country, and Kang Jae-ha was watching it at the early-morning showing.

The runtime of 'House of the Daytime Moon' was already nearing its end.

"......"

Kang Jae-ha, who had long since polished off the popcorn he'd bought, was thoroughly fixated on the screen. The same went for the sizable audience around him.

And then.

-♬♪

The ending theme swelled through the entire theater, and the animated film 'House of the Daytime Moon' came to a close. A few words on the end credits caught Jae-ha's eye.

-Investment: MEG

The investor name appeared in both the opening and closing credits. The audience might not feel much of anything about 'MEG', but Kang Jae-ha, faintly smiling, felt an odd thrill run through him.

'Nice.'

He had seen 'MEG' displayed as an investor at BIFF too. But seeing it in the officially released 'House of the Daytime Moon' felt different. Either way, Kang Jae-ha applauded inwardly as he watched the credits roll up the screen.

'The characters turned out great, the quality's killer. And of course it's fun.'

Soon, the face of director Hong Man-seop with his thick eyebrows flashed through his mind.

'His talent really is something else.'

The 'House of the Daytime Moon' Kang Jae-ha had just watched was, without a doubt, spectacular. Entertainment, tension, quality, music, story, and so on. Nothing was lacking. Sure, there might be a little bias on his part, but it wasn't only because Jae-ha had invested in it.

In fact, the reactions of the audience leaving the theater told the same story.

"Oppa, what'd you think?"

"Crazy good. I had zero expectations and it blew me away."

"Right?! I was so absorbed the whole time!"

"With quality like this, it was way more fun than that Japanese theatrical anime I saw recently."

"Oh really?? But oppa, who'd you go see that Japanese anime with?"

"...Huh?"

It was the same as Jae-ha's reaction. Praise for 'House of the Daytime Moon' came pouring out of quite a few mouths.

"How is this so good."

"Right?"

"Honestly, I wasn't expecting much, but it was damn entertaining."

"For real, instead of slapping on some half-assed 3D, they went hard on the Korean aesthetic and it slapped."

"Near the end, when that gayageum, or something like it, started playing and the protagonist went wild, I almost lost it."

"I came to kill time at the early show and it turned out to be an absolute masterpiece."

"Domestic anime quality's pretty good, huh? Looks like the tech's leveled up a lot."

Hearing the audience chatter as he passed by, Kang Jae-ha answered inwardly.

'The tech was always good. The money just wasn't flowing.'

In any case, the audience's overall reception was glowing, and Kang Jae-ha, having stepped out into the theater lobby, boarded the elevator. He soon recalled the Deja Vu of 'House of the Daytime Moon'.

'Per Deja Vu, ticket sales over three million. And the Chinese capital that would've been an issue is gone.'

When 'House of the Daytime Moon' had taken Chinese capital, that is, when a Chinese character had been forcibly inserted, it had still set an industry-first record. But Kang Jae-ha had cleared that Chinese capital out, and now nothing stood in House of the Daytime Moon's way.

Stepping off the elevator, Kang Jae-ha gave a small smile and murmured.

"The numbers are going to be something to watch."

Meanwhile.

Master Yu Gil-tae sat alone in a conference room. His expression was deeply grave. The reason: MEG's CEO Lee Chan-hoo, who had just finished their conversation and left.

"Hoo-"

Letting out a small sigh, director Yu Gil-tae mulled over his earlier exchange with CEO Lee Chan-hoo. It had started with Lee Chan-hoo asking to be cut into the investment.

Hearing him out, director Yu Gil-tae couldn't help but be taken aback.

"You want me to...make room for you in the investment?"

After hearing the conditions Lee Chan-hoo laid out, director Yu Gil-tae's expression turned even graver.

"So you're saying that, in exchange for telling me about a matter that could sink my new film, you want to join as an investor?"

At the question, Lee Chan-hoo gave a faint smile and nodded.

"Correct. All you need to do is bring me into the investment for your new film 'Mask of Murder'. That's my condition."

"......"

Studying Lee Chan-hoo's face for a moment, director Yu Gil-tae murmured to himself.

'He already knows the title of my project.'

It wasn't exactly top secret, but director Yu Gil-tae's upcoming project 'Mask of Murder' had not yet been openly announced. Meaning, only a small circle knew the title. And yet MEG's Lee Chan-hoo, sitting across from him, already knew it.

Director Yu Gil-tae sensed that the investment firm 'MEG' was not to be taken lightly.

'Their intel is sharp. They even know rough internal matters?'

Around this point Lee Chan-hoo, who had let out a quiet hum, was likewise sizing up director Yu Gil-tae.

'Surprised? He needs to be surprised for this to land. The Commander said an appropriate level of shock would be better. Anyway, full speed ahead.'

Lee Chan-hoo continued, watching director Yu Gil-tae.

"Hmm- you're a master of the film world, director Yu Gil-tae-nim, so investment offers must've come pouring in long ago. You'd just be picking from among them. I'd assume the investor seats are already full."

"......"

"But you've only picked them, you haven't signed contracts with the investors yet, given the timing. Soon, sure, but not yet. All I'm asking is for you to squeeze 'MEG' into one of those full seats. Provided you like the information I'm offering."

In short, whether the seats were already promised or already chosen, he was asking director Yu Gil-tae to carve out a spot for 'MEG' among the full investor roster. This was the move Kang Jae-ha was angling for. The strategy of inserting Yoon Da-yeon and slipping 'MEG' in as well.

Normally, getting in as an investor on a film by a heavyweight like director Yu Gil-tae was not easy.

Money came rushing from all sides.

Especially for a fledgling investment firm like 'MEG', joining a project assembled by a master was practically impossible. But getting a master like director Yu Gil-tae to owe a debt? That changed the story.

Director Yu Gil-tae gave a brief nod.

"Fine. If the information you're offering is solid, I'll honor that condition. I promise."

In truth, up to this point, director Yu Gil-tae had assumed the information Lee Chan-hoo would give him wouldn't be that big a deal. He believed that. His mindset was more along the lines of, just in case.

But the moment he heard Lee Chan-hoo speak.

"Your upcoming project 'Mask of Murder'. I've confirmed the lead casting is already complete, and you picked Woo Jeong-cheol as one of the actors, didn't you?"

"......"

"Good choice, Woo Jeong-cheol. Top-tier actor. But that guy's got a problem."

"...A problem?"

"Yes, a problem. Drug-related."

"!!!"

Director Yu Gil-tae's face twisted.

"Wh-, what?? Drugs?!"

"You're being loud."

"Ah."

"It's only natural to panic. So? The Woo Jeong-cheol drug situation. Plenty enough to sink your new film, isn't it?"

Sink it? No, well past sinking, this was practically detonation. An actor cast as the leading man getting hit with a drug scandal mid-shoot or mid-release? Just imagining it made director Yu Gil-tae's skin crawl.

If it broke during filming: scrap all the problem actor's footage, recast, deal with the massive losses in time and money, and so on.

If by some chance it broke after the film had opened, the situation would spiral into an even greater disaster.

Mid-release meant pulling the entire film, of course, and from that moment all distribution would be banned outright. The losses would be many times worse than during filming. The crew and other actors involved in the project would obviously take collateral damage too.

On top of that, a serious blemish would be carved into director Yu Gil-tae's filmography.

In place of director Yu Gil-tae, whose head was rapidly tangling, Lee Chan-hoo opened his mouth.

"If I hadn't told you, it probably would've broken during shooting or after release. I'm giving you a heads-up because I have a deep interest in your work."

"...You're certain?"

"You don't believe me? It's all right if you don't. But the Woo Jeong-cheol drug case will absolutely break, soon. It's just a matter of time."

"......"

"Just in case, I wouldn't recommend asking Woo Jeong-cheol himself or alerting anyone around him. It's easier to dodge shit than to wipe it off."

Maintaining his faint smile, Lee Chan-hoo never lost his composure.

"Woo Jeong-cheol, the contract's probably already signed, so it's best to leave things as they are without taking it any further. If any media play is on the schedule, put a stop to it."

"H-, hold on."

"That's the extent of the information I'm offering. Whether to use it is your call, director-nim. If you do, you'll need to honor the condition I mentioned, and if you don't, if you decide to carry Woo Jeong-cheol forward as is..."

Letting his words trail off briefly, Lee Chan-hoo rose from his seat.

"Then we at 'MEG' will pull our hand off your film as well."

That was where it ended.

Returning to the present, to the conference room where he was now alone, director Yu Gil-tae murmured inwardly.

'...Woo Jeong-cheol- on drugs?'

Not even a supporting role, a lead. And one whose contract had already been finalized as the lead. And now, apparently, a drug scandal was about to break. Of course, the Lee Chan-hoo from earlier hadn't presented any actual evidence.

Just words.

But director Yu Gil-tae couldn't lightly dismiss it.

"This is maddening."

The world he lived in was the jungle that was the entertainment industry, and in that industry, where there was smoke, there was fire. Drug scandals had popped up plenty of times. In a way, drug-related issues were a chronic illness of the entertainment world, and just recently a female actress had run into trouble.

So the unease was bound to be considerable.

On top of that, the existence of MEG's Lee Chan-hoo himself was no ordinary matter. 'MEG' was an investor that had made a name for itself at this BIFF. The condition of asking to be brought in as an investor also seemed sincere.

So why would a 'MEG' like that pull this kind of cheap trick?

And besides.

'Somehow...it feels like CEO Lee Chan-hoo is the one handling Woo Jeong-cheol's drug situation.'

Wasn't the evidence in his hands? In other words, setting off the scandal was also at his discretion.

'Giving me a chance before he detonates the bomb.'

He couldn't be certain, but director Yu Gil-tae arrived at his decision.

"...Right. There's no harm in being cautious."

For now, he'd swallow the information Lee Chan-hoo had given him. Not that he believed it 100%. Just enough to be on guard. The film world was one where even the smallest whisper could trigger a massive ripple. And those ripples translated directly to a film's box office.

Soon director Yu Gil-tae picked up his phone. He was making a call. The other party was the head of the film production company that had signed on to do his new project 'Mask of Murder' with him.

"Mm, it's me. The confirmed-cast articles we were going to push out starting tomorrow, let's put a hold on those for now. And lock down the casting info so nothing leaks externally."

He brought quite a few things to a halt.

"Nothing about the casting has been decided. As far as we're concerned."

Later.

That night, Kang Jae-ha walked into the 'MEG' office. Waiting for him were all his subordinates. Lee Chan-hoo, Ha Yeon-ji, Go Chun-seok, Cha Chung-hyeon. Each having spent their day, they began their reports to the Commander.

The start was Lee Chan-hoo.

"Met with director Yu Gil-tae. Guy was floored."

Lee Chan-hoo briefed on his conversation with director Yu Gil-tae in meticulous detail. Kang Jae-ha, nodding as if satisfied that things had gone as designed, gave a small chuckle.

"A drug scandal on a lead actor you just cast. Plenty enough to make any director's skin crawl."

"Director Yu Gil-tae's probably going to make moves of his own."

"Not probably, 100%. He's not just got his own neck on the line, he's got the lives of a hundred-plus people, crew and all, on his hands."

"On a stage where even a small bit of noise sets it rocking, there's no way he can ignore a drug case."

Jae-ha, legs crossed, murmured quietly.

"Now the master director's in our debt."

Kang Jae-ha met eyes with Ha Yeon-ji, who was waiting her turn.

"Shame to waste a scoop that big, isn't it? Ha Yeon-ji, you spin it nice and tight and break it. I'll tell you the timing."

"Oh? Of course. I've already got it plated up beautifully. Just hit the button, it's ready to fire."

"The scoop's huge, so once you toss out the bait, the rest will move on its own. Public opinion, the police, all of it."

Jae-ha tossed an assignment at Go Chun-seok too.

"That club Woo Jeong-cheol's been hitting. You watch it on your own for about a week."

"Understood, Commander-nim."

Once the drug case broke, it was obvious the police would tear that club apart first. Next, the bookkeeper Cha Chung-hyeon laid out the figures he'd organized for Jae-ha. From taxes to the suspicious-money U.S. stock plays Kang Jae-ha had recently tossed his way.

Furthermore.

"Ah- the three entertainment companies you mentioned, I've finished mapping out their financials too. Here."

The financial conditions of the entertainment companies that would become MEG's subsidiaries were also handed over to Kang Jae-ha. Studying the materials closely, Jae-ha murmured.

"Set up meetings one at a time, as fast as possible."

The meeting with one of the entertainment companies Kang Jae-ha had selected for acquisition was held the next day. Out of Lumia Entertainment, LX Entertainment, and ZER Entertainment, Lumia Entertainment was first.

Lumia Entertainment's office was in Bundang.

Kang Jae-ha wore horn-rimmed glasses and a mask, and the subordinates he brought along were Lee Chan-hoo and Go Chun-seok. Lee Chan-hoo led most of the conversation. Naturally, the Commander, Kang Jae-ha, had briefed him beforehand on the lines that absolutely had to be hit.

The first meeting, with Lumia Entertainment, revealed that the on-the-ground situation was far worse than the research had suggested.

'Did the CEO change in the meantime?'

They were truly a hair's breadth from going under. Lumia Entertainment's side was desperate, since 'MEG' looked like a lifeline to them. But after wrapping up the meeting, Kang Jae-ha shook his head.

"Out."

"Why? They were practically diving in with their eyes lit up."

"The new CEO doesn't have the chops. The debt's grown even more since he took over."

For various reasons, Kang Jae-ha struck Lumia Entertainment off the list of acquisition targets. It was fine. There were plenty of entertainment companies in the country.

And that night, Cha Chung-hyeon, looking at his phone, jumped in shock.

"Holy. It, it really surged?!"

The U.S. stock pick Kang Jae-ha had tipped him off about had begun rocketing skyward. What is this? Cha Chung-hyeon, baffled, once again felt the awe of the Commander Kang Jae-ha.

"As expected, the Commander, huh? How on earth does he pull off this kind of magic?"

Cha Chung-hyeon, who had been about to go to sleep, sprang up and started running calculations in his head. The more taxes he could shave, the more the Commander would praise him.

"Gotta earn that bonus."

With this, MEG's, Kang Jae-ha's, capital began swelling rapidly. Well, Jae-ha had already received his sixth Pension of 700 million won. On top of that, the release of 'House of the Daytime Moon'. And now that Cha Chung-hyeon had joined, his funds would compound all the more steadily.

And so two days passed.

The 31st. Time was afternoon.

Not at 'MEG' but at the major news outlet 'Prime Patch', Ha Yeon-ji could be seen working overtime. Her face fairly worn out, a wooden chopstick stuck through the bun of hair piled on her head. It was at this moment that the phone of the journalist pulling an all-nighter buzzed.

-Bzzzt.

A short vibration. A text. The sender was the Commander, Kang Jae-ha. The contents were brief.

-Drop it now, Woo Jeong-cheol.

Smirking, Ha Yeon-ji murmured to herself.

"Yes, yes- Commander-nim."

In an instant, several clicks rippled across the now-empty newsroom. The sound of her firing off the article she'd already lined up.

Soon, a piping-hot scoop hit the world.

《[Exclusive] Top actor Woo Jeong-cheol, a life soaked in drugs...for him, the club was a place not for dancing but for getting high / Prime Patch, journalist Ha Yeon-ji》

It was a catastrophe-level scoop that would turn the entertainment industry upside down.

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