The Crazy Mercenary Commander Goes to Work in the Entertainment Industry

Translator: Dreamscribe

Director Yu Gil-tae's eyes went wide, and he asked Lee Chan-hoo back.

"...Solo Investment?"

It wasn't strange. Lee Chan-hoo, sitting across from him, had just said he'd push out the other investors and cover the whole thing himself. The Master, Director Yu Gil-tae, pushed up his round glasses. Quite a bewildered face.

"When you say Solo Investment...... you mean 'MEG' would handle the entire investment?"

Lee Chan-hoo kept his smile, though inside, his answer came out plenty slick.

'Yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying, you damn director geezer.'

But on the outside he was the picture of composure, oozing confidence.

"That's right. That's what I said."

Director Yu Gil-tae's bewilderment only deepened. He'd naturally assumed they were talking about a partial stake in the overall budget, and out of nowhere here came the words 'Solo Investment'.

"CEO-nim Lee Chan-hoo. You do realize you don't even know the budget scale of my new film, 'Mask of Murder', yet?"

There was no way to know. Even Director Yu Gil-tae himself hadn't pinned down a clear total production cost yet. So Lee Chan-hoo nodded.

"Right, I don't."

"And, and yet you're declaring Solo Investment that brazenly?"

Lee Chan-hoo wore an easy smile, but to be honest, even his nerves were rattling a little. Solo Investment in a film. Even a rough estimate said it'd burn through at least several billion won like it was nothing.

'Going solo is...... genuinely risky.'

Lee Chan-hoo had laid this out for Commander Kang Jae-ha too. But Kang Jae-ha hadn't wavered, calm as ever. No, he'd actually pushed harder for going solo. Soon Lee Chan-hoo recalled his Commander's words.

'There'll be risk, sure. But if you're only going to pony up some pittance, solo is better. No other investors yapping in your ear. Looking at Yu Gil-tae's past films, the budgets hover around 8 billion won, and even if it goes higher, we'll be fine. Just send it.'

He'd even said Director Yu Gil-tae would find it easier that way. After running through Kang Jae-ha's instructions for a moment, Lee Chan-hoo turned back to Director Yu Gil-tae across from him and spoke.

"Look, if Director-nim is really nervous, we can let one or two more investors in. But our 'MEG' would prefer Solo Investment."

He continued with a brief on 'MEG'.

"You'll obviously know that we invested in 'Condensation' at BIFF."

"Yes, I do."

"That animated film currently in theaters, 'House of the Daytime Moon', have you seen it?"

"...I was planning to soon."

"It's making serious waves as a Domestic Animated Film. We invested in 'House of the Daytime Moon' as well. Solo."

"!!!"

Right now, Lee Chan-hoo was making sure the Master, Director Yu Gil-tae, understood MEG's clout.

"Currently 'MEG' is running multiple ventures in parallel, and the things we'll be investing in are set to grow. There's no problem at all with us handling Solo Investment on Director-nim's work."

"......"

Director Yu Gil-tae grew serious and thought it over. To put it plainly, in today's film industry Solo Investment was as good as nonexistent. Especially for a Master like Yu Gil-tae. Films, by their nature, could flop even on a Master or a heavyweight, so investors spread their bets to share the risk.

That was why, in film production, picking the Investment Firms came first of all.

Splitting the risk was the right answer. But from a director's perspective.

'Getting a Solo Investment is way better.'

A single source was several times easier than juggling many. The saying about too many cooks didn't exist for nothing. The more investors there were, the smaller the risk, but the heavier the meddling and interference in the work.

Even when the original vision got warped and ruined, a director had to grit their teeth and keep shooting.

What director would enjoy that?

Of course, for a Master at Director Yu Gil-tae's level, the interference would lessen somewhat, but it didn't disappear entirely.

'One person is easier on the heart than a bunch of them all kicking up a fuss.'

Director Yu Gil-tae, having sorted his thoughts, sat in silence for a moment and then spoke.

"...If you do go with Solo Investment. Do you plan to weigh in on the work in any way?"

Lee Chan-hoo shrugged.

"Director-nim, believe it or not, I'm pretty busy. I don't have time to run around on set yapping like a magpie."

Director Yu Gil-tae had seen plenty of investors say things like that and then turn around and start barking orders.

"In that case, would it be acceptable to include a clause in the contract stating that you won't interfere with the work?"

"Of course. I'd rather have Director-nim shoot the picture the way you want it. As long as there's no serious problem when I see it, I'll keep my hands off."

Hearing the answer, Director Yu Gil-tae felt relief mixed with surprise. In his decades as a director, this kind of situation was just about a first. One could call it luck, but it was also engineered luck. He could only experience this because Kang Jae-ha had set his sights on Director Yu Gil-tae from the start.

Soon Director Yu Gil-tae nodded slowly and opened his mouth.

"All right. Let's move forward with the direction of 'MEG' Solo Investment. Haha, once word of this gets out, the market's going to be plenty noisy. The Investment Firms will be talking behind backs too. Something this unprecedented."

"Sounds like good publicity."

"That said, I do need to talk to the film company that's coming on board, and we have to prepare the contracts. So let's settle on a decision soon and get everyone together."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Lee Chan-hoo's smile deepened, and he extended his hand to Director Yu Gil-tae. A handshake with a win-win implication baked in. Director Yu Gil-tae shook his hand and asked.

"But... even granting the weight of my name, what exactly did you see in my new work to commit to this much?"

The one who had seen something wasn't Lee Chan-hoo, but his Commander, Kang Jae-ha. Still, Lee Chan-hoo, with his easy nerve, answered as if he were the one who'd seen it.

"Intuition."

"...... Intuition."

He was borrowing his Commander's line, of course, but there was no way Director Yu Gil-tae could tell.

'Is he insane? Burning billions on intuition?'

He concluded that this Investment Firm called 'MEG' had a bit of an Eccentric Streak.

After that.

Around late afternoon, the subordinates gathered at 'MEG'. Lee Chan-hoo, Go Chun-seok, Ha Yeon-ji, Cha Chung-hyeon. They reported to Commander Kang Jae-ha one by one, starting with Lee Chan-hoo.

"Commander, the Solo Investment deal with Director Yu Gil-tae is pretty much in the bag."

After laying out his conversations with Director Yu Gil-tae, Lee Chan-hoo scratched his head.

"But is it really gonna be okay?"

With over 10 billion won in additional profit locked in and his coffers steadily fattening, Kang Jae-ha glanced at Cha Chung-hyeon and smiled faintly.

"It's fine. Just take good care of things on Director Yu Gil-tae's end."

"Got it."

Kang Jae-ha nodded, then turned to give instructions to Ha Yeon-ji, whose hair was wound up in a bun.

"Ha Yeon-ji, you keep pushing the 'House of the Daytime Moon' coverage, and help Cha Chung-hyeon wrap up the 'MEG Entertainment' and 'FilmMEG' Acquisitions."

"Yes~ Commander."

Kang Jae-ha's gaze fixed back on Lee Chan-hoo.

"You heard about Oh Jong-man and the Netflix deal."

"Yeah, I heard. Netflix asked Oh Jong-man to come on as an actor too."

"You go over to Netflix and close the deal."

As he spoke, Jae-ha laid out for Lee Chan-hoo exactly how to play it. More precisely, he injected the entire blueprint he'd already drawn up, and the sharp-witted Lee Chan-hoo caught on immediately.

"Aha, that angle? It's going to be way more fun to watch. Once the 'One-Act Drama Project' opens up, the Aggro will pile on even more."

"Dropping the bomb that Oh Jong-man was a writer, we hold that back and save it for the very last. That's best."

"Got it. I'll head over and hammer out the deal."

This time Kang Jae-ha spoke to Go Chun-seok, who sat ramrod-straight.

"Lee Chan-hoo moves alone. Go Chun-seok, you stick to Choi Ri-na for a while."

"Understood. But, Commander-nim. What exactly should I do while I'm sticking with Choi Ri-na?"

"First and foremost, security. If any flies start swarming around Choi Ri-na while she's busking like last time, deal with them."

"Yes, sir."

"And she's got PTSD. Choi Ri-na will be better off with a Mercenary Corps comrade nearby."

"Understood."

"Cheer her on. Keep her company."

For Choi Ri-na, Ha Yeon-ji would have been a better fit than Go Chun-seok, but positionally speaking, Ha Yeon-ji couldn't be glued to Choi Ri-na at all times.

Either way, the next day, the 14th, when Go Chun-seok came to find her, Choi Ri-na bounced up and down, her long purple hair swishing. Her face was lit up with delight.

"Really? Commander-nim told you to stick with me?"

"Yeah. That's what he said."

"Awesome! I love it! I'm so into it!"

"I'm counting on you."

"Yeah! Counting on you too!"

"You can talk to me casually like back in the Mercenary Corps."

"I already was?"

"So you were."

Choi Ri-na's eyes crinkled in a smile, and then, as if something had struck her, she clapped her hands together.

"While we're at it, want to come busking with me today??"

"Sure."

"But you'll get bored just standing there, so you gotta do something!"

"Do something. You want me to dance or something?"

"No no... oh? Actually that's good too? But more than that."

Choi Ri-na pulled something out of a corner of the cramped studio. Something round.

"This is an instrument called maracas? When you shake it, it goes shake-shake!"

"......"

"You hold this and shake it when I tell you to. How's that?"

"Got it."

"Let's practice right now!"

Choi Ri-na, her combat power newly raised, pulled out her Acoustic Guitar. The two of them could be found again that night on the streets of Hongdae.

-♬♪

The guitar melody spilling out was incredible. Enough that passersby stopped to listen. Of course, it was Choi Ri-na's playing, but tonight she wasn't alone.

-Shake-shake-shake!

An enormous monster was, expressionless, shaking something. It was Go Chun-seok. He was shaking the instrument called maracas in time with the rhythm. Exactly as Choi Ri-na had taught him in their lesson. Choi Ri-na stood out, but the huge, hulking figure shaking maracas without an ounce of expression was what really pulled the crowd's attention.

"The girl on guitar is pretty. Song's nice, too."

"Yeah, but that guy is huuuge."

"Isn't it kinda cute how he clunks along shaking that round thing?"

At first Go Chun-seok had been embarrassed, but now he'd emptied his mind.

'It's the Commander's order. I have to pull this off properly.'

Among the dozen-plus onlookers, familiar faces appeared. Kang Jae-ha first.

"......"

He watched Go Chun-seok with a flat expression, but he was clearly fighting the urge to laugh. Behind him stood Lee Chan-hoo and the rest of the 'MEG' family. Choi Ri-na had invited them, and the first one who failed to hold in her laughter was Ha Yeon-ji.

"Pfft!"

The laughter spread to the others. Go Chun-seok's shake-shake-shake performance was just that intense. Confirming her comrades had arrived, Choi Ri-na switched songs, and Go Chun-seok, spotting his Commander, shook the maracas even more fiercely. Going for extra credit. At the same time, his comrades' laughter grew louder.

Kang Jae-ha's eyes traveled across his subordinates, and a faint smile crossed his face.

'It's been a while, this feeling.'

Even back in the Mercenary Corps in the Other World, there'd been moments like this. Moments tinged with laughter and enjoyment. It hadn't all been war and slaughter.

'Back then too, Choi Ri-na would sing, and everyone would eat, play, and have a good time.'

Kang Jae-ha let his eyes crinkle in a smile and fixed his gaze on Choi Ri-na strumming the guitar.

'This is why I thought she was something special.'

When Choi Ri-na was around, the mood loosened. She melted the tension off the mercenaries and gave them a brief reprieve. That was why Jae-ha had cherished her. In the Mercenary Corps and here alike, Choi Ri-na's greatest strength was the bright, radiant energy she carried.

No wonder the mercenaries had fallen for her and trailed along after her.

Soon Choi Ri-na, eyes meeting Kang Jae-ha's, waved her hand wildly.

That was when it happened.

'Hm?'

For an instant, Kang Jae-ha's vision rippled. A familiar sense of déjà-vu followed. The prelude to 'Deja Vu'. In no time, scenes other than the present unfolded before Jae-ha's eyes.

『A grand, majestic performance hall. Countless lights poured down across the venue, and the audience bathed in those lights was staggering. A concert hall. Screams and cheers filled the air.

"#(*&%(*#&%*(#!!!"

"*%#(%*#*#@!!"

The sound was so loud it was hard to even make out. The tens of thousands of spectators packing the concert hall were all looking toward the vast stage. Standing on that stage was one woman. She wore a stage outfit that included a necktie, with an Acoustic Guitar slung over her shoulder. It was Choi Ri-na. Choi Ri-na shouted to the massive audience.

"Hello, everyone! You all waited a long time, didn't you?!!"

The reply that came roaring back at her was a wave of screams and cheers so enormous. As if every single person had come to see only Choi Ri-na, the concert hall felt ready to burst.

-♬♪

Then Choi Ri-na began to play the Acoustic Guitar.』

That was where it ended. Kang Jae-ha's vision rippled again and returned to reality. The dozen-plus people gathered, Choi Ri-na playing guitar in front of them, Go Chun-seok still going shake-shake-shake, his subordinates cheering on through their laughter.

Soon Kang Jae-ha recalled the 'Deja Vu' he had just seen.

It was Choi Ri-na's.

A smile playing at his lips, Kang Jae-ha watched Choi Ri-na strum the guitar and murmured inwardly.

'The timing's still unclear, but... we can afford to make the stage even bigger than what I saw in the 'Deja Vu'.'

The 15th, Saturday.

From weekend morning, Kang Jae-ha could be found at the 'MEG' office. His subordinates were nowhere in sight, and just as Jae-ha pulled a water jug out of the small fridge.

-Swish.

The 'MEG' office door opened again. It was Choi Ri-na, hauling in a load of stuff starting with a laptop. The moment she saw Jae-ha, her eyes crinkled in a smile.

"Ah! It's Commander-nim!"

"Yeah, it's me."

Grinning ear to ear, Choi Ri-na already had the air of someone who'd made arrangements with Kang Jae-ha. After setting the load she'd hauled in on the six-person table, Choi Ri-na threw up a thumbs-up.

"The works I composed, the ones you mentioned, all of them! I brought them all!"

*****

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