The Crazy Mercenary Commander Goes to Work in the Entertainment Industry

Translator: Dreamscribe

Netflix Korea was riding high these days, both at home and abroad. There was the recent 'One-Act Drama Project' it had thrown its weight behind, but maybe because it sat at the overwhelming top of Korea's OTT market, it had been pouring money all over the content market.

More than anything, the high degree of creative freedom enjoyed by content bearing the Netflix Korea label also played its part.

Thanks to that, Netflix Korea was growing into a monster that threatened even the domestic broadcasting and film industries. And it was still ongoing. Overseas, it was no pushover either.

《[Issue Pick] K-Culture Spreading Overseas, the Rapid Pace of Its Spread Is No Ordinary Thing》

It was because the power of the Korean Wave kept growing larger and larger. K-pop, of course, but also K-films, K-dramas, K-food, and so on. The momentum of the Korean Wave expanding rapidly overseas was extraordinary, so naturally Netflix Korea was bound to get a serious boost from it.

After all, it was no exaggeration to say Netflix was everywhere in the world.

Heo Seong-jin, the Executive Director of that very Netflix Korea, had no shortage of content he was interested in. With headquarters pushing hard behind him, he couldn't help but row all the harder and with real enthusiasm.

Among them was a domestic animated film.

It was because Executive Director Heo Seong-jin had watched 'House of the Daytime Moon'.

As a domestic animated film, 'House of the Daytime Moon' had set numerous records and left a real mark. Of course, its artistic merit too was enough to win Executive Director Heo Seong-jin's recognition. Thanks to that, the desire to launch a domestic animation on Netflix Korea as well had grown stronger in him.

As an original series, of course.

Well, though it carried the 'domestic' label, it didn't necessarily have to be entirely domestic. There was the option of buying a screenplay from Japan or elsewhere and producing it in Korea. But that would only muddy the color of the thing.

Just as Executive Director Heo Seong-jin was mulling it over,

a meeting request came in from the investment firm 'MEG', and General Manager Kim Ha-jae, whom he had met once before, made his proposal as if he were reading Executive Director Heo Seong-jin's very thoughts.

"This is your chance to preempt the next installment in the 'House of the Daytime Moon' series."

The man across from him was Kang Jae-ha wearing the mask of General Manager Kim Ha-jae, but the bald-headed Executive Director Heo Seong-jin, who had no way of knowing this, found his eyes widening despite himself. The man had said he was offering a chance at preemption, and then he'd pulled out the next-work series of 'House of the Daytime Moon'.

As it happened, 'House of the Daytime Moon' had left a deep impression on Executive Director Heo Seong-jin. No, he wanted it, badly.

'It's obvious every corner of the market is going to want the 'House of the Daytime Moon' IP. A hundred percent.'

The domestic animated film market, traditionally so barren it was outright hell. And 'House of the Daytime Moon', which had set a legendary record amid all that. It was a given that countless people were drooling over it. About now, Executive Director Heo Seong-jin felt a flicker of puzzlement.

'......With 'House of the Daytime Moon' being a smash hit, putting out a next-work series is a no-brainer. But I figured it'd be going the theatrical route??'

He'd assumed the next work, too, would be screened in theaters.

His expression turning serious, Executive Director Heo Seong-jin asked General Manager Kim Ha-jae before him. No, Kang Jae-ha.

"When you say you're giving us the chance to preempt the next-work series of 'House of the Daytime Moon', does that mean you don't intend to give the next-work series a theatrical release?"

Jae-ha smiled faintly and shook his head.

"No, that possibility remains open as well. Nothing is set in stone right now, we're simply exploring a number of paths."

"Ah, I see."

"As you know, 'House of the Daytime Moon' has drawn a great many offers, and we mean to do this properly. MEG's CEO-nim feels the same way."

Having finished speaking, Kang Jae-ha showed an easy composure. It wasn't an air he'd deliberately conjured; it was a tone distinctly his own, and it reflected how he actually felt. Jae-ha took the measure of the bald-headed Executive Director Heo Seong-jin across from him.

'His eyes are brimming with greed.'

It was just as expected. He hadn't snapped up the bait that had been cast, but ever since 'House of the Daytime Moon' came up, the gleam in Executive Director Heo Seong-jin's eyes had changed.

'He's trying hard to hide it, but the desire leaks out no matter what. I've seen it more times than I can stand.'

Reading people was one of Jae-ha's specialties, and he began to steer the mood of the conversation. At a point like this, the better move is silence. Drawing out the other man's impatience. It hit the mark perfectly. Executive Director Heo Seong-jin was fretting away without letting it show.

'What's this? Why isn't he saying anything more?'

He waited, but all that came from Kang Jae-ha was a small smile, no words. In that instant, Executive Director Heo Seong-jin recalled the negotiation over Oh Jong-man. Back then too, the man across the table had led the whole thing, and his skill had been exceptional.

'That man is no easy mark. If I go at this halfheartedly, he'll turn his attention elsewhere in a heartbeat.'

And then he'd coolly turn himself toward somewhere else. He dimly sensed he was being devoured, but Executive Director Heo Seong-jin had no choice and was the first to speak.

"...Is MEG going to be the main investor on the next-work series of 'House of the Daytime Moon' as well?"

"That's the plan."

"Have things been settled with Director-nim Hong Man-seop?"

"It's still a bit difficult to go into the details. That said, as of now, this offer has been extended to Netflix Korea alone."

"So that's why...you used the phrase 'a chance to preempt'. "

"Exactly. There'll be conditions of one sort or another, but what do you say? Do you have any interest?"

"......"

Executive Director Heo Seong-jin thought for a moment, then opened his mouth again.

"Just to confirm, you're saying the next-work series of 'House of the Daytime Moon' would be given to us, Netflix Korea, exclusively?"

"Of course. Otherwise I wouldn't have come all this way to talk to you about it."

Executive Director Heo Seong-jin nodded.

'This offer is almost too sweet. I'll need to look into it a bit.'

He didn't gulp the offer down on the spot. As the de facto face of Netflix Korea, he had to be cautious about everything, and more than anything, the fact that MEG was a fledgling investment firm nagged at him a little.

After all, he'd seen far too many people who were all slick talk.

"Can you give me time to think it over? I'm quite positive about it, of course."

Kang Jae-ha nodded as if it made no difference.

"By all means. Though I won't be able to give you much time."

For Jae-ha, even if this deal fell through, all it would take was a slight adjustment to his design, so he wasn't particularly attached to it.

"I can only put a hold on it for a few days."

"I understand. I'll get you an answer as quickly as I can."

Kang Jae-ha began lining up the angle to wrap things up.

'About here, I'll land one solid jolt.'

He murmured in a low tone.

"For your reference, with 'House of the Daytime Moon', that is, with a domestic animated film, we're aiming for the worldwide release."

"!!"

The slightly startled, bald-headed Executive Director Heo Seong-jin thought it might be a tall order, yet his heart quietly began to race.

'It'll be hard, but if it actually comes off......the whole landscape of the market would flip.'

Next, Kang Jae-ha tugged at Executive Director Heo Seong-jin's emotions.

"I imagine you have ambition to match."

A short while later.

Kang Jae-ha, his face now changed, left Netflix Korea. Right away, Executive Director Heo Seong-jin gave his staff their instructions.

"Look into the next-work series of 'House of the Daytime Moon' in detail."

"Ah, are you thinking of contacting Director Hong Man-seop??"

"......"

Executive Director Heo Seong-jin recalled the line Kang Jae-ha had spoken only moments before. The part about aiming for the worldwide with a domestic animated film.

'I felt it last time too, but he's a strange man. His vibe is mostly dry, yet he plays with a person's heart, lifting it up and setting it down.'

Whatever the case, Executive Director Heo Seong-jin offered no long explanation, and since Netflix Korea had considerable intelligence-gathering power, the answers came in by around that same afternoon. Though in truth, all they'd acquired was the information MEG had quietly let slip.

"Executive Director-nim. It looks like Director Hong Man-seop's next work has already gone into production."

"Is that so?"

"And Director Hong Man-seop, his agency turned out to be MEG."

"Wasn't he a free agent originally??"

"Looks like he signed on recently."

Eyes narrowing with intensity, Executive Director Heo Seong-jin called the investment firm MEG to mind.

'So they've absorbed everyone from Writer Oh Jong-man all the way to Director Hong Man-seop, huh-'

The staffer's report wasn't over.

"On top of that, not many people seem to know this yet. Cheong-yeon Studio, the production company that made 'House of the Daytime Moon', has changed its name to FrameMEG."

"......So MEG acquired it."

"Yes. It seems to have happened right around when 'House of the Daytime Moon' was doing well."

Executive Director Heo Seong-jin stroked his chin. Astonishment and a fitting measure of bewilderment coexisted in him.

'MEG, I knew something was off about them ever since BIFF- and now they've hit it big with 'Condensation' and even 'House of the Daytime Moon'. For whatever reason, they're doubling as an agency too. And now they've gone and acquired an animation production company?'

They were no doubt throwing a money party off 'House of the Daytime Moon', but their growth, their expansion, was absurdly fast. Even Heo Seong-jin, who served as Executive Director of Netflix Korea, was seeing a growth rate this rapid for the first time.

'At this rate, it feels like there's more we don't know about.'

Expansion this insane was impossible off the success of 'House of the Daytime Moon' alone.

'......I'd expected it to some degree, but MEG, do they have a backer?'

Executive Director Heo Seong-jin, who never imagined he'd already met that backer himself, more or less reached a conclusion.

That remark about MEG aiming for the world with a domestic animated film.

'Given that ridiculous growth and expansion speed too. It's aggressive, seriously aggressive. As if they mean to swallow the whole market.'

It was, by no means, mere bluster.

Late afternoon, Choi Ri-na's workshop.

Inside the workshop, cozy but stocked with everything one could need, a laptop, work gear, and the rest, Choi Ri-na, her long purple hair tied back tight, was smiling with her eyes.

Where she was looking, giggling "heh heh", sat Commander Kang Jae-ha. The hulking Go Chun-seok stood behind him.

Looking at the plain-faced Jae-ha, Choi Ri-na spoke up.

"First off, welcome to my workshop, Commander!"

Kang Jae-ha let out a short laugh.

"What's with the formality all of a sudden."

"It's just kind of awkward, that's all! And a little embarrassing too. Anyway, I finished all the music you asked for, and I'll start by playing you the stuff for 'Condensation: Euphoria'! I read the screenplay you gave me and made it however I felt like, so don't get your hopes up too much!"

"I know. Quit hedging and just play it."

Even as he answered, Jae-ha was inwardly impressed.

'She's got the 'Ability', sure, but the speed she made these at is fast. And this is her first time as a music director, no less.'

Just then, Choi Ri-na, seemingly nervous, let out a small breath and moved her hand.

"Here goes! First, I'll start with the various sound effects that follow the direction of 'Condensation: Euphoria'! After that, the theme songs for each character, then the opening theme. That is, the opening track and the ending track. And then it carries on through to the main OST!"

Choi Ri-na played the music she'd made.

-♬♪

A string of tracks spread through the workshop. Between the pieces as they played, Choi Ri-na explained which scene each one was for, and Kang Jae-ha listened quietly to the music along with her briefing.

"......"

Jae-ha had already read through the entire screenplay for 'Condensation: Euphoria', written by Director Kwon Sung-min. Thanks to that, he could listen while picturing certain scenes and directorial touches, and the music now reached him several times more vividly.

Once he'd listened to a fair amount, Kang Jae-ha smiled inwardly.

'This is the quality of someone who's been a music director for years, isn't it? With talent layered on top of the 'Ability', for sure, nobody can stop this.'

About an hour or so passed after that? It was only once the demonstration had run all the way through the main OST track for 'Condensation: Euphoria' that Choi Ri-na gulped.

In that state, she watched the Commander seated across from her.

'Wh-what is this?? I can't tell what he made of it!'

From Kang Jae-ha's expression, it was hard to read his heart. His face was placid, after all. For a moment, worry got the better of Choi Ri-na. Had he not liked it?? It was true this was her first time playing music director, but even so, Choi Ri-na had given it everything, pushing her 'Ability' to its absolute maximum.

It was only natural that she'd quietly gotten her hopes up.

For all the way Jae-ha treated her, all the care he showed her, all the looking-after he gave her, Choi Ri-na wanted to live up to the Commander's expectations. The other Mercenary Corps comrades each did their jobs properly and earned Kang Jae-ha's favor, while Choi Ri-na felt she was somehow lacking.

"Y-you don't like it??"

To the nervous Choi Ri-na's question, Kang Jae-ha answered with a faint smile.

"What are you so nervous for, after putting together music this killer."

"......Huh??"

Jae-ha plainly held up a thumb. Not one but two. A double thumbs-up, in other words.

"The music. It's killer, I said."

All her tension gone in an instant, Choi Ri-na bounced up and down.

"Whoa!! Really??! Whoa, whoa! Then pat me on the head, just once!"

"Get out of here."

"It's because I'm happy, happy! Heh heh."

"The choice will be the director's to make, but to my ear it's more than good enough to be used as the music for the work."

"I'm so happy I could throw up."

"Don't throw up."

Choi Ri-na, beaming with her eyes, sprang into action right away.

"On to the next one, right now! 'Murder Is a Qualification Too'!"

Through the workshop spread the music for 'Murder Is a Qualification Too', Oh Jong-man's one-act drama. This time too, Kang Jae-ha gave a double thumbs-up. Counting the double thumbs-up from Go Chun-seok behind him, that made four thumbs-up in all.

Soon Kang Jae-ha held out to Choi Ri-na a bundle of papers he'd brought along.

"Try whipping up some music for this one too. Having seen your touch, I'd say you can pull it off no problem."

It was the screenplay for 'Moonless Village', Director Hong Man-seop's next work. Reading a few pages of that 'Moonless Village' screenplay, Choi Ri-na murmured softly in a focused tone.

"Ooh- musical ideas are just popping into my head, something like pansori." [TL Note: Pansori is a traditional Korean genre of narrative musical storytelling performed by a singer and a drummer.]

Then, the next morning.

Kang Jae-ha's cell phone rang as he sat in the car, headed in to work at Leon Ent. A call, this early in the morning.

-Buzz, buzzzz.

Seeing who was calling, Kang Jae-ha smiled a little.

"He's gotten antsy, hasn't he."

After all, the caller was Executive Director Heo Seong-jin, the man he'd met the day before.

*****

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