Translator: Dreamscribe
The moment Kang Jae-ha set foot in Japan's Haneda Airport, a woman's voice reached him.
【It has been confirmed that Kang Jae-ha-nim has arrived in another country (Japan).】
【Due to the activated 'Reality Adaptation Project', the 'Language Pack' that Kang Jae-ha-nim used in the Other World will now be restored.】
Apparently, this thing called the 'Language Pack' was suddenly going to be restored. It was a timing he hadn't expected at all, so Jae-ha was a little startled inside.
'A 'Language Pack'? Out of nowhere?'
Sure, the woman's voice always tended to pipe up whenever it pleased, but he hadn't expected it to do this overseas too. In any case, Kang Jae-ha immediately recalled this thing called the 'Language Pack'.
The 'Language Pack'. The woman's voice had said Kang Jae-ha used it in the Other World as well.
But Kang Jae-ha had never heard of any 'Language Pack'.
Still, there was one thing he could guess at.
'In the Other World, communication just came naturally.'
The instant Kang Jae-ha had been summoned to the Other World, the language was different, yet somehow he could make himself understood. And it wasn't just him; all his subordinates, Lee Chan-hoo and the rest, were the same. Everyone in that world, even the Demon Race, had no trouble holding a conversation.
'So that must have been the 'Language Pack'.'
It had been strange at first, but Jae-ha had adapted to the Other World fast. Whether he could communicate hadn't mattered much; staying alive was what counted. His other subordinates must have been the same.
Once he'd returned to this world, his original language was back in use, so he'd forgotten about it all the more.
And now, out of nowhere, that 'Language Pack' was being restored?
Why?
Turning it over in his head, Kang Jae-ha made a rough guess.
'Is this another one of my Perks, too?'
He'd have to ask Go Chun-seok, who was no doubt watching him from somewhere in the airport even now, but for some reason Jae-ha had a feeling Go Chun-seok's 'Language Pack' wasn't going to be restored.
After all, Perks were generally granted to Kang Jae-ha alone.
Aside from their 'Abilities', his subordinates had never received any additional Perk.
Just then, the woman's voice spoke again.
【'Language Pack' restoration complete.】
【The restored 'Language Pack' will now collect and analyze the language of the country Kang Jae-ha-nim is currently in (Japan).】
【Collecting, analyzing...... complete.】
【From now on, thanks to the restored 'Language Pack', Kang Jae-ha-nim is able to speak Japanese.】
【Well then, fighting.】
No sooner had the woman's voice finished than a warm sensation spread through Kang Jae-ha's entire body.
Was that it?
It wasn't all that different from the way an 'Ability' gained as an extra Perk got imprinted onto his body. He didn't feel any particularly big change. Kang Jae-ha furrowed his brow slightly, then smoothed it again.
'A 'Language Pack', huh...... Setting aside whether this counts as an extra Perk, I'll have to actually try it, but if it works like this, does that mean it'll work not just in Japan but in other countries too?'
He'd come to Japan, and now, thanks to the 'Language Pack', he could supposedly speak Japanese, a language he'd never once spoken in his life; so going to America and picking up English, or to China and picking up Chinese, seemed entirely plausible too.
'It handled a whole Other World language. As if English or Chinese would give it any trouble.'
Little by little, a smile crept across Kang Jae-ha's face on the inside.
Just by setting foot in another country, he could speak its language? And in mere seconds, at that? He'd have to put it to proper use, but the 'Language Pack' was quite the cheat as well.
Just then.
-Swish.
Among the staff from the Japanese production company 'Shiori Production' who had welcomed Kang Jae-ha and An Ji-hee's team, Ogawa Sayaka, the one with glasses, stepped forward to face Jae-ha and spoke in Japanese.
"Manager Kang Jae-ha-nim? Was the flight uncomfortable? Your expression looks a little...... off."
Catching only bits and pieces of the dazzling Japanese, An Ji-hee opened her eyes wide and shot a quick glance at Kang Jae-ha's face. And in fact, Jae-ha's expression was a touch grave. Her face shifted into a what's-going-on? sort of look.
'Is he feeling sick?? Ah! Should I interpret for him... no, wait, there's an interpreter on staff, isn't there?'
The interpreter from 'Shiori Production' moved to render Sayaka's words into Korean.
That was when it happened.
"No, I'm fine."
A man's voice rang out, low and a little dry in tone. Native-level Japanese. It startled the interpreter, who'd been about to open his mouth. And no wonder.
"The flight wasn't particularly uncomfortable either. Thank you for your concern."
Because the one who had just calmly delivered that Japanese was Kang Jae-ha. At this, not only the interpreter but everyone nearby, from Sayaka to the 'Shiori Production' staff to An Ji-hee and her team members, wore looks of utter astonishment.
Sayaka especially. And...
"!!!"
An Ji-hee's reaction was the biggest.
'No way? No way!! Manager-nim's Japanese tone is insane! Freaking awesome. Ah, no, more to the point! Manager-nim could speak Japanese this whole time??!'
Everyone wore faces of no small shock, but Kang Jae-ha alone stayed unruffled. By now, he'd grasped exactly how the 'Language Pack' worked.
'Ah, so it's like this?'
There was nothing all that difficult to it. Think in Japanese and speak, and Japanese came out; decide to switch to Korean, and Korean came out, that was the feel of it.
'It's like there's a switch in my head. Killer, this 'Language Pack'.'
Then Sayaka, pushing her glasses up, kept her astonished eyes on Kang Jae-ha and asked him in Japanese.
"Manager Kang Jae-ha-nim, you could speak Japanese this whole time?"
Jae-ha gave a matter-of-fact nod and answered in Japanese.
"Yes, a little."
"A little? This is way past a little. I'd believe you if you said you lived here."
"Thank you for the compliment."
"Wow...... that's amazing. Did you, by any chance, live in Japan?"
"No. I just studied a bit here and there, that's all."
"...You really are something special, Manager Kang Jae-ha-nim. You've got that Surprising Appeal, too."
"You flatter me."
The 'Shiori Production' staff marveled all the more at Kang Jae-ha's native-level Japanese, and An Ji-hee's team members, who'd come along, were busy whispering among themselves as they watched Jae-ha.
"No way, Manager Kang-nim's Japanese is incredible?? There weren't even any rumors about that back at Leon, were there?"
"Never heard a thing. Whoa, that's not just 'good', that's good enough to pass for an actual Japanese person."
"Insane... how do I even put it? Every time you see him there's some new twist, so it just makes him look cool."
"That's what I'm saying. This absolutely has to go in the group chat."
Soon Kang Jae-ha murmured to Sayaka.
"The airport's a bit hectic, so let's get moving for now."
Snapping back to herself, she nodded.
"Yes, let's head to the hotel we've arranged for now."
Before long, Kang Jae-ha and the rest came out of the airport and stopped in front of a waiting van. While they spent a moment sorting out who would ride where, An Ji-hee, who'd been dithering, sidled up to Kang Jae-ha and spoke carefully. In Korean, of course.
"Manager-nim, what's with the Surprising Charm?"
"So this is what you mean by Surprising Charm."
An Ji-hee gave her slightly grown-out bob a little flip.
"Totally! Manager-nim, you...... you really seem like a genius who can do anything."
Around then, the seating must have been settled, because Sayaka came over.
"An Ji-hee-ssi and Manager Kang Jae-ha-nim will ride in the same car as me."
Once they were in the car, Sayaka brought up another subject.
"Come to think of it, that big Korean agency, LN, just had a major scandal break, didn't it? Big enough that it even made the news over here."
Meanwhile, in Korea.
Around the time Kang Jae-ha landed in Japan, Korea was in an uproar over a string of massive scandals at a major entertainment company.
《National Tax Service Catches LN Entertainment in Tens of Billions of Won in Offshore Tax Evasion》
《Hard-Hitting Tax Investigation of LN Entertainment? Offshore Tax Evasion Suspected》
It was LN Entertainment. A nuclear bomb, of course, orchestrated by Kang Jae-ha and detonated with perfect timing.
《National Tax Service "Offshore Tax Evasion by LN Entertainment CEO Seo Hyun-su to Be Handled by Law and Principle"》
It started with offshore tax evasion. And at this point it was less suspicion than near-certainty. Naturally. Because Cha Chung-hyeon, on the Commander's orders, had leaked the information to the National Tax Service.
Tax evasion by LN Entertainment, one of the country's top five agencies, was no small affair.
Plain tax evasion was already a serious problem, and this was offshore tax evasion. Well, beyond the offshore stuff, other tax-evasion issues were bound to surface too. In any case, the LN Entertainment articles swiftly took over every portal site.
《LN Entertainment, Hit with Offshore Tax Evasion, Also Faced Tax-Evasion Suspicions Two Years Ago / Photo》
The instant the public caught wind of it, they started hurling abuse at LN Entertainment and CEO Seo Hyun-su.
-Wow, another agency tax-evasion scandal ㅋㅋㅋㅋ do they all pull this once they start making money
-LN's Seo Hyun-su is famous for being a thug ㅋㅋㅋㅋ not exactly shocking
-You think the celebs signed there didn't know?? They probably all knew and just played dumb
-Offshore tax evasion is crossing a line ㅋㅋㅋㅋ all that's left now is for Seo Hyun-su to get cleaned right out ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Feel bad for the kids signed to LN...... they're gonna get dragged through the mud with the rest of them
-Fuck, Seo Hyun-su that pig bastard ㅋㅋㅋ knew that son of a bitch would blow up sooner or later
-Don't go easy just because it's a big agency, shake it down to the last 100 won
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋ they'll obviously put out another "completely baseless" statement and stall for time, like always
-Tax cheats should be made to cough it up several times over!! And if it's offshore tax evasion, you gotta hit 'em hard as fuck!
.
.
.
An endless barrage of abuse flung across social media and every community site. Tax evasion in particular was something the public took quite sensitively, and the bigger the company involved, the more enormous the fallout was bound to be.
And so, within roughly two hours of the first nuclear bomb going off, LN Entertainment's stock price, to say nothing of its image, was plunging straight into the ground.
《'Offshore Tax Evasion' LN, Stock Price Plummeting on News That the National Tax Service Has Drawn Its Knife / Photo》
Growing desperate, LN Entertainment quickly issued an official statement.
《[Official] LN Entertainment "A Tax Investigation Over Tens of Billions in Evasion? Completely Baseless"》
No doubt they'd moved exactly as CEO Seo Hyun-su had ordered. And that was the truth of it.
"Just flat-out deny it, say it's completely baseless!! Fuck, buy us some time first!!"
"Y-yes, understood, CEO-nim!"
"Keep blasting out 'completely baseless' articles! React as fast as you possibly can!! No dawdling!!!"
Belly fat jiggling, CEO Seo Hyun-su was frantically busy barking out orders. But it was no more than pissing on frozen feet. There was no way the National Tax Service would move without circumstantial grounds or evidence, and the one who'd handed over that evidence was none other than Kang Jae-ha.
Stalling would do no good whatsoever.
And the tax-evasion matter was only the beginning. Because Ha Yeon-ji, smirking as she watched it all unfold, was already loading the next bomb.
"After tax evasion comes the slush fund, so how're you gonna defend that one? ...LN?"
Of course, there was more than one or two bombs left to drop. Offshore tax evasion, tax evasion, slush funds, paper companies, corporate entertaining, sponsorships, and on and on. It was, in short, the whole variety gift set.
Kang Jae-ha had given orders to drop these one by one, spaced out over time.
And once every last bomb had gone off, the finale was Ryu Hyuk, waiting in the wings.
"Once his hidden safe gets cracked open too, Seo Hyun-su's just finished."
At the same time, a certain studio.
Familiar faces were gathered in a studio lined with all sorts of production equipment. From bald-headed Executive Director Heo Seong-jin to Director Baek Jeong-ha and a handful of key staff, and so on.
Oh Jong-man, with his menacing features, was there too.
From the lineup alone, this was unmistakably Netflix's 'One-Act Drama Project' team.
They had the look of people waiting for someone.
Director Baek Jeong-ha sat flicking her index finger, while Executive Director Heo Seong-jin stood checking the time. Oh Jong-man looked composed on the outside, but inside he seemed somehow on edge.
Just then.
-Creak.
The rather thick studio door swung open and a staff member poked their head in.
"She's here."
A woman stepped in behind the staffer. A woman in a white mask, with long hair tinged purple. The instant she laid eyes on her, Director Baek Jeong-ha shot to her feet and spoke up.
"Oh, Music Director 'Rina'-nim?"
Sweeping back her long purple hair, the woman pulled off her mask. She broke into a smiling-eyed grin and called out.
"Yes! That's me, 'Rina'!"
It was Choi Ri-na.
Choi Ri-na came face to face with Director Baek Jeong-ha, and Director Baek, her mouth falling slightly open, was inwardly startled at the sight of her.
'Is she really a music director? She's so...... pretty??'
*****
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