The Crazy Mercenary Commander Goes to Work in the Entertainment Industry

Translator: Dreamscribe

Moon Ji-a, counted among the very top of the country's leading actresses, praised for a figure that countless women dreamed of having. Every piece of clothing she wore, every pair of shoes, every bag she carried sold out completely.

Moon Ji-a was forever a target the advertising world drooled over.

And that wasn't all. Her Ticket Power was considerable, too.

A top actress like that, Moon Ji-a, had suddenly appeared in the 'FilmMEG' conference room. Thanks to it, narrow-eyed Lee Chan-hoo blinked his two eyes, and Director Kwon Sung-min and CEO Jeong Tae-woo likewise froze, mouths hanging open.

Director Kwon Sung-min's reaction in particular was intense.

“......Huh?”

Even with Moon Ji-a standing right before his eyes, Director Kwon Sung-min rubbed at them as if he were looking at a mirage. Was this a dream? That was what he found himself wondering. And no wonder, for who could have imagined that the Moon Ji-a would turn up here?

But there was one person who wasn't so startled.

It was Kang Jae-ha.

Jae-ha, his face changed, looked at Moon Ji-a and gave a small smile.

‘Yeah, I had a feeling she'd come.’

Because he'd anticipated it to a degree. The list of Eccentric actors Kang Jae-ha had handed off to Lee Chan-hoo. Of course Moon Ji-a was on it, and Jae-ha had been betting she was the most likely of the bunch.

Because he'd met Moon Ji-a before.

It was back when Kang Jae-ha was still soft, about a year into first becoming a manager, when he'd been put on the actor side of things. On one set, Jae-ha had crossed paths with Moon Ji-a, and despite her hectic schedule she'd taken a cameo in that project.

The project wasn't even particularly big.

But Moon Ji-a carved time out of her schedule, cut into her sleep, and made it to the shoot no matter what.

The reason became clear to him later.

‘Maybe... she'd wanted to do that project but couldn't fit it into her schedule, so she settled for at least a cameo?’

Moon Ji-a had the kind of grit to land a part in any project she wanted, whatever it took. Back then, Kang Jae-ha had come away quite impressed by her. These days it was an age overrun with actors who debuted on a pretty face alone, never mind acting or whatever. Set against that crowd, Moon Ji-a couldn't help but stand out.

Her acting was excellent, and on top of it, Moon Ji-a was a pro.

That was why Kang Jae-ha had sent her the 'Condensation: Euphoria' Screenplay. Normally, for an actress of Moon Ji-a's caliber, the Performance Fee here was next to nothing, and there was no luring her in with a Running Guarantee that would net her nothing if the film flopped.

For one, her agency would shut it down outright.

In fact, even though 'Condensation: Euphoria' had posted decent results at BIFF, plenty of the actors who got the Screenplay brushed 'Condensation: Euphoria' aside.

But Moon Ji-a had turned up here, at 'FilmMEG'.

‘Money aside, she came running purely because she's hungry for the project. Still an Eccentric, that one.’

Moon Ji-a's coming to 'FilmMEG' was probably. No, a hundred percent her own call, made entirely on her own. At any rate, around the time every gaze in the room settled on Moon Ji-a, her own eyes, which had been sweeping leisurely over the people in the conference room,

‘Oh?’

lingered for a moment on a man with cold eyes. It was Kang Jae-ha.

‘There's something different about that one. He doesn't even seem all that surprised.’

She didn't look at Jae-ha for long, and her gaze soon moving on, Moon Ji-a grinned and greeted Director Kwon Sung-min.

“Hello, Director-nim. I really loved the short film 'Condensation'.”

“......Sorry? Uh... yes??”

Director Kwon Sung-min had short-circuited. Well aware of it, Moon Ji-a swept back her long hair.

“I'm sorry I couldn't reach out ahead of time. My schedule's been chaos, and I just figured it'd be better to come meet you in person right away.”

After she said this, she stole a glance behind her, then smiled and whispered.

“And honestly, my manager and my company were dead set against me coming here. So I had no choice but to just dash over. Um... did I interrupt something? Should I come back later?”

“What??! Oh, no!”

But quicker on the draw than Director Kwon Sung-min, who had bolted to his feet, was narrow-eyed Lee Chan-hoo, a master at reading the room. With an easy curl of his lips, he stepped up to Moon Ji-a and offered his hand.

“Interrupt? Not in the slightest. If anything, we're grateful you came. Hahaha, I'm Lee Chan-hoo, head of the main investor for 'Condensation: Euphoria'.”

Quit putting on that smooth voice, you bastard. Just as Kang Jae-ha muttered it inwardly, Lee Chan-hoo was already shaking Moon Ji-a's hand, and CEO Jeong Tae-woo, having snapped back to himself, rushed over to stand in front of her as well.

“R-right! Interrupting is out of the question! But...... the reason you came, Moon Ji-a-nim, could it possibly be to appear in 'Condensation: Euphoria'??”

Moon Ji-a let go of Lee Chan-hoo's hand and gave a light nod.

“Yes, exactly. Because I want to be in 'Condensation: Euphoria'.”

She turned her gaze to Director Kwon Sung-min, who was still in a daze...

“Director-nim, it's a bit late, but congratulations on your triple crown at BIFF.”

“...Sorry? Oh, yes. Thank you. Yes, thank you! Thank you for coming!!”

“What's this, you're practically hitting a three-octave run. Anyway, I loved 'Condensation: Euphoria'. Enough to genuinely want to be in it. Even if there's no role left already, I'm fine with a small part.”

A small part is fine, with her? The Moon Ji-a? Did he mishear?? Director Kwon Sung-min's brain just kept lagging. He couldn't tell whether this was a dream or waking life.

It was then that a low, cold man's voice cut in.

“Moon Ji-a-ssi, did you come having fully confirmed the terms?”

It was Kang Jae-ha, the one with the changed face.

“Because even for you, Moon Ji-a-ssi, our terms won't be changing.”

He was referring to things like the low Production Budget of 1.5 billion won and the Running Guarantee contracts for the lead actors, and Moon Ji-a, meeting Kang Jae-ha's eyes, nodded as though it were obvious.

“Of course. Those very terms are why my manager and my company are against it.”

“And yet you still want to.”

“Yes, I want to.”

Here, someone needed to be the cool head, to play the villain. Because if everyone got swept up... and let the things that needed nailing down slide, it could turn into a headache later. Kang Jae-ha took that villain's role without hesitation. Well, there was also the fact that once Jae-ha put on a mask, he tended to slip the reins.

“Every term will be laid out in the contract, and even if your agency steps in down the line, Moon Ji-a-ssi, nothing's going to change.”

“Mm, naturally.”

“And have you gone over the Screenplay?”

“I've read it cover to cover three times, and I came over partway through my fourth.”

“How's your schedule? You'll have to push yourself some, but if you're impossibly busy, it'll disrupt the shoot.”

Moon Ji-a, who had gone quiet for a moment, looked at Kang Jae-ha and thought.

‘A little... prickly, isn't he? Well, a production needs someone like that. It's how things run without a hitch. Some sort of team lead? Though for some reason it feels like that man's the one steering the room.’

She answered with a smile.

“Once I'm into a project, the project is all I think about. I'd never move on a schedule that gets in the way of the shoot.”

Kang Jae-ha nodded slowly and put his final question.

“Can you sign today?”

“We'll need to talk through the role and the shooting schedule, but for an initial contract, I don't mind doing it today.”

Refreshingly decisive. Kang Jae-ha had taken a liking to Moon Ji-a.

‘Among the top-tier actresses, there's probably none as straight down the middle as her.’

In that instant, Jae-ha's mind raced.

‘Locking in Moon Ji-a alone is going to flip the whole flow and mood a hundred and eighty degrees.’

In producing content like films and dramas, the power carried by a top-tier name was overwhelming. It fueled buzz among the public, naturally, and word raced across the entire industry too.

Moon Ji-a's confirmed for the cast of 'Condensation: Euphoria'?

Then the interest of all those actors who'd been ignoring it would surge, and curiosity would balloon across the press and various other outlets. With Director Kwon Sung-min on the rise as Chungmuro's blue chip, Moon Ji-a alongside him, attention would gather as a matter of course.

‘And with that, the casting that's been dragging a bit will get sorted in a flash.’

'Condensation: Euphoria', once silver, would turn gold in a single stroke. Which was to say 'Condensation: Euphoria', and Kang Jae-ha, stood to gain a great deal from Moon Ji-a joining. Before the shoot, after the shoot, at release. And of course, in the second and third rounds of distribution after release, Moon Ji-a's name would carry tremendous weight.

‘An Audience Count of five million will be a cinch... I'm curious how high it'll climb.’

Then, having regarded Moon Ji-a evenly, Kang Jae-ha turned his head. Toward Director Kwon Sung-min and CEO Jeong Tae-woo.

“Then there's no need to drag this out, so shall we go right ahead with the contract?”

That same night.

In the 'MEG' conference room, a handful of his subordinates had gathered, led by Kang Jae-ha. Lee Chan-hoo, Cha Chung-hyeon, Ryu Hyuk. Ryu Hyuk, a detective, showed up a little late, so the talk didn't begin until past eleven at night, and Kang Jae-ha, legs crossed, was running his eyes over the clear file laid out in front of him.

What he was looking at had to do with 'Mirai Stage', the colossal Japanese agency that Kamijo Yuu, the subordinate he'd recently reunited with, belonged to.

And along with it, 'Matsuda Hideo', the founder and CEO of 'Mirai Stage'.

Kang Jae-ha meant to tear down 'Mirai Stage' and 'Matsuda Hideo', the ones who had neglected Kamijo Yuu and driven her toward death.

First, Jae-ha fixed his gaze on Lee Chan-hoo among the subordinates watching him.

“This geezer, Matsuda Hideo. You've been watching him with Search for a few days now, so what do you make of him?”

Lee Chan-hoo scratched his chin.

“Watched him a few days, but nothing really jumped out. He's busy, like you'd expect from the head of a mega-agency.”

“Hmm.”

“Just one thing, though. He seems to take a keen interest in the agency's boy Trainees. Meets with them often, too.”

“'Mirai Stage' these days is a giant agency that does actors and all kinds of odds and ends, but its roots are male idols. Boy Group specialists, basically. The 'Mirai Stage' that exists now only got there because its male idols blew up huge. And the one who pulled that off is 'Matsuda Hideo', that big-shot geezer.”

“They're young, those boy Trainees. I even spotted some that didn't look ten yet.”

“Probably much like the Korean idol market. They take promising young boys, sign them as Trainees, and raise them up. But him seeing the Trainees so often, that is a bit strange.”

From the nodding Lee Chan-hoo, Kang Jae-ha's gaze passed to Cha Chung-hyeon.

“And the money flow for 'Mirai Stage' and 'Matsuda Hideo'?”

Cha Chung-hyeon, mid-yawn, answered in a bored drawl.

“Hmm... laying it out plainly, it's even worse than LN Entertainment. But, well, that's only to be expected. 'Mirai Stage' has over thirty years in the business, and 'Matsuda Hideo' has been milking it the whole time.”

“Run it over thirty years and the money's bound to reek of rot.”

“Right. The Tax Evasion isn't even in the same league as LN Entertainment's, and the Slush Fund is a lot fatter, too. The Shell Companies are stationed in Hong Kong and Singapore. This alone is more than enough to rattle 'Mirai Stage'.”

Cha Chung-hyeon had effortlessly laid bare the dirty underbelly of 'Mirai Stage', an agency even larger than LN Entertainment. Blowing open these huge stashes of filthy money would surely deal 'Mirai Stage' a hit.

But unlike with LN, Kang Jae-ha didn't decide on the spot.

“It's a little short.”

Jae-ha propped his chin and let out a low murmur. The look of a man who needed one more powerful blow. Sure, detonating just what Cha Chung-hyeon had brought would be plenty to pull Kamijo Yuu out without trouble. The agency had dragged its own image down badly enough as a place for an artist to work.

Per the contract, she could legitimately request to terminate.

But Kang Jae-ha felt it was a touch short.

‘I need to crush them for good, so I can move a whole lot more easily once Kamijo Yuu's out.’

Struck only so hard, 'Mirai Stage' would bounce back fast, and there was a strong chance that down the road they'd quietly come poking at Kamijo Yuu.

‘So if I'm doing this, better to take the head off right at the start.’

He needed one more powerful blow. Big enough to become a problem beyond Japan, in Korea, and on the international stage. After mulling it a moment, Kang Jae-ha met the eyes of short-haired Ryu Hyuk.

“That geezer. What's Matsuda Hideo's weakness? He's up in years, so maybe some illness?”

At the question, Ryu Hyuk shook his head, looking rather grim.

“I thought the same, but once I looked into it, surprisingly, it wasn't that.”

“Then what?”

“He's a complete piece of shit, that one.”

Having spat out the scathing curse, Ryu Hyuk glanced at Lee Chan-hoo, then.

“Those boy Trainees at 'Mirai Stage' that Lee Chan-hoo mentioned.”

He met the Commander's eyes once more.

“'Matsuda Hideo' has been subjecting the boy Trainees to Sexual Exploitation.”

In that instant, the expression vanished from Kang Jae-ha's face.

*****

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