The Crazy Mercenary Commander Goes to Work in the Entertainment Industry

Translator: Dreamscribe

The first test performance of 'Seriel', ahead of their upcoming comeback, came to an end. The song was 'Nyxtra', written by Choi Ri-na. The directors didn't sense anything particularly off. CEO Han Tae-sung, however, hadn't liked the 'Seriel' performance he'd just watched.

To be precise, it was Ra Yoon, the leader of 'Seriel', who fell short.

'Hmm, even if she's treating it like a rehearsal, it feels half-assed.'

Watching Ra Yoon up on the stage, CEO Han Tae-sung stole a glance at the expressionless Kang Jae-ha seated beside him.

'Just as I thought... it's Kang Jae-ha she's worked up about.'

Ra Yoon had quite the history with Jae-ha. With Kang Jae-ha sitting there out of nowhere, in a spot that was supposed to be just for the directors, of course she wouldn't be happy. This test performance was both a final check and the venue for Han Tae-sung and the directors' final confirmation.

In other words, being judged by Kang Jae-ha rubbed Ra Yoon the wrong way.

And in fact, Ra Yoon's moods had been swinging wildly from the moment she spotted Kang Jae-ha here. PTSD, if it had to be called something; PTSD it was, the kind where she was fine most of the time but flew into a fit the instant she saw Jae-ha.

'Why the hell is he even here? It's like I'm getting judged by that man for no reason!'

Kang Jae-ha hadn't done a thing, yet somehow Ra Yoon's pride was wounded. She knew, sure enough, that Jae-ha was a completely different person from who he'd been, a full one-eighty; still, she couldn't accept it yet. Which was only natural. She'd spent far longer with pushover Kang Jae-ha than with this cold, dry version of him.

Just then, CEO Han Tae-sung's voice spread through the entire hushed performance booth.

"Well?"

He was asking Kang Jae-ha, and Jae-ha, who'd been watching Ra Yoon and 'Seriel' with an even eye, answered at once.

"Looks half-assed to me."

An answer without a single second of hesitation.

The directors and the 'Seriel' members were a little startled. Ra Yoon in particular felt irritation surge up hard enough to bite down on her lower lip. Kang Jae-ha, on the other hand, had merely stated the obvious.

'She phoned it in, didn't she?'

The Ra Yoon Jae-ha knew wasn't garbage like that. Rotten as her personality was, Kang Jae-ha did acknowledge Ra Yoon's ability. He understood well enough why she was acting this way, but with her performing like this he couldn't make a proper call.

'You've got to bring it right, or there's no telling how good the tension on Choi Ri-na's 'Nyxtra' really is.'

Standing on the stage, Ra Yoon scrunched her pretty face into a scowl.

"Excuse me, Manager Kang Jae-ha. Half-assed? That's a strange thing to say. It's a test performance, so of course we hold back, that's only natural-"

"You held back too much."

"......"

"If you're going to hold back that much, there's no reason to do a test performance at all."

At the sound point Kang Jae-ha had thrown out, Ra Yoon's breathing turned ragged. Whether it bothered her or not, Jae-ha went on.

"I get that you're annoyed because I'm here."

"W-who's annoyed!"

"If not, then never mind. Either way, holding back is one thing, but if you hold back so much your skill gets buried, there's no point."

"...And just how good is my skill?"

"You know full well, so why ask? Is there anyone here who doesn't know you're good? Or do you just want to be praised?"

"Ugh! Whatever!!"

After letting out a sharp yelp, Ra Yoon came to her senses and stole a slightly nervous glance at CEO Han Tae-sung. Thankfully, CEO Han Tae-sung wore a curious smile, as if watching his children bicker, and Ra Yoon calmed the two emotions churning through her heart.

'Ugh, seriously, why does talking to that man leave me so easily disarmed?'

On top of that, the remark Kang Jae-ha had tossed out about her being skilled felt good and bad at the same time. How was she supposed to describe it?

A late-night snack? Sure to be bad for her, but it tastes good.

Ra Yoon shot Kang Jae-ha another glare. Infuriatingly, he seemed utterly unmoved, his expression as dry as could be.

'What is his deal, really. Shows up out of nowhere and rakes through my mood, why.'

CEO Han Tae-sung, who'd been quietly watching the two, crossed his arms. Then he gave Ra Yoon an instruction.

"Don't hold back, do it properly, all of you, Ra Yoon included."

He was telling them to perform exactly as they would in a real performance. At that, Ra Yoon bit her lip again, but she straightened her posture and her attitude. A shift in her gaze. Her breathing quietly falling into rank.

The moment the song 'Nyxtra' started up again.

-♬♪

'Seriel' tore up the stage. Above all, Ra Yoon's form was noticeably different. Dazzling choreography, smooth hand gestures, clean eye lines, vocals that clung sweetly to the ear, and so on.

Kang Jae-ha gave a small nod, as if only now satisfied.

'Yeah, that's what makes it worth watching.'

The same went for CEO Han Tae-sung. Soon the first song, 'Nyxtra', ended, and the second song, 'My Page', started right up. 'My Page' had less punch than 'Nyxtra', but it was a song that showcased the members' vocals.

As Kang Jae-ha watched top-tier girl group 'Seriel' fully deliver both of the songs Choi Ri-na had written,

'The songs being good goes without saying, and Seriel pulling off both really stands out too. Ra Yoon especially melts it down the most deliciously.'

He was slowly starting to look forward to it. 'Seriel' and the songs Choi Ri-na had written were a perfect match. He'd picked the songs and handed them over precisely because he'd figured they would be, but once he cracked open the finished product, it went beyond what he'd expected.

'If they keep this up, they'll chew up the music charts without breaking a sweat.'

The idol market had a truly strange side to it. No matter how top-tier an idol was, no matter how sky-high their name recognition, if the song was bad, then apart from the fans, the market turned its back on them completely.

On the flip side, an idol whose impact had been lukewarm all along could meet one good song and have their recognition punch straight through the ceiling.

So then, what happens when an already successful idol meets a killer song?

Naturally, they would devour several quarters and put on a display of terrifying destructive power. That was the game Kang Jae-ha was aiming for. Jae-ha was using 'Seriel' to raise the profile of composer Choi Ri-na. Well, in the end 'Seriel' would come out ahead too, so it was win-win all around.

'Seriel's comeback is next month, right?'

A sharp rise in composer Rina's profile was just around the corner.

Afterward.

After the 'Seriel' test performance ended, the directors and 'Seriel' filed out of the performance booth. Right up to the last, Ra Yoon didn't take her eyes off Kang Jae-ha.

Or rather, should it be called glaring?

Even so, Ra Yoon didn't feel entirely bad. She didn't know why. Kang Jae-ha had clearly driven the whole mood, and in a way she'd been played like a puppet by Jae-ha. The usual Ra Yoon would have been furious, but strangely her heart wasn't boiling over.

'No, no, enough. Stop thinking about that man!'

Shaking her head quickly, she stepped onto the elevator.

Meanwhile, CEO Han Tae-sung and Kang Jae-ha remained in the performance booth. It was CEO Han Tae-sung who spoke first.

"'Kisera', the audition to round out the lineup is in a few days. Have you picked their songs?"

Jae-ha gave a plain nod.

"Yes, I've picked them."

"Whose songs? That 'Rina' again this time?"

"Some of them are composer Rina's, yes."

"Let's hear them."

Kang Jae-ha connected his phone to the laptop set nearby. Jae-ha played about six songs in a row. Composer 'Rina'. That is, three were pulled from Choi Ri-na's songs, and the rest were, in truth, a smokescreen. A smokescreen to make Rina's songs stand out.

Chin propped on his hand as he listened, CEO Han Tae-sung smiled placidly.

"They're all decent, but Rina's sound tastier. No, more like a landslide, really."

"Then I'll settle on composer Rina's songs."

"Sure. It's convenient. The composer's got such a good touch that there's no need to go collecting songs from all over."

Tapping his cheek lightly with his index finger, CEO Han Tae-sung threw out a question.

"That composer, 'Rina'. What do you say we pull her over to Leon? Have you ever seen her face?"

Perhaps because it was a question he'd already anticipated, Kang Jae-ha's answer was swift.

"No. 'Rina' contracts strictly without meeting in person."

"I know, it was the same when we signed for 'Seriel'. She doesn't seem to have any interest at all? We don't even know which agency she's with."

"Yes. She probably has nothing to gain from it. She's got the talent, so she wouldn't need to belong anywhere."

CEO Han Tae-sung gave Jae-ha a long, steady look, then nodded.

"That's true. Then make Kisera's songs Rina's too."

Kang Jae-ha relayed this news to Choi Ri-na right away.

"There'll be an additional song contract from Leon soon. Get ready."

Naturally, Choi Ri-na bounced around, buzzing with excitement.

Then, the next day, October 15, from the morning the woman's voice came to Jae-ha.

【Hello, Kang Jae-ha.】

【Your ninth-month pension of 700 million won is now being paid.】

A pension-slash-paycheck of 700 million lodged itself in his account. That wasn't the end of it. About two hours later, a 'Deja Vu' surfaced for Jae-ha. This time it smelled of money. The US stock market, for the first time in a while. The timing was good.

He was earning plenty as it was, but between productions and expanding 'MEG' and the like, a lot was going out too.

In any case, after tossing the US-market stock he'd seen through 'Deja Vu' over to Cha Chung-hyeon, Kang Jae-ha met Yoon Da-yeon sometime in the afternoon.

"Why are you so hard to get hold of these days?? Looks like you're running the whole world all by yourself."

"Did you miss me?"

"Wh-whatever. I only said it 'cause you looked busy. Missed you, my ass."

Yoon Da-yeon, who was growing out her long, straight hair until the production, had recently been trimming down her minor schedules and focusing on the imminent 'one-act drama project' and director Yu Gil-tae's 'Mask of Murder'.

"'Mask of Murder', looks like it's about to run some serious media play soon."

It was something he already knew, having heard it from Lee Chan-hoo, but Kang Jae-ha gave a small nod.

"Your name will be in there too, then, Yoon Da-yeon."

"Yes. Oh! And,"

Yoon Da-yeon, who'd abruptly lowered her voice, glanced around before speaking.

"My official contract with 'MEG Entertainment' is all done, and starting next week I'll be reporting to 'MEG Ent'. instead of Leon."

Her contract with Leon ran until early November. Since today was October 15, the time left was two weeks at most. Usually a stretch like that got treated as little more than a handover period, which meant Yoon Da-yeon now officially belonged to MEG Ent., not Leon Entertainment.

Transfer complete.

Kang Jae-ha soon smiled faintly and spoke.

"So the actor contract for 'Mask of Murder' can be squared away too, then."

"Yes, tomorrow I'm meeting with the MEG Ent. side and director Yu Gil-tae."

From here on, Yoon Da-yeon, no longer a washed-up has-been, would have her contracts stamped with MEG Ent's seal rather than Leon's. Having handed Yoon Da-yeon over to 'MEG', Kang Jae-ha murmured inwardly.

'Next is An Ji-hee.'

The ones Jae-ha had personally taken in hand like this would gradually move over to 'MEG'. In any case, Yoon Da-yeon shot Kang Jae-ha a glance and cleared her throat.

"Ahem! You're not going to totally ghost me just because I transferred, are you?"

As if he would. A precious actress of the subsidiary MEG Ent., no less. Murmuring that inwardly, Kang Jae-ha smiled.

"Just run well when I point you in a direction."

Meanwhile.

These days, among domestic reporters awash in juicy scoops, from the 'LN Entertainment Gate' to Japan's 'Matsuda Hideo' and so on, a curious rumor was going around.

"You know that short film 'Condensation' that took the triple crown at BIFF? Word is they're remaking it as a feature, and there's talk Moon Ji-a's been cast in it."

"Moon Ji-a?? 'Condensation', isn't that the rookie director's thing?? What was his name, Kwon Sung-man? Kwon Sung-min? Anyway, why would Moon Ji-a take on some rookie director's film? Sure, Moon Ji-a's an oddball, but still."

"Dunno, I just heard it through a film-company contact of mine."

Those who took an even keener interest in 'Condensation: Euphoria' than the reporters were the country's top-flight actors.

"What?? Moon Ji-a signed on to that 'Condensation: Euphoria'?"

"Yeah, that's what they're saying."

"No, does that even make sense? 'Condensation: Euphoria', they wanted to sign on a running-guarantee-only basis, which is why I turned it down too, remember? Who locks down actors on deferred payment in this day and age? And you're telling me that Moon Ji-a signed on deferred?? You sure?"

"It's not official, but it seems pretty much certain."

From the top stars to the A-listers and beyond, the country's top-flight actors' interest in 'Condensation: Euphoria' shot up.

Of course, this was the picture 'FilmMEG' had intended.

"......Ah, hell, what's going on? If Moon Ji-a's in, that means there's got to be something to it. Hyung, pull up the 'Condensation: Euphoria' screenplay again."

More precisely, it was Kang Jae-ha's intention.

And at this very moment, inside a van on the move, a top actress started up a live stream. It was the top-of-the-top actress, Moon Ji-a.

"Hi everyone, the drive's looking a bit long, so I hopped on!"

Five hundred, a thousand, fifteen hundred. In an instant the fans watching Moon Ji-a's live stream swelled, and Moon Ji-a, chatting with them, smiled.

"Oh! It'll be announced officially soon, but shall I give you a little hint about my confirmed next work?"

And then, rather abruptly, she shared the news that had recently been confirmed.

"Any of you know the short film 'Condensation'??"

*****

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