Translator: Dreamscribe
An Ji-hee, her short hair tied back, was quite flustered. Kang Jae-ha, standing across from her, had been staring at her pretty intently. He told her to sit so she sat, but was that too fast? Or was there something on her face? Wait, did he take another look at her face and decide he didn't like it??
'Ah, I should've put on makeup. I thought it through and came bare-faced on purpose, but...'
A faint unease welled up in the seated An Ji-hee, and she awkwardly lifted herself from the chair to ask Jae-ha.
"...Um, do you have something to say? Or does my bare face not meet your standards?"
Kang Jae-ha let out a small laugh and shook his head.
"No."
Only after answering did he pull his gaze from An Ji-hee and sit down. She sat back down too, still reading his expression. The smile vanished from Jae-ha's face as he crossed his legs.
"You tied your hair up."
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Ah! That doesn't mean I didn't wash it! I just felt like tying it up today......"
"Right. It looks nice tied up."
Kang Jae-ha had meant it as a compliment about her look as an actress. With her hair tied back and no makeup, An Ji-hee's hidden, natural elegance stood out. But that elegance was rough around the edges. A dry sort of elegance, perhaps?
'If she wiped the expression off her face and held something like a box cutter, the genre would shift instantly.'
An Ji-hee, meanwhile, darted her eyes around for no reason. Both cheeks flushed red. Compliments weren't something she was used to.
"...Huh? It looks nice?"
"Why, you don't think so yourself?"
"N-no. That's not it, it's just... unexpected."
"It might be a flaw on the idol side, but as an actress, it's a strength."
"Oh."
Feeling the temperature in her cheeks rise, An Ji-hee fanned herself lightly with her hand, and Kang Jae-ha, watching her, recalled the 'Deja Vu' he had just seen.
The setting, the location, was unmistakably a grand film festival.
A gathering of many famous actors, directors, and the like.
In that place, the name of the An Ji-hee before his eyes rang out proudly.
『"Best New Actress Award! She grabbed every director's attention the moment she appeared, didn't she? Congratulations!! An Ji-hee-nim!!"』
As a bonus, An Ji-hee's dumbstruck face. It was still too early to say he had truly discovered her, but Kang Jae-ha felt considerable relief that his eye hadn't rusted over.
He was someone who had constantly screened talent in another world.
Among the hundreds of members in the Mercenary Corps, he'd had to pick out the rough stones and the gems, deploy them in the right places at the right times, lead victories, and minimize casualties.
In any case, that eye, that instinct for gauging talent, was still intact.
The future of An Ji-hee, the first pick he'd made after crossing into this world, the 'Deja Vu' he saw, was dazzlingly bright. When would her greatest moment come, the day of the 'Deja Vu'? This year? Next year? He couldn't know for certain, but Jae-ha was all but sure.
'No need to wait. I'll make it happen this year.'
It wasn't unheard of for a rookie actress to win a newcomer award at a film festival the same year she debuted, but it was rare. And being rare meant both the film industry and the press would make a big deal of it. If the work she appeared in was hot, the buzz would double.
Kang Jae-ha, adding something to the blueprint in his head.
-Swish.
He opened his mouth to An Ji-hee, who was sitting there with her eyes wide and attentive.
"An Ji-hee-ssi."
"Yes!"
"The idol stuff, you've forgotten all of it?"
She lowered her gaze slightly, let out a small breath, and answered. Her voice trembled faintly.
"Idol... what's that? I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."
Kind of a curveball. Sensing a peculiar quirk hiding in her, Jae-ha let out a small laugh.
"Good. Keep on forgetting."
He slid the contract he'd brought over to her.
"This is the contract An Ji-hee-ssi will be signing today."
"......A contract."
"What?"
"I'm just a little... moved? Overwhelmed? Something like that."
"I'm not done talking yet, so hear me out before you decide."
An Ji-hee nodded and straightened her posture. Jae-ha then tapped the contract in front of her with his index finger.
"An Ji-hee-ssi, your contract on the idol side is terminated. But I've persuaded the higher-ups to transition you to acting."
"Ah..."
"However, the contract period is one year."
At the words "one year", An Ji-hee's eyes went wide.
"...One year?"
Kang Jae-ha's tone was nonchalant.
"Yes, one year. Within that time, you'll need to show the company something."
"Isn't that a bit sh-short?"
"It's short. But given your situation, An Ji-hee-ssi, one year seems like something you should be grateful for."
As expected, Jae-ha threw a straight pitch with no sugar-coating.
It was to make An Ji-hee's position perfectly clear.
Had he said it before? Entertainment isn't a charity. It meant the industry didn't hand generous opportunities to a trainee who'd already wasted six years. Well, without Kang Jae-ha's intervention, An Ji-hee would have been beyond saving anyway.
"For that one year, I'll be looking after you."
"......"
"Of course, it's entirely your right to refuse."
The moment she heard that, An Ji-hee jolted in alarm.
"No! I'm not refusing! I don't even know what refusal means! I'll do it, the contract!"
"Alright, then."
Jae-ha gestured for her to read the contract carefully. As An Ji-hee slowly read through it, he spoke again.
"Once that one-year contract ends, after that, you're free. You can extend with Leon or go somewhere else."
A short while later, An Ji-hee signed the one-year contract. The moment she signed, Jae-ha handed her something else. A fairly thick stack of papers.
-Swish.
Question marks appeared in An Ji-hee's eyes as she took the stack, and Kang Jae-ha explained while checking the contract.
"For now, read that screenplay until I contact you."
"Oh, sure, okay."
"Not once, but multiple times. At least five."
An Ji-hee, her fighting spirit now rising, checked the title printed on the cover of the screenplay.
-'Condensation'
A few days later, the weekend.
Saturday dawned. Kang Jae-ha's day off. Well, whether it was a weekend or a weekday, an entertainment manager's schedule was unpredictable. Days off, that is. The better the artist they managed was doing, the truer that became.
But Kang Jae-ha's charge was the washed-up Yoon Da-yeon, and because of that, he could rest on Saturday like any other office worker.
Of course, if she started getting busy, the situation would change.
At the moment, Kang Jae-ha.
-Vrrm!
Could be found inside the used car he'd bought some time ago. In the middle of driving down the road. Thanks to the biting winter wind, he wore a thick padded jacket and had a cap pulled low over his face. However, he wasn't the only one in the car.
A familiar face sat in the passenger seat.
"Damn, I never thought I'd ride in a car the Commander drives."
It was Lee Chan-hoo, livening up the mood with his roguish grin. He opened his narrow eyes as wide as they'd go and bounced in his seat.
"What an honor, what an honor. I need to take a picture of this."
"Settle down."
"No, a moment this important has to be documented. How often does anyone get to ride in a car the Commander's driving?"
"Don't make a big deal out of it. It's just a car ride."
"Well, sure. But is what we have just a normal relationship?"
"Yeah. It's a normal relationship."
"Cold."
"Get out."
Kang Jae-ha lowered the passenger-side window, and Lee Chan-hoo frantically rolled it back up. He knew the Kang Jae-ha he was familiar with was the type of person who'd hurl someone out a window.
"Easy, easy. But you drive a more modest car than I expected."
"What should I be driving, then?"
"Given the Commander's image... something with doors that open like wings, maybe?"
"If it can't even fly, what's the point of doors that open like wings?"
Fair point, Lee Chan-hoo conceded with a grin. He seemed to be in a great mood. Before long, the two arrived at the parking lot of a rather old-looking building near Yangjae Station. After parking, Jae-ha and Lee Chan-hoo stepped into the elevator with practiced ease.
-Swish.
They entered a vacant office on the fifth floor of the building. It was a bit shabby but quite spacious. Lee Chan-hoo was the first to react.
"Damn, it's killer every time I come here."
He'd apparently been here before. In fact, Kang Jae-ha and Lee Chan-hoo had visited this vacant office before. The lease had been signed yesterday. This was the starting point of the company they were about to launch.
"So this is the new office. Even as a salaried figurehead CEO, the feeling is amazing."
"Yeah?"
"Doesn't it do anything for you, Commander?"
"Hmm."
Kang Jae-ha certainly didn't feel bad about it. But the urge to expand was stronger.
"Desks, sofas, whatever you need, buy it. Just don't waste money."
"Am I crazy enough to blow through the Commander's money? I'm not ready to die just yet."
Lee Chan-hoo muttered that in dead seriousness, then moved toward the office window. The view wasn't exactly a stunning cityscape, but he seemed to like it, smiling.
"It'll be a long way off, but... the day will come when we're looking at a sick-ass night view from way up high."
Jae-ha smirked and gave an order.
"Just go stick what you brought on the door."
"Yessir."
Kang Jae-ha sat down on a folding chair, and Lee Chan-hoo pulled something out of the paper bag he'd brought. A brand-new nameplate and a sign. The nameplate, naturally, bore Lee Chan-hoo's name.
-CEO Lee Chan-hoo.
Looking at the nameplate, Lee Chan-hoo was moved once again.
"CEO. CEO... it tastes good, that word."
The real owner was Kang Jae-ha, sitting behind him, but the figurehead CEO Lee Chan-hoo didn't seem to care in the slightest. He carefully set the nameplate with his name on the floor, then picked up the sign with English lettering.
He attached it to the office door with meticulous care.
Soon, Kang Jae-ha stood up and joined Lee Chan-hoo at the door. The two looked at the sign on the door and smiled.
-'MEG'
Lee Chan-hoo nodded and murmured.
"'MEG'. Yeah, that looks legit as hell."
"My thoughts exactly."
The company name was 'MEG'. Written out in full: Mercenary ENM Group. Mercenary meant mercenary, and ENM stood for a comprehensive entertainment business encompassing investment and more. Put it together and it was similar to the Mercenary Corps. Though what they'd be doing wouldn't be war or slaughter.
In the entertainment industry, no one batted an eye at however you named your company.
There were countless production houses, investment firms, film companies, and entertainment agencies built from random word combinations. Whatever the hidden meaning, it only mattered that Kang Jae-ha and Lee Chan-hoo understood it.
"Let's see..."
Kang Jae-ha, stepping back into the office, made a suggestion to Lee Chan-hoo.
"A day like this calls for Chinese grub, don't you think?"
"As expected of the Commander. A man of taste."
As Lee Chan-hoo quickly ordered jajangmyeon and sweet-and-sour pork, Jae-ha changed the subject.
"What about tailing Director Kim Chul-joong?"
It was something Kang Jae-ha had ordered a few days ago. To dig into the background of the Director of Leon Entertainment's New Business Team. Lee Chan-hoo, having finished placing the order at the Chinese restaurant, turned dead serious.
"It's in progress. I'm watching him during his commute, and I'm checking once a day with 'Search' too. On top of that, I'm looking into Kim Chul-joong's activity radius, family, friends, background, hobbies, girlfriend, and so on."
"He has a girlfriend?"
"Seems like it."
Sharp as always. Lee Chan-hoo was proactively digging into things beyond what had been ordered, running his own judgment. The instincts from his Assassination Squad days were very much alive.
"There are quite a few people he meets, but nothing definitive has come up yet. Still, I'm collecting photos and everything else."
"That's fine. We just need one thing to stick."
Kang Jae-ha, the real power behind the scenes with his legs crossed, gave the order not to his subordinate Lee Chan-hoo, but to the figurehead CEO of the freshly opened 'MEG'.
"And the investment, get it started."
Monday the 24th, around lunchtime.
A construction site, alive with intense noise and swarming with workers. It was lunch hour so the place was fairly quiet now, and amid the site, one bespectacled man stood out. He looked young.
The man seemed to have been working hard right up until now.
"Whew..."
He let out a long sigh and plopped down on the ground. He took off his hard hat. He had a generally gentle face, and despite the cold winter, his hair was drenched in sweat. The glasses gave him a vaguely smart look.
"Ugh... I'm dying."
The man kneaded his forearms and shoulders. His entire body was screaming in pain. He probably wasn't used to this kind of construction work. Still, as if determined to push through somehow, the man stretched for several minutes.
"I'm starving."
He picked up what he'd set beside him. A convenience store gimbap.
'God... I want to inhale a steaming bowl of gukbap with some cubed radish kimchi on top.'
The gukbap was available right now at any of the cheap diners the construction workers frequented, but the man forced himself to chew the gimbap and held back.
'No, I need to save money.'
Gukbap was close to ten thousand won. Sticking with convenience store gimbap would save him a decent amount. The reason the man was doing manual labor instead of a regular part-time job was also because the pay was better. He chewed the gimbap like it was animal feed and picked up his phone.
He navigated to the Leon Entertainment website.
A few taps on the screen, and a contest page appeared on the man's phone.
-'Leon Entertainment / Short Story Contest'
A contest page where the winners had already been announced. The man scoured the page. But the word he was looking for wasn't there.
"......Not there."
The truth was, the man had already checked the Leon Entertainment contest page a while ago. But he kept checking again every chance he got. It was desperation. He stopped eating his gimbap and rubbed his face with dry hands.
"It really didn't work out, huh."
A wave of futility and self-loathing, briefly forgotten, came crashing back. He hadn't had high expectations, but seeing with his own eyes that he'd been rejected from the contest, the man was miserable. The Leon Entertainment contest wasn't even a major one; it was a mid-tier event the entertainment company ran for promotional purposes.
And he hadn't even received a comment from the reviewers.
"......"
Maybe this was for the best. Yeah, who am I to think I could be a director? The dream is far too expensive. His classmates had already moved on to other paths long ago. Clinging to it any longer would just be a waste of time.
And yet, he still wanted it. Still wanted to do it.
The man looked ahead.
Dust hung thick over the construction site. Just like his future.
The world, reality, was brutal.
That was when it happened.
-♬♪
The phone in his hand rang. Startled, the man checked the caller. An unknown number on the screen. The hell? he thought, but pressed the phone to his ear.
"Hello?"
An unfamiliar male voice came through the phone.
"Am I speaking with Director Kwon Sung-min-nim, the writer of the short film 'Condensation'?"
The man's eyes flew wide open.
"...Excuse me??"
"Is this not him?"
"N-no, that's me, but... who is this?"
"Nice to meet you. My name is Lee Chan-hoo, from 'MEG'."
"'MEG'?"
"Yes."
Then the man named Lee Chan-hoo, on the other end of the phone, said something entirely unexpected.
"We're looking to invest in your film, 'Condensation', Director-nim."