Translator: Dreamscribe
At the order to bring Kang Jae-ha immediately, the Department Head looked slightly surprised, but.
"Yes, CEO-nim."
Without a word of protest, he pulled out his phone and left the CEO's office. Left alone, CEO Han Tae-sung crossed his legs and stroked his chin.
'Kang Jae-ha... I have been hearing that name a lot lately.'
Even so, it had been trivial, but Jae-ha's name had come up in Han Tae-sung's ears a few times. Soon, CEO Han Tae-sung began recalling the past. He retraced Kang Jae-ha's profile, the one he'd seen during the Ra Yoon incident.
It was a thoroughly unremarkable profile.
No results to speak of, obviously, and a manager in his fourth year with zero presence. It made no difference whether he was there or not. If Kang Jae-ha vanished one day, CEO Han Tae-sung probably wouldn't even notice.
The assessments from Ra Yoon and the Team 2 leader, who had spent time with Kang Jae-ha before, were even harsher.
"He was just frustrating! A complete idiot!"
"He wasn't the sharpest. On the timid side, and as Ra Yoon-ssi said, frustrating more often than not."
On top of that, there were remarks about him being shy, lacking presence, scrawny, and bumbling. Then that same guy suddenly lost his mind and snapped at Ra Yoon, the girl group leader he'd been managing.
Must have been stress pushed to its absolute limit.
It happened sometimes. People who hold it in, hold it in, and then finally snap.
Normally he would have been fired, but CEO Han Tae-sung valued the fact that Kang Jae-ha had lasted a decent stretch at Leon, so he sent him to Team 4. From that point on, faint winds of change began stirring in Team 4, Leon's remote island.
'Most likely a coincidence, but...'
Timing alone suggested Kang Jae-ha might have been the one stirring those winds. Still, CEO Han Tae-sung didn't hold high expectations. His curiosity was greater. A thin thread of intrigue that had been building since the Ra Yoon incident.
'He could just be a harmless bumbler whose only virtue is persistence.'
Team 4's Team Leader Jang Hyung-su had said he assigned Kang Jae-ha to Yoon Da-yeon. Yoon Da-yeon wasn't mildly festering; she was deeply, thoroughly rotten. They'd been about to release her to the free agent market anyway. In other words, cut loose.
But then, out of nowhere, that headache of an actress Yoon Da-yeon was going to audition for a short film.
Now that was strange.
There was no way that hardened, fiery-tempered Yoon Da-yeon would have listened to a bumbler.
That was when it happened.
-Knock knock.
A knocking sound spread through the CEO's office, and the sharp-jawed Department Head reappeared.
"CEO-nim, I've brought Manager Kang Jae-ha."
Behind him stood Jae-ha, his expression unperturbed. CEO Han Tae-sung, wearing a faint smile, pointed to the sofa in front.
"Sit."
Kang Jae-ha gave an appropriately brief bow and sat on the sofa. CEO Han Tae-sung rose from his seat and shot a look at the Department Head.
-Swish.
The Department Head exited the office, closing the door behind him. CEO Han Tae-sung strolled over at a leisurely pace and settled into the head seat of the five-person sofa.
He stared... fixedly at Kang Jae-ha, seated on the adjacent sofa.
"......"
"......"
Without particularly avoiding the gaze, Jae-ha looked back at the head of Leon. A few seconds of silence. The one who broke it first was CEO Han Tae-sung.
"I think I heard you wear glasses."
Casually. No, almost indifferently, Kang Jae-ha answered.
"I don't, these days."
"That so?"
Ambiguous. Or perhaps ordinary. CEO Han Tae-sung's first impression of Kang Jae-ha. Average looks, average build. Black hair that didn't seem particularly styled. Genuinely plain. However, there was one thing that caught CEO Han Tae-sung's attention.
'He's not nervous at all. If anything, he's unshakable.'
It was the composure of Kang Jae-ha sitting beside him. Even the Department Head and directors scrambled to read the room in front of CEO Han Tae-sung, yet Kang Jae-ha, a mere Team 4 manager, showed not a speck of tension.
'It's not an act, and he's not forcing himself to hold it together.'
CEO Han Tae-sung had spent decades grinding through the wilds of the entertainment industry and was entirely self-made. Meaning his eye for people was razor-sharp. In his judgment, that bone-dry calm of Kang Jae-ha's was genuine. His interest deepening, CEO Han Tae-sung slowly crossed his legs.
"How's Team 4 treating you."
"It's alright."
"Having any fun?"
"Reasonably."
"The reason I called you in... I heard there's been some movement in Team 4, which had been stagnant."
"Are you referring to Yoon Da-yeon-ssi?"
"That's right. And on top of that, you also redirected a trainee whose contract was about to be terminated into acting?"
"Yes."
"I was wondering if you're the one handling things."
Kang Jae-ha paused before answering.
"I merely suggested a bit of direction. The handling is done by Team Leader Jang Hyung-su and General Manager Kim Dae-yong."
"Yoon Da-yeon doesn't seem like the type to just listen because someone suggested something."
"She does listen, though."
"Even knowing that the direction was a short film audition?"
"Yes."
Silence returned. The only sound was CEO Han Tae-sung's index finger tapping the armrest. Then he changed the subject.
"Why did you do that to Ra Yoon? After going along with her for years."
Kang Jae-ha didn't hesitate for even a second.
"The chirping was giving me a headache."
"Chirping?"
"Something like a metaphor."
CEO Han Tae-sung, offering no reply, lifted the corner of his mouth and slowly nodded.
"Got it, you can go."
Jae-ha gave a brief bow and left the office without reservation. Watching his retreating figure, CEO Han Tae-sung was certain.
'Team 4, that guy is definitely the one stirring up the winds of change.'
He also realized that every assessment he'd heard about Jae-ha up to now had been dead wrong.
'Timid? No way. He bares his teeth without flinching, even in front of me. Interesting guy.'
Inside CEO Han Tae-sung, his interest in Kang Jae-ha escalated. Would he lay his hands on more than just Yoon Da-yeon in Team 4? Soon, the Department Head entered as if he'd been waiting. He approached carefully and asked CEO Han Tae-sung.
"How was it?"
CEO Han Tae-sung, wearing a cryptic smile.
"That kid, let him run wild for a while."
"CEO-nim?"
"He was subtly impressive, especially his eyes."
Setting aside the fact that there'd been zero trace of nervousness, CEO Han Tae-sung had been focused on Kang Jae-ha's gaze.
'His eyes are full and intense. But more than half of it is desolation.'
What kind of man had eyes that deep and dark? CEO Han Tae-sung hazarded a vague guess.
'Like the eyes of someone who's crossed the line between life and death.'
At the Department Head's puzzled question, tilting his head.
"His eyes? Did that Kang Jae-ha fellow make some kind of mistake?"
"No. If anything, it's refreshing."
CEO Han Tae-sung uncrossed and re-crossed his legs, then murmured lightly.
"Timid? Wrong. No matter how you look at it, those are the eyes of a predator."
Meanwhile.
Kang Jae-ha glanced back at the CEO's office he'd just exited and smirked.
'Well, the man's definitely got a presence about him.'
He was talking about CEO Han Tae-sung. Indeed, the man had an aura worthy of being called the icon of the self-made entertainment mogul. The gaze that coiled around his counterpart from moment to moment, and from start to finish, not a single emotion betrayed. No openings.
The moment his opponent let their guard down even slightly, he'd drive right into the weak spot.
For a moment, Kang Jae-ha mentally transposed this into the Other World.
'If a man like that were an enemy, he'd be a real pain to deal with.'
In any case, being summoned by the head of Leon Entertainment meant he was starting to attract attention. He'd known this would happen eventually, but it came faster than expected. Yoon Da-yeon's notoriety must be bigger than he'd thought.
Honestly, Jae-ha found it a bit of a hassle.
"Well, nothing I can do about it. It was bound to happen sooner or later."
That said, there wasn't much to stress over. Without worrying about what anyone else thought, Kang Jae-ha just had to do whatever he felt like. No need to kiss up to anyone. One impactful result was worth more than a hundred rounds of groveling.
As long as he didn't get fired, that was good enough. That was the extent of his feelings on the matter.
Kang Jae-ha then came down to the underground parking garage. Several plans were being restructured inside his head. The projects he was juggling were gradually multiplying. The number of washed-up talents he touched would keep growing too.
It was manageable for now, but eventually.
'I need more money.'
Funds would become critical. Going forward, beyond 'Condensation', there was a high chance he'd see more 'Deja Vu' visions and end up investing in other productions naturally. 'Condensation' was a short film, but for a feature-length or other projects, 1 billion won in investment funds would be nothing.
'My current funds: 700 million.'
In roughly two weeks, another 700 million from his 'Pension' would come in, making it 1.4 billion. Obviously an enormous sum, but more money was always better. The more, the better. The more his funds grew, the faster 'MEG' could expand. No, he intended to make it so.
'Damn that woman's voice.'
Recalling the 'Pension' program, the 'Reality Adaptation Project', Jae-ha clicked his tongue briefly. That was when.
"Sunbae-nim!"
A rather spirited voice rang out. He looked ahead and saw Ryu Jin-woo, the first-year road manager, waving his hand. For reference, today Jae-ha was also scheduled to accompany Yoon Da-yeon's schedule, and General Manager Kim Dae-yong had been dispatched to another team as a temporary fill-in.
Team 4's general manager-level staff always juggled multiple things anyway, so it was no big deal to Jae-ha.
Regardless, road manager Ryu Jin-woo ran up to Kang Jae-ha in an instant and beamed.
"Sunbae-nim! The other day, watching you talk to Yoon Da-yeon-ssi, I was seriously in awe. Enough to make you my role model."
A little close. Kang Jae-ha leaned his head back slightly.
"Ah, sure."
"Hehe, I know I don't have the experience yet, but someday I'm gonna go for it too."
No, wouldn't it be better not to? But Kang Jae-ha didn't bother responding. Ryu Jin-woo's face was brimming with wide-eyed admiration right now. Well, at that stage, a person grew by getting knocked around one way or another.
That was the moment.
Jae-ha's vision wavered as he looked at Ryu Jin-woo. A familiar sense of déjà vu. Soon, what appeared in Kang Jae-ha's sight was not reality but a scene, viewed from a third-person perspective.
A 'Deja Vu' had triggered.
『Ryu Jin-woo, the road manager, was visible sitting in the driver's seat of a van. He was looking down at his phone. Excitement was etched across his face.
"Holy shit!!"
Closer to frenzy than excitement.
"'BBMD' stock price went through the fucking roof over two days!! Thank fuck I didn't pull out and waited! I'm a goddamn genius!"
On the phone screen he was looking at, stock-related figures were displayed. Not the Domestic Stock Market, but the US Stock Market. With a gleeful wave of his hand, he turned off the phone screen and tossed it onto the passenger seat. The date on the phone's lock screen.
-2020/3/4』
That was it. Jae-ha's wavering vision recovered, and Ryu Jin-woo, the star of that 'Deja Vu', was already heading toward the van, saying they should go pick up Yoon Da-yeon.
Kang Jae-ha smirked.
'The smell of money.'
The past flashed through his mind. Specifically, the Other World side. What year had it been? Around the eighth year, Jae-ha had acquired his 'Inventory', and from then on, he hoarded everything he could get his hands on, from various goods to 'Magic Stones' and 'Relics'.
'Deja Vu' had been a huge help then, too.
The money, 'Magic Stones', 'Relics', and everything else he'd scraped together like his life depended on it had transformed into a 25 billion won 'Pension' when he returned to reality.
'Now that I'm in this world, 'Deja Vu' points me toward stocks instead of 'Magic Stones' and 'Relics'.'
Of course, money-related 'Deja Vu' visions hadn't been all that frequent in the Other World either.
'Still, whenever one popped up, it recharged my dopamine to full.'
Phone in hand, Jae-ha climbed into the passenger seat of the van, and Ryu Jin-woo called out politely.
"We'll be heading out now!"
On the way to pick up Yoon Da-yeon. Jae-ha looked at his phone and opened a dusty old brokerage app. Well, maybe not that dusty? Setting aside the eighteen years spent in the Other World, back in his scrawny days, Kang Jae-ha had checked stocks pretty often. It was the common man's hope, after all. Same with the lottery.
'US Stock Market, 'BBMD'.'
He knew what kind of company 'BBMD' was, too. One of the top semiconductor corporations in the United States. Before long, 'BBMD's stock price appeared on his phone. Kang Jae-ha, stroking his chin.
'A two-day stock surge. Date is March 4th.'
Today was February 28th.
Roughly five days until March 4th, meaning the stock surge from his 'Deja Vu' would happen within that window. Kang Jae-ha smiled.
'When someone's handing me money, I'd better take it.'
Without a moment's hesitation, his fingers moved. He began the work. By the time they arrived at Yoon Da-yeon's officetel.
'Done.'
Nearly all of his 700 million won in funds had been poured into 'BBMD' stock.
Next day, Leon Entertainment. Early morning.
It was Saturday, but Kang Jae-ha came in to work. Yoon Da-yeon had a filming schedule today, too. At least it was a morning shoot, so he could leave early.
Right now, Kang Jae-ha was sitting across from Yoon Da-yeon, who was pointlessly looking everywhere but at him.
The location was a meeting room.
Jae-ha had called her aside before getting in the van. When he stared at her in silence, Yoon Da-yeon narrowed her brow, apparently flustered.
"Hey! What! Just say it! Stop looking at me like that."
"Are you going to do 'Condensation'?"
"Why are you asking? You told me to do it."
"I never outright told you to do it. I told you to choose."
"Same difference. Just point me in the right direction. I'll strip my ego bare and roll through a dumpster or wherever."
Kang Jae-ha rested his chin on his hand and smirked.
"What did you think of 'Condensation'?"
"...It's entertaining. Honestly, I've never seen a short film of this caliber."
"Weren't you the type who wouldn't even give short films a second glance?"
"Damn it! I did look!"
"As I said, even though it's a short film, you'll be going through an audition. Prepare a free acting piece for the audition. Not something you've used before. Write a new one."
"Got it."
"And there's one more person who'll be auditioning for 'Condensation'."
"One more? Who?"
Just as Yoon Da-yeon's expression twisted with an odd displeasure, someone knocked and entered the meeting room. It was An Ji-hee, her short hair tied back. With minimal makeup, she spotted Yoon Da-yeon and greeted her in a rush.
"Ah, hello, sunbae-nim!!"
At the booming greeting, Yoon Da-yeon muttered in an irritated tone.
"Who's this."
Kang Jae-ha pointed his index finger at Yoon Da-yeon.
"You should return the greeting first."
Yoon Da-yeon glared at Jae-ha's impassive face, then grudgingly acknowledged An Ji-hee's greeting.
"...Hi."
An Ji-hee then fidgeted her way into the seat next to Yoon Da-yeon, and Kang Jae-ha, looking between the two of them, spoke.
An Ji-hee, apparently already briefed, nodded with crisp discipline. Yoon Da-yeon, on the other hand, raising one eyebrow, looking curious.
"Why are we keeping it secret?"
"It's not a secret. There's just no reason to go around broadcasting it. It's a short film and it's a Team 4 matter, so nobody's going to care anyway."
"Hmm..."
"To be blunt, it's too much of a hassle to explain it to everyone."
"Ha! Fine then. But who is this girl?"
"An Ji-hee-ssi, who recently switched from idol trainee to acting trainee."
"She was an idol trainee?"
Yoon Da-yeon, shooting a displeased glance at An Ji-hee. An Ji-hee offered an awkward smile for no particular reason. Watching her, Yoon Da-yeon whined internally.
'What the... she's obviously in her early twenties? And she's pretty, for fuck's sake.'
Just as her jealousy began to rise, Kang Jae-ha cut in.
"The two of you might end up in a symbiotic relationship through 'Condensation', or you might compete and one of you gets cut. Of course, it's also possible neither of you makes it."
He smiled faintly and fanned the flames between them.
"Teammates, yet rivals."
Then.
"From what I know..."
He released one piece of information about 'Condensation'.
"The 'Condensation' audition will be set up within next week at the earliest."
Afterward.
Kang Jae-ha, Yoon Da-yeon, and An Ji-hee boarded the elevator after the meeting. The elevator descended steadily before stopping at the second floor.
-Swish.
Several men in suits stepped into the elevator. Kang Jae-ha, scanning them with an expressionless face. That was when.
'Hm?'
When he looked at one of the men, Jae-ha's vision lurched and wavered. The familiar sense of déjà vu followed. Before long, scenes that weren't reality began appearing before him.
It was 'Deja Vu'.
When his wavering vision recovered and he returned to reality, the corner of Kang Jae-ha's mouth was curled ever so slightly. Soon, Jae-ha took out his phone and sent a text to Lee Chan-hoo.
-Next investment target after 'Condensation' decided.