Chapter 127: The Writer (4)

Translator: Dreamscribe

Kang Jae-ha had just wrapped the meeting on the 'Moonless Village' side and was seated in the van. Lee Chan-hoo was in the driver's seat, Ha Yeon-ji in the back. Kang Jae-ha in the passenger seat.

And right now Jae-ha had his phone pressed to his ear. On the other end was the master director Yu Gil-tae.

Maybe because the Commander was on a call, Lee Chan-hoo and Ha Yeon-ji held their breath, and in Kang Jae-ha's ear came Director Yu Gil-tae's gentle voice.

"It seems I've been well and truly reeled in. I'll go with 'MEG'."

Soon Kang Jae-ha wore a faint smile.

'Director Yu Gil-tae, got him.'

He had taken a few days to think it over, but the master director Yu Gil-tae had come around exactly as Kang Jae-ha had figured. Holding onto the smile, Jae-ha murmured inwardly.

'Not as hard as I expected.'

When it came to reeling in Director Yu Gil-tae, Kang Jae-ha had a second and a third plan ready in case the first one didn't work. But there had been no need for the second or the third.

'Which means the hunger for a challenge burns that strongly in Director Yu Gil-tae's heart.'

And that meant he still had a great deal of room left to grow. While Jae-ha was thinking that to himself, Director Yu Gil-tae's voice came through the phone again.

"General Manager Kim? Hello?"

"Yes, I'm listening."

Kang Jae-ha answered, then went on.

"You've made the right decision."

Director Yu Gil-tae laughed, ha ha.

"General Manager Kim Ha-jae, your way with words is so remarkable that I was reeled in without a fight, haha."

Listening to the laughter, Kang Jae-ha checked the time at once.

"They say strike while the iron is hot, so how about we sign the contract before this week is over?"

"That soon?"

"Why put it off? Once you've decided, you act on it. And you're in the middle of a shoot besides. The deeper the shoot goes, the trickier it gets to carve out time, doesn't it?"

Director Yu Gil-tae's answer came back immediately, as if he agreed.

"That's true as well. Is it all right, though? Shouldn't CEO Lee Chan-hoo be told about it too?"

"He's already entrusted this matter entirely to me."

"I see. Hmm... then how about tomorrow afternoon? Tomorrow's shoot should finish up sometime in the afternoon."

"Understood, let's do that. I'll contact you separately about the location."

Kang Jae-ha brought the call with Director Yu Gil-tae to a suitable close, and even as he lowered his phone.

"Director Yu Gil-tae."

He spoke to his subordinates around him.

"Says he's coming over to 'MEG'."

Ha Yeon-ji's eyes went wide at once.

"Ooooh! That Director Yu Gil-tae!"

Lee Chan-hoo threw a Double Thumbs-up toward the Commander in the passenger seat.

"As expected of you, Commander. You said you'd get the ball rolling and then you just reeled him in on the spot."

Pressed up close against the passenger seat, Ha Yeon-ji put her pretty face on full display as she asked Jae-ha.

"How did you sweet-talk Director Yu Gil-tae?? That man's famous for never taking an Exclusive Contract."

Kang Jae-ha gave a small shrug and answered in a low voice.

"I scratched the itch he wanted scratched, more or less. The real hunger hiding behind all that prestige of being a master."

Lee Chan-hoo lowered the Double Thumbs-up and nodded fiercely.

"Absolutely. Ever since the Mercenary Corps days, the Commander's had a wicked eye for that sort of thing. Creepily good, even."

"That sounds like an insult."

"Never. I wouldn't dare dream of it."

It wasn't long before Kang Jae-ha saw Director Yu Gil-tae again. The following afternoon, Jae-ha clocked out at Leon and went straight to the 'MEG' conference room.

Because the 'MEG' conference room was where they'd agreed to meet.

Which made Director Yu Gil-tae the first guest of a conference room that had mostly been used for meetings with his subordinates. In any case, Lee Chan-hoo and Cha Chung-hyeon were waiting when Kang Jae-ha stepped into the 'MEG' conference room. Director Yu Gil-tae showed up roughly thirty minutes later.

The moment they saw him, Kang Jae-ha first, then Lee Chan-hoo and Cha Chung-hyeon, offered their greetings, and Director Yu Gil-tae did the same.

"So this is the famous 'MEG'."

It was Kang Jae-ha who answered him.

"This is the conference room. The office is next door."

"Hmm, more than I expected."

"Cramped?"

"No, no, nothing like that. 'MEG' always gave off this eccentric? Off-the-charts? impression as an investment firm, so I just found the office more ordinary than I'd imagined."

At the assessment of Director Yu Gil-tae, who had no idea that 'MEG' was in truth a Mercenary Corps, Kang Jae-ha let out a short laugh.

"Would you only be satisfied if there were a door leading to an Other World somewhere around here?"

At the words Other World, Lee Chan-hoo and Cha Chung-hyeon discreetly checked the Commander's expression, and Director Yu Gil-tae, who couldn't have known the hidden meaning, responded in his gentle tone.

"That wouldn't be so bad either."

After a fair amount of conversation had passed, Lee Chan-hoo laid the Exclusive Contract in front of Director Yu Gil-tae.

"The contents are identical to the copy we sent you in advance. Please take your time going through it."

Director Yu Gil-tae nodded and looked over the contract. It didn't take very long, though. He had already checked the copy beforehand.

Soon Director Yu Gil-tae signed the contract.

"I look forward to working with you all."

He had become the first master director to sign with 'MEG'. Cha Chung-hyeon and Lee Chan-hoo both kept their flush of excitement hidden, and Kang Jae-ha exchanged a light handshake with Director Yu Gil-tae. Then Director Yu Gil-tae spoke up.

"Are you planning any Media Play concerning me?"

One of the country's most celebrated master directors had signed with 'MEG'. MEG's profile had already shot up recently thanks to Moon Ji-a and a string of productions, so if the world learned that Director Yu Gil-tae had been reeled in right on the heels of all that, it was bound to be an enormous story.

Kang Jae-ha naturally intended to use that story, but not just yet.

"We'll do it, the Media Play. The world does have to be told. It's just that things are a little too noisy at the moment."

"That they are."

"It'd be a shame to let it fizzle out damp. You just keep your focus on the shoot, Director."

The plan was to go public once things settled down apart from the current 'One-Act Drama Project' business.

"When the time comes, we'll take care of the announcement."

After that.

The moment Director Yu Gil-tae left 'MEG', Kang Jae-ha sat down with Lee Chan-hoo and Cha Chung-hyeon to discuss another matter. It was something Jae-ha had recently instructed Lee Chan-hoo to look into.

The acquisition of a director and writer management agency.

After Lee Chan-hoo had handed over the acquisition list, Kang Jae-ha had taken meetings with several companies while wearing the Mask. And now he made his decision.

"Go with this one. And push the acquisition through as fast as you can."

Lee Chan-hoo and Cha Chung-hyeon nodded. The two of them soon set about acquiring the director and writer management agency. The agency Kang Jae-ha had picked was a place that mostly churned out rookie directors and writers, and it had been in the business a long time.

But at this point it wouldn't have been strange if it went under. Whenever they raised someone up a little, a bigger organization poached them, and that was the reality on repeat.

Which meant acquiring it wouldn't be all that difficult.

Sure enough, Lee Chan-hoo and Cha Chung-hyeon reported the result to Commander Kang Jae-ha before long.

"We should be able to acquire it without any real trouble."

Kang Jae-ha nodded and settled the name of the Subsidiary about to be added right then and there.

"Let's go with 'MEG Story' for the name."

'MEG Story' Management. 'MEG Story' for short. The acquisition of 'MEG Story', where directors and writers would be signed, was confirmed a few days later, bringing MEG's Affiliate Companies to seven.

Lee Chan-hoo then informed the CEO of the affiliate 'MEG Story'.

"To start with, four people head office has been holding will be transferred over."

"By four people, you mean..."

"Director Kwon Sung-min, Director Hong Man-seop, Writer Oh Jong-man. And Director Yu Gil-tae."

The CEO of 'MEG Story' could do nothing but gape. Every last one of the four coming over was a heavyweight. Blazing hot ones, at that.

'Kwon Sung-min, the one they call the super rookie director, plus Director Hong Man-seop, who wrote the 'House of the Daytime Moon' legend?? And Oh Jong-man's still causing an uproar right now.'

But what stunned him above all was the last name spoken.

'Director Yu Gil-tae??!'

The CEO of 'MEG Story' asked back, worked up.

"Director Yu Gil-tae is......signed with us??"

"Yes, that's right."

He couldn't get another word out for nearly a full minute. The shock seemed considerable. A positive shock, of course, not a negative one. Either way, the four Lee Chan-hoo had named were transferred from head office to 'MEG Story' straightaway.

Lee Chan-hoo soon gave the CEO of 'MEG Story' his instructions.

"For now, concentrate on those four. And if there's anything you need, put in a request immediately."

This was, in effect, an order from Kang Jae-ha.

"Don't worry about the money."

Monday, February 8th, morning.

Kang Jae-ha could be found at a filming studio. Wearing a black long coat. The filming studio he was in was quite spacious, with large posters and makeshift sofas laid out at sensible intervals. And dozens of staff crowded it, naturally.

On the sofas in that shooting zone sat actors with familiar faces.

The first one to catch the eye was Oh Jong-man. Led by Oh Jong-man, An Ji-hee and several other actors were talking in front of the camera.

All of them in full makeup. Their outfits, too, had clearly been styled properly.

With the One-Act Drama Project turning into a smash hit, this was for a follow-up marketing video for 'Murder Is a Qualification Too'. For reference, the response to 'Murder Is a Qualification Too' was still surging even now.

The story around writer Oh Jong-man in particular was huge.

On top of that, the main OST Choi Ri-na had written was drawing a considerable reaction as well. A production with nothing but buzz and controversy slapped all over it would have fizzled out fast, but 'Murder Is a Qualification Too' had it all, the directing, the acting, the music, the sheer fun, not one weak spot.

Which was why the interest kept climbing even after the buzz.

At any rate, the video the actors were shooting now wasn't anything difficult, just the cast gathered together loosely swapping behind-the-scenes stories.

Jae-ha was at the shoot as An Ji-hee's team. Then, arms folded, Kang Jae-ha watched An Ji-hee film with a long, steady gaze.

Her nerves showed, but perhaps because she had some experience appearing on talk shows and variety programs.

'Her form isn't bad, plenty of smiles and expressions worth keeping, too.'

An Ji-hee blended into the shoot well enough in her own way. Having sized her up, Jae-ha switched the subject of his thoughts on a dime.

'Let's see, it's February now.'

Then he murmured inwardly.

'About the right time, isn't it? I should start pulling An Ji-hee over to MEG too.'

As Kang Jae-ha was calculating the right moment, his eyes fell on the Netflix Korea staff, bald-headed Executive Director Heo Seong-jin among them. Their faces were full of excitement. Which was only natural. The 'One-Act Drama Project' they'd thrown their full weight behind was on a hit streak.

Director Baek Jeong-ha was nowhere to be seen around them.

Because she had already thrown herself into filming season 2 of the 'One-Act Drama Project'.

'She must be fired up after season 1's success.'

With Director Baek Jeong-ha's exacting temperament, there was no chance she'd sit still while watching the situation turn on its head like this.

It was then.

"Hm?"

When Kang Jae-ha looked once more at bald-headed Executive Director Heo Seong-jin, his vision swayed hard. The studio slowly blurring over. A sense of having seen it all before spread through Jae-ha at once.

The precursor to 'Deja Vu'.

Before long, something other than reality began playing out in Jae-ha's field of vision, in the third person.

『A meeting room enclosed in glass walls. Between the many posters on the walls and the logos placed here and there, it was a Netflix Korea meeting room. A number of employees were seated. Executive Director Heo Seong-jin occupied the head of the table.

Executive Director Heo Seong-jin murmured as he looked over an article on his laptop.

"KPOP, and Hallyu beyond it, shook up even America... 'K:FESTA', held in LA, sold out every seat for two days and the response response is unreal?"

Having spoken, he raised his eyes to the employees seated in front of him.

"'K:FESTA' really dropped a nuke this time."』

While the 'Deja Vu' played out, Kang Jae-ha spoke inwardly.

''K:FESTA'... I've heard of it, something about this smells delicious.'

Somewhere in the 'Deja Vu', the scent of money hung thick.

*****

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