Chapter 28: Condensation (2)

Translator: Dreamscribe

A swaying vision, a familiar sense of déjà vu rising like steam. A sensation he knew well. It was 'Deja Vu'. In an instant, Kang Jae-ha saw not reality but other scenes entirely.

『A modestly sized studio. About fifteen staff members had gathered, and at their head stood a familiar face. A broad, flat face. It was CEO Jeong Tae-woo of 'Moonbak Film'. In front of CEO Jeong Tae-woo, a phone was propped up on a tripod. It looked like they were planning some kind of casual shoot.

"The Director-nim and the actors are here, so let's get the banner up!"

Two staff members affixed a pre-made banner to the wall of the filming zone. Large letters caught the eye.

-Congratulations! 'Condensation' surpasses 5 million viewers! Thank you!

Just then, a familiar face entered the studio. It was Director Kwon Sung-min, wearing glasses. He was accompanied by several others. CEO Jeong Tae-woo called out to Director Kwon Sung-min and the people who came with him.

"Come, come! Director-nim, actors, please stand up front here! Let's start filming the thank-you video right away!"』

At this point, Kang Jae-ha's vision swayed again. Jae-ha returned to reality. His eyes settled on the star of the 'Deja Vu', CEO Jeong Tae-woo. Director Kwon Sung-min was chatting with him as he approached. Kang Jae-ha, who had been still... watching the two, let out a small smirk.

'I couldn't see the actors clearly, but one thing's for sure.'

He recalled the key words he needed to focus on from the 'Deja Vu'.

-Congratulations! 'Condensation' surpasses 5 million viewers! Thank you!

The setup was clearly a thank-you video shoot aimed at the audience. And five million viewers. This meant that Director Kwon Sung-min, standing right before him, would successfully turn 'Condensation' into a feature film.

'And five million is still climbing.'

Meaning the numbers could go even higher than five million. Which meant.

'MEG has to get in on this, no matter what.'

The commercial feature film of 'Condensation' was something Kang Jae-ha absolutely had to be driving. The narrative was a good one: 'MEG', the company that had been with 'Condensation' from the short film to the 'Busan International Film Festival' and all the way to the feature. Probably. No, almost 100%, Director Kwon Sung-min would see 'MEG' as his benefactor.

'A win-win for both sides.'

As always, Kang Jae-ha gave no indication to Director Kwon Sung-min about the 'Deja Vu'.

"Director-nim."

He merely hinted at possibilities.

"When the feature-length 'Condensation' screenplay is finished, feel free to send it my way."

"Ah! Yes!"

Jae-ha slipped away from the group and sidled up to Lee Chan-hoo, who stood watching the set with his arms crossed. Brushing past him, Jae-ha murmured softly. No, it was an order.

"Around the time of the 'Busan International Film Festival', keep an eye on whether any investors start circling Director Kwon Sung-min."

Lee Chan-hoo, his smile gone, nodded.

After that.

Filming of 'Condensation' continued. A fair amount of time was spent on the two-shot of Yoon Da-yeon and An Ji-hee, and next was Yoon Da-yeon's solo shot.

"Action!"

The moment the cue was given, emotion drained from Yoon Da-yeon's face. That was the expression. She had become one with the supporting role of 'Jeong-hee'.

"......"

She gazed at An Ji-hee with a withered expression. Technically, she was looking at the camera, but Yoon Da-yeon acted as though she were looking at An Ji-hee. After staring into the camera for several seconds, Yoon Da-yeon's lips stirred faintly. Her lips were excessively red.

"You... why did you come here?"

It was a line addressed to 'Ji-su', the female lead of 'Condensation'. A question, but one devoid of curiosity. Only a deep sense of resignation pervaded it. I asked, but I already know how you ended up here. It can't be much different from me.

"You know? No matter how hard you try here, you'll just keep sinking into the abyss."

Little by little, ever so slowly, it will cloud your future. Like condensation. So trivial it vanishes the moment you wipe it away. Yoon Da-yeon poured all of that subtext into her emotion.

She didn't have many lines, nor were they long.

But Yoon Da-yeon nailed it. Director Kwon Sung-min, watching the monitor, was one thing.

'She's killing it. Heartfelt yet restrained. Exactly the 'Jeong-hee' I wanted.'

Even CEO Jeong Tae-woo and the staff around him were stunned.

'She's good... She may be past her prime, but you can't ignore that kind of experience.'

'Honestly, she's several times better than the so-called rising rookies these days... you really never can tell with the entertainment industry.'

'When you've got that much experience under your belt, the quality of the acting is just different.'

There were actors who couldn't act consistently no matter how many years they'd been at it, yet still maintained their popularity. On the flip side, even if an actress had some skill, washed-up actresses like Yoon Da-yeon were a dime a dozen, in the industry and out.

That was proof that the entertainment industry had no fixed formula.

The admiring staff knew this well enough, and An Ji-hee, the female lead of 'Condensation', standing outside the frame, was watching Yoon Da-yeon with wide eyes. Taking in her breathing, her emotions, her eye movements, trying to remember and learn from all of it.

'She's amazing......Right, I need to keep learning. So I don't become a burden to sunbae-nim.'

Yoon Da-yeon herself was enjoying it. It was only a short film, with a cramped space and rough conditions, but when was the last time she had focused on acting this intensely?

Watching Yoon Da-yeon like that, Kang Jae-ha smiled without letting it show.

This was exactly why he had pushed her down to a supporting role in 'Condensation', down to the bottom.

'Scene-stealer.'

Admittedly, Jeong-hee's screen time in 'Condensation' wasn't particularly large. But depending on the actor's performance and expression, it was also a role whose impact could be amplified several times over. That was how Kang Jae-ha saw it. Just like the current Yoon Da-yeon. Pride and everything else cast aside, pushed down to rock bottom, Yoon Da-yeon would certainly.

'Inspire many directors.'

She would command a presence beyond that of a mere supporting role.

Next was An Ji-hee's turn. Since she had been chosen as the female lead of 'Condensation', the eyes of Director Kwon Sung-min and the staff were trained on her.

An Ji-hee's first take as 'Ji-su' went.

"What?? The, the reason I came here? Because I want money. How much do you have, unnie?"

Clumsy and lacking and anxious, and still untainted. The grime would settle soon enough, but for now, she was closer to gray. The essence of the 'Ji-su' role was the gradual darkening of emotion.

Around this time, CEO Jeong Tae-woo of 'Moonbak Film' stroked his chin and gazed steadily at An Ji-hee.

'The look of a classic East Asian beauty. That distinctive vocal tone and clean diction. And above all, the vibe she carries is just unfair.'

Drawing on years of experience, he ventured a guess.

'...If the Busan International Film Festival goes well... directors are going to be drooling over her.'

That same night.

Kang Jae-ha, home after wrapping the first day of filming for 'Condensation'. He took off his jacket and checked the time. Around 11 PM. He washed his hands and, for some reason, immediately checked his brokerage app. A faint smile crossed his face. Not surprising.

-T&K Labs $129.61(+25.34%)

-Principal Investment $808,562(889,418,200 won)

-Current Value $1,013,420(1,114,762,000 won)

-Profit/Loss +225,343,800 won(Total 1,114,762,000 won)

His invested funds were in the middle of the first stock surge. The 'Deja Vu' he'd gotten from General Manager Seo Jin-su, the information that reeked of money, was a three-day rally starting from the 23rd. The positive catalyst: a diet drug.

Today was the 23rd. 'Deja Vu' was, as always, spot-on.

So of course he'd smile.

A quick search confirmed that the US stock market was buzzing over 'T&K Labs'' diet drug.

"Two more days to go."

Kang Jae-ha's funds were sure to swell even further.

The following morning, the 24th.

When the second day of filming for 'Condensation' began, Lee Chan-hoo was meeting with Director Hong Man-seop and 'Cheong-yeon Studio'.

He was touring the workshop where 'House of the Daytime Moon' was being made, together with them.

Watching the workers moving their hands busily, Lee Chan-hoo was inwardly impressed.

'Since it's animation, the workflow is definitely different.'

He couldn't take his eyes off the unfamiliar atmosphere. Though he didn't let it show openly. Director Hong Man-seop pointed at the workers and explained with visible excitement. Probably because one billion won in investment funds had just been loaded in.

"So after the in-between animation work, we apply the coloring......"

He walked through the processes: in-betweening, coloring, backgrounds, effects, dubbing, sound, and so on. Lee Chan-hoo was nodding gravely, but.

'Is that something delicious I smell? Doenjang-jjigae?'

He wasn't really absorbing any of it. Sure, he'd need to study up on 'House of the Daytime Moon', but it was hard to take it all in at once like this. Unaware of this, Director Hong Man-seop stroked his thick eyebrows and changed the subject.

"'House of the Daytime Moon' was already in the mid-to-late production stage. By March and April we can wrap up the remaining production, and through May we'll be working on post-production like editing and dubbing."

From the sound of it, 'House of the Daytime Moon' had been in production for years, with quite a few gaps in between. Well, the animated film market was barren, so there must have been plenty of hardships along the way. This latest round of additional investment funds included. In any case, Director Hong Man-seop briefed him that whenever those gaps arose, whenever time opened up, he had been running post-production in parallel.

"It's practically as if we did production and post-production simultaneously."

As a result.

"Thanks to that, we've saved a lot of time, and if things go well, we could have a test screening by mid-June."

The plan was for the finished 'House of the Daytime Moon' to come out in June or July, with PR and marketing in between. The goal was a release as early as late July or August.

"What do you think, CEO-nim?"

At Director Hong Man-seop's question, Lee Chan-hoo murmured inwardly.

'The Commander said the faster the better.'

He nodded solemnly.

"Not bad."

A smile quickly spread across Director Hong Man-seop's face.

"I, is that so? That's a relief. I was wondering if perhaps I needed to speed things up more."

Borrowing the Commander's words directly, Lee Chan-hoo replied.

"Quality is what matters most. It'd be best if the final product matches the vision you have in mind, Director-nim."

"Thank you, CEO-nim."

Moved once again, Director Hong Man-seop led Lee Chan-hoo forward. He showed him a rough draft of the poster. On the poster stood the protagonist of 'House of the Daytime Moon', wearing a gat. The moment he saw it, Lee Chan-hoo was genuinely impressed. [TL Note: A gat is a traditional Korean hat typically worn by men during the Joseon Dynasty.]

'Oh... the protagonist? The atmosphere and everything, it's incredible.'

And then he thought of Kang Jae-ha.

'The Commander, as expected? His eye for things is still sharp...'

Then Director Hong Man-seop, with those thick eyebrows, asked Lee Chan-hoo.

"Do you have another appointment? If not, I can show you the in-between animation and editing in more detail."

Lee Chan-hoo shook his head.

"Let's save that for next time. I need to visit the set of another project we invested in."

And then night fell once more. Kang Jae-ha was at the 'MEG' office, receiving Lee Chan-hoo's report.

"'House of the Daytime Moon' is picking up speed just as much as 'Condensation'."

Even as he listened to the update on 'House of the Daytime Moon', Kang Jae-ha was looking at his phone screen. The faint smile was a bonus. Even at this very moment, his funds were.

-T&K Labs $173.34(+33.74%)

-Principal Investment $808,562(889,418,200 won)

-Current Value $1,355,345(1,490,879,500 won)

-Profit/Loss +601,461,300 won(Total 1,490,879,500 won)

Surging. The second, robust rally. The third surge came the very next day. Night of the 25th. The final figures that greeted Jae-ha's eyes after arriving home from work.

-T&K Labs $224.94(+29.77%)

-Principal Investment $808,562(889,418,200 won)

-Current Value $1,758,805(1,934,685,500 won)

-Profit/Loss +1,045,267,300 won(Total 1,934,685,500 won)

900 million poured in, now nearly 2 billion. Jae-ha's funds had ballooned to a fat 2 billion won. Looking at the handsomely swollen funds, Kang Jae-ha once again offered his thanks to General Manager Seo Jin-su. Annoying as the bastard was.

'Thanks to that guy's Deja Vu, the war chest got a whole lot bigger, so yeah, thanks.'

Still, it wasn't enough. 2 billion. A large sum, but thinking about the 'Deja Vu' visions that had already manifested, MEG's growth, and the subordinates he might yet encounter, it was far from enough. Whether as Commander of the Mercenary Corps or as the backer behind 'MEG', more money was always better.

Then Kang Jae-ha.

-Swish.

Without a second's hesitation, began selling the stock.

Two days later, morning of the 27th. In front of Leon Entertainment.

Kang Jae-ha, who had taken the subway to work today, arrived at Leon Entertainment. The unusual thing was that a sizable crowd had gathered in front of Leon's entrance. About ten people? Jae-ha narrowed his brow slightly.

'What the hell is that about.'

Probably reporters. It wasn't frequent, but it happened from time to time. Likely because some Leon-affiliated actor or idol had become the subject of an issue.

'Must be some idol scandal or something.'

Kang Jae-ha didn't particularly care. It was just annoying that the front of the building was crowded. Jae-ha, having already lost interest, was yawning faintly as he was about to step into Leon Entertainment. That was when someone among the reporters spotted Kang Jae-ha and.

-Swish.

Moved toward him at a brisk pace. Then that someone tapped Jae-ha on the back. Tap, tap. Kang Jae-ha turned around, indifferent. Standing behind him was a woman. She appeared to be in her late twenties, phone in one hand, brown hair twisted up into a bun, large eyes.

For some reason, Jae-ha was quite startled when he saw her, and the woman, too, flashed an intrigued smile at Kang Jae-ha.

"Wow..."

That was when, suddenly, a woman's voice rang out to the both of them.

【Comrade encounter confirmed.】