Chapter 35: Tempo (4)

Translator: Dreamscribe

What Kang Jae-ha was seeing right now was a 'Deja Vu' of a different type than usual. It still popped up randomly, but this one was a 'Deja Vu' that showed him an unspecified number of his Mercenary Corps subordinates.

Within that 'Deja Vu', Jae-ha was watching yet another one of his men.

His name was Go Chun-seok.

The moment Kang Jae-ha recognized the subordinate, the 'Deja Vu' kept going as if it wasn't finished.

『Go Chun-seok had the face of a man holding in a boiling temper. But the man with the sagging jowls didn't care.

"Argh! Seriously! And why do you glare at customers like you're gonna kill them?"

"...I've never glared at anyone like I was going to kill them."

"Like hell you haven't! I've heard plenty! Ha, forget it! Go Chun-seok ssi, just work through this week and you don't need to show up starting next week!"

The man with the sagging jowls stormed off, huffing. The hulking Go Chun-seok let out a weary breath.

"Haah... again......"

The scene rippled. Time and place shifted. Go Chun-seok kept on working. The last job was as a designated driver for hire. The place changed again. Go Chun-seok walked into a run-down house. Inside, a white-haired old woman lay there. The moment she saw him, she tried to sit up, but Go Chun-seok stopped her.

"Don't, just stay lying down."

"You worked hard today too."

"Grandma, you have to go to the hospital tomorrow."

"I'm not going. Where would you get the money."

"I have money."

"Forget it. I'm on my way out anyway, and whatever money there is, I'll spend. Hospital bills or surgery fees are a waste."

"......"

Go Chun-seok went silently into the bathroom and glared at himself in the mirror. A grinding sound. Molars clenched. His expression was savage. The scene rippled again. Place and time shifted once more. It was nighttime, and Go Chun-seok was standing in front of a building. He checked the time on his phone.

-2020/ May 11/ PM 10:14

Go Chun-seok descended into the building's basement. He opened the steel door to find four men in suits inside. The hulking Go Chun-seok sat down on the sofa. Seated across from him was a man with a scar on his face. The man cackled.

"Knew you'd take my offer."

"...The money I asked for, you can definitely pay it."

"Obviously. You think Syndicate is some hole-in-the-wall operation? In exchange, let's do a test."

"What test."

The man tossed a clear file with a photo inside onto the table in front of Go Chun-seok.

"This son of a bitch, go break his legs."』

At this point Kang Jae-ha's vision rippled again. The 'Deja Vu' ended and he returned to reality. Jae-ha, still in Team 4, went back over what he'd just seen in the 'Deja Vu'. Or rather, over his subordinate Go Chun-seok.

'So his name was Go Chun-seok.'

In Kang Jae-ha's memory, Go Chun-seok had always been the man who stood at the vanguard in war. Not exactly the brainy type, of course. A guy whose stats were all lopsided toward raw force. And yet he hadn't died quickly. For a moment, Jae-ha recalled Go Chun-seok slapping a Demonic Beast unconscious with a single blow across the face.

And that Go Chun-seok didn't look like he was in a good place right now.

In the 'Deja Vu', he was drowning in money problems and living with an ailing old woman.

'Those guys at the end were definitely gangsters.'

Physicals like Go Chun-seok's were fairly common in the other world, but in this reality, they stood out a mile. It was more than reasonable that the mob would want him. Given the flow of things, the odds were high that Go Chun-seok was already tangled up with them.

Soon Kang Jae-ha recalled the time displayed in the 'Deja Vu'.

'May 11th, was it?'

Today was May 1st. Thankfully there was still some time before anything blew up. Kang Jae-ha rose and stepped out of Team 4 into the corridor. He picked up his phone. The person he called was Lee Chan-hoo. The connection tone was short.

"Yes sir, reporting for duty. Did you see the text I sent about 'House of the Daytime Moon'?"

Through the phone, Kang Jae-ha spoke gravely to Lee Chan-hoo. It was all about Go Chun-seok. Once he'd heard the explanation, Lee Chan-hoo's voice carried surprise.

"Ha, that monster bastard came over from this side too?"

"I've got a rough idea of the situation, but I want it nailed down, so check on it. There's some time. Starting today, use 'Search' on Go Chun-seok only."

Kang Jae-ha, as he had with Ha Yeon-ji, ordered a background check on Go Chun-seok first. Well, there had been the Kim Ho-yeon incident, and with any subordinate Go Chun-seok included, the moment Jae-ha met them, 'Absolute Obedience' would kick in. Unless he happened to run into them by chance, Kang Jae-ha had no intention of deliberately disturbing his subordinates' lives.

'Though if someone looks like they're struggling, I'm willing to step in.'

A little later.

Kang Jae-ha returned to his seat in Team 4. Soon he was thinking about 'House of the Daytime Moon', the film he'd poured a billion won into as investment. According to Lee Chan-hoo's message, they'd be holding a first test screening sometime next week. In other words, production was pretty much wrapped.

'Once they tie things up and do the final checks...'

Then comes the release. Well, that was purely director Hong Man-seop's plan, but at the pace things were moving now, it was more than feasible.

'About time I fanned the flames a bit.'

Murmuring inwardly, Kang Jae-ha sent a text to his subordinate Ha Yeon-ji. He'd given her some instruction related to 'House of the Daytime Moon'. The reply from Ha Yeon-ji came fast.

-Got it, got it, Commander~

Lowering his phone, Kang Jae-ha crossed his legs.

At that moment, someone came barreling into Team 4 in a flurry. It was General Manager Kim Dae-yong, running in with his cheeks jiggling.

"Jae-ha ssi! Did you hear?? 'Condensation'!"

Excited, he barely managed to drop his voice.

"That they finished editing 'Condensation' and submitted it to 'that place'?"

General Manager Kim Dae-yong referred to the still-secret 'Busan International Film Festival' as 'that place'. Probably got a call from 'Moonbak Film'. The call would reach Jae-ha soon enough too. Jae-ha's lips quirked up faintly as he opened his mouth.

"Looks like we'll need to start scouting out dresses for the actresses."

"A, already?"

"Just in case, let's just check around. Where we can get them and so on."

"Ah, right. Can't hurt to prepare, can it? One moment."

General Manager Kim Dae-yong hurried out of Team 4. He'd be calling a vendor. 'Condensation' was officially submitted to the 'Busan International Film Festival'. Jae-ha went back over what he'd already confirmed.

Busan International Film Festival's work selection process.

Unless the 'Busan International Film Festival' contacted a film directly, whether feature or short, it had to be submitted and then went through the preliminary screening. Works that survived the preliminary screening reached final selection, and individual calls were made to each work to deliver the official invitation results.

'Heard the preliminary screening doesn't drag on long.'

Meaning 'Condensation' could expect to hear results by mid-May at the earliest. Well, with the festival's opening date fast approaching, the 'Busan International Film Festival' side would be in even more of a hurry. The announcement time might be shortened.

-Swish.

With his arms folded, Kang Jae-ha found himself curious about the result. Just how would 'Condensation' be evaluated? He had his Deja Vu to go on, but he'd nudged things off course a little from what he'd seen there. So he couldn't be 100% certain.

Still, he wasn't overly worried.

Tied together with his other Deja Vus, 'Condensation' was bound to deliver results that weren't bad at all. Kang Jae-ha smiled faintly and fixed his gaze back on his laptop.

The semiconductor cluster article, still loading on screen.

'For now, I'll let it sit a while.'

Giving land prices time to climb.

May 11th, Monday, around 2 PM.

The location was the conference room at 'Moonbak Film', the production company behind 'Condensation'. It wasn't a particularly large space, but quite a few people had gathered. Director Kwon Sung-min, of course, and CEO Jeong Tae-woo, investor Lee Chan-hoo, the key staff, and.

"Aren't you guys all being way too serious?"

"You're not nervous, Da-yeon-ah?"

"Dunno, surprisingly, not really."

Yoon Da-yeon, An Ji-hee, General Manager Kim Dae-yong, and even Kang Jae-ha yawning at the very end of the table. The reason the core members of 'Condensation' had all gathered was simple. General Manager Kim Dae-yong whispered that reason.

"I'm nervous though. I mean, today's the day Condensation's final result drops, isn't it?"

It was. Today was the day of the final announcement for 'Condensation'. Naturally the call would be coming from the 'Busan International Film Festival' side. At that point one of the key staff spoke up.

"Word is, more than 2,000 works were submitted to the 'Wide Angle' section this time."

"Ha, isn't that a record high??"

"This is just rumor too, but it could be 3,000 works."

"Competition section or non-competition section, just getting invited is a miracle at those odds......"

'Wide Angle' was the section at the 'Busan International Film Festival' that handled short films. Between 2,000 and 3,000 works were submitted to the 'Wide Angle' section, and from there it split into a competition section where films could screen and compete for awards, and a non-competition section that was screening only.

Would they even pick 15 films between the two combined?

Either way, it meant breaking through staggering odds.

Which made sense. This wasn't just anywhere; this was the 'Busan International Film Festival', hailed as one of Asia's big three film festivals.

With all of this being a first for her, An Ji-hee swallowed down a nervous gulp.

'3,000 works?? That many were submitted???'

On the other hand, Yoon Da-yeon, who already had experience, was relatively calm.

'Forget the competition section, even making it into the non-competition section is a jackpot. If we just get screened, we can show 'Condensation' to a ton of people overseas and domestic.'

Director Kwon Sung-min had been doing nothing but adjusting his glasses from earlier, and he wasn't saying a word.

"......"

Because his heart was pounding so hard he couldn't do anything at all.

The mood in the conference room gradually sank.

The only one with no change in expression was Kang Jae-ha.

Then.

-♬♪

A ringtone blasted through the conference room. In the silence, most of them nearly jumped out of their skins, and the one who pulled out his phone was the broad-faced CEO Jeong Tae-woo.

He checked the caller, then spoke to everyone with a stiff face.

"It's the 'Busan International Film Festival'."

Having announced that the caller was from the 'Busan International Film Festival', he lowered his phone. The moment he hit the answer button, he switched it to speakerphone.

"Yes, this is 'Moonbak Film' of 'Condensation'."

A woman's voice came through the phone for all to hear.

"Hello, this is the organizing committee of the 'Busan International Film Festival' calling."

"Yes, yes."

"I'm calling to let you know the results for your short film submission, 'Condensation'."

Everyone gathered in the conference room, except for director Kwon Sung-min, swallowed hard. Unaware of this, the woman on the other end of the phone spoke again.

"Congratulations, 'Condensation' has been selected! You've been officially invited to the 'Wide Angle' section, competition section!"

"Huh?"

"You've been officially invited to the 'Wide Angle' section as part of the competition section."

"......"

The conference room was quiet for a moment. Everyone stood with their eyes and mouths hanging wide open, unable to produce any reaction. Finding this odd, the woman's voice came through the phone again.

"Hello? Did you hear me? Hello??"

Kang Jae-ha let out a soft laugh and murmured quietly.

"Nice..."

Only then did CEO Jeong Tae-woo snap to his senses and answer into the phone. His face still dazed.

"...Ah, yes! Th, thank you. Confirmed."

"Yes, yes, congratulations again. We'll send you the details by email, and we'll call back later."

The woman from the 'Busan International Film Festival', having delivered the first round of news, ended the call, and at the same moment the shouts and cheers they'd been holding back erupted in an explosion.

"Woaaaaah!!"

"We did it!! We actually did it!!!"

"In, insane!! Not non-competition, the competition section, officially invited!"

"Hahaha! Congratulations, Director-nim!!"

It was CEO Jeong Tae-woo, the key staff. Under their hands, director Kwon Sung-min was being shaken around.

"......Huh?"

His reaction was peculiar. Must feel like a dream. Condensation's leading lady An Ji-hee was in the same state.

"What? We... we got picked?? Really??"

Her face couldn't believe reality. It was Yoon Da-yeon, washed-up but a veteran, who answered in her place.

"Yeah, we got picked. We're going to the 'Busan International Film Festival'."

"Whoa."

"Get it together. If you're losing it already, what are you gonna do? You're gonna faint when you step on the red carpet."

"Wh, what am I stepping on??!"

A smile burst across General Manager Kim Dae-yong's face and he clapped sincerely.

"Hahaha, amazing, just amazing! Officially invited to the competition section of the 'Wide Angle' section! That means we've got a chance at screening and at taking home an award??"

Yoon Da-yeon nodded and answered.

"Yeah, in the short film section, it's the main one."

"Congratulations, congratulations. I'm so moved......"

"Ah, what's this, oppa, are you crying??"

Frenzied shouts, raw emotion, the conference room quickly transformed into a full-blown celebration.

Because they'd been proudly invited to the 'Busan International Film Festival'. In the heads of everyone present, a thousand images flashed by. The crowds of spectators, the hundred-plus reporters, the swarms of famous domestic and international filmmakers, the broadcast cameras, the vast hall where the closing ceremony would be held, and on and on.

At this point, Yoon Da-yeon shot a glance at Kang Jae-ha, seated at the far end. His expression was as placid as it had been from the start.

'Just like he said, 'Condensation' actually got invited. At first I thought it was just excessive confidence... did he know from the moment he brought in the scenario? Then his eye for work is genuinely insane??'

She wasn't the only one. General Manager Kim Dae-yong, An Ji-hee, CEO Jeong Tae-woo, every one of them looked at Jae-ha with similar thoughts. Because all of this had started from Kang Jae-ha's hand.

At this moment, Kang Jae-ha was.

-Swish.

Looking at Lee Chan-hoo. Lee Chan-hoo, in turn, had met eyes with his Commander. Amid some kind of silent conversation with their eyes, Kang Jae-ha gave a faint nod.

It wasn't about 'Condensation'.

That same night.

The basement of a certain building. Through a slightly open steel door, the inside was visible. Two men were sitting face-to-face on a sofa. One of them had a hulking build and a familiar face. Go Chun-seok. The man sitting across from him, with a scar on his face, was cackling.

"Knew you'd take my offer."

"...The money I asked for, you can definitely pay it."

"Obviously. You think Syndicate is some hole-in-the-wall operation? In exchange, let's do a test."

"What test."

"This son of a bitch, go break his legs."

Go Chun-seok looked down at the clear file tossed in front of him. A photo seemed to be tucked inside along with information on the person in the photo. After staring down at it for a moment, Go Chun-seok asked back, his face hardening.

"Who is he."

"Just some annoying bastard."

Probably some rival gang's higher-up or boss. Go Chun-seok answered curtly in his heavy voice.

"Got it."

"You can chop his wrists. Legs are fine too. Whatever, just make him a cripple. Going in and tearing the place up wouldn't hurt either.

"The money you said."

"Bastard, you don't look the part, but you've got a demon for money on your back. Fine, whatever. Five million won up front. Once he's properly crippled, I'll pay the rest."

"......"

As if in agreement, Go Chun-seok picked up the clear file with the photo and stood. The scar-faced man called out to him again.

"How long's it gonna take?"

Go Chun-seok's answer was short and clear. With added certainty.

"Soon."

"Oh, I'm excited now?"

Without answering, Go Chun-seok trudged out of the office and climbed the stairs. Once he was out of the building, he looked up at the sky. It was night, but there weren't any stars visible. For a moment, Go Chun-seok remembered his time in the other world.

"...At least over there, there were lots of stars. Two moons, too."

The massive Go Chun-seok came back to reality. He looked at the clear file in his hand. Not a particularly hard job. But the moment he did this job.

'I'll sink into a swamp I can't climb out of.'

Go Chun-seok thought of his grandmother's face. He felt sorry, and desperate. In the end, his mind made up, he took a step.

-Swish.

That was when.

"Don't do it."

A man's voice came from the alley behind him. Go Chun-seok flinched, tension running through him. Just in case, he clenched one fist tight and slowly turned his head, and two men were standing in the alley. But it was too dark to make out their faces clearly.

Whether or not he could see them, the two men moved first.

Soon Go Chun-seok could make out the faces of the two men who'd stepped right up to him. The moment he saw the one in front, Go Chun-seok, with his monstrous physique, dropped the clear file he was holding.

Because it was a face he knew all too well, that blunt, unreadable face.

"...Commander-nim?"

The man, meanwhile. Or rather, Kang Jae-ha, picked up the dropped clear file without so much as a blink. Then, pointing at the photo inside, the one that had become Go Chun-seok's target, he spoke to Lee Chan-hoo behind him.

"Find out where this guy is."

He met his frozen subordinate Go Chun-seok's eyes. Kang Jae-ha murmured without expression.

"Have you eaten."

*****

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