Chapter 37: Tempo (6)

Translator: Dreamscribe

From late morning, all of Leon Entertainment was abuzz. The employees were in an uproar. The atmosphere only intensified past lunch, and by the morning of the 13th, one day later, it had reached its peak.

"You know 'Condensation'? That short film Team 4 was supposedly running?"

"Huh? Was there something like that? Ah, now that you mention it, I think I did hear about it."

"That thing got officially invited to the 'Busan International Film Festival', and even in the competition section at that!"

"Huh??? For real??"

"Yeah, yeah, fact, fact. And apparently, the guy who ran that 'Condensation' is Kang Jae-ha from Team 4."

"Kang Jae-ha?? That, that scatterbrained kid?"

The rumor spread like wildfire, mouth to mouth.

"Kang Jae-ha really hit the jackpot, I hear."

"That's what I'm saying! Did you hear from the PR team? When I heard, I swear I almost fainted!"

"That Kang Jae-ha, he got dumped in Team 4 after pulling some bullshit on Ra Yoon, but now that he's over there, he's practically strapped Team 4 to a ventilator and brought them back."

"Wow... I heard he personally reached out to that 'Condensation' short film nobody even cared about?? On top of that, he planted Yoon Da-yeon and some unknown actress from Team 4 in it."

"No, seriously, that's the part that blows my mind. In my memory, Manager Kang Jae-ha was, like... super spineless? Kind of dopey? That was his whole image, and now all of a sudden what is this?"

All over Leon, chatter about 'Condensation' and Kang Jae-ha went on endlessly.

"Apparently he hunted down the project with his own hands and handed it to that Yoon Da-yeon. An Ji-hye? An Ji-hee? Whatever, her and some unknown actress from Team 4."

"No, I heard he even made that 'crazy psycho' Yoon Da-yeon audition for a short film."

"Wait?? She didn't just get the role??"

"Nope. Even for a short film, they made Yoon Da-yeon audition and forced her to earn the role on skill."

"It's wild that Yoon Da-yeon actually listened."

"Kang Jae-ha must've leveled up or something, he had such a limp-noodle image."

"How did he pull it off? Anyway, the upshot is, the project Kang Jae-ha picked got invited to the 'Busan International Film Festival', right?"

Team 4, whom no one had particularly cared about, rocketed to prominence overnight, and the names Yoon Da-yeon and An Ji-hee spread just as widely.

And the hottest topic of all was, of course, Kang Jae-ha.

"Manager Kang Jae-ha from Team 4, what was it? An awakening? Anyway, they say he's a completely different person now!"

"I heard it from Management Team 3 too, apparently Kang Jae-ha's gotten buff? They said they about jumped out of their skin when they saw his arms bulging."

Jae-ha had risen to instant stardom. Within Leon Entertainment, of course. But this was a major change. Until now, no one had given Kang Jae-ha a second thought, and most people didn't even know his name clearly.

Just 'that guy' or 'the one who pulled that bullshit with Ra Yoon', at best.

That was why this uproar had ballooned to more than double its size.

Such a dramatic reversal. And the one who'd led that reversal was none other than the meek Kang Jae-ha whom no one had ever paid any mind.

Of course, to Kang Jae-ha, the man at the center of it all, this kind of reaction was nothing but a nuisance.

'Ugh... what a pain.'

Because employees kept swarming Team 4, the isolated island no one had ever come to visit.

"He really does seem different, huh??"

"Where? Where?"

Naturally, thanks to the spreading rumors, Kang Jae-ha had become an object of curiosity. On top of that, even fact-based rumors tend to get blown up the more they spread.

"They said he got ripped, but it's not quite that much??"

"No, still, compared to before he's changed a ton. He used to be all scrawny, but now he's got that manly vibe to him."

Kang Jae-ha felt like a lion or elephant in a zoo. But he swallowed the irritation. Stirring at a time like this would only blow things up further.

'Figured this'd happen, but it's a bit much.'

Even Kang Jae-ha hadn't expected the rumors to balloon quite this much. Jae-ha pictured CEO Han Tae-sung's face.

'Seems like that guy was fanning the flames a bit.'

In his current mood, Kang Jae-ha wanted to clock CEO Han Tae-sung in the face, right through that smirk of his.

Just then.

"Hey, hey, hey, doesn't anyone have work to do??"

The one who broke up the chaos was the portly General Manager Kim Dae-yong.

"You lot usually don't even spare them a glance, so what's with all this commotion!"

He forcibly sent the crowded employees off. Jae-ha muttered 'nice' inwardly, and General Manager Kim Dae-yong, grumbling as he came in, sidled up to Kang Jae-ha.

"Jae-ha-ssi, it's chaos, I'm telling you. From the lobby on up, it's all just buzzing with your name."

"Guess I can't step outside, then."

"I mean, the 'Busan International Film Festival' is a huge deal, but honestly, the fact that you've changed is the bigger story, Jae-ha-ssi. Even I was shocked..."

"Hmm."

"It's going to be noisy for a while."

General Manager Kim Dae-yong chuckled and spoke from the heart.

"But you really have changed in a ridiculous way, Jae-ha-ssi."

Having touched on when he'd first met Jae-ha, he abruptly switched subjects.

"Ah, and Jae-ha-ssi, I've gone ahead and arranged the dress company."

Why tell him that like it was a report? Kang Jae-ha found it odd, but General Manager Kim Dae-yong didn't seem to care. In any case, it seemed he'd already confirmed the dress company for Yoon Da-yeon and An Ji-hee.

"We should head over soon and have Da-yeon and Ji-hee-ssi pick out dresses and try them on, yeah?"

At that same moment, Kang Jae-ha's vision changed. A familiar sense. It was 'Deja Vu'. This time the 'Deja Vu' had a protagonist: General Manager Kim Dae-yong. Meaning, it wasn't a subordinate's 'Deja Vu'. In a flash, scenes unlike reality played out before Kang Jae-ha's eyes in the third person.

『 Inside a van. The van was speeding down the road. In the driver's seat was Ryu Jin-woo. In the passenger seat, General Manager Kim Dae-yong was looking at his phone. He stared down at it rather seriously before turning his head.

"A Netflix One-Act Drama project? Looks like this thing's a massive hit?"

The reply came fast from Ryu Jin-woo, the road manager at the wheel.

"Ah... yeah, that, it's been blowing up on YouTube and everywhere lately. Going crazy viral on social media too."

"Huge numbers of people are watching, apparently. Shot straight up the charts. It's not easy for a one-act to get this kind of buzz, but I guess anything flies when you throw enough money at it."

"Well, the fact that the platform is Netflix is a big piece of it. Netflix has been throwing ridiculous money at original series lately." 』

That was where it ended. Soon Jae-ha's vision swam again and snapped back to reality. General Manager Kim Dae-yong, the protagonist of the Deja Vu, was still chattering away in front of him, and Jae-ha went back over the Deja Vu he'd just seen.

'A Netflix One-Act Drama project, huh...'

After responding to General Manager Kim Dae-yong appropriately, Jae-ha laid his hands on his laptop. He was going to search for 'Netflix One-Act Drama project'.

But.

'Nothing.'

There was no information yet. Which meant the project hadn't launched yet. Letting out a low hum, Jae-ha tapped the mouse with his index finger, tap, tap, tap. A lot of faces were flashing through his head. First, Oh Jong-man, who'd pivoted to screenwriting.

Soon his gaze shifted. To the clear file folder sitting nearby.

It held the one-act drama submission information from various broadcasters he'd passed along to Oh Jong-man.

'In that case, no need to go to a broadcaster.'

Netflix. If he hadn't seen the Deja Vu, he would've deliberated between the broadcasters, but the current Kang Jae-ha was already leaning Netflix's way.

And on top of that.

'It opens up possibilities for the actors too.'

He meant Yoon Da-yeon and An Ji-hee.

Two days later, late morning on the 15th.

Location was a dress showroom. Kang Jae-ha could be found on the second floor of the dress company. Sitting on a plush sofa, eyes on his phone. His expression was flat. Around Jae-ha, however, things were boisterous.

"Ah! As expected, Da-yeon-nim, black suits you!"

"You think?"

"Yes, yes!"

"Um, unnie, I..."

"Mhm, mhm, I thought beige tones would be good on you, Ji-hee-ssi, but white seems to suit you even better??"

Because the two actresses, Yoon Da-yeon and An Ji-hee, were in the thick of picking out dresses. To wear, of course, to the officially invited 'Busan International Film Festival'. The main event was the opening ceremony red carpet, but they'd need dresses for the closing ceremony at the end of the festival too.

This dress showroom had been selected with General Manager Kim Dae-yong and the stylist team involved.

Well, A-list actresses got their dresses sponsored by brands as a matter of course, but Yoon Da-yeon and An Ji-hee had to rent theirs. Still, the two actresses seemed to treat this very moment as sheer happiness, busily picking out dress after dress. An Ji-hee in particular had been slipping up a lot.

"Ah! Sowwy!"

"Sowwy?"

"Sorry!"

She must've felt like she was walking in a dream. General Manager Kim Dae-yong stood a few steps off, watching with a contented smile.

Around this point, Yoon Da-yeon swept her long, straight hair back and stole a glance at Jae-ha on the sofa. Everyone's having fun, so what's that guy doing by himself? Her curiosity getting the better of her, Yoon Da-yeon sidled up to Jae-ha and cleared her throat.

"Ahem, ahem. What are you doing?"

Kang Jae-ha answered with his eyes still on his phone.

"Something important."

"Of course. You're always in the middle of something important. You'll watch when we do our dress fittings in a bit, right?"

"What would be the point of me watching?"

"What! Still..."

Just then, An Ji-hee cut in, her bob swishing.

"I'd really like it if Manager watched, personally!"

Yoon Da-yeon flinched and muttered,

"Geez. Ji-hee, use your turn signal before cutting in." [TL Note: Da-yeon makes a pun, saying "깜빡이(turn signal) 켜고 들어와" off the word "깜짝이야(startled)", treating Ji-hee's interruption like a car changing lanes without signaling.]

"Ah, hehe, sorry. I guess I'm a little hyped up."

Kang Jae-ha lifted his head flatly and nodded.

"Yeah, I'll watch once you start the fittings."

Satisfied, the two actresses drifted away. Honestly, those actresses' dresses weren't what mattered to Jae-ha right now. Today was the 15th, and just moments ago a woman's voice had echoed in his ear.

【Hello, Kang Jae-ha-nim.】

【Your fourth month's Pension of 700 million won has been deposited.】

Soon enough, 700 million won, his salary-slash-Pension, landed in his account.

-[Deposit/ 700,000,000 won]

Kang Jae-ha stroked his chin. Seven hundred million locked in, for starters. On top of that, the 5,000 pyeong of land he'd bought earlier had gone up roughly threefold. He'd bought it at 500,000 won per pyeong, and now it was 1.5 million.

Crunching the numbers, it came out to over 7.5 billion won.

'Taxes will shave some off, but whatever, next year's bill aside, I've earned plenty.'

Basically, land prices across the Baegam-myeon area of Yongin, designated as the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster, had shot through the roof. The neighboring areas had all risen too. Sitting on it longer would drive it up further, but Kang Jae-ha was planning to sell.

'A semiconductor cluster doesn't just get slapped together in a year or two. Way too many variables down the road.'

Sell when it's certain, when it's hot, and get out.

Either way, if he combined the land sale with this fourth Pension...

'Over 8 billion won.'

Closer to 8.5 billion, probably. A jaw-dropping sum, but considering the future Kang Jae-ha had mapped out, he had a long way to go.

Just as Kang Jae-ha was running the numbers in his head...

-Swish.

Yoon Da-yeon and An Ji-hee emerged from the fitting room. Gasps burst out around them.

"Wow..."

"Stunning! You look so gorgeous!!"

General Manager Kim Dae-yong, his eyes rimmed red.

"...So beautiful, Da-yeon. Ji-hee-ssi, you too."

Soon the two actresses, now in their dresses, asked Kang Jae-ha, still seated on the sofa, almost in unison.

"How do I look?"

"How does it look??"

Kang Jae-ha met their eyes and lifted the corners of his mouth faintly.

"Looks great on you both."

Only then did Yoon Da-yeon and An Ji-hee each break into a bashful smile in their own way.

After that.

Friday ended and the weekend arrived. Around morning, Kang Jae-ha reached the 'MEG' office and first wired 50 million won to Go Chun-seok.

A call from Go Chun-seok came in right away.

"Thank you. Truly, thank you, Commander."

With a simple 'Take good care of your grandmother', Kang Jae-ha hung up. Lee Chan-hoo, at his side, smirked.

"On top of my salary, you slid me a fat bonus too. Commander, loyalty, loyalty."

"Don't lay it on thick."

It was true he'd paid generously. Kang Jae-ha had held a firm conviction since his Mercenary Corps days. Compensation had to be definitive, and that compensation was goods. In other words, money.

'More than anything else, money is the surest motivator.'

Everything else was a side dish. That applied not just to Lee Chan-hoo but to Ha Yeon-ji as well.

'But once there are more of them... I really will have to bust my ass earning.'

The situation was the same in the other world and on this side. One of the reasons Kang Jae-ha had hoarded Magic Stones, Relics, and wealth like there was no tomorrow in the other world had been his subordinates.

Then Lee Chan-hoo's expression turned a little serious.

"But... Commander. What if Go Chun-seok says he won't work with us?"

"Then we leave him be. You saw him. He's not going to end up like Kim Ho-yeon. He's got his grandmother, too."

"I know that. But it'd be a waste, there's no tank like Go Chun-seok anywhere."

"What, are we prepping for a war?"

"Isn't reality itself a war?!"

Under Kang Jae-ha's expressionless stare, Lee Chan-hoo cleared his throat.

"Anyway, all I'm saying is, it'd be a shame if Go Chun-seok doesn't come... A pretty big one. I'm curious about his 'Ability' too."

But what Lee Chan-hoo worried about never came to pass. About two weeks later, the hulking Go Chun-seok showed up at the 'MEG' office once again.

It was nighttime, and Lee Chan-hoo and Ha Yeon-ji were there together.

"Commander."

Go Chun-seok, his hair shorter than before, his grotesquely imposing physique on full display, bowed ninety degrees to Kang Jae-ha.

"I would like to work under you once more, Commander."

Ha Yeon-ji gave a silent round of applause, and Lee Chan-hoo smiled. Jae-ha let out a small breath.

"I told you, it's too much. What about your grandmother?"

"She's in the hospital. Thanks to you, Commander."

"Good."

With a simple nod, Kang Jae-ha tossed out the first thing he had to ask.

"You've got an 'Ability', right?"

"I do."

"What is it?"

Go Chun-seok looked at Jae-ha for a moment, then quickly swept his eyes around. His gaze settled on a tumbler resting on the desk. Even at a glance, it looked rock solid.

Lee Chan-hoo, the tumbler's owner, caught on at once and nodded.

"Yeah, go for it, go for it."

A silver-toned stainless steel tumbler, fairly thick-walled. Go Chun-seok picked it up and came back in front of Kang Jae-ha. Then.

-Swish.

With a beefy hand, he roughly wrapped the stainless tumbler in his grip, just the one hand.

-Crunch!

Go Chun-seok crumpled the stainless steel tumbler like a paper cup. There wasn't even a hint of exertion in the motion. Featherlight. Not once, but over and over. Crunch, crunch. Before long the tumbler had turned into a small metal ball. Go Chun-seok rolled that metal ball across the table.

Lee Chan-hoo snatched up the metal ball at once and made a baffled face.

"Huh? Where'd my tumbler go?"

To Kang Jae-ha, who was laughing in disbelief, Go Chun-seok pushed out a thick voice.

"This is my 'Ability'."

Simple and clear-cut.

"I'm strong."