The Crazy Mercenary Commander Goes to Work in the Entertainment Industry

Kang Jae-ha, draped in a short puffer jacket, stood facing the actress Yoon Da-yeon with remarkable composure. Long straight hair, clear skin, slender arms and legs. Jae-ha studied Yoon Da-yeon with considerable depth.

The conversations from the ’Deja Vu’ he had just witnessed replayed in his mind.

『”...An adult film? You want me to strip? No, what I heard was that it was a regular film scrip...”

”Da-yeon ssi, face reality. We thought long and hard before making this offer. You’ve been struggling without any income lately, haven’t you? I heard your younger sibling is in poor health. We’ll make sure the pay is more than fair.”

”Interest from the adult film side? That’s only possible while you still have some clout left, Da-yeon ssi.”』

Just then, the real Yoon Da-yeon standing before him spoke in a sharp voice.

”You’re the new manager they said was coming, right?”

Jae-ha didn’t answer right away, instead studying her face for a moment.

’Adult films, huh...’

The adult film mentioned in the ’Deja Vu’ wouldn’t be some ordinary R-rated movie.

’Erotic films.’

It happened from time to time in the entertainment industry, a fairly well-known actress falling into the adult film market at the tail end of her career. A final, desperate flailing. Usually involuntary. Sometimes borderline coerced.

These days, with YouTube and internet broadcasting having grown so much, some went that route instead, but without the gift of gab, it wasn’t easy.

In any case, if the ’Deja Vu’ was to be believed, washed-up actress Yoon Da-yeon’s future... no, calling it bleak was an understatement.

’The moment she shoots an adult film, her career as an actress is over.’

If she wanted to keep acting, being a washed-up actress was still better. But money. Money was always the problem. Reason might know better, but there were plenty of times when a hellish reality forced one’s hand.

Soon, Yoon Da-yeon scrunched her brow and spoke.

”Why aren’t you answering? What is this? Are you ignoring me? I’m asking if you’re the new manager they said was coming.”

Kang Jae-ha, both hands shoved into his jacket pockets, replied.

”Yeah, that’s me.”

”Ah... that’s... me? Why the informal speech?”

”You started it.”

”......?”

Bewilderment spread across Yoon Da-yeon’s blinking face.

”Huh?”

Regardless, Jae-ha decided to set aside the ’Deja Vu’ related to Yoon Da-yeon for now and focus on getting a read on the real Yoon Da-yeon standing before him. Why the rumor of her being a ”crazy nutjob” had spread within the company, what kind of personality she had, what she was hiding beneath the surface, and so on.

Well, either way, Kang Jae-ha had been assigned to Yoon Da-yeon’s team.

Know your enemy before you draw up any plans or strategies. For Kang Jae-ha, who had spent eighteen years rolling through another world, this was a piece of cake. Meanwhile, Yoon Da-yeon, watching Jae-ha and his indifferent air, found her head filling with question marks.

’What? What the hell? I heard he was some pathetically weak pushover... and the second we meet, he hits me with informal speech?? His image is completely different!’

Yoon Da-yeon, who had been momentarily stunned, quickly snapped back to her senses.

”...Hey, you know who I am, right?”

”Of course. Actress Yoon Da-yeon ssi.”

”And even knowing that.”

”Doesn’t matter who it is. If someone speaks informally to me, I do the same.”

”......”

Was he insane? The intel Yoon Da-yeon had gathered on Kang Jae-ha was pure garbage. The Jae-ha she was confronting was a nutjob far beyond the ordinary. Nutjobs have a sixth sense for spotting other nutjobs, and that was exactly what Yoon Da-yeon was experiencing right now.

”I can’t even...”

”Can’t even what?”

Having answered on Yoon Da-yeon’s behalf, Kang Jae-ha silently recited what he knew about her.

’Yoon Da-yeon. Had a pretty good run in the past, but now she’s washed-up.’

A few years ago, the label ”A-list” was attached to her name, but not anymore. Just a forgotten, washed-up actress. If anything, the time she’d spent being washed-up was longer than the years she’d been on top.

’But she can’t let go of her pride.’

She was far below C-list now, yet her pride was stuck in her A-list days. That was why everyone around her treated her like a ticking bomb. Yoon Da-yeon was still thrashing around in the glory of her past.

’As for her schedule, it’s a supporting role in a morning daily drama. Practically a minor role.’

Once upon a time, she was discussed as a leading lady, but now even minor roles were hard to come by. That near-minor-role supporting part was likely to be the last entry in her filmography. Then again, were washed-up actresses like Yoon Da-yeon rare? Not at all. The entertainment industry was overflowing with celebrities who had failed, washed up, and fallen off the map.

Yoon Da-yeon was just one of many.

Still, to Kang Jae-ha, Yoon Da-yeon didn’t come across as merely a crazy nutjob. He felt a touch of pity, even. Maybe it was because he’d just seen those trainees handed their death sentences? What had changed her?

Surely, Yoon Da-yeon hadn’t ended up here because she wanted to become washed-up. She must have burned with passion during her rookie days too.

But the external pressures that crept in moment by moment. The choices, the timing, the decisions.

She must have sunk, little by little, just like that.

Whether at her peak or washed-up as she was now, Yoon Da-yeon had never been criticized for her acting. She wasn’t the type to act cocky relying on looks alone. She had just gradually ended up this way without realizing it. By the time she came to her senses, she was already being called washed-up.

Seeing her in person, Jae-ha concluded that Yoon Da-yeon wasn’t a genuine ”crazy nutjob.”

The proof being.

”Wh... wha... y-you’re really my manager??”

Yoon Da-yeon, flustered and stammering. She might look prickly on the surface, but to Jae-ha’s eyes, it was just garden-variety ditzy charm. Scared but barking away regardless.

’That kind of thing usually stems from self-defense.’

Whether she’d been betrayed or looked down on. Some kind of wound made her throw up walls first.

’Nothing special, really. Tough shell, soft center, if I had to put it.’

The old Kang Jae-ha would have steered clear first and asked questions later, but to the current Jae-ha, she wasn’t exactly a difficult opponent.

Just then.

-Thud!

As if they had been waiting in the van, a heavyset man and a younger-looking guy hurried over. The heavyset man glanced between Yoon Da-yeon and Kang Jae-ha, then laughed heartily.

”Oh, you’ve already introduced yourselves? Da-yeon, this is Kang Jae-ha ssi. From now on.”

”I know, I heard. He’s my manager.”

”Y-yeah, yeah. Anyway, didn’t you say you needed the bathroom urgently? Go ahead.”

”Hmph.”

Yoon Da-yeon strode off briskly. The heavyset man scratched his head and extended a hand to Jae-ha with a good-natured chuckle.

”Jae-ha ssi, we’ve seen each other a few times, haven’t we? I’m General Manager Kim Dae-yong.”

”Yes, hello.”

General Manager Kim Dae-yong. A member of Team 4, and Yoon Da-yeon’s senior-level manager. Heavyset build, friendly face. His personality was exactly what the exterior suggested. Quick to laugh, kindhearted. Next, the younger-looking guy introduced himself to Jae-ha.

”Hello, sunbae-nim! I’m Ryu Jin-woo, a first-year road manager!”

Ryu Jin-woo, road manager. A one-year rookie. High energy and a bit of an edgy look, probably from the dyed hair. Jae-ha gave him a brief greeting as well.

”Good to meet you.”

So these three made up Yoon Da-yeon’s team. General Manager Kim Dae-yong, still chuckling, said he’d go fetch Yoon Da-yeon and walked off. Watching him and the first-year road manager Ryu Jin-woo, Kang Jae-ha saw through it right away.

’They’ve paired a Buddha to calm down the crazy nutjob with a green rookie.’

After that.

The van pulled out the moment Yoon Da-yeon returned. Ryu Jin-woo the road manager drove, General Manager Kim Dae-yong sat in the passenger seat, and Kang Jae-ha sat to the right of Yoon Da-yeon, who was staring out the window.

The atmosphere was awkward, for the time being.

Then, perhaps intending to break the ice, the Buddha that was General Manager Kim Dae-yong spoke up.

”Da-yeon. Let’s keep it nice and quiet on set today, yeah?”

Yoon Da-yeon, who had been watching the scenery, shot him a glare.

”You think I don’t want to??! The PD keeps giving direction over and over, endlessly!!”

”He’s the lead PD. Giving direction is part of the job.”

”I know that! But he nitpicks everything like he’s picking a fight! Only with me!!”

”Mm...”

Kang Jae-ha yawned and simply listened, while General Manager Kim Dae-yong, arms crossed, tried to rein Yoon Da-yeon in.

”Even so, you can’t go snapping at the PD. We barely managed to calm him down last time, so let’s keep things smooth today. Okay?”

”Whatever! I’ll hold back for now, but if he keeps tormenting me, I’m going to lose it!”

Completely contradictory. Well, Jae-ha much preferred this kind of temperament to people who talked behind others’ backs.

’Way easier to handle.’

General Manager Kim Dae-yong, who had glanced at Jae-ha through the rearview mirror, chuckled.

”By the way, Jae-ha ssi, I think you’ve changed a bit? Your vibe, that sort of thing.”

”Is that so.”

”Yeah. If I remember right, you used to be really... meek.”

Yoon Da-yeon, who had been listening, snorted.

”Meek, my ass. One look and you can tell he’s got a nasty temper.”

Kang Jae-ha smirked and replied.

”I’ll take that as a compliment.”

”It’s not a compliment!”

”An insult, then.”

”It’s not an insult either!”

”Which is it.”

”Somewhere in between!”

Having suitably ignored her, Jae-ha scrolled through Yoon Da-yeon’s schedule for the day that had been sent to his phone.

A short while later, Jae-ha was standing in a sprawling studio set.

A row of compartments, each only a few square meters, lined up one after another. Each one was dressed to look like a living room, bedroom, bathroom, and so on.

”Lighting team!! The PD says to dim the lights over here!”

”On it!!”

”Props! Props!! I told you to replace this chair because it’s squeaking!”

”Yes! I’ll check on it right away!”

”Actors, standby!!”

Dozens of staff shouting, the set buzzing with energy. This was the set for the MBS network daily drama ’The Last Man’, and it was also Yoon Da-yeon’s only current project.

Kang Jae-ha stood off to one side, studying the storyboard for today’s shoot.

’A supporting role. Well, supporting in name only. Practically a minor role.’

As Jae-ha was sizing up Yoon Da-yeon’s part, the heavyset General Manager Kim Dae-yong sidled up next to him.

”Heh, it’s a minor role in all but name, isn’t it?”

”Yes, looks that way.”

”I heard you were only ever on Team 2, Jae-ha ssi. Always on the idol side?”

”No. My first year was with an actor team.”

”Who?”

”He’s since moved agencies, but it was Do Gyeong-woo nim.”

”Ah, then I suppose you have a rough idea of how the acting side works.”

General Manager Kim Dae-yong watched Yoon Da-yeon, now done with makeup, walk onto the set. His gaze was full of sympathy.

”Everyone calls her a crazy bitch, a nutjob, but the way I see it, Da-yeon’s a pitiful kid.”

”Pitiful.”

”It’s the environment, the people around her that made her this way. Filling her head with empty promises, wounding her pride. You know how it is, right? The ugly jealousy and envy in this industry.”

He gave a bitter smile and met Jae-ha’s eyes.

”Please don’t see Da-yeon only in a bad light.”

”I don’t.”

”Hm?”

”I don’t particularly have any feelings about Yoon Da-yeon ssi.”

”Haha, well, that’s a relief.”

Just then.

”Action!”

Filming began. On set, Yoon Da-yeon launched into a caustic argument with the actress opposite her. Before long, the other actress seized Yoon Da-yeon by the hair.

”You bitch!”

”Ahhh!”

Do you know what makes a daily drama worth watching? Makjang. Or shock value. Every last drop of MSG in existence has to be dumped in to take over the living room and pull in ratings.

”How dare you! Seducing my husband??!”

”Aaaahhh!!”

The other actress yanked Yoon Da-yeon’s hair without hesitation, and Yoon Da-yeon simply screamed and acted out her suffering. It was good. Not that it was good she was getting roughed up, but her acting.

To Kang Jae-ha’s eye, the other actress was somewhat stiff, while Yoon Da-yeon’s performance was leagues more convincing.

’As expected, experience counts for something.’

But the PD who called cut...

”Cut!! Ah... Da-yeon ssi, can’t you be a bit more dynamic??”

...singled out Yoon Da-yeon rather than the other actress.

”More like this! You know?! Getting tossed around more! Yeah??!”

”...Me??”

”Yes! You, Da-yeon ssi! Who else!”

”......”

The takes that followed were more of the same.

”Come on! Da-yeon ssi! More fluid! How many years have you been doing this!”

The bespectacled PD kept directing his notes exclusively at Yoon Da-yeon. All of it remarkably vague. Watching in silence, Jae-ha rubbed his chin.

’Hm, well, well. That’s interesting.’

The same scene was repeated three or four times. As a result, Yoon Da-yeon’s hair was reduced to a tangled mess. Yet no ”OK” came from the PD, and the abstract direction continued.

”Da-yeon ssi! More intense!”

At this point, Kang Jae-ha reached a firm conclusion.

’That’s harassment, plain and simple. The direction that stays relentlessly vague, it’s textbook incompetent PD behavior. Is he playing favorites because the other actress has been gaining some buzz lately?’

Or perhaps tormenting the ”crazy nutjob” was part of it too.

On top of that.

’That actress opposite her. Song Mi-yeon? She’s off too.’

Despite the repeated NGs, the other actress seemed to be enjoying ripping Yoon Da-yeon’s hair out. She apologized after every NG, but there was no sincerity behind it. No one knew that better than Kang Jae-ha.

Soon.

”Cut, cut! Phew... this isn’t working. Let’s take about ten minutes.”

The PD called a break. The other actress apologized to Yoon Da-yeon with an ”Oh no, I’m so sorry”, but once again there wasn’t much sincerity in it. She returned to her team and whispered to her stylist. Smiling.

”Ahh, that felt great. Totally blew off some steam. I think I really nailed it today, huh? Nice one, PD.”

”Still, isn’t that a bit harsh on your sunbae??”

”Harsh, please. Yoon Da-yeon’s washed-up anyway, isn’t she? In this industry, it’s the popular ones who are your sunbae.”

She was obviously talking about Yoon Da-yeon. Meanwhile, Yoon Da-yeon, her hair a wild mess, returned to her seat as well.

”......Shit, why is he only pulling this bullshit on me.”

Seething with frustration, yet visibly trying to hold herself together somehow.

”God, I’m pissed. So pissed!”

General Manager Kim Dae-yong immediately tried to calm her down. Standing behind them, Kang Jae-ha gazed down at Yoon Da-yeon quietly. At the same time, he recalled what General Manager Kim Dae-yong had said earlier.

’It’s the environment, the people around her that made her this way.’

He was starting to get a sense of what that meant. And there must have been plenty more beyond these petty incidents. In that moment, Yoon Da-yeon got under Jae-ha’s skin. More precisely, she nagged at his conscience. Meanwhile, General Manager Kim Dae-yong kept trying to soothe her.

”Da-yeon, don’t get too worked up.”

”Ah! It’s infuriating! How many times has it been now! How much longer am I supposed to just take it!!”

Kang Jae-ha tossed out a remark in a low voice.

”Instead of bottling it up, let it out properly.”

”...What?”

Yoon Da-yeon whipped around and glared at Jae-ha. Jae-ha, on the other hand, was unfazed.

”I said let it out. But through your acting.”

”Through my acting?”

”When you’re focused enough, the ad-libs come naturally.”

”......?”

”Stop holding back and show them your character for real.”

”What character.”

What character, indeed. The crazy nutjob character.

”Just do what I say.”

Yoon Da-yeon’s eyes went wide as she listened. Before she had time to be surprised, the assistant director shouted.

”We’re resuming filming!!”

Yoon Da-yeon, who had been staring at Kang Jae-ha with his hands stuffed in his jacket, quickly stepped back onto the set. She faced the other actress once more. The PD, eyes on the monitor, called the cue.

”And... action!!”

Once again, Yoon Da-yeon’s hair was seized.

”You bitch!!”

”Ahhh!”

Kang Jae-ha watched the scene expressionlessly. The heavyset General Manager Kim Dae-yong glanced around nervously.

”Is... is that plan really going to be okay?”

”Who knows.”

”Huh?”

”We’ll find out soon enough.”

Then.

”Agh!!”

Yoon Da-yeon, mid-hair-pull, snapped her head up.

”You crazy bitch!!”

She went for the ad-lib Jae-ha had told her.

”Ptoo!”

”Eat this! Ptoo, ptoo!”

Jaw dropping at the spectacular spitting display, the PD shot to his feet.

”Wait, wait!! Da-yeon ssi, what the hell are you doing!!”

Yoon Da-yeon smoothed her disheveled hair and offered the other actress the sweetest smile she could muster as she apologized.

”Oh my, oh no... I’m so sorry.”

Maintaining that smile, she turned to the PD and answered. This, too, was a line Kang Jae-ha had fed her.

”Your abstract direction was so inspiring that my imagination just ran wild.”

”......”

The set fell silent.

”The ad-lib was good though, right?”

The crazy nutjob had started raising hell.