The Crazy Mercenary Commander Goes to Work in the Entertainment Industry

Lee Chan-hoo’s voice on the other end of the phone was brimming with confidence.

”We’re looking to invest in your film, ’Condensation’, Director-nim.”

A jumble of information spilled from his mouth. ’MEG’, the short film ’Condensation’, Director Kwon Sung-min. The man who’d probably been sitting at a construction site half out of his mind, chewing on a convenience store kimbap just moments ago.

”...Huh?? Uh, what???”

He appeared to be Director Kwon Sung-min, the one who’d written ’Condensation’. Twenty-five years old, as Kang Jae-ha had identified, young for a director, from a no-name university with nothing notable in his filmography.

Kwon Sung-min seemed to think he’d misheard.

Doing what? Investing??

What the hell was happening all of a sudden? Without realizing it, Kwon Sung-min dropped the half-eaten convenience store kimbap from his left hand. And why wouldn’t he? Before the call, he’d been looking at the results of Leon Entertainment’s contest. ’Condensation’ had been rejected. Not even a comment, not a single mention.

Kwon Sung-min had sunk into deep despair.

He’d been on the verge of giving up.

Then out of nowhere, some guy named Lee Chan-hoo called saying he wanted to invest in ’Condensation’. Kwon Sung-min’s mouth hung slightly open, phone pressed to his ear.

-Swish.

He quietly pinched his own cheek. Quite hard. It hurt. Meaning this was reality. He pushed up the glasses that had slid down his nose, visibly excited.

”In-in-in-investing??!”

The man on the other end of the phone. No, Lee Chan-hoo, had laughter creeping into his voice.

”Yes, investing. You heard correctly. A... bit sudden, right?”

”......A bit doesn’t even begin to cover it.”

”Right, I understand. Uh, how about we talk details in person?”

”What? Oh! Yes yes! In person!”

Kwon Sung-min answered frantically, not even thinking to ask what this was all about, his mind racing. When would be the best time? Today was out since he was in the middle of manual labor. He’d planned to come to the construction site tomorrow too, but this changed things.

”To-tomorrow! Tomorrow works anytime!”

”Tomorrow... sounds good. Let’s meet sometime in the morning, then.”

”Morning! Yes! Got it!”

”I’ll text you the time and location separately. Then I’ll see you tomorrow, Director-nim.”

”Yes! Thank you!”

-Click.

The call ended, but Kwon Sung-min didn’t lower the phone from his ear. His eyes stayed wide. Dust was settling on the dropped kimbap with every passing moment, but inside his head, only two words swirled: ’Condensation’ and ’investment.’

”Wh-what is... happening all of a sudden?”

It still didn’t feel real to Kwon Sung-min.

Next day, Tuesday morning.

The location was a sizable two-story café near Yangjae Station. Perhaps because it was morning, the place was fairly empty, and a familiar bespectacled face was visible by the window on the second floor.

Kwon Sung-min.

”Hnngh... hoo, hoo...”

He kept taking deep breaths, apparently trying to calm his nerves. Unlike yesterday when he’d been drenched in sweat at the construction site, today he looked quite put-together. He pushed his glasses up and, perhaps feeling a bit warm, took off his padded jacket and draped it over the chair beside him.

’I got here way too early. Ugh, I’m so nervous.’

His heart wouldn’t stop pounding. It wasn’t strange. He was about to meet an ’investor’ for the first time in his life. Honestly, he’d imagined it plenty of times, but now that it was actually happening, every minute, every second felt like a dream.

It might actually be a dream.

’This is crazy. I’m worse than unknown, I’m a complete nobody... and I’m getting an investor?’

He hadn’t made his directorial debut, hadn’t graduated from a prestigious school as a director, had no special blood ties or regional connections, hadn’t won any contests, and didn’t have money or come from a good family.

On top of that, ’Condensation’ wasn’t even a feature. Just a short film.

”......”

Kwon Sung-min kept reassuring himself.

But the trembling in his heart wouldn’t easily subside, and about twenty minutes must have passed.

”Director Kwon Sung-min?”

Someone called out to Kwon Sung-min, who was deep in the middle of his mental self-coaching. Startled, he reflexively shot to his feet and turned his head. Beside him stood a man in a black coat, with short hair and narrow eyes, smiling faintly.

The man extended his hand to Kwon Sung-min.

”You look a lot more gentle in person. Nice to meet you, I’m Lee Chan-hoo, the one who called.”

Kang Jae-ha’s subordinate number one, Lee Chan-hoo.

”Oh! Yes! Hello!”

”Haha, pretty nervous, huh? Why don’t you go get a glass of cold water?”

”I-I’m fine!”

”This isn’t the military. Drop the stiffness and let’s just talk comfortably.”

After the handshake, Lee Chan-hoo gestured for Kwon Sung-min to sit and took the seat across from him. Following his lead, Kwon Sung-min awkwardly planted himself back in his chair. At the same moment, a business card appeared from somewhere in Lee Chan-hoo’s hand.

-’MEG’

-CEO Lee Chan-hoo

Having never received a business card before and unsure what to do, Kwon Sung-min just shoved it straight into his pocket.

”Thank you!”

”It’s just a business card.”

Kwon Sung-min stole a glance at Lee Chan-hoo across the table. How to put it? Overflowing with ease? Uninhibited? He also seemed socially adept. There had been a classmate with that same vibe at Kwon Sung-min’s university.

’He came from money. Always had that air of never needing anything.’

As Kwon Sung-min recalled that old classmate, Lee Chan-hoo crossed his legs and spoke.

”I mentioned it on the phone yesterday, but let me start with a quick introduction. I’m Lee Chan-hoo from ’MEG’.”

”Oh! I’m Kwon Sung-min!”

”Right, I know. Getting straight to the point. We’re considering investing in your ’Condensation’, Director-nim.”

!!!

He’d already heard it once, but hearing it face-to-face doubled the shock for Kwon Sung-min. Lee Chan-hoo, on the other hand, maintained his smile.

”Do you have any questions?”

Kwon Sung-min struggled to voice the questions he’d prepared in advance.

”H-how did you come across my ’Condensation’?”

Lee Chan-hoo’s answer was immediate.

”I have a contact at Leon Entertainment. You submitted it to their contest, right?”

”Ah!”

”That’s how I came to learn about it and ended up reading ’Condensation’. If that bothers you in any way, I apologize.”

”What? No! It doesn’t bother me at all! It’s just... a bit strange......”

”Is it?”

”Yes. This is a first for me.”

”I don’t think you need to be so deflated about it.”

”’Condensation’, it clicked the moment I read it. That it was perfect as MEG’s first investment project.”

First investment? Kwon Sung-min regained a sliver of rationality. Right, come to think of it, he’d never heard of ’MEG’. It hadn’t come up when he searched either.

”F-first investment?”

”Yes. ’MEG’ is an investment firm that’s just getting started.”

”I see.”

For an instant, a faint sense of unease flickered through Kwon Sung-min’s mind. The kind of thing that frequently happens to someone with no real-world experience. The question of whether he could trust this. When stepping into completely uncharted territory, fear naturally comes along for the ride.

”......”

On top of that, Kwon Sung-min found himself remembering a scam story he’d heard from a college senior. Whether Lee Chan-hoo picked up on this or not, he tilted his head slightly and asked.

”You’re thinking, ’Is this a scam?’ right?”

”Yes. Wait, what?? No! Th-that’s not what I...”

”That’s exactly what it is, though.”

”......I’m sorry, I’ve only ever imagined this. I never thought it would actually happen...”

”I understand. Better to tap a stone bridge ten times before crossing it.”

Lee Chan-hoo responded with a smile, but a flash of cold crept into his voice.

”But let’s be real. What would I gain from scamming one short film?”

”Oh.”

”We, ’MEG’, are the ones putting up the money.”

This wasn’t persuasion. It was closer to a half-threat. Lee Chan-hoo had meant it as a ’caution is fine, but don’t worry’, yet to Kwon Sung-min it sounded more like ’don’t get cute’.

Meanwhile, even as Lee Chan-hoo stared straight at Kwon Sung-min, his thoughts drifted to Kang Jae-ha.

’He’s young. The type who’d get killed instantly on a battlefield. But why did the Commander take an interest in this kid? Then again, that man’s mind was always impossible to read...’

He roughly reached a conclusion.

’My job is to do what I’m told. The work is solid, at least. And there’s a certain fun in nurturing a guy like this.’

Having mused to himself, Lee Chan-hoo spoke again to Kwon Sung-min across the table.

”Shake off the anxiety, and tell me, Director-nim, what are your thoughts? Do you want the investment? This is entirely your choice, of course.”

What kind of moron director would turn down investment money here? Kwon Sung-min swallowed hard and had determination into his gaze.

”I want it.”

Fifty million won??! Kwon Sung-min was inwardly floored.

”I-I’d be grateful for even 10 million won.”

”Sure, works for me. Let’s set the max at 50 million and go from there. Calculate a clear production budget as quickly as you can. Hmm, you’ll also need to find a production company.”

”Yes, understood!”

”There are plenty of production companies. Especially for a short film with the investment already secured, finding one won’t be hard. Just in case, I pulled together a list of decent production companies for short films. Take a look.”

Kwon Sung-min expressed his gratitude emphatically and immediately scanned the clear file folder.

’Forget worrying. I can’t let this person slip away. I need to move as fast as possible.’

Just then, Lee Chan-hoo switched the cross of his legs and brought up something else.

”By the way, you didn’t make it through Leon Entertainment’s contest either. Where do you see ’Condensation’ ending up, Director-nim?”

”......”

After a brief silence, Kwon Sung-min raised his head. Then he murmured the name of a stage he’d been eyeing for quite some time, one that every unknown director dreams of.

”...I’m thinking of taking a shot at the ’Mise-en-scene Short Film Festival’.”

The ’Mise-en-scene Short Film Festival’, the country’s only short film festival, famous enough to serve as a gateway for unknown directors.

The moment he heard the answer, Lee Chan-hoo gave a casual thumbs-up.

”Nice.”

But that wasn’t the end. He offered a different direction as well.

”The ’Mise-en-scene Short Film Festival’ is great, but Director-nim. How about we play a bigger game?”

”Huh? Bigger?”

”Yes. What do you think about the ’Busan International Film Festival (BIFF)’?”

The ’Busan International Film Festival’ was, without question, Asia’s largest and most prestigious film festival. The undisputed top tier not just domestically but across Asia, and internationally recognized. It was incomparable to the ’Mise-en-scene Short Film Festival’. The sheer scale was different from the start, domestic versus international.

Thanks to that, Director Kwon Sung-min’s eyes went wide enough to burst. Like getting hit in the head with a hammer.

”What??! The B-Busan International Film Festival?!”

Because the game had just gotten astronomically bigger.

A few dozen minutes later, Leon Entertainment.

Inside Management Team 4, that isolated island, Kang Jae-ha was yawning while looking at his laptop. Chin propped on his hand, the picture of pure idleness.

’Yawn... I’m getting sleepy. At this rate, I could easily handle a few more on top of Yoon Da-yeon and An Ji-hee with no problem.’

Since they were all failures, washed-up entertainers, things weren’t exactly busy, and he figured managing several at once would be fine. In reality, Team 4 had fewer people than other management teams, and senior-level staff like General Manager Kim Dae-yong had been multi-tasking for ages, either filling in gaps for other teams as a stopgap or handling one more person besides Yoon Da-yeon.

Team 4’s staff were just as much an afterthought as its entertainers.

Sure, a lazy manager might see Team 4 as paradise, but Jae-ha, who’d spent eighteen years roaming battlefields, was itching with boredom.

’Well, things will pick up gradually. I’ll make sure of that.’

While thinking about Yoon Da-yeon and An Ji-hee, Kang Jae-ha opened a file on his laptop. A compilation of the various washed-up... no, entertainers assigned to Team 4. He was scrolling through them one by one when.

-Bzz, bzzzz.

A long vibration rumbled through his phone. An incoming call. The caller was subordinate number one, Lee Chan-hoo.

’He said he was meeting the ’Condensation’ director this morning. Must be done.’

Since this was a project being run behind the company’s back, Jae-ha naturally slipped out into the corridor and answered quietly.

”Yeah, go ahead.”

Despite Kang Jae-ha’s hushed voice, Lee Chan-hoo on the other end didn’t seem to care and responded immediately.

”Commander, I met with Director Kwon Sung-min for ’Condensation’. He says he wants to go for the ’Busan International Film Festival’.”

The corner of Jae-ha’s mouth curled up, but he received the news with remarkable calm.

”Good.”

The reason he showed no big reaction? Simple.

”But is that alright? The ’Busan International Film Festival’, out of nowhere. Even I was surprised. Director Kwon Sung-min, his eyeballs were practically popping out.”

The ’Busan International Film Festival’ that came out of Lee Chan-hoo’s mouth had been Kang Jae-ha’s directive. ’MEG’ would gradually expand its investment scope, and it planned to make serious money doing so. With ’Deja Vu’, it would be investment without failure. And ’MEG’ was Kang Jae-ha’s wallet. Or rather, a vehicle for growing the ’Pension.’

However, ’MEG’ also needed to build its reputation and name recognition.

’Someday, ’Condensation’ is going to be a massive hit.’

In other words, the ’Busan International Film Festival’ was part of the blueprint Jae-ha had drawn up, part of his grand design.

’Why settle for a big hit when you can go for a mega hit.’

Meanwhile, at the same time.

The location was the large conference room on the top floor of Leon Entertainment. Inside, Department Heads and Directors were gathered around a ㄷ-shaped table. An executive-level board meeting appeared to be in full swing.

The direction they were all looking.

”......”

CEO Han Tae-sung sat in silence. His suit jacket was draped over the chair, wearing only his dress shirt, and perhaps because his solid build stood out, his presence was intense.

Then.

”CEO-nim.”

One of the Directors spoke up. A man with a somewhat long chin and thick eyebrows. His eyes brimming with hunger, with greed. Whether for money or whatever else.

”As previously reported, the ’Short Film Story Contest’ organized by the New Business Team has been wrapped up successfully.”

The man who’d brought up the recently concluded contest was none other than Kim Chul-joong, Director of the New Business Team, the one Kang Jae-ha had flagged as a bribe-taker, the one Lee Chan-hoo was secretly tailing.

”We’ve finished discussions with the directors who placed first, second, and third in the contest. Once the investment funds are disbursed, all three projects will begin production.”

CEO Han Tae-sung slowly crossed his legs and smiled faintly.

”Good work, Director Kim.”

”Not at all! This is just the beginning. I’ll keep pushing harder.”

”So, once these three films are produced, where are you planning to enter them?”

CEO Han Tae-sung’s eyes spoke clearly. Something along the lines of, ’Investment money is going in, so the end result had better be worthwhile’. To which Director Kim Chul-joong, apparently having already thought of a destination.

”If we’re going to do this, we figured the biggest stage is the best call.”

He put real force behind his voice.

”We’re looking at the ’Busan International Film Festival’. What do you think, CEO-nim?”

Such a spectacularly big stage drew murmurs from a few of the Directors. Regardless, a slight curve appeared at the corner of CEO Han Tae-sung’s lips.

”Yes. That’s the kind of scale we should be aiming for.”