The Crazy Mercenary Commander Goes to Work in the Entertainment Industry

Translator: Dreamscribe

At Moon Ji-a's flat yet composed reply, her manager asked back.

"Thinking?"

Moon Ji-a replied curtly.

"Yeah. Thinking it over."

"You're not seriously... going around taking meetings with other agencies..."

"It's exactly the season for it, isn't it? I'm getting a lot of calls."

The manager's eyes went wide.

"Seriously? You're actually meeting with other agencies?? Wow-"

"I'm giving it serious thought, so drop it."

《Moon Ji-a, Headed for the FA Market? No Word on Contract Renewal with Current Agency / Photo》 [TL Note: FA Market = Free Agency Market]

《[Star Issue] Moon Ji-a, on the Verge of Her Exclusive Contract Expiring with Current Agency, Agencies Abuzz Over News That the Big Fish Is Hitting the FA Market》

《Moon Ji-a, Leaving AC Enter After 5 Years? FA Odds Rising↑》

Moon Ji-a's contract expiration was drawing near, and there was no news whatsoever of a renewal with her current agency. Thanks to that, the press had already been tossing around speculation that a colossal catch named Moon Ji-a would be hitting the FA market.

Moon Ji-a, who wielded formidable clout even among top actresses, was about to walk away from her agency and be free to sign wherever she pleased?

There was no way the various domestic agencies would sit still.

From the moment the rumors started spreading, countless agencies, from the majors down to the mid-sized ones, had sent Moon Ji-a fervent interest calls, and Moon Ji-a had already wrapped up meetings with a few of them.

Because of all this, Moon Ji-a's current agency, AC Enter, was in a state of emergency.

Which was exactly why her manager was in such a fluster.

But Moon Ji-a didn't give her manager any real answer either.

No matter how long five years was, a contract was reality. It meant this wasn't something to be moved by sentiment.

Whatever the case, the manager watched Moon Ji-a's mood, then let out a small sigh and muttered.

"CEO-nim says he really wants to see you tonight."

The same night, the CEO's office at AC Enter.

AC Enter was an actor-focused agency, and by scale it ranked among the majors. True to its reputation, it was stacked with a lot of actors, and the crown jewel among them was, of course, Moon Ji-a.

And there in the CEO's office at AC Enter was Moon Ji-a, done with her day's schedule.

Sitting on the sofa with her legs crossed.

"......"

Today of all days, even the beauty mark beneath her eye stood out, lending her an overall alluring charm, and on the sofa across from Moon Ji-a sat a man with quite a bit of gray in his hair.

He was the CEO of AC Enter.

The CEO gazed at Moon Ji-a's face for a moment, then broached the subject obliquely.

"Ji-a. It's been ages since renewal came up, so why are you dragging your feet this time?"

Moon Ji-a shrugged.

"Well, I'm not dragging my feet, I'm thinking it over."

"You don't like our terms? I'll throw in a little more, so let's quit playing hard to get already."

"Playing hard to get? What do you mean, playing hard to get?"

"Or did some other agency offer you better terms?"

Moon Ji-a exhaled softly and answered vaguely.

"I have been getting a lot of meeting requests. I've met with some of them, too."

"With who?"

"Why would you even ask that?"

"Hmm-"

The CEO spent a moment gauging Moon Ji-a's expression and mood, then spoke again.

"If you've got a grudge against me or the company, just say the word, I'll fix it. Why be like this, between us? It's not like you're the type to keep quiet when something's bugging you."

"......"

The reason Moon Ji-a wasn't renewing with AC Enter wasn't about the terms.

'This guy's still talking nonsense. Terms don't really matter to me. What I don't like is him grabbing projects, variety shows, ads, whatever, on his own without asking.'

The CEO of AC Enter had a self-serving streak. That feeling of pushing things through while claiming it was all for the actor's benefit. Moon Ji-a had put up with quite a lot, but now she'd hit her limit.

"I don't like you deciding on your own and then shoving it at me. I've told you this a few times, haven't I?"

"Ha ha, that was all for your own good."

"And it wasn't just once or twice."

"All right, all right, I won't do it anymore. I won't. Okay? This time I let you do 'Condensation: Euphoria', didn't I? I'm changing too."

"Won't do it, my ass. You realize you said pretty much the same thing back in the last contract? But it was the same all over again. And you let me do 'Condensation: Euphoria'? I did it because I wanted to. That's a strange way to put it. On top of that, there was that time you got drunk and called me and said something you shouldn't have."

"......"

"What did you say again? Ah, you asked me how long I thought I'd be able to stay where I am now, didn't you? The nerve of it left me speechless."

"That was because I was drunk... I made a huge mistake. I'll quit drinking altogether."

Yeah, and a dog will quit eating its own filth. Moon Ji-a scoffed inwardly. Her not renewing with AC Enter had less to do with the company's competence than with the CEO himself.

Then, as if deciding a long conversation would just be exhausting, Moon Ji-a answered briefly.

"Anyway, I'll think about it."

"Ji-a."

"I've been here a long time. I told you I'd think about it."

"......"

At a loss for words, the CEO shut his mouth, and Moon Ji-a rose with a sigh, checked the time, and clicked her tongue.

"And stop calling me in over stuff like this."

She already looked like her heart had left AC Enter.

The next day, Friday the 13th, afternoon.

The music show on terrestrial network KBC aired live. Performances by rookie idols and various singers went on one after another, until the host, holding a cue card, introduced the next performance.

"All right! This next one is a performance a lot of you have been waiting for, right??"

"That's right! I've been waiting for it too!"

"Ha ha, then shall we call them right up?? We're kicking off Seriel's comeback performance!"

The moment the intro ended, the camera angle framing the hosts shifted, and a lavishly decorated stage came into view. Standing atop it was the top-tier girl group 'Seriel'.

At the center of Seriel's formation was Ra Yoon, the leader and visual center.

The rest of the members took their places in a zigzag.

The moment the track dropped, the girls in their kitschy outfits began their choreography, and backup dancers streamed in in a rush.

-♬♪

Seriel's comeback performance had just begun, and the comeback song spreading across the stage was 'Nyxtra'. Of course, 'Nyxtra', the song composed by Choi Ri-na, was riding the airwaves and spreading nationwide.

That wasn't all.

Seriel's new single album had been released on the various music platforms as well.

-Seriel

-Song: Nyxtra

-Release Date: November 13th

-Composer: Rina

.

.

.

The rankings hadn't updated yet, but.

-The beat is insane, #1 is just a matter of time

-Seriel's about to devour the charts, damnnn

-The rap part this time is killer lolololol song came out so good

-Who's this composer Rina? The touch is unreal

-There's no composer named Rina among Seriel's songs, yeah first time I think

-The song doesn't have a single dull moment start to finish lolololol gonna be a legend

-This slaps so hard lolol got it on infinite repeat right now

-Leon dropped a turd with Kisera and recovers with Seriel lolololol

The reactions to the song were already exploding.

At the same time, 'FilmMEG'.

So naturally, the one taking the lead was Director Kwon Sung-min.

"Shall we get started, then?"

CEO Jeong Tae-woo was there, of course, and so was all the key staff. What stood out were the faces of Kang Jae-ha, wearing the mask of General Manager Kim Ha-jae, and Lee Chan-hoo. Jae-ha had come straight here after checking on Kisera's situation at Leon, and Lee Chan-hoo had come over from Netflix Korea.

Kang Jae-ha was listening to it in earnest when he happened to glance around at the key staff nearby.

'Hm?'

In an instant, his vision changed. The déjà vu that followed. It was the sign of 'Deja Vu'. The protagonist was one of those key staff. In no time, something other than reality was projected before Kang Jae-ha's eyes.

『A space that looked like a break room. Tables and chairs were arranged, and at one of the tables a few people were seated. They were the key staff of Condensation: Euphoria.

The key staff were huddled together, watching a YouTube video on a tablet. The video was from a channel that delivered buzzworthy news, and a woman's voice rang out loudly in the break room.

-"Around 8 p.m. yesterday, the 13th, an incident occurred in which top actress Moon Ji-a was injured by a knife swung by a sasaeng fan at an event venue. The scene descended into chaos, and the sasaeng fan was arrested on the spot! Moon Ji-a was rushed to the hospital right away, but there's been no announcement yet on her condition."

One of the key staff watching the video speaks up.

"I heard this sasaeng piece of shit harassed Miss Moon Ji-a quite a while back, too."

"Ugh- what a crazy bastard, seriously. But if it's come to this, what happens to our Condensation: Euphoria??"

"With the female lead in this state... it might get delayed a bit, or if her injuries are serious, we might have to recast the female lead."

"Whew, this is a real headache."

"Anyway, I hope Miss Moon Ji-a's okay."

"She'd better be."』

That was where it ended. Kang Jae-ha's vision changed once more. Before he knew it his sight had recovered, and his brow was deeply furrowed. Because he'd just seen a very irksome 'Deja Vu'. Unaware of any of this, Director Kwon Sung-min was in the thick of running the production meeting, when Kang Jae-ha, having abruptly checked the time, shot to his feet.

"Huh?"

From the startled Director Kwon Sung-min to everyone else in the conference room, all eyes fixed on Jae-ha, and Kang Jae-ha, his face slipping back into its mask, murmured briefly to them all.

"Carry on without us."

At the same time, Kang Jae-ha signaled with his eyes to Lee Chan-hoo, who was seated beside him and looking up at him with a what's-going-on expression.

Come with me.

At the Commander's chilly gaze, Lee Chan-hoo rose without a word of complaint. Kang Jae-ha strode out of the conference room first, and Lee Chan-hoo, following behind, gave everyone a faint smile and said,

"I'll fill you in later. Don't mind us, keep going."

Once out of the conference room, Lee Chan-hoo broke into a startled run. And no wonder. Commander Kang Jae-ha was already way off by the elevators. Rushing over, Lee Chan-hoo caught his breath and asked.

"What is it, sir? Did something happen??"

Having quickly boarded the elevator, Kang Jae-ha checked the time again.

'6:15.'

The time was just past 6 p.m. Kang Jae-ha recalled the 'Deja Vu' he'd just seen. The video had said around 8 p.m. yesterday, the 13th. In other words, the events shown in the 'Deja Vu' took place tomorrow, and the 13th was today.

On top of that, there were less than two hours until 8.

And what's more, Moon Ji-a gets hurt by a knife a sasaeng fan swings. Still frowning, Kang Jae-ha's irritation boiled over.

'Sasaeng piece of shit or whatever piece of shit, Moon Ji-a getting hurt is a real damn problem.'

Jae-ha, picturing a sasaeng fan he didn't even know, murmured coldly.

"Fucker's being a pain."

The savagery from his days as the mercenary commander flickered through, and Lee Chan-hoo flinched.

"Commander. What, what is it, sir??"

But there was no answer from Kang Jae-ha. Because his mind was working furiously. Jae-ha pictured Moon Ji-a, who would be attacked by a sasaeng fan in about two hours.

'Calling her out of the blue and saying a sasaeng fan's about to attack you, so run, is a crazy move, and pushing back Moon Ji-a's schedule or getting her to bail looks weird too.'

As expected, Kang Jae-ha going and handling it himself was the surest and smoothest option.

Around this time, the van carrying top actress Moon Ji-a, in full makeup, was on standby in the parking lot of the event venue for her next schedule.

Inside the van, Moon Ji-a had her earphones in, listening to music.

-♬♪

Setting aside her exclusive contract expiration, the renewal, the meetings, and all of it for a moment, she was cleansing her mind and body. The song was 'Nyxtra' by the girl group 'Seriel', who'd made their comeback not long ago.

Naturally, she had no idea. That within roughly two hours, because of a sasaeng fan.

'Oh- this new 'Seriel' song is good?? Really sticks in your ears.'

She would be attacked.

Kang Jae-ha, the one who had to stop it, climbed into the driver's seat of the van parked in the lot, and next Lee Chan-hoo got into the passenger seat.

"Commander, I can drive if you-"

"I've got it. More importantly, where's Moon Ji-a right now."

Realizing something was off, Lee Chan-hoo answered at once.

"...I'll check now."

To Lee Chan-hoo, who closed and reopened his eyes for a moment to use 'Search', Kang Jae-ha murmured.

"Did you find her."

"Yes, found her, sir."

"Belt up."

The instant the click sounded, Kang Jae-ha gave his order, short and clear.

"I'm flooring it, hold on tight."

At once a rough, roaring exhaust note blared from the van.

-Vrrrooooom!!

Gripping the handle above him tightly, Lee Chan-hoo couldn't help groaning.

"Uwoaaaaah!"

Because it was fast enough to nearly make him wet himself.

*****

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