Chapter 64: Blend (2)

Translator: Dreamscribe

Leon Entertainment's failed rookie girl group, 'Kisera'. With the losses already piling up, Kisera's fate was set: left to languish, then discarded.

That was how Leon's director-level executives saw it, and that was the cold reality of the idol market.

Which was why rookie idols generally debuted with a single album. At least that way, even if they flopped, the losses were contained. 'Kisera' had been the same. But now, an unexpected line came out of CEO Han Tae-sung's mouth.

"What if we hand Kisera's rebuild over to Kang Jae-ha?"

Put Kang Jae-ha in charge of overhauling 'Kisera'? The moment the words left their leader's mouth, the director-level executives' eyes went wide. And no wonder. It was strange enough that Kang Jae-ha's name had come up out of nowhere, but handing that Kang Jae-ha the 'Kisera' rebuild? A few of the executives, sure they'd misheard, asked again.

"......What?"

The ones who'd heard correctly murmured to the executives beside them. Among them, Director Kim Chul-joong, the long-jawed man who'd been keeping a low profile lately, furrowed his brow.

'Handing that crazy bastard......the 'Kisera' rebuild??'

Setting aside the fact that the man had already put a leash on him, Kang Jae-ha was nothing more than a fourth-year manager now. Not even a general manager. Sure, he'd handled 'Seriel', Ra Yoon's group, for a few years in the past, but he was nowhere near experienced enough to rebuild a rookie girl group.

So it was only natural that Director Kim Chul-joong, like the other executives, found the idea absurd.

'What is he thinking?'

True, the path Kang Jae-ha had carved out in Team 4 recently had been pretty remarkable. He'd dragged Yoon Da-yeon and An Ji-hee up into the spotlight out of Management Team 4, the so-called graveyard of Leon, and he'd breathed all sorts of change and energy into the place.

The smash hit of the short film 'Condensation', too.

But rebuilding a girl group was a problem on an entirely different level.

It amounted to handing far too much power to Kang Jae-ha, a man who wasn't even a general manager.

Still, Director Kim Chul-joong and the rest of the executives, however dumbfounded they were, none of them raised an objection to CEO Han Tae-sung.

They simply.

"......"

"......"

Kept their mouths shut and waited for their leader's next words. Then CEO Han Tae-sung, chin resting on his hand, swept his gaze over the directors' faces and smiled faintly.

"What, does it seem strange?"

It was Director Kim Chul-joong who managed, with difficulty, to answer.

"...Not strange so much as puzzling."

"Puzzling."

"We all know Manager Kang Jae-ha has been delivering good results lately, and we know he was on the 'Seriel' team in the past......but as you're aware, rebuilding a girl group requires specialized expertise."

At that, the other directors cautiously found their voices too.

"That's right. If you're considering a rebuild of 'Kisera', surely it'd be better to entrust it to the New Talent Development Team or the A&R Team."

There were directors from the New Talent Development Team and the A&R Team in this conference room. Their expressions were sourer than anyone's. CEO Han Tae-sung, unbothered, crossed his legs at his leisure.

"Right now Kang Jae-ha's the one in the best form at Leon, isn't he?"

"......"

"And I don't think handing the rebuild to the New Talent Development Team or the A&R Team would change much."

The unspoken meaning: the 'Kisera' you lot ran flopped spectacularly, didn't it? Silence quickly settled over the large conference room, and CEO Han Tae-sung, smiling as if savoring that silence, went on.

"Raising up a guy who's in good form, that's the company's job too. Isn't it?"

"W-well, that is true."

"Kisera's getting thrown out anyway, and they'll be handed over to Team 4. So think of it as giving them one more single, and we let Kang Jae-ha take the wheel."

"If that fellow takes it on and the results turn out poorly again, I'm worried the losses we've already incurred will only grow-"

True. To minimize the damage, the correct answer from the company's standpoint was to just quietly leave 'Kisera' to rot. CEO Han Tae-sung didn't particularly deny it either. And yet, for some reason, intrigue colored his expression.

"For some reason, I've got a feeling Kang Jae-ha's going to pull off a turnaround."

In any case, deciding to rebuild 'Kisera' didn't mean it would proceed in any rush. First, the activities of the freshly debuted 'Kisera', flop or not, had to be wrapped up.

"For now, cancel everything on Kisera's end, the music shows and schedules they've got booked, except for the important ones."

"Understood."

After that, Kisera's members had to be told too. That they were being discarded, or about to undergo reconstruction. Phrased a little kindly, that is.

Once he'd finished giving his instructions, CEO Han Tae-sung pictured the indifferent face of Kang Jae-ha.

'I wonder what expression he'll make when I bring up the 'Kisera' rebuild.'

At the same time, Choi Ri-na's songwriting studio.

A middle-aged woman seated across from the purple-haired Choi Ri-na spoke. She was Park Ja-hee, CEO of the recently acquired 'MEG Entertainment'.

"Ri-na, Leon Entertainment got in touch. They want to license the songs you wrote. Two of them, no less."

This wasn't a message that had come to 'MEG Entertainment'. It had arrived in the work inbox of the composer 'Rina'. 'Rina' was Choi Ri-na's composer alias, and on Lee Chan-hoo's instructions, CEO Park Ja-hee was also managing composer Rina's work inbox.

It had come about thanks to Kang Jae-ha's decision that Choi Ri-na should focus solely on composing and the like.

Officially, the composer 'Rina' was a solo act with no agency affiliation.

Well, in reality she belonged to 'MEG'.

In any case, Choi Ri-na's eyes immediately went round.

"Huh?? Leon??!"

The slightly hook-nosed CEO Park Ja-hee nodded with a smile.

"Yes, Leon. And you know what's even more surprising?"

"N-no idea."

"The artist who wants to use the songs you composed is the one and only 'Seriel'."

"No way!! 'Seriel'?! The girl group 'Seriel'??!"

"Yes, 'Seriel'."

The place that, out of nowhere, wanted to license songs was none other than the top-tier 'Seriel', one of the most prominent of all girl groups? Mouth gaping, Choi Ri-na immediately pictured Kang Jae-ha's face.

'Wow! Commander-nim, your skills are insane!!'

Then CEO Park Ja-hee asked.

"So, if you agree to the deal, do you want to do it in person or remotely?"

Recalling the Commander's advice, Choi Ri-na answered at once.

"Remotely!"

That same night, 'MEG'.

In the newly expanded office, Lee Chan-hoo was reporting to Commander Kang Jae-ha. The subject was Director Hong Man-seop, whom he'd met the day before.

"I met with Director Hong Man-seop and asked, and sure enough, he's got the 'House of the Daytime Moon' series in mind."

Having briefed the conversation he'd had with Director Hong Man-seop, Lee Chan-hoo handed a bundle of papers to Jae-ha. It was the screenplay he'd received from Director Hong Man-seop.

Kang Jae-ha checked the title printed on the cover.

-'Moonless Village'

Seeing the title, Jae-ha let out a small laugh.

"'Moonless Village', huh. I figured he'd be thinking about it, but to have already written the whole screenplay."

"From what I gathered, it's less of a 'House of the Daytime Moon 2' concept and more of a spin-off version of 'House of the Daytime Moon'."

A spin-off unfolds a new story based on the original's worldview. Put simply, it's easiest to think of it as a side story.

Then, as Kang Jae-ha opened the 'Moonless Village' screenplay, Lee Chan-hoo added a remark.

"I've been reading it too, and yeah, it's Director Hong Man-seop all right. The story's solid, of course, and that tension unique to 'House of the Daytime Moon' is way more vivid. I think 'House of the Daytime Moon' fans will love it."

'House of the Daytime Moon' had currently passed five million viewers and was heading toward six million. Surely a good number of them had become fans of 'House of the Daytime Moon'. In fact, communities, social media, and the like were already clamoring for a 'House of the Daytime Moon 2'.

After reading a few pages of 'Moonless Village', Kang Jae-ha nodded, apparently satisfied.

"Nice. This one we absolutely have to make."

He met Lee Chan-hoo's gaze.

"You haven't brought up the agency talk with Director Hong Man-seop yet, right?"

"No, just as you said, Commander."

"How'd he react?"

"He seemed pretty disappointed."

"He would be."

Closing the screenplay he'd been reading, Kang Jae-ha spoke again.

"I'll handle meeting Director Hong Man-seop later. Reeling Director Hong Man-seop into 'MEG' is a done deal, but there's something we have to run in parallel with that, no exceptions."

"What's that?"

A question mark hung over Lee Chan-hoo. Jae-ha, on the other hand, already wore the look of a man whose plans were fully laid out.

"I said something like this a while back, didn't I? That 'House of the Daytime Moon' might become the springboard for a domestic animated film to reach out to the world down the line."

"You did."

"The start's been made now, and at this point there's something we need to take in alongside Director Hong Man-seop, not just him. An animation production studio."

Jae-ha already had 'MEG Entertainment' and the film company 'FilmMEG' as subsidiaries, and the third subsidiary he had in mind was a dedicated animation production studio.

"With 'House of the Daytime Moon' we only came in as an investment firm, but going forward, once we've got Director Hong Man-seop on board, it's right that we hold an animation studio too."

His reasoning was this. Even if he brought Director Hong Man-seop into the head company 'MEG', if the animation studio were separate, it would paint a picture where the prestige accruing got split and shared out. Looking at the long game, that didn't sit well with Kang Jae-ha.

'On the animation side too, 'MEG' has to take it all, investment and production both.'

Running it all out of one place made the work far smoother, too. Kang Jae-ha gave Lee Chan-hoo his instructions.

"I'll handle reeling in Director Hong Man-seop, so in the meantime, you start the acquisition of an animation studio. Together with Cha Chung-hyeon. Meet with 'Cheong-yeon Studio' first, and if their reaction's no good, search for domestic animation studios. Leave the search to Ha Yeon-ji. There'll be plenty of places on the verge of going under."

'Cheong-yeon Studio' was the studio that had made 'House of the Daytime Moon'. So 'Cheong-yeon Studio' was the number one acquisition target, and if it proved difficult, the plan was to turn his eyes to other studios.

After that, Lee Chan-hoo set to work on the animation studio acquisition, and two days later, around the 23rd, Director Hong Man-seop was harboring a little worry.

'They said 'MEG' also doubles as an agency, but CEO Lee Chan-hoo didn't make me an agency offer. Is one success with 'House of the Daytime Moon' not enough......'

Of course, Lee Chan-hoo had shown immense interest in Director Hong Man-seop's next project, 'Moonless Village'. But not a word about an agency had come from his mouth.

At this point, being signed to an agency suited Director Hong Man-seop better than going solo.

The success of 'House of the Daytime Moon' had given him room to breathe, but the domestic animated film scene was still niche all the same. The money would gradually start to circulate, sure, but being signed to an agency would let him produce animated films far more smoothly.

"...I need to strike an agency deal while 'House of the Daytime Moon' still has power. If 'MEG's not an option, I'll have to look elsewhere."

It was right then that the slightly disappointed Director Hong Man-seop's phone rang. The number displayed was unfamiliar. Thinking nothing of it, Director Hong Man-seop answered the call.

"Yes, this is Hong Man-seop."

A fairly deep man's voice came through the phone.

"Hello, Director. This is 'MEG'. I'm calling after hearing about you from CEO Lee Chan-hoo."

"Oh! Yes, yes."

"Could we meet?"

It was late that same afternoon when the thick-eyebrowed Director Hong Man-seop met with the 'MEG' employee. The location was a large café. Director Hong Man-seop stole a glance at the 'MEG' employee seated across from him, who had just handed over a business card.

'The vibe's different from CEO Lee Chan-hoo...kind of cold.'

What stood out most was the chilly look in his eyes. The employee was Kang Jae-ha, masked, his face changed to Face A. In other words, he'd slipped the reins.

"Director-nim."

"Yes?"

"Director-nim, what are your thoughts on domestic animated films breaking into the world stage?"

"...The world stage?"

"Yes. I'm curious whether your goal stays confined to the domestic market, or whether you're thinking as far as the world."

Director Hong Man-seop was flustered.

'The world all of a sudden??'

Because the cold-voiced man across from him had brought up the world out of nowhere. Director Hong Man-seop, who'd been grateful just to get a release, swallowed his surprise and answered honestly.

"I haven't......thought that far yet."

"We at 'MEG' love your work. On top of that, we're thinking all the way to taking domestic animated films global."

"Ah."

"That's why we reached out to your 'House of the Daytime Moon', Director Hong Man-seop-nim. Your work is more than good enough to aim for the world."

Director Hong Man-seop was at a loss for words. Because the plan the man across from him, no, Kang Jae-ha, had thrown out was just too vast. Jae-ha, on the other hand, didn't dance around the point as usual.

"Picture it, Director-nim. Your work, a domestic animated film, exploding worldwide, past America, past Japan. Doesn't it sound fun?"

"......It sounds incredibly fun. Just imagining it."

"Then let's do it together. We've fastened the first button with 'House of the Daytime Moon', and from here on, we at 'MEG' will be your backing."

"S-so that means."

"I'm proposing you sign with 'MEG' as your agency."

There was no doubt the cold-eyed man's words were sweeping in scale. A size he could scarcely even dream of. And yet Director Hong Man-seop's heart was boiling. And for some reason, it seemed that if he went together with 'MEG', the dream might just become reality.

"It's I who should be asking you, honestly, I'd been waiting for 'MEG' to call."

And so the animation director Hong Man-seop, who had currently turned the country upside down, promised to join 'MEG'. He officially became a member of 'MEG' the next day, the 24th.

Contract signing complete.

Now 'MEG' had a total of three people signed: Writer Oh Jong-man, Director Kwon Sung-min, and Director Hong Man-seop. Meanwhile, a report from Lee Chan-hoo arrived as a message to Kang Jae-ha, who had come in to work at Leon. It concerned the animation studio acquisition.

-Commander. Cheong-yeon Studio, looks like we can buy it.

*****

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