Gyeollo (4)
Oh Jongman had once been a fairly decent supporting actor. Before his debut, his thug-like, filthy appearance was a flaw everyone pointed out, but after he entered the industry and kept building his body of work, that very image had turned into a distinctive strength.
But when he got caught up in sexual harassment and assault scandals, it became a glaring weakness again.
Still, the one person who had always supported him and told him not to worry about his looks was Oh Jongman’s wife. And the thing she recommended to him was writing.
More precisely, keeping a journal.
Honey, why don’t you try writing a diary? Maybe if you pour all that pent-up frustration into it and let it out, you’ll feel better.
From that day on, Oh Jongman started writing. It wasn’t anything structured. Some days the pages were packed with nothing but curses; on others, they were crammed full of fantasies and daydreams. Even so, the diary was one of the things that kept him going.
If he had to put a name to it, Oh Jongman’s writing was much more diary than anything polished like a script or screenplay.
He wrote however he liked, vented as much as he wanted, and then thought back over it the next day.
It was only after he’d become fairly comfortable with writing that he started trying simple scripts and screenplays. He had seen a great many of them while working as an actor, so he adapted quickly enough. But he had never written anything long, nor had he ever given it much serious thought.
Most of what he wrote was closer to short-form work, and he had never once imagined that he might have to make writing his profession.
And yet.
“Oh Jongman, did you know you’ve got a gift for writing?”
The flat line from the blunt man on the other end of the phone, a simple remark from Kang Jaeha, the manager of Team 4 whom he had met for the first time yesterday, hit him like a sudden blow.
Huh???
It rattled the thoughts in Oh Jongman’s head, thoughts already half-crawling through the gutter.
“...Pardon?”
His already harsh face went even more severe. He was flustered, and more than a little shocked. It was hard to know what he was hearing. The first thing that crossed his mind was, Is he messing with me? Or maybe it was a joke? A prank? With his eyes widened, Oh Jongman asked into the phone with some difficulty.
“I’ve got... a gift for writing? Me? Are you—uh—joking?”
But there wasn’t the slightest trace of teasing in Kang Jaeha’s indifferent voice over the phone.
“I’m not really the type to joke around. I read the writing you sent, and you seem to have a good feel for composition, Oh Jongman.”
“Ah—huh? Sorry. I just wasn’t expecting that, so my head kind of froze up.”
Unlike his rough appearance, Oh Jongman fumbled like a broken robot. On the other end, Jaeha remained calm.
“Of course, the short drama script you sent has rough patches and awkward parts. But it’s interesting. It feels like you’re flattening your lack of experience with sheer writing instinct.”
“......Whoa.”
“You don’t believe me?”
“Honestly? It’s the first time I’ve ever heard that.”
“Have you ever shown your writing to anyone?”
“No. My wife has read my diary before, but scripts and stuff... honestly, Manager Kang, you’re the first person. It really was nothing more than stress relief.”
“I understand.”
Before long, the sound of paper flipping came through the phone.
“I printed out your writing and read it again. But my opinion’s the same. You’ve got talent, Oh Jongman. Sense. Potential.”
“...Th-thank you? Wow. I don’t even know how I’m supposed to react.”
“I’m not very good at speaking in circles.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Think about the writer’s path, Oh Jongman.”
Oh Jongman’s mouth dropped open.
“A writer? Me?”
“Yes. To be blunt, getting back into acting won’t be easy for you now. It’s not impossible, but the odds will only keep dropping. Even if you somehow claw your way back, you won’t have the same momentum you used to.”
It was a brutally realistic assessment. Maybe a comeback was impossible altogether, and even if he managed it, the scandal-free verdict on paper would never erase the stain of the incident from Oh Jongman’s life. He knew that much himself.
Then Jaeha went on.
“If you shift directions toward writing instead, the situation is better. That’s not easy either, of course.”
“!!!”
It was a path he had never even imagined, and Oh Jongman’s head spun all the more violently. Jaeha was not unaware of that, so he calmly delivered the next line.
“Of course, it’s your choice. Changing course at this point is basically a gamble. You can ignore what I’m saying if you want.”
“......”
“I’ll send over the audition information I’ve put together For now.”
“Ah—yes.”
“If you want to talk more, come by again when you have time.”
“Thank you... sir.”
“Then.”
The call ended with a click.
Slowly lowering his phone, Oh Jongman still wore a face full of question marks. Only now, though, they carried a different color than before. There was something like anticipation mixed in with fear. He had caught the scent of an unknown world.
For now, though, it still all felt absurd. More than anything, Kang Jaeha’s voice had been too dry. It hadn’t sounded like a voice trying to give him hope or advice.
Even so, a great many things were churning in Oh Jongman’s head.
“...A writer? Me?”
At the same time, in another media company.
The office labeled Entertainment Department inside what looked like a medium-sized news outlet was noisy enough to make the word itself seem too tame. Phones ringing from every direction, reporters talking into headsets, the layered murmur of voices all around. In the middle of it sat a familiar woman.
Brown hair rolled up in a neat bun, big eyes.
It was Ha Yeonji, the woman who had met Kang Jaeha yesterday.
She was looking at her laptop screen in silence, but...
That commander- a Leon Entertainment manager? This is not blending well at all!
Her thoughts were completely elsewhere, full of Kang Jaeha.
It had already been shocking enough to run into the commander from another world like that, but to find out his job there was entertainment manager? Ha Yeonji let out a dumbfounded snort as she remembered Kang Jaeha leading the mercenary unit in that other world.
The memory of him turning monsters into paste was the clearest one.
He was a power type, but he was smart too. He was good at handling people.
In an instant, the memories of the other world she had tried so hard to forget came rushing back. When she first opened her eyes in that world, she had wanted nothing more than to return to the original one. But now that she was back, it was far more boring than she had expected.
That was what more than a decade in the other world had done to her.
Well, that life was basically a nonstop dopamine factory.
In the mercenary unit, Ha Yeonji’s main duties had been disguise, infiltration, reconnaissance, and digging for information. Even if killing the target was not the main job, it was still the work that made it possible, and after more than ten years of seeing that kind of thing, she had become well adapted to the smell of blood.
So I really wasn’t the only one who came over.
From the moment she first returned to this world, she had suspected there were others besides herself. What nearly turned that suspicion into certainty was the recent Kim Hoyeon incident.
Wasn’t it too strange?
People had died, and yet there was no evidence, and the CCTV had all become useless. Ha Yeonji judged Kim Hoyeon to be a fellow mercenary. He must have used some sort of ability to neutralize the police. Of course, Ha Yeonji had an ability of her own as well. In any case, she had been quietly digging into the matter.
But then Kim Hoyeon died in the middle of it.
At the time she had wondered why he suddenly dropped dead, but after meeting Kang Jaeha, she understood it to some extent. Maybe the commander handled him. Soon after, Ha Yeonji recalled the woman’s voice she had heard when she met Jaeha.
It felt as though Kang Jaeha had accomplished some massive objective in that other world, and she had awakened here because of it.
And more than that.
[Absolute Obedience is applied to the comrades who encounter the commander. It will apply to Kang Jaeha.>
Violation of Absolute Obedience meant death. Betrayal or rebellion meant death. Even harming the commander meant death. Though tense, Ha Yeonji had smiled at Kang Jaeha anyway. Her relief had outweighed her fear. After so much boredom, it was as if dopamine had started coursing again.
Still, she could not trust the commander completely yet.
I’m not sure what kind of attitude he has now.
What if he had gone insane like Kim Hoyeon? What if he had crossed over to this world and was now purging mercenary subordinates because he had developed a hunger for slaughter? He had looked indifferent, that much was clear, but even for someone from the scout unit, Ha Yeonji could not easily read the inside of Kang Jaeha’s head.
She took out the business card she had received from him and picked up her phone. She called someone not Kang Jaeha, but an acquaintance on Leon Entertainment’s publicity team.
“Oh my, Assistant Manager Park, your voice sounds like you’re half-dead.”
“What now? What are you trying to squeeze out of me this time?”
“Hey, come on. When have I ever squeezed anything out of you?”
“You don’t call me for no reason, Reporter Ha.”
“Well, that part’s true.”
With a small smile, Ha Yeonji threw out the question.
“Leon Management Team 4. The place Leon sends its exiles.”
“Team 4? Why Team 4 all of a sudden?”
“Do you know the manager there, Kang Jaeha?”
“Kang Jaeha?”
The assistant manager named Park fell silent for a moment, then answered as if a memory had just surfaced.
“Ah, Kang Jaeha! That invisible guy!”
“Invisible...?”
“He is. I talked with him a few times before, and he was the kind of guy who just kind of slithered along. I heard he caused a pretty big mess recently, but anyway, that’s the sort of character he was.”
“Slithered along? No way.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Nothing. Anyway, what’s Team 4 been up to lately?”
“Hmm? Why would I tell a reporter that?”
“Come on, I’ll buy you soju and grilled pork belly next time. Just give me something simple. It’s not that important.”
“......You’re serious? Soju and pork belly?”
On the other end, Assistant Manager Park cleared his throat and spoke briefly.
“Team 4’s pretty much the same as always. But lately, it does seem like it’s changing a bit.”
“How?”
“Not much, but I heard they finally got some oxygen. Things are starting to shift.”
Ha Yeonji stroked her chin and thought.
Is the commander doing something?
Even if she pushed Assistant Manager Park harder, he probably wouldn’t blurt out the company’s internal affairs. He had already filtered them to some extent. After hanging up, Ha Yeonji was joined by a male reporter beside her.
“Hey, Reporter Ha.”
“What?”
The man lowered his voice.
“Are you really planning to infiltrate some cult for your story? You should think that through. If you dig too hard into that place, you’re gonna get screwed for nothing.”
“Screwed? I’m just going to check the inside situation and pull out.”
“That reckless streak of yours never gets cured, does it?”
“More importantly, do you know anything about Leon Management Team 4?”
The man furrowed his brow and laughed in disbelief.
“Team 4? Leon’s graveyard? Who would even care about a place like that?”
Meanwhile.
New people like Ha Yeonji and Oh Jongman had appeared, but Kang Jaeha’s work was, for the most part, still the same as before.
“Action!”
He watched over Yoon Dayeon and An Jihee on the set of Gyeollo, where the shooting pace had picked up considerably. For reference, Gyeollo had already completed one full week out of a total three-week filming schedule. In other words, more than thirty percent of the shoot was already done, and Director Kwon Seongmin, the actors, and the staff had all become fairly close.
“Cut! Good! Jihee, that was really nice, but could you laugh a little more crazily?”
“Yes, Director!”
“Director, do you have anything for me?”
“Ah, Dayeon, you’re really good right now.”
“If there is, just tell me casually. It’s fine if I act even uglier than this, I mean it.”
Kang Jaeha watched the scene with a blank expression. At first glance he looked like he was thinking of nothing at all, but in fact he was already running the next design through his head as he looked at the two actresses.
Before Gyeollo goes to the Busan International Film Festival, the two of them are still has-beens. That said, sending them around to auditions is a waste.
He rubbed his chin and muttered in a low voice.
“Maybe it’s time to dig up a channel.”
He meant a YouTube channel. Since it would connect the two actresses, the main material would obviously be acting.
And so the weekend passed, and Monday came again.
In between, Kang Jaeha received reports from Lee Chanhoo on the production status of Natdaljib, while also giving orders about things beyond Gyeollo.
“You don’t need to go often, but go by once in a while and grease Hong Manseop’s palm a little. Take the whole production team out for dinner too. And start a YouTube channel.”
“A YouTube channel? All of a sudden?”
“Not all of a sudden. I’d already been thinking about it. Just get one set up first. We can change the channel name later.”
Oh Jongman never called back. Maybe because his livelihood was on the line, he didn’t think deeply about it or had no interest in the idea. Either way, Kang Jaeha decided to watch and wait for now.
Then March ended, and April began.
April 1. Before he knew it, his monthly salary had reached 700 million won. In other words, his third pension payment was just around the corner. Kang Jaeha’s current assets were roughly 2 billion won. Add another 700 million, and it would creep close to 3 billion.
I should start thinking about taxes too.
It seemed wiser to find a competent tax accountant in advance. Waiting until the money-shaping information from Déjà vu and the investment funds in MEG had swollen even further would only make things more troublesome.
Around then, Lee Chanhoo informed Kang Jaeha, “Commander, I think I’ve dug far enough into Ha Yeonji.”
That night, Kang Jaeha and Lee Chanhoo met at the MEG office. After first reporting on Natdaljib, Lee Chanhoo recited what he had found about Ha Yeonji.
“She’s twenty-nine. She’s been a reporter for about five years, and her reputation’s pretty good. The other reporters around her call her reckless or insane, so she looks like she’s got real skill too. The outlet is Prime Patch, you know it, right? Big place.”
“I know it.”
“She’s an entertainment reporter, and well, the entertainment industry’s tangled up in all kinds of messes, so it’s kind of a mixed bag. Lately she seems to be poking at some cult or another.”
“A cult, huh. Religion and shamanism have a pretty strong connection to the entertainment industry too. It’s all the same everywhere, I guess.”
“Right? I heard there are even celebrities who got sucked into cults.”
“There are.”
As Lee Chanhoo briefed him on Ha Yeonji from every angle, he clicked his tongue, sounding almost regretful.
“I don’t know about her ability. Maybe she’s keeping it hidden, or maybe she doesn’t have one at all.”
“......”
After weighing it for a moment, Jaeha opened his mouth.
“It’s probably an ability that doesn’t show on the outside. Like you.”
“Well, yeah. Flaunting it in public would make you an idiot.”
Later, Kang Jaeha called Ha Yeonji in.
She showed up at the MEG office on the evening of the next day, the 2nd. Ha Yeonji walked in wearing a comfortable hooded zip-up, her hair rolled up, and smiled the moment she stepped inside.
“What is this place? MEG? Is this where all the mercenary guys who crossed over are hanging out?”
Kang Jaeha, already seated, motioned for her to sit.
“Sit.”
For a moment Ha Yeonji just stared at him, then let out a hard breath.
“I’m nervous. Commander, that murderous atmosphere of yours is the same over there and here. Honestly, I’m a little spooked.”
“Then you can leave.”
“No thanks. But are you alone?”
Just then, a heavy male voice came in from behind Ha Yeonji.
“You’re here.”
“Eek!”
She flinched and whipped around to find Lee Chanhoo standing there with narrowed eyes. He was in a full suit.
Why a suit? The moment he saw him, Kang Jaeha spoke up.
“Hey, that suit of yours—”
Before he could finish asking whether it was new, Lee Chanhoo lowered his voice sharply.
“I already had it.”
“......”
Without a word, Kang Jaeha looked at his subordinate with a fair amount of pity.
You should at least take the tag off the back before you say that, idiot.