Tempo (4)
What Kang Jaeha was seeing now was a Déjà vu unlike the usual kind. It still appeared at random, but this one showed him a mercenary subordinate whose name he did not know in advance.
Inside that Déjà vu, Jaeha was watching yet another subordinate.
The name was Go Chunseok.
Just as Jaeha began to think of the subordinate, the Déjà vu did not end. It kept going.
Go Chunseok wore the expression of a man barely holding back his temper, but the fat-cheeked man across from him didn’t care at all.
“Hey! Seriously! And why are you glaring at the customer like you’re about to kill him?”
“...I wasn’t glaring like I was going to kill him.”
“Wasn’t, my ass! I heard the whole thing! Hah, whatever. Chunseok, you can work only until this week. You don’t have to come in starting next week!”
The man with the jowls shook with irritation as he walked away. The hulking Go Chunseok let out a breath that had gone flat and dead in his chest.
“Hoo... again...”
The scene wavered. Time and place shifted. Go Chunseok kept working. In the end, it was a designated-driver job. Then the location changed again. Go Chunseok walked into a shabby house. An old grandmother with white hair was lying inside. The moment she saw him, she tried to get up, and Go Chunseok stopped her.
“Don’t. Just stay lying down.”
“You worked hard again today.”
“Grandma, you need to go to the hospital tomorrow.”
“I’m not going. Where do you think you’d get the money for that?”
“I’ve got money.”
“Enough. I’m headed my own way, and I’ll spend what money I have. Hospital bills and surgery are a waste.”
“......”
Without a word, Go Chunseok went to the bathroom and glared at himself in the mirror. A grinding sound. He had clenched his molars. His expression was vicious. The scene shook again. Once more, time and place changed. It was night, and Go Chunseok stood in front of a building. He looked at the time on his phone.
-2020 / May 11 / 10:14 PM
Go Chunseok went down into the basement of the building. When he opened the iron door, there were four broad men in suits inside. The massive Go Chunseok sat down on the sofa. Across from him sat a scar-faced man, who snickered.
“I figured you’d take my scouting offer.”
“...The money I mentioned. You can definitely pay that, right?”
“Of course. You think our Jonghappae is some cheap little outfit? But first, let’s run a test.”
“What test?”
The man tossed a transparent file with a photograph inside onto the table in front of Go Chunseok.
“Go break this bastard’s legs and come back.”
Right around then, Jaeha’s vision wavered again. The Déjà vu ended, and he came back to reality. Back in Team 4, Jaeha ran through the Déjà vu he had just seen. No, through the mercenary subordinate Go Chunseok.
So his name was Go Chunseok.
In Kang Jaeha’s memory, Go Chunseok had always been a subordinate who stood at the vanguard of war. He wasn’t the intelligent type, of course. His every stat was skewed toward brute force. Even so, he had never died quickly. For a moment, Jaeha recalled Chunseok slapping a monster across the face and knocking it out cold.
That same Go Chunseok didn’t seem to be in good shape now.
From the Déjà vu, he was struggling for money and living with a grandmother whose body was failing her.
The guys at the end were probably gangsters.
A physique like Go Chunseok’s was common enough in the other world, but in this reality it stood out sharply. He was exactly the sort of man gangsters would set their eyes on. Going by the flow of things, there was a good chance Chunseok had already become entangled with them.
Then Jaeha recalled the time from the Déjà vu.
It was May 11, wasn’t it?
Today was May 1. Thankfully, there was still some time before anything happened. Jaeha got up from his seat and left Team 4 for the hallway. He lifted his phone. The person he called was Lee Chanhoo. The connection came through quickly.
“Yes, yes, loyal and true. Did you see the text I sent about Day Moon House?”
On the other end, Jaeha spoke in a grave tone, telling Chanhoo everything about Go Chunseok. When he heard the explanation, surprise colored Chanhoo’s voice.
“Huh- That monster too came over to this side?”
“I know the basics, but I need to make sure. Check it anyway. There’s still time. From today on, use Search on Go Chunseok only.”
As he had with Ha Yeonji, Jaeha ordered Chanhoo to investigate Chunseok first. Well, there had also been the Kim Hoyeon incident, and whether it was Chunseok or any other subordinate, once Jaeha met them, his Absolute Obedience would apply. Unless they happened to cross paths by chance, Jaeha had no intention of deliberately meddling in the lives of his subordinates.
Though if he looks like he’s having a hard time, I’ll step in.
A little later, Jaeha returned to his seat in Team 4. He thought once more of Day Moon House, into which he had poured an investment of 1 billion won. According to Lee Chanhoo’s message, the first test screening would be held sometime next week. In other words, production was more or less wrapped up.
If they finish the cleanup and final checks...
Then the film would move on to release. That was entirely director Hong Manseop’s plan, but at the speed things were moving now, it was more than possible.
Looks like I need to fan the flames a little.
Jaeha murmured to himself and sent a text to his subordinate Ha Yeonji. He gave her some sort of instruction regarding Day Moon House. Her reply came quickly.
-Yes, yes, Captain~
Putting his phone down, Jaeha crossed his legs.
Then, with a flustered expression, someone rushed into Team 4. It was Manager Kim Daeyong, his cheeks shaking as he ran.
“Jaeha! Did you hear?? Gyeollo!”
Excitement had him practically whispering.
“Gyeollo finished editing and submitted it to that place?”
Kim Daeyong referred to the still-secret Busan International Film Festival as that place. He must have gotten word from the Munbak Film side. And soon enough, Jaeha would get the same call. With a faint lift at the corner of his mouth, Jaeha said,
“We should look into dresses for the actors.”
“A-already?”
“Well, just in case. We should at least check what to prepare. Where to get them and so on.”
“R-right, there’s no harm in being ready. Hold on.”
Manager Kim Daeyong hurried out of Team 4. He was probably going to call a vendor. Gyeollo had completed its submission to the Busan International Film Festival. Jaeha thought back to the things he had already confirmed.
The selection process for the Busan International Film Festival.
Unless the festival itself directly contacted a work, whether feature or short, it had to be submitted and then go through preliminary screening. Works that survived that round would be finally selected, and each one would receive a separate call with the final invitation results.
I heard the preliminaries don’t take that long.
Which meant Gyeollo would get its result by mid-May at the latest. The festival itself was nearing, so they would likely move even faster. The announcement might come earlier than expected.
Jaeha, arms folded, found himself curious about the result. What kind of evaluation would Gyeollo receive? There had been the Déjà vu he’d seen, but he had shifted the direction slightly from what he had first seen. So he couldn’t be one hundred percent certain.
Still, he wasn’t especially worried.
When tied to the other Déjà vu he’d seen, Gyeollo would definitely come out with a decent result. Jaeha gave a small smile and turned his attention back to his laptop.
The semiconductor cluster article was still being printed out.
For now, let it sit a little longer.
He wanted to give the land price time to climb.
Monday, May 11, around 2:00 p.m.
The location was the conference room at Munbak Film, the production company behind Gyeollo. The room wasn’t large, but quite a few people had gathered there. Director Kwon Seongmin, of course, CEO Jeong Taewoo, investor Lee Chanhoo, key staff, and...
“Aren’t you all a little too tense?”
“You’re not nervous, Dayeon?”
“No idea. Weirdly, I’m just kind of fine.”
Yoon Dayeon and An Jihee. Manager Kim Daeyong. And at the very end, yawning, Kang Jaeha. The reason all the key members of Gyeollo had gathered was simple. Manager Kim Daeyong whispered it aloud.
“I am nervous. I mean, today’s the day the final result for Gyeollo comes out, isn’t it?”
That was right. Today was the day of the final announcement for Gyeollo. Naturally, the call would come from the Busan International Film Festival side. Just then, one of the key staff members spoke up.
“I heard there were more than 2,000 submissions to the Wide Angle section this time.”
“Huh- Isn’t that record-level??”
“That’s just a rumor too. It could be 3,000.”
“Whether it’s the competition section or the noncompetition section, just getting invited would be a miracle-level ratio...”
Wide Angle was the Busan International Film Festival section that handled short films. Somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 works had been submitted to the Wide Angle section, and from there they were split into the competition section, where works could screen and win awards, and the noncompetition section, where works screened only.
Could they even choose fifteen works total from both sides?
Either way, it meant they had to break through an absurdly steep competition ratio.
It made sense. This wasn’t just any event. It was the Busan International Film Festival, one of Asia’s three major film festivals.
For An Jihee, who was facing all of this for the first time, a swallow of tension bobbed in her throat.
Three thousand works? So many people submitted??
By contrast, Yoon Dayeon, who had more experience, was relatively calm.
Forget the competition section. Even getting into the noncompetition section would be a huge win. Just screening it would be enough to show Gyeollo to people both overseas and in Korea.
Director Kwon Seongmin had done nothing but push his glasses up for a while now, saying little.
“......”
His heart was pounding so hard he couldn’t do anything else.
The mood in the conference room grew steadily heavier.
The only one whose expression hadn’t changed at all was Kang Jaeha.
Then.
-♬♪
The ringtone rang out loudly in the conference room. Since it had been quiet, most people jumped, and the one who pulled out the phone was CEO Jeong Taewoo, his face broad and square.
He checked the caller and, with a hardened expression, said to everyone,
“It’s from the Busan International Film Festival.”
He lowered the phone, making it clear the call had come from the festival side. The moment he pressed answer, he switched it to speaker.
“Yes, this is Munbak Film for Gyeollo.”
A woman’s voice came through the phone, audible to everyone in the room.
“Hello. I’m calling from the Busan International Film Festival organizing committee.”
“Yes, yes.”
“I’m calling to let you know the result for the short film Gyeollo that you submitted.”
Everyone in the room besides Director Kwon Seongmin swallowed hard. Unaware of this, the woman on the other end continued.
“Congratulations. Gyeollo has been officially selected! It has been invited to the competition section of the Wide Angle category!”
“Huh?”
“You’ve been officially invited to the competition section of the Wide Angle category.”
“......”
The conference room went silent for a moment. Everyone stared with their eyes and mouths wide open, unable to react. Sensing the odd silence, the woman’s voice came again through the phone.
“Hello? Did you hear me? Hello??”
Kang Jaeha let out a small laugh and murmured,
“Nice.”
Only then did CEO Jeong Taewoo snap back to his senses and answer the phone, still looking dazed.
“...Ah, yes! T-thank you. We understand.”
“Yes, congratulations once again. We’ll also send the detailed information by email, and we’ll contact you again.”
The Busan International Film Festival staffer finished the first notice and hung up, and at the same time the cheers that had been held back finally burst loose.
“Waaaah!!”
“It’s in!! It really got in!!”
“I-I can’t believe it!! Not just noncompetition, but a formal invitation to the competition section!”
“Hahaha! Congratulations, Director!!”
It was CEO Jeong Taewoo and the key staff. Jostled by their hands, Director Kwon Seongmin looked half-shaken apart.
“......Huh?”
His reaction was strange, as if he were dreaming. The heroine of Gyeollo, An Jihee, was the same.
“Huh? We... got picked?? Really??”
Her face showed that she couldn’t believe reality.
The answer came from Yoon Dayeon, a veteran if a faded one.
“Yeah. We got picked. We’re going to the Busan International Film Festival.”
“Holy crap.”
“Get a grip. If you’re already going blank now, what are you going to do later? You’ll faint before you even step on the red carpet.”
“W-what do you mean step on the red carpet??”
Manager Kim Daeyong, his face blooming with smiles, clapped with genuine enthusiasm.
“Hahaha, amazing, incredible! A formal invitation to the competition section of the Wide Angle category! That means you’ve got a shot at both screening and awards, right??”
Yoon Dayeon nodded.
“Right. For the short-film section, that’s the main thing.”
“Congratulations. Really, congratulations. I’m so moved...”
“What, are you crying, hyung??”
With cheers, relief, and excitement colliding all at once, the conference room quickly turned into a celebration.
They had been officially invited to the Busan International Film Festival.
For everyone in the room, a thousand things flashed through their minds at once: the crowds of onlookers, more than a hundred reporters, countless famous filmmakers from Korea and abroad, broadcast cameras, the enormous hall where the closing ceremony would be held, and more and more besides.
At that point, Yoon Dayeon glanced toward Kang Jaeha at the far end. His expression remained as impassive as ever.
That man was right. Gyeollo really was invited. At first I thought he might just be absurdly confident, but did he know it from the moment he brought in the screenplay? Then his eye for work is seriously insane, isn’t it??
She wasn’t the only one. Manager Kim Daeyong, An Jihee, CEO Jeong Taewoo, everyone had similar thoughts as they looked at Jaeha. Everything had begun in Kang Jaeha’s hands.
At this moment, Kang Jaeha was...
He was looking at Lee Chanhoo.
Chanhoo, too, had his eyes on the captain. The two men seemed to be speaking with their eyes, and then Jaeha gave a faint nod.
This wasn’t about Gyeollo.
That same night.
In the basement of a building, an iron door stood slightly open, giving a view inside. Two men sat facing each other on a sofa. One of them was a massive man with a familiar face. It was Go Chunseok. Across from him, a scar-faced man chuckled.
“I figured you’d take my scouting offer.”
“...The money I mentioned. You can definitely pay that, right?”
“Of course. You think our Jonghappae is some cheap little outfit? But first, let’s run a test.”
“What test?”
“Go break this bastard’s legs and come back.”
Go Chunseok looked down at the transparent file tossed in front of him. It seemed to hold a photograph and the information of the person in it. After staring at the picture for a moment, Chunseok asked with a hardened face,
“Who is he?”
“Just some annoying bastard.”
Probably some rival gang executive or boss. Chunseok gave a short answer in his deep voice.
“Got it.”
“You can break his wrists too. Legs are fine too. Just make him a cripple, whatever it takes. Going over there and flipping the place upside down wouldn’t be bad either.
“The money you said you’d pay.”
“Damn, you don’t look the type, but you’ve got money on the brain, huh? Fine. Five million up front. If you cripple him properly, I’ll give you the rest.”
“......”
As if agreeing, Go Chunseok stood up with the transparent file tucked in his hand. The scar-faced man called after him again.
“How long will it take?”
Go Chunseok’s answer was short and clear. It carried confidence, too.
“Soon.”
“Oh? This should be good.”
Without another word, Chunseok left the office at a heavy pace and climbed the stairs. When he finally came out of the building, he looked up at the sky. It was night, but there weren’t many stars visible. For an instant, Go Chunseok remembered the time he had spent in the other world.
...Still, there were plenty of stars there. And there were two moons.
The huge man returned to reality. He looked down at the transparent file in his hand. It was not a difficult job. But the moment he did it...
I’ll be falling into a swamp I can’t climb out of.
Go Chunseok thought of his grandmother’s face. He felt sorry, and desperate. In the end, after making up his mind, he took a step forward.
Then.
“Don’t do it.”
A low male voice came from the alley behind him. Chunseok froze. Just in case, he clenched one fist tight and slowly turned his head. Two men were standing in the alley, but it was too dark to make out their faces clearly.
But the two men moved first.
Before long, Go Chunseok was close enough to see the faces of the two men. The moment he saw the one in front, the monster-level physique of Go Chunseok dropped the transparent file from his hand.
Because that was a face he knew far too well. A blunt face.
“...Captain?”
As for the man, no, Kang Jaeha, he casually picked up the transparent file that had fallen to the ground. Then he pointed at the photo inside it, the one Chunseok had been sent to target, and said to Lee Chanhoo behind him,
“Find out where this guy is.”
He met the eyes of his frozen subordinate, Go Chunseok, and said offhandedly,
“Have you eaten?”