Tempo (5)
Go Chunseok, who stood well over six feet tall and had the build of a tank, looked utterly dazed. His eyes went wide, his mouth fell open a little, and his brain seemed to have stopped working altogether. He looked like a broken bear.
It was no wonder. He had just been thinking about the other world a moment ago, only for someone who should not have been there to suddenly appear right in front of him. The commander of the mercenary band. When Go Chunseok failed to answer Kang Jaeha’s question about whether he had eaten, he instead rubbed his eyes and looked again. The figure was still there. Go Chunseok spoke again.
“...Commander? Is that really you, Commander?”
Kang Jaeha stepped one pace closer and gave him a faint smile.
“Yeah. It’s me.”
“???”
For a moment, Go Chunseok wondered if he was dreaming. What snapped him out of it was a woman’s voice.
The colleague (subordinate) has awakened thanks to Kang Jaeha’s achievement on the other side.
A female voice announced it to both Jaeha and Go Chunseok. Jaeha remained as calm as ever, while Go Chunseok nearly jumped out of his skin.
Once the colleague (subordinate) meets the commander, Absolute Obedience is applied to Kang Jaeha.
After the female voice finished explaining Absolute Obedience, Go Chunseok, who had waited several dozen seconds, finally met Kang Jaeha’s eyes. The shock was still plain in his gaze.
“Commander... sir. I honestly have no idea what’s going on.”
“You wouldn’t, would you?”
“...No, sir. Why are you here, and what was that ‘Absolute Obedience’ I just heard?”
At that point, Lee Chanhoo butted in.
“Long time no see—”
“Yeah. Good to see you.”
“You can just call me Lee Chanhoo.”
“...I’m Go Chunseok.”
“I know.”
As Go Chunseok exchanged a few words, Kang Jaeha gave him a quick look over.
Still built like a monster.
That grotesque frame was exactly the same in this world as it had been in the other. If he erased the expression from his face, an intimidating aura began to leak out. By the look of his jaw alone, Go Chunseok was practically a beast, though in truth he had an unexpectedly simple and soft-hearted side.
Though if he really gets pissed, he’s a pain to stop.
After Lee Chanhoo explained the basic situation, Go Chunseok asked Jaeha,
“Then... you were originally from this world too, Commander. And Lee Chanhoo and I woke up here again because of you?”
“Pretty much.”
“Thank you. And incredible work, as expected—you’ve gone and done something remarkable again.”
Something about that solemn tone was still exactly the same, Jaeha thought, scratching at his jaw.
“Anyway, we can’t really talk in detail here. Let’s move first. And your meal—late-night food, or whatever.”
“...I haven’t eaten yet.”
“Then let’s go.”
Just as Jaeha started to turn, a man’s voice cut in from behind him.
“Hey.”
A large man in a suit was walking toward them. No, large wasn’t quite right—it was more accurate to say he was massive. He was one of the thugs from the gangster office Go Chunseok had seen earlier. The hulking man trudged over and stopped in front of Go Chunseok. He was a little shorter than Chunseok.
“The boss is calling you again. Come with me.”
“......”
When Go Chunseok didn’t move, the thug narrowed his brow and spat out a curse.
“I said come on, you bastard. And open those eyes nice and pretty—don’t strain yourself. You were running your mouth at the boss like some little punk.”
He clearly hadn’t liked Go Chunseok from the moment he’d seen him in the office. Jaeha glanced at him and figured he was probably some kind of senior underling. Either way, he didn’t care. Feeling annoyed, Jaeha waved a hand.
“Go on. Don’t get yourself hurt for nothing.”
The thug, veins standing out on his forehead, glared at Jaeha.
“And who the hell are you supposed to be? Hah—now you’re making me crazy. Hey, don’t just jump in whenever you feel like it, or I’ll tear your damn mouth off.”
With rough aggression, the thug tried to grab Jaeha by the shoulder. But he failed. Lee Chanhoo, his eyes half-lidded, stepped in front of Jaeha and caught the man’s wrist.
-clack.
Lee Chanhoo let out a small laugh and opened his mouth.
“Buddy, you’ve got bad manners.”
He twisted the thug’s arm in one sharp motion, then drove a short, heavy kick into the shin with his right foot. As the thug lurched with a cry, a huge hand shot out and clamped around his neck.
“Ghk!”
Go Chunseok followed Lee Chanhoo’s lead. He seized the thug by the throat and slowly lifted him off the ground. Suspended in the air, the thug drooled and flailed.
“K-kkk—hkh!”
His eyes began to roll back. Had it been said before? The subordinates, including Kang Jaeha, had returned to this world, but that didn’t mean their skills, instincts, abilities, or experience in slaughter had vanished. They might not be identical to before, but a pig like this thug was easy enough to handle.
Then Jaeha let out a long sigh and ordered Go Chunseok,
“That’s enough. Put him down.”
“Yes, sir.”
Go Chunseok tossed the man as though he were a stuffed doll. The thug sprawled on the floor, twitching, though he didn’t seem to be dead, and after watching him for a moment, Jaeha asked Go Chunseok without much concern,
“What do you want to eat?”
On the way back by car, Lee Chanhoo asked Kang Jaeha,
“You sure we can just leave that pig like that? Sounds like he’ll be a pain.”
Jaeha pointed at the transparent file in Lee Chanhoo’s hand. More precisely, at the person in the photo inside it.
“Find his location.”
“That part’s easy.”
“Let the little gangster trash rip each other apart.”
Lee Chanhoo caught on immediately and smiled.
“Ah—so we’re just tossing the cleanup job to someone else.”
“Exactly.”
To the confused Go Chunseok, Lee Chanhoo tapped the photo in the transparent file and explained.
“The target that gangster hired you to go after. Naturally, the target’s going to be the boss or an executive on the opposing side, so you just throw the job at the gangster boss who’s the target. Basically, you tell him, ‘This guy said to go after you,’ and that kind of thing.”
“Ah. Then they won’t just sit there and take it.”
“Right. They’ll go to war or whatever, on their own.”
The gangster who had hired Go Chunseok had asked him to cripple the target, even break his legs. That was practically the same as declaring war. Which meant the one who placed the order was very likely to end up crippled himself.
As if he had no interest in any of that, Kang Jaeha crossed his arms.
Pushing the job onto the targeted gangster didn’t take long. Lee Chanhoo’s Search located him, the file was handed over, a simple explanation was given, and that was that. It was Lee Chanhoo, with his face hidden, who handled the rest.
After that, Kang Jaeha and the others arrived at the MEG office.
By then, the time had already passed midnight.
Go Chunseok had chosen braised spicy chicken for their late-night meal. When Lee Chanhoo finished placing the order, Kang Jaeha looked across the table at him and asked,
“So. Tell me your situation.”
By then, Jaeha had already confirmed a great deal about Go Chunseok through Déjà vu and Lee Chanhoo’s investigation. He knew he was different from Kim Ho-yeon. Still, he judged it better to hear it directly from Go Chunseok himself.
After remaining silent for a moment with a serious expression, Go Chunseok lifted his head.
“...I needed money.”
With his deep voice, he continued in a surprisingly calm tone. From the moment he had awakened in this world until now.
“At first, I was completely disoriented. The one who helped me pull myself together was... my grandmother.”
He said that even in the other world, his first thought had been of his grandmother. He had tried to return as quickly as possible, but it hadn’t been easy, and after enough time had passed, he had half given up.
Kang Jaeha, listening quietly, crossed one leg over the other.
“Because of your grandmother, you needed money, and adapting to reality wasn’t easy. So you turned your eyes to the gangsters who were scouting you.”
“That’s right. It wasn’t easy to begin with, and once I came back, it got even harder.”
“That figures.”
After giving a rough reply, Jaeha changed the subject.
“How much money do you need?”
“Pardon?”
“How much were you thinking of getting tangled up with gangsters for?”
“...About thirty million won.”
“That enough to cover your grandmother’s hospital bills and everything else?”
“Yes, for now.”
“No, not for now. Give me a generous estimate. How much do you actually need?”
“About fifty million... but that would be later on.”
“Got it. I’ll lend it to you.”
Go Chunseok’s eyes flew wide open.
“...?”
“I said I’ll lend it to you.”
“C-Commander. That’s fifty million won, not five thousand.”
“I know. I’m not saying I’m giving it to you. You’ll pay it back, of course. Ten thousand won a month, fifty thousand, whatever it is—pay it back. There’s no deadline. Though before you die, I’m collecting every last won.”
It was a loan in name only; in practice, it was a debt with no due date and no interest. Fifty million won was a lot of money. But to Kang Jaeha, the value of a subordinate was far greater than money.
I could just give it to him, but it’s better to give him a reason to pay it back.
Jaeha murmured to himself and uncrossed his legs.
“That’s the money part. Now, do you want to work with me?”
“Work, you say?”
Jaeha gave Go Chunseok a rough briefing. The process was similar to what he had done with Ha Yeonji. What Lee Chanhoo added in the middle was about MEG. As he listened, Go Chunseok’s face filled with admiration.
“As expected... Commander, you’re a monster. You adapted immediately.”
The monster-like Go Chunseok delivered that pure, heartfelt praise despite how he looked. Jaeha was already used to that tone from him.
“Want to work? Of course, you don’t have to. It has nothing to do with Absolute Obedience, and you can live your own life. Ah, and the salary’s separate from the money I’m lending you.”
“......”
Go Chunseok stayed silent for several dozen seconds. At last, he spoke.
“I’m sorry, Commander, but could I take care of my grandmother first?”
“Yeah. In your current state, you wouldn’t be able to focus properly anyway. Take care of your grandmother first. You can answer me later.”
Go Chunseok stood and bowed deeply at a full ninety degrees.
“I’m truly grateful, Commander.”
Jaeha gave a gesture that meant enough already.
“Too much. Just eat and go.”
That was when the braised chicken arrived.
The next morning. The twelfth.
Kang Jaeha went to work and entered Team 4’s office with Director Kim Daeyong. Team Leader Jang Hyeongsu turned his head with a yawn. He still looked undersized, with the face of a man who hadn’t slept properly in days.
“Oh—what’s this, you two showing up together? First thing in the morning.”
Director Kim Daeyong grinned and looked at Kang Jaeha. The expression said, You tell him. A little annoyed, Jaeha spoke without fuss.
“Gyeollo.”
“Huh, Gyeollo. You said the edit was done, right? Did you decide where it’s going?”
“It’s been officially invited to the competition section of the Busan International Film Festival’sWide Angle section.”
“......What?”
Team Leader Jang Hyeongsu, frozen in place, repeated the words back as if he’d misheard them.
“What did you say?”
This time, Director Kim Daeyong answered for him.
“The Wide Angle section of the Busan International Film Festival, Team Leader! And it’s an official invitation to the competition section!”
“...Huh? Gyeollo?”
“Yes!!”
“You’re not joking??”
“No, sir!!”
“......”
Jang Hyeongsu looked back and forth between Jaeha and Director Kim’s faces, then abruptly shot to his feet.
“Wh-what the hell??!!”
It was, after all, a miracle made real.
Roughly fifteen minutes later. Leon Entertainment’s CEO office.
A long-jawed man sat on the sofa reporting to CEO Han Taeseong. It was Director Kim Cheoljung. However, there was a trace of concern on his face.
“...The results of this year’s Busan International Film Festival invitations are in.”
“Mm. So? What are the results?”
Kim Cheoljung failed to answer right away. After glancing at the man at the top, he finally spoke with difficulty.
“Out of the three projects in total... two were eliminated, and one was selected for the non-competition section.”
Han Taeseong rested his chin on his hand.
“So two of the three got blown away, and only one survived. And even that one wasn’t in competition, just the non-competition section.”
“Y-yes, that’s right.”
Naturally, the projects Kim Cheoljung was talking about were the ones that had won the New Business Team’s contest. With a strange smile on his face, Han Taeseong looked at Kim Cheoljung in silence.
That went on for about ten seconds.
Then Han Taeseong broke the silence.
“Director Kim.”
“Y-yes, sir! President!”
“You should treat all three projects as dead.”
“Pardon?”
“The one that survived out of the three was mine at Leon. I put a little something into the Busan International Film Festival.”
“Ah.”
“And even then, only one survived. And it was still the non-competition section. So yes, they’re all dead.”
Kim Cheoljung’s eyes grew wide, and he bowed his head sharply.
“I’m sorry, President!! I don’t have ten mouths, but even if I did, there’d be nothing to say.”
“You should’ve shown results, not words.”
At that moment—
-Knock, knock.
A knock echoed through the office, and a sharp-looking secretary entered. When he glanced at Kim Cheoljung, Han Taeseong nodded.
“It’s fine. Speak.”
The secretary stepped up beside his boss and said,
“President, Team 4 just confirmed it.”
“Team 4?”
“Yes. They say Gyeollo was headed to the Busan International Film Festival.”
Kim Cheoljung, unable to hold back, raised his voice.
“What?!”
Then he flinched and looked at Han Taeseong, but the man at the top of Leon was wearing an intrigued smile.
“So?”
“Gyeollo has been officially invited to the competition section of the Wide Angle section, they say.”
Han Taeseong let out a quiet laugh.
“So the real main dish was somewhere else.”
As he murmured it, he thought of Kang Jaeha’s impassive face.
“So he was aiming for the Busan International Film Festival from the start?”
“That isn’t certain.”
“No, I think he was. That Kang Jaeha probably picked it up himself and steered it straight toward the Busan International Film Festival. He must’ve been confident.”
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have shoved two actresses into Gyeollo, was the assumption. Han Taeseong fixed his gaze on Kim Cheoljung, who looked stunned.
“Director Kim, you know what the Wide Angle section is, right?”
“O-of course.”
“Good. It’s the main stage of the short film division at the Busan International Film Festival. Director Kim, you know that Gyeollo was submitted to the New Business Team contest, don’t you?”
“...Yes?”
“Which means a manager in his fourth year has gotten ahead of you, and all the other directors too.”
Kim Cheoljung could not bring himself to say that the fourth-year manager in question had a leash around his neck. Han Taeseong then instructed the secretary.
“Tell the PR team to start spreading the word about Gyeollo. We’ll be getting exposure at the Busan International Film Festival anyway, so we might as well add some fuel to it. Include the fact that Kang Jaeha handled it. Spread it inside the company too.”
“Understood.”
Next came Kim Cheoljung, who looked like the sky had fallen.
“Cover the losses from the three projects this time, Director Kim.”
Leon Entertainment was thrown into chaos after Gyeollo received its official invitation to the Busan International Film Festival.
“Did you hear? Team 4’s Kang Jaeha pulled off something huge.”
“Yeah, I heard it from PR too! That guy scored a complete monster hit, didn’t he? I was honestly blown away!! The Busan International Film Festival—wow, it’s the first time for Leon, right? An official invitation to the Busan International Film Festival?”
“It is! The first time! But I heard Kang Jaeha’s image changed completely too.”
“Huh? Did he awaken or something??”
Kang Jaeha’s presence rose sharply overnight.