Bonus Perks (2)
The “additional perk” the female voice had mentioned. Kang Jaeha was now in a position to choose.
1. Mask (Ability)
2. Additional Pension: 10 billion won
One of two perks. The extra 10 billion won in pension was, plainly speaking, cash being shoved at him. Not a few hundred million, not even a few billion, but 10 billion. The amount was substantial.
Of course, Jaeha wanted the 10 billion too. But what drew his attention more than money was, naturally, the Mask ability. Deja vu, Absolute Obedience, or the abilities his subordinates each possessed individually - Mask looked like a new power.
So what kind of ability was Mask?
Resting his chin on his hand, Jaeha asked the female voice inwardly, just in case.
What kind of ability is Mask?
If there was no answer, he would have to choose on his own between number one, Mask, or number two, the 10 billion. More to the point, the female voice usually liked to toss out her line and disappear on her own.
Answer me, then I’ll make my choice.
He had not expected much. This time too, there was a good chance the female voice would have nothing to say. But then.
I will explain the Mask ability.
Surprisingly, the female voice obediently began explaining Mask. Jaeha murmured a quiet “Nice” to himself and listened calmly.
Mask is an ability that changes your face to one of your choosing. As a rule, it can be used once per day, and the changed face can be maintained until before midnight. Of course, it is possible to revert to your original face before midnight, but once you do, the ability cannot be used again until after midnight has passed.
Mask changes only the face. Your sex, body, fingerprints, and the like do not change.
※ Caution: if you encounter a comrade (subordinate) while your face has been changed by Mask, the notification normally heard by both parties will be omitted.
Also, while using the Mask ability, Kang Jaeha’s Absolute Obedience remains active. Therefore, if a comrade (subordinate) you encounter fails to recognize the commander and attacks, that comrade (subordinate) may die as a result of Absolute Obedience. Please be careful.
That was the end of the explanation. Jaeha had a rough grasp of what Mask could do.
Well, I’ll only know for sure once I actually try it, but at the very least it’s an ability that lets me change my face once a day.
It was roughly akin to disguise, he supposed.
It shared some traits with the abilities of his subordinates. The difference was that unlike Lee Chanhoo or Ha Yeonji, there didn’t seem to be any condition required to use the ability. Nothing like needing to know the target’s information or make physical contact first.
The timing for changing my face, or changing back to my own, is free. But using Mask again is only possible after midnight.
On top of that, only the face changed - not the body or sex. Jaeha imagined his face shifting into that of someone who happened to be nearby.
It was a little grotesque.
Better not use it on someone I know.
There was also the matter of encountering a subordinate while using Mask. In that case, the usual lines from the female voice - the familiar warning that always appeared when Jaeha met one of his people - would be omitted.
I can use that omission strategically.
That said, while Mask was active, a new subordinate might fail to recognize Jaeha, and as a result could attack the commander. Then the subordinate would die. Even if the face changed, Jaeha’s Absolute Obedience remained in effect.
Still, that was something Jaeha could manage himself.
Even if a new subordinate failed to recognize the commander, Jaeha would still be able to recognize the subordinate.
At any rate, the new ability Mask was very useful depending on the situation.
Especially for Kang Jaeha, who lived two lives - one as a manager, the other as the owner of MEG, the man behind the curtain, the real power in the back.
It’s a little painful to pass up 10 billion, but money can be earned. An ability like this can’t just be bought.
Jaeha spoke to the female voice. In his head, naturally.
Give me the additional perk: Mask ability.
The female voice, which had been quiet for a moment, responded at once.
Confirmed. Additional perk Mask has been granted to Kang Jaeha.
As I mentioned, from Stage 2 onward, additional perks will continue to be granted as long as you maintain contact with comrades (subordinates), the Real World Adaptation Project, and the Pension Program.
Then, fighting.
That was all. The female voice was gone again.
“And there it is. Fighting again.”
Jaeha gave a small snort and judged his situation.
Yeah, staying at Leon Entertainment is pretty sweet. They pay me 25 billion won, and they say they’ll keep handing out additional perks.
Jaeha had already planned to keep working at Leon Entertainment so long as nothing particularly irritating happened. At the moment, there was simply too much to gain and too little to lose. And now the female voice was saying that if he maintained the Real World Adaptation Project and the Pension Program properly, additional perks would keep coming.
He had just gained a new ability, after all.
I don’t feel much yet, though.
His anticipation for whatever else might be included in those additional perks only grew. In any case, he would find out after some time passed. For now, Jaeha brought the topic back to the Mask ability.
First, he moved to the restroom.
He checked whether anyone was inside. Fortunately, there was no one there, and Jaeha settled into a stall and thought for a moment. How was he supposed to use Mask? When he thought about it, his Deja vu and Absolute Obedience activated on their own.
Jaeha scratched his chin briefly, then roughly told himself inwardly that he would use Mask.
This time, he heard a voice too.
Not the female voice, but a male one. Mechanical, deep-toned.
Please envision the face you wish to change into.
Jaeha borrowed the power of his phone. He searched until, little by little, he had completed a face in his mind. Well, if he was going to do it, it might as well be handsome. But he wanted to preserve a cold atmosphere. That was Jaeha’s taste.
Just like that, he finished imagining the face.
He labeled it A face and gave the male voice his order. Change him to A face right now. Soon after, the male voice replied.
Confirmed.
That was it. The male voice no longer sounded, and soon a slight chill seemed to settle over Jaeha’s face. Wondering whether it had worked, he muttered to himself.
“Changed?”
He stepped out of the stall and stood before the restroom mirror. At the same time, he gave an absurd little laugh.
“It really did change.”
Right now, Kang Jaeha had the A face he had imagined. His voice also seemed to have deepened slightly. Since he had seen his own abilities - and those of his subordinates - so often, Jaeha found this less amazing than entertaining.
Then, back to his original face.
In an instant, he reclaimed his own features. Feeling the power of the Mask ability for himself, Jaeha smiled.
“Definitely useful.”
Meanwhile.
Back in the studio that had just been swept through by Jaeha’s visit and its accompanying meeting, the A&R team and the members of the girl group Ceriel had once again taken their seats.
Among them, Rayoon’s expression was rotting.
That lunatic Kang Jaeha had suddenly shown up, toyed with her, and disappeared.
No, seriously. Is he actually insane?
No matter how she thought about it, it was ridiculous. Then Rayoon remembered her past with Kang Jaeha - the time she had been thoroughly put in her place. The cold things he had muttered back then flashed through her mind.
Shut up a little. Stop chirping.
Not only that, he had also told her to get lost and shut her mouth. Rayoon’s anger surged up all at once. Still, she managed to swallow it down.
Calm down. Getting angry over something like that is what real amateurs do.
She was just getting her mind under control when the studio door opened. The face that appeared was Kang Jaeha, the same man from before. The moment she saw him, Rayoon shot up from her seat and shouted, forgetting all about mental discipline.
“Seriously! What the hell are you doing?!”
On the other hand, Jaeha only smiled inwardly.
Yep. That reaction never gets old.
Out loud, he answered in a calm tone.
“What about it?”
“Are you crazy? Why do you keep coming in here?”
“I had business.”
“...Business?”
Rayoon was startled. She had felt it before, but Kang Jaeha was no longer the easy fool of a manager she used to trample over. His expression, his tone, the atmosphere around him - all of it said so.
I heard he’d changed, but this much? How does a person change this much?
The rumors about Kang Jaeha had already spread through all of Leon Entertainment. That he had changed, that he had revived Team 4. But seeing him in person made it hit harder, and Rayoon frowned as her eyes, for some reason, flicked over his body.
His body looks tougher too... no, definitely. He’s changed.
Regardless, Jaeha ignored Rayoon as lightly as a breeze and addressed the A&R staff. The somewhat flustered female employee asked him,
“M-Mr. Kang Manager. What brings you here?”
Jaeha, who had approached them, answered indifferently.
“Ceriel is preparing for a single, right?”
“Ah... yes.”
“I heard you were selecting songs. Has anything been decided?”
“No, not yet.”
“Then I’d like to recommend a song.”
“...Pardon?”
Everyone on the A&R team widened their eyes. It made sense. Kang Jaeha had suddenly come in and claimed he wanted to recommend a song. Naturally, the Ceriel members and Rayoon were just as stunned. Then Jaeha handed the female employee a USB drive.
“Take a look at the songs. Call me if anything works.”
“Huh? Ah... y-yes.”
“I think they’ll be good.”
At that moment, the dazed Rayoon suddenly came to herself.
“W-Why are you recommending songs?”
Jaeha’s answer was brief and fast.
“Because they seemed like they’d fit.”
“......”
Rayoon narrowed her eyes, but for some reason, a little warmth seemed to swell in her chest. Of course, she immediately denied it.
What is this? Why am I getting emotional? Have I gone crazy too?
After sweeping his gaze over Rayoon and then the Ceriel members, Jaeha left the studio. The silence that followed was broken by the female employee who had received the USB.
“Um... sh-should we listen to this first?”
Rayoon nearly jumped out of her skin.
“Are you insane?! Why would you even listen to that?”
After that, the Ceriel team continued their song review, excluding the USB Jaeha had left behind. There were about twenty songs left among the ones they had gathered. But no matter how many they listened to, nothing felt quite right.
By the time they had gone through around fifteen tracks, Rayoon had covered her face with both hands.
“What even is this... seriously, nothing’s really sticking.”
The other Ceriel members seemed to feel much the same, letting out sighs. Ceriel was a top-tier girl group. Even now, countless rookie girl groups were debuting, and there were plenty of other top-tier idols as well.
In that kind of crowd, if they rested for even a moment, they would be pushed back immediately.
Because of that, Rayoon and the Ceriel members had to choose their next single with several times more care. By the time they finished listening to all twenty songs, the studio air had grown heavy.
“......”
“......”
It was obvious why. They still hadn’t picked a song. There had been a few that were acceptable, but none were satisfying. After a while, one of the A&R staff cautiously spoke up.
“Um... just in case, should we check the songs Manager Kang Jaeha left behind?”
Rayoon shot to her feet immediately.
“Ah! No way! Did you not see how he treated me?”
At that moment, the studio door opened again. Everyone thought maybe it was Jaeha again, but the person who appeared was not him.
-swoosh.
In the calm atmosphere, CEO Han Taeseong stepped in neatly dressed in a suit.
The head of Leon had appeared all of a sudden.
In response, everyone on the A&R team sprang up and greeted him.
“C-CEO!”
The same went for Rayoon and the Ceriel members. After receiving their greetings, Han Taeseong scanned the mood in the studio.
“Hmm.”
Today as well, CEO Han Taeseong exuded that same heavy, mature aura. With one hand in his pocket, he opened his mouth.
“How’s the song selection going?”
The answer came quickly from the A&R team.
“Th-that is, not yet.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, sir.”
“You even got songs from famous composers after making an effort, and they’re all no good?”
As he calmly watched the staff’s expressions, Han Taeseong’s gaze moved. Past the Ceriel members, it settled on the leader, Rayoon. She was avoiding his eyes, pouting stubbornly. Han Taeseong gave a faint smile.
So Rayoon’s the one cutting everything off. It’s not bad to be picky, as long as it doesn’t cross into whining.
He spoke again to the A&R team.
“Nothing that seems even halfway decent?”
“Ah... we did get a few songs at that level.”
“Play them.”
Soon, several songs began to play in the studio.
-♬♪
Sitting there with his arms crossed, Han Taeseong gave a low assessment the moment he had heard them all.
“Not bad, but not good either.”
The A&R staff bowed their heads deeply.
“We’re sorry. We’ll secure more songs as quickly as possible.”
Then one of the Ceriel members offered a cautious opinion.
“Let’s listen to that one. The song Jaeha oppa left for us.”
Rayoon reacted instantly.
“Ah! Seriously! You too?”
“Wait.”
But Rayoon’s shout was cut off halfway. Han Taeseong, whose expression had turned serious in an instant, interrupted her.
“Who left what?”