Pioneer Work (2)
"I'm the salaried dummy president. Backing me is the commander. Nice."
Lee Chanhoo murmured the words with a grin toward Kang Jaeha, but this wasn't just empty flattery. His heart was pounding for real. It had only been a few days since he opened his eyes again in this world, and yet Lee Chanhoo was genuinely sick of it.
It was a little like this: the head of a household who had spent decades at a company suddenly becoming unemployed overnight.
The stress of that loss.
Of course, that couldn't really compare to a father or mother who had carried a family for decades. It was only similar in feeling.
Fuck. At least I can breathe now.
Anything repeated long enough became habit, and once habit settled in, it could turn into addiction. To be honest, Lee Chanhoo missed the battlefield. He missed the glimmer of blood. For a moment, a thought flashed through him.
If there really are other bastards who came over from the mercenary corps, and they can't resist the addiction, then that could be dangerous.
He wondered if there were people in this world whose instinct would override reason and make them crave blood here too. Either way, just being with Commander Kang Jaeha made him feel alive again.
The emptiness was being offset.
Of course, there wouldn't be any of the war and slaughter they had carried out in the other world. Still, that was fine. The texture might be different, and he still didn't know exactly what Jaeha was trying to do, but the schemes the commander ran were always entertaining.
"I'll do my best as your dummy president. But how much does it pay?"
When Lee Chanhoo asked, Jaeha answered offhandedly.
"Depends how you do."
"Then I'd better wag my tail nicely if I want more."
"More important than that."
Arms folded, Jaeha looked steadily at Lee Chanhoo, who was grinning with a streetwise edge.
"Tell me more about that ability you mentioned."
He meant the thing Lee Chanhoo had told him around the time they parted yesterday.
"You said you can find people well. If you only know exact information."
"Ah. That's exactly right. I call it Search. If I know a person's information, like their face or name, I can find out where they are."
"You mean you can locate them?"
"Yeah. Their location. Don't you remember? Back when we were in that world, if the commander told me to find someone, I found them right away."
That had been true. Lee Chanhoo had been in the assassination unit, and whenever Kang Jaeha gave him information on someone he needed, Lee Chanhoo had found them quickly.
"To be honest, I dragged my feet a little because I was worried the ability might get exposed."
"So there's actually no delay?"
"None. The only catch is that I can use it once a day, and only on people I know or have obtained information about."
Lee Chanhoo closed his eyes without warning.
"No matter where that person is, I can see them. Even if they're hiding in some bunker."
"Nice. You had that from the moment you were summoned."
"Yeah. It stayed with me even after I came back to this world."
It was different from Kang Jaeha's Deja Vu, but there was a resemblance all the same. Naturally, Deja Vu was far more broken, but Lee Chanhoo's ability was no ordinary thing either, and it had considerable value.
Soon Jaeha crossed one leg over the other and pushed one of the transparent folders he'd brought over toward him.
"Find out where this guy is right now."
"Easy."
Lee Chanhoo opened the folder and muttered softly.
"Kim Cheoljung, huh."
What Jaeha had handed him was the profile of Director Kim Cheoljung from Leon Entertainment's New Business Division. A man reeking of rot, bribery, and other filth related to Gyeollo and the contest project. Lee Chanhoo read through Kim Cheoljung's profile with a grave expression, then...
"Got it."
He closed his eyes. A few seconds later, he spoke again.
"He's at Leon Entertainment, in his office in the New Business Division. He's on the phone, grinning like an idiot and muttering about the contest and whatever else. Probably talking to someone who's thanking him."
Jaeha was a little surprised by the answer.
"You can see not just where they are, but what they're doing in that moment too?"
"For a moment, yeah."
It was a more useful ability than he'd expected.
"You could've used that skill to do something else, you know. Like start a private investigator's office."
"I did think about it, but I'd just be lonely by myself, wouldn't I? And I couldn't tell anyone about the ability. My brain doesn't work quite like the commander's either. Still, I figured I'd probably have ended up taking that route in the end."
"Anyway, I've got a few things to keep your dummy president busy with."
With a faint smile, Kang Jaeha tapped the profile of Kim Cheoljung with one finger.
"Track this bastard down. That's what you're good at."
Lee Chanhoo, who had once belonged to the assassination unit, rubbed his hands together, looking interested after a long while.
"Investigation. Now that's my specialty too. How far do you want me to dig?"
"Looks like he's taking bribes. Let's leave the timeline open. Scrape up everything you can get, whether it's photos or anything else."
"And keep Search running too."
"Do it as you see fit."
Jaeha murmured that, then pushed the Gyeollo scenario toward him.
"This is your first job as dummy president."
On the morning of the 20th, at Leon Entertainment.
From early in the morning, an executive meeting was underway in the large conference room, with every team leader and department head from Leon present. More than twenty people were seated around the big square table, and overseeing all of Leon's executives was...
"..."
CEO Han Taeseong, sitting quietly and observing the meeting in silence. He was, as always, dressed in a crisp full suit, with a remarkable sense of ease and gravity. Even as the meeting progressed, Han Taeseong mostly just listened.
Then.
"Next is the Ceriel matter."
The subject shifted to Ceriel, the top-tier girl group that included Rayoon.
"Ceriel's next activity will be prepared as a single. After this promotion ends, the members will be given roughly half a year off."
"Half a year?"
Suddenly, CEO Han Taeseong cut through the report in a calm tone.
"Why is the rest period half a year?"
"W-well, the members are asking for it, I think."
"Shorten it to three months."
"..."
"We already reduced the schedule to suit Ceriel's condition for this promotion, didn't we?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"Three months."
"Understood, sir."
With just a few words from Han Taeseong, the conference room turned icy. Breaking that atmosphere was a square-jawed man.
"Ah, right."
It was the head of headquarters, changing the subject to ease the tension.
"Speaking of Ceriel, Team Leader Jang."
The conversation suddenly landed on Jang Hyeongsu, the leader of Management Team 4, sitting at the far end.
"That kid who blew up at Rayoon - what was his name again? Kang something, I think."
Apparently, the topic had gone from the girl group Ceriel to Rayoon as well. It wasn't a small matter, after all. Jang Hyeongsu, with his deep dark circles and tired face, answered in place of the head of headquarters.
"Kang Jaeha, manager."
"Oh, right, him. Has he adjusted well after moving over to Team 4? What is he working on now?"
Soon the eyes of Han Taeseong, the directors, and the team leaders all gathered on Jang Hyeongsu. Annoyed, but with no real choice, he opened his mouth.
"I had him start by terminating the trainees' contracts."
Song Seonhui, the Team 2 leader who had once supervised Kang Jaeha, let out a laugh. It was close to a sneer.
"Good grief, that must've had the poor guy sweating buckets. You sent a weakling like that on something practically like a death sentence?"
"Didn't seem that way to me."
"Huh?"
Jang Hyeongsu answered in his usual flat way.
"He was just calmly cutting them loose."
"..."
"Really? I heard he'd changed a bit, but is he doing some hard-core mind control or something?"
"Kang Jaeha doesn't look weak to me."
"No way."
The opinions of Team 4 and Team 2 did not narrow at all. And that made sense. The Kang Jaeha of the past and the present were simply too different. At that point, Han Taeseong, chin in hand, seemed to remember something and murmured.
"Right, Kang Jaeha. Who did he get assigned to in Team 4?"
Jang Hyeongsu swallowed, looking tense, then answered.
"Yoon Dayeon."
Gasps broke out here and there.
"Hah, Yoon Dayeon? That kid's going to have it rough the moment he moved to Team 4."
"Yoon Dayeon - honestly, Rayoon would've been easier."
"Team Leader Jang, isn't that hurdle way too high for someone who just moved over? If it's Yoon Dayeon, I doubt anyone can hold out except Chief Manager Kim Daeyong."
The directors hadn't actually said the words "crazy psycho," but the mood was clear enough: just hearing the name Yoon Dayeon was a headache. In the middle of that, Team 2's Song Seonhui brushed her short hair aside and let out a quiet laugh.
"Chief Manager Kim Daeyong and, what was it, was Rhod in with the rookies? And if you toss in a weakling like Kang Jaeha too- well, you're basically saying you're ready to give up on Yoon Dayeon, aren't you?"
Jang Hyeongsu bit down on his molars hard enough to hide it. For someone usually afflicted with a severe case of "anything goes, not my problem," that was a rare expression.
"..."
"Come on, Team 4's whole goal is to recycle people, isn't it?"
"I'll handle it."
"If you're using Kang Jaeha as cushioning for Yoon Dayeon's temper, that's fine - but Team Leader Jang, have you basically given up on Team 4?"
At that moment.
Hrm, ahem!
The square-jawed head of headquarters cleared his throat. He met the team leaders' eyes, then shot a sidelong glance at Han Taeseong. Only then did the two team leaders notice that the CEO had been watching them with a faint smile.
Jang Hyeongsu and Song Seonhui immediately tucked in their tails.
"I'm sorry."
"S-sorry, CEO!"
Han Taeseong slowly lowered his chin and shook his head.
"No. A certain level of tension is necessary between teams."
"..."
"Too much tension, though, and it will blow up."
"!!!"
The two team leaders widened their eyes and hurriedly bowed their heads, realizing they'd screwed themselves. The conference room fell silent in an instant. Directors, the head of headquarters, everybody was suddenly reading the room. In that atmosphere, Han Taeseong called out to Jang Hyeongsu.
"Team Leader Jang."
"Yes, sir."
"What has Yoon Dayeon been up to lately?"
"She's been filming a supporting role in the MBS daily drama The Last Man."
"A supporting role."
"...It's close to a bit part."
Looking steadily at Jang Hyeongsu, Han Taeseong slowly folded his arms.
"Yoon Dayeon has been stagnant for quite a while."
"I'm sorry."
Several directors cut in.
"Honestly, I think Yoon Dayeon is beyond recycling now."
"I feel the same. She doesn't look capable of a comeback, and every time I see her, her temper seems worse."
"It might be time to start thinking about clearing her out."
After listening to the directors' advice, Han Taeseong asked Jang Hyeongsu again.
"How much time is left on Yoon Dayeon's contract?"
Apparently he already had the answer in his head, because Jang Hyeongsu answered quickly.
"It ends this November."
"From your perspective, Team Leader Jang, what do you think? Does Yoon Dayeon have any potential?"
"I judge that it will be difficult."
"Then we should clear her out. If you let things pile up, they only clutter the office."
"Yes, sir."
"Putting a manager with four years under his belt on her won't cure a wound that's already festered."
Han Taeseong unfolded his arms and smiled at Jang Hyeongsu. It was a gentle smile, but there was an edge to it all the same.
"Still, I keep hearing that Team 4 has no news of recycling anyone, only that more trash keeps piling up."
In other words, the results were shit.
A while later.
After the morning meeting, Jang Hyeongsu was walking down the hallway. His face, already gaunt with dark circles, was full of stiffness, irritation, and everything in between. For someone whose default state was usually pure exhaustion, this was a rare burst of momentum.
"Fuck."
As he replayed the meeting in his head, he ground his molars together.
Team Leader Song too, and everybody else is only fucking with me.
There wasn't a single thing he liked about any of it. Not the Team 2 leader, not the head of headquarters, not the directors. Thanks to them, he'd also ended up on Han Taeseong's radar.
Soon the Team 4 office appeared at the end of the hall, standing there like a lonely island.
The garbage dump known as Team 4.
Yes, Jang Hyeongsu had known this from the moment he accepted the offer to lead Team 4. While he remained in that dump, he would keep taking bullets for everyone else. But the position of team leader at Leon Entertainment was too tempting to refuse.
Hoo.
He had started out with plenty of enthusiasm too. Reusing old has-beens? He hadn't expected all of them to come back, but he'd thought a few might be possible. But that had been an error, a miscalculation. Setting the relics loose was one thing, but even the employees dumped into the garbage heap weren't sharp enough to save.
And this time it's Kang Jaeha too.
In the end, nothing changed, and the only thing that grew was the size of the garbage dump.
With his irritation mounting, Jang Hyeongsu entered Team 4. At the same time, he saw Kang Jaeha yawning from his seat.
Tch.
As Jang Hyeongsu clicked his tongue inwardly, Kang Jaeha spoke up.
"Team Leader."
"What is it."
"I need to tell you something."
"...Come with me."
Jang Hyeongsu sat first at the six-person table in his messy team leader's office and let out a long sigh.
"Haa - what is it? Whatever you need to say, make it quick if you can."
For the man radiating raw stress, Jaeha got straight to the point in a short, hard voice.
"An Jihee has potential as an actress."
Jang Hyeongsu froze. An Jihee? Rummaging through his thoughts, he lifted his head.
"An Jihee? The one you recently announced contract termination for."
"Yes, that's right."
"An actress? I thought she'd been a trainee idol for six years."
"An Jihee's mask suits the actress side. Her acting's not bad either."
"You've seen her act?"
"Yes. When I told her about ending the contract."
Kang Jaeha's tone was maddeningly indifferent. It irritated Jang Hyeongsu a little, but since this was the first time something like this had happened in Team 4, he started thinking. An idol trainee of six years showing signs of talent as an actress? And the person saying it was that supposedly unpromising Kang Jaeha.
"..."
As usual, annoyance surged up in him too, but then Jang Hyeongsu suddenly remembered the contents of the morning meeting. Along with Han Taeseong's soft-spoken warning.
Then.
"Well, if it seems too hard, I'll just tell her to go somewhere else."
Jaeha finished speaking and was about to leave, but Jang Hyeongsu stopped him.
"Wait."
"Yes."
"If I take her in and she fails, are you taking responsibility for it?"
"Can I even take responsibility? If I can, then I'll do it."
No, a four-year manager couldn't take responsibility. The arrow would absolutely fly at Jang Hyeongsu instead. And yet, for some reason, he chose challenge over avoidance.
"If we accept An Jihee as an acting trainee and she drifts off again, it'll be a pain, so - extend her for just two years."
"A year is enough too."
"...Fine, one year. But you're the one who handles An Jihee."
"Understood."
"Go ahead."
"Then."
With a small bow, Kang Jaeha left the team leader's office. Jang Hyeongsu exhaled softly and rubbed his face. His mind was a mess, but he decided he didn't care.
"She's only a trainee anyway. Fuck it, push her through for now."
That was the conclusion: whether it failed or not, it wouldn't make much of a splash.
After that.
Kang Jaeha was sitting alone in the meeting room. In front of him lay the revised contract. There was also a rather thick stack of papers. Both were meant for An Jihee. Jaeha, who had been yawning, glanced at the contract.
A year is more than enough to prove potential.
The meeting room door opened, and An Jihee entered, her short hair tied back, still carrying that distinctly graceful East Asian beauty.
"Ah, hello."
She bowed at a perfect ninety degrees. Jaeha stood as well and returned her greeting.
"You don't have to bow that deeply. Sit down."
"Okay."
Just as An Jihee pulled out a chair, Kang Jaeha's vision began to ripple. A sudden sense of familiarity rose up. Deja Vu. Before long, scenes outside reality unfolded before Jaeha's eyes in third person.
『A vast hall. A brilliantly decorated stage. A man in a tuxedo standing on that stage. He had a bright expression, and a cue card in one hand. In the audience watching him sat at least a hundred people.
There were a lot of familiar faces.
Actors, directors, key staff, people from the film industry.
The man standing on stage was also an actor. He unfolded the cue card in his hand and shouted loudly.
"Best New Actress! She's the one all the directors have been keeping their eyes on lately, right? Congratulations!! An Jihee!!"
The moment her name was called for a rookie award, the woman in the dress opened her eyes and mouth wide.
"...Huh?"
It was An Jihee.』
Deja Vu ended there. His vision rippled again, and the world in front of Kang Jaeha snapped back into focus. There was the real An Jihee, right there, looking up at him with wide, alert eyes. Seeing her future in that flash of Deja Vu, Jaeha found a slight smile spreading across his face before he even realized it.
My eyes are still good for something.