Chapter 145: Absorption (1)

Translator: Dreamscribe

The face Kang Jae-ha wore beneath his mask right now wasn't Kim Ha-jae's. It was an entirely new face. Before confronting Bureau Director Lee Chan-jin, Jae-ha had checked the surroundings beforehand with Sensing and scanned Bureau Director Lee Chan-jin with Insight.

Fortunately, Bureau Director Lee Chan-jin had no buffs or debuffs caused by an 'ability'.

Right now, Kang Jae-ha was staring fixedly at Bureau Director Lee Chan-jin. Meanwhile, the tips of Bureau Director Lee Chan-jin's fingers trembled faintly. Understandably so. A mysterious man who had appeared out of nowhere was asking how long he had been a follower of the 'New Light Truth Church'. Nothing like this had ever happened before, and Bureau Director Lee Chan-jin had never imagined it would.

Countless thoughts were swirling through his mind.

'W-Who is he??! Could he be......someone from the 'New Light Truth Church'?? No, if he were from the 'New Light Truth Church', there'd be no reason for him to ask how long I've been a follower?? I don't know. F-For now, should I get out of here?'

Kang Jae-ha smiled at Bureau Director Lee Chan-jin, who was thinking about running away.

"It's useless. You can't get away."

"!!"

"Hey, if things have gotten this far, quit thinking about making excuses or running away and get a grip on reality."

"......"

"Do you think I brought up the 'New Light Truth Church' to you in the middle of the night because I was bored? You're not a blockhead, so if you've got a brain, use it."

Bureau Director Lee Chan-jin's trembling worsened. After confirming it, Jae-ha slowly scratched his chin before speaking.

"Uncomfortable here? Then follow me."

Kang Jae-ha started walking. Bureau Director Lee Chan-jin watched him carefully, considered running away one last time, then abandoned the idea.

'I don't know, I really don't know. But for now, let's follow him. For some reason, I feel like I have to right now.'

He slowly followed behind the mysterious man. Before long, Jae-ha pointed at a parked van.

"Get in."

At Kang Jae-ha's command as he opened the driver's-side door, Bureau Director Lee Chan-jin, standing by the passenger side, couldn't bring himself to move. Jae-ha casually added.

"Get in, before I blow the fact that you're a follower of the 'New Light Truth Church' wide open throughout CBC tomorrow morning."

The late hour, the pleasant buzz of alcohol, the utterly unexpected situation, fear, terror, and everything else wrecked Bureau Director Lee Chan-jin's ability to think. Soon, his eyes widened and he quickly climbed into the passenger seat, while Kang Jae-ha got behind the wheel, started the engine, and slowly pulled away.

After roughly a few dozen seconds had passed, Kang Jae-ha glanced at Bureau Director Lee Chan-jin in the passenger seat.

"You know that the moment you got into this car, you basically admitted you're a follower of the 'New Light Truth Church', right?"

"Ah."

"Let's keep it simple and make this easy."

"...Just who are you?"

Kang Jae-ha, smiling faintly, spoke again.

"Bureau Director Lee Chan-jin."

He began smoothly rattling off information about Bureau Director Lee Chan-jin, who sat in the passenger seat. His job, his family relationships, the story of how he had risen to become Bureau Director of the Current Affairs Department, and more. It wouldn't have been an exaggeration to call it nearly everything there was to know about Lee Chan-jin, and because the man knew things in such minute detail, Bureau Director Lee Chan-jin's eyes went huge.

But that wasn't the end. Kang Jae-ha turned the steering wheel and changed the subject.

"On top of being a follower of the 'New Light Truth Church'. Turns out you're having an affair with a female PD in the Current Affairs Department?"

"......What?"

"Does your wife know? Then again, even if your wife knows, it's still an affair, isn't it? No matter how distant things have gotten between you and your wife, you shouldn't do that."

"Uh- n-no."

"And on top of that, you've been taking kickbacks here and there all this time. That's the full three-piece set, the full three-piece set."

What the hell? How did he know even that? Thick-lipped Lee Chan-jin was so flustered he nearly pissed himself. Meanwhile, Kang Jae-ha kept driving as though it were nothing.

"Bureau Director of the Current Affairs Department at CBC, a terrestrial broadcasting station. Nice title. But if word gets out that the Bureau Director of the Current Affairs Department is a follower of a cult called the 'New Light Truth Church', well, I don't even need to see it to know how that'll end."

In an instant, a bleak. No, a hellish future unfolded inside Bureau Director Lee Chan-jin's head. Jae-ha spelled it out for him personally.

"Not just being a follower of the 'New Light Truth Church', but having an affair with a PD in the same Current Affairs Department and taking bribes on top of it. At this point, getting fired from that precious Bureau Director position of yours is a given, and you'll be buried alive in this industry. Your life will go straight down the drain with it. What do you think? Think you can handle that?"

Of course he couldn't. Before he knew it, Bureau Director Lee Chan-jin was trembling from his legs to his arms. By this point, who the man behind the wheel was no longer mattered, what mattered was that his social life, or rather his entire life, was in that man's hands.

Bureau Director Lee Chan-jin, his body trembling nonstop, managed to speak.

"W-What do you want?"

Jae-ha raised the corners of his lips and pulled the car over to the roadside.

"Now we're finally having a proper conversation. What do I want? Simple."

Kang Jae-ha pointed his index finger at Bureau Director Lee Chan-jin.

"Become a loyal dog."

"......A dog?"

"Yeah, a dog that barks when I tell it to bark and licks when I tell it to lick. How about it?"

Already plunged into complete chaos, Bureau Director Lee Chan-jin nodded immediately.

"I'll do it, dog or whatever else."

"Good. As long as you listen well from now on, nothing major will change."

No, Kang Jae-ha had only given Bureau Director Lee Chan-jin a brief reprieve. When the time came, he intended to make him pay for what he had done. He had merely delayed his train to hell a little.

'Guys like this actually listen pretty well when they're desperate.'

Having no way of knowing that, Bureau Director Lee Chan-jin immediately wagged his tail.

"W-What should I do first?"

"Start by telling me how long you've been a follower of the 'New Light Truth Church'."

"......About three years."

"Was blocking the 'New Light Truth Church' episode of 'Trace File X' your own decision, or were you made to do it?"

"M-My own decision. I wanted to score some points with the 'New Light Truth Church'. I'm sorry! I'll stop right away!"

Kang Jae-ha chuckled.

"Not much faith, huh. No, don't stop."

"...Excuse me?"

Jae-ha gave Bureau Director Lee Chan-jin. No, his dog, his first order.

"Attend the 'New Light Truth Church' even more diligently. Embed yourself even deeper in it than you are now."

Then Jae-ha's gaze turned ice-cold.

"And always remember, no matter where you are, someone around you will be watching."

Afterward.

HG ENM sent various things over to MEG. Along with a copy of the contract related to K:FESTA came the business plan, progress schedule, and more. As soon as Kang Jae-ha got off work from Leon, he reviewed the contracts and other materials at MEG.

-Flip, flip.

As Kang Jae-ha meticulously went through everything they had sent over, he murmured quietly.

"As expected of K:FESTA, their goal was to launch it within this year."

HG ENM. In other words, the K:FESTA envisioned by CEO Seok Ji-yeon had, just as Jae-ha had guessed, been targeting a launch within the year.

"It's mid-March now- Is that a little tight?"

After organizing his thoughts and laying out his plan, Kang Jae-ha met CEO Seok Ji-yeon again around the afternoon of the next day, the 19th. A meeting for the formal contract between MEG and HG ENM.

Soon, the two companies signed the contract.

"I look forward to working with you."

"Yes, likewise."

Kang Jae-ha, wearing a different face, and CEO Seok Ji-yeon exchanged a firm handshake. Officially, MEG had become K:FESTA's main investor and would now charge forward alongside HG ENM as its Running Mate. Kang Jae-ha smiled as he recalled K:FESTA's Deja Vu.

'For now, the first stage is complete.'

Kang Jae-ha spoke to CEO Seok Ji-yeon. It was his first request as her Running Mate.

"As for the Media Play- I think it'd be best to start it right away next week."

"Right away next week?"

"Yes. MEG is already drawing attention because of the matter with Director Yu Gil-tae nim, and if we add news of this contract on top of that, we'll get a synergistic effect. Naturally, HG ENM and K:FESTA will get tied into it as well and benefit from the Trickle-down Effect. Then it'll be easier to secure sponsors too."

He was talking about amplifying the current buzz even further while also mixing in HG ENM and K:FESTA, which were now partners. There was nothing bad about that from CEO Seok Ji-yeon's perspective. No, she welcomed it.

"I'd be grateful if you did."

At the same time, CEO Seok Ji-yeon marveled as she looked at Jae-ha.

'Could he have calculated even the timing of dropping the news about Director Yu Gil-tae? Create buzz with Director Yu Gil-tae first, then roll K:FESTA into it right afterward?? If that's true......he's seriously good at setting the board.'

While she was inwardly clicking her tongue in admiration, Kang Jae-ha quietly asked CEO Seok Ji-yeon.

"About that 'Mercenary' matter I mentioned last time. Have you been giving it some thought?"

"...Ah, yes."

The corner of Jae-ha's lips rose faintly.

"Contact me whenever you want, no pressure."

Then the weekend arrived.

Sunday the 21st. Late afternoon. Although it was his day off, the masked Kang Jae-ha wasn't at home. He could be found at a filming location. Lee Chan-hoo was with him, and the person commanding the production crew spread out across the outdoor set was Director Kwon Sung-min.

In other words, it was the filming set of 'Condensation: Euphoria'.

"Action!"

At Director Kwon Sung-min's signal, his nose practically buried in the monitors, the actors who had gotten themselves into character began acting. The actors were Moon Ji-a and An Ji-hee. The framing was a two-shot, chest-up. A boom mic hovered above them, and the dozens of crew members were so quiet it was as if they were holding their breaths.

Kang Jae-ha, wearing Director Kim Ha-jae's face, silently watched their performances.

"......"

Around then, Director Kwon Sung-min called cut. Action again. Then cut. With several such calls, filming continued without issue and time melted away.

Before long, about two hours had passed.

"......Cut. OK."

After calling OK, Director Kwon Sung-min sprang up from his seat and bowed to the actors and crew in the filming zone.

"Thank you all for your hard work!"

Soon, not only Moon Ji-a, An Ji-hee, and the other actors.

"Great work!! Director!!"

But also the dozens of crew members broke into loud shouts.

"Great work!!"

"Ahh- We're done!!"

"Great work, everyone! Clean everything up, and we've got a Company Dinner afterward! Just head to the samgyeopsal place right next door!!"

"Haha, now that it's over, I feel kind of weird!!"

Before long, Director Kwon Sung-min had mixed in among the crew and actors. Kang Jae-ha watched him.

''Condensation: Euphoria' is done filming too.'

Indeed, it was the moment 'Condensation: Euphoria' reached Crank-up. Lee Chan-hoo, who had been quietly applauding beside Jae-ha, spoke.

"Somehow or another, filming for 'Condensation: Euphoria' is finally over. When we put 1.5 billion won into the production, I wondered if this was really going to work."

Kang Jae-ha shrugged as he answered.

"There's still Editing left. It's too early to let your guard down already."

"Still, with Director Kwon's current combat power, he'll probably work himself to death Editing it too."

If things went according to Director Kwon Sung-min's confident declaration, 'Condensation: Euphoria' had to be released before summer arrived. The schedule was quite tight, so Director Kwon Sung-min would have to dive straight into Editing without a moment's rest.

In any case, Kang Jae-ha left Director Kwon Sung-min and cleanup of the set to Lee Chan-hoo, stayed at the filming location for about another hour, then met the two actresses one after the other.

He started with An Ji-hee, who was bubbling with excitement from both the huge success of the 'One-Act Drama Project' and the end of filming for 'Condensation: Euphoria'.

"An Ji-hee ssi."

"Yes! Hello, General Manager! Ah, right, you're a Director now!"

Kang Jae-ha told An Ji-hee about her upcoming schedules.

"You probably heard from 'MEG Entertainment', but even though filming for 'Condensation: Euphoria' is over, there isn't going to be much time to rest. You'll get through the scheduled talk shows, commercials, and Pictorials, rest for about a week, then head to Japan in early April."

It was because filming for 'Spring at the Borderline', which Kamijo Yuu was also appearing in, was close at hand. Straight into another project almost as soon as filming ended. It was an extremely brutal schedule, but An Ji-hee was brimming with energy.

"Yes! I'm fine, I'm really looking forward to it! 'Spring at the Borderline'!"

Jae-ha had been a little worried about her mental state since it hadn't been long since her Transfer.

'Well, this isn't bad. She's doing fine.'

An Ji-hee seemed fine. If anything, she had even more energy than before.

The next person Kang Jae-ha met was Top Actress Moon Ji-a. The location was inside Moon Ji-a's white van. Her dedicated guard, Jang Tae-san, was waiting outside the vehicle. Perhaps because filming had only just ended, Moon Ji-a still had her makeup on, and thanks to that, Moon Ji-a radiated beauty befitting a Top Actress as she spoke first.

"What did you want to say?"

The masked Jae-ha asked Moon Ji-a.

"Have you thought about what you'll do after this? Whether you'll take a break for a while or do another project."

"Hmm- I don't know? I haven't really thought about it yet. Filming for 'Condensation: Euphoria' finished sooner than I expected, so I've suddenly got some free time."

"Give this a read."

*****

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