Chapter 178
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 178
Chapter Title: Late Dinner
The reason armed intruders were able to break into Palseong Tech's Gapyeong warehouse facility was that Yang Yong-jun had turned off the security system.
Because of that, Yang Yong-jun faced far more scrutiny than the other employees. He was questioned first by the local detectives, then met with the joint investigation team detectives.
Yang Yong-jun protested loudly.
"I told you, I have nothing to do with those terrorist bastards! I got duped too!"
The joint investigation detective asked,
"Are you sure they were terrorists?"
"Huh? Aren't guys like that all terrorists?"
"Could've been after stealing tech, right?"
"Well, yeah. Why else steal missiles with no warheads if not for the tech?"
"So, industrial spies after all, huh."
The joint investigation detective lowered his voice a bit.
"Did those guys ever mention Director Cha when they were talking among themselves?"
Yang Yong-jun looked utterly baffled.
"Huh? Do we even have a Director Cha at our company? I don't think so?"
"Uh..."
The detective thought to himself.
'What's this? President's son and he knows zilch? Did they really just use him?'
Na Gang-in left the hospital where Kwon Soo-yeon had been admitted.
It was already very late, and the joint investigation team was swamped interrogating the culprits.
He'd already explained over the phone how he'd ended up at the scene. He'd agreed to meet with the joint investigation detective separately the next day to cooperate fully.
Na Gang-in drove toward home. But when he got close, AI Jeon Ji-in reported,
Shin Eun-ha had lived in this neighborhood for a long time. Her family home was here too, and lately, she mostly stayed there.
She was sitting on a bench in the neighborhood's small park, phone to her ear, grumbling away.
"Thought something good was gonna happen today, but this? Got ghosted. Isn't Gang-in oppa being too much?"
High schooler Lee Yeon-ji chimed in.
- Uncle's not the sweet and caring type.
"Right? I'm not the weird one, yeah? Sometimes it's like a gale of cold wind blowing your way."
Na Gang-in approached her and asked,
"Were you trash-talking me?"
Shin Eun-ha whipped her head around in surprise.
"Wh-what! Why are you here?"
"Heading home and spotted you."
His car was visible behind him.
The park streetlights were on, but it was night, and she was wearing a mask.
"How'd you even recognize me driving by?"
"You just caught my eye."
"O-oh. Okay."
Her mood lightened a little. But it wasn't fully thawed yet. She put on a haughty expression.
"Busy guy's just gonna go home and crash—why'd you stop the car? Do you actually worry about me or something?"
Na Gang-in chuckled.
"You eaten?"
"Think I could've? After getting hit with that kind of cold shoulder?"
"It's late, but wanna grab dinner?"
"What? You haven't eaten either?"
"No time."
Today, he'd gone to Gapyeong and taken down ten armed robbers. Then he'd brought Kwon Soo-yeon to the hospital and checked on her. He'd also had quite a few phone calls with the joint investigation detectives.
No time to eat.
Shin Eun-ha's mood softened more. If he'd come after eating alone, she might've gotten upset.
"Where to? That snack bar up ahead? Or the tonkatsu place next door?"
"Nah. Gotta go to the place we originally planned."
"Huh?"
The place they'd planned to meet today was Restaurant Penelope.
Shin Eun-ha asked,
"Won't it be closing time by now?"
"Let's just go."
Shin Eun-ha had been on the phone with Lee Yeon-ji just moments ago. Yeon-ji's voice came through.
- Me too! I know good eats too! Take me along!
Shin Eun-ha hurriedly hung up.
The two got in Na Gang-in's car and headed to Restaurant Penelope.
As Shin Eun-ha predicted, closing time was just minutes away. Last orders were long past; they weren't taking any more.
Na Gang-in seated Shin Eun-ha at a table and met with owner and head chef Oh Gyu-cheol, making a proposal.
"I'll do the cooking, so can I borrow the kitchen?"
"Uh..."
The prep for all existing orders was already done.
They weren't fully closed yet, so no deep cleaning, but if Na Gang-in used the kitchen to cook, it'd delay closing time—and push back everyone's quitting time.
Oh Gyu-cheol offered a fair deal.
"If you make our staff some late-night snacks while you're at it? They're all dying to try your cooking."
Not a tough ask. Field tactical cooking was all about mass production anyway.
"If simple stuff's fine, I'll make plenty for every single person here."
"Ah. And..."
Oh Gyu-cheol got a bit greedier.
"Come on my cooking show sometime. As a chef, not a guest. I'll make it worth your while."
"TV appearances are kinda..."
Oh Gyu-cheol quickly explained.
"The show's called Masked Chef."
"Huh? Masks?"
"Started last month—you must've missed it. Faces hidden, pure cooking skill showdown. Live broadcast, real deal."
Na Gang-in had already appeared masked or with goggles and mask in movies and dramas.
"Unique concept."
"Pretty good ratings. Hahaha."
Na Gang-in glanced back at Shin Eun-ha at the table, then replied.
"I'll think about it."
"Hahaha. Thanks. This way. Treat it like your own kitchen, go wild."
"I said I'd think about the show."
"Yes, yes, of course. Ah, can our staff watch? Bet we'll pick up something."
Na Gang-in mass-cooked late-night meals for the Penelope staff.
The staff watched and whispered among themselves.
"That's the guy the boss always talks about, right?"
"No flame control at all? Just full blast."
"Whoa, dumping that much ingredient in at once—must be heavy, but he's flipping it like a feather with a fan."
"How strong is he?"
"Dude, that's technique. Technique."
"Nah, that's pure strength."
He plated the mass-cooked dishes onto prepped plates.
"Pop 'em in the microwave, three minutes each."
The staff eyed the results skeptically.
"This lasagna?"
"Weird method."
"Uses our sauce, but no oven."
"Microwave, they said."
The cooking looked impressive, but the finished product didn't scream special. Some doubted the taste.
The staff, faces dubious, microwaved their bowls.
There were three industrial microwaves.
The first three staff who microwaved for three minutes tasted the generously meat-and-cheese-loaded dish.
Their expressions flipped instantly.
"Whoa! This is legit delicious."
"On par with the boss's signature stuff."
"How's it taste this good when he whipped up a ton in seconds and just microwaved?"
The staff snuck glances at Na Gang-in while savoring.
"And he made other dishes at the same time."
While cooking for the staff, Na Gang-in had separately prepared something for him and Shin Eun-ha.
Tactical cooking was mass-oriented at heart, but tasty small batches were doable too—just splurge on premium ingredients. The kitchen had plenty.
Making field tactical food tasty was one genre; plating it fancy was another. Staff got ugly-but-tasty lasagna-style. For Shin Eun-ha, he put in real effort—pretty plating, fruit and carrot carvings into flowers and bunnies with AI Jeon Ji-in's motion assist.
"Why the historical drama tone again. While we're at it, carve a little bird too."
Na Gang-in placed the two dishes he'd prepared on Shin Eun-ha's table, one each.
"Made these for you."
She tried for haughty, but her lips kept twitching upward. The plated food was artistic enough to call art.
'He really put his heart into the plating.'
"Hold on. Lemme snap a pic."
After the photo, she sent it to Lee Bo-ra.
Lee Bo-ra replied instantly.
She messaged Lee Yeon-ji too. Quick reply.
She posted the photo on her SNS too. Caption: one short line.
Shin Eun-ha bragged everywhere, then picked up her fork.
"Too pretty to eat."
She took a small bite.
Her eyes curved into crescents.
"Delicious."
The dish Na Gang-in made for her tasted especially good today.
The Restaurant Penelope staff watched and commented.
"Special lasagna?"
"If that's this good, what's that like?"
"Isn't it overkill if that's even better?"
"Boss's eyes are sparkling. Wants to recreate it."
"Guess he'll crash at the restaurant tonight."
"Tomorrow's the regular holiday anyway."
"He'll pull an all-nighter."
"Should I stick around and learn while helping?"
"Me too."
"Me three."
After they'd eaten some, Na Gang-in pulled out a small box. A black one folded from paper.
"Originally meant to meet to give you this."
Shin Eun-ha's lingering sulk was long gone. She beamed as she took it, even letting out a cute sniffle without realizing.
"What's this?"
"Something good."
She opened it. A necklace inside.
"Oh!"
Gold chain, metal pendant. No gems, but the pendant design was special.
"Oh wow. Design's no joke. Where'd you get it?"
"Bought the chain. Made the pendant."
Her smile widened.
"For real?"
She took the necklace out. Couldn't stop grinning.
"Design's killer too? Gang-in oppa could kill it as an accessory designer."
That design was the hot style in 2082.
Na Gang-in pulled out another box.
"This too."
Shin Eun-ha's eyes went wide.
'Necklace first, now...? Ring? Gotta be a ring.'
She opened it eagerly.
"Huh? What's this?"
A Zippo lighter lookalike inside.
Na Gang-in explained.
"Ultra-compact self-defense weapon."
"Huh?"
"Use in a pinch, takes down one guy. You're always getting dragged into danger, so figured you needed protection gear."
"Uh-huh?"
"See the pendant on the necklace? That's the key. Slot it into this metal box and twist—turns into a weapon. Safety measure if you lose it or it gets stolen."
She looked at the necklace again. The pendant was so sleek, she'd assumed pure accessory.
"This is a necklace, right?"
"Wearing it around your neck means less chance of losing it, so I made it th—"
She waved her hands frantically.
"No. Stop. From now on, this is a necklace. You gave me a necklace."
"Uh... sure."
She pulled out a mirror, held it against her neck. Loved it, but annoyed anyway.
"Ugh. And no more functions in necklaces from now on. Just pretty ones with your heart in them."
The next day, Na Gang-in met the joint investigation detective.
The detective said,
"Next time you storm a place like that, come with us. Wouldn't want a civilian like you getting hurt... well, not against a few punks. Still, solving it together's best for everyone, yeah?"
"Yesterday, I wasn't sure if it was a real incident or just a mishap. Meant to check and report, but once I got there, no time for that."
"Yeah, I get it. They had comm jammers too—people almost died if you'd been a bit later."
"You know your stuff."
The detective's tone mixed admiration and gripe.
"We do. You always end up fighting no choice."
"Weird, huh?"
Na Gang-in hadn't been fully convinced yesterday it was an incident. That much was true.
But he'd deliberately not reported ahead. Better Kwon Soo-yeon not get exposed if it wasn't a big deal.
The joint investigation detective, staring hard at Na Gang-in, let out a sigh.
"Yeah, not the first time... Ah, the lady you took to the hospital yesterday—she okay? Kwon Soo-yeon, right?"
"Soo-yeon's always had a weak constitution, and yesterday's shock landed her in the hospital."
"Oof."
"But Soo-yeon's got nothing to do with this, right? They were after Yang Yong-jun and the anti-tank missiles."
"Ah, yeah, we know. But reports need details. If it's not too rude, your relationship with Kwon Soo-yeon..."
"Friends. College classmates."
"So, girlfriend...?"
"No."
"Not, huh."