Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Snack Uncle
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Kim Manager from THO Entertainment explained.
"Ah. Well, you see. There was a mistake while working on set..."
President Lee Tae-ho cut Kim Manager off.
"Isn't preventing problems on set your department's job, Manager Kim?"
"Yes. Normally, one of our staff would have stepped in. But as you know, today's shoot was thrown together last minute because of that druggie bastard, so everyone was swamped..."
Lee Tae-ho's voice grew steadily colder.
"Are you saying we're just going to blame everything on that druggie and let our movie tank?"
"No, sir. I'm sorry. We'll work harder."
"Not harder—better..."
The sedan door opened, and a ten-year-old girl hopped out.
"Daddy? You mad?"
Lee Tae-ho whipped around.
"Huh? No, no. I'm not mad. It's noisy here, so I just raised my voice a bit."
Director Son Tae-min had slipped to the back while Kim Manager was getting chewed out. As the arrows rained down on Kim Manager, he'd stared off at the distant mountains, waiting for the storm to pass.
But then reinforcements arrived.
Son Tae-min hurried forward, waving at the girl.
"Min-ji! Hey there!"
Lee Min-ji bobbed her head in greeting.
"Hello, Director."
"You've got reshoots too, right? Maybe day after tomorrow instead of today."
"Of course. I have a scene with the druggie uncle, after all."
"Druggie... uh, yeah. You know all about it, huh? President Lee Tae-ho, looks like Min-ji's in the loop. You must've told her everything. Ha, haha."
"I didn't tell her."
Lee Tae-ho let out a sigh.
"Kids these days handle smartphones better than I do. They search it up themselves or get articles forwarded in group chats from friends."
Lee Tae-ho explained to Son Tae-min why he'd brought his daughter here.
"I was at my girl's photoshoot today when I heard the set collapsed, so I rushed over. She's with me now, but... let's hear what happened first. In the meantime, our girl..."
Child actress Lee Min-ji was already wandering the set, greeting everyone. The people she hadn't seen in a while lit up at the sight of her.
Shin Eun-ha especially threw her arms wide open in welcome.
"Min-ji! Happy to see your big sis?"
"Auntie."
"Big sis, I said."
Lee Tae-ho watched the scene fondly, then turned back to Son Tae-min with a hardened expression.
"Director. I need the exact situation. Can we reshoot and edit this movie within a week?"
Son Tae-min declared loudly.
"Of course."
"The set collapsed."
"That's why it'll work even better."
"Pardon?"
Son Tae-min eagerly explained how Na Gang-in had saved the actors when the set collapsed and how awesome the footage from that moment was.
Lee Tae-ho didn't fully buy it. He figured it was heavily exaggerated, of course.
Lee Tae-ho said,
"Alright, let's say that's true. But why does that make things better?"
Son Tae-min showed him his notebook and laid out the plan going forward.
Once Lee Tae-ho had heard the whole story, he asked,
"So, will the movie turn out good?"
Son Tae-min guaranteed it.
"Better than the original."
A slight furrow creased Lee Tae-ho's brow. Even after the explanation, the biggest issue still nagged at him.
"There are quite a few new action scenes to shoot, and we don't have time."
"If Mr. Na Gang-in handles just the action scenes, we can wrap in a week. He's already promised to help."
Son Tae-min grinned slyly as he added,
"Of course, we'll have to pay Mr. Na Gang-in handsomely for his appearance fee..."
Movie company president Lee Tae-ho didn't memorize all the staff names.
"We're not in a position to skimp on the martial arts director's fee right now. So, you can resolve this situation, right?"
"Of course."
Lee Tae-ho felt a bit relieved. Son Tae-min was a renowned director in Chungmuro with real chops. If he was this confident, it had to be solid.
Lee Tae-ho smiled and bowed his head.
"Thanks to you, Director Son, we're saved. I leave the movie in your hands."
"Haha. Just trust me."
"But what's this martial arts director's background?"
"Pardon?"
"If you're vouching for him like this, his resume must be impressive. Yet I've never heard of him, so overseas talent? Hollywood maybe? Good call pulling him in on short notice."
"Uh, well..."
"Where is he now?"
Son Tae-min pointed to the side.
"At the food truck..."
Lee Tae-ho looked at the food truck.
Na Gang-in and his daughter Lee Min-ji were the only ones there.
Na Gang-in was in the middle of cooking.
"All I see is the food truck guy."
"That's right. The food truck guy's Mr. Na Gang-in."
Lee Tae-ho was stunned. At first, he thought he'd misheard.
"What? Why's the martial arts director cooking at a food truck?"
"Obviously, because Mr. Na Gang-in's the one who drove it here..."
Lee Tae-ho finally pieced it together.
"So you're saying you put the food truck guy in charge of martial arts direction?"
"He's also doubling as Kim Yu-chan's action stand-in. Their builds match so perfectly—lucky break..."
Lee Tae-ho's voice sank.
"Director Son Tae-min. Are you joking right now?"
"No, hear me out before getting mad. Mr. Na Gang-in's martial skills are the real deal."
Lee Tae-ho's tone grew even icier.
"There are plenty of skilled martial artists out there. Even our security team's all black belts. Does that mean we put them on as martial arts directors? Have them act in action scenes? Why not just drag a national team athlete from Taereung and shoot it?"
THO Entertainment president Lee Tae-ho was furious.
'In this crunch, he's roped in an amateur to skim some budget? Since the movie's doomed anyway, squeeze a few bucks upfront? I thought Son was better than that!'
The idea that the food truck guy was some martial arts master seemed less plausible than Son Tae-min scheming to pocket cash from a sinking ship.
Plus, Lee Tae-ho had seen another director pull that exact stunt before.
Still, he couldn't accuse Son Tae-min without proof. He needed another way to keep him in check.
'Gotta pressure him so he doesn't try any funny business.'
Lee Tae-ho called over Kim Manager.
"From today, submit every shooting expense in detailed paperwork."
"Pardon? We're already..."
"Document every single won meticulously. Get all receipts, verify everything personally."
Director Son Tae-min realized Lee Tae-ho suspected him. Now Son Tae-min was getting pissed too.
"Hey, President Lee. What do you take me for..."
"I'll judge by the results."
The mood turned frigid.
Child actress Lee Min-ji sat at a table in front of the food truck, munching on snacks.
"Wow, this is so good. What is it?"
"Snack mix."
The snack mix was made from Combat Support AI Jeon Ji-in's field tactical recipe. It used whatever ingredients were easy to grab on site, and there were plenty of leftovers today.
"You made a ton. Can I take some?"
"No way. Mom won't let me have snacks at home."
The Field Tactical Cooking skill was built for mass production.
"It's not just for you. The actors and crew have been running around on empty stomachs. That's why I made extra for everyone."
Lee Min-ji bragged while eating her snack mix.
"My shoot's in two days. I'm the lead in this movie, after all."
"Huh? You're the protagonist?"
"Child lead, but still. A lead role's a lead role, right?"
Na Gang-in chuckled.
"Fair enough. Same name on the credits."
"So you'll make this snack mix again in two days?"
"They said starting tomorrow we're shooting in Seoul, no need for the food truck."
Elementary schooler Lee Min-ji panicked.
"Aw, no fair. I wanna eat it again. Should I sneak some to hide in Dad's car?"
As Lee Min-ji pondered hiding spots, Na Gang-in made a suggestion.
"If you're ever near the PC bang where I work, swing by. I'll whip up a special snack mix for you then."
"Mom says not to go with strangers offering snacks."
"Suit yourself."
Lee Min-ji beamed.
"You're not a stranger, Mister."
"Call ahead. I'm not always there."
Lee Min-ji held out her smartphone.
"Put your number in so I can contact you."
Na Gang-in entered his cell number. Lee Min-ji called it. Na Gang-in's phone rang.
Lee Min-ji grinned ear to ear.
"Gonna save you as 'Snack Uncle'."
There were still scenes to shoot at this Gangwon Province outdoor set before sundown. Son Tae-min didn't have time for long explanations to Lee Tae-ho.
As he started shooting, he called over the assistant director.
"Show that footage from the set collapse to President Lee."
"How much?"
"Everything with Mr. Na Gang-in. President Lee, watch first, then we'll talk. I've gotta shoot."
Lee Tae-ho replied coolly.
"Fine."
Son Tae-min began filming with the actors.
Lee Tae-ho sat in a chair outside the set.
"Let's see what the big deal is."
The assistant director brought a laptop and played the footage from earlier.
First came the scene before the collapse: Na Gang-in dispatching three enemies and saving the actress.
Lee Tae-ho's expression changed from the very first frame.
"Whoa..."
He found himself admiring Na Gang-in as he sent foes flying.
"When did he choreograph that pathing to pull off something like..."
His face softened a bit.
"Son's got the skills, alright. Pulling off footage like this on the fly."
The assistant director said cautiously,
"President, Director didn't choreograph the movement. Mr. Na Gang-in did it himself, accounting for camera positions."
"What do you mean? He's the food truck guy."
"He is. But the camera just tracked sideways. He calculated every angle to make it pop in 3D for the shot."
"Damn..."
Lee Tae-ho stood awkwardly. The proof was right there; he couldn't deny it.
"No wonder Son was so cocky... Ahem. Mr. Na Gang-in's the real deal. Why's someone like that running a food truck..."
"Oh, President. There's more you need to see."
"Ah, right?"
Lee Tae-ho sat back down.
This time, it was the collapse footage. Na Gang-in used an iron pipe to bat away falling set beams, rescuing Shin Eun-ha.
Lee Tae-ho's jaw dropped as he watched.
"What? When did you overlay the CG?"
"No CG."
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
"We're short on time to even shoot, let alone do CG."
Lee Tae-ho couldn't wrap his head around it.
"This clip. Replay it slow."
The assistant director replayed from the start in slow motion.
Lee Tae-ho marveled at it.
"No way this was one continuous take? No rehearsal? He predicted the lighting rig's fall path and designed the set around..."
"The set really collapsed."
"Right, that's why I rushed here today. So this is actual accident footage, and the rescue was real too..."
"Yep."
Lee Tae-ho glanced back and forth between Son Tae-min and the food truck, sighing.
"Damn... I really screwed up big time with Director Son just now."