Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Structural Weakness Analysis
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This Gangwon Province set was bustling with staff and movie cameras everywhere.
The cinematographer showed some footage to Son Tae-min and asked,
"What do you think we should do with this that one of our staff shot?"
The video captured Na Gang-in racing down the hillside and rescuing Lee Min-ji. It was the same clip that Kim Manager from THO Entertainment had shown the detectives earlier.
Son Tae-min asked again,
"What do you mean, what to do?"
"Should we use this in the movie too?"
Son Tae-min watched the footage, smacking his lips.
"The action is insane, right?"
"No kidding."
"It even captures the speed perfectly."
"We zoomed in right when Na Gang-in was sprinting down the slope."
"It looks like it was set up and shot on purpose—perfectly framed."
"Whoever filmed this has great instincts."
Son Tae-min tapped his thigh with his fingers and said,
"Watching this sparked a killer addition to the scenario. The audience would eat it up. We're already planning to include real accident footage from the set, so tossing this in won't get us any extra backlash."
The cinematographer's eyes lit up as he asked,
"So, we're including it?"
"I'd love to."
Son Tae-min shook his head regretfully.
"But this is footage from the near-kidnapping of President Lee Tae-ho and Ms. Jang Mi-jeong's daughter. If we use it in the movie, that couple would really wring my neck."
The cinematographer looked crestfallen.
"What a shame. This was shot so well."
"Make a copy and hand it over to the police. And let's keep the original just among us."
"This isn't the original either. It's a compressed copy to save file size."
A detective approached Na Gang-in and asked,
"How did you know the kid was being kidnapped?"
"I analyzed the surrounding situation comprehensively and judged there was a high possibility."
The questioning detective was a bit taken aback.
He'd expected something like "I saw something suspicious" or "I had a bad feeling." He hadn't anticipated "comprehensive analysis."
Na Gang-in told it straight. It wasn't a lie since AI Jeon Ji-in had done the analysis.
The detective asked cautiously,
"Uh... what line of work are you in?"
"Food truck."
"Ah, yes. Food... yes?"
Na Gang-in pointed back at the food truck with his finger.
"Today, over there."
"I, I see. Then I'll just ask a few more things."
Na Gang-in wasn't the culprit. He was a citizen who'd rescued a child from kidnapping.
The process had been so spectacular that the detective came to question him, but he wasn't treating him like a suspect.
Na Gang-in explained what had happened. With the video already existing, the detective didn't have many questions.
After finishing, the detective bowed politely.
"Thank you for your cooperation."
Na Gang-in still had more to say.
"While you're here, there's something you should see."
"Pardon?"
He led the detectives to the collapsed set.
He'd planned to tell the director after filming wrapped, but with the detectives here, now was better.
Na Gang-in pointed out parts of the set as he explained,
"When this collapsed, three metal lights fell right where Shin Eun-ha was standing."
"Good grief. That must've been dangerous."
"Not one, but three. Right on target, like it was aimed. Doesn't that seem off?"
The detective chuckled.
"Haha. You think someone did it on purpose? How would they know Shin Eun-ha would be right there?"
"It's in the script, and there was previous footage from the same spot, so the position would've been easy to predict."
The detective's expression hardened slightly.
"Do you have any other evidence?"
Na Gang-in looked at the debris. AI Jeon Ji-in had highlighted a few suspicious pieces.
Na Gang-in pointed them out with his hand and explained,
"See how the paint around this light's screws looks freshly scraped? This cable's wire cut seems a bit too deliberate. And here, there's no support brace to bear the weight—it should be there."
"Uh... yes? Paint and wires... why is that a problem?"
Na Gang-in looked up.
AI Jeon Ji-in projected a hologram of the upper structure's pre-collapse state into the air. The hologram highlighted three areas in different colors. Next to it floated AI Jeon Ji-in's analysis report.
Na Gang-in pointed alternately at the ground and the air.
"This light was probably up there. The structure connected to that severed cable was around here, and this one was over there—without its support brace, of course."
The detective looked up. With the set's roof collapsed, all he could see was sky.
"You explain it like you've actually seen it. Tell me more."
"All these were at key points critical to the upper structure's stability."
"Uh... so you're saying someone tampered to drop just the lights during filming, but it went wrong and brought the whole ceiling down?"
Na Gang-in explained,
"That's possible. If I'm right, the evidence might be buried somewhere in this debris."
The detective swallowed hard and asked,
"Is everything you've said certain?"
"About a 30-40% chance."
"Pardon?"
"60-70% chance it just collapsed due to other defects."
The detective looked deflated.
"You're not saying that after getting everyone all worked up, are you?"
"Analyzing all the debris here would improve the prediction accuracy."
"Ah, yes. Of course. Sure."
The detective jotted down what Na Gang-in said in his notebook anyway. Then, squinting slightly, he looked at Na Gang-in and asked,
"But how do you calculate that just by looking?"
Na Gang-in replied,
"Well, more or less?"
"You said food truck. Not like you're an architect or engineer."
Na Gang-in answered,
"Just a hobby of mine."
"Ah. Hobby... yes. Hobbies are great. I was scribbling it all down thinking it was legit."
The detective didn't fully buy Na Gang-in's words. The evidence sounded too vague and pie-in-the-sky.
But this was a kidnapping case. No matter how far-fetched, he couldn't ignore it.
'The collapse here might be connected to the kidnapping somehow.'
"I'll pass everything you said to the forensics team. You know, the police scientific investigation unit. They'll probably laugh at me."
Na Gang-in prepared dinner.
This mountain set had no restaurants nearby. While cooking, he made extra for the police investigating the site.
He dumped massive amounts of ingredients into a huge cauldron and boiled it furiously. He added plenty of seasonings.
Food truck owner Kim Byung-ho watched in alarm.
"Whoa? Gang-in, if you put in that much seasoning..."
"It'll be delicious."
"Of course it will. But that's when you use the right amount. From here, it looks like you're just dumping it in without measuring..."
"My hands know the measurements."
AI Jeon Ji-in handled that.
Na Gang-in hefted the cauldron like a frying pan and shook it.
Kim Byung-ho marveled from the side.
"I was impressed at lunch, but dinner's on another level."
It wasn't the cooking skill.
"That's not a pot you can just lift and shake like that."
"It's manageable."
"Makes sense. With strength like that, no wonder you smashed those kidnappers. Pow pow. Kyaa. You were awesome earlier."
Na Gang-in tossed various ingredients into a large palace wok next to it and cooked. Both were on max heat.
He alternated between the cauldron and wok as he said,
"Here to sightsee?"
"Haha, no. Ah, those folks have been waiting a while..."
Lee Tae-ho and Jang Mi-jeong were waiting for Na Gang-in to finish. When their eyes met, Lee Tae-ho waved both hands eagerly, then pointed at the crowd.
Kim Byung-ho grinned awkwardly.
"Looks like the studio president knows everyone's hungry. Haha."
Cooking didn't take long. Na Gang-in and Kim Byung-ho served the hearty soup rice.
Two detectives came first and got portions for their headcount.
"Thanks for the meal."
Food truck owner Kim Byung-ho said,
"It's the least we can do for all your hard work."
The other detectives reported their findings to the team leader. Among them was Na Gang-in's explanation of the set collapse.
The team leader asked,
"Someone tampered and caused the set to collapse?"
"Yes. Na Gang-in analyzed the site and said there's a 30-40% chance."
"How'd he analyze it?"
"Said structural analysis is his hobby."
The detective team leader snorted.
"Hobby, my ass. Who has a hobby like that?"
"Right?"
"What's his real deal?"
"Definitely not just a food truck guy."
The other detectives set down the soup rice they'd gotten in front of them.
The team leader took a spoonful and said,
"We saw the video. Obviously not just a food truck... Huh? Why is this so damn good?"
The other detectives were amazed too.
"Whoa, this tastes like home."
"Didn't you say your hometown's famous for soup rice, boss?"
"Yeah. This is top-tier even for our local spots."
"Whoa! Guess this place is the real deal."
The team leader said while eating,
"At this rate, he really is a food truck guy."
The detective team leader glanced at Na Gang-in. He was serving food alongside food truck owner Kim Byung-ho.
"What a peculiar guy."
Kim Manager from the studio approached Na Gang-in and said,
"I'll help with serving, so could you talk to our president? He's been waiting."
Food truck owner Kim Byung-ho chimed in,
"We'll handle serving for sure, so go see the president first."
Na Gang-in wiped his hands, stepped out of the truck, and walked over to the two.
Actress Jang Mi-jeong, Lee Min-ji's mother, bowed deeply first.
"Thank you. For saving our daughter."
"I knew she was being kidnapped, so of course. Anyone would've done the same."
Jang Mi-jeong shook her head.
"No. I saw the video of everything you did to save her. Jumping into a moving car, stopping it, fighting the knife-wielding guy... You risked your life."
"It was manageable."
Jang Mi-jeong didn't believe him.
'I saw him risk his life multiple times, and he calls it manageable? No way.'
She didn't know why he'd risk his life for her daughter.
Her daughter was safe thanks to Na Gang-in. That was enough for her.
Jang Mi-jeong bowed again.
"Thank you. Truly, thank you."
Lee Tae-ho bowed beside her.
Child actress Lee Min-ji perked up after eating the tasty dessert Na Gang-in made.
Jang Mi-jeong watched her and said to Lee Tae-ho,
"We should take Min-ji home."
Lee Tae-ho wanted to, if possible.
"She's refusing the car after the scare. Won't even get in the ambulance. How do we get her to go?"
"What do we do?"
Na Gang-in asked from the side,
"How different is your car's interior from the kidnappers' van?"
"Mine's fully customized luxury interior. Totally different."
"Has Min-ji ridden in it often?"
"Yes, ever since she started elementary school."
"Then she'll be fine. As long as you ride with her."
As Na Gang-in predicted, Lee Min-ji got into Jang Mi-jeong's car without much resistance. Before leaving, she made him promise.
"Uncle, don't forget you promised more snacks. And dessert."
"Call ahead. I'm not always at the PC bang."
"Okay!"
Lee Tae-ho stayed at the site. He desperately wanted to go with his daughter, but the situation had changed, leaving him with many decisions to make on-site.