Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Scheme
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Na Gang-in brought up the matter he'd long suspected.
"On the first day of reshoots in Gangwon-do, the set collapsed. Someone might have tampered with the facilities. There were unnatural elements to it."
Lee Tae-ho, president of THO Entertainment, had heard that story too.
"After you mentioned it, Gang-in, the police did a thorough examination of the site. They sent a few debris samples to the National Forensic Service, but the analysis is still ongoing."
AI Jeon Ji-in had analyzed that debris as well.
"The National Forensic Service will probably conclude something like, 'There's a possibility of tampering, but no definitive evidence.'"
"Pardon?"
"So, what happens next in the process?"
Lee Tae-ho thought for a moment before replying.
"No one was hurt, and it was a set that was going to be demolished anyway, so just the collapse alone probably wouldn't warrant a full investigation, right?"
Na Gang-in mentioned another incident.
"A week ago, an actor from our movie was arrested at a drug party. Doesn't that strike you as odd?"
Lee Tae-ho's company staff had included that in their reports.
Lee Tae-ho responded.
"That was when the police raided the site after learning about the drug party while investigating an arson murderer arrested in Seoul. How could that be connected to our movie? The arson case was completely unrelated."
Na Gang-in had gone to the police station and sketched a composite of the arson murderer. Thanks to that, the police caught the perp quickly and raided the drug party.
Without Na Gang-in's help, the arrest would have been delayed, and the police might not have raided the party at all.
Na Gang-in said,
"You're right. That arson case was an unforeseen incident outside someone's planned scheme."
"Pardon? A scheme? An unforeseen incident?"
"Because the police raided that drug party right then, THO Entertainment had to reshoot the movie in just one week."
The drug party bust happened a week before the film's release date.
THO Entertainment and Director Son Tae-min decided on reshoots that very day.
Na Gang-in had initially thought the quick arrest of the perp would derail the release. So he'd helped out actively with the filming.
Thanks to that, the movie turned out even better than the original.
Na Gang-in continued,
"But suppose, just suppose, the drug party bust hadn't happened a week early, but right before release—say, the day before. What then?"
Lee Tae-ho's expression hardened. There'd be no time to reshoot in that scenario.
"Ah..."
Na Gang-in pressed further, more specifically.
"What if someone deliberately waited until just before release to tip off the police about the drug party? What would the outcome have been?"
Lee Tae-ho's face grew even graver. He now fully grasped what Na Gang-in was getting at.
"Our movie wouldn't have even made it to theaters. Or it would've been pulled immediately."
A skilled commander always prepares escape routes for when the battle turns sour. Lee Tae-ho had one such contingency.
Na Gang-in asked,
"Your backup plan if the movie flopped was to go begging to your father, right?"
"Exactly. He'd lend me the money to protect his stake in the company."
But if the enemy lay in wait along that escape route, the retreating forces could be annihilated.
"If this was all someone's scheme, the moment the movie tanked, they'd pull something on your father's company too—create some crisis that makes it impossible for Ironman Engineering to bail out your film company."
Lee Tae-ho set aside his liquor glass and gulped down ice water from a cup instead.
"Whew. Even then, if I mobilize every connection I have, I could hand over our company to someone else and still save Father's stake."
Na Gang-in delivered the final piece.
"But if Min-ji had been kidnapped at the Gangwon-do set that day, do you think you'd have the headspace to worry about those shares?"
Lee Tae-ho's face drained of color in an instant.
A movie he'd personally invested over ten billion won in, failing without even screening—while the president lost his mind over his kidnapped daughter—could doom the film company entirely.
With tangled debts, Ironman Engineering's shares put up as collateral would vanish in a flash.
Lee Tae-ho's voice trembled.
"S-So those bastards tried to kidnap Min-ji because..."
"If you went insane, it'd make snatching Ironman Engineering's shares that much easier."
"B-But I going to the Gangwon-do set that day wasn't planned. I was supposed to be at our daughter's pictorial shoot..."
"Going back to the beginning: the set collapsed on the first day of reshoots. Wouldn't you still go check it out?"
"O-Of course I would."
"The one who sabotaged that set knew you'd bring Min-ji there that day. That's how they designed it."
Lee Tae-ho was speechless.
Shin Eun-ha asked excitedly,
"What? So someone targeted me and made the set collapse?"
"I thought it might be you at first, Eun-ha, but it might not be. Hurting Yu-chan instead would've had the same effect."
Kim Yu-chan clutched his arm.
"Hey, why me just sitting there...?"
"If no one got hurt at the set, it'd make kidnapping Min-ji even easier, so they didn't care either way. They figured the plan couldn't fail no matter what."
If Na Gang-in hadn't been there that day, either an actor would've been injured halting production, or Min-ji kidnapped—or both at once.
Shin Eun-ha asked angrily,
"Investigating those kidnappers should reveal who's pulling the dirty strings behind it!"
Na Gang-in shook his head.
"You think they'd handle it that sloppily?"
The detectives had the three kidnappers in custody and were working to uncover their backer.
A detective reported to the team leader.
"From what I see, those punks know nothing."
The team leader scratched his head furiously.
"So they're saying they just heard a rumor the kid would be at the Gangwon-do shoot that day and went for the kidnapping?"
"Yes. They heard the father was worth hundreds of billions and doted on his daughter, so they'd easily get ten billion in ransom. And no CCTV there, so they wouldn't get caught."
"And where'd they hear that rumor?"
"No one remembers clearly. Some bar, they say."
"Which bar?"
"Checked it out—no CCTV."
"This is maddening."
Na Gang-in chuckled softly.
"Of course, this is all just a scenario if the movie flopped—but ours isn't gonna flop. Director Son's been grinning ear to ear, saying it's better than the original cut. So take what I said as just for fun."
Shin Eun-ha relaxed and clapped.
"Wow, Oppa Gang-in. Not just action—you're good at writing scenarios too. We could make a movie out of that."
Kim Yu-chan laughed too.
"I'd play the male lead in that one too. You handle the action, Gang-in."
Of the four, only Lee Tae-ho couldn't laugh.
The drinking session ended early.
Lee Tae-ho hurriedly settled the bill and drove off.
Shin Eun-ha suggested,
"First round ended too soon. Wanna grab another drink?"
Kim Yu-chan chimed in,
"Yeah, it'd be a shame to split up now."
"Oppa Yu-chan, go home."
"What's with you? I'll pay. Problem solved."
Na Gang-in watched Lee Tae-ho's car disappear, thinking,
'He almost got hit hard this time, so he won't gamble Ironman Engineering's shares again.'
What he'd described wasn't your standard corporate raid.
'Ironman Engineering can't be toppled any other way, so whoever cooked up this risky plot... well.'
Na Gang-in shrugged.
"All variables neutralized. Ironman Engineering won't go under this year, at least."
Shin Eun-ha tugged his arm.
"Oppa Gang-in. One more drink?"
Na Gang-in replied,
"Sure. Us three."
Lee Tae-ho called the PR team leader while driving home.
"Team Leader Koo, do you know how the police and National Forensic Service are handling the Gangwon-do set incident?"
- I've heard the gist. Want me to fill you in?
"Go ahead."
He listened carefully to the PR team leader's update.
Then he headed straight to the family home.
His older brother, Ironman Engineering's head of operations Lee Tae-seong, asked,
"Why alone? Where's Min-ji?"
"She's home. Mom?"
"Sokcho."
"Dad's here?"
Lee Tae-ho replied gravely,
"I came to talk to you and Dad today."
Lee Tae-ho relayed what Na Gang-in had told him that day, along with the investigation updates from the PR team leader, to his father and brother.
Ironman Engineering President Lee Jung-min exploded in rage.
"You lunatic! How could you mortgage our company shares to make a damn movie?!"
Lee Tae-ho defended himself.
"I was sure it wouldn't flop. I thought it'd be a huge hit and let me scale up the film company properly..."
"Shut it!"
"Yes, sir."
Ironman Engineering's operations head Lee Tae-seong covered his face with his hand and sighed deeply.
"And at a time when the mood's already sour... Whew."
"Huh? Sour mood? Weren't you developing some amazing new product? Exports going well too?"
"That's probably why—rumors of hostile takeovers lately. Shaking us up with merger talk to sabotage our overseas bids. Our shares are solid, so they all backed off... or so it seemed."
Lee Tae-ho shot to his feet.
"Then one of those bastards ordered the hit on Min-ji!"
"Hey, this the time to yell in front of Dad and me?"
"No, but bro, still..."
Lee Tae-seong explained,
"One of those companies might be moving, but arms brokers looking to buy us out cheap and flip to one of them seem more suspicious."
"Ah..."
Ironman Engineering made gear for the military and police.
"Our products draw a lot of interest from arms brokers to begin with."
President Lee Jung-min's eyes kept drifting to his golf bag full of clubs.
The first time he'd swung one at his son was the day his second boy lied about college and went to film school.
He'd thought that day would never come again, but today the clubs kept catching his eye.
Lee Jung-min clenched and unclenched his fist, sighing heavily.
"Whew. Let's sort out the situation first. Tae-ho, you're dead certain this movie won't flop?"
Lee Tae-ho assured him.
"It's better than the original shoot."
"Thanks to that actor?"
"Yes. Na Gang-in let us wrap fast. He pieced all this together at dinner tonight."
"How's an actor know our company's business?"
"Company shares came up casually over drinks. He heard it and instantly connected all the dots."
Lee Tae-seong chided,
"If an actor can figure it out that quick, you're hopeless... Geez."
"No, bro—he's not your average actor. Normal people wouldn't get it even hearing the story."
Lee Jung-min asked Lee Tae-seong,
"If Tae-ho's company stays afloat, outside attacks on us won't matter, right?"
Operations head Lee Tae-seong affirmed,
"Yes. We can fend off most now, but knowing this, we'll tighten up even more."
"Good. But..."
"We should still prepare contingencies. Cash is a bit tight these days—want me to line up funds in case the movie bombs? Interest'll be steep."
"If it's someone's plot, they'll interfere with that too. Raise funds the usual ways and see who tries to block it. Won't be easy to spot."
"Got it."
"Once we have the cash, make Tae-ho pay the interest."
Lee Tae-ho nodded eagerly.
"If the movie hits big, I'll cover every penny of interest."
"And you, Tae-ho."
Lee Jung-min scowled fiercely.
"Touch those shares again, and you're out of the family registry."
Lee Tae-ho waved his hands.
"Never again. Min-ji almost got kidnapped over it."
"How's Min-ji?"
"Fine. Took her to the final shoot today—she was laughing and playing with Na Gang-in."
Lee Jung-min sighed.
"Whew. So the crisis passed without us even knowing."
"Yeah."
Lee Jung-min felt a bit relieved. Now he could think about others.
"That Na Gang-in kid—you said he's a stunt actor? Hook him up with a meaty dialogue role or something. Gotta repay a debt."
Lee Tae-ho considered Na Gang-in's current standing.
Director Son Tae-min seemed ready to beg him for the next film too.
Plenty had seen how he'd shone on set these past days. If this movie succeeded, word would spread through the industry.
THO Entertainment President Lee Tae-ho explained,
"Dad, Na Gang-in's already beyond the level where I can just slot him somewhere."