Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Repair Skill
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Na Gang-in began tearing into the car's interior, exactly as shown in the holographic video. It was on the verge of being junked.
The Combat Support AI, Jeon Ji-in, assisted with the movements of his hands.
Na Gang-in placed the disassembled parts one by one on the rickety old table.
Shin Eun-ha asked from the side.
"Oppa Gang-in. Don't you need to write down the order when disassembling stuff like this?"
"You've heard something somewhere, huh?"
"There was a scene in a movie I did before where they messed up disassembling precision equipment because they forgot the order."
"It's fine. I remember the sequence."
He didn't remember it himself. The AI Jeon Ji-in had memorized the position of every single part.
They'd known the cause of the breakdown from the start.
The video feed in front of him changed. Red highlights overlaid the wiring inside the vehicle.
Na Gang-in stripped out the old wires and laid in new ones he'd bought from the electrical supply store.
Shin Eun-ha asked.
"Can you use regular wire in a car?"
"I picked it with the specs in mind, so it'll hold up even if it's not automotive-grade."
Na Gang-in reassembled the engine bay.
Some car parts required precise torque when assembling. Too loose and they'd come undone later; too tight and problems arose.
The AI Jeon Ji-in visually indicated the exact force needed for each part as he put it back together.
Shin Eun-ha didn't know much about mechanical structures. But watching him reassemble the pile of parts from the table without a single mistake left her in awe.
"Wow. Oppa Gang-in, your memory is insane."
Some engine bay parts had been swapped with ones from the junkyard. They'd been in better shape than the originals.
Na Gang-in spotted any poorly assembled spots and tightened them properly.
All the work wrapped up in just an hour.
Na Gang-in pulled off his gloves.
"Done."
Shin Eun-ha looked skeptical.
"That seemed way too quick."
"I'm fast by nature."
"You can call it finished without even testing the engine?"
"I calculated everything, so it's good."
"It won't explode while we're driving, right?"
"Trust me."
Na Gang-in slid into the driver's seat and turned the key.
In stark contrast to her worries, the engine turned over smoothly. It hadn't even needed a new battery, but it bore no resemblance to the sluggish starts from before.
It wasn't just the startup—the engine noise had quieted down too.
The near-junk heap was now solid. No risk of it dying on the road.
Shin Eun-ha was genuinely impressed. She didn't know vehicle maintenance herself, but she'd had work done before.
"Wow. You just tore it all apart and slapped it back together lickety-split, and it works? I thought you were just good at martial arts, Oppa Gang-in, but you're a pro at car repair too."
"I'm good at everything."
"With skills like this, you could buy beat-up used cars, fix 'em up, and flip them for a killing."
"No certification or experience."
"So where'd you learn tech like this?"
"Internet?"
"You're joking."
"Videos are pretty good these days."
Shin Eun-ha furrowed her brows, pondering. Could you really pick up something like this just from watching videos?
But she didn't dwell on it long. She'd seen it work with her own eyes.
"Fair enough. I heard in some countries with bad medical setups, they learn surgery from internet videos. If they can do surgery, car repair should be a breeze."
"Uh... yeah."
Shin Eun-ha tilted her head.
"But if you're gonna fix it this fast, why rent this workshop? For a whole year, even."
"To tinker with stuff here."
He hadn't rented the workshop just to mod the car.
If his Seoul apartment was his living base, this place was his production base.
From here on, he'd make mission gear right here.
Na Gang-in gestured for her to get in while still in the driver's seat, cutting off further questions.
"Hey. Hop in."
"What era are you from, calling it 'hop in'? It's the 20th century, mister."
"Just get in."
Shin Eun-ha climbed into the passenger seat and asked.
"Where to now?"
"I'll drop you at your car."
"Dinner?"
"Have you been seeing me as nothing but a meal ticket since earlier?"
"Yep."
Shin Eun-ha had left her car parked at Na Gang-in's apartment lot.
On the way back to that apartment, she asked.
"Seeing how well you fixed the car, you could probably handle light fixtures too, right?"
"Why? Lights out at home?"
"No. The thing where you control lights from outside with your smartphone. Can you install that at my place?"
"No one at home to do it?"
"Didn't you know? I'm a single woman living alone."
"Your folks are in the neighborhood, aren't they?"
"I'm not that unfilial to call them over for something like that. And my little brother's all thumbs—he'd cause an accident messing with electrics."
"You make bank. Just hire someone."
"Can't for a while. Calling an electrician now to install that... if I'm unlucky, it might hit the news."
"That makes headlines?"
"Yeah. Back in the day, maybe not, but now? Totally."
Na Gang-in clicked his tongue.
"Celebrity life's a drag. Ah. Doesn't your agency help?"
"Contract's expiring soon. No point giving them leverage."
"Leverage?"
Shin Eun-ha hesitated a moment before speaking.
"Lately, I've been having these dreams. A set collapsing, trapping me in the debris."
Na Gang-in's expression hardened slightly.
Na Gang-in asked.
"Is that common?"
Thinking he was asking her, Shin Eun-ha replied.
"Lately, every night. It's pitch black in the dream."
She hadn't told anyone about this until now. But once she started, the words poured out.
"Can't see a thing. Can't move. Want to scream for help, but no voice comes out. Finally wake up after what feels like forever, soaked in cold sweat."
After spilling it all, she thought.
'Feels a bit lighter. Maybe I just needed someone I could open up to.'
Na Gang-in said.
"Set it up so you can turn on the lights before entering. Got it. I'll do it right now."
Shin Eun-ha beamed.
"For real?"
"Need to grab parts first."
They arrived at Na Gang-in's apartment.
Shin Eun-ha drove her own car home from there.
Na Gang-in took his car to the parts store and bought what he needed.
While Na Gang-in was out, Shin Eun-ha tidied up. She tossed the underwear rolling around on the bed into the closet and shut the door tight.
Thanks to the robot vacuum, the floors were always spotless. No visible dust, at least. The high-end air purifier running 24/7 kept any bad smells at bay.
"This should do it."
Na Gang-in arrived at her place with the parts.
He looked around the house in admiration.
"Nice place."
"What joke is that?"
Shin Eun-ha asked.
"Huh? What'd you say?"
"Nothing."
Na Gang-in first killed the circuit breaker, then removed the existing switches in the living room and master bedroom. He replaced them with ones controllable via smartphone from outside. Simple job.
"Now turn on the lights with your phone before coming in. It'll be bright."
Shin Eun-ha tested it on her phone and grinned wide.
"Thanks, Oppa Gang-in."
Na Gang-in picked up a new switch he hadn't installed yet.
"Got an extra one, so I'll do that room too."
The room he meant was the closet where she'd stuffed her underwear.
She quickly said.
"No need! This is plenty. Let's grab dinner!"
Na Gang-in narrowed his eyes.
"You're not asking me to cook dinner too, are you?"
Shin Eun-ha wagged her finger.
"I'll treat you to something really good!"
Na Gang-in eyed the kitchen. Top-tier appliances and cookware gleamed.
"You cooking here?"
"I'll buy it for you!"
"Huh?"
"Your food's amazing, Oppa Gang-in, but this place I'm taking you has a killer restaurant too. Their head chef's been on TV. You'll have a hard time picking a winner once you try it."
Shin Eun-ha loved Na Gang-in's cooking.
But the restaurant she had in mind was famous for its flavors too.
Na Gang-in said.
"Hope it's better than mine. I like good food too."
"It's not that much better... Ah! Even if the taste is similar, your cooking skills are way superior!"
"Hard to pick a winner, you said?"
"The ingredients are different. They use premium stuff exclusively, while you grab whatever from the corner mart. Unit prices aren't even comparable."
Na Gang-in chuckled.
"Types of dishes are pretty different too, I bet?"
"But the 'insanely delicious' part is the same. And another similarity: like with you, they decide what you eat."
The restaurant she had in mind, 'Penelope,' had no menus. The chef chose the dishes each day.
Na Gang-in didn't offer choices for special dishes at the PC bang either. He decided what to make and sell that day.
Of course, differences existed. Penelope was ridiculously pricey.
Shin Eun-ha said.
"Selling your cooking at PC bang prices doesn't even make sense from the start. I'll show you what it's really worth today."
Another difference.
"And I'll show you what real luxury is—stuff the PC bang doesn't have."
The Combat Support AI Jeon Ji-in shared senses with Na Gang-in, including taste.
"Not like you want to eat it yourself?"
The AI didn't respond.
"Acting shy."
They took Na Gang-in's car to Restaurant Penelope. Shin Eun-ha planned to drink, so she'd skipped hers.
From the passenger seat, she said.
"Calling a designated driver after drinking feels awkward too. Can't show my drunk self to some stranger."
"Celebrity life's a drag."
Looking at him, she said.
"If someone reliable picked me up, I could drink without a care."
"Can't call your manager?"
"Why drag my manager into drinks with friends? And my contract's almost up."
"Tough break."
"But if someone came to get me..."
"Then don't drink."
"Tch."
"What?"
"Nothing."
Shin Eun-ha started to grumble but suddenly remembered something she'd overlooked.
'Am I really complaining about celeb inconveniences right now? When I should be reeling him in?'
She quickly changed tack.
"Oppa Gang-in, but I get a lot out of it too. Big money, popularity, and pride when people watch my work."
"Yeah. Keep at it."
"If the hassle bugs you, you could do martial arts director gigs from the shadows for a bit. No one would recognize you out there."
"Huh?"
"Chungmuro's calling for you."
Na Gang-in chuckled.
"That was just a one-off side gig."
"Word on the street is you're terrifying. You saved a whole movie."
She muttered.
"Makes sense. Oppa Gang-in could rake it in just fixing foreign cars professionally. Saw you whip it into shape super quick today."
Na Gang-in murmured softly.
"And customers coming for repairs would see our production base. Might spot the gear we make."