Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Proposal
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Two days after the incident, Shin Eun-ha showed up at the PC bang.
She had covered most of her face with oversized sunglasses and a mask. She was even wearing a hat. On top of that, a long coat hid her figure.
At that point, unless someone peered right into her face, it would be hard to recognize her.
She slipped behind the PC bang counter.
Cha Eun-seo, the boss's niece, first thought she was a customer.
"Customer, you can't come back here."
Shin Eun-ha lowered her sunglasses just a bit.
"Eun-ha, it's me."
"Oh, it's you, unnie."
She headed into the break area behind the counter. Sitting on the cot there, she said,
"Eun-ha, get me a nice cold iced Americano."
Na Gang-in had also come inside to prep some food.
Na Gang-in spoke up.
"Pay up."
"How much could one coffee cost? Can't you just give it to me?"
"Nope."
Cha Eun-seo quickly whipped up an iced Americano.
"Here you go, unnie!"
"Eun-seo is the only one for me. What do you want? Want my autograph to hang on the PC bang wall?"
"Oh, unnie. You think I gave you coffee expecting an autograph? I'm disappointed."
"Then?"
Cha Eun-seo waggled her smartphone teasingly.
"Selfie together? For SNS."
"Come sit next to me. Let's take it here."
Shin Eun-ha had decided to take a break from broadcasts and movie schedules for the time being. So she had plenty of time.
After snapping the photo, Shin Eun-ha said,
"I'm gonna be a regular here from now on, so keep a fixed seat open for me."
"Unnie, fixed seats are..."
"How much?"
"For you, unnie, I'll spray disinfectant every day and wipe it down with fresh wet wipes."
The collapse at the Gangwon Province filming site had left a deep mark on Shin Eun-ha. She'd woken up from nightmares multiple times in the middle of the night.
But the days she spent time with Na Gang-in, no nightmares came.
It wasn't just the nightmares, either. Even when Jackal's gang took over that seven-story building, she hadn't felt much fear in the restaurant.
The last part, when she'd been caught by Jackal and dragged off with Scarlett, had been scary, but even that night, no nightmares.
Ever since stepping into this PC bang, her mind had felt at ease. More precisely, seeing Na Gang-in in the kitchen calmed her down.
'A guy who took down those terrifying bastards all by himself... why's he selling food here?'
She'd given up trying to understand Na Gang-in. She just accepted it.
Shin Eun-ha pointed to a plastic bag she'd set aside.
"Chef, I want something special and luxurious today. I bought ingredients over there, so make it for me."
"Go buy it at a special, luxurious restaurant."
"Those places are expensive."
"They say the rich are the greediest. What's up with a rising star like you?"
"What if I get attacked again at one of those fancy restaurants?"
"They weren't targeting you specifically, so why worry? Guys like that won't give a damn about you going forward."
"Playing hardball, huh? Fine then."
Shin Eun-ha propped her chin up with both hands and said,
"Aing~ Make me something yummy, pretty please~?"
Na Gang-in looked at her.
She was beaming, but her eyes held a flicker of unease.
He muttered softly to himself.
"She really doesn't want to go to a fancy restaurant? Maybe she has trauma from them now."
AI Jeon Ji-in chimed in.
- No, she's embarrassed about acting like that, so her eyes are wavering.
"Yeah?"
- And she wants food that delicious that badly.
"You want some too?"
- I want tasty food made by someone else, not something I make myself. I prefer someone else's donkatsu over my own steak.
Na Gang-in asked Shin Eun-ha,
"What ingredients did you buy?"
"Just grabbed a bunch from the department store food section?"
Na Gang-in opened the bag.
AI Jeon Ji-in quickly scanned the contents and said,
- Better ingredients than expected. Shin Eun-ha comes through sometimes.
"You said you don't like stuff you make yourself?"
- I didn't know the ingredients would be this good.
Na Gang-in chuckled.
"Show me the recommended recipe list."
- Recommending field meals possible with these ingredients.
A list of dishes scrolled up in translucent text before his eyes.
He whispered,
"Might as well recommend something refreshing to lift her mood."
The other options vanished, replaced by the description and photo for dish number three.
- This field cooking recipe uses dried seafood and powdered fruit juice as main ingredients. In coastal ops where fresh ingredients are locally sourced, use the premium recipe...
"Keep it simple. What's this one called?"
- Commonly called Refreshing Seafood Stir-Fry.
Na Gang-in told Shin Eun-ha,
"I'll make you seafood stir-fry. The refreshing kind."
"Huh? What about the beef from the department store? That's hanwoo."
"Gotta have leftovers for myself. Hanwoo's mine."
"Whoa."
Shin Eun-ha had bought a variety of top-quality ingredients.
Na Gang-in pulled out the seafood, veggies, and lemons. He used what was already in the PC bang kitchen for the rest.
As usual, cooking was done in a flash.
Na Gang-in set a plate in front of Shin Eun-ha.
"Eat up quick and go play some games."
"The seat next to you is empty, Oppa. Mind if I take it?"
"Pay to play games."
"Didn't I say reserve that seat as my fixed one?"
"My seat isn't fixed."
"No prob. If you move, my fixed seat moves with you."
She grinned wide and started with a shrimp from the refreshing seafood stir-fry.
"Oh wow, delicious. It's oily yet refreshingly tangy, with this popping texture in the meat?"
"You going on a cooking show? Quit critiquing and just eat."
"It's just so amazing. Looks like you whipped it up quick, but it's always top-tier gourmet."
She savored it leisurely.
'This is why I come here.'
A new customer entered the PC bang.
Scarlett Kelly, president of Omega Tech, approached the counter. Her left arm was secured in a shoulder-sling brace, covered by a coat.
Cha Eun-seo panicked at the sight of the foreigner.
"H-he, hello? Welcome. Uh, what do I say? S-sit, sit down anywhere."
Na Gang-in called from the kitchen,
"Eun-seo."
Cha Eun-seo made excuses.
"I'm really just bad at English. I wanna live in a world without it."
"Speak Korean. We're in Korea—what English?"
"But then the customer won't understand."
"She will. She speaks Korean well."
"Huh?"
"Her grandma's Korean."
"Oh! Why didn't you say so sooner?"
Cha Eun-seo relaxed and guided her.
"Customer, first go to the unmanned payment machine over there... Huh?"
She turned to Na Gang-in.
"You know her, Oppa?"
"Nah, just saw her once at the restaurant."
"Got it. Still, you explain to her, Oppa. I gotta clean up seats."
Cha Eun-seo dumped Scarlett on him and slipped away from the counter.
Scarlett smiled at Na Gang-in.
"Glad we didn't miss each other."
"How'd you find this place?"
The other customers from that seven-story building didn't even know his name.
Yet Scarlett Kelly had tracked him here. And this wasn't even his registered address.
"I have some friends in Korea."
Na Gang-in clicked his tongue.
"Tch. Hate getting background-checked."
Scarlett waved her hands quickly.
"Wasn't me."
"Someone did."
"I have friends in the Korean and US governments. And I deserve an update on the investigation, right? I was their target. And also."
She pointed to her left arm.
"I took a bullet."
"Kinda convincing. Go on."
"I asked a friend who saved me, and they said government secret agent—can't tell. Made sense at first. But then I thought, a secret agent coming to rescue an actress? Kinda weird."
When he'd caught Jackal, Shin Eun-ha had said he wasn't special forces. She'd insisted he came to save her.
"Overheard something about a food truck. So I fished around, casually asking if they knew about food trucks. They sighed and said you're the cook here."
Scarlett added hastily,
"Oh, the government didn't investigate you separately—just a basic identity check."
Na Gang-in had expected as much from the government. After that mess, they had to at least run his ID.
Scarlett assured him,
"Only I could find you here. The reporters probably think you're a secret special agent."
The government kept his identity secret—as a precaution against Jackal's remnants.
A bit of online buzz claimed a government secret agent had been active that day.
Na Gang-in welcomed it.
He couldn't hide forever.
Scarlett had found him easily. Shin Eun-ha and Lee Tae-ho knew it was him. Someone in the government did too.
But he'd bought some time.
Na Gang-in asked,
"So, reason for coming here? Doesn't feel like just saying hi."
Scarlett smiled prettily and extended her hand.
"Hire you as my bodyguard."
Personal bodyguard meant following her schedule—hindering his missions.
"No thanks."
"Without hearing terms? I'll give you top treatment."
"I'm not hurting for cash."
She couldn't hide her disappointment.
"Knew you'd refuse. If you needed money, you'd be the top bodyguard already—not a cook."
"Knew I'd say no and still offer?"
"Figured a fat salary might tempt you anyway."
Shin Eun-ha emerged from the staff lounge.
"If Oppa wanted big money, he'd go into movies. Or open his own restaurant."
Scarlett was mildly surprised to see her.
"Oh, you're... the actress from that day?"
"Yep."
"Didn't expect to see you here again... So you two do know each other."
Shin Eun-ha boasted,
"Of course. We're super close."
"But why's an actress here...?"
"To eat. Oppa's food is seriously delicious."
Scarlett knew he ran a food gig here.
Now she was curious about the taste.
She asked,
"Can I try some too?"
Na Gang-in led her to the kitchen.
"Made plenty, so have a plate. Cash only. Fifteen thousand won today."
Shin Eun-ha, packing leftovers, protested immediately.
"Hey, Oppa, I bought all the ingredients!"
"Good job."
"Ugh."
Omega Tech was a top US company. Scarlett was president and head developer.
She could eat chef specials at LA or NYC's best spots three meals a day without denting her wallet.
Of course, she didn't always. Quick bites for work, portion control for her figure.
But proper meals? The absolute best.
A gourmet like her marveled at Na Gang-in's seafood stir-fry.
"Didn't expect this level here."
She'd had seafood this good before.
'That was a Michelin-starred place.'
Yet it popped out of a PC bang kitchen.
Shin Eun-ha bragged,
"I got super fresh stuff from the department store today. Tastes better 'cause I bought it."
"Department store? Even airlifting prime ingredients locally wouldn't match this. And just a department store?"
"Hey, you hear you're picky a lot?"
"I analyze with data. Which is why."
Scarlett turned to Na Gang-in.
"With skills like this, why work here? Better options everywhere."
Na Gang-in shot back,
"You dissing our PC bang? Looks humble, but advantages... uh... advantages... food's good."
"No, that's not—"
Scarlett sighed, thinking,
'Fair. A guy who flew around that building snagging terrorists... being a cook defies logic.'
She ate the stir-fry. Delicious. So good she savored every bite.
'Gonna crave this at home too...'
Suddenly, another idea hit.
She proposed,
"Not bodyguard? How about chef?"
She pointed at Na Gang-in.
"Be my personal chef."
"Talk nonsense, and I'll take your plate."
She clutched it tight.
"Joking. Learned from Jessica."
Eating his food, she thought,
'Delicious.'