Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: College Student Hacker An Seong-hwan
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Jeon Ji-in, the AI, made a suggestion.
Na Gang-in asked in a quiet voice.
"Ji-in? Is that really the issue right now? You said this could be fixed, didn't you?"
"Your repair skill can fix gear destroyed on the battlefield, right?"
"So? Can you salvage this or not?"
"However?"
"How do we get that?"
Na Gang-in scowled.
"Hey, you..."
Shin Eun-ha shot back.
"What? Why are you scowling and grumbling at me! I didn't break it!"
"Hoo. It wasn't aimed at you. I was talking to the lunatic inside me who wrecked this machine."
"Like some hidden psycho streak deep in your heart?"
"No, nothing like that. Just... let's go shopping."
Shin Eun-ha's face lit up.
"Shopping! Yay! Let's go! To the nearest department store? Or my favorite shop?"
After arriving at the shopping spot, Shin Eun-ha grumbled.
"What is this? Not a department store. It's a hardware market."
Half of the hundred million won he'd earned helping with the movie production had gone to a deposit on his residential base apartment. Twenty million more covered the deposit and a year's prepaid rent on the production base.
"Just one motor?"
"Ji-in. Even if you've lost your memories and don't know much, could it be that you're higher-ranked than me?"
"Doesn't feel like it."
Na Gang-in wandered the hardware market, checking out the needed items. Some shops only had catalog photos—no stock on display. They couldn't showcase every piece of equipment.
Lots to buy, but the budget wasn't endless.
"Adding that blows the budget right away."
"That one crappy CNC would eat our entire budget and still cost more."
"Doesn't it feel backwards? Shouldn't I be picking stuff and you nagging about the budget to hold me back? Did Nature Robotics deliberately program you with a shopping instinct when they made you?"
The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
"Nature Robotics must have backroom deals with equipment makers. 'We'll code our AI to crave your products. You send us slush funds in return.' Something like that."
"Or maybe the guy who developed you is obsessed with gear."
"So that's it. You personally love this kind of equipment? You're turning out to be a total engineering geek girl."
Shin Eun-ha trailed after Na Gang-in, eyeing the tools and machines.
She wasn't interested in most of the stuff here. But some items caught her eye now and then.
"Ooh. That chainsaw's cool. They say it's great for getting a point across."
Her phone rang. She checked the caller—her manager, Park Woo-seop.
"Hello."
- Eun-ha, where are you right now?
"Out playing. And I mean actually playing, not messing around."
- At home?
"No. Outside."
- Don't drink. Take care of your condition.
"Whoa. Are you my mom now?"
- Got a CF offer for you.
Shin Eun-ha squealed.
"Eek! Manager Oppa. Can I call you Mommy?"
- I know you said you'd take a break for a bit...
"I'll do it! I'm in!"
- Gotta stay sober the next few days? Manage yourself.
"Got it. Hehe. Finally, the movie's box-office high is coming my way too!"
- It's not solo. It's with Kim Yu-chan.
Shin Eun-ha's role in the movie had ballooned to lead-level, but she still couldn't match the real lead actor, Kim Yu-chan.
If they shared a CF, the bigger cut going to Kim Yu-chan meant her fee would drop.
"Still, that's huge! Score!"
- Thing is, I don't have Na Gang-in's number.
"Huh? Why do you need Gang-in Oppa's number all of a sudden?"
- Client wants flashy action moves in the CF. They want the movement planning handled by the guy who did the action for Sunny Day. Said the movie blew them away.
Shin Eun-ha nodded, convinced.
"Makes sense. Every action bit in our movie was a tearjerker."
- But the CF production team doesn't have Na Gang-in's contact. So they reached out through us. You know him, right?
"Who needs the number? We're together right now anyway."
Park Woo-seop sounded flustered.
- What? Why are you two together! Where are you!
Shin Eun-ha pulled the phone slightly from her ear and raised her voice.
"Why are you yelling?"
- Hey! At this crucial moment when you're just blowing up, a scandal would pour cold water on it...
"We're at a hardware market!"
- Huh? Where?
"Hardware market! They sell wrenches, chainsaws, laser cutters—the works! Gang-in Oppa runs a metal shop too, so we're buying equipment for it!"
- Oh. Not a... date then?
Shin Eun-ha muttered under her breath.
"I thought it was too..."
- Huh? What was that? Couldn't hear.
"Nothing. Stop worrying over nothing."
- No, I mean...
"Anyway, just ask Gang-in Oppa if he's in."
- Yeah. If he is, swing by the office. We'll handle all the paperwork and stuff.
"Got it."
Shin Eun-ha hung up and turned to Na Gang-in.
"They offered Gang-in Oppa the martial arts director gig for a CF. You interested?"
Na Gang-in muttered softly.
"Do a CF? Aren't we in the middle of a covert infiltration op?"
"You've gone money-blind, huh?"
Shin Eun-ha asked.
"Why the mumbling?"
"Just calculating if it's okay."
"You're such a weirdo, Oppa. Normally people would be all 'thanks, lemme buy you dinner.' Why so lukewarm?"
"Feels like you still owe me more meals than that."
She beamed.
"Heh. Fine, put this one on my tab for later. I'll cover today's. Let's eat."
Na Gang-in felt a twinge of unease.
Last time Shin Eun-ha offered to buy food, they ended up fighting Jackal's crew instead of eating.
"Where to this time?"
"Our company cafeteria."
"Huh? Cafeteria?"
"Food's really good."
Shin Eun-ha's agency, SAH Entertainment, managed several actors and singers. They had one boy idol group and one girl group.
Shin Eun-ha brought Na Gang-in into SAH Entertainment and looked for her manager, Park Woo-seop.
"Manager Oppa. I'm here."
Park Woo-seop turned and said.
"Oh, yeah. Did you ask him...? Huh? Na Gang-in!"
Park Woo-seop had met Na Gang-in on the movie set.
At first, he'd just nodded politely, but when he learned Na Gang-in handled the action scenes, his attitude shifted a bit.
Then he heard Director Son Tae-min had trusted only Na Gang-in to rewrite the entire script.
After that, Park Woo-seop's demeanor toward Na Gang-in changed completely. The script changes had boosted Shin Eun-ha's role from supporting to lead-supporting.
Whispers rippled through the office.
"That's Na Gang-in?"
"Thought he'd look scarier. He's pretty clean-cut."
"Looks chill now, but they say when the camera rolls, he flies around like crazy."
"Movie proved the action was insane."
"Yeah, that's why Director Son tore up the script."
"Why's he here? Signing with us?"
Park Woo-seop grinned wide.
"Hahaha. I should've come to you first, but here you are."
"Eun-ha said she'd buy me cafeteria food."
"Pardon?"
Shin Eun-ha chimed in.
"I've got plenty of reasons to buy Gang-in Oppa meals."
Lots at the company knew Na Gang-in had saved her when the set collapsed.
But only a few knew he'd rescued her from the seventh-floor restaurant blaze. The government hadn't released his name, wary of Jackal's remnants.
Park Woo-seop, her manager, was one who knew the rough details.
"Ah, haha. Yeah, you owe him. Multiple times over, probably."
Shin Eun-ha smiled brightly.
"Right?"
She gave him a quick tour, then headed to the basement cafeteria.
A mix of actors, singers, staff, and idol trainees ate there. Outside guests often did too.
Shin Eun-ha explained.
"Actors and singers get stared at in nearby spots. If that's annoying, eat here. Food's pretty good."
"Yeah. Tastes great."
"Not quite as good as what you make, Gang-in Oppa."
"Someone else's cooking always hits better."
A four-member male idol group, there for lunch, spotted her and bowed.
"Ah! Noona! Hi!"
She waved her left hand.
"Hey. Eat up. Got a guest."
A four-member female idol group came for food and greeted her too.
"Unnie! Hello!"
"Hey. Got a gig today? Makeup looks good."
"Hehe. First event in ages."
The girl group, beaming, lined up for food.
Shin Eun-ha explained.
"Our company specializes in actors and solo singers, but they wanted a piece of the idol market, so they debuted one boy and one girl team. Big dreams, but..."
"Didn't pan out?"
"Not a total flop. They get gigs now and then. Company writes off pre-debut costs as investment, doesn't recoup from them. One event pays their living expenses."
"Is that standard for agencies?"
"No. Only big or decent ones do that."
"Savings then?"
Shin Eun-ha shook her head.
"Dream on. If it was a recoup-first agency, they'd be broke, eating ramen without a dime settled."
"So this place big? Or good?"
"Middle ground? Smaller than top-five agencies, but not way behind. Decent roster, doesn't cross lines. Not bad."
Na Gang-in asked something else.
"By the way, everyone calls you Noona or Unnie."
Shin Eun-ha glared.
"They're young! Some are minors!"
College student hacker An Seong-hwan worked part-time at a PC bang.
He'd come to the company cafeteria for lunch, spotted Na Gang-in, and rushed over.
"Bro! What are you doing here?"
"Free meal."
"Ah, Eun-ha Noona's with this agency?"
Shin Eun-ha knew An Seong-hwan from hellos at the PC bang. She raised her hand slightly.
"Hi. What's the PC bang part-timer doing here?"
"Checking server security."
"Huh?"
An Seong-hwan explained.
"Another agency got hacked recently. They heard and called me in. Asked me to inspect the system."
Shin Eun-ha panicked. She thought of him as just a college kid slinging part-time at the PC bang.
"Wait, what? Whoa, Gang-in Oppa. Scratch that about our company being good at security. Hiring a PC bang part-timer to fend off hackers? Are they nuts?"