Chapter 54
Chapter 54
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: Electric Shock
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Among the warning signs flashing on the sound control equipment, the biggest one read "Danger of Electric Shock!" in bold letters.
Standing right next to that equipment was the sound engineer Kwak Yu-seon, the woman who had smiled at Na Gang-in before filming started.
Suddenly, Kwak Yu-seon's body went rigid.
Na Gang-in was gripping an aluminum panel being used as a cover for the LED control panel. He hefted it up with a flash.
AI Jeon Ji-in highlighted the path to the power line that needed to be cut off immediately.
Na Gang-in hurled the aluminum panel like a throwing knife. AI Jeon Ji-in assisted with his finger and wrist movements to boost accuracy.
The thin aluminum sheet flew like a razor-sharp blade and stabbed right into the power line.
The thick cable was severed in one go.
But that wasn't enough. Aluminum conducts electricity well.
Na Gang-in immediately chucked a screwdriver next. It shot like an arrow and struck the thick cable dead-on. One end of the severed wire flew off to the side.
Kwak Yu-seon, who had been frozen in place, suddenly collapsed limply right there.
People belatedly screamed.
"Uwaaah!"
"Wh-what the hell!"
"Yu-seon! What's wrong?!"
Na Gang-in rushed toward sound engineer Kwak Yu-seon.
He placed a hand on the neck of the unconscious Kwak Yu-seon and checked her pupils.
Na Gang-in said,
"She's alive. She won't die from a shock like that."
The PD collapsed to the ground right there.
"Ugh... I really thought she was a goner."
"She'll be fine, but we should still get her to a hospital."
"O-of course! 119! Someone call 119!"
The 119 ambulance arrived and took Kwak Yu-seon away.
Filming was halted in the meantime.
Once the situation was under control, the PD bowed his head deeply in thanks.
"During this CF shoot, you've saved my skin so many times, Na Gang-in. I knew you weren't your average guy, but..."
The PD's eyes drifted to the aluminum panel. It didn't even have an edge, yet the thick cable had been sliced clean through the moment it hit. That was something even a thrown knife might not achieve.
A sudden thought crossed the PD's mind.
'What if that panel had flown at a person? If it hit the neck, it'd be instant death.'
The PD clasped his hands together politely and said,
"Let's be friends. Ha, haha."
The set was cleared up, and filming preparations resumed.
The PD called out loudly,
"Alright! Let's wrap up the remaining shots quick! Before anything else happens!"
Another problem cropped up. One of the staff said,
"Director! The equipment Kwak Yu-seon was handling isn't working."
"Of course not—the power cable got cut. Just use a new one!"
"We already swapped in a new power cable. It's not that; the internals got fried. That's probably what electrocuted Yu-seon too."
"Huh? What's that equipment for anyway?"
"It's the gear that plays our CM song as background during the ad shoot."
The PD brushed it off.
"Pfft, is that all? We can film without the song for now and dub the background music in later."
This time, Kim Yu-chan objected.
"Yeah, that might be a problem."
"Pardon?"
"We've been grinding all day with that song on loop. For the emotions to really hit right in the final scenes, it needs to be playing too."
"Come on, it's not that crucial..."
"That's just my acting routine. Without the familiar song, the feel changes a bit."
The director suggested,
"How about hooking it up to another speaker and playing it?"
"Yeah, that'd work fine."
The director turned to the staff.
"Anyone got the CM song file?"
No one answered. The assistant director chimed in from the side.
"Director, the client locked down the audio files for security—no copies allowed."
"Oh, right, they did."
"The only gear with the CM song was that one that just fried."
"No backups anywhere?"
"Kwak Yu-seon brought it straight from the composer herself—her big brother. And she's off to the hospital now."
Kwak Yu-seon wasn't with this production company, so they had no copy of the file.
"Then just call the composer and get a fresh one."
"He's Yu-seon's oldest brother. You think he'll stay calm hearing his baby sister got shocked unconscious?"
"Uh... he'll probably come for my head?"
"Obviously."
"We wait till Yu-seon gets checked out at the hospital, then call him? Na Gang-in said she'd be fine, right?"
"But if we call the composer, word'll get back to the client too. About the accident here..."
The PD's face went pale.
"We can't have that."
He didn't want the client knowing about an electrocution on set.
'The client's superstitious about luck and omens. Another accident, and they'll call it bad juju and dump us for another company.'
The contract had a clause letting the client cancel penalty-free if a safety incident occurred on set. They had to finish today's shoot to lock it in.
The assistant director suggested,
"Director, what if we play back the footage we shot earlier? It has the CM song in it."
"Nah, that's got a ton of other audio mixed in. Better to shoot without than use that mess."
Not knowing the full story, actor Kim Yu-chan suggested,
"I could do the rest tomorrow."
Shin Eun-ha said quietly,
"I've got a schedule tomorrow."
Na Gang-in wasn't thrilled about dragging this out another day either.
Na Gang-in proposed,
"I'll just sing the CM song myself."
The PD's face lit up.
"Perfect! A live vocal will do the trick! We'll shoot it that way first, then do a no-music version too. Mix 'em smart, and we're golden."
Kim Yu-chan muttered under his breath,
"Gotta match the original perfectly or it'll sound off... Why not just do it tomorrow."
The PD was set on Na Gang-in's idea. But he hadn't decided to have him sing yet. Better to pick someone who could actually carry a tune.
The PD asked,
"No offense, Na Gang-in, but I'd like to hear your vocals first. We've only got a guitar for accompaniment— you play, right?"
Na Gang-in murmured softly,
"Ji-in, you know how to play guitar?"
"Huh? Why guitar of all things?"
"Nature Robotics' Implanted Combat Support AIs are supposed to think like humans. You into guitar or something?"
"Got it."
A staffer brought over the guitar.
Out of camera range, Na Gang-in sat on a chair with one leg crossed, guitar in hand.
Shin Eun-ha gave a thumbs-up.
"Ooh! Looking the part!"
The first day Na Gang-in had come to in this world, he'd sung briefly on the roadside to scrape together PC bang cash.
Back then, with AI Jeon Ji-in temporarily controlling his vocal cords, he'd matched the original singer's pitch, rhythm, pronunciation—everything but timbre—from songs overheard while walking.
This time, it was for a CF. Recording on pro gear here would yield studio-quality audio leagues beyond a phone clip. If it matched the original down to unique phrasing quirks, people might get suspicious.
Na Gang-in murmured,
"I'll handle the singing—you just tweak. You play the guitar all the way."
"You're gonna help, right?"
AI Jeon Ji-in projected sheet music in front of his eyes via the AR lens.
"Whoa, this feels kinda like a karaoke screen."
"Karaoke culture's still kicking in 2082? This mode got future hits too... nah, probably not."
"Figured as much."
"Who karaokes military marches...? Whatever. Let's start."
Na Gang-in tapped the guitar's body with his palm, then plucked the strings. A countdown to start appeared with the lyrics.
The lyric progression was a bit different from modern karaoke. Subtle shifts in pitch and rhythm showed as symbols alongside the words.
Na Gang-in sang. The CM song flowed from his lips.
When pitch or timing strayed slightly from the original, AI Jeon Ji-in held back. Only if it veered badly did she intervene—but she let natural emotional inflections slide untouched.
Na Gang-in's natural voice was already good. With AI Jeon Ji-in's tweaks, it sounded even better.
Everyone was blown away by his singing.
"Whoa."
"Is singing your real job?"
Shin Eun-ha stared at him in wide-eyed surprise and said,
"From fighting to guitar shredding and now killer vocals."
She tried gazing at him dreamily.
But Na Gang-in was belting out that stellar tune in his green tights.
Shin Eun-ha burst out laughing despite herself.
"Pfft!"
Na Gang-in set the guitar aside and shot to his feet.
"I'm out!"
Shin Eun-ha apologized in a hurry.
"Oppa, sorry! I won't laugh!"
"You're laughing right now!"
"At least change clothes first! Singing that good in that outfit makes it funnier! Kyahaha!"
The PD snapped out of his daze.
"We gotta use Na Gang-in's take in the CF."
The assistant director asked,
"Huh? But it's not the original track."
"He sings better than the original artist."
"We've been recording with the original all shoot."
"We already got two drink shots. Just do the last two with his voice. A switch-up there'll make it stick in people's heads."
"Hey, with two original versions too, it'll add variety—could be even better."
"His voice only in the final bit? That's a 50/50 shot. Folks might watch to the end just to see if it plays."
"Whoa, Director. The client's gonna love it."
"Good ad buzz is good for us too, right?"
"Totally."
Na Gang-in ditched the green tights, changed, and sat back down.
A proper mic was set before him—not in frame, but the actors had a clear view of him playing guitar.
Na Gang-in sang.
Shin Eun-ha and Kim Yu-chan acted out drinking the beverage.
The final two scenes wrapped smoothly, no incidents.
The CF aired a week later.
It hit TV first, then popped up online right after. The web version had extras not on TV.
The PC bang trio gathered to watch the online cut.
Yoon A-reum said,
"The singer's voice sounds just like Gang-in oppa."
An Seong-hwan didn't come daily—not even for urgent part-time gigs—but he'd shown up specially today to watch together.
An Seong-hwan grinned.
"Didn't you know? Gang-in hyung sang this CM song."
Yoon A-reum whipped her head around.
"Huh?"
"Not the whole thing—just the two versions for the drink shots. Thought you knew."
"You gotta tell me!"
They replayed the online CF.
Boss's niece Cha Eun-seo, watching Shin Eun-ha's fight scene, said,
"But this noona's showing her old colors."
An Seong-hwan asked,
"Old colors?"
"Eun-ha noona used to live in our neighborhood. Back then, her black history... Nah, spill too much and she'll kill me."
"Pfft, Eun-ha noona wouldn't. Eun-seo noona, maybe."
"You wanna die by my hand?"
Shin Eun-ha spoke from behind them.
"Eun-seo, you wanna die by my hand?"
Cha Eun-seo spun around, startled, and sputtered excuses.
"Ack! Noona? Misunderstanding! You've been our pure, lovely neighborhood goddess since forever! The whole hood still remembers your shining history!"
Shin Eun-ha pointed two fingers at her own eyes.
"I'm watching."
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Where's Gang-in oppa?"
"He didn't come today."
Shin Eun-ha grumbled,
"Was gonna congratulate him on his singing debut, but he won't pick up. Where'd he go?"
"Singing debut? He just did one CM song. Can't gig off a 30-second track."
"Still counts as a singer, right? Better than some half-baked tune. His version's gonna blast on TV nonstop now."