Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: Scenario
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Na Gang-in had a meal with the Kwak siblings, Chan-seok and Yu-seon, at a restaurant boasting a stunning view.
The head chef there, Jeon Dong-seon, had a habit of talking in a somewhat grating way at times, but his food was impeccable nonetheless.
"This is delicious."
The AI Jeon Ji-in was satisfied too.
- It tastes great.
Jeon Ji-in preferred food made by others over her own cooking. She even craved someone else's instant noodles more than her own. Today, Jeon Dong-seon had showered them with so much complimentary service that the table was overflowing.
- The owner here doesn't seem like a bad guy.
"Nature Robotics really is impressive. Our Ji-in got bought off with a few complimentary dishes?"
- Please call it graciously accepting their goodwill.
"You're good at making excuses too."
During the meal, Kwak Chan-seok brought up the equipment malfunction from the CF shoot.
"That LED lighting control gear Mr. Na Gang-in fixed? We figured out why it broke."
Jeon Ji-in spoke up.
- Someone might have tampered with it beforehand to cause a failure.
Na Gang-in asked,
"Who was it that messed with it?"
"Huh? You knew?"
"I had my suspicions."
"Well, yeah. You're the one who fixed it..."
"I only did a temporary patch job. So, who was the culprit?"
"The president of the production company that handled that CF before but got their contract canceled. He sabotaged the equipment to screw over the new production company before lending it out."
"So if the new company flopped, the only ones who could meet the CF schedule would be the original crew since they'd prepped it once before?"
"Exactly. He figured if something went wrong on set, he could swoop back in and take the job. But!"
Kwak Chan-seok stabbed his food with a fork as he continued.
"That bastard didn't stop at just that one piece. He messed with the gear our maknae was handling too. It had come from his company."
"He meant to damage it just enough, but botched it so badly it could've caused a fatal electrocution."
"You even predicted they'd claim that much."
That part he was hearing for the first time.
Kwak Chan-seok went on.
"Those guys tried to play it off, saying they had no idea it was damaged that severely."
"Well, it could be true... or not."
Kwak Chan-seok set down his fork and bowed his head deeply.
"Thank you for saving our maknae."
- Civilian rescue is a basic duty of the Earth Union forces.
"I saved her because I could."
"Yes, I heard you said that. Thank you."
Na Gang-in shifted the conversation.
"So what happened to the president who pulled that stunt?"
"We reported him to the police right away. Not just me—the CF production company and the advertisers all came forward. He's done for."
"The advertisers must've been pissed too."
"I heard the advertiser is grateful to you, Mr. Kang-in."
"To me?"
"That drink is a flagship new product they poured everything into. They even commissioned me for a new CM song. If someone died during the CF shoot... Just thinking about it pisses me off again. Without that ad, and with all the rumors flying, the drink would've tanked."
Na Gang-in savored a perfectly cooked shrimp. Delicious.
"I like that company's drinks too. Glad it all worked out."
Dessert arrived after the meal.
Na Gang-in's spot had more than the standard course offerings.
Kim Yu-chan protested.
"Hold on, boss? Why do we get one each and he gets two kinds...?"
Head chef Jeon Dong-seon replied.
"Complimentary service."
"Ah, right. Of course."
After tasting his dessert, Kim Yu-chan said,
"This reminds me of that dessert from the Gangwon-do set. That was seriously good."
Jeon Dong-seon asked,
"Dessert?"
"It was like tiramisu but with a crunchy cookie layer—a slice cake that was insanely tasty."
"Where'd you get it?"
"Na Gang-in made it at the food truck on that set."
Jeon Dong-seon turned to Na Gang-in.
Na Gang-in was devouring his after-dinner dessert with pure delight.
Jeon Ji-in suggested,
- Agent. Earn more money and come here often. It's delicious.
Kwak Yu-seon said to Na Gang-in,
"I'd love to try that dessert you made sometime."
Na Gang-in replied offhandedly,
"If you're ever near the PC bang where I hang out, swing by. I'm not always there, so call ahead."
Kwak Yu-seon quickly held out her phone.
"Give me your number."
It was Kwak Chan-seok who'd arranged the restaurant meetup with Na Gang-in. Yu-seon could've just asked her brother, but she thrust her phone forward anyway.
Na Gang-in entered his number. She called to confirm, then beamed. Now her number was saved in his phone too.
Na Gang-in felt an intense stare and glanced aside. Kim Yu-chan was staring at him in shock.
Na Gang-in asked,
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Huh? Mr. Gang-in. So if I go to that PC bang, I can get that dessert?"
"If you come when I'm there, yeah. Eun-ha drops by occasionally and takes boxes of it."
Kim Yu-chan was outraged.
"Eun-ha, you traitor! I love it too, and you've been sneaking it all this time?!"
The next day, actors Kim Yu-chan and Shin Eun-ha, along with director Son Tae-min and THO Entertainment president Lee Tae-ho, gathered at the seventh-floor restaurant Penelope for a meal.
The excuse was celebrating the movie's blockbuster success.
Lee Tae-ho pointed at the bullet holes embedded in the wall.
"Seeing that battle unfold right here up close made me realize what a real warzone with bullets flying everywhere is like."
Shin Eun-ha boasted,
"Right? And Gang-in oppa charged through that hail of bullets to rescue me."
"I held a gun and watched the prisoners. One resisted, so I shot him."
Lee Tae-ho's brag was a bit much. Shin Eun-ha asked in surprise,
"What? You killed someone?"
Lee Tae-ho swirled his wine glass leisurely with a chuckle.
"Heh heh heh. If I'd wanted him dead, I'd have aimed for the head. I deliberately shot above his vest to knock him out again."
"Whoa... Mr. President, you can really shoot."
"I finished my service as a sergeant. Hahaha."
Director Son Tae-min listened with regret.
"Man, I should've been here then. If I'd experienced it firsthand, I could've made a truly gritty action noir next."
Shin Eun-ha turned to him.
"Oh? But Director, your main thing is romance. You did one rom-com action flick, and now you're going full action noir?"
"Eun-ha, I've earned all the fame I can from romance. So now I feel like I can pull off an action noir."
Shin Eun-ha's eyes sparkled.
"Then can I be the female lead in that one?"
"You'd still need to audition."
"Tch."
Kim Yu-chan narrowed his eyes slightly at Shin Eun-ha.
"Eun-ha. You..."
"What? Oppa, you think you'll just get cast automatically?"
Kim Yu-chan smirked.
"Isn't it obvious? I was so badass in this movie. People are calling me a beastly flower boy."
"Gang-in oppa did all the real action. What beast? You just hurt your wrist imitating him."
Kim Yu-chan had fallen for her deflection but snapped back at the name.
"Ah, that's not what I was gonna say. You... going to Gang-in for desserts? Not once or twice, but regularly?"
"Ack! How'd you know?"
Kim Yu-chan slammed the table with his palm.
"Hey! How can you hog all the good stuff alone?"
"I'm not the only one eating it."
"Who's the other traitor?!"
Lee Tae-ho said awkwardly,
"My daughter loves it."
Kim Yu-chan faltered. Two against one, and he'd lose.
"Uh... Min-ji's just a kid, so yeah..."
"Min-jeong likes it too."
"Well, if it's the senior..."
"Me too..."
"Mr. President. How far are you going with this?"
Shin Eun-ha asked,
"But seriously, how'd you find out?"
"I met Na Gang-in at a restaurant in Mapo yesterday."
"Huh? Why would Gang-in oppa meet you at a place like that? Did he treat you? Why didn't he invite me?"
"I was there for another appointment and ran into him by chance. But Gang-in..."
Kim Yu-chan grinned. He had a weapon to turn the tables.
"Gang-in was there with a young lady."
Shin Eun-ha's expression hardened. Her left cheek twitched slightly.
She was an actress. Her face stiffened a bit, but her voice stayed casual.
"Must've been a business consultation."
"It was a fancy place like this. What kind of consultation happens there?"
"Hmph. So what? Was she pretty?"
"She was pretty."
"Not as pretty as me, I bet. If she were prettier, she'd be an actress... Huh?"
Shin Eun-ha asked cautiously,
"She's not an actress, is she?"
"Heh heh. Who knows?"
Penelope's head chef Oh Gyu-cheol approached.
"She's not an actress—she's a sound engineer. Kwak Chan-seok the composer's little sister."
Shin Eun-ha whipped her head around. She asked outright what she couldn't with Kim Yu-chan.
"Chef Oh, were you at that restaurant yesterday too?"
"I stopped by my junior's place and ran into them."
"Why were Gang-in oppa and that girl meeting there alone?"
Kim Yu-chan teased Shin Eun-ha.
"A date maybe?"
"Shut up, Yu-chan oppa."
Oh Gyu-cheol smiled and explained.
"There was an accident on a recent CF set, and Na Gang-in saved Kwak Yu-seon. So she treated him to thank him."
Shin Eun-ha was in that CF too. She realized who Kwak Yu-seon was and quickly recalled her face and figure.
Shin Eun-ha smiled leisurely.
"Heh. I win."
Oh Gyu-cheol added,
"He met with her brother Kwak Chan-seok too, so no way it was a date."
Shin Eun-ha immediately glared at Kim Yu-chan.
"What's this? The story's totally different now."
Kim Yu-chan sighed in disappointment.
"Aw, it was fun messing with you."
"Kyaa!"
Lee Tae-ho asked,
"What on earth are you all talking about? I feel like the only one out of the loop."
Kim Yu-chan asked,
"Mr. President, you curious what girl Na Gang-in met?"
"No, the CF accident."
"Ah, the advertisers clamped down on it, and since the investigation's ongoing, no articles yet..."
"Once the CF blows up, set behind-the-scenes stories will leak too. Like how Yu-chan spilled about our movie set on the radio."
Guilty as charged, Kim Yu-chan confessed readily.
"So it started with a few entertainment agencies getting hacked."
He explained how Na Gang-in reverse-tracked the hacker, fixed the CF set equipment, and rescued Kwak Yu-seon from the electrocution.
Chef Oh Gyu-cheol listened raptly from the side. He knew about the rescue but not the hacking.
Shin Eun-ha knew it all. She'd been beside Na Gang-in for the hacker trace and the CF shoot.
Director Son Tae-min and Lee Tae-ho were hearing everything for the first time.
Son Tae-min pulled out his smartphone with a serious face and turned on the recorder.
"I've got an idea for a new movie. A sleazy agency president holding dirt on the nation's top actress. A villain hacks the agency to steal that dirt and claim the actress. Throw in a serial killer, a conglomerate, a mob outfit for action."
Son Tae-min got excited, spinning the tale.
"The actress's only ally is one male lead hacker. They get chased by enemies, hack back, fight when tracked, get hurt, cheat death."
Son Tae-min beamed.
"Whoa, this makes not just fights but escapes super crucial."
Son Tae-min was famous for romance. Shin Eun-ha asked,
"What about the romance?"
"Gotta add it from midway. Love blooming on the battlefield. Kissing scenes, maybe bed scenes... Decide while writing the script."
Son Tae-min geeked out over his own pitch.
"Ooh, perfect. Ask Na Gang-in for martial arts direction and hacking consultation?"
Shin Eun-ha shot her hand up.
"Ah! Director, I'm the female lead. Right?"
"No script yet."
"You write super fast."
"Audition first."
"Can't you cast me as female lead and Gang-in oppa as male lead? No stunt double needed then."
"Gang-in's not an actor. How's he supposed to act?"
THO Entertainment president Lee Tae-ho had clearly seen how Na Gang-in acted to rescue him from the jackal gang.
Lee Tae-ho said,
"Uh... Na Gang-in's actually really good at acting, though?"