Chapter 82
Chapter 82
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: Psychological Warfare Technique
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Shin Eun-ha and the AI Jeon Ji-in both agreed and nagged him to take the drama job.
Na Gang-in said,
"Hmm. Alright, let's do it. It's not a tough gig. I'll call and say I'm in."
Shin Eun-ha picked up her phone and made the call.
"Hold on a sec. Let me make one call first."
The supporting actress from that drama, Yi Bo-ra, picked up.
- What? Why are you calling me? Did you screw up or something?
"Heh heh. Bora-ya. Oppa Gang-in's got a little dilemma, so I'm giving him some advice?"
Yi Bo-ra shrieked.
- Hey! Why are you bragging to me about that!
"Right now, Oppa Gang-in's sitting here debating whether to join 'Blue Sky' as the martial arts director?"
- What? Huh? What?
"I just got off the phone with Writer Do. She said the drama's second half is all about the folks who suffered in the first half getting their satisfying payback, right? Looks like she wants to amp up that thrill with some killer action."
- Wa-wait. So then me too...
"No clue who the writer wants to spotlight, but Oppa Gang-in joining as martial arts director is what makes that shift possible, yeah? And get this—I'm the one advising him on whether to do it~?"
- Unni! Tell him to do it, please!
"Who're you calling unni!"
- You're unni today, deal with it! Ah! Where are you? I'll come snap some pics!
"As if. We're heading to Penelope now. You know, Restaurant Penelope."
- A date!
"Heh. If you get it, clasp your hands and wait for the good news."
Shin Eun-ha hung up and grinned wide.
"Ahh. That felt good."
Na Gang-in asked,
"You two act all prickly on the surface, but you're actually tight...?"
"No way!"
Oh Gyu-cheol, the president and head chef of Restaurant Penelope, explained.
"I haven't tasted your cooking myself, Mr. Na, but the rumors have reached me. I got curious about the flavor, so I experimented a bit and came up with a great idea."
He set a newly created dish down on their table. It was meat-heavy, with a variety of vegetables mixed in.
Na Gang-in and Shin Eun-ha had already sampled a few courses. Those were from the standard menu, but this was his brand-new main dish.
"The name's 'Flames of the Battlefield'."
Na Gang-in eyed the dish. It looked familiar.
"Yeah."
Shin Eun-ha took the first bite.
"Oh my. It tastes just like Oppa Gang-in's fire mixed stew. Not quite as spicy, but this one's got a nice kick and it's delicious."
Oh Gyu-cheol grinned.
"Can't make it too fiery or some customers won't touch it. I balanced the flavors just right."
"I thought 'flames' meant it'd be scorching hot."
"It means I cooked it using the essence of fire aggressively."
Na Gang-in tried it too.
"It's good."
Shin Eun-ha didn't bother mentioning how Na Gang-in whipped up massive batches of this stuff in seconds and sold it. She wasn't that clueless as to rain on his parade while he was beaming with pride.
This tasting wasn't just for them, either.
The composer Kwak Chan-seok and sound engineer Kwak Yu-seon siblings were at the next table, sampling dishes and overhearing the conversation.
Kwak Yu-seon said,
"Totally. It feels just like Gang-in's fire mixed stew. This is the milder version."
Shin Eun-ha whipped her head around.
"Oh? How would you know that taste?"
"I ate it at that PC bang."
"You paid for it, I bet."
"Of course."
Shin Eun-ha bragged,
"I get it for free. Heh."
Na Gang-in said to Shin Eun-ha,
"You really need to start paying. They say the rich are the stingiest—you're doing movies and CFs, and still?"
"I help with the dishes. Dishes."
Shin Eun-ha proudly hoisted the paper bag.
"Thanks for the gift, too. You're the best."
Kwak Yu-seon looked curious.
"What's that?"
"Underwear."
"Pardon? Oh..."
Before she could misunderstand, Na Gang-in clarified.
"It's a bulletproof vest."
Kwak Yu-seon's face lit up.
"Ah!"
'Must be a movie prop.'
Oh Gyu-cheol joked,
"Bulletproof vest! Brilliant idea. I should grab a few myself. As you know, our restaurant's under constant gunfire. Hahaha."
Na Gang-in's apartment and Shin Eun-ha's family home were in the same neighborhood.
Lately, Shin Eun-ha had been heading home more often.
On the way back, she hummed a tune.
"Today was so rewarding and exciting. Got a gift, ate amazing food, even gave someone a proper schooling."
"Schooling?"
"Yeah. Oppa Gang-in ruined the finale and halved the impact. Could've knocked it out in one shot."
Na Gang-in dropped Shin Eun-ha off and drove away.
Bubbling with excitement, paper bag in hand, she headed inside.
Her mother said,
"You've been coming home a lot lately?"
"Isn't that a good thing? Where's Dad?"
"Probably out boozing somewhere."
"Young-seok?"
"What, you think he's any different? Boozing."
Shin Eun-ha pulled the Dragon Plate bulletproof vest from the bag and showed it off.
"Ta-da! Mom, check this out."
"Huh? What's that?"
It was the first time Shin Eun-ha had properly unpacked it from the bag.
"Wow. The design came out so pretty."
Her mother asked,
"What is it?"
"Something you wear under your clothes."
"Underwear?"
"No. Between underwear and outerwear."
"It's got such a weird shape. Looks like it's made of metal."
She boasted,
"It is metal. Bulletproof vest."
"Oh. Movie prop, huh?"
"Nope. It's a gift. The latest model."
Her mother chuckled.
"Who the hell gifts a girl something like that? That weirdo you mentioned?"
"I said he's not a weirdo—he's fascinating."
"So it was him?"
"Uh... yeah, pretty much?"
"But why a bulletproof vest as a gift? You're not a bodyguard or..."
Her mother trailed off, eyes widening.
"Wait! Are you dating one of your agency's security guys?"
Shin Eun-ha hadn't told her family about what she'd been through.
The Jackal incident at the Gangnam seven-story building had tons of people bragging openly about their experiences that day.
Plus, she'd been masked up with sunglasses, hiding her face. Folks there didn't even know which floor she'd been on.
Her name hadn't come up much.
And the Jackal case? Barely any customers got hurt, and all the perps were nabbed. Big incident, sure, but guests weren't in real danger—that was the vibe.
Her parents just thought she'd been briefly held with the crowd and released.
Shin Eun-ha had lied, saying she hadn't faced any real danger.
So they had no clue how dicey it really was.
The Nakgwi Pirates thing had other big names involved too, so she'd blended in fine.
Shin Eun-ha said,
"Not a bodyguard."
"Movie person, then?"
"I do movies... Hold up. Mrs. Park. What are you doing? Snooping on my love life?"
"Tch."
"Whoa..."
To pivot the convo, Shin Eun-ha quickly changed. She slipped on some regular undies, then the Dragon Plate vest over top.
"Wow, Mom. Look at this. Metal, but so comfy."
"Yeah. Pretty wild. Must be fun."
She stood before the full-length mirror. The vest hugged her curves perfectly, showing off her figure.
"Wow. Fits like it was custom-made."
"It does. Looks like a battlesuit from an SF flick."
"Right? Like an infiltration agent's gear from a movie."
Her mother narrowed her eyes.
"But doesn't it fit you too perfectly? It's not spandex—it's metal."
"That's what makes the craftsmanship so impressive... Huh?"
A sudden doubt hit her.
The assembled metal Dragon Plate matched her body exactly. Even the bust and waist curves were spot-on.
'How'd Oppa Gang-in know my measurements? This precise?'
She could only assume Na Gang-in had eyed her figure closely to figure it out.
Shin Eun-ha's face turned beet red.
Her mother's eyes narrowed further.
"Yeah? How'd he know your size? How much have you shown that guy?"
"No!"
Shin Eun-ha turned her ire on Na Gang-in.
"That guy's so good he can size up women's bodies now too! He doesn't need that skill!"
The movie Sunny Day broke ten million viewers. It'd be leaving theaters soon, then hitting VOD for home viewing.
Ten million was big for actors, but even bigger for directors.
Son Tae-min had snagged the "ten-million director" title. He'd dreamed of this day, but not this soon.
At the celebration party, Son Tae-min addressed the crowd.
"Like I did this alone? You all he—hahaha! Helped make it happen! Hahahaha!"
THO Entertainment had rented out an entire rooftop party space near Hongdae.
Actors, film crew, company staff—everyone tied to the movie showed up.
Guests snapped selfies on the roof and posted to SNS.
Lead actor Kim Yu-chan approached Na Gang-in, glass in hand.
"Gang-in, let's grab a pic together."
"For SNS?"
"Heh. Obviously."
"Your follower count's insane, Yu-chan."
Kim Yu-chan boasted,
"I'm a star. Pic with me'll boost your name recognition. Might even hit the news."
"Then I'm out."
"Why!"
"I'm not an actor. Don't need the hassle."
Drunken director Son Tae-min slurred,
"Be an actor! They say your acting's no joke! Gang-in! Let's make a movie! Movie!"
Na Gang-in glanced over and gave an awkward smile.
"I've got other work. Can't have my face too famous."
Kim Yu-chan asked,
"What else do you do? Save the planet?"
"Uh... something like that."
"Eco-activism or whatever."
"Uh..."
"Like sneaking in to monitor illegal dumping? Yeah, fame'd cramp that style."
"Not quite, but yeah—too much spotlight messes with the job."
He straight-up refused a selfie with the lead. No one else dared ask after that.
Shin Eun-ha had shone as a key supporting role. But the female lead was someone else.
Oh Se-na, Kim Yu-chan's onscreen partner, arrived at the party.
Oh Se-na's acting was solid.
But her lead billing came from her stunning looks, not her chops.
As she appeared, other actresses subtly backed away. A few had snapped pics with her before, only to get dragged online in comparisons. They weren't falling for that again.
Oh Se-na smiled apologetically at the crowd.
"Sorry I'm a bit late. Traffic."
A few male actors and staff flinched at the smile.
"Oof, that aegyo smile. Deadly."
"No guy resists a grin like that."
"Her dating history's stacked?"
"Nah. Why slum it? Dream on."
"Hey, I wasn't hoping—but a man can dream, right?"
Drunk director Son Tae-min waved excitedly.
"Se-na! Late on set every day, late today too? Hahaha!"
"Oh dear. Director Son's had a few."
Oh Se-na gave light greetings all around. Then she approached Na Gang-in.
"Martial arts director Na Gang-in?"
Na Gang-in said,
"Just a stuntman."
"So humble. They say we wouldn't have hit ten million without you."
"Nah. The movie was gorgeous."
Lead actress Oh Se-na flashed a beautiful smile.
"Oh? Was that a sneaky compliment for me?"
Most guys would've melted and played nice.
Na Gang-in wasn't most guys.
Na Gang-in said,
"Obviously praising the movie."