Chapter 115
Chapter 115
115.
Power of the Power (1)
Shinwoo was in the back seat of a car with Jang Man-soo for the first time in a while, speeding down the highway. Mark Freeman and Meian, the bodyguards, were sitting side by side in the driver's and passenger seats.
Shinwoo, who was looking out the window, said quietly.
"They're filming at Incheon Port?"
"That's right. Like I said before, today we're going to check on the filming situation with each investor, production company, and distributor. But do I really have to dress like this? My usual style would be perfect for a setting like today."
Unlike usual, Jang Man-soo was wearing a neat navy striped suit. Of course, his tie and shoes weren't strawberry pink or burgundy, but matched the color of his suit.
"You're wearing that as a condition for me going there. If you don't like it, I can turn the car around right now."
"Oh, come on! Why are you so fickle? I can put up with it for just today!"
Shinwoo didn't want to go to an official event with Jang Man-soo's clownish fashion sense by his side. That's why he used the condition as an excuse to make him change his clothes.
Soon, Jang Man-soo seemed to give up grumbling and just sighed deeply.
Shinwoo chuckled at the sight and continued the conversation.
"But the job is... 'Extreme Detective,' was it? The main character is Han Sa-min."
"That's right. That's from before..."
While listening to the story, Shinwoo felt frustrated. It was because things came up that he had to compare with his memories from before the regression.
"Ongea kwa raha kwa lugha chafu. (Speak comfortably in Code.)"
"Sawa. (Okay.)"
Suddenly, when the two men's language changed to something incomprehensible, Mark Freeman, who was driving, looked in the rearview mirror, and Meian in the passenger seat turned around slightly.
Shinwoo and Jang Man-soo continued their conversation without paying attention.
"Anyway, it's a guaranteed success. It was definitely a success before."
"You know it well. But even though it's a movie that will do well anyway, there are guys who are being bossy?"
"That's right. They say it's for the sake of success, but their meddling seems to be getting worse. At this rate, they're going to ruin something that would have been successful."
"Was it like this before? You put in plenty of investment. It shouldn't be a contract that's disadvantageous to them either."
Originally, it was a movie that Jang Man-soo would never have touched in the future. It was a movie that had over ten million viewers back then, so the situation wouldn't have changed much.
Rather, MH Future Security invested more than before, so it was bound to be more stable.
"That might have become the problem."
"Problem?"
"As soon as it became known that we invested, more and more people stuck to it. Of course, the production company also used that to find more investors."
"We should have invested exclusively so that they wouldn't need anyone else at all."
At Shinwoo's answer, Jang Man-soo's lips and eyes twitched strangely as if he had seen something very absurd.
"Who doesn't know that? But the production company won't accept it that way. If we mess up, the movie production itself could be canceled."
"Ah~."
Shinwoo himself could realize that he had thought something wrong.
"You're really showing off that you studied investment ignorantly."
"Why do you have to go that far?"
"It's not wrong. It's only working out like this because I have Lillian."
"I know, so just say it once."
While they were talking, the car carrying the two men arrived at a bonded warehouse complex full of container boxes near Incheon Port.
They passed through the containers that were densely packed in all directions and went inside, where filming was in progress.
Then Meian, who was walking next to him, looked at Shinwoo and said.
"Here, it's like that place. Shinwoo jumped into the sea..."
It was about when he went to the warehouse where Ray Sung Group's slush fund was stored, and Meian suddenly appeared. At the time, Shinwoo jumped into the sea to escape from Meian.
Shinwoo, startled by the story of that time, covered Meian's mouth with his hand.
"Shh!"
Jang Man-soo couldn't help but tilt his head at the sight.
"The sea? What are you talking about?"
"Something like that happened. Anyway, we can just watch the filming, right?"
Jang Man-soo made an absurd expression like before.
"Anyway, our MH Future Security is the largest investor in the movie 'Extreme Detective.' So we have to go over there and say hello."
"Is it just saying hello?"
"I've set up everything else, so don't worry."
"What setup?"
While they were talking, they almost reached the filming location.
Then, a male staff member came up to Shinwoo and Jang Man-soo and blocked them.
"We are currently filming a movie. What's going on..."
The staff member flinched for a moment when he saw the burly foreigners in suits and sunglasses around him.
Shinwoo sighed through his nose and said.
"We're from MH Future Security."
The staff member was startled when he heard the name and ran straight to the director.
Soon, a shout to take a break, carried on the megaphone at the filming site, rang out, and the director approached Shinwoo at a rapid pace.
"Hello. I'm Bae Youngheon, the director of Extreme Detective."
"You're working hard. I'm Baek Shin-woo from MH Future Security."
The director received Shinwoo's business card and checked it, then was startled.
【MH Future Security】
【Ceo Baek Shin-woo】
It was a name that had recently shaken the Korean economy. At the same time, he had rarely appeared in public, so his face was not well known.
He couldn't help but be surprised that Baek Shin-woo himself had appeared on the movie set.
"Are you really CEO Baek Shin-woo?"
"That's right. I heard that a movie our company invested in was being filmed, so I came to encourage you. It just so happened that the production company and other investors were also coming."
"I see. Thank you for coming."
Jang Man-soo, who was standing next to him, chimed in.
"I'm Jang Man-soo, the head of operations at MH Future Security. Today, the CEO sent a food truck and a snack truck to support the filming. It's almost lunchtime, so let's fill up our stomachs first."
"Ah, thank you for the food. And the others..."
At that moment, a young woman who had heard the news that Shinwoo had arrived came quickly from another direction.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Eom Ayoung, the CEO of Breath Film."
"I'm Baek Shin-woo."
Shinwoo greeted her as before and handed her his business card. Eom Ayoung, who received it, smiled contentedly.
"I'm meeting CEO Baek Shin-woo, who I've only heard rumors about."
"I guess there are quite a few rumors about me."
"Quite a lot. Without exaggeration, if you don't know CEO Baek Shin-woo in the money-making world right now, you're a spy."
Shinwoo's name had spread at an incredible rate.
"I've made a lot of noise."
"There's nothing wrong with a full cart being noisy. And as the CEO of the production company, I'm really grateful that you came to support us today."
"I should have come sooner... I'm late."
While they were talking, Meian poked Shinwoo in the side.
Shinwoo was startled and stared at her intently. He knew from her eyes alone that she was very displeased. He turned his head and asked quietly in Chinese.
"What's wrong?"
"Why are you grinning so happily?"
"What's it to you? And be quiet during security. We agreed to follow the rules. Or I'll send you back to Yaguza."
"Tch!"
Meian had no choice but to shut her mouth again.
Eom Ayoung, who was watching the scene, had a surprised expression on her face.
"Do you speak Chinese?"
"A little."
"I heard you were a soldier... That's almost native level."
"Thank you for the compliment. I'll just watch the filming for a bit and leave, so you can go about your business."
"You sent a food truck... Is it difficult to have a meal together?"
This time, Jang Man-soo poked Shinwoo in the side and said urgently in Swahili.
"Sema unakula. haraka. (Say you'll eat. Quickly.)"
Shinwoo frowned for a moment, then relaxed and replied.
"I need to see the filming site a little more, so I'll eat and go."
"That's a relief."
The food truck was parked on one side of the container warehouse parking lot. All the staff and actors went there and started eating.
"...What did you even call?"
It was called a food truck, but it was a huge, high-end buffet. In the middle of the truck serving such food, there was also a large placard hanging.
【Wishing 'Extreme Detective' a Big Hit!】
The snack truck was the same. However, the contents of the placard were different.
【To Actor Han Sa-min! Always Gluco'samin'!】
Shinwoo frowned at the incomprehensible words.
"What does that even mean? Gluco'samin? Are they telling him to take vitamins?"
"It's the name of the fan club, so shut up and get some food."
Because of Jang Man-soo pushing him forward, Shinwoo sighed and put food on his plate. He took a table first and waited, then Eom Ayoung and the director, Bae Youngheon, joined him and started eating.
While eating with various conversations, Shinwoo saw Jang Man-soo, who was sitting next to him, looking elsewhere. At the end of his gaze was a familiar woman.
"Why don't you just go over there and ask her to eat with us?"
"The actress would be uncomfortable, so I can't."
"...You keep the line well."
The two men's conversation was not in Korean, but in Swahili. Because of the very loud accent and pronunciation, the people eating across from them didn't understand what they were saying at all and were slightly dumbfounded.
Shinwoo noticed the strange atmosphere when he saw Eom Ayoung and Bae Youngheon.
"I'm sorry. Director Jang Man-soo is a friend I met in the military. There's a language I learned out of curiosity, and I sometimes use it when I have important things to talk about."
"The pronunciation is very unique... What country's language is it?"
"It's Swahili. But it's something I learned unofficially, so it's not used formally."
"Ah... I didn't know the CEO would use the word 'unofficially.'"
Externally, Shinwoo was a member of the MH Group's owner family. Most people would think that he had received a dignified and aristocratic education, so they were very puzzled.
Of course, Eom Ayoung also knew that Shinwoo had joined the owner family after he became an adult, but she was also surprised because she didn't see any rough edges in his short behavior.
"I'm not usually a quiet person."
"I see."
A slightly friendly atmosphere flowed. At that moment, a loud noise rang out from the table behind them.
Crack―
Meian, who was cutting a steak, broke the plate while cutting it.
"......"
At the same time, Meian looked at the back of Shinwoo's head as if she was going to pierce it with her blazing eyes.
Of course, Shinwoo had felt the gaze from the beginning, but he ignored it, thinking that if he reacted, she would stick to him even more.
Then Eom Ayoung discovered Meian and asked cautiously.
"Is the cute girl in the back also a bodyguard?"
"That's right."
"Oh my! Usually, bodyguards are tall and have a large build, right?"
Meian was less than 165cm tall and had a thin build, so it was natural to think it was strange.
But Shinwoo told Eom Ayoung with a serious expression.
"She's an exception. And be careful. If you touch her wrong, she'll really bite."
"Oh, come on..."
Crack―
The sound of Meian's second plate breaking due to the knife rang out. It was clear to anyone that she was doing it on purpose.
Then, a staff member approached with a troubled expression and whispered to the director, Bae Youngheon.
Bae Youngheon's expression changed to a serious one, and he slowly got up.
"I think I should get up first. I'll see you at the site later."
With a greeting, Bae Youngheon headed towards the group that seemed to have just arrived at the site.
At this, Jang Man-soo nudged Shinwoo in the side and said urgently.
"It's because of those guys. Over there. Those guys."
"Is there a problem?"
"They're other investors. There are actors from various actor agencies that they've put in through there, and they keep complaining to the director, asking him to increase their roles."
"Is this something that happened before?"
"No. Originally, they weren't even actors. The situation has changed quite a bit since I touched it."
Shinwoo didn't know the situation in the entertainment industry well, but he could roughly guess the situation by listening to the story.
"They're being bossy with money, right?"
"That's right. Like you said, it would have been fine if they had only received our investment, but the production company also received distributed investments to reduce the risk, so things got twisted."
"Ok. I understand."
With the answer, Shinwoo looked at Eom Ayoung. Of course, even in the midst of all this, he could feel Meian's hot gaze from behind.