* * *
“Hmm… if my appearance is in the movie…”
The AI assistant reported.
[The agent’s physical abilities shown during the filming did not exceed human limits. His face was covered by sunglasses and a mask.]
When Na Kang-in didn’t respond right away, the anxious Son Tae-min said,
“Of course, we’ll pay you extra! And we’ll credit you in the end credits! And also…”
“Go ahead and use it.”
“What? Oh, thank you! Ha ha. Thanks to you, Na Kang-in, we’re saved.”
Son Tae-min excitedly returned to his place.
Next to Na Kang-in, Shin Eun-ha clapped her hands with a bright smile.
“Oh, that’s great. The scene with me will be your first appearance in a movie?”
“I’m not an actor, though?”
“What?”
“I just did a part-time job.”
“Who work hard in a part-time job?”
“Should I have done it half-heartedly?”
Shin Eun-ha quickly waved her hands.
“Oh, no! No way! If you had done it half-heartedly, I would have died.”
Na Kang-in chuckled and turned towards the food truck.
Shin Eun-ha saw Na Kang-in’s back. His clothes were torn.
“Oh? Your clothes…”
She realized that Na Kang-in must have been hit in the back by something while rescuing her. She wasn’t injured at all.
“Na Kang-in, you have a wound on your back…”
Na Kang-in shrugged.
“It’s just a slight tear in my clothes.”
Just as he said, there were no injuries. The debris only grazed the costume he had received for the shoot.
Shin Eun-ha stared at the torn clothes blankly, then suddenly bowed her head and loudly expressed her gratitude.
“Thank you!”
Na Kang-in raised his left hand and waved slightly as he walked toward the food truck.
Shin Eun-ha watched Na Kang-in heading back to the food truck, then hurriedly ran over to Director Son Tae-min.
“Director! Director! The food truck is coming tomorrow too, right?”
“Of course, it has to come! If it doesn’t, we can’t shoot from tomorrow…”
They would finish filming at this location today.
“What? But we’re filming in Seoul starting tomorrow, right?”
“What?”
“We’re finishing all the scenes shot in the mountains today, and starting tomorrow, everything will be in Seoul. So the food truck…”
There was no need to call it.
Shin Eun-ha became anxious.
“That won’t do… the food truck has to come…”
Son Tae-min was also flustered.
“Right. That won’t do. Should we call the food truck for the shoot in Seoul too?”
The assistant director chimed in from the side.
“Excuse me, director. I heard Mr. Na Kang-in is just a temporary chef for today because the usual food truck guy hurt his hand. So, even if we call the food truck tomorrow, Mr. Na won’t be coming, right?”
“Oh, that’s right. He did say today was a special arrangement.”
Shin Eun-ha asked, “Then where does he normally work?”
The assistant director answered, “I heard he works at a PC bang.”
“What?”
“I just asked the food truck guy. Mr. Na sells food at an PC Bang in Seoul. Our usual food truck guy is a regular there, but since he hurt his hand yesterday, he brought Mr. Na Kang-in just for today.”
Shin Eun-ha, remembering how Na Kang-in had deftly used an iron pipe to knock away a falling steel light fixture, asked in confusion, “Why is someone with his skills a chef at a PC Bang?”
“I don’t really understand it either,” said Son Tae-min.
Na Kang-in had perfectly executed an action scene involving a fight with three actors while considering the positions of three cameras. Even when the set collapsed unexpectedly, the footage looked as if it was enhanced with special effects.
Moreover, the first take was completely impromptu, and the set’s collapse was a sudden incident. Despite this, the footage captured was flawless.
Son Tae-min asked the assistant director, “With skills like his, why is he working at an PC Bang?”
“I don’t really understand it either,” replied the assistant director.
Not getting any answer, Son Tae-min looked at his notebook containing the plot for the revised script. To film the story with another actor would require numerous stunt doubles and extensive pre-production, not to mention a lot of CGI. But they didn’t have time for that.
“Wait, this…”
An idea dawned on Son Tae-min.
“If Mr. Na helps us, I think we could finish shooting in a week!”
Shin Eun-ha quickly agreed, “Right? We should keep having him act! We could shoot all our additional scenes with him… Oh, wait a minute.”
She suddenly realized a crucial issue and asked, flustered, “Director, isn’t our movie a romantic comedy? We’re not making an action film.”
Director Son Tae-min asked, “Does the genre matter right now?”
Shin Eun-ha shook her head. “No, I don’t mind any genre.”
Son Tae-min waved the notebook containing the revised script.
“Heh. If we replace the scenes with that drug addict with action scenes, we can solve all our problems, including the shooting schedule!”
If the movie didn’t get released, the assistant director wouldn’t just miss out on his directorial debut, it would hurt his career.
Excited, the assistant director asked, “Should we hire a stunt coordinator right away, then?”
“Did you not hear a word I said? You saw Mr. Na calculating the choreography in real-time and pulling off incredible action, right?”
“Yes.”
“And we finished shooting in no time, right?”
“Yes, it was instant.”
“What do we lack the most? Time. And who can solve that for us? Is there anyone other than Na Kang-in?”
The assistant director nodded eagerly. “No, no one else can do it. Except, he’s not an actor but a food truck guy working part-time in a PC bang.”
“So what if he’s not a professional actor? There’s no certification required for acting.”
“What about his face?”
“We’ll use masks and sunglasses extensively. Mr. Na will perform the action scenes wearing them, and then we’ll have Kim Yoo-chan step in to shoot the unmasked scenes.”
“We’ll film the non-action parts with Kim Yoo-chan removing his mask or sunglasses and edit those in?”
“Isn’t that obvious?”
“Wow, director. You’re a genius. The footage will look amazing.”
“Only now do you realize I’m a genius?”
The assistant director added, “But again, if you ignore the fact that Mr. Na isn’t really an actor, it’s a perfect plan.”
Cracking his neck, Son Tae-min said, “That’s why I’m going to solve that most important problem right now.”
He walked over to the food truck. “Mr. Na Kang-in! Can we talk for a moment?”
Na Kang-in turned to look at him.
“Do we have anything more to discuss?”
“Yes, we have something very important to talk about.”
Grabbing Na Kang-in’s hand, Son Tae-min said, “Please save our movie.”
***
Son Tae-min explained the movie’s dire situation with all his might. Na Kang-in was initially indifferent. There wasn’t much information to gather in the remote mountains of Gangwon Province.
The AI, Zijin, spoke up.
[This area’s terrain is nearly identical to my data. The information value here is low.
Na Kang-in said, “I have work in Seoul. I can’t keep coming here.”
Son Tae-min quickly replied, “Seoul! That’s perfect! We’re planning to shoot all the additional scenes in Seoul starting tomorrow!”
“Really?”
Seoul is well-connected with public transport, making it possible for him to come for the shoot and return to his work.
“I’ll make sure you get paid well. The production company isn’t in a position to save money right now. I’ll make sure you get your fee, even if I have to grab them by the collar.”
The AI, Zijin, advised.
[We need more operating funds.
Na Kang-in added a condition to Son Tae-min.
“I have other work, so I can’t stay at the shooting location all day.”
Son Tae-min’s face lit up.
“Just come when we need to shoot the necessary scenes. If possible, without any NGs like before.”
“Understood. Let me know the schedule, and I’ll come to the set.”
Son Tae-min beamed.
“Thank you. I’ll stay up all night if I have to and finish revising the script.”
“So, for now…”
“We need to quickly shoot the remaining scenes. We have to finish everything here today. Haha.”
* * *
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