* * *
Na Kang-in usually spends his time gathering various information about the current world.
AI Zijin immediately suggested.
[We need field information from a high-end bar. Have him buy expensive drinks if possible.]
Na Kang-in nodded.
“Sure.”
As soon as Shin Eun-ha, who was prowling nearby, heard this, she quickly jumped in.
“I can drink too, you know.”
Lee Tae-ho looked at her.
With the revised script, supporting actress Shin Eun-ha’s screen time had increased significantly.
In this movie, the female lead had almost no connection to the supporting actor involved in the drug incident. The few scenes they shared were deleted entirely. Therefore, the female lead didn’t need to participate in the re-shoot.
On the other hand, Shin Eun-ha was in the middle of the scene where the set collapsed. In the revised script, she kept getting involved in battles.
Son Tae-min added several related scenes for each battle scene he shot. Shin Eun-ha was needed for those scenes.
In the end, Shin Eun-ha’s role in the movie increased from supporting to a leading supporting role.
She worked just as hard on set.
The only day her schedule had any leeway was the day they filmed the cafe fight scene.
Lee Tae-ho smiled broadly.
“Eun-ha, I heard you worked really hard too, so let’s go together.”
***
Jang Mi-jung and Lee Min-ji went home, and Lee Tae-ho bought good liquor in a private room at a high-end sushi restaurant.
It wasn’t just Shin Eun-ha who followed. Leading actor Kim Yoo-chan also quietly tagged along.
Shin Eun-ha asked.
“Oppa, why are you tagging along here? You earn a lot of money, why bother?”
“What about you? What’s your motive? It’s not like you can’t afford sushi.”
“I came because I didn’t have any other plans.”
“I don’t have any plans either.”
The four of them sat at a fairly large table.
Na Kang-in took a sip from a small glass of liquor.
The drink tasted good. It had a nice aroma too.
“This is nice.”
Na Kang-in and AI Zijin share sensory experiences such as taste and smell.
AI Zijin commented.
[This is good liquor. Have some more.]
Na Kang-in chuckled and reached for the bottle.
Shin Eun-ha gently held the bottle and smiled bashfully.
“They say if you pour your own drink, you won’t get a pretty girlfriend.”
Kim Yoo-chan grabbed another bottle and remarked.
“What kind of old joke is that? Move over. I’ll pour for Kang-in.”
“What’s with you? I’m just trying to pour a drink for our savior.”
“Did Kang-in only save you? He saved me too.”
“Oppa wouldn’t have died even if he just stood there when the set collapsed.”
“Back then, if I had injured my face there, my glamorous acting career could have ended in a heartbeat.”
“I almost ended my actual life.”
“If the movie had failed, my career could have been in shambles too.”
“And my career wasn’t at risk?”
While the two bickered, CEO Lee Tae-ho poured a drink into Na Kang-In’s glass and spoke.
“My dream was originally to be a film director. So, since college, I hung around the film industry and even made a few independent films.”
“I see.”
Lee Tae-ho gave a bitter smile and chuckled.
“In fact, all the films I made flopped.”
Kim Yoo-chan, who had been losing the argument, slyly joined the conversation.
“Is it common for independent films to be successful? That’s really rare.”
“The problem was that they failed even as works of art.”
“Ah… well…”
Lee Tae-ho took a sip of his drink and continued.
“After messing up a few independent films, I realized I had no talent for directing. Actually, my father just wanted me to join his company, but I didn’t want to leave this industry. So, I turned to film production instead.”
Kim Yoo-chan said,
“Your film company has been successful.”
Lee Tae-ho laughed.
“Thanks to my wealthy parents, I managed to solve the most critical funding issues. That’s why I succeeded.”
Kim Yoo-chan waved his hand dismissively.
“Oh, you’re being modest. It’s rare to find a producer as good as you in this industry.”
“Anyway, if this movie fails, our film company will be in danger too, and then I’d really get chewed out by my parents and brother. Hahaha.”
When someone who buys good drinks keeps talking, you can’t just focus on eating without responding.
Na Kang-In asked,
“Did you set up the film company and fail instead of working at your father’s company?”
“Not exactly.”
Lee Tae-ho shook his head and explained the situation.
“My father’s company is in manufacturing, mainly making equipment for the military and police. They don’t just cater to the domestic market but export quite a bit too. It’s a well-known company in that field.”
Suddenly, AI Zijin offered advice.
[Agent, you currently do not possess any combat equipment. You need to secure equipment.]
Lee Tae-ho took another sip of his drink and continued.
“My father also gave me some shares in the company. Of course, my shares are friendly shares that fully support my father and brother, so I can’t sell them. But…”
Lee Tae-ho laughed awkwardly.
“I invested over ten billion won in this movie. To get that money, I used those shares as collateral.”
“Your father’s company shares?”
“Yes. If the movie fails, I’ll have to honestly confess to my father and ask for help, but if he finds out I used the shares as collateral to make a movie, he might just grab a golf club and hit me with it. Just thinking about it is scary.”
Shin Eun-ha, who was listening next to them, asked in surprise,
“Huh? He hits you with a golf club?”
“Back when I secretly applied to the theater and film department and went to college, on the day of the entrance ceremony, I got hit with a golf club. My parents thought I had applied to the mechanical engineering department because that’s the family business.”
“Ah… you deserved a few hits.”
Lead actor Kim Yoo-chan chimed in with a story he knew.
“I heard that CEO’s father’s company is quite the lucrative one. It must be true, seeing how they could cover over ten billion won in production costs in one go.”
Lee Tae-ho laughed awkwardly.
“But I would get hit with a golf club. My father’s company shares shouldn’t be used as collateral.”
“But CEO, you’re really brave. What would you do if the movie fails?”
Lee Tae-ho smiled brightly this time.
“Do you think our movie will fail? The script is top-notch, the director is Son Tae-min, the actors are great, and we’ve secured the maximum number of theaters.”
Kim Yoo-chan agreed.
“That’s right. If it weren’t for that drug addict, we would have guaranteed at least five million viewers.”
“That’s why I invested directly with great confidence. Just thinking about that drug addict still gives me chills.”
Na Kang-In wasn’t very interested in Lee Tae-ho’s story. He ate a piece of chewy sashimi.
‘This sashimi is good.’
Shin Eun-ha also wasn’t very interested in that side of things. Still, she tried to follow the conversation and asked Kim Yoo-chan,
“What’s the name of the CEO’s father’s company? Is it a company I know?”
“They don’t sell to the general public, so you wouldn’t know. Have you heard of Iron Gear Engineering?”
“No.”
Shin Eun-ha had never heard of the company.
AI Zijin reacted to the name.
[Information related to Iron Gear Engineering is included in my initial data.]
Na Kang-In’s expression slightly hardened.
The atmosphere was quiet and indoors. Having a long conversation with AI Zijin would be difficult except for simple questions.
He got up from his seat.
“I need to go to the restroom.”
After reaching the restroom, Na Kang-In looked in the mirror and quietly asked,
“Report on Iron Gear Engineering. Not what you found on the internet here, but the information you originally knew.”
[It is a company that makes old combat equipment occasionally used in some regions.]
“Old by 2082 standards. Until when were they produced?”
– The last model I have data on is from 2022.
Na Kang-In frowned.
“This year.”
* * *
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