* * *
Na Kang-In began dismantling the car’s interior, which was on the brink of being scrapped, following the instructions displayed in the holographic video.
The AI assistant, Zinji, helped guide his hand movements.
Na Kang-In placed each part he disassembled on an old table.
Shin Eun-ha asked from beside him, “Oppa, shouldn’t you note down the order while taking things apart?”
“You’ve heard that somewhere?”
“There was a scene in a movie where they messed up disassembling precision equipment because they got the order wrong.”
“It’s fine. I remember everything.”
It wasn’t really him remembering. The AI Zinji was keeping track of all the parts’ positions.
After working for a while, Zinji reported,
[Disassembly complete. Moving to the next step.]
They had known the cause of the malfunction from the beginning. The screen before them changed, showing the car’s internal wiring highlighted in red.
[All of this wiring needs to be replaced]
Na Kang-In removed the wires and replaced them with new ones he had bought from an electrical store.
Eun-ha asked, “Can you use regular wires in a car?”
“I took their properties into account, so even though they aren’t specifically for cars, they’ll hold up.”
[Wiring replacement complete. Begin reassembly]
Na Kang-In started reassembling the engine compartment. Some car parts require precise torque during assembly—too loose and they come apart, too tight and they cause problems.
Zinji visually indicated the correct force to apply for each part.
Eun-ha, who didn’t understand the mechanical details, watched in amazement as Na Kang-In reassembled the parts on the table without a single mistake.
“Wow, Oppa, your memory is amazing.”
Some parts in the engine compartment were replaced with ones from the scrapyard, which were in better condition than the original ones.
Na Kang-In found and fixed poorly assembled components as well. All of this work was completed in just one hour.
Na Kang-In removed his gloves. “It’s done.”
Eun-ha was skeptical. “It felt like you did that really quickly.”
“I’m always fast.”
“Is it okay to call it done without even starting the engine?”
“I repaired it all based on calculations. It’ll be fine.”
“We’re not going to blow up while driving this, are we?”
“Trust me.”
[Trust me, Agent] Zinji added.
Na Kang-In sat in the driver’s seat and started the car. Contrary to Eun-ha’s worries, the engine started smoothly. The battery hadn’t even been replaced, yet it started effortlessly compared to before.
Not only did it start smoothly, but the engine also sounded quieter.
The car, which had been on the verge of being scrapped, was now perfectly functional, with no worries about breaking down on the road.
Eun-ha was genuinely impressed. Though she didn’t know much about car repairs, she had enough experience to know this was remarkable.
“Wow, you disassembled and reassembled it so quickly and it actually works? I thought you were just good at martial arts, but your car repair skills are amazing too.”
“I’m always amazing.”
“With skills like these, you could buy junk cars, fix them, and sell them for a profit.”
“I don’t have a mechanic’s license or experience.”
“So where did you learn these skills?”
“The internet?”
“You’re joking, right?”
“These days, videos are very detailed.”
Eun-ha frowned, wondering if watching videos was really enough to learn such skills.
But she didn’t dwell on it long. She had just seen it work with her own eyes.
“Yeah, I heard in some countries with poor medical infrastructure, people learn surgical techniques from internet videos. If they can do surgery, fixing a car should be possible too.”
“Uh… right.”
Eun-ha tilted her head in thought.
“But if you can fix a car this quickly, why did you rent this workshop? And for a whole year?”
“I plan to make various things here.”
Zinji explained, “If someone sees you installing bulletproof panels in a car, it could raise suspicions.”
The workshop wasn’t just for car modifications. While his apartment in Seoul was his living base, this place was his workshop base. He needed to create equipment here for future missions.
To prevent Eun-ha from asking more questions, Na Kang-In gestured from the driver’s seat. “Get in.”
“Who says ‘get in’ these days? Are you from the 20th century?”
“Just get in.”
As Eun-ha got into the passenger seat, she asked, “Where are we going now?”
“I’ll take you to where your car is.”
“What about food?”
“Do you only see me as a meal ticket?”
“Yes.”
Eun-ha had parked her car in Na Kang-In’s apartment garage. On the way back to the apartment, she asked, “Seeing how good you are with cars, can you fix things like lights too?”
“Why? Did your light go out at home?”
“No, I want to control my lights from outside with my smartphone. Can you install that for me?”
“Isn’t there anyone at home to do that for you?”
“Didn’t you know? I live alone.”
“Your family’s home is in our neighborhood, right?”
“I’m not so unfilial as to call my parents to install something like that. And my younger brother is so clumsy he’d cause an accident if he touched anything electrical.”
“You make good money. Just hire someone.”
“I can’t for now. If I hire an electrician to install something like that now… if I’m unlucky, it could end up in the news.”
“Would something like that really make the news?”
“Yes. In the past, it wouldn’t have, but now it would.”
Na Kang-In clicked his tongue.
“Being a celebrity is tough. Doesn’t your agency help?”
“My contract is about to expire, so it wouldn’t be good to give them any leverage.”
“Leverage?”
Eun-ha hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“Lately, I’ve been having dreams. Dreams where the set collapses and I’m trapped under the debris.”
Na Kang-In’s expression stiffened slightly.
The AI assistant, Zinji, spoke up.
[It could be a vivid memory manifesting in your dreams. Or it could be a symptom of PTSD.]
Na Kang-In asked, “Is that common?”
[It’s a symptom often experienced by soldiers on the battlefield. In modern times, repeatedly dreaming of military experiences after discharge can be a form of PTSD.]
Shin Eun-ha thought he was asking her and responded, “These days, I dream every night. It’s really dark there.”
She had never shared this with anyone before. But once she started talking, the words just flowed out.
“I can’t see anything. I can’t move. I want to scream for help, but no sound comes out. After a while, I finally wake up, drenched in cold sweat.”
After pouring out her thoughts, she realized, ‘I feel a bit relieved. Maybe I needed someone I could confide in.’
Na Kang-In said, “I’ll fix it so you can turn on the lights before you enter the house. Alright, I’ll take care of it right away.”
Shin Eun-ha beamed. “Really?”
“I need to buy the parts first.”
The car arrived at Na Kang-In’s apartment. Shin Eun-ha drove her own car home. Na Kang-In went to the parts store and bought what he needed.
While he was at the parts store, Shin Eun-ha tidied up the house.
She threw the underwear lying on the bed into the closet and tightly closed the door.
Thanks to the robot vacuum cleaner, the floor was always clean.
At least, there was no visible dust.
The high-end air purifier running 24/7 kept any bad smells at bay.
“This should be enough, right?”
Na Kang-In entered her house with the parts. He looked around and admired the place.
“This is a nice house.”
AI Zinji suggested, [Secure this base.]
Na Kang-In replied, “You always make jokes sound serious.”
Shin Eun-ha asked, “What? What did you say?”
“Nothing.”
Na Kang-In first turned off the circuit breaker and removed the existing switches in the living room and bedroom.
Then, he installed switches that could control the lights via a smartphone.
The process was simple.
“Now you can turn on the lights with your smartphone before you enter the house. It’ll be bright.”
Shin Eun-ha tried turning on the lights with her smartphone and smiled brightly.
“Thank you, Kang-in oppa.”
Na Kang-In picked up another new switch that he hadn’t installed yet.
“I bought one more switch, so I’ll install it in that room too.”
The room he referred to was the one where Shin Eun-ha had thrown her underwear.
She quickly said, “No! This is enough, let’s eat dinner now!”
Na Kang-In narrowed his eyes and asked, “You’re not asking me to cook, are you?”
Shin Eun-ha shook her finger. “I’ll make something really delicious!”
Na Kang-In glanced at the kitchen. It was equipped with high-end kitchen appliances and utensils.
“Are you going to cook here?”
“I’ll take you out!”
“What?”
“Your cooking is amazing, but there’s this restaurant with a famous chef. I bet you’ll find it hard to decide which is better!”
Shin Eun-ha loves the food Na Kang-In cooks, but the restaurant she planned to take him to is known for its excellent cuisine.
Na Kang-In said, “I hope it’s better than mine. I like delicious food too.”
“Well, it might not be that much better… Oh! And while the taste might be similar, your cooking skills are way better!”
“You said it was hard to tell which is better?”
“The ingredients they use are different. That restaurant uses only the best ingredients, while you just grab whatever from the local market. The cost of ingredients is different.”
Na Kang-In chuckled.
“And the type of food is very different too, right?”
“But they’re both very delicious. And there’s something else they have in common. Like you, the chef there decides the menu.”
The restaurant she planned to take him to, “Penelope,” has no menu. The chef decides the dishes of the day. Similarly, when Na Kang-In cooks at the internet cafe, he also decides what to make and sell that day.
Of course, there are differences. Penelope Restaurant is very expensive.
Shin Eun-ha said, “Charging the prices you do for your food at the internet cafe is just wrong. I’ll show you how much your cooking should cost today.”
There’s another difference.
“And I’ll show you the luxury that the internet cafe lacks.”
Combat support AI Zinji said,
[Understanding the local culture is crucial. High-end restaurants are beyond our current budget. This is a good opportunity to gather information.]
AI Zinji shares senses with Na Kang-In, including the sense of taste.
“Are you the one who wants to eat?”
AI Zinji did not respond.
“Feeling shy, huh?”
***
They went to Penelope Restaurant in Na Kang-In’s car. Shin Eun-ha didn’t drive her car as she planned to drink.
She said from the passenger seat, “It’s a burden to call a designated driver when I can drink. I can’t show my drunk self to some random guy.”
“Being a celebrity is tough.”
She looked at Na Kang-In and said, “It’d be nice if someone reliable could pick me up so I could drink without worry.”
“Can’t you call your manager for that?”
“Why would I call my manager when I’m out drinking with friends? And my contract with the agency is almost up.”
“That’s a problem.”
“But if someone could pick me up…”
“You shouldn’t drink.”
“Hey.”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
Shin Eun-ha was about to grumble when she suddenly realized something she had missed.
‘I shouldn’t be complaining about the inconveniences of celebrity life now. I should be trying to charm him instead.’
She quickly changed the subject.
“Na Kang-In oppa, you gain a lot in return. You make a lot of money, become popular, and it feels great when a lot of people watch the work you acted in.”
“Yeah. Keep working hard.”
“And if you don’t like the inconvenience, you can just stay behind the scenes as a martial arts director for a while. No one will recognize you that way.”
“Really?”
“The world of Showbiz is calling for you.”
Na Kang-In chuckled.
“That was just a temporary gig.”
“You’re underestimating yourself. You practically saved that entire movie.”
She mumbled.
“Well, even if you just specialize in repairing foreign cars, you’d make a lot of money. I saw how quickly you fixed that car today.”
AI Zijin suggested:
[If you own a car repair facility, it will be easier to produce equipment, and you can secure operating funds by repairing foreign cars.]
Na Kang-In spoke softly.
“And people who come to repair their cars will see our production base. Then they’ll see the equipment we’ve made too.”
[Proposal withdrawn. As expected, Shin Eun-ha’s idea is useless.]
* * *
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