* * *
The assistant director brought over a laptop and showed the footage from earlier.
First, it showed Na Kang-in defeating three enemies and saving the actress before the set collapsed.
From the first scene, Lee Tae-ho’s expression changed.
“Wow…”
He couldn’t help but be impressed as he watched Na Kang-in take down the enemies.
“How did they plan those movements so well?”
His expression softened a bit.
“Director Son’s skills are undeniably top-notch. Creating such high-level footage right on the spot.”
The assistant director spoke cautiously.
“Mr. Lee, it wasn’t Director Son who planned those movements. Na Kang-in did it himself, considering the camera angles.”
“What do you mean? Isn’t Na Kang-in just the food truck guy?”
“Yes, he is. But he moved on his own, calculating the angles to look good on camera.”
“Huh…”
Feeling embarrassed, Lee Tae-ho stood up. He couldn’t deny what he saw.
“No wonder Director Son was so confident. Na Kang-in is truly talented. But why is someone like him driving a food truck…?”
“Uh, Mr. Lee? There’s another clip you should see.”
“Oh, really?”
Lee Tae-ho sat back down.
This time, it was footage of the set collapsing. In it, Na Kang-in saved Shin Eun-ha by knocking away falling structures with a metal pipe.
Lee Tae-ho’s jaw dropped as he watched.
“Wow, when did they add the CGI?”
“It’s not CGI.”
“What do you mean?”
“We haven’t had time for CGI, let alone filming.”
Lee Tae-ho was baffled.
“Let’s see that again, this time in slow motion.”
The assistant director replayed the footage in slow motion.
Watching it, Lee Tae-ho was amazed.
“You mean this was all shot in one take, without prior rehearsal? So, the set was designed with the exact collapse points calculated from the start…”
“The set actually collapsed.”
“Right. That’s why I rushed here today. So, this is real accident footage, and the rescue scene is real too…”
“Exactly.”
Lee Tae-ho looked between Son Tae-min and the food truck, sighing.
“I see… I owe Director Son an apology.”
Director Son Tae-min was busy filming the scenes that needed daylight. Lee Tae-ho waited quietly until the shoot was over.
Son Tae-min scratched his head as he reviewed the footage.
“I hate that I have to settle for this. We could get better shots with a few more takes.”
The Cameraman chimed in.
“Still, everyone matched their performances well because of the previous takes.”
“If they couldn’t, we’d have to scrap this film. Apart from the action scene, nothing else was satisfying.”
Son Tae-min finished shooting and walked over to THO Entertainment’s CEO, Lee Tae-ho.
Lee Tae-ho apologized first.
“Director Son, I’m sorry. After watching the footage, I understand why you insisted on Na Kang-in.”
Son Tae-min smiled.
“If you didn’t get it after watching that, I’d think you were being stubborn.”
“Indeed. As someone who works in film, I couldn’t not understand after seeing it.”
Son Tae-min spoke in a quiet voice.
“So, I need you to handle a bit of an issue.”
Having watched the footage multiple times, Lee Tae-ho caught on.
“You mean using the actual accident footage in the film?”
“You got it. To succeed, our film needs that footage, but it’s going to cause a stir.”
“There will be issues, of course.”
Lee Tae-ho boasted.
“But we’ll use those issues for publicity. Our PR team is very capable.”
The tense atmosphere on set suddenly lifted.
***
Na Kang-in handed out mixed snacks to the staff.
He didn’t give them individually but distributed a few bags among them.
The reaction was enthusiastic.
“Wow, what are these? They’re delicious!”
Na Kang-in responded.
“Just a mix of this and that.”
“It doesn’t taste like something thrown together.”
“Share with others.”
“Uh, right, I should share.”
Na Kang-in gave a bag of snacks to the assistant director as well.
“The atmosphere has improved, hasn’t it?”
“The CEO agreed completely with our director’s plan. But what are these snacks? They’re amazing.”
Na Kang-in packed a paper bag full of snacks and brought it to Lee Tae-ho. He didn’t give more because Lee Tae-ho was the CEO.
Lee Tae-ho’s daughter, child actress Lee Min-ji, loved these snacks. She even planned to hide them in her dad’s car to sneak them without her mom knowing.
Storing snacks in Tae-ho Lee’s office is better than keeping them in a car. So, he brought a bag full of assorted snacks to Tae-ho.
Tae-ho was also about to go see Na Kang-in. When Na Kang-in approached, Tae-ho greeted him with a broad smile.
“Hey! Mr. Na Kang-in! You saved us!”
“I don’t recall saving the boss on set earlier, though?”
“You saved our movie, didn’t you? Hahaha.”
Na Kang-in handed over the bag.
“These were just made.”
Tae-ho received the paper bag, which looked like a typical fish-shaped bread bag, but it was filled with snacks he had never seen before.
“What’s this?”
“Something similar to hardtack.”
Although they looked a bit different from hardtack, they were similar in size and basic shape.
Tae-ho thought, ‘I don’t like hardtack.’
He used to eat it during his military service, but that was over 20 years ago. Besides, seeing hardtack brought back tough memories of his time in the army.
So, he hadn’t touched hardtack since his discharge.
But he couldn’t refuse this. If the movie was to be released on time, Na Kang-in needed to help with the action scenes.
“Haha, it looks delicious.”
With a business smile, Tae-ho picked one snack from the assortment.
‘It smells nice.’
He put it in his mouth and chewed.
It was delicious.
His eyes widened.
“What? This is good! I mean, I thought it would be good. Hahaha.”
Embarrassed, Tae-ho quickly grabbed another piece.
The snack had a savory, umami flavor, slightly reminiscent of Korean pancakes, but not greasy.
“Wow, this is really tasty… My daughter would love these.”
Na Kang-in responded.
“She already had some. And I’ve packed plenty for Min-ji too.”
“Ah, I see. Haha. I hope she thanked you properly.”
He looked around.
“Where’s my daughter?”
She was nowhere in sight.
Na Kang-in also looked around the set.
“Where is she?”
The AI assistant answered.
[Lee Min-ji has not been located.]
The AI sees the world through Na Kang-in’s eyes.
However, it doesn’t just receive the same level of information Na Kang-in does. By analyzing the visual data, the AI can easily identify specific individuals among a crowd.
Yet, even after analyzing the video, Min-ji was nowhere to be seen.
Na Kang-in felt a chill.
“Reason?”
[She might be obscured by buildings or objects, have left the area, or be in a crisis situation….]
Na Kang-in’s smartphone rang. He checked the caller ID.
The name displayed was “Popular Kid Lee Min-ji.”
Na Kang-in felt relieved.
“Oh, it’s a call from Min-ji.”
Tae-ho looked slightly confused.
“How do you have my daughter’s phone number?”
Na Kang-in switched the call to speaker mode and answered.
“Min-ji wanted to call me later to get more snacks. Hello?”
No voice came through. Instead, there were sounds of something being hit before the call ended abruptly.
The AI assistant immediately reported.
[Detected the sound of the smartphone being destroyed just before the call ended.]
Na Kang-in’s expression hardened.
Tae-ho asked.
“Did the call drop? Why are you looking so grim over that…?”
Na Kang-in turned and walked towards the set, asking.
“What’s the likelihood that Min-ji’s phone broke because she dropped it?”
[Low. The noise pattern is different.]
“Find more information.”
[Analyzed the sounds heard right after the call connected. Detected noises consistent with a body interacting with objects.]
“Identify those sounds.”
[Please consider that the analysis accuracy is low. Detected sounds include air escaping from a soft object, metal-reinforced plastic being pressed, and echoes within an enclosed space….]
This set is in a mountain clearing in Gangwon Province. There are no houses here.
Na Kang-in spoke briefly.
“Inside a vehicle.”
He immediately headed towards the temporary parking lot.
Tae-ho sensed something was wrong and followed.
“What’s going on? Why do you look so serious after that call with my daughter?”
The parking area came into view. Several cars belonging to the actors, staff, and film-related personnel were parked there.
The AI warned.
[There is a possibility of a kidnapping.]
It might not be a kidnapping. Still, it had to be checked.
* * *
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