* * *
The trio at the PC Bang knew that Na Kang-in was the food truck guy.
Yoon Ah-reum boasted, “I told you from the beginning that it looked like Kang-in oppa. I have such a keen eye for people.”
College hacker Ahn Sung-hwan agreed, “Wow. There’s someone with such skills in our country.”
“Why? Have you seen someone else like him?”
“Uh…”
Ahn Sung-hwan didn’t know that Na Kang-in was the one who had rescued him from being trapped in an old office building, creating a stock manipulation program.
“No, it’s just that someone I know is also incredibly skilled.”
Yoon Ah-reum confidently declared, “Whoever it is, they can’t be better than Kang-in oppa.”
***
Shin Eun-ha came to the PC Bang to apologize.
“Kang-in oppa, I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“The video of you rescuing Min-ji got published.”
“You’re not the culprit.”
“Yoo-chan oppa is the culprit. But I was on the same show, after all. You have to give him credit for having a big mouth.”
“As long as it wasn’t intentional, it’s fine. Where’s Yoo-chan?”
“He went to apologize to Min-ji. It seems people will soon know that the child in the video is Min-ji.”
“Yoo-chan is going to get a lot of flak.”
“He’s probably getting scolded by senior actress Jang Mi-Jung right now. She’s quite the character.”
“I’m fine, so don’t worry about it.”
Shin Eun-ha hesitated.
“But oppa, aren’t you selling food today?”
“No, not today.”
She openly showed her disappointment. ”
I was looking forward to it.”
Na Kang-in turned around.
“Did you come to apologize or to eat?”
“Both? But why aren’t you cooking today? At least you should make something for yourself.”
“I have somewhere to go.”
Shin Eun-ha was taken aback. She covered her mouth with her hand in surprise.
“Are you starting a new movie alone? You traitor!”
“What nonsense?”
“Is it Director Son Tae-min’s next project? Right? It is, isn’t it?”
“I’m going to find a place to live.”
“A place? Oh! So you’re moving, not starting a new movie!”
Shin Eun-ha smiled brightly.
“Take me with you! I’ll check if the place is good!”
“Why would you check it?”
***
Na Kang-in went to see a room in a one-room building near the PC Bang. The room he intended to rent was small but had a kitchen, bathroom, and a built-in washing machine.
“It has everything I need.”
Shin Eun-ha was puzzled. Although she wasn’t a top star, she earned quite a bit of money. She also knew how much money a successful actor like Kim Yoo-chan made.
So she was puzzled.
“Why would someone like you, oppa, choose a place like this?”
“Someone like me?”
“With your abilities, why settle for this?”
“Compared to where I was, this is a palace.”
“Where did you live before?”
“The PC Bang.”
“What?”
“There’s a folding bed inside the PC Bang.”
Shin Eun-ha had seen that bed before.
“Isn’t that for taking a short break during part-time work? How could anyone live there?”
“If you’re here to mock me, you can leave.”
Na Kang-in needed to stop living in the temporary base at the PC Bang.
In the field, if there’s no tent, you dig a hole and sleep. But if that becomes the norm, it’s hard to maintain perfect condition. A safe and comfortable space is preferable.
So he decided to leave the PC Bang, his temporary base, and find a stable residence.
Moreover, a new problem had arisen.
Although his name and face hadn’t been revealed to the public due to the recent incident, many people now knew him.
If it became known that he was living on a folding bed at the PC Bang, many people would react like Shin Eun-ha did.
The AI assistant advised, “An unconventional lifestyle may raise unnecessary suspicion.”
Thus, he came to rent a one-room apartment. Having a fixed residence would help avoid unnecessary suspicion.
Shin Eun-ha spoke.
“It’s hard for me to understand why you stayed at a PC bang with your abilities, but let’s say you were temporarily out of money. But I still don’t get why you’re living in this room now. You made a lot of money from the movie, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, I did. But I’m using that money for the deposit on this studio apartment.”
“What? A deposit?”
“Yeah, this was the best place I could get with that money.”
This room was found by AI Zijin through an internet search.
Shin Eun-ha felt the conversation was going off track. She asked directly.
“How much exactly is the deposit?”
“Five million won.”
She realized what was happening.
“What? Really? Wait a minute. Don’t sign the lease yet. I’ll find you a better place.”
Shin Eun-ha didn’t know the phone number of the film company CEO, Lee Tae-ho, but she did know the number of his wife, actress Jang Mi-jung.
She called Jang Mi-jung.
– Hello?
“Hi, senior. It’s Shin Eun-ha.”
– I know. Don’t tell me you’re calling to ask for a favor for Kim Yoo-chan?
“Just don’t kill him.”
– I’ll spare him.
“That’s not why I called.”
She explained the situation.
“It seems like the CEO only gave Kang-in enough for a studio apartment deposit.”
– What? Which appartment are you talking about? In Cheongdam-dong?
“It’s not Gangnam. I’m here with him now, and the room is really small. There’s hardly any space left after putting in a bed.”
– Then maybe the lease deposit….
“He said he received five million won for the rent deposit as his appearance fee.”
Na Kang-in was the one who jumped into a moving car to save the daughter of Lee Tae-ho and Jang Mi-jung when she was kidnapped.
Not only that, without Na Kang-in, ‘A Sunny Day’ wouldn’t have even made it to the theaters, let alone been a hit.
Jang Mi-jung’s voice sharpened immediately.
– There’s more than one person I need to deal with! I’ll check on this. Hey! Kim Yoo-chan! Who told you to rest? Get up!
The call ended.
Shin Eun-ha suggested to Na Kang-in.
“Let’s go have some coffee while we wait for a response.”
Lee Tae-ho called Shin Eun-ha. His voice was flustered as he explained.
– I looked into it, and it seems Na Kang-in was paid five million won as an action double fee.
“Yes, that’s right. But as you know, Kang-in didn’t just do stunts in our movie.”
– Of course not. I was shocked when I found out.
“So you didn’t know either.”
– Director Son was too busy with editing and releasing the movie to handle other matters. I expected the payment documents to come to me, but they were processed directly without my approval.
“Then who made this decision?”
– The payment department handled it according to their usual standards. But Kang-in’s fee shouldn’t have been treated that way.
“So, you’ll be paying more?”
– Absolutely. We’re recalculating his fee as a proper stunt coordinator.
“And how much will that be?”
– I’ll make sure he gets one hundred million won. If there’s any delay, I’ll cover it with my own money.
Shin Eun-ha smiled brightly.
“Wow, you’re so generous, CEO Lee! Thank you!”
– I don’t see why you’re thanking me for giving the money to Kang-in….
Shin Eun-ha ended the call with a smile.
“You owe me a nice meal.”
“How much did you get?”
She held up one finger.
“One hundred million!”
“What? Wow. You actually came through for once.”
“Excuse me? I’m very helpful, you know?”
* * *
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