Episode 135. Lock Code (3)
Kang-soo belatedly went to the set of ＜My Neighbor Diablo＞ in a townhouse in Yongin and joined Yoo So-hyun and Kim Bo-ran.
Currently, the number of views of ＜My Neighbor Diablo＞ is staggering worldwide. At the same time, the number of subscribers to Webflix soared unprecedentedly, causing a stir.
Today was the most important day for ＜My Neighbor Diablo＞. It was because the last day of filming had finally arrived.
“Cuuut—!”
Director Hawk O’Brien’s shout continued.
At the same time, applause began to pour in from the surroundings.
clap clap clap—
“Wow! It’s finally over!”
“Really over!!!”
Originally, the drama, which was pre-produced, started airing at two-thirds of the total filming time, and the difficulty increased.
In addition, the incidents that happened before or during the shooting were not easy.
Everyone cheered for the hardships they went through there.
“Whoa—”
Kim Bo-ran brought a blanket and Kang-soo brought water next to Yoo So-hyun, who filmed the last scene.
After drinking the water, Yoo So-hyun let out a big sigh.
“It’s really over.”
There was both relief and regret.
At her murmur, Kim Bo-ran covered her with a blanket and stroked her shoulder.
“It was really hard.”
“You worked hard. Yoo So-hyun.”
At the congratulations and consolation of the two, Yoo So-hyun lifted her head and smiled brightly.
“It’s really over! So, can I run today?”
The change of mood was very quick.
Seeing this, Kangsu smiled slightly.
On the other hand, Kim Bo-ran had a subtle expression.
“First of all, I told the company and left my schedule empty so that I could rest for two days. But don’t be too harsh.”
“really? Am I taking two days off?”
There was no time to rest without anything except when Yoo So-hyun was hospitalized for a while in LA.
Even if I had to take a break from time to time due to unavoidable reasons, I was preparing for the next shoot.
“Okay, take a break. good?”
“and-! Really take a break!!!”
Yoo So-hyun kicked off the blanket and jumped up and ran.
Then, as if thinking of something, he turned his head to Kangsu.
“Mr. Kangsu, what happened to Teresa? I heard that something suddenly happened and you are taking a long break, but what’s wrong?”
“Oh, that’s right. What happened to Theresa? It happened after I suddenly left the party. Is something bad happening? Do you know?”
Kang-soo’s smile at that question becomes ambiguous.
“I only know for personal reasons. Oh, that’s not a bad thing.”
“Then I’m glad… … .”
“Can’t you come to the party today?”
As it was the last filming of ＜My Neighbor Diablo＞, a luxurious (?) after party was scheduled.
“Perhaps it is.”
“ah… I wish I had Teresa too.”
“Did you not call?”
“I tried. They say it’s no big deal, but I’m worried.”
Teresa, who was caring for Gong Chi-young, was very different from usual.
The river next to him was difficult to talk to easily.
That much showed Teresa’s feelings for Gong Chi-young.
“It will be fine.”
Kang-soo reassured the two of them and returned to their places together.
Other staff members were busy organizing the shooting equipment.
Yoo So-hyun and Kim Bo-ran also removed their makeup and went to the changing room to change clothes.
So Kang-soo packed Yoo So-hyun’s luggage. Then, Peter Benson, still confined to a wheelchair, approached Kangsu along with Paul Hoffman.
“I’m glad he showed up for the last shoot after not seeing him for a week.”
“Are you feeling well?”
“I’m almost healed, but at the hospital, if you want to get better as quickly as possible, don’t even lift your ass off the wheelchair. How do you see the big things?”
“hahahahaha, isn’t it because the team leader is running around so fast?”
“What am I doing! I’m doing rehabilitation training to get well soon.”
Kang-soo laughed at the conversation between the two.
“You have been through a lot.”
“Have we suffered? The hardships were all done by the river. Rather… … .”
Peter Benson glanced around and then went on.
“If you get fired from your manager, call me anytime. Even if I have to cut Paul, I will accept it according to your annual salary.”
I looked around because I didn’t know where Jamie Clein would pop up.
At the same time, Paul Hoffman, who was standing next to him, smiled absurdly.
“and… You said so when you brought me. Are you making me a sacrifice to Kangsu?”
“Well, aren’t my skills better than you?”
“Then shouldn’t you pay the manager’s salary as well? Kang-soo did all the action for both of us.”
“Ah— is that so? Ha ha ha ha ha!”
Laughter continued to erupt at the joke.
Woo-woo-woo-woo-
Kangsu’s cell phone rang in his arms. Looking at the screen, it was General Manager Kim Cheol-ho.
“Excuse me.”
“We’ll just go. Anyway, be sure to contact me.”
Peter Benson gave Kang-su his business card and moved with Paul Hoffman.
Left alone, Kang-soo put his business card into his pocket and pressed the call button on his cell phone.
[Manager Han, now in Yongin, right?]
“That’s right.”
[I’ve just arrived in front of the townhouse set, can you come out for a minute?]
“I’ll just finish cleaning up and go down. It will take about 10 minutes.”
After Kang-soo finished the call, he moved them into Yoo So-hyun’s van.
Then, after leaving the key to Kim Bo-ran for a while, I headed toward the entrance of the set.
In front of the entrance, Director Kim Cheol-ho was standing in front of a black car.
“What are you doing?”
“Nothing else… There’s someone who wants to see you. I’m in the car right now, so you can ride next to me.”
“… You mean me?”
I turned my gaze towards the car. The coating on the windows was so thick that only silhouettes could be seen.
After pondering for a while, Kangsu opened the back seat door on the other side.
Inside was an old gentleman with a face that even Kang Kang knew.
“Long time no see. Sergeant Han Kang-soo.”
“… You must be the minister.”
“Now I am a minister. To be honest, he is also an old man who has become useless now.”
It was Lee Tae-hoon, former Minister of National Defense, and Army Chief of Staff when Kang-su was a soldier.
Since his time as a major, he had been called a magpie viper because he thought about a few steps ahead and solved it for sure.
At the time, he was sharper and more charismatic than anyone else, but now he only looked like a warm-hearted old man.
Of course, Kang-soo felt a significant presence even in such a situation and rode beside him and closed the car door.
“How have you been?”
“what… It wasn’t bad.”
The atmosphere was still.
Then, Lee Tae-hoon looked at Kang-soo, who was calm, and gave him a hearty smile.
“The successor minister has contacted me. The NIS requested a background check on you, and while checking it, the lock code came up.”
“… Is that so.”
What will Kangsu say there?
It was Lee Tae-hoon who assigned the lock code to Kang-su’s identity in the first place.
“I heard that a member of the National Assembly named Yoon Jae-seung previously checked the information on the Lock Code by mobilizing his personal connections inside the Ministry of Defense. It is said that the leaked data at the time was destroyed immediately after confirmation… The fact that anyone knows about it is a problem in itself.”
“Isn’t that why you took care of it yourself?”
“… Did you know?”
Yoon Jae-seung is a politician and a leading candidate for the presidential election.
It is said that he went to prison on various charges along with bribery, but it was difficult for his remaining personal connections to disappear at once.
Of course, I could aim for a comeback and a comeback in some way.
Of course, Kang Soo also secured evidence to destroy him again if he came out again. Contrary to such worries, Yoon Jae-seung was very quiet.
“Aren’t you the type of person who would just watch the leaked information about UBT?”
“Heh heh heh— is that so? yes… I have no choice but to… … .”
“Are you here to brag about it?”
Hearing Kang-soo’s sharpened voice, Lee Tae-hun closed his mouth once more before speaking.
“The NIS approached you.”
“It happened this morning, but the news is so fast.”
“To be honest, there are a lot of people who go from the military to the NIS, and there aren’t any that come from the NIS to the military.”
As organizations change, positions often change.
However, it was impossible to see through all the connections that were planned and laid from the beginning inside the NIS.
At this, Lee Tae-hoon laughed again and continued talking.
“How about coming back?”
“You mean the military?”
“It’s been a while since I stepped down as minister, but it’s possible enough to help you take care of yourself.”
Kangsu still had a calm expression on his face.
“Do I need to?”
“Yoon Jae-seung, didn’t you make it that way? what… I couldn’t figure out how. Skill enough to blow away a country’s presidential candidate. That alone would have made him a target for the NIS. Of course, there are people who want you behind the scenes.”
“I will be a human no different from Yoon Jae-seung.”
At the same time as the answer, a shallow sigh escaped Kang’s mouth.
It was because he was fed up with the greed to take any power for his own interests.
“Well, wouldn’t that be the rice with that vegetable?”
“Aren’t you the Minister?”
“… … .”
Lee Tae-hoon was silent for a while at the question that hit the point.
There was a time when he, like Yoon Jae-seung, was tired of fame and power.
That was the reason UBT was created.
Kangsu was assigned to such UBT and performed numerous missions. And it became the basis for making Lee Tae-hoon, then Army Chief of Staff, the Minister of National Defense.
“It was a pity that you did not come in as an officer. Including leaving the army after the last operation of UBT.”
“That was not a place for me.”
“I was going to make it. Even if it was unusual, I could have made it!”
In the atmosphere that seemed to have been heated for a while, Kang-soo’s eyes grew cold.
“I have no interest in that, and I have no intention of reentering the army.”
“Do you think the NIS will give up on you? People around you won’t stand still. That means that only the military can protect you.”
“No need. I have nothing more to say, so let’s stop here.”
Kang-soo opened the car door and left, but did not close it right away. Turning around to look at Lee Tae-hoon, he raised one foot and twisted the heel of his shoe to remove it.
LED lights twinkled from the mechanism installed inside the heel of the shoe. It meant that something was going on.
“It’s an eavesdropping recorder. The conversation you just had will have been recorded. If you bother me with useless things, I will send this to the NIS.”
“Oh, no, why… … .”
It was also used by Eun Se-hyeon of the National Intelligence Service earlier.
Kang also did not think that he would be using it again soon.
“I’m busy, so excuse me.”
bang-
Kang-soo just bowed to General Manager Cheol-ho Kim and went back to the townhouse.
Feeling something strange, Kim Chul-ho climbed into the driver’s seat and checked Lee Tae-hoon’s condition.
It was an expression that had been hit properly.
“… Are you okay?”
“her… hahahaha! The real Han Kang-soo is still the same. not dead… … .”
“Why is that?”
“ha… nope Nothing. I’ve only bothered you don’t let it go back.”
Through the window, Lee Tae-hun saw Kang-soo’s back as he walked away.
At the same time, a weak laugh continued to flow from his mouth.
Returning life of a retired S-class mercenary