Managing the Korean entertainment industry: I have superpowers, but I won't say.

Chapter 22 The way you climb over the wall looks like you're stealing chickens.

On Yoon Shi-yoon's third day on set, Su Yu received a message from him: "When do you practice?" Su Yu replied: "This afternoon. Downstairs. Don't dress too smartly, the dogs in the alley will be jealous."

Yoon Shi-yoon didn't reply. But Su Yu was certain he'd seen him, because when he arrived he was wearing a faded old T-shirt, the cuffs even frayed. Black sweatpants, and while his shoes were new, they were ruined by the first puddle he stepped into in the alley. He glanced down, expressionless.

"Are these new shoes?" Su Yu leaned against the wall, holding two punching bags in his hands.

"Um."

"How much?"

"You can't afford to pay for it."

"I have no intention of paying compensation."

Yoon Shi-yoon stomped his shoe in the puddle again, splashing mud onto Su Yu's trouser leg. Su Yu looked down at it, then looked up at him. "Childish." "You were the one who started it." Su Yu didn't reply, tossed him a punching bag, and put one on himself. "First, climb over the wall. Five times."

"On what grounds?"

"Because you're playing a special forces soldier. Special forces soldiers don't go through doors."

Yin Shiyun placed the punching bag on the ground and walked to the low wall. The wall was less than 1.6 meters high, made of brick, with several cracks in the cement surface. He took a few steps back, sprinted, braced himself against the top of the wall, turned his body to the side, and stepped over it, landing steadily, lightly, almost silently. He flipped back and glanced at Su Yu.

Is that enough?

"Not enough. Four more trips."

Yoon Shi-yoon rolled over five times before his breathing began to become heavy. Su Yu handed him the punching bag. "Punch it twice."

"Are you the boss or just a sparring partner?"

"Yes, it's all about saving money."

Yoon Shi-yoon took the punching bag and put it on. The first punch was light. The second punch was a little too heavy. The third punch, Su Yu pulled his hand back slightly, and the punching bag almost flew away.

"Use all your strength." Su Yu shook his hand.

Yoon Shi-yoon glanced at him. "Are you sure?" Su Yu raised the punching bag. "Sure. If I cripple him, it'll be considered a work-related injury."

"What about the medical expenses?"

"The company can't afford it."

"If I cripple you, will you support me?"

"I can't afford to feed you. You eat too much."

Yoon Shi-yoon's lips twitched, then he threw a punch. A dull thud. Su Yu's arm jolted, his hand going numb. The punching bag didn't fly away because his fingers were gripping the edge tightly.

"Okay," Su Yu said. "Let's try again."

The two remained silent. The only sound in the alley was the dull thud of fists hitting a target. Occasionally, a passerby would glance at them and quicken their pace. About half an hour later, Cai Xiubin arrived. She stood at the alley entrance, carrying a convenience store bag that rustled as it went. Su Yu, with his back to her, didn't see her.

"Are you practicing here?" she asked.

"Hmm." Su Yu didn't turn around.

"What should I do if someone takes a picture of me?"

"If you get a photo, just say you're filming a movie."

"What kind of movie are you filming if you haven't started shooting?"

"Shooting behind-the-scenes footage."

She came in, put the bag on the ground, and squatted down by the wall to look at the crack. A piece of plaster had fallen off, revealing the red bricks underneath. She reached out and touched it, and another piece fell off.

"How high is this wall?" she asked.

1.58 meters tall.

"Can I roll over?"

Su Yu stopped and turned to look at her. "You're a hacker. Hackers don't go through doors, they go through network cables."

"What if An Go-eun gets into danger? Kim Do-ki escaped by climbing over the wall, but she can't climb over it. Isn't she doomed?"

"Jin Dodge won't run away by climbing over walls. He'll knock people down first, then take the stairs."

Why take the stairs?

"Because Angoun can't climb over walls. He has to wait for her."

Cai Xiubin paused for a moment. She looked down, took a can of coffee out of the plastic bag, and tossed it to Su Yu. Su Yu caught it; it was ice cold.

"For Yoon Shi-yoon?" he asked.

"What's given to him is also yours. You two can share it." She placed the remaining drinks against the wall and stood up. "I'm leaving. You two continue."

She took a few steps, then stopped.

"Su Yu".

"Um."

"I'll climb over that wall for you tomorrow."

"You can't get over it."

"You watch."

She left. Her ponytail swayed briefly at the alley entrance, then disappeared. Yoon Shi-yoon unscrewed his drink, took a sip, and leaned against the wall.

"She climbed over the wall for you," he said.

"For her own sake."

"Can't you tell?"

Su Yu didn't reply. He put the coffee can on the wall and squatted down to pick up the punching bag. Yin Shiyun put his drink on the ground and put on his gauntlets.

"Should we continue practicing?"

"Practice. Two more sets."

"Aren't you going home from get off work?"

"You're the boss. You're in charge."

Su Yu stood up and raised the punching bag. Yin Shiyun's fist came crashing down again. Thump. Thump. Thump. It was getting dark. The streetlamp in the alley came on, its yellow light casting long shadows of the two men. Yin Shiyun withdrew his fist and took off his gauntlets.

"Su Yu".

"Um."

"You wrote Kim Do-gi. You also wrote Ahn Go-eun. When you were writing these two characters, were you thinking about the past in one character and the future in the other?"

Su Yu thought for a moment. "Kim Do-ki didn't think about the past, and An Go-eun didn't think about the future. They sat in the car without saying a word."

"What are you thinking about?"

"Thinking about what to eat tonight."

Yoon Shi-yoon glanced at him, draped the towel over his shoulder, and walked away. Su Yu squatted there for a while, then took the half-finished can of coffee down from the wall. It wasn't cold anymore; it was still a little warm. He unscrewed it and took a sip—bitter. His phone vibrated. A message from Cai Xiubin: "Are you guys done practicing?"

"I'm done practicing."

Have you eaten yet?

"without."

"I'll bring it for you. Don't move."

Su Yu's lips twitched slightly. He typed a few words: "With meat." The other end replied instantly: "No meat. Only seaweed rice rolls. I made them." Su Yu looked at the last three words, paused for a moment, and replied with one word: "Okay."

She sent a smiley face. Su Yu put his phone in his pocket and threw the coffee can into the trash can. The black hair tie had somehow slipped out of his pocket and landed on the wall. He picked it up and clutched it in his hand. The streetlights were still on. He squatted by the wall, waiting for Cai Xiubin to bring him food. He wasn't hungry, but he was waiting.