NIS Agent Reincarnated as a Genius Actor - Chapter 177

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 177. Cotton and New Star

 

The ownership transfer of the building was cleanly completed under the name of the corporation operated by Teren Williams, who was using a cover identity.

 

 

 

And late that night, Yeon-woo and Han Hae-woon met on the 5th floor of the newly purchased building.

 

 

 

“This place will become our base from now on.”

 

“Congratulations on becoming a building owner, Team Leader.”

 

 

 

Yeon-woo chuckled as he looked at Han Hae-woon.

 

 

 

“Building owner, my ass.”

 

“By the way, that real estate agent was quite useful. The processing was swift and accurate. He was also quick at reading the room to understand what the client wanted.”

 

“His work was decent when I bought the house I’m living in too. Did you get the blueprints?”

 

 

 

Mokwha Building was an old building, so it was difficult to find the design blueprints.

 

 

 

“Fortunately, since it was a building completed in 1996, there were blueprints available.”

 

 

 

South Korea began managing building status blueprints at the national level starting in 1995.

 

However, the building blueprints obtained through Han Hae-woon weren’t proper blueprints, but simply had floor plans for each level.

 

 

 

“Did you look into the designer listed in the building management ledger?”

 

“Yes. The company went bankrupt, and the designer is already dead.”

 

“Can’t be helped. Let’s hope our guess is correct.”

 

 

 

Yeon-woo looked back and gave instructions to Han Hae-woon.

 

 

 

“Before we start working, stop the elevator operation first so no one can come up.”

 

“Yes. Understood.”

 

 

 

Han Hae-woon opened the control panel managing the elevator with a key and stopped its operation.

 

 

 

Meanwhile, Yeon-woo examined the walls of the building.

 

 

 

“Give me the floor plans first.”

 

 

 

At Yeon-woo’s words, Han Hae-woon pulled out several sheets of paper from his bag.

 

 

 

“You might not notice it when you’re inside the room, but the sense of space is definitely different compared to other floors.”

 

 

 

Yeon-woo sprinkled the cooking oil he had prepared on the floor plans of the 1st and 5th floors recorded by level.

 

The paper absorbed the oil and became slightly translucent.

 

 

 

Then Yeon-woo overlapped the floor plans.

 

 

 

“Look at this. The width and length ratios don’t match each other. Having the pillars misaligned would be nonsensical design.”

 

 

 

It was impossible for the framework supporting the building’s load to be misaligned.

 

 

 

“We’ll need to take actual measurements.”

 

 

 

Han Hae-woon pulled out a laser distance meter from his bag.

 

 

 

Beep─.

 

 

 

“Hmm, as expected, it’s different from the records. The building’s width is definitely about 3 meters shorter.”

 

 

 

Yeon-woo nodded and went to the end of the left wall he had only seen on screen to examine the connection.

 

 

 

He found a section where the wall finish that had been dark gray suddenly changed to light concrete color.

 

 

 

“The finish color is different. This is definitely a partition wall that was created long after the building was made.”

 

“We’ll need to break through the wall to see what’s inside.”

 

 

 

At Han Hae-woon’s words, Yeon-woo stretched while massaging his shoulders.

 

 

 

To check the piping and other facility conditions of this building and do the work, the only methods were to forcibly expose the framework or heat up the pipes and photograph with a thermal imaging camera.

 

 

 

To confirm this building’s secrets without letting others know, they had no choice but to trust their instincts.

 

 

 

“Guess I’ll have to do some sledgehammer work after a long time.”

 

 

 

Then Han Hae-woon grinned.

 

 

 

“Team Leader. What era are we in that you’d use a sledgehammer?”

 

 

 

Then he pulled out a hammer drill for concrete demolition from his bag.

 

 

 

“This one thing will demolish it quickly. Please stand behind me wearing a mask.”

 

“What do you keep pulling out of that bag? It reminds me of a blue cat character.”

 

“Hey, that guy uses a front pocket.”

 

 

 

As Yeon-woo stepped back, Han Hae-woon activated the electric drill.

 

 

 

Whirrrr─.

 

Drrrr─.

 

 

 

The electric drill began demolishing the concrete as it made contact with the wall surface.

 

 

 

“As expected, the wall thickness is shallow.”

 

 

 

Soon dust was flying and through the fist-sized hole, the dark space on the other side began to become visible.

 

 

 

If it had been an exterior wall as recorded in the design blueprints, it could never have been this thin.

 

 

 

“Maybe it’s because I lack skill, but my arms are getting numb.”

 

“Let’s switch.”

 

 

 

Yeon-woo took the drill and activated it again.

 

 

 

Positioning it slightly at an angle, the massive awl began to penetrate deeply into the concrete, scraping it away, and Yeon-woo gradually expanded the range by applying counter-force.

 

 

 

After drilling like that for a while, a hole large enough for a person to pass through was created in the wall.

 

 

 

Whirrr─.

 

 

 

After turning off the drill’s power, Yeon-woo and Han Hae-woon stood in front of the hole.

 

 

 

“Let’s go in.”

 

“Yes.”

 

 

 

Han Hae-woon turned on the lantern and examined the floor first.

 

He carefully entered to check if there were any problems with the foundation and looked around the surroundings.

 

 

 

“Clear.”

 

 

 

Yeon-woo also followed behind, holding a lantern and examining the walls.

 

 

 

“I can see a distribution panel over there.”

 

“Ah, confirmed.”

 

 

 

Han Hae-woon approached, opened the distribution panel, and flipped the switch.

 

 

 

Click─.

 

 

 

Then lights turned on in the interior space that seemed to have been unused for at least several months, at most several years.

 

 

 

“Hmm, as expected.”

 

 

 

Inside the space, there was a table installed, and behind it, an elevator and emergency staircase were visible.

 

It was probably a secret room that only VIPs could access when the illegal gambling house was operating.

 

 

 

Judging by the flickering lights on the ceiling, this space hadn’t been used for a long time, so it seemed like the entire electrical system would need repairs.

 

 

 

“First, it looks like we’ll need to inspect the elevator once.”

 

“Then let’s go down the stairs and see where they lead.”

 

“Yes. Let’s go.”

 

 

 

Creak─.

 

 

 

Yeon-woo and Han Hae-woon opened the emergency staircase door and began descending.

 

 

 

Seeing that there were no doors leading to other floors, it seemed like from the 1st to 4th floors, there were no secret spaces like the 5th floor, except for the area with the emergency staircase and elevator.

 

 

 

“Then we can use only the 5th floor and rent out the other floors.”

 

“That would actually be better for camouflage. Agents would only need to move through this passage.”

 

“But was there a secret passage leading to the 1st floor? I didn’t see one when we looked around earlier.”

 

 

 

Hearing Yeon-woo’s words, Han Hae-woon nodded.

 

 

 

“I didn’t see one either.”

 

 

 

They came down the stairs, but as expected, there was no exit on the 1st floor.

 

 

 

“Hmm. Judging by the markings on the wall, this is definitely the 1st floor, but it seems to connect to the basement?”

 

 

 

Then Yeon-woo shook his head.

 

 

 

“No, it’s not the basement. It seems to connect to the back of this building. There’s quite a height difference between the front and back of the building.”

 

“Ah, there was a slightly sloped downhill road next to the building.”

 

 

 

After going down all the stairs, they came to a gray door.

 

 

 

“We don’t know where it connects, so let’s open it carefully.”

 

“Yes.”

 

 

 

Yeon-woo put on his hat and mask.

 

Han Hae-woon took the lead, undid the latch on the door, and carefully opened it to reveal what appeared to be the kitchen of a closed restaurant.

 

 

 

“Hmm, where is this?”

 

 

 

Hearing Han Hae-woon’s whispered voice, Yeon-woo pointed forward with his finger.

 

 

 

A menu board with ‘Mokwha-ru’ written on it was attached to the wall.

 

 

 

“It seems to be a failed Chinese restaurant behind the building.”

 

“Mokwha Building, Mokwha-ru. The original owners must have been the same.”

 

 

 

Hearing Han Hae-woon’s words, Yeon-woo stroked his chin.

 

 

 

“Hmm, Mokwha (cotton flower). The guys who were the original owners. They were quite interesting fellows, weren’t they?”

 

“Pardon?”

 

 

 

Yeon-woo grinned and continued speaking.

 

 

 

“When you hear Mokwha (cotton flower), doesn’t Mun Ik-jeom come to mind?”

 

 

 

The Goryeo civil official who was dispatched as an envoy to the Yuan Dynasty and secretly hid cotton seeds, which were prohibited from export, in his brush case and returned.

 

 

 

Of course, in modern times, whether the Yuan Dynasty’s cotton was actually a prohibited export item is also a subject of controversy, and looking at records from the late Goryeo and early Joseon periods, it’s only recorded as ‘obtained,’ so many say the brush case story is fabricated.

 

 

 

But Mun Ik-jeom’s cotton was undoubtedly a famous story that most people knew.

 

 

 

Han Hae-woon clapped his hands after hearing Yeon-woo’s words.

 

 

 

“Then we’re like cotton seeds secretly entering and leaving the building?”

 

“Well, you could say that.”

 

 

 

Mokwha Building and Mokwha-ru.

 

 

 

“This building, we’ll need to acquire this Chinese restaurant building too.”

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

The purchase of the Chinese restaurant building was left to Han Hae-woon, and Han Hae-woon instructed the three members to organize the 5th floor of the building that would serve as their base.

 

 

 

And Yeon-woo was quietly gazing at the tranquil alley of Hyehwa-dong while basking in the late winter sunlight streaming through the window of the 2nd floor office of Theater Company Saebyeol.

 

 

 

Woo Seong-sik, who had been watching him, picked up his smartphone.

 

 

 

Click─.

 

 

 

“Damn, that’s a killer shot. I thought it was some kind of photo shoot.”

 

 

 

Yeon-woo chuckled at Woo Seong-sik’s words.

 

 

 

“Your way of talking sounds like some neighborhood thug uncle.”

 

“What are you saying. That’s not something I should hear from you, who’s been like an uncle since high school.”

 

 

 

Yeon-woo shrugged his shoulders.

 

 

 

What could he do about actually being an uncle.

 

 

 

“Can I post this photo on my Byeol Star?”

 

“Sure, doesn’t matter.”

 

“Okay. Follower acquired!”

 

 

 

Just then, Kim Ju-hyeong came in opening the door.

 

 

 

“Se-yeong noona and Teacher Jae-hoon are here, should we start practice soon?”

 

“Yeah. Let’s head down.”

 

 

 

Kim Se-yeong and Ha Jae-hoon were actors sent from the theater company that Jeong Cheol-min runs.

 

They had joined since last week and were being a great help.

 

 

 

‘Well, they are people with a lot of theater experience after all.’

 

 

 

As for acting skills, how many people in South Korea would have skills surpassing Ryu Yeon-woo and Jin Yu-han, but experience in putting plays on stage was different.

 

 

 

Starting from efficient movement patterns, their help was having a comprehensive and significant impact on the theater company.

 

 

 

As Yeon-woo was about to follow his friends down to the basement, he spotted a man walking down the alley.

 

 

 

“Hmm? That person is…”

 

 

 

The fairly large-built middle-aged man was someone Yeon-woo knew quite well.

 

 

 

Yeon-woo shouted toward the stairs.

 

 

 

“Guys! Go ahead and start! I’ll just step outside for a moment!”

 

“Okay!”

 

 

 

Hearing the response from below, Yeon-woo ran out into the alley.

 

While coming down, he could see the back of the man who had walked far away.

 

 

 

“Director Im!”

 

 

 

Then the middle-aged man walking down the street turned around.

 

 

 

“…Huh? Yeon-woo?”

 

 

 

The man who turned around was lighting director Im Seong-su.

 

 

 

The director who was in charge of lighting when filming “Summer’s Wardrobe.”

 

 

 

There was even a time when Yeon-woo found him passed out drunk in a corner of the parking lot at a company dinner and carried him home on his back.

 

 

 

“Wow, how long has it been. So good to see you. Our Yeon-woo became a big star. I feel so good every time you do well.”

 

“Ah, big star my foot. It’s good to see you after so long too, Director. But what are you doing here at this time?”

 

“Huh? I came to look for work. I often do side jobs in Daehangno. My daughter is entering university this time. My back is going to break completely. Really break.”

 

 

 

Yeon-woo’s eyes lit up after hearing Director Im’s words.

 

 

 

“At a theater company? You mean lighting work, right?”

 

“Of course. That’s how I make my living.”

 

 

 

Lighting was extremely important in theater.

 

Depending on how you cast the light, you could multiply an actor’s presence or gather the audience’s attention to one spot.

 

 

 

At first, they tried to train theater company members to quickly run and operate the lights during moments when they weren’t on stage, but that turned out to be more difficult than expected.

 

 

 

Director Im, who handles lighting in drama production, is actually one of the top-level professionals in the industry.

 

 

 

Having finished his thoughts, Yeon-woo nodded and looked at Director Im.

 

 

 

“Then would you like to work on a project with me? I’ll pay you the industry’s top rate.”

 

“Work? What work all of a sudden? Are you joining some production?”

 

 

 

Then he immediately shook his head.

 

No, if he was joining a production, there’s no way an actor would directly recruit the lighting director.

 

 

 

Looking at Director Im tilting his head in confusion, Yeon-woo opened his mouth.

 

 

 

“Please handle the lighting for our ‘Theater Company Saebyeol.’ It’s nothing special yet, but we’re going to be a theater company that shakes up Korea soon.”

 

 

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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