NIS Agent Reincarnated as a Genius Actor - Chapter 203
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Episode 203. Design
The progress on the drama seemed like it would take a bit more time to solidify the structure.
From what was being discussed, it seemed like Writer Choi Mi-hyeon, who always worked in sync with Director Kim Han-su, would be attached to handle the adaptation and writing.
‘Director Kim Han-su and Writer Choi Mi-hyeon combination…’
It felt refreshing to meet again with the writer and director from Yeon-woo’s debut work.
‘If it gets produced, promoting it that way would be good too.’
If Ryu Yeon-woo and Son Jin-wook, Director Kim and Writer Choi reunited, they could at least secure viewers who enjoyed “Summer’s Wardrobe.”
While he thought the synopsis itself was decent, if the completed script didn’t meet expectations, he planned to actively intervene.
Since Saebyeol Entertainment’s actors would appear and Saebyeol Media would handle production, he couldn’t decide on production based on personal connections or old memories.
‘Now I’m not just an actor, but also a producer.’
Yeon-woo put down the synopsis Director Kim Han-su had given him and stretched.
The theater company’s play had ended and CF shooting was still being coordinated, so his schedule was clear.
‘Hmm, I should take care of the overdue homework.’
The time had come to tie up Jung Tae-seon and James Choi and send them away at once.
If I handle both of them together and even include Byeon Hak-gyu, Baek Sol would feel a manpower gap in their entertainment business control.’
To place those guys on his palm and gradually reveal their identities, it seemed better to keep watching Byeon Hak-gyu at Plus Ten, who could be monitored in real-time with hacking tools.
***
Yeon-woo sat in his studio chair and turned on the microphone again.
“It seems like it’s time to start cooking. Have you tracked down the small fry who were under ‘Hwang-geum’?”
As Yeon-woo finished speaking, Han Hae-woon’s answer came through.
– The other guys were either dealt with along with Hwang-geum or their whereabouts are traceable, but one guy’s location is mysterious. Whether he was quick-witted or not, he fled overseas before being dealt with. His last destination was Minsk.
“Right before Hwang-geum was dealt with, that subordinate headed to Minsk…”
Hearing Han Hae-woon’s words, Yeon-woo stroked his chin and added something to the operation instruction sheet, modifying the plan on the spot.
Minsk is the capital of Belarus.
The subordinate of Hwang-geum who fled probably deliberately chose Eastern Europe as his destination – a place beyond the National Intelligence Service’s reach while being easy to travel overland to various locations.
He must have prepared an escape route in case such a situation arose.
“If one of Hwang-geum’s subordinate agents escaped, it actually makes things easier. I’ll have to use that guy.”
– Hmm, wouldn’t it be difficult for us to track his location for use? Baek Sol probably can’t find him either. After all, the National Intelligence Service has little information about Eastern Europe.”
The former Soviet region has few interests with Korea and no overseas teams stationed there, so the National Intelligence Service requests cooperation from America when information is needed from that region.
There was no way Baek Sol would request information cooperation from America regarding their internal affairs.
But Yeon-woo shook his head at Han Hae-woon’s words and added.
“That’s exactly the point – we’ll use the fact that there’s no information. These guys already got burned trying to swallow LN, and if internal information about Jung Tae-seon gets revealed too, they’ll definitely start getting suspicious and move in earnest to find the source of the information leak.”
Of course, since they had erased all traces and handled everything thoroughly, it would be difficult for Baek Sol to find the agents at Cotton Building, but there was no need to take unnecessary risks.
They had secured evidence that veteran actor Jung Tae-seon deliberately invited people to the party venue to induce drug incidents among actors, along with smartphone records of his direct instructions.
‘But the route for delivering that information is important.’
They couldn’t let Baek Sol suspect that someone was controlling this situation.
Han Hae-woon’s voice came through as if he had realized something from Yeon-woo’s words.
– Ah. So you’re thinking of making it look like the guy who escaped provided a tip about the related materials.
“Exactly. Manipulating cargo shipping routes to make it look like it came from Belarus is easy, right?”
– Compared to manipulating immigration records, packages are very easy. Plus, it’s airmail.
While large cargo coming by ship might be difficult since those routes are used for smuggling, mail coming by airplane had weak security.
What benefit would an organization skilled enough to hack and exploit government agencies gain from hacking the post office’s international mail network?
When even immigration records could be hacked, inserting false information into the Korea Post’s international mail network was much easier.
“The prosecutor who handled Jeon Ki-hoon’s case did decent work. He didn’t seem like the type to bow to external pressure, and he had good instincts for finding the drugs hidden in the trunk.”
– You mean ‘Pitbull’ Prosecutor Kwon. Then I’ll arrange for it to be assigned to him.
Hearing Han Hae-woon’s words, Yeon-woo nodded.
“Good. Let’s get busy working. You handle the Belarus side and give me information on the journalists I’m currently controlling and their messenger IDs. I’ll handle the media.”
– Understood.
***
Han Hae-woon sent information about the journalists Yeon-woo had fed information to and the messenger IDs known to them as anonymous tipsters.
“Now, let’s handle the task the Team Leader assigned.”
Han Hae-woon entered the studio he had set up in one corner of his home.
He began hacking the Belarus postal system and the domestic Korea Post’s international mail linkage system via internet to insert information.
‘So that international mail departing from Belarus arrives addressed to Criminal Division 3 at Seoul Northern District Prosecutors’ Office.’
Following the actual mail delivery route, he entered the names of actual personnel in charge of that route and the processing times into the computer system.
Now it was time to create the real thing.
He began printing after doing simple research on the Internet to obtain photographs.
“Hmm, Belarus… They still use stamps. I like the classic touch. They use the same material as Russia.”
He took out Russian stamp paper from the drawer and began printing.
Then he turned on the desk lamp and put a loupe over his eye.
A loupe is a magnifying glass used to see small details that are difficult to confirm with the naked eye.
It refers to special glasses mainly used by gem appraisers when evaluating gems or by doctors during surgery to see surgical sites in detail.
Hae-woon attached the printed Belarus stamp to an international mail document envelope and began drawing the postal stamp from Minsk’s post office over it with ink.
‘What a wonderful world. How easy it is thanks to the Internet. This blog owner is in a long-distance relationship with a Belarus man.’
Many people think that forgery is more difficult in modern society where everything is computerized compared to the past.
But in reality, forgery has become easier.
If you could solve the information registered in the computer system through hacking, all kinds of information are available on the Internet, so even information about stamps used at the post office in Minsk, Belarus, which he had never visited, could be obtained with just a few clicks.
That’s why the FBI’s budget for forgery detection is increasing every year.
Thanks to the blog owner who exchanged mail with her boyfriend living in Minsk, Hae-woon easily completed a mail envelope that originated from Minsk.
Inside that document envelope, he put a USB and related documents that were made in Seoul, South Korea, not in Minsk, Belarus.
This would be more than enough to prove the atrocities committed by James Choi and veteran actor Jung Tae-seon.
“Unknown agent who worked under Hwang-geum. I’ll make one public interest report in your name. It’s all being used for good purposes, so don’t feel too wronged. I hope you don’t get caught by Baeksol.”
***
Meanwhile, Yeon-woo contacted journalists with the information he received from Hae-woon.
He instructed them to publish special articles stirring up celebrities who had recently retired due to drug scandals, as he would deliver something big soon.
‘First, An Jun-ho needs to get some hate on the Internet.’
He wasn’t that famous a celebrity to begin with, and An Jun-ho, who was buried by a bland drug incident without much impact, was honestly difficult to even classify as B-grade in terms of recognition.
‘Even if the truth about Jung Tae-seon shakes up South Korea sensationally, that would be the end of it.’
Most of the public wouldn’t even be interested in the rookie actor that Jung Tae-seon exploited.
That’s why groundwork was necessary.
‘When grilling steak, you need to salt it in advance. You need to sprinkle coarse salt so much that you worry if it’s too much for it to grill deliciously.’
Netizens are basically no different from a pack of hyenas prowling around looking for prey.
When something happens, they first chew, tear, taste, and enjoy it.
After chewing until blood drips profusely, what if it turns out that it wasn’t ‘justice’?
Pot mentality.
A pot that heats up quickly and cools down quickly has high thermal conductivity.
Objects with high thermal conductivity cool down and heat up quickly, but at the same time, they also transfer heat to other objects quickly.
The heated pot would immediately turn to sympathy for An Jun-ho once the ‘fact’ called ‘fact-checking’ became known.
The moment they realize that the malicious comments they posted in the past and the hammer blows they delivered to crush the unjust were ultimately wrong, they would more desperately carry posts and mass-produce related community posts to wash away that guilt.
And not long after, articles urging self-reflection began appearing on the Internet.
– [YCN Editor’s Pick] Recent drug crisis spreading domestically! Where is the clean country South Korea going? Does it start with the entertainment industry?
– [Joint News] Idol Mr. A. Not guilty in first trial despite doing drugs? Since when did the shell of being a celebrity become an indulgence?
– [Weekly Sports] How far will entertainment industry drug scandals go. Who are the celebrities who have retired due to drug suspicions so far.
As they stirred up everything from recent incidents to old cases and focused on reporting entertainment industry drugs, newspapers not controlled by Yeon-woo also began joining the trend and publishing articles.
Public opinion formed and community reactions naturally flowed in a negative direction.
– Wow. I didn’t know this guy was also a druggie?
– I heard drugs are even posted on second-hand trading sites these days
└ Really? That’s scary
– That’s all celebrities and third-generation chaebols paving a nice highway for ordinary people to start driving on
└ Honestly, the country is really messed up these days
└ Your spelling seems more messed up
– Ahn Junho disappeared after that brief appearance and I was wondering why, turns out he was doing drugs, took a break, then ran off to the military lol
└ What happens if you get withdrawal symptoms in the military lol
└ What the hell, it’s straight into DP right away lol
Various communities naturally began to chew, tear, taste, and enjoy.
When communities are flooded with praise for something, people emerge who rebel against it, topics quickly shift to other bait, and interest is quickly lost.
But when flooded with criticism for something, that firepower lasts quite long.
Because if you go against the criticizing public opinion alone, you’re likely to get torn apart together, so most community users choose to join in the criticism.
Yeon-woo smiled as he looked around the communities.
“It’s burning nicely and warmly.”
Burn more.
For that heat to conduct and boil other pots, the stronger the firepower, the better.
And not many days later, mail made in Seoul with the scent of Minsk, Belarus arrived at the Criminal Division 3 of Seoul Northern District Prosecutors’ Office.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————