NIS Agent Reincarnated as a Genius Actor - Chapter 205

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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 205. What Is This Place

An Jun-ho’s honor was restored, but that didn’t mean the green light was immediately given for his return to the entertainment industry.

 

Since he hadn’t taken on major roles and only played minor and supporting characters, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that An Jun-ho’s public recognition was actually built through the variety show “Yeo-reum’s dining table.”

 

As Yeon-woo and Son Jin-wook continued to succeed, the variety show they appeared on together was rerun multiple times and reorganized annually on JNBC.

 

It actually became more popular than the original drama, so now there were many people who had watched “Yeo-reum’s dining table” but hadn’t seen “Yeo-reum’s Wardrobe.”

 

Even though it wasn’t produced as a seasonal program, posts requesting the production of “Yeo-reum’s dining table” Season 2 were still frequently appearing on JNBC’s viewer bulletin board.

 

Occasionally, related topics circulated in communities, but most concluded that no variety show department would be able to afford Ryu Yeon-woo’s skyrocketing price.

 

And aside from his recognition as an actor, An Jun-ho had another problem.

 

He was already an actor with a broken career.

 

After the incident broke out, he had taken a break from entertainment industry activities for two years.

Moreover, since he was currently serving in the military with more than a year left in his service, there was no management company trying to recruit An Jun-ho.

 

Of course, it was questionable whether there would be any even after his discharge.

 

However, there was an agency here that wanted to take that An Jun-ho.

 

“Let’s definitely bring this actor in, CEO.”

 

Yeon-woo spoke as he handed over the printed article and An Jun-ho’s Profile to CEO Jeong Hyeok.

 

“Ah, you mean An Jun-ho. I saw the recent article too. Still, now that I’m the CEO, I naturally need to keep a sharp grasp on how the industry works.”

 

Yeon-woo smiled seeing Jeong Hyeok, who still seemed slightly embarrassed when calling himself CEO.

 

“My intention to recruit this actor isn’t simply because of our connection.”

“Oh, does that mean Actor Ryu sees high potential in this actor?”

 

Yeon-woo nodded at Jeong Hyeok’s words.

 

The An Jun-ho that Yeon-woo saw was an actor with quite significant potential.

 

“Yes. And there’s one more reason.”

“What do you mean by one more?”

“I believe that in the future, whether movies or dramas, content won’t end as one-time productions but will be turned into intellectual property and utilized endlessly through OSMU.”

 

Jeong Hyeok nodded at Yeon-woo’s words.

 

If Jeong Hyeok were someone who stood at the forefront of this industry but couldn’t grasp the flow of change, Yeon-woo wouldn’t have put him in this position.

 

“One source multi-use, you mean.”

 

It refers to a marketing strategy that applies one source material to different genres to utilize its ripple effect.

 

In fact, the variety show “Yeo-reum’s dining table,” which aired riding on the success of “Yeo-reum’s Wardrobe,” could be considered a good example of OSMU.

 

“Since Han So-hyeon will soon sign with our agency, if we secure An Jun-ho as well, our agency will have secured all four IPs.”

 

All the main and supporting actors of “Yeo-reum’s Wardrobe” belong to Saebyeol Entertainment.

For “White Blood,” everyone except the idol Dong-ha is affiliated, and for “Sketch,” with Yeon-woo and Seo Ji-eun, plus Jin Yu-han who will soon join, all the lead actors of “Stars Beyond the Stream” would be complete.

 

“Essentially, except for “Master Plan,” we would own all of Actor Ryu’s works.”

 

Of course, just because the cast actors are affiliated doesn’t mean they can freely use the content that has original creators, but when the public sees those combinations, they naturally tend to recall the corresponding works.

 

***

 

Since it was a rare good day, An Jun-ho went to Town Center to buy Beef and grilled it with his Mother.

 

The next day, he went to the Corn Field to help prepare for sowing and came Home covered in dirt, when the Phone at Home was ringing.

 

“Yes, hello?”

– Hello. Is this An Jun-ho the actor?

 

An Jun-ho tilted his head.

 

‘The fact that they called me an actor means it’s not a sales call, but there shouldn’t be anyone who knows my Home Phone number…’

 

Since the other person was waiting, he answered first.

 

“Yes. That’s me.”

– This is Saebyeol Entertainment calling. If you’re not busy, could we talk for a moment?

“Excuse me? Entertainment?”

 

It seemed like a name he’d heard somewhere, but he couldn’t remember exactly.

 

Although the world had been in an uproar when they caught the big free agent fish Ryu Yeon-woo and major actors kept joining one after another, the special group called the military was originally insensitive to such information.

 

In the first place, the only entertainment industry topic soldiers talked about was female idols.

 

– Ah, please wait a moment.

 

Some voices could be heard from across the Phone Receiver, then the call was transferred to another phone.

And a familiar voice was heard.

 

– Hey, Jun-ho.

 

An Jun-ho immediately recognized the owner of the voice.

 

“Huh? Jin-wook hyung?”

– Yeah, it’s me. Congratulations, you bastard. You’ve been through a lot until now.

 

At Son Jin-wook’s sincere voice, tears instantly welled up in An Jun-ho’s eyes.

 

“······.”

– Hey. Are you crying?

“Ahem, ahem. No. Who’s crying?”

 

An Jun-ho cleared his throat and tried to hide his choked-up voice as he continued speaking.

 

“But what’s Saebyeol Entertainment? Did you change agencies, hyung?”

– Huh? You don’t know anything since you’ve been in the military. Don’t you even go to internet cafes? I heard they let you use smartphones these days too.

“Ah, I just focus on training and live quietly.”

 

An Jun-ho had been living somewhat withdrawn even after enlisting.

 

– When my contract with LN Entertainment expired, Yeon-woo and I moved agencies together. So-hyeon will be joining soon too.

“Ah, I see.”

 

As An Jun-ho nodded, he heard unexpected words.

 

– And you need to join too. Yeon-woo said he sent a car this morning? It should arrive soon.

“···What?”

– What? Did you already get a deal from another agency?

 

Though he obviously knew that wasn’t the case, Son Jin-wook threw out the joke.

 

“No, Jin-wook hyung, what do you mean···.”

 

As An Jun-ho answered frantically, Son Jin-wook’s serious voice reached his ears.

 

– You need to start acting again. Come sign the contract before you return from leave. You trust hyung and Yeon-woo, right?

“······.”

 

After a moment of silence, An Jun-ho smiled brightly.

His mouth was smiling, but tears welled up in his eyes.

 

“Is this like one of those ‘you trust oppa, right’ things?”

– You brat. Even on your deathbed, you’d still joke around.

 

***

 

An Jun-ho got into the car Yeon-woo sent and headed to Seoul.

 

‘This car is really luxurious too.’

 

It wasn’t the domestic RV vehicle he always rode during his active days, but an obviously expensive luxury brand car.

 

The car carrying An Jun-ho arrived in Seoul and entered the Mokwha Building parking lot.

 

“We’ve arrived. Please get out.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you for the hard work coming all the way to Gangwon Province. Thank you.”

 

He bowed his head and got out following the staff member.

 

They passed through the security door connected to the underground parking garage and took the elevator upstairs.

 

When they reached the 3rd floor and the elevator doors opened, An Jun-ho got out with the staff member.

 

‘Hm? A cafe?’

 

An Jun-ho tilted his head, having expected to see an office.

 

“Please go in.”

“Ah, yes.”

 

Following the staff member’s guidance inside, there was a barista operating a coffee machine in the center of the cafe.

But somehow the face looked familiar.

 

‘Uh···?’

 

An Jun-ho thought he was seeing things for a moment and rubbed his eyes.

 

‘CEO Kim Ju-seong···?’

 

While ordinary people might not know much about CEO Kim Ju-seong, he was such a legendary figure in the industry that no one in the entertainment world didn’t know him.

 

‘Why is someone like that making coffee here···.’

 

Just then, Son Jin-wook and Yeon-woo waved from far away.

 

“Over here!”

“Ah, Jin-wook hyung. Yeon-woo.”

 

He set aside his questions for now and walked toward the familiar faces.

 

Sitting across from Yeon-woo and Son Jin-wook was also a man who appeared to be in his early 40s.

 

An Jun-ho approached and first greeted Yeon-woo and Son Jin-wook.

 

“Wow, look at that short hair.”

 

Son Jin-wook playfully ruffled An Jun-ho’s closely cropped hair.

 

“Hyung, you’re having a hard time, right? It’s been snowing a lot recently too.”

“Really, when snowflakes fall, I sigh first.”

 

Yeon-woo smiled at An Jun-ho’s exaggeration.

 

“This is CEO Jeong Hyeok of Saebyeol Entertainment.”

“Nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about Actor An.”

 

As Jeong Hyeok extended his hand in greeting following Yeon-woo’s introduction, An Jun-ho hurriedly shook hands.

 

“Ah, yes! Hello. I’m Private First Class An Jun-ho.”

 

An Jun-ho hesitated for a moment about how to introduce himself, then introduced himself as a soldier rather than an actor.

 

“Nice to meet you, Jun-ho. Please, have a seat first.”

 

When Jeong Hyeok gestured to a seat and sat down, An Jun-ho followed suit.

 

After that, they swiftly discussed the management contract and completed the signing process.

 

He was already grateful that there was a management company willing to accept him, and because he trusted Son Jin-wook and Yeon-woo, he simply nodded and expressed his agreement regarding the contract terms.

 

Even from what he roughly heard, he thought the terms were much better than his contract at his previous agency, Plus Ten Entertainment.

 

Jeong Hyeok shook hands with him again, telling him to take care of himself during his remaining military service, then went upstairs, leaving only An Jun-ho, Son Jin-wook, and Yeon-woo at the cafe table.

 

“But I have something I’m curious about.”

 

When An Jun-ho hunched his shoulders and whispered quietly, Son Jin-wook tilted his head and responded.

 

“What is it?”

“What exactly is this place? Isn’t that person over there CEO Kim Ju-seong from LN?”

 

At An Jun-ho’s question, Yeon-woo nodded and answered.

 

“That’s right. He retired from LN and is currently serving as the cafe representative here while organizing his thoughts.”

“I see. But on my way here, I noticed the car was luxury and the parking lot was full of luxury cars too, and the cafe interior is like this – the company CEO must be incredibly wealthy.”

 

At An Jun-ho’s words, Yeon-woo awkwardly scratched his cheek.

 

Then An Jun-ho excitedly continued speaking.

 

“Well, if they recruited both Jin-wook hyung and you, this place must have tremendous financial power, right? Thanks to that, I’ve entered an amazing company. Honestly, I didn’t accomplish much during my active period.”

 

At An Jun-ho’s self-deprecating words, Yeon-woo shook his head.

 

“What do you mean you didn’t accomplish anything? I know Jun-ho hyung’s acting ability, and Jin-wook hyung knows it too.”

“Right. And we also know you’re such a coward that you came back from the island saying it was scary, even though there were camera directors and writers there.”

 

At Son Jin-wook’s additional comment, An Jun-ho’s face turned red and he coughed awkwardly, apparently remembering the variety show filming.

 

Then Son Jin-wook continued speaking.

 

“This company, you see, was established by two people together. One of them is CEO Kim Ju-seong over there making coffee.”

 

At Son Jin-wook’s words, An Jun-ho nodded with an ‘I thought so’ expression.

 

“Well, he’s such a famous legendary figure in the entertainment industry, so I was shocked to see him operating the coffee machine when I came in. Then is the other person Representative Jung whom I met earlier?”

 

Then Son Jin-wook shook his head.

 

“No? He’s right in front of you. The owner of the company.”

“Excuse me?”

 

Son Jin-wook pointed to Yeon-woo, who was sitting next to him with an embarrassed expression, scratching his cheek.

 

“It’s a company Yeon-woo established. Both Saebyeol Entertainment and Saebyeol Media.”

“…What?!”

 

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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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