NIS Agent Reincarnated as a Genius Actor - Chapter 242
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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 242. Three Otaku
A wall that hadn’t been there overnight was built in no time.
The agents mixed broken bricks into the concrete as design elements and completed the work no less professionally than a specialized interior company.
Of course, since concrete takes time to cure, the goods shop couldn’t move in right away, but Saebyeol didn’t expect to sign a contract that quickly anyway.
The next morning, Han Hae-woon and Yeon-woo met in the Chinese restaurant that had been divided into two.
“Hmm, you must have worked hard to get it done in one day.”
“Lee Kyu-jin was more excited than expected and worked enthusiastically. He apparently likes doing this kind of work.”
“Really?”
“More importantly, how much should we set the rent at?”
Yeon-woo smiled slightly at Han Hae-woon’s question.
“Well, it’s just taking money from the right pocket and putting it in the left pocket anyway. Still, charge more than the surrounding commercial district. Use the rent here for the agents’ welfare expenses.”
“You know how it is. When have we ever enjoyed separate welfare benefits?”
“It’s called welfare expenses, but just use it roughly for meal costs and various miscellaneous expenses.”
At Yeon-woo’s words, Han Hae-woon looked around the interior of the Chinese restaurant.
Though it was divided in half, since the kitchen area to be used as a secret passage didn’t take up much space, the hall was quite large.
“If we calculate this per pyeong and charge a bit more than the surrounding commercial district, it’s quite a large amount to just use for meal expenses, isn’t it?”
“Add some operating funds to the surplus and give it to the agents as monthly bonuses, and we have a big eater among our agents. He’d be happy if meal expenses increased.”
“Mm, understood. I’ll handle it that way.”
While lightly touching the concrete and broken bricks that were still curing, Yeon-woo spoke again.
“More than that, I think it would be good for our Saebyeol to operate a separate security team too.”
“You mean a security team?”
“Seeing SL Electronics’ security team this time, it seems like a private security team could become useful personnel if operated well.”
Rather than Saebyeol operating a security team internally, it seemed better to entrust it to Kim Su-hyeok to create a private security company and make exclusive requests in an outsourcing format.
Even if it’s not necessarily related to Baek Sol, as the number of affiliated actors increases in the future, there will be more events that require attention to security.
When he explained the operation method, Han Hae-woon nodded.
“Kim Su-hyeok actually hinted that he has quite a few reliable colleagues among retired soldiers.”
“Still, make sure to do thorough background checks.”
“Yes. Of course.”
Of course, they wouldn’t entrust the security team with work involving sensitive or important information, but it was better to handle such matters thoroughly.
“Then the Okinawa operation will start after the goods arrive at port, so it’ll probably be in late autumn or early winter at the latest.”
“Yes. Since it’s a dry season timing-wise, it’ll be more convenient to disguise it as a simple fire.”
Yeon-woo nodded at Han Hae-woon’s words.
“Then let’s focus on our main jobs until then. Kim Su-hyeok handles the basic tasks on his own now anyway.”
“Yes. Until the goods arrive at port, we’ll have to lay low for a while. We need to avoid surveillance from the American side, not just Baek Sol. Still, having Kim Su-hyeok has made things much more convenient.”
They used disguised identities as much as possible and moved along different routes, but inevitably, Yeon-woo and the agents’ routes converged at one point—São Paulo—while carrying out the operation in Brazil.
If someone was determined to track the agents’ overseas movements, it would be difficult but certainly not impossible.
The best method to take in such situations is ‘going underground.’ It’s classic, but the effect is powerful.
When there’s been unavoidable heavy exposure like in overseas operations, staying quiet for a few months after the operation ends makes tracking difficult. Even if someone has suspicions, since they can’t find subsequent traces, it becomes impossible to extract more information.
“Then I’ll finish up to establishing the security company using one of the disguised identities and hand it over to Kim Su-hyeok.”
***
Since the agents would be fast asleep after building the wall all night anyway, Han Hae-woon went to work at the Northern District Prosecutors’ Office as usual, and Yeon-woo came up to the company.
“Mm, come to think of it, the family gifts I sent by delivery from the airport should arrive today.”
Yeon-woo picked up his smartphone to check the time and called his younger sibling So-hyeon.
– Yeah. What?
“It’s lunch time, right?”
– Yeah.
Yeon-woo smiled slightly at the dry response, typical of siblings.
He could hear slightly noisy sounds around his younger sibling, as if people nearby had noticed she was getting a call from her brother.
“The delivery I sent from the airport should arrive today, and I sent it under Min-su hyung’s name. It’s from me, so take it and use it. I wrote who each item is for on the shopping bags.”
– Shopping bags? Don’t tell me you went to Brazil and bought gifts?
“Yeah. I bought some clothes and bags and stuff. I just bought whatever caught my eye, so I’m not sure if there’ll be anything you like.”
– Well, your fashion sense sucks anyway, oppa.
Yeon-woo’s brow twitched slightly at So-hyeon’s words.
Though Yeon-woo remained calm in any situation, strangely, getting dissed by his younger sibling made him feel slightly annoyed.
“…Anyway, wear them well. Are you studying properly? You only have a few months left until the college entrance exam.”
– Ah, the signal doesn’t work well in the cafeteria…? Anyway, got it. Thanks!
Click─.
So-hyeon hastily hung up, perhaps sensing he was about to nag about studying.
‘Hmm…’
Still, he had heard from Mother that she was studying quite diligently, saying she wanted to go to a school in Seoul.
“Well, she’ll do fine on her own. In today’s world, you don’t necessarily have to graduate from a good university to live well.”
Even Ju-hyeong, who was closest to him, attended Korea University, but didn’t he have breathing difficulties when he became an assistant writer?
‘Come to think of it, would Ju-hyeong’s parents be angry if they found out the truth?’
Yeon-woo scratched his head.
“Well, it’s his life, so he’ll figure it out…”
“Figure out what?”
At the voice from behind, Yeon-woo turned around to see Son Jin-wook walking over, waving one hand while holding a cucumber in the other.
“Jin-wook hyung. Are you on a diet?”
“Photo shoot tomorrow.”
Yeon-woo nodded at Son Jin-wook’s words.
Come to think of it, Yeon-woo was still the most idle one at Saebyeol.
His value had risen so much that the commercial films and photo shoots coming in had decreased, and he was rejecting all of those anyway.
“Hmm, I should work harder on my schedule from now on.”
“You’re starting a movie soon, right?”
“Yes. While filming, if ‘Parabola’ starts in the middle, we’ll probably stop shooting and alternate between the two.”
“Wow, is that even possible? Alternating between two projects means two characters. I don’t think I could act alternating between two characters at the same time. It’s not like living a double life.”
At Son Jin-wook’s words, Yeon-woo scratched his cheek.
Come to think of it, he had only considered the schedule but never thought about the difficulty of alternating between acting two characters.
“You’re right, aren’t you?”
“Don’t tell me you hadn’t thought about it.”
“A double life… I think it would be fine if I analyze the script well and immerse myself properly.”
In fact, since he was an expert at living a double life, he might not have worried about that aspect.
“And I think the movie crank-in will be faster than expected. We’re planning to shoot a lot during the summer.”
“Really? Let me know if you need a cameo.”
Yeon-woo smiled at Son Jin-wook’s words.
“If hyung appears as a cameo this time too, it’ll be the third one.”
“But there hasn’t been a movie yet.”
“That’s true.”
Son Jin-wook said while chewing the cucumber with a disgusted expression.
“You’re filming with that new person, right? Hong what was it…”
“Hong A-yoon.”
“Right. Her. Cheol-min hyung said her basic foundation is really good?”
He had heard that Jeong Cheol-min was giving acting lessons to Jung Su-yeon, Han Byeol, and Hong A-yoon.
“Really? I’ll find out soon when we start working together.”
“It’s a romance, right? So there are kiss scenes too?”
At Son Jin-wook’s question, Yeon-woo thought for a moment then shook his head.
“The framework is all complete, but we haven’t written the detailed script yet. I don’t think there was really a place for it…”
“Huh? Wouldn’t it be weird to have a romance without kiss scenes?”
“Hmm, I suppose so.”
In fact, he just does whatever the director writes, so what difference does it make if there are kiss scenes or not?
It’s not like he’s in his twenties getting heart palpitations over such things.
‘Oh, I am in my twenties though…’
Yeon-woo scratched his head with a somewhat bitter expression.
***
A few days later, as soon as the semester ended, Kim Ju-hyeong called eagerly.
He seemed desperate to start working as soon as possible.
In a world dominated by salary thieves, where could you find such a passionate worker burning with enthusiasm?
Yeon-woo also quickly picked up Kim Ju-hyeong and headed to the outskirts of Ilsan.
“You know Director Lee Yong-su?”
“Yeah. I know him. He’s a famous commercial film director.”
Kim Ju-hyeong surprisingly already knew who Director Lee Yong-su was.
“Were you interested in commercial films too?”
“A well-made commercial film is like a short movie.”
“Who said that?”
“Huh? I did.”
Yeon-woo chuckled at Kim Ju-hyeong’s bland answer.
“Anyway, since this director is also new to commercial movies, I think combining with your otaku power will create great synergy.”
“Oh, otaku power… Ahem, that’s true though.”
Before long, Yeon-woo’s car carrying Kim Ju-hyeong arrived at their destination.
“Wow. It’s in an unexpectedly quiet place? This looks just like a foreign village.”
“I had the exact same thought when I first came here. I called ahead, so let’s go straight up.”
Yeon-woo led the way up the stairs to Director Lee Yong-su’s studio.
It seemed like he had been waiting for Yeon-woo and Kim Ju-hyeong to come, as the door opened as soon as they rang the doorbell.
“Oh my, you’re here.”
“Director. We’re in the same boat now, so please speak comfortably.”
“Hmm, is that so? Both of you, come on in.”
Yeon-woo and Kim Ju-hyeong entered the studio.
“This is my friend Kim Ju-hyeong that I mentioned. He’s a Korea University student and as I told you before, he’s an amateur writer and a movie enthusiast.”
“It’s an honor to meet you, Director!”
At the energetic greeting, Director Lee Yong-su smiled and extended his hand.
“Yes. Nice to meet you. A Korea University student? This is too high-quality talent to use as an assistant writer.”
“When I asked if he wanted to try working as an assistant writer, I thought this guy was going to pass out. He’s that full of passion.”
At Yeon-woo’s introduction, Kim Ju-hyeong blushed slightly and scratched the back of his head vigorously.
“If, if you’ll just give me the chance, I’ll work hard at anything. Participating in movie filming has been my dream.”
“Good. That works out well. Making my own movies has been my lifelong dream too.”
When two fools who only knew movies got together, the burning synergy was tremendous.
“Then this part reminds me of the composition from the final scene in Director Moon Kyung-jin’s movie ‘Viola’. I think it would be good to reference it, wait a moment!”
“Oh, I know what scene you mean too. He’s my college classmate. But you know Moon’s ‘Viola’? That’s a completely non-mainstream movie that hardly anyone knows about.”
Yeon-woo thought he had watched quite a lot of domestic movies, but the names the two were throwing back and forth were directors and works he had never heard of before.
Yeon-woo, who was yawning and stretching while caught between the two otaku, listened to the draft of the scenario that was gradually being refined sentence by sentence.
“My summer at twenty was too vivid to be called a dream, and too mixed with colorful emotions and memories like water-soaked colored paper to be called reality, confusing me.”
Yeon-woo, who had recited in a low voice with deep, peaceful emotions flowing like water, continued the narration.
“So perhaps that’s why Shakespeare titled his comedy ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. My impression of that summer I remember was exactly like that.”
It was the narration that would come first in the movie’s opening, when even the screen was still black.
Though it was narration read calmly, even in that brief moment, Director Lee Yong-su and Kim Ju-hyeong, who had been discussing with each other, stopped talking and their heads naturally turned toward Yeon-woo.
The voice that captivated everyone strongly convinced them that the ‘I’ mentioned in the narration was Yeon-woo himself.
Even though it was clearly an introduction written by Director Lee Yong-su himself, he wanted to ask Yeon-woo, the narrator, what had happened to him.
“Wow, Director. Honestly, I thought starting with narration was a bit old-fashioned since it’s not the current style, but hearing it directly, going with this seems like the best choice.”
“As expected, in the end, it’s the actor’s performance that completes the script…”
Kim Ju-hyeong picked up a part of the script he had just written and placed it in Yeon-woo’s hands.
“Yeon-woo. Do this one too.”
“Hmm? Got it.”
No less than the two movie enthusiasts, Yeon-woo was also an acting enthusiast.
When three otaku gathered, an even stronger synergy began to take effect.
Thus the two passionate men poured out scripts, and the completed scripts were immediately delivered to Yeon-woo.
When the ‘acting vending machine’ Yeon-woo, who could insert a script and press a button to immediately unfold high-powered performances on the spot, showed them right before their eyes, the two became excited and completed the script at a rapid pace.
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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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