NIS Agent Reincarnated as a Genius Actor - Chapter 248

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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 248. Movie “Moon” 2/4

Smartphone, Bitcoin.

In the end, it was all about the future.

 

Realistically, there wasn’t any method she could try right now.

 

“Even though I know so much information about the future…”

 

She couldn’t particularly remember anything related to 2006.

 

‘Of course, next year the international financial crisis will begin due to the subprime mortgage crisis, so if I take a short position…’

 

After thinking about various things, Hong Yu-jeong shook her head.

 

“Sigh, what’s the point? It’s still a long way off… If you reverse poverty, does it become wealth?”

 

When Hong Yu-jeong let out a deep sigh, Cha Su-hyeon scratched his head.

 

“Well, I told you there’s quite a bit left from my part-time job pay, right? Why are you suddenly so obsessed with money?”

“But if I don’t do something…”

 

Because I feel like I’ll become a useless person and eventually be left alone in this past with no one remembering me.

 

She swallowed the rest of her words.

 

Cha Su-hyeon, who had been looking at Hong Yu-jeong, tilted his head and started washing dishes again.

Hong Yu-jeong, who had been staring at Cha Su-hyeon, asked.

 

“By the way, Su-hyeon. What kind of part-time job did you do after graduating high school?”

“Private tutoring.”

 

Hong Yu-jeong tilted her head at the unexpected answer.

 

“Private tutoring?”

 

Cha Su-hyeon smiled slightly awkwardly as he scrubbed the pot with a sponge.

 

“For a country bumpkin who graduated from a technical high school in the countryside, I’m pretty good at English. When I was young, many foreigners came to the temple where I grew up for temple stays. Instead of the elderly monks, I naturally got involved and did interpretation haltingly for several years, so my English skills gradually improved.”

“Wow, that’s unexpected?”

 

Then Cha Su-hyeon added more.

 

“In a countryside like this, even small things spread quickly. Word that I could speak English spread to the town center too, and interested aunties entrusted their children to me. Although even small academies are rare in the countryside, that doesn’t mean they don’t want to educate their children.”

 

Hong Yu-jeong’s eyes lit up after hearing Cha Su-hyeon’s words.

 

“Then you know what? Ask if those kids want to do private tutoring again! I may look like this, but I’m Hong Yu-jeong who graduated valedictorian from KAIST and am a senior researcher at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute and an astronaut! I could teach mathematics or science and you could teach English, Su-hyeon!”

 

Cha Su-hyeon, who had finished washing dishes, took off his rubber gloves and scratched his cheek.

 

“Hmm, private tutoring?”

“They might say they want to do it. Right?”

 

Actually, when he stopped teaching the children, the aunties had been quite disappointed.

 

“Well, okay. I’ll ask when I go to town. They’ll probably all be gathered at the beauty salon.”

 

Since talking about being an astronaut or senior researcher would sound too absurd, he figured he could just say that a friend attending KAIST came to visit during summer vacation.

 

“Yes! Really?”

 

Seeing Hong Yu-jeong clenching her fists in joy, Cha Su-hyeon smiled slightly bitterly.

 

Hong Yu-jeong probably thought Cha Su-hyeon didn’t notice that she was trying hard to appear cheerful, but after spending several days together, it had become obvious without her knowing.

 

Her desperate attempt to find something she could do seemed like a struggle to somehow find her usefulness in order to blend into this world.

 

Cha Su-hyeon saw his own school days reflected in Hong Yu-jeong.

 

For Cha Su-hyeon, who was raised by monks at a temple without parents, blending in among other ordinary friends wasn’t easy.

 

***

 

The reaction from the town aunties was more enthusiastic than expected.

Since Hong Yu-jeong couldn’t come out from within the blue barrier, they decided to hold the tutoring sessions at Cha Su-hyeon’s house.

 

Cha Su-hyeon brought children who would be entering middle school next year.

The children quickly took a liking to the cheerful and pretty Hong Yu-jeong.

 

“Mom, I want to keep learning math from Teacher Yu-jeong. Okay?”

 

Even without the children begging, the parents were planning to arrange private tutoring.

 

Whether it was because they heard she was a KAIST student or because they recognized that Hong Yu-jeong was exceptional, the parents who observed the first day’s lesson were extremely satisfied.

 

The parents in town were so enthusiastic that they drove their cars to provide daily transportation for the children.

 

Besides teaching children, Hong Yu-jeong had recently developed a hobby.

 

That hobby was Yeongjin Supermarket, where the blue barrier was cast.

Arriving at the corner store, Hong Yu-jeong opened the sliding door at the entrance.

 

“Grandmother.”

“Oh my. The pretty girl came again.”

“Yes. Grandmother, may I use the computer again today?”

 

The grandmother smiled at Hong Yu-jeong’s words.

 

“Of course. Feel free to use it.”

 

Grandmother’s words made Hong Yu-jeong smile brightly.

 

“Thank you!”

 

Watching the young lady close the sliding door and enter her own house next door, Grandmother chuckled softly.

 

“Well, that’s nice. She’s just like our son who went to Seoul. Completely absorbed in some game called League or something with mice.”

 

Of course, Hong Yu-jeong wasn’t playing games on the computer.

The only places Hong Yu-jeong could go were the mountain, Cha Su-hyeon’s house, and this supermarket, but among all the things there, what caught Hong Yu-jeong’s interest the most was still the computer.

 

Although it was an old computer with a large CRT monitor and Windows XP installed, making it frustratingly slow compared to the future, at least it was something.

 

***

 

After spending quite a while at the supermarket grandmother’s house, Hong Yu-jeong returned to Cha Su-hyeon’s house.

 

“Oh? You bought them!”

 

She discovered the items placed on the wooden floor.

At Hong Yu-jeong’s words, Cha Su-hyeon nodded.

 

“Yeah. When I went to town center earlier, I stopped by the hardware store and bought the items you mentioned.”

 

Hong Yu-jeong’s expression brightened as she began crafting something with the items from the hardware store.

 

“Ta-da.”

 

It was a paper cup phone connected with copper wire.

Of course, the paper cups had been replaced with plastic receivers, and copper wire was coiled inside them, making it look convincing enough to pass for a real landline phone.

 

“You made that well so quickly?”

“Astronauts need to know how to fix or make most things. Once you leave Earth, you can’t receive supplies anymore.”

 

Hong Yu-jeong removed the original red string paper cup phone and hung the copper wire phone in its place, threading it through the gap in the door.

 

 

Film critic Jo Hoon, watching the screen, understood what this scene meant.

 

The thin string had been the medium that conveyed the two people’s inner thoughts and deep conversations.

 

‘At first, Cha Su-hyeon installed the paper cup phone to comfort Hong Yu-jeong, but now the initiative has shifted to Hong Yu-jeong. And the emotional bond between the two has become as solid and thick as copper wire.’

 

***

 

It had been almost two months since they started teaching the children.

During this time, the two who had ended up living together unexpectedly had grown quite close.

 

They would do laundry together, dissolving soap in a large basin in the yard to wash blankets, and Hong Yu-jeong would attempt cooking, creating strange porridge that she called soup.

 

However, the spatial constraints that brought the two closer together also unknowingly gnawed at Hong Yu-jeong’s heart.

 

Not going out and not being able to go out were different things.

 

Hong Yu-jeong stood in front of the small crosswalk next to Yeongjin Supermarket, gazing quietly across to the other side.

 

‘I can’t even cross this small crosswalk.’

 

There weren’t even any cars coming…

Even when the green light turned on, she couldn’t cross.

 

The blue barrier blocking Hong Yu-jeong’s view continued to wear her down.

 

‘That blue barrier feels like it’s going to devour me eventually.’

 

Cha Su-hyeon noticed this change in Hong Yu-jeong.

 

On a day when there were no private tutoring sessions for the children.

Cha Su-hyeon spoke to Hong Yu-jeong from the morning.

 

“You know those sneakers we bought last time. Change into those. We have somewhere to go today.”

“Somewhere to go?”

 

Anyway, the only places Hong Yu-jeong could go were the mountain, home, and the supermarket, so where could they possibly go together that would be special?

 

“Today we’re going to see the sea.”

“Huh? Where is there a sea?”

“You’ll know when we get there.”

 

Hong Yu-jeong, who had nothing particular to do at home anyway, tilted her head and put on her sneakers.

 

And they walked for quite a while.

 

They followed country paths upward and sometimes walked through places that weren’t even paths.

 

Although there was clearly a blue barrier surrounding Cha Su-hyeon’s house in a circular radius, since she had never been to the mountain on the opposite side from the supermarket, every path they encountered was new scenery for Hong Yu-jeong.

 

They passed through a path where low-growing apricot trees had intertwined their branches in circles, creating what looked like a tunnel.

 

Then, sparkling light became visible at the end of the tree tunnel.

 

“It’s fortunate the weather is nice today.”

 

Hearing Cha Su-hyeon’s words, Hong Yu-jeong looked ahead.

When Hong Yu-jeong reached the middle of the mountain, there was a steep cliff before her eyes, and looking down through the trees below, she could see the blue barrier.

 

And beyond that, far in the distance, the sea was visible.

It was a spectacular view.

 

No, since it was a place unknown to others, it was a hidden scenic spot.

 

“There really is a sea···.”

 

The moment she saw the sea, Hong Yu-jeong unknowingly let a single tear drop fall.

She didn’t know why tears were flowing when she wasn’t particularly sad.

 

“Maybe it’s because it’s suddenly so bright···.”

 

After sitting and gazing at the sea for a long while, Hong Yu-jeong opened her mouth.

 

“This was the only path for me. I didn’t have the luxury to think about anything else, nor did I have the shame to do so. People say, ‘What has the country done for us that they take so much in taxes?’ In a way, that might be many people making small sacrifices for me.”

 

At Hong Yu-jeong’s words, Cha Su-hyeon quietly asked.

 

“Why did you think that way?”

“Space exploration is the path that costs the most and ultimately earns the public’s hatred. Ever since I was selected as a science prodigy from childhood, I’ve always grown up receiving support from foundations and government funding, so my path was always predetermined without any possibility of giving up halfway. Still, I endured thinking that no matter how long it took, if I kept running steadily, I could reach my goal.”

 

But she never thought that the result of all that endurance would be ending up trapped in a cage like this.

 

After sitting and gazing at the sea without much conversation for a long while, the two got up as the sun began to set.

 

“Let’s go home.”

“Yeah.”

 

Cha Su-hyeon carefully took Hong Yu-jeong’s hand.

 

Though she flinched for a moment, Hong Yu-jeong, her face reddening, held Cha Su-hyeon’s hand as they descended the darkening mountain path.

 

After walking for a while, when the steep path somewhat ended, Hong Yu-jeong quietly fidgeted and tried to pull her hand away.

 

“The path is still rough and dangerous.”

“···I guess it does seem that way.”

 

Above the two people, red light colored the world as the sunset glowed.

 

That red light seemed to hide their burning blush.

 

And the audience watching the two people’s heart-fluttering scene unknowingly smiled motherly smiles.

 

***

 

It was an unexpected moment when a huge change came to their peaceful life.

 

“Yu-jeong?”

 

No matter how much he looked around, Hong Yu-jeong was nowhere to be seen.

 

Just moments ago, she had definitely been right next to him.

 

When he said he was curious about the pendant necklace she always wore, Hong Yu-jeong had taken off the necklace and placed it in his hand, but while he was briefly trying it on, she had vanished without a trace.

 

Cha Su-hyeon looked around and cupped his hands to his mouth, shouting.

 

“Hong Yu-jeong!”

 

Cha Su-hyeon frantically searched the surroundings with an urgent expression, trying to find Hong Yu-jeong who had suddenly disappeared.

 

 

Meanwhile, Hong Yu-jeong blinked in surprise at the suddenly changed view.

 

Just moments ago, she had definitely been sitting on the wooden floor having a conversation with Cha Su-hyeon···.

 

In the dark indoor space, emergency warning sounds blared loudly and red lights continuously flashed.

There was a stuffy smell of what might have been steam or smoke.

 

As another inexplicable event happened to her, fear took precedence for a moment.

However, when she looked around, she realized it was a place that was both unfamiliar and familiar.

 

“Exploration vessel···?”

 

Around Hong Yu-jeong, fellow pilots who had either fainted or lost consciousness were strapped to safety belts, hanging with their heads dropped.

 

The place where Hong Yu-jeong opened her eyes was a lunar exploration vessel that had made an emergency landing somewhere in the vast South Pacific.

 

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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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