NIS Agent Reincarnated as a Genius Actor - Chapter 264

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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 264. Sidewalk Blocks

“So you’re saying they made a bank account under your name and those people give you money every month?”

“Ah, well that’s what I’m telling you. It’s a bit scary and suspicious, but I’ve been receiving it like that for over 2 years now.”

“What if you get involved in some crime or something?”

 

The person having a friendly conversation with Lee Hyeong-rak, calling him “hyung,” was Kim Su-hyeok.

It had already been several days since he disguised himself to look like a homeless person and casually joined the conversation.

 

To recreate even the distinctive smell, he had sprayed anchovy fish sauce inside his clothes.

 

Lee Hyeong-rak, who had lowered his guard against Kim Su-hyeok who was now calling him brother, snorted and answered.

 

“What would happen if guys like us get involved in anything? We’d just die and that’s it. If we end up eating prison food, at least we’d have a place to sleep and food to eat.”

 

At first, he was wary of the new person and even showed territorial behavior, as if there were designated areas among the homeless.

 

However, since homeless people are basically in a state of severe social disconnection and have been isolated for a long time, they’re starved for affection, so Lee Hyeong-rak quickly attached himself to Kim Su-hyeok and chattered away with stories no one had asked for.

 

Kim Su-hyeok nodded slightly at Lee Hyeong-rak’s words and replied.

 

“Hah, that’s true. Whether we eat charity meals here or prison food inside, it’s all the same. It’ll be getting cold soon too.”

 

At Kim Su-hyeok’s words, Lee Hyeong-rak hesitated and continued speaking.

 

“Mr. Kim. In winter, you see, those people come and… Ah, never mind.”

 

Kim Su-hyeok, who was watching Lee Hyeong-rak start to speak then stop, quietly turned his head to look up at the tall building on the main street.

 

“If you have some good information, don’t share it and just keep it to yourself. From talking with you briefly, you seem like a really caring person, hyung.”

 

He didn’t bother to press Lee Hyeong-rak further as he trailed off.

Originally, when told not to say something, people want to say it even more.

 

As Kim Su-hyeok looked into the distance and kept his mouth shut, Lee Hyeong-rak hesitated then opened his mouth.

 

“Well, you see, ah, those people would probably be happy if they took one more person along. I don’t know.”

 

It seemed like Lee Hyeong-rak had decided to speak, as he began.

When Kim Su-hyeok just stared at him without saying anything, he continued.

 

“Around late November, those people load us into a van and take us somewhere. Then we work at that factory all winter, eating and sleeping there, and they release us when spring comes again. They give us quite a bit of money too.”

“They take people like us and provide food and lodging while giving us work? But why only in winter? There are more construction jobs available in spring and fall.”

“It’s not regular work. We handle drugs and stuff like that.”

 

Then Kim Su-hyeok looked at Lee Hyeong-rak intently and replied.

 

“Oh my, hyung must be more educated than I thought? Working at pharmaceutical companies and such.”

“No, not those kinds of drugs. The dangerous stuff, you know.”

“…Then you mean like narcotics?”

“Shh! Someone might hear! It’s just my guess.”

 

Kim Su-hyeok inwardly laughed seeing Lee Hyeong-rak bring his dirty, grimy hand to his mouth and look around nervously.

 

Who would listen to what a homeless person was saying?

Even now, people entering the subway were walking in a wide circle around the two sitting near the entrance, worried they might catch some disease.

 

“But hyung, what kind of work do you do when you go there?”

“All sorts of things come into the factory. From TVs to refrigerators, even actual edible cakes and stuffed animals. The variety is huge, but they’re all items with hidden envelopes containing white powder. We just cut and tear them open to find the drug packets inside and stack them neatly to one side.”

“It doesn’t sound too difficult from what you’re saying?”

“Oh, of course it’s easy work. That’s why I go every year even though I know I’ll be locked up for months.”

 

Just then, Han Hae-woon’s voice came through Kim Su-hyeok’s earpiece, hidden under his shaggy wig.

 

– Try to find out the location of the factory.

 

Kim Su-hyeok nodded and looked at Lee Hyeong-rak, asking again.

 

“So is that factory located somewhere in the mountains?”

“I don’t really know that well. When we go, we always wear eye masks and get taken in a van for dozens of minutes. They drive around in circles so much that I get motion sickness, which never happened before. And once you go in, you eat and sleep inside, so you can’t come out until spring.”

“Wow, that’s thorough. They even make you wear eye masks?”

 

Lee Hyeong-rak thought for a moment, then nodded and continued.

 

“Ah, but last year when I was going in and coming out, the eye mask was a bit loose so I saw some of the ground. It wasn’t in the mountains, but it wasn’t Seoul either. The ground had those old sidewalk blocks that used to be laid down back in the day. People like us who live on the streets pay close attention to the ground. They were zigzag-shaped sidewalk blocks, green and red ones.”

 

Then Kim Su-hyeok pointed to a spot with his finger.

 

“Not like those sidewalk blocks?”

 

Where Kim Su-hyeok pointed, at the pedestrian traffic island at the intersection, there were the commonly seen square sidewalk blocks.

 

“Ah, not like those. Those kinds of blocks aren’t laid down much these days. Oh, there’s a room with a ventilation fan where we smoke cigarettes. Sometimes you can hear airplanes passing by through the ventilation.”

“But why do those people take you to do the work? Why don’t they do it themselves?”

 

At Kim Su-hyeok’s question, Lee Hyeong-rak scratched his head and answered.

 

“Well, I just do what I’m told and when I get some pocket money, I buy cigarettes to smoke and soju to drink. What would I know? Ah, but after doing that work, strangely my skin gets itchy and my head gets dizzy. Well, it gets better again in spring and summer.”

 

***

 

Listening to the information Kim Su-hyeok was extracting, Yeon-woo stroked his chin.

 

“Hmm, zigzag sidewalk blocks and airplane sounds…”

– I found the sidewalk blocks Lee Hyeong-rak is talking about. They’re called interlocking blocks.

 

Looking at the materials Han Hae-woon sent, Yeon-woo nodded.

 

He could see a photo of sidewalk blocks designed to interlock with each other in a crooked pattern.

 

Indeed, they remained common until the early to mid-2010s, but with road maintenance projects, these blocks had largely disappeared from Seoul and metropolitan cities.

 

“If he heard airplane sounds through the ventilation system, that means ventilation only works through vents, so it’s likely underground. And since he heard takeoff and landing sounds, it must be quite close to an airport. At least within a 5-kilometer radius of the runway.”

– It’s probably more likely to be Gimpo Airport than Incheon Airport, right?

“That’s right. Incheon Airport requires crossing Yeongjong Bridge, so there would be traffic records every time.”

 

But taking Lee Hyeong-rak by car from Seoul to Wonju Airport or Cheongju Airport would be too far.

 

Lee Hyeong-rak definitely said the car turned enough to make him carsick, which means they weren’t driving far on the highway.

 

It was most likely near Gimpo Airport after all.

 

“We’ll need to quietly search around that area.”

 

The overseas shipment had been completely incinerated in Okinawa.

Of course, since the producers they deal with are still intact, they’ll quickly restore their warehouses and facilities given time.

 

To deal consecutive blows to them in the meantime, we need to attack the factory Lee Hyeong-rak visits every winter.

 

– Once we pinpoint the location, we can use reporters to make anonymous tips like when we dealt with Jeon Ki-hoon and Jung Tae-seon, getting the prosecution to conduct raids and searches.

 

Unlike Okinawa, there’s no need to use dangerous and violent methods like infiltrating and setting fires at Baeksol’s domestic base.

 

We can solve it cleanly through legal means.

 

“If we raid the site and arrest everyone inside as criminals caught in the act while confiscating evidence, even Baeksol won’t be able to cover it up immediately.”

– That’s right. If it leaks to the media, it would probably escalate to a special investigation.

 

Yeon-woo looked at the calendar.

There wasn’t much time left before “Parabola’s” crank-in.

 

‘Drama filming will probably start next week, so it would be best to handle this before then.’

 

Looking at the screen, Yeon-woo turned to Kim Su-hyeok and said.

 

“I think we’ve gotten all we can from the homeless man, so let’s withdraw Kim Su-hyeok. I can see him getting more haggard in real time. Let’s make our investigation focus on searching around Gimpo Airport.”

 

Yeon-woo, who had disguised himself as a beggar several times in his past life, knew the hardships better than anyone.

 

People instinctively avoid smelly and dirty things, and even though they clearly see them, they quickly forget about them.

 

That’s why he often used homeless identities when carrying out operations, but the hardest part wasn’t the cold or hunger.

 

‘The smell would be the most difficult part.’

 

When you enter an enclosed space and smell something strong, your nose becomes numb within a few minutes and you can’t feel it well, but when you’re in an open space like that, facing the wind, the smell constantly assaults your nose.

 

The smell from his own clothes, sprayed with anchovy fish sauce, would be torture enough, but the smell from Lee Hyeong-rak, who had been homeless for years, would be even more unbearable.

 

– Lambda. Withdraw.

 

As Han Hae-woon’s order came down, Kim Su-hyeok’s voice could be heard from beyond the screen.

 

– Boss. Then I’ll go walk around up front for a bit. If I don’t come back on time, go get dinner first.

 

Kim Su-hyeok’s voice sounded somehow excited.

 

***

 

Until “Parabola’s” filming began, Yeon-woo practiced acting while giving instructions about the investigation whenever he had time.

 

There was no need to go directly to the site and walk around just staring at sidewalk blocks.

 

Yeon-woo, who had been Jay in “Sketch,” had learned a method from Nari in the drama.

 

‘I should look around using internet street view first, then secretly explore only the suspicious locations at night.’

 

In the old days, he would have had to run around on foot covering that entire vast area, but the world had become much more convenient for intelligence activities.

 

After spending a long time following street view routes online, walking the streets and examining the ground, he found several sidewalks with the interlocking blocks Lee Hyeong-rak had mentioned.

 

‘Hmm, that’s strange. The surrounding areas have all been replaced with new blocks, so why do these places still have the old sidewalk blocks?’

 

When he looked into related information for investigation, he found that old sidewalk blocks had long been replaced with more sophisticated designs through urban landscape projects called “Design Seoul Streets” or “Road Renaissance.”

 

Yeon-woo immediately sent the locations he found to the agents through Han Hae-woon.

And that night, through the agents who went to the addresses Yeon-woo had sent, they were able to understand why those places were still using the old blocks.

 

– Headquarters. We’ve arrived at the location. The blocks match the type shown in the photos. There are signs posted here saying that airport fiber optic cables are buried underground in this area, so if construction work needs to be done, contact the telecommunications company and airport first.

 

Starting with Lee Kyu-jin’s report, Kim Su-hyeok and Park Jung-hyeon, who had arrived at other locations, also submitted the same reports.

 

Hearing the reports, Yeon-woo and Han Hae-woon nodded.

 

“The contractors found it troublesome to deal with administrative procedures and safety management inspections, so they worked around those sections.”

– Hmm, that’s K-administration for you, isn’t it.

 

Still, thanks to that, they could easily find the facilities those bastards had hidden domestically.

 

They had already played with fire, so now it was time to turn over the earth.

 

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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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