NIS Agent Reincarnated as a Genius Actor - Chapter 288

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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 288. Blue Whale Gate

The night before, Kim Su-hyeok had pondered which of the numerous works that adorned actor Ryu Yeon-woo’s career to watch first, and chose to start with 「White Blood」.

 

And that choice wasn’t particularly good.

 

While other works were movies with running times of around two hours at most, 「White Blood」 was a 12-episode drama.

 

But once he started watching, he couldn’t stop in the middle.

 

“Hwaaam…”

 

Kim Su-hyeok couldn’t suppress the yawn that came out unconsciously and opened his mouth wide.

 

He had parked his car near Baek Sol’s secret workshop near Gimpo Airport and was conducting surveillance in a two-person team with Lee Kyu-jin, but drowsiness was overwhelming him.

 

While watching 「White Blood」, he initially thought it was just an absurd story, but as he watched, he gradually became immersed in the world.

 

There wasn’t any special reason why Kim Su-hyeok chose 「White Blood」.

 

He just saw the genre code [#Action] marked on Netflix and chose it without any prior information, never thinking it would be a fantasy with such a vast world.

 

Watching Kim Su-hyeok sitting in the passenger seat and constantly yawning, Lee Kyu-jin tilted his head.

 

“Team Leader, what did you do last night? Perhaps you met with a woman?”

“What woman… You’re talking nonsense. For guys like us who don’t know when we might die, just meeting someone is already a burden to them.”

“…Excuse me? I’m doing just fine meeting people though?”

 

At Lee Kyu-jin’s words, Kim Su-hyeok looked him up and down and tilted his head.

 

“Why are you looking at me like that? It’s slightly offensive.”

“Well, even a slug has its rolling skills. Anyway, yesterday I couldn’t sleep much because I was watching a movie Ryu Yeon-woo appeared in.”

“A movie all of a sudden? Oh, speaking of Ryu Yeon-woo reminds me, Team Leader, have you watched 「Survival Island」 recently?”

 

At Lee Kyu-jin’s words, Kim Su-hyeok nodded.

 

“I watched it all.”

“Isn’t it amazing? Fighting against amateurs is something that anyone with some real combat experience could manage reasonably well, but that school part at the end…”

“Coming up with tricks on the spot after assessing the surrounding situation in real time at the scene is really difficult.”

“Even among active personnel, wouldn’t that be S-rank?”

 

At Lee Kyu-jin’s question, Kim Su-hyeok quietly nodded in agreement.

 

“I think that kind of combat sense is in the realm of talent. So I reported to the commander and tried to scout talent from the survival club this time, but he flatly refused…”

 

Kim Su-hyeok stopped mid-sentence and looked toward the place they were monitoring.

 

“They’re here.”

 

It felt like he was suddenly wide awake.

 

They had been waiting and conducting surveillance for several weeks already.

 

A truck with a large container was backing up toward the entrance of the secret workshop disguised as a residential house.

 

Beep beep beep─.

 

The truck that had been backing up with warning sounds stopped, and a man in his late thirties got out of the driver’s seat.

 

“Zoom in.”

“Yes sir.”

 

At Kim Su-hyeok’s words, Lee Kyu-jin picked up the camera.

 

He might just be a simple delivery person, but they started taking photos of the truck driver first.

 

The two had parked the most common black domestic compact SUV against the alley wall where they could clearly see the entrance to the secret workshop and were conducting surveillance.

 

The truck driver, never dreaming that he was being photographed, pressed the bell at the entrance of the secret workshop and began opening the container.

 

Kim Su-hyeok, who had been quietly watching this scene, gave instructions.

 

“Take photos so the faces are captured as clearly as possible, and don’t open any communication channels just in case. We haven’t confirmed whether they’ve installed surveillance equipment near the workshop.”

“Understood.”

 

Meanwhile, the main gate disguised as a residential house opened and three sturdy men came out.

 

Unless three grown brothers were all living off their parents in the house, three sturdy men were clearly not a composition you’d expect to find in an ordinary residential house.

 

This was especially true for an old house in such a remote area, not even a studio apartment complex near a university district.

 

“I got them all, Team Leader.”

“Is facial identification possible?”

“Yes. More than enough.”

 

At Lee Kyu-jin’s answer, Kim Su-hyeok nodded.

 

“Let’s quietly get out of here. We’ll move to the safe zone first and then make our report.”

“Yes sir.”

 

Whirr─.

 

The electric car started silently.

 

And the SUV carrying Kim Su-hyeok and Lee Kyu-jin quietly left the alley where the secret workshop was located.

 

***

 

When the final episode was released, the reaction was hot as Yeon-woo had expected.

 

Actually, if anyone had known what content would be aired in advance, they would have expected a hot reaction.

 

“Wow, PD Yoon! You should treat us!”

“Congratulations, senior. I knew something big was coming ever since you said Ryu Yeon-woo was joining.”

“I really watched yesterday’s broadcast too, and this was bound to cause a sensation, wasn’t it?”

 

As PD Yoon Chang-jun walked through the Broadcasting Station Corridor, everyone he met offered congratulations.

 

“Well, of course I should treat everyone. I’ll arrange something soon, so let’s all coordinate our schedules.”

 

PD Yoon Chang-jun felt bewildered by the program’s great success, but also somewhat frightened.

 

He’d been a PD for several years now, so it wasn’t about the weight of success or pressure for the next project.

 

‘…No matter how I look at it, all of this seems like a meticulously designed scenario.’

 

PD Yoon had participated in five survival programs so far.

 

From the general audition program he assisted with as a sub-PD shortly after joining the company, to musicals, idols, poker players’ survival shows, and now “Survival Island.”

 

‘Did someone say that great journeys begin with unexpected turns?’

 

He remembered a passage he’d read in some book.

 

From a PD’s perspective, why a superstar at the peak would decide to appear on such a survival program was puzzling enough to wake him up at night wondering.

 

Ryu Yeon-woo was truly a despised player.

 

In a program designed to determine who was strongest among participants showing off their military prowess, having an unmilitary male actor participate was like throwing raw meat into a lion’s den.

 

When they heard Ryu Yeon-woo would join the program, they expected he might attract female viewers and were pleased that his name recognition would raise the program’s value itself, but no one on the production team expected him to show any real performance.

 

No, not just the production team—everyone who heard the news would have felt the same.

 

PD Yoon Chang-jun sat alone on the Break Room sofa after those congratulating him had ebbed away like a tide, and picked up his smartphone.

 

Searching for ‘Survival Island’ showed the chaotic Internet reactions without filter.

 

“Survival Island” wasn’t even a movie but a reality show close to documentary, yet movie critics had started posting reviews on professional review sites.

 

– People often call it an unscripted drama, but even dramas would get criticized for lacking credibility at this level. This showed the ultimate potential of reality entertainment. (5/5) [Cine77 Editor-in-Chief Jo Yeon-ji]

 

– The underdog’s delightful rebellion? Actually, it wasn’t rebellion—he had a king’s destiny from the start. We just couldn’t see it, blinded by brilliant light. (4.5/5) [Critic Park Se-kwon]

 

Beyond general viewers’ reactions and experts’ reviews, it seemed like even YouTube’s algorithm had been conquered—nothing got exposure unless it was related to “Survival Island.”

 

– I went there myself. Survival Island exploration. [Live from Gakul Island] – TtoTtoTto’s Research Life

– How difficult is rope action really? If you do it, you do it! – Action Actor Movie Kim

 

‘They’re trying to copy this? These YouTube view-obsessed lunatics…’

 

Yoon Chang-jun shook his head.

 

The program naturally included warnings not to imitate and notes about filming under safety experts’ protection, but there were always people like this.

 

He just hoped they wouldn’t cause accidents while trying to copy his program.

 

***

 

Meanwhile, the chaos after the final episode aired wasn’t limited to Domestic.

 

“Mister Fenton. I heard you have a special friendship with Korea’s Ryu Yeon-woo.”

 

In a Private Room of an elegant Restaurant, a man cutting steak quietly broached the subject.

Bernard Fenton smiled at the man’s words.

 

“Haha, Ryu is one of this old man’s few friends. We actually talked a few days ago about having drinks together soon.”

 

Hearing that Bernard Fenton had spoken with Yeon-woo recently, the man brightened and got to the point.

 

“Oh, is that so? If you could help bridge this project I’m planning, I’ll treat you properly. Of course, we can match the contract terms to your desires. We’ve already signed with Korea’s TVM Broadcasting Station.”

 

Looking at the conditions, they were top industry level, so Bernard Fenton nodded.

 

American show business originally grew through lobbying and private meetings, so most proposals came through connections like this.

 

Making offers directly through companies without such intermediary bridges was considered somewhat rude by custom.

 

The person making this request was the representative of BWGS, a rising powerhouse and the fastest trend-leading production company in America, so Bernard Fenton felt quite elevated.

 

“Everyone in the industry knows that everything Blue Whale Gate Studio plans succeeds. Very well. Of course, since Ryu and I are friends, I’ll just mention it—there’s no guarantee he’ll accept.”

 

The man nodded satisfactorily at Bernard Fenton’s words.

 

“That’s sufficient. I learned that in Korea, Ryu Yeon-woo is a ‘goose that lays golden eggs’ that money can’t buy?”

“Haha, if you actually meet my friend Ryu, you’ll be amazed by his personality. Despite being a superstar in his country, he’s incredibly humble and well-mannered.”

“I see. Since we’re planning this properly, building the set will probably take quite some time, but I really hope this works out.”

“Indeed. Then I’ll try to convey that he should consider it as positively as possible.”

 

Bernard Fenton looked at the documents placed beside the Table.

 

The proposal Blue Whale Gate delivered to Fenton was clearly crafted by quickly reading recent trends.

 

The rapid action and eye for successful projects were surely the driving forces behind the man’s success.

 

Though filming would require completed casting and set construction, taking considerable time even starting now, Bernard Fenton was confident this would be a huge hit.

 

And personally, he was incredibly excited as a viewer.

 

‘Hmm, I might have to beg Ryu to accept this myself.’

 

– Blue Whale Gate Studio – 「Survival Island – Global Match」 Request Form for recruiting ‘Ryu Yeon-woo, Korea Representative’

 

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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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