NIS Agent Reincarnated as a Genius Actor - Chapter 313

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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 313. The Essence of Acting

A man eating lunch with his coworkers at a restaurant district crowded with companies loosened his tie slightly and opened his mouth.

“By the way, did you see that article about our department head?”

“What article? Ryu Yeon-woo?”

The man nodded at the department head’s question.

“Yes. I heard the National Tax Service issued a direct clarification?”

“I saw it. Everyone in the break room was talking about nothing but that while drinking coffee earlier.”

“It’s strange that the National Tax Service clarified it so quickly, but why did such a baseless article come out in the first place?”

“That’s what I’m saying. There’s too much fake news these days. Even the American President talks about fake news in his speeches.”

Office workers gathered during lunch time in Korean time were all talking about nothing but that story.

Since he was an actor who had been hitting jackpots with everything he filmed in recent years, he was definitely at the top in terms of buzz, so it was natural that such gossip would work wherever two or more people gathered.

And most people encountered both the false news and the rebuttal news published 37 minutes apart at the same time.

Community users who stayed online 24 hours looking for hot topics had excitedly spread slander and speculation about Ryu Yeon-woo during those 37 minutes, but most ordinary people encountered both pieces of news together and considered it a light happening.

The same was true for Woozu members.

Not all members were enthusiastic enough to join group chat rooms, so most encountered both pieces of news at once, just like other ordinary people.

And the first thought that came to those fans’ minds was anger toward the reporter who first made the false report, rather than worry or relief.

– flower_word0 : This is reporter Choi Un-gyu from NK News. I’m making a protest call right now. It seems many other members are also protesting, as I keep getting disconnected.

– eunbin_04 : [[email protected]] This is that reporter’s tip email

└ peace0926 : I immediately sent a clarification request

– laffiee : Unless he’s crazy, I don’t think he would really publish an article for no reason at all. Did someone give him false information?

└ happy_kry : Even if that’s the case, I think publishing an article without fact-checking crossed the line big time

└ Yuri_Rabbit : Totally agree

And the arrowheads that community users and the fandom aimed at reporter Choi Un-gyu were extremely sharp.

All internet articles published by NK News began to be flooded with protest comments requesting clarification, regardless of their content.

***

Ring ring─.

“Yes. NK News speak···. Ah, yes. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused by the incorrect report···.”

NK News, located on the 6th floor of a building on Gangnam Teheran-ro, was like a war zone with phone rings echoing loud enough to be heard even from other floors.

“Hey, is that bastard Choi Un-gyu still unreachable?!”

“He definitely came to work, but he disappeared after lunch time and went into hiding. He probably instinctively realized that something too big to handle had happened.”

“Ha, this is completely crazy. He dumped not just a truckload of shit on the company but sprayed it from the air, and now he’s running away like this?!”

Editor-in-Chief Lee Sang-gi held his head and shook it, seeming to have a headache.

He thought about whether he had ever received this many protest calls since joining NK News, but he was certain he hadn’t.

Even when there was a misreport about a presidential candidate during the sensitive election period a few years ago, it didn’t have this level of impact.

“No, the more I think about it, the more I don’t understand? Why did this crazy bastard suddenly publish such an article on his own? This is driving me insane. Could this guy be a spy paid by another newspaper? Team Leader Han, search through that bastard Choi Un-gyu’s computer. Find out exactly where he got what kind of tip to write such an article.”

“His work PC?”

“Search everything including personal messengers. Whether it’s legal or illegal isn’t important right now. We need to find out something somehow and quickly publish an apology report.”

The person called Team Leader Han nodded at the Editor-in-Chief’s words.

Watching this, Editor-in-Chief Lee Sang-gi let out a deep sigh.

“That bastard is no longer one of our reporters. Whether he stays in hiding or comes back, his dismissal is a foregone conclusion, so think of him as a former employee and search thoroughly to find something somehow. If there’s any evidence of him being paid off, the company will take legal action.”

Dark clouds were gathering heavily over Choi Un-gyu’s future.

Meanwhile, Lake Film’s President Jung Yang-gi and “Daytona” Director Jo Hun-gwang were getting drenched by the downpour from those dark clouds.

– The future of “Daytona” has become uncertain due to the aftermath of receiving illegal funds related to drug organizations. Possibility of broadcast suspension.

– Lake Film President Jung Yang-gi voluntarily appeared at the prosecution this morning. They plan to summon and investigate related parties and conduct intensive investigation into whether there are additional crimes···.

– The prosecution arrested Director Jo Hun-gwang near his residence for highly likely embezzlement, switching to detention investigation due to flight risk···.

***

Jo Hun-gwang looked around anxiously.

Although he had directed dramas with prosecutors as protagonists several times, this was his first time being dragged to an actual prosecution office interrogation room.

It wasn’t the structure he had directed in dramas, with pinpoint lighting falling in a dark place and someone watching the sealed room through reflective glass from outside.

It was just bright lighting and an ordinary desk, but that made it even scarier.

It seemed to constantly remind him that his current situation was definitely not a movie or drama but reality.

Click─.

Then the door opened and a man entered.

A man with a strong impression and broad shoulders looked at Jo Hun-gwang and smiled wickedly.

Then an inexplicable chill washed over him.

This was probably the prosecutor in charge of his case.

“Mr. Jo Hun-gwang?”

“Yes, yes!”

“I looked over everything thoroughly before coming in, and it seems you have quite a few grievances.”

Thinking this was a favorable comment toward him, Jo Hun-gwang nodded repeatedly.

“Y-yes, that’s right! I didn’t really do anything, I just…”

Then the prosecutor cut off Jo Hun-gwang’s words and sat down.

“We’ll get to that gradually. I’m the prosecutor in charge of your case, Mr. Jo Hun-gwang.”

The man paused for a beat while introducing himself, then smiled slyly and spoke again.

“I’m Prosecutor Han Hae-woon. From what I can see, we’re going to have quite a lot to discuss. Isn’t that right?”

Jo Hun-gwang looked at Prosecutor Han Hae-woon, who was smiling in a way that made it unclear whether he was friendly or not, and nodded with a stupid expression.

***

While Han Hae-woon was having a warm conversation with Jo Hun-gwang in that closed room, drama filming was in full swing in New York on the other side of Earth.

Since it was New York where day and night were completely opposite, most of the staff only encountered the rumor incident involving Yeon-woo from Korea after waking up the next day.

There was a belated commotion from the morning due to that news, but everyone was frantically busy preparing for filming due to their hectic schedule.

The one hour permitted by Madison Square Garden passed by in a flash.

Due to time constraints, they had to use the full hour including setup time, so the actual filming time was only about 20 minutes.

They barely managed to capture on camera Yeon-woo slipping away from watching the game and departing to find an address written by hand on crumpled paper.

‘Come to think of it, in “Sketch” too, it’s like searching for mother across thirty thousand miles.’

After finishing the filming scene at the stadium, the group hurriedly got in the car and headed to another filming location.

“Whew, we’re filming like roasting beans in lightning. It reminds me of shooting assignments back in college.”

They were only facing the filming of the drama’s final scene – after the long journey of 16 episodes, it was the scene where Yeon-woo reunites with his mother in a quiet residential area on the outskirts of New York.

Yeon-woo smiled at Director Kim Han-su’s muttering as he watched the staff setting up the filming.

“Taking a long time doesn’t necessarily produce good results.”

“That’s right. Now, let’s start filming. Actor Ryu, Actor Seo, standby.”

Yeon-woo stood within the frame with supporting actress Seo Ju-gyeong, who played his mother in the drama.

‘Hmm…’

Yeon-woo thought the structure and narrative progression of this drama were like stairs prepared for this moment.

The reunion between protagonist Ryu Yeon-woo and his distant mother.

Ultimately, the entire story was buildup for this moment.

‘I need to explode with emotion that much…’

Yeon-woo had one concern.

Would Seo Ju-gyeong, who played his mother, be able to match his emotional level well?

Of course, he wasn’t doubting Seo Ju-gyeong’s acting skills.

Seo Ju-gyeong was a veteran senior in the acting world with extensive experience, and he certainly thought she would do well, but they had built up different narratives.

Right now, Yeon-woo had filmed all the processes across 16 episodes, while Seo Ju-gyeong hadn’t appeared even once throughout the entire drama.

In other words, while this moment was the drama’s final scene, it was simultaneously her first filming scene.

To Yeon-woo, she was the mother he had longed for during the long narrative of 16 episodes, but to Seo Ju-gyeong, he was just a popular junior male actor these days.

‘Will I be able to explode with emotion properly?’

He figured he’d have to try it first to know.

“Okay! Ready!”

As filming was prepared, Director Kim Han-su’s signal was heard and Yeon-woo also immersed himself in emotion.

“Action!”

With the signal to begin, Yeon-woo looked at Seo Ju-gyeong.

He filled his trembling eyes with longing.

And though this was the moment he had been waiting for, when he actually faced his mother, he conveyed guilty feelings through footsteps that wouldn’t easily move forward.

It seemed like his mouth would open any moment to call out “Mom,” but he expressed complex and subtle emotions through lips that trembled and wouldn’t part.

On the opposite side, Seo Ju-gyeong was walking slowly carrying a paper bag with vegetables, then froze with an expression of disbelief upon seeing her son who appeared before her eyes.

And she opened her mouth.

“Yeon, Yeon-woo? Is it Yeon-woo? No, how…”

“Cut!”

Director Kim Han-su’s signal was heard and Yeon-woo immediately looked at Kim Han-su’s face as he stared at the field monitor.

‘Hmm, as expected, it’s not right.’

Director Kim Han-su’s expression was not bright.

Of course, Seo Ju-gyeong’s acting followed the script exactly.

Like a veteran actor, she delivered everything flawlessly without any mistakes.

There was nothing particularly wrong with the acting itself, but as Yeon-woo had worried, the depth of emotion she possessed was different.

Yeon-woo raised his hand high.

“Could I do it one more time? I’m not satisfied with my acting.”

The staff on the filming set looked at Yeon-woo.

Yeon-woo was famous for usually finishing all scenes in one take without NGs or retakes.

It was very rare for Yeon-woo to request another take when his lines weren’t wrong and his scene partner hadn’t made an NG.

Director Kim Han-su seemed to sense something and nodded his head.

“Since this is the final scene of the drama, let’s try it several times before the sun sets.”

Yeon-woo and Seo Ju-gyeong took their positions again.

Yeon-woo looked at Seo Ju-gyeong standing far away on the opposite side and nodded.

Actually, Yeon-woo’s words about wanting to reshoot because he wasn’t satisfied with his acting weren’t a lie.

Strictly speaking, there was no problem with Seo Ju-gyeong’s acting.

Yeon-woo had to match the emotional level.

Of course, not by lowering his emotions, but by pulling up Seo Ju-gyeong’s emotions.

Yeon-woo quietly closed his eyes.

‘I need to act thoroughly.’

This scene couldn’t be resolved by acting toward the camera for the viewers.

‘I need to make Seo Ju-gyeong in front of me actually believe that I’m her son…’

It was the essence of acting.

Making someone believe that what isn’t real is real.

And when Yeon-woo slowly opened his closed eyes, Seo Ju-gyeong standing on the opposite side immediately noticed that something in the atmosphere had changed.

“······!”

At the same time, Director Kim Han-su’s signal was heard.

“Ready, action.”

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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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