NIS Agent Reincarnated as a Genius Actor - Chapter 5

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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 5. Private Audition

The one who was greatly flustered by this turn of events was Jeong Cheol-min.

 

Feeling the tremendous sadness emanating from in front of him, thinking ‘What is this? This is serious trouble,’ he quickly embraced Yeon-woo, not knowing what to do.

 

“What’s going on here? A young man, no, he’s not even that young. What great sorrow does this kid have to immediately burst into such loud wailing.”

 

At this point, it became questionable whether Yeon-woo was an acting genius, or as his colleague who taught him this skill had said, he was pouring out negative energy that had been accumulated from emotional pain somewhere.

 

Even if it was the latter, this level of rapid immersion ability was worthy of being called an acting genius.

 

Of course, just shedding tears endlessly and expressing it as acting within a frame are different domains, but Ryu Yeon-woo was an ordinary person who had come today for the first time to learn acting.

 

After quite some time had passed and Yeon-woo had somewhat calmed down, he apologized to Jeong Cheol-min.

 

“I’m truly sorry, teacher. I suddenly, without realizing it···.”

 

“No, what are you talking about. I was the one who told you to try expressing sad emotions.”

 

Jeong Cheol-min quickly waved his hands dismissively at Yeon-woo’s apology.

 

He was about to call it a day, but seeing Ryu Yeon-woo’s burning passion and enthusiasm, after trying various other tests, Jeong Cheol-min reached a conclusion.

 

‘This guy was born to walk this path.’

 

Of course, there were various clumsy aspects, but the Ryu Yeon-woo that Jeong Cheol-min saw was a genius.

 

He knew how to freely control even the minute facial muscles needed for acting, and amazingly, he could catch the detailed characteristics of each profession ordered – lame beggar, thief or scoundrel, nouveau riche, soldier, etc. – and even imitate the unique atmosphere specific to those professions.

 

Of course, Jeong Cheol-min couldn’t know this, but it was because Yeon-woo’s past life of acting out cover identities for decades through various top-secret operations, risking his life, naturally melted into the acting he displayed.

 

To refine these fresh materials and present them as cuisine to be captured on camera would require various know-how and detailed acting adjustments, but if Jeong Cheol-min couldn’t polish a friend with this level of talent, his life devoted to acting would become pitiful.

 

Thus, rumors were gradually spreading throughout the academy about a monster student that the director was teaching separately.

 

***

 

Prosecutor Han Hae-woon of the Busan District Prosecutor’s Office.

 

Han Hae-woon was a man who had lived fiercely with the sole goal of becoming a legal professional.

Perhaps because Hae-woon had lived too fiercely, he suddenly collapsed during work from a hemorrhagic stroke and was rushed to the Emergency Room.

 

The doctor tried emergency treatment but shook his head saying it seemed too late, and then miraculously, he regained consciousness.

 

His revival, which even the hospital could only call a miracle.

Hae-woon accepted it as heaven’s will to fulfill more of his unfinished duties and worked even harder as a prosecutor at the Busan District Prosecutor’s Office.

 

At first, it was a dream.

A dream so chillingly realistic that he wondered if it was really a dream.

 

Since collapsing, he continued to have the same dream.

 

The dream of conversing with someone called ‘Team Leader Jeon Su-hwan’ always repeated the same conversation.

 

The story about how he had decided to donate to a certain welfare organization when he died.

 

Hae-woon initially didn’t think much of it, but as the dream repeated, he gradually became interested and investigated during his free time, just in case.

 

First, he searched for someone named ‘Jeon Su-hwan’ with the job title of ‘Team Leader,’ and countless people appeared nationwide.

 

Han Hae-woon found himself examining countless Jeon Su-hwans whenever he had spare time.

It was troublesome since he appeared in dreams every day.

 

Then, after a few months, chills ran down Hae-woon’s spine. While turning pages, personal information appeared with the face of the person he had seen in his dreams.

 

The Team Leader Jeon Su-hwan that Hae-woon found was an employee of an ordinary Water Purifier Trading Company.

A history and life with which he could find no connection to himself.

 

Still, having actually found the person he had seen in dreams, Hae-woon could no longer accept it as coincidence and began investigating in earnest.

 

However, the more he dug, the more his identity fell into mystery.

 

Initially believing only the computerized information registered as an ordinary Water Purifier Trading Company employee, he directly contacted that company to inquire, but received the response that no such person existed.

 

***

 

Half a year had passed, and Yeon-woo never fell out of the top three in school rankings in both the final exams and the next semester’s midterm exams, and with his sponge-like absorption of acting talent, Jeong Cheol-min had already run out of things to teach.

 

“Yeon-woo.”

“Yes, teacher.”

“My college senior is in charge of a General Programming Channel drama this time, and he said it’s a webtoon-based university romance comedy.”

 

Jeong Cheol-min had heard a few days ago at a Film Department alumni drinking gathering that senior Kim Han-su PD’s Outsourcing Production Company had requested if there were any new faces to audition for a drama’s private audition through Large Academies where several alumni worked as instructors or Theater Departments where they served as professors.

 

“The main roles have already been cast, but they’re holding private auditions for several roles including supporting characters. If you’re interested, Yeon-woo, I was thinking of mentioning it once.”

 

PD Kim Han-su was a senior who maintained a relatively amicable relationship with the good-natured Jeong Cheol-min, despite having little contact with juniors due to his difficult-to-approach atmosphere.

Originally, private audition opportunities had consistently come to Cheol-min’s Academy, but over the years, as Cheol-min’s academy students spectacularly failed auditions, they were gradually pushed to lower priority and audition notices gradually stopped coming.

 

“I would really love that. If you could just create the opportunity, I’m ready!”

“I’m not married, but if I had a son like you, I’d have no other wishes. I envy brother Cheol-woong. So envious.”

 

Cheol-min smiled at Yeon-woo’s energetic words.

 

During the past six months that Cheol-min had been teaching Yeon-woo, he and father Cheol-woong, who unexpectedly got along well, occasionally had drinks together and, sharing the same character in their names, despite having different surnames, came to address each other as brothers.

 

“Hey, teacher, you’re like my uncle now.”

 

Yeon-woo was being playful.

 

In reality, Yeon-woo was grateful to Jeong Cheol-min, who generously shared his talent for Yeon-woo’s sake.

 

“Right, if you do well, our academy will come back to life too.”

 

Although Jeong Cheol-min always taught with full enthusiasm, the number of aspiring students coming to the academy had been decreasing day by day recently.

The trend of flocking to famous academies in Seoul was growing stronger.

 

In such circumstances, Ryu Yeon-woo was the academy’s only hope.

Jeong Cheol-min grinned and gave a thumbs up as he added,

 

“Anyway, I’ll assume you’re doing it and talk to the director. I naturally think you’ll pass with your looks and skills, but let’s still prepare diligently for everything.”

“Yes. I understand.”

 

***

 

Next Monday morning

 

Ring ring

 

The dial tone ended and a proper, neat voice was heard.

 

– Who is this? Isn’t this junior Jeong Cheol-min?

 

Cheol-min responded warmly to PD Kim Han-su’s voice coming through the receiver.

 

“Senior, oh my, have you been well? I haven’t seen you since Kyung-jun’s wedding last time.”

-Yes. Time has already passed like that. Time really flies.

“Yes, senior. I heard you’re starting a new project this time?”

 

Kim Han-su had a peculiar and sharp personality, speaking respectfully to everyone including Cheol-min who was his much junior, and he usually preferred conversations that were ‘brief and to the point.’

 

Jeong Cheol-min, remembering Senior Kim’s personality, immediately asked about the matter at hand.

 

-That’s right. It’s based on a webtoon, and the scenario looked well-crafted.

 

Though he might seem cold due to his crisp way of speaking and personality, PD Kim Han-su was one of the directors who crossed between film and drama industries and was good at bringing out warm, youthful sensibilities.

 

“Yes, senior. I have a student I’m ambitiously nurturing these days who’s absolutely fantastic. Could I send him to a small role private audition?”

-Hmm, yes. It’s mutually beneficial if you introduce a good face. Alright. But you know there’s absolutely no special treatment based on personal connections, right?

“Oh, of course, senior. How about having a drink with senior Jung-cheol once you finish this project?”

-Sounds good, let’s do that. The audition schedule and script will come soon.

“Yes, senior, thank you. Take care.”

 

Jeong Cheol-min, grinning from ear to ear, forgot that Yeon-woo was in class at school and called, then went “Oh!” and sent a message instead.

 

After PE class, Yeon-woo was changing clothes while enduring the stench from the classroom when he saw the glowing screen and opened his mobile phone to check the message.

 

-Audition schedule is set. Let’s prepare hard.

 

“Yes!”

 

Yeon-woo clenched his fist and raised it up.

Kim Jun-su, who was changing clothes, looked puzzled and spoke to him.

 

“What? What are you so happy about? Let me be happy too.”

“I’ll tell you later if things go well.”

 

Yeon-woo smiled and brushed it off. He hadn’t passed yet, so he couldn’t get ahead of himself.

 

“What, you’ll tell me if things go well? Is it a girl?”

 

Woo Seong-sik, who was next to Kim Jun-su, grinned and looked Yeon-woo up and down once.

As if that could be it.

Yeon-woo didn’t say anything and just looked back at him with a smile.

 

 

Tuesday afternoon, after finishing school, Yeon-woo headed straight to the Academy.

 

“Teacher! I’m here.”

 

Cheol-min smiled seeing Yeon-woo rushing in.

 

“You were just waiting for school to end and flew right over?”

“I was so curious about what the script content would be.”

 

Yeon-woo answered with a smile.

He wondered if he had ever anticipated something this much in both his past and present lives combined.

 

Jeong Cheol-min had received the script this morning and the audition would be held this Sunday, five days away.

 

It was certain he had received it later than others.

 

However, as long as there was adequate time to familiarize himself with the script, holding onto it longer wouldn’t necessarily improve the results.

 

“The preparation time is tight if you call it tight, and sufficient if you call it sufficient.”

“The key is character interpretation.”

“Right. Due to the romantic comedy genre characteristics, most supporting characters are flat characters, so it shouldn’t be difficult. Here, take this first.”

 

Cheol-min handed the script to Yeon-woo.

 

“You need to familiarize yourself with the script before you can analyze it, so read it first. I’ll be watching the College Prep Class students’ acting in Practice Room 3, so ask if you have any questions.”

“Yes, thank you.”

 

After Cheol-min left, Yeon-woo became absorbed in the script alone in the director’s office.

 

The title of the work Ryu Yeon-woo would audition for was ‘Summer Wardrobe.’

It was said to be based on a webtoon, but of course, Yeon-woo had never read a webtoon in his life.

Reading the work for this audition was his first time.

 

He thought he should have read more comics when he was alive, then chuckled softly.

 

Of course he had a longing for acting. But in the harsh life of an orphan struggling to survive, the life of a spy, the life of a field agent, leisurely hobbies like comics were a luxury. And who would have expected to be reincarnated and become an aspiring actor.

 

Yeon-woo shook his head to clear his thoughts and focused on the script.

 

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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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