NIS Agent Reincarnated as a Genius Actor - Chapter 69
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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 69. “Stars Beyond the Stream” First Broadcast
Unlike “Summer’s Closet” where cider had been poured, Yeon-woo raised high a glass filled with beer.
“We will strive toward creating a drama that will go down in history. Cheers!”
“Cheers!”
Everyone laughed and shouted cheers in response to this spirited cry from the drama’s protagonist.
Even Jin Yu-han, who usually didn’t mingle well with others on set except for Yeon-woo, attended the dinner party after finishing overseas location filming and raised his glass high, joining in the cheers.
Among them, only one person—Park Kyung-wan, who was growing to dislike Ryu Yeon-woo more and more due to his baseless victim complex—pouted his lips.
While eating, laughing, and chatting for a while, Saturday night 10 PM soon approached, and the large monitor tuned to KBC1 displayed the logo along with broadcasting standards guidelines.
“Stars Beyond the Stream”
Finally, the drama’s first broadcast.
The drama began with scenes of veteran actors that had been filmed in advance, back when Yeon-woo and Yu-han were practicing their coordination for sword action scenes at the gymnasium before entering filming.
Gwangjong filled three golden cups placed before him with alcohol.
“Since you ministers assist me and work day and night for the nation’s affairs, I shall bestow rewards today.”
“Your grace is immeasurable.”
However, Seo Pil kept his head bowed and didn’t even touch the cup bestowed by King Gwangjong.
Finding this strange, Gwangjong spoke up.
“Why does the Minister not accept it? Do the alcohol and cup I have bestowed not please you?”
Seo Pil bowed his head at Gwangjong’s words and replied.
“Your Majesty, how could that be? It’s just that if a subject uses a golden cup, what cup will Your Majesty use in the future?”
Gwangjong laughed heartily upon hearing Seo Pil’s words.
“You do not treasure the golden cup, but I shall treasure your words from now on.”
Gwangjong took the golden cup filled with alcohol that had been meant for Seo Pil and drank it, then continued speaking.
“Today is a joyful day, so I shall bestow a name upon your son. So that he may grow up to become a shining star of Goryeo, let him be called Hee .”
Thus, Seo Pil’s eldest son Seo Yeom-yun was renamed Seo Hee with the name bestowed by Gwangjong, the 4th Emperor of Goryeo, when he was young.
Seo Ji-eun, who was watching TV, looked at Writer Kim Jin-ju beside her and asked.
“Wow, Writer, is that story really true?”
Since it was a scene that wasn’t even written in the script they received during script reading, Yeon-woo also became curious and looked at Writer Kim Jin-ju.
“No way, Ji-eun. There are separate records of Gwangjong bestowing a golden cup and of Seo Hee’s name being changed when he was young, but I connected those two to create this story.”
Ooh.
The actors around nodded and praised her, saying a writer is indeed a writer.
Writer Kim Jin-ju’s face turned red from the unexpected praise.
Han So-hyeon also turned on the TV at the right time and sat on the sofa with her mother to watch “Stars Beyond the Stream” starring Ryu Yeon-woo.
Then the drama began with the logo appearing alongside Ryu Yeon-woo’s face.
“So-hyeon, that friend is so cute. He speaks so well too.”
“Right, Mom. After working on two projects together in a row, he feels like a younger brother now.”
Then Han So-hyeon tilted her head thoughtfully and added.
“Or maybe he feels like an older brother?”
As the drama started, the veteran actors’ golden cup scene appeared, followed by Dal-yeong, Seo Hee’s personal servant, busily going back and forth through the main gate at Seo Pil’s house.
– Oh my, this happens every morning.
Then came the creaking sound of hinges as the door swung open and Yeon-woo made his entrance.
With his snow-white face, large eyes, and straight nose creating a sculpture-like face, his topknot was neatly arranged.
Ryu Yeon-woo’s appearance as he emerged through the opening door was captured in slow motion, and as his first scene appearing as the protagonist in this drama, it was quite impressive due to his looks.
“Oh my, that friend really is so handsome every time I see him. So-hyeon, bring him home sometime. I’ll cook for him. Whether he’s like a younger brother or older brother, he’d be like my son then.”
Han So-hyeon laughed at her mother’s joke.
Then Ryu Yeon-woo on screen began delivering his lines.
– What are you doing collecting all of that?
– Oh my, Young Master. How could this lowly one refuse the love letters that the young ladies write to express their feelings for you?
After a few scene transitions, the scene where Ryu Yeon-woo and Seo Ji-eun first meet at Market Street appeared.
– Are you alright?
– Ah, my bottom! No, how can you be so rude to a lady?
– Me? I was standing still in this spot when you…
Seo Ji-eun falling and Ryu Yeon-woo momentarily hesitating before catching her with his foot to help her up was edited comically in slow motion, followed by their cheeky tiki-taka that burst with laughter.
“Ah, those two really suit each other well. They’re such a perfect match. I’m getting all fluttery.”
“You need to meet a man too. You little schemer.”
“Oh, Mom. What are you saying to an actress?”
Han So-hyeon’s mother looked at her daughter and chuckled.
“That actress is thirty.”
“Ah, Mom!”
So-hyeon glared at her mother after hearing the word thirty.
Meanwhile, in a luxurious and modern interior home with marble floors.
A man sitting alone on the sofa in blue pajamas, enjoying chicken and beer by himself.
This was Kim Ju-seong, the CEO of LN Entertainment, who started as a manager and built LN Entertainment, growing the company in a direction of mutual prosperity rather than financial gain with his pro-artist approach.
“Hmm, the screen quality came out well.”
CEO Kim Ju-seong nodded while watching “Stars Beyond the River” on TV.
Usually outside, Kim Ju-seong insisted on sharp pomade hair and suits, but at home he was relaxed, picking up a piece of chicken from the table with a fork and putting it in his mouth.
Kim Ju-seong’s favorite hobby was to quietly appreciate alone the performances of his company’s actors on television and screen.
– You kicked my butt with your foot when I’m not even married…
– That’s not true.
– Your toes went inside my skirt hem…
– Not at all.
The tiki-taka that erupted in a chain reaction with Jin Yu-han, who played Lee Ji-baek, in between.
“Good chemistry too.”
Kim Ju-seong nodded while watching the harmony between Ryu Yeon-woo and Seo Ji-eun on the screen.
Seo Hee became interested in Hong Ui-yeon’s scholarly appearance, which was different from the wild first impression he saw at Market Street.
In her hometown of Seogyeong, there were no peers more learned than Hong Ui-yeon, and she had only received jealousy from worthless people who called her just a woman, but after coming to Gaegyeong and seeing Seo Hee and Lee Ji-baek who could solve problems she couldn’t, Hong Ui-yeon gradually opened her heart.
After that, the drama’s content highlighted the main characters’ traits and added interest with witty dialogue.
Before he knew it, an hour had passed and “Stars Beyond the River” on TV finished its first broadcast and the preview began to flow.
As soon as the first broadcast ended, CEO Kim Ju-seong picked up his smartphone and pressed refresh, waiting for the ratings to come out.
– KBC Channel 1 “Stars Beyond the River” Episode 1 Rating [13.7%]
– MBS “Baldur” Episode 3 Rating [19.8%]
The ratings were still significantly behind the competing work that started broadcasting a week earlier.
However, compared to Baldur’s previous week’s Episode 2 closing rating that exceeded 24 percent, the first digit had changed, so it could be said they had stolen quite a lot of viewers.
CEO Kim Ju-seong searched on his smartphone and looked at information about the production and investment companies of the competing work “Baldur.”
“Hmm, this company?”
He stroked his chin and leaned deeper into the sofa.
“This smells fishy.”
Kim Ju-seong had recently witnessed many drug incidents breaking out in the entertainment industry, more frequent sponsorship problems, and signs that certain forces had been trying to shake the entertainment industry for some other interests over the past few years.
The investment company attached to “Baldur” was one of them.
Right now it was fine since they were behind the competing work, but if the ratings were reversed like this, he couldn’t know what dirty tricks they might start using to recover their investment.
CEO Kim Ju-seong picked up his smartphone and called somewhere to prevent such dirty schemes in advance.
***
Internet reactions began to form mainly among young people.
Comments began to increase as if proving that the worry about whether it would appeal to young people given KBC Channel 1’s characteristics was just a groundless concern.
– I think I like Seo Hee oppa.
└ Seo Hee was born in 942.
└ Born in 42 is perfect. There’s only a 1060-year age gap between oppa and me.
– I also want to send love letters to the young master. Where should I send them?
└ Yes. You’ll get cut off at servant Dal-yeong’s level at the entrance.
– From today I’m definitely watching live. Hueng, I’m crazy about this.
Meanwhile, whether they knew about such internet reactions or not, the atmosphere at the BBQ restaurant was excited.
At the company dinner, after the first broadcast ended, Yeon-woo quietly smiled watching the staff check the ratings and talk excitedly about the better-than-expected start.
It would be a lie to say he didn’t care about ratings or box office results, but Yeon-woo, who decided to become an actor simply because he loved acting, wasn’t the type to be swayed by results.
‘Still, everyone worked hard together, so it’s nice to see them all happy.’
The currently competing MBS blockbuster had done a lot of promotion before airing and was a blockbuster with money poured into it, so the filming team seemed a bit deflated from the start, but hearing what the staff were saying now, it seemed they had stolen quite a lot of ratings.
When Yeon-woo looked to the side, he saw Jin Yu-han just quietly eating meat after the drama ended.
‘This guy probably doesn’t care much about ratings either.’
From spending time together, Jin Yu-han was an acting fool who only knew acting.
This time when Yeon-woo looked to the left, he saw Seo Ji-eun holding both hands with Writer Kim Jin-ju and laughing.
Writer Kim Jin-ju, who was busy writing and rarely showed her face on the filming set, and the always bright Seo Ji-eun seemed to have already become close.
“Director, don’t you think this is enough to close the gap? Our show gets more interesting as it goes on.”
“That’s right!”
At the table behind them, the director and staff were also in high spirits. The night deepened like that, and the company dinner didn’t end until nearly 1 AM.
During the dinner, contacts had apparently come from various places after watching the first broadcast, and his smartphone had died from a drained battery.
“Hmm, I need to contact Min-su hyung, but should I borrow someone’s phone?”
While Yeon-woo was pondering, making such worries pointless, Min-su’s car arrived in front of the restaurant.
“How did you arrive at the perfect time? My phone battery died during the dinner.”
“I figured it would end around this time. Still, it’s fortunate you have two days of rest starting tomorrow. You haven’t been sleeping well lately because of the overnight filming.”
At Min-su’s concern, Yeon-woo raised the corners of his mouth and said playfully.
“But if I’m resting, doesn’t that mean Min-su hyung has to go to the company for office work?”
Knowing that Min-su hated sitting down and doing office work more than anyone, Yeon-woo threw out the joke, but Min-su just grinned back at him.
“I got time off too. The company said to rest together according to your schedule.”
“Oh, really? Then I can rest comfortably too.”
“What are you planning to do during your vacation?”
“I’m going to go down to my family home.”
Min-su nodded at Yeon-woo’s answer.
“It’s been about three or four months since you went home, right?”
“It’s already been that long.”
The last time was when he went to pick up his younger sibling right before the camping trip with Ma Seok-do and Jung Su-yeon, so quite a while had passed.
“The vacation isn’t many days, but I’m going down this time to watch episode 2 with my family tomorrow, and I want to check out the special set in advance.”
“The special set? So it’s finally completed.”
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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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