NIS Agent Reincarnated as a Genius Actor - Chapter 87

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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 87. Battle of the Sexes

“No way! Are you trying to cause trouble?”

 

Yeon-woo had planned to attend casually, but thanks to stylist Lee Ye-eun’s efforts—who made a big X with her arms in fierce opposition—he was finishing his makeup and changing clothes in the car heading to the wrap party.

 

“Sister, it’s a BBQ restaurant, so the clothes will smell like smoke.”

“Oh my, Yeon-woo. Even if you completely burned the clothes, sponsors would line up to thank you, you know?”

 

Looking at Yeon-woo, who didn’t realize his current position in South Korea, Ye-eun pulled out various other clothes.

 

“Here, let’s go with this one.”

 

Yeon-woo chuckled at Ye-eun’s quick movements as she pulled off his t-shirt and handed him another shirt.

 

“I remember when I first saw you changing my clothes in the car, your face turned red and you looked away.”

“Wh-what? When did I ever do that?!”

 

Then came Min-su’s voice from the front seat, accompanied by laughter.

 

“I definitely remember too. Your face was as red as a tomato.”

“Min-su oppa. That’s not true! Don’t look back while driving.”

“It’s a red light though?”

 

Watching the two playfully bicker, a smile bloomed on Yeon-woo’s lips.

 

“You two seem to get along well.”

“Huh?”

“Wh-what are you talking about!”

 

Seeing the two awkwardly startled by Yeon-woo’s words, he thought spring might come before winter even arrived.

 

In front of the restaurant in Yeouido rented for the wrap party they had arrived at, quite a large crowd of fans and reporters had gathered in the spacious parking lot.

The crowd looked twice as large as during the “Summer’s Closet” wrap party.

 

“You were right, sister. I’m glad we did the styling.”

“Ye-eun, please stay in the car. I’ll get out first to open the door and guide you to the entrance.”

 

When Min-su opened the driver’s door and got out, the crowd outside—reporters and fans alike—raised their cameras in preparation.

 

Their tense appearance was like runners standing at the starting line before a hundred-meter dash.

 

Whirrrr—.

 

And like a gunshot signaling the start, the van door opened and as Yeon-woo emerged, camera flashes poured out.

 

Waaaah!

 

“Please look this way.”

“Look over here!”

 

Yeon-woo walked smiling to the photo zone marked with blue tape temporarily stuck on the parking lot floor, then waved at the surrounding reporters and fans with a smile.

 

“Amazing. The screen can’t capture his real appearance. At this level.”

“Is there any celebrity hotter than Ryu Yeon-woo this year? His movie was a hit and even his drama is a huge success.”

 

Among the cheers, reporters chatted while photographing Ryu Yeon-woo.

 

“Actor, let’s go inside now.”

“Yes, Min-su hyung.”

 

After bowing his head to greet the waiting fans and reporters, he entered the restaurant following Min-su’s guidance.

 

“Oh, the main character has arrived.”

 

Since he had arrived rather late, many people were already inside the restaurant.

 

The camera director who had carried equipment and ran around sweating like rain in the sweltering summer. The lighting team who endured countless bugs rushing toward the lights while holding onto the equipment. And many other staff members.

 

Yeon-woo looked at the familiar faces and bowed his head.

 

“You all worked so hard. Thank you for creating such a great work together.”

“What’s this, giving a toast speech already? We haven’t even poured drinks in the glasses yet.”

 

At Director Lee Sang-hoon’s joke while watching Yeon-woo greet everyone, the staff burst into laughter.

 

“Yeon-woo! Come over here!”

 

Seo Ji-eun, sitting in a corner, gestured to him, and Jin Yu-han sitting across from her grinned at Yeon-woo.

 

“Everyone came early? I thought I came with plenty of time too.”

 

As Yeon-woo sat down and spoke, Jin Yu-han chuckled.

 

“We don’t have schedules and everyone’s free, so we came early to chat.”

 

Then Seo Ji-eun, who had been hesitating, pulled out a wrapped gift box from her bag and held it out to Yeon-woo.

 

“Please accept this!”

 

A gift she had finally chosen after pondering for a long time about what to give someone who had saved her twice.

 

“You’re giving me a gift?”

 

Yeon-woo took the gift Ji-eun offered and unwrapped it right there.

What he pulled out of the gift box was a luxury leather wallet with a clean brown design.

 

“I thought about it a lot, and last time I saw your wallet on the filming set and it looked worn out…”

 

Yeon-woo, who had been using the same wallet from his student days, smiled and immediately took out his wallet, transferring the cards and ID inside to the gifted wallet.

 

“Thank you. I’ll use it for a long time.”

“Hehe. Do you like the design?”

“Yeah, it’s simple and exactly my style.”

 

Then Jin Yu-han looked at Seo Ji-eun with a somewhat playful expression and asked.

 

“What about me?”

“Huh?”

“Don’t I get a gift?”

 

Of course, everyone knew about the stalker incident, and Seo Ji-eun also knew that Jin Yu-han was just joking around now.

However, considering his usual image, Seo Ji-eun was stunned by Jin Yu-han’s unexpected playfulness.

 

“Oh, well, if there’s a chance later…”

“I’m just kidding.”

 

Yeon-woo chuckled softly while watching Jin Yu-han.

It seemed like there had been some changes in Jin Yu-han since he went on that trip with his friends.

 

“Sister and Yu-han, the drama is ending, so what are you going to do after? Are you getting a lot of schedules?”

 

At the question, both of them looked at Yeon-woo.

Jin Yu-han was the first to speak.

 

“I have a musical I’ve been preparing from before, so I’ll probably go into that.”

“A musical? That’s unexpected. I like musicals and plays too. Please invite me to the premiere.”

 

Jin Yu-han nodded and asked Yeon-woo.

 

“Or would you like to do a musical together sometime?”

“…Huh?”

 

A musical, it would be nice if he could do it directly, but…

 

If this conversation had come up when they went to the pool villa with his friends, Woo Seong-sik and Kim Jun-su would probably have rolled on the ground laughing since they knew Yeon-woo’s singing skills.

 

“Hmm, I just enjoy watching. What about you, Ji-eun Sister?”

“Um, I haven’t decided on my schedule yet. There’s a variety show offer that came in, but I’m hesitating whether to do it or not.”

 

Yeon-woo nodded, thinking that variety shows might actually suit Seo Ji-eun quite well, seeing her candy-like personality that gets back up even after falling down.

 

However, recalling the previous incident, he was worried that Ji-eun’s current agency was too small, and if she became more famous, they might not be able to handle various incidents that could occur in the future, so he asked.

 

“By any chance, do you have a deep connection with your current talent agency?”

“Huh? No, not really. I just accepted when they offered me a contract after I got cast in my first work. It’s almost time for contract renewal now.”

 

She had originally signed a five-year contract, debuted at eighteen, and then rested for over two years after her next work failed, so there wasn’t really any particular connection with the agency.

 

Yeon-woo looked at Seo Ji-eun while stroking his chin thoughtfully.

 

‘Should I make an offer to the company? From acting with her, I felt she’s definitely an actor who will grow more in the future.’

 

He was grateful to CEO Kim Ju-seong who looked out for him in various ways, and the Seo Ji-eun that Yeon-woo saw was an actor with a lot of room for growth if proper support was provided.

 

However, since he might be the only one thinking this way and it could be premature excitement, he didn’t tell Seo Ji-eun and just kept it to himself.

 

Then a staff member pointed at the TV and raised their voice.

 

“The final broadcast of our drama is starting now.”

 

Waaah!

 

Historical drama filming was inevitably more difficult than modern dramas, and the staff and cast who had overcome those hardships together cheered with camaraderie as they reached the final period of their grand finale.

 

“Finally, we can see it today. The end of our drama.”

 

At Seo Ji-eun’s words, Yeon-woo recalled the scene where he ran alone under the scorching sun at the coastal dunes for the first shoot when the drama began.

 

Except for Director Lee Sang-hoon who filmed it, the few staff members who were there, and Yeon-woo himself, no one knew how the final scene was shot.

 

Actually, since Yeon-woo had only seen the raw footage before editing, he was also curious about how it would look.

 

And the drama began.

 

 

“Your Majesty, I humbly report that it would be proper to give up the land north of Seogyeong and seek peace. Please look down with compassion on the people who are groaning as the country burns with fire due to continuing conflict and discord with them.”

 

Seo Hee, who had wrinkles by now, shook his head while looking at the court officials who were essentially advocating surrender with their territorial concession theory.

 

“Your Majesty, I, your subject Seo Hee, humbly report.”

“Yes, Royal Secretary, speak.”

 

King Seongjong, the 6th king of Goryeo, looked at Seo Hee and granted him permission to speak.

 

“The enemy general Xiao Sunning, the Donggyeong Regional Commissioner, has been meaninglessly repeating empty threats without aggressive offense since attacking Bongsan County. This is surely the enemy general’s bluffing.”

 

King Seongjong pondered after hearing both sides’ opinions.

Then other ministers again expressed their opposition to Seo Hee’s words in unison.

 

“Royal Secretary, if it’s true that the enemy forces number 800,000 troops, how do you intend to handle this nation’s crisis by speaking so?”

 

Then Seo Hee looked straight at the officials standing on the opposite side with upright eyes.

 

“If you take one step back, you’ll eventually have to take ten thousand steps back. According to the intelligence gathered, the Liao State absolutely cannot send 800,000 soldiers south right now.”

“How can you be so certain?”

 

Then the voice of a eunuch announcing someone else’s entry to the palace was heard.

 

“Royal Inspector Lee Ji-baek requests an audience.”

 

Lee Ji-baek, who had been dispatched as an envoy to the Song Dynasty for several years, heard news of the rebellion and quickly arrived in Gaegyeong to enter the palace.

 

Cheers erupted in the BBQ restaurant where the wrap party was being held at the sight of Lee Ji-baek appearing at the perfect timing to rescue Seo Hee, who had been surrounded by officials advocating surrender and facing them alone.

 

“Ohhh.”

 

At the resounding exclamations, that Lee Ji-baek—not in Goryeo’s royal court but in a real BBQ restaurant—chuckled while grilling meat.

 

“Your Majesty, I, your subject Lee Ji-baek, have arrived.”

“Oh, yes. Royal Inspector.”

 

Lee Ji-baek looked around at the court officials and raised his voice.

 

“The shameful calls for surrender to the enemy ring so loudly they can be heard even outside the palace. Since Taejo established the royal enterprise, it has continued to this day, yet there are no loyal subjects in this land, and they wish to carelessly give our national territory to the enemy nation—I cannot contain my grief. I submit that Internal Affairs Commander Seo Hee’s words are a hundred times correct.”

 

At his blood-spitting passionate speech, only the sound of gulping could be heard in the BBQ restaurant.

 

“Writer. Did this actually happen in history?”

 

When Seo Ji-eun asked Writer Kim Jin-ju beside her, everyone’s attention focused, secretly curious.

 

“No, Ji-eun. Originally, the character Lee Ji-baek only appears in history books as the sole person who supported Seo Hee when he alone opposed the surrender opinion.”

 

There weren’t many records left about whether he was Seo Hee’s close friend or what kind of life he had lived. It was fiction created by reimagining the character through imagination, but he was indeed the only person in actual history who supported Seo Hee’s opinion.

 

The staff nodded at Writer Kim Jin-ju’s explanation and turned their attention back to the TV.

 

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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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