NIS Agent Reincarnated as a Genius Actor

The car that arrived in Gapyeong traveled along winding roads before reaching a detached pension.

It was quite a picturesque place with mountains spread out like a folding screen behind the pension.

“It really feels like we’re on a trip.”

“This place is quite secluded, isn’t it?”

“Ahh. This is nice.”

Having driven along country roads for quite some time after arriving in Gapyeong, they could clearly feel how refreshingly different the air was from the city as it filled their lungs.

“Once you go into the lodging and unpack, I’ll prepare the bibimbap ingredients and set up the cameras. If you need to change clothes or use the restroom, please use the second floor.”

“Okay~”

Yeon-woo and the members entered the lodging.

While not luxuriously decorated, the spacious pension seemed quite suitable for filming.

“Unnie, are you going to change clothes?”

“No, I’ll change before bed. What about you, Ji-eun unnie?”

“Hmm, I guess we’ll be filming indoors? Anyway, I only brought pajamas besides what I’m wearing now.”

“Then I’ll just stay in these clothes too!”

Han Byul followed Jung Soo-yeon around like an older sister, and Seo Ji-eun seemed to get along well with both of them without any issues.

Son Jin-yuk seemed quite comfortable, not just because there were young actors, but also because Jung Cheol-min was present.

He was already conspiring with Jung Cheol-min.

“Teacher, we should have a drink after the filming is over tonight, right?”

“Heh. Sounds good. That Yeon-woo kid doesn’t drink much, you know.”

Jung Cheol-min and Son Jin-yuk, who got along well, were already making plans to drink after the filming was over.

As the actors went up to the second floor to rest a bit while waiting for the filming preparations, an FD came up.

“The filming preparations are complete. The bibimbap ingredients are all ready too.”

At the FD’s words, the actors got up from their seats.

“Well then, shall we go down for a meal?”

“We should mix this precious bibimbap that Yeon-woo won properly. I’ll do it.”

“Teacher Cheol-min, are you good at cooking?”

At Han Byul’s question, Jung Cheol-min chuckled.

“What cooking? It’s just mixing. But I’ve been mixing for decades.”

Then, as they were going down the stairs, Son Jin-yuk pointed at Yeon-woo who was in front.

“Now, Yeon-woo is good at cooking.”

“Yeon-woo oppa is good at cooking?!”

Looking at Han Byul who asked again, Jung Soo-yeon tilted her head.

“Han Byul, haven’t you seen ‘Summer’s Table’?”

“Ah! I have. I think I saw it when I was in elementary school.”

“E-Elementary school?”

Only then realizing the age difference with Han Byul, Son Jin-yuk laughed dejectedly.

“It feels like just yesterday that we filmed that with Yeon-woo, but elementary school…”

“Jin-yuk hyung. You remember I was still a minor when we filmed ‘Summer’s Table’, right?”

“Oh yeah, that’s right. That’s why we had to get a guardian consent form for filming. Time flies. Oh? Then what about Han Byul?”

At Son Jin-yuk’s words, Han Byul smiled brightly.

“My mom came with me! She’s probably in the car.”

“In the car? It’ll be cold and uncomfortable, you should have said something earlier.”

Hearing this, Yeon-woo looked for PD Joo Hyun-seok on the first floor where filming preparations were complete.

“Mr. PD.”

“Ah, yes. Yeon-woo.”

“I heard Han Byul’s mother came with her. Is she in the car right now?”

As Yeon-woo talked about Han Byul’s mother, PD Joo answered with a smile.

“The second floor is spacious and has many rooms, so we’ve arranged for her to rest in the room where Han Byul-yang will be staying. We’ve also prepared staff lunchboxes in case she’s hungry.”

“Ah, I see. Thank you.”

Yeon-woo nodded and went out to the living room on the first floor, where the staff had finished preparations and were waiting.

‘He’s quite efficient at handling things. It might be good to continue with self-produced variety content with PD Joo Hyun-seok in the future.’

Just then, the sound of resuming filming was heard, and Jung Cheol-min, who must have been hungry, suddenly stood up and started mixing the bibimbap ingredients in a large bowl.

“Let’s eat the bibimbap first. I keep swallowing my saliva.”

“Ah, the image of our father trying to feed his hungry children.”

Jung Cheol-min chuckled at Son Jin-yuk’s joke.

“Hey, what do you mean father for a bachelor who’s not even married. I’m just hungry myself.”

As Jung Cheol-min placed the deliciously made bibimbap on the table, everyone started eating, scooping out a spoonful each.

“Wow, maybe it’s because I’m hungry, but this is really delicious.”

“That’s because I mixed it.”

As they finished their delicious lunch, PD Joo, who had been waiting for the right timing, quickly jumped in.

“Well, everyone, you’ve had a delicious meal, but don’t you crave some sweet coffee after a meal?”

At PD Joo’s voice, the actors each let out a groan.

“Argh. I wasn’t thinking about it at all, but as soon as I heard that, I suddenly want it so badly.”

“Me too.”

PD Joo continued with a grin, as if teasing the actors.

“But of course, we can’t give it to everyone. From now on, you’ll be divided into two teams.”

At PD Joo’s words, the actors looked at each other.

“Now, the eldest, actor Jung Cheol-min, will be the leader of one team, and the youngest, actor Han Byul, will be the leader of the other team.”

“Ack! Me? I’ve never even been a class president!”

Everyone laughed at Han Byul’s words.

“Han Byul, what’s with the ‘ack’? If it were Ella, she would have gone ‘kyu-eng’.”

“Then how do we choose the team members?”

“We’ve already divided them up.”

Jung Cheol-min, Jung Soo-yeon, and Son Jin-yuk were Team Jung.

And Han Byul, Ryu Yeon-woo, and Seo Ji-eun were Team Han.

“Both sides should decide on a team name.”

Hearing the PD’s words, Yeon-woo asked Seo Ji-eun and Han Byul for their opinions.

“What should we name our team? Any ideas?”

After thinking for a moment, Han Byul raised her hand.

“Since you two were the main characters in ‘The Star Beyond the River’, and my name is Han Byul, how about ‘Han Byul Beyond the River’?”

Yeon-woo and Seo Ji-eun nodded, saying it was a good idea.

“Han Byul, you’re good at naming. That’s nice.”

“Hehe.”

Meanwhile, the Jung Cheol-min team, which included Son Jin-yuk and Jung Soo-yeon, was also contemplating their team name.

“What should we name our team?”

“Hmm. I’m the type who can’t even come up with a nickname after thinking for a long time…”

Hearing Jung Soo-yeon’s hesitant words, Jung Cheol-min looked at Son Jin-yuk.

“For the team name… Since both of your surnames are Jung, how about we simply go with ‘Team Jung’?”

Then Son Jin-yuk whispered to the two of them.

“You know, in these situations, you have to shout out your team name faster than the other team, so having a short name is definitely advantageous.”

“Oh, really? Then shall we go with that?”

“I’m fine with it.”

And so, both teams’ names were decided.

“What’s the name of Han Byul’s team?”

At the PD’s question, Han Byul, the team leader, spoke up.

“Our team name is ‘Han Byul Beyond the River’!”

Son Jin-yuk nodded in response.

“Oh, that’s pretty clever. Definitely not a name Yeon-woo would come up with.”

Yeon-woo made a slightly indignant face at that.

“What’s wrong with my naming sense?”

“I bet all the actors here know.”

The other actors all laughed, seemingly in agreement.

“Then, what’s the name of Jung Cheol-min’s team?”

“Our team name is ‘Team Jung’.”

Upon hearing Jung Cheol-min’s words, Seo Ji-eun, who was experienced in variety shows, slapped her forehead with a look of defeat.

“Ah! You made it short to shout it out first!”

“Hehe. It’s already too late. Now try shouting ‘Han Byul Beyond the River Team!’ with precise pronunciation.”

“Argh. We’ve been had!”

Yeon-woo shook his head.

“We don’t know yet. The team name might not be important depending on what kind of game it is.”

“That’s right! PD, what kind of game is it?”

In response to Seo Ji-eun’s question, PD Joo Hyun-seok spoke while setting up a small speaker connected to his laptop.

“It’s a game of guessing songs quickly. Listen to the song I play, and the team that knows the answer should raise their hand and guess. The person who guesses correctly will step out, and the team that has all its members step out first wins.”

Upon hearing PD Joo’s explanation, sighs of dismay erupted from both sides simultaneously.

“Ugh! So having a short team name really is advantageous.”

“We’re doomed, guys. I don’t know any of the new generation songs.”

Seeing Jung Cheol-min’s dejected face, Son Jin-yuk and Jung Soo-yeon tried to comfort him.

“Come on, they’ll probably include some old songs too.”

But the most discouraged one was Yeon-woo.

‘This is bad. I really don’t know any songs.’

Among the six members, Yeon-woo, not Jung Cheol-min, would probably be the biggest liability.

‘It’s not just a hole, it’s a black hole. Sorry to my teammates, but I’ll have to give up on the coffee.’

===

**

===

Meanwhile, after clashing with Baek Sol over the LN Media acquisition, Han Hae-woon and the agents had halted their activities in preparation for potential tracking and were only conducting basic surveillance.

Han Hae-woon recalled the conversation he had with Yeon-woo last time.

It seems to be going according to the team leader’s plan.

– It does seem that way based on the trends so far, but we shouldn’t let our guard down. For a while, except for monitoring Agent ‘Gold’s’ movements, temporarily suspend investigations in other areas.

– Yes, understood. It’s going to be a long battle anyway. The agents will take care of the surveillance, so I should focus on my main job in the meantime.

While Yeon-woo was busy juggling his schedule as an actor and leading a double life, Han Hae-woon was also overwhelmed, handling his prosecutor duties while tracking Baek Sol. Even having two bodies wouldn’t have been enough.

Of course, they had staged it to look like a Chinese triad faction had entered Korea to carry out an operation and accidentally clashed with Baek Sol, as Yeon-woo had designed. But since they couldn’t be sure if the others would buy that story, they focused on erasing their traces.

As instructed, the agents were concentrating solely on monitoring the movements from a building opposite the officetel where Gold resided.

“Phew, it’s chilly even indoors. There’s a fish-shaped bread stand down there, should I go buy some?”

At Lee Gyu-jin’s words, Park Jung-hyun turned his large frame around.

“Fish-shaped bread? I already had dinner. Two bags should be enough.”

“…You’ve had dinner but want two bags?”

Just then, Kim Su-hyeok, who was monitoring through a scope, raised his hand.

“Something feels off.”

Lee Gyu-jin and Park Jung-hyun focused on Kim Su-hyeok’s words.

Among the three, Kim Su-hyeok, who had much more experience in actual operations and was older, was acting as the leader.

“What feels off and how?”

“We’ve been checking all the people and vehicles entering and exiting that building 24/7 without missing anything, right?”

“Of course.”

Kim Su-hyeok, who had been looking through the handwritten log, opened a sealed yellow envelope and started checking the checklist inside one by one.

It was the manual that Yeon-woo had passed on to the agents through Han Hae-woon.

The manual is sealed to be opened and used when the observer notices any unusual trends during surveillance.

If one reads the manual before conducting surveillance, there’s a risk of ‘confirmation bias’ – only accepting information that aligns with one’s preconceptions. That’s why they collect information objectively first and then check the contents written in the manual.

As he checked the checklist, Kim Su-hyeok exclaimed in admiration.

“As expected of Alpha Beta (αβ).”

Seeing Kim Su-hyeok like this, Lee Gyu-jin and Park Jung-hyun tilted their heads in confusion.

“Don’t keep it to yourself, explain it to us. What does the manual say?”

“As you know, surveillance work varies greatly depending on the experience and abilities of the person who wrote the manual.”

The two nodded at Kim Su-hyeok’s words.

“We checked only the delivery motorcycles among the vehicles we monitored entering and exiting, and there haven’t been any delivery people going to his floor in the last three days. Would a guy who got shot in the knee be cooking for himself when he should be recovering?”

“That’s unlikely. There’s a high chance he’s no longer there.”

“And remember the unregistered vehicle that entered yesterday?”

The two agents nodded at Kim Su-hyeok’s words.

“You mean the black SUV that came two days ago? It arrived late in the evening and left at night, right? There was only one driver both when it entered and left.”

Unless they knew they were being watched, there was no reason for someone to hide in the trunk or lie down in the back seat.

Then Park Jung-hyun, who had been listening quietly, spoke up.

“It would be a different story if Gold left as a corpse.”

“……”

Nodding at Park Jung-hyun’s words, Kim Su-hyeok continued.

“We need to check if he’s still inside.”

“But he’s covered all the windows, and it’s on the 7th floor, so it won’t be easy to lower a camera from the roof.”

Kim Su-hyeok waved the manual he was holding.

“Alpha Beta has kindly written down methods to use in situations like this too.”