NIS Agent Reincarnated as a Genius Actor

“When I was young, I faced racial discrimination at school for being Asian. I was sad because my parents and I looked different, and I hated Korea. But isn’t it ironic? The path of a composer I chose eventually brought me back to Korea.”

“Do you have any memories of living in Korea?”

Jay pondered for a moment at Inari’s question.

“Well… When I was about twelve, I still remembered my Korean name, but it gradually faded. I have faint memories of living in a tiny one-room apartment with my mom and a winding downhill road lined with red brick walls.”

“Is there any information left at the adoption agency?”

“No. They said I was abandoned without leaving any records. I guess they didn’t want me to find them.”

Inari nodded quietly. They didn’t offer clumsy comfort to each other. They simply shared their stories and listened.

They sat on the bank, watching the stream flow by in silence. The screen lingered on their silent forms for nearly ten seconds. None of the audience felt uncomfortable or found it strange. Instead, quiet sniffles and the sight of audience members wiping away tears could be seen throughout the theater. They had become deeply invested in Jay and Inari’s story, reflecting on the conversation they had just witnessed.

Inari looked up at the now darkened night sky and spoke.

“Jay, do you know how big our galaxy is?”

“Galaxy? Hmm, I’ve never really thought about it.”

Inari spread her arms wide.

“It takes light 100,000 years to travel from one end to the other.”

“That’s huge. I heard it takes light about 7 minutes to travel from the Sun to Earth. So, if the Sun exploded, we wouldn’t know for 7 minutes.”

Inari nodded, her eyes wide in mock surprise.

“But there are about 2 trillion galaxies like ours in the universe.”

Jay looked up at the night sky, trying to grasp the immense number.

“Not just the Sun, but galaxies? We’re like specks of dust.”

“Exactly. From the universe’s perspective, we, the Earth, and even the Sun are just fleeting sparks.”

Jay nodded seriously, agreeing with Inari’s seemingly whimsical but profound statement. Inari continued, looking at Jay.

“But you know, Shakespeare seemed to understand that too.”

“Shakespeare?”

Jay surprised by the sudden mention of the name. Inari looked across the stream at the grassy field and spoke.

“In one of Shakespeare’s sonnets, Sonnet 73, he writes, ‘Love that well which thou must leave ere long.’ We, the Earth, even the Sun, will all disappear eventually, so we must love fiercely before that happens. I never thought my mom would leave so soon. That’s why I have so many regrets.”

Jay looked at Inari quietly. She met his gaze and continued.

“So, I hope you find your mom. We don’t have time to hesitate because everything we love will eventually leave.”

Normally, Jay would have shaken his head at such a suggestion. But maybe it was because of Inari, or the power of the sunset, or perhaps the recent memories stirred by the children’s song. Jay felt his heart stir intensely.

‘I want to know who she is. I want to meet her, the person who was my mom…’

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***

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Jay returned to his lodging deep in thought. Inari, sensing his complex emotions, didn’t bring up the topic again.

“Hey, Ja-hee, you’re back.”

“Grandma. Annyeonghaseyo.”

“Oh, my.”

The next day, Jay greeted Inari’s grandmother in his awkward Korean as he entered the house. As Jay walked into Inari’s studio, she quickly closed an internet browser window.

“Oh! Jay, you’re here. Hi.”

“What were you looking at? Something weird?”.

Inari’s face turned red.

“No! I wasn’t looking at anything weird.”

Jay, feeling playful, approached the computer and grabbed the mouse, reopening the internet window.

“Ah!”

“Oh…”

The browser revealed a street view from a portal site, showing a winding downhill road lined with red brick walls. There were about ten tabs open, each showing a different view of similar brick roads.

“I just couldn’t get it out of my mind, so I started looking it up…”

“Thank you, Inari.”

Jay glanced around the studio and then looked up at the ceiling. The glow-in-the-dark stars from her childhood still adorned it, a reminder of simpler times and dreams.

The ceiling filled with glow-in-the-dark stars seemed to transform into a galaxy beyond the universe for Jay.

“‘Love that well which thou must leave ere long.’ I think that saying is right. I want to find the person who gave birth to me.”

Inari’s face lit up with excitement at Jay’s words.

“Jay! Then look at this. What do you think? Doesn’t this look like the place? The winding downhill road with red brick walls!”

Jay leaned in to examine the monitor. The road on the screen closely matched his memories.

“Maybe, it looks similar…”

“What about this one?”

Inari clicked on another tab, revealing another similar road.

“Inari, how many of these did you find?”

“Hehe, I got really into it while searching.”

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***

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Together, they traveled around using public transportation, visiting the places they had seen on the road view. Along the way, they played guitar and sang wherever they went, uploading their performances online. Their subscriber count began to grow.

‘Is that actress a real singer? Her vocal skills are impressive. And the guy is quite skilled with instruments too.’

It wasn’t just the on-screen subscribers who were captivated by their music. Film critic Franz Meyer found himself deeply engrossed in the movie, realizing only then how much he had been drawn into the songs. The film had featured several tracks, but it was the first time he had thought of them this way, indicating how much he had come to see the characters as real young composers and indie band vocalists rather than actors.

As Jay and Inari’s journey to find Jay’s childhood hometown progressed, the quality of their music continued to improve.

“Jay, they said we can perform here.”

“Really? Then this will be our stage for today.”

It was a weekday afternoon. They arrived at a park located on the outskirts. They began unpacking their equipment and setting up in a corner of the park. Initially, curious onlookers peeked out to see what was happening. When they saw the equipment being set up, they realized a performance was about to take place and watched with anticipation.

“Honey, I think they’re going to sing.”

“Yeah, look at all that equipment. Should we record it?”

The performance started with a gentle guitar accompaniment. As it progressed, they began using a loop station to layer complex harmonies with violin, guitar, and hand drums.

Jake, who had been engrossed in 「Sketch」 at the Potsdamer Platz theater, was genuinely surprised by the scenes on the screen.

‘Wow. While editing might play a role, that actor genuinely knows how to handle those instruments.’

Jake, a film music director in Hollywood, could tell that the music wasn’t just dubbed over the scenes. The actor’s hand movements matched the notes perfectly.

‘They might have even recorded the music themselves.’

As the journey to find the place from Jay’s memories progressed, Jake’s amazement grew.

‘This is like a milestone.’

The first song in the movie was performed by Inari as a solo act at an indie festival. The drums and keyboards were pre-recorded, and Inari played the guitar somewhat clumsily. The second song was the unfinished work Jay heard when he visited Inari’s studio, which became harmoniously complete with Jay’s touch. The third set of songs were those Jay and Inari performed while busking at the campsite, where they couldn’t finish due to the emotional weight of their pasts.

‘So, this is the fourth segment.’

The songs performed during their journey to find Jay’s childhood home became increasingly polished. Jay played various instruments, using a loop station to build complex harmonies, with Inari’s voice blending in as another instrument. From a clumsy solo act to a fantastic duo, the progression mirrored their growth.

‘This represents the growth of youth.’

Understanding the musical theme running through the entire film, Jake felt goosebumps rise on his arms.

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***

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“This is the last road we found, right?”

Inari nodded, looking a bit downcast but then lifting her head with renewed determination.

“Even if this isn’t the place, we can keep searching. Let’s not give up!”

“Yeah. Even if we don’t find it, it’s been fun.”

Jay replied with a smile.

They had lost count of how many similar roads they had visited. Who knew there would be so many “winding downhill roads with red brick walls”?

“I found out that many official residences and old schools have red brick walls.”

Jay nodded in agreement at Inari’s explanation.

They got off the bus and wandered through the alleyways, using their smartphones to navigate.

“I think this is the place! Jay, what do you think?”

Inari asked, cautiously watching Jay’s face.

Jay examined the surroundings carefully but then shook his head.

“I don’t think this is it. Honestly, even if we find the road I remember, I’m not sure I’ll recognize it anymore. I’m sorry, Inari.”

“It’s okay. Let’s try again.”

Jay’s initial enthusiasm had waned, and he felt increasingly guilty for making Inari go through this seemingly futile search. He peeked down another alley, hoping it might be the one, but it wasn’t. Both were quietly worried about disappointing each other.

After a moment of silence, Inari suddenly had an idea. She clapped her hands and pulled out her smartphone.

“Jay!”

“Yeah?”

“Would you mind if your story got out to others?”

“No, I don’t mind. I’m not ashamed of being adopted. My parents are wonderful people. I have no problem with it.”

Inari held out her smartphone.

“We already have 60,000 subscribers! We might not be super famous, but we can trust in the power of collective intelligence, right?”

“Hmm. I don’t mind asking for help, but will people really go out of their way for something that isn’t their problem?”

Inari wagged her index finger at Jay.

“You really don’t know Koreans yet. When it comes to things like this, Koreans show incredible unity.”

Jay looked at her, half-doubting but hopeful.

“Think long, act fast!”

Inari started recording a video on her smartphone.

“Hello, subscribers. This is the first time I’m speaking directly to you instead of just sharing our music videos. I’m Inari, and this is Jay.”

Although their channel was named ‘InariJay’, it was the first time they were formally introducing themselves. It was amazing to think they had 60,000 subscribers without ever doing this.

“The reason I’m making this video today is to help Jay.”

Jay watched as Inari continued speaking to the camera, explaining their journey and the significance of finding the place from his memories. She described the red brick walls and the winding downhill road, asking their subscribers for any information or leads.

“Please, if any of you recognize this place or have any information, let us know in the comments or send us a message. Your help would mean the world to us.”

Inari started with a simple introduction and then explained their story.

“And that’s how the InariJay channel was created. We’ll share reference photos and our email address through the community tab. If any of you know of a place like this near you, please let us know!”

Inari bowed her head, and Jay, not understanding what she said, stood there blankly until Inari nudged him in the side, prompting him to bow as well. Inari then ended the video recording.

Jay tilted his head in curiosity.

“Do you really think people will help?”

Inari smiled confidently at his skepticism.

The next day, they sat together in front of Inari’s computer in her studio.

“Alright, let’s see what we’ve got. Drumroll, please!”

“Drumroll?”

“In Korea, we say ‘dugu dugu’ at times like this.”

“Okay. Dugu dugu.”

When they opened the email inbox, it showed “99+” new messages.

“Wow, 99 emails?”

“No, it’s more than 99. Each page shows 30 emails, and there are 5 pages. That’s almost 150 emails!”