NIS Agent Reincarnated as a Genius Actor

Seo Ji-eun bought three neatly designed scarves as gifts, setting one aside for Director Park Chan-hong and giving the rest to the bodyguards.

“Please give these to your girlfriends or wives. Thank you for making our sightseeing so comfortable today!” she said.

“Oh, we can’t accept these,” one of the bodyguards protested.

“Oh no, you must! In Korea, we have a thing called ‘jeong,’ and it’s considered rude not to accept gifts. It’s part of our culture!” Seo Ji-eun insisted, her small, white hands clasping the bodyguards’ large ones as she forced the red floral-patterned gift bags onto their wrists.

“Uh, thank you,” the bodyguards said reluctantly, scratching their short hair and smiling sheepishly at the cute gift bags dangling from their wrists.

On their way back to the hotel after the Berlin tour, they heard raised voices.

“What do you mean, we have to move?”

“This spot has always been reserved for our newspaper. You need to leave.”

Yeon-woo and his companions turned to see a group of Asians and what appeared to be German journalists in a standoff. They heard Korean being spoken.

“Director Lim, we’ve been waiting here for hours to get a good spot, and now they’re telling us to leave. This is ridiculous.”

“Exactly. Why aren’t they saying anything to the British press next to us? They’ve been waiting here with us since lunchtime.”

It seemed there was a dispute over the photo press spots in front of the theater, where directors and actors attending the film festival were to be photographed. The camera director, reporters, and other Korean journalists looked flustered.

‘Hmm, I thought this kind of thing had mostly disappeared,’ Yeon-woo thought, shaking his head. He had attended many film festivals in his past life, and there was no such thing as a reserved press spot. It appeared the German press had arrived late and were trying to bully the Asian newspaper into giving up their spot. Unfortunately, racism, though rare, still existed everywhere.

Watching the scene, Yeon-woo turned to Seo Ji-eun, who was walking with him towards the hotel.

“Shall we take some photos?”

“Huh? Photos? All of a sudden?” Seo Ji-eun asked, puzzled.

“I just saw something up ahead…” Yeon-woo began.

Yeon-woo explained the situation they had just witnessed to her. Then Seo Ji-eun nodded enthusiastically.

“Alright, sounds good!”

“Min-soo hyung, could you ask that press team if they would like to cover our interview?” Yeon-woo suggested.

Kim Min-soo, who had been listening to the entire conversation, grinned and nodded before heading towards the press section.

Jung Yoo-jin, a reporter from Hanse Daily, was on the verge of tears, her face red with frustration from the unfair treatment they were receiving. She was taken aback when a Korean man approached her, asking if they wanted to conduct an interview.

“Excuse me? What kind of interview are you talking about…?” Jung Yoo-jin began, but then she followed the man’s gesture and gasped.

“Oh my, Jay and Nari…?”

There stood Ryu Yeon-woo and Seo Ji-eun, waving at her from between their towering bodyguards. Having cried her eyes out watching “Sketch” the previous day, Jung Yoo-jin instinctively called out their character names from the film rather than their real names.

The other members of the press team were equally stunned. They had been contemplating whether to move to the side due to the foreign press’s territorial behavior when this golden opportunity for an exclusive interview presented itself. They quickly packed up their equipment.

“Are you really giving us this interview opportunity? Thank you so much,” they said, bowing and swiftly leaving their spot.

‘We came to Berlin solely for “Sketch.” What’s the point of taking side shots of foreign actors? This is a jackpot!’ Jung Yoo-jin thought, hastily packing up their gear.

The foreign journalists, puzzled by the sudden departure of the Korean press, soon realized that the people waving in the distance were the lead actors from “Sketch,” which had been the highlight of the previous day’s screenings. They quickly approached, hoping to secure an interview.

However, the massive bodyguards intercepted them. “We are only conducting pre-scheduled interviews.”

“What do you mean? Are you saying those people had a pre-arranged interview?” one of the foreign journalists asked, pointing to the Korean press team preparing to move to the hotel reception hall for the interview.

Judging by their surprised expressions, it was clear that this was not a pre-planned schedule. The foreign journalists were left frustrated, realizing they had missed out on a significant scoop.

However, the bodyguard maintained his poker face and nodded.

“Yes, it is a scheduled interview.”

“Hah, is this some kind of favoritism for your own people? Asians always sticking together in their little world. This isn’t racism, but what is it?” one of the journalists muttered.

The bodyguard, who had been silently listening, fixed the journalist with a cold stare.

“You should be ashamed. Just tolerating the fact that there are people like you among the German populace is already testing my patience.”

Faced with the intimidating presence and fierce gaze of the bodyguard, the journalist had no choice but to turn away.

“Thank you very much. I’m Jung Yoo-jin, a reporter from Hanse Daily,” Jung Yoo-jin said as they walked towards the hotel. She fished a business card out of her wallet and handed it to Yeon-woo and Seo Ji-eun, bowing deeply.

Yeon-woo accepted the card and glanced at it before nodding. “If I remember correctly, Reporter Jung Yoo-jin, you wrote a column comparing ‘Master Plan’ to food, right?”

Jung Yoo-jin’s eyes widened in surprise. “Yes, that’s right! I’m amazed you not only read it but also remembered my name…”

Seeing her eyes well up again, Yeon-woo smiled warmly. “It was such an enjoyable read that it stuck with me. I’m sure Director Park Chan-hong read it too.”

“Wow, that’s incredible,” Jung Yoo-jin said, clearly moved.

Back at the hotel, Yeon-woo and his companions, along with the press team, conducted a brief interview in the hotel’s reception hall, which had been pre-arranged by the journalists.

“Before we start the interview, please note that any content related to the film’s plot will be under embargo until its domestic release. Feel free to speak openly,” Yeon-woo said.

An embargo is a temporary restriction on the publication of certain information until a specified time. This meant that any potential spoilers would not be published until the film’s release date, which was still being negotiated by Director Park Chan-hong and LN Entertainment.

“Understood,” the journalists nodded.

Jung Yoo-jin signaled the camera director, and the interview began.

“We are here with the two lead actors of ‘Sketch,’ Ryu Yeon-woo and Seo Ji-eun.”

“Nice to meet you,” Yeon-woo greeted with a smile.

“Hello!” Seo Ji-eun added, bowing slightly.

“First of all, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Many Korean film fans were surprised by the sudden invitation to the Berlin Film Festival. When did you start preparing for ‘Sketch’?” Jung Yoo-jin asked.

“We haven’t been preparing for as long as you might think. We started filming about six months ago, right after finishing the historical drama that aired on KBC last fall,” Yeon-woo explained.

Seo Ji-eun nodded in agreement. Jung Yoo-jin, the reporter, continued with her questions.

“Actually, since there was no press conference and I didn’t expect to get an interview opportunity, I don’t have a prepared list of questions. But as a fan who was deeply moved by the film yesterday, I have a mountain of questions!” she said enthusiastically.

In Korea, commercial films typically hold a ‘production presentation’ or ‘report meeting’ to invite the press and fans for a conference. When foreign films come to Korea or vice versa, they usually hold a press conference. However, this time, they had replaced it with a simple GV (Guest Visit) on the screening day.

Understanding this context, Yeon-woo nodded and replied, “This film was purely an independent production, and we were on a tight schedule to complete it in time for the festival invitation. We also regret not having the opportunity to meet with fans.”

Jung Yoo-jin nodded at Yeon-woo’s clear response and then smiled as she turned to Seo Ji-eun.

“I’m curious about the casting story for ‘Sketch.’ After watching your performances yesterday, which were perfect for your roles, I cried my eyes out.”

“Really? I cried after the movie too. I was so embarrassed because the camera caught me bawling on the screen,” Seo Ji-eun said with a cute laugh.

She continued, “After finishing the historical drama, I was resting at home when I got a call from Ryu Yeon-woo. He told me about this story and role and asked if I was interested. I didn’t hesitate and said yes immediately.”

“Ryu Yeon-woo contacted you directly? How did that come about?” Jung Yoo-jin asked, intrigued.

Yeon-woo smiled as he answered, “Director Park Chan-hong wanted to proceed with this film as an independent project and asked me to find actors who would fit the roles well and share our vision. He gave me the task of casting them myself.”

“Oh, so you cast your wife from a thousand years ago from your previous project?” Jung Yoo-jin asked playfully, referring to their roles as a married couple in “The Star Beyond the River.”

Yeon-woo continued,

“That’s part of it. Also, actress Han So-hyeon recommended Seo Ji-eun for the role.”

“Really? Is that true?” Seo Ji-eun asked, surprised.

Seo Ji-eun looked at Yeon-woo in surprise, unaware of this fact.

“I believe Han So-hyeon recommended you, saying that since your debut role was as an idol, you would be perfect for the role of ‘Inari,'” Yeon-woo explained.

“Wow, I’m a fan of Han So-hyeon. That’s such an honor,” Seo Ji-eun said, clearly touched.

Jung Yoo-jin, thinking about the exclusive headlines this heartwarming interview would generate, felt a surge of excitement. Meanwhile, back in Seoul, the entertainment department of Hanse Daily was in chaos.

Despite it being past 2 AM in Korea, Editor-in-Chief Han Tae-hoon had rushed to the office.

“What do you mean, Kim? What exactly did the message say?”

“Well, it said they managed to secure an exclusive interview with Ryu Yeon-woo and Seo Ji-eun and that they’ll send the video soon. They asked us to embargo any content related to the film,” Reporter Kim explained.

“An exclusive interview out of the blue? How did Jung Yoo-jin manage that? I might have to reassess her,” Han Tae-hoon mused. Jung Yoo-jin was known for writing good articles and columns but was considered less adept at on-the-ground reporting and quick thinking. They had sent her to Berlin mainly because of her proficiency in German, and now she had landed a major scoop.

“Do whatever they ask. Once we get the video, make sure the article is as favorable as possible. With Park Chan-hong and Ryu Yeon-woo involved, it’s bound to be big,” Han Tae-hoon instructed.

“Understood,” Kim replied.

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Jung Yoo-jin’s face beamed with joy, not just because she had landed an exclusive interview, but also because she felt she had succeeded as a fan by meeting Jay and Nari in person. After sending the interview materials to the headquarters, she returned to the hotel and quietly opened her internet browser.

Ryu Yeon-woo Fan Cafe Woo’s

She moved the mouse to click the join button. “Hmm, nickname? How about ‘SuccessfulFanYoojin’?”

Meanwhile, Yeon-woo and Seo Ji-eun, having finished the interview, went up to Director Park Chan-hong’s room to deliver their gifts, only to be greeted with even better news.

“Don’t be too surprised. Well, it’s not that surprising, actually,” Director Park began.

“What is it, Director?”

Seo Ji-eun asked, hopping with curiosity while Yeon-woo stood beside her, smiling as if he had an inkling of what was coming.

“I received a call around five in the afternoon. They told us not to leave until the last day of the festival. That means, although they didn’t specify which award, our film is going to win something,” Director Park revealed.

“Really?! That’s amazing!” Seo Ji-eun exclaimed, grabbing Yeon-woo’s arm and giving herself high-fives in excitement.

Yeon-woo looked at Seo Ji-eun and Director Park, then spoke, “Both of you worked really hard. We filmed in the countryside, traveling by bus with almost no staff.”

Both Director Park and Seo Ji-eun smiled at his words.

“Well, they say hardships in youth are worth it, but I didn’t expect to go through such hardships at my age,” Director Park chuckled.

“It wasn’t hard at all for me. I had so much fun throughout the filming,” Seo Ji-eun added.

Winning an award at one of the world’s top three film festivals with an independent Korean film was a monumental achievement. Only the three people in the room knew that this news would soon make an even bigger splash in Korea than the interview they had just completed.