NIS Agent Reincarnated as a Genius Actor

‘It’s quite amusing,’ Yeon-woo thought, chuckling to himself.

When ordinary people think of espionage or spies, they often imagine individuals who meticulously hide their identities, risking their lives to gather or protect information. However, that image is more suited to movies. The real world of espionage is somewhat different.

Just like Yeon-woo in his past life, intelligence agents from various countries are still human. They worry about what to have for dinner and whether they’ll get reprimanded by their superiors the next day. Due to the constant need to produce results and report upwards, intelligence agents often exchanged information with one another, knowingly or unknowingly.

Over time, brokers emerged, selling information for money or purchasing valuable intel.

‘I never used them myself…’

Most of the information needed by the National Intelligence Service (NIS) pertained to North Korea’s movements, so there was rarely a need to buy information from other intelligence agencies.

Lost in thought, Yeon-woo soon arrived at his destination. He hurriedly walked from the subway station.

‘If I want to have lunch with the staff, I need to handle this quickly and return to the hotel by noon.’

Dealing with an underground information broker wasn’t like in movies or novels, where one would enter a shady bar in a dark alley and say something ridiculous like, ‘The owl cries at the moon,’ to a bartender. Intelligence agents, who were extremely cautious about revealing their identities, didn’t conduct transactions face-to-face in such a manner.

“Lichtenberg Library. It’s been a while.”

Yeon-woo looked at the grand ivory-colored building before entering.

The library’s distinct smell of books greeted him as he stepped inside. He found himself in the square-structured first-floor lobby with an open ceiling, looking up. From the open ceiling, he could see the corridors and entrances to reading rooms on each floor up to the fourth.

Yet, there were no visible surveillance cameras.

‘It’s quite ironic,’ he thought.

During the German student movement of 1968, libraries always provided refuge for protesters. The tradition of not recording visitors’ identities to protect them continued, making it one of the few modern buildings without surveillance cameras. Now, it was being used by intelligence agents from national institutions.

Shaking his head at the irony, Yeon-woo slowly climbed the stairs and entered the reading room on the fourth floor.

He wandered around the library, slowly browsing through the books.

‘Found it.’

Reference to the establishment of Eisenach in Thuringia.

It was a book that no one would likely read. It didn’t exist outside of this place, and it wasn’t even registered in the library’s catalog. Yeon-woo took the book and sat down in a corner, opening it to reveal a series of meaningless words and names.

He pulled out a piece of paper and a pen from his jacket pocket and began writing down numbers while looking at the book. These numbers corresponded to the page number and the position of the desired letter on that page. For example, if the thirty-seventh letter on the sixth page was the letter ‘A’ he wanted, he would write down 6-37.

He filled the paper with numbers that, when decoded, would convey the message.

– Information regarding the organization or individual known as ‘Baek Sol’ in South Korea.

He placed the paper and the disposable card key for the Berlin Central Station locker in the middle of the book and closed it. He returned the book to its original spot, leaving a bookmark sticking out.

A bookmark sticking out indicated a willingness to buy or sell information.

‘I don’t know how much information they have on ‘Baek Sol,’ but…’

There were recent speculations that ‘Baek Sol’ was behind various drug-related incidents. Han Hae-woon had recently found a lead, pointing to an agent disguised as Deputy Minister Jung Chan-sook. Given that she was responsible for southern China, Myanmar, and Laos, it was highly likely that she was involved in international drug trafficking.

‘If that’s the case, these information brokers might have some relevant intel.’

It was worth a try, separate from Han Hae-woon’s investigations back home. After placing the book back on the shelf, Yeon-woo quietly left the library, erasing his presence.

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“Did you go out this morning, Yeon-woo?”

Kim Min-soo asked Yeon-woo during lunch with the staff.

He had gone to Yeon-woo’s room in the morning but found no sign of him and couldn’t reach him by phone, which had worried him.

“I just went for a jog in the park nearby.”

“You should have called me. What if something dangerous happened while you were out alone?”

Yeon-woo had just returned from a morning filled with money laundering transactions and placing a request with a broker dealing with intelligence agents. He smiled warmly at Kim Min-soo, understanding his concern despite the irony of the situation.

“Yes, let’s run together next time.”

In truth, there hadn’t been any real danger. He had merely strolled through Tiergarten Park, enjoyed the view from a rooftop, and read some books at the library.

At that moment, Seo Ji-eun put down her fork and spoke up, interrupting her meal.

“Ah, tonight’s the night. I’m so nervous.”

“What’s there to be nervous about? You should enjoy it. Winning in the competition section means we’re guaranteed to receive either the Golden Bear or the Silver Bear.”

The Berlin International Film Festival awards several prizes to films in the competition section. The best film receives the Golden Bear, while the Silver Bear is awarded in various categories such as the Jury Grand Prix, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. Therefore, being confirmed for an award meant they were at least receiving a Silver Bear.

“Still, winning an award at such a major film festival makes my feet tingle with excitement.”

Yeon-woo smiled at her and then looked at Director Park Chan-hong.

“Director, are you nervous too?”

“No, I’m very relaxed,” Director Park replied with a calm smile.

However, the uneven cuts on his steak suggested otherwise. His hand, which he kept under the table, seemed to be trembling, indicating his nervousness.

After a lunch that seemed to go in one ear and out the other, time flew by, and it was now about two hours before the awards ceremony.

– Ding dong! –

Yeon-woo had been lying down to rest after a busy morning when the doorbell rang.

“Hmm? There’s still time left.”

He got up to open the door. To his surprise, an unexpected person stood outside.

“Ta-da! Here we are!”

“…Huh? Ye-eun noona?”

Standing outside with a large suitcase was stylist Lee Ye-eun, smiling alongside Kim Min-soo. Next to them, waving, was Team Leader Jung Hyuk.

“I’m here too, Yeon-woo,”

“How did you…?”

Team leader Jung Hyuk and Lee Ye-eun smiled triumphantly.

“We had standby plane tickets just in case we heard news of an award. While Manager Kim Min-soo is reliable, we thought additional support might be needed.”

“…There were no direct flights, so it must have taken you a long time to get here. Come on in.”

Lee Ye-eun and Team Leader Jung Hyuk entered, dragging their suitcases behind them.

“We barely made it on time, thanks to the perfectly timed reservations. I should have just come along from the start!” Lee Ye-eun grumbled as she opened her suitcase.

She pulled out a portable steam iron and several clothes wrapped in plastic. The men in the room watched in awe as she swiftly assembled the equipment with expert precision.

‘She’s faster than I am at disassembling and reassembling a rifle,’ Yeon-woo thought.

In no time, she had the steam iron ready and began prepping the clothes at lightning speed.

“Stand right here. Let’s move quickly; we still need to do your makeup,” she commanded with an air of authority that Yeon-woo couldn’t resist. He obediently stood in front of her as she held up various outfits against him.

“Hmm, perfect. Let’s go with this navy suit and black shirt. You’ll shine, whether it’s the Golden Bear or the Silver Bear,” she decided.

Her professionalism was evident as she not only considered Yeon-woo’s appearance but also the award ceremony setting and how it would look on camera.

‘Hmm, if we win, the director will go on stage…,’ Yeon-woo thought but decided to keep his thoughts to himself, appreciating Ye-eun’s dedication.

After changing into the selected outfit, Yeon-woo received a quick makeup session. He noticed some unopened clothes in the suitcase.

“Noona, what’s that in the suitcase?” he asked.

“Oh, that?” Ye-eun smiled at him.

“Those are for Ji-eun. Her agency is small, so they probably didn’t have the resources to support her. She’s an actress, after all.”

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“Eh? Oh? Really? Oh my gosh…” Seo Ji-eun froze as she opened the door to the sound of the doorbell.

“No! Ji-eun, hold back those tears! We don’t have time to redo your makeup,” Ye-eun exclaimed, rushing into Ji-eun’s room with a dress in hand, effectively stopping her tears.

“Thank you so much. I never expected this,” Ji-eun said, overwhelmed with gratitude.

“As Yeon-woo’s stylist, I haven’t been able to do much lately. He was filming a historical drama, so I didn’t have much to coordinate. And now, for this independent film, he had to wear his own clothes for realism,” Ye-eun explained, quickly laying out the dress on Ji-eun’s bed.

“And I’m part of the cast too. I probably appear as an extra at least five times in the airport scenes. Anyway, we don’t have much time. Ji-eun, come sit down quickly,” she urged.

Ji-eun, still in shock, complied, sitting down as Ye-eun began to work her magic.

Just like Yeon-woo, Seo Ji-eun walked over to her seat as if entranced. She had prepared herself reasonably well, doing her own styling and makeup as she usually did. However, under the expert touch of a professional, she transformed into someone even more radiant.

After finishing their preparations, Yeon-woo and Seo Ji-eun descended to the hotel lobby. Director Park Chan-hong, who had been waiting there early, smiled warmly at them.

“It’s been a while, Hyuk. The last time we worked together was when we cast Yeon-woo for「Master Plan」, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, Director. It’s wonderful to see you here for such a good occasion. Congratulations,” Jung Hyuk replied, shaking hands with Director Park.

“I’m not much of an expert on fashion, but I can tell the difference when a professional has worked their magic,” Director Park said, smiling at Jung Hyuk and Lee Ye-eun.

Manager Kim Min-soo, who had been chatting with Director Park while waiting, had already informed him about Jung Hyuk and Lee Ye-eun’s arrival, so he wasn’t surprised to see them.

“But what about this old man? Isn’t anyone going to spruce me up?” Director Park joked.

“Uh… Director, you look great as you are! Maybe a quick touch-up on your skin tone?” Lee Ye-eun stammered, caught off guard.

Director Park laughed.

“I’m just kidding. What good would it do for an old man like me to put on makeup?”

As Director Park joked, Jung Hyuk leaned in to whisper to Yeon-woo.

“Director Park seems much more relaxed these days. It’s the first time I’ve seen him joke around. He used to be quite the tiger.”

Yeon-woo recalled how Jung Hyuk had repeatedly emphasized Director Park’s fiery temperament when he went for the 「Master Plan」audition. Tilting his head, Yeon-woo replied, “A tiger? He’s always been kind and fun to me.”

Jung Hyuk shook his head, remembering Director Park’s notorious reputation for making actors cry with his fierce demeanor.

“If everyone is ready, let’s head out,” the local staff member assigned by the festival’s secretariat announced, gathering the group.

“Alright, let’s go. It’s time for the Berlin International Film Festival awards ceremony,” Director Park said, prompting everyone to rise from their seats.

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“I found it! Mom, Dad! I found the site,”

Ryu So-hyeon shouted from her room.

Ryu Cheol-yung and Lee Sun-ok rushed over.

“You found it?”

“Yes, it looks like this site is streaming it,” So-hyeon confirmed.

“Why isn’t it being broadcasted on our local channels?” Lee Sun-ok wondered aloud.

“It’s because they didn’t secure the broadcasting rights. Our country only broadcasts major events like the Academy Awards,” Ryu Cheol-yung explained, bringing two chairs from the living room.

As they sat down, the three family members focused on the computer monitor.

“Hey, isn’t that Oppa over there?”

So-hyeon pointed to a corner of the screen when a wide shot briefly appeared.

Both parents squinted at the screen, trying to make out the figure.

“I’m not sure. It’s too dark and small. I think I need my reading glasses,” Ryu Cheol-yung said, getting up to fetch them.

Meanwhile, Yeon-woo’s family wasn’t the only group watching the Berlin International Film Festival awards ceremony via internet stream. Friends and acquaintances who supported Yeon-woo, as well as numerous film industry professionals in South Korea, were also glued to their screens, holding their breath in anticipation.