NIS Agent Reincarnated as a Genius Actor

From its opening day, the ‘Sketch Syndrome’ swept across South Korea. It’s not uncommon for award-winning films to struggle at the box office, as they are often perceived as arthouse films that are difficult to understand compared to entertaining commercial movies, creating a psychological barrier for the general audience. However, perhaps it was due to Director Park Chan-hong, who had previously drawn in audiences of over ten million with his commercial films, or maybe it was the Midas touch of Ryu Yeon-woo, who had been turning every project he touched into gold.

Tickets were selling out so fast that it was difficult to book seats for the prime showtimes from the very first day. And CEO Kim Joo-seong emerged from the theater with a look of satisfaction on his face. ‘I do have an eye for talent,’ he thought to himself. He had spotted Yeon-woo early on during the auditions for ‘Summer Promises’ and had faith in his ability to choose and excel in his projects. Once again, he felt a strong sense of trust in his signed actor, Ryu Yeon-woo, who seemed to lay golden eggs without much effort.

When Yeon-woo expressed a desire to take on something, the best move for the agency was clear. Kim Joo-seong pulled out his smartphone and made a call.

– Yes, Sir.

“Team Leader Yoon. It’s about the new series Yeon-woo is taking on.”

– Yes, I’ve been informed. You’re referring to ‘White Blood,’ the series planned for OTT, right?

“From planning to execution, I want you to personally oversee the entire process to ensure there are no hiccups. And provide Yeon-woo with whatever he needs.”

Even as a movie fan, CEO Kim Joo-seong was looking forward to Yeon-woo’s next project, which is why he gave direct instructions to Yoon Mi-yeon, the planning team leader known for her impeccable work.

– Understood. I’ll update you on the progress monthly.

Smiling contentedly, Kim Joo-seong nodded and left the theater.

Meanwhile, Hong Yuri and Kim Junsoo were also leaving the theater, but they were busy wiping away tears and blowing their noses.

“Sob, Jay’s mom is so pitiful.”

“Ahem. At least they found her in the end. I’m going to the restroom,” Junsoo said, trying to hold back his tears in front of Yuri and hurried off towards the bathroom.

Upon opening the door and looking towards the sinks, he saw a line had formed.

‘What the heck, why is there a line for the sinks and not the urinals?’

Junsoo thought as he looked at the men waiting. Their eyes were red, and they were all sniffling, holding their noses. When he saw his own reflection in the mirror beyond the sinks, he realized he was in the same state, if not worse.

‘Damn it. Yeon-woo’s restrained acting made it even sadder,’ he thought. If Jay had cried his heart out on screen, it would have provided some emotional release for the audience. Instead, Jay’s confused and restrained expression, as if it were his own story, left the unresolved sadness entirely with the viewers. Sometimes, a documentary that tells a story calmly can be more heartbreaking than a melodrama with an emotional climax.

After waiting in line, blowing his nose, and washing his face, Junsoo returned to the lobby. As expected, Yuri was sniffling and talking to her mother on the phone.

“Mom, what if you get dementia?”

– Yuri, I’m only fifty! What dementia? Who do you think I am, an old lady?

“But Jay’s mom got dementia in her twenties!”

– Who’s Jay? Are you seeing someone new? Bring him home sometime.

Startled by her mother’s sudden question, Yuri glanced at Junsoo, who was walking towards her.

“How did you know?”

– I saw you hugging someone at the playground when I was coming home with tofu the other day.

“Ah! I don’t want to talk about it. Bye!”

Yuri shrieked and hung up the phone, leaving Junsoo puzzled as he approached.

“What happened? Why are you so flustered?” he asked.

“My mom saw us hugging at the playground,” Yuri replied.

“…What?” Junsoo was taken aback.

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– sangminkid(SVIP): Wow. No villains or dramatic twists, but it’s consistently entertaining from start to finish. Is this real?

– heungsue(RVIP): Honestly, I went to see it because Ryu Yeon-woo is so handsome, but by the middle of the movie, all I could see was the protagonist Jay. Highly recommend watching.

– vpdls123(VIP): Nokyong Lord. He’s already dominating all genres: rom-com, historical, crime entertainment, and now humanism.

– henry0322(SVIP): Watching this movie cured my dry eyes.

From the morning of its release, the theater app’s review section was flooded with perfect 10 scores. By the afternoon, professional reviews from film critics started to appear. One line from Park Kang-yeon, a critic known for his harsh reviews, began to heat up the internet.

– Park Kang-yeon, Critic: The clash of passionate youths searching for a lost youth. 「9/10」

– FrenchPie(kana70**): Wow, unbelievable. Is there a movie that Park Kang-yeon gave a 9 out of 10?

└ Joystick(jelly4): Not among domestic films. This is the first.

└ NokyongKing(yooonij0): Our Yeon-woo even melted Park Kang-yeon’s heart.

Indeed, Park Kang-yeon had never given a domestic film a 9 out of 10. Only a few foreign films, considered masterpieces from the late ’90s, had received such high marks. By evening, various online communities were flooded with discussions about 「Sketch」, and Yeon-woo’s fan cafe, Woo’s, saw an unprecedented surge in posts.

– JayCan’tForget: I’m late. Just joined the fan cafe.

– MakeupJoohee: My dad suggested we watch 「Sketch」 together tonight. It’s been years since we watched a movie together. I’ve already seen it on opening day, but I’ll pretend I haven’t and go again this weekend.

– LadySeohui: I’ve already watched it twice today. There’s a downside.

└ CarryCarry: A downside?

└ LadySeohui: On the second watch, I started crying from the beginning. The person next to me looked at me like I was weird.

– WaterPurifierGuy: I was thinking about the movie at home, and my water purifier made a ‘gurgle’ sound, which made me cry again.

– LinkExpert: Check out the news. It hit number one in ticket sales in just one day!

└ HappyBarkingDog: Amazing! Woof woof woof!

└ JoyAndSorrow: Not surprising at all. Completely expected.

– NoTearsLeft: I cried my eyes out. Couldn’t see the screen after they entered the hospital room.

└ SpoilerAlert: Please avoid spoilers for those who haven’t seen it yet.

The film also sparked interest in other areas.

– BulkBuyer(dhlee2***): When will the songs from the movie be released? I’m ready for endless streaming.

└ GotchaYou(jeff20): The songs were all great. But what’s up with your username…?

– JayFanatic(rlacoa): Please release the song Jay sang on the bus while searching for the brick wall!

└ Let’sGo(tooker4**): I think the best song was the one he sang while busking at the campsite.

Reading these reactions, LN Entertainment quickly coordinated with the original soundtrack’s composer, Chrissy Monroe, to release the music. The soundtrack, released at 6 PM, climbed the charts faster than anyone expected.

“What? The soundtrack is ranked what?” Yeon-woo asked, puzzled by the unexpected call from Seo Ji-eun while he was contemplating his next project in his studio apartment.

– Guess what? It’s already ranked 7th! Our song is on the charts!

“7th? Which song?”

– Currently, ‘Paint’ is at the top, and several other songs are within the top 20!

Hearing Seo Ji-eun’s excited voice, Yeon-woo chuckled.

Considering her background as a former singer trainee, it seemed she still harbored some lingering attachment to a singing career.

“It’s because you sing well, that’s why it’s popular. This is Seo Ji-eun’s voice.”

– That’s an insult to the band sessions! It’s not just the vocals that make a song popular. It’s Jae Inari’s song.

“Is that so?”

Having lived his past and present lives without any connection to singing, Yeon-woo had never given much thought to music charts.

– But at this rate, won’t we end up on a music show? That would be amazing!

Already an actress who had made the drama ‘The Star Beyond the River’ a hit and won the Golden Bear at Berlin, Seo Ji-eun still seemed unable to grasp her own status.

Yeon-woo scratched his cheek and spoke.

“Well, if they invite us, wouldn’t they welcome us with open arms? Noona is a famous actress now, you know.”

– Oh, come on, I’m not that famous. Hmm…? Really? Anyway, check the music charts once we hang up!

“Okay, got it.”

Yeon-woo was about to open the music streaming application, but there was no need as numerous people around him started sending him screenshots via messenger.

He clicked on the photo his sister So-hyun had posted in the family group chat.

‘Huh?’

8 PM Chart Rankings (8:03 PM)

1.Paint – Jae Inari (↑+6)

Loop Planet – FNX (↓-1)

Clap – N-Boys (↓-1)

Galaxy – Jae Inari (New)

The song had been released at 6 PM and entered the chart within an hour, eventually reaching the top spot.

Yeon-woo scratched his head awkwardly while looking at the chart.

– Sister: Wow, oppa, does this mean you’re a number one singer now?

– Ryu Yeon-woo: What singer? All I did was play the guitar. Did you watch the movie?

– Father: Of course, we did. We took a day off and watched the first showing as a family. Proud of you, son.

Yeon-woo smiled as he read the messages.

Then he looked at the music chart photo again and stroked his chin.

‘Hmm, this definitely means talks about appearing on a music show will come up.’

Objectively speaking, there was no way the producers of music shows would miss out on such a great opportunity. Of course, if it interfered with his acting career, he had no intention of taking on additional activities. However, if it was for fan service and movie promotion, there was no reason he couldn’t do a one-time performance.

‘Well, I don’t really do much anyway.’

Seo Ji-eun would handle all the singing, and while he could certainly play the guitar himself, it was uncertain whether the broadcasting station’s music show system could provide live sound.

– Bzzz. –

At that moment, his smartphone vibrated.

[Team Leader Jung-hyuk]

“Yes, Team Leader.”

– Yeon-woo, am I disturbing you while you’re resting?

“No, not at all.”

– It’s just that we’ve received a schedule proposal… Well, we get countless schedule proposals every day.

Even without hearing the rest, Yeon-woo had a good idea of what it was about.

“A music show?”

– What? How did you know?

Yeon-woo chuckled.

It seemed that people really did think alike.

“I checked the music chart results too. The success of the OST would greatly help promote the movie.”

– Wow, you’re like a mind reader.

There were, of course, ways to appear on variety shows as well. In fact, Yeon-woo was receiving a truckload of variety show invitations. However, even if he wasn’t maintaining a mysterious image, appearing on variety shows would inevitably consume his image as a movie actor who hadn’t been exposed much to variety shows.

Moreover, the current movie was a music film that emphasized musical elements, and appearing on a music show had another advantage. In the movie, Jay and Nari were depicted as gradually gaining recognition and succeeding as singers, but the conclusion was left open-ended. If they performed on a music show as Jae Inari, it would be like a spinoff debut in real life.

After considering various factors, Yeon-woo nodded.

“You’ll need to coordinate with Seo Ji-eun’s agency too, right?”

– They contacted us first. They really want to do it.

Yeon-woo recalled the excited Seo Ji-eun who had called just a few minutes ago. She probably wanted to be on stage purely for the joy of it, beyond just promoting the movie.

“I’ll do it, Team Leader. The music show.”

Thus, the decision was made for an appearance on a music show, which would undoubtedly become a legendary event if announced on the fan cafe Woo’s.