NIS Agent Reincarnated as a Genius Actor

Gong Min-jung, initially thrown into a state of utmost confusion by the sudden appearance of her favorite celebrity, quickly regained her composure. Though she kept stealing glances at the surreal sight of Ryu Yeon-woo typing at the desk next to hers, she knew she had to focus on her work.

“Yeon-woo, if you have any questions, feel free to ask!”

“Yes, senior.”

When Yeon-woo smiled brightly and responded, Min-jung almost melted into her chair, fiddling with her fingers.

“Ah, he called me senior…”

Despite quickly revising the report, Yeon-woo’s mind was also focused on the USB-shaped hacking tool he had discreetly plugged into the computer. Although the format was different, writing reports was something he had done countless times in his past life. Being a field agent wasn’t always about shooting guns and being chased like in the movies; it involved a lot of paperwork.

Revising a previously written report was no challenge.

‘The question is whether the work computer can access the server.’

At that moment, Han Hae-woon, who was pretending to film Yeon-woo from a distance, checked something on his smartphone and quietly shook his head.

It meant it wasn’t possible.

‘So, we’ll need to infiltrate either the CEO’s office or the server room.’

The planning office was on the second floor of the building.

‘The CEO’s office is on the fourth floor. The server room wasn’t marked on the directory I saw when I came in, but if it’s not in the basement, it’s likely on the third floor based on the building’s layout.’

The first floor was the lobby, and there was no server room on the second floor as far as he could see. The fourth floor was the top floor, and server rooms, which require cooling, are rarely placed on the top floor.

‘What was on the third floor?’

Yeon-woo recalled the directory he had glanced at when he entered.

Common lounge, dance practice room.

He then subtly glanced at the planning office manager, who was watching from a distance.

‘Being asked to rewrite a report that’s already been submitted and approved means he wants to keep an eye on me.’

All morning, Yeon-woo had been doing nothing but copying an already completed report. He nodded at the blinking cursor on the monitor.

“Senior, looking at the ‘debut team schedule’ I’m working on, it seems their debut is quite soon.”

“Yes? Oh, right. They’re such cute and kind kids; I hope they do well.”

As expected, the moment the debut team was mentioned, the planning office manager stood up.

“Now that you mention it, how about we go see the debut team practice? Providing feedback is one of the planning office’s key tasks.”

“What? But that’s the operations team’s…”

“Ahem! Min-jung, why don’t you take the new employee and go check it out?”

Interrupting Min-jung’s words with a cough, the planning office manager approached Yeon-woo. Yeon-woo smiled brightly at the manager.

“Yes, sir! I’ll go with Senior Gong.”

“Ah, yes. Good. Haha.”

As Yeon-woo stood up, he quickly pulled out the USB and hid it in his sleeve.

“Let’s go, Senior Min-jung.”

“Yes. Ah, he called me senior…”

As Yeon-woo left the planning office, he discreetly handed the hacking tool to Han Hae-woon, who was passing by. Han Hae-woon nodded and followed the group up to the third floor.

In the elevator, Han Hae-woon quietly whispered.

“Check your messages.”

Hearing Han Hae-woon’s voice, Yeon-woo carefully took out his smartphone.

[Team Leader, there’s no separate server room upstairs. We’ll need to open the server management patch panel on the wall to work. However, the security cameras are a problem.]

– Ding. –

As Yeon-woo read the message, the elevator doors opened, having reached the next floor. Stepping into the hallway, he quickly scanned the ceiling for security cameras. He noticed a small gray metal door on the wall near the dance practice room.

‘Hmm, that must be where the patch panel is. The cameras are positioned to cover the opposite side.’

Yeon-woo intentionally slowed his pace, engaging Gong Min-jung in conversation. This allowed the YouTube team to move ahead to film them from the front, leaving Han Hae-woon behind.

As they passed the patch panel on their way to the practice room, Yeon-woo noted the positions of the security camera at the end of the hallway, the practice room door, and the patch panel.

– Creak. –

Yeon-woo opened the practice room door and stood in front of it, talking to Min-jung.

“Senior, have you watched all my works?”

“Yes, yes? Of course! From ‘Summer Promise’ to ‘Sketch,’ I’ve seen them all!”

“Really? Thank you so much. Which one did you enjoy the most?”

Yeon-woo continued to chat brightly with Min-jung, standing in the middle of the hallway. This naturally created a barrier of people, including the YouTube staff, blocking the view of Han Hae-woon behind them.

While all the staff and cameras focused on Yeon-woo and Min-jung’s conversation, Han Hae-woon quickly opened the panel on the wall using his tools. He swiftly inserted the hacking tool, uploaded the necessary software, removed the tool, and closed the panel.

Yeon-woo, catching a glimpse of Han Hae-woon through the corner of his eye, saw him check something on his smartphone and nod quietly.

‘Looks like it worked.’

Yeon-woo smiled slightly and spoke again.

“Oh, right. We were working. Let’s go in, Senior Min-jung.”

As Yeon-woo entered the practice room, Han Hae-woon seamlessly joined the YouTube crew, acting as if nothing had happened. Inside, the debuting girl group members, fully made up, were waiting as if on standby.

“Oh?! Hello!”

“Let’s introduce ourselves formally. One, two, three.”

“Hello! We are the rookie girl group, Faitiz!”

Yeon-woo bowed politely.

“Hello. I’m Ryu Yeon-woo, working as a day employee today.”

The variety show filming proceeded smoothly from there. With the infiltration mission accomplished, Yeon-woo focused entirely on the YouTube shoot. During lunch, he had a private meal with Min-jung, taking several photos and creating unforgettable memories for her as a fan.

Having successfully managed both the filming and the hacking, Yeon-woo opened his smartphone in Kim Min-soo’s car on the way home.

[Checked and confirmed that it is working properly. Unfortunately, CEO Byun Hak-gyu doesn’t use the company Wi-Fi, so accessing his smartphone is impossible. However, we can intercept all information exchanged via his PC.]

Reading the message, Yeon-woo nodded.

While uncovering the true identity of ‘Baek Sol’ and dismantling their operations was crucial, Yeon-woo had already encountered their dark influence multiple times in his acting career. Directly, there had been various attacks during the filming of ‘The Star Beyond the River’, and indirectly, there was the suspicious drug scandal involving Ahn Jun-ho, his co-star in ‘Summer Promise’.

The fact that he was entangled with them so frequently, even when the attacks weren’t aimed directly at him, indicated that ‘Baek Sol’s’ insidious and malevolent reach extended throughout the entertainment industry.

“I can’t let them mess with me in this life too.”

“Excuse me?”

Kim Min-soo, who was driving, asked, having overheard Yeon-woo’s muttering. Yeon-woo just smiled.

“Nothing, Min-soo hyung.”

For now, he needed to return home and prepare for the upcoming commercial shoot.

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***

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A few days passed, and there was still no significant progress from Plus Ten.

“We’re in this for the long haul with them, no need to rush.”

Yeon-woo dressed simply and headed down to the parking lot.

“Good morning, Min-soo hyung.”

Yeon-woo greeted as he got into Min-soo’s car.

“Good morning, actor. It’s been a while since you’ve been to a shoot.”

“Indeed. My body has been itching to act during my time at university.”

In truth, he had found it difficult to suppress his desire to act.

‘I don’t know how I managed to hold back in my past life.’

It had been quite some time since he had done any serious acting, with ‘Sketch’ being his last significant role. Today, he was heading to shoot a commercial for Ihan Technology, commemorating Patriots and Veterans Month.

This CF wasn’t just a simple image advertisement. The storyboard required substantial acting skills. To do it well, even more acting prowess was necessary.

‘I’m not sure if the planner intended this, but based on my analysis, very subtle differences will determine the quality.’

The commercial’s narrative began with ‘Seo-hee.’ As he had heard from Chairman Seo Tae-kwang, there was a strong intent to link the image Yeon-woo had built in ‘The Star Beyond the River’ with Ihan Tech.

The storyline depicted Yeon-woo transforming through various historical roles: starting as a nameless blacksmith forging weapons to defend against foreign invasions, then as a Joseon general leading soldiers, an independence fighter resisting Japanese occupation, and finally, a young soldier charging forward during the Korean War. It concluded with him as a modern soldier using weapons developed by Ihan Tech to protect the nation’s territory and airspace.

The advertisement aimed to strongly instill the image of national defense, from Seo-hee to the present defense industry.

‘The challenge is bringing this to life effectively.’

However, he had spent several days contemplating and practicing for this.

The car carrying Yeon-woo arrived at the set located on the outskirts of Wonju.

“It’s been a while since I’ve done a CF shoot.”

“Indeed, it has, actor.”

Getting out of the car, Yeon-woo followed the staff’s guidance to the set.

“Ah, Ryu Yeon-woo.”

Director Lee Yong-soo, who was overseeing the shoot, approached Yeon-woo. They were somewhat acquainted.

“Hello, Director Lee. It’s been since the year before last, hasn’t it?”

Yeon-woo greeted him with a warm smile.

Hse had directed Yeon-woo’s first CF for a telecommunications company.

Director Lee Yong-soo, seemingly delighted to see Yeon-woo after a long time, clasped his hands warmly.

“When I saw you back then, you still had a student vibe, but now you have an aura about you. Haha.”

“Oh, come on, what aura? How’s your daughter doing with her studies?”

Yeon-woo remembered signing an autograph for the director’s daughter and mentioned her, making Director Lee laugh heartily.

“She’s in high school now. She framed your autograph and treats it like a lucky charm for getting into a good university.”

“Haha, really?”

Yeon-woo thought about the items in the car.

“Oh, wait a moment. Min-soo hyung, can I have the car keys for a second?”

“What do you need? I can get it for you.”

“No, it’s in my bag. I’ll get it myself.”

Receiving the keys from Min-soo, Yeon-woo retrieved two spiral notebooks and a few pens from his backpack in the car. Returning to the set, he handed the items to Director Lee.

“These are notebooks I use for my university classes. One has only a few pages used, and the other is brand new.”

The notebooks and pens bore the logo of Korea University. He thought they might serve as motivation for the director’s high school daughter.

Director Lee smiled warmly as he accepted the items.

“Oh, my daughter is going to be thrilled today. Thank you.”

“Just tell her to tear out the few pages I used and then use it. Director.”

“Knowing her, she won’t tear out a single page.”

While Yeon-woo focused on the Korea University logo, it was likely that the daughter would treasure them as ‘notebooks and pens used by Ryu Yeon-woo.’

“So, what do you think of the set?”

At Director Lee’s question, Yeon-woo looked around the set. For a CF shoot, the set was enormous. It was divided into various sections, each representing different historical periods as seen in the storyboard.

From the blacksmith’s anvil to the deeply dug trenches and the sandpit surrounded by chroma key screens. The most eye-catching set was the one at the deepest part of the shooting location.

In the middle of the chroma key set stood a fighter jet.

“…Is that an actual fighter jet?”