NIS Agent Reincarnated as a Genius Actor

“No! Are you saying something big will happen?”

In the car heading to the wrap-up party, Yeon-woo finished applying makeup and changed clothes thanks to the efforts of his stylist, Lee Ye-eun, who vehemently opposed with an X mark.

“Noona, it’s a barbecue restaurant, but my clothes might smell.”

“Oh my, Yeon-woo. I’m sure the sponsors would be grateful even if you burned the clothes on the spot?”

Looking at Yeon-woo, who couldn’t quite grasp his position in South Korea right now, Ye-eun pulled out various other clothes.

“Alright, let’s go with this.”

Yeon-woo chuckled as Ye-eun swiftly took off his t-shirt and offered another shirt.

“I remember the first time noona saw me changing clothes in the car, you turned red and looked away.”

“W-What are you talking about?!”

Then Min-soo’s voice came from the front seat along with laughter.

“I remember it vividly too. Your face was as red as a tomato.”

“Min-soo oppa. That didn’t happen, right? Don’t look back while driving.”

“But it’s a red light?”

Watching the two joking around, a smile formed on Yeon-woo’s lips.

“You two seem to get along well.”

“Do we?”

“W-What nonsense!”

As Yeon-woo spoke, watching the two awkwardly surprised, he wondered if spring had come before winter.

Upon arriving at the rented restaurant in Yeouido for the wrap-up party, there was a large crowd in the spacious parking lot, filled with fans and journalists, even more so than during the ‘Summer Promise’ wrap-up party.

“Noona was right. I’m grateful you styled me.”

“Ms. Ye-eun, you stay in the car. I’ll go out first and open the door, then guide you to the entrance.”

As Min-soo opened the driver’s side door and got out, the crowd outside, whether journalists or fans, all lifted their cameras, ready.

It felt as tense as sprinters standing at the starting line before a hundred-meter dash.

– Ziiing. –

And as if signaling the start, the van’s door opened and Yeon-woo emerged, greeted by a barrage of camera flashes.

“Wow!”

“Could you take a look over here?”

“Look this way!”

Yeon-woo walked, even smiling at the makeshift photo zone markers taped to the parking lot floor, waving to the surrounding journalists and fans.

“Wow, he’s amazing. It’s like the screen couldn’t capture his true essence. This level…”

“Is there anyone hotter than Ryu Yeon-woo this year? Both his movie and drama are huge hits.”

Amidst cheers, the journalists snapped photos of Ryu Yeon-woo, gossiping among themselves.

“Ms. Ryu, shall we go inside now?”

“Yes. Min-soo hyung.”

He bowed to the waiting fans and journalists, then followed Min-soo’s guidance into the restaurant.

“Oh, the protagonist has arrived.”

Despite arriving later than expected, the restaurant was already bustling with people, camera directors sweating profusely, running around with equipment in the hot summer, lighting crews enduring bugs as they adjusted the lights, and countless other staff members.

Yeon-woo nodded to familiar faces with gratitude.

“Thank you so much for your hard work. I’m grateful for creating this wonderful work together.”

“What? How can you toast already? We haven’t even filled our glasses with alcohol yet.”

As Yeon-woo greeted everyone, Director Lee Sang-hoon’s remark elicited laughter from the staff.

“Yeon-woo! Come over here!”

Ji-eun, sitting in a corner, gestured, while Jin Yu-han, sitting opposite her, chuckled upon seeing Yeon-woo.

“You all arrived so early? I thought I had plenty of time.”

As Yeon-woo took his seat and spoke, Jin Yu-han chuckled.

“We don’t have any schedules, and everyone’s free, so we came early to chat.”

Then, Ji-eun, who had been hesitating, took out a wrapped gift box from her bag and handed it to Yeon-woo.

“Take this!”

After being rescued twice, she pondered for a while on what to give as a gift.

“Are you giving me a present?”

Yeon-woo received the gift Ji-eun offered and unwrapped it right there.

Inside the gift box was a neatly designed luxury leather wallet in brown.

“I saw your wallet at the filming site last time, and it looked worn out…”

Yeon-woo, who had been using the same wallet since his student days, smiled as he took out the contents of his old wallet and transferred them to the new one he received as a gift.

“Thank you. I’ll use it for a long time.”

“Hehe. Do you like the design?”

“Yeah, it’s simple and exactly my style.”

At that moment, Jin Yu-han, with a slightly playful expression, looked at Ji-eun and asked.

“What about me?”

“Huh?”

“Don’t I get a gift?”

Of course, everyone knew about the stalking incident, and even Jin Yu-han’s current playful demeanor was understood by Seo Ji-eun. However, she felt embarrassed by Jin Yu-han’s prank, which was beyond her usual image.

“Oh, well, maybe later, if there’s a chance…”

“It’s just a joke.”

Yeon-woo chuckled at Jin Yu-han’s behavior.

It seemed that there had been some changes in Jin Yu-han since they went out with friends.

“Since ‘Noona’ and Yu-hani’s drama has ended, what are you going to do next? Will you have a lot of schedules coming in?”

Both Ji-eun and Yeon-woo looked at Yeon-woo in response to the question. Jin Yu-han was the first to speak.

“I have a musical that I’ve been preparing for a while, so I’ll probably be working on that.”

“A musical? That’s unexpected. I also like musicals and plays. Please invite me to the premiere.”

Jin Yu-han nodded, asking Yeon-woo.

“Or, how about doing a musical together sometime?”

“Huh?”

While it would be nice to do a musical, Yeon-woo thought to himself. If this conversation had taken place when they were at the villa with friends, Woo  Seong-sik and Kim Junsoo would have rolled on the floor laughing, knowing Yeon-woo’s singing ability.

“Well, I just enjoy watching. What about you, Noona?”

“Um, I haven’t decided on my schedule yet. I’ve been offered a variety show, but I’m hesitating.”

Seeing Ji-eun, who was like a candy that always bounced back no matter how many times she fell, Yeon-woo thought that a variety show might suit her unexpectedly.

But remembering the previous incident, she worried that Ji-eun’s current agency might be too small to handle potential future incidents if she became more famous. She asked cautiously,

“Does your agency have a deep connection with you right now?”

“Huh? No, not really. I just accepted the contract offer when I was cast in my first project. It’s about time for me to renew my contract.”

Originally signed for five years, she debuted at eighteen, then took over two years off after messing up her next project, so there wasn’t really a strong bond with her agency.

Watching Ji-eun, Yeon-woo pondered while stroking her chin.

‘I should propose to the company once. Although I felt it while acting together, she’s clearly a growing actress.’

He was also thankful to Kim Joo-seong, the CEO who looked after him in many ways. From what Yeon-woo had seen, Ji-eun, with proper support, still had a lot of potential to grow as an actress.

However, since he was the only one who thought so, he kept his thoughts to himself without saying anything to Ji-eun, as it could easily come off as flattery.

At that moment, a staff member pointed to the TV and raised their voice.

“Our drama’s final episode is starting now!”

Wow!

Shooting historical dramas was certainly more challenging than modern dramas, and at the end of overcoming those difficulties together, both the staff and cast felt camaraderie as they cheered at the end of the grand finale.

“Finally, we can see it today. The end of our drama.”

At Ji-eun’s words, Yeon-woo recalled the scene from the first shoot of the drama, where he had sprinted under the scorching sun alone at the seashore.

Apart from Yeon-woo himself, only Director Lee Sang-hoon and a few other staff members knew how the final scene had been filmed.

In fact, Yeon-woo had only seen the raw footage before editing, so he was curious about how it would turn out.

And the drama began.

“Your Majesty, it is appropriate to separate the land north of Seogyeong and seek reconciliation. Otherwise, if we continue to stand against them, the turmoil will continue, and the land will burn, causing the people to suffer.”

As wrinkles appeared on Seo Hee’s forehead, she glanced at the officials of the court who were essentially advocating for surrender under the pretext of the ;territorial concession theory’.

“Your Majesty, Minister Seo Hee has something to say.”

“Alright, let me hear it.”

King Seongjong of Goryeo looked at Seo Hee and allowed her to speak.

“The enemy general So Son-nyeong has been bluffing since the defeat at Bongsan County, repeatedly making empty threats without actively launching any aggressive attacks. This is undoubtedly a case of bluffing.”

Seongjong listened to both sides’ opinions and pondered.

Then, other officials voiced their opposition to Seo Hee’s words in unison.

“If Your Majesty believes that the enemy’s military strength is truly 800,000 soldiers, how can you say such things about the crisis our country faces?”

Seo Hee looked directly at the opposing officials with firm eyes.

“One step back now may require a thousand steps back in the end. Based on the current situation, it is certain that the enemy cannot sustain an army of 800,000.”

“How can you be so sure?”

At that moment, the voice of a court messenger announcing another official’s arrival was heard.

“Minister of Civil Affairs Lee Ji-baek has arrived!”

Lee Ji-baek, who had been dispatched as an envoy to the Song Dynasty for many years, quickly returned to the capital upon hearing news of the turmoil.

Appearing at the perfect timing to rescue Seo Hee, who was surrounded by officials advocating surrender, Lee Ji-baek’s appearance inside the barbecue restaurant where the banquet was held elicited cheers.

“Wow!”

Amidst the cheering, Lee Ji-baek, rather than acting as a Goryeo official, simply chuckled as if he were grilling meat in a real barbecue restaurant.

“Your Majesty, Minister Lee Ji-baek is here.”

“Oh, alright. Minister of Civil Affairs.”

Lee Ji-baek looked around at the court officials and spoke loudly.

“The talk of surrendering meekly to the enemy has spread far and wide. Since the founding of the kingdom by King Taejo until this day, there have been loyal subjects, but now they are rashly considering handing over the country to the enemy. It is truly lamentable. I firmly believe that Minister Seo Hee’s words are right.”

Amidst the fervent speech, only the sound of people swallowing saliva could be heard in the barbecue restaurant.

“Writer, is this something that happened in history?”

When Seo Ji-eun asked Kim Jin-joo, the writer next to her, everyone’s attention was focused on her question.

“No, Ji-eun, it’s not. In history, there’s only mention of Lee Ji-baek being the only person who supported Seo Hee’s opinion when he alone opposed surrendering.”

There weren’t many remaining records about whether he was a close friend of Seo Hee or what kind of life he lived. It was just a fictional character created based on imagination, but in actual history, he was the only person who sympathized with Seo Hee’s opinion.

Nodding in understanding at Kim Jin-joo’s explanation, the staff members turned their attention back to the TV.