NIS Agent Reincarnated as a Genius Actor

“I’ll melt your heart.”

“Ah, thank you.”

It feels like the umpteenth time already. The fan sign event has been going on for over four hours since the morning. Originally scheduled to end by 1 p.m., Yeon-woo has been pushing through without even stopping for lunch, wanting to give back a little more to the fans who have been waiting since morning.

Fortunately, they’ve closed the waiting line midway, so there aren’t many fans left waiting now.

“Kim Jia, it’s already morning. You need to wake up.”

“Let’s do our best today too, Ju Yeon.”

“I’ll melt your heart.”

The fan requests for fan service were diverse. Some wanted recorded wake-up calls, while others wanted videos of Yeon-woo for when they felt exhausted and needed some cheering up.

Among them, the overwhelmingly popular one spreading from somewhere is ‘I’ll melt your heart’. Starting from the VIP preview, where it became a trend after being imitated by idols as aegyo (cute behavior), it has now become somewhat of a meme. It was first requested during a meal with invited fans after finishing the VIP preview.

Though he’s the original creator of this aegyo, he felt awkward when he started the first fan sign today, but after a whole day of it, he’s adapted to the point where he can do it at the push of a button.

“Thank you to the writer and the actor for your hard work.”

Finally, as the fan sign ends and staff come in to pack away the gifts received, the writer Kim Jin-joo, stands up from his seat and approaches Yeon-woo.

“Yeon-woo, thank you so much. Really.”

“I had fun thanks to you.”

“I’m so thankful, what should I do? Shall I buy you dinner or something?”

At that moment, Manager Kim Min-soo approaches.

“Well, it might be inconvenient for him today, Sir. He need to go to the agency right away. He has scheduled a meeting.”

“Oh, I see. Well then, anytime you need my help in the future, just let me know! Even if I don’t know what it is, if it’s about Yeon-woo, I’ll definitely do it!”

Nodding to Min-soo’s words, Kim bids farewell to Yeon-woo and leaves.

“Min-soo hyung, did we have a schedule today?”

“Team Leader Jung said to bring you to the company right after your schedule. I’m not sure what it’s about.”

“Well then, let’s hurry up and go.”

As they head to the agency in the car, Yeon-woo speaks to Min-soo.

“Oh, Min-soo hyung, can you find some decent guitars and violins? Director Park Chan-hong asked me to practice with them.”

“Well, I understand. But is it possible in such a short time?”

“Well, I do know the basics somewhat, but with the drama ending, I’ve been so busy that I just remembered now.”

Grateful that he doesn’t have to sing in the music movie as he plays the role of a composer in the drama, Yeon-woo thinks it’s fortunate but realizes he needs to practice urgently because there are many scenes of him playing instruments in the script.

Arriving not far from the Gangnam bookstore, Yeon-woo reached the headquarters, where Team Leader Jung and the practical team members were having a meeting.

Opening the door and entering, Yeon-woo was warmly greeted by Team Leader Jung.

“Oh, Yeon-woo, please come in. Since your schedule wasn’t far from the headquarters, I thought it would be quicker to talk to you directly while we’re in a meeting.”

“Yes, I see. Hello.”

Yeon-woo sat in the seat indicated by Team Leader Jung.

Then, a practical team member spoke as they projected the screen.

“We’ve been continuously checking on CF proposals, mainly from the automobile and banking app sectors. But we received a new proposal yesterday, which we are prioritizing for review.”

“I see.”

As Yeon-woo nodded and looked at the screen, the employee flipped to the next page.

「Lee Han Technology」

“You’re probably familiar with Lee Han Group, but Lee Han Technology might be unfamiliar to you.”

“It’s a defense industry company.”

Team Leader Jung seemed somewhat surprised by Yeon-woo’s response, widening his eyes.

“You know about it? I knew it was a subsidiary of Lee Han Group when the proposal came in, but I wasn’t sure what kind of company it was.”

“Oh, yes. It’s a large-scale company.”

A defense industry company. This refers to companies that develop and produce equipment necessary for national defense or construct facilities. In simple terms, they are advanced companies that produce weapons.

Although it’s not a company that the general public encounters often, Yeon-woo had numerous connections with defense industry companies and surveillance of industrial spies related to defense industry and new weapon development when he worked in the domestic department.

Initially, he was directly using the equipment produced by Lee Han Technology in the field, so it was a company he couldn’t be unaware of.

“Yesterday, Lee Han Technology made an advertising proposal. The amount is quite substantial.”

Upon hearing Team Leader Jung’s words, Yeon-woo tilted his head.

“Advertising from a defense company? It’s common in the United States, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen it in Korea…”

In the United States, where lobbyists are active, companies need a good image to secure business rights, and often, apart from defense industries, they engage in other businesses. For example, if they make fighter jets, they also make civilian aircraft.

However, in Korea, companies are typically government-led, and in fields where they have secured business rights, they operate under a monopoly to prevent information leaks, so advertising is unnecessary.

“Well, that part is unusual. We also couldn’t figure out why we suddenly received an advertisement. The concept isn’t bad, though.”

Pressing a button to flip the screen, the employee continued.

On the screen were various versions of a man in uniform dedicating himself to the defense of the nation. It showed various concepts, including the army, navy, air force, as well as researchers and white-hat hackers.

“Seeing the planning of short image advertisements with various concepts like this, it might not just be a simple image makeover advertisement. There are two more unusual points.”

“What are the unusual points?”

Answering Yeon-woo’s question, Team Leader Jung cleared his throat and extended two fingers, folding them one by one as he spoke.

“The first is that the advertising fee is extremely high. It’s about ten times the amount you received for the telecom company advertisement last time.”

“…Excuse me?”

Yeon-woo was surprised by the unexpected figure. The previous grant was around 200 million won annually. Even if his value had increased, he expected it to be two or three times more, not ten times.

“Typically, proposals from other advertisements are around 500 million won. This proposal is four times larger than that, so we’re actually concerned. We’ve looked through the contract proposal, but there are no unusual clauses. Normally, such a large company wouldn’t play around with contracts, but…”

Listening to Team Leader Jung’s words, Yeon-woo stroked his chin.

‘Surely, if it’s Lee Han Technology, they have plenty of money to spend. But why me? Especially since I’m not currently in the military…’

He hadn’t played roles like a special agent or a soldier in his dramas, and although he was popular these days, considering the nature of the company, shouldn’t they prioritize trust over popularity?

In any case, Team Leader Jung said there were two unusual points.

“What’s the other one?”

In response to Yeon-woo’s question, Team Leader Jung folded the remaining finger and continued.

“Chairman Seo Tae-kwang of Lee Han Group wants to have a meal with you. So, it’s not just because the chairman is your fan that such a large grant has been offered, we think.”

Upon hearing Team Leader Jung’s words, Yeon-woo delved deeper into thought.

Even when he was in the domestic department handling Lee Han Technology, which he thought of as a simple agent, he never had direct contact with the chairman or even the management.

‘Is it really just because he’s a fan?’

Recalling his filmography, which mainly targeted younger audiences, Yeon-woo found it strange.

It was unimaginable that Seo Tae-kwang, who was believed to be in his seventies, would be interested in watching romantic comedies with young sensibilities.

“In that case, please schedule it first. Having a meal isn’t a difficult task.”

“Yes. I understand. I’ll contact you as soon as the schedule is set.”

With that, they discussed other CFs, and Yeon-woo returned home.

“A car and a banking app…”

And Lee Han Technology.

While sorting out his thoughts at home, his phone rang.

“Has Team Leader Jung already scheduled it?”

Looking at the smartphone on the table, Yeon-woo saw that it wasn’t Team Leader Jung but Director Park Chan-hong.

“Yes, Director.”

[Yeon-woo, some shooting schedules and routes have been arranged. Casting is also done, and we’ve hired a music director.]

In this indie film, which is a musical film with music sources incorporated, the music director was important.

“You’ve worked hard, Director. Who’s the music director?”

[They’ll be arriving in two days. Chrissy Monroe, a Norwegian-American. We’ve spent quite a bit of money on hiring this person.]

“Because they’re important.”

[How about you? Are you ready for guitar and violin?]

Yeon-woo looked at the guitar and violin sitting in the corner of the room.

During the meeting, Min-soo had quickly obtained them for him.

“Yes, I think it’ll be fine.”

[Well, we can solve it to some extent with editing, but still, make sure to have the basics done.]

In his past life, Yeon-woo had naturally dabbled in musical instruments as part of his artistic education to blend into European high society. However, it had been quite some time since he last played. Still, having practiced for over ten years, even if he hadn’t touched them for four years, he believed he could regain his touch with some practice.

Then, Director Park Chan-hong’s voice came through the receiver again.

[Oh, right. The female lead role. How about looking for an actress you think will match well? I’m looking at potential candidates, but there isn’t anyone I particularly like.]

“You mean the role of Inari?”

[And also consider the role of the manager. If you can’t find a suitable actress, let me know, but we do have some candidates.]

Normally, this would be the casting director’s job. Even in independent films, there would usually be a casting director in Park Chan-hong’s camp. However, since they had decided to work together as director and persona, Park Chan-hong was now seeking Yeon-woo’s opinion on finding an actress who he thought would fit well with her.

Various actors who had rehearsed in his mind came to Yeon-woo.

“I’ll look into it.”

[Good, once the roles are confirmed, let’s start shooting right away. We’ve set up with the minimum number of people. Our filming team won’t even reach ten people.]

The voice of Director Park Chan-hong through the receiver seemed somewhat excited.

“It seems like you’re in a good mood, Director.”

[Haha, perhaps. It feels like becoming a rookie director debuting for the first time.]

He was a master of Korean commercial films that had attracted tens of millions of viewers twice. This time, ‘Master Plan’ was also expecting tens of millions of viewers. And he was a blue chip in Chungmuro, who had recently made hits in both dramas and movies.

For the two of them, who knew whether or not this fact would cause another sensation in the entertainment industry, they were just two men enjoying pure passion.

Didn’t artists usually do eccentric things and enjoy them?

After ending the call with Director Park Chan-hong, Yeon-woo fell into contemplation.

“A comfortable actress I want to work with…”

The first to come to mind were the three with whom she had practiced her breathing.

First, she called her friend Jeong Soo-yeon.

Soon, the call was connected.

[Oh? Yeon-woo, how did you know to call me? I was about to call you.]

“Huh?”