NIS Agent Reincarnated as a Genius Actor

“Are you ready?”

“Whew, I’m a bit nervous.”

The car door opened, and Chrissy climbed into Yeon-woo’s car.

On the day Seo Ji-eun was shooting, Yeon-woo didn’t have any scenes, so he planned to visit the set of the drama 「Prisoner」, starring Son Jin-yuk.

“Haven’t you met countless Hollywood actors?”

As the car started, Yeon-woo asked Chrissy, who responded with a bright smile.

“I’ve met many while working on movies. But somehow, K-dramas and movies feel more exotic to me, maybe because they’re foreign. I’m excited to meet the lead actor of 「Your Name」; my husband and I really enjoyed it last year.”

Yeon-woo nodded and followed the truck ahead.

“Jay, what’s that truck for?”

“That’s the reason we’re heading to the set today.”

After Yeon-woo briefly explained, Chrissy clapped her hands in admiration.

“Wow, what an interesting culture. We don’t have that in America. The closest thing might be when Hollywood couples occasionally gift catering to their actor spouse.”

“It’s part of Korea’s Jeong (affection) culture.”

“Jeong culture? That’s fascinating. Our movie’s ‘Mr. Jeong’ is all about Jeong, too.”

Yeon-woo thought of Mr. Jeong, played by Teacher Jung Cheol-min, and chuckled.

“Mr. Jeong is indeed a person full of affection.”

He was surrounded by people brimming with affection.

Son Jin-yuk not only sent a coffee truck last time but also personally came and ended up making a cameo appearance.

‘Even if you approach with goodwill, if you don’t get back as much as you give, and if that accumulates, you end up disappointed.’

It’s not just about maintaining relationships.

Of course, it’s an act of gratitude towards Son Jin-yuk, but such built relationships can later return as great help.

In his past life, he had to hide a lot due to his job, and he intentionally avoided relationships to prevent others from getting hurt because of him.

In this life, Yeon-woo felt the changes within himself and smiled awkwardly.

Before long, they arrived at the filming location, following the schedule Min-soo had found out in advance.

The production team, informed beforehand, guided them to park the snack truck outside the set and start setting up the banner and LED sign.

The car Yeon-woo was in was parked in a less visible area next to the set building, as it was meant to be a surprise.

“Wow, so that truck is a food truck?”

“That’s right. Today, I plan to help out the boss and run the business.”

Chrissy laughed, finding the idea amusing.

“I’ve been bored staying at hotels all the time, so this is exciting. I can help out in the kitchen too. I’ve been a housewife for 15 years, you know?”

Meanwhile, the food truck owner, who had finished setting up the generator and was ready for business, gave a circular hand signal to Yeon-woo and Chrissy, who then got out of the car and went around to the back.

Chrissy, having a unique experience in a foreign country, was all smiles.

“Thank you for your hard work, boss.”

“Oh, don’t mention it. But are you really sure you can help out? I’ve been to many film sets, but this is a first for me… As you said, I left the other employees behind.”

“Of course. I’m quite good with a knife.”

Chrissy and Yeon-woo put on aprons and sanitary hats, ready to greet customers.

Just then, the voice of the floor director (FD) could be heard from afar, indicating a break in filming, and the staff began to pour out.

“Wow, what’s this? It must be for Actor Son Jin-yuk.”

“The smell is amazing. I can smell the fish cake broth.”

“Who sent this?”

Normally, when sending something like a coffee truck, the sender’s name would be written on a banner or LED sign, but this time there was no name, only “Always supporting Actor Son Jin-yuk. Son-mat (Handmade) Snack Bar” written on it.

Since Son Jin-yuk’s last name was Son, it seemed they had created a banner with a pun on his name, suggesting a snack bar with a taste as good as his name.

The staff flocked to the food truck, and actors who heard the news started to come out.

Son Jin-yuk gently pushed another actor dressed as a prison guard in front of him and walked out the door.

Son Jin-yuk, wearing a prisoner’s uniform for his role, approached the food truck and spoke.

“Who sent this? I didn’t get any contact about it.”

“Jin-yuk, you have many people who could send it, right?”

“Hey, senior. I haven’t really received much like this. I’ve gotten coffee a couple of times, but this is the first time for snacks.”

It was quite a funny sight to see the prison guard and prisoner walking together towards the food truck.

“It looks so delicious. But boss, who sent this?”

While the owner was taking orders and handing out food, Yeon-woo, who had been slicing sundae, liver, and green onions, glanced over and then turned around when Son Jin-yuk started to order.

“What crime did you commit, Jin-yuk hyung, to end up incarcerated like this?”

“Whoa!”

Startled by Yeon-woo’s sudden appearance, Son Jin-yuk stumbled backward.

The first to react were the female staff members who were eating tteokbokki and fish cakes.

“Who’s that? Isn’t that Ryu Yeon-woo?”

“Kyaa! This is amazing.”

The camera filming the making-of footage quickly approached to capture the scene.

“Hey! Yeon-woo, what’s going on? Why are you in there?”

“It’s a surprise.”

Seeing Yeon-woo speaking with a smile, Son Jin-yuk was moved.

“Why go to all this trouble…”

“This is nothing compared to what you’ve done for me, hyung. I’ll have it ready for you in no time.”

Another actor dressed as a prison guard laughed as he watched the two of them.

“Wow, you two are really close. I’m glad to have the chance to try the tteokbokki that Yeon-woo is making.”

“Hello, Senior Jin-kwon. I’ll make sure it’s delicious.”

The actor in the prison guard uniform’s eyes lit up at Yeon-woo’s words.

“Oh, you know me?”

“Of course. I was deeply impressed by ‘The White Fish’, which you starred in.”

Of course, he hadn’t known until yesterday.

But since he was coming to Son Jin-yuk’s set, he thought it would be good to know about the supporting actors’ careers, so he had done his homework.

“Wow, this is an honor. Thanks to Jin-yuk, I’ll have something to brag about to my daughters when I get home.”

Feeling somewhat embarrassed by his brother’s help, Son Jin-yuk scratched the back of his head.

In the meantime, Yeon-woo quickly finished slicing the liver and sundae, added fresh green onions, and completed the snack set, offering the plate.

“Here you go, customer.”

“Thank you, I’ll enjoy it. Ha ha.”

Son Jin-yuk looked at Yeon-woo, who was wearing an apron.

“Come down and eat with us.”

“I’ll finish up here since there are only a few staff members left.”

After a few more staff members placed their orders and it quieted down, Yeon-woo took off his apron.

“Thank you so much for your help, Chrissy. Let’s go eat some snacks too. And see Jin-yuk hyung.”

“I’m so nervous right now.”

Chrissy, who had been quietly preparing ingredients and serving dishes in the background, took off her apron with a fluttering heart.

“Jin-yuk hyung, this is the music director from Hollywood who came for the movie I’m shooting. She’s a fan of yours.”

“Oh my gosh. Hello, I’m Chrissy Monroe. I’m a big fan.”

Already wondering if the food truck owner was part of an international couple, Jin-yuk nodded when he heard Chrissy’s identity.

“Oh, thank you very much. But Yeon-woo, did you say her name was Chrissy Monroe?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Could it be the Chrissy Monroe from “Random Dance”?”

Yeon-woo honestly didn’t know the film and was puzzled, but Chrissy Monroe nodded in surprise when she heard Son Jin-yuk’s words.

“Yeah, ‘Random Dance’.”

“Wow. Then I’m really a fan. I’m your big fan.”

He had heard she was a famous music director, but she seemed to be even more well-known than he thought.

Meanwhile, Yeon-woo went to the food truck and brought back a plate of tteokbokki and fried snacks.

“Chrissy, try this too. You’ve been helping with the cooking but haven’t had a chance to taste it. This is tteokbokki and fried snacks.”

“Tteokbokki!”

Chrissy laughed and took a bite.

“This is so delicious. I want to make this for my daughter when I return home.”

“Really? Isn’t it too spicy?”

“No, it’s really tasty.”

While Chrissy focused on eating the tteokbokki, Yeon-woo looked at Son Jin-yuk beside her.

“I came along when I heard she was a fan of yours, just on a whim.”

“I’m actually a fan. I was so inspired by one of her movies that I did a musical.”

“Hyung, you did musicals too?”

“It’s been a while. About 5 years ago, so you were in middle school then.”

To Yeon-woo, 5 years ago wasn’t middle school age, but rather the age of a parent with a middle schooler…

“Then you must be good at singing?”

“It feels weird to say it myself, but I guess I’m decent…”

“Yu-han is doing musicals too.”

“Jin Yu-han? I heard about that. I saw the article.”

Everyone seems to be good at singing…

Yeon-woo felt a strange sense of injustice today.

“Yeon-woo, you should try a musical too. There’s a taste to acting on stage where you directly interact with the audience.”

“…I’m seriously tone-deaf.”

“Huh? Aren’t you doing a movie with Chrissy Monroe? Isn’t it a musical film?”

“I only play instruments.”

At Yeon-woo’s words, Son Jin-yuk chuckled.

“So you do have flaws. Then try acting in a play later on.”

Theater has been one of Yeon-woo hobbies since his previous life, although he preferred watching rather than performing himself.

After spending some more time, he helped with the food truck until it was time for it to leave, and then he returned to the practice room with Chrissy.

“Alright, let’s bring in the violin here.”

“And then the guitar.”

As Yeon-woo played various instruments, creating short pieces, the harmony began to build up.

Yeon-woo would play the violin, strum the guitar, and even use its body as a percussion instrument. He was practicing how to use the loop station under Chrissy’s guidance for a scene that would be inserted later when Seo Ji-eun entered the room.

“Ta-da! Here I am.”

Seeing Seo Ji-eun enter with a bright smile, Yeon-woo couldn’t help but smile back.

“How was it? Today was your first shoot with the director, right?”

Today and tomorrow’s schedule focused on scenes featuring Seo Ji-eun alone. Thanks to that, Yeon-woo was able to schedule a supportive visit to Son Jin-yuk today and to Jin Yu-han tomorrow.

Hearing his question, Seo Ji-eun sighed as if she wished the ground would swallow her up.

“Ah, it’s so hard. The director wants me to ‘act with a spark on set’, but I have no idea what that means.”

Seo Ji-eun’s words reminded him of the time when he was filming ‘Master Plan’.

“I struggled a lot with that too. Director Park also tends to pass the buck to the actors.”

Seo Ji-eun seemed to slightly agree with Yeon-woo words and smiled. Seeing her like that, he continued.

“Still, after doing it, I felt like I was improving myself.”

“I think I understand what you mean, Yeon-woo. It was unfamiliar and challenging to shoot without a script today, but it was also fun.”

Seo Ji-eun, smiling softly, clapped her hands and continued.

“Oh right! You said you’re going to support Yu-han at his musical practice tomorrow?”

“Yeah. I’ve arranged to bring a lunch set during lunchtime. It’ll be a surprise for Yu-han.”

“That sounds fun. I’m envious you have a friend the same age.”

Hearing Seo Ji-eun’s story, Yeon-woo thought about his other friends.

‘Hmm, I wonder if any of them would like to come along.’

Considering the number of people in the theater troupe, it would be too much for just me and Kim Min-soo to carry the lunch set. When Yeon-woo asked his friends who had gone on the pool villa trip with him, he got an immediate response.

[Ryu Yeon-woo: Is there anyone who wants to join me for a surprise visit to Jin Yu-han’s musical practice tomorrow? We can’t go in a big group, so just one person.]

[Kim Joo-hyung: Me! Please! Me!]

[Woo Seong-sik: Ah, one step too late.]

[Kim Junsoo: I’m on a date with Yuri noona.]

‘Hmm, an actor and a pension part-timer. What a combination.’

Kim Joo-hyung and Jin Yu-han had teamed up to defeat the enemy in a survival game. Given Kim Joo-hyung’s enthusiasm for movies and dramas, it’s not surprising he’s interested in musicals as well.

[Ryu Yeon-woo: Great. Let’s meet at noon tomorrow, Joo-hyung. I’ll send you the address.]

[Kim Joo-hyung: Awesome!]

Kim Joo-hyung was excited at the thought of meeting actors, unaware that the next day would be a day that would shake his destiny.