NIS Agent Reincarnated as a Genius Actor

It had been a few days since Yeon-woo signed the contract with LN Media.

“Hmm, come to think of it…”

An issue that I had never once considered since I resolved to live a new life.

“What happened to the inheritance from my past life as Jeon Su-hwan?”

While the occurrences of active combat are minimal, given the nature of field agents entering perilous operational zones where their lives are at risk, the country establishes pre-defined beneficiaries for retirement funds and property through non-profit foundations managed by the government. Additionally, arrangements for securities and debts are established in advance.

Yeonwoo also spent 10 years abroad in overseas departments before his death, so he rarely entered the country. As a result, he didn’t have a home within the country, and the accommodations he used in mission zones were mostly provided by embassies.

“The cash in my bank account, it must have been worth billions. How did I set things up?”

Lost in thought, Yeon-woo sighed.

“The Love and Hope House.”

The Love and Hope House was a traditional childcare facility located in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. Operated by a convent, it was where Yeon-woo’s past self, Jeon Su-hwan, grew up. In his early thirties, when he was stationed overseas, he designated the inheritor of his legacy as [The Love and Hope House] As he thought about it, Yeon-woo became curious about whether the donation had been properly made. Nevertheless, the money gathered over a lifetime of dedicating his life to the country wasn’t a small amount.

Yeonwoo held his smartphone, pondered for a while, and then made a call to the number he found on the internet. Posthumous information about agents is treated with the utmost secrecy, and it is even encrypted with inaccessible codes, including those beyond the reach of the National Intelligence Service. Thus, there was no real danger involved.

Ring, ring, ring…

[Yes, this is Love and Hope House.]

The voice of the female employee, which he heard for the first time. Given that over twenty years had passed since Yeonwoo’s previous life in the orphanage, this was only natural.

“Ah, thank you for your hard work. I called to ask about something.”

[Yes, please go ahead.]

“Did any donations come in last year, or in 2017, under the name ‘Jeon Su-hwan’?”

[Yes, they did. Our donation records are transparent and even available online. It’s quite unusual for us to receive the same inquiries on the same day…]

Yeon-woo listened to the last words of the staff member and asked again.

“The same question?”

[Yes. This morning, a prosecutor asked about Jeon Su-hwan’s donation history.]

‘My donation history…?’

“Do you happen to remember the name of that prosecutor?”

[No, I don’t remember. I only recall that he was from Busan District Prosecutor’s Office.]

Yeon-woo nodded slightly and concluded the conversation.

“Thank you for letting me know. Have a good day.”

You’re welcome.

After hanging up, Yeon-woo remained seated, lost in thought.

‘Why would the Busan District Prosecutor’s Office ask about my donation history…? I had no connection to Busan during my lifetime. Even if there were any, after my death, personal information is treated with the utmost secrecy and managed just like an ordinary citizen’s.’

‘There’s no way to find out now.’

Even if someone were to have suspicions or investigate Jeon Su-hwan’s life, he was already deceased, and there were no family or friends left to be affected by it. Moreover, the connection with Yeon-woo in his reincarnated state was impossible to uncover, so it is not that important.

It was merely a curiosity arising in his mind.

“Let’s secretly look into it when the conditions are right.”

*********

Time passed swiftly, and before he knew it, the first script reading was right around the corner.

After explaining the situation to the school and obtaining a leave of absence, Yeon-woo’s friends were puzzled.

“You were attending an acting academy, of course we knew that, but you’re even skipping school?”

Yeon-woo smiled and replied to Junsoo’s question.

“Yeah, I received an official letter. Attendance might not be recognized, but they might consider it an early leave.”

“Where are you performing? My friend’s older brother came out of the same academy and used to perform in small theaters.”

“Well, it’s not exactly like that… I’ll let you know once things progress a bit further.”

Even though filming hadn’t even started, Yeon-woo felt it was unnecessary to bother his friends with details or to show off too much before the broadcast date.

seong-sik in the front row raised his head.

“By the way, you’re in the top ranks of the whole school. If you miss school, won’t your academic scores drop?”

“I’m not sure. I haven’t really thought about that.”

In fact, Yeon-woo, who had gone to university under the 5th education program, felt a disconnect with the current education system and had little interest in it.

“It’s really strange. If I had those grades, I’d be putting my life on the line for my academic records. Sigh, I suddenly feel down.”

“University… Honestly, I’m not really interested, but if I have to go, I’ll probably take the regular entrance exam.”

Now, Yeon-woo’s focus was on his acting activities, and he didn’t have much interest in university or school life.

“But we’re almost in our third year now. My older brother said something to me. He told me, ‘If you blink in this world, you’ll be in university and then in the military in no time.'”

“…Huh?”

Yeon-woo was momentarily flustered. Surprisingly, since his reincarnation, he had never once thought about the military.

“…Am I exempt from military service?”

“What kind of nonsense is this again? We’re eighteen years old.”

“Right… I should go to university for now. Or maybe even graduate school.”

Junsoo and seong-sik exchanged looks as they observed Yeon-woo, who was going back and forth between foolish remarks and obvious statements.

*********

“Hello, I’m new actor Ryu Yeon-woo. Please take care of me.”

On a different floor of the building where he had auditioned before, Ryu Yeon-woo, who had been sitting alone in the middle of a spacious conference room, suddenly stood up and greeted the staff members who were entering.

“Oh my, with a face like yours, you look like an actor. Why did you come so early? We’re just setting up.”

The staff members were scattered, busily preparing for the full cast script reading and filming. Nowadays, these making-of videos are uploaded before the actual broadcast to generate viewer interest.

“Oh, you look so handsome, actor.”

“Thank you! Hello!”

Yeon-woo went around the conference room, greeting everyone from the filming crew to the makeup team.

“That friend of ours, he’s not shy at all, right?”

“Exactly. These days, most kids come just in time and lounge around. It’s been so long since someone came up to us first to greet us.”

Leaning on his arm, Director Kang In-chan spoke.

“Although it’s not that actors these days are sluggish, they lack spirit. My own kid, whenever I take him somewhere, he sulks the whole time.”

Kang In-chan, a veteran director with 20 years of experience, naturally found himself comparing Yeon-woo, who was good-looking, well-groomed, and diligent, to his own son.

Meanwhile, in the makeup room, Joo-hee, who had just finished her makeup outsourcing duties, placed her hands on her chest.

“Ryu Yeon-woo, the actor you mentioned?”

“Yeah. I’m planning to join the fan club starting from today.”

Upon hearing Joo-hee mention the fan club, her colleague chuckled slightly.

“He’s a new actor, right? I don’t think there’s a fan club yet.”

“Then, I’ll create one.”

Since the lead actors usually have making-of interviews after the script reading, the makeup team was waiting for a simple touch-up. Joohee entered the waiting room suddenly and greeted Yeon-woo, who had come in early. In an instant, her heart raced.

“But he still doesn’t have makeup on, right? Ha, he got amazing skin. I wish I could do his makeup today.”

“Hey, he is a newcomer. Will there be a separate interview? It seems like he won’t be doing makeup separately today, since he is playing either a supporting role or a minor character.”

“Is that so.”

About an hour passed, and there were about 30 minutes left before the script reading would begin. Actors and staff members entered the conference room, each gathering with those they had worked with before or had personal connections with. They exchanged greetings and chatted.

“That handsome actor who came to greet us earlier, what role is he playing? He seems new.”

Actor Son Jin-yuk, who took on the role of the male lead, Kang Seojun, in this drama, asked the nearby actors.

“Well, he said he’s Ryu Yeon-woo, right? Let’s see.”

Lee Jaesung, who was looking at the nameplates in front of the actors’ seats, scanned from the back and finally found Ryu Yeon-woo’s name at the front.

“Senior, isn’t he sitting across from your seat?”

“Hmm? Did you get cast as the lead? I heard the lead casting was already done. If you’re in a supporting role, are you playing Hwang Jaeil?”

“Senior. Hwang Jaeil was already assigned. We had a brief chat at the audition venue about it. I wonder what role I’m getting.”

Ahn Jun-ho, who took on the role of Jaeil, raised his hand lightly from right beside.

“Actors and staff, please take your seats, the session will begin.”

As the assistant director’s guidance announcement came, everyone found their seats and began to sit down.

“We greeted earlier, right? Nice to meet you. What role did you get?”

After going to the restroom and returning, Son Jinyuk sent a playful wink and greeted Yeonwoo, who was sitting across from him, with a nod.

“Oh, senior. I got cast as Cha Woo-jpp this time.”

Yeon-woo responded with a bright smile.

“Ah, I see. I heard that Jung Min-hwan was in the cast.”

“He had some personal reasons and had to step down, I heard. Nice to meet you, senior!”

Seeing Yeon-woo greet everyone politely, Jin-yuk smiled contentedly.

“This being a campus drama, I’m not confident in its readability. If they cast such a handsome guy, what will I do? I’m already in my thirties.”

Jin-yuk praised Yeon-woo’s handsome face and playfully teased him.

Han So-hyeon, who played the role of Jeong Yeoreum next to them, patted Jin-yuk’s shoulder and playfully scolded him.

“Hey, you played a college student role in the last movie too. The great Son Jin-yuk is complaining. I’m the one who’s really twenty-eight. Yeoreum is twenty years old. Sigh.”

Seeing Han So-hyeon like that, Yeon-woo lowered his head slightly.

“Hello, senior, I’m new actor Ryu Yeon-woo.”

“Nice to meet you. You look exactly like Woo-joo, the character I imagined. So, you feel familiar.”

“My little sister’s name is So-hyeon too, so I also feel a sense of familiarity, senior.”

Yeon-woo’s soft voice and eye smile as he answered made So-hyeon’s cheeks blush slightly.

“Oh, I see. By the way, what’s with the senior stuff? Just speak comfortably. How old are you…?”

“I’m eighteen.”

“Huh? A minor?”

Her eyes widened in surprise.

The supporting actors and on-set staff members who were paying attention to the stories of the lead actors who would lead the drama were equally surprised. In fact, considering the age of the character in the drama, there was only a two-year age difference between Yeon-woo and the closest ones. However, they hadn’t expected him to be a minor, even if he looked slightly young.

“When the drama ends, I’ll probably be a high school senior.”

“What? There’s a ten-year age difference between us. How awkward.”

“Well, I look like I’m competing with a high school student for Yeoreum. This is something.”

As Son Jin-yuk and Han So-hyeon bantered, laughter filled the set.

At that moment, Director Kim Han-soo and Writer Choi Mi-hyu entered the conference room, capturing the attention of the actors and staff.