NIS Agent Reincarnated as a Genius Actor

It was decided that the U.S. schedule would last for 6 days, including round-trip travel time.

While Yeon-woo was packing his suitcase at home for the U.S. schedule, his smartphone rang.

Checking the screen, it was an unsaved number.

“Hello?”

– Yeon-woo, it’s me.

“Jun-ho hyung?”

The voice on the other end of the line was Ahn Jun-ho.

– Yeah. I’m really enlisting soon now. I called one last time before going in.

Yeon-woo smiled slightly at Ahn Jun-ho’s words.

“Come on, why are you acting like you’re going off to die? The military is a livable place too, you know.”

– Hahaha. Is that so? You little punk, talking like you’ve experienced it when you haven’t even gone yet?

Why wouldn’t he have gone?

He had walked a hellish path that made military life seem like child’s play.

– By the way, I saw in the news that you’re going to America for filming. You’re really a world star now.

“No, it’s just a flash in the pan. It’s because ‘White Blood’ is doing well right now.”

– From what I can see, it’s not just a flash. I always knew you’d make it big like this someday.

Yeon-woo smiled at Ahn Jun-ho’s sincere words.

“Hyung. Take care and come back safely from the military. Maybe when you’re discharged, lots of good things will happen to you too. Because I’ll be working that hard.”

He had already caught veteran actor Jung Tae-seon, and after thoroughly checking the identity of the rotten rope he was holding onto, he naturally planned to reveal Jung Tae-seon’s true face to the public.

Jung Tae-seon wasn’t even one of the seven core members, so Baek-sol wouldn’t be so scared as to hide in the shadows because of that.

Then it would be natural to restore Ahn Jun-ho’s honor and aim for his comeback.

But Ahn Jun-ho, who obviously didn’t understand Yeon-woo’s words, laughed and agreed.

– Yeah. I can feel your spirit just from hearing you. I wonder how much more of an amazing star you’ll be when I’m discharged.

After exchanging a few more greetings, they ended the call.

And soon after, the phone rang again.

“Calls one after another. Yes, Mom.”

– Son. I hear you’re going to America. Did you pack your bags?

“I was just packing them now.”

– Did you pack the gochujang?

Yeon-woo broke out in a sweat at his mother’s words coming through the receiver.

It was incomprehensible why she thought gochujang was so important.

Of course, he hadn’t packed the gochujang, but he nodded and answered.

“…Yes. I packed it.”

– Good. Well done. Make sure to eat properly while you’re there.

After ending the call with his mother, he finally finished packing.

After relaxing for a while, time passed and he received a call saying the vehicle had arrived in front of his house.

When he went down with his suitcase, a van larger than the usual Ben was waiting, and Kim Min-soo took Yeon-woo’s suitcase and loaded it into the trunk.

“Min-soo hyung. It’s a different car today?”

“Yes. There are quite a few people. I’m not driving today either.”

When he got in the car, quite a few people were already seated.

“Hey, the main character’s here?”

“Yeon-woo oppa!”

Jung Cheol-min and Han Byul greeted him, and behind them, Jeong Soo-yeon quietly waved her hand.

‘Ah, I see. None of the three have agencies right now.’

Jung Cheol-min had never been affiliated with an agency to begin with, and Jeong Soo-yeon hadn’t contracted with another company after terminating her contract with Plus Ten, as she was preparing to become an announcer.

Behind them sat stylist Lee Ye-eun, Team Leader Yoon Mi-yeon, and someone he hadn’t seen before.

“Everyone looks so excited about going to America, huh?”

“Of course, man. What a luxury this is.”

After exchanging greetings with the members in turn, he looked at the unfamiliar man sitting in the back, who extended his hand first.

“Hello, Actor Ryu Yeon-woo. I’m James Choi, recently joined LN to advise on overseas investment attraction.”

“Ah, I see. Nice to meet you.”

Yeon-woo greeted him while inwardly questioning.

‘Bernard Penton’s side was supposed to be in charge of local guidance, and Team Leader Yoon Mi-yeon should be enough as the company representative, so why suddenly an overseas investment advisor?’

Looking at Team Leader Yoon Mi-yeon’s face, she indeed looked displeased.

‘Recently joined the company, he says…’

Something felt off.

“By the way, Mr. James, you look quite young to be an advisor. If you don’t mind me asking, how old are you?”

“Haha. I’ll gratefully accept the compliment. But I’m actually quite a bit older than I look. I’m a rat in the zodiac.”

“Oh, really? Then you can’t be born in ’96, so you must be born in ’84? You look incredibly young for your age.”

“Well, it’s an honor to be called young-looking by such a handsome person.”

Nodding at James Choi’s words, Yeon-woo sat down and sent a message to Han Hae-woon on his smartphone.

– Hae-woon. Look into a person named James Choi, born in 1984. He says he’s advising LN Entertainment on overseas investment attraction.

Soon after, a reply came.

– Han Hae-woon: James Choi, born in 1984. Understood.

On the way to the airport, Han Byul, who seemed very excited, chattered non-stop.

“Oppa! Have you been to America before?”

“No. I’ve only been to Hawaii, which is a U.S. territory.”

Of course, he had been to the mainland countless times.

“I’ve never even been on a plane! What if it crashes?”

“Ah, that will absolutely never happen. The chances are lower than getting into a car accident on the way to the airport.”

Of course, he had infiltrated enemy territory by performing a HAHO (High Altitude High Opening) operation, jumping from a crashing military aircraft, but well, what are the chances of a passenger plane crashing?

At that moment, the car entered the airport.

“Alright, we’ve arrived.”

To stick to the schedule as much as possible, they had booked an evening flight, so it was already getting dark outside.

The van’s door opened, and Yeon-woo and the members got out.

Pop-.

Pop-pop-.

Thanks to the reporters firing their camera flashes, the previously dark third floor departure area of Incheon Airport became as bright as day.

Yeon-woo smiled as he saw the members startled by the sudden flashes.

“Wave to them. These reporters came specially to see us off.”

“Wow. There are so many reporters. Is this what a star’s life is like…?”

Meanwhile, Manager Kim Min-soo, who had unloaded the luggage, began giving instructions.

“Let’s go inside now.”

After pushing through the crowd to check in, they joined Dong-ha and the staff who were already waiting in the lounge.

“It feels exciting, like we’re all going on a trip together.”

“True. We didn’t even have a separate reward vacation.”

In fact, with this level of success, they could have gone on at least two reward vacations.

However, unlike network TV dramas, Netflix shows continue to generate revenue and compete for rankings even after all episodes are released, so it didn’t feel like there was a clear end, and there was no talk of a reward vacation.

“Since our only official schedule is the talk show appearance, let’s do some sightseeing during the rest of the time.”

Soon, departure time approached, and the plane carrying Yeon-woo and his group lowered its landing gear at Los Angeles International Airport after crossing the Pacific.

“Yaaawn. I slept well.”

Han Byul, who had been making a fuss about what if the plane crashed, fell asleep not long after takeoff and only woke up briefly to eat the in-flight meal.

The members stood up, preparing to disembark.

As they walked through the jet bridge connecting the aircraft to the airport, Jung Cheol-min scratched the back of his head with a somewhat anxious expression.

“Is the immigration check difficult? I’m really bad at English.”

Then Jung Cheol-min looked over the members.

“Well, Yeon-woo speaks who knows how many languages fluently. And Dong-ha…”

Kim Min-soo chimed in from the side.

“He’s an idol, so he should be good at it, right?”

“That’s true.”

These days, idols had almost as many overseas schedules as diplomats.

“Then what about Soo-yeon?”

“She was preparing to be an announcer…”

“Hmm, that’s right.”

Then Jung Cheol-min looked at Han Byul, the last remaining member, but Kim Min-soo shook his head.

“Senior Jung. Kids these days learn English from kindergarten.”

“Haha, so I’m the only one who can’t speak it.”

“No, I can’t either. Let’s go together.”

In the end, Jung Cheol-min and Kim Min-soo walked together, reviewing expected questions.

Yeon-woo, who had passed through immigration smoothly, was waiting for the other members and Jung Cheol-min to come out.

“Hmm, I wonder if they’ll do well.”

At that moment, Jung Cheol-min was standing at the immigration counter with a tense expression, looking ahead.

“Passport Please.”

“Passport? Okay, okay.”

“Put your finger on the scanner.”

“What? Ah, finger. Okay.”

Though nervous, he was understanding and following instructions calmly.

“Okay. What’s the purpose of your trip?”

Jung Cheol-min was flustered by the immigration officer’s too-fast speech.

‘Ah, what was that? Was he asking about my job?’

Scratching his cheek, he answered anyway.

“Ah, I’m movie actor.”

The immigration officer looked suspiciously back and forth between the passport and Jung Cheol-min.

‘Oh crap. Was that wrong?’

Then, as if realizing something, the immigration officer clapped his hands.

“Oh, The Fangdal?”

“Yes, yes! I’m The Fangdal!”

Fortunately, the immigration officer recognized Jung Cheol-min and let him through with a smile, and Jung Cheol-min walked out proudly.

Seeing this, Yeon-woo approached with a relieved smile.

“Teacher. Did you do well?”

“Hahaha. It was easy, you know? Just had a little chat before coming out. Oh, that guy recognized me. Ahem.”

After everyone safely passed through immigration, the group took out their smartphones to change SIM cards, retrieved their luggage, and visited the restroom.

As they walked towards the arrival gate after making various preparations, they found an unexpectedly large crowd gathered at the airport.

“…Huh? Could they be gathered for us?”

“Come on, this is America. It’s probably just a lot of people waiting for acquaintances.”

Through the glass doors of the gate, they could see what looked like dozens of people, though not an enormous crowd.

When the members, who had been hidden among the staff, appeared beyond the gate, some fans screamed.

“Oh? It seems they are here for us.”

As Yeon-woo and Dong-ha waved, the gathered people responded with cheers while taking pictures with their cameras.

Soon after, Bernard Penton appeared with bodyguards.

“It’s been a while, Mr. Ryu.”

“Ah, Mr. Penton.”

“From here on, we’ll be responsible for your security. Shall we go?”

Yeon-woo and his group boarded the waiting car under the guidance of the security guards.

“I couldn’t properly greet you earlier because we had to rush in case a crowd gathered. I’m Bernard Penton, responsible for the global sales of ‘White Blood’.”

After formally greeting the group, Penton sat next to Yeon-woo.

“Ryu. You’ve worked really hard. I’m glad the results turned out so well.”

“Is that so? It was all possible because you coordinated everything so well in between, Mr. Penton.”

Bernard Penton smiled at Yeon-woo’s words.

“Indeed, my eye for talent is not dead yet. Who could have predicted it would turn out this well? I simply invested in people, trusting the judgment of LN’s Mr. Kim and Actor Ryu.”

Yeon-woo smiled slightly as he listened to Bernard Penton giving all the credit to CEO Kim Juseong and himself.

At that moment, the smartphone in Yeon-woo’s pocket vibrated.

Yeon-woo took out his smartphone and checked the message.

– Han Hae-woon: Team leader, I found him. James Choi, born in 1984. Actually, he’s not even a Choi. His real name is Jang Taewoo. He originally worked in the U.S. as a specialist in hostile corporate M&As, and his expertise is in proxy fights.

Soon after, another message arrived.

– Han Hae-woon: And recently, this person’s name has been associated with some land acquisitions. It’s land near Namyangju, and interestingly, the previous owner before the transfer was ‘Jung Tae-seon’. I checked, and it’s that Jung Tae-seon.

Yeon-woo grinned as he read the message.

Jung Tae-seon was the name of that veteran actor whose smartphone Yeon-woo had hacked at the awards ceremony.

This means that this James Choi guy is a person planted by Baek-sol.

‘What kind of trick is he trying to pull by following us all the way to America? Got you, you bastard.’