NIS Agent Reincarnated as a Genius Actor

Judging by their impressive passing, it was clear that Q9 was a group of idols who originally enjoyed playing futsal.

So they must have prepared a strategy during halftime to counter the unexpected first goal they conceded.

Yeon-woo watched the approaching opponent, then suddenly kicked the ball into an open space and started sprinting at full speed.

Since Yeon-woo hadn’t taken a direct shot throughout the game, the opponent who had been closing in expecting a pass was startled and chased after him.

However, since it was in the opposite direction of where they had been advancing, they couldn’t immediately follow.

If the other defenders were to abandon their positions and chase after Yeon-woo now, it was obvious that he would pass to the open spaces, so they couldn’t move easily.

‘If they were professional players, they would have been able to communicate in real-time to deal with this situation.’

While the opponents were hesitating, Yeon-woo dribbled into the open space and kicked the ball hard.

Bang─.

With a sound as if the soccer ball might burst, it made strong impact with his instep and flew past the goalkeeper before he could react, splitting the goal.

Beep─.

Just as the caster and MC were about to comment on the goal, the final whistle blew.

The final score of the semi-final was 6-5.

Only after the whistle blew did the venue MC’s voice come through.

[Goal! A fantastic goal that once again reminds the opponents that they must be wary of Ryu Yeon-woo.]

[Today, we should call him ‘J’ from the co-ed group J-Nari, not actor Ryu Yeon-woo. The final goal decided the match. It was truly an exquisite space penetration.]

And as the decisive final goal determined the outcome of the match, the intensity of the comments naturally increased.

– Why didn’t anyone try to block him when he was just running?

– They couldn’t go because they were afraid he might pass if man-marking was released. Don’t you know soccer?

– I’m not sure if you just kicked the ball into the goal or into my heart

– I kept hitting my forehead whenever I missed Yeon-woo, and now my turtle neck is cured

Meanwhile, the fans watching on-site could also sense how things were unfolding, as they had eyes to see.

Even in sports festivals, most spectators focus only on the person who scores the goal.

However, although Dong-ha scored most of the goals, the fans who watched this game in person couldn’t help but notice that it was Yeon-woo who created all the situations.

“Somehow, it feels like our actor is toying with the opponents…”

“Sigh, how did he know I like guys who are good at soccer and prepare for it again?”

Even though they were tired from rushing to get ready and check in early in the morning, the weather was cold, and the chairs were uncomfortable, the visual pleasure made all the hardships seem to disappear.

While shaking hands with the opposing team and walking out, the members of Axis excitedly approached Yeon-woo.

“Hyung! Since when did you play soccer? Why are you so good?”

“We really won thanks to Yeon-woo. I can’t believe we’re going to the finals.”

Hearing the members’ words, Yeon-woo smiled slightly.

“I’m not particularly good at soccer. I just responded calmly.”

No matter how versatile a National Intelligence Service agent might be, there was no reason to be good at soccer as well.

Soccer skills wouldn’t be useful in covert operations, after all.

However, mini-soccer formats like futsal were games that could be played anywhere, anytime, just by sticking a few branches in the ground, so it was a game he had played countless times with multinational mercenaries and agents while carrying out various missions.

And in fact, it wasn’t that Yeon-woo won because he was good at soccer.

The idol members of the opposing team were actually more skilled individually than Yeon-woo, but their view of the battlefield was different.

‘They were too nervous and only focused on what was right in front of them, so they couldn’t demonstrate their full abilities.’

American author Scott Adams said that being ‘moderately’ good at several skills combined can overwhelm being ‘exceptionally’ good at just one.

Rather than playing futsal, he had analyzed the battle situation and exploited the opponent’s weaknesses.

And in that field, Yeon-woo was the most outstanding expert.

===

**

===

[We’ve taken about a 20-minute break, but in the upcoming final match, won’t the Axis team, who just finished their game, be at a disadvantage?]

[Due to the lack of physical conditioning, they might show signs of falling behind in the second half.]

Hearing the in-venue MC’s words, N-Boys’ Jae-won smirked.

‘What a joke. Even if we came out in full condition, it’d be a close match. We even have a player who played soccer until high school on our team.’

Then he glared at Yeon-woo and Dong-ha.

Honestly, they hadn’t done anything to harm him, but he just really disliked them.

Only Jae-won didn’t realize that this emotion was called jealousy.

Meanwhile, Yeon-woo grinned at the gaze he felt from across the field.

‘I don’t know what kind of tricks he’ll pull, but I’ll just have to give back exactly as much as that little brat dishes out.’

No matter how much younger he had become, his mind hadn’t regressed to that of a child, so he had no intention of harming such a youngster.

He just needed to let him reap what he had sown.

Both teams came forward to greet each other, and the final match began.

And unexpectedly, as the game flowed normally, he didn’t feel any particular tricks being played.

Though they lacked skill and stamina, thanks to Yeon-woo’s presence giving instructions at every moment, they weren’t being pushed back too much.

‘Hmm, I guess. With several cameras filming right now, he wouldn’t do anything to get cursed at. Even that guy.’

Just as he thought that, N-Boys’ Jae-won rushed at Dong-ha, who was dribbling the ball.

Jae-won went for a sliding tackle, which was rare in amateur games.

His body slid across the grass and collided with Dong-ha.

“Ack!”

Peep─.

Along with Dong-ha’s short cry, the referee blew the whistle.

Looking at Dong-ha’s expression as he lay on the ground, fortunately, it didn’t seem like he was injured.

Jae-won, who had made the tackle, approached with the most innocent face, wearing an expression of genuine apology.

“I’m sorry! It wasn’t intentional. Are you okay?”

Seeing this, Yeon-woo smirked.

‘I heard he failed the audition, but his facial acting is pretty decent?’

So this is how he’s going to play it.

In the end, the guy’s intention was to make the opponent frown when he apologized after making the tackle.

If it were a real soccer player, getting angry when fouled wouldn’t be a problem at all, but this is an idol sports festival.

Yeon-woo stepped in front of Jae-won and helped Dong-ha up.

“Manage your expression. Be aware of the cameras.”

As Yeon-woo whispered while dusting off his backside, Dong-ha nodded.

Then Dong-ha immediately smiled brightly, clasped Jae-won’s hand, and said quietly,

“It’s okay, senior Anyone can make mistakes when they’re not skilled enough. Whether it’s an audition or futsal.”

Since they weren’t wearing microphones, the conversation wouldn’t be broadcast.

Sure enough, watching that scene, the in-venue MC’s comment could be heard.

[Ah, this is the spirit of sportsmanship and the Olympic spirit. It’s very heartwarming and good to see.]

[The Olympics?]

[With this level of play, isn’t it more like an Idol Olympics rather than an Idol Sports Festival?]

Fans showered applause and cheers on Dong-ha and Jae-won, who quickly got up, smiled, and shook hands.

‘So that was your intention after all.’

And Yeon-woo grinned as he looked at Jae-won.

The first half ended with the score tied at 1-1, with each team scoring one goal, less than in the semi-finals.

The problem was that the members were tired from playing consecutive matches.

‘Hmm, I guess the physical toll is quite significant after all.’

In contrast, Yeon-woo was still full of energy.

“Let’s change positions for the second half. I still have a lot of stamina left, so I’ll move up to the front. You guys defend in the back. Conserve your energy by just guarding your own areas as much as possible.”

“So we’re going for counter-attack soccer? Should we connect the ball to you right away if we steal it?”

Yeon-woo nodded at Kang Jae-won’s words, who had correctly understood his strategy.

“That’s right. It’ll probably come down to a one-goal game, so let’s lock down our defense and target them when they’re tired towards the end of the second half.”

“Okay, got it.”

“Yes, Captain Ryu!”

Yeon-woo chuckled at Dong-ha’s words.

“What captain?”

The original title is team leader.

As the break ended and the second half began with the changed formation, the in-venue MC’s voice could be heard recognizing the shift.

[Oh, it looks like there’s been a change in Axis team’s tactics. Dong-ha, who was originally at the front, has moved back, and Ryu Yeon-woo, who was playing the role of playmaker in midfield, has moved up to the front.]

[Well, Commentator Jang. That player isn’t Ryu Yeon-woo today, but ‘J’, remember?]

Jae-won from Enboyz, who also noticed the change in tactics, grinned.

‘Oh ho, I was wondering how to mess with you while you were holed up inside, but you’re crawling out on your own? I’ll expose the ugly side of your dirty personality.’

The second half of the game unfolded tightly, just as Yeon-woo had predicted.

Enboyz kept knocking on the goal, but they couldn’t easily score against the solid defense of the Axis team, who had dropped back almost to full defense.

“Yeon-woo hyung!”

Dong-ha, who had stolen the ball, connected it to Yeon-woo.

Following Yeon-woo’s instructions to focus on defense near the halfway line as much as possible when attacking, they didn’t push the line up much, and only Yeon-woo drove the ball forward.

No matter how good his physique was and how decent he was at futsal, Yeon-woo, not being a professional player, couldn’t strip away all of the opponent’s defense by himself.

Seeing Yeon-woo driving the ball up alone again, the Enboyz team started to press comfortably.

‘Now’s the time.’

Jae-won grinned as he ran towards Yeon-woo.

Seeing this, Yeon-woo deliberately dribbled a bit longer to create a situation that seemed to call for a sliding tackle.

Sure enough, Jae-won slid in with a tackle just like he had done to Dong-ha in the first half, and Yeon-woo tripped and fell.

“Agh!”

“Arghh!”

Tweet─.

The whistle blew again, and Yeon-woo flew off and rolled around.

“Yeon-woo hyung!”

The fans in the stands were startled and stood up.

[Oh, what’s going on? I hope it’s not a serious injury.]

[I think that might have been too hasty of a tackle.]

While Yeon-woo’s expression as he rolled around seemed painful to anyone watching, in reality, the corners of his mouth were turned up.

In sports, faking a foul through false acting is called a “Hollywood action.”

Actually, in the U.S. mainland, it’s called a “simulated foul,” and “Hollywood action” is Konglish, but anyway, in this stadium, the Hollywood action belonged to Ryu Yeon-woo from the start.

‘I was in Hollywood until last month, and I’m pretty good at action, you know?’

And what Yeon-woo had prepared wasn’t just Hollywood action.

While Yeon-woo flew off with a cry of pain, Jae-won was letting out a death scream.

Yeon-woo, who had been watching the sliding tackle, wasn’t interested in touching the ball in the first place.

As he fell, he tapped Jae-won’s sensitive area with the top of his foot.

‘Well, since you’ll need to leave descendants later, I didn’t hit that hard, but it’ll still bring tears to your eyes.’

Since Yeon-woo appeared to have flown off dramatically, people rushed to him first, but Yeon-woo waved them off, saying he was fine, and limped slightly as he approached Jae-won.

“Are you okay? Where does it hurt?”

“Urgh.”

With so many fans watching and cameras rolling, how could he grab that area?

With a deeply furrowed brow, he couldn’t say anything and just glared at Yeon-woo.

“Ah, could it be?”

Yeon-woo approached Jae-won, who was lying face down, with an innocent expression.

And he started urgently tapping Jae-won’s tailbone.

“S-stop it!”

“Come on, this is how you relieve the pain quickly. It’s an age-old wisdom passed down from our ancestors.”

Only then did the audience, the MCs, the players on the field, and even the numerous viewers watching the YouTube live stream realize why Jae-won couldn’t get up and kept lying down.

“Pfft!”

Dong-ha burst into laughter, and some fans in the stands covered their eyes with their hands, peeking through their fingers at the scene.

[Ah… Sometimes these things happen in sports.]

[Umm, that’s really a pain that can’t be expressed in words. I hope he can shake it off and get up soon.]

And the live viewers also started to comfort Jae-won in their own ways.

– Ahhh… Get up, Jae-won unnie.

– Suddenly unnie? LOL

– That’s why amateurs shouldn’t keep doing sliding tackles…

– You’re all too much, you’ll be punished for mocking this

– He brought it on himself

– Brought it on himself? Does that use the character for ‘son’? Isn’t it now ‘no son brought’?

– I have a level 1 in Chinese characters. ‘No son brought’ is correct

Meanwhile, if he had seen the reactions in the comments, the pain might have gotten worse, but Jae-won was still breathing heavily.

Tap tap tap─.

And Yeon-woo kept tapping Jae-won’s tailbone incessantly.

“S-stop it, I said!”

“Come on, I’m telling you this makes it hurt less.”