The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune

Chapter 225

The first thing that caught the members’ eyes was a white canvas.

It was the kind of high-quality canvas used by professional artists.

Unfortunately, the drawing on it was anything but professional.

“…What is this?”

In the silence, one of the members asked.

It wasn’t meant to be sarcastic; they genuinely had no idea what it was.

“Is it some kind of abstract art?”

“It looks like stick figures. Isn’t it supposed to be people?”

“No way….”

On the canvas were five circles—if they could even be called that—with lines drawn beneath them.

The members quietly stared at the drawing.

The leader, who had been silent, started analyzing each part.

“This line seems to represent a stage, and these sparkles…? If these are supposed to be people, there are five of them, so it’s probably us.”

“…This?”

Another member replied doubtfully.

Out of respect for the gift giver, none of them voiced their true thoughts, but they all shared the same feeling.

‘What kind of gift is this…?’

Just as they were thinking this, Noh Bi-hyuk checked the back of the canvas.

On the back, it was written:

“Congratulations on ‘Nade’s’ debut. I drew this myself. I hope the bright light depicted in this drawing shines on the path of all five of you.^^ -Lee Jung-hyun-”

“…Is that *the* Lee Jung-hyun?”

At a member’s question, Noh Bi-hyuk slowly nodded.

When he confirmed it, the members quickly changed their tune.

Such a… precious gift.

“This is so touching.”

“It’s incredible. He’s really a great guy.”

The members spoke robotically.

The leader, who recovered the quickest, tried to manage the situation.

“Be sure to thank him, Bi-hyuk.”

“Yeah….”

“Let’s check out the other stuff.”

Still stunned by the drawing, Noh Bi-hyuk moved to the next item.

The second item he pulled out was a thick stack of A4 paper.

One of the members, looking aghast, asked, “What’s that…?”

He even looked a bit scared.

“I have no idea.”

Noh Bi-hyuk inspected the papers curiously.

As soon as he read what was on them, he burst into laughter.

“Oh, this is crazy.”

“What? What is it?”

“They’re the comments from the teaser video we uploaded for our debut.”

Noh Bi-hyuk chuckled.

The stack contained printed comments from fans eagerly anticipating the debut of Noh Bi-hyuk and Lee Eun-taek’s group, ‘Nade.’

The sheer volume of comments was almost at the level of a thesis.

‘This is definitely Yeon-jae’s idea.’

Noh Bi-hyuk laughed, exhaling.

“Wow, they copied all of this?”

“Your friend is amazing.”

The members, impressed, skimmed through the papers.

Reading the warm, encouraging comments, they felt a strange sense of happiness.

“There are some pills too.”

The box was filled with various items.

There was a box of painkillers for muscle pain, with detailed instructions and warnings handwritten on a note.

The neat handwriting was Park Ha-eun’s.

“There are envelopes too.”

“Oh, our names are on them.”

The last items were five envelopes, each with a member’s name on it.

“Huh? There are envelopes for us too?”

The three members, apart from Noh Bi-hyuk and Lee Eun-taek, were surprised to see their names.

When they hurriedly opened the envelopes, they hesitated.

“This is….”

Inside each envelope was a toploader, awkwardly decorated with stickers.

Inside the toploader was a photo card of each member.

Obviously, these weren’t official photo cards; they were cropped and printed from photos Noh Bi-hyuk had sent while practicing.

Though homemade, the quality was decent, but the members were confused.

‘Why did they give us this…?’

The members, now carrying their own photos in toploaders, were bewildered.

Lee Yeon-jae and Park Ha-eun had put a lot of effort into their fangirling, but the members had no idea.

“Guys, there’s a letter in the envelope too.”

“Wow, a handwritten letter.”

“I haven’t received a handwritten letter in years.”

The letters were congratulatory notes for their debut.

Each letter had a different message, but the final sentence was the same in all five letters.

‘You will soon receive countless letters from fans. Congratulations on the day before that love begins. We support you.’

Reading the final line, the members paused.

“…We’re really debuting, huh.”

One member mumbled.

Despite the showcase being the next day, it still hadn’t felt real.

But reading the carefully written letters, it hit them.

They were about to start receiving countless letters like these.

Sometimes it might feel overwhelming, but they would be showered with fans’ love.

And they needed to reciprocate that unconditional love.

### Chapter 225

The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune (225)

“Let’s really do well.”

The leader spoke quietly.

The members nodded silently.

* * *

—You guys have a unique way of showing support.

I chuckled at Noh Bi-hyuk’s words.

Seeing the smile on his face, filling the phone screen, made it clear the gift wasn’t a bad idea.

“Yeon-jae, can I talk to Bi-hyuk too?”

“Oh, sure.”

I moved the phone so Park Ha-eun could be in the frame.

Being new to video calls, the screen shook every time I moved.

—Is there an earthquake? Hold the phone steady.

“I’m holding it steady.”

—Park Ha, just take the phone from him.

“Bi-hyuk! How was the gift? Did it give you a lot of strength?!”

Noh Bi-hyuk laughed at Park Ha-eun’s cheerful words.

—Yeah. The other members loved it too. Wanna say hi?

Noh Bi-hyuk called over the other members.

Suddenly, the screen was filled with five faces, all speaking at once, making it chaotic.

Just then, Jung-hyun hyung came out to the living room and saw us.

“Yeon-jae, what are you doing?”

“I’m on a video call with Bi-hyuk. Do you want to join?”

Jung-hyun hyung gladly took the phone.

“Hello.”

—Whoa!

The members covered their mouths in shock at the sudden appearance of the top actor.

“Congratulations on your debut.”

The members screamed, saying they were fans.

One member even gasped in disbelief.

Jung-hyun hyung, offering them fan service with a relaxed demeanor, smiled brightly.

“I sent a drawing through Yeon-jae. Did you get it?”

—…

The previously noisy phone went silent.

After a moment of awkward silence, the leader stammered.

—Thank you so much. The drawing is really amazing.

“Thank you. I was a bit nervous since it’s been a while since I last drew.”

—R-Really?

The leader’s eyes darted around.

To save the struggling members, I stepped in.

“Hyung, I need to talk to Bi-hyuk.”

“Oh, okay. Good luck tomorrow! Fighting!”

Jung-hyun hyung gave a cheerful goodbye and went back to his room.

The members disappeared from the screen, looking exhausted.

—He really drew it himself….

Noh Bi-hyuk murmured, still in disbelief.

I guess he thought it was a prank.

I understood his feelings and smiled awkwardly.

“That hyung is always serious about his drawings.”

Space Kang Se-hyun even borrowed professional canvases for his drawings.

“He put a lot of effort into it, so don’t tell him the truth. Just… say it’s well-drawn.”

—Okay….

After giving him some words of encouragement not to be too nervous tomorrow, we ended the call.

“Ha-eun, let’s head home. I’ll walk you.”

“Okay! What time should we meet tomorrow?”

“Let’s meet around 5. I’ll pick you up in front of the villa.”

The press showcase was scheduled to start at 4 PM, and the music release was at 6 PM.

The official showcase, attended by fans and the members’ families, was at 7 PM.

After ensuring Park Ha-eun got inside her house, I turned to leave.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, actor.”

Of course, Jin-bae hyung was right next to me.

As we walked side by side towards the car, I spoke softly.

“Thank you, hyung.”

“Huh? For what?”

“For always matching my pace.”

I realized after spending days walking with Park Ha-eun.

Matching pace with someone shorter takes more effort than I thought.

Jin-bae hyung had never walked ahead of me.

He had always matched my steps without making it a big deal.

‘It’s already been three years since I first met hyung.’

I’d grown 20cm since then.

From when my head barely reached his chest to now, slightly taller than his shoulders.

He had silently been by my side through it all.

I was suddenly very grateful for that.

Jin-bae hyung listened quietly, then smiled and leaned his shoulder against mine.

“What should I do, actor?”

The warmth of his shoulder was comforting.

“I don’t think I can manage without you.”

He joked about having met too perfect a celebrity for his first job, and I laughed.

“Then just make me your last.”

“Okay, I will.”

Jin-bae hyung replied cheerfully.

His gentle eyes didn’t seem to notice the sincerity in my words.

“Shall we get in the car? It’s too dangerous to keep walking.”

It still seemed like a safe street for two tall guys, but I didn’t argue.

Following Jin-bae hyung, I thought to myself.

‘If worse comes to worst, I’ll just say I’m retiring.’

I could always throw a tantrum and say I won’t act anymore if Jin-bae hyung isn’t my manager.

Then, kind Jin-bae hyung would have no choice but to stay by my side.

It was a pretty satisfying backup plan.

* * *

“Ha-eun, hello.”

“Hi! Thanks for picking me up. Thank you too, Manager!”

Park Ha-eun smiled brightly as she got into the car.

“You look pretty today.”

My offhand comment made Park Ha-eun pause for a moment before she hit my shoulder.

“Ouch.”

“Don’t compliment people so easily! Goodness, you almost bewitched me.”

Blushing more than I expected, Park Ha-eun exclaimed, “What’s gotten into you?” and kept hitting my shoulder. It hurt…

‘Han Se-young was the strange one, after all.’

I recalled Han Se-young, who always responded with “I know” whenever I called her pretty.

“Got it? Be careful from now on! You’ll get in trouble.”

“Okay. Now please stop hitting me.”

While talking with Park Ha-eun, we soon arrived at the venue.

Through the window, I saw a huge crowd.

“Yeon-joo unnie told me that the showcase tickets are completely sold out.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. She said everyone’s starving for a big male idol group after a long time. I don’t really get it, though.”

I didn’t get it either, and I didn’t really want to.

A huge banner with the ‘Nade’ members’ pictures was displayed on the building.

Seeing Noh Bi-hyuk and Lee Eun-taek all dolled up like idols felt strange.

While I was lost in indescribable feelings, Park Ha-eun said something unexpected.

“It makes me a little sad.”

“Huh?”

“Oh, don’t get me wrong! I’m really happy for Bi-hyuk. I know how hard he worked for this debut.”

“Yeah. I know.”

“I’m so happy and excited, but… I can’t help but think about it.”

Park Ha-eun smiled bitterly.

“Everything’s going to change from now on, right?”

“……”

“A few years ago, we used to see each other at school every day. Now it feels like we’re going to drift apart, and that makes me sad already.”

I quietly looked at Park Ha-eun.