The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune

Chapter 239

The kid giggled in my arms, finding something amusing.

‘Wow, he’s really heavy.’

My arm felt like it was going to break.

As I tried to maintain my expression while lifting him up, Han Ha-ram’s mother rushed over.

“Oh my, Ha-ram! I told you not to keep doing that to the actor~.”

Her loud voice drew the attention of the surrounding staff.

“No matter how close you are, that’s too much. Seriously.”

Despite the scolding tone, a bright smile was spread across her face.

I was genuinely puzzled.

‘Why hasn’t she debuted yet?’

She really seemed like she could be an actress.

The performance of Han Ha-ram’s mother, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time, was still excellent.

Fortunately, Han Ha-ram’s acting had also improved in the meantime.

“Sorry, Mom. I just like Hyung so much….”

He flinched for a moment at his mother’s words, then responded with a slightly cheeky tone, making me laugh naturally.

‘Good job.’

Yes, just brush it off like that.

‘They say puberty comes earlier these days.’

Han Ha-ram, now in the second grade, would soon enter puberty too.

The time would come when he’d start behaving his own way, casually ignoring his mother’s words.

‘Just need to stay by his side until then.’

That much, I could do.

Nodding inwardly, I naturally set Han Ha-ram down on the ground.

“Hello, Ma’am. It’s been a while.”

“Oh my, actor. You can treat me as usual~. No one’s watching, what’s with our relationship.”

Our relationship? I was puzzled.

‘I’ve only seen her a few times when picking up Han Ha-ram.’

I knew what she wanted, which made it even more puzzling.

‘What good comes from showing off a connection with me?’

I couldn’t see any benefit, but I politely went along with it.

A few minutes later, after she left, Han Ha-ram looked embarrassed.

“Yeon-jae hyung. I’m sorry about my mom….”

“Don’t apologize.”

I patted his head.

I didn’t want to accept an apology from a child who still had baby fat.

Seeing that his sullen expression wasn’t about to fade, I changed the subject.

“Ha-ram. Do you know Jim Fury Show?”

Even as I asked, I thought, what would this kid know about it, but his reaction surprised me.

“Huh? Of course!”

Thinking about it, Han Ha-ram was American.

When I told him that I received an invitation to appear on that show, Han Ha-ram’s jaw dropped.

“(…Really? On the Jim Fury Show?)”

He seemed so surprised, he even forgot his Korean.

“(Yes, really.)”

“(Wow! That’s the show I watched every week when I was in the U.S.! Amazing. You’re going on there? Incredible!)”

Han Ha-ram got excited.

“(You’re awesome! Truly the best! How can this be? Really amazing!)”

“(Thanks. But I haven’t decided yet. I’m still thinking about it.)”

“(What? Why???)”

Han Ha-ram made a face I had never seen before.

It was like hearing someone say that people could fly.

“(Why would you hesitate?)”

His intense reaction made me hesitate.

“(Well, just… if I go, I’ll have to speak in English. I’m not confident about it.)”

“(Then what are we doing right now??)”

Han Ha-ram looked at me like he couldn’t believe I’d use such a flimsy excuse. Calm down.

“(Go immediately! I need to brag to my friends!)”

“(Alright. I’ll think about it.)”

“(Don’t think, just go!)”

Damn.

‘I shouldn’t have brought it up.’

When I hesitated, he grabbed and shook me, demanding a quick answer.

This wasn’t the gentle kid I knew. Where did my Han Ha-ram go?

“Ha-ram. Calm down.”

“I can’t calm down!!”

Han Ha-ram’s outburst fortunately ended as the time for the photo shoot approached.

When the staff came over, Han Ha-ram suddenly became calm, as if he had never shouted. I was speechless.

He remained quiet while changing clothes, but as soon as he stood in the photo zone, he whispered to me.

“Hyung. You have to keep your promise about what you said earlier.”

“…….”

“Huh? Why aren’t you answering?”

I stared at the cheeky kid who had even changed his tone in front of people.

“Okay….”

A bitter voice escaped my lips.

“You promised, right?”

“I get it.”

My mouth felt bitter.

‘When I first met him, he was like soft tofu.’

To think he had changed this much in half a year.

Kids really do grow up fast. It’s bittersweet.

For the first time, I hoped Han Ha-ram wouldn’t hit puberty.

* * *

“You should become a model.”

Right after the photo shoot with Han Ha-ram ended, the words slipped out of my mouth.

“Huh?”

The kid, who tilted his head in confusion at my comment, had been giving the camera a rather unfamiliar look just moments ago.

‘Is this what talent looks like?’

Even to an untrained eye like mine, Han Ha-ram was an exceptional model.

Eyes that didn’t avoid the camera, poses changing with every click, even the natural direction of his gaze.

It was incomparable to the time he clumsily imitated my guidance during the ‘Killing Horn’ shoot.

Thanks to that, the shoot ended with the photographer exclaiming “Bravo!” hundreds of times.

‘I heard he worked as a fitting model in the U.S. too.’

No matter how I looked at it, Han Ha-ram seemed more suited to modeling than acting.

Still, it felt too early to draw a line for such a young kid, so I changed the subject.

“Thanks to you, today’s shoot went well. Thank you.”

“No way! I had so much fun shooting with you too, Yeon-jae hyung!”

Han Ha-ram laughed, his face flushed with excitement. He looked like a little mochi.

After patting his cheek, we headed to the interview location.

“Hello. I’m Editor Yoo Hyun-seok from V Magazine.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“You two look alike, and dressed like that, you really look like brothers.”

I just smiled at the editor’s obvious pleasantry.

“Really…?”

The funny thing was, Han Ha-ram, who rarely spoke in front of others, spoke up first.

“Do we really look like brothers?”

I stifled a laugh at Han Ha-ram’s shy, fidgeting demeanor. Geez.

The editor, probably feeling the same way, repeated the brotherly comment a few more times with a bright smile.

Thanks to that, Han Ha-ram was able to relax as the interview progressed.

“You both played ‘Horn’ in the hit drama ‘Killing Horn’. Today’s photoshoot was also themed around that. Can each of you share your thoughts?”

The interview questions were straightforward.

Since it had been a pleasant shoot, I could answer happily.

‘Watching Han Ha-ram fidget was quite amusing.’

It’s not every day you see a kid dressed like me snuggling into my arms for a pose.

With ‘Killing Horn’ being quite popular, there were many questions about the drama.

Having done numerous interviews with Hyung Jung-hyun and actor Kim Seok-jun over the past two weeks, answering was easy.

“Have you heard anything about Season 2?”

“Haha.”

I answered the editor’s subtle question with a gentle smile.

Seeing the ‘You know better’ smile on my face, the editor quickly moved on to the next question.

Anyone in the industry would already know that ‘Killing Horn’ Season 2 was being secretly prepared.

Season 2 was set to follow Jang Yo-seok’s perspective as the new ‘H’.

With the mutation of powers during the mixing of Horn’s blood, the story was said to become much more complex.

‘Well, it’s not my concern.’

Season 2 would feature actor Kim Seok-jun as Jang Yo-seok, along with new actors.

‘Actor Kim Seok-jun is impressive too.’

While ‘Killing Horn’ was known for its leads Lee Yeon-jae and Lee Jung-hyun, Jang Yo-seok’s role became central in the latter half.

Actor Kim Seok-jun only learned about this after passing the audition and was initially in a panic.

But his performance, despite the initial burden, was outstanding.

From my experience working with him, I could say he was more than capable of taking the lead role.

‘I’d like to act with him again.’

Such thoughts came naturally.

And there was one more actor I felt the same way about.

* * *

“…He really came.”

“Of course, he came.”

“I didn’t think he would actually come.”

Seo Ji-oh opened the door with a bewildered face.

“Isn’t anyone home?”

“Yeah. Dad’s at work, and stepmom took the kids to her parents’ place.”

Seo Ji-oh’s house was quite spacious. They seemed to be doing well.

“Here, take this.”

“Why’d you bring something?”

It’s my first time here; how could I come empty-handed?

Seo Ji-oh awkwardly took the fruit basket.

‘Why is he so awkward?’

At school, he always grinned like a sly fox, but he kept stumbling now, maybe because it was his house.

As Seo Ji-oh headed to the kitchen, something brushed against my leg.

―Meow.

It was a cat.

“Hello.”

―Mrowr!

“…Are you mad?”

Startled, I looked down at the cat, which was circling me, making all sorts of noises.

Seo Ji-oh laughed as he arranged the fruit basket.

“Looks like it likes you.”

“If it likes me, why is it making that sound?”

Aren’t cats supposed to meow or something?

As if I was the only one confused, Seo Ji-oh answered nonchalantly.

“Yeah. Is this your first time seeing a cat?”

“I’ve only seen the ones that sit still on the street.”

Meanwhile, the cat kept making strange noises.

When I asked if it was sick, Seo Ji-oh finally smiled his familiar lazy smile.

“No, that’s just how Yeon cries.”

“That’s interesting.”

Maybe it takes after its owner.

I left the unusual cat behind and sat on the sofa.

Then the cat jumped up and sat on my lap.

I froze.

“Why is Lemon here? Did you bring it to mess with me?”

“……”

“Yeon-jae hyung?”

When I didn’t respond, Seo Ji-oh came out of the kitchen.

As soon as I saw him, I screamed with my eyes. Take this thing away.

“Yeon-i, why are you clinging to a stranger? Did you recognize him as one of your kind?”

Even in this situation, Seo Ji-oh made a strange comment as he picked up the cat.

―Meowr!

The cat struggled desperately to escape Seo Ji-oh’s arms, as if in protest.

Seo Ji-oh, familiar with this behavior, firmly held the cat and asked, “I didn’t know you were afraid of cats. Sorry, should we go to a cafe?”

“It’s not that I’m scared….”

“Then what?”

“…It feels too squishy.”

The sensation on my lap was closer to liquid.

I froze, thinking it might slide off if I moved even a bit.

Seo Ji-oh burst into laughter at my comment.

“Haha! You’re really….”

Laughing, Seo Ji-oh placed the cat beside me.

“Don’t worry. They’re tougher than they look. Don’t be afraid.”

He took my hand and placed it on the cat.

The soft fur felt astonishingly smooth, surprising me once more.

“See?”

“Yeah.”

The soft and firm sensations coexisted. It was fascinating.

After a few more pats under Seo Ji-oh’s guidance, I felt reassured.

‘There’s no way I could hurt it just by touching it.’

Seeing me calmly petting the cat, Seo Ji-oh disappeared back into the kitchen.

When he came out with neatly sliced fruit, the cat had completely relaxed.

“Yeon-i must really like you.”

Seo Ji-oh handed me a fork with a slow smile.

After eating some of the fruit, Seo Ji-oh finally brought up the main topic.

“So? Why did you suddenly come to my house?”

“I have something to ask you.”

It wasn’t something I could ask over the phone.

Surprised, he laughed and asked what it was.

I hesitated for a moment before asking.

“Our drama aired, right?”

“Yeah.”

“…Did your mother contact you?”

Seo Ji-oh paused.

His pale eyes slowly turned towards me.

In that moment, he looked just like a cat.