The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune

Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity

Chapter: 27

An Jin-bae quietly watched his actor reading the script.

His eyes, fine and delicate, busily scanned the letters on the script.

That insignificant sight drew more attention than the actors currently speaking their lines.

After working in the entertainment industry for a while, one starts to develop a sense. Ah, that one will make it.

Such feelings might arise suddenly upon seeing a smile or naturally occur when witnessing exceptional acting.

However, Jin-bae felt it the moment he saw that actor’s face.

It wasn’t simply because of outstanding looks.

The speed at which he blinked, the hesitant smile on his lips, the fingers that twitched as if unsure—all of it drew one’s attention.

“Na-bi, you’re going to the marketplace when you come, right? Can I come out to meet you?”

It was the same now.

Even though his smiling and swaying appearance was completely different from usual, there was still something about him that made it hard to look away.

Everyone in the room was looking at Jin-bae’s actor.

Jin-bae quietly turned his eyes to look at the PD and the writer.

The writer, Han Ji-hye, known for not caring about others’ opinions, was still watching his actor even though it was someone else’s turn.

PD Kim Min-seok, too, was trying to keep his eyes on the person speaking out of courtesy, but couldn’t stop his gaze from wandering back.

Seeing the camera filming the reading session naturally focusing on one spot, Jin-bae suppressed a small smile.

Really the best….

My actor being such an actor!

Jin-bae still couldn’t believe it, and so a smile kept creeping up.

The contract, generously set for six months, was temporary, but if the actor didn’t disappoint during that time, it might continue. No, Jin-bae desperately hoped it would.

Jin-bae was sure that a supporting child role wouldn’t be the last entry in that actor’s filmography.

“Hyung, you’ve waited long, right?”

“No! You did well. Here, drink some water first.”

When the actor, looking exhausted after three hours of intense work, approached, Jin-bae quickly handed over a water bottle.

The actor, standing much shorter in Jin-bae’s line of sight, muttered a thank you, looking extremely worn out.

“You must be very tired. Should I get you a snack?”

Though Jin-bae had only known his actor for two weeks, seeing him the most exhausted he’d ever been made him feel urgent.

Last time, after nearly four hours of non-stop practice, the actor had only wiped his sweat once.

Of course, practicing alone and synchronizing with other actors were different, but the difference was too stark.

Jin-bae hurriedly took out an emergency chocolate bar, but the actor shook his head.

“No, it’s fine. Just… I’m okay. We won’t be joining the dinner gathering, right?”

“Yes! There will be a full team dinner next time, so you can join that. Shall we head to the car?”

Jin-bae carefully guided the actor, who nodded while saying yes.

Only after bowing several times to the remaining staff could they finally get into the car.

The actor was unusually quiet all the way back to the orphanage.

Seeing him deeply lost in thought, Jin-bae didn’t bother starting a conversation.

“You did great today! Even if it’s a hassle, make sure to eat dinner once you’re inside.”

“Yes, I will. You did well too, hyung.”

The cheerful farewell was returned with a voice full of fatigue.

Even though he said he was fine, he didn’t look fine at all.

Did something happen?

It seemed like he had talked with other actors in the middle… Was it something he heard then? It worried Jin-bae.

He wanted to ask but knew he would only get an “I’m fine” in return.

“Hyung, can I ask you something?”

“Yes! Go ahead.”

While wondering how to approach it, the actor, who seemed ready to leave the car any moment, unexpectedly spoke first.

He seemed like he had something on his mind, so Jin-bae looked at him seriously, ready to provide any help he could.

“Do you know a brand called ‘Étranger’?”

“Huh?”

But the question Jin-bae heard wasn’t within his expected range.

As Jin-bae stupidly asked back, the actor, with his dense eyelashes blinking a few times, kindly added an explanation.

“It’s a French brand, and they have a signature perfume. Could you possibly buy it for me if I give you the money? It’s a bit awkward to have it delivered to the orphanage.”

“Oh….”

“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to give you an errand—”

“No! It’s not an errand. Don’t worry about that. It just caught me off guard. I’ll order it right away.”

After expressing his thanks politely, the actor left.

Only after watching him walk into the orphanage building with tidy steps did Jin-bae turn the steering wheel.

He’s really unique….

Having jumped into the entertainment industry immediately after being discharged from the military, Jin-bae was now entering his fourth year as a manager.

He had been drifting from place to place, so even a temporary ‘exclusive’ title felt good.

He had resolved to do his best with any actor he managed, but his actor turned out to be such a good person that his worries seemed unnecessary.

I wish he could relax a bit more, though.

Of course, Jin-bae knew it had only been two weeks, but didn’t he have a feeling about this?

Seeing those determined eyes in such a small body, he felt that even after two years, not just two months, there wouldn’t be a gap the actor couldn’t fill.

Jin-bae was curious about why the actor needed the perfume or who he was going to give it to, but he couldn’t ask.

It wasn’t the kind of relationship where he could inquire about non-acting related things.

… But could they ever become that close?

Stop! Let’s just focus on my work.

Right now, those trivial things weren’t important.

Jin-bae had to hurry home and send the video he shot on his phone to the actor.

His actor practiced every single day without fail, to a degree that was worthy of respect.

* * *

“Yeon-jae! I saw that again today! You, wearing a yellow hat and smiling!”

“Really?”

Mist came running over, laughing mischievously.

He had so much to say after not seeing me for just half a day, I had to grab him and collapse onto the bed.

“Do you know what that person who posted it said? They said you look just like a deer, like Bambi who should be in a protected area, not on a drama!”

“…That’s really useful information. Thanks.”

“Hehe, no problem! There really are a lot of funny people out there. Their sense of humor matches mine better than I thought. I almost want to learn from them!”

I swallowed a sigh looking at Mist’s sparkling eyes.

Was there no way to get rid of that search function?

I naturally understood the mindset of a parent worrying about their child’s internet addiction.

Mist’s search function, which allowed him to find information about people, worked similarly to the internet we use.

I shouldn’t have mentioned it… Since the time the director from Myung-woo Company visited and Mist searched the orphanage photos like using the internet, Mist had awakened.

At first, I thought he was just using some unheard slang, but it was fine.

Even though it was a little, it was helpful when he searched for and told me about acting.

Most of all, there was no ‘mandatory conversation’ when I was with Mist.

It had been a long time since I talked about the misfortunes that would happen the next day.

Since I practiced acting for several hours a day anyway, I thought there was no need to know because the misfortune factor would naturally drop.

So these days, we either continued acting practice or spent time lounging together on the bed.

When that happened, trivial conversations were bound to come up.

“Yeon-jae! While searching today, I saw an article about you!”

“Are there still articles coming up? It’s been three months since Tail ended.”

“There was an article about you joining a new drama! But why don’t they call you Yeon-jae? They only call you the Yellow Hat….”

Thanks to that, I learned that there was an article about my casting.

Mist sulked, saying that searching for Lee Yeon-jae didn’t bring up many articles, but I responded indifferently. It wasn’t something to be disappointed about.

Maybe because of that stimulus or whatever, Mist seemed to meticulously check articles mentioning me since then.

Every time he found something, he’d jump over, meticulously informing me of every letter, including articles that had keywords like Yellow Hat, Lee Yeon-jae, or Tail nowhere in them. It was starting to get scary.

‘It’s not like I can tell him not to act like he’s really my parent…’

I was worried he was getting too absorbed, but I felt it wasn’t my place to intervene, so I held back my words.

He’d figure it out on his own, I thought.

“I laughed so hard when I saw the Bambi comment, it was hilarious!”

“Mist. Let’s stop searching now.”

—was a thought I immediately retracted.

This won’t do. I need to stop him no matter what.

Mist looked puzzled, but my determined face grew firmer.

Excessive internet use is not good for kids.

Even though we were talking with the same smile, the use of certain words changed the harmless atmosphere.

…It almost seemed like there was a bit of an edge.

“How about doing something else instead of looking at that.”

“Why? I’m enjoying it….”

Sensing something off, Mist’s voice trailed off, becoming more cautious.

“I know it’s fun. But—”

“I also enjoy watching you! But when you’re not sleeping, I can’t watch you… I can’t talk to you…. All I can do is watch by myself….”

“…Yeah, I get that. But—”

“There’s really nothing else I can do… It’s so boring being alone….”

I had no words. I shouldn’t be practicing acting in front of him.

Mist, who couldn’t even manage a single expression properly when he first took on Lee Si-hyun’s appearance, could now handle expressions freely.

“This is really fun for me… Can’t I just keep doing it…?”

“…….”

Oh, this is definitely acting.

I knew it all too well, but seeing Mist look up at me with slightly hunched shoulders, I couldn’t bring myself to be stern.

Eventually, I sighed and nodded.

“Ha… Okay. But don’t do it too much. Just be careful with your speech changing.”

“Huh? My speech changed?”

“Yeah, you sounded like a kid who spends a lot of time on the internet. I like your original way of speaking better.”

“…! You liked my original way of speaking? Hehe, why? Which part do you like?”

Mist, wagging his nonexistent tail again, looked like the child I knew, smiling innocently.

Looking at him quietly, I raised my hand.

“Ouch! That hurts! Why did you hit me!”

“Because you’re annoying.”

So it was an act. That rascal, learning only the bad stuff.

Ignoring Mist, who looked aggrieved after getting a flick on the forehead, I closed my eyes.

The blanket was much softer than the one we used at the orphanage, making my body relax.

The floral scent that seemed to linger in my nose all day had long since vanished.