The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune

Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity

Chapter: 29

I stood blankly for a moment after hanging up the call with Manager An Jin-bae.

The word “700,000 won” echoed around me like a lingering reverberation.

I still seemed to hear the urgent voice, saying there was nothing more to hide when I couldn’t respond.

“Ha.”

Ah, I was exhausted. A sharp pain throbbed in my temples.

As soon as the closing ceremony ended, I needed to go to the orphanage and lie down. Practice… I could do it with Mist.

As I trudged along, something on the road suddenly caught my eye.

It wasn’t particularly unusual in shape, nor did it stand out, but it felt oddly out of place.

Instinctively, I avoided it while thinking, ‘What is that?’

“Hey!!!”

A thunderous shout came from behind me.

When I turned my head to see what it was, Oh Seung-hyun stood there, looking extremely furious.

“You, you! What the hell are you?!”

“…? Are you talking to me?”

“Who else would I be talking to! There’s no one else here!!”

Oh Seung-hyun, uncharacteristically, had completely lost his composure.

He had always behaved childishly, but he never picked a fight so openly, especially not with Park Ha-eun around.

“What’s wrong? Why are you so upset?”

My tone came out much softer than I intended. Even Oh Seung-hyun hesitated for a moment.

I had spent the past two months immersed in the character Yu-hyeon.

Since Oh Seung-hyun was the one who started it all, his eyes, filled with a desire to hit me right away, didn’t bother me that much.

Rather, it was the opposite. Now I knew why he looked at me like that.

“…What did you do? You knew, didn’t you?”

“Seung-hyun, you need to ask a question I can understand if you want me to answer.”

“Stop talking so annoyingly! You avoided it just now, didn’t you, that thing.”

Oh Seung-hyun pointed angrily at the object I had just avoided. What was that?

When I got closer, I saw it was a piece of paper with sticky gum, mixed with saliva, stuck to it.

From the context of our conversation, it sounded like Oh Seung-hyun had placed it there in advance….

“This is all…?”

“What?”

He was angry because I avoided something as petty as this.

It was such a trivial provocation. Even kids setting up traps saying ‘I’m going home’ did a better job.

I was speechless.

But from my expression, Oh Seung-hyun seemed to read the context, and he shouted even more furiously.

“I’m not mad just because you avoided that! You’ve dodged everything until now. You avoided the ball I threw yesterday, and the flowerpot the day before! I even loosened the screws on your chair, but it didn’t break when you sat down! It only broke when someone else sat on it. How did you do it?!”

Oh Seung-hyun, unable to contain his anger, was at a loss.

Seeing his face turn completely red and seething, I wondered if he might pass out from rage.

By the way, the flowerpot… was that you? This guy was crazy. There were limits to what was acceptable.

Thinking about the flowerpot that shattered behind me two days ago made my blood boil instantly.

“You—.”

“Wow, isn’t this guy crazy?”

It wasn’t me who said what I was about to say.

When I turned at the familiar voice, Noh Bi-hyuk appeared from the alley with a look of disbelief.

“I came looking for you because you were late, and I didn’t know you were having such a crazy conversation. Talking so confidently about attempted murder deserves a round of applause! Clap! Clap! Clap!”

Noh Bi-hyuk clapped sarcastically.

Then he turned his phone toward us.

On the screen, it was obvious to anyone that it was in recording mode.

“Seung-hyun, you’re something else. Save your excuses for the police. Lee Yeon-jae, let’s go.”

As Noh Bi-hyuk stopped recording and gestured with his head, I quietly started walking.

Passing by the pale, terrified Oh Seung-hyun, I sighed and turned my head.

“In case you’re mistaken, let me tell you. Ha-eun doesn’t like me. And she doesn’t like you either.”

“……”

“Let’s stop here. I’m saying this for your sake. You’re the one who will suffer the most.”

There was no way Na-bi would like Yu-hyeon. It was written in the script.

Of course, reality wasn’t a drama or a movie…. But wasn’t it the same? Not everyone could be the protagonist.

If someone had honestly told Yu-hyeon, he might have resented them, but he wouldn’t have suffered from false hope.

I said it with that in mind, but it seemed my intention didn’t get through.

Oh Seung-hyun clenched his jaw and swung his fist at me.

His hand came in slowly, almost leisurely. It was too close to step back.

‘Not the face.’

There was a close-up shoot tomorrow.

So instead of dodging awkwardly, I chose to cover my face with both hands.

But before I could feel any impact, the situation was resolved, not by me, not by Oh Seung-hyun, nor by the quickly reaching Noh Bi-hyuk.

“Stop it!”

“…Ha-eun.”

Park Ha-eun burst out from the alley, wearing a face that made me wonder, ‘Could she really have such a cold expression?’

Her momentum made the three of us, including myself, hesitate.

“Oh Seung-hyun. Let’s talk. Just the two of us.”

Without a word of protest, Oh Seung-hyun followed Park Ha-eun like a docile lamb.

A little later, whatever conversation they had, Oh Seung-hyun returned looking much calmer.

And he immediately apologized to me.

“I’m sorry. I went too far.”

“Okay. I unders—”

“What do you mean, okay? Are you just going to let an attempted murder slide like this? Oh Seung-hyun, do you have any conscience?”

Before I could finish speaking, Noh Bi-hyuk cut in and looked Oh Seung-hyun up and down.

His nodding head and glaring eyes made him look like a perfect street thug.

I gently pushed Noh Bi-hyuk aside and looked at Oh Seung-hyun, who was frozen like a statue.

“I’m not going to delete the recording. When we get back to class, I’m going to tell the teacher what happened. If anything like this happens again, we’re going straight to the police. Got it?”

“…Yeah. Do whatever you want.”

Muttering like that, Oh Seung-hyun walked away with a defeated gait once our conversation ended.

When Noh Bi-hyuk asked what was said, Park Ha-eun just shook her head.

What could have been a major incident ended rather quietly.

At least, that’s what I thought at the time.

* * *

“Hyung, do you know which actors are coming to the set today?”

“What?”

Manager An Jin-bae seemed slightly taken aback by the unusual question.

Even so, his clear voice soon came over from the front seat.

“According to today’s schedule, actor Sung Lee-jun, who plays the role of young Hyo-won, and actress Kim Hyun-joo, who plays the queen, will definitely be there. I haven’t been informed about any other actors… Should I check?”

“No, that’s not necessary.”

I lightly shook my head and leaned back against the leather seat.

I sensed Manager An Jin-bae glancing at me through the rearview mirror.

“Sigh…”

I kept sighing, thinking about the perfume I ended up not even opening yesterday.

I really needed to stop sighing so much.

As I rubbed my dry lips with my hand, Manager An Jin-bae spoke cautiously.

“I’m not sure if this is helpful, but… I heard that actor Han Se-young has a magazine interview today. Starting tomorrow, she’ll be filming a variety show in Jeonju, so it might be hard to see her for at least three days.”

“…Yeah, thanks.”

Feeling a bit embarrassed, I stopped touching my lips.

I glanced at the front seat, seeing only the side profile of Manager An Jin-bae driving silently.

Did I give it away too much? How did he know?

As I quietly picked at my fingers out of embarrassment, Manager An Jin-bae spoke in a calm voice.

“You didn’t act rudely or make it obvious, so don’t worry. No one else will know.”

“…How did you know, hyung?”

“When you suddenly mentioned perfume… I looked it up at home and found an interview where actor Han Se-young said she uses that perfume. I just thought it might be the case.”

As he finished speaking, he turned on the blinker and smoothly turned right.

He parked the car skillfully amidst the tightly packed vehicles without a hitch.

While I was trying to sort out my tangled thoughts, Manager An Jin-bae looked back at me with his usual expression.

“Shall we get out? Let me know when you’re ready.”

His demeanor, as if we hadn’t had any prior conversation, made me pause.

Hmm… If he doesn’t ask, it’s fine by me. I wouldn’t be too curious either if I were him.

As I nodded, he finally turned off the engine and told me to wait a moment.

After getting out first, Manager An Jin-bae opened the door for me, carrying a bag full of fans, cooling pads, and towels.

“I can open the door myself….”

“Can you? But I like opening the door for you. Please understand.”

Mumbling out of embarrassment, Manager An Jin-bae smiled as he replied.

Since the area near the set was crowded with cars and accidents often happened, he suggested holding hands until we got inside. I took his hand, the one not holding the bag.

We walked up to a building that looked much bigger than the school gym.

Filming would start soon. This time, I would really act.

Taking a small breath to calm my nerves, Manager An Jin-bae turned to me with a face full of determination.

“Actor, you know, right? If you feel uncomfortable with anything, call me right away. I can help you, so don’t hesitate. That’s my job!”

After the conversation in the car, his last words felt quite meaningful.

I met his gaze and nodded.

Yeah, let’s give it a shot.

* * *

“Oh, Yeon-jae! You’re early…!”

“Yeah. Hi, hyung.”

As I entered the set, I saw Sung Lee-jun in shabby attire.

Speaking to me informally seemed very awkward for him.

If I showed my own awkwardness, it would only make things worse, so I deliberately spoke casually.

“Hyung, you look handsome even dressed like that.”

“…! What are you talking about….”

Sung Lee-jun averted his gaze, his face slightly flushed.

Even so, like someone who had started filming a week earlier, he showed me around the set.

Since I had arrived two hours early on purpose, there was plenty of time, but at the staff’s request, I went to the dressing room to change.

The dark blue fabric of the exquisitely made royal robe felt very soft.

Feeling awkward in the unfamiliar sensation wrapping around my arms, I stepped out of the dressing room.

“Oh my! Yeon-jae, you look amazing in that outfit.”

“You really look like a crown prince in your past life. Wow…, it’s a shame you can’t wear it all the time.”

The staff members, who had been slightly distant until a moment ago, approached me one by one.

The costume staff, in particular, looked at me with a regretful expression as she adjusted my attire.

“Really, Yeon-jae. It suits you so well…!”

Hearing a gulp beside me, I turned to see Sung Lee-jun smiling brightly at me.

I turned my head and met his eyes, stopping momentarily.

“…Thanks.”

In Sung Lee-jun’s round eyes, I saw a familiar emotion.

It had been so long since I’d seen that look, I almost felt a sense of nostalgia.

Hyung. You dislike me, don’t you?