The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune

Chapter 202

When was I disowned?

I remember it was before I started elementary school.

‘So, it’s been almost seven years since we last saw each other.’

My second brother, Lee Eun-taek, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time, was glaring at me.

Honestly, I didn’t really care.

‘How do you know Eun-taek hyung?’

‘…!’

If I hadn’t seen the photo at Sung Lee-joon’s house, I wouldn’t even remember what Lee Eun-taek looked like.

I might have even forgotten he existed.

If we ever met by chance, I might have just thought, ‘He looks familiar,’ and moved on.

That’s how little I cared.

Really. That’s why I never asked.

‘I was adopted into Eun-taek hyung’s family for a while. When I was six or seven.’

‘…Yeah, I heard.’

‘Then you must have heard that Ji-heon hyung died because of me.’

It was seven years ago.

They say even mountains change in ten years. There was no need to cling to something from seven years ago.

So, I didn’t ask.

I didn’t want to care.

No matter what I did, I couldn’t change what had already happened.

“Long time no see.”

My stomach churned.

“…”

He didn’t respond to my greeting.

Lee Eun-taek kept glaring at me, but I just smiled.

The atmosphere immediately grew tense.

“Why are you two like that? Did you fight?”

Noh Bi-hyuk asked, looking uncomfortable.

Then the people with Lee Eun-taek approached us.

“You’re Actor Lee Yeon-jae, right? I’m a big fan.”

“Every time Bi-hyuk said he was friends with you, I thought he was lying. But it’s true.”

“Hey, why would I lie?”

Everyone tried to change the atmosphere.

I managed to keep my expression in check.

But honestly, my mind was blank.

‘I feel like throwing up.’

So, Lee Eun-taek is debuting with Noh Bi-hyuk.

This is a disaster.

‘I should have asked.’

I should have asked Noh Bi-hyuk about the members’ names.

Then this wouldn’t have happened.

‘I could have at least asked Sung Lee-joon.’

I knew Sung Lee-joon and Lee Eun-taek were friends.

If I’d just asked how Lee Eun-taek was doing, I could have avoided this.

Why didn’t I?

“Haha, looks like Bi-hyuk is joking around again.”

“Oh, it’s no joke. He even jokes around when he’s being scolded.”

While chatting and laughing with the leader, my eyes stung.

Something kept rising in my throat.

‘You idiot.’

This was my fault.

I could have prevented this by checking in advance.

I didn’t care if Lee Eun-taek was becoming an idol, but debuting in the same group as Noh Bi-hyuk was different.

‘I should have asked Sung Lee-joon.’

I should have, but I didn’t. Why didn’t I?

‘Pathetic.’

I felt like I was going to lose my mind from self-loathing.

I just didn’t want to face it.

I covered up the past for my own sake, saying it was just the past.

‘Why did I think I would never meet him again?’

I just hoped so.

I didn’t want to think about Lee Eun-taek.

Because thinking about him inevitably brought thoughts of Ji-heon hyung.

But I shouldn’t have done that.

I didn’t want to reunite with Lee Eun-taek for the first time in seven years in front of Bi-hyuk.

“Thanks for the warm welcome. Bi-hyuk and I are the same age, so you can speak casually to me.”

“Wow, I didn’t expect—”

“Haha, yes.”

I couldn’t understand what they were saying.

I was smiling, but my vision was blurry.

I tasted bitterness every time I swallowed.

The piercing gaze from the side was killing me.

“Eun-taek, greet Yeon-jae too.”

The leader awkwardly called Lee Eun-taek.

“Eun-taek. Hurry up.”

“…Ha.”

Lee Eun-taek stood up, still glaring at me.

He walked over and grabbed my shoulder tightly.

“Long time no see. You’re doing well after killing someone, huh?”

“…”

“Congratulations on winning Best Actor. If hyung were alive, he would have been proud. Remember? Hyung really cared about you.”

Every word felt like a thorn.

Lee Eun-taek’s hand on my shoulder was trembling.

It wasn’t my hand trembling; it was the owner of the hand.

“You’re really… living well. Huh?”

Lee Eun-taek was shaking so much he seemed on the verge of bursting.

He and I were both holding back something.

It was a musty, old emotion that was hard to digest.

But the fortunate thing here was…

“I’m glad to see you too, hyung.”

That I was an actor.

Pretending not to know and smiling in this dirty water was not difficult.

When I smiled, Lee Eun-taek scoffed.

“Could you take your hand off?”

He could at least ease up. It hurt.

He didn’t seem to want to let go, so I brushed his hand off.

“You bastard—”

“Hyung, let’s not use foul language.”

“What?”

“I understand how you feel, but I’m not refraining from swearing because I can’t.”

I said calmly, and Lee Eun-taek got even angrier.

“Understand?? You understand?!”

“Hey, hey! Lee Eun-taek!”

It was the members who stopped Lee Eun-taek from lunging at me.

The members, who had been frozen in shock, quickly intervened.

Ignoring the screaming Lee Eun-taek, I turned my head.

“Bi-hyuk.”

“…What?”

As soon as I made eye contact with Noh Bi-hyuk, I apologized.

“I didn’t know Eun-taek hyung was in the same group as you. If I had known, I wouldn’t have come. I’m sorry for causing trouble.”

“No, it’s fine, but what is…”

I watched Noh Bi-hyuk’s bewildered face for a moment.

Could he handle this disgusting story? What if he couldn’t take it?

My head throbbed.

‘What is Eun-taek thinking?’

There was no way Noh Bi-hyuk hadn’t talked about me. We even did a commercial together.

Unlike me, who knew nothing about Eun-taek’s recent life, Eun-taek must have known about me.

Through Noh Bi-hyuk, Sung Lee-joon, or even through work, he must have known we’d meet eventually.

‘He should have confronted me sooner.’

If he had so much pent-up emotion that he was ready to explode the moment we met, he should have resolved it earlier.

He could have found me and punched me, stabbed me, or whatever.

‘Why make a scene in front of everyone?’

I swallowed a sigh and spoke as simply as I could.

“Remember I told you I was adopted when I was little.”

“Yeah, I remember.”

“At that time, my name was changed to Lee Jae-hee. Eun-taek hyung was the second son of that family.”

“…”

As I spoke, I realized something. That bastard…

‘He called me Lee Jae-hee on purpose from the start.’

It seemed like he had been waiting for me to come to him.

What was his goal? Why?

My mind raced.

‘What does he want from me?’

Did he want me to beg and cry in front of everyone?

That wasn’t even difficult. Should I just do it and get it over with?

While I was thinking hard, Noh Bi-hyuk’s low voice interrupted.

“…What do you mean by killing someone?”

Noh Bi-hyuk was trying hard to stay calm, but it was obvious he was struggling.

Seeing his face, I realized.

Oh, so that’s what it was.

‘This is what he wanted.’

Now I understood what Eun-taek wanted.

He wanted me to tell Noh Bi-hyuk myself.

That Ji-heon hyung died because of me.

‘How tiring.’

It was hard to control my expression, so I covered my face with both hands.

I could hear Noh Bi-hyuk asking what was wrong, but I couldn’t answer.

“No, that bastard was the one who—”

I wanted to stuff something in Eun-taek’s loud mouth.

‘What did I do so wrong?’

Yeah, I know I’m at fault.

I get it. But still…

‘I did my best.’

How was I supposed to know misfortune would cling to me like this?

There was nothing I could do about the past.

No matter how hard I tried, nothing would change.

There’s no law that can bring Ji-heon hyung back to life.

‘I want to see Mist…’

It had been seven years.

Yet these clinging memories still stuck to me like leeches.

I hated the moment when I had to tell someone I cared about that I killed someone.

“…”

The most horrible part was me.

“Yeon-jae! Lee Yeon-jae!”

Noh Bi-hyuk reached out to hold my face.

‘No.’

I shivered at the touch on my cheek.

My hand moved instinctively.

With a loud smack, I pushed something away.

The noise echoed through the room, and everything went silent.

“…Sorry.”

I quickly grabbed Noh Bi-hyuk’s reddened hand.

I had overreacted to the thought of someone touching me.

‘I’ve practiced enough.’

There was no way the misfortune would transfer late.

Why am I acting so stupid? I bit my lip.

“I’m sorry, Bi-hyuk. I’m really sorry.”

“Hey. Calm down. It’s okay.”

“Really, I’m sorry. I—”

“Lee Yeon-jae. Get a grip. I’m really okay.”

Noh Bi-hyuk sighed softly.

That small sigh made my body stiffen.

“…What? Hey, what’s wrong now?”

Noh Bi-hyuk frowned and held onto me.

I shook my head blankly, saying it was nothing.

‘Scary.’

It was terrifying, almost laughably so.

I couldn’t handle the expression you’d make after hearing this.

I froze at a mere sigh. What if you…

‘Get a grip.’

I shook my head quickly.

Crying like a baby wouldn’t solve anything.

“Bi-hyuk, let’s move somewhere else.”

My head was still foggy, but I gritted my teeth and stood up.

‘I shouldn’t stay here.’

If Noh Bi-hyuk’s reaction was the worst, I might really panic.

I couldn’t afford to show symptoms of hyperventilation at someone else’s company.

I decided to reduce the number of onlookers and was about to leave with Noh Bi-hyuk.

“Noh Bi-hyuk. If you leave here…”

Eun-taek growled.

“What?”

“If you leave here, can you handle it? Your debut date isn’t even confirmed yet.”

“…What are you talking about, hyung?”

Noh Bi-hyuk forced a smile.

Eun-taek poured cold water on his barely smiling face.

“You know that fighting among members is a criterion for evaluation, right? If you follow that bastard, I’ll go straight to the manager.”

“Eun-taek! Stop it!”

“You have no idea! Do you think I’m doing this for no reason?!”

The leader tried to intervene, but Eun-taek screamed, his veins popping.

The atmosphere was so tense it felt like something would break if anyone moved.

In the silence, I was the first to move.

“…”

I slowly let go of Noh Bi-hyuk’s hand.

“Bi-hyuk, talk with the members. I’ll tell you the rest later.”

“Hey.”

“He’s probably nearby. If I call, he’ll be here in less than five minutes.”

It wasn’t particularly funny, but I laughed.

Noh Bi-hyuk looked at me with a tense expression.

I could feel the dryness in my mouth as I bowed slightly to the members.

“Sorry for causing a scene. I’ll properly greet you next time.”

“No, I’m the one who’s sorry, Yeon-jae.”

“Why are you apologizing, hyung—!”

“Eun-taek. That’s enough. Stop it.”

Thankfully, the leader stepped in to stop Eun-taek.

I turned my back to leave the room.

The moment I turned my back lasted only a few seconds, but I saw it clearly.

Noh Bi-hyuk looking away from me with a troubled expression.

‘…Damn.’

I felt like throwing up but managed to hold it back.

One step.

‘Oh~ Yeon-jae. So popular in the morning.’

‘Ah, Bi-hyuk.’

Another step.

‘Really cheap~. Treating Park Ha so nicely, but not even letting your best friend touch you.’

‘Who said we were best friends?’

‘Look at this, why so cold? Only to me, you’re so heartless. You’re a difficult man, you know that….’

‘I told you to stop reading stuff online.’

With each step, Noh Bi-hyuk’s laughter echoed in my ears.

The overlapping laughter started to sound like screams.

At that moment, it felt like I was trapped in an inescapable nightmare.

Click.

As soon as I heard the door close behind me, the screams disappeared.

Silence filled the hallway.

In the sudden quiet, I slowly clenched my fists.

‘…It’s over.’

It was all over.

“Ha…”

A hollow laugh escaped my lips.

It’s over. It’s finally over….