The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune

Chapter 207

‘What is this?’

I looked suspiciously at the man who handed over his phone.

I pulled Han Ha-ram behind me again and glanced at the phone.

“Uh….”

On the phone was Han Ha-ram.

To be precise, it was a photo from a photoshoot Han Ha-ram had modeled for.

Then the man opened the memo app and started typing something.

[The girl next to you is my daughter. I greeted her without thinking because I was happy to see her. I’m sorry if I startled you.]

The man then showed me another photo from the photoshoot, which included another girl besides Han Ha-ram.

‘Ah.’

As I understood the man’s smiling approach, I wondered how I could believe him.

“Dad!”

A clear voice interrupted.

A girl about the same age as Han Ha-ram approached us.

It was the same girl from the photo. It didn’t seem like he was lying.

“Honey? What’s going on?”

The woman with the girl, who seemed to be her mother, approached with a curious expression.

As they came closer, I quickly pulled up my mask.

While the man explained the situation to his family using Korean Sign Language, I looked at Han Ha-ram.

“Yeon-jae, are you mad?”

“What? No.”

What was this about?

I patted Han Ha-ram’s head as he looked up at me with a slightly scared face.

“Did I look mad?”

“Your expression earlier….”

“It’s because a stranger approached you. I wasn’t mad at you.”

As I softened my expression, Han Ha-ram finally relaxed and clung to me.

“Hey! You’re the kid who took photos with me last summer, right?”

The girl approached and spoke to Han Ha-ram.

Han Ha-ram clung to me with a shrinking face, so I picked him up.

‘Wow, you’ve gotten heavier.’

As soon as I lifted Han Ha-ram, he buried his head in my shoulder.

Seeing he didn’t want to talk, I greeted them on his behalf.

“Hi.”

“Hello.”

The girl bowed politely but then glared at me.

“But I wasn’t talking to you, I was talking to him.”

“Really?”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

‘What a bold kid.’

As I laughed behind my mask, the woman, who seemed to be the girl’s mother, rushed over.

“Yeon-ji, didn’t I tell you not to bother strangers?”

“He’s not a stranger. He took photos with me.”

“Even so. Can’t you see he’s uncomfortable?”

The girl pouted.

“He’s not my friend….” she grumbled but quieted down, obeying her mother.

The woman apologized with an awkward smile.

“I’m sorry. My husband and daughter are such troublemakers. They caused trouble while I was gone to the restroom.”

“It’s okay.”

“They were excited to see a friend from a photoshoot. But still, I’m really sorry.”

The way she scolded her husband was more like scolding a son.

I reassured her and laughed.

‘Relaxing now, huh?’

After imagining all sorts of scenarios in those few seconds, I found this conversation amusing.

As I tried to suppress my laughter, the woman lowered her voice and asked cautiously.

“Um… are you actor Lee Yeon-jae?”

Ah.

I now had an awkward smile.

* * *

“Yeon-ji! Give this cookie to Ha-ram!”

“You do it, Mom. He doesn’t respond to me.”

“It’s because you’re acting like you’ll eat him up. That’s why Ha-ram is scared.”

“When did I ever act like I’d eat him up? Hmph. It wouldn’t be unfair if I really did eat him.”

Han Ha-ram and the girl he did a photoshoot with, Kim Yeon-ji, grumbled.

‘Kids these days, even the way they talk is different.’

As I watched with a smile, Kim Yeon-ji approached with a sullen expression, having surrendered to her mother’s words.

“Hey. Mom told me to give you this.”

“…….”

There was no response to Kim Yeon-ji’s words directed at Han Ha-ram.

No wonder, as Han Ha-ram had been clinging to me ever since we arrived at Kim Yeon-ji’s house.

Even now, he showed no intention of lifting his head from my chest, so I accepted the cookie on his behalf.

“Thank you. We’ll enjoy it.”

“It’s not for you, you know?”

“Yeah, I was just thanking you for Ha-ram.”

“Seriously, can’t he do anything without you?”

The more I listened to her grumbling voice, the funnier it got.

It was also funny to see Han Ha-ram flinch in my arms every time Kim Yeon-ji spoke.

‘They’re cute.’

Watching these little kids bicker was surprisingly amusing.

I glanced to the side and saw that Jin-bae hyung was also struggling to suppress his laughter.

I guess it’s not just me finding this funny.

With a chuckle, I handed the cookie to Han Ha-ram.

“Ha-ram, do you want this?”

“No, you eat it, Yeon-jae….”

“Why are you so down?”

“……she’s scary.”

Han Ha-ram made a tearful face.

As he mumbled that it seemed like she was angry with him, I patted his head.

“I don’t think she’s angry. I think she just wants to talk to you.”

“With me?”

“Yeah. Don’t you want to talk to her?”

“It’s not that….”

Han Ha-ram chewed his lip.

“She’s just too loud. It’s scary, like when Mom gets mad….”

“…….”

Hearing that, my smile faded.

“I see.”

When I hugged Han Ha-ram tightly, he clung to me as if holding onto a lifeline.

I felt Jin-bae hyung watching us from the side.

‘Maybe we shouldn’t have come.’

As soon as Kim Yeon-ji’s mother asked if I was actor Lee Yeon-jae, Jin-bae hyung approached us.

‘Actor, is something wrong?’

The atmosphere grew tense as he pulled me back, and the surrounding people stared even more as he scanned the area warily.

With my mask on, I felt anxious, probably because of what the woman had just said.

‘If you don’t mind, would you like to join us for dinner at our place?’

I nodded immediately to the woman’s offer, something I’d normally refuse.

I didn’t want to risk any chaos if my identity was exposed in such a crowded place.

So, I thought it was better to get out of the amusement park. But being in a stranger’s house for the first time felt strange.

I wondered if this was okay, but seeing Jin-bae hyung’s smiling face beside me calmed my nerves.

‘Thanks to you, actor, I’m having new experiences. Dining with strangers is a first for me too.’

‘True. It’s an unusual day, seeing you scared of rides.’

‘To be precise, it wasn’t fear. I was just a bit… exhausted….’

Right, if anything happened, Jin-bae hyung would take care of it.

No one would dare harm us with him around.

Thinking that way made exploring a stranger’s house more interesting.

What I hadn’t anticipated was Han Ha-ram being so scared.

‘I can’t exactly ask the girl to talk more softly.’

I didn’t realize his mother had such a strong influence on him.

I was considering whether it’d be better to just go home when I met the man’s eyes at the dining table.

‘Hmm.’

After a moment of thought, I looked down at Han Ha-ram.

“Ha-ram, if talking is scary, how about we try communicating with our hands?”

“Huh?”

“You don’t have to communicate only with words.”

Han Ha-ram tilted his head, not understanding.

I patted his head and showed him a few Korean sign language signs for greeting.

I purposely taught him simple motions, and he picked them up quickly.

“Try it when you’re ready.”

I patted Han Ha-ram’s back with a smile. He hesitated, then looked at Kim Yeon-ji. Kim Yeon-ji, who had been keeping an eye on Han Ha-ram, turned her head as soon as she sensed his gaze.

‘So cute, really cute.’

Why are they so adorable?

It was endearing to see the kids being aware of each other. When Han Ha-ram clumsily greeted her in Korean Sign Language, Kim Yeon-ji looked at him sullenly. Then, with her hands bent, she placed them on either side of her chest and moved them up and down twice.

Seeing Han Ha-ram look up at me, I interpreted for him, “She says she’s glad to see you.”

I patted his cheek as a sign of approval, and Han Ha-ram smiled with a flushed face.

“How was it? Fun, right?”

“Yeah, it’s fun….”

“Ask Yeon-ji to teach you more. She knows it better than I do.”

I gently pushed Han Ha-ram’s back, and he hesitantly left my embrace. Kim Yeon-ji eagerly took him away.

“This book is the best. It’s in comic form. Do you read comics?”

“No….”

“Then start now!”

Kim Yeon-ji pulled out a book about Korean Sign Language from the bookshelf and started chatting away. Han Ha-ram, who had been answering awkwardly at first, soon adapted and began laughing and talking with her.

‘Kids really adapt quickly.’

As I watched with a smile, Jin-bae hyung softly asked, “Actor, when did you learn sign language?”

“When I was in the orphanage. There was a friend who couldn’t hear.”

A friend who used Korean Sign Language as their primary means of communication instead of lip reading.

So, all the kids in the orphanage learned Korean Sign Language at the time.

“It’s been a while since I last used it, so I thought I might have forgotten, but luckily I still remember.”

“The more I know about you, the more amazing you are, Actor.”

I chuckled at the genuine compliment.

“I think you’re more amazing, hyung.”

“What?”

“The way you suggested coming to the amusement park for me, even though you’re scared of rides—”

“Actor.”

“Haha.”

Jin-bae hyung’s uncharacteristically choked tone made me laugh out loud.

Han Ha-ram, who had been lying down reading, jumped up and ran over at the sound of my laughter.

“Yeon-jae! I learned a few more!”

“Did you? Good job.”

“Yeah. Yeon-ji taught me!”

“I see Yeon-ji also gave you a cookie.”

“How did you know??”

Han Ha-ram, with cookie crumbs around his mouth, widened his eyes. I wiped his mouth as he blushed and covered it with his hands.

“(Yeon-jae, you’re amazing. How do you know these things? So cool.)”

“(Thank you.)”

“(Is this like a dance move?)”

I patted the curious boy’s head.

“(No, it’s a language like Korean or English. It’s called Korean Sign Language.)”

“(Korean Sign Language?)”

“(Yeah. Even if someone is far away and can’t hear your voice, you can still communicate if you know this.)”

When I asked if it wasn’t cool, Han Ha-ram beamed.

“(Yeah. It’s cool. You’re really cool….)”

I watched him for a moment as he naturally segued into praising me. Then, I placed my right hand on my left cheek and tapped lightly twice.

“(What does that mean?)”

“(I’m not telling you.)”

“(Why not??)”

I repeated the gesture with a smile at the bewildered Han Ha-ram, who widened his eyes even more, but I kept the meaning to myself.

‘Now I understand why Jung-hyun hyung likes to tease me.’

Seeing Han Ha-ram’s eyebrows wriggle like a caterpillar, I finally understood Jung-hyun hyung’s teasing.

“Dinner’s ready!”

Contrary to her apologetic words about not being prepared for such special guests, the table was laden with a feast.

Jin-bae hyung exclaimed with admiration after every bite, asking the woman for her recipe.

I answered the man’s questions about when I learned Korean Sign Language, while Han Ha-ram was busy chatting with Kim Yeon-ji.

Dinner with people we had just met flew by in a whirlwind.

“Let’s see each other again next time.”

“Of course.”

I replied with a smile to the woman’s parting words, thinking it would be nice to meet them again.

We had been treated to dinner this time, so next time I intended to return the favor properly.

* * *

“It’s been a while.”

“…Yes. Hello.”

It had only been two days, yet it felt odd to hear them say it had been a while.

The faces of the woman and man I had dinner with two days ago were still bright and cheerful.

‘Why are they here?’

I was filled with curiosity as to why Kim Yeon-ji’s parents were at our agency.

Seeing my puzzled expression, Team Leader Woo spoke up.

“Yeon-jae, are you interested in filming an educational video for Korean Sign Language? It wouldn’t be a stiff, formal video but more like a mini-drama.”

“Huh?”

As I responded blankly, Kim Yeon-ji’s mother handed me a business card.

“Sorry for the late introduction. I’m Choi Ji-min from the National Institute of the Korean Language.”