The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune

Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity

Chapter: 28

Lee Jung-hyun’s Guilty Man Set Free @prison_never_openㆍ21 days ago

What’s up with Lee Jung-hyun’s clownish antics. Is it really okay to laugh so heartwarmingly while sharing a story about eating cake with an elementary school kid? A grown man doting on a young boy is quite adorable.

(Lee Jung-hyun_live_capture26)

I Say Potato @potato_can_talkㆍ12 days ago

The photo of our Bambi that I look at whenever I want to forget… Yeon-jae, where are you… Come back… It’s so heartbreaking and frustrating that we have to keep reusing a single GIF of a kid with such extraordinary looks from the start….

(Tail_episode_1_yellow hat_smiling GIF)

[Title: Who was that kid with the yellow hat in the first episode of ‘Tail’? Does anyone know what he’s up to now?]

What was his name? You know, the handsome kid from the first episode of ‘Tail’ that became famous.

The one wearing the yellow hat who was rumored to be Lee Jung-hyun’s son, yeah.

Didn’t people argue a lot about whether 90% of his lines were ad-libbed, whether it was true or not, hahaha I can’t remember.

Does anyone know what he’s doing these days? Suddenly got curious.

Was the last mention of him in Lee Jung-hyun’s live broadcast?

―That’s sad… you really seem like a fan of Lee Yeon-jae… my friend….

└(ㄱㅆ) Seriously? Where do you see that?

└Just from everything….

―Here he goes again. Do you write all the gallery posts by yourself? Just ask the agency;;

└He doesn’t have an agency. He’s a regular person.

└(ㄱㅆ) I was just watching TV quietly and got into this unexpectedly, but do you know how it feels when the person isn’t even a celebrity but a regular person?

└The writer’s feelings = my feelings. ㅠㅠㅠㅠ It’s awkward to cross the line since he’s a regular person… ha… Seriously, what’s he doing? Just going to school normally??? With that face???

[Title: My brother goes to the same school as Lee Yeon-jae, so I asked.]

They say he’s entering as a child actor in some drama, but since he hasn’t mentioned it, it’s not certain. They say he always reads scripts during break time. Anyway, it seems like he’s heading into acting.

+) They say he has a quiet personality. There were strange rumors about him, but when asked what they were, they didn’t go into detail. He used to quietly attend school without anyone knowing if he was there or not, but after appearing in the drama, the girls all talk about Lee Yeon-jae now.

++) They don’t know if she’s his girlfriend, but there’s a pretty girl who hangs out with him. Together with another handsome boy, the three of them always hang out together.

―Oh my god, thank you for sharing this precious news.

―Yeon-jae, your sister is crying ㅠㅠㅠㅠ yeah, it’s weirder if you don’t act with that face ㅠㅠ Doesn’t he look like an actor even if you just glance at him while he’s rolling forward?

―A sibling at the same schoolㅋㅋ seriously? Does everyone believe a post without any proof?

―Hey, writer…! If you see Yeon-jae at school, can you ask what he’s like??

└(ㄱㅆ) Added it to the main text.

―Also, ask if Yeon-jae has a girlfriendㅋㅋㅋㅋ

ㄴ(ㄱㅆ) Added it to the main text 2222.

―Isn’t he a regular person? This is creepy, you crazy people ㅡㅡ stop it.

└Exactly, crossing the line. Why are you curious if an elementary school kid has a girlfriend? Ready to report this.

└Just asking for fun. Why so serious.

└It might be fun for you, but it’d be creepy for him. Writer, if you have a brain, delete it before it’s shared elsewhere.

[Title: .]

.

―Seriously, why are there so many crazy people???? Are you really fans???? Do you like digging into a regular person’s info????

└Posts like this, 100% not a fan. Don’t lump us together.

―Got a PDF of this. ㅅㄱ. Sending it to Yeon-jae’s agency once he gets one.

―But am I the only one who doesn’t get why the writer is getting bashed… Is it a crime to say an orphan lives in an orphanage…? It’s not like they’re making things up.

└Can’t you read context. That’s not the point.

└It’s pathetic to act like you’ve accomplished something by posting a regular person’s info online ㅉㅉ.

└(Repeatedly reported comment blocked.)

└(Repeatedly reported comment blocked.)

―The writer deleted and ran. What was the content?;; └Get a clue, student.

* * *

“Phew.”

I lifted my head and wiped the sweat off my chin.

Maybe it was because it was mid-summer, but even though it was only seven o’clock, the sunlight was already filling the room.

I turned off the flashlight function on my phone, which had been on since I got up, and took off my sweat-soaked T-shirt.

‘I can practice the remaining scenes after I get back from school.’

Today was the start of summer break. And tomorrow was my first shoot.

Not the first shoot of the drama, but the first shoot of the scene where I appear.

I heard that Han Se-young and Sung Lee-jun had already started shooting last week.

As the shooting day approached, my anxiety grew, so I chose to wake up early in the morning to practice.

At first, not knowing anything, I turned on the room light and ended up with Teacher Lee Si-hyun knocking on my door with rabbit eyes. Since then, I used the phone flashlight.

[Manager An Jin-bae: Actor! Be careful at the start of summer break. Don’t skip meals!]

I wondered if this was something that needed to be sent so early in the morning, but I replied obediently.

Manager An Jin-bae sent these types of texts every morning, even on days we didn’t meet.

I once told him not to worry about it, thinking he felt burdened, but when his thick eyebrows drooped instantly, I quickly took it back.

If that makes him feel at ease, well, it’s not like it costs money to receive a text.

“Oh, the watch.”

Yesterday, Manager An Jin-bae handed me a packaged box, saying it might be good to have a watch.

I told him I could just use my phone and that he should return it immediately, but he insisted I accept it, saying it wasn’t expensive.

In the end, after a 30-minute standoff, Manager An Jin-bae finally gave me the price with a tired expression, and only after I handed over the money did I accept the watch.

Manager An Jin-bae’s expression looked very empty as he received the cash, but… right is right.

I understood that it felt awkward to accept money from a kid, but by that logic, wouldn’t it also be awkward for an actor to receive a gift from their manager?

If one of us had to give a gift, it should obviously be me.

I was about to put the black watch with a sleek design on my left wrist when I saw a transparent glass bottle in my field of vision.

It was a perfume bottle designed with the elegant cursive word ‘étranger’ written on it.

I received it the day after asking Manager An Jin-bae for it. I hadn’t even opened the lid yet.

Ha, what should I do about that?

‘…Let’s think about it after school.’

I barely managed to tear my gaze away from the perfume bottle and left the room.

* * *

“Oh? Yeon-jae, you got a watch? It’s pretty.”

On the TV mounted on the classroom wall, the principal was giving a speech.

Of course, no one was actually paying attention. Even the teacher was half asleep.

“Really? Thanks.”

“Oh, Lee Yeon-jae finally buys a watch~ Let me see too, Bi-hyuk.”

I thanked Park Ha-eun, who was sitting next to me, and Noh Bi-hyuk, who heard her, turned around.

He leaned in so close to examine the watch as if he was about to sniff it, so I pushed his face away.

What’s the big deal? It’s only 30,000 won.

Despite my words, Noh Bi-hyuk didn’t seem to hear and kept staring at the watch on my wrist.

Park Ha-eun whispered beside me, saying it’d be best to just give it to him to keep him from getting obsessed.

With an unusual persistence, I ended up taking off the watch and handing it over. He turned it over, examining it, and then looked puzzled.

“This is 30,000 won? Where did you buy this for 30,000 won?”

“My manager got it for me. When I asked how much it was, he said it was 30,000 won… is it not?”

I suddenly felt uneasy. No way.

At my question, Noh Bi-hyuk hesitated for a moment before smiling sheepishly.

“No, it’s probably 30,000 won. I’ve never seen this brand before. I know most brands.”

“Really? You’ve never seen this brand before?”

“Of course~. Wow, your manager has good taste. I’ll ask him where he got it from when I see him.”

Noh Bi-hyuk laughed lightly and handed back the watch.

When I looked into his eyes, he averted his gaze.

Seeing Noh Bi-hyuk’s lips tremble slightly, I swallowed a sigh.

“No, I’ll ask today.”

“…Okay~, but leave my name out of it.”

Noh Bi-hyuk quickly turned his back on that note. A clean cut-off.

Ha, if he’s acting like that, how much is it really?

How expensive can a watch be? Surely it’s not over 100,000 won?

My complicated thoughts came to a halt as soon as I saw the search results on my phone.

―Oh, yes, Actor! Are you at school right now….

“Hyung, are you crazy?!”

―…What? Why, why….

“You said this was 30,000 won! When I searched for the brand name, the cheapest one is 300,000 won!”

―Ah….

I took a deep breath after hearing the shocked voice from the other end of the phone. Okay, stay calm. Calm down—.

“Why spend 300,000 won on a watch? For an elementary school kid! Even if I don’t know anything, this isn’t right! What kid gets a gift like this?”

Forget staying calm. My hands trembled at the unexpected amount.

My monthly allowance was 30,000 won.

300,000 won? It would take 10 months of not spending a single penny to save up that amount.

I hurried behind the cafeteria building to make the call, but I couldn’t calm down and kept pacing.

―Actor, please, please calm down.

“How can I calm down? You lied to me.”

―…! I’m sorry! It was my mistake. I didn’t mean to lie…, no, you probably don’t want to hear excuses. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again….

“If you say sorry one more time, I’m hanging up.”

―….

I slightly lowered my phone, which had quickly gone silent, and took a deep breath.

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been this upset.

But thanks to venting, the trembling in my body gradually subsided.

I took another deep breath and picked up the phone.

“I understand your intentions. Thank you. But I don’t think this is right. I’ve never thought about wanting such an expensive watch. Moreover, it’s not even something I bought with my own money, receiving it from you makes it even worse.”

―Yes. Actor. I understand. Sorry, no, understood. I’m sorry for causing trouble, no.

Manager An Jin-bae replied in a confused tone.

He said he didn’t intend to make me uncomfortable, just bought it lightly because he thought it would suit me while shopping with his family.

He added that since he grew up comfortably, his sense of appropriate prices wasn’t well developed, but he wasn’t boasting about it and apologized again.

After his long explanation, I was able to respond more calmly.

“Alright. Thank you. I… ha, I don’t have 300,000 won. I’ll gratefully accept this as a gift. Instead, I’ll make sure to give you something better in the future.”

I had spent almost all my saved allowance buying the perfume.

Although I had a drama appearance contract fee, all financial matters were entrusted to the director.

The director explained that it would all be deposited in an account under my name, but I planned to give it back later anyway, so it wasn’t money I considered meaningful to me.

―Yes! Thank you, Actor!

“…You can thank me properly later. And don’t lie about money matters again.”

I knew that in an employer-employee relationship, honesty couldn’t always prevail.

In most cases, I could overlook it, but money issues were different.

Manager An Jin-bae seemed sufficiently shocked, so I doubted the same thing would happen again, but I made sure to say it.

Feeling a sense of closure from the conversation, I gradually relaxed.

However, Manager An Jin-bae hesitated and didn’t respond immediately.

―Actor…, there’s actually one more thing I need to tell you….

“What is it?”

Manager An Jin-bae stammered, his voice shaky with anxiety.

After hearing his nervous voice, I closed my eyes.

―The watch…, it’s not 300,000 won but 700,000 won….

“….”

My vision went dark.