The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune

Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity

Chapter: 30

“Actor. There’s a coffee truck outside. Would you like me to bring you some lemonade?”

As I was reading the script alone after Sung Lee-jun left for filming, Manager An Jin-bae approached me with a bright face.

“Ah…, no.”

“Then what would you like? Oh! There’s also green grape ade.”

“No. I meant let’s go together.”

I stood up from my chair and stood beside him. Manager An Jin-bae, looking slightly puzzled, extended his hand.

Although I wondered if there would be cars zooming around the coffee truck, I grasped his hand without saying much.

“If you stay here, I can bring it to you….”

“No, it’s fine. I feel a bit cooped up too.”

“Oh, you felt stuffy? The air circulation inside the set isn’t great, so it can feel suffocating.”

Actually, I wasn’t feeling suffocated.

I was just bothered by Sung Lee-jun occasionally looking in my direction during filming.

The look in Sung Lee-jun’s eyes when he looked at me was full of ‘uneasiness’ and ‘discomfort’.

It was clearly different from the hostility Oh Seung-hyun showed yesterday. If I had to compare, it was similar to the way people looked at me before I encountered the Mist.

Still, seeing that it didn’t show at all on the surface, I thought, “He truly is an actor.”

‘Did he hear something about me? This is really out of the blue.’

It felt strange because I hadn’t received such a look since I encountered the Mist.

But it’s not like I’ll see it for the rest of my life…. After all, we’ll only see each other during filming.

It’s not like I could ask someone who’s pretending nothing is wrong why they’re looking at me like that.

In other words, there was nothing I could do about it.

‘Hmm, let’s just ignore it.’

I nodded my head, coming to a conclusion. I felt much more at ease.

When we reached the coffee truck, I saw people gathered and wondered what was going on. Actor Kim Seok-jun was wearing an apron and taking orders.

Why is he here when he doesn’t have any filming today?

Before my curiosity deepened, our eyes met, and I quickly bowed.

“Hello.”

“Oh, hey. Relax, relax. Why are you being so formal?”

Kim Seok-jun’s expression looked genuinely embarrassed as he spoke.

“You came really early? Wasn’t your filming at 3 today?”

“Yes. Since it’s my first shoot, I came a bit early. Do you have filming today?”

“No, our shoot starts in two weeks. I came to see you today.”

“Me?”

Kim Seok-jun showed me the menu and told me to place my order.

“What would you like, iced chocolate?”

“I’ll have lemonade. And an iced Americano too, please.”

“You’re already drinking coffee?”

“No, it’s for my manager.”

When I glanced at Manager An Jin-bae next to me, Kim Seok-jun smiled and gave an okay sign.

I still didn’t understand why he was doing this here, but I wasn’t curious enough to ask.

A moment later, an employee finished making the drinks, and Kim Seok-jun handed them to me with straws.

“Thank you.”

“You’re going to the filming set, right? Let’s go together.”

Kim Seok-jun took off his apron and got off the trailer.

The way he took off his apron carelessly and tossed it anywhere made him look like a complete loafer.

“I came to watch your acting today. And to score some points with the staff too.”

“My acting?”

“Yeah, you’re appearing before me.”

“Yes.”

“Since we look different…, I thought it would be less jarring if at least our acting tones were similar. I came to watch and take some notes.”

Despite the detailed explanation, his expression clearly showed that he found it bothersome.

As I returned to the set with the leisurely walking Kim Seok-jun, I saw Sung Lee-jun standing idly in the middle of the set.

He had already changed into neat clothes, indicating the shoot was over.

Wondering why he hadn’t left yet, I approached him. When he saw me, he looked startled and bowed deeply.

“Hello, senior…!”

“Oh, seriously, why do you all do this? Please, treat me comfortably. Just call me hyung.”

When Kim Seok-jun slightly frowned in embarrassment, his impression changed remarkably.

If the young Yu-hyeon gave a gentle vibe, it now made sense why the writer wanted him to turn spicy as an adult.

Suddenly, I became curious about Kim Seok-jun’s portrayal of Yu-hyeon.

“Yeon-jae, I’m leaving. See you next time…!”

“Okay. Take care.”

“I’ll head out first. Senior…!”

“Call me hyung?”

“Ah, yes! Hy-hyung!”

With a flushed face, Sung Lee-jun shyly waved and left.

Watching his departing figure for a moment, I sat down on a chair.

Though I had only stepped out briefly, I felt slightly sweaty due to the material of my clothes.

Before I could say anything, Manager An Jin-bae approached and hung a portable fan around my neck.

“Thank you, hyung.”

“You’re welcome!”

Manager An Jin-bae responded energetically and stepped back to give us some space to talk comfortably.

It seemed like he was going far, but he only went about ten steps away. Standing where he couldn’t hear our conversation, he watched me, and Kim Seok-jun gave a wry smile at the sight.

“Did your manager just start working? He’s really intense.”

“No. I heard he’s been doing this for four years now. He seems to have a strong sense of professionalism.”

“Seems like it.”

From his indifferent response, it was clear he wasn’t really curious, which made me laugh.

After exchanging a few polite words, Kim Seok-jun started a more serious conversation.

He mostly asked questions, and I answered. The questions were deeper and more detailed than I expected.

He asked things like, “When do you think Yu-hyeon’s favorite time of day is?” It took me a while to answer because I had never thought about it that deeply.

“Ah, right. I thought the same! It’s such a Yu-hyeon-like behavior!”

“And if Na-bi catches him, wouldn’t he deny it and say he didn’t do it?”

“Ha ha! That could be. Or he might act cute and ask them to let it go.”

As the conversation continued, it gained momentum.

Kim Seok-jun, who had seemed a bit out of it, now had a smile around his eyes.

Our interpretations of the character seemed to align, which was surprising.

The time it took for us to come up with questions and answers got shorter and shorter.

I felt a lightness in my body as we talked.

“One more question. What do you think Yu-hyeon feels towards the Queen? Not the obvious desire for love or recognition.”

There was a playful glint in his eyes.

I had felt it from the start… he didn’t seem to care that I had no acting experience.

The content and the manner of his questions showed no consideration for my lack of experience.

But it made me more comfortable.

It was clear that the purpose of the conversation was something specific, so he was thoroughly indifferent to me as the conversation partner.

Seeing the clear reason behind his questions, I felt less doubtful.

“I think Yu-hyeon dislikes the Queen.”

“…?? Dislikes her? Really? Why do you think that?”

He was genuinely surprised, adjusting his posture and leaning closer to me.

Just as I was about to answer, I heard the PD calling from a distance.

“Yeon-jae! Can you come here? Let’s get ready for the shoot.”

“Yes. Hyung, I’ll be back after filming.”

“Tsk, okay. Good luck~.”

Kim Seok-jun didn’t hide his disappointed expression and lazily waved his fist in a half-hearted cheer.

Leaving behind his unenthusiastic support, I ran over to the PD.

Next to the PD stood actress Kim Hyun-joo, who would be playing the role of the Queen.

“You’re Yeon-jae, right? Let’s do our best.”

“Yes. Please take care of me.”

I replied politely, and Kim Hyun-joo smiled kindly.

They say a person’s character shows on their face, but that didn’t seem to apply to Kim Hyun-joo.

When she arrived at the set earlier, I greeted her with that kind face, but she didn’t respond.

Even though our eyes met, she passed by without a word. Now, she was the one initiating the conversation.

The reason for the sudden change in attitude was obvious.

It must be because of the person watching me after finishing her conversation with the staff.

“Did you practice a lot?”

“Yes, PD.”

The PD smiled warmly as he looked between me and Kim Hyun-joo.

“Don’t be too nervous. Just do it like during the reading. Hyun-joo, please match your pace comfortably with Yeon-jae since it’s his first time.”

“Don’t worry, PD.”

Kim Hyun-joo smiled at me. Her gaze was sharp and piercing.

As I focused on the PD’s detailed explanations about the movements and camera angles, I carefully loosened my dry throat.

Feeling a gaze from somewhere, I turned my head and saw Manager An Jin-bae watching me with intense eyes.

His eyebrows, which had a scratch on them, were furrowed with tension.

His jaw was trembling as if he was nervous.

He should have taken the calming pill instead of giving it to me.

I quickly erased the smile trying to form on my lips and turned my head back.

“Then, ready—”

Phew, let’s not be a burden. Let’s not.

I clenched my fists.

“Action!”

* * *

Kim Hyun-joo was an actress who had been in the industry for 13 years.

She wasn’t famous enough for everyone to know her, but she appeared on TV often enough to be recognized.

When she was much younger, she had once left the industry, feeling too insignificant compared to the glamorous stars, but she returned to the camera a few years later.

After giving up on being the main character, everything got better.

Everything about Kim Hyun-joo suited the roles beside the protagonist.

For years, she had played friends, colleagues, wives, mothers, aunts, and more to countless actors.

But this was her first time experiencing something like this.

“Your Highness, did I not tell you?”

“……Yes, Mother.”

“Your Highness is the only light and hope of this nation. Yet, why do you still let such trivial matters sway you? Showing tears over the words of such vulgar beings is not becoming of a true crown prince. It saddens me deeply that my words do not seem to reach you.”

The long dialogue flowed smoothly without a hitch.

Her proficient and skilled historical drama tone was impeccable.

Her sharp gaze pierced through Lee Yeon-jae, contrasting with her sorrowful voice.

This scene focused more on the Queen than on Yu-hyeon.

As it was Lee Yeon-jae’s first shoot and he had only done extra work before, the PD had made some considerate adjustments.

However—.

“It was my fault….”

What on earth is this kid doing?

Kim Hyun-joo swallowed her irritation.

Even though he had few lines, just opening his mouth—or even just standing still—drew everyone’s attention.

His straight posture and intensely shaking black pupils stood out.

“Not at all. How could you say such a thing? It’s not your fault. It’s because of my inadequacies as a mother.”

“…….”

Kim Hyun-joo put on a ‘pretending to be sad’ expression, lowering her eyebrows while putting a lot of force into her eyelids.

Her acting perfectly captured the Queen’s character, who made Yu-hyeon weak and burdened him with guilt.

The intentionally calculated gaze made it even more painful without being overtly malicious.

Facing her, Yu-hyeon had a terrified look but managed not to lower his head.

His slightly trembling shoulders showed how he barely held himself together.

Despite clenching his teeth, his broken expression allowed the viewers to guess his completely shattered mental state.

Seeing his pitiful appearance made Kim Hyun-joo’s pupils waver.

“Cut! NG!”

Damn it, I messed up. Kim Hyun-joo swallowed a curse.

Looking ahead with eyes full of frustration, she saw Lee Yeon-jae slowly blinking with a blank expression.