The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune

Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity

Chapter: 33

“My stomach suddenly didn’t feel well. I’m okay now.”

He didn’t look okay at all.

Lee Si-hyun’s face hardened even more at the calm voice that didn’t match his pale complexion.

“Did you wake up because of me? Was I too loud?”

“No, I came out to get some water… Have you not slept yet? Or did you wake up? You’re not just feeling indigestion, right?”

I almost got swept away by her attempt to divert the conversation, but I shook my head firmly.

When she asked again, Yeon-jae smiled awkwardly and answered.

He tried to be sincere, but it wasn’t a particularly helpful answer in determining the exact situation.

“Yeon-jae, don’t just say you’re okay… I’m worried about you.”

It wasn’t long ago that I saw Yeon-jae drenched in cold sweat.

At that time, he had come out to drink water, and my heart almost sank when I saw In-yeong as soon as I turned on the light.

Fortunately, I felt relieved seeing the familiar face, but then I hurriedly approached him seeing his pale appearance.

Back then, anyone could tell something was clearly wrong with Yeon-jae.

“It was like he didn’t recognize me…”

I remember him rolling his eyes and not answering for a long time.

Even though I asked him several times, he kept saying he was okay, so I had no choice but to send him back. The next day, I still felt uneasy, so I went to check on him again.

“I was actually practicing my acting. I got so immersed in it for a moment that I didn’t even realize it.”

Only after seeing his embarrassed smile could I feel relieved.

Even though it seemed unlikely for someone to sweat that much just from immersing in their role, I could understand it better since I had seen him act at a funeral.

“Were you practicing acting again this time?”

“…….”

I had only heard that he had a supporting role in a fusion historical drama, but I didn’t know the details, which made me worry even more.

Could it be that the setting is so difficult that it might cause trauma to a child?

In any case, vomiting was never a normal reaction.

Seeing him hesitate to answer, just moving his lips, made it clear he was trying to figure out how to end this conversation quickly.

Having known Yeon-jae since he was six years old, I could tell.

When I stared at him gently, he finally seemed to organize his thoughts and slowly opened his mouth.

“Well, this time… I was practicing getting used to a certain scent for the shoot. But I think I sprayed too much accidentally and it made my stomach upset.”

“Perfume? You mean this scent now?”

“Yes. I’m not suffering from indigestion or anything, and I didn’t overexert myself. It’s just that I was inexperienced since it was my first time using perfume. I’ll be more careful next time.”

Yeon-jae smiled kindly after finishing his words.

His smile was bright, but his complexion was still pale.

Beads of cold sweat on his forehead suggested he was still struggling.

Despite that, he was stubbornly pretending to be okay, which was so like Lee Yeon-jae.

Once Lee Si-hyun understood the situation to some extent, she quickly figured out what needed to be done.

“Where did you spray the perfume?”

“On my wrist and neck.”

“You really sprayed a lot. The scent is so strong now that it won’t easily come off even with soap. I’ll bring some alcohol wipes, so wash up quickly. Change all your clothes too. Once you’re done, I’ll wipe behind your ears and your neck.”

Yeon-jae responded with an ‘okay’ and moved quickly.

Lee Si-hyun also hurriedly moved to get the first aid kit.

What a mess to deal with in the middle of the night.

“At least I’m glad I wasn’t asleep, leaving him alone.”

If I hadn’t woken up, Yeon-jae might have still been throwing up by himself.

Imagining him struggling alone, unable to get rid of the scent despite washing all night, made me uncomfortable.

Even though it was because of perfume, at least it wasn’t something more serious.

“What kind of shoot requires getting used to a scent…?”

Lee Si-hyun, who was moving busily, tilted her head.

It had only been a few days since the teachers decided in a meeting not to ask Yeon-jae about his acting.

Giving Yeon-jae special treatment might cause other kids to feel uncomfortable, and moreover, it seemed Yeon-jae himself didn’t want to talk about it much.

But seeing him suffer like this made me wonder if I should at least know a little for prevention.

Should I ask that big manager who came last time?

“Oh my, it’s already…”

Sigh, let’s put the kid to bed first.

Lee Si-hyun, checking the time, moved hurriedly.

* * *

“Actor, please drink this before you continue.”

“I’m fine…”

“No, you have to drink it.”

Manager An Jin-bae’s firm expression left me no choice but to accept the orange vitamin drink.

Ugh, I really hate how sweet this is. Knowing how it tasted, my hand moved endlessly slow to open the cap.

If I could, I would’ve liked to pour it out somewhere when Manager An Jin-bae wasn’t looking.

But considering the intense gaze that wouldn’t disappear until I’d downed every drop, it was impossible.

“Ugh.”

“Good job. Now, have some water.”

With the thought of getting it over with quickly, I gulped it down fast.

As I swallowed, the sweetness lingering on my tongue made me grimace automatically.

Even after drinking the offered water, the sweetness didn’t easily go away.

“Anyone would think you were drinking poison.”

Actor Kim Seok-jun, who was half-lying in his chair, chuckled.

Manager An Jin-bae, having collected the empty vitamin drink and water bottle, disappeared after telling me to resume practice.

Kim Seok-jun, fully relaxed, glanced at Manager An Jin-bae standing in the corner.

“Your manager seems unusually tense today. Are you sick? You don’t look well.”

“I’m fine. Just tired.”

I answered roughly, not taking my eyes off the script.

I knew he wasn’t really asking out of genuine concern.

Sure enough, his uninterested eyes soon wandered off with a half-hearted “Is that so?”

My stomach indeed felt terrible. It must have been from vomiting constantly for the past three days.

Even on the first day, when I had sprayed more perfume than I thought because it was my first time, I vomited, but even on the second and third days when I used an appropriate amount, I still threw up. It didn’t seem to be an issue of quantity.

Trying not to cause a disturbance like the first day, I had to be mindful of the noise, which drained my stamina even more.

Seeing Manager An Jin-bae gasp when he saw my face meant I must not have looked good either.

I could sense he wanted to look at me the whole drive, and no matter how many times I said I was fine, he didn’t believe me.

Feeling guilty seeing his restless movements, I silently ate everything he handed to me, but that drink was just too sweet.

“At least it was worth throwing up.”

After repeatedly vomiting, I wondered if this brute-force method was right, but it seemed to have some effect.

Now, I could hold my head high without frowning at such a strong scent.

“Hello, nuna.”

“Yeon-jae, you came early. I thought I was early too. Oh, hello, sunbae.”

“Hi, Se-young.”

Still half-lying down, actor Kim Seok-jun lazily waved his hand.

Han Se-young gave a gentle smile at the sight and looked at me.

“Can we go over our lines before the shoot? It’s our first filming, after all.”

“No, I borrowed him for a bit~.”

Just as I was about to say yes to Han Se-young, a relaxed voice interrupted from behind. It was actor Kim Seok-jun.

He said he’d return me in twenty minutes, and after a moment of hesitation, Han Se-young agreed and left, asking to send me over when we were done.

‘What’s with both of them… Acting like they’ve reserved me or something.’

I turned my head away from the retreating figure, who left a lingering strong scent, walking away with neat steps.

Actor Kim Seok-jun, now reclining in his chair again, mumbled.

“I must’ve told him about thirty times to speak comfortably, but it’s still ‘sunbae’ to her.”

“Maybe it’s just more comfortable for her to address him that way.”

Everyone has their own way of feeling comfortable.

You could see it just by looking at Manager An Jin-bae.

Once you realize that everyone’s standards of comfort are different, the criteria for consideration become ambiguous as well.

What you think is a considerate action might actually be uncomfortable for someone else.

That’s why forming relationships seems to be even more difficult.

“Is that so.”

Kim Seok-jun, who had been staring blankly at the ceiling, groaned and sat up properly.

“Since we only have twenty minutes, should we get straight to the point? I’ve been so curious ever since we got cut off last time.”

It was the day of the first shoot with actor Kim Hyun-joo.

Because of repeated NGs, the shoot took a long time, and by the time it ended, Kim Seok-jun had already left.

I was trying to recall what we had been talking about last time when Kim Seok-jun, unable to wait, asked first.

“Why did you think Yoo-hyun would dislike the queen? I re-read the script after what you said, but I still don’t get it.”

Oh, that. I nodded and chose my words carefully for the explanation.

Indeed, if you only looked at the script, there were no lines or directions that indicated Yoo-hyun would dislike the queen.

I opened my mouth slowly, meeting his eyes that were intensely focused on me.

“If you look at the repeated things the queen says to Yoo-hyun, you can see a pattern. She constantly tells Yoo-hyun that she’s the only one who supports and stands by him. I thought it seemed like she was trying to solidify her position as his ‘sole savior’ through those words.”

“Sole savior?”

“Yes. But despite saying that, there’s no actual supportive action.”

What does it mean to never have been embraced by someone who repeatedly claims to be the only one who understands you?

Pretending to always have open arms but never actually embracing him, wouldn’t Yoo-hyun notice that?

Of course, it was the queen who helped Yoo-hyun solidify his power and decided to have him escape when his life was in danger.

But those actions wouldn’t have felt considerate to Yoo-hyun.

You can tell from Yoo-hyun’s always tense demeanor around the queen. Ultimately, she’s not a comfortable presence for him.

“Okay. I understand that Yoo-hyun is uncomfortable with the queen. But isn’t there a difference between being uncomfortable and disliking someone? It seems like an over-interpretation.”

“To base Yoo-hyun’s dislike of the queen on the previous reasons, there’s a premise needed. Yoo-hyun must be a smart person.”

He has to recognize the queen’s contradictory attitude and hypocrisy to decide whether to dislike her or not.

I imagined Yoo-hyun, standing blankly in the middle of the room, thinking about the queen.

Unconsciously, I clenched and unclenched my fist.

“When I first read the script, I thought Yoo-hyun was stupid.”

“Isn’t that right? I still think so.”

I smiled silently at Kim Seok-jun’s bewildered muttering.

For some reason, even though he wasn’t talking to me, it made me feel a bit odd.

Maybe it was just my mood, but my palm, where my nails pressed, throbbed.