The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune

Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity

Chapter: 35

“What?”

I must have misheard.

Hopefully, he misspoke. As I looked at him, hoping fervently, the producer chuckled softly.

“Your acting was so good that Yu-hyeon’s charm became much stronger than we initially planned. It felt like a waste to show such an attractive character in just a few scenes. Writer Han felt the same way.”

“No, I was shocked when I saw the footage from PD Kim. This isn’t my creation; it’s yours. It’s always the actor who completes the character.”

“After discussing with Writer Han, we thought we could add about three more scenes. But those are emotional scenes, so you need to check if you can handle them first.”

“What are you talking about? Yeon-jae can definitely do it! I’d hand over all the scenes to you if it were plausible, but it’s frustrating that I can’t.”

Without giving me a chance to respond, the producer and writer exchanged words like a comedy duo.

While I was momentarily stunned by the unexpected conversation, Manager An Jin-bae, who had been quietly listening, joined the discussion.

He inquired about the approximate content of the additional scenes, how the pay would be adjusted, and how much the schedule would be extended as the vacation was ending soon.

He said it would be difficult to give an immediate answer and promised to respond within two days after some deliberation. His tone, subtly urgent, seemed to suggest he was giving me a break for now.

It was indeed hard to think straight at the moment.

I parroted Manager An Jin-bae’s words and stood up awkwardly.

It felt like I had spaced out for a moment, but before I knew it, I was in the car with my seatbelt fastened.

“…Did you fasten the seatbelt for me?”

“Yes. Please go back to sleep. We’re heading to the hospital now.”

“The hospital?”

I shot up at the unexpected news, only to feel a wave of nausea that made me hold my breath for a moment.

“Why the sudden trip to the hospital—, it’s not that serious.”

“You’re not a doctor, actor. Just stay still. We’ll be there in five minutes.”

Manager An Jin-bae’s voice was slightly more rigid than usual.

It was embarrassing since I wasn’t really that sick, but arguing further seemed pointless, so I stayed silent.

After arriving at the emergency room, I lay down for a long time.

Not being an emergency case, I had to wait quite a while.

I told him he could leave since I’d take a taxi home, but Manager An Jin-bae didn’t even pretend to hear.

“It looks like you have reflux esophagitis. Fortunately, it seems to be in the early stages.”

This was the first thing the doctor said after approaching me a long time later. I knew it wouldn’t be anything serious.

The doctor’s indifferent voice continued.

“Your stomach is quite damaged. It seems you’ve been vomiting several times recently. The stomach acid has likely damaged your esophagus, leading to reflux esophagitis.”

“…So you’re saying it didn’t happen from vomiting just once?”

“Yes. Given this level of damage, you must have been vomiting continuously for at least one to two weeks… Considering your age, alcohol isn’t likely the cause.”

The doctor responded to Manager An Jin-bae’s question while showing the test results.

“It’s a condition that often occurs in teenagers dieting excessively. It’s a bit early for you, but if that’s the case, stop because it doesn’t help with weight loss at all.”

“I wasn’t trying to lose weight….”

“Then is it due to indigestion? Whatever the reason, vomiting habitually is bad. It’s best to find the cause and treat it. For now, finish your IV and visit internal medicine tomorrow.”

After quickly finishing his explanation, the doctor wrote something on the chart and left.

The nurse checked the remaining IV fluid, said it would take about 30 minutes, and told me to wait a bit longer before drawing the curtain and leaving.

Unlike the noisy outside, the inside was filled with silence.

The first to speak was Manager An Jin-bae.

“Actor, if it’s difficult to talk now, should we talk later?”

“No. It’s fine now.”

It had already been two hours since we left the set. The lingering scent in my nose had almost faded.

At my words, Manager An Jin-bae took a deep breath and looked at me.

“The vomiting today wasn’t due to indigestion, was it?”

“No. I’m sorry for lying.”

“So, you’ve been looking unwell lately because you’ve been vomiting? How long has it been?”

“About two weeks….”

There was no immediate response.

Manager An Jin-bae remained silent for a long time, as if mulling over my words, then suddenly stood up.

“I’ll call the director.”

“Hyung, wait—.”

“No. It’s something that needs to be reported to a guardian.”

Before I could finish speaking, Manager An Jin-bae firmly shook his head.

Feeling troubled but unable to argue, I bit my lip.

Just as he was about to pull back the curtain and leave, he hesitated and sighed softly.

“I’ll only tell the director that you’re not feeling well and came to the hospital. You can explain the details yourself tomorrow. Stay at my place tonight.”

I wondered what staying at his place had to do with telling the director, but given the tense atmosphere, I just agreed.

After finishing the IV, I returned to the grand house. It had been two weeks since my last visit.

Since it was well past 11 PM, I quickly washed up and sat on the sofa as Manager An Jin-bae had instructed earlier.

‘He seems really angry….’

Damn, things got more complicated than expected. Why did this have to happen on the last day of filming?

As I was trying to figure out what to say, Manager An Jin-bae, with slightly damp hair, came out into the living room.

Before I could say anything, he approached me with a somber voice.

“I’m sorry. Actor.”

“…? What?”

“How untrustworthy I must be for you to suffer in silence without telling me.”

I was so taken aback that I couldn’t speak. What was he talking about now?

“It’s a manager’s job to take care of the actor’s health. Instead of managing you, I didn’t even notice you were vomiting for two weeks. I’m really sorry.”

“No, no. How could that be your fault when I didn’t say anything?”

“It doesn’t matter whether you told me or not. As a manager, I should have known. And it’s also my fault for not creating an environment where you felt comfortable enough to talk. I’m really—.”

“Please stop apologizing.”

Even though I shook my head and tried to stop him, he kept apologizing like a robot.

I couldn’t tell if he was genuinely apologizing or if he was strategically taking a favorable position before the real conversation started.

I couldn’t think too deeply about it. Seeing him looking genuinely dejected made my heart race.

Yeah, he’s not someone who acts this well.

Besides, it was indeed my fault for lying.

“Hyung. Please, stop. It’s not because I didn’t trust you.”

I thought about how to change his gloomy expression and continued speaking.

His apology was based on the idea that he was untrustworthy, so I needed to address that first.

“It’s not like I forced myself to hold back either. I just thought it wasn’t necessary to mention.”

“Then can you tell me why?”

As if waiting for this, his words came out quickly, making me pause.

I narrowed my eyes, wondering if he was acting, but his expression soon turned sad again.

“There’s no need to worry that much.”

‘It’s true I should have tried harder—,” he started saying nonsense again, so I raised my hand to stop him.

“Alright. I’ll tell you. But stop apologizing.”

“Understood.”

Seeing his face return to normal as if he had never been upset, I sighed deeply, feeling something was off.

‘Mist must be watching this….’

Mist had been questioning why I kept vomiting and why I used perfume lately. I had ignored his questions, so I couldn’t help but think about him.

But I had no other choice.

I decided to finish the conversation quickly and began speaking slowly.

* * *

“Yeon-jae! How are you feeling? Are you okay?”

As soon as I opened my eyes, Mist came rushing over.

Watching his worried, drooping eyebrows, I raised my hand.

I almost touched him but felt awkward since he had Noh Bi-hyuk’s face.

“What’s wrong?”

“You seem to have gotten better at making worried expressions.”

“Huh?”

I smiled and assured Mist, who tilted his head as if he didn’t understand.

Instead of lying on the bed as usual, I sat on the sofa and asked what he had done today.

Startled by the unfamiliar question, Mist’s lips twitched.

“I spent my day as usual! Watching Yeon-jae’s energy! Your acting was great today! That woman was so surprised that I felt proud!”

“You’ve helped me practice a lot too. You have every reason to feel proud.”

At my words, Mist’s cheeks lifted slightly.

The natural movement of muscles trying to suppress a smile. He almost seemed human.

“Hehe! Yeah! I was excited!”

No, I take it back. If he were really human, he couldn’t do a front flip in the air.

I watched Mist, in Noh Bi-hyuk’s form, jump around for a while.

“Mist.”

“Huh?”

“Aren’t you going to ask?”

“…About what?”

“You heard everything. Don’t pretend you didn’t.”

Mist observes everything I do throughout the day.

I once told him there’s no need to watch me compulsively, considering he has other entities to manage and must be busy with various tasks.

He made a sad face like a child whose toy had been taken away and insisted he wasn’t watching out of obligation.

I was very confused, not understanding why he was upset.

When I told him I was concerned about him, he smiled brightly as if he had never been upset.

Now, he looked small and hunched.

“Well… I wasn’t sure if I should ask….”

“…? Really?”

You’re hesitant to ask for that reason? A kid who doesn’t lose to anyone in curiosity?

I remembered his eyes sparkling when he talked about the misfortune that would befall me shortly after we met.

‘Should I say it’s commendable?’

Feeling strange, I patted the spot next to me on the sofa.

Understanding my gesture, Mist smiled brightly and quickly lay down on my lap.

After filming the scene where Nabi patted Yu-hyeon’s head, he had asked if I could do the same.

Since I had never patted anyone’s head before, I awkwardly followed his request, and he kept asking for it afterward.

I gently ran my fingers through his curly hair, and he glanced at me.

“Did that human bother you a lot?”

“Huh?”

“So, is that why you feel nauseous just by smelling that scent? Because it reminds you of the bad memories….”

His voice got smaller and smaller. I stifled a laugh and shook my head.

“No. You’ve seen my memories. They never insulted or hit me. They were kind until the end.”

“Really…? Then….”

Yu-hyeon looked confused and eventually closed his mouth.

Right. Since that’s not the case, it doesn’t make sense that just smelling the scent makes me vomit.

I shrugged my shoulders, ruffling the soft hair in my hands.

“Well, I don’t know either.”

I wasn’t making an excuse. I truly didn’t know why.

I thought it wasn’t something I had assigned great meaning to.

The perfume Han Se-young used, “étranger,” was the same scent used by someone I once called my second mother, my foster mother.