The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune

Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity

Chapter: 42

It takes different lengths of time for each child to accept the fact that their parents won’t come looking for them.

It can take as little as a few days or as long as several years.

Babies placed in front of the orphanage call the teachers “mom.”

Later, as they grow older and realize that the teachers aren’t their real moms, they often get very confused.

Fortunately, I had already accepted the fact before arriving at the orphanage.

When my biological mother kissed my forehead and swallowed her tears, telling me to stay here for a while and not go anywhere else, I had an intuition.

That it was the last time.

I wanted to see her face one last time.

But she stopped me when I tried to lift my head.

So, I have no memory of her face in that vivid memory.

“― Mr. Lee, are you okay?”

“Huh.”

When I came to my senses, the car had already come to a stop.

“Are you okay? Do you want to sit for a bit before moving?”

“No, it’s okay. I was just distracted for a moment.”

I unbuckled my seatbelt, reassuring Manager An Jin-bae, who was looking at me with concern.

I waited until Manager An Jin-bae got out first and opened the door for me. The flow of events was so natural that it shocked me for a moment.

“…Hyung, I’ll open the door myself from now on.”

“Suddenly?”

As soon as I got out of the car, Manager An Jin-bae asked back with a puzzled look.

But I was more puzzled.

How could I wait for him to open the door like it was a given?

‘Isn’t this… celebrity disease?’

I got goosebumps.

How could I have caught the celebrity disease just a few days after signing the contract?

Of course, Manager An Jin-bae volunteered to do it, and I initially refused several times.

Having ridden in Manager An Jin-bae’s car for about two months, it was natural to get used to this behavior.

But that didn’t mean it was okay to take it for granted.

“I think I got too used to it. I’m worried it might become a habit.”

“It’s okay if it becomes a habit… but if it’s more comfortable for you, then go ahead.”

What’s going on? He used to insist on doing it every time I said I’d do it myself.

Of course, the expression “insisted” turned polite when it came to Manager An Jin-bae.

He kept whining that he really wanted to do it, so I had no choice but to agree.

I stayed silent, fearing he might think I still had regrets if I said anything more.

I need to be careful from now on. The thought of saying, “What? You want me to open the car door myself? With my own hands?” to Manager An Jin-bae flashed through my mind. It made me dizzy.

“The house has already been cleaned. You just need to unpack. Your room is over there; is that okay?”

“I don’t mind where I stay.”

The house I arrived at wasn’t as luxurious as Manager An Jin-bae’s, but it was spacious enough to be overwhelming for me.

I had told him to do the unpacking together if there was anything to do, but he had stocked up on living supplies alone the night before, so there wasn’t much left for me to do.

The most impressive thing in Manager An Jin-bae’s room, who claimed to have brought only a few belongings, was the shelf filled with books.

I was used to encountering books that belonged to others, so it was the first time I saw someone having so many books in their room.

He said I could take out and read any book I wanted, so I didn’t refuse.

“I didn’t do much, but the day has passed.”

“Moving days are always like that.”

After tidying up this and that, the day had already ended.

While I stared blankly at the pitch-black night outside, he said I should get ready for bed.

“There’s no schedule for tomorrow, so sleep in. Have a good dream!”

“You too, have a good dream―. Oh, wait a moment.”

As we were about to enter our respective rooms, I suddenly remembered something and stopped Manager An Jin-bae.

I hurriedly came out with a wrapped box from my room. He was frozen in the same awkward posture as when I had called him.

“Take this.”

Manager An Jin-bae received the box with a puzzled expression.

He carefully unwrapped it and froze as soon as he saw the contents.

Feeling a bit embarrassed by his reaction, I unconsciously touched my ear.

“I told you I’d give it to you when I earned money. I bought it with the signing bonus.”

“Actor… How can I accept this…?”

“You gave me something too. Why can’t you accept it? I asked Jung-hyun hyung about the watch since I didn’t know much about it, but if you don’t like it―.”

“No! I like it very much. Thank you! But can I really accept this…?”

“Please don’t say that. It’s not that expensive.”

It was ridiculously expensive.

A few days ago, I went to the department store for the first time with Jung-hyun hyung.

When I saw the price tag, I wondered if I was in another world.

Seeing me freeze up, Jung-hyun hyung laughed and picked out a reasonably priced watch.

The black watch was simple, but I couldn’t understand why it was so expensive.

After choosing the watch, I also bought handkerchiefs and hair ties for the directors and teachers. I handed out the presents the night before I moved.

It was a day when I spent an amount I had never imagined or used before.

My trembling eyes only calmed down after a day.

It felt like I had spent someone else’s money, which made it worse.

From now on, I should really save up and give it to the directors.

“Thank you so much! I’ll even wear it while I sleep!”

“Please don’t wear it while you sleep.”

His sparkling eyes wished me sweet dreams.

I said goodnight and entered my room. Though it was my room, it felt unfamiliar.

* * *

“Mist.”

“…Huh. Yeon-jae.”

I opened my eyes and called out to Mist, who was sitting in a chair.

When I called, his small back flinched, and he slowly turned his head.

“You’re here…?”

“Yes.”

I answered his cautious question and sat next to him.

He didn’t make eye contact. Seeing him slink away, I sighed.

It’s been two weeks since Mist, who used to run to me with a bright smile, started avoiding me.

To be precise, it was after I asked him if he could touch the black stone once.

‘Mist, could you touch the black stone once tomorrow?’

‘…Huh? Why?’

‘As you said, there shouldn’t be any misfortune factor sticking to my energy. If it’s because of the black stone, isn’t that fascinating? It might be a mutation. Let’s experiment together.’

I deliberately used words Mist would like, but his response was lukewarm.

His eyes rolled, and then he suddenly smiled and changed the subject, pretending not to hear me.

It was similar to how a 4-year-old reacts when faced with something they don’t want to do.

So, I didn’t push or get angry. I joined the conversation he had shifted to. The parenting book said to do so.

Then, when his guard was down a bit, I brought it up again. And the next day too.

Since then, he’s been like this. He even changed his usual appearance as Noh Bi-hyuk, which he had been doing for months.

Noh Bi-hyuk was a 4-year-old child among the orphanage kids who particularly followed me.

He cried a lot on the last day I left, and I wiped his tears.

The intention was so obvious that it wasn’t even funny. You’re not like him.

I wanted to sneer, but seeing his chubby cheeks left me speechless.

At that moment, I felt a bit depressed thinking that Mist might be smarter than me.

‘How do I coax him…’

I knew he really didn’t want to do it. But I had no choice.

It wasn’t something that could be solved with a search function, and even Mist didn’t know exactly.

No matter how much I thought about it, touching the black stone once was the only option to understand its nature.

‘Mist should have some benefit too if I want to persuade him.’

Wouldn’t he like it if he knew he could meet me longer by finding out why this is happening?

As I pondered, I sensed Mist’s restlessness beside me.

I glanced sideways to see him looking at me cautiously.

Why is he like this suddenly? Ah, maybe he feels guilty?

Mist must know he’s obviously avoiding me. He’s not really 4 years old.

Until now, I had been the one to approach and try to lighten the mood, but today I stayed silent, and he seemed to be watching my reaction. Should I use this?

“Sigh…”

I sighed deliberately. The small body beside me flinched.

I counted seconds in my head, and Mist, hesitating, spoke first.

“Yeon-jae… Is something wrong?”

“Huh? No. Don’t worry about it.”

“Okay.”

This was the end.

Even though he was pouting his lips, he didn’t ask further, probably fearing the black stone would come up again.

It worked. I should continue this method.

I buried the guilt rising inside me and stayed silent, occasionally sighing.

Unable to bear it, Mist finally spoke, and I replied with a face full of trials, saying not to worry.

Mist held out for three days.

“Yeon-jae! I’ll help! It’s because of the black stone, right? I… I’ll touch it once!”

On the fourth day, Mist came running to me, his face flushed as soon as I woke up.

I deliberately counted to five before carefully speaking.

“No. Don’t do it if you don’t want to.”

“It’s okay! It’ll be okay! I’ll try!”

Got him.

Mist was now breathing heavily, almost panting.

Still, seeing him nod continuously made me feel uneasy, so I held his hand and thanked him.

I told him I wanted to meet him longer. That I didn’t want to rely on uncertain expectations. To do that, we needed to know why this was happening.

Mist, who listened to my words in silence, smiled brightly. I want to meet Yeon-jae longer too!

Seeing his sparkling eyes, I stroked his hair for the first time in a while.

Mist purred like a cat and snuggled into my embrace.

“Then, let’s act for about two hours after we wake up tomorrow. When the misfortune factors completely fall off, let’s touch it once.”

“Okay! Got it!”

“…Don’t overdo it. Just do what you can.”

“I will! Don’t worry!”

By now, the scared face was gone, and only a determined kid remained.

My hand tingled slightly, but I kept stroking his hair.

“See you tomorrow, Yeon-jae!”

“Yes. I’m counting on you.”

We parted with nervous faces, preparing for the test we hadn’t done in a while.

* * *

“Lee Yeon-jae, are you okay?”

“Huh? Why?”

I turned to look at Noh Bi-hyuk at his sudden question.

Thinking it was a silly joke, I saw his face full of genuine concern.

“Did you see the article―, no, never mind. Don’t worry about it.”

“Oh, you mean the comments? It’s okay. It’s part of the strategy.”

“Strategy?”

Three days ago, an article came out stating I had signed with Woo-yeon Entertainment.

Comments congratulating me and expressing expectations suddenly flipped overnight.

Seeing Noh Bi-hyuk’s face, I could guess what had happened. He must have seen the comments CEO Jang had given as examples.

Since I knew what was going to happen, I wasn’t concerned.

All my thoughts were elsewhere now.

‘Did Mist do well?’

After talking to Mist, I woke up at dawn and started acting.

Did he touch the stone? Is it really because of the stone that the misfortune factors stick?

With so little information, I couldn’t predict the outcome. It could turn out to be meaningless.

Regardless of the result, I planned to tell Mist he worked hard as soon as I met him.

But the next morning, I woke up without seeing Mist.