The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune

Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity

Chapter: 43

[Title: Everyone Who Remembers the Yellow Hat Picture, Gather Around]

Gentlemen… Do you remember… The time was March 18th….

The incident that shook the entire community by an unknown child….

We saw the article that he would appear as a child actor in a fusion historical drama, but we were still anxious….

So, we wondered when he would debut, and finally, he will…!

Moreover, the agency is Woo-yeon… that Woo-yeon! The one with Lee Jung-hyun!

Rejoice to your heart’s content! Now, we have a place to send complaint emails whenever he doesn’t appear in a show!!!

—ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ I don’t know this kid, but congratulationsㅋㅋㅋㅋ The post is filled with sincerity.

—You’re the one who posted pretending not to be a fan a few months ago.

—But it was weirder that he didn’t debut. He doesn’t have the face of an ordinary person….

#### [Title: OMG, the Yellow Hat Extra Joined Woo-yeon]

Do you remember the yellow hat extra?

He joined Woo-yeon. That’s insane. His life is set now;;;

+) Why are people talking about taking screenshots for PDF?;;; I’m embarrassed.

—Oh… As expected, being good-looking is a jackpot in life.

└Isn’t he in because of an audition? He’s young but probably good at acting.

└(ㄱㅆ) He didn’t audition. He joined because he’s close to Lee Jung-hyun.

└What nonsenseㅋㅋㅋㅋ Woo-yeon isn’t some neighborhood convenience store. Did you finish your homework before commentingㅋㅋㅋ

└Why are you so angry? Are you an insider?

└Even if not, it’s ridiculous; they picked him because of star potential, not connections.

—Ha, I’m jealous. Honestly, how good can an elementary student actㅋㅋㅋ He was picked because he’s handsome.

—Being handsome makes life so easy. Debuting as a celebrity just by smiling… If you have a good face, that’s everything.

└(ㄱㅆ) Having a good face is also a talent.

—Poster ㅜㅜ I’m a fan of Yeon-jae, can you delete the post ㅜㅜ Yeon-jae was picked as a child actor in a drama without an agency… Woo-yeon must have scouted him knowing that….

└How can you be sure he didn’t have an agency then? Woo-yeon might have placed him there.

└Crazy bastard ㅜㅜ stop it ㅜㅜ

* * *

#### [Who is Lee Yeon-jae, who joined Lee Jung-hyun’s agency? The Yellow Hat in Episode 1]

#### [The Actor Lee Jung-hyun Wants to Take as His Son, Joins the Same Agency….]

#### [Extra Actor Makes a Splendid Debut in a Drama? Is This Really ‘Coincidence’?]

#### [Is There a Hidden Story Behind the Drama Debut? Which Agency Is Under Netizens’ Target?]

“Oh my, it’s burning well. Burn even more!”

Jang Woo-yeon, the CEO of Woo-yeon Entertainment, chuckled as he looked at his phone.

Lee Jung-hyun watched him with disdain.

“You know, right? You have to handle this well. Just see what happens if you don’t wrap this up properly.”

“Jung-hyun, my ears are going to fall off. How many times do I have to say it? I’ve got this.”

Four days ago, the news of Lee Yeon-jae joining Woo-yeon Entertainment hit the internet.

Since Woo-yeon Entertainment was the dream agency for aspiring actors and because of the significant buzz around Lee Yeon-jae a few months ago, there was a modest reaction.

Moreover, the drama ‘The Trace of the Tail’ he appeared as an extra in was a massive hit.

The reaction was something like, “Oh. So now we’ll get to see him more often.”

Jang Woo-yeon had no intention of letting it end there. He proposed to Lee Yeon-jae a way to turn this lukewarm response into a hot one, even if it was a somewhat intense method.

Despite Lee Jung-hyun’s dissuasion, Lee Yeon-jae readily complied, and the plan was set into motion.

The news of Lee Yeon-jae appearing in ‘The Burning Butterfly under the Zelkova Tree’ had come out, but not even the trailer was released yet.

The only thing people knew about Lee Yeon-jae was that he had appeared as an extra in The Tail.

His image of smiling while wearing a yellow hat was deeply engraved in people’s minds, but that was it.

There was too little footage, just a few tens of seconds, to guess his acting talent or skills.

‘Is he really joining Woo-yeon just with that?’ was the core of the plan this time.

Surely, there must have been people who thought that. They just hadn’t left questioning posts because it wasn’t a hot issue worth doing so.

That’s why Jang Woo-yeon created an environment where people could comfortably write posts.

Countless community posts and comments written with altered IPs, and even articles from cooperating media.

The method to shake people beyond the internet is simple.

You just need to give them a target to curse at.

The moment they think, ‘Oh? Isn’t it okay to curse at this level?’ and judge that it’s justified to curse, the mention rate increases explosively.

Of course, it didn’t have a disruptive impact to the point of flipping the internet upside down, but it was enough to become an issue these days.

At first, the reaction was ‘So who is this guy?’ but gradually, people began to jump on the bandwagon.

People started to question the news of Lee Yeon-jae’s recruitment, criticize his skills while denouncing the obsession with appearance, and then people who were displeased with such reactions and criticized society for belittling a child actor poured out in droves.

The result of the cunningly crafted keyword insertion was successful.

They were saying exactly what Jang Woo-yeon had anticipated: Is he really not the son that Lee Jung-hyun had from a scandal, is the agency pushing him into the drama, won’t other talented actors suffer because of this, etc.

Jang Woo-yeon looked at the posts with a satisfied smile.

“Once the drama starts airing, all this will be over anyway, so why worry?”

“I know that.”

Lee Jung-hyun pressed his slightly stiff eyes with his fingers.

Although it felt uncomfortable, it was definitely a good strategy.

The reason this strategy was possible was due to Lee Yeon-jae’s excellent acting skills.

This strategy was possible because his talent was beyond ambiguous levels—truly overwhelming.

Even if someone watched his acting without any expectations, they would be surprised, but what if they saw it while full of doubts and speculations?

As soon as all controversies were settled, those who had criticized Lee Yeon-jae would, as if they had never done so, become his supporters.

Naturally, this interest would also affect the drama’s ratings.

An agreement had already been reached with the broadcasting station.

In the trailers and various videos released before the airing, Lee Yeon-jae’s portions would be shown in a vague manner.

This kind of noise marketing would not be good if dragged on for too long.

The longer it continued, the more likely it was for people to feel fatigue and strengthen their prejudices, but fortunately, the time left until the first episode aired was just right.

As if it had been originally planned to proceed like this.

“Yeon-jae might get hurt. Just a few days ago, he was an ordinary kid. He might not be used to this.”

“Being a celebrity is inherently such a job. If he wants to continue his acting career, he needs to adapt.”

“He’s only 13.”

“Jung-hyun, 14-year-olds debut as idols. How is he any different?”

Lee Jung-hyun swallowed his words at the rebuke of why he was acting strangely despite knowing everything.

Sure, he knew, but… still, he felt uncomfortable.

Lee Jung-hyun thought that as a celebrity, one had to bear certain weights, and regrettably, Yeon-jae also had to endure them.

The whole thing was done with the consent of the person involved, and most importantly, Yeon-jae was a sharp and mature kid compared to others his age.

Lee Jung-hyun, who knew that better than anyone, still felt uneasy.

‘The last thing I heard was like that, so it’s inevitable.’

Lee Jung-hyun put down the script that he couldn’t concentrate on and closed his eyes.

Then he remembered. Yeon-jae readily nodding as soon as he heard the explanation.

‘Do that. It would be good for me too if the drama does well.’

‘Yeon-jae, don’t rush and think about it slowly.’

Back then, Lee Jung-hyun tried to dissuade him out of worry.

Imagining how it feels when thousands of unknown people gather to criticize you and actually experiencing it are worlds apart.

Even if the result was good, if it left indelible scars in the process, it was better not to do it.

However, Yeon-jae’s words that followed were shocking.

‘I understand what you mean. But wouldn’t it be better to choose the more valuable option if possible?’

‘Value?’

‘Yes. If I consider myself as a product to be sold, making people want to buy it is what the company does. Even if the product’s value isn’t that high, the job is to make it seem high.’

Product value, the usefulness of oneself as a product.

A 13-year-old used such terms to refer to himself.

‘Judging by what the CEO said, this situation seems similar. Even if it’s the same acting, depending on how the groundwork is laid, people’s perceptions will differ. So wouldn’t it be better if it felt more valuable?’

That’s how it would sell better. Yeon-jae, who said that, had the same expression as usual.

There was no exaggeration or crafted expression, just indifferent words.

The problem wasn’t that he used such expressions, but that he used them so unhesitatingly.

“I don’t know. I just want the drama to air quickly.”

“Don’t worry about him, and just pick your next project. Why are you being so high and mighty, looking at scripts all day?”

“It’s not being high and mighty; it’s being careful. I’ve raised the company’s stock value, so can you please be quiet, CEO?”

Well, that’s true. Jang Woo-yeon agreed quietly again.

Seeing that, Lee Jung-hyun chuckled.

In any case, he could trust the CEO. If not the person, at least his abilities.

Lee Yeon-jae, as he had seen so far, wouldn’t care even if people talked about him on the internet unless they directly threw eggs at his face.

‘As long as it’s wrapped up well, it’ll be good for everyone.’

As he organized his thoughts, Lee Jung-hyun’s expression relaxed.

The moment his previously tense expression softened, it tensed up again due to a frantic call from An Jin-bae.

* * *

#### [Manager Jin-bae: Actor! I left your dinner in front of your door. I’ll be in my room, so don’t worry about me.]

I stared blankly at the text on my phone before setting it down.

I lay back down under the covers.

I wasn’t hungry. I just felt constantly sleepy.

But no matter how much I slept, I couldn’t meet Mist.

‘Actor, it’s time to go to school… Are you asleep? Can I open the door?’

‘…No. I’m awake.’

This morning, when I woke up without meeting Mist in my dreams, I couldn’t get up until Manager An Jin-bae knocked.

It was a weekday, so I had to go to school. I got up absentmindedly and got dressed.

I grabbed my bag, put on my shoes, and reached for the door handle to go out.

And I stopped.

‘…? Did you forget something?’

I hadn’t acted today; was it okay to go outside like this?

Not knowing what might happen.

No, get a grip. I just didn’t meet Mist.

The principle of the misfortune factor hadn’t changed.

As usual, if I acted from time to time, today would end smoothly as always.

‘…Actor?’

I organized my thoughts calmly, but my feet remained still.

‘How can I be sure the principle of the misfortune factor hasn’t changed?’

Would I never be able to meet Mist again?

What if Mist didn’t appear in my dream tomorrow either?

No, I expected this could happen. I had anticipated it.

Of course, if I hadn’t made such a request to Mist—no, it wasn’t a request.

It was just the retribution of forcing someone who didn’t want to do something.

In the end, it was my fault again.

‘―Hey! Why are you breathing like that―.’

Manager An Jin-bae said something as he grabbed my shoulder. At that moment, I felt a chill.

No. The misfortune factor could transfer.

The moment I realized that, I vividly imagined Manager An Jin-bae being engulfed in flames and burned black.

Yes, like that time with Jung-hyun hyung… He almost got caught in a fire because of me, but Mist helped him avoid it.

But now, there was no Mist.

Realizing that, I shoved the approaching figure hard.

‘Hah…, Hah….’

Then I hurriedly ran back to my room and closed the door.

My hands kept fumbling, and only after several tries could I finally lock it.

I heard Manager An Jin-bae shouting something outside, but I couldn’t respond.

Words telling him to stay away from me surged up my throat.

After a few minutes, I finally managed to send a text to Manager An Jin-bae, somewhat calmer.

Then I stayed under the covers. I slept whenever I could, but Mist didn’t appear.

I felt as if I had woken up from a long dream.

In reality, I didn’t want to believe it.