The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune

Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity

Chapter: 47

“Ah, your collar was turned up…!”

Startled by the sudden touch on the back of my neck, I turned around to find Sung Lee-jun flapping his hands in surprise.

I smiled and thanked him, appreciating his seemingly apologetic manner.

“It’s nothing. By the way, your hair looks great today.”

“Yours looks good too. This is the first time I’ve seen you in a suit.”

It seemed Sung Lee-jun had coordinated outfits with actor Jang In-ho, who played the same role.

Although I wore a shirt, my more comfortable attire made me feel slightly self-conscious. Should I have worn a suit too?

I definitely thought I was overdoing it when I visited the shop for the first time this morning.

Seeing the other actors, I felt like a duck among cranes. Perhaps I had dressed too casually.

“Thanks…! You look good in that shirt too.”

It was just a regular white shirt.

As if he realized his words sounded odd, his eyes darted around quickly.

I almost imagined the distinct mole under his left eye moving with them.

“No, really, the shirt looks good on you, and so do the slacks. Anyway, you don’t need to wear a suit―.”

“Alright, thanks.”

I cut him off abruptly, sensing he was about to start complimenting my fingernails next.

Even though Sung Lee-jun was two years older than me, he strangely gave off a younger brother vibe.

The way he spoke was overly innocent.

It was hard to find guys with that kind of demeanor.

Was it because he debuted at a young age? Wouldn’t an early debut make one more sensitive? I didn’t get it.

“Are you ready? We’re moving now.”

The waiting time had been longer than expected.

It wasn’t until after I learned all about Sung Lee-jun being homeschooled that a staff member approached.

I stood up, checking my clothes for any creases and my hair for any flattened spots.

The place we moved to was filled with an overwhelming number of cameras.

Just glancing around was enough to make me feel overwhelmed.

“We’ll start with solo shots for each actor, followed by couple shots, and then group shots.”

Following the staff’s directions, everyone lined up. Naturally, I stood at the very end.

As soon as actor Jang In-ho stepped onto the stage, the shutter sounds erupted.

It sounded like thousands of insects swarming, causing my eyes to widen involuntarily.

After Lee Seong-hye, Kim Seok-jun, Sung Lee-jun, and Han Se-young took the stage, I waited for a while at the bottom. Thanks to that, my nerves calmed down.

“Next is actor Lee Yeon-jae, who plays the role of Yoo-hyun.”

Hearing the announcer’s voice, I slowly climbed the steps.

The title of ‘actor’ still felt awkward.

But, was it just my imagination? The sound seemed louder than before.

Despite feeling uneasy, my face remained fixed in a gentle smile.

It was the optimal expression we had decided on after discussing it with the agency staff for the past three days. I didn’t even know the criteria.

“First, look to the left. Yes, now to the right.”

Like a puppet on strings, I changed poses according to the voice’s instructions.

I took photos with Han Se-young and Sung Lee-jun, with Kim Seok-jun, and finally, a group photo.

It didn’t take that long, but it drained all my energy.

Without a brief break, I might have collapsed right then and there.

“This is your first time, right? How come you didn’t seem nervous at all?”

“Exactly. When I was a rookie, ugh, those pale photos of me are still around.”

As soon as I entered the waiting room, actors Kim Seok-jun and Lee Seong-hye approached me.

“Luckily, it didn’t show that I was nervous.”

“Oh my, was that you being nervous? You must have a natural talent for being a celebrity.”

Another person had said something similar to me.

I thanked Lee Seong-hye for her comment and recalled her kind eyes.

The short break ended, and we returned to the stage.

The time had come for reporters who had previewed edited clips to ask questions to the PD and actors.

I picked up the pen in front of me and sat up straight.

I wondered if I would be asked any questions.

“I’m reporter Lee Jung-ho from Star TV. I have a question for PD Kim Min-seok. Could you share any memorable casting anecdotes? Also, could you address the recent controversy regarding actor Lee Yeon-jae’s audition?”

As soon as I thought that, my name was mentioned.

Though the question was about me, it wasn’t directed at me, so I quietly took notes.

The PD leisurely raised the mic.

“Yes, I’ll share the casting stories of other actors one by one later. As for actor Lee Yeon-jae, he was cast through a formal audition. To address the curiosity, at the time, actor Lee Yeon-jae wasn’t associated with any agency, and there was no external contact. That’s all.”

The straightforward answer quickened the reporters’ typing, leading to a barrage of follow-up questions.

But all the questions were about me.

“Of course, I consulted with writer Han Ji-hye. Even looking at the pure audition results, actor Lee Yeon-jae was overwhelming.”

“It was hard to believe it was his first time acting; the shooting went smoothly with almost no NGs, and his chemistry with the other actors was excellent.”

“Actor Lee Jung-hyun visited to show support. For the cameo appearance, please check out the broadcast.”

The PD answered effortlessly with a calm face.

I had to suppress the discomfort rising within me.

I didn’t care about the obvious intentions behind the questions.

But why not ask me directly instead of asking someone else?

Moreover, the questions were overly focused on me.

Because of that, more attention shifted toward me.

Despite feeling the prickling stares, I smiled as instructed, pretending to know nothing.

This wasn’t easy.

Fortunately, after a few more questions, inquiries about the other actors came in.

Kim Seok-jun’s playful answers lightened the mood, and the actors’ expressions relaxed.

When asked about memorable filming episodes, actor Jang In-ho joked, “I always carried a ruler to draw a dot under my eye to match Lee-jun’s,” which sparked laughter.

Finally, I received my first question.

“Actor Lee Yeon-jae, could you comment on the recent internet buzz about you living in an orphanage?”

I fought hard to keep my eyebrow from raising.

Was that even a question? It was vague. What did they want me to say?

While taking notes to buy some time, the announcer quickly requested that questions be related to the drama, defusing the situation.

I gave a troubled smile in response.

“How often do you meet actor Lee Jung-hyun in private?”

“Was your first meeting with actor Lee Jung-hyun during the tail shooting?”

“You recently joined Woo-yeon Entertainment. How do you feel about that?”

The subsequent questions followed a similar pattern.

Having been prepped on these topics, answering wasn’t hard. It was rather tedious.

After delivering the prepared responses, I adjusted my expression to avoid showing any signs of boredom.

“We’ll take the last question and then proceed with individual interviews. Yes, reporter Kim Yeon-du?”

“Yes! This is reporter Kim Yeon-du from PTN. I have a question for actor Lee Yeon-jae.”

The announcer pointed to the youngest-looking reporter among those with their hands raised.

The new reporter looked at me and energetically spoke up.

“I heard this is your first time acting formally. How did you feel about portraying Yoo-hyun?”

The reporter, seemingly unaware of how to use a mic, spoke too close to it, causing his voice to echo loudly.

Perhaps not realizing it due to nerves, his face slowly reddened after finishing his question.

Watching him hurriedly sit down, I slowly picked up the mic in front of me.

“Yes. Um… When I first received the script to prepare for the audition, Yoo-hyun was the character I couldn’t understand the most.”

Maybe it was because the room was packed, but the atmosphere was quite noisy.

Still, holding the mic made me think they could hear me clearly, so I continued speaking.

“No matter what, I couldn’t understand why he said and did those things. I tried various ways to understand him, but nothing changed.”

There was a time when Yoo-hyun seemed entirely senseless to me.

Setting aside personal feelings, I repeatedly practiced the same lines for the audition.

“But strangely, at some point… I just understood him. Why he did what he did.”

Although it wasn’t a long time, at some point, Yoo-hyun didn’t feel distant.

It’s a feeling you can’t understand unless you’ve experienced it: the same lines that felt different just the day before.

“Understanding a person is not easy. Experiencing that was fascinating and enjoyable. I’d like to have such experiences again.”

I decided to speak my mind instead of the scripted “it was a meaningful time” line.

Not too short, not too long—a decent length with appropriately chosen words. I think I did well.

I was sure of it as I lowered the mic, but the room suddenly felt filled with silence.

“……Yes~! Thank you for the wonderful answer. Moving on to the next―.”

The announcer was a beat late in grabbing the mic. The lingering silence soon dissipated.

What was that? Did I mess up? Was there something problematic in what I said?

Though confused, I kept my expression steady and glanced at Manager An Jin-bae.

He met my eyes and, reading my question, smiled and gave me an OK sign.

Yeah, I didn’t say anything weird.

After confirming his reassuring eyes, I faced forward again.

* * *

“Everyone, gather at the OO Hanwoo restaurant by 7 PM on Wednesday! Let’s watch the first episode together!”

“Wow, we’re having beef?”

“I’ll grill the pork to taste like beef!”

“What, we’re not getting any?”

After bowing multiple times to the noisy crowd, I got into the car.

Finally, my tension eased, and my body slumped.

“Great job today, actor! You did so well. No signs of nerves, and you answered perfectly!”

Though tired, I wasn’t in a bad mood.

I couldn’t help but smile at Manager An Jin-bae, who hurriedly praised me once we got into the car, contrasting his quiet demeanor outside.

His excited suggestion of chicken stew for dinner was even funnier.

“Chicken stew sounds great. Oh, hang on. I need to make a call.”

Checking my phone, I saw nearly 50 messages. All from the same person.

Worried, I quickly hit the call button, and a playful voice answered immediately.

―Wow, the ‘attention-grabbing actor’ is calling me!

What’s up with him?

“Sigh. What are you talking about now?”

The tension that had filled me dissolved into nothingness.

There are many ways to startle someone.

―Huh? Didn’t you see what I sent?

“What.”

Despite my curt response, Noh Bi-hyuk persisted.

He excitedly urged me to check his messages, so I opened the app and froze.

“……What is this?”