The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune

Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity

Chapter 100

As soon as Team Leader Choi Eun-seok, who had been in the advertising industry for 12 years, saw Lee Yeon-jae, he had a gut feeling.

‘This one’s going to be a hit.’

Nothing ruined results more than premature assumptions.

But Team Leader Choi knew better than anyone that his excellent intuition had played a huge role in getting him to his current position.

A taller height than expected, shoulders straight despite his young face. The sophisticated atmosphere from his styled hair and clothes.

But in his clear eyes, he saw a pure boy. He was truly a rough diamond.

As soon as he finished assessing the situation, Team Leader Choi smiled brightly.

‘I must get him.’

Woo-yeon Entertainment was a company that dreaded the loss of an actor’s image.

Even Lee Jung-hyun, who had been in the industry for ten years, had done so few commercials that they could be counted on ten fingers. No further explanation was needed.

Lee Yeon-jae would likely be no different, and to avoid missing out on the few opportunities, he had to start building a good relationship right away.

Team Leader Choi laid out the project plan more politely and courteously than usual.

But the immature project plan did not understand his desperate heart, and eventually, such a reaction came out.

“…You want me to dance?”

His calm face had subtly crumpled.

The mature atmosphere that belied his 14 years also wavered.

His face, which seemed to plead, ‘Please say it’s a lie,’ was as childlike as when he had been asking curious questions about the industry just a few minutes ago.

“This is an additional idea, so it must be naturally surprising for you as the actor. But! This part is negotiable, so you don’t have to worry at all. We can proceed by splitting the cuts as much as possible, or by filming only parts of the body to give the overall feel of dancing. In the contract we brought, there’s a clause that states there must be more than two full-body shots, but this too is negotiable, so you don’t have to worry.”

Team Leader Choi rapidly fired off his words with a kind face.

His plan was to confuse and change the topic as much as possible, but Lee Yeon-jae quietly got to the point.

“So, I have to dance, right?”

“Well…”

“…”

“Yes, that’s the content of this project plan.”

It was over. Team Leader Choi closed his eyes in despair.

The entire content was for the model to dance to rhythmic music in various locations. There was no story.

But the most important thing in advertising was visual impact.

A top-notch camera director was set to work on it, and the editing team was also highly skilled.

Considering the goal of this commercial to create a sensory brand image, it was a pretty good plan.

If the model had no qualms about dancing, that is.

Team Leader Choi knew very well how sensitive actors were about dancing.

It was easy to look foolish, and in many cases, it ended up as a black mark on their career.

Unless it was a light tap to the beat, this commercial was planned to include creative choreography with a famous dancer, so it was bound to be burdensome.

As expected, Team Leader Woo Hyun-woo, who was seated as the person in charge, gracefully refuted.

“That’s quite a significant issue to be called an additional detail. It would have been nice if you had mentioned it before the meeting.”

“I understand what you’re worried about, Team Leader Woo. But I can assure you, betting my career on it, that there will be no harm to the actor’s image. It’s such a large-scale project. If an actor’s first commercial is a large-scale one, their image will only improve, not worsen.”

Team Leader Choi sweated as he tried to persuade, and Team Leader Woo remained silent.

After some consideration, he turned to the side.

“Yeon-jae, what do you think? Would you like to think about it a bit more?”

Contrary to the rumors circulating in the industry, his tone towards the actor was surprisingly humane.

Was Team Leader Woo weak with kids?

While Team Leader Choi was puzzled, surprisingly, Lee Yeon-jae shook his head immediately.

“No. I don’t think there’s a need to think about it further.”

“Oh, then is it okay?”

“I’m more worried about whether the commercial will be okay than whether I will be okay. I’ve never danced before.”

“Oh, we plan to conduct a preliminary test with the dancer who will create the choreography first. Depending on how well you can handle it, we will adjust the level of the choreography, so really, there’s no need to worry at all, actor.”

Although Lee Yeon-jae’s face was complicated, he did not end up saying he couldn’t do it.

The team leader and the staff almost bowed to him as they saw him off to the entrance.

They confirmed that the car with the actor left the restaurant and exhaled the breath they had been holding.

“Phew, I was worried we might get rejected, but thank goodness. When he asked again, I really got chills down my spine.”

“But it’s really amazing. The atmosphere of an actor really is something else.”

“Enough. Let’s chat in the office.”

Team Leader Choi, who had summed it up in one word, loosened his tie.

It was a relief that the contract was smoothly concluded.

The real work started now.

“So what should we do now, Team Leader?”

In response to the question from an employee who had just joined, Team Leader Choi sighed and answered.

“Pray. If there’s nothing else to do, go to a temple.”

He too planned to light a candle and pray as soon as he got home.

Hoping desperately that Lee Yeon-jae was not a clumsy dancer.

* * *

“Are you okay? If it’s difficult, you don’t have to do it.”

As soon as we got back to the car, Manager An Jin-bae asked with a worried face.

He offered to speak to Team Leader Woo on my behalf, but I politely declined.

How can I always do only enjoyable things? Sometimes in life, you have to dance a bit….

“Ha….”

A deep sigh eventually burst out.

Since he was driving, he couldn’t turn around, but the eyes looking at me through the rearview mirror were pitiful.

With a face that was not okay at all, I muttered that I was fine.

‘Let’s just take the test and then think. If it really doesn’t work out, I can refuse then.’

If it weren’t for the explanation that the choreography would be adjusted to fit me, I might have refused right away.

No matter how much I practiced, if the test results showed that I was hopeless at dancing, I might not have hesitated. But I couldn’t refuse just because it was embarrassing.

Suddenly, Noh Bi-hyuk seemed incredible.

How could he want to dance in front of others?

The thought of dancing in front of others already made me feel embarrassed.

Despite my complicated feelings, time passed, and the day of the preliminary test arrived.

“Hello. I’m Lee Yeon-jae.”

“I’m Sadie, a dancer and choreographer! Wow, I’m really a fan of yours.”

“Thank you. May I call you teacher?”

“Oh, of course. You can just call me Sadie. I’m from overseas, so I don’t mind those things.”

The choreographer was as cheerful as she appeared on TV.

She had been on a dance survival show that was a big hit last year.

Since then, she had appeared on several shows, so despite it being our first meeting, she felt quite familiar.

“Let’s do some stretching first. Have you ever danced before?”

“No. Not at all.”

“I figured! It would be weirder if you had. Haha!”

My intention was to lower expectations, but only a hearty laugh returned.

It seemed I was the only one taking it seriously here.

The choreographer, who had been chatting nonstop while we stretched, finally got into position.

“It’s just a simple test, so tell me if you feel any discomfort. Let’s start with the basics. First, isolation.”

“Yes.”

“Move your neck sideways as if separating it. Oh, right. Just like that.”

Fortunately, the terms weren’t unfamiliar because I had watched a few videos.

Moreover, since it wasn’t about flaunting but simply moving the body, I didn’t feel resistant.

After going through all the basic steps, I was slightly sweating.

“…Are you sure you’ve never danced before? Do you do any other exercise?”

“Other than jogging with my manager in the morning, no.”

“Hmmm…”

While I was drinking water, the gaze felt piercing on my side.

When I looked at her, wondering if she had something to say, the choreographer just turned her head without a word.

She clapped her hands repeatedly, saying we would now move to the beginner stage, and I put down the water bottle.

But the following movements were quite difficult. Why was it so complicated?

‘If this is the beginner level, I can’t even dream of the advanced.’

I could already see the test results.

Though it was a beginner level, I was managing to follow along, but it seemed like I would make a mistake if I lost focus even a little.

“Can you give a rebound with your pelvis from that position? As if you’re bouncing lightly. Oh! That’s right. Can you do it again? This time, twist 45 degrees.”

Feeling embarrassed about dancing for several days seemed foolish now.

The angle of my hands, body movements, and the connection to the next move.

There were so many things to pay attention to that there was no time to feel embarrassed.

The test ended just as I started wondering, ‘Are tests normally this long?’

“Huff…”

And simultaneously, I plopped down on the floor.

It was only after I wiped my face with

a towel that I realized my clothes were drenched in sweat.

‘I’ll collapse after doing this test twice…’

I had many questions, like whether I could be fixed enough to use or if learning would just be a waste of film.

But I was too out of breath to ask.

While I tried to breathe calmly, the choreographer quietly sat next to me.

Then, suddenly, she grabbed my hand tightly.

“Thank you so much.”

“Yes?”

“Actually, I had already completed the choreography. This is my first time with such a large project, so I couldn’t just sit still. Although it’s my choreography, it really turned out amazing. You’ll definitely like it. It was really disappointing to think I’d have to revise it, but thank you so much! Oh my! I’m already excited. When are you free? I can start from tomorrow for about a week…”

“Wait a moment, teacher.”

There was no need to ask what she meant.

The choreographer’s eyes were filled with a bright light, and a bad premonition ran down my spine.

“…That wasn’t beginner moves just now, was it?”

“Oh! It’s an advanced move that I teach later in the advanced class! You seem to have a talent for dancing. How amazing. Although the details are lacking, it’s really hard to dance like this from the start. Your flexibility and stamina, I think you’re good at anything physical!”

“So…”

“Let’s go without changing the choreography! I’ll send you the video as soon as I get home this afternoon.”

The pitch of her voice rose excitedly, and it echoed in my ears.

It wasn’t the worst outcome as I had feared, so I should have been happy, but I felt more overwhelmed.

Now, I really had to dance without any way out.

I felt even more overwhelmed after watching the video. Was this a joke?

I called the choreographer before the video even finished.

―Hello…

“Teacher. How am I supposed to do this?”

―Why?? You can do it! I think you can master it with just a day of focused practice. Let’s give it a try!

Why was this person’s personality so optimistic?

There was nothing to say since a professional said I could do it.

I reluctantly scheduled the practice, and on the appointed day, I learned the choreography in person.

And I was even more disheartened.

“I’m really so proud! Yeon-jae, I’m not kidding, you should really learn dancing properly. You truly have a talent!”

“…”

When I watched the video, it was a complex choreography.

But after trying it a few times, it quickly became second nature.

The choreographer and Manager An Jin-bae clapped enthusiastically, saying it was good, but it wasn’t helpful at all.

‘Kim Ho-yoon’s character wouldn’t dance like this.’

He’s just a normal boy who likes soccer, not someone who enjoys dancing.

No matter how much I tried to fit it into the setting, it didn’t make sense.

And I didn’t want to do it just because I could.

After a long contemplation, I called someone that night.

―…What’s going on? You calling me first?

“Are you available to talk now?”

―Yes, but… Is something wrong? Are you sick?

Listening to Noh Bi-hyuk’s bewildered voice, I sighed and answered.

“I need your help.”