The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune

Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity

Chapter 101

“Lee Yeon-jae.”

“Yeah.”

“…Why did you call me?”

Why was he asking when he already knew?

I roughly wiped the sweat dripping down my chin and looked at Noh Bi-hyuk.

“Why did I call you? To ask for your help.”

“So, what do you need help with? You’ve already mastered the dance. And why are you… dancing so well? Isn’t it unfair? No matter how unfair the world is, this isn’t right.”

Noh Bi-hyuk grumbled with a heated expression.

Ignoring him, I turned off the replaying music and grabbed a water bottle.

The intense movements left me breathless.

‘I got asked to dance for a commercial. Can you help me?’

―What…? Who’s dancing?

He didn’t seem to understand no matter how much I explained over the phone, so I brought him over right after he finished his practice.

He had looked bewildered when he got into the car, but once he understood the situation, he burst out laughing.

At first, he laughed so hard that he hit the car seat repeatedly, and by the end, he was crying with laughter.

I gritted my teeth and endured it because I didn’t want to deal with him, but as soon as we arrived at the practice room and I got into position, he started laughing again, so I finally smacked his back hard.

Even as he laughed while being hit, his expression gradually hardened when I started dancing.

After showing him my best effort despite the embarrassment, his reaction was just this.

“Did you notice anything lacking when you watched?”

“Are you… bragging right now? Did you drag me out at this hour just to get compliments?”

“I’m asking seriously, Bi-hyuk.”

The guy, who had been grumbling with a pout, stopped when I asked again.

After thinking deeply for a while, he showed a hesitant expression.

“I don’t know… To be honest, it feels like you dance better than I do, even though I’ve been practicing for half a year. It’s discouraging.”

“Don’t say nonsense. I’m talking about the expression, the expression.”

“Expression? Oh, well, your face was a bit stiff.”

I couldn’t immerse myself in the setting where Kim Ho-yoon was dancing, so I just danced without acting.

The plan described it as ‘a teenager fully enjoying their youth.’

Anyone could see that wasn’t me.

At first, I tried to make the expression Kim Ho-yoon would make when he was excited, but the more I practiced, the more it felt out of sync with the movements.

So, I thought, from the beginning, I should act as if I were a person who dances.

“Wait… So, you’re going to act as me?”

“Yeah.”

I wiped the sweat as I looked at him asking with a blank face.

I had already gotten permission regarding the choreography leak.

There was only a week left until the commercial shoot.

Since ‘Goodbye, My Summer’ filming was ten days away, I could focus on the commercial for about a week.

‘Once we finish that scene, the drama shoot will be over.’

The days flew by.

I was lost in thought without realizing it, then snapped back to reality at Noh Bi-hyuk’s words.

“So, what should I do?”

“Just practice as usual, ignoring me. You don’t have to do it to this song. I just want to see what kind of expression you make when you dance.”

“Ah. You want to mimic the expression I make when I dance?”

It wasn’t that simple of a concept.

Since explaining would only make the talk longer, I nodded roughly.

Noh Bi-hyuk watched the video several times, then slowly began to follow the moves one by one.

He didn’t seem to mind me watching, quickly focusing.

‘What discouragement….’

Even I, who knew nothing about dancing, could see that Noh Bi-hyuk danced well.

Whenever his long limbs sliced through the air, the beat was divided precisely.

Since it was a sneaker commercial, the choreography had many dynamic foot movements. After a few tries, he got used to the steps quickly.

“Who… ha… made this choreography? It’s really good.”

“I can’t tell you that yet.”

“But I couldn’t pay attention to my expression while memorizing the choreography.”

I handed him the water bottle, telling him not to worry as he grimaced.

Just looking at his intensely focused eyes was enough help.

It was different from the look of someone concentrating to avoid mistakes.

Eyes that were truly alive, enjoying dancing to the fullest.

For the next five days, I practiced with Noh Bi-hyuk.

His expressions changed every time, perfectly mastering the choreography.

Sometimes he acted like an idol on stage, brimming with charm, and other times, he squinted his eyes fiercely like a rebellious teen, moving his body more vigorously.

I genuinely admired how he didn’t care about my piercing gaze.

“Huff… I’ve run out of expressions. I can’t do it anymore.”

“Yeah. That’s enough. Thank you so much.”

“Was it helpful?”

“Very much.”

At first, I was breathless when dancing, but now I only got slightly breathless even after dancing several times in a row.

Now I understood why Noh Bi-hyuk seemed to lose weight every time I saw him.

As I watched him push back his sweat-soaked hair, I asked.

“Are you free tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow? Why? Isn’t tomorrow the commercial shoot?”

“Yeah. If you’re okay with it, come with me.”

He froze, fanning his shirt to dry his sweat.

Since I couldn’t pay him for helping, I thought it wouldn’t be bad for him to experience a shooting set before debuting.

I expected him to be happy, but after hesitating for a while, he shook his head.

“No, it’s fine.”

“Why? Do you have something else to do?”

“You’re going there to work. It’s not a place for me to hang out. I might get in the way.”

This was the first time I’d heard him speak so seriously.

“Then you just need to stay out of the way.”

“….”

“Don’t worry. I’ve already talked about it. I said I’d bring my pacemaker (*a runner or player who sets the pace in a race or competition).”

“What?”

His brows shot up with a bewildered voice.

He looked dumbfounded, then after a moment, nodded slightly.

Having said what I needed to, I spent the remaining time solely on practice.

After wiping off the sweat, I played the music again.

The drum sound that gradually picked up the beat had become so familiar that it was almost tiresome.

* * *

“Yeon-jae, hello? Have you practiced well?”

“Hello, teacher.”

As soon as I arrived at the shooting set, I ran into the choreographer.

“Hmm? The face beside you looks familiar… Why is that?”

“He’s my friend. He’s also a trainee at WB Entertainment.”

“My name is Bi-hyuk! We briefly met in front of the lobby before, so you might not remember.”

“Oh, Bi-hyuk… So, the friend Yeon-jae mentioned was one of our trainees?”

Noh Bi-hyuk had taken a deep breath when he saw the choreographer, but it turned out they were both from the same agency.

Noh Bi-hyuk laughed brightly, raising his voice a tone higher than usual.

“Was it you, Teacher Sadie, who created this choreography? No wonder it was amazing!”

“Oh my…, ha ha! Hearing this tone reminds me! You cheeky brat. My choreography was that amazing?”

The atmosphere quickly became friendly.

‘It was worth bringing him along.’

I even wrote an agreement about compensating for any leaks to bring him here.

While waiting for Noh Bi-hyuk, who was trying hard to build a connection with the choreographer, Team Leader Choi, whom I met during the last meeting, approached.

“Long time no see. How are you?”

“Hello. I didn’t know you’d come today, Team Leader Choi.”

“I don’t usually visit shooting sets, but this commercial is highly anticipated within our company. Ha ha. I heard you’ve practiced a lot. Thank you so much.”

His playful remark of calling whenever I had questions was impressive as he balanced between businesslike and friendly.

There was something I was curious about.

“I tend to get deeply immersed when I act, so I’m planning to act while dancing.”

“Oh. Yes, yes.”

“So, it’d be easier to do a one-take (*a single continuous take without cuts) rather than stopping multiple times. Would it be rude to ask the director about this?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll talk to him. He’s a veteran, so he’ll accommodate well. I’ve already informed him that this is your first commercial shoot, so you don’t need to worry.”

It seemed like telling people not to worry was his habit.

But it was a relief he’d coordinate it for me.

After greeting the director and staff politely, I entered the trailer prepared as a waiting room.

“Wow…, are shooting sets always this chaotic? There are so many people.”

I laughed, watching Noh Bi-hyuk shake his head in disbelief.

“When you debut, you’ll have to stand in front of even more people. What will you do if you’re already overwhelmed?”

Though I said that, I was also nervous.

There were far, far more people than I had imagined.

Moreover, the atmosphere was distinctly different from filming a movie or drama.

It was clear that most people in suits were industry folks, far outnumbering the casually dressed staff.

Just the thought of dancing in front of this crowd made my mouth dry.

“Actor, would you like some water?”

“Oh, yes. Thank you.”

As I sipped the water Manager An Jin-bae handed me, people suddenly poured in.

The wardrobe, makeup, and hair team members were here.

There were four different sneaker colors to debut in this commercial, and each time I changed sneakers, my outfit and hairstyle would change too.

In short, there was no time to slack off.

An hour flew by as I hurriedly changed clothes and listened to the shooting briefing.

Thanks to that, my nerves eased.

“Please take care of today’s shoot. It’s quite hot, so we’ll have as many breaks as possible. But if you feel tired, speak up immediately. Collapsing would be more troublesome. Got it?”

“Yes, thank you.”

The camera director was a man with a scruffy beard.

He seemed to be trying to speak gently since I was young.

He asked me to dance from start to finish to set the overall camera movement.

“We’ll play the song!”

Under the scorching sunlight, I stood alone in an empty lot.

Dozens of people stood behind the camera that hadn’t been turned on yet, and I tried my best to ignore them as I danced to the music.

Since the purpose was to check the movement, I didn’t act.

After finishing all the moves, I stood still, and the camera director approached immediately.

“We’ll start with a one-take shot along the path you just moved. But since the concept is so dynamic, there are editing limits. We might have to cut and reshoot some parts. Please understand.”

“Yes, it’s fine.”

“Then, let’s start shooting.”

The director returned to his position, and I got into mine.

‘Now I just have to dance like Noh Bi-hyuk.’

What I had to do didn’t change.

Only my mindset would.

Instead of closing my eyes and thinking about Noh Bi-hyuk like usual, I turned my gaze.

I looked at the two eyes watching me intently next to Manager An Jin-bae.

I knew when those eyes sparkled.

And now, it was my turn.

“Ready, action!”