The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune

Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity

Chapter 102

The music started at the director’s signal.

Before I even knew it, my body moved.

As the moves I had practiced countless times flowed like water, I had the illusion that the music I heard was getting louder and louder.

Thump, thump—

My spirits lifted as the beat struck my chest.

The moment I kicked hard and briefly floated in the air, the corners of my mouth unknowingly lifted.

I saw the black lens of the camera following me.

I looked straight into the lens and grinned.

‘This is fun.’

After spinning quickly on the spot, I playfully started keeping the beat.

Even as I alternated between nodding my shoulders and head, I didn’t take my eyes off the camera.

Through the small lens, not even the size of my palm, I saw countless people watching me.

My whole body tingled.

‘Wow, this is crazy.’

It was so much fun I thought I might go mad.

The attention of people focused on me and the music perfectly suited my taste.

Even the sizzling asphalt under the sunlight, everything was thrilling.

Moving as I wanted, I even felt proud of my bending body.

Yes, I had run for this moment!

“Keep your eyes on me.”

Unconsciously, I hummed along with the lyrics that slipped between the beats.

I didn’t mind the sweat trickling down my chin from the intense moves.

I smiled all the while as I moved sideways using the snap of my ankles.

The music reached its peak with multiple instruments overlapping, and the speed of my movements also increased.

Then, all the sound vanished in an instant, and I stopped simultaneously.

My hands, feet, head, and waist.

Everything was precisely where I intended it to be.

“……Haa.”

I let out a deep breath.

It was not a sigh but a breath of satisfaction.

“Cut!”

I flinched.

At the booming male voice, my body reacted.

After blinking rapidly and regaining some composure, I immediately sat down.

“Are you okay?!”

Someone ran over, shouting.

There was only one person who would act like that here.

Unable to respond properly, I waved my hand roughly to indicate I was fine.

Though I wasn’t out of breath, I felt strangely dizzy.

My heart pounded as if it were about to burst, feeling like it belonged to someone else.

“Hoo. Hyung, I…”

“Yes, here you go.”

Before I could even speak, Manager Ahn Jin-bae handed me water.

Staff who had run over with him opened an umbrella and wiped the sweat off my forehead.

Though I thought to myself, ‘What is this, being treated like royalty?’ I had long since grown accustomed to leaving my body in the care of others.

Accepting others touching my head without any reluctance, I reviewed the footage.

On the camera screen was a boy completely engrossed in dancing.

“…I heard about it, but your acting is really good.”

As I checked for any choreography mistakes, a low voice came from beside me.

It was the camera director.

“Thank you.”

“No, I should be thanking you. After filming only kids trying to look cool or pretty, it’s been a long time since I captured an actor who really acts. You wouldn’t know how much it means to me.”

His face, bearded and wild-looking, brightened up so much he almost looked boyish.

He had eyes like Noh Bi-hyuk’s.

Eyes that showed the love of his work.

“I’m glad you’re satisfied.”

“Satisfied? It’s more than that. Now I understand why you insisted on a one-take. Just focus on acting; we’ll do our best with the editing. But there’s that scene where you kick the camera, right? Just in case, I think we should shoot that part separately. Is that okay?”

“Yes, of course.”

His speech had suddenly turned informal, but his demeanor was more cautious than when he used honorifics.

Even the faces of Team Leader Choi and the people in suits didn’t look too bad. Thank goodness.

After a few more takes, I went into the waiting room to change clothes.

As a staff member helped me change into different-colored sneakers, they suddenly gasped.

“Weren’t you in pain? Your feet…”

“What?”

“Oh my, you! Get the first aid kit!”

I looked at my injured feet as if they were someone else’s. No wonder they stung.

It seemed like dancing intensely in unworn sneakers had caused it.

“Or maybe these sneakers are just not good?”

For a moment, my expression hardened. What if that were the case?

What if my fans… bought these and hurt their feet?

Lost in worries that swelled up instantly, I didn’t even notice the noise around me.

Manager Ahn Jin-bae, who quietly sent the staff out, knelt in front of me.

“Are you in a lot of pain?”

“Hyung.”

“Yes. Should we go to the hospital right away?”

“Is the material of these sneakers not good? How likely is it to get hurt like this in everyday life?”

“…?”

When I asked in a low voice, afraid a representative might hear, he gave me a puzzled look.

After I explained further, Noh Bi-hyuk, who had been quietly sitting as if he weren’t even there, suddenly hit my arm.

“Hey, your feet are in this state, and you’re worried about that?”

“…? Why are you angry?”

“That… Never mind. You don’t need to worry about that. Even with the best sneakers, if you dance intensely without breaking them in, you’re bound to get hurt.”

Noh Bi-hyuk responded irritably with a frustrated expression.

I didn’t understand why, but since Manager Ahn Jin-bae also explained that I didn’t need to worry, I felt relieved.

“You still have to shoot three more times….”

“Just put a bandage on it.”

Fortunately, there were enough bandages.

Instead of wrapping them with a bandage, which might be a hindrance while dancing, I just layered several bandages over the wounds.

As the shoot progressed, people’s expressions brightened after each cut.

The footage we shot was actually good.

Perhaps because of the blue sky, it didn’t look that hot. A little unfair.

But the fresh color of the sneakers was vividly captured, so I was quite satisfied.

“Ouch.”

As I tried to rest before the last shoot, I unknowingly groaned as soon as I sat down.

As expected, a low voice that I might miss if it were absent followed immediately.

“Are you in a lot of pain…?”

“It’s not unbearable. Can I take one more painkiller?”

“Yes…. Take it with some water.”

A look of distress was evident on Manager Ahn Jin-bae’s face.

“I should have checked in advance… It’s my mistake due to my lack of experience. I’m sorry.”

“Hyung, if you’re going to say that, buy me a rice cake.”

“…! I will! Right away—”

“Where are you going? Sit down. Please.”

Geez, can’t even joke around.

Still, thanks to that, a silly smile escaped my lips.

I closed my tired eyes and relaxed my body.

The air conditioning breeze felt cool on my face.

* * *

‘I wonder what he’s thinking.’

Lee Yeon-jae was cooling off with the air conditioning, looking exhausted.

Noh Bi-hyuk was curious about what that indifferent face was thinking, but he didn’t want to bother the already tired guy.

He tried to huddle further into the corner to avoid being a nuisance, but then those black eyes blinked and turned toward him.

“Are you okay?”

“…? You mean me?”

“Yes, you. Isn’t it hard to wait?”

“…Who are you worrying about? Who’s been dancing under the scorching sun all day?”

Talking like that, with those drooping spikes, just makes me feel guilty.

When Noh Bi-hyuk clicked his tongue and retorted, the hedgehog chuckled weakly.

“Staying still for a long time can be tiring. If you want to go home, you can. If it’s because of me—”

“Sss. Be quiet. Don’t say more.”

“No—”

“Uh-huh. Eyes closed in three seconds. Now.”

A tired laugh came back at the joking remark.

He must have been really exhausted.

This guy, who hardly ever showed he was tired, looked completely worn out.

‘Standing in front of the camera is really not easy.’

Seeing him slumped, someone who seemed to ignore the camera’s presence, made me realize it anew.

Actually, when he danced before the main shoot for the camera movement, it was just funny.

Lee Yeon-jae popping with the most indifferent face in the world.

‘Oh. Surprisingly….’

‘Does he usually dance?’

Noh Bi-hyuk watched Lee Yeon-jae intently while overhearing the staff’s whispers.

He was dancing nonchalantly, but his ears were bright red as if they might burst.

Seeing that, he quickly lowered his head and bit his lip. Damn, it’s so funny.

‘He’s good at dancing, but his expression… is lacking.’

‘Let’s do a one-take as he wants. If it doesn’t work out, we’ll persuade him gently. What else can he do?’

‘Hmm… Yeah, let’s do that.’

The director and staff’s conversation, looking dissatisfied, was quite annoying, but he ignored it, having expectations of his own.

Yes, Noh Bi-hyuk had high expectations.

‘What will Lee Yeon-jae’s portrayal of me be like?’

The yellow cap of ‘Tail,’ Yu-hyeon from ‘Zelkova Tree,’ Kim Su-ho from ‘Mission Clear,’ and Kim Ho-yoon from ‘Goodbye, My Summer.’

Except for the movie he shot a few months ago, he had seen all the scenes Lee Yeon-jae acted in.

It was my first time seeing him perform in person, and he was even playing me!

‘Well…, it’ll just feel like a different expression.’

Just now, the only thing lacking was his expression.

He was probably planning to paste my expression on his.

It felt a bit lacking, but I also thought it was fortunate.

If my friend imitated me too perfectly, it would be creepy.

‘Everyone, please be quiet! We’re starting the shoot!’

Lost in random thoughts, I quickly looked up at a staff member’s shout.

And then, I made eye contact with Lee Yeon-jae right away. Those black eyes were as usual.

Noh Bi-hyuk found himself mesmerized by those eyes.

‘Ready, action!’

And the director called out.

Maybe two seconds? No matter how long, it was definitely just a few seconds. Only a short time had passed.

But someone else was standing there.

‘That’s….’

Noh Bi-hyuk was confused.

It was clearly Lee Yeon-jae, nothing had changed.

But he felt like a completely different person, and the image that came to mind was oddly familiar.

‘…It’s me.’

Lee Yeon-jae wasn’t just mimicking Noh Bi-hyuk’s expression.

He was literally acting.

If I wore Lee Yeon-jae’s skin and danced, wouldn’t I move exactly like that?

Seeing someone act as me right in front of my eyes felt incredibly strange.

But that feeling didn’t last long.

I noticed Lee Yeon-jae’s dance lines had subtly changed.

Earlier, they felt much smoother, but now they were more powerful.

Especially the strong rebound that came from the force exerted on his thighs. That dance line was definitely his own.

‘There was a reason everyone called him a genius.’

Understanding something with the mind and feeling it with the body were worlds apart.

While feeling the goosebumps all over his body, he was lost in thought.

‘So he thinks… that’s me?’

The playful arching of his eyebrows and the smiling crescent eyes were very similar to himself but didn’t feel like ‘the complete me.’

It wasn’t just the different appearance.

The version of himself that Lee Yeon-jae was acting as seemed very lively and positive.

It was a quite good person, without the flaws he often found regrettable or felt like he wanted to erase sometimes.

‘…So that’s how he saw me.’

Feeling like he was looking at a work of art that collected only his strengths, Noh Bi-hyuk’s fingers twitched.

It was truly an odd feeling.