The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune

Chapter 242

I answered without a moment’s hesitation.

“(It’s fortunate that you don’t have a girlfriend to be jealous of.)”

Sometimes I forget, but I’m a celebrity.

And I know that there are more people interested in a celebrity’s private life than one might think.

Actors generally have more freedom in dating, but there are still many eyes watching, which I shouldn’t forget.

‘There might be fans who care about this.’

If even one fan is sensitive about this, I need to be clear.

“(Oh, I see.)”

Jim nodded unexpectedly without much reaction.

Just when I thought it was a relief, a curveball came.

“(So, do you have a boyfriend?)”

“(……)”

You’d be good at baseball.

As I stared silently, Jim made a mischievous face.

“(Why? This is an open space. No problem at all. Right, everyone? Feel free to talk.)”

His cheerful tone made it clear it was a joke.

I pondered what to say, then quickly put on a troubled expression.

“(Um, Jim…)”

“(Yes?)”

“(I don’t want to make things awkward.)”

I forced a smile.

“(I don’t have any plans to date anyone right now. I want to focus on work.)”

“(…?)”

“(I just wanted to make that clear to avoid any confusion. Not that I dislike you or anything―.)”

“(Oh my God, what are you saying?!)”

Jim’s mouth hung open.

Laughter burst from the audience seats.

I kept my awkward smile.

“(Sorry if I hurt your feelings.)”

“(What feelings, what are you talking about―.)”

“(You know.)”

“(Know what?! I don’t know!)”

Jim jumped up from his seat, exclaiming “Come on, man!”

At the same time, band music played and the laughter grew louder.

I could even hear the staff laughing.

“(I got hit hard! Unbelievable!)”

Jim rubbed his forehead and took a big lap around the talk show set before returning to his seat.

A satisfied smile spread across Jim’s face.

“(It’s been a while since I’ve had such a tough guest. Have you thought about appearing on other shows? I think you’d do great.)”

“(I’d be happy if given the chance.)”

“(Oh! Then leave your contact information after the show.)”

“(Once again, I’d like to say that I really want to focus on work―.)”

“(Stop!)”

Jim jumped up again.

The audience erupted with laughter once more.

This time, even the drummer laughed so hard he missed a beat.

With such cheerful laughter, the talk show ended.

‘Not bad at all,’ I thought.

That thought turned into certainty when Jim came to my waiting room right after the show ended.

Jim, smiling broadly, said today’s show was fantastic and thanked me.

“(You were amazing, even though it was live. Your responses were so witty.)”

“(You hosted so well. Thank you. It was fun.)”

I smiled, and Jim handed me his business card.

“(I wasn’t joking on the show. I know many people in foreign productions. I can get you a spot in a sitcom right away.)”

He left, saying to contact him without hesitation.

“Great job, Actor.”

I leaned on Jin-bae hyung, who handed me a water bottle.

“……I didn’t make any mistakes, right?”

“Not at all. You were perfect.”

Jin-bae hyung smiled and massaged my shoulder.

“I almost died wanting to brag that I’m your manager. I nearly talked to a stranger.”

Hearing his kind words, I felt relieved.

“That’s a relief.”

I was exhausted. I wanted to lie down right away.

If I passed out here, I could see Mist.

“What should we do with this business card, Actor?”

Jin-bae hyung pointed to Jim’s card.

“If we give it to Team Leader Woo, he’ll take care of it.”

“Got it. What will you do if an offer comes?”

I’ll think about that when it happens.

I was too tired to worry about each flattering comment.

“You must be really tired. Let’s head back to the hotel.”

Before I could say anything, Jin-bae hyung spoke first.

He said the car was ready, so we headed to the studio’s back door.

But an unexpected sight awaited us.

“…?”

“Bambi!!”

The parking lot, which should have been empty, was filled with people.

Looking around, most of them were Korean.

“Oh my gosh. So cute.”

“You worked hard today!! You were the best!”

Are they my fans? No way.

‘Why is Mist here?’

In disbelief, I asked with a dazed expression.

“……Are you all waiting for me?”
It wasn’t even that funny of a question, but people laughed.

They responded that of course they were waiting for me, who else would they be waiting for?

‘Why me?’

Why come all the way here to wait for me?

My head instantly cooled.

“Sorry, sorry.”

As I unconsciously made a distressed face, the people who were laughing suddenly paused.

“I didn’t know you were waiting. I should have come out sooner.”

Apologizing with a pale face, the people’s faces turned ashen.

“Bambi, it’s okay. Oh my, we’re sorry!”

“No, I’m the one who’s sorry.”

“We’re sorry!! We’ll leave now. Sorry.”

“Where are you going? Pictures, no, autographs.”

I hurriedly grabbed the fans who were trying to leave.

“I’m really sorry for making you wait so long. I don’t know if you want it, but at least my autograph…. Jin-bae hyung, could you give me a pen?”

As soon as I grabbed the pen Jin-bae hyung handed me, the hesitant fans started approaching one by one.

“Can you sign the back of my phone case?”

“Of course. By any chance, did you come from Korea?”

“I live in New York! I heard you were coming and came right away.”

Oh, I see.

Of course, there could be fans in New York too.

I was slightly stunned by this unexpected fact.

Instead of being angry about waiting, the fans were kind and gentle.

Hearing repeatedly that they really enjoyed today’s show melted my heart.

“Thank you so much for coming all the way here.”

Soon, instead of saying sorry, I was saying thank you more.

The night in New York in April was strangely warm.

* * *

[Title: Bambi’s Fan Signing Event Happening Right in the Middle of New York]

(Photo)

People were waiting to see Bambi after the Jim Fury Show, and he’s now giving autographs, saying he’s sorry for making them wait.

―Wow, is that the line???????

―Look at the crowd;; If it’s that packed, I’d be curious too.

―So jealous of the Bambi autographsㅠㅠㅠㅠ

[Title: This is Crazy. Even the Police Came.]

(Photo)

So many people gathered that the police came to control trafficㅋㅋㅋㅋ

The police must have been dumbfounded too

―Crazyㅋㅋㅋㅋ Is this live?

└ㄴㄴ It seems to be sorted out now. People are dispersing.

―I was there. Bambi wanted to sign for everyone, but there were too many people, so he stayed over an hour and was just dragged away by his manager.

└Manager An must have been freaking out. He’s famous for being super overprotective, and the kid was insisting on signing until dawn….

└So I didn’t get an autograph, just saw him. I felt so sorry for himㅠㅠ

[Title: Where Did Lee Yeon-jae Learn English? Please Share.]

I saw the comparison video of last year’s interview on You☓be, and I’m shocked.

How can his conversational skills improve so quickly without studying abroad???

Please share English study tips. Please

―The locals are reacting hotly. The part where he imitated Jim Fury is going viralㅋㅋ

―I’m most envious of his confidence.

└Me too!! When a foreigner talks to me, I get intimidated, but he doesn’t show that at all, and even makes jokes.

└Conversational skills are about attitude. The more hesitant you are, the more you stumble. You have to go all out.

[Title: Wow, Lee Yeon-jae Really Made It Bigㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

The Daily Show talked about yesterday’s Jim Fury Show and the fan signing event.

It’s been a long time since a Korean was mentioned on The Daily Show ㄷㄷ

―Why all the fuss about a morning show?

└(ㄱㅆ) That morning show has the highest ratings in the US?? If you don’t know, shut up^^

―I’m a local, and Lee Yeon-jae’s videos keep popping up on my SNS. It’s not media exaggeration; it’s real. I can feel it.

―Wow, crazy. Lilly Sweet mentioned Lee Yeon-jaeㄷㄷㄷ That’s huge.

* * *

When I woke up, the world had changed.

It sounded like something from the opening of a novel, but surprisingly, it was true.

‘…?’

First of all, it was strange that my phone was off.

‘I definitely charged it before sleeping.’

Confused, I got up to charge it.

At that moment, the door burst open.

Startled by the door opening without a knock, I saw Jin-bae hyung.

“Hyung?”

Jin-bae hyung, who entered with an urgent look, quickly drew the curtains.

“What’s wrong? What happened―.”

“Just a moment.”

Jin-bae hyung cut me off and made a phone call somewhere.

Seeing him busily making calls all over the place confused me even more.

‘What is this?’

Just a moment ago, I was lounging around with Mist.

Still groggy, I couldn’t grasp the situation.

“Actor. Please don’t be too surprised and listen.”

As I sat dazed on the bed, Jin-bae hyung approached with a grave expression.

“There are paparazzi gathered in front of the hotel.”

“What?”

Paparazzi?

The kind that follow foreign celebrities?

“It seems they’re hard to control downstairs. But don’t worry about photos. The windows have lens reflection features.”

“No, what the….”

“Lilly Sweet mentioned you on Ins☓ta, and it seems that caused more commotion.”

Lilly Sweetie? Who is that?

It felt like I was talking to an alien.

As I was bewildered by the conversation I couldn’t follow, Jin-bae hyung told me to stay in the room and left.

I sat there blankly for a moment, then turned on my phone to understand the situation.

The moment the screen lit up, notifications started buzzing like crazy.

“…Why are there so many calls?”

There were over 30 missed calls.

My messaging app was about to explode.

The last message left by Noh Bi-hyuk read:

[Noh Bi-hyuk, Your Real BFF Bi-hyuk: Hey, are you going to shoot that????]

Shoot what?

Frustrated, I pressed the call button, and the call connected instantly without even a ring.

―Hey, hey. Lee Yeon-jae, are you okay?

Noh Bi-hyuk’s urgent voice came through without even a hello, making me reply in a daze.

“Yeah, I’m fine….”

―I was worried because you didn’t answer. I thought something happened.

“Why would something happen? What’s up with everyone? Since this morning.”

Noh Bi-hyuk sighed.

―A huge crowd has gathered in front of your hotel. It’s on the news.

“News?”

What on earth is going on?

“What did you mean by your message?”

When I asked what he meant by shooting, Noh Bi-hyuk replied in a tone that implied it was obvious.

―I’m talking about Lilly Sweetie’s music video. You’re going to do it, right?

“Who is that? Music video? Is she a singer?”

―…….

Noh Bi-hyuk fell silent for a moment, then asked if I was joking.

“What kind of joke? I don’t understand, so explain properly.”

Feeling frustrated, I raised my voice, and Noh Bi-hyuk chuckled.

―Honestly, I’ve never met anyone like you. How do you not know Lilly Sweetie? Did you grow up in the countryside? Even my grandma knows her.

So, who is she?

With a smug tone, Noh Bi-hyuk told me to look it up myself and hung up.

‘Shouldn’t have called.’

Clicking my tongue, I opened an internet browser.

As I was about to search for Lilly Sweetie, I realized I didn’t need to.

The headline news under the search bar read:

Billboard Star ‘Lilly Sweetie’ Offers Music Video Role to Lee Yeon-jae… Explosive Reaction.