The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune

Chapter 243

“Ugh.”

The stylist employee, looking out the window, wore a disgusted expression.

“They look like a bunch of zombies. Don’t they ever get tired…?”

A crowd had gathered in front of the hotel.

It looked like a horde of zombies, just as the employee said.

‘How am I supposed to get through that?’

A sigh escaped my lips.

Who could have known we’d be stuck here because of the paparazzi?

The paparazzi in New York were more tenacious than I had expected.

Even with the arrival of the police, they remained firmly in place, enough to make one click their tongue in disbelief.

“Can’t I just wear a hat and go out?”

If I wore a mask too, no one would recognize me.

“No.”

But Jin-bae hyung was firm.

“If something happens, it’ll be a big problem.”

“Then how about just going out? Let’s just think of it as having a few pictures taken.”

“I don’t mind having pictures taken. The problem is the process of getting the pictures.”

I was at a loss for words when he mentioned the possibility of being pushed around and blocked in front of the car.

“In the process, you could get hurt, Actor. The company will be sending security soon, so please wait a bit, even if it’s inconvenient.”

“Got it.”

There was no risk of me getting hurt today since I had enough practice for today’s acting.

But I couldn’t mention the misfortune factor to Jin-bae hyung, so I kept quiet.

“I’m stepping out for a moment. Stay put here.”

“Okay.”

“Promise me.”

Jin-bae hyung left the room only after I hooked my pinky finger with his.

‘Nothing to do.’

I thought about practicing my acting more, but a sudden thought made me speak up.

“Do you know a singer named Lily Sweetie?”

The casual question brought an awkward silence.

“Why? Did I say something wrong?”

I asked urgently, and the stylist employee looked astonished.

“It’s just so obvious that you asked.”

Oh, it’s that obvious?

Seeing my embarrassed face, the stylist noonas started whispering.

“Sometimes he’s scary.”

“Where did a kid like him come from?”

“Don’t say this on broadcast. You’ll get scolded for pretending it’s a concept.”

Is it that bad?

I pouted my lips at their collective sighs.

“…She’s a foreign singer, right? I know almost all the Korean singers.”

I had memorized most Korean singers while studying Nade.

I didn’t have a hobby of listening to music, so it was possible not to know foreign singers.

‘That’s unfair.’

It felt too harsh, but I focused on the explanation that followed.

“Lily Sweetie is incredibly famous. Her songs even make it to the Korean charts whenever she makes a comeback. Even people who don’t listen to pop music know her name.”

Lily Sweetie.

She debuted as a child in an American musical sitcom and had been a singer for over ten years.

A singer-songwriter who wrote her own songs and lyrics, a celebrity always mentioned among America’s most beloved stars, and a singer who broke records on the Billboard charts with every comeback.

She was a born top star.

“Haven’t you heard this song? It’s from her last album.”

The song the employee played felt familiar, as if I’d heard it many times.

I often heard it on the streets or at events.

‘She really is a famous person.’

I finally understood Noh Bi-hyuk and the noonas’ reactions.

‘But it’s possible not to know a singer’s name.’

Feeling slightly resentful from all the fuss around me, I opened my notepad.

[Mist. What are you doing now? I miss you.]

It felt even lonelier since Jin-bae hyung wasn’t around.

As I sat in the corner clutching my phone, the noonas cautiously approached.

“Yeon-jae, are you upset?”

“Who’s Lily Sweetie again? I’ve never heard of her either.”

I snorted at their innocent remarks.

“No. It was my fault for not knowing.”

“Oh no, he’s really mad. Sorry, noonas.”

“I’m not mad.”

When I replied while still looking at my phone, the noonas became even more eager to talk to me.

Their tone was like comforting a child, which was ridiculous, but I realized I was actually acting like a child.

‘…I must be crazy.’

My face flushed with heat.

I immediately pulled my gaze from my phone and straightened my posture.

“I’m really fine.”

I added with an embarrassed face.

“I’m sorry for acting childish…”

The noonas had question marks on their faces for a moment, then burst into laughter.

“Why are you apologizing? How cute.”

“Why did your ears turn red? Haha.”

Thankfully, the noonas didn’t seem to be in a bad mood.

It was a relief that they didn’t seem upset.

‘Why did I do that?’

I was puzzled by my overly childish behavior and felt embarrassed.

While I was feeling ashamed of my childish actions, Jin-bae hyung returned.

With several bodyguards dressed in suits.

“Let’s go, everyone.”

“Yes.”

Jin-bae hyung glanced at the smiling noonas briefly before approaching me.

“Actor, did something happen?”

“No. Let’s go…”

“…?”

Though puzzled, Jin-bae hyung quietly gathered my belongings.

“Ah, would it be okay if I hold onto your phone? Sometimes the paparazzi try to grab things from your pockets. I’ll give it back to you as soon as we arrive at the airport.”

They really do all sorts of things.

I handed my phone to Jin-bae hyung, clicking my tongue inwardly.

We rushed out of the hotel and finally arrived in Korea. I had completely forgotten.

I had forgotten to delete what I wrote in the memo app.

* * *

“Actor, sweet dreams.”

Standing at the doorway, An Jin-bae spoke to Lee Yeon-jae, who was about to lie down on the bed.

“You too, hyung.”

An Jin-bae gazed at Yeon-jae’s drowsy, dark eyes for a moment before closing the door.

Returning to his room, he sank into thought.

‘Mist…’

His concerns deepened after accidentally seeing the note in the memo app before returning the actor’s phone.

Mist, a friend the actor said he had known briefly a long time ago.

Despite investigating through various channels, not a single clue had been found.

Even considering the possibility that it was a nickname rather than a real name, no significant findings emerged.

Yet, the ‘Mist’ he couldn’t find no matter how hard he tried was in the actor’s phone, not as a sent message but in a memo app.

‘An imaginary friend?’

An imaginary friend is a figure a child creates to cope with loneliness.

While this is common in early childhood, the problem was that the actor was an adolescent soon to be a high school student.

‘I haven’t seen him talk to himself.’

Talking to an imaginary friend can be a sign of schizophrenia.

But having spent almost 24 hours a day with the actor, An Jin-bae hadn’t seen any such symptoms.

‘What should I do if it’s really an imaginary friend?’

When the actor had a panic attack and was hyperventilating, hearing the word ‘Mist’ immediately calmed him down.

It meant he was excessively dependent on this imaginary friend.

‘Could it be another personality? Should I approach this as a case of multiple personality disorder?’

There must be a reason for writing such words in a private memo app.

An Jin-bae clutched his throbbing head.

‘I thought he was getting better…’

Why did it feel so precarious?

The actor completely trusted him.

It was clear that he not only cared for him but relied on him.

Despite that, An Jin-bae felt that the actor was hiding a significant secret from him.

A very solid secret that he couldn’t possibly intrude on.

“Sigh.”

An Jin-bae let out a deep sigh.

If he asked about the memo, the actor would likely dodge the question with an awkward expression.

Thus, the answer was clear.

The only option was to patiently wait until he could learn that secret.

It was still the same. He was starting to feel anxious.

‘I thought I had good patience.’

An Jin-bae blinked.

His eyes, moving slowly, were filled with worry.

“You’re really difficult…”

* * *

“What the…”

Kwon In-ah, the president of Lee Yeon-jae’s fan club, opened her eyes wide.

“Did this many people really visit?”

The visitor count on the introduction page for Lee Yeon-jae for overseas use, which had been set up earlier, had sharply increased.

Every time she refreshed the page, the numbers increased by hundreds, startling the president.

“If this keeps up, the server might crash. I should contact them in advance.”

Indeed, our Bambi.

Bambi’s beauty was captivating not only in Korea but also overseas.

It was an obvious fact, but it was so adorable it was hard to bear.

‘A celebrity who excels in their main job is the best.’

As predicted by the president, ‘Horn,’ the character played by Bambi, met a horrific end.

As a drama, it was an impactful ending, but as a Lee Yeon-jae fan, it was an ending one couldn’t watch without tears.

‘Ah, I want to rewatch Killing Horn too.’

She wanted to watch the drama featuring white-haired Bambi in nano increments, but she had duties to fulfill as the fan club president.

‘I will make sure no one overseas is unaware of Bambi.’

Everything moved quickly these days.

In this fast-paced SNS era, a slow response could lead to uncontrollable chaos.

And she was confident.

Confident that she could make Bambi the ultimate global star.

After news spread about the offer for Lee Yeon-jae to appear in Lily Sweetie’s music video, she moved even faster.

Wuyeon Entertainment issued a simple official statement saying, “Currently under discussion,” but everyone knew.

Everyone knew that Lee Yeon-jae would eventually appear in Lily Sweetie’s music video.

Appearing in Lily Sweetie’s music video, which recorded millions of views, was a huge advantage.

Regardless of the role’s significance or the storyline, it would bring more benefits than harm to Bambi.

People were already buzzing with excitement.

―What will the story be about? A love story between a blonde white female lead and an Asian male lead? It’s refreshing.

―There’s no guarantee it will be a love story, right? Besides, Lily is 28 by Korean age. She’s a zodiac sign older than Lee Yeon-jae.

└In foreign countries, they don’t care about big age differences.

└The issue isn’t the age difference but that Lee Yeon-jae is a minor while Lily is an adult.

└Yeah, the comment above is right. In America, they’re very sensitive about child sexual abuse, so if they include such a storyline, it could be legally problematic.

―So, it might not be a love song?

└We’ll have to wait for the official statement to know for sure. Since Lee Yeon-jae is likely to appear, we’ll learn something then.

Lee Yeon-jae was so popular that posts about him appeared regularly in non-entertainment communities as well.

Antis eager to criticize Lee Yeon-jae and fans eager to praise him were on edge.

Why were they delaying the obvious answer?

‘Hurry up and release the official statement saying he’ll appear!’

Only then could the antis write posts about how the kid had gotten a taste of money, and the fans could write posts about how their boy was a superstar.

Finally, Wuyeon Entertainment released the official statement everyone had been waiting for.

And upon receiving the news from her manager, Lily Sweetie jumped up from her seat.

“(They rejected it??? Rejected???)”

Lily’s eyes widened.

Her pupils shook violently, as if she had witnessed something unbelievable.

After a long silence, Lily managed to speak.

“(Why? Why did they reject it?)”

The manager answered, gauging her reaction.

“(They said he has to go on a school trip…)”

“(…What?)”

Lily’s eyes filled with disbelief.

A school trip? What even is that?