The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune

Chapter 245

Actors and singers are both entertainers, but they are fundamentally different.

I believed that the biggest difference between the two professions lay in the ‘talent.’

A kind of talent that cannot be replaced by words like skill or aptitude.

Unlike actors who face themselves in front of the camera, singers interact with the audience on stage.

Expressions and unique gestures that can captivate viewers in an instant.

To do this shamelessly, you need that talent more than anything.

The moment you feel ashamed, the audience’s immersion breaks as well.

‘Let’s judge this coldly.’

Objectively, I did not have the personality suited for showing off talent.

So it was only right to refuse the suggestion to dance for the talent show.

‘I’ve reached a conclusion.’

I had just lifted my head after making a reasonable deduction.

Though only one person had spoken to me, I felt dozens of gazes.

“…….”

All of my classmates were looking at me.

I wanted to say, ‘Sorry, but I don’t think I can do it,’ but when I saw their sparkling eyes, I couldn’t bring myself to say it.

“……Isn’t there another option?”

So, I chose to sidestep.

It would be a bit rude to tell them to speak comfortably and then immediately refuse.

‘Let’s reject this as gently as possible.’

I raised the corners of my mouth softly.

“There might be someone who wants to participate in the talent show. I shouldn’t take away that opportunity.”

“Oh, if that’s the case, it’s fine. No one wanted to do it anyway.”

“No, Sang-ho, think about it carefully.”

I grabbed the other person’s shoulders.

“Oh? You know my name?”

“That’s not the point, no, Sang-ho. Let’s think about this carefully.”

“Oh, okay.”

“I don’t think I’m suitable. What do you think? Don’t you agree? Right?”

“No, I―.”

“Please, Sang-ho.”

I tightened my grip on his shoulders. I was desperate.

Fortunately, the other person seemed to understand my sincerity.

“Now that I think about it… maybe you’re right….”

I smiled at the bewildered classmate who nodded.

“Yeah. You’re right.”

Great. Now I just needed to convince the others.

Just as I felt relieved.

“Oh, I told you. We can’t rely on Yoon Sang-ho.”

“You’re right. From now on, I’ll take charge. Move aside.”

“Ugh.”

A girl kicked Sang-ho out of the way without hesitation.

Sang-ho flew like a piece of paper. Don’t go….

“Yeon-jae, I’ll get straight to the point since we don’t have time.”

The girl who pushed Sang-ho knelt in front of me.

“Please dance just once. I’m begging you.”

“…….”

“I’m sorry to ask this when we’re not even close. But sometimes things like this happen in life, right? Isn’t this what life is about?”

An overwhelming force emanated from the girl.

I could feel it in an instant.

‘I can’t win against her.’

As I hesitated, the girl smiled gently.

It was a smile that a loan shark might make.

“Just once, close your eyes and dance! We can’t be cruel enough to give up when chicken is right in front of us, right?”

“Is it because you want to eat chicken? Then I’ll buy it for you separately.”

Money was still a difficult and precious thing for me, but I could buy chicken for my classmates once.

However, contrary to my hopes, the loan shark shook her head firmly.

“No. I want to eat the chicken that the school buys, not the chicken you buy.”

“…….”

“I want to rip off the school’s money fair and square. Do you get my point?”

No, I don’t get it.

But there was one thing I did understand.

I had lost.

* * *

Late at night after the recreation ended.

Noh Bi-hyuk burst into laughter on the phone after hearing the situation.

―This is crazy. So, you really danced?!

“Do you think I danced for fake….”

―Ah, I should’ve gone too! If I were there, we would’ve had a showdown.

Noh Bi-hyuk laughed loudly, finding it hilarious. I didn’t find it funny at all.

The only consolation was that our class won first place.

‘I think we would’ve won even if I hadn’t danced.’

The class’s determination to get the chicken was astonishing.

The girl who knelt before me with a look of desperation had the same crazed look during the recreation time.

She cheered so passionately that our class’s cheer score was overwhelmingly higher than the others.

In other words, we won the chicken not because of my dance, but because of their cheering.

‘I didn’t know they liked food that much.’

My classmates were completely different from the peers I had met in the entertainment world, like Han Se-young, Sung Lee-jun, and Nam In-hoo.

They were much more straightforward, playful, and somewhat carefree.

I was bewildered by their closeness, but the funny thing was, I didn’t feel bad about it.

As soon as I finished dancing and returned to my seat, they patted my shoulder, saying I did well, and I felt a newfound sense of camaraderie.

“Bi-hyuk, stop laughing now.”

―I’m laughing because it’s funny! I haven’t seen you dance to our song in full before.

Noh Bi-hyuk added that even Eun-taek hyung would lament if he heard this story.

―”Someone must have recorded it? I’ll watch it when it gets uploaded.”

“You look really excited.”

On screen, Noh Bi-hyuk seemed very cheerful.

Yeah, it’s fine if you’re happy at least.

While I swallowed a sigh inwardly, I sensed someone approaching beside me.

“Yeon-jae, are you still on the phone?”

It was Seo Ji-oh.

‘The chicken must have arrived.’

Just as I was thinking I should hang up, Noh Bi-hyuk was a step ahead.

―”What the? Why is he there?”

His suddenly sullen voice caught me off guard.

“Because he’s in my class.”

―”Do you think I didn’t know that when I asked?”

Then why did you ask?

I couldn’t understand, so I looked at the screen, and this time Seo Ji-oh interrupted.

“Bi-hyuk, hi. Long time no see.”

―”Oh. Not glad to see you.”

“Wow~. I was thinking the same thing.”

Seo Ji-oh chuckled slowly.

Unlike what I had seen all day, his smile was somewhat irritable.

‘What is their problem?’

It was now fascinating how they treated each other like arch-enemies whenever they met.

The intense confrontation tired me out, so I hurriedly ended the call.

“Did the chicken arrive?”

“Yeah. They were making a fuss to get you before it gets cold. They said to come within 3 minutes at least.”

“……Let’s go quickly.”

As the thought of a girl with wild eyes crossed my mind, my steps quickened without realizing it.

When we entered the room, our class was sitting in a circle.

“Lee Yeon-jae is here! Let’s eat now!”

“Oh yeah!”

As soon as the girl finished speaking, the kids grabbed the chicken and pizza in a hurry.

“Wow, this is delicious.”

“Pass me the cola!”

“What the heck, are these all the paper cups we have?”

The teacher had clearly told us to eat quietly.

The kids acted as if they had never heard such a thing.

“Hey, you dance really well.”

The girl who had asked me to dance earlier approached.

“Why aren’t you eating? Go ahead and eat. It’s thanks to you we got this.”

“Thanks.”

I took a bite of the pizza she handed me. It was delicious.

“Did you practice dancing separately?”

“I didn’t practice, but I watched a lot of dance videos.”

I had learned that when you’re a fan, you should watch a video at least ten times.

Having watched the video on Naid’s official channel more than a hundred times, it was enough to learn the choreography.

“You can dance that well just by watching videos? That’s amazing.”

“Your cheering was more impressive.”

“Oh, the role I auditioned for this time was a cheerleading captain. I guess the practice came in handy today.”

The girl laughed, rubbing her nose. She looked truly proud.

“How is Lee Jung-hyun in person?”

“I was curious about that too!”

After that, I exchanged a few words with the classmates, and I was surprised at how comfortable it was.

‘It was definitely awkward just this morning.’

Kids really do make friends quickly.

I had read about it in books, but experiencing it firsthand was a fresh feeling.

Thus, the first night ended in a noisy atmosphere.

* * *

The next morning.

“Yeon-jae, do you want some water?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

“Are you tired? You didn’t get much sleep.”

Seo Ji-oh’s slow gaze was fixed on me.

Practicing my acting to remove the misfortune factor wasn’t exempted just because it was a school trip.

Although I had to get up at five in the morning today, my condition wasn’t bad.

“I’m a bit tired, but it’s okay. Thanks to you, I practiced comfortably.”

I originally planned to practice in the bathroom.

Thanks to Seo Ji-oh finding an empty room in advance the previous day, I practiced comfortably.

I wondered why he was being so kind, but when he asked if he could watch me practice, it made sense.

‘He’s the same as ever.’

Indeed, there’s no such thing as kindness without reason.

The second day was mainly filled with experiential activities.

From a literary museum to a garden and a forest path, we went around without a break, and my feet started to hurt a bit.

‘But thinking about hanging on wires, this is better.’

Compared to filming action scenes for “Killing Horn,” the pain was bearable.

But the kids seemed to feel differently.

“Teacher, I’m really exhausted.”

“My feet feel like they’re going to split….”

“Can’t we rest for a bit?”

The kids’ complaints came out unrestrainedly.

What surprised me was that the teacher seemed very accustomed to handling such complaints.

‘Could I say something like that to the director?’

The answer was ‘no.’

As an actor, even if filming was tough, I had to endure it.

Of course, I knew it wasn’t fair to compare because we were earning money, but….

‘They look comfortable.’

A strong bond was evident between the kids and the teachers.

Complaints and nagging were just part of their cute interactions.

‘How fascinating.’

It was okay to grumble like that.

I felt strange.

“Oh my, I’m tired too. Let’s rest for thirty minutes before we go.”

In the end, the teacher also gave in.

Sitting on the bench, I was chewing over my feelings when I saw someone sit on the bench opposite me.

It was the boy and girl who had asked me to dance last night. But….

“…?”

Why are they holding hands?

‘Are they dating?’

No, that doesn’t make sense.

Then she must have pushed her boyfriend away like that yesterday.

‘Am I the only one seeing this?’

I was lost in thought when Seo Ji-oh suddenly laughed.

“Yeon-jae, I can see exactly what you’re thinking.”

“……Are those two dating?”

“Yeah. They’ve been together for over a year.”

They really are dating?

Just then, the girl complained about being hot.

Immediately, the boy, Sang-ho, who had been kicked yesterday, handed her a water bottle.

The atmosphere between the two was strangely tender.

‘How fascinating.’

I’m seeing a lot of fascinating things on this school trip.

I had acted as a couple with Han Se-young in ‘Goodbye, My Summer,’ but this was the first time I’d seen a real couple my age.

It was just like in the dramas.

‘How did they start dating?’

Can I ask?

After the school trip, I had to go straight to LA for a music video shoot.

And the music video I would be in was for a song Lily Sweety wrote while thinking about her first love.

‘My first love is Mist.’

But I knew well that my first love and Lily’s concept of first love were different.

So, I needed more reference points.

“Do you have something to say? Why are you staring?”

Noticing my gaze, the girl spoke first.

It felt too personal to ask, but thinking about the music video, I opened my mouth.

“Are you two dating?”

“Yeah. Can’t you see?”

The girl raised her hand, still holding the boy’s.

“Ji-hye, why are you like this….”

“What’s the matter?”

Only the boy looked embarrassed, while the girl was confident. She was like a big shot.

As I took in their appearance and asked questions, the girl kindly answered.

My effort in dancing yesterday had paid off.

“What are you two talking about so seriously?”

As the conversation with the girl got more intense, other kids joined in.

Maybe it was the effect of sharing food yesterday, but the conversation was exceptionally comfortable.

Later, we even took photos together at the bamboo forest we visited.

‘I’m glad I came on this school trip.’

It was already nighttime when I had that thought.

Now there was only one activity left.

‘Courage test.’

I’d finish quickly and practice as soon as I got back to the dorm.

But Seo Ji-oh had been unusually quiet for a while.

I looked beside me in curiosity and saw his pale face.

Seo Ji-oh and I made eye contact.

“…….”

“…….”

I didn’t have to ask to know.

Are you scared?