The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune

Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity

Chapter 77

Nam In-hoo thought all night long.

The endless stream of thoughts couldn’t come to a conclusion.

Without reaching any clear conclusion, he arrived at the set, only to face the person he had thought about all night long.

And within an hour, he was finally certain.

Lee Yeon-jae was strange.

“Hey, that’s a bit much. Isn’t the scene of a child losing a fingernail too extreme?”

“Growing up among gangsters, it’s quite mild. You can’t have him get stabbed.”

“How about a thin cut with a knife instead? Doesn’t losing a fingernail bleed more?”

The discussion on how much to injure Kang Tae-il continued among Director Yoon Kang-yeon and the staff.

Since the character wasn’t very old, the depiction of violence against a child had to be handled with care.

As no clear plan emerged, Director Yoon sighed and called for Lee Yeon-jae.

When asked what would be best, Lee Yeon-jae wore a somewhat ambiguous expression.

“Is losing a fingernail such an excessive depiction? I think it should be fine.”

“Isn’t it too brutal?”

“You’re not going to include the scene of the hammer directly, are you? Losing a fingernail is, well….”

“Isn’t it too easy for you to say since it’s not your fingernail? If it were me… ugh, just imagining it.”

Director Yoon shivered.

The exaggerated gesture made the staff laugh lightly, but Lee Yeon-jae alone stood still without laughing.

“Haven’t you ever lost a fingernail?”

His head tilted halfway as he asked, showing genuine curiosity.

“What? Have you?”

“Yes. Twice.”

“Twice?! When?”

“In elementary school. It’s not as painful as you think. It grows back in about half a year.”

His nonchalant voice left people stunned.

When asked how he lost them, he just answered that he fell.

How do you lose a fingernail to a fall? People’s faces were full of confusion.

Lee Yeon-jae, on the other hand, seemed to not understand why they were reacting so strongly.

Seeing that, Nam In-hoo became more certain. Lee Yeon-jae was strange.

“Uh, can I sit next to you?”

“Oh, yes! Of course.”

While he was looking at people talking from afar, he suddenly sensed someone next to him. It was Sung Lee-jun.

Just like Lee Yeon-jae, Sung Lee-jun was also a celebrity who felt distinctly distant.

Nam In-hoo glanced at Sung Lee-jun who was sitting calmly and reading the script.

“…? Do you have something to say…?”

“Oh, no. I just thought you were handsome.”

Startled, he complimented, and Sung Lee-jun smiled politely, thanking him.

Just when the conversation seemed like it would end, Nam In-hoo hastily said something.

“You seem to be quite close with Yeon-jae. Making a special appearance like this.”

He immediately regretted the foolish comment, but Sung Lee-jun’s expression changed.

The businesslike smile faded, and his cheeks turned red.

“…?”

“Do we look that close…?”

“Yes… Didn’t you have dinner together yesterday?”

Sung Lee-jun nodded, blushing shyly.

He couldn’t understand why he was so embarrassed to say they had sushi, but he enthusiastically reacted, realizing he was talking to a famous person.

“He remembered that I can’t eat meat well.”

“Wow, Yeon-jae has a good memory.”

“Yes, he’s really kind.”

Isn’t having a good memory different from being kind?

The more they talked, the stranger he felt, but he just smiled.

“I was really impressed with his acting yesterday. I expected him to do well, but seeing it in person was something else.”

Thinking he had a good impression of Lee Yeon-jae, he cleverly shifted the topic.

Wanting to talk more, he didn’t lie as it wouldn’t hurt to have a good connection.

Lee Yeon-jae was strange. Even more so when acting.

“I’ve never seen anyone like Yeon-jae. Saying he’s good is an understatement.”

“Right. Actually… I practiced a lot myself. Of course, it can’t compare! But I thought, ‘this isn’t too bad.’”

Nam In-hoo scratched his temple awkwardly.

“But after seeing Yeon-jae yesterday… Wow, can I even call what I do acting? That’s what I thought.”

“……”

“I’ve seen many actors while filming as a supporting role. I’ve seen famous actors and was often impressed, but yesterday….”

He couldn’t even be impressed. He was just stunned.

Lee Yeon-jae’s portrayal of Lee Jin-woo was shockingly natural.

Every detail, from the eyebrow movements, hesitant steps, to his lifelike eyes, was perfect.

The flawless portrayal was exactly like Lee Jin-woo.

Even after the cut was called, he looked dazed for a few seconds, like a protagonist from a movie.

Watching him, his mood naturally sank.

Despite acting so hard, he felt despair that his efforts weren’t visible.

But on the other hand… he was relieved.

He was glad there wouldn’t be any comparisons to such perfect acting.

That sense of relief was completely shattered when he saw Lee Yeon-jae acting as Kang Tae-il.

He was a different person. There was no Lee Yeon-jae or Lee Jin-woo.

Not a single aspect resembled the character he had envisioned.

Nam In-hoo played Kang Tae-il, but Lee Yeon-jae became Kang Tae-il.

As Nam In-hoo sighed deeply, Sung Lee-jun spoke softly.

“Don’t compare yourself too much to Yeon-jae. It’s not easy, but… I’ve never seen good results from comparisons.”

“Have you never compared yourself to Yeon-jae?”

As soon as he said it, he thought it was a mistake.

He quickly tried to apologize, but Sung Lee-jun smiled brightly.

Surprisingly, his laughter was refreshing.

“Of course I have. At first, I did. But after talking a few times, those feelings went away. He’s too kind to be treated that way. I got influenced by others’ words….”

“Words?”

What words? He asked simply out of curiosity, but Sung Lee-jun’s face instantly hardened.

“Oh, sorry. Please pretend you didn’t hear that. I misspoke.”

“Okay….”

He was curious, but couldn’t ask further seeing his stiffened face.

Sung Lee-jun closed his mouth tightly, and silence hung between them until Lee Yeon-jae approached.

* * *

“What happened to your hand? Did you get hurt?”

At Kim Jin-ho’s words, all eyes turned to Kang Tae-il’s hand.

Kang Tae-il shamelessly raised his bandaged hand.

“This is the honorable wound from fighting seven to one! …Actually, I just fell in the alley yesterday.”

“Ugh. Clumsy as ever.”

“……Can you get that hurt from just falling? If it’s bleeding enough to show, isn’t it serious?”

Kang Tae-il smiled awkwardly at Lee Jin-woo’s voice full of curiosity. Come on, just let it slide.

“The alley was steep. Oh, and is your homeroom teacher definitely wearing a wig? Not just a guess?”

“It’s definite! I watched closely when he scratched his head today, and the whole part moved.”

Kim Jin-ho laughed and continued the conversation seamlessly.

Lee Jin-woo pretended to listen but glanced at Kang Tae-il’s hand.

The tightly wrapped hand with a bandage twitched and moved to the side.

As he slowly raised his gaze, he met the black eyes staring at him.

“……”

With Kim Jin-ho talking non-stop in between, the two exchanged a quiet glance.

“Cut!”

Director Yoon’s voice echoed.

With the okay sign, all three simultaneously relaxed.

Even Lee Yeon-jae, who had maintained a straight posture throughout the repeated shoots, was among them.

“Wow, it’s really tough…. But fun.”

“Haha. Right…!”

Hearing Nam In-hoo’s mumbling, Sung Lee-jun laughed in agreement.

Lee Yeon-jae, with his eyes closed, didn’t say anything but responded with a raised corner of his mouth.

A peaceful atmosphere flowed among the three entangled in a comfortable position.

Staff passing by glanced at them.

‘Kids get close quickly.’

Only a week had passed since the first shoot, but the three seemed very close.

Though the age difference wasn’t significant, it was surprising that Lee Yeon-jae was at the center.

Having seen Lee Yeon-jae in person, he was quieter than expected, so he thought the other two would lead the conversation.

But when Lee Yeon-jae was absent, the remaining two awkwardly only looked at the script.

This morning, seeing them laugh and talk, he went over and found they were only talking about Lee Yeon-jae who wasn’t there.

‘I can’t understand kids’ psychology.’

Thinking to himself, the staff shrugged and disappeared.

* * *

Massaging his closed eyes, he felt it was time to get up and raised himself.

Suddenly, urgent voices came from both sides.

“Where are you going?”

“Are you getting up?”

“…? Should I sit back down?”

He awkwardly stood up and sat back down.

There was no hurry anyway.

While looking at the quietly flowing river, he sensed hesitation next to him.

“Why? Do you have something to say?”

“Uh…, it’s not important.”

“Yeah.”

“I talked to In-hoo earlier. Today’s my last shoot. Not to commemorate or anything but….”

Watching Sung Lee-jun speak slowly, he wondered how he played a chatterbox character.

“If you’re okay with it, I thought it would be nice if the three of us had dinner…!”

“Let’s do that. Do you have something you want to eat?”

Wondering what he was hesitating about, he nodded casually and talked about dinner.

While Sung Lee-jun talked excitedly, Nam In-hoo seemed deep in thought.

Then he finally spoke.

“Can we eat at your place?”

“My place?”

Why all of a sudden?

“Do you want delivery food?”

“No, it’s not that… I’m just curious about your house. I’ve never been to a celebrity’s house.”

“I’m not really a celebrity―.”

―Yes, a celebrity… indeed.

He scratched his neck uncomfortably.

There’s nothing special to see at home anyway.

Thinking there was no need to go home when there were so many places to eat, he turned his head and swallowed his words.

Despite keeping his mouth shut, he could see in Sung Lee-jun’s eager eyes that he really wanted to go.

“Hmm… I’ll check with Manager An Jin-bae first. I don’t live alone.”

Worried that Manager An Jin-bae might be displeased, he was surprised when he agreed happily.

Thus, before the sun fully set, the four of them drove to his house.

“Wow… why so many books?”

“They were all gifts.”

On his birthday, Jung-hyun gave him enough books to fill a shelf.

Thinking it was the only thing to see in his room, he was mistaken.

Sung Lee-jun and Nam In-hoo acted like they were there for a house tour. Why don’t you check the water pressure too?

Fortunately, the food delivery arrived, ending the house exploration.

The problem came afterward.

“Can I sleep over?”

“…? Why?”

“I just want to.”

Nam In-hoo was unapologetic.

Caught off guard, he couldn’t think of a response.

Before he could answer, Sung Lee-jun, who had been watching, jumped in.

“Then me too…!”

Why are you both doing this?