The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune

Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity

Chapter 79

Manager An Jin-bae looked down at the actor sleeping in his arms.

Although he appeared calm with his eyes closed, he looked very exhausted.

He needed to explain the situation to the two people standing frozen in shock, but making sure the actor slept soundly was the priority.

Fortunately, even after a few minutes, there were no signs of him frowning or his breathing becoming irregular.

Moving cautiously, he laid the actor down flat, but the moment he touched him again, he placed his hand on the actor’s forehead.

An Jin-bae’s brow furrowed deeply. His forehead was burning hot.

“……He has a fever.”

“I woke up because I was thirsty… I heard groaning and thought he was having a nightmare, so I woke him up…”

“He seemed fine before going to bed. He didn’t say he was feeling unwell.”

Nodding at the words of Sung Lee-jun and Nam In-hoo, he agreed.

Since he wasn’t the type to show when he was in pain, guessing when it started was a waste of time.

He ushered the two out, suggesting they discuss things outside.

“Do you think we need to take him to the hospital…?”

“It’s better to let him rest first. It’s already… 4 AM. I’ll stay with him, so you two should get some more sleep.”

While conversing, he anxiously hoped the actor wouldn’t wake up.

The two, having been suddenly woken up, seemed disoriented.

Leading them to another room, An Jin-bae cautiously yet firmly asked them not to mention this incident outside.

“Don’t worry. We’re not that thoughtless.”

“Thank goodness. I appreciate it.”

Though they seemed curious, they both entered the room without further questions, understanding it wasn’t the right time.

An Jin-bae returned to the actor’s bedside.

Even as he placed a damp towel on his forehead, the actor did not wake.

The peaceful look on his face while he slept soundly was in stark contrast to An Jin-bae’s lingering worries.

‘He looks uneasy.’

An Jin-bae sighed as he watched him quietly.

His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts.

Yet in the end, all he could do was stay by his side.

* * *

“Is this a dream?”

I knew it was a stupid question, but I couldn’t help but ask.

“Is the little one really sick….”

“Could he have tetanus?”

“Was the hammer rusty? Who took care of the hammer then?”

With each question, the responses multiplied fivefold, making it impossible to speak.

Despite the chaos, I was relieved that my headache was gradually subsiding.

‘Let’s think.’

For some reason, the Mist that had urgently called me had now dispersed.

Seeing the Mist disintegrate into tiny particles was something I was accustomed to witnessing upon waking from a dream, so it wasn’t particularly surprising.

However, experiencing severe pain and confusion simultaneously was a first.

It was also the first time my encounter with the Mist had abruptly ended.

I had no idea what was going on.

Nonetheless, I had held the Mist’s hand, and I didn’t have the chance to extract something like a black stone, so it wouldn’t disappear like before.

I should be able to ask what happened when we meet again.

“Ta-il, try taking this. It’s for your headache.”

“Thank you.”

“…? Why are you speaking formally?”

I quickly accepted the pill from the man and swallowed it.

The sensation of the pill stiffly sliding down my throat was too vivid. It felt too real.

‘But it can’t be real.’

Unless the actors were pulling a surprise camera prank, this situation couldn’t be real.

Given my clear consciousness, it didn’t feel like a dream either.

Whatever the case, I wouldn’t be here forever.

Believing that it would eventually end helped calm my mind.

A few minutes later, the faint headache completely vanished.

As I slowly took in my surroundings, an unfamiliar landscape met my eyes.

An antique interior, yellow linoleum flooring, wooden sliding doors.

Just like it was written in the script.

‘This must be where Kang Tae-il grew up.’

As I carefully observed the interior, I felt a throbbing pain in my hand.

When I looked down, I saw my hand wrapped in bandages.

Come to think of it, there was a mention of a hammer earlier.

‘That means it’s been only a few days since the rival gang’s attack.’

The throbbing pain in my fingertips made it clear.

This couldn’t be real.

The conclusion from my thoughts was simple. I needed to return to reality.

Now I just had to figure out ‘how.’

“Ta-il, are you really okay?”

“Yes. I’m fine.”

“…He’s definitely not okay. Hey, go get a doctor.”

“Should we bring up the guy tied in the basement?”

“…? He’s still there?”

I was busy thinking, so I responded offhandedly, but it seemed I gave the wrong answer.

Swallowing a sigh at the increasingly chaotic atmosphere, I decided to play it by ear.

“Forget it. The bosses complain about using formal speech, but then they get upset when you do.”

A voice sighed while furrowing his brows and raising his eyebrows outwardly.

This made his eyes appear sharper, creating a more intense impression.

The Kang Tae-il I created had such a face.

“Hey, you finally woke up?”

“Are you sure you’re okay? Just in case, should we bring the guy from the basement?”

“Forget it. It’s a hassle. By the way, was my formal speech that bad? I was trying to be cute.”

I smiled slyly, pulling my eyes long.

As I smiled, the faces in front of me followed suit with snickers.

“Cuteness my ass. Hey, you’ll get stabbed acting like that.”

One gangster laughed, throwing an eraser from the desk.

Dodging the flimsily thrown eraser, another gangster behind me put me in a headlock, joking around.

“Choking someone’s neck, huh.” I laughed while saying it, but the hands around my neck had no strength.

The gangster who threw the eraser was hit hard on the head by another gangster.

It was exactly as I had imagined.

“To think the little guy grew up and is speaking formally. It feels so weird~.”

“Right. When I first saw you, you were so tiny, I wondered if you were even edible―.”

“Oh, please stop that story. I’m so sick of it.”

Gangsters were talkative.

Since I couldn’t know events not in the script, I just responded appropriately, playing along.

Even so, conversations centered around Kang Tae-il rarely ceased.

A gangster ruffled my hair roughly whenever I spoke.

It wasn’t a gentle touch but a strong force.

The dizziness from my head being shaken roughly made me feel nauseous.

If it were Manager An Jin-bae, he would’ve stopped immediately without me needing to say anything.

“But Ta-il, you’ve been coming home late a lot lately? You should come home earlier. You’re not strong.”

I had just started to relax during the ordinary conversation when a remark jolted me back to full alertness.

“Weak? You can’t be talking about me, right?”

Swallowing hard, I replied as naturally as possible.

Feigning an incredulous expression, the big guy laughed.

“Then what do you call getting your fingernails pulled out after being hit with a hammer?”

The content wasn’t unfamiliar.

It was in the script. Word for word.

I calmly delivered the next line.

“Hey, didn’t you see? They held my hands and hit them with a hammer. How could I dodge that!”

Kang Tae-il had been ambushed by the enemy gang.

The rumor that Han-sung had picked up and raised an abandoned baby had long spread in the underworld.

It was also known that they had named him Kang Tae-il and raised him with rough care.

Growing up far from a normal environment, Kang Tae-il had seen harsh scenes since childhood.

He saw someone he played with in the morning come back drenched in blood, and saw someone who had pinched his cheeks burying something roughly in the yard.

Kang Tae-il, who thought he could no longer be surprised by anything, had been caught off guard by the ambush.

It happened while he was solving a workbook alone in his room.

As soon as he realized the commotion outside, they barged in.

They roughly grabbed Kang Tae-il’s head, dragged him out, and hammered his small hand.

Had Han-sung’s people arrived a bit later, Kang Tae-il’s hand would have been shattered.

Kang Tae-il considered himself lucky that it ended with just a few fingernails being pulled out.―Director Yoon had said.

“But I held on and didn’t pass out. If it were you, you’d have pissed yourself!”

“Listen to this brat.”

I shrugged and laughed carelessly, and the gangster in front of me laughed too.

‘It’s just like the script.’

Everything was unfolding exactly as written.

Now another gangster should ask, “So, did you see the guy who looks like you?”

The conversation about Lee Jin-woo would follow, leading to the next scene. After that, maybe I could return.

I decided to deliver my lines without making any mistakes.

Or should I perform the scene perfectly? I was pondering.

“Ta-il, are you really okay?”

?

“Of course, I’m fine. I said I was fine.”

The man who gave me the headache pill suddenly intervened.

Startled by the unexpected line, I responded smoothly.

Thinking it was natural, but the man’s words didn’t stop there.

“You’ve been having nightmares constantly, yet you say you’re fine. You don’t have to pretend, you know.”

Kang Tae-il had nightmares?

That was news to me. This was completely different from Director Yoon’s explanation.

‘Since he’s a kid accustomed to violence, let’s set him up as a boy who brags about his scars, saying he’s finally become a man.’

‘That’s when Lee Jin-woo gets suspicious and investigates, discovering he’s not living in an orphanage?’

‘Exactly. You got it, right?’

I was paralyzed with confusion.

“The kid has nightmares? Why didn’t I know that?”

“Thinking about it pisses me off again. We should have killed them all. Or should I bring their severed hands?”

“He’d have more nightmares if you did that. Idiot.”

Even as the gangsters around me joked, the man stared at me intensely.

Feeling the prickly gaze, I habitually smiled.

“I’m really fine! Who’s pretending?”

“You can be honest, it’s okay.”

The man was persistent.

Something felt off.

“Be honest. Who knows? I might give you a reward.”

“…….”

I looked at the man silently.

The gangsters, sensing something was wrong, began glancing between us.

The atmosphere quickly grew tense.

“……If I’m honest, you’ll reward me?”

“Sure.”

Seeing his wide smile, I hesitated.

Should I confess or not?

In a brief moment of indecision, I sighed deeply.

Now, I didn’t care anymore.

“How should I know?”

“What?”

“If you’re curious about Kang Tae-il, ask him yourself. Why ask me?”

Dropping the composed tone, I released the tension in my eyes.

My disinterested voice filled the room.

I threw it out there not knowing what would happen, making me nervous.

Seeing the man’s smiling face, I finally breathed out.

The man’s eyes curved into a bright, yet eerie smile.

“Correct.”

With that, everything before me vanished.