The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune

Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity

Chapter 82

“What the….”

“Anyway, I still get paid even if I waste an hour like this. It doesn’t matter to me.”

The doctor said something absurd as if it were nothing.

“You’ve achieved your purpose just by attending the counseling. The people around you must be relieved now, so you can relax too, right?”

“…”

I lost my words and just stared.

As if not expecting an answer, the doctor mumbled to himself.

“I don’t know why you’re acting even in this room without a single camera.”

I had nothing to say.

After a few seconds, the doctor, who had been doodling, straightened his posture again.

“Well, I still have to earn my counseling fee, so I’ll ask a few more questions out of courtesy.”

“…Okay.”

Seeing his face, which seemed annoyed to death, I felt drained too.

After repeating the cycle of answering his half-hearted questions reluctantly a few times, the counseling time eventually ended.

I left after giving a slight bow to the doctor, who turned his back on me without hesitation, saying he’d see me at the next appointment.

“Did you receive the counseling well, actor?”

“Yes….”

“Is there something wrong?”

I couldn’t bring myself to say anything to Manager An Jin-bae, who asked curiously, so I just shook my head.

There really are all sorts of strange doctors.

Although it felt a bit off, I didn’t want to change hospitals.

‘Anyway, I only need to go a few more times.’

As soon as I got in the car, I fastened my seatbelt.

Even though I always did it well without being told, Manager An Jin-bae always checked to make sure the seatbelt was properly secured.

Today, too, he confirmed the belt was securely fastened and then looked at me with a smile.

“This is the last schedule for today. Shall we head straight to the practice room?”

“No. I’ll go straight home today. Because of the exams.”

“Oh, right.”

School exams were only a few days away.

Even though it was an arts middle school with fewer restrictions on studies than other places, an exam was still an exam.

After returning home, I locked myself in my room and studied for hours.

When I came out, thirsty, the living room was strangely noisy.

“…? When did you come?”

“An hour ago? I was helping Jin-bae hyung.”

Noh Bi-hyuk was sitting at the dining table with Manager An Jin-bae, handling bean sprouts.

In comfortable clothes with messy hair, he looked as natural as if he were in his own home.

“Aren’t you going to study? We have exams in two weeks.”

“Don’t talk about studying to an idol.”

“Aren’t idols students too?”

“Ugh. You should have been a nagging elder, not an actor.”

Noh Bi-hyuk playfully threw a strand of bean sprouts.

Holding the strand reflexively, I sat in an empty seat.

Looking at the pile of bean sprouts, I didn’t show it, but honestly, I was a bit taken aback.

“Hyung…, are we opening a bean sprout store?”

As I quietly asked while removing a bean sprout head, Manager An Jin-bae smiled awkwardly.

He said he couldn’t gauge the amount because he ordered online, and I laughed while continuing to work.

Fortunately, with three people, the large quantity was finished quickly.

“How’s practice? Is anyone bothering you?”

“Who would bother me? If anyone does, I’d bother them instead. Ugh, everything else is fine, but the schedule is too tight.”

I’d heard the agency was famous for its rigorous training.

Noh Bi-hyuk, whom I hadn’t seen in a while, looked slightly thinner than before.

Even though we attended the same school, we hardly saw each other because we had different majors.

“Are you managing with the filming? I heard from hyung that the content is quite deep.”

“It was fine until now, but I’m a bit worried about the scene we’ll shoot tomorrow.”

“What about the person you mentioned you’d be filming with? Are they doing well?”

“It’s not just anyone; it’s In-hoo hyung. I told you his name last time.”

I’d mentioned it several times, so why couldn’t he remember? He had a good head too.

Despite my scolding, Noh Bi-hyuk only pouted his lips.

“Whether it’s In-hoo hyung or Inoo hyung, whatever.”

“Yes. He acts well.”

“Did he sleep over here recently?”

“I’ve told you several times. He hasn’t come over since the last time.”

Noh Bi-hyuk, who found out that Nam In-hoo and Sung Lee-jun had slept over at my house through a call with Manager An Jin-bae, came straight over that day.

When I went out to see what was going on at the sound of the doorbell, I lost my words seeing him neatly bringing pajamas.

When I asked if he had his parents’ permission, he said he just left a note.

Though I tugged on his ear and told him to call right away, both of his parents didn’t answer, so he ended up sending a text.

The reply came the next day.

“Neither Lee-jun hyung nor In-hoo hyung has come since then. Only you keep coming.”

“Okay. Can I sleep over today too?”

He wouldn’t back off quietly if I said no.

His obedient request annoyed me, so I flicked his forehead.

“Then you study with me too.”

“…I just remembered I have practice today.”

“At least do your foreign language study. You said you’d need it before debuting anyway.”

“Ah… I really hate it….”

I dragged the slumped Noh Bi-hyuk into my room.

The boy, who surprisingly studied quietly for an hour, tried to run away again when he saw the dinner menu (bean sprout soup, bean sprout salad, and bean sprout bulgogi).

Of course, he failed.

* * *

The next morning, after taking Noh Bi-hyuk to the agency, I went to the filming site.

“You’re here? How do you feel?”

“I’m okay.”

Director Yoon greeted me in a rather delicate tone, perhaps because the scene we were filming today wasn’t easy.

While I was looking at myself in the mirror after changing clothes, Manager An Jin-bae approached me.

“Actor, you know what I’m going to say, right?”

“Yes.”

“This is just a filming. You’re shooting a movie, not playing a game. You’re not losing if you make an NG or take a break midway.”

Adjusting the collar of my shirt, he continued quietly.

“If it gets hard, you can stop anytime, and you can always shoot again. Promise you’ll tell me if it gets too tough.”

“I promise. But hyung, you don’t have to worry so much. It’s not that difficult a scene.”

“How can I not worry?”

I had nothing to say to the person who said I would never understand, so I just smiled.

I moved to the waiting area, fiddling with the button that felt like it was stuck to my throat.

There, the actor who would match my part in this scene was standing.

“Hello, senior.”

“Oh… hi.”

Actress Sung Eun-hye, who played Lee Jin-woo’s mother, had a slightly pale complexion.

Noticing her swallowing often as if her throat was dry, I spoke to her cautiously.

“Senior, I’m a bit nervous… Can we run the lines together before the shoot?”

“Oh? Oh, sure.”

We still had a long time before the actual filming.

Sung Eun-hye, who sat awkwardly next to me, didn’t loosen up even after a few rounds of running the lines.

“I can’t stand! I mean, look at! Ah, sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

Today’s scene involved Lee Jin-woo being abused by his biological mother.

Though the beating scene wasn’t explicit, it required some action for the depiction.

Seeing her struggle with just the lines, I doubted if she could pretend to hit me.

“Senior, shall we take a short break?”

As the mistakes continued, I suggested we rest first.

When I handed her a water bottle, she gulped it down, looking frustrated.

“Sorry. I feel so ashamed.”

“It’s okay.”

I wasn’t too surprised since I saw her make several mistakes during this scene at the reading too.

It was awkward to give acting advice, but I couldn’t just leave, so I sat quietly.

After a long silence, it was Sung Eun-hye who broke it.

“I have a son.”

“Oh, yes. I heard from the director.”

“Really? Then you might also know I divorced his dad and haven’t seen him for several years?”

Well, not that much….

“He’s abroad now. He must be in high school… The last time I saw him was exactly your age.”

“…”

“Maybe that’s why it’s not easy to say these lines. It feels like I’m saying them to my son.”

Her sudden personal confession left me in a dilemma.

Was it okay for me to hear this?

I looked at her cautiously, but she didn’t seem to recognize my presence.

“Oh… if I mess up this shoot, I’m in real trouble… This is my last chance.”

Her trembling eyelids were sincere.

Saying that, she mumbled the lines she had messed up earlier to herself.

But she still stuttered at the same part, so I spoke after a brief silence.

“Then just think of me as your real son.”

“Huh?”

“If your son automatically comes to mind despite your will, it might be better to act by fully adopting that image. Rather than covering it ambiguously and breaking concentration.”

Her shoulders, which had been watching me, trembled.

Lowering my eyes at the reaction as if something had been discovered.

“After all, I’m not your real son. I don’t think you’d be confused about that even after the

shoot ends.”

“That’s true…. But wouldn’t it be harder to get the lines out if I think of you as my real son? It seems more difficult.”

“We’ll know once we try.”

It wasn’t an easy scene anyway.

I replied calmly, and after a moment of watching me, Sung Eun-hye nodded slightly.

So, we matched lines again.

Several times, until the staff lifted the curtain.

* * *

“This will be the first shocking scene in the movie. The overall tone will be dark. You two focus only on the emotional expression.”

Director Yoon, whose usual cheerful face was nowhere to be seen, spoke seriously.

While checking the camera movements one by one, a staff member approached and wiped the sweat from my practice.

Remembering the script reading, Director Yoon told Sung Eun-hye not to be too nervous.

And to me, he said…

“Relax a bit.”

“Excuse me?”

“Don’t get too immersed.”

“…Do you know what you’re saying?”

“Yes. I’m saying something stupid to an actor: don’t get too immersed. Because of you.”

Director Yoon scratched his head.

“You know it’s hard to get it in one take anyway. We’ll shoot multiple times, so don’t exhaust yourself from the beginning.”

He glanced at Sung Eun-hye standing far away and shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, maybe we can get it in one take.”

“What?”

He frowned as if he had misheard, and I just laughed.

Sung Eun-hye, who took a deep breath, seemed a bit tense but not unwell.

“Senior, please take care of me today.”

When I spoke lightly while sitting on the chair in front, she returned a peculiar look.

“What kind of son calls his mom ‘senior’?”

“…”

When I looked up, I saw a calm face.

Seeing that, I slowly mouthed the word.

“Yes, Mom.”

“Please take care of me, son. You know my words aren’t sincere, right?”

“Of course.”

When I deliberately smiled brightly, she smiled back.

Director Yoon, sitting at the director’s chair, tilted his head, perhaps puzzled by the contrast with the gloomy scene we were about to shoot.

“Ready, and action!”

“Hoo….”

At the sound of Director Yoon’s voice, Sung Eun-hye took a deep breath.

I closed my eyes and clasped my hands together.

Click, click, click, the rhythmic sound of nails tapping echoed.

“Standby—Action!”

And I opened my eyes.