The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune

Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity

Chapter 86

The languid sunlight streamed into the classroom.

“Yeon-jae, do you know this movie? If you’re interested, shall we go watch it together?”

Although there was clearly another kid in the front seat, Baek Seo-jin confidently occupied the spot and shyly struck up a conversation.

Before I could even open my mouth, the kid next to me spoke first.

“I watched that with him.”

“…That movie is releasing this weekend, right? Can you just go back to your own class?”

I stifled a yawn, listening to Baek Seo-jin and Noh Bi-hyuk bicker in the background. I was sleepy.

“Don’t you have any pride? Why do you keep bothering someone who clearly dislikes you?”

“Who says I’m bothering him? I’m just asking if he wants to watch a movie. Get out, you’re not even from our class!”

“The teacher said it was okay, so who are you to say anything?”

“If you guys are going to fight, do it quietly.”

I stepped in when the decibel level started to rise, watching their argument in silence.

When they immediately shut their mouths but continued glaring at each other, I couldn’t help but find it amusing.

“Whenever I watch dramas, kids who fight like you usually end up dating.”

“Don’t you think that’s a bit harsh?”

“Yeah, take that back.”

Their fierce reactions were so similar that it was just funny.

I laughed lightly and headed towards the locker, with Baek Seo-jin following close behind.

It wasn’t surprising.

What was surprising was that I had gotten used to this behavior after over a month.

“You were talking to Bi-hyuk, weren’t you?”

“What would I even talk about with him? By the way, Yeon-jae.”

“Yeah?”

“How tall are you?”

When I asked why he suddenly wanted to know, she answered shyly, “I was just curious.”

No matter how many times she asked, my response was always awkward.

“I don’t know. It changes every time I measure.”

“I thought so! You’ve grown a lot in just a month.”

I nodded absent-mindedly as I gathered my textbooks.

Indeed, compared to when I was filming Twins, I had grown taller.

‘Thank goodness.’

I was glad that I hadn’t suddenly grown taller during the filming period.

Considering that I was in my growth phase, Director Yoon had tightly scheduled the filming, which was a wise decision.

As soon as the filming ended, I fell ill.

When Mist had warned me about the illness, I had brushed it off lightly.

I thought I could get up and act no matter what, but I realized that when you’re seriously ill, it’s hard to even breathe properly, let alone act.

When I woke up, the fever hit me hard, and I could barely move my body. I had to go to the emergency room and was sick for over a week.

The problem was that the pain persisted even after a week.

The pain in my wrists and ankles didn’t subside, so I asked Mist why this misfortune wouldn’t go away even after acting.

Mist, looking troubled, answered, ‘It’s growing pains.’

In the end, it wasn’t misfortune, so there was no solution.

“It’s amazing how your view keeps getting higher. Oh, of course, it was good before too. I-I mean, not that you were short before!”

“I know.”

“…So, Yeon-jae. About the movie I mentioned earlier—”

“Yeon-jae, want to go to the snack bar?”

Baek Seo-jin’s face, which had been flushed, frowned deeply.

Ignoring that, Noh Bi-hyuk put his arm around my shoulders, and I didn’t avoid him, quickly stepping outside.

“Thanks.”

“You should seriously talk to her and sort it out. Otherwise, she won’t understand.”

“I already did. I told her this makes me uncomfortable.”

“Oh? What did she say?”

“She apologized sincerely but said she’d try a bit longer to see if she could win me over. She said she needed to try everything she could before giving up.”

“…She’s really something else.”

“Such kind words you have.”

I pinched his side.

The kid who said he was going to be an idol should be careful.

Watching him grumble in pain, I mumbled softly.

“It’s okay. Summer vacation is coming soon. We won’t see her for a month.”

“You’re going through a lot~.”

It wasn’t all bad.

Thanks to Baek Seo-jin, who pounced like an angry Maltese, other kids didn’t approach me easily.

The glances were still there, but that had been the same since elementary school.

Most importantly, Baek Seo-jin didn’t bother me when I was reading scripts.

That alone made it bearable.

“I don’t have any training this week. Can I come over to your place?”

“Lee-jun hyung and In-hoo hyung are coming over this weekend, but you can come if you’re okay with that. I’ll let them know.”

“Hmm~ okay.”

He didn’t seem very enthusiastic.

But knowing that he would enjoy himself once they met, I didn’t worry.

Had I known the chaos that would ensue, I wouldn’t have invited them.

* * *

“Hello…!”

“Come in.”

When I opened the front door, Sung Lee-jun came in, carrying bags full of stuff.

Though he had been here once before, he awkwardly stepped in and then widened his eyes.

“Uh… you’ve grown taller?”

“Yeah. A little.”

“It’s more than a little… We haven’t seen each other for long, but you’ve grown a lot!”

It was oddly annoying to hear that from someone taller than me.

“Did the filming go well? In-hoo told me it did….”

“Yeah. We’re in the editing phase now.”

It had been a month since the filming of Twins ended.

Scenes with Kang Tae-il and Lee Jin-woo required editing to connect the footage.

There were quite a few such scenes, so the editing would naturally take a long time.

With separate CG work needed, I heard the movie would be released next year.

I just nodded. My part was done anyway.

While Sung Lee-jun was organizing the snacks he brought, Nam In-hoo and Noh Bi-hyuk arrived.

“Finally meeting you! I’m Noh Bi-hyuk, Yeon-jae’s friend~.”

As expected, Noh Bi-hyuk acted as if he knew no shyness.

Introducing himself as an idol trainee, he smiled brightly.

“You’re with WB Entertainment. My friend is a trainee there too…!”

“Wow, really? That’s amazing. What’s your friend’s name?”

Surprisingly, Sung Lee-jun seemed to get along well with Noh Bi-hyuk and was very excited.

Listening to their easy-flowing conversation, I stood up.

“You might not know him—. Oh, why are you getting up…?”

“I’m going to get some cola. Keep talking.”

Even after I stepped out of the room, their voices didn’t stop.

Smiling, I headed to the kitchen, where Manager An Jin-bae approached.

“Do you need anything?”

“I’m getting cola. Did you finish the pizza? Should I bring more?”

“We have enough. I’m just going to the office to see Team Leader Woo for a bit….”

Seeing him hesitate, I nodded to reassure him.

“I won’t go out. Don’t worry and go ahead.”

“If you need anything, let me know. And don’t go to the convenience store or anywhere else alone.”

After repeating several times that I understood, Manager An finally left.

I watched him go and then returned to the room.

“…?”

Why’s the atmosphere like this?

“Hey…?”

Sung Lee-jun’s awkward greeting wasn’t enough to mask the strange, subdued mood.

Noh Bi-hyuk’s expression was stiff, and Nam In-hoo looked angry.

“Did you guys fight?”

“…….”

With three people, none of them spoke.

As I set down the cola and waited for an explanation, Noh Bi-hyuk suddenly stood up, breaking the silence.

Smiling awkwardly, he apologized for ruining the mood and said he would leave first.

I barely managed to stop him at the front door.

“Bi-hyuk.”

“Sorry for messing up the mood. Don’t worry about it.”

“Wait. What happened?”

Noh Bi-hyuk said he would explain when he got home and left.

I stood staring at the closed door for a moment before returning to the room.

“Can someone explain what happened?”

“In-hoo and Bi-hyuk had a fight….”

How did they manage to fight in the short time I was away? I sighed.

Trying to understand the situation, I found out that Nam In-hoo got upset because Noh Bi-hyuk only talked to Sung Lee-jun.

“He acted like I wasn’t even there. I know Lee-jun hyung is much more famous than me, but still.”

“Hmm….”

I started to say something but just nodded instead.

“Then he asked if you really acted that well, and we started talking about that incident. The one where I suggested we film casually out of jealousy. I brought it up lightly, thinking it was over, but then he suddenly changed his expression….”

Nam In-hoo had mentioned that “Yeon-jae got angry for the first time” while talking about the past, and Noh Bi-hyuk seemed to have misunderstood, thinking Nam In-hoo was mocking me.

Already annoyed, Nam In-hoo got even more irritated when Noh Bi-hyuk frowned.

After exchanging a few more words, it escalated to “Why are you looking at me like that?”

‘It’s nothing serious.’

At our age, kids often fought over trivial things and then made up a few minutes later.

I relaxed my furrowed brows, focused on the story.

“Hyung, he didn’t ignore you because you’re less famous.”

“Of course, you’d say that because he’s your friend—”

“I’m not defending him because he’s my friend. If he really wanted to get close to Lee-jun hyung, he would’ve just apologized and stayed.”

He wasn’t stupid enough to throw away a good opportunity just because he couldn’t control his emotions.

“If he truly ignored you, he would’ve acted nice on the surface. Lee-jun hyung doesn’t even like people who suck up to him.”

“…….”

“Also, it might be partly my fault… I mentioned that Lee-jun hyung is shy.”

Thinking Nam In-hoo, who was sociable, would quickly get along with him, I had mentioned it.

From Noh Bi-hyuk’s perspective, he probably thought he should look after the shy one first. I had brought up an unnecessary topic.

Hearing my words, Nam In-hoo sighed deeply and rubbed his face.

“I misunderstood…. I have an inferiority complex.”

“Just apologize. It’s good that it didn’t escalate too much.”

Fortunately, Nam In-hoo quickly resolved the misunderstanding.

While I was pouring cola for the observing Sung Lee-jun, my phone vibrated.

Seeing Noh Bi-hyuk’s name on the screen, I thought, ‘Has he already reached home?’

It seemed too early for that.

Despite my curiosity, I answered without hesitation.

“Did you get home already?”

―…….

“Hello?”

Thinking it might be a misdial, I was about to hang up when I heard a faint, distressed voice.

Focusing on the barely audible words, I shot up as soon as I understood.

“Wait there. I’ll be right there.”

Click―.

I ended the call and moved without thinking.

A startled Sung Lee-jun followed me.

“Who was it?”

“Bi-hyuk. He said he got into a car accident.”

“What?!”

Nam In-hoo gasped, but I didn’t have time to respond and hurried out.

The elevator seemed unbearably slow.

‘Did I do something wrong?’

No, we practiced enough. When did the misfortune factor transfer?

Biting my lip, I bolted as soon as the door opened.

Hearing Sung Lee-jun’s voice behind me, I kept running.

I ran so hard that my throat tasted of blood, reaching the spot Noh Bi-hyuk mentioned.

The scene was chaotic, with paramedics already there.

Despite my labored breathing, I kept running.

Then, I saw blood spreading on the ground.

“…!”

For a moment, I couldn’t breathe.

As I stood there, staring blankly at the ground, someone called from behind.

“Lee Yeon-jae!”