The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune

Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity

Chapter 88

Web drama.

As the name suggests, it refers to dramas that can be watched online.

Although dramas produced by OTT platforms like Netflix can only be watched online, they are not usually called web dramas.

The web dramas I’m referring to are those that anyone can watch for free on video-sharing websites.

Each episode is less than 15 minutes long. The theme is always romance.

Whether it’s about high school or college romance, the setting may change, but the content is almost always the same. The target audience is quite clear.

However, contrary to various prejudices, if you look closely, there are many well-made web dramas.

Recently, videos with themes other than romance have also been uploaded.

More and more people are getting tired of long, tedious TV dramas and are turning their attention to this genre.

Moreover, in this era where even celebrities create their own channels, it’s easy to speculate that the realm of web dramas will expand. But—.

‘Still, CEO Jang would think it’s none of his business.’

Woo-yeon Entertainment is so conservative that it doesn’t even like its actors appearing on variety shows for promotional purposes.

A brief conversation with CEO Jang Woo-yeon would make that clear.

He takes great pride in his actors’ acting skills.

He is extremely sensitive about his actors not being properly treated.

Jung-hyun hyung was right when he called him a snob, but also right when he said he was the best snob.

CEO Jang worked hard to provide an ‘appropriate environment for acting’ to the point of being criticized to increase the value of his actors.

And I know.

That web drama shoots are not considered an appropriate environment for acting by him.

‘No wonder serious actors rarely appear in them.’

For rookie actors desperate to debut, it could be a pretty good choice.

But for actors who are already known, it’s natural to think, ‘Do I really need to…?’

So when Manager An Jin-bae said this, I couldn’t help but be surprised.

“We have a meeting with the production team the day after tomorrow. It’s a preliminary meeting with a bit of an audition element.”

“What?”

“It’s already been confirmed by the CEO. Don’t worry and trust me, actor.”

I stared blankly at his reliable-looking smile.

As I listened to him excitedly talking about this and that, I suddenly blurted out.

“Hyung, you just told the CEO that it’s a web drama, right? You didn’t show him the script.”

“What are you talking about? Of course, I showed him the script too.”

“…And he still gave his confirmation?”

When I asked in disbelief, Manager An Jin-bae also scrunched up his nose awkwardly.

Just from his evasive demeanor, I could roughly guess CEO Jang’s reaction.

No wonder, since the script was not a well-crafted piece disguised as a web drama, but a shallow high school romance with no depth.

The lines were so immature that even I frowned from time to time while reading them.

‘My heart started beating because I met you.’ Did CEO Jang really approve this kind of line?

“You haven’t made any special requests to the company so far. I think that bothered him. Everything has been discussed with Manager Woo, so don’t worry.”

“Hyung, I really don’t have to do this drama.”

“Alright. I’ll trust you.”

“…”

His reliable face responded cheekily.

To think of Manager An Jin-bae being cheeky.

I thought it wouldn’t suit him at all, but it surprisingly did. Though it was still infuriating.

And so, the day after tomorrow, the meeting day arrived.

I thought we would be moving to an external location, but the meeting was held at our company.

People who seemed very nervous entered the meeting room one after another.

“Hello, I’m Lee Yeon-jae.”

“Hello, I’m PD Lee Soo-hyun from Seoul Production.”

Ignoring the slip-up, I smiled gently.

After a few light conversations to break the ice, the people across from us also seemed to relax a bit.

Manager Woo keenly observed the other party and soon started smiling warmly.

“You must have been quite surprised when you received our call.”

“I was really surprised! At first, I thought it was a phishing call because it was from Woo-yeon Entertainment.”

“This is the first time one of our actors is appearing in a web drama. We look forward to working with you. By the way, the investor list we requested…”

“Oh, yes! Here it is!”

The PD hurriedly took out a piece of paper from his bag and handed it over.

Manager Woo quietly looked down at the paper while stroking his chin, and the faces across from him stiffened as if reporting to their superior.

It made me wonder if this was really happening, seeing them look like new employees reporting to their boss.

“Hmm, it looks fine. The investment amount isn’t bad either.”

“Thank goodness! So, actor Lee Yeon-jae’s participation is…?”

“Haha, our actor will appear regardless of the investment amount. You don’t need to worry about that, but…”

Manager Woo’s fingertips gracefully pointed to a spot on the paper.

“It would be better to exclude this place. They push for absurd product placement requirements. There are several dramas that went off track because of their investment.”

“Oh…, but if we exclude them, our production budget…”

“We can cover the remaining amount. If you want, of course.”

“You’re even willing to help with the investment…?”

The PD asked in a bewildered voice.

Looking at their widened eyes, Manager Woo smiled.

“Although it hasn’t been long since we signed the contract, Yeon-jae is a very precious actor to us. He is currently in an important process of building his filmography.”

“Yes, we understand.”

“Of course, the success of the work is important, but so is the quality. Even if he’s playing a supporting role, if it’s a drama our actor is appearing in, we should naturally offer help where we can.”

At his sincere smile, the PD nodded vigorously in gratitude.

I felt somewhat disconcerted, like I was watching people being swayed by a cyber cult leader in real-time.

The writer next to him, trying to be amicable, spoke up.

“We discussed it internally, and we feel bad having actor Lee Yeon-jae play the younger brother of the female lead. If you could give us a little more time, we could come up with a new script—”

“No, if that’s the case, I won’t appear.”

Suddenly interrupting, all eyes turned to me.

Manager Woo had told me to leave it to him, but I had to say what I needed to.

“I have no intention of playing the lead. The only reason I became interested is because of the current script. If the overall story changes because of me, I’d rather not do it.”

There was a moment of silence after my words, and then Manager Woo gently agreed.

“Indeed. I think adding an episode for Yeon-jae’s character would be good. Keep the supporting role but give it some impact.”

“Oh… is that really okay with you?”

“Haha, of course, I’d want more. But…”

Manager Woo’s gaze fell on me.

“If the actor feels that way, what can we do?”

“…”

His sly smile was incredibly annoying.

But with outsiders present, I couldn’t say anything and just smiled.

It seemed the others were bewildered, expecting us to make more unreasonable demands.

The conversation flowed smoothly afterward, and thus, my next project was decided.

* * *

“Se-hyun, did you hear?”

“Hear what?”

Kang Se-hyun smiled at the girl clinging to him.

She had been sticking to him relentlessly.

“What? You still haven’t heard? Really, Se-hyun, what would you do without me?”

“Haha, why? What’s going on?”

He was sure it was some trivial matter, but Kang Se-hyun forced a smile.

Even when the camera wasn’t rolling, he maintained his professional idol smile.

“I just heard that actor Lee Yeon-jae is playing my younger brother in the drama!”

“…The child actor from ‘Butterflies on the Zelkova Tree’?”

“Surprised, right? I was shocked too when I heard!”

Kang Se-hyun’s eyes widened momentarily.

The girl, excited by his most intense reaction yet, clung even closer.

While humorously indulging her, Kang Se-hyun thought to himself.

‘If In-jun finds out, he’ll go nuts.’

His group member In-jun was recently obsessed with Lee Yeon-jae.

The drama had initially been intended for In-jun, but due to scheduling conflicts, it had fallen to him. Imagining In-jun’s reaction upon learning this made him smile.

‘I should call and tease him as soon as the reading is over.’

When they first read the web drama ‘Hello, My Summer’ script, all the members were appalled.

The lines were so absurd that the thought of having to say them in front of the camera dampened their spirits.

But the news of a familiar actor’s participation lifted his mood.

If Lee Yeon-jae was in it, it should at least be decent.

Answering the girl’s nonsense perfunctorily, he noticed the room was already full of people.

Looking around discreetly, he saw unfamiliar faces, momentarily wondering if the girl had lied to attract attention.

“Hello.”

Thirty minutes before the reading, Lee Yeon-jae arrived.

The atmosphere momentarily buzzed with the arrival of the actor who was hot with the news of being cast in Director Yoon’s film.

Seeing the PD rushing towards him, Kang Se-hyun thought absentmindedly.

…Was he always that tall?

“What the heck. Why is he so tall?”

Geez.

The girl’s comment next to him made him think he had spoken out loud.

“Right? He didn’t seem that tall on TV.”

“Isn’t he just starting middle school? His face looks the same as in ‘Butterflies,’ but he’s grown a lot. Must be because he’s still growing.”

Ignoring the incessantly chattering girl, Kang Se-hyun kept his eyes on Lee Yeon-jae.

Though a soft smile was on his face, he looked somewhat uncomfortable with the enthusiastic reception.

Watching him, Kang Se-hyun thought.

‘He’s going to be even more popular.’

The leader of the male idol group ‘Space,’ Kang Se-hyun.

Debuting at 19, he had been in the entertainment industry for eight years now.

Even in an industry full of beautiful and handsome people, such visuals were rare.

And that peculiar aura.

He was a natural-born entertainer.

Humming, Kang Se-hyun finished his thoughts and stood up with a wide grin.

As he approached with his long strides, Lee Yeon-jae turned his gaze from the PD.

“Hello, I’m Kang Se-hyun. It’s an honor to meet you as a fan.”

“Ah, thank you. I’m Lee Yeon-jae. Please feel free to speak comfortably.”

“Really?”

His delicate face was unexpectedly friendly.

Kang Se-hyun continued in an even more amicable tone.

“Then you should speak comfortably too. Our youngest member really likes you. Could you give him an autograph?”

“An autograph?”

Black eyes stared at Kang Se-hyun.

‘Asking for an autograph is a surefire way with rookies.’

Ninety-nine out of a hundred times, this approach eased the awkward atmosphere.

Plus, the rising favorability was a bonus.

Contrary to his calculating thoughts, Kang Se-hyun smiled innocently.

Lee Yeon-jae looked at him for a moment and then nodded indifferently.

What? Indifferently?

“Yes. Please ask me again after the reading.”

“…Sure!”

What’s with this guy?

‘He’s even more annoying than I thought.’