The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune

Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity

Chapter 89

“What did you two talk about?”

“Just that I look forward to working with him.”

Kang Se-hyun answered the woman with a smile and sat down. Outwardly, he maintained a business-like smile, but inside, he was boiling.

‘This is more infuriating than I thought….’

Of course, it wasn’t a big deal. He had simply asked for an autograph and received an affirmative response. The unexpected reaction was something Kang Se-hyun had to deal with himself.

After bowing several times, Lee Yeon-jae took his seat. Quietly flipping through his script, his presence attracted everyone’s attention without making a sound. The woman who had been talking to him earlier kept glancing at Lee Yeon-jae. The peculiar atmosphere he exuded caused the reading room to settle into a calm mood.

“Before we start the main reading, let me introduce myself. Nice to meet you all. I’m Producer Lee Soo-hyun, in charge of ‘Hello, My Summer.’”

With the PD’s greeting, introductions from the writer and actors followed. The actress playing the female lead was relatively well-known in the web drama scene, and Lee Yeon-jae, who would be playing her younger brother, had recently worked with Director Yoon Kang-yeon.

Despite the presence of these notable actors, the fact that Kang Se-hyun, because of his role, had to stand up first made him uncomfortable.

“Hello. I’m Kang Se-hyun from Space. This is my first time acting, and I’m very happy to meet such a great director and colleagues. I will do my best for this great project!”

His words, spoken energetically despite his true feelings, were met with applause.

After a few more actors introduced themselves, it was Lee Yeon-jae’s turn.

“Hello. I’m Lee Yeon-jae. I will be playing ‘Kim Ho-yoon.’ I will try not to cause any trouble. Please take care of me.”

His calm introduction was followed by a slightly delayed applause. Everyone had been staring at his face and missed the timing.

‘Even if what he says is boring, if his face is interesting, it doesn’t matter.’

The world was indeed unfair. Despite criticizing the world’s obsession with looks, Kang Se-hyun couldn’t help but glance at Lee Yeon-jae.

This naturally led to concerns.

Shouldn’t a supporting actor avoid drawing so much attention?

‘It feels like the lead will be overshadowed because of him.’

If that happened, the balance of the drama would quickly collapse. Though it didn’t matter much to him if the drama didn’t do well, Kang Se-hyun just hoped it wouldn’t become a black mark in his career.

A few minutes later, he realized how silly his worries had been.

“This is driving me crazy! Where is Kim Hye-yoon?”

“Watch your language! How dare you speak of your sister like that?”

“She took my hoodie again and left! She’s not even a bum.”

Lee Yeon-jae transformed in an instant. The commanding presence of a celebrity vanished, replaced by an irate younger brother complaining about his sister.

“Hey, where are you? Ha…. I have an appointment in an hour, okay? You’d better come back before then. If you don’t, I’ll tear all the clothes in your closet. What, you think I won’t? Try me.”

As he angrily voiced the lines, everyone stared with their mouths open. Though he was just muttering while looking at the script, it felt like he was actually on the phone with someone. The performance was so real it created the illusion of hearing someone mumbling on the other end.

‘He’s incredible. That guy….’

Kang Se-hyun now understood why In-jun had been so enthusiastic about Lee Yeon-jae. Despite it not being an impactful scene, his natural acting made it impossible to look away. Watching his performance, the instruction ‘with an exasperated tone’ in the script seemed grossly inadequate.

“Thank you, everyone, for your hard work!”

So, as soon as the reading ended, Kang Se-hyun went straight to Lee Yeon-jae without hesitation. His dark eyes blinked a few times, staring at Kang Se-hyun as he approached.

“You’re really good at acting. Wow…, how do you act so well?”

“Thank you. You were good too, hyung.”

“Huh? Oh, no, come on…. Thanks for the compliment, though.”

The kid was already good at socializing.

Kang Se-hyun grinned. The earlier irritation over the autograph was long forgotten. Feeling inspired, he handed over a notebook, and Lee Yeon-jae nonchalantly signed his name. Somehow, the crude autograph seemed cute because of his good mood.

“Thanks. In-jun will be happy.”

Kang Se-hyun couldn’t stop smiling. Although he had never dreamed of acting himself, he was an artist. Just as it was a pleasure to hear great music, watching excellent acting brought him great joy.

Feeling uplifted, he was about to take back the notebook when Lee Yeon-jae didn’t return it.

“Hyung. Can I tear out two pages?”

“Huh? Oh…. Sure, go ahead.”

With meticulous care, he neatly tore out two sheets and handed them back to Kang Se-hyun.

“Please give me your autograph too.”

“…?”

Holding the paper, confused, Kang Se-hyun stared at his calm face as he spoke again.

“I have a friend preparing to become an idol. He really likes you. Could you sign this for him?”

“Oh…, then who is the other sheet for?”

When he asked bluntly, Lee Yeon-jae frowned slightly as if it were an obvious question.

“You need to sign for me too. I’ve listened to your songs a lot.”

“…….”

In a daze, Kang Se-hyun signed two sheets. Although his mind was in a fog, his hands moved skillfully. When he asked for the friend’s name, Lee Yeon-jae answered, “Just write it as Bi-hyuk.”

After carefully placing the sheets in his bag, Lee Yeon-jae politely bowed and left.

‘What’s with that guy….’

Kang Se-hyun stood there blankly for a long time.

Back at the dorm, he was still ruminating over the recent events when the youngest member, In-jun, burst in.

“I heard from the manager! You’re going to film with Bambi. Damn, I’m so jealous. I should be doing it instead.”

“…….”

“Hyung? What’s wrong?”

Ignoring In-jun’s energetic fussing, he handed him the autograph like giving a treat to a dog. In-jun celebrated like a puppy, then barked excitedly around the room. Disregarding the overly excited ‘dog,’ he returned to his room, lay on his bed, and stared quietly at the ceiling.

‘He acted like he didn’t even know my name….’

Though he had found him annoying, it was clear Lee Yeon-jae truly was an infuriating guy. Despite their age difference, every word he spoke seemed so sincere it was even more frustrating.

“Really annoying….”

His muttering mouth, however, was curved in a big smile.

* * *

“Yeon-jae, what are you doing during summer break?”

“I’ll probably be filming all the time.”

“Oh… I see. You’ll be busy!”

Despite the principal’s address echoing from the TV, no one seemed to be listening. Moving up to middle school hadn’t magically made the kids mature.

“Would you like to hang out during the break if you have time?”

“I’m not sure if I’ll have any free time because of the filming. Sorry.”

“……not even for a day?”

Hearing the disappointment in her voice, I sighed. A lot of time had passed since Baek Seo-jin had confessed. I thought things would get better over time, but they seemed to be getting worse.

“Seo-jin, do you have any plans after the end-of-term ceremony today?”

“…huh? No! I’m completely free!”

“Then could you spare a moment? I need to talk to you.”

“Sure!”

Seeing her brighten up instantly left a bitter taste in my mouth. Still, it was something that needed to be said. With filming starting tomorrow, I wanted to minimize distractions. Unlike most web dramas that were pre-produced, ‘Hello, My Summer’ was scheduled to be shot live at a fast pace.

It would have been better to film at a relaxed pace, but to capture the sentiment conveyed by the title, the first episode was urgent. Considering the poster shoot starting tomorrow, I couldn’t delay any longer.

“It’s been a while since I came to this café~!”

As I entered the café with Baek Seo-jin, whose face was flushed, I thought, ‘Maybe this conversation will go well?’ We engaged in some meaningless chatter until the drinks arrived, and then I got to the point.

“Seo-jin, thank you for liking me. But as I said before, I really don’t have any intention of dating you.”

“…….”

“I feel very uncomfortable with this situation. I hope you won’t do this anymore. If you can’t see me as a friend, it might be best for us not to see each other for a while.”

As I spoke, my mouth felt dry. Using lines that felt like they came from a third-rate drama didn’t feel good, and more importantly, I questioned whether I had the right to ruin someone’s mood like this.

“I’m really sorry! I must have gotten too excited. It’s the first time I’ve liked someone… I must have made you really uncomfortable. I’m really sorry.”

Forcing a smile, Baek Seo-jin spoke but couldn’t continue and lowered her head. Seeing her tears fall one by one made me feel gloomy too. I quietly handed her a tissue, and she cried for quite a while.

“Phew…, this café was the perfect choice. If there were no partitions, people would have already started taking photos.”

“You’re right.”

We laughed together as I looked at Baek Seo-jin’s red nose. Her eyes, red and swollen, made her look like a dispirited rabbit.

“I knew you were uncomfortable, but I kept hoping you might change your mind… I’m really sorry for being so selfish. It won’t happen again.”

“It’s okay.”

When I asked if she wanted to order anything else, she shook her head. With the awkward silence lingering, I thought it would be better to leave first, but then she hesitantly asked.

“I know it might seem desperate, but… do you really not like me at all? Is there someone else you like?”

“Don’t think that way. It’s not because you’re unlikable. I’m sure there’s someone out there who secretly likes you.”

“…….”

As I cautiously spoke, her jaw trembled as if she were holding back tears.

Maybe that wasn’t the right answer, so I quickly added.

“The only reason I rejected you is that I don’t want to date anyone right now. And…”

“And what?”

“I’ve never liked anyone before.”

“What? That’s possible. Why do you say it like you’re embarrassed?”

Even though it was just a casual comment, it felt awkward. I felt like I was reciting lines from a drama.

I couldn’t believe these lines, typical of dramas, were now part of my reality. It made my hands and feet curl up in embarrassment.

“Anyway, it’s not that I like someone else, or that I find you unappealing. So, don’t misunderstand.”

“Okay…. Can I ask one more question?”

I nodded, and she looked at me with her now clear eyes.

“How do you perform love scenes if you’ve never liked anyone? You did well in ‘The Zelkova Tree.’”

“I use my imagination. I refer to books or movies… But I don’t know if I’m actually good at it. I don’t even know how close it is to real feelings.”

“That’s amazing. I thought you would know everything so clearly….”

I wondered what kind of image she had of me. Despite not knowing much about me, it was fascinating that she liked me. Actually, it was fascinating that she could even think she liked me. How could someone be so sure of that?

The phrase ‘I like you’ felt increasingly distant.