The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune

Chapter 197

“Wow…! This is so cool, Yeon-jae!”

“Yeah, it’s cool.”

“If we go that way, we’ll see the Trevi Fountain. Wow, it looks amazing even from a distance. It’s just like in the movies…!”

“Yeah, it’s exactly the same.”

Empty words slipped out of my mouth.

‘Fountain or whatever, I just want to sleep.’

Italy was truly magnificent.

The sunny weather, exotic scenery, and vibrant streets.

The view was uplifting, but I didn’t have the energy to enjoy it.

‘I’m so tired.’

It took 13 hours by plane from Seoul to Rome.

Naturally, I had to spend a day on the plane.

That meant I had to act to shake off the misfortune factor even on the plane.

I spent the whole night going in and out of the bathroom, practicing in small bits.

With barely any sleep and adjusting to the time difference, it was exhausting.

“Hyung, don’t run. You might get hurt.”

“Okay!”

In the meantime, it was exhausting to keep up with Sung Lee-jun, who was running around like an excited puppy.

I tried to manage my expression as best as I could, but honestly, I was just too tired.

‘My head feels foggy.’

……This won’t do.

I stopped walking and looked around.

As soon as I spotted a gelato shop, I called Sung Lee-jun.

“Hyung.”

“Huh?”

“Come over here for a minute.”

I reached out, and Sung Lee-jun obediently came over.

When we entered the shop, the staff looked at me in surprise.

With so many cameras, it was understandable.

Normally, I would explain the situation first, but all I could manage with my foggy head was a greeting.

“(Hello.)”

“(…! Hello!)”

In the city-state of Italy, various languages are spoken.

Italian, Roman, Venetian, etc.

I couldn’t learn all those languages, so I only memorized a few standard Italian phrases.

Luckily, my pronunciation didn’t seem too bad.

The staff’s face lit up, and they started talking to me, but I couldn’t understand a word.

“(Can I order in English?)”

“(Sure. What flavor would you like?)”

“Hyung, what flavor do you want?”

When I turned my head to ask, Sung Lee-jun, looking bewildered, answered pistachio.

I thanked the staff as they handed over the pistachio gelato.

They seemed to want to chat more, but I pretended not to notice and left the shop.

“Yeon-jae, aren’t you getting one?”

“No, I’m….”

I was about to say that I planned to sleep while he ate his gelato.

But seeing Sung Lee-jun holding gelato in front of the vintage building was quite a sight.

No matter how sleepy I was, I had to take a picture of this.

“Hyung, let’s take some pictures before we go.”

“Suddenly…?”

“Yeah, stand over there.”

Despite looking puzzled, Sung Lee-jun obediently struck a pose.

As expected of an entertainer.

“These came out great.”

“Thanks. Let me take one of you…!”

“No, let’s go over there now.”

“Huh?”

I pointed to a bench I had spotted earlier.

I dragged the confused Sung Lee-jun over to the bench and said bluntly.

“Hyung, I’m going to sleep here for 30 minutes.”

It was still a long way to the accommodation.

I could force myself to stay awake until then, but filming was a different story.

‘What if a controversy about my attitude arises?’

It was a relief that the PD was a friend of Team Leader Woo.

But with my current expression upon arriving at the destination, editing would be difficult.

“Oh, are you tired? Sorry, I didn’t realize—”

“Don’t apologize.”

What I wanted was not an apology but sleep.

I laid down on the remaining space on the bench after seating Sung Lee-jun.

“Are you going to sleep here?”

“Yes, I’ll just sleep for 30 minutes. Hyung, eat your gelato during that time. Okay?”

I set an alarm on my wristwatch.

Even a short nap would help.

Sung Lee-jun looked worried.

“But…. It’s too noisy here.”

“It’s fine. I can sleep anywhere. Be good and wait a bit.”

I was so sleepy that my head felt foggy.

I responded to whatever Sung Lee-jun said next, but I couldn’t remember it.

Soon enough, I met Mist in my dreams.

* * *

“…He’s really asleep.”

Sung Lee-jun watched the sleeping Yeon-jae, breathing softly.

‘That doesn’t look comfortable.’

Yeon-jae’s legs were hanging off the bench, looking quite uncomfortable.

Thinking it would be better if he moved, Sung Lee-jun tried to shift carefully, but the PD waved his hands vigorously to stop him.

When Sung Lee-jun looked at him in surprise, the PD whispered.

“Stay still! The scene looks great!”

“……”

Even though he was acting like this, the PD was considerate….

Awkwardly smiling, Sung Lee-jun sat back down.

The staff moved busily around them.

Cameras moved back and forth, trying to capture the beautiful scenery of Rome along with the harmonious scene of the two of them.

Despite the commotion, Yeon-jae slept soundly.

After finishing his gelato, Sung Lee-jun looked down at Yeon-jae.

‘His hair color really turned out beautifully.’

Yeon-jae’s hair was a bright orange.

Under the strong Roman sunlight, it sparkled like a jewel.

It was the glimmer that proved the PD’s suggestion was right.

‘Do you think you could dye your hair a different color before we depart? Maybe… orange.’

‘Orange?’

‘Yes. There’s a famous movie shot in a small town we’ll visit during the trip. You know “Under the Orange Tree,” right?’

“Under the Orange Tree” was a movie no actor could be unfamiliar with.

It’s about a boy with orange hair who falls in love with a girl visiting Italy.

The film, which captured the sentiment of first love with colorful visuals, was popular even in Korea.

‘Since both Lee-jun and Yeon-jae are actors, we’ve chosen filming locations from the movie. It’ll look great with cross-editing actual scenes from the movie.’

The PD had been thoughtful.

### Chapter 197

**The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune (197)**

But Yeon-jae’s face was filled with questions.

It was as if he was asking why he needed to dye his hair orange.

Even when I hinted that it would be a waste to cover his bleached hair with black right away, he looked puzzled.

Still, he casually answered that he would do it if the company was okay with it.

And a week later, he actually came back with his hair dyed.

‘…….’

Not only Sung Lee-jun but all the staff stared blankly at Yeon-jae.

It wasn’t just a case of “suiting him well.” He looked incredibly good.

Although the light perm gave him a playful look, his expression remained as calm as ever.

In fact, the contrast made him even more eye-catching.

‘Though he doesn’t seem to realize it himself.’

It was the same in Italy.

As soon as he took off his hat at the Rome airport, all eyes were on Yeon-jae.

The slightly reddish-orange color was a difficult shade to pull off.

It was hard not to look at a boy with such hair, carrying a nonchalant expression.

Locals and tourists alike stared at him, but Yeon-jae seemed oblivious.

When asked if he was okay with people staring, his answer was unexpectedly straightforward.

‘I can’t help it. I’d look too if there were this many cameras around.’

‘…Uh-huh.’

Even though Sung Lee-jun knew Yeon-jae wasn’t an ordinary person, his reply left him feeling awkward.

Normally, Yeon-jae would have quickly noticed the awkwardness and asked what was wrong.

But standing there with a dazed look, he seemed out of it….

‘So he was just sleepy.’

Sung Lee-jun felt bad for dragging around a tired Yeon-jae without realizing it.

Feeling both sorry and embarrassed.

‘Still, I’m the older one here.’

He knew Yeon-jae was overly caring due to his naturally kind personality.

But he was still two years younger than him.

Watching Yeon-jae sleep quietly without changing his position, Sung Lee-jun made a decision.

‘I’ll take the lead.’

This was Yeon-jae’s second time abroad.

It must have been awkward for him to be in a foreign place with a different language.

…Though, for someone in that situation, he had entered the store with ease.

Sung Lee-jun resolved to lead the remaining schedule.

But that resolve quickly shattered due to Yeon-jae’s behavior, as if Italy was his hometown.

* * *

‘That nap was really refreshing.’

Even that little sleep had cleared up the fog in my head.

Feeling much better, I wandered around here and there.

As the reddish glow of the sunset enveloped the heart of Rome, the production team handed us a piece of paper.

“It’s time for dinner, isn’t it? Here’s your mission.”

The PD had a wicked smile on his face.

“You have to get to the place written on this paper within an hour. If you don’t make it in time, dinner will be cup noodles. No internet searches allowed!”

The paper had words written in a language that wasn’t English.

As I stared at the paper, Sung Lee-jun energetically shouted.

“Yeon-jae, I’ll go ask that person!”

“It’s okay. I know where this place is.”

“…?”

Sung Lee-jun tilted his head.

His gesture, meaning ‘How would you know that?’ was quite endearing.

“I saw it in a book.”

“A book?”

“Yeah. The one I was reading on the plane.”

I couldn’t come on this first trip empty-handed.

Over the past week, I had read three books about Italy, including a guidebook listing famous restaurants.

“You memorized the, uh, place from the book?”

Sung Lee-jun asked with a blank face, as if it didn’t make sense.

“How could I memorize that? I’m not a genius.”

I chuckled and poked his cheek.

“I just remember which street it’s on. And that street is one we passed earlier.”

“……”

“We just need to go back.”

Ignoring the despairing looks from the production team, I turned us around.

“Yeon-jae, how could you do this to us….”

I pretended not to hear the PD’s voice filled with despair.

But feeling the need to give them some content, I tried to use as much information from the book as I could.

“Hyung, if we go this way, there’s a castle. Let’s take a short walk and then go.”

“Really? Won’t we be late?”

“The walk will take less than 20 minutes. We have 57 minutes left. It’s fine.”

After checking my wristwatch, I replied nonchalantly.

‘Why do their faces look like that?’

The production team’s expressions weren’t good.

They seemed to be trembling as if holding back humiliation, which I found strange.

‘Do they need more footage?’

Thinking they might need more, I started sharing more information I remembered.

“This place has the most popular gelato. They often have busking at that square.”

Despite my efforts, their expressions didn’t improve. Why were they like that?

“There it is.”

“…You’re really amazing.”

Sung Lee-jun spoke in a bewildered tone.

Feeling proud, I smiled instead of saying anything.

The PD mumbled in a disheartened voice.

“Yeah… After a walk, sightseeing, and even buying snacks… yet still arriving with 10 minutes to spare.”

Don’t most people arrive 10 minutes early?

I had calculated the time deliberately.

Feeling awkward because of the PD’s gloom, I scratched the back of my neck.

‘Should I pretend not to know them from now on?’

After tonight’s filming, I should ask Jin-bae hyung for advice on what to do.

Since we completed the mission, we were told to enjoy our dinner.

We were guided politely inside by the server.

We were served Italian seafood stew, pizza, pasta, and more.

“Hyung, this is a bit spicy. Be careful.”

“Okay…!”

I was warning Sung Lee-jun, who couldn’t handle spicy food, when someone approached us from behind his shy smile.

“Hello!”

“…? Hello.”

Was she in kindergarten? Elementary school?

The girl looked younger than Han Ha-ram.

How likely was it that a young girl would approach us first in an Italian restaurant? And speaking in Korean?

‘It must be a mission.’

I thought, glancing at the staff.

“I fell in love with you at first sight! Will you marry me?”

“……”

She was loud.

The girl almost shouted, making the nearby area fall silent.

Even the foreigners who couldn’t understand Korean looked our way.

I looked at the girl who was staring directly at me.

‘I don’t recognize her face.’

No matter how much I thought, she was a stranger.

So I responded politely.

“No.”