The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune

Chapter 212

“Actor-nim.”

Jin-bae hyung spoke as he got into the driver’s seat.

“Eun-taek wants you to unblock his number.”

“…Does Eun-taek hyung have your number?”

“Yes, he asked for it the other day.”

I replied without hesitation.

“Then you should block him too.”

“Haha!”

Jin-bae hyung burst out laughing.

“What did you two fight about this time?”

“He wants us to go on a trip together for my birthday. Says we need to go before he debuts.”

“Don’t you like traveling? I bet you’d both have fun once you’re there.”

Jin-bae hyung asked playfully, but I responded seriously.

“Hyung, I have a fan meeting that day.”

“…Oh, right. I forgot about that.”

That? He called it “that”?

Referring to the fan meeting as merely “that” annoyed me, but I couldn’t say anything to Jin-bae hyung, so I grumbled inwardly.

‘I’ve been waiting for a year.’

I didn’t care about my birthday.

Meeting Byeon after a year was what mattered.

I had been coordinating with the fan club management for a month to make it even better than last year.

How could I even think of going on a trip right before such an important event?

“It’s the first time I’ve seen you block someone, Actor-nim.”

“Eun-taek hyung keeps being a nuisance.”

I shook my head.

“He made me choose between Byeon and my family.”

On top of that, he kept calling me “baby.”

Knowing how much I hated it, he did it even more. So annoying.

“Haha, what did you say to that?”

“I chose Byeon, of course.”

When I said it without hesitation, Lee Eun-taek lunged at me, and it turned into a mess from there.

Fighting with Lee Eun-taek had become such a routine that Jung-hyun hyung didn’t even look up from his book when it happened on the sofa yesterday.

‘Fortunately, I was the winner of yesterday’s fight.’

After hitting Lee Eun-taek’s back and sending him back to the practice room, he kept calling me non-stop, so I blocked him out of annoyance.

“I don’t get why he makes such a fuss when we’re supposed to meet for dinner after the fan meeting. He gets weirdly stubborn about the strangest things.”

Jin-bae hyung’s laughter followed my grumbling.

His comfortable laughter was pleasant to hear.

“We’re leaving now. Got your seatbelt on?”

“Yes.”

Even though I confirmed, Jin-bae hyung habitually checked my seatbelt.

As the engine started, I looked out the window.

‘Lee Eun-taek has been causing a ruckus since morning.’

Since Christmas, many things had changed.

First, a contact named “Second Brother” was added to my phone, which was cringe-worthy, and the number of young visitors to my house increased.

Previously, Noh Bi-hyuk would visit once or twice a week, but now Lee Eun-taek showed up almost every night.

He often claimed he didn’t want to go home and came to our house, making the nights chaotic. And with Noh Bi-hyuk always following him, it became doubly chaotic.

Last week, the variety show “From Today, My Home” featuring Sung Lee-jun and me aired.

―This is real healingㅠㅠ. It’s been a while since we had such a healing showㅠㅠ

―Watching two boys travel and bicker like this is so nice

―They really seem to get along. No matter what they do, they take care of each other so well that you can’t help but keep watching

―Why does Lee Yeon-jae taking care of Sung Lee-jun look like a mama bird and her baby bird?ㅋㅋ Although the baby bird is bigger than the mama bird^^

―Sung Lee-jun’s personality seems really gentle. He runs to his dongsaeng whenever called. So cute 🙂

―Is there going to be a season 2? Please keep the same members and send them somewhere else….

I thought only Sung Lee-jun’s fans and Byeon would watch it, but it became more popular than I expected.

The winter scenery of Italy matched well with the year-end atmosphere, and the editing and marketing played a big role too.

They seemed to have worked out a deal with the copyright holder of the movie “Under the Orange Tree,” as the concept was very similar.

From the main poster to the OST and even the filters, it was very similar to the movie.

In short, the visuals were great.

Thanks to the hype from the preview, with my orange hair and Sung Lee-jun’s fashion, the show got surprisingly high ratings.

‘They said the final edits for *Killing Horn* are almost done.’

The drama “Killing Horn,” which I shot with Jung-hyun hyung, actor Kim Seok-jun, and Seo Ji-oh, was scheduled to be released before the Lunar New Year holidays in February.

Given its mature rating, it wouldn’t be easy to call it a family-friendly drama, but thanks to the thrilling action scenes, there was bound to be an audience.

‘I can’t believe how time flies.’

Every day was chaotic.

Thinking it was time to choose my next project, I increased the number of scripts I read and the time I spent practicing acting.

The number of people I had to take care of kept growing, and amidst it all, I still had to make time for hospital visits.

Though each day felt like I woke up only to fall asleep a few seconds later, I didn’t mind.

Mist was always there at the end of each day.

‘I wonder what Mist is doing right now.’

As I looked out the window, my breath fogged up the glass.

I watched absentmindedly and then raised my hand.

―I miss you.

I wrote quickly, fearing Jin-bae hyung might see, so the handwriting was messy, but still legible.

When I leaned back, the moisture and the writing disappeared together.

Even though the communication was still one-sided, it wasn’t as hard as it used to be.

I knew that when I fell asleep tonight, Mist would come and say, ‘I missed you too!’

Feeling the corners of my mouth lift, I looked out the window.

The January air was cold and clear.

And I had turned sixteen.

* * *

“Actor-nim. We’ve arrived.”

“Yes.”

After expertly parking, Jin-bae hyung turned off the engine.

When I stepped out, an unfamiliar studio came into view.

It had a sleek, modern interior, as if it had been built recently.

‘Wow.’

It seemed a lot had changed over the past year.

Confirming my thoughts, Jin-bae hyung whispered beside me.

“Director Jang Joon-seok, I mean, Writer Jang’s play was very popular last year. He sold the script rights and opened this studio.”

I nodded and thanked him before heading inside.

As soon as the door opened, a neatly dressed man in a coat approached.

“Hello, long time no see.”

“Hello, Director.”

“Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve been called that. Just call me Writer.”

Writer Jang Joon-seok waved his hand with a smile.

He looked much more confident than when I saw him around this time last year. His appearance had also changed significantly.

‘Want to write a screenplay with me?’

On the day I went to the cinema with Noh Bi-hyuk.

The desperate man with shaggy hair and a messy trench coat was no longer there.

Instead, a man with neatly styled hair and what looked like a new coat stood before me.

“Would you like some tea? Manager-nim, would you like anything?”

Though his hospitality seemed pleasant, something still bothered me.

I hesitated, debating whether to speak, then carefully opened my mouth.

“Writer.”

“Yes?”

“Why are you dressed so lightly?”

“…What?”

Seeing his puzzled face, I sighed.

I pointed to his bare neck.

“I think I told you a few times last year to dress warmly….”

You really don’t listen.

Mumbling, I took off my scarf.

Before Writer Jang could respond, I wrapped my scarf around his neck.

Looking flustered, he protested.

“Oh? No, it’s fine. You don’t have to. Why do you always give me your scarf whenever you see me?”

“That’s why you should dress more warmly.”

“But we’re indoors….”

He looked embarrassed.

When he tried to return the scarf, I stared at him expressionlessly until he awkwardly put it back on.

“Good grief… You haven’t changed a bit.”

He said, looking at me in disbelief.

“What about you? Now you’ll be cold.”

“I don’t get cold easily.”

“I said that because your manager was giving me the evil eye.”

Really?

I turned to see Jin-bae hyung with his usual expression.

‘What?’

After seeing Jin-bae hyung’s gentle smile directed at me, I looked back at Writer Jang.

“Why are you making things up?”

“…Never mind.”

Writer Jang shook his head and handed me a box.

“Then, here, take this.”

It was a gift box, carefully wrapped with a ribbon.

Curious, I opened it and found a scarf inside.

It was the same scarf Writer Jang had given me with his screenplay a year ago.

I had returned it with the screenplay, but now it was back in my hands.

“Thank you.”

I smiled as I took out the scarf.

Jin-bae hyung naturally took it and wrapped it around my neck.

His careful hands made me smile.

“It looks nice, Actor-nim.”

“It really suits you.”

Writer Jang watched with a satisfied expression.

A year ago, who could have imagined this day would come?

‘You really never know with people.’

After I turned down his screenplay, Director Jang didn’t contact me again.

Ah, he did contact me to congratulate me when I won Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival.

I had trusted his promise to send me the screenplay once it was finished.

I never expected him to leave the film industry entirely.

“How have you been lately?”

“Good. Surprisingly, theater suits me well. When I was making films, something always felt off, but after writing a play, I realized, ‘Ah, this is it.’”

Writer Jang Joon-seok laughed heartily.

He certainly looked more relaxed than last year.

It wasn’t just about having more financial stability.

That expression was one only someone whose work was loved by people could wear. It was nice to see.

“So, why are you here today? I don’t think you came just to get your scarf back.”

Writer Jang placed an ornate cup in front of me.

Steam rose from the tea bag inside.

“I need your help, Writer.”

“My help?”

I nodded and lifted the cup.

There was only one reason I sought out Writer Jang Joon-seok, who had now found his place in the theater world.

“I’m trying to write a screenplay. Can you help me?”

“…You?”

I laughed at his stunned reaction.

Realizing he must have misheard, I explained properly.

From making a video to promote Korean Sign Language to being tasked with writing the script as a trial.

“I have ideas, but putting them into writing is another matter.”

A screenplay is different from regular writing.

It requires technical terminology and must be judged for its feasibility for filming.

Having only read and acted out scripts, writing one myself was a tall order.

“I need a mentor. And I want you to be that mentor, Writer.”

When I said I wanted to write a script, both Team Leader Woo and Chief Choi Ji-min from the National Institute of the Korean Language had the same reaction.

A light laugh and a tone of indifference saying, ‘If you want to do it, go ahead.’

I didn’t take it as an insult. In fact, I thought it was a natural response.

‘But that’s that.’

Wanting to do well since I was going to do it was another matter.

Writer Jang hesitated briefly but then nodded easily.

“Well… okay. I’m on a break right now anyway. What’s the content you want to write? Since it’s about sign language… a romance involving a hearing-impaired person? That seems the most common. It’s a bit cliché, but if done well, it could be good.”

As expected of a writer.

I looked at Writer Jang, who quickly focused on the topic, and spoke.

“No, I don’t want ‘hearing-impaired’ to be the main theme.”

“Hmm?”

His response indicated he didn’t understand, so I smiled.

I shifted my gaze slightly to the air.

Mist, are you here now?

Swallowing the words I couldn’t say out loud, I spoke different ones.

“I want to write a script about communicating with someone who can’t speak.”