The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune

Chapter 160

[Prosecution indicts Seol Seung-jun on charges of using and selling LSD and methamphetamine]

[Was his panic disorder an excuse? Netizens shocked by drug tip-off photos of Seol Seung-jun]

[Over 20 celebrities involved in drug scandal, known as ‘Seol Seung-jun’s Gang’]

[Where is drug-free South Korea? Why do drug-addicted celebrities never disappear?]

[Seol Seung-jun, with perfectly bleached hair and groomed appearance, bows deeply in front of police station, fans in tears]

[Title: Can’t trust anyone…. Is doing drugs that good?]

Seol Seung-jun, this is truly shocking…. Honestly, wasn’t there any celebrity his age who didn’t have a clean image?

―Hey, don’t title it like that;; There are kids here too, what if they get curious about drugs;;;

└Yeah. Even if you’re curious, don’t ever try it. Just doing it once can ruin your lifeㅇㅇ You’ll live a life where you can’t feel any excitement without it.

―But seriously, it is shocking. Over 20 people…. The list is coming out one by one, and there are people I never expected. What’s with the minors, too, damn it.

└In the meantime, coming with bleached eyebrows, totally killed my interest…. Should’ve just shaved his head baldㅋㅋ

[Title: Did you see PTN’s exclusive article?? Seol Seung-jun was a complete mess;;]

Wow, I must have been too naive;; You really can’t trust celebrities based on how they appear.

How did he live his celebrity life to have so many tip-off photos?

Slapping and spraying water on staff… What’s with the recorded files. Seriously, I’m shocked….

―This time, PTN seems really determinedㅋㅋ I knew they were tough on celebrities, but I was surprised by the length of the articleㅋㅋㅋ

└I have a friend who’s a reporter, and Seol Seung-jun was infamous for being notoriousㅋㅋㅋ PTN just revealed it first. Reporters will start releasing their tip-offs one by oneㅋㅋㅋ It’ll be fun to watch for a while

―Wow…. Acting like that and nothing got out till now, it’s really creepy…. PTN wouldn’t have posted this article if he hadn’t been arrested for drugs…. ㅠㅠ

└But seriously, how did something this bad not get exposed?

* * *

“Did you hear about Seol Seung-jun?”

“Oh, you’re starting with that as soon as you get here. I’ve been hearing about it for three days straight now.”

“Why~. You guys are my only friends, so I have no one else to talk to. Put up with it even if it’s annoying.”

The bar where celebrities gathered was noisy.

A newly arrived celebrity chatted away.

“So why did it suddenly blow up? It’s not like Seol Seung-jun did drugs for just a day or two.”

“His sponsor also fell from grace. No one left to protect him now, so he’s reaping what he sowed.”

“Sponsor? Oh, Park Ye-hee? What happened to her?”

“I don’t know. Heard she was sent abroad for studying. Studying at that age? She’s just been discarded by the Seong-hee group.”

The room was filled with loud conversations.

In the corner, Kim Seok-jun shook his head.

“Let’s change the subject. I’m tired of talking about Seol Seung-jun.”

“Didn’t Seol Seung-jun slap you too, Kim Seok-jun? Don’t you feel relieved?”

“Being slapped is nothing. Worse things happened when I was a nobody. I forgot about it a long time ago.”

Kim Seok-jun chuckled as he poured himself a drink.

A celebrity sitting next to him took the bottle from him and poured it for him instead.

‘I guess I’ve risen in ranks.’

Kim Seok-jun thought as he received the drink politely poured by the person next to him.

He had gained fame by playing the adult role of ‘Yu-hyeon’ in ‘Butterflies Burning on a Paulownia Tree.’

After that, he took on his first lead role in a romance and received a positive response.

He shot a lot of commercials and earned a lot of money.

‘I originally planned to retire as soon as I earned this much.’

What he had said wasn’t a boast.

Getting slapped by Seol Seung-jun was something he could easily overlook.

During his obscure days, there were people who abruptly asked him to strip at auditions, and others who ogled his body and harassed him.

Each time, he gritted his teeth, vowing to leave the industry as soon as he earned enough. But then….

‘It seems you really enjoy acting.’

‘Huh?’

‘I said, it seems you really like acting.’

That damned kid.

Kim Seok-jun let out a deep sigh.

He sensed the celebrity next to him was watching his mood.

“Hey, what’s wrong? Not feeling good?”

“No. Sorry. Let’s drink.”

Kim Seok-jun tried to shake off thoughts of Lee Yeon-jae and lifted his glass.

But his efforts were in vain as ‘that damned kid’ became the topic of conversation.

“I heard Lee Yeon-jae is starring in a Netflix original.”

“…….”

Kim Seok-jun paused.

“No way, really?”

“I’m jealous. When will I ever get a lead role?”

“But he really is a good actor. I watched Twins four times.”

As the conversation floated around, Kim Seok-jun quietly asked,

“What project is he starring in?”

“I’m not sure. Nothing has been revealed yet. Ah! But I heard he’s starring with Lee Jung-hyun.”

“Lee Jung-hyun and Lee Yeon-jae together? Wow, it’s bound to be at least a moderate hit.”

“That’s why everyone is trying to get even a minor role in it.”

“Oh. I should push my agency about it tomorrow.”

Lee Yeon-jae and Lee Jung-hyun.

A combination of crazies I never wanted to see again.

Even if I got involved, I’d definitely be paid less than the leads.

There’d be no benefit in it. But… it was strange.

‘……I want it.’

Kim Seok-jun’s gaze shifted to his phone.

* * *

‘It’s over.’

After confirming all the articles about Seol Seung-jun, I turned off my phone.

Possession of drugs alone was a crime that warranted criminal punishment.

With the overwhelming evidence in photos, there was no way out for him.

‘Why did he come back to Korea?’

If he had stayed in Rome, it would have been hard to capture him, but Seol Seung-jun had whined to Park Ye-hee about returning to Korea, making it easier to catch him.

The timing worked out well.

‘Now Seol Seung-jun is truly finished.’

Stretching in satisfaction, Team Leader Woo approached.

“Yeon-jae, I’ll make the final report to the CEO with this.”

“Yes. Do I need to audition?”

“What audition, are you kidding? You’re the youngest lead actor in the world—.”

“Okay, I get it. My bad.”

I shut up immediately at Team Leader Woo’s ‘world youngest something’ attack. I couldn’t say anything in response.

Satisfied, Team Leader Woo then looked puzzled.

“But it’s really surprising. We did say this was the best in our meeting, but I didn’t expect you to choose it. Didn’t seem like your taste.”

“It’s not my taste.”

“Then why did you choose this?”

Because Jung-hyun hyung is in it.

It was an awkward thing to say out loud, so I just smiled.

The next project I decided on, ‘Killing Horn,’ was a Netflix original drama.

With an award-winning director, skilled writers, and abundant funding.

According to Team Leader Woo, it was a ‘safe project’ that couldn’t fail.

In this drama, Jung-hyun hyung and I were set to play the dual leads.

‘I can’t wait to film it.’

Maybe because of the youngest lead actor title, I did receive some scripts from Hollywood.

But they were all stereotypical roles.

From a supporting role as a math-whiz Korean to a quiet foreign student loved by the school’s queen bee.

Director Jang considered it a positive sign that Hollywood was sending scripts, insisting that my next project should appeal to both international and Korean audiences.

Based on this, Team 1 had several meetings to select a script, and I chose the one where Jung-hyun hyung was cast.

‘It feels like I’m being too selfish… but…’

Anyway, acting is fun, so it didn’t matter what project it was.

After all, it’s a paid job, and feeling guilty about fulfilling personal desires is pointless.

Besides, as long as the experts recommended this script, it didn’t matter.

And any guilt I felt vanished instantly upon seeing how happy Jung-hyun hyung was.

“This is insane! I can’t believe I get to act with Yeon-jae.”

“Ugh. It hurts.”

“Sorry. I can’t control my strength. I’m just too happy!”

Jung-hyun hyung was genuinely, genuinely happy.

He was so excited that Jin-bae hyung had to intervene.

Seeing the 192cm tall Jung-hyun hyung being carried off looked pitifully cute.

“Hyung, calm down.”

“Aren’t you happy to act with me?! Why are you so calm!”

No, I chose this because of you, hyung.

I couldn’t show my feelings, which left me frustrated.

After calming Jung-hyun hyung with Jin-bae hyung, we finally had a conversation.

“You agreed to

attend the same action school, right? Can I stay here for a while? It’ll be convenient if we go together.”

“If Jin-bae hyung is okay with it, sure.”

“Of course, I’m okay with it!”

Jin-bae hyung’s eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.

I watched him closely to make sure he wasn’t forcing himself, but he seemed genuinely satisfied.

Having grown up busy due to his parents’ work, and with a much older sister, he liked having people around.

So, when Jung-hyun hyung came to stay with us, carrying his belongings, I also called this guy over.

“It’s really comfortable even with so many people since the house is big.”

Noh Bi-hyuk murmured, looking around the guest room now turned into Jung-hyun hyung’s room.

‘It’s just me, Jin-bae hyung, and Jung-hyun hyung. Only three of us.’

Compared to the orphanage, it felt weirdly fewer people around.

But Noh Bi-hyuk looked oddly gloomy as he examined the room, so I blurted out,

“Then why don’t you move in too.”

“Huh?”

“It’ll still be comfortable even with one more person.”

“……Are you serious?”

Seeing his stunned expression, I shrugged.

I expected him to laugh it off, but he thought seriously for a while before shaking his head slowly.

“No, I can’t.”

“Why? Because of your parents?”

“No. They wouldn’t even notice if I ran away until a month later. But I have joint training.”

Noh Bi-hyuk’s expression tensed up.

“I heard they’ll soon announce the debut group.”

“Already?”

“Yeah. Well, I’m still in middle school, so it’s not like I have to debut now… but if I miss this, it’ll be three years later. Who knows what’ll happen then.”

He sounded like someone about to face an audition, his voice filled with anxiety.

I lightly patted his back.

“Then you’ll debut three years later.”

“…….”

“Don’t worry too much. For now, let’s just lie down in my room. I’m tired.”

“You’re always tired despite doing nothing. That’s because you don’t exercise enough.”

“Stop nagging, Bi-hyuk.”

Despite his worries, he perked up quickly, which was both annoying and a relief.

After lying down on the bed, he plopped down next to me.

“I watched ‘Twins’ yesterday. You were really good.”

“Thanks.”

“I can’t forget the final scene. I’m planning to watch it again this weekend. How did you feel when you choked Lee Jin-woo? I mean, Kang Tae-il—”

Noh Bi-hyuk talked a lot.

Watching his excited face chattering away, I asked,

“Bi-hyuk.”

“Yeah?”

“Will you keep playing with me even if I’m no longer helpful to you?”

“…….”

He went silent. Then he raised his hand.

“Ah!”

Smack! He flicked my forehead, leaving me in shock.

“…?? Why did you hit me?”

“I’m human too, you know? Hearing that repeatedly makes me upset.”

Why get upset? And if you’re upset….

‘You can just say it.’

I was baffled.