The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune

Chapter 172

An Jin-bae thought.

‘This is strange.’

His actor, Lee Yeon-jae, was talking with the head of the hair salon.

His calm face appeared as usual.

Seeing him, the question grew even bigger.

‘Who exactly is Mist?’

An Jin-bae prided himself on knowing almost everything about his actor.

Even events that happened before they met.

Of course, he felt sorry because it was an investigation without the actor’s consent, but there was no other way.

He was born and raised in a family accustomed to such investigations.

Still, he promised to use the information he learned only to protect his actor.

But among all those documents, there was no mention of ‘Mist.’

‘A friend I knew briefly before entering the orphanage.’

‘It’s been so long; do you remember that time?’

‘Of course not. I just mentioned it because I thought his birthday was around this time.’

The actor replied with an indifferent face.

If taken at face value, it was a straightforward situation.

You can’t find out all passing connections with just a few investigations.

Moreover, it wasn’t crucial information needed to protect the actor.

But An Jin-bae couldn’t shake off the question.

‘For someone with the actor’s personality to mention him at an award ceremony, he must have been quite impressive.’

Above all, he had heard the name Mist before.

Last year, on the way home after a photoshoot.

‘Mist, I said put me down….’

He clearly remembered the actor, who looked exceptionally tired, mumbling in his sleep as he carried him to the car.

His voice was much gentler than usual, making An Jin-bae momentarily pause.

“Yeon-jae, how is it? Can you bear it?”

“It feels like my head is on fire.”

“Haha!”

At the words from the head of the salon, Lee Yeon-jae responded with a blank face.

People laughed at the expression so different from his words.

Following the laughing people, the actor softly lifted the corners of his mouth as usual.

But he wasn’t his usual self at the award ceremony.

‘…Happy birthday.’

His trembling eyes, quivering lips, and slightly husky voice.

For someone wishing a happy birthday, he seemed too affectionate and somewhat sad.

‘It was like he was speaking to someone he could never see again….’

Did he miss that friend so much?

When he was thinking he might need to use every means possible to find that person named Mist, a staff member approached An Jin-bae and made a joke.

“Manager, you were worried a lot about Yeon-jae bleaching his hair for the first time, but now you can relax. The reaction is better than expected.”

Though the words were playful, An Jin-bae swallowed a bitter smile.

“Well….”

He was someone used to enduring.

Not someone who would honestly say he was in pain.

At An Jin-bae’s ambiguous response, someone remarked, “Manager’s overprotectiveness is unmatched.”

‘I know.’

He was indeed ‘excessively’ protective of his actor.

He knew he had long crossed the line of permissible interference as a manager. But it didn’t matter to him.

‘I need to be more careful.’

Even if it seemed excessive to others, he needed to constantly care for and interfere with his actor. Otherwise….

Recalling what a psychiatrist said about the actor a few years ago, An Jin-bae managed his expression.

Just remembering the doctor’s words made him nauseous.

‘…He has improved a lot.’

Recently, the actor had shown a particularly relaxed side.

Often leaning in exhaustion and sometimes even pouting when annoyed.

It was proof that his efforts hadn’t been in vain. It was a small relief.

“Actor, does your head hurt a lot?”

“No, it’s fine.”

As soon as he spoke to the actor, a mechanical response came back.

When he looked at him without a word, the actor averted his gaze and mumbled.

“…I can bear it.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to wear a wig even now?”

“Hyung, it’s already decided. The company agreed too.”

Got it. I was just complaining once.

‘I’m acting more like a child.’

An Jin-bae stroked the actor’s dull hair with a sad face.

Half in earnest, half intentional.

He was someone who became kinder the weaker the other person acted.

Sure enough, after a few seconds, the actor started rolling his eyes.

“Hyung, it doesn’t hurt that much.”

“Yes. That’s a relief….”

“…Still, the hair seems better than I thought, right? I thought it would look awkward since it’s my first time dyeing it, but it’s not bad. What do you think?”

At the deliberately bright tone, An Jin-bae inwardly held back a laugh.

‘The actor must think I’m a five-year-old.’

With that thought, An Jin-bae naturally whined.

The actor also naturally indulged his whining and patted his back.

The staff watching the strange scene mumbled with discomfort.

“…They’re both quite odd.”

“That’s why they match so well. Leave them alone and let’s do our work.”

“Yeah. Let’s let Hyun-young finish up.”

Whispering as if they were alone, the two resumed their conversation, while the staff began their work.

* * *

‘Finally.’

The day I had eagerly awaited had arrived.

“Actor, seatbelt—.”

“Yes, I did.”

As he spoke urgently, Jin-bae hyung replied with a restrained smile that he was ready to leave.

Whether he smiled or not, I barely held back the urge to bounce my legs.

‘I want to start filming soon.’

Today was the first day of filming for *Killing Horn*.

Most of my scenes were large-scale shoots, so the smaller scenes had started last week.

I was half nervous, half excited because the first shoot was a battle scene.

“Actor, it’s awkward to say after opposing it so much, but… the hair really suits you.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at his words, which came after a long silence at the wheel.

“Thank you. I want to show it to the fans soon.”

“Because of spoilers, you’ll have to hold off for now. Even if it’s frustrating, wear a wig and hat well.”

Sigh, what a shame.

The silver hair, which I thought would look excessive, turned out to be quite nice.

Even when I looked in the mirror, it didn’t feel out of place or overly striking.

‘I think the fans will like it too….’

If it only looked good to me, that would be one thing. But since others’ reactions were also good, I thought of Byeon.

At the same time, I thought of Noh Bi-hyuk.

‘How do idols bleach their hair every time?’

My current hair was so white it looked almost transparent.

It had gone through a tough process to achieve this color.

Surely, my hair had become rougher than before the dyeing.

‘Of course, it’ll get worse from here.’

I heard I’d have to bleach it every week from now on.

Just thinking about going through the process again wasn’t pleasant, but it was okay.

It matched the progression of the character in the work.

Horn, with his bright and playful personality, was scheduled to grow darker as the drama progressed.

His hair would also become rougher, matching the mood.

‘As long as the project turns out well, it’s worth it.’

Hair would grow back eventually.

But the filming of *Killing Horn* was a one-time event.

“Actor, we’ll arrive at the filming location soon.”

At Jin-bae hyung’s words, my heart, which was already pounding, beat faster.

I wanted to jump out of the moving car and run to the set.

‘Calm down.’

I took a deep breath to settle down.

Of course, I didn’t calm down.

Holding back the urge to run, I quietly got out of the car.

As soon as I lifted my head, I saw the enormous set.

“Wow….”

A huge building that could host a concert filled my view.

“It seems to be the largest place you’ve filmed in so far.”

“Indeed.”

I turned my head and looked around.

The towering set in the middle of the flat farmland looked immense.

And I thought of the boy who lived his whole life in such a large building.

‘Was it suffocating?’

Horn was an experiment created through the H Project.

He had human genes but also genes that humans couldn’t have.

In other words, he was a non-human being who grew up among humans.

I couldn’t have fully understood his lifelong emotions just from a few days of practice.

But seeing the massive building gave me a vague sense.

‘…It wasn’t suffocating.’

He was a kid who initially had no interest in the world outside the building.

Just like not every human dreams of wearing a spacesuit despite knowing that space exists.

The Horn I imagined wasn’t such a character.

‘At least until he left the building… every day was joyful.’

I gazed blankly at the enormous set.

In a few hours, I would become Horn, taking his first step into society.

Leaving the facility for the first time and encountering a new world.

For a moment, my heart ached.

“Actor, shall we go in now?”

“Yes.”

By then, the excitement of portraying a new character had settled, replaced by another emotion that made my heart race.

It was easy to identify the cause of this feeling.

It was guilt.

‘Sorry.’

I knew your ending. I knew what you would go through.

But today, I had to capture your smiling face.

“….”

Just before entering the building, I closed my eyes tightly.

Sorting out the tangled thoughts in my head, I experienced various confusing emotions.

‘Sorry.’

But still, I would do my

best.

No matter what ending awaited, this moment wouldn’t come again.

And I would act as you, who still knew nothing.

* * *

“Yeon-jae, let’s do a good job with the filming.”

At the PD’s words, I smiled and replied that I would count on him.

I was fully styled and ready.

I stood up in clothes that fit my body perfectly.

Kim Seok-jun, dressed similarly, approached.

“Why?”

“Yes?”

“Why do you and I wear the same clothes, but I feel like only I look bad?”

I responded indifferently to his genuine puzzlement.

“Hyung should bleach your hair.”

“Gosh, don’t say such disastrous things. That’s bad luck. I’ll never bleach my hair. I almost died last time.”

Kim Seok-jun actor exclaimed in disgust as if I was teasing him.

‘It wasn’t meant to be a joke.’

The clothes Kim Seok-jun and I wore were special agent outfits.

The combat suit, made of bulletproof material, had a heavy tone that could easily make one’s face look dull.

I was styled to match my silver hair. So, I would look relatively less dull.

When I calmly added an explanation, Kim Seok-jun actor grumbled that he shouldn’t have spoken to me.

‘He’s grumbling a lot today.’

Just last time during the filming of *Nut Tree*, he wandered around the set leisurely, but now he was pacing around the same spot, muttering to himself.

Seeing his obvious pattern, I sighed and made a decision.

“Seok-jun hyung.”

“What.”

“Your eyes are sparkling a lot right now.”

“…Huh?”

His face, responding half-heartedly, turned blank.

Looking at him nonchalantly, I said.

“I told you during the filming of *Nut Tree*, right? Just by looking at your eyes, I can tell you love acting.”

“….”

“Your eyes sparkle even more now than they did then.”

On one hand, they were more serious, and on the other, they were more lively.

Kim Seok-jun actor stared blankly for a moment before scratching his neck.

“What the… that’s embarrassing.”

“So, stop being nervous. When you’re like that, it makes me nervous too. You’ll do well anyway, so why worry?”

“Hey, when did I say I was nervous!”

Kim Seok-jun actor yelled.

Just then, a staff member announced the start of filming.

“Let’s start shooting!”

Kim Seok-jun actor mumbled three times quickly that he wasn’t nervous and returned to his position.

Regardless, I stood in my place.

“For the first time, let’s go with the feeling of matching our breaths. Ready—.”

Standing on the taped spot, I closed my eyes.

And I thought of you.

“Action!”

A broad smile spread across my face.