The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune

Chapter 180

‘Whew.’

I swallowed a sigh and opened my mouth again.

“Mist, can you look at me for a moment? Please?”

“…….”

No matter how much I coaxed and comforted him, Mist, who was buried under the blanket, didn’t show his face.

‘What should I do?’

I almost let out another sigh in my frustration.

“Mist, aren’t you going to show your face? You have to tell me why you’re upset so I can apologize.”

“I also….”

I heard a muffled voice from beneath the thick blanket.

I tried to wait patiently, but as soon as I heard a small sob, I pulled the blanket away.

“…!”

The blanket fell off weakly, as if Mist wasn’t expecting it.

Our eyes met, and we both froze.

“…….”

Mist had taken on Han Ha-ram’s appearance.

And tears were streaming down his face.

“……Why do you look like Ha-ram?”

“Because Yeon-jae seems to like this human.”

Seriously.

I didn’t expect him to be jealous over something like this.

I felt slightly dumbfounded, thrilled, and a bit embarrassed all at the same time.

Hiding my mixed emotions, I comforted the sobbing Mist.

“Why are you crying? Come here. I’ll give you a hug.”

As soon as I finished speaking, Mist leaped into my arms.

The warmth was similar to when Han Ha-ram hugged me, but it felt different.

‘This is the first time I’ve seen him cry.’

It had been over three years since I started seeing Mist every day.

Mist, who once seemed devoid of humanity like a psychopath, had gradually started showing various emotions.

The changes were slow and vast, like getting drenched in a drizzle without realizing it.

Seeing Mist make different expressions was always pleasant, but crying was another matter.

“Did you hate it so much that I hugged Ha-ram?”

“No…, it’s not that….”

“Then what is it?”

Was he really jealous of an eight-year-old?

It was kind of cute, but I didn’t expect him to cry.

I almost laughed at the absurdity, but I stopped when I heard a small whisper.

“I also want to have a body….”

“…….”

“So I can be by your side too…. I know it’s just childish whining. I know it’s nonsense…. But….”

Mist sobbed.

His trembling voice sounded like a candle about to go out.

His voice gradually faded away and disappeared completely, replaced by the wetness I felt on my chest.

“…….”

Mist was silently crying.

His tears soaked my short-sleeved t-shirt.

The tears that barely wet a part of my chest felt like a river to me.

“I’m sorry….”

My heart felt like it was crumbling.

A long ringing echoed in my ears.

I managed to raise my trembling hand and hugged his small, quivering body.

“I’m sorry, Mist. I…, I didn’t know you felt that way….”

“Sniff, it’s okay. I was just being childish. I know you hate this kind of thing.”

What are you talking about?

“I like everything you do. Don’t say things like that.”

Mist tried to say something more, but I just hugged him tightly.

I thought maybe Mist wanted to exist in reality and he might have similar thoughts, but hearing it directly from him….

I spoke slowly with my hazy mind.

“Mist, I’m really sorry, I really am. But can I ask you one favor?”

“Sniff, what is it…?”

Listening to his still tearful, childlike voice, I made a request.

“Please don’t cry.”

“…….”

“Please don’t cry. When you cry….”

Even if you cry, there’s nothing I can do for you.

It’s different from Han Ha-ram.

I have no way to solve Mist’s problems.

I can’t even be curious about you in the first place.

How long you’ll be by my side, or how long this incomplete relationship will last.

I had many questions but all I could do was pretend not to notice and just smile.

But if you cry over a problem I can’t solve….

‘I don’t know what to do.’

It felt like my heart was being torn apart.

It was the first time I’d felt this way.

Even when I acted out Yu-hyun’s cry in ‘Butterflies on the Burning Zelkova Tree’ or Kang Tae-il’s wail after witnessing his family’s death in ‘Twins’.

It was a feeling I had never experienced before.

It was an excruciating feeling, like it was painful even to breathe.

“……Yeon-jae. You told me not to cry.”

“…….”

“What about you, then? How can you cry?”

Right.

Everything looked blurry beyond my cloudy vision.

I buried my head in Mist’s shoulder, wanting to hide my blurred sight.

Mist silently patted my back.

“…….”

Suddenly, I thought if this were a book, I could open it to the last part first.

Maybe Mist and I would be smiling at each other in some unrealistically happy ending.

With a simple gesture, I could know the conclusion of my life.

But this wasn’t a book; it was reality.

In reality, I had to endure painfully vivid emotions.

The most miserable part was.

“…….”

This wasn’t even a damned reality.

So, Mist and I held each other until the dream ended.

Because there was nothing else we could do.

We spent the time like that, too afraid to see the expressions on each other’s faces.

* * *

“―Yeon-jae.”

“…….”

“Lee Yeon-jae!”

“Oh, sorry. What did you say?”

Noh Bi-hyuk frowned.

“You’ve been acting strange lately. You zone out every chance you get and don’t seem to listen to me.”

“Sorry. I haven’t been sleeping well.”

Even though I saw his thick eyebrows twitch, I didn’t think much of it.

To be precise, I didn’t have the energy to think about it.

“…….”

“See, you’re zoning out again.”

I snapped back to reality as he poked my cheek.

“What’s wrong? Tell me.”

“It’s nothing.”

“Let me decide if it’s nothing. Come on, tell me. Bi-hyuk is dying of curiosity.”

It was scary how he tried to be cute with no hint of cuteness in his voice.

I chuckled at the guy glaring at me with a fierce expression.

“If I tell you, will you solve it for me?”

“If it’s something I can solve?”

That makes it simple.

“It’s something you can’t solve. Satisfied?”

I was about to say that and move on when Noh Bi-hyuk shrugged.

“Too bad. Then I’ll just listen instead.”

“…….”

“Who knows? Maybe a solution will come up while talking. Suffering alone won’t make it better.”

His voice was firm despite the casual tone.

‘When did he grow up like this?’

Maybe it was because trainee life wasn’t easy, but he seemed to grow up every time I saw him.

“You seem to have grown taller again.”

“Wow~ you’re deflecting so awkwardly?”

He made a fuss even when I complimented him.

“What’s the matter? Don’t you trust Bi-hyuk? If you only tell Jin-bae hyung, I’ll really get mad.”

I laughed at the guy clinging to me, saying he wouldn’t go home until I told him.

“Jin-bae hyung doesn’t know either. It’s just… I don’t know. It’s hard to talk about.”

I didn’t want to be dragged to a mental hospital now.

So I smiled and said the best thing I could.

“When I can talk about it, I’ll tell you first.”

“Hmm~ okay, I’ll let it slide for today.”

Noh Bi-hyuk snorted and picked up his fork.

Seizing the moment, I placed a bowl piled high with dumplings in front of him.

“Hurry up and eat. Jin-bae hyung grilled all these earlier to congratulate you on your debut.”

“They say you can’t let your guard down until right before the showcase stage. That’s how debuting works.”

“But for now, you’re in the final lineup.”

“Who knows what will happen in the next six months? It could fall apart, or I might be the only one excluded―”

“Enough, just eat this.”

I shoved a dumpling into Noh Bi-hyuk’s mouth.

He glared at me, his mouth too full to speak, but I ignored him.

At that moment, Han Ha-ram, who had been talking with Sung Lee-jun by the TV, approached.

“Yeon-jae, can I have some of this too?”

“Sure. Want me to get you a fork?”

“(No! I’m really good with chopsticks! We always used chopsticks at home in America.)”

“Okay. There’s plenty, so eat slowly.”

When I patted Ha-ram’s head, he giggled.

As Ha-ram took a seat next to me, Sung Lee-jun also joined us on the sofa.

‘Why are we all huddled together in this spacious living room?’

I didn’t understand, but both Sung Lee-jun and Ha-ram looked happy, so I let it go.

“Ha-ram…! Are the dumplings good?”

“They’re really good! Lee-jun hyung, you should try these too. Oh, Yeon-jae, can Lee-jun hyung have some?”

“Sure. Do whatever you want.”

As soon as I finished speaking, Ha-ram smiled and offered dumplings to Sung Lee-jun.

I watched the two laugh together contentedly.

‘

Friends are definitely better in larger numbers.’

Today’s ‘Sung Lee-jun Friend-Making Project’ was going smoothly.

Feeling proud, I watched them when Noh Bi-hyuk whispered softly.

“Hey, why is that kid always here lately? He’s here every time I come over.”

“I’m teaching him how to act.”

“Acting?”

I nodded nonchalantly at his dubious tone.

It had been about two weeks since I first met Han Ha-ram.

There were no more scenes for him, so we wouldn’t have run into each other, but I contacted him separately, saying I wanted to meet.

Han Ha-ram’s mother had an expression like ‘What a stroke of luck!’ and brought him out, and I told her, ‘I want to meet Ha-ram often to talk about acting.’

So, for the past two weeks, I took Ha-ram wherever I went, be it the filming set or my home.

‘Of course, I never actually taught him acting.’

Unless Ha-ram said he wanted to learn acting, I had no intention of forcing him to do anything.

‘Still, reducing the time he spends with his mom will help for now.’

It was the only way I could help.

Staying by Ha-ram’s side until he could escape his mother’s influence on his own.

Without clear evidence of abuse, I couldn’t file for the termination of parental rights, and we weren’t even related by blood in the first place.

After briefly explaining the situation, Noh Bi-hyuk stared intently at me.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I’m starting to get it.”

“Get what.”

“You’re particularly weak to Sung Lee-jun hyung. But seeing you like that with that kid, I get it now. You’re weak to faces like theirs.”

What is he talking about?

Even though I blatantly ignored him, Noh Bi-hyuk continued mumbling to himself.

“No, but if that’s the case, shouldn’t you be kinder to yourself too? Your face is just like theirs. Maybe you don’t look in the mirror often enough?”

“Bi-hyuk, get a grip.”

“I’m serious.”

Regardless of his seriousness, I told him to get a grip.

I couldn’t smack an adult’s head, so I let it go.

“Do you think Lee-jun hyung and Ha-ram look like me?”

Instead, I asked this. Noh Bi-hyuk answered with a look that said, ‘What are you talking about?’

“When I see the three of you, you look like siblings. The oldest, the second, and the youngest.”

Is it that much?

Of course, in ‘Butterflies on the Burning Zelkova Tree,’ there was a setting where Hyo-won, played by Sung Lee-jun, and Yu-hyun, played by me, had similar faces. It had to be that way for the switch to make sense.

Han Ha-ram also played the younger version of Horn, the character I played in ‘Killing Horn.’

Maybe overhearing us, Sung Lee-jun, with a slightly flushed face, spoke up.

“That’s the first time I’ve received such a compliment. Thank you…!”

“(Thank you too!)”

When Han Ha-ram also expressed his gratitude, Noh Bi-hyuk teased him to say it in Korean.

‘It’s peaceful.’

I had been so busy with ‘Killing Horn’ filming over the past two weeks that this tranquility felt even more relaxing.

When Noh Bi-hyuk pointed at me and Han Ha-ram alternately, calling us “White Yeon-jae and Black Yeon-jae,” I just smiled quietly.

That’s when it happened.

“Gasp, Yeon-jae!”

Sung Lee-jun, who had been intently looking at something on his phone, suddenly looked up.

When I glanced at him, wondering what it was, he exclaimed excitedly.

“The ad you shot is out…!”

“An ad?”

Oh, right. That.

‘It’s finally out.’

The bed advertisement I filmed for Myung-woo Corporation was finally released.