The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune

Chapter 185

Although I currently went around empty-handed, it wasn’t always that way before I met Mist.

People around me used to gossip, asking, “Why does he carry such a big bag?”

I carried so many things that I could be teased as a peddler.

In that big bag, I had various items.

From antiseptics to clean wounds, ointments, and bandages. Stain removers to clean blood or mud, and even wet wipes.

Before meeting Mist, I bled at least once a day.

Of course, these tools weren’t enough to treat large wounds that tore the flesh. Most of the necessary items were in the school infirmary.

Nevertheless, the reason I carried these items every day was that I wanted to show everyone.

That I was always prepared.

“I’ve been using this brand of hand sanitizer for years. I was debating whether to buy the new version when it got renewed….”

I carried hand sanitizer for the same reason.

Back then, many kids avoided touching me or even holding my things.

I could have just let it go, but being young, I felt quite unfair.

So I spent half of my monthly allowance from the orphanage to buy this hand sanitizer.

Maybe it was because of the good ingredients, but it was expensive then and still is now. The detailed product description gave me trust.

Maybe I thought I could become clean, too.

Maybe I wanted to tell them that they didn’t need to avoid me.

‘Using hand sanitizer doesn’t reduce the misfortune factor, so it was pointless.’

So it was one of the things I stopped using after meeting Mist.

Still, whether it was lingering attachment or greed…. I had visited the website a few times after hearing about the new product.

‘How did he know?’

I looked at Jung-hyun hyung peeking his face out beside the camera.

And beside him, Jin-bae hyung standing upright.

‘I really am lucky with people.’

No matter how hard or unfair it was back then, what did it matter?

I was living a blessed life now.

Thinking that, I chuckled.

“Thank you so much. I’ll use it well. Ah, yes. I’ll open the second gift now.”

I pulled myself together after looking at the prompter and opened the other box.

“Oh, this!”

The first thing I saw was a pair of new white sneakers.

The sky-blue laces tied together looked familiar. Of course, they did.

‘These are the first ones I got from Byeon.’

They were sneakers I had put in a display case because they no longer fit.

I occasionally enjoyed looking at them when I had time.

‘These are much bigger than the ones I have.’

It seemed like new sneakers prepared to fit my current size.

I was about to boast about them to Byeon with a smile.

‘…Wait a minute.’

I felt a chill the moment I held the sneakers.

‘It can’t be.’

Ignoring the eerie feeling, I lifted the sneakers.

At the same time, I saw the remaining items in the box.

I unconsciously let out a dismal voice.

“How much did you spend….”

Besides the sneakers, the box contained various shoes like loafers and sandals.

Flustered, I quickly opened another box without thinking of a comment.

“Oh, my.”

All the boxes were filled to the brim.

From clothes like hats, scarves, and gloves to items like bouquets, bracelets, and wallets.

Forgetting that fans were watching, I was about to say something to Jung-hyun hyung.

I opened the last box and held my breath.

“….”

Inside the box were at least over three hundred letters.

I stared at the letters, too precious to even touch, and heard a small applause from the front.

Looking up, I met a kind gaze.

“All of these were prepared by your fans. The gifts were bought with my money, but they are things Byeon wanted to give you.”

“….”

“Yeon-jae, you haven’t forgotten what I said before the shoot, right?”

At Jung-hyun hyung’s words, I barely nodded.

‘Enjoy today’s broadcast without any worries.’

Yeah, I promised. I had to enjoy it.

‘But how can I enjoy this―.’

As always, guilt naturally found me.

But in front of the letters filling my view, it scattered meaninglessly.

My chest tightened.

Something filled me so fully that it made breathing slightly suffocating.

“Thank you….”

The corners of my mouth slowly lifted.

Normally, I’d be thinking, ‘Is it okay for me to be this happy?’

But as if not allowing even a bit of guilt, a new emotion filled my chest.

“Thank you.”

I looked again at the letters in colorful envelopes.

I slowly ran my fingertips over the letters.

The more I repeated the act, the more the unfamiliar emotion completely dominated me.

“Right now….”

In the silence, I faced the staff and my brothers, and fans beyond the camera.

“…I think I’m really happy.”

Regaining my senses, I realized I was smiling brightly.

* * *

For the next hour, I chatted away.

I didn’t even notice the time passing.

I just kept laughing and babbling like a loose screw.

―Ha, I wish this time would never end.

―My baby has grown up so muchㅠㅠ I love it when he talks a lot.

―My gums are drying out and dying. Bambi, give me your number for compensation….

The speed of the comments was still fast, but I got used to it and started noticing questions.

“Favorite food? Hmm, let me think. Manager hyung’s cooking?”

I added more after pondering.

“But I often have friends over at home. I feel sorry to keep asking manager hyung to cook, so I often order pizza.”

―Bambi, do you like pineapple pizza? Or not?

Pineapple pizza, huh.

“I eat most things well. Pizza is all delicious…. But Lee-jun hyung really hates pineapple pizza.”

I thought he would like it since it’s a juicy fruit.

The first time I saw Lee-jun’s disgusted face was when I ordered pineapple pizza.

‘Come to think of it, Ha-ram doesn’t like pineapple pizza either.’

Do Americans not like pineapple pizza?

“Lee-jun hyung said he hates pineapple being hot. How about you, Byeon? Do you dislike it?”

Every time I threw a question, the responses were so rich that I lost track of time.

“Do a pizza mukbang later? Oh… I’ll talk to the company. But would it be fun to watch? I don’t talk much when I eat.”

―Bambi, stop worrying.

―Just turn it on. Turn it on and we’ll talk.

“Ah. Okay.”

I immediately replied to the strange charisma. Everyone seemed so charismatic.

Then, the staff pointed to the prompter.

It said the heart count exceeded 200 million.

‘What are hearts?’

I didn’t know what it was, but the staff’s expressions were bright, so I blurted out.

“Everyone. The heart count exceeded 200 million. Uh… that’s good, right? Yes. They say it’s good. I’m so happy.”

I couldn’t be happy because I didn’t know what it was.

After chatting about other things for a while, I sneaked in a question.

“Who gives the hearts? Are they selected by platform officials?”

Is it like listed stocks?

I thought I asked subtly, but it must have been obvious.

As I looked at the flooding comments, I realized fans pressed hearts with their fingers one by one.

“Oh, thank you. But you can stop now. Your fingers will get hurt.”

Hearing they were pressing so much that their fingerprints might disappear, I quickly relaxed my frown.

Anyway, since they were doing it for me, I shouldn’t use a scolding tone.

“Really, thank you. But you can stop now. I already got a lot of hearts. It’s well conveyed to me, so if you stop, that would be better.”

―Really? Did the hearts get through? ㅋㅋㅋ Cute, our baby.

―Then Bambi, do a heart reaction♥

I was momentarily puzzled by the word ‘reaction,’ but understood and immediately made a finger heart.

‘I’m glad I practiced with Bi-hyuk.’

Bi-hyuk had said I would definitely be grateful to him someday, and he was right.

As I skillfully made various versions of hearts, the comments sped up even more.

Then I showed each motion Byeon requested one by one.

I didn’t do it out of guilt or obligation.

‘It’s just a few motions.’

Seeing how happy everyone was made me happier.

‘I should broadcast more often.’

Once I got used to it, I could turn it on alone like the Space members.

Midway, comments like ‘There’s something behind you,’ ‘It looks like a ghost passed by,’ made me tilt my head for a moment.

“Do you believe in ghosts?”

How cute.

I couldn’t help but smile slightly.

“I’m kind of indifferent. Rather than believing or not believing, I think I just don’t have any thoughts about it.”

After all, if Mist was a yokai, ghosts must exist too.

But I had no particular thoughts. If they were there, they were there.

―Stop talking about what’s behind him.

―Everyone, leave good comments for our Bambi!

―Yeon-jae, do you watch horror movies well?

“Yes. I watch horror and thriller movies well. I even played a shaman in the variety show ‘Mission Clear.’ I watched horror movies as a reference then.”

To be precise, I played Kim Su-ho, who pretended to be a shaman to scam people.

Now that I think about it, there was a lot of talk among the staff during the ‘Mission Clear’ shoot.

“Remember when the members first arrived and saw a woman ghost standing at the gray building’s window?”

After the shoot, the actress playing the ghost said

something that caused a stir during the wrap-up party.

“She said it was definitely her who filmed it, but her memory of that time was fuzzy.”

She mentioned hearing someone whispering in her ear. She said she felt like she was possessed.

As I casually relayed what I heard back then, the comments went wild.

―ㅠㅠㅠ Who brought up the scary storyㅠㅠㅠ

―Please change the subject….

“Oh, were you scared? Sorry. I’ll change the subject.”

Flustered, I stammered.

Thinking hard about what to say, words appeared on the prompter.

“Ah, yes. The last content for today is… singing? I should sing?”

I was momentarily puzzled by the sudden song request, then shocked at the karaoke machine being wheeled in by the staff.

I looked quietly at Jung-hyun hyung, and he was smiling in satisfaction.

―Is today my birthday?

―What’s happening;;;;

―Bambi singing is crazy. I’m watching this live.

I glanced at the comments, and they were going wild.

I was honestly a bit surprised by Byeon’s reaction.

‘I should have sung sooner.’

I didn’t particularly mind singing. The problem was….

‘Is there a setting where Bambi sings?’

No. Since I got the nickname Bambi, I’ve read all the related animations and novels.

I wondered if singing would be ‘an action that doesn’t suit Bambi.’

Suddenly, I realized something.

‘Was I crazy?’

I wasn’t really a deer.

‘No, get a grip…. You’re human.’

My face flushed. Thankfully, it was just a thought.

I must have momentarily lost my mind from the fans’ love.

Byeon didn’t love me because they thought I was really Bambi.

‘If they loved the real Bambi, they’d watch the animation.’

I wasn’t a deer but a human.

‘They just like me because I’m me.’

In other words, Byeon loved me because I was Lee Yeon-jae.

“….”

Unknowingly, after thinking that, I was briefly stunned.