The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune

Chapter 219

After that, Minho began to look for ways to communicate with his brother even when he was around other people.

Hearing Minho’s plan, his brother initially declined, saying it wasn’t necessary.

However, perhaps feeling secretly pleased that his younger brother was thinking of him, he finally hesitated and suggested,

“How about we communicate using Korean Sign Language?”

“Korean Sign Language? You mean sign language? You know how to do that?”

“…You really didn’t pay any attention to your brother, did you?”

Only then did Minho remember that the orphanage where his brother used to volunteer had children with hearing impairments.

He learned that after years of volunteering, his brother had naturally picked up Korean Sign Language.

Feigning hurt, his brother asked why Minho didn’t know this, and Minho, looking flustered, tried to explain.

“No, I just thought you were taking care of the kids. It’s not that I didn’t care about you. I just—”

“Haha! I know, I know. Why are you so flustered?”

“It’s because you’re saying weird things.”

How could he say that I didn’t care about him?

Minho pouted.

His childish expression, sulking over his brother’s teasing, was apparent.

Watching this, Seo Ji-oh, who was playing the brother, thought,

‘This kid…’

Why is he so good at acting?

Lee Yeon-jae was an excellent actor.

By now, this was a sentence that felt so obvious.

Anyone who had worked with him, like Seo Ji-oh, couldn’t deny it.

Even so, Seo Ji-oh couldn’t help but be amazed at Lee Yeon-jae’s acting once again.

‘It’s like he’s possessed.’

Throughout the shoot, Minho had shown a gloomy and depressed atmosphere.

Empty eyes, an emotionless voice, a forlorn tone.

Like personifying death, he seemed like an empty shell.

The fragments of Minho’s despair disappeared one by one while he was with his brother.

With each kind laugh from his brother, each nagging word, each intangible touch.

Lee Yeon-jae’s detailed portrayal of Minho’s gradual healing was chillingly impressive.

Ignoring the goosebumps on his arms, Seo Ji-oh followed the script.

“I know you think of me, Minho. How could I not know?”

He softly smiled, patting Minho’s head.

Minho beamed at the feel of his brother’s touch, even if he couldn’t really feel it.

“It’s a relief you know.”

Even though his mood brightened immediately after his brother’s words, Minho pretended to grumble, not wanting to show it.

That behavior was quintessentially ‘Minho’.

Thanks to Lee Yeon-jae’s acting, Seo Ji-oh found himself immersed in the script.

The two of them decided to learn Korean Sign Language together.

“Cut!”

At the PD’s loud shout, Seo Ji-oh exhaled the breath he had been holding.

His shoulders ached from how much tension he had held.

‘I tense up too much while acting without realizing it.’

Knowing it made his acting seem unnatural, he needed to fix this, but it was not easy.

Fortunately, it wasn’t obvious enough to cause an NG, but it was a point of dissatisfaction for Seo Ji-oh.

“Okay~! Let’s move to the next scene!”

As soon as the PD spoke, the staff moved busily.

With such a tight shooting schedule, there was no time to waste.

While stretching his shoulders, Seo Ji-oh noticed Lee Yeon-jae blinking repeatedly.

“Yeon-jae, are you okay?”

“Yeah…”

Lee Yeon-jae’s reply was weak.

His voice sounded anything but okay, but Seo Ji-oh didn’t press further.

He knew that Yeon-jae wouldn’t want more interference, and even if he did, Seo Ji-oh was aware that he wasn’t the person Yeon-jae would turn to.

And Seo Ji-oh’s thoughts were proven right.

“Are you alright, actor?”

Lee Yeon-jae’s manager, An Jin-bae, approached with a blanket.

He draped the blanket over Yeon-jae’s shoulders, who blinked a few more times before leaning into Jin-bae’s arms.

“I’m so exhausted.”

Yeon-jae muttered, and Jin-bae patted his back, saying he did well.

Watching them, Seo Ji-oh turned away.

‘They really seem like they’re in love.’

Seo Ji-oh felt slightly annoyed.

Just moments ago, it had felt like Yeon-jae was only focused on him.

‘Minho,’ who had looked at him so intently, vanished the moment ‘cut’ was called.

Of course, it wasn’t Lee Yeon-jae but Minho who had been staring at him.

He wasn’t the type to be jealous like Noh Bi-hyuk.

‘It’s just…’

He just felt a little upset. Though he couldn’t pinpoint why.

Feeling a bit down, he sat down with his script.

A few minutes later, Lee Yeon-jae approached and plopped down on the seat next to him, looking completely drained.

Seeing him slump into the chair like a limp doll, Seo Ji-oh asked,

“Yeon-jae, I’m sorry to keep asking, but are you really okay?”

Even though he didn’t expect Yeon-jae to confide in him, he felt he had to say something.

“I’m fine. Just a bit tired.”

“What’s tiring you?”

“It’s just…”

Yeon-jae trailed off, as if he didn’t want to elaborate.

It was exactly what Seo Ji-oh expected.

‘We’re not really close enough to talk about this.’

Their relationship was more about mutual benefit than friendship.

He wasn’t like the cheerful kids who clung to Yeon-jae.

Accepting this, Seo Ji-oh nodded and was about to return to his script when,

“Seo Ji-oh.”

“Yes?”

### Chapter 219

The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune (219)

“…What do you think about Minho loving his brother?”

“What do you mean?”

When Seo Ji-oh looked puzzled, Lee Yeon-jae hesitated.

“Doesn’t it seem too immature? Like he’s being selfish.”

“Selfish? Why?”

“The one who died is his brother. The one who’s lonely is his brother. The one who suffered injustice is his brother. Minho’s pain is nothing compared to what his brother went through.”

Lee Yeon-jae touched his lips with his hand.

“But seeing him smiling happily because he loves his brother… It feels like he’s only thinking about himself. I keep having those thoughts.”

“Hmm, does that make it hard to act?”

After a moment of hesitation, Lee Yeon-jae slowly nodded.

“Yes, I think so. When I’m playing Minho, I genuinely love his brother. I’m happy and joyful to see him.”

“Yeah.”

“But when the shooting ends, I start to wonder if I deserve to feel that way. I think about how frustrating it must be for his brother. On the other hand—”

Lee Yeon-jae continued to speak non-stop.

Seo Ji-oh was surprised by this.

‘I didn’t know he could talk so much.’

Apart from acting, this was the first time Lee Yeon-jae had spoken this much to him.

Seo Ji-oh nodded occasionally, thinking,

‘Does he see a part of himself in Minho?’

This scenario was written by Lee Yeon-jae.

Although other writers had made some adjustments to the scenes and locations for easier filming, everything else was written by him.

Everyone was amazed at the quality of his script.

Not only was it fascinating that he used the concept of communicating with a deceased brother’s ghost to promote Korean Sign Language, but the emotions of the characters felt very real.

The characters and their conversations seemed like they could actually exist.

Thanks to this, the typical stiffness of promotional videos was gone, and everyone whispered that Lee Yeon-jae was truly a genius.

Seo Ji-oh, already aware of Yeon-jae’s talent, had also wondered while reading the script.

How could such realistic conversations just pop into his head?

‘If he experienced it himself, it makes sense.’

But didn’t he grow up in an orphanage?

Did he have an older brother he was particularly attached to there?

Is that why he’s projecting himself onto Minho?

Not knowing about Lee Yeon-jae’s adoption background, Seo Ji-oh made a rough guess and spoke up.

“Yeon-jae, I can’t comment on the emotions you feel while acting as Minho.”

“Yeah.”

“But as someone who plays the brother…”

Seo Ji-oh spoke slowly, as usual.

“I like my younger brother.”

“…”

“I don’t think Minho seems immature or selfish. And I don’t find it absurd either.”

Of course, the one who died would feel the most wronged and hurt.

But does the fact that the one left behind is also suffering make it wrong?

‘He seems to have a hard time accepting his emotions.’

Seo Ji-oh sighed softly.

“I told you, you care too much about others.”

Seo Ji-oh sometimes couldn’t understand Lee Yeon-jae.

Why does he care so much about others? Isn’t the most important thing oneself?

Everyone lives for themselves. I have to live for myself first.

“Regardless of whether the dead brother feels wronged or sad, that’s his issue. It’s natural to feel sad and miserable because he died, right?”

The subject of emotions is oneself.

Disappointment, sadness, resentment, misery.

Such emotions are something everyone can feel.

But from what Seo Ji-oh saw, Lee Yeon-jae seemed overly fixated on ‘justification’.

‘Is it appropriate for me to feel this way?’

Seo Ji-oh, who always considered ‘me’ the most important regardless of others’ opinions, could never understand this mindset.

Seeing Lee Yeon-jae blame himself seemed foolish yet strangely concerning.

“Yeon-jae, I hope you won’t be so hard on yourself. Care for yourself before worrying about others’ feelings. Whatever the brother thinks, if you’re Minho, you should prioritize Minho’s feelings.”

Afraid he might be crossing a line, Seo Ji-oh tried to speak as gently as possible.

In doing so, he unknowingly adopted the manner of Minho’s brother, which he had been practicing for days.

Seo Ji-oh realized his mistake as soon as he spoke, but Lee Yeon-jae just stared at him intently.

“Then what if the brother died because of Minho? Would you still think the same?”

“Huh?”

Didn’t he die from being hit by a drunk driver?

Seo Ji-oh asked, confused, and Lee Yeon-jae pressed him for an answer.

“So you’re saying Minho didn’t kill him directly, but he died because of Minho? Does that even make sense?”

“Let’s just say it does. Anyway, if that were the case… do you still think Minho can love his brother?”

Lee Yeon-jae’s dark eyes stared at Seo Ji-oh.

Although puzzled by Lee Yeon-jae’s urgent question, Seo Ji-oh’s answer was unwavering.

“Yes. What’s the problem with that?”

“…”

“Unless he’s a psychopath who killed his brother and still loves him, it’s just love. Sadness is sadness.”

It’s not like he’s doing anything about it.

Simply having feelings shouldn’t be a problem, right?

Seo Ji-oh still didn’t understand.

But seeing Lee Yeon-jae’s faint smile, he thought his answer wasn’t too bad.

“Yeah. Thanks for answering.”

“Did you clear your thoughts?”

“Yeah, thanks to you.”

Lee Yeon-jae looked noticeably better than before, and it didn’t seem like a lie.

Seo Ji-oh smiled in relief, and Lee Yeon-jae smiled back and said,

“But you need to relax your shoulders when you act.”

“…You can tell?”

“Not much, but a little? When your shoulders tense up, your jaw muscles stiffen slightly too. Especially around here.”

Lee Yeon-jae pressed near Seo Ji-oh’s jaw, and Seo Ji-oh quickly nodded.

“Yeah. That spot keeps getting tense.”

“Right. You need to relax your shoulders first. That’s the root cause.”

“What do you do in such cases?”

“I—”

The two continued their conversation until the next shoot was ready.

An Jin-bae, who had been about to approach Lee Yeon-jae, stopped in his tracks after seeing them.

‘They seem happy.’

An Jin-bae smiled as he watched Lee Yeon-jae.

There, two boys engrossed in their acting were having a pleasant conversation.