The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune
Chapter 114

“If you handle it like that, you’ll hurt your hand.”

“Pardon?”

I quickly grabbed the woman’s hand, which was about to pick up a sharp piece of glass, and then let go immediately.

“Sorry for grabbing your hand.”

“Oh, no.”

“You should wear rubber gloves to clean this up. Do you know where the cleaning supplies are?”

“Oh, well, I’m new here. I’m sorry. Um….”

The woman looked flustered.

I reassured her that it was okay while recalling the emergency evacuation map I saw when I entered the building.

Since cleaning staff often use emergency exits, I should head in that direction.

“I’ll find it, so please stand in the corridor and tell people not to come this way. They could hurt their feet.”

“Oh, okay! But, um, what about you, actor?”

“I’ll be fine.”

I had practiced enough to avoid minor misfortunes like stepping on glass shards.

Still, just in case, I carefully watched the floor as I crossed the hallway.

It didn’t take long to find the office, where I borrowed cleaning supplies.

When I returned, Jin-bae hyung was already in the corridor.

“Hyung, why did you come out?”

“You were taking too long.”

“Sorry. Actually—”

“I heard the situation from the staff. But next time, you need to inform me before you move. Got it?”

I promised with a pinky swear.

I only talked to Jin-bae hyung for a few seconds, but by then, the woman had almost finished cleaning up the glass shards.

As she put the last shard into the dustpan, she bowed and thanked me.

“Thank you so much for helping.”

“I didn’t really do anything. Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m fine. …But it wasn’t me who dropped it, it was that person who just threw it carelessly.”

Her voice trembled, and she eventually started to sob.

As I watched awkwardly, she shook her head and apologized before disappearing.

‘Seriously… Making a living is tough.’

Seeing her young face, likely a new graduate, left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Although it wasn’t something that happened to me, I felt the weight of how difficult life could be.

Returning to the waiting room, I was told that preparations for the shoot were complete and we were moving locations.

“Wow… They must have put in a lot of effort this time.”

Just like singer Kang Se-hyun said, the studio was filled with props that evoked the feeling of last summer.

When they asked us to wear white and blue clothes, I wondered why, but it made sense now since the background was set up to look like the sea.

“We’ll start live right after you attach the mics. The MC will filter most of the comments, so don’t worry too much. Hey, you! Leave that alone!”

The staff seemed unusually frantic today.

Is it normal to start without any rehearsal?

Feeling something was off, I looked around and noticed the actors’ expressions were filled with unease.

Just then, Han Se-young, sitting next to me, made a clicking sound with her nails.

“…?”

When I looked at her curiously, she pointed at her phone with her long nails.

I took out my phone from my pocket and saw a message from Han Se-young.

[I heard from a staff member that the original MC for today was replaced at the last minute.]

I wondered why she didn’t just say it out loud, but before I could even type a response, more messages followed.

[The current MC is a comedian known for being rude. He’ll definitely stir things up, so be careful with your responses.]

[No matter how upset you get, don’t swear, even under your breath. Your mic is already on.]

[Don’t reply; just put your phone away once you’ve read this.]

I subtly nodded at her firm warning.

After putting my phone back in my pocket and turning my head, I saw Han Se-young smiling a painted-on smile.

The other celebrities were the same. They all seemed to know something was wrong, darting their eyes around suspiciously while maintaining their expressions.

‘This world is scary, really scary.’

The more I knew, the scarier it got.

But somehow, I found myself smiling too.

In that strange silence, only the staff moved busily.

In front of the camera, I saw a new PD and a comedian I had never seen before chatting and laughing.

‘I have no idea what’s going on, but…’

I understood one thing. Today’s interview was not going to be easy.

* * *

New recruit Hong Ji-yeon moved quickly, following her direct senior’s instructions.

“Huff, huff. Should I put this here?”

“Yes, put it there. Damn it. Why did they call the ‘Princess’? This is bad luck.”

“Princess?”

In response to Hong Ji-yeon’s question, the senior wiped away sweat roughly and answered.

“The MC, Ahn Kook-young, is nicknamed ‘Princess’. He’s known for his nasty mouth.”

“Oh… But wasn’t anchor Seo Ye-na supposed to do it today?”

“PD Choi and Ahn Kook-young are old classmates. Damn bastards. We worked so hard on the props and script to make it nice and warm, but PD Choi got replaced at the last minute. Damn, nothing’s going right.”

As a new recruit, Hong Ji-yeon couldn’t fully grasp the inner workings of the broadcasting station.

But she understood that today’s chaos was somehow related to this PD Choi.

While listening to her senior’s complaints, Hong Ji-yeon recalled the earlier incident.

PD Choi had thrown a prop at her, causing her to drop it and shatter all the glass cups.

The harsh words from a stranger she met for the first time today were hurtful, but she had no time to cry.

She was trying to suppress her emotions when it happened.

“If you handle it like that, you’ll hurt your hand.”

At the soft voice, she looked up to see not a fairy, but Lee Yeon-jae standing there.

After asking a few questions with a calm face, he disappeared and returned with cleaning supplies as if by magic.

While he talked to someone who seemed to be his manager, she quickly cleaned up the glass shards and fled.

‘Real celebrities are different.’

As soon as she left the storage room and returned to the set with her senior, she saw Lee Yeon-jae.

Wearing a white shirt, light blue jeans, and dark blue sneakers, he looked like he lived in another world.

Even while sitting on a backless chair, his posture was straight like a ballerino.

‘Those eyebrows really suit him.’

The eyebrow scratch that didn’t match his overall neat appearance gave him a boyish charm.

Hong Ji-yeon looked down at her own clothes, now dirty with dust.

She hadn’t eaten all day, yet her emotions were complex.

‘I joined because I wanted to….’

She had always wanted to work in the sparkling entertainment industry since she was a student.

But in just three months, she realized she could never be one of the shining stars.

She would be used and discarded like a handkerchief thrown into the mix to make the jewels shine.

‘Sigh… I should just quit this month.’

The smell of her own sweat seemed particularly pathetic today.

She watched Lee Yeon-jae, who was smiling beautifully while talking to the MC.

‘I bet he’s never felt this way.’

She was staring at Lee Yeon-jae with mixed feelings when, without warning, his dark eyes met hers.

‘Gasp.’

In the brief moment she held her breath, his dark eyes blinked slowly and his head tilted slightly.

‘Did he just nod at me?’ she wondered, bowing her head in confusion.

When she looked up again, Lee Yeon-jae was already looking at the MC.

“Wow, many people are curious about actor Lee Yeon-jae’s next project. Isn’t he the king of romance now? Let me guess, is it a romance?”

“Haha, well, nothing has been decided yet.”

His calm response contrasted with the MC’s exaggerated tone.

“Oh, come on~. Why are you being so reserved? Just tell me, is it a romance or not? Yes?”

He said there was nothing decided, so why was he pushing? That jerk.

The staff, including Hong Ji-yeon, frowned.

Lee Yeon-jae smiled and deflected the question smoothly, which seemed to annoy the MC, Ahn Kook-young, as he frowned slightly.

Just as Kang Se-hyun was about to speak up, Ahn Kook-young interrupted.

“Then let’s ask the king of romance, actor Lee Yeon-jae, a question. Someone keeps asking in the comments.”

Ahn Kook-young glanced at the monitor, pretending to read a comment.

“Who do you prefer, actress Han Se-young, who plays Jung Han-na, or actress Shin Ah-young, who plays Kim Hye-yoon?”

“…”

Someone stop this jerk.

A silent commotion spread among the staff.

The PD, who should have been managing the situation, was laughing and watching the screen.

‘What kind of question is that…’

Wasn’t Lee Yeon-jae only fourteen years old?

It was insane to ask such a question to a minor, especially with Han Se-young and Shin Ah-young sitting right there.

Their expressions were serene but stiff, as they were being put in a position without their consent.

‘That comedian really is washed up; he still thinks it’s the old days of variety shows.’

Hong Ji-yeon anxiously watched Lee Yeon-jae, who was smiling softly without saying anything.

Ahn Kook-young continued his trashy comments, asking if he preferred the pure Han Se-young or the sexy Shin Ah-young.

Lee Yeon-jae didn’t look at either woman but smiled meaningfully at the MC.

“…Are you really that curious about my preference?”

“Yes? Oh, of course? Someone keeps asking in the comments~.”

There was no such comment, but Ahn Kook-young shamelessly laughed.

Disgusted by the sight, Hong Ji-yeon frowned, but Lee Yeon-jae shyly spoke up.

“I’m a bit embarrassed to say it here, but can I tell you later? But I don’t know your number, senior.”

“…?”

“If you give me your number, I’ll contact you later.”

“What? Am I getting hit on right now?”

A soft voice covered the confused voice of Ahn Kook-young.

“Don’t you want to?”

“Oh, wow. Do young people nowadays just go for it like this?”

As he stood up in confusion, the other actors laughed heartily.

Seeing their reaction, Ahn Kook-young, feeling proud of his own reaction, cleared his throat and played along.

“Well, fine. Give me your number later.”

“Yes. I didn’t mean to ask so openly… It’s embarrassing.”

“Stop it! When you do it, I can’t tell if you’re serious or joking!”

Ahn Kook-young shouted exaggeratedly at Lee Yeon-jae, who was bashfully looking down.

The actors laughed again, and finally, the topic changed.

“He’s got quite a personality.”

“Yeah…”

“He looks so soft, but I guess you need that kind of mentality to be a celebrity.”

Hong Ji-yeon half-heartedly responded to her senior while staring blankly at Lee Yeon-jae.

And so, the live interview filled with unpleasant and awkward questions came to an end.

“Wow, we had over ten thousand viewers!”

“Wow! That’s amazing!”

“Hey. Lower your voice.”

The staff’s chatter gradually subsided.

The quietness of the set became palpable.

“…”

With the cameras off, the actors no longer maintained their expressions.

Everyone wore cold expressions as they swiftly removed their microphone wires.

“Wow, everyone worked hard today. How about a celebration? Should we go for a dinner?”

Amidst the silence, Ahn Kook-young approached them obliviously.

Surprisingly, it was an unexpected person who responded first.