The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune
Chapter 127

Translator: Marctempest

Chapter 127

“Who?”

“Director Jang Joon-seok.”

“……”

I thought he was someone who adhered to basic decency, but I guess I was mistaken.

Jin-bae hyung added, seeing my face quickly hardening.

“He wanted me to convey his sincere apologies for showing up at the company unannounced. He mentioned he couldn’t contact me because he was worried about what you had said last time. I told him I’d pass on the message to you and suggested he leave for today….”

Jin-bae hyung nodded slightly with a troubled expression.

I swallowed a sigh.

What was this mess just from watching a movie? I really got myself into something.

“Then let’s talk briefly in the meeting room.”

“Sure. Actor, please go in first. I’ll bring him up shortly.”

After nodding, I walked toward the meeting room I often used.

‘It’s safer to meet inside the company.’

Given the nature of an entertainment company where celebrities come and go, the security at the entrance lobby was quite strict.

If he had brought any metallic devices like a knife, they would have been confiscated in the lobby.

I didn’t know if he had the guts, but you never know a person’s heart.

‘I never expected him to be this persistent.’

Sigh, things had become troublesome. I should just have a brief talk and send him away.

Meeting an actor named ‘Lee Yeon-jae’ after his debut work had completely failed must have seemed like a fateful situation to Director Jang.

That’s probably why he sent that kind of script.

And when I refused even the scarf, he probably got flustered and came looking for me.

Yeah, this was something I had to face eventually. I should properly explain why I declined.

‘I wonder what kind of face he’ll show up with.’

Would he come in trembling with humiliation? Or with a defeated look, not knowing what he did wrong?

The face I met 20 minutes later was the latter.

“Hi…. Thanks for taking the time.”

I greeted Director Jang, who came into the meeting room with a frozen face, and extended my hand.

“A handshake?”

“No. Can I hold onto your phone while we talk?”

“…? Sure. Here.”

Director Jang pulled out his phone with a clueless expression and handed it to me.

I shouldn’t be fooled by that face. I knew how vicious a cornered person could become.

After confirming that it wasn’t recording, I placed the phone in front of me.

If he had any other devices capable of recording or filming, they would have been caught by the lobby’s security.

In other words, whatever I said here wouldn’t end up on the internet.

I wouldn’t shock my fans by saying something uncharacteristic of ‘Bambi’.

That was the most important thing for me right now.

“You came here because of the script you sent me last time, right?”

“Yes…. I thought you might refuse, of course.”

Lies.

“If you had just refused, I wouldn’t have come looking for you. But since you didn’t even accept the scarf, I thought I did something wrong….”

I stared at him, his eyes darting around like a frightened herbivore. Then I spoke.

“The script you sent was the worst.”

“…….”

“I’ve read a lot of scripts. I’ve seen scripts with much worse storylines and progression. But despite that, the script you sent will be the worst in my memory.”

I watched his face get hurt in real time as I spoke without any intonation.

I didn’t feel sorry. I had felt the same way reading that script.

“Why… which part was so, the worst….”

“Did you think I wouldn’t know?”

“Know what?”

I scrutinized the face in front of me sharply. It seemed he genuinely didn’t know the reason.

‘So, it wasn’t intentional.’

Thank goodness. If it had been intentional, I would have kicked him out right then.

I sighed deeply. In the ensuing silence, I spoke calmly.

“Your debut work ‘Comma,’ which I saw at the theater, wasn’t commercially outstanding, but it clearly reflected your philosophy. As I mentioned before, the scene where you reversed the actor’s face with a single lighting device was impressive. You did your best in a tough environment.”

“Th-thank you….”

“But there was none of that in the recent script. I think, subconsciously, you knew that too.”

I spoke slowly, watching my counterpart stiffen.

“You planned to cast me, right? Because having me in it would get more attention than ‘Comma,’ you focused solely on the commercial aspect.”

“……I.”

“Considering the commercial aspect isn’t bad. It’s a big deal if you don’t. Movies become complete only with an audience.”

But there was a difference between considering commercial aspects and making it the sole focus.

That’s what Director Jang’s script was like.

Except for a moderately logical story, it was filled with clichés, patchwork dialogues, and clumsy development with trending scenes.

It wasn’t a movie script but writing made for an actor.

“I know there are many who write such scripts. And they can work if done well. Even if you wanted to make such a film, I don’t want to criticize or feel entitled to.”

“…….”

“But at least, you shouldn’t have sent it to me.”

If he had any conscience, he shouldn’t have done that to me.

Not to someone who had watched his work for two hours and focused entirely on the subsequent conversation.

I remember your eyes shining throughout our talk.

My eyes must have shone too. That’s why I was angrier.

“I’m not trying to be arrogant. I’m not here to critique your script as if I’m someone significant. I’m just telling you how bad I felt reading it.”

It wasn’t for the movie or me.

It was just a script made for ‘popular actor, Lee Yeon-jae.’

“We had such a fun conversation at the café last time. You didn’t know I was Lee Yeon-jae then.”

“Yeah….”

“After finding out I was Lee Yeon-jae, receiving that script as a gift felt weird. All the words we exchanged at the café felt pointless to me.”

“…….”

“You might find this laughable, but I was more hurt than I thought. If it had just been insulting, it would’ve been better.”

Saying this out loud felt even worse, so I stopped.

“…….”

Director Jang had bowed his head deeply at some point.

What emotions was he hiding? Anger? Humiliation? Shame?

And a few minutes later, he slowly raised his head, his face looking complicated.

“You’re right…. After knowing you were Lee Yeon-jae, I wanted to cater to you.”

“I thought so.”

“I can’t deny it…. While writing, that’s all I thought about. How to write it so… you’d like it. So you’d want to do it.”

There were gaps here and there, but his tone was stable.

A biological signal that he wasn’t lying, but I couldn’t fully trust it.

“I’m sorry. For making you feel that way. I… can’t deny I insulted you, but I didn’t have that… intention.”

“Okay. I’ll think of it that way.”

Whether that was true or not didn’t matter.

The important fact here was that I had received an apology.

In other words, delving further was inefficient.

‘Let’s stop here.’

I had felt bad reading the script, but I hadn’t suffered any actual damage.

Seeing his face, seemingly in deep shock, even that seemed trivial.

‘I feel like my nickname ‘Bambi’ is too much.’

Being called a reed might suit me better.

My emotions subsided so quickly it felt awkward.

“…….”

An awkward silence fell.

Thinking I wouldn’t see him again, I had been blunt, but maybe I should have softened my words a bit.

Rubbing the back of my neck, I spoke first.

“I’m sorry if my words hurt you.”

“No, thank you. Thank you for being honest. It’s a wake-up call.”

After a brief silence, Director Jang stood up abruptly.

“I think I’ve taken too much of your time. Thanks for the talk today… and for the conversation at the café. I mean it.”

Facing me directly, he spoke, and I responded with thanks.

Receiving his phone back, Director Jang turned around without hesitation.

Since there was no hesitation in his actions, I spoke first.

“Director.”

“Yeah?”

“Send me the next script when you finish it. With the scarf.”

“…Sure.”

Director Jang smiled faintly and left the room.

* * *

It was February. A month remained until school started.

Two months had passed since Team Leader Woo told me to rest, and I had enjoyed them thoroughly. Now, I had nothing left to do.

“I’m bored….”

After the meeting with CEO Jang, the company had said they would positively consider any project I wanted to do.

But aside from the confirmed role of ‘Han Seung-min’ played by Sung Lee-jun, there were no roles that interested me.

Noh Bi-hyuk was busy with practice, and Jung-hyun hyung was hard to see because of his new drama shoot.

With nothing to do, I practiced acting enough, but I was very bored.

A call from Baek Seo-jin came on a lazy weekday morning.

[First-year Acting Class A, Baek Seo-jin: Yeon-jae! Do you have any plans today? I’m hanging out with a friend who’s curious about you. Do you want to join us?]

Normally, I would have declined, but I accepted because I was so bored.

Had Baek Seo-jin’s friend been like this, I wouldn’t have shown up.

“Wow. I’ve never seen anyone more handsome than me.”

“……Hi.”

“Hi, I’m Seo Ji-oh. Just call me Ji-oh. I’m also an aspiring actor like Seo-jin.”

Seo Ji-oh had a friendly personality like Noh Bi-hyuk, despite his relaxed appearance.

“I’m transferring to your middle school this time.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I don’t know anyone in this area except Seo-jin, so I’m really nervous. I don’t want to eat alone. Should I eat in the bathroom….”

“…….”

Sensing the intention behind his words, I didn’t respond.

Seo Ji-oh, sensing he didn’t need a positive answer, smiled loosely.

“You’re tougher than I thought. Tougher than I expected.”

“Did you have an image in mind?”

“I watched your fan meeting video. You smiled so sweetly there. Did you know you haven’t smiled once looking at me?”

Well, that’s because you talk too much.

I felt the same dizziness as when I first met Noh Bi-hyuk.

I planned to escape home at the first opportunity, but surprisingly, we found common ground.

“I like that director’s movies too. Have you seen ‘Anna’s Present’?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow. You’re the first person I’ve met who knows that movie. It’s my favorite. I think it deserves more recognition.”

“Right.”

Our tastes in movies and dramas overlapped more than I expected, which was interesting.

Though Sung Lee-jun and Nam In-hoo were also actors, our tastes didn’t match, so I had no one to talk to about this.

I was deeply engrossed in conversation when a call from Noh Bi-hyuk came.

“Hello.”

―Where are you?

“I’m outside. Why?”

―I’m at your house. Practice finished early, so I came to hang out… who are you with?

When I mentioned I was with Baek Seo-jin and her friend, there was a momentary pause on the other end.

―Ah~. I see? How long will you be out?

“I don’t know. Not sure.”

―…I’m at your house, you know?

“…?”

So what do you want me to do?