The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune

Chapter 140

“I’m sorry. I came out with a friend, so could you keep it a secret?”

The staff member, eyes wide in shock, could only nod vigorously.

Fortunately, no one else had seen my face.

I hurriedly put on the Nolbu mask. It was bigger than I expected.

I tied the strings tightly to avoid any accidents on stage.

“All I have to do is say the lines written on this paper, right?”

“Yes…”

“Are we the only ones going up?”

“Yes, yes. But the friend hosting will read the plot and instructions…”

I got a rough idea. It seemed like it would be similar to pansori.

Even though the staff member still looked surprised, they recited the instructions as if they were lines they had memorized.

“Since I’m playing Heungbu, I will go up first to save the swallow and receive the gourd seed. After discovering the gold and silver treasures in the gourd, I’ll act surprised. Then you, Yeon-jae, will come up, deliberately break the swallow’s leg, take the gourd seed, and smash it. A goblin will come out and destroy the house.”

“Okay. Show me first, and I’ll follow along.”

“…”

There didn’t seem to be any problematic words, but for some reason, the staff member’s expression hardened suddenly.

What’s going on? The staff member, suddenly tense, climbed up the stage nervously.

The host, holding a microphone, shouted in a playful voice.

“A chance to act with real actors! This time, it’s Heungbu and Nolbu. Playing Heungbu is actor Lee Min-soo, and playing Nolbu is our… oh, they’ve requested to remain anonymous. Yes! Let’s enjoy Anonymous’ performance!”

The stage set up next to the booth was small. There were hardly any spectators.

Seon-jo was sitting on one of the few chairs, watching me.

‘Fighting.’

I couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of him mouthing words of encouragement.

The props hastily set up by the staff were hardly worthy of being called props.

The crude sphere that looked like it was made of paper made me feel somewhat amused.

For me, acting had always been a serious matter.

This was my first time doing something lighthearted and spontaneous.

Getting overly immersed in such a lighthearted play seemed excessive, so I decided to keep it moderate.

“Oh my, what is this gold and silver treasure! Everyone, look! Now I won’t have to let my wife and children starve! How did such a joyous event occur?”

Lee Min-soo, playing Heungbu, acted better than I expected.

His voice was strong, resonating from his diaphragm, and he skillfully captivated the audience’s attention on the small stage.

‘I heard stage acting was different, and it really is.’

Unlike movies and dramas that reach people through lenses, stage acting required direct engagement with the audience.

That’s why he was acting with such focus on the audience.

‘His movements are big and exaggerated. Every angle is directed forward.’

Watching Heungbu’s performance for just over two minutes, my mind was racing.

My eye movements, footwork, and tone of voice were constantly adjusting.

‘Let’s just enjoy it lightly.’

This wasn’t a filming set where I had to worry about bothering others.

Getting deeply immersed as usual might make me stand out awkwardly.

“The wicked Nolbu, who secretly watched his younger brother Heungbu from behind, became envious of his happiness and planned to break the swallow’s leg!”

As the host’s playful tone reached its peak, I stepped onto the stage.

I put the script down on the floor before going up.

There were only a few lines anyway.

“That Heungbu saved a swallow’s leg and became rich, so I’ll break fifty swallow legs and become even richer!”

Heungbujeon was a well-known fable of good triumphing over evil.

A simple story where good people are rewarded, and bad people face consequences.

The method to clearly convey the lesson was straightforward.

Make the differences between the two protagonists clear and distinct.

“Where are these swallows! I’ll break their legs right now!”

I shouted much louder and more viciously than Lee Min-soo’s Heungbu had.

Since the mask obscured my expressions, I exaggerated my steps on the stage.

I overly looked around to emphasize the greedy, envious gaze.

Then I picked up the gray something in the middle of the stage, which was supposed to be a swallow.

Ugh. Why is it so squishy?

Pretending to break the toy, which was too flimsy to hold properly, I shouted.

“Done! Haha! How easy it is to make money! My brother is actually useful. Now, give me the gourd seed quickly!”

I shouted towards the air.

Like Heungbu, the gourd seed was supposed to roll onto the stage now.

But perhaps the staff slipped, as the gourd seed rolled awkwardly.

It was about to fall off the stage, so I caught it with my foot.

Without thinking, I urgently added an unscripted line.

“To see the gourd seed obediently come under my foot, the world is truly on my side! Now, let’s open this gourd seed and become rich!”

Oh, this is tiring.

Raising my voice more than I thought wasn’t easy.

It was foolish to underestimate it because there were only a few lines.

‘I need to practice more at home.’

I decided to increase my vocal practice time as I pretended to break the gourd.

As the staff had instructed, pressing the button in the middle opened the empty gourd.

‘But the setting is that there’s a goblin inside.’

So I acted startled and sat down on the stage.

The host timed his interruption well.

“But what returned to the wicked Nolbu was not gold and silver treasures, but a goblin! Seeing the goblin destroy Nolbu’s house, Nolbu cries out too late!”

I acted as if I didn’t know what to do, looking at the empty stage behind me.

Here, a fairytale-like exaggerated performance was more appropriate than a serious outcry.

“Oh my, what is this! I brought misfortune upon myself by being too greedy. I should have listened to my brother. Sob.”

Did Nolbu really think this? Probably not.

Of course, since it’s an old fable with an unknown author, we can’t know the original story.

At least, the lines in this script were clearly aimed at teaching children a lesson.

‘Didn’t I deliver a performance suitable for its purpose?’

Even without rehearsing, I don’t think I made a complete mess of the performance.

So, when the host asked everyone to applaud the actors, I quickly stood up.

But…

“Wow, that person is really good at acting.”

“Mom, I want to do that too! Me too!”

“Is this a play? Can we watch it without a ticket?”

More people were clapping than I expected. When did these people gather?

Earlier, it seemed like no one was interested.

Suddenly, all the few chairs were filled, and people were gathered behind them.

Sweat trickled down my back.

Seeing Seon-jo laughing and tearing up below made me realize.

‘I… said I wouldn’t get too immersed, but I got too into it.’

Embarrassed, I scratched my neck without realizing it.

It was a surprisingly fun time.

* * *

“Wow. You’re amazing. Really, I can only say you were amazing.”

“Stop teasing me.”

“I’m not teasing. I mean it.”

But your eyes are clearly teasing me.

Seon-jo had been laughing non-stop until I approached him, wearing my hat and mask again.

Seeing him grimacing from laughing so much, I finally gave him a playful smack.

“Ouch! That hurts.”

“It’s supposed to hurt. Don’t we need to catch the bus soon?”

“Yeah. We should get a taxi now.”

As we were about to leave, someone shouted from behind.

“Excuse me!”

The desperate cry was too earnest to ignore.

I couldn’t ignore the consideration shown by not calling my name, so I turned around hesitantly.

Actor Lee Min-soo was panting, sweat-soaked.

“I’m sorry, but could we use your performance video as a promotional video for our festival next week?”

“My video? I said I didn’t need a video.”

“Ah, well… we need to report it to the city, so we record everything. We sell the files to parents if they request them.”

Shouldn’t they inform us in advance?

It wasn’t worth arguing over since they had already recorded it, so I stayed silent, but the actor seemed to read my expression.

Sweating nervously, he apologized.

“It’s okay. I don’t mind.”

“Well, I can’t decide that on the spot. I’ll give you my card, so could you send the video to the email address? I’ll discuss it with my agency and get back to you.”

“Yes. Thank you! And, if it’s not too much trouble, could I get your autograph…”

It was hardly a troublesome request.

But since we were on the street, even signing quickly drew attention.

“Who is that? Is it a celebrity?”

Feeling awkward at the small whispers, Seon-jo whispered quickly.

“Shall we call a taxi?”

“Let’s.”

Seon-jo promptly called a taxi and opened the door for me.

Boarding the taxi in the middle of the crowd, the car moved like a crawling turtle.

Usually, I would be annoyed at the rising fare, but now I just stared out the window.

‘The film festival is such a lively event.’

The faces of the people filling the street displayed a variety of emotions.

Somehow, I felt those emotions seeping into me.

* * *

After packing my luggage, we safely boarded the bus back to

Seoul.

Three hours later, the express bus terminal building appeared outside the window.

[Jin-bae hyung: I’m waiting at the parking lot, actor!]

‘I said I’d take a taxi.’

Seriously, he never listens.

Well, I didn’t install the location app for nothing.

As I replied that I understood, a low voice came from the seat next to me.

“Yeon-jae.”

“Yeah.”

“Did you enjoy the film festival?”

His slow tone, resembling his owner, reached my ears.

I turned to look at Seon-jo, who met my gaze with a smile in his lazy eyes.

“Yes. It was really fun. Thanks for bringing me.”

“Was my worth proven too? Did that work?”

Why ask when he already knows the answer?

“If you still want to stick around with me, I’m fine with it.”

He answered my calm words with a smile.

‘I need to have a proper talk with Noh Bi-hyuk.’

If he stays with me, he’ll inevitably run into Seon-jo.

I should minimize any potential conflict between the two.

While choosing the words and sentences to tell Noh Bi-hyuk, Seon-jo tapped my arm.

“Why?”

“You’re on the news.”

“…?”

The screen Seon-jo showed me displayed a video.

The news anchor was speaking, and below, in bold letters, the caption read:

Director Yoon Kang-yeon and actor Lee Yeon-jae’s ‘Twins’ submitted for Cannes Film Festival competition. Will they win an award?