The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune

Chapter 146

※ From this chapter onwards, foreign languages will be indicated in parentheses. Please keep this in mind.

“(Ah, by any chance, do you not know English?)”

“I know a little.”

“…??”

I stared quietly at the man, who kept shaking his head as if to ask what that meant.

At that moment, the stylist stepped in with an awkward expression.

“Yeon-jae, he’s the professor who helped me a lot when I studied abroad.”

I see. He definitely looked like someone related to the fashion industry.

‘So what difference does it make?’

Anyway, this was Korea. It wasn’t like I had to speak English necessarily.

So, I greeted him politely in Korean.

“I’m Lee Yeon-jae. Nice to meet you.”

The stylist quickly translated my words for the man.

After listening to the translation, the man smiled and looked at me.

“(I know you too. My son is really into the drama you were in a long time ago. You’ve grown a lot since then.)”

“I see. Thank you.”

“(I caught glimpses of it while my son watched. The clothes you wore were amazing! I heard they were traditional Korean outfits. They inspired me a lot while designing for this show.)”

“Yes. The production team told me they handmade the outfits. The one I wore was a crown prince’s attire.”

The man spoke in English, and I responded in Korean.

The stylist in the middle was busy translating my words to the man. I felt a bit sorry for her.

‘Speaking in English is still tough for me.’

The man’s speech had slowed down from the beginning, making it easier to understand him.

But speaking English myself was a completely different matter from just listening.

Though I felt sorry for the stylist, this was the best I could do.

The man then had a curious expression on his face.

“(You seem to understand me right away. Can you only listen? Or are you lying about not knowing English?)”

“…?”

His blue eyes, filled with curiosity, slowly scanned me.

‘Would I gain anything from lying here?’

Even if it was a lie, it wasn’t his concern. But he was the stylist’s respected professor.

I tried my best to suppress any sign of boredom and answered politely.

“I’m still learning English.”

“(That’s too bad. I was curious to hear you speak English.)”

I wasn’t sure how to respond to that.

Fortunately, the stylist broke off the conversation just in time.

“Yeon-jae, I’m really sorry, but could you come by again tomorrow? He’s my professor. I’m really sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

It was frustrating that the stylist had to apologize when the unplanned visit was on their side.

But it wasn’t my concern, so I just said goodbye and left.

“(See you next time, cutie boy.)”

The only way I could express my slight defiance was by merely nodding at his cheerful words before leaving.

* * *

As soon as it was just Jin-bae hyung and me in the car, I couldn’t hold back my words any longer.

“He’s an annoying person.”

When I started speaking indifferently behind his back, Jin-bae hyung laughed loudly, clearly taken by surprise.

The refreshing sound of his laughter slightly lifted my mood.

“Sorry for laughing, but it’s the first time I’ve heard you say something like that.”

“It’s fine.”

“But you’re right; he is annoying. I saw many people like him when I studied abroad.”

“You studied abroad? When?”

Surprised by his unexpected revelation, I leaned forward.

Jin-bae hyung smiled and told me he spent about two years abroad during middle school.

As he shared episodes from his time studying abroad, my bad mood completely disappeared by the end of our conversation.

“That’s interesting.”

“What is?”

“That you were once a middle school student.”

Though it wasn’t that funny, Jin-bae hyung found it hilarious and kept laughing.

“It’s amazing to me too. I studied abroad at the same age as you are now, but I was so scared of meeting foreigners even though I was fluent in English. But you were so confident just now. You’re amazing!”

“This is Korea. It might be different in France.”

“No, I’m sure you’ll do well there too.”

I wondered what it felt like to be surrounded by unfamiliar people and a foreign language.

There wasn’t much time left before my departure.

Though I hadn’t thought much about it, encountering a foreigner suddenly made my mind restless.

I was staring out the window when a gentle voice came through.

“By the way, you know, right?”

“Yes?”

When I turned my head, our eyes met in the rearview mirror.

“It’s okay if you’re not perfect.”

“…….”

“And I’m here. I’ll provide special translation services just for you.”

His gentle eyes smiled softly.

That sight eased my tension.

Yeah, worrying in advance was pointless.

“Then I’ll make good use of that service. Thank you in advance.”

As I said it with a smile, another smile came back to me.

* * *

―So, did you make up with Bi-hyuk well?

“Yeah. Thanks to your good advice.”

―I didn’t do anything. He’s a bit immature, so take good care of him, Yeon-jae.

I smiled at Park Ha-eun’s voice over the phone.

“This time I acted immature too. Bi-hyuk is kind, so we didn’t have a big fight.”

―True, he is kind. He’s mischievous but rarely swears.

When she mentioned that he had been like that since kindergarten, I asked how she became friends with Noh Bi-hyuk.

―As you know, his parents are doctors. His mom and my mom were resident colleagues and have been close since before we were born.

“I see. So, you’ve known Bi-hyuk since you were very young. Isn’t it strange to be so far apart now?”

―Not really.

“Ha ha.”

I laughed at her voice, which sounded like she didn’t have any lingering feelings.

Park Ha-eun chuckled and continued in a playful tone.

―Even if I hadn’t moved, we wouldn’t have seen each other often. I’m busy studying all day.

“It must be tough to study all day.”

―But studying itself is fun! It’s just the dorm life that’s a bit hard.

Park Ha-eun was quite determined to become a doctor, possibly due to her mother’s influence.

Despite having a mother in the same profession, one wants to be a doctor while the other dreams of being an idol.

I wondered why Noh Bi-hyuk wanted to be an idol. Suddenly, I was curious.

‘I’m doing it again.’

Lately, I’ve been full of questions.

I wondered what kind of food Jin-bae hyung liked best at my age, how Jung-hyun hyung started acting, and what song Noh Bi-hyuk liked most.

My previously dull daily life was now filled with question marks, and it was quite an adjustment.

Not that it was bothersome. It was just that I kept getting distracted when I needed to practice.

―Oh, Yeon-jae, I have to go. It’s almost time for the dorm roll call.

Lost in thought for a moment, I was brought back by Park Ha-eun’s urgent voice.

“Okay. Have a good day, Ha-eun.”

―You too! You’re leaving soon, right? Have a safe trip. Don’t get lost, and don’t follow strangers who offer you delicious food!

Am I a child?

Despite feeling a bit peeved, I answered that I understood, given her serious tone.

After hanging up, I saw my phone was full of messages.

[2nd Year Acting Class A, Baek Seo-jin: Have a safe trip to France! Thinking about being in the classroom with just Seojio without you is already making me depressed….ㅎ]

[2nd Year Acting Class A, Seo-jio: Let us know how it was when you get back. I’m looking forward to it. If anything annoying happens, contact me.^^]

[Sung Lee-jun: Yeon-jae. I wanted to call, but I thought you might be busy, so I’m sending a text. Of course, it might be burdensome, but don’t worry too much and just enjoy yourself. Let’s have lunch together when you get back! That is, if you’re free!]

[Yeon-jae’s real best friend, Bi-hyuk: If anyone messes with you, hit them first. (ง•̀_•́)ง Don’t lose your nerve. There’s no one there more handsome than you. Don’t forget to take off your shoes before boarding the plane~.]

Good grief. I let out a chuckle as I checked the messages.

Noh Bi-hyuk, always the same.

It was even funnier because I had spent a lot of time yesterday learning about airplane boarding etiquette. Did he think I’d fall for it?

‘What does he mean by hitting them first?’

His language was quite refined for someone aspiring to be an idol.

I replied to each one individually.

Then, when I looked up, we were already nearing our destination.

“We’re almost at the airport.”

“Yes. It’s quicker than expected, probably because it’s a weekday. I’ll park over there. Okay, actor?”

“Okay.”

The flight to France was at 11 AM, and it was now 8 AM.

‘Traveling abroad isn’t as simple as I thought.’

I had never needed to take a plane before, so I had no idea.

Before boarding, you had to go through a check-in process, which required arriving at the airport at least an hour or two earlier than the ticketed time.

And the reason I had arrived three hours early was because…

“Actor, the driver will be here soon. I’ll move to the passenger seat, and you should come out when I open the door.”

“Got it.”

“They’ll start

taking photos and videos before the door even opens, so please be mindful of your expression. There might be fans as well as reporters. Just greet them and don’t get too close. Promise you’ll stay close to me outside.”

Jin-bae hyung’s stern face didn’t relax even after I made a pinky promise.

Though he usually took his job seriously, today he seemed more tense, which made me tense up too.

‘Is this really necessary?’

Yes, we were preparing for a “departure photo shoot.”

I was already dressed in the airport fashion outfit that the stylist had brought me yesterday.

As it was an outfit from a professional, I had accepted it without comment, but I couldn’t help feeling uneasy when I saw the leather jacket.

Thinking about wearing this stiff outfit for the 13-hour flight to France made me uncomfortable.

But the stylist burst out laughing when I voiced my concern.

‘Ha ha, no wonder. I was wondering why you made that face! You can change into comfortable clothes before boarding, so don’t worry about that.’

‘…? Then why wear this?’

‘For the photos, of course.’

Her casual tone made me drop the subject, though I remained puzzled.

After watching several departure videos of celebrities, my confusion only grew.

‘Why do they do this?’

It wasn’t as if they were doing anything special.

They just posed for photos at the crosswalk, waved as they walked in, and that was it.

‘Getting up early for this?’

It didn’t really bother me since Jin-bae hyung was taking me and the staff took care of everything. I was just worried about the reporters.

‘I wonder if my fans will really be there.’

I hoped not. I didn’t want them standing outside so early in the morning.

‘I hope this ends quickly.’

The driver soon arrived, and the car moved into the road.

And I was speechless.

“Actor, I’ll open the door for you now, so get ready.”

“…….”

“Actor?”

Despite Jin-bae hyung’s puzzled words, I couldn’t respond.

What….

‘Is there a festival going on?’

There were so, so many people.