The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune

Chapter 148

Today was the world premiere of ‘Twins’ at Cannes.

Directed by the acclaimed Yoon Kang-yeon, who had previously won the Palme d’Or, the film drew significant attention.

The Lumiere Theatre was packed with people buzzing with excitement.

The gentle murmur gradually subsided as the theater darkened.

In the complete darkness, the first thing to signal the start of the film was a ‘sound.’

[“Aaaah!!!”]

While the production company and distributor were being introduced, a mother’s scream filled the theater.

The raw, ear-splitting cry continued for several seconds.

After the scream ended, the cry of a newborn signaled the birth of life.

Until the newborn’s whimpering ceased, the screen remained pitch-black.

Then, suddenly, the screen flicked on, split precisely in half.

As if a person had been neatly divided in two, a thick black line ran down the middle.

The newborn’s face and movements were identical in both halves of the screen, but the backgrounds were different.

The child on the left lay on a fresh white bed, while the child on the right cried on hard asphalt.

Thus, the children grew up in different environments.

[3 years old, 5 years old, 8 years old, 11 years old, 13 years old.]

The children noticeably grew each time the text at the top of the screen changed.

Though only the backs of their heads were visible, their changing builds were evident.

One attended school, while the other roamed the streets.

One ate a meal prepared by a housekeeper, while the other ate meat with their hands.

One studied alone in a room with a desk lamp, while the other was in a bustling space full of people.

Despite the different backgrounds, the backs of the children’s heads in the split screen appeared identical as if they were originally one.

[14 years old]

At the moment the final number appeared, the firmly fixed black line began to shift to one side.

The child on the right, sleeping face down, seemed to be pushed out of the screen.

As the child on the left rose from the bed, the screen naturally transitioned to full screen.

For the first time, the child’s face appeared.

“……”

And the people in the theater fell silent.

The child, now a teenager, already had dead eyes.

* * *

Lee Jin-woo quietly got up and tidied his bed.

He brushed his teeth, washed his face, and put on his school uniform, all the while maintaining a blank expression.

After buttoning his shirt up to his chin, he grabbed the door handle and let out a short breath.

Then he opened the door and naturally smiled.

[“Good morning, ma’am.”]

[“Young master, you’re up? Today is your first day of middle school, right?”]

[“Yes. I’m a bit nervous.”]

[“Oh dear, you’ll adapt well. The chairman and madam have already left for work. Have a safe trip.”]

Lee Jin-woo politely greeted the housekeeper and got into the car waiting outside the house.

He arrived at the middle school he would be attending from today.

Through the window, he saw his peers chatting loudly, but his eyes remained indifferent.

However, as he opened the car door and stepped out, a smooth smile appeared on his face.

Lee Jin-woo entered the classroom of his assigned first-year class, 1-1.

The classroom was filled with an excited atmosphere befitting a new school, a new semester, and the first day.

Lee Jin-woo blended in without much difficulty.

He became the class president, diligently attended classes, and had no issues with his classmates.

It was a dull life, no different from how he had lived until now.

Until he met his deskmate, Kim Jin-ho.

[“Class president! You look exactly like someone I know!”]

[“Really?”]

[“Yeah. Wow, how can you look so alike? Are you a doppelganger?”]

Facing the excited Kim Jin-ho, Lee Jin-woo smiled softly.

But the camera captured the spit flying from Kim Jin-ho’s mouth, the saliva landing on Jin-woo’s uniform, and Jin-woo’s quickly shifting gaze.

[“Jin-ho, I’m curious about that friend too. Can you introduce us sometime?”]

[“Really? I was going to see him tomorrow, let’s go together!”]

Lee Jin-woo smiled gently, thanking him.

And that night, a new white shirt was discarded in the trash can of Jin-woo’s room.

* * *

The next day, Lee Jin-woo walked home with Kim Jin-ho.

[“You’ll be surprised too! Oh, if you meet your doppelganger, you might die. What if you both die suddenly? I’d be the only suspect!”]

[“Really? But can we really look that alike?”]

[“I told you. You look exactly alike—. There he is. Hey! Kang Tae-il!”]

Kim Jin-ho shouted loudly.

Following Jin-woo’s gaze, the camera captured the bright sunlight.

Shimmering heat waves blurred the image of the boy sitting by the riverbank.

[“Hi~, is that him?”]

As the cheerful voice resonated, the boy’s figure became clear.

The boy looked quite far from neat.

Jin-woo’s and the boy’s eyes met in mid-air.

They had identical faces.

After a brief pause, Jin-woo smiled softly.

[“Hi, I’m Lee Jin-woo. Jin-ho was right.”]

[“……”]

[“We really do look alike.”]

Unlike the naturally smiling Jin-woo, the boy seemed dazed.

Then he suddenly jumped up from his seat.

[“Wow! Wow~. This is amazing. You really look exactly like me. I thought Kim Jin-ho was lying.”]

It was undoubtedly the same voice and the same face.

But their facial muscle usage, varied expressions, and rhythmic speech were completely different.

[“Can I get your number? Or your SNS ID?”]

Jin-woo asked for the boy’s number, but the boy apologized, saying he didn’t have a phone.

[“I live in an orphanage right now. So I don’t have a phone.”]

Facing the boy, Kang Tae-il, who smiled without any wrinkles, Jin-woo also smiled.

[“Then if I want to see you, I should come here. It’s nice and atmospheric.”]

[“……”]

Kang Tae-il’s narrowed eyes slowly scanned Jin-woo.

[“I like you, you little rascal.”]

The same face with different expressions brightly smiled at each other.

The sound of a violin softly rolled in like gentle waves.

It was the prelude to a tragedy.

* * *

[“The orphanage must be nearby. See you tomorrow, Tae-il.”]

[“Sure! You both be careful!”]

Kang Tae-il waved his hand widely from the alley until Jin-woo and Kim Jin-ho were completely out of sight.

After waiting until their backs became very small, he entered the alley.

He found and opened a hidden door.

[“Guys, I’m back~!”]

Kang Tae-il, skillfully navigating the maze-like narrow alleys, arrived at his destination.

But it was not an orphanage he reached but a traditional Korean house.

[“Little rascal, you’re back.”]

[“Tae-il, what do you want for dinner?”]

[“I want kalguksu (noodle soup)!”]

Kang Tae-il ran to a rough-looking man in a jet-black suit without hesitation.

[“Kalguksu sounds good! Alright, call when it’s ready.”]

[“No, it’s Man-soo hyung’s turn today!”]

[“Hey, didn’t I take care of that trouble you had last time?”]

[“That’s different! Damn, if you keep changing your words like this, just throw the duty roster away!”]

Despite his playful face, the curse words flowed out naturally.

As the boy and the men chatted amicably, a weighty voice interrupted.

[“Kang Tae-il. We’re going to collect the debt today.”]

[“Oh, are you all going out?”]

[“We’ll leave one person behind. You stay in your room and study until we get back.”]

[“Got it!”]

Kang Tae-il brightly smiled and answered immediately to Han-sung, the boss of the Han-sung gang.

[“We’ll be back around 10, so make the kalguksu by then?”]

[“Han-sung hyung told me to study though?”]

[“…Ha, damn.”]

[“Haha, Man-soo hyung. Be careful~. I’ll be studying hard while waiting for the kalguksu.”]

Laughing, Kang Tae-il saw the men off and returned to his room.

The clumsy traces of care for the boy were evident in the room.

Textbooks with unfamiliar names that seemed stolen, old school books, and toys piled up messily.

As he studied obediently as Han-sung told him, his focus was broken by noise from outside.

* * *

[“Let go of me!”]

[“Shut up. Such a noisy brat.”]

Kang Tae-il, looking surprised, was dragged by his hair by a stranger.

His flailing hands scratched the floor and the wooden floor as if trying to grab something.

[“Should we break the left hand first?”]

Amidst the chaos, Kang Tae-il faced a large hammer.

The sound of him gulping air was captured on screen as his eyes widened in shock.

[“Look at this kid. Why are you trembling? Are you scared?”]

As the man taunted him, Kang Tae-il’s eyes widened even further.

[

“What are you staring at, you punk.”]

The man raised his hand, but Tae-il didn’t dodge.

After several slaps, blood dripped from Tae-il’s mouth.

Then the hammer was raised.

[“Wow, look at this kid smiling.”]

[“He must be one of Han-sung’s brats.”]

Tae-il smiled. Even while trembling, he did not stop smiling.

Every time he opened his mouth, saliva mixed with blood dripped out.

And as the hammer was about to strike again, Han-sung’s men returned.

[“You bastards!”]

During the intense fight scene, Tae-il crawled into a corner clutching his hand.

A man with blood-stained cheeks ran towards Tae-il.

[“Tae-il, are you okay? Are you hurt?”]

[“Why are you so late? My fingers almost got crushed.”]

[“Damn it, what did those bastards do? Is your hand hurt?”]

[“Ah, forget it~. But where is it?”]

[“Huh? What?”]

Tae-il smiled slyly at the confused man.

[“Where’s my kalguksu? You didn’t forget, did you?”]

[“…You little rascal. Looks like you’re fine.”]

The man roughly patted Tae-il’s head affectionately.

Tae-il kept laughing until all the noise faded away.

The trembling of Tae-il’s hand, hidden behind his back, was captured only by the camera.

* * *

[“What happened to your hand? Did you get hurt somewhere?”]

[“This is the glorious wound from fighting 7 to 1!… Actually, I fell in the alley yesterday.”]

[“Goodness. You’re so clumsy.”]

[“…Can you get hurt that badly from just falling? If it’s bleeding, it must be a serious injury.”]

With the peaceful river in the background, the conversation between Kim Jin-ho, Lee Jin-woo, and Kang Tae-il continued.

[“The alley is a bit steep. Oh, are you sure your homeroom teacher wears a wig? Not just a guess?”]

Seeing Tae-il naturally changing the subject, Jin-woo looked down at the bandaged hand.

Tae-il flinched and moved his fingers to the side.

Jin-woo raised his head, and their eyes met naturally.

That night, Jin-woo returned home and called for the chief of staff.

[“Chief Jung. I need you to find out something.”]

[“Yes. What is it, young master?”]

[“First, check if there’s a boy named Kang Tae-il at the Nakhak Orphanage. If not, find out the identity of the boy who sits by the river at 5 every day. Don’t get too close. He seems unusually perceptive.”]

[“But…young master, there must be many boys sitting by the river.”]

At the troubled voice, Jin-woo replied with an indifferent face.

[“He looks exactly like me.”]

[“…”]

[“You understand how serious this is, right?”]

[“Yes. Understood.”]

[“And to my mother―.”]

[“Don’t worry. I’ll handle it discreetly, as always.”]

[“I’ll reward you handsomely. Just wait six years. When I become an adult, I’ll give you some of the buildings under my name.”]

[“Of course. I’ll do as you say, young master.”]

Though the content and cold tone were unbelievable for a middle schooler, the chief of staff was familiar with this demeanor.

Jin-woo was mature and indeed not naïve.

But despite everything, he was still only 14 years old.

A child living in a small world, believing only in what he saw.

Therefore, he didn’t know where the chief of staff headed after leaving his room.