The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune

Chapter 151

PTN’s reporter, Kim Yeon-du, stared blankly at the ending credits of “Twins.”

The first field report she covered shortly after starting her journalism career was the production announcement of “Butterflies Burning on the Nutmeg Tree.”

Back then, Lee Yeon-jae exuded an air of a seasoned actor, despite being a newcomer.

His performance in the drama was outstanding, and the article she wrote went viral, giving her a positive impression of the actor.

However, Kim Yeon-du was not a fan of Lee Yeon-jae.

To her, he was just a ‘handsome child actor,’ ‘rising star,’ ‘an actor worth following.’

She only knew a few keywords based on search trends out of professional obligation.

“But….”

Kim Yeon-du turned her head to the side.

Everyone in the theater had risen to give a standing ovation.

The audience’s gaze was fixed on Director Yoon Kang-yeon and the actor next to him, Lee Yeon-jae.

“(Are they really not twins?)”

“(There’s only one person. It’s really a one-man two-role work.)”

Even just hearing the foreign languages around her, she could tell how impressive the film they had just seen was.

The fact that one person played two main roles without any sense of incongruity was made possible by excellent direction, editing, and overwhelming acting skills.

People stared at Lee Yeon-jae in disbelief.

Audience members from afar stood on tiptoe, craning their necks to get a better view of the lead actor.

‘…So, this is why he’s called a genius actor.’

She had only glanced at a few scenes for her article, but today was the first time she properly watched Lee Yeon-jae’s acting.

The weight of the words ‘genius actor,’ which she had typed out thoughtlessly in the past, now felt real.

“(His acting was really impressive. How old is that actor?)”

“(I don’t think he’s even in middle school. Was the movie filmed a long time ago? He seems much older now than in the film.)”

“(Ah, I can’t see well. I want to see up close.)”

Amid the continuous applause, snippets of conversation filled the gaps.

In the never-ending applause, the boy wore a relaxed smile.

A smile that showed he was no stranger to such places, a natural entertainer’s smile.

—

‘How long are they going to keep clapping?’

Although I seemed to be managing my expressions well, I was flustered.

I cautiously whispered to Director Yoon, who was smiling and clapping beside me.

“Director, how long are we supposed to keep clapping?”

He replied with a solemn face, saying he didn’t know.

It was an entirely unhelpful answer. Not that I expected any different.

‘I wonder if Jin-bae hyung is watching well.’

There were too many people to find where Jin-bae hyung was.

And I couldn’t turn my head around with the cameras in front of me.

While clapping diligently, someone from the back row tapped me on the shoulder.

“…?”

“(Your acting was truly amazing.)”

“(Thank you.)”

“(Is this your first time working with Director Yoon Kang-yeon?)”

“(Yes, it is. Actually, this is my film debut.)”

My English skills were still significantly lacking, making it hard to form long sentences.

Worried that it might seem rude to give short answers on a first meeting, I instead tried to smile as brightly as possible.

‘Please don’t talk to me while the cameras are on.’

I was anxious that I might not understand a word or use a term that hadn’t been corrected for pronunciation yet.

Fortunately, the person behind responded with applause and exclamations.

‘Seriously, how long are they going to keep clapping….’

A question I couldn’t ask anyone stayed in my mouth.

It was only after nearly ten minutes of clapping that we could leave the theater.

Jin-bae hyung, who had been diligently ensuring our safe return to the hotel, jumped as soon as he entered the room.

“Actor, the movie was really great! I enjoyed it so much. I was so happy the entire time watching it. I’m thrilled to be by your side—”

“Hyung, I’m really thankful, but can we eat first?”

“Oh, yes! You must be hungry. I’ll order room service.”

Jin-bae hyung’s face, smiling like soft tofu, looked good, but the excessive praise was still embarrassing.

Director Yoon suggested we toast in his room to commemorate, but I politely declined.

‘Just thinking about tomorrow’s interview schedule makes me want to run away.’

The previously leisurely week now felt meaningless, as three days of minute-by-minute interviews were scheduled from tomorrow.

Though some reporters were from Korea, most were foreign, making it a daunting schedule.

‘I need to replenish my energy first.’

I had to wake up early to practice acting as usual.

After a light dinner, I went to bed early.

But sleep didn’t come easily.

‘It’s strange.’

It felt odd to see my face on a big screen.

It felt like peeking into someone else’s life, and the emotions I felt while acting faintly lingered, creating a strange mood.

Various thoughts came and went, but in the end, only one sentence remained.

Hopefully, Lee Jin-woo and Kang Tae-il would be satisfied with their decision.

—

“The next interview is with the Korean team. We’ll start in three minutes.”

Ha, thank goodness.

The moment I heard the word ‘Korean,’ my body relaxed.

Interviews with foreign reporters were a continuous tension.

Although a professional interpreter was beside me, I couldn’t rely solely on them after receiving four months of quality education.

‘It’s all money, after all.’

Since the company paid the teacher for my education, I had to make it worth it.

So, I tried to answer as much as possible in English, except for the questions requiring in-depth descriptions of the character and plot.

Watching Director Yoon answer fluently in English made me feel a bit emotional.

Thinking about appearing more clueless than him made me angry.

‘Regardless of Hollywood advancement, I must master English.’

CEO Jang said I had enough potential to enter Hollywood, but honestly, I wasn’t interested.

I didn’t see why I had to go to an unfamiliar land when I wasn’t struggling to act in Korea, and above all, I didn’t see a reason to.

CEO Jang said acting with foreign actors was a way to prove one’s ‘class.’

Since that class was important to the company, I wouldn’t refuse if an offer came, but… I didn’t see the need to actively pursue it.

‘Anyway, let’s finish the interview first.’

Forget about Hollywood advancement and everything else; I just needed to finish the schedule.

Seeing the people entering, I hurriedly stood up.

As I greeted them, I recognized the woman holding the microphone.

‘Where have I seen her?’

Without showing it on my face, I racked my brain.

“Hello. I’m Kim Yeon-du from PTN. The movie was really amazing.”

The moment I heard her name, an exclamation slipped out.

“Oh.”

“Yes?”

“Weren’t you at the production announcement of ‘Butterflies Burning on the Nutmeg Tree’?”

“…! How do you remember that?”

Seeing her surprised face, I laughed.

Though it was the second time, her face wasn’t familiar, but having only seen unfamiliar foreigners, she felt especially welcome.

“You were the last to ask me a question back then. It’s great to see you again.”

I also remembered the article Kim Yeon-du had written, but I stopped there, thinking it would be too much information. There wasn’t enough time for more greetings anyway.

After quickly settling down, the interview began.

Holding the microphone much more skillfully than two years ago, Kim Yeon-du first asked Director Yoon.

“In your past works, there were no lead roles for child actors. What made you take on this challenge?”

“I always wanted to take on this challenge, but it was hard to find the right opportunity. As I mentioned before, I wrote the script for ‘Twins’ four years ago. But I had to wait because I couldn’t find the right actor. I made several films in the meantime, but this project was always on my mind.”

Director Yoon’s face was serious to the point of looking stern.

It was impressive. He was really good at acting.

“When I saw Yeon-jae, I realized he could bring my vision to life. Preparing for the shoot and talking with Yeon-jae was a series of amazements. I thought the script was complete, but there were many revisions after discussions with him.”

“Really? Could you share some examples?”

At the reporter’s question, Director Yoon glanced at me, as if giving me the opportunity.

Suppressing a laugh at his mature-looking face, I opened my mouth.

“While preparing for ‘Twins’ with the director, I read an article online. It was written by someone contemplating marriage… there was a somewhat bitter part in it.”

“What was it about?”

“The person said they hoped their future spouse would at least have grown up in a ‘normal’ environment.”

“Ah….”

I fully understood why the writer chose such words.

You need to be certain that the person you marry is the one to reduce the chances of regret.

It’s natural to consider the upbringing that greatly influences a person’s essence.

I understood that. I even thought it was a wise thought. But….

“It made perfect sense, but I couldn’t help feeling bitter. The environment you’re born into isn’t something you can choose.”

This applied to everyone, whether they studied hard for a decent job or were thrown into society early to support their family.

No one knows what changes a person’s actions might bring.

But regardless of the future, there’s something that never changes.

An unchangeable word that doesn’t involve one’s will.

A stubborn word that you can never escape from, even after

a long time. Family background.

“Only the person who wrote it knows exactly what they meant by a normal environment. But I’m sure of this. Whether it’s me, who grew up in an orphanage, Lee Jin-woo, who was abused by his mother, or Kang Tae-il, who grew up among gangsters… none of us fit that definition of a normal environment.”

“…”

Even if I acted well, received good reviews, earned a lot of money, and won countless awards.

The phrase that denotes my childhood family background would never change.

‘A child abandoned by his parents and raised in an orphanage.’

Whether that’s abnormal or normal, I don’t care.

How much I consider others’ views is at least my choice.

It’s pointless to whine about something already decided.

But sometimes, I feel a bit wronged.

‘Yeon-jae, you use chopsticks really well….!’

While eating lunch with Sung Lee-jun, he once praised me for my proper use of chopsticks.

It was one of the habits I developed when I was just entering elementary school, a time when I was conscious of how others viewed me.

Proper chopstick use, a straight back, neatly cut hair.

Even then, I didn’t care how others saw me.

But I knew that if I misbehaved, the director and teachers at the orphanage would get blamed.

I hated that so much that I read all the related books and corrected myself.

Yes, those times existed.