The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune

Translator: Marctempest

Editor: Rynfinity

Chapter 258

In the movie ‘Shin Yu-young,’ a high school student and a Golden Retriever appear.

The protagonist, Do Yu-young, who just became a high school student, lived alone in a small village in the countryside.

Ah.

‘To be precise, not entirely alone.’

He had Shin with him.

Shin was the Golden Retriever that Do Yu-young raised.

When his grandmother passed away and Do Yu-young was left alone, Shin approached him cheerfully and stayed by his side.

As a Golden Retriever who loved people, Shin was very lively and playful.

On the other hand, Do Yu-young was quiet and remained calm without much emotional fluctuation.

The movie begins a week before summer vacation.

The story truly starts when their bodies switch.

‘Here, I have to play two roles.’

First, Do Yu-young with Shin’s soul inside him.

I have to act as a dog waking up in the owner’s body, confused.

Shin, bewildered by the human body so different from an animal's, with a mind that works quickly, looks around blankly and mutters, ‘……Dream?’

Then, startled by the words coming from his own mouth, he widens his eyes and covers his mouth with his hand.

Although he uses human language because he is trapped in a human body, the writer said he would only use simple words considering the difference in intelligence.

I just smiled quietly at the writer, who felt proud of this logic.

‘Where’s the logic in a story where a human and a dog switch bodies?’

I wondered but remained silent.

After all, I didn't want to act like a dog barking.

‘And second.’

I also had to act as Do Yu-young trapped in Shin’s body.

They planned to add my narration to the scenes featuring Happy.

I would record separately what Do Yu-young, who became a dog, thinks in his mind, showing how confused he was.

‘In fact, it’s not an exaggeration to say the narration drives the drama.’

It wasn't an easy role.

There were many things to consider.

First, the personalities of Do Yu-young and Shin were vastly different.

This means Do Yu-young with Shin’s soul inside and the narration of Do Yu-young had to have different tones.

Since they are the same person, the voice would be the same, but the pitch, pronunciation, intonation, vibration, and articulation had to be different.

Only then would the viewers easily distinguish between the two characters.

‘I have a lot to practice.’

Even putting the narration aside, there were mountains of things to pay attention to.

I also had to practice the dramatic changes in expressions and actions as Shin’s playful soul enters the dry, emotionless Do Yu-young’s body.

The same face but completely different characters.

‘……Wait a minute.’

Isn't this also a double role?

‘It is.’

I realized this now and let out a dry laugh.

‘Do I have a fate with double roles?’

Playing the twins ‘Lee Jin-woo’ and ‘Kang Tae-il’ in "Twins" wasn't easy, and now, acting as a non-human character would be even more challenging.

I hadn't even started filming yet, but I already felt overwhelmed.

But the funniest thing was….

‘I’m looking forward to it.’

Despite feeling overwhelmed, I wasn't anxious.

Of course, I still felt the pressure.

I still thought I shouldn't trouble the production team.

But despite all that, I felt joy and excitement.

Scenes that now felt obscured by fog would become clearer and more vivid with repeated practice.

To go through that process again.

‘I’m really lucky.’

I turned my head to look at my manager.

A kind person who met my eyes as soon as I looked at him.

My good mood floated even higher seeing his gentle eyes.

“Actor. Do you have something to say?”

I smiled and answered his kind question.

“Jin-bae hyung.”

“Yes. What is it?”

“……Can you please get this off me?”

And I pointed to my knee with my finger.

To be precise, to the dog stuck to my knee, refusing to get off.

*    *    *

The writer said that even before sending me the script, they first looked for an animal actor to play Shin.

Since it was crucial for the dog to express no emotion or sigh, as it had the soul of the stoic Do Yu-young.

This meant they needed a well-trained dog with plenty of filming experience.

However, the casting wasn’t particularly difficult, they said.

The agency and casting manager for animal actors highly recommended this dog, saying there was no one more suitable for the role.

That dog was Happy. While Shin was four years old, Happy was an eight-year-old Golden Retriever.

He was no longer in the very playful and uncontrollable stage.

He had appeared in various movies, dramas, and commercials and had even debuted before me.

Three days ago, the writer told me this.

‘Golden Retrievers are famously good with people. I wondered if he could be controlled, but he seemed well-trained. He was actually calmer than me in person.’

‘Did you see him act?’

‘Of course. He listens very well to his owner. He can close his mouth right away if told to while smiling. I was amazed.’

The writer definitely said this. I remember it clearly.

And right now, I had completely lost trust in the writer.

“Happy, please get off the actor. Please….”

The tired-looking owner pleaded with Happy, who was stuck to my knee.

However, Happy stood firm.

He showed no intention of listening to his owner.

Happy, clinging to me with his entire body, looked up at me.

‘This is overwhelming.’

His sparkling eyes made my face feel itchy.

I resisted the urge to scratch my face and spoke to his owner.

“He seems to be very affectionate.”

“No. He's trained not to approach strangers. The fact that he jumped on you as soon as he saw you earlier is the first time since he was very young. He always followed my instructions… What’s going on with him, really.”

The owner’s expression was complicated.

And I felt the same.

‘How are we supposed to shoot like this?’

The most important thing was always the filming.

No matter how smart the animal, if it couldn't be controlled, filming would be difficult.

“If he acts like this during shooting, it’ll be a problem.”

“Exactly. He’s never been like this before, sigh. It’s driving me crazy.”

The owner now looked as if he was about to cry.

Regardless of his owner’s distress, Happy kept rubbing his head against my knee.

Then, suddenly, he flipped over.

I noticed his belly was starkly white compared to his overall golden fur.

―Woof!

“……Are you sick?”

When I hesitantly asked, Happy began to lick my hand, which was placed on my knee, furiously.

‘I was startled.’

For a moment, I thought he was going to eat me.

As I froze with my now moist hand, Happy barked loudly once more.

―Woof!

What on earth did he want?

After a moment of contemplation, I cautiously placed my hand on Happy's belly.

‘Is this right?’

I heard that touching an animal's belly is possible only after forming a bond.

I just lightly placed my hand there, but Happy wagged his tail vigorously.

As if saying it was the right thing to do, I started to pet him slowly.

‘He’s very soft.’

His smooth fur felt like finely woven silk, an entirely unfamiliar sensation.

After petting him for a while, Happy seemed to relax his entire body, releasing all tension.

‘He’s heavy.’

He wasn't a small dog, and having a dog weighing over 30kg sticking to me felt significant.

Still, it wasn't a bad feeling.

It was cozy and heavy, like being covered by a thick winter blanket.

As I unknowingly continued to pet him, I heard a gloomy mutter from beside me.

“Traitor….”

It was the owner.

“I’ve fed you, groomed you, and loved you for years. Huh? You little rascal. Are you just into looks now? You ungrateful mutt.”

His gaze at Happy was filled with despair.

Feeling a bit awkward, I stopped petting.

―Woof!

Happy barked vigorously as if asking why I had stopped.

Then, he started rubbing his head against my hand and knee again, his every move brimming with playfulness.

This made me feel even more conscious.

‘Happy, look at your owner’s face.’

You’re making me feel guilty.

But Happy ignored his owner and kept approaching me.

At this point, I couldn't tell if he was oblivious or simply didn’t care.

“Is there any other actor we could use for the shoot?”

Jin-bae hyung asked, to which the owner replied, looking troubled.

“There’s another Golden Retriever, but he’s a bit old and might have difficulty moving.”

“What about other breeds?”

“Among the ones currently being trained—.”

Hmm.

While the two were talking, I covered Happy’s ears with both hands.

Of course, he wouldn’t understand, but just in case.

Happy, seemingly annoyed, struggled to free his ears from my hands.

‘Stay still, please.’

But Happy couldn’t stay still.

Whoever said he listens well?

I thought about grabbing the writer by the collar as soon as I returned to Seoul.

As I tightened my grip on his ears, Happy’s struggles intensified.

I involuntarily spoke in a sharp voice.

“Happy, stay still.”

To my surprise, Happy stopped moving instantly.

The growling stopped too, making all three of us stare at him.

“……What did you just do?”

The owner asked, bewildered.

‘I have no idea either.’

I replied to the owner with a look, then stared at Happy, who had frozen in place.

‘No way.’

With a slight hope, I slowly opened my mouth.

“Happy, stand up.”

Happy stood up immediately.

“……Happy, sit.”

Happy sat down right away.

With half-belief, I gave my final command.

“Happy, expressionless.”

Happy, who had been panting with his tongue out, closed his mouth immediately.

I heard Jin-bae hyung gasp beside me.

“……This is insane.”

With the owner’s mutterings in the background, Happy maintained his serious expression.

The bright gleam in Happy’s black eyes vanished, leaving them dull and lifeless.

Seeing his now dead-fish-like eyes, a certain character came to mind.

The character I had been practicing for the past few days, Do Yu-young, appeared vividly.

‘You’re a genius.’

A laugh of disbelief escaped me.

“Well done.”

I slowly petted Happy’s forehead.

Unlike a cat that would go limp like liquid, a dog's forehead was much firmer than I expected.

I could feel the solid bone beneath the soft fur.

“Well done, Happy.”

As I gently stroked around his eyes, Happy relaxed and grinned.

He lifted his chin as if asking for more attention there, so I bent my fingertips to stroke him gently.

“Good boy. How about barking once more? Woof?”

―Woof!

Before I even finished speaking, a vigorous bark resounded.

I couldn't help but smile.

His round nose, sparkling eyes, and sharp canine teeth.

After touching them all in turn, I finally noticed the two people staring blankly at Happy and me.

‘I must have been too absorbed.’

Feeling apologetic, I apologized, but the owner shook his head.

“It’s okay. I’m glad to see you two getting along….”

The owner's eyes, looking up at the sky, were hazy as if he had been deeply shocked.

I smiled awkwardly and said,

“At least it’s a relief. It looks like there won’t be much trouble during filming, right?”

“…….”

Was it my imagination?

It seemed like the owner gave me a resentful glance.