The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune

Translator: Marctempest

Editor: Rynfinity

Chapter 260

Mist silently stared at me.

I tilted my head after being stared at for a while, and he wrinkled his nose and laughed.

“Hehe!”

“…?”

“I really like you, Yeon-jae!”

His upturned lips were filled with joy.

‘Why is he acting like this all of a sudden?’

I was puzzled but laughed along with him.

“I like you too.”

“Yeah! I know!”

Mist replied confidently. He was quite lovable.

Then he buried his face in my shoulder and whispered softly.

“Actually, back in the day, I used to be a little jealous of the humans around you. I wanted a body too...”

“…….”

“I already mentioned it before, hehe….”

Mist laughed awkwardly, as if embarrassed.

And I froze.

‘Suddenly?’

This was bad.

I was still powerless when it came to this topic.

I still didn’t know any solutions. I had no time to prepare.

A few months had passed, and this topic suddenly came up again, leaving me at a loss.

Mist rubbed his forehead against my shoulder, as if to say it was okay.

“But now, I think it’s okay!”

“…….”

“You always think about me even when you can't see me. And no humans can intrude on the time we have together now.”

A small whisper said that if we added up the time we spent thinking about each other, we would be the closest.

I was first shocked that Mist used the difficult word 'added up', and then shocked again by his unusually mature words.

‘I don’t know what to say.’

I was so full of things to say that I was confused about where to start.

After a long pause, I finally said,

“How did you know?”

“Know what?”

“That I’m always thinking about you.”

As soon as I asked, Mist burst into laughter.

As if he received a question from a cute, clueless child.

“Haha! How could I not know? It’s so obvious!”

“I don’t think I made it that obvious.”

“No, it’s super obvious!”

Mist smiled brightly like a fully bloomed flower.

“And even if you didn’t make it obvious, I would still know.”

How?

“Because I’m like that.”

“…….”

“I think about you all day long.”

In the eyes that met mine, only I was clearly reflected.

I instinctively patted Mist’s back.

“Are you really okay? Even if you don’t have a body in the future?”

“Yeah! In fact, it’s better that I’m not human. I can save you whenever you’re in danger!”

His bubbly voice was filled with unexpected tenderness.

I hesitated for a moment, then buried my face deeply into Mist’s shoulder this time.

“Hehe. It feels good.”

Mist hummed a tune happily.

At that moment, listening to the small hum, I had an intuition.

That I would like him the most in this world.

More than anything, maybe even more than myself.

‘I’m in trouble.’

Isn’t it too late to escape?

I closed my eyes and swallowed a sigh.

‘I’m already scared….’

The emotions were too big and heavy for me to handle.

Just the thought that Mist might disappear or that I might never see him again made me dizzy.

Like Jin-bae hyung, like Bi-hyuk and Ha-eun, would there come a moment when my relationship with you changes too?

Would I be able to handle it then?

‘Isn’t it too cruel?’

I still couldn’t even be curious about you.

If you disappeared without a word like before, there was nothing I could do.

The doctor’s words came to mind again, saying that in any relationship, there can be no preventive measures and that I had to accept it.

Damn it, it wasn’t helpful at all.

Resentment surged.

‘If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have liked you.’

I thought to myself, but deep down, I knew better than anyone that it was close to impossible.

I just hoped that things wouldn’t change too quickly, and leaned into Mist’s embrace, which was bigger than mine.

*    *    *

“Yeon-jae, did you not sleep?”

Han Ha-ram, who had sneaked into my arms, whispered.

I laughed weakly at the ticklish whisper.

“A little?”

“You look tired.”

“Yeah. I’m tired.”

Actually, I had slept enough.

The problem was that the anxiety about Mist, which I had forgotten for years, had resurfaced.

It was quite bothersome, but I couldn’t get rid of it easily, which put me in a difficult position.

The doctor advised that even if there was no solution, just confiding in someone could make a lot of things better.

If there was a problem that was difficult to discuss, he had always been told to open up, even if it was through his manager or friends.

So he had behaved that way all along. It had actually helped a lot.

‘But who do I talk to about Mist?’

There was no one he could talk to about Mist.

It wasn’t because of a lack of trust.

From Jin-bae hyung to Bi-hyuk and Jung-hyun hyung, he genuinely trusted the people around him.

That was why he couldn’t bring himself to talk about it.

He knew that they cared for him so much that they would go to great lengths, searching across the country, to restore him to normalcy.

‘I can't just dismiss it as a mental illness.’

More than anything, Mist wasn’t someone who deserved to be treated that way.

Just because he was having a hard time, he couldn’t create a situation that would make things difficult for Mist.

‘Now is the time to endure.’

Unless there was a clear solution, there was nothing he could do about it.

Until he saw a clear way, he decided to just hold on and endure as he always had.

Having reached that conclusion, he forced a smile.

“It’s okay, Ha-ram.”

“You don’t look okay at all…”

“Yeah, I’m not okay right now. But I will be. Everything will be okay with time.”

He really wanted to believe that.

At my words, Han Ha-ram chewed on his lip for a while before nodding.

“Got it. I hope you feel better soon...”

His gloomy voice sounded similar to Mist’s.

That similarity lifted my spirits a little.

“Han Ha-ram, be careful at school while you can’t see me, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Repeat what I told you earlier.”

“First, don’t go with someone who offers something if you don’t know them. Second, if you feel even slightly uncomfortable, don’t do it. Third—”

Han Ha-ram listed the precautions, folding his fingers one by one.

“Eighteenth, even if someone says they know Mom or Dad, don’t go with them.”

“Good. Well done.”

I patted Han Ha-ram’s head with satisfaction.

For the time being, I would be filming in Goseong during the weekdays and catching up on schoolwork on weekends, so I wouldn’t have time to see Han Ha-ram.

Worried that something might happen in the meantime, I even taught him some simple self-defense moves.

“If you’re in danger, run away no matter what. If you can’t avoid it, trip the other person by their feet. If they’re taller than you, make their view lower. Never put yourself in danger. Jin-bae hyung and I will take responsibility for whatever happens next, so don’t let your guard down and make sure they can’t get back up.”

“Yeon-jae, your expression is scary…”

Take it seriously, you brat.

There had been so many indiscriminate crimes targeting elementary school students recently.

Honestly, I wanted to pull him out of school and homeschool him.

I saw that Sung Lee-jun also grew up well.

‘But he’s not my child.’

I should stop here.

Suppressing my urge to say more, I gave Han Ha-ram my final advice.

“We’ll see each other in a month. Until then, don’t get hurt, okay?”

“Okay! But what if Grandma or Grandpa asks for help? Can I help them?”

“……What have you been listening to all this time?”

I closed my eyes tightly and took a deep breath.

‘Be patient, he’s just a kid.’

To avoid getting angry, I slowly spoke.

“Ha-ram, adults don’t ask children for help. If someone does, don’t engage and call your mom right away.”

“What if Mom doesn’t answer? What do I do then?”

“Then….”

I was about to tell him to call 112 or 119.

But the eyes that met mine already seemed to know the answer.

For a moment, seeing the little kid’s thoughts, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

Oddly enough, my anger dissipated right away.

“Jeez, then call me.”

“Hehe, okay!”

Han Ha-ram held out his hand for a pinky promise.

Shaking my head, I hooked my pinky with his.

‘He won’t remember any of this when he grows up.’

Thinking about how Han Ha-ram would only vaguely remember me when he grew up made me a little sad.

I gazed at the smiling Han Ha-ram and pulled him into a hug.

“Ugh. Yeon-jae, I can’t breathe.”

I would remember for him.

‘It’s okay.’

That was enough for now.

*    *    *

I arrived at a village in Goseong, the filming location for the movie ‘Shin Yoo-young’.

Because it was an area above Sokcho, the salty sea breeze was noticeable in the air.

‘I should practice as soon as I unpack.’

Fortunately, the filming schedule wasn’t too tight.

For the time being, we would mainly shoot scenes at Do Yoo-young’s house.

The scenes with Sung Lee-jun, Seo Ji-oh, and other characters were scheduled to be filmed later.

Given that the emotional lines between Do Yoo-young and Shin were the most important, the production team was considerate enough to invest more time in my and Happy’s scenes.

“You can unpack here.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

The accommodation was a pension slightly away from the filming site.

The exterior was a bit shabby, but the interior was clean and comfortable.

Most importantly, I could see the sea from the room.

Without realizing it, I abandoned my suitcase and ran straight to the terrace.

“Hyung! You can see the sea!”

I heard a low chuckle behind me as Jin-bae hyung approached.

“Yeah. It’s the sea.”

It was far away and very small, but the sea was still the sea.

In front of the pension, various types of trees and houses were lined up.

Under the clear sky, the green trees gave off the scent of midsummer.

‘It’s peaceful….’

I had planned to start practicing as soon as I arrived at the lodging.

But with the warm sunlight shining down, I couldn't bring myself to move.

It felt like time had stopped as I stood on the terrace.

―Woof!

A familiar sound came from below the terrace.

At the same time, I made eye contact with Jin-bae hyung.

“Ha-ha!”

We both laughed at the same time.

“It looks like Happy is here too.”

“Since filming starts tomorrow, how about taking Happy for a walk?”

“Can I go alone with Happy?”

At my question, Jin-bae hyung hesitated before answering.

“Yes. I’ll follow from a distance.”

“That’s not a walk, that’s surveillance.”

“…I’ll keep my distance so you won’t even notice me.”

I chuckled at Jin-bae hyung’s determined response.

Whether I went alone with Happy or with Jin-bae hyung, it didn’t really matter.

After getting permission, I grabbed the leash connected to Happy.

“Happy, let’s go.”

―Woof!

Happy barked at just the right moment as if he understood, making me laugh.

Who knows? Maybe it was funnier because I could feel Jin-bae hyung sneaking behind us.

‘What does he think he’s hiding with that big frame?’

Anyway, he was a really funny person.

At this distance, he wouldn’t be able to hear our conversation.

As I pondered this, I suddenly had an idea and stopped walking.

‘Wait a minute.’

Someone who wouldn’t think I was crazy if I talked about Mist.

Someone who would listen to my jumbled words without judgment.

I looked at Happy, who was smiling brightly with his tongue hanging out.

‘...Here you are.’

I had found an unexpected solution.