The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune

Translator: Marctempest

Editor: Rynfinity

Chapter 266

A dark house without a single light.

Only one orange light was on in the living room.

Han Ha-ram sat on an old sofa with an awkward expression, and someone slowly approached him.

“Hey, eat this. It's expensive.”

An old man, with hair as white as snow, appeared.

“Thank you….”

Han Ha-ram hesitated as he received the cookie from the old lady.

As he held the cookie without eating it, the old lady's eyebrows twitched.

“Aren't you going to eat it?”

“Well….”

“I told you it's expensive.”

The old lady's voice grew a bit louder.

Her demeanor reminded Han Ha-ram of his mother just before she got angry, so he hurriedly put the cookie in his mouth.

The cookie was soggy as if it was old, and had a slightly sour taste.

'It doesn't taste good.'

He wanted to spit it out due to the strange taste, but he had to keep chewing under the sharp gaze of the old lady.

“You're eating well. Don't drop any crumbs since it's expensive.”

“Yes.”

As Han Ha-ram swallowed the cookie, a thought crossed his mind.

'The cookies Yeon-jae gave me were always delicious.'

His mind was filled with thoughts of a single boy.

The warmth of his hugs, his gentle whispering voice, and his careful attention despite seeming indifferent.

'I miss Yeon-jae….'

A week without seeing the boy felt incredibly long to Han Ha-ram.

He wanted to call him, but he held back.

Even though he was young, Han Ha-ram understood that he shouldn't bother the boy too much.

‘When is mom coming?’

Han Ha-ram mumbled his lips.

Today's filming was a disaster.

The adult with the camera kept yelling, and at one point, he was just told to wait without any explanation.

His mom disappeared, saying she had something to do, leaving him bored to death.

If it hadn't been for the man who brought him here, he would still be at the studio.

‘Hi? I'm your mom's friend. She asked me to pick you up.’

The words of a stranger.

Of course, Han Ha-ram was suspicious at first.

The boy had warned him not to follow strangers.

But the stranger knew his mom's name and that she was at a café.

‘She seems to have a lot to talk about, catching up after a long time. She asked me to look after you for a bit. Do you want to come with me?’

‘Ah….’

‘I know. It's awkward for me too. Your mom, really. Even though she's my friend, she's too harsh on you.’

The man didn't seem dangerous.

His gentle tone and friendly mention of his mom made him seem trustworthy.

He even said it was fine if Han Ha-ram wanted to wait there until his mom came.

So, Han Ha-ram decided to go with him.

While they were driving somewhere, the man kept talking to Han Ha-ram, meeting his eyes.

The conversation was very enjoyable.

Han Ha-ram felt excited.

‘She's my mom. You can call her grandma. Mom, could you look after Ha-ram for a bit? I'll be back soon.’

‘Sure. Go ahead.’

But when they arrived at the unfamiliar house, Han Ha-ram was startled when the man left him with an old lady and went out.

However, thinking about it, it wasn't that strange.

‘Mom does this all the time too.’

He quickly accepted it.

He just felt bored with the waiting again.

He wondered why all adults were like this.

Han Ha-ram naturally thought of the boy.

‘……Will Yeon-jae change when he grows up?’

Like his mom and the man, would he leave him too?

He was curious, yet he also hoped that the boy wouldn't grow up.

“You're a very pretty child.”

“Thank you….”

Han Ha-ram avoided the old lady's gaze as she stared at him.

It was a bit uncomfortable, but he didn't particularly feel like going home.

For some reason, he felt languid and slightly sleepy.

‘What time is it now?’

Without a clock, he couldn't check the time. He didn't have a phone either.

He realized his phone was missing shortly after arriving there.

When he urgently told the man that he lost his phone, the man reassured him.

He said it must have fallen during the ride and was probably under the seat.

The man's calm words about finding it for him were reassuring.

‘When will he come back?’

At that moment, the door clicked open.

“Ha-ram, have you been waiting long? I'm sorry.”

It was the man.

When Han Ha-ram shook his head to indicate it was okay, the man smiled gently.

“Your mom said she's done and wants you back. Let's go out.”

Finally.

Han Ha-ram quickly got up from the sofa.

He stopped short of running to the door and turned to the old lady to say goodbye.

“Goodbye….”

“Okay. Take care.”

The old lady smiled and patted his hand.

Her hand was very warm.

The warmth made him forget the musty smell she had, and Han Ha-ram smiled brightly.

“Ha-ram, let's go now. Your mom must be waiting.”

“Yes!”

Han Ha-ram eagerly followed the man out the front door.

The thought of finally going home made any remaining tension completely dissolve.

Han Ha-ram walked beside the man, humming a tune unconsciously.

“I parked the car in that alley. Let's go.”

“Yes. Where is my mom now?”

“…….”

“Mister?”

“Ah… Your mom is at home. I'll take you there.”

The man spoke and then silently walked towards the car.

Han Ha-ram found the slight change in atmosphere curious.

‘He even changed his clothes.’

The man was now dressed entirely in black, unlike when they first met.

A car stood idle in the alley.

The deserted road was eerily quiet.

‘…….’

Han Ha-ram suddenly felt something was off.

His steps towards the car slowed down.

“Ha-ram?”

The man turned around when Han Ha-ram didn't follow.

“What are you doing? We need to get you to your mom.”

There was a hint of impatience in his voice.

Han Ha-ram instinctively took a step back.

It was a subconscious reaction.

“Mister, did you find my phone?”

“…….”

The man remained silent.

Due to the streetlight above, Han Ha-ram couldn't clearly see the man's face.

As the silence dragged on, a chilling feeling grew stronger.

Han Ha-ram swallowed nervously.

“Mister….”

“I found your phone. It's on the floor in the back seat.”

Want to check it yourself?

The man opened the back door of the car.

“Come in and take a look.”

“…….”

The car's interior was too dark to see anything.

To see it clearly, he would have to get inside.

But Han Ha-ram felt there was no need to go inside to find his phone.

Because.

“Uh, earlier… I sat in the front….”

“…….”

Why would his phone be on the back seat floor when he had sat in the passenger seat?

The man's cold silence answered Han Ha-ram's quiet muttering.

“Ha-ram.”

The man took a step closer.

Han Ha-ram stumbled backward again.

Various thoughts raced through his mind, but fear paralyzed his body.

“Ha-ram, don't move. Come to me.”

“……N-no.”

“No?”

The man laughed.

“Why? I've been nice to you. I didn't make any mistakes this time. I didn't hit you.”

“…….”

“And yet you say no. What’s wrong with kids? Why do they dislike me?”

Muttering to himself, the man continued to approach Han Ha-ram.

Han Ha-ram felt like crying.

‘I'm scared….’

His eyes scanned his surroundings.

There were no people, no light.

Desperately searching for a place to escape, his eyes darted frantically.

At that moment, the man reached out his hand.

*    *    *

“Hyung, can't you go any faster?”

“If I go any faster, it’ll be dangerous.”

“But still―.”

“Actor, I understand how you feel, but if we crash, we can't save Ha-ram.”

Jin-bae hyung's firm words made me bite my lip hard.

‘Please, please be there.’

As soon as I woke up in the dark space, Mist urgently gave me an address without even greeting me.

‘Is Ha-ram there? What about the kidnapper? Is he with Ha-ram? Is the kid okay?’

I asked frantically, and Mist responded just as frantically.

The person who took Han Ha-ram was a man in his early 40s.

Mist told me that the man had been stalking and planning to abduct Han Ha-ram meticulously over the past few days.

The man took Han Ha-ram to his mother's house and was leisurely preparing for his crime to continue into the early morning hours.

‘But the guy saw the news and rushed―.’

However, when I posted about Han Ha-ram's disappearance on the fan café and it became real-time news, the man panicked.

He was caught off guard by the news breaking much earlier than expected and hurriedly got into his car.

Mist’s urgent words about the man rushing to where Han Ha-ram was now filled me with tension.

‘Thank you so much for telling me. We’ll talk later.’

‘Yeon-jae! Be careful. Got it?’

Mist grabbed my hand with a tearful face.

He said the man's van was filled with sharp objects like shovels and knives.

But what he said next was so shocking that I had to ask again, dazed.

‘……What did you say?’

‘This isn’t his first time.’

I couldn't properly respond to Mist's words that we must not let Han Ha-ram get hurt.

‘Han Ha-ram isn’t the first.’

The thought that he wasn't a first-time offender took my breath away.

As soon as I woke up, I immediately gave the address to Jin-bae hyung, and he took the wheel right away.

Even though I knew we were driving at maximum speed, I felt anxious.

‘I have to get there before that man.’

What if we're too late?

What if we get to the place Mist told us about and the car is already gone?

My hands were shaking.

I could faintly hear Jung-hyun hyung calling the police next to me.

I bit my lip nervously, staring out the window.

The car passed through the brightly lit city and into the dark countryside.

“Everyone, hold onto something.”

As soon as Jin-bae hyung finished speaking, the car started to shake.

We were no longer driving on a paved asphalt road but on a rough dirt path.

“Hyung, there, I think it's over there!”

I shouted urgently at the sight outside the window.

I spotted a place that looked similar to the one Mist had shown me just before I woke up.

“…! Yeon-jae!”

As soon as the car stopped, I quickly opened the door and got out.

“Yeon-jae! Stop right there!”

Ignoring the shouts from Jin-bae hyung and Jung-hyun hyung, I ran without looking back.

I ran to the spot without stopping to catch my breath, only to find a single van parked there.

‘……They’re not here.’

The back door was open, but the man and Han Ha-ram were nowhere to be seen.

My mind went blank.

‘Are we too late?’

No, no.

I shook my head vigorously.

I can find them. We can’t be too late yet.

Logically, they wouldn’t have just left the car here.

‘Something must have gone wrong.’

Maybe they heard us coming and ran.

Whatever the case, if that's true...

‘They’re around here.’

As soon as I made that judgment, I immediately ran into the alley.

“Actor! Stop!”

“Yeon-jae!”

I heard the voices of the hyungs following me, but I couldn't stop.

I just kept running forward.

My breath was getting short, and I could taste blood in my throat.

‘Please.’

My heart pounded wildly as if it were going to burst out of my temples.

But I didn’t stop. I kept running.

‘Please, please.’

At that moment, I reached a dead end.

I quickly turned my head to the side, and something came into my view.