The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune — Chapter 146
“(Ah, do you perhaps not speak English?)”
“I speak a little.”
“…??”
I quietly watched the man shake his head repeatedly, as if asking what on earth that was supposed to mean. That was when the stylist stepped in with an awkward expression.
“Yeonjae, this is my mentor. He helped me a lot when I was studying abroad.”
I see. He certainly looked like someone from the fashion world at a glance.
Even so, what difference would that make?
Either way, this was Korea. It wasn't as if I absolutely had to speak English here. So I greeted him politely in Korean.
“I'm Lee Yeonjae. It's a pleasure to meet you.”
The stylist quickly interpreted for the man. He listened, then smiled as he looked at me.
“(I know who you are. My son's been obsessed lately with a drama you were in ages ago. You've grown a lot since then.)”
“I see. Thank you.”
“(I've only caught glimpses of you here and there, but the clothes you wore were art! They said it was traditional Korean dress. It gave me a lot of inspiration when I was designing this season's show.)”
“Yes. The production team in charge of the costumes actually made them by hand. What I'm wearing is what a crown prince would wear.”
The man spoke in English, and I answered in Korean. The stylist in between was busy relaying my words to him, and I felt sorry for no good reason.
Still, speaking in English is hard for me yet.
My speaking pace had slowed compared to before, so understanding what the man said wasn't much of a challenge. But actually producing English myself was a completely different realm from listening.
Apologies to the stylist, but this was the best I could do. Then the man made a curious expression.
“(You seem to understand me just fine right away. Can you only listen? Or are you lying about not speaking English?)”
“…?”
Blue eyes full of interest slowly swept over me.
Would I gain anything by lying here?
Even if I were lying, I wondered what business it was of his—but regardless, this man was my stylist's mentor. Holding back my boredom as best I could, I answered politely.
“I'm still at the stage of learning English.”
“(What a shame. I was curious to see you speak it.)”
I see. It was truly one of those remarks I had no idea how to respond to. While I was floundering internally, the stylist fortunately cut the conversation short.
“Yeonjae, I'm really sorry, but could you come back again tomorrow? It's because of my mentor. I'm so sorry.”
“No, it's fine.”
It was the other side who had shown up unannounced; it just stung that the stylist was the one apologizing. Still, it didn't seem like something I should get involved in, so I simply said my goodbyes and headed out.
“(See you next time, cutie boy.)”
So I just gave a small nod at the man's beaming words and walked out—that was the only rebellion I was capable of.
Once we were alone in the car with Jinbae-hyung, the words I'd been holding back slipped out.
“He's an unpleasant man, isn't he?”
At my deadpan start on the gossip, Jinbae-hyung burst out laughing, clearly caught off guard. The refreshing sound of his laughter lifted my mood a little.
“S-sorry for laughing. Khm. I apologize. I've just never heard you say something like that before, Actor-nim.”
“It's fine.”
“But you're right, he is an unpleasant one. I saw a lot of that type when I was studying abroad.”
“You studied abroad? When?”
I leaned forward at the completely unexpected remark. Jinbae-hyung laughed and told me he'd spent about two years abroad back in middle school. As he shared anecdotes from his time overseas, by the time the conversation wound down, the unpleasant feeling had vanished entirely.
“That's fascinating.”
“What is?”
“That there was ever a time you were a middle schooler, hyung.”
It didn't seem like that funny a joke, but Jinbae-hyung kept laughing as if something about it delighted him endlessly.
“I find it fascinating too. I went abroad at exactly your age, and I was terrified of the foreigners I met for the first time. Even though I could already speak English fluently. But you were so confident just now. I really think you're remarkable!”
“This is Korea, though. Who knows what I'd do if I went to France.”
“No, sir. I'm certain you'd do just fine there too.”
What would it feel like—to be surrounded on all sides by unfamiliar races and an unfamiliar language?
Not much time was left before departure now. I'd clearly been thinking of nothing in particular, but perhaps because of the foreigner I'd suddenly run into, my mind grew complicated. I was gazing out the window for a moment when a gentle voice reached me.
“By the way, Actor-nim, you do know, right?”
“Sorry?”
When I turned my head, our eyes met in the rearview mirror.
“It's okay even if you're not good at it.”
“…….”
“And you have me, don't you? I'll provide interpretation services exclusively for you, Actor-nim.”
His mild eyes curved into a soft smile. At that sight, the tension drained right out of me.
Right—there was nothing more useless than worrying yourself sick in advance. “Then I'll have to make full use of that service. Thanks in advance.”
Another laugh came back in answer to my smiling words.
―So, did you make up with Nohbi all right?
“Yeah. Thanks to you talking to him for me.”
―What did I even do? He's just got a really childish side to him. Go a little easy on him, Yeonjae.
I smiled quietly at Park Haeun's voice coming through the phone. “This time I was the one acting childish. Bihyeok's good-natured, at least, so we didn't fight badly.”
―True, he is good-natured. He's mischievous, but he hardly ever swears either.
When she said he'd been that way since kindergarten, I asked how she'd gotten close to Noh Bihyeok in the first place.
―You know his parents are doctors, right? His mom and my mom were residents in the same cohort, so our families were close even before we were born.
“I see. So you've known Bihyeok since you were really little. Isn't it strange, being this far apart now?”
―Hmm…, not really?
“Haha.”
Her voice sounded so utterly free of lingering attachment that laughter escaped me. Park Haeun laughed too and played it off.
―Even if I hadn't moved, I wouldn't have seen him much more than before anyway. Even now I'm seriously busy studying all day long.
“Studying all day like that must be exhausting.”
―But the studying itself is fun! It's just that dorm life is a bit brutal.
Perhaps because of her mother's influence, Park Haeun was truly firm in her resolve to become a doctor. Same profession for their mothers, yet one dreamed of being a doctor and the other an idol.
Why did Noh Bihyeok want to be an idol? I found myself suddenly curious.
There I go again.
Lately I was always full of questions. What food Jinbae-hyung had liked best at my age, what had made Junghyun-hyung start acting, what song Noh Bihyeok loved most.
My tedious daily life filling up with question marks—it was harder to adjust to than I'd expected. Not that I found it annoying. The problem was just that I was supposed to be practicing, and stray thoughts kept creeping in.
―Oh, Yeonjae, I've got to go. Dorm curfew check is soon.
I'd been lost in other thoughts for a while when Park Haeun's urgent voice brought me back.
“Yeah. Have a good day today too, Haeun-ah.”
―You too! You're leaving for the airport now, right? Travel safe. Don't get lost when you're there, and even if a stranger offers you something tasty, absolutely do not follow them!
Do I look like a child to her?
It left me a little exasperated, but her voice was so earnest that I said I understood. After hanging up, I found my phone stuffed with messages.
That's me for you. A hollow laugh came out as I read through the messages.
Noh Bihyeok was like this at the movie theater too, and here he was at it again. It was even funnier because I'd spent all of yesterday researching airplane boarding etiquette. Could he actually read my mind?
And what on earth is 'throwing the first punch' supposed to mean?
For a kid who wanted to be an idol, he really had a way with words.
I replied to everyone one by one. Then I lifted my head to find we were already nearing our destination.
“We're at the airport already?”
“Yes. Probably because it's a weekday—we got here faster than I expected. I'll park over there for now, Actor-nim.”
“All right.”
The flight to France departed at eleven in the morning. It was currently eight.
Going abroad is harder than I thought.
I'd never had occasion to board a plane before, so I'd had no idea. Before flying, you have to go through something called check-in, and apparently you need to arrive at the airport at least one to two hours earlier than the time printed on your ticket.
And the reason I'd arrived more than three hours early was precisely…
“Actor-nim, the driver will be here shortly. I'm going to move to the front passenger seat. You can come out after I open the door for you.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Photos and videos will be taken from before the door even opens, so just mind your expression. There will probably be fans as well as reporters. Still, just greet them and don't let anyone get too close. Now—promise me you'll stay right beside me once we're outside.”
Jinbae-hyung's stiff face didn't soften even after I made the pinky promise.
He was always intense when it came to work, but today his expression was tenser than usual, which made me unconsciously tense up too.
Does it really have to be this much?
It did. Right now, we were preparing for the 'departure photo shoot'.
I was already wearing the so-called airport fashion outfit the stylist had brought yesterday.
Since it was clothing provided by a professional, I'd accepted it without complaint all this time—but when I saw the rider jacket, I couldn't help making a doubtful face. It would take at least thirteen hours to reach France, and the thought of wearing this stiff outfit for that entire stretch of time was what did it.
Then, hearing what I said, the stylist had burst out laughing.
'Haha, oh, that explains it. I was wondering why you were making that face! Don't worry about it—you can change into comfortable clothes before you board the plane.'
'…? Then why am I wearing this?'
'For the photos, obviously.'
It was said in such a matter-of-fact tone that I didn't ask further, but I was still puzzled. And after looking up a few celebrity departure videos, my questions only grew.
Why on earth do they film this?
I wondered if they did something special, but that wasn't it either. They just stood at the crosswalk for a moment taking photos, waved on the way in, and that was all.
To think I'm out here this early in the morning for this.
As for me, Jinbae-hyung drove me here and the staff took care of everything, so it didn't matter. It was the reporters I was worried about.
Could there really be fans of mine there?
I hoped not. I hoped no one was standing outside at this early hour.
I wish it would just be over quickly.
Soon the driver arrived, and the car pulled out onto the road. And then I was left speechless.
“Actor-nim, I'm going to open the car door now, so get ready.”
“…….”
“Actor-nim?”
I couldn't bring myself to answer even Jinbae-hyung's puzzled voice.
What in the world…
Was there a festival going on?
There were so, so many people.