Bedroom Genius Actor - Chapter 43

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 43

After the commotion settled down, Kim Ji-hu faced the woman wearing a wrapping cloth backstage.

She was still sitting in the corner chair with her head deeply bowed, not removing the wrapping cloth.

Choi Tae-geon asked Kim Ji-hu.

“Are you two perhaps…?”

“…She’s my younger sister.”

“Ah…”

Choi Tae-geon, who had momentarily wondered if she might be an ex-girlfriend upon hearing the word “oppa,” finally felt relieved.

But as he watched, something familiar caught his eye.

Both of them were hesitating and not saying a single word.

‘Ah… I thought I felt some déjà vu.’

Come to think of it, the way his sister had been looking around earlier and her manner of speaking were exactly like Kim Ji-hu’s.

“But how did your sister end up coming here like that?”

Choi Tae-geon spoke to lighten the mood a bit.

Kim Ji-hu’s sister hesitated.

“Well… my manager told me… to cover my face when going out…”

“…What?”

Manager. What was a manager? Someone who assists celebrities.

‘Oh, no. It could be a cafe manager or something like that.’

But would a typical cafe manager tell someone to cover their face when going out?

Choi Tae-geon carefully looked at Kim Ji-hu.

“May I ask… your sister’s name…?”

“Ah… Her name is Kim Ji-hye.”

Upon hearing that name, Choi Tae-geon’s eyes grew wider as he carefully examined his sister’s face again.

“By any chance, are you the singer-songwriter Kim Ji-hye who receives the most love calls from singers these days… and won the Golden Disc Award last year?”

Kim Ji-hye nodded at his words.

“Ah… that’s right.”

“…?!?!”

Choi Tae-geon was greatly surprised.

“Uh…????”

Kim Ji-hu was also surprised. No, he was even more surprised.

Choi Tae-geon looked at Kim Ji-hu and thought.

‘Why is Ji-hu surprised…?’

***

‘How many years has it been since I’ve seen her face…’

When their mother passed away too, young Kim Ji-hye was entrusted to their maternal grandmother.

And Kim Ji-hu dropped out of school and began living alone.

‘Back then, I didn’t want to see anyone.’

Having become independent like that, Kim Ji-hu lived without answering calls from his grandmother or Kim Ji-hye, and without seeing their faces until now.

To make matters worse, Kim Ji-hu had no interest in music at all, unlike dramas or movies, so he didn’t even know that Kim Ji-hye had debuted.

‘She always wanted to do music since childhood, but I never thought she’d actually make it…’

As Kim Ji-hu was having such thoughts, Kim Ji-hye opened her mouth.

“Oppa… did you really become an actor? That can’t be right?”

“Uh…?”

“There’s no way oppa could be an actor. You have trouble speaking in front of people, you never want to leave your room, and you can’t even manage your expressions normally, let alone act. You’re someone who just stares at blogs all day…”

“…”

When Kim Ji-hye said that, he had nothing to say in response. Because everything she said was accurate.

He couldn’t exactly say that a mysterious ability threatened to delete his blog and that’s how he became an actor.

‘But…!’

Kim Ji-hu said to Kim Ji-hye.

“But you always hit wrong notes when singing in front of people, and you used to ask if there was a way to be a singer without performing on stage. How did you become a singer? And what’s this about a Golden Disc?”

“Ugh…!”

Both of them shut their mouths tightly as if each other’s words were painful.

So Choi Tae-geon mediated between them.

“Please don’t fight, you two. Haha…”

“But oppa…!”

“Kim Ji-hye started it first…!”

Choi Tae-geon smiled watching them.

“You really are siblings after all. This is the first time I’ve seen Ji-hu fighting like this.”

When Choi Tae-geon said that, both of them blushed and hung their heads low.

Once the situation was somewhat sorted out, Kim Ji-hu asked Kim Ji-hye.

“But why did you come here? And what’s with that getup?”

“Th-this was the only thing at grandmother’s house to cover my face with… And when I searched online, the actor looked like oppa, so I came to check properly. But is it really you, oppa?”

Instead of Kim Ji-hu, Choi Tae-geon smiled and said.

“Rather than explaining at length, wouldn’t it be better to see for yourself?”

“What?”

“The movie is about to start anyway, so let’s go to the movie theater.”

“There’s no way oppa could be good at… acting…”

Kim Ji-hye headed to the movie theater with bewildered eyes.

Kim Ji-hu felt some subtle emotions watching her.

‘What kind of reaction will Ji-hye show when she sees me acting?’

The last Kim Ji-hu that Kim Ji-hye remembered would be the image of a shut-in holed up in his room.

A shut-in who didn’t communicate with anyone and only wrote blog posts while obsessing over works alone.

He was curious about what reaction she would show seeing himself, who had no connection to the letter ‘a’ in ‘acting,’ now performing.

He was simply curious.

***

Kim Ji-hye sat in the movie theater seat and swallowed dry saliva.

The movie theater gradually darkened and the movie began.

‘My Little House’ was about a protagonist who returns to his hometown after being worn down by the world and people.

The story of being forced to resign from his company, being kicked out, then returning to the countryside to heal those wounds.

The core of this movie was healing wounds inflicted by people through people.

And Kim Ji-hu’s role ‘Jo Hae-jun’ was the role of a true friend who embraces the protagonist Kim Tae-su who returned home.

-I know you’re having a hard time, but do you have to act that way even to people trying to help you?

-People trying to help? What could you possibly help me with?

-So you’re saying you don’t need me?

The movie gradually reached its highlight scene.

Kim Tae-su, due to his wounds, pushes away even the friend trying to help and tries to return to being alone again.

However.

-I’ll ask you one last time. Do you really want to stay like that forever?

‘Jo Hae-jun’ poses a question to the protagonist Kim Tae-su.

Whether he wants to remain in those wounds, or if he wants to move forward.

-You don’t need to decide hastily. You just need to move forward, even if it’s slowly.

Saying that speed isn’t important, just moving forward is enough, protagonist Kim Tae-su rises from his seat.

And the movie ends showing Kim Tae-su, who carries wounds but challenges himself once more.

Kim Ji-hu, who was watching the movie next to Kim Ji-hye, had a satisfied expression on his face.

‘The highlight scene was definitely well-made.’

Even though he had seen it several times already, he thought the highlight scene was more than decent.

Although the actors, director, and staff suffered tremendously to create this scene, seeing the final result made all that suffering feel worthwhile.

‘Then Ji-hye must have found it quite interesting too…’

Kim Ji-hu looked at Kim Ji-hye sitting next to him.

“Sob… sob… sniff… hic…”

“…”

Kim Ji-hye was practically wailing. She was crying her heart out, tears and snot streaming down her face.

‘W-was it really that sad?’

While the content was touching, it wasn’t sad enough to cry this heartbreakingly over.

Rather, it was a warm piece that left you with a gentle smile at the end.

Kim Ji-hu pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it over, asking.

“A-are you okay?”

“Yeah… I’m… fine… sob…”

Honk!

Kim Ji-hye said while blowing her nose loudly.

Kim Ji-hu felt a bit awkward, but he couldn’t just keep comforting her.

“Ji-hu, you need to go up front now.”

With Choi Tae-geon’s words from behind, Kim Ji-hu nodded.

Since he had to do the stage greeting, Kim Ji-hu headed forward.

‘At least it seems like she enjoyed it, so that’s a relief.’

He had worried she might react strangely, but with that kind of response, there was no need to worry.

Kim Ji-hu synchronized himself and walked toward the stage.

***

After finishing the stage greeting, Kim Ji-hu quickly came out and met with Kim Ji-hye.

Kim Ji-hye was still sniffling, as if the afterglow hadn’t faded yet.

“Kim Ji-hye, are you feeling better now?”

“Mm-hmm…”

“It wasn’t really a work worth crying that much over, so why were you sobbing so sadly?”

“No… that story was too much like oppa’s story, so I couldn’t help it…”

“Hm?”

Kim Ji-hu tilted his head.

So Kim Ji-hye continued speaking.

“You were always in the corner of the room, then came out and now you’ve become such a proper actor, and somehow that story resembles oppa. Did the writer of this work write the story after seeing oppa? Yeah, that’s what it felt like. When oppa was talking to the protagonist, it felt like he was talking to himself!”

Kim Ji-hye was rambling about something.

She was even clapping her hands as if she had perfectly understood the work.

‘That can’t be right…’

In fact, there were virtually no people who knew about Kim Ji-hu’s past. Even PD Seo Min-sik, who knew him best, only knew that he was a reviewer and didn’t know much about him personally.

But seeing how satisfied she looked, there didn’t seem to be any need to say anything.

“I can’t help it. I have to go home and upload a cover of the movie OST. And tell grandmother too. Oh, oppa should come visit grandmother too. Grandmother was really worried about oppa.”

“Okay. Ah, manager. Could you take her home? I’ll go back by myself.”

When Kim Ji-hu said that, Choi Tae-geon nodded.

“Yes, let’s do that. But being with your sister, you seem to have become more mature somehow. Haha!”

“I-is that so?”

“Yes, definitely. Anyway, then I’ll escort your sister home. Ji-hu, you be careful going back too.”

Choi Tae-geon took Kim Ji-hye with him like that, and Kim Ji-hu watched the two of them leave while thinking.

‘Actually, I don’t have the confidence to go see grandmother right away…’

He had spoken confidently to Kim Ji-hye, but he didn’t have that kind of courage yet.

If it were his mother, maybe, but Kim Ji-hu felt more sorry toward grandmother.

The reason Kim Ji-hu hadn’t gone to live with grandmother along with Kim Ji-hye was the same.

‘Still, it’s a relief that Ji-hye seems to be doing well.’

Kim Ji-hu had been living with various worries about Kim Ji-hye, but now seeing her face, he felt relieved.

Kim Ji-hu was smiling gently like that.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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