Top Star By Luck [EN]: Chapter 18

18. Luck Comes Silently

Luck comes silently.

It could be called luck because it arrives without warning and unexpectedly.

‘No, should I even call this luck…?’

Lee Min-ki sighed deeply, holding his phone. The screen displayed a post from an online community.

[Title: Cheering Guy at Nokde Yotuns]

Inside, numerous animated GIFs were uploaded.

A GIF of a man dancing.

A GIF striking a pose to show off his presence.

A GIF shouting.

In the comments, enthusiastic reactions exploded over the GIFs.

[LOLOLOLOL]

[He’s genuinely enjoying himself 10000%]

[He’s serious about cheering]

[But who is this guy? He’s handsome]

[He’s handsome but funny LOLOLOLOL]

[Who is he? A celebrity? He doesn’t look like an ordinary person?]

[Isn’t he an idol trainee?]

[Which agency is he from?]

[Are there more photos? Doesn’t he have SNS [Social Networking Service]?]

[I I I I found the shopping mall where that person took pictures]

[OMG, his fit is amazing]

The post had over 20,000 views and more than 100 comments.

The identity of the person everyone was talking about wasn’t hard to find.

The man currently holding his phone, writhing in embarrassment.

Lee Min-ki was the person in question.

‘Right! Any attention is better than no attention. But to become known for this image before even debuting is a bit…!’

There was no one else to blame.

Kim Ah-seong told him to just make his presence known, but he was the one who went overboard.

Still, he learned something.

He definitely felt what ‘presence’ was like with his whole body.

That ‘presence’ that had seemed so vague before was now clear, as if he could grasp it.

He felt like he knew how to act to get attention.

However.

“Aaaaaaagh――!”

The embarrassment was unavoidable.

Lee Min-ki clutched his head and rolled around on the floor.

The floor was cool.

‘At times like this, it’s fortunate that the practice room floor is made of soft wood… No, that’s not it! Aaaaaaagh!’

Lee Min-ki was fighting his past self and screaming silently when.

Squeak.

The door suddenly opened, and the man who appeared there spoke before Lee Min-ki could react.

“Wow, awesome, are you practicing breakdancing now?”

It was Kim Tak.

He spoke as if genuinely impressed.

“Wow. You have to prepare for this kind of thing before you even debut to become a versatile entertainer later on.”

He even clapped, but Lee Min-ki didn’t even feel like arguing.

Kim Tak, in Lee Min-ki’s eyes, was not someone who would listen even if he spoke properly.

However, he couldn’t ignore the next words.

“About the baseball stadium the other day.”

“……Did you see it?”

“Of course. You were a good dancer?”

Ugh.

Lee Min-ki knew.

That the simpleton had no malice.

That was why it was even sharper.

Like a child burning ants in a playground sandbox without any ill will, Kim Tak’s pure goodwill was like a punch from a top-class boxer to Lee Min-ki right now.

“What kind of coffee do you want?”

“……Java Chip Frappuccino, venti [Italian for ‘large’ size], with an extra shot. Extra drizzle. Extra Java chips.”

“You’re ordering something expensive. But are the calories okay? You usually only drink Americano because you’re strict about your diet.”

“I just feel like I have to drink it today.”

“Then how about one tonight?”

“No matter how much, I don’t feel like it that much.”

“You’re picky. But I’m pretty proud of myself for being considerate of someone like you.”

Kim Tak hummed and left the practice room.

Lee Min-ki, left alone in the practice room, stared blankly into the empty air for a moment.

‘……Did Kim Tak just feel sorry for me?’

He was about to continue his tantrum when.

Click.

The door opened again, and this time the person who appeared was.

“Yo.”

It was Kim Ah-seong.

He grinned and said.

“Nokde cheering guy, good morning.”

“Aaaaaaagh!”

He couldn’t stand this.

* * *

Unlike usual, they were in a cafe, not the practice room.

Trainer Kim Ah-seong sat in a chair with his legs crossed, as usual, and said.

“I believe each of you felt something during this mission. Min-ki, right?”

“……Yes.”

He didn’t want to admit it, but he definitely felt something.

He felt what presence was and that he had been unconsciously unable to bring it out.

It was just that the process was embarrassing.

Kim Ah-seong chuckled and said.

“How about you, Seon-ah?”

“…….”

“Seon-ah?”

“It was manageable.”

Yu Seon-ah turned her head from looking at Lee Min-ki and nodded.

“At first, I didn’t know why you told me to walk without my phone, but after doing it, I understood. There were quite a few details I missed.”

Yu Seon-ah’s mission was simply to walk.

Especially to walk slowly around the edge of a large lake without her phone in her hand.

Ten laps.

At first, it was just boring, but gradually she felt more relaxed, and without her phone in her hand, she could concentrate more deeply.

“Yeah, that’s right. There was a sense of anxiety in Seon-ah’s acting. It’s not bad now, but if you know how to naturally relax your body, it will lead to an improvement in your acting.”

Trainer Kim Ah-seong chuckled and said.

“People don’t really know what it means to act naturally. How much to raise your shoulders, where to put your hands, what kind of expression to make. Whether you know this or not can separate a top-class actor from the rest.”

This was a fairly famous theory in the industry.

The story that if a director asks you to stand still naturally and you can do it right away, you are a top-class actor.

Especially if the position of your hands is natural, you are considered even higher.

“This is the same for special agents? Acting naturally is a skill they hone for their entire lives.”

Trainer Kim Ah-seong was chatting when he glanced at his watch and said, thinking it was about time.

“And the judges for your audition have been decided.”

“Suddenly?”

“Yeah, there was a meeting tonight.”

Lee Min-ki flinched, but Trainer Kim Ah-seong continued calmly.

“Besides me, only one more person will be coming.”

“Who is it?”

Kim Tak opened his mouth.

“JC’s CEO? Or a famous composer? An active actor?”

“Unfortunately, all wrong. It’s someone more famous in sales.”

“Sales?”

“Someone who goes around to external companies and does sales. You could say they are one of JC’s key figures.”

Amid the rising tension, Trainer Kim Ah-seong finally revealed the identity.

“It’s a person named Seo Jeong-woo, a director.”

The moment he heard those words.

Lee Min-ki had someone flash through his mind.

“Seo Jeong-woo of ‘Offensive’?”

“Huh? You know him?”

At Trainer Kim Ah-seong’s surprised reaction, Lee Min-ki replied in a reluctant voice.

“Ah, yes, I’ve heard the name. They call him the god of celebrity casting.”

That’s right.

From long ago, there were several talented people who made great contributions to JC’s growth, and the two most famous were.

Gu In-mo, the current CEO of JC, and Seo Jeong-woo, the director.

Known as Gu In-mo of ‘Defense’ and Seo Jeong-woo of ‘Offensive.’

‘CEO Gu In-mo is said to prevent celebrities who have already joined from leaving, while Director Seo Jeong-woo is a master at bringing in celebrities.’

The two-character title followed an ordinary industry person.

It was childish, but it also meant that their status was very high throughout the industry.

Moreover, Director Seo Jeong-woo’s casting.

This was JC’s alpha and omega [the beginning and the end].

‘He was famous for making people successful once he brought them in.’

Director Seo Jeong-woo was a person who deserved to be called a legend for casting alone.

[I wondered why they picked someone who was fat and couldn’t dress up, but after losing weight, it was a lottery [jackpot].]

[His voice sounded stuffy just listening to it, but after training, he became a top-tier Korean hip-hop rapper.]

[They just brought someone they found on the street and sent them to a variety show, and they went wild like a crazy horse.]

Director Seo Jeong-woo, who had countless such tales, was characterized by his insane eye for talent, so much so that people said he had a Photoshop function installed in his eyes.

He is also called a manager who sees the future.

He is also called someone who is living his second life.

‘So much so that people said Director Seo Jeong-woo’s real job was a shaman who received divine inspiration.’

Lee Min-ki, who was relatively ignorant of information, had heard the story, so there was no need to say more.

In reality, he had only heard the story and had never even seen his face, as he was too far away for him to approach.

As Lee Min-ki was making a serious expression, Trainer Kim Ah-seong asked in a very surprised voice.

“Min-ki, you’re more well-informed than I thought?”

“Yes?”

“Not many people know Director Seo Jeong-woo.”

Ah.

Director Seo Jeong-woo was not that famous in this era.

“I’ve just heard the name.”

“How modest.”

As Lee Min-ki was feeling the gap in the times, Trainer Kim Ah-seong nodded and said.

“You two should follow Min-ki’s example. In this industry, acting is a skill, but information is also a skill. Having an eye for good investors, choosing studios and directors are all skills. Keep that in mind.”

Before Lee Min-ki could say anything, Kim Tak and Yu Seon-ah exclaimed in admiration.

“Hyung [older brother/male friend], let’s share this kind of information together! Don’t just keep it to yourself!”

“Min-ki knows everything.”

No.

He just didn’t know.

“Well, it’s as Min-ki said. He’s a famous person, and he has a great eye for people. But there’s one thing to keep in mind.”

Trainer Kim Ah-seong was talking, but he tilted his head as if something was bothering him and said.

“That person has a strange yardstick.”

“Strange?”

“You could say he has a clear yardstick of his own? He sets a theme every time he casts, and it seems like that theme will be fashion this time?”

“Fashion… Fashion… Fashion for an actor audition….”

Yu Seon-ah closed her eyes and let out a short groan at the selection, which was more difficult than she thought.

“I think it would be easier if it were acting.”

“You just have to accept it.”

Trainer Kim Ah-seong continued without paying attention.

“And the fact that the people he picks do well is not much different from saying that he only picks people who will do well. No, it would be more accurate to say that if you’re going to do well, you’ll get picked.”

If you’re going to do well, you’ll get picked.

It was a result-oriented statement and also close to fatalism.

But there was someone in this place who was particularly sensitive to that fatalism.

‘He only picks people who will do well later.’

Then it’s disadvantageous to me.

Lee Min-ki muttered to himself.

‘Wasn’t I originally destined to fail?’

He had a sense of unease because he had ruined his life once before.

Although he was much luckier than in his past life, he was not yet sure whether he was a person who would succeed.

However.

After some thought, another idea came to Lee Min-ki’s mind.

‘I’ve changed too.’

He had changed from the old him.

In just a few months, his life had changed, if not 180 degrees, at least 20 degrees.

It was drawing a gradual upward curve, even if it was fluctuating up and down.

That’s why expectations could raise their heads, piercing through the instinctive fear.

‘It was like that at the baseball stadium too. If I do it, it might be surprisingly manageable.’

The mindset that successful people have in common.

Let’s just do it.

That mindset sprouted small somewhere in Lee Min-ki’s heart. The experience at the baseball stadium gave him strength.

Trainer Kim Ah-seong continued.

“Also, it’s a characteristic that he doesn’t look at profiles in advance, saying he’ll pick people based on his gut feeling on the spot.”

He took a sip of his coffee as if he was thirsty and said.

“But well, frankly, this is just gossip. The major premise of the audition is that the best people get picked, so let’s not think about anything else. There are only three days left until the audition, and there’s nothing else we can do, right?”

Finally, he said with a nonchalant expression, as if giving advice on someone else’s game of Go.

“All I can say here is that you should pay attention to your fashion on that day. That’s all I can say. Oh, and the acting is free acting. Choose a script from a work that JC actors have participated in.”

Fashion.

For now, it’s fashion.

Isn’t this a big gain?

‘I have to ask the CEO to look at my audition outfit.’

Lee Min-ki got up from his seat, making sure to engrave this in his mind, even if he didn’t know anything else.

All preparations were made.

Then all that was left was to compete fairly.

It was reckless to just rely on luck, no matter how good Director Seo Jeong-woo’s eye for talent was.

That was the action of someone who had given up.

Lee Min-ki had something more reliable than that.

“Let’s go practice quickly.”

It was the time he had spent.