Top Star By Luck [EN]: Chapter 20

20. Kim Tae-yang

Kim Tae-yang.

A third-year student in the Department of Theater and Film at Hanyea University, Korea’s leading prestigious arts university.

He possesses a naturally Westernized look, a tall and slender physique, and abundant talent.

Since he was young, he not only loved acting but also enjoyed all aspects of film production. A defining trait is his patience regarding his debut.

‘Debut is something that happens when it’s time.’

He prefers to dedicate himself to study first.

He wants to delve deeply into the essence of acting itself.

Just as harsh summers and winters are necessary for good soy sauce to be made in a crock [traditional Korean fermentation vessel], he regarded all these preparatory processes, including failures, as integral to his journey as an actor.

Lee Min-ki, as seen through his eyes.

‘He definitely has the visuals.’

He was a striking individual.

Even without knowing anything about his acting, he could tell from his fashion sense.

Fashion isn’t about suddenly donning extravagant clothes if you didn’t have the inherent style before.

Before the clothes, the person must possess the right attitude.

Lee Min-ki demonstrated that.

‘He knows how to wear it, and his gait is natural.’

He immediately felt drawn to him.

On the other hand, Lee Min-ki, upon seeing Kim Tae-yang, thought:

‘……Why is Kim Tae-yang here?’

He was shocked by Kim Tae-yang’s very presence.

‘This person is a top-tier actor, even among the best. A top-tier actor who is crazy about acting.’

He was already a success.

Despite being a rookie, he displayed incredible acting skills and quickly garnered attention.

He was a major figure among the top five next-generation male actors.

Daon’s Kim Ji-hwan was also quite successful, but Kim Tae-yang was no less so.

To think that this person was from Jam Acting School.

‘Why didn’t I know?’

No.

Could it be that he only lent his name to the school and didn’t actually attend?

Perhaps he wasn’t taking formal classes but occasionally appeared at auditions as a condition.

‘I don’t think he was affiliated with JC, though.’

He was simply making surprised expressions, standing before a future star.

“Nice to meet you.”

Kim Tae-yang was the first to speak.

He approached with a smile and said.

“I’ve heard a lot about you from the teacher.”

By teacher, did he mean trainer Kim Ah-sung?

“The teacher praised you so much; I have high expectations.”

That person praised me?

He’s the type of person who would giggle and laugh if I made even a small mistake. It was hard to imagine Kim Ah-sung praising someone.

Feeling dazed, Lee Min-ki grabbed the hand Kim Tae-yang offered and said.

“Nice to meet you too. And, good luck with the audition.”

“Great. Let’s have some friendly competition today. I’m looking forward to it.”

Friendly competition is fine.

Lee Min-ki quickly composed himself after hearing that brief sentence.

‘Once I debut, Kim Ji-hwan and Kim Tae-yang will be competitors anyway.’

It’s just that the competition started a little earlier.

Lee Min-ki decided to view it that way.

And.

“Come in.”

When all seven people entered the practice room designated as the audition venue.

Lee Min-ki realized that one of today’s judges was someone he seemed to recognize.

‘Was it this person?’

The man wearing a stylish beige coat.

The person he had passed on the street earlier.

Looking at the name tag in front of him, it read Director Seo Jung-woo.

* * *

‘Ah, it was this person.’

Director Seo Jung-woo realized it the moment he saw him.

The puzzle in his head was complete.

The person he had only heard about by name for the past few weeks was right in front of him.

“Heh heh.”

“Why are you laughing?”

At trainer Kim Ah-sung’s question, Director Seo Jung-woo wiped his eyes and said.

“I just remembered a funny joke.”

“Tell me later.”

“Yes, after we’re done.”

He couldn’t help but chuckle.

‘What are the odds?’

The person that trainer Kim Ah-sung praised so highly, and the person that CEO Yoo Gyu-eon raved about.

To think they were the same person.

That’s right.

Director Seo Jung-woo noticed it the moment he saw Lee Min-ki.

‘The clothes he’s wearing now, Gyu-eon recently bragged about designing.’

He also remembered seeing him working as a shopping mall model.

Despite Kim Ah-sung’s praise, the reason Seo Jung-woo hadn’t recognized Lee Min-ki was due to Seo Jung-woo’s personal principle.

If he was even slightly aware of an applicant’s personal information, biased judging could occur during the audition. In a way, it was a self-imposed rule because he believed he had to be as fair as possible.

Usually, as the person in charge of casting, he was constantly approached by people trying to introduce him to aspiring trainees, so he deliberately turned a blind eye.

But now that things had progressed this far, it was hard to simply pretend he didn’t know.

‘Both sides praised him so much, right?’

I’m curious.

What kind of skills will he demonstrate?

First of all, the fashion gets a pass.

Of course, Yoo Gyu-eon styled him himself.

“……”

Besides, you could definitely sense it just by looking at him standing there blankly.

The overall silhouette was good.

He’s not that tall, but his frame is solid, and his head shape is attractive.

It was the body type that Director Seo Jung-woo preferred the most.

‘Usually, people consider someone with a small head, long limbs, and broad shoulders—like an alien—to be ideal, but if that’s the case, they should just cast a Westerner.’

The reality is a bit different.

Often, when the public looks at models, they prefer a realistically good body type rather than an unrealistically perfect one.

Because awe and admiration are only separated by a hair’s breadth.

What a successful actor needs is not awe but admiration.

The admiration of wanting to be like them.

“Min-ki, right?”

“……Yes!”

The moment he called his name, a loud voice blurted out.

Seo Jung-woo smiled faintly and said.

“Since there are few participants today, I’m going to conduct a slightly more in-depth audition. Before we start acting, I have a few questions for you.”

“Yes!”

“Why do you want to act?”

It’s a rather abstract question.

But Lee Min-ki opened his mouth after a brief moment of contemplation.

“……Acting saved my life.”

The voice is a 3 out of 10.

It seems like he didn’t focus on his enunciation. I’ll have to refine it separately later.

Of course, that’s if he gets selected.

‘No. Did he deliberately say it in a trembling voice? As an extension of acting?’

I have to consider it.

While Seo Jung-woo was judging each and every movement, Lee Min-ki continued.

“A few years ago, when I was giving up on myself, I was able to regain strength thanks to a movie that was playing in the theater. After watching that movie, I thought: movies have the power to save people. That’s why I wanted to become an actor who can give strength to others.”

It’s a somewhat rehearsed answer, but it was sincere.

Lee Min-ki had genuinely given up on everything in his early 20s, exhausted from repeated failures due to persistent bad luck.

He kept failing even into his 30s.

If it hadn’t been for that movie he happened to see, he might have made a drastic decision.

And also.

Because there was no element of luck in the world of the movie.

“Hmm, what’s the title of that movie?”

“That is.”

Lee Min-ki took a breath and said.

“Oceanman.”

Oceanman.

A movie about a person who has failed at everything in life, challenging the crossing of the Pacific Ocean with only one sailboat.

“That’s a coincidence. I like that movie too.”

He was fortunate.

While Lee Min-ki was subtly surprised, Seo Jung-woo smiled and asked.

“Do you have a favorite line from it?”

There was no need for even a moment’s hesitation to answer this question.

“Live, not just survive. A line that came out in the second half of the movie.”

It was a famous line that encapsulated all the themes of the movie in one sentence.

What’s the point of living a life that’s just surviving like a plant without any will?

It’s better to live like you’re going to die than to survive peacefully.

That’s the meaning of the line.

“That line is good too.”

Seo Jung-woo smiled and said.

“But I have a different line that I really like. Do you know what it is?”

It’s the second question.

While Lee Min-ki was nervous again, Seo Jung-woo opened his mouth.

“People despise wealth because they have no hope of becoming rich.”

Lee Min-ki responded to that.

“Of course. It’s my eleventh favorite line.”

“That’s too bad.”

Too bad.

The moment an incomprehensible reaction came out of Seo Jung-woo’s mouth.

Lee Min-ki continued.

“A line from the movie *France is Bacon*, right?”

“Aha.”

At that moment, a short laugh burst out.

Because he realized that Seo Jung-woo had asked about a line from another movie.

He even clapped his hands and answered.

“Wow, you’re the first person I’ve met who knows this line. It’s not a very famous movie.”

“I try to watch all the movies that come out on the market.”

“That’s a very commendable attitude.”

Seo Jung-woo nodded slowly, as if satisfied, and said.

“Input is always beneficial. Yes, there are surprisingly many people who say they like acting but don’t watch many movies. If you accumulate input, the day will come when it shines. Just like now.”

His voice was full of approval.

Anyone who witnessed this scene could easily guess that Lee Min-ki had given an answer worth 140 points out of 100.

But Lee Min-ki, the person in question, was busy sweating inside.

‘I almost got caught.’

It was only one step away from the cliff.

[People despise wealth because they have no hope of becoming rich.]

It was a very subtle trap.

If he had genuinely mistaken that for a line from *Oceanman* and pretended to know it, he would have been finished on the spot.

‘Director Seo Jung-woo, I thought he was a straightforward person just by looking at his appearance, but to think he would set up such a trap.’

He’s a real trickster.

But Lee Min-ki handled it well, and the atmosphere became friendly as a result.

“Oh, Director, you’re so mischievous.”

Trainer Kim Ah-sung gave up trying to maintain a serious atmosphere and even burst into laughter.

At the same time, someone in the audition room bit their lip hard.

‘Who is that person?’

It was some of the scholarship students.

They didn’t like that Lee Min-ki had surpassed them and received attention.

‘I’ve seen *Oceanman* too.’

‘Who hasn’t seen that movie? It’s a masterpiece that’s in the top 100 on IMDB. He just got lucky with an easy question.’

‘He’s pretending to know.’

Of course, if they had spoken up, they would have failed the second question even if they had answered the first correctly.

But it didn’t matter to them, who only focused on the outcome.

Lee Min-ki gained points with a short conversation. Or, at least it seemed that way.

They didn’t like that very much.

Of course.

‘Lee Min-ki, does that person really like movies? I don’t think I could have countered that either.’

There were also people who were genuinely impressed, like Kim Tae-yang.

‘How did he watch all of that? Min-ki must be busy with his convenience store job, modeling, and working out. Does he really have ten bodies?’

There were also people who were originally impressed, like Yoo Seon-ah.

While they were each making their own evaluations and recalling the interview.

“It seems like we don’t need any more questions.”

Seo Jung-woo said in a voice that had calmed down.

“Now I want to see the acting. Can I expect an output that is as good as the input?”

At those words, Lee Min-ki sensed that this was the main event from now on and answered.

“Yes!”