Top Star By Luck [EN]: Chapter 25

25.

While enjoying a piece of work, there are occasionally characters like that.

[Who is that?]

[Leaves a strong impression]

[I’m hooked]

[Look at those witty lines, lol]

They only appear briefly in a scene or, at most, in one episode and then disappear, but you can’t forget them.

Like a malicious tenant who doesn’t pay rent, they’re stuck in your head and refuse to leave.

So much so that when you hear the name of the work, that character’s face comes to mind before the protagonist’s.

We already knew the term for this character.

Scene Stealer.

That’s what Lee Min-ki’s role in [Campus Story] was.

[The teaching assistant is so charming]

[Looks a bit worn out? lol]

[Looks really tired. I want to go and cook for him]

[If you think about it, isn’t the female lead at fault?]

[Seriously, why is she being so stubborn with the teaching assistant!! Isn’t it her fault for being late with the submission?]

The character Lee Min-ki played, teaching assistant Lee Nam-wook, was technically a villain.

Worn out from years of university life, everything is a hassle.

He was a cheerful freshman at first, but the tedious university life turned him into a cynical person.

His only dream is to get his degree, get a job, and leave.

– Ah, this school sucks.

From a normal perspective, it was impossible to like the character.

You could see it as an openly targeted antagonist.

Most college students have the stereotype of a strict teaching assistant ingrained in their minds.

Only.

[Why don’t we have a teaching assistant like that at our school? Why only us?]

The teaching assistant character Lee Min-ki played was more attractive than expected.

[Campus Story Lee Nam-wook scene GIF collection]

[A real masterpiece… a masterpiece]

[Isn’t that the attention-seeker from the baseball game last time?]

[Oh??]

[Wow, how are they the same person????]

[They look completely different??]

[Oh, I looked it up and it says he’s also a shopping mall model]

The viewers’ reviews are honest.

Lee Min-ki took on a role that would never have taken off otherwise, and it took off.

What more can be said?

That’s how Campus Story Episode 10 succeeded in creating a singularity.

Lee Min-ki’s life was also like that.

* * *

“…….”

Lee Min-ki was speechless.

He went in as a minor role, and he just thought he was lucky that they were giving him additional appearances.

Up to this point, he thought JC’s influence was significant.

He also thought he should do better in the future.

But when he checked the viewers’ reactions on top of that, what should he say?

‘Is this happiness?’

His heart was touched.

He couldn’t erase the smile on his face.

He was full even without eating.

Of course, he made sure to eat properly to build his body.

He diligently ate sweet potatoes, chicken breast, salad mix, and five almonds.

Thanks to his recent financial leeway, he also mixed his supplements neatly.

‘Good, it’s going well. Let’s do well in the future too.’

Continuing this momentum, he would establish himself as a supporting role from the next episode.

It’s not too late yet.

Why wouldn’t a miracle that happened once happen twice?

Thinking that, Lee Min-ki sat down and prepared something.

Right.

“Ah, ah.”

It was a script reading.

“Hey, your parents are professors. Is not having ten thousand won [approximately $8 USD] in your account the same as not having ten thousand won in my account? If I mess up, I really have to go out on the street and be homeless, you know?”

The script that he received from writer Kim Hee-jin had a greatly enhanced role for ‘Lee Nam-wook’ from this episode.

‘They created a reason for his twisted personality.’

Originally, in the [Campus Story] that Lee Min-ki knew, Lee Nam-wook was just a perfunctory teaching assistant.

Just a typical teaching assistant.

Pushed around by undergraduates below and used like a slave by professors above.

But in the newly received script, the character’s personality was completely changed.

‘Just by changing the way they illuminate him a little, the character comes to life.’

While grumbling at the female lead, he tried to persuade the professor.

“Ah, how can you really pretend not to know that? If she doesn’t get a scholarship, her life will be ruined… Ha, do I have to spell it out for you to understand?”

In just one scene, Lee Nam-wook was reborn as a typical tsundere [a character who is initially cold but gradually warms up to others] character.

This was Kim Hee-jin’s specialty.

Actively utilizing stereotypes to create characters, but twisting them just one beat to create three-dimensional figures.

That was the character Lee Min-ki played, Lee Nam-wook.

‘Good, this character, it suits me somewhere.’

The expression that was always bright on Lee Min-ki’s face had disappeared.

The ‘clumsy egoist’ character, who tries to live badly while being weighed down by the weight of life, but can’t completely ignore the circumstances around him, gradually appeared.

‘If I add just one more flavor here, hmm, what would be good?’

On the other hand, the more he continued with the script, the deeper Lee Min-ki’s worries became.

A minor role should not bury the main supporting role.

At the same time, there must be a strong character that overcomes the small amount of screen time.

This is also why minor role acting is not easy.

“Americano with two shots added… Ugh. Cough, cough, ouch, ouch….”

He accidentally bit his tongue while practicing reading.

It’s a surprisingly common occurrence when you practice continuously without rest.

‘I should do some pronunciation practice and start again.’

Kim Ah-sung, the trainer, has a pronunciation practice technique.

First, drink water before starting.

“Puhah.”

While Lee Min-ki, who had quenched his thirst, was immersed in practice again.

Something he couldn’t have imagined was happening somewhere.

* * *

Do you know that?

In a drama, an increase in someone’s screen time means one thing.

It means that someone else’s screen time is reduced by that much.

That was the case with the existing cast of [Campus Story].

‘Ah, annoying.’

There was also someone who was feeling even more annoyed by Lee Min-ki’s appearance.

Rookie actor Park Tae-gyeon.

He was an actor who played the role of a sub-male lead in this drama.

Usually, in a romantic comedy, the sub-male lead is a main character.

The broadcasting station also pushes them as the main character for promotional purposes, and depending on the work, it is not uncommon for the sub-male lead to be more popular than the male lead.

But [Campus Story] was a little different.

The sub-male lead was in an ambiguous position between the main and supporting roles.

It was because the work was so close to a pure love romantic comedy.

‘I’m already stressed to death because I have so little screen time, what am I supposed to do if you take more from here? Just shrink into a corner?’

That was Park Tae-gyeon.

He was already dissatisfied with the small amount of screen time.

When Lee Min-ki, who had rolled in, even increased his screen time, his anger was about to erupt like a volcano.

‘Are you kidding me?’

Park Tae-gyeon couldn’t control his anger and walked towards the waiting room with angry steps.

In fact, writer Kim Hee-jin had no plans to raise the sub-male lead in this work from the beginning.

She just put him in because it wouldn’t be bad to have a role that could be used in various ways.

In other words, it was right to see him as a supporting role disguised as the main character from the beginning.

Looking at it that way, it was fortunate that a rookie actor even got this position, but Park Tae-gyeon was not that kind of person.

‘That guy, he’s got some strange intentions. He said his agency is JC.’

It was also because Lee Min-ki had caught the attention of viewers from his first appearance.

He’s a minor role right now, but you never know.

Maybe his screen time will increase even more.

Maybe even enough to threaten his position.

Of course, writer Kim Hee-jin had no intention of doing that.

‘Seeing that he overlaps in the same scene in the script, there’s something there. There’s definitely something.’

But there is no way to stop the runaway paranoia of a rookie actor.

He was just stuck in the middle and getting a lot of stress.

‘Huh?’

Park Tae-gyeon, who was walking down the hallway, heard a voice from afar.

The waiting room.

So, it was still a long time before filming started, but someone was muttering to himself in the temporary waiting room.

Loud enough for everyone outside to hear.

“Jigi, jigi, jaga, jaga, juju, juju. Chiki, chiki, takataka. Naninuneno.”

While muttering strange pronunciations.

‘What is it?’

Park Tae-gyeon’s eyebrow twitched slightly as he felt curious.

Thinking that he might not know, he slowly walked and looked towards the waiting room with the door open.

‘Oh ho.’

One person he didn’t like was sitting in his seat.

That is, it was Lee Min-ki.

He was sitting in his seat and repeating strange pronunciations.

“Dakdakdakdak, naknaknaknak, kakkakkakak, taktakktak, pakpakpakpak.”

It was a practice method to prevent lisping.

If you practice this steadily, you can create a diction that cleanly penetrates the ear.

There was nothing strange about the practice itself.

Coming to the public waiting room in advance and practicing is just being diligent.

But what should I say about Lee Min-ki’s actions in Park Tae-gyeon’s eyes?

‘Idiot, he’s doing all sorts of crazy things to stand out.’

He just looked at it with displeasure.

He stared at the scene for a while, and suddenly, an impish feeling arose in Park Tae-gyeon’s heart.

He slowly turned his head and looked around for a moment.

‘It’s quiet.’

There was not a speck of human presence.

This was because there was still extra time before filming started.

After checking that there was no one around for a while.

Soon, a bitter smile appeared on Park Tae-gyeon’s lips.

‘Shall we try to establish some discipline?’

It was his habit.

He had been known as the discipline leader since he was a student in the Department of Theater and Film at university.

The opponent is at best a rookie who has received his first minor role. And looking at his clumsy face, his personality must be like that too.

If he creates a slight atmosphere and puts pressure on him, there’s nothing he can’t do.

Isn’t there a development scheduled to clash in the next episode?

Let’s just suppress his spirit a little, just a little bit.

‘Originally, arrogant rookies need someone to crush their noses.’

He’s just giving him a preliminary initiation ceremony.

With that stern heart, Park Tae-gyeon moved his feet into the waiting room.

He was just thinking of saying a word with the dignity of a senior.

Like that.

The moment Park Tae-gyeon stepped on the floor of the waiting room with big steps.

“Ugh?!”

His body tilted at an artistic angle, and then floated up as it was.

Thump!

His foot slipped.

It was because he stepped on the water that Lee Min-ki had spilled while drinking a little while ago.

“Ouch, ouch, ouch….”

He rolled around noisily.

Park Tae-gyeon stroked his sore butt, barely regained his senses, and looked up with a frown.

Then, there was another unexpected sight unfolding there.

“Um, are you okay?”

It was Lee Min-ki.

He was looking down at him with pitiful eyes.

“…….”

Instantly, a hot heat rose to Park Tae-gyeon’s face.

It’s embarrassing.

He came in to scold him, but he’s in this state from the start. At this rate, wouldn’t the discipline be ruined from the start?

It’s enough to just back down.

But for some reason, anger and shame were intertwined, and Park Tae-gyeon’s mind was not in his right mind.

“…Hey.”

Park Tae-gyeon shouted as if he was scolding.

“Do you want to die!”