Top Star By Luck [EN]: Chapter 32

32.

What should I say?

As one lives, there are times when unexpected things are encountered.

Like natural disasters that can’t be prepared for.

Lee Minki was exactly like that right now.

“Me?”

He was just sitting quietly in the cafe when someone came up and spoke to him.

Wondering what was going on, she said.

“Yes, you’re actor Lee Minki, right?”

“My name is Lee Minki, but…”

At Lee Minki’s words, the woman in front of him smiled brightly, her eyes forming crescent shapes.

She looked like she was about to die of happiness.

“I told you I was right.”

She excitedly told the woman she was with, then turned her gaze back to Lee Minki.

“You’re so handsome.”

“Haha… thank you.”

“By the way, could you possibly give me an autograph?”

“My autograph?”

Lee Minki cleared his throat again.

It was an autograph request, of all things.

She had spoken to him first, asking for his autograph.

‘Unbelievable.’

Even in his past life, he had worked as an actor, but back then, there was hardly anyone who recognized him.

Because he mostly played minor roles or supporting roles that were like minor roles.

So, if you ask whether he could sign or not.

“Of course, I should.”

Giving one was the right thing to do.

As Lee Minki skillfully tried to take out a pen from his bag, the woman held out a notebook.

“Please sign here.”

“What should I write?”

“Please write, ‘From Lee Minki, with infinite love to Hwang Yeseo.'”

At those words, the tip of the pen in Lee Minki’s hand drew a smooth curve.

A fluent handwriting that anyone could recognize as something he had done more than once or twice.

It was all thanks to constant autograph practice.

Are there any aspiring actors who haven’t practiced their autograph?

Everyone creates their own special autograph.

Lee Minki was the same.

“Your handwriting is so pretty. Your hands too!”

“Can I get one too?”

The woman who came with her followed suit.

There was no reason to refuse.

“Ah, of course. Of course. What should I write?”

“Please write, ‘Good luck with the entrance exam.'”

“Good… luck… with… the… entrance… exam.”

Shortly after, a scream of joy erupted once again.

It didn’t even take a few tens of seconds to sign, but she looked like she was about to die of happiness.

But the one who really felt like he was about to die of happiness was Lee Minki.

‘So this is why people become actors.’

He was even feeling rewarded for choosing this profession.

A feeling that made him want to tremble.

In the end, Lee Minki made up his mind at the sight before him.

‘I can’t let this go to waste.’

The desire to do something more for them suddenly reared its head.

“Should we take a picture together?”

“Really?! Wow, I’d love to!”

The woman shouted in an even more joyful voice and took out her phone.

A fluid motion as if she had prepared it in advance.

Click!

It was when he took a picture like that.

‘Huh?’

Lee Minki was still missing two facts at this point.

The first was that this place was a public place, being a cafe in front of his house.

And the other.

That the public often goes to autograph sessions, even if they don’t know the person well, just to get one.

“That person is an actor, I heard?”

“Who is it?”

“His name is Lee Minki.”

“Let’s see… I’ll search him up… Oh? He was recently in a drama, I heard?”

“He’s a rookie. Wow, he looks stylish.”

“He signed with JC.”

Some people found out about Lee Minki on the spot.

“Baseball stadium?”

“That baseball stadium thing.”

“If you get an autograph and post an 인증글 [a picture proving you got the autograph], it’s 념글감 [worthy of becoming a trending post].”

“I’ll 바로 개추 박아버리기 [immediately upvote it].”

There were also people who wanted to get Lee Minki’s autograph for other reasons.

And.

“If I get an autograph, it’ll have collectible value later, right?”

There were also people who were trying to get an autograph for another reason.

And so, a line gradually began to form in front of Lee Minki.

There were only about twenty people in the cafe.

Only one of them was a fan of Lee Minki.

But like a fire spreading along a fuse, the number of people trying to get his autograph gradually increased, surpassing ten.

‘How did things turn out like this?’

It’s hectic.

It’s exciting, but even more confusing.

But it’s also exciting.

The autographs that he thought he wouldn’t have to use for a while were being pulled out of Lee Minki’s hand like taffy.

Each time, compliments from non-fans followed.

“You’re much more handsome in person.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ll be a fan from today.”

“Thank you.”

“‘Choegang Nokdae Fighting!’ Please say that once.”

“Pardon?”

“‘Choegang Nokdae Fighting!'”

“…Choegang Nokdae Fighting.”

“Thank you! Hahaha.”

He was signing away like that.

Beyond the people in line, he caught sight of one person staring at him with a dumbfounded expression from afar.

That person was.

‘Sis?’

Lee Minki’s sister, Lee Minseo.

She was sitting a distance away, legs crossed, watching Lee Minki and constantly snapping photos with her camera.

“…”

He didn’t know if it was good luck or bad luck.

Lee Minki thought so, and moved the arm signing even faster.

* * *

As the autograph session-like event came to an end, Lee Minki moved home with his sister, Lee Minseo.

It was cramped, but he couldn’t help it.

Because it wasn’t an atmosphere where they could talk in the cafe.

But even after arriving home, the smile didn’t leave Lee Minseo’s face.

“Wow, our little brother, you’ve become a star.”

“…”

“‘Choegang Nokdae Fighting’~”

“Ah! I told you not to do that.”

“Eung~ Geugeu Heujeu Meuleugeu~ [Nonsense mimicking excited speech]”

“Sis, please…”

“Wow, seeing you in person, you’re so handsome. You’re much better looking than on screen.”

“…”

It was an unavoidable situation.

A sister excited to tease her younger brother, and a younger brother being unilaterally beaten.

Those two were in this place.

‘How did it turn out like this.’

Lee Minki was seized with a miserable feeling.

He was trying to show off his best, no, dignified side, but it turned out like this.

He even dressed up carefully.

He was thinking of showing only a sophisticated side so that he wouldn’t be caught picking on anything.

“낄낄낄낄, 깔깔깔깔! [Sounds of laughter]”

The laughter didn’t leave Lee Minseo’s face.

Looking closely, she was even shedding tears.

In the end, Lee Minki gave up on maintaining his cool image and said.

“Are you that happy?”

“Of course, I’m happy that my little brother has become a celebrity.”

“Ah, come on.”

“Why are you being mean to your sister? It’s like the one who farted is getting angry [Korean idiom for someone who is guilty getting angry]. Why are you being like this to me when you’re the one who held an autograph session?”

“…”

“Just kidding, sorry, sorry.”

She waved her hand as if she had laughed all she would laugh next year, and then said.

“I was wondering if you’d end up like before, rotting away in your room like mold, but it seems like you’ve changed a lot.”

“Oh, come on.”

“I’m not teasing you. This is for real.”

Lee Minseo’s gaze reached every corner of Lee Minki’s room as she said that.

There weren’t any big changes in the house.

It seemed like he had achieved some success professionally, but in fact, that wasn’t very important.

Lee Minseo was more aware of the change in Lee Minki himself.

‘He’s become more mature. And brighter.’

What kind of person was Lee Minki that she remembered?

When she thought about it, he was a person who was always negative and had a gloomy atmosphere.

It wasn’t strange.

‘He had several times worse luck than others since he was young, so he used to say that he was someone who couldn’t do anything himself.’

When the inside rots, the smell permeates to the outside.

Lee Minki was always like that.

Starting with an expression that wasn’t confident, to a hunched posture.

And even the trailing off at the end of his sentences.

He was always someone who was hard to recognize as having confidence.

He was always tormented by impatience, as if a loan shark was chasing him from behind.

But the current him in Lee Minseo’s eyes was completely different.

‘Has it been about half a year since I saw him? People change this much in that time.’

She could tell because she was family.

He was embarrassed, but not intimidated. His posture from his waist to his back was firm. His voice had also become easier to listen to.

And he had even become unknowingly more mature.

He had fundamentally changed.

“I can tell without looking.”

“What again.”

“Minki, you know. You, it seems like you’re living well.”

“I have to live well. I came out here making such a big noise.”

“You know you made a big noise?”

Lee Minseo laughed and said.

“Then I’ll be going.”

“You’re already leaving?”

Lee Minki asked in surprise at the unexpected words.

“Why don’t you have a meal with me? Sis, I know a delicious restaurant in front of here.”

“I’d like to, but I have plans with friends in the evening. I just came to drop off some kimchi.”

“That’s too bad. I was going to buy you a meal for once.”

“No thanks. If I get a meal from someone in their early career, bad luck will stick to my family for three generations.”

“Sis, you’re family with me too?”

“Are you cursing me?”

Lee Minseo stuffed her things roughly into her bag as if she wasn’t kidding, and then got up from her seat.

“If you really want to buy me a meal, earn a lot of money later and buy something expensive for our parents. Like Korean beef tenderloin steak.”

“That’s a bit expensive.”

“Right? I won’t accept anything less than that.”

Lee Minki looked at her with regretful eyes at her iron wall-like words.

But Lee Minseo instead hurried her steps to the front door with a relieved face.

“Then I’ll be going.”

“Yeah, say hello to our parents for me.”

“I’ll take care of it.”

That was the end.

Thump!

Lee Minseo left his studio without hesitation, no matter how much they had talked.

‘She really left. How disappointing.’

To miss that annoying sister.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen her, so strange things are happening.

Was it almost 5 years?

Lee Minki blinked blankly for a moment out of a strange sense of regret, and then his gaze reached the kimchi container that Lee Minseo had left behind.

‘Come to think of it, I haven’t been eating kimchi since I’ve been living alone.’

Kimchi is surprisingly expensive.

It can be seen as a small luxury item in a humble single-person household.

‘It’s almost time to eat, should I taste it?’

Lee Minki took the opportunity to scoop rice from the rice cooker and set the table.

Brown rice, smoked chicken breast heated in the microwave.

And seven almonds.

He added only kimchi to his usual diet.

He picked out a leaf of kimchi with large chunks of seasoning, wrapped it in rice, and put it in his mouth.

“…”

Lee Minki sat blankly, forgetting to chew without realizing it.

What should I say?

It was an emotion that was difficult to explain in words.

‘Mom’s kimchi tasted like this.’

Kimchi is just kimchi, but it was kimchi that he hadn’t eaten in so long.

His parents’ kimchi that he hadn’t eaten in 5 years.

He had never felt it was particularly delicious, but it touched his heart so much that it was difficult to swallow no matter how much he chewed.

Gulp.

Was it around the time he chewed for a long time and swallowed it down his throat?

Suddenly, Lee Minki made a decision.

‘I have to succeed.’

Success as an actor is also success.

But I won’t miss out on human relationships in this life either.

To do that, let’s start with the next project first.

Let’s eat hard and go work out.

Lee Minki started playing with his chopsticks again with that thought.

Clatter clatter.

The sound of dishes clashing echoed slowly for a long time in the quiet studio.