Top Star By Luck [EN]: Chapter 41

Min-ki’s eyes darted around, noticing the suspicious behavior of someone behind the alley.

‘Who is that?’

He was suspicious, to say the least.

One person was cautiously holding two cameras in both hands, glancing around as if advertising, ‘I’m a suspicious person~’ with their whole body.

Sketchy.

A sketchy smell wafted.

Min-ki’s brain momentarily began to operate at 1.4 times its usual speed.

‘I don’t think I’ve seen him before.’

It had already been almost a month since Min-ki started frequenting the studio like his own home.

He didn’t just come on his own shooting days, but also stayed on set during others’ schedules, recording every scene.

From the actors to the directors and even the staff hidden beneath them with little presence, he considered each and every one of them as living, breathing teaching materials.

That’s why he could say for sure.

‘Suspicious.’

That he was an outsider.

‘I should check it out for a second.’

Instead of immediately walking up to the person and questioning them, Min-ki turned on his phone’s camera to video recording mode and circled around from a distance.

To see what that stranger was trying to film.

Like that.

The moment he stood behind the camera, almost 20m away.

Min-ki could see a scene far away over the stranger’s shoulder.

‘That’s.’

Two people were standing at the far end of the alley.

And that was.

‘It’s Hana Joo, the actress.’

It was Joo Hana, the rookie actress he was working with, and another actor.

Jerry.

A handsome actor from the start.

He was a minor character who only appeared briefly in [Forever Green], but he was someone who could easily take on lead roles in any production if he wanted to.

‘Why is he filming those two?’

As he watched quietly from about thirty steps away, the atmosphere was unusual.

Honestly, the picture looked good.

First of all, Joo Hana had a good look to begin with, and Jerry’s face was constantly filled with refreshing smiles.

An impeccable couple.

It was the moment he saw the stranger in the distance snapping pictures with his camera.

‘Ah.’

A photo flashed through Min-ki’s mind like lightning.

Immediately.

‘That’s a scandal scene.’

The historical photo that triggered Joo Hana’s controversy over managing her image.

He was photographed with Jerry.

It was a photo that represented the actress Joo Hana, so it was clearly imprinted in Min-ki’s mind.

Is it really a scandal?

But thinking about it, the atmosphere they were creating was a little different from that of lovers.

Min-ki knew it well.

‘Those two don’t seem to talk to each other often.’

That they weren’t very close.

Then is there something going on?

He was lost in thought for a moment.

“……Huh!”

The stranger, who had been snapping photos with the camera, let out a groan and fell to the ground.

He discovered Min-ki behind him and his feet went numb.

‘Ah, I felt like I could see something if I thought about it a little more. Tsk.’

Min-ki swallowed his disappointment and walked up to the stranger, asking.

“Excuse me. What’s that camera for?”

“I work here.”

“Really?”

One guess flashed through Min-ki’s mind.

That the person in front of him might really be an employee here.

How likely was it that he was an outside worker?

So he asked.

“Then can you show me your ID card? The one the director handed out himself on the first day of filming.”

“Ah, I left it at home.”

“That’s a relief. We never received anything like that.”

“…….”

The stranger, who had been deceived by the casually spoken lie, twitched his eyes.

Also, Min-ki, who had easily deceived him, sighed softly.

‘I knew it.’

He was just checking in case.

Min-ki scratched his head and said.

“Show me the camera.”

“Pardon?”

“I don’t know what you took, but let’s take a look.”

At those words, the stranger flinched and took a step back, holding the camera preciously in his arms.

“Why should I?”

“You’re suspicious. Don’t you know it’s illegal to take pictures of other people without permission?”

“Do you have any evidence?”

“Yes.”

Min-ki took out his phone without hesitation and tapped the screen for a moment.

“Here you go.”

He held it out as if to show off.

The slowly rotating video showed the stranger focusing on taking pictures for several seconds.

‘Ugh.’

The stranger flinched.

It was undeniable evidence.

It was the moment Min-ki was about to pick up the camera as if there was no need to argue further.

“……Eek!”

He turned around and began to run away frantically.

No, he couldn’t even run away.

Thud!

The stranger tripped over his own legs before he could even take three steps and fell spectacularly.

‘Wow.’

Min-ki admired the series of movements that were like a painting in his mind.

‘There are a lot of people falling in front of me these days.’

Is this also luck?

It seems that luck is really a big thing in the world.

Actually, it was like this.

If Min-ki himself often fell while running due to bad luck, then conversely, other people could fall as well.

That was all.

Min-ki’s luck was simply greater than that stranger’s luck.

“Show me without sweating.”

The moment Min-ki pressed down on the stranger’s shoulder, the stranger tried to shake him off and get up.

But soon he was shocked.

‘How can a skinny guy have so much strength?’

He felt an unbelievable amount of strength from Min-ki’s upper body.

He looked skinny on the outside.

But the strength felt inside was comparable to that of a Judo athlete.

It was accurate.

Why was he strong even though he looked skinny?

The truth was that Min-ki had been thoroughly practicing low-weight, high-repetition exercises.

[Min-ki, even with the same exercise, repeating a small number of repetitions with high weight will make your muscles grow faster. But instead, you’ll lose definition and endurance. So, here’s a question. Conversely, what happens if you repeat a small number of repetitions with low weight?]

[The muscles grow slowly, but the definition is good and the endurance is also good?]

[Exactly!]

[If it’s just for show, doesn’t it matter?]

[Not necessarily, if you need to emphasize a sleek body like actors, it’s not always a good idea to just increase the volume. A sculpted body requires building definition.]

Director Kwon Jun-yong’s arrangement shined.

The current Min-ki had a considerable amount of substance compared to the amount of muscle visible on the outside.

Of course.

[But I wonder if our member knows this? There’s something even better for your body than low-weight, high-repetition.]

[What is it?]

[Low-weight, very high-repetition.]

[…….]

Thanks to working so hard.

“Let go! Let go!”

“I don’t want to. Just show me the camera quickly.”

“Ugh!”

It was in the midst of such a sudden physical fight.

The commotion had grown this big, there was no way they couldn’t hear it even if they were a little far away.

It was soon exposed.

“……Min-ki?”

“Wow.”

It was Joo Hana.

She had come with Jerry and was looking at Min-ki with a dumbfounded expression.

“What are you doing now?”

“Paparazzi.”

“That person?”

“Yes, a paparazzi taking bad pictures.”

“…….”

* * *

The result came out.

The stranger was forced to choose between reporting to the police and cooperating, and he had no choice.

“Wow, this is a very bad person.”

“…….”

“Why do you live like this?”

“…….”

He silently lowered his head and obediently showed the camera.

Min-ki slowly scanned the list of photos he had taken and was filled with a dumbfounded feeling.

‘There are people like this.’

The photos in his camera’s memory were mostly of Joo Hana.

To be precise, photos outside of acting.

‘Every single composition is like this.’

It was full of photos of Joo Hana having friendly conversations with male actors.

And every single one was taken with a deliberate composition.

This wasn’t the first time, there were dozens of similar photos, and some of them were familiar to Min-ki.

That is, those photos that later caused Joo Hana’s controversy over managing her image.

‘The truth of the image management scandal was just this.’

His head spun for a moment.

He had been slowly avoiding Joo Hana because he felt suspicious of her kind behavior from the beginning of filming, but was it all a misunderstanding?

And it was a scandal caused by this malicious paparazzi.

It was difficult to be sure, but all the circumstances pointed to this conclusion.

‘Photo leaks are scary.’

It was like a weakness for acting actors.

While other celebrities work in studios, actors who specialize in acting often film outdoors.

That’s why they were easily targeted by paparazzi.

‘There’s no identity check or anything outdoors. A high-performance camera is enough to ruin a person’s life.’

Is that why American celebrities bring bodyguards, not just one, but a whole team?

As he was scanning the camera with a complicated gaze, Jerry muttered.

“This is crazy.”

“…….”

“How much do you get for one of these?”

“…….”

“You don’t get paid? If you do this without getting paid, you’re even crazier.”

Contrary to his refreshing face, his quiet, venomous words continued.

Each time, the paparazzi’s head fell further down.

“Wow, the photos look very serious. We’re not like that, though. Right? Hana. Actually, I was just asking for advice on how to act here and there……”

Jerry let out a hollow laugh, and Joo Hana glared at him.

“Ahem.”

Jerry flinched at the silent look that meant to read the room and said.

“Anyway, Min-ki, thank you. It would have been dangerous if these photos were spread outside, but I survived thanks to you.”

“I just saw it clearly.”

“Haha, it would be a disaster if these photos were spread outside. But it’s common for handsome actors like me to be involved in scandals, but it’s a bit fatal for female rookie actors. You’ll know when you get more used to this industry, Min-ki.”

Of course, I know.

I know and I can’t not know how these photos spread and what happens to them.

‘But the important thing is prevention.’

Just because he was caught in the middle doesn’t mean he’ll quit.

If a paparazzi quits after being caught once, he’s not a paparazzi.

It was necessary to prevent it somehow.

And.

This method appeared in a different aspect that Min-ki had not thought of.

“Manager.”

“I came right after hearing the story.”

It was Joo Hana’s manager who came.

He was a man who boasted a physique like a mountain, and there was a tattoo wriggling on his chin.

A man who seemed more suited to the word gangster than manager.

‘I still can’t get used to it even after seeing it.’

Min-ki had also encountered him several times.

It couldn’t be helped.

When he was talking to Joo Hana, her manager was watching him from afar with a fierce look.

“Agh!”

He grabbed the paparazzi’s arm with his arm like a crane and stood up, saying.

“From now on, we’ll talk among ourselves. Actors, please go about your business.”

“Manager, there.”

“You don’t have to worry. This isn’t the first time this has happened to our company. We’ll take care of it for sure.”

“Heeik……!”

The paparazzi’s shoulders, which he thought had already shrunk to the limit at the word processing, went beyond the limit.

Well, agency employees would be familiar with these flies.

‘This side is the expert.’

At this point, Min-ki also decided to let go.

He had done his part by stepping up and catching him on the spot.

He didn’t want to add another malicious paparazzi by stepping up unnecessarily. And from now on, there was nothing he could do.

‘There’s no point in making things bigger.’

Literally, it’s best to leave the work of experts to experts.

The actor’s job is acting.

The manager takes care of the actor.

“Then shall we go out for a cup of coffee?”

It was the moment Jerry, who had been watching the situation, got up from his seat.

“Ah, I’ll pay for Min-ki’s.”

Joo Hana said as if she had been waiting.

“Hana, what about me?”

“Choose something under 3,000 won [approximately $2.50 USD].”

“Eh.”

He was about to become a victim, so he was confused, but he got the impression that he was trying to ease the atmosphere.

Just as he was about to get up from his seat.

“Actor.”

Joo Hana’s manager said as if to grab Min-ki.

“Yes?”

“Thank you. It almost became a big deal, but it seems like it will be resolved well thanks to you.”

“…….”

He bowed his head like a big rock face.

While holding the paparazzi’s arm tightly in one hand as if twisting a child’s wrist.

Min-ki watched the awkward picture for a moment.

“What did I do.”

He just laughed it off and came out.

* * *

A small commotion ended.

A trivial commotion, but one that contained a huge possibility that could tarnish an actor’s entire career for someone.

As if nothing had happened from the beginning, the on-site filming continued.

After another month and a half, one evening.

The highlight scene of [Detective Gu Hak-jin] in [Forever Green] was just around the corner.

‘Ah, this isn’t easy.’

It was the scene where [Detective Gu Hak-jin] is tortured and killed.

In fact, it was his exit scene.

He thought, feeling the rough gaze of actor Kang Do-won, who played the role of the murderer, as much as his back of his head tingled.

‘He’s truly a master of method acting.’

He could feel the murderous intent even before he started acting.

He didn’t know that murderous intent really existed, but the energy that actor Kang Do-won was emitting was in a realm that couldn’t be explained unless it was murderous intent.

But that’s over now.

Once this scene passes, his filming will be over for the time being.

He would be able to relax and focus on studying.

He was about to entrust his body to the makeup team, thinking that.

“Hmm, no matter what I do, the feeling doesn’t come alive.”

The art director in charge of his makeup kept muttering.

“I was originally going to have him wear a dress shirt, but the feeling doesn’t quite come alive. That desperate feeling.”

He meant that he couldn’t get the feeling of [Detective Gu Hak-jin] being tortured.

Even though it had already been decided in the script a long time ago.

“Director Yeom, can we talk for a moment?”

After the two held an emergency meeting while keeping Min-ki sitting like a rocking chair for a while.

“Wouldn’t it be enough to put some blood and water on it?”