Top Star By Luck [EN]: Chapter 69

69

“…….”

Director Kwon Ye-rin, holding her phone, twitched her eyes.

The message on her phone read:

[Excuse me, but if it’s not too much trouble, would it be possible to request a tour of the studio?]

[The actor asked.]

Director Kwon Ye-rin examined those two sentences for a moment.

Then, she burst into laughter.

‘Not like a college student.’

Coming to the studio for a tour.

What exactly does he expect to gain?

Did he see something somewhere?

There were rumors that some celebrities who are serious about filming come to the set in advance to observe and get used to the environment.

‘That’s usually an exaggeration.’

There wasn’t much for an actor to do on set.

Just come, review the storyboard, get makeup done, film according to instructions, and go back.

‘His motivation is admirable, though.’

Director Kwon Ye-rin smiled while holding her phone.

Perhaps her expression seemed strange.

A storyboard writer passing by peeked in and asked.

“What’s going on?”

“Ah, Ms. Writer, take a look at this too.”

“Just a moment.”

The storyboard writer, Ms. Na, wearing studio shorts, received the phone from Kwon Ye-rin and looked surprised.

“Wow, amazing.”

With her eyes wide and her hand covering her mouth, Ms. Na asked in a surprised voice.

“Lee Min-ki is coming for a tour? Really?”

Even a child receiving a Christmas present from the real Santa Claus wouldn’t be this happy.

“There’s no need to be so surprised. He probably wants to ease some anxiety.”

Director Kwon Ye-rin shrugged and said.

“He’s a rookie, so he doesn’t have experience filming commercials.”

That was wrong.

It wasn’t that he was a rookie without commercial experience, but rather that, despite being experienced, his position in the industry was less than a prop.

Lee Min-ki couldn’t even become a cover model for magazines found in convenience stores, let alone commercials.

“Lee Min-ki will graduate from being a rookie really quickly.”

That would be rude to the person involved.

If he heard those words, he would probably be happy and gloomy at the same time.

In any case, they would never know about his circumstances.

Ms. Na was practically jumping up and down, saying.

“Crazy. He’s so diligent. The rumors weren’t just rumors?”

“We don’t know yet.”

“Director, do you dislike Lee Min-ki?”

“No? Not really?”

“Then why do you keep refuting when someone says something good about Lee Min-ki?”

“Hmm, a rational inference based on empiricism?”

As if that were true.

Ms. Na sighed and said.

“You’re going to tell him to come, right?”

“Well… it’s hard to refuse when he’s coming, right?”

In any case, Lee Min-ki was an actor directly picked by the advertiser.

They didn’t have a particularly bad relationship.

Ms. Na smiled brightly in that short moment and said.

“Ah, I should buy a gift for Min-ki when he comes.”

It’s like having a guest over.

Director Kwon Ye-rin felt a good intuition somewhere, but she tried to deny it and said.

“Oh, what about the copywriter’s work that I asked you about last time?”

“Ah, that.”

At that moment.

The smile that was dancing all over Ms. Na’s face vanished in an instant.

She sighed and said.

“It seems like he’s not getting the feel for it.”

“Really?”

“Yes, he’s been trying in various ways, but he said that the sentences aren’t hitting him, so he asked for a few more days.”

It had happened in the last few days.

A freelance copywriter working with Studio Shorts was going through a slump recently.

The sight of his gaunt face made Director Kwon Ye-rin frown.

‘He wasn’t like that before.’

Slump, my foot.

He was overflowing with ideas.

He had a knack for hitting the jackpot as soon as he touched a project.

To the point where people said they trusted him.

The importance of a copywriter in advertising was immense.

Perhaps the greatest.

‘But if things don’t work out, I’ll have to replace him.’

As a fellow creator, she understood the situation, but there were times when she had to be cold as a professional before being a creator.

“What if he doesn’t give us an answer until the end?”

Ms. Na muttered with a worried voice.

Director Kwon Ye-rin looked at the wall and pondered before saying.

“Okay, I understand. I’ll look for a backup just in case.”

* * *

‘I’m excited.’

Lee Min-ki was excited these days.

If there weren’t people around, he would have thrown away his expression management long ago and smiled all day long.

Of course, he couldn’t help but be excited.

Because.

[Cafe del Dia Exceeds 13% Viewership]

Things were going well.

“Hehe, hehehe, hehehehe.”

Ah, mistake.

He was holding it in, but as he relaxed, laughter burst out again.

Anyway, Cafe del Dia was fluctuating between 11% and 12% viewership.

Even this much wasn’t bad.

It could be called a successful work.

For the actor Lee Min-ki, it would be as good as a blockbuster in terms of raising his name value.

But in the end, it did one more admirable thing.

[Isn’t this new episode fun?]

Starting with episode 10, it showed signs of a rebound, and by episode 12, it had broken through the 13% barrier.

[Seeing the three of them getting along makes me laugh ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

[They were constantly bickering at first]

[I brought a shoulder shot of Lee Min-ki]

[Ha, the chemistry between Lee Min-ki and Seol-ha is so good. The best of the rude male lead and the kind female lead]

[Ji-hwan is a scene-stealer]

[Let’s just have them live together]

It was the power of the new episode.

Expanding from a neighborhood commercial district fight to a world competition stage, and adding a new layer of change to the existing characters seemed to have worked positively.

Was this everything?

Thanks to the smooth filming, there was plenty of footage left.

‘They said that filming is almost done up to episode 15.’

With only one or two more filming sessions, the filming of the 16-episode drama would be over.

‘There’s time left.’

This was rare in the hectic drama filming scene.

Originally, even if they started broadcasting with some stockpiled footage, the reality was that script pages would eventually be rushed out in the second half.

But this time, the situation was different.

There was time left.

Lee Min-ki decided to use this extra time in a more beneficial way than resting.

That was.

“Hello! This is Lee Min-ki!”

A tour of the advertising studio.

Director Kwon Ye-rin smiled at him, who was full of anticipation.

“Welcome. I heard it’s your first TV commercial?”

“Yes!”

“I heard you’re very interested in the set, so feel free to ask anything you don’t know while looking around. I’ll answer everything as long as it doesn’t interfere.”

“I look forward to working with you!”

Lee Min-ki shouted in a voice full of energy.

The combination of lung capacity built up through exercise and proper vocalization created a voice that pierced the listener like an arrow.

‘He’s energetic.’

Director Kwon Ye-rin flinched without realizing it at the unexpectedly intense first impression.

Meanwhile, a woman who was standing a step away from her and peeking around approached Lee Min-ki and spoke.

“Hello.”

It was Ms. Na, a storyboard writer from [Studio Shorts].

“I’m enjoying the drama. You looked great on screen, but you’re much more handsome in person.”

It was a sudden compliment.

He had been receiving a lot of compliments about his appearance lately.

But that didn’t mean he got used to it.

‘It’s thrilling no matter how many times I hear it.’

In Lee Min-ki’s opinion, compliments about his appearance were like Tylenol [a common pain reliever].

In that he didn’t build up a tolerance no matter how much he heard them.

In other words, he was always in a good mood.

“Thank you for seeing me in a good light.”

It was the moment Lee Min-ki smiled gently.

‘Look at that smile…….’

Ms. Na felt like flowers were blooming around her and the world was spinning, and she said.

“C-c-could you sign something for me?”

“Ah, I can do that. Where should I sign?”

“Just a moment! I’ll get it right away.”

Ms. Na hurriedly brought a pen and notebook and handed them to Lee Min-ki.

Lee Min-ki, who received them, focused his mind on the tip of the pen.

Soon, the handwriting he had practiced in his spare time for the past few months unfolded gracefully.

Ms. Na looked at it with an emotional expression and said.

“You even write well, actor. I’ll treasure it as a family heirloom.”

A family heirloom.

You speak so beautifully.

Lee Min-ki felt like he wanted to do even more for her.

“Should I do more? I can do as many as you want.”

“……Really?”

“Should I take a picture with you?”

It’s a bonus since we’re here.

That’s how an impromptu personal fan meeting was about to unfold.

Director Kwon Ye-rin frowned and intervened, opening her mouth.

“Ms. Na, the actor didn’t come here to work today. He came as a guest, so we should help him feel comfortable.”

“Ah!”

At those words, Ms. Na was startled and bowed her head to Lee Min-ki.

“Actor, did I go too far?”

“Yes? No.”

It was a perfect opportunity.

What interference.

I was thinking about how to sign it.

As Lee Min-ki, who had not fully satisfied his professional consciousness, tried to lick his lips, Director Kwon Ye-rin took him to his designated seat in the corner.

“Please work in this seat. I’ve warned the staff, so if anyone makes you uncomfortable, please tell me. And also, we’ll do our work, so don’t worry about us and feel free to watch.”

“Thank you! I look forward to working with you today!”

Lee Min-ki answered once again in a loud voice.

His voice was energetic and his expression was polite, but Lee Min-ki added a word.

“What time do you get off work today?”

“Well? After 10 PM? I have some work today.”

“Ah, thank you!”

Just by the way he spoke, it seemed like he was going to fill up the time until the evening and leave.

But Director Kwon Ye-rin’s inner thoughts as she looked at it were.

‘I’ll have to wait and see.’

She was still half-doubtful.

It was commendable that he came to see the set.

However, you need to know something about this field to ask questions or anything.

What can a complete layman gain?

Director Kwon Ye-rin didn’t place much significance on Lee Min-ki’s tour.

She thought he would get bored and leave at the right time.

‘He’ll probably stay until the afternoon, right?’

It doesn’t seem like he’s prepared anything.

Then it’s obvious.

Director Kwon Ye-rin didn’t have high expectations and went back to her seat to handle the remaining work.

‘I should buy him lunch in the middle.’

But she still didn’t know.

That Lee Min-ki wasn’t that easy.

* * *

“…….”

Thirty minutes had passed since Lee Min-ki’s tour began.

He sat in his seat and did nothing.

He was just watching the filming set from a distance so as not to disturb the staff.

Tap tap.

Except for occasionally tapping on his laptop or sipping coffee, he didn’t show any special behavior.

Director Kwon Ye-rin glanced back as if she was surprised by the sight.

‘He’s quieter than I thought.’

I thought he would ask something.

I was wondering what to say if he bothered me while I was working.

But Lee Min-ki was different.

With a mask on his face and a baseball cap with the words [Nokde Yotuns] [Likely a fictional or obscure team name, suggesting a minor league or amateur sports team] pulled down, he sat quietly in his seat, observing like a ghost.

Tap tap tap.

Occasionally tapping on his laptop.

‘Doesn’t he have anything to ask?’

Director Kwon Ye-rin had a puzzled expression.

But even after another 30 minutes.

Even after another 30 minutes passed, it didn’t change much.

Tap tap tap.

Lee Min-ki was tapping on his laptop.

Sip sip sip.

Just drinking coffee.

Observation, laptop notes, and coffee.

These three were all Lee Min-ki was doing.

“Actor, what are you eating?”

“Chicken breast.”

“Is it good?”

“No.”

Even if the staff occasionally spoke to him, the conversation didn’t last long.

“This is a dessert I bought in front, would you like to eat it?”

“Thank you, but I’m losing weight.”

“You can eat one and it won’t show.”

“I think so too, but our manager seems to see it.”

He even refused small gifts and drew a clear line.

It was unique how he refused to socialize and focused only on his work.

But he didn’t feel particularly cold.

Unexpected.

He’s so quiet.

‘Doesn’t he have anything he’s curious about?’

Strictly speaking, he had a lot of questions.

He was just organizing them to ask all at once rather than bothering them during work.

Also, watching the set itself was fun.

‘I’ll be filming a commercial here soon, right?’

It was like high school students looking around a university campus.

Moreover, Lee Min-ki had been no different from an entrance exam student for the past seven years.

Just thinking that the middle of that set would soon be his place made it difficult to control his smile.

But slowly, Lee Min-ki was also getting an aura.

Something like an energy that makes you 신경 쓰이게 [Korean slang for ‘bothered’ or ‘concerned’] even if you leave him alone.

‘Is he addicted to coffee?’

He doesn’t seem to be able to take the straw out of his mouth.

He was collecting empty glasses almost like liquor on a display shelf.

And it’s always just iced Americano.

Why is he doing that.

Pondering for a moment.

‘Well, if he’s staying still, I don’t have to say anything first. It’s not like I’m desperate to give someone a rice cake [Korean idiom for trying to gain favor].’

Director Kwon Ye-rin tried to turn her gaze away and focus on filming again.

Lee Min-ki is a guest who came for a tour, but the other side is a guest who came for work.

The actor’s value may be a little different, but when it comes to where to put the weight as a worker, it was clear without comparison.

“Look this way, please.”

“Yes.”

On the filming set, in a makeshift set inside the studio, an actress took various poses.

Today’s commercial was for cosmetics.

The background was a simple space made of gray monochrome, emphasizing that only the actor could shine brightly in an interior that minimized color as much as possible.

In line with the content, the copy was also simple.

‘Shine purely. Paradise.’

The advertising model was a rookie.

Bang Eun-young.

She was so unknown that even if she was placed in the middle of Gangnam-daero [Gangnam Avenue, a busy street in Seoul], only one or two out of a hundred people would recognize her, but at least her visuals were as good as those of famous actors.

Although she was unknown, there was demand for unknowns.

You could give a new image.

‘In thrillers, they sometimes use unknown actors as villains on purpose.’

That’s not to say that Bang Eun-young was completely unknown.

She recently appeared as a minor character in a historical drama, and her appearance was somewhat popular as a Joseon elf [referring to her ethereal beauty reminiscent of the Joseon Dynasty].

She seemed to have a strong sense of pride and a noble air.

But that actually suited the concept of cosmetics.

‘It feels good.’

Thanks to the well-established concept from the idea meeting stage, she thought she could finish filming in the afternoon if things went well.

‘When this is over, I should ask Actor Min-ki if he had any questions.’

Director Kwon Ye-rin picked up the camera again with a happy heart.

But.

Unexpected difficulties always bloom on set.

“Ah, really!”

It was a situation where she couldn’t figure out the reason.

Bing-young shouted, throwing the bag in her hand on the floor.

“I told you to bring me water! I’m thirsty!”