Top Star By Luck [EN]: Chapter 102

102. Unacceptable

“I can’t accept this.”

Those blunt words spilled from Heo Su-oh, the model.

Lee Min-ki and Kim-gam froze for a moment.

Kim-gam swallowed the last bite of his sandwich, cleared his throat, and spoke, “Su-oh, what do you mean you can’t accept it?”

“Exactly what I said. I can’t accept the runway scene we just filmed.”

*What are you going to do if you don’t accept it?*

Kim-gam’s brain stalled, and he felt a wave of absurdity as Heo Su-oh pointed a finger at Lee Min-ki.

“Are you seriously planning to use that sloppy runway performance as it is? Are you serious?”

“Pardon?”

“The stride, the eye contact, even the attitude were all lacking in basic skills. What kind of runway is that?”

“…….”

*What is he even talking about?*

Kim-gam quickly regained his composure and blinked.

After a moment of frantic thought, he arrived at a conclusion.

*Ah, this is one of those cases.*

It happens sometimes.

People who can’t accept the work as it is and forcibly inject their own justifications into their acting.

For example, when asked to film a military drama, they refuse to film a scene where soldiers fight each other, arguing that the real military isn’t like that.

*Lee Min-ki’s runway walk was indeed far from a real runway.*

But so what?

People often misunderstand because Director Hwang Ui-seong’s work emphasizes reality, but his work also contains dramatic exaggeration.

It’s just that he directs it so well that it looks more plausible than reality.

Lee Min-ki’s seemingly lacking runway walk will also become plausible once it’s edited.

However.

“There must be a misunderstanding. I can’t be a character who gets overshadowed by a model like that in the story. This doesn’t make sense.”

Heo Su-oh couldn’t accept that.

“You, the other actor, should say something too. Wouldn’t you be ashamed if something like that was shown in theaters?”

“Hmm.”

*Has the attack finally come?*

Instead of answering Heo Su-oh, Kim-gam looked at Lee Min-ki sitting next to him.

*How this guy reacts is the bigger problem.*

It can still be covered up.

As long as it doesn’t reach Director Hwang Ui-seong’s ears, it can be smoothed over somehow.

But it’s a bit different if the lead actor loses his temper.

*From then on, I have no choice but to side with the lead actor.*

Heo Su-oh is just a minor role at best.

A character who appears once at the beginning to highlight the genius of the protagonist [Lee Jong-ho], and then appears again in the latter half to show the contrast with the successful [Lee Min-ki].

There’s no way I can give the lead actor grief just to appease the actor in such a role, right?

*Should I watch a little longer.*

It was the moment Kim-gam was stalling.

“The model is right.”

The words came from Lee Min-ki’s mouth.

It was contrary to everyone else’s expectations.

“The model, who is a professional model, knows the runway much better.”

* * *

“…….”

“…….”

“…….”

It was an admission.

Lee Min-ki admitted his own lack of ability as a model.

*I thought he would at least argue, but he’s coming out with an admission?*

Kim-gam outwardly remained calm, but inwardly, he exclaimed in surprise.

Lee Min-ki is a star-level lead actor, even if he’s a rookie.

There’s no need to give in just because a minor role is criticizing him, but he’s giving in here?

*But if he accepts the idea of modifying the story, that’s crazy too.*

What is he thinking by admitting it?

He should know that simply covering things up isn’t always the answer.

Surely he’s not thinking of making things more complicated by pretending to be nice.

It was the moment when curiosity and a little disappointment about Lee Min-ki were about to surface.

“But I know the actor’s job better.”

“……?”

A statement close to a rebuttal suddenly popped out of Lee Min-ki’s mouth.

“The details in the work may be woefully inadequate from the perspective of a professional. Movies are inevitably made by non-experts.”

It was an unavoidable reality.

It’s good to realistically depict the industry, but the creators’ expertise is often insufficient to perfectly capture the nuances.

Perfectly realizing reality is close to impossible.

*Even if you make it that way, it doesn’t necessarily become more interesting.*

Lee Min-ki continued, “Su-oh, in sci-fi movies, there are scenes where genius scientists seriously explain basic scientific knowledge to each other. Have you ever seen that?”

“That’s…….”

Heo Su-oh flinched at the sudden question.

He was agitated until just now, but he was taken aback by Lee Min-ki’s calm demeanor.

*It takes two to tango*, so there’s no point in trying to shout and get angry alone.

“I’ve seen it,” Heo Su-oh admitted.

In response, Lee Min-ki smiled gently and continued, “Actually, it doesn’t make sense. If they’re genius scientists, they don’t need to explain basic theories to each other, just like we don’t need to explain how to do arithmetic when calculating money.”

It was a common occurrence in movies.

Scenes where people who are the highest authorities in their field pretend to have a huge debate over very basic concepts.

It seems plausible at first glance, but unfortunately, it’s completely divorced from reality.

“The director probably knows it too. Those works are usually made with advice from actual scientific authorities.”

“But why do they put in those scenes? Aren’t they ashamed?”

Heo Su-oh frowned as if he couldn’t accept it.

Lee Min-ki smiled back and answered, “They’re explaining it to the audience.”

“Explain?”

“Yes, it’s nothing to scientists, but the audience doesn’t know. They deliberately put in unnecessary conversations to explain it.”

That’s right.

What the directors gained in exchange for compromising the plausibility of the work.

That was accessibility.

What they gained in exchange for compromising so that the work could stand as a work of entertainment.

*It’s an easy trap to overlook the more you like a work.*

It was a question mainly raised by enthusiasts.

Why does the director deliberately try to undermine that easy-to-understand plausibility?

[LOL, they’re really making movies carelessly]

[They’re glossing over things that you can figure out if you think about it a little]

[You can enjoy it if your mental age is under high school]

[I wish they would at least Google it and write the script]

[A movie that’s good to watch after drinking – 4/10]

If you switch off your brain and watch it, no questions will arise.

It was because they tried to look at the work a little more deeply that they became suspicious, and they became angry and criticized it.

*But I don’t hate the criticism itself.*

Even if the direction is wrong from the perspective of a commercial work, it basically means that they thought about the work.

If you ignore those opinions altogether, that becomes another kind of deep-rooted problem.

Lee Min-ki, having organized his thoughts, slowly spoke, “If you felt something lacking in my runway walk, it’s probably because you’re right. It was lacking because it was lacking.”

“……But why?”

“But it’s different from the movie’s point of view. My lacking runway walk may be needed in the work, even if it’s not realistic. That’s what I gather from the director’s approval.”

That’s probably true.

Professionals would laugh if they saw this scene.

Lee Min-ki himself was more aware of this fact than anyone else.

“It seems very different from the runways of real models.”

Did he not know this?

Rather, he knew it well.

Although his modeling experience was insignificant compared to Heo Su-oh, he was by no means a person who had lived superficially.

In his life, whatever he did, he was sincere.

He didn’t do anything carelessly.

That’s why he was able to express even another word with sincerity.

“Actually, I was very impressed while watching Su-oh’s runway walk.”

It was respect for the other person.

“It was really perfect. I thought, ‘He’s a pro because he’s polished it so much.’ I was so nervous because I thought I was going to be after Su-oh. I thought my head was going to be paralyzed while acting?”

He knows the modeling business.

He also knows how much time a model puts in for a short few tens of seconds on the runway.

That’s why he could respect Heo Su-oh.

He couldn’t completely agree with the subtle animosity that models sometimes have towards actors, but he could at least understand it.

“I’m going to Fashion Week next time, so I’m practicing these days, but even if I practice until my feet are blistered, I can’t get the angle right. I thought a lot about that while watching Su-oh.”

“…….”

Heo Su-oh stopped talking at the continuous praise.

The words that started with affirmation led to rebuttal, and soon transitioned from explanation to praise.

What should I say when the other person acknowledges and praises me?

Admit you were wrong, bow your head, apologize, and fix it?

That’s what socially inept internet trolls do.

Heo Su-oh may be somewhat arrogant and hot-tempered, but he wasn’t that kind of person.

That’s why he could choose the right answer.

“……Thank you.”

It was a thank you for recognizing his skills.

The conversation was working.

Lee Min-ki, who had built up a long preamble, smiled and said, “From now on, there will probably be some shortcomings while acting. It may seem very childish and awkward from Su-oh’s point of view. So…”

What exists after affirmation and criticism in a debate.

That was co-option.

“I hope Su-oh will teach me a lot in the future. Let’s make a good work together.”

Turning even the enemy into an ally through dialogue.

Lee Min-ki extended a hand of reconciliation in the truest sense.

“……I understand.”

Even Heo Su-oh accepted Lee Min-ki’s opinion after a long conversation.

He couldn’t harbor animosity.

If he resisted, he would really become the bad guy.

No normal person wants to voluntarily become a bad person.

Heo Su-oh was the same.

“There was a reason for everything.”

He accepted it.

As if that wasn’t enough, he hesitated for a moment and said, “When I thought about it, I think Min-ki is right. I was a little short-sighted. I’m sorry.”

“I’m grateful that you said that.”

“No, it’s nothing.”

After only a few words of conversation, the person changed.

It was as if he had become a completely different person, like a ferocious dog who met trainer Kang Hyung-wook in *My Dog Has Changed* [a popular South Korean TV show where a dog trainer helps owners correct their dogs’ behavior].

“There must have been many shortcomings in my acting in Min-ki’s eyes, right?”

Heo Su-oh’s head had completely cooled down.

Then, with a smile, the relationship between the two was resolved.

“Actually, a little. About this much.”

“Haha…….”

“But you did a really good job.”

Before he knew it, the cold atmosphere had completely disappeared, and only two colleagues remained.

It was the moment he witnessed that scene with his own eyes.

*Did Lee Min-ki equip himself with a wind-style mouth technique?* [A reference to martial arts techniques that use wind-like speed and precision, implying Lee Min-ki’s persuasive skills are extraordinary].

Kim-gam exclaimed inwardly.

*No, what kind of persuasion is this to someone who came to criticize his acting? How old is he? Does this make sense?*

It’s easy to overlook because Lee Min-ki continued to speak so calmly, but this was something that should never happen.

For someone who isn’t a director to criticize the acting of a professional actor.

There is no greater rudeness in the world than this.

If an actor with a slightly worse personality had heard this.

[What, you idiot. If you don’t like it, go argue with the director. Why are you coming to me and yelling?]

It wouldn’t be strange if this kind of reaction came out.

*Amazing.*

When you think about it, he didn’t just give in.

*He refuted everything.*

It’s easy to overlook because the words are long and calm, but if you look closely, he refuted all of Heo Su-oh’s criticisms.

[My words are right, and your words are wrong.]

However, in the process of saying everything he wanted to say, he was close to slipping a survival strategy into Heo Su-oh’s pocket.

The more his head cooled down, the more he took care of everything to the point where a hollow laugh came out.

*Wow, he would have made a living even if he was a snake oil salesman.*

Why?

Suddenly, one of the rumors Kim-gam had heard before came to mind.

The story that Lee Min-ki hung out with Kim Do-ha and his gang, sexually harassed a woman, and then silenced her with money.

*That must be bullshit.*

There’s no way someone who lives with his brain empty enough to be caught so easily could be so logical.

That’s why rumors are bad.

The people who made Director Hwang Ui-seong a colder person than he really is, and the people who made Lee Min-ki a sexual harasser, are the same.

*Everyone needs to know this news soon.*

Kim-gam decided to spread the good story about Lee Min-ki to everyone in the industry.

Meanwhile.

*I heard an interesting story.*

There was a person who was smiling after overhearing their conversation nearby.

A middle-aged man whose expression was so faint that it was questionable whether he was even smiling.

It was Director Hwang Ui-seong.

He was about to suggest that they share a bowl of *galbitang* [Korean short rib soup] and talk about the work, but Lee Min-ki’s long speech caught his attention.

*He’s definitely smart.*