Top Star By Luck [EN]: Chapter 106

The moment Lee Min-ki appeared on the runway,

The chairman was engrossed in a delicate ink painting on [Hanji] Korean paper.

Fluttering sleeves.

Subtle vertical stripes created by the fabric’s natural wrinkles.

One step, two steps.

With each step Lee Min-ki took, the clothes fluttered elegantly, creating a different charm each time.

Someone, captivated by the sight, murmured without realizing it.

“…Is that a modernized Hanbok [traditional Korean clothing]?”

No.

That’s not *just* a modernized Hanbok.

While the design philosophy clearly originated from the Hanbok, it was more like…

Like how British traditional clothing evolved into suits, there was a remarkable sophistication.

‘Ah, what should I call that?’

As I struggled to find the right expression, someone with a keener eye murmured.

“It’s a New Hanbok.”

New Hanbok.

A concept recently introduced as something new.

If the modernized Hanbok was about adapting the Hanbok of the past to make it easier to wear in everyday life, the New Hanbok focused on upgrading the very concept of the Hanbok itself.

Eleven steps, twelve steps.

Less than 10 seconds had passed since Lee Min-ki appeared on the runway.

But each fleeting step was like a brain-shattering shock to the audience.

‘Did Lee Min-ki *really* have that much presence?’

The clothes were one thing.

But Lee Min-ki’s way of pulling them off was overwhelming.

‘He’s definitely short. But his shortness actually feels like an advantage.’

The steps, as straight as if measured with a ruler, even felt graceful.

The gaze isn’t haughty.

Rather, it felt clear, direct.

Why does his perceived physical lacking feel so attractive?

Does it stem from the beauty of the clothes?

Did Lee Min-ki have such great chemistry with the Hanbok that it elevated him?

There were many reasons, but Director Jung Ga-yeon came to this conclusion.

‘It’s plausible.’

Lee Min-ki’s fashion was believable.

It was an infinitely realistic look.

While fashion models often portray an idealized image, as if welcoming gods from mythology, Lee Min-ki’s runway presence was different.

‘It’s real.’

It was infinitely close to reality.

It felt so familiar that I even had the urge to try wearing it myself.

He’s not an unattainable ideal.

But he’s not easily dismissed either.

In other words.

Lee Min-ki was an object of admiration.

‘His walking is alive.’

CEO Yoo Gyu-eon, realizing that his past worries were nothing more than unfounded fears, felt a bitter smile.

‘I should have trusted the actor.’

He had thought Lee Min-ki was not good enough to be on the runway.

As a commercial model, he was second to none.

But compared to professional fashion models, he seemed unskilled and lacked an overwhelming presence.

But now that he’s on stage, what’s the result?

‘That’s the look I was aiming for.’

Terminus.

Blurring the boundaries between art and commerce.

CEO Yoo Gyu-eon decided to create this brand for one reason only.

[In the end, isn’t fashion something that doesn’t truly concern us?]

Because he felt that high art was too distant, too removed from everyday life.

[The model wears it, the celebrities pick it up, and then the ready-to-wear brands refine it and make it very ordinary, and then the public wears it.]

[In the end, when you put it on the market, they all look similar.]

He hated that predictable cycle.

He wanted to break down the barriers and bring high fashion closer to the average person.

He wanted to give it to the public.

He wanted to pursue art that anyone could wear, not just an art piece that looked good only when professional models wore it.

But in the end, he might have been caught up in his own delusion as well.

He was trying to present the philosophy of Terminus only on tall, professional models on the stage where accessibility should have been paramount.

Lee Min-ki.

By wearing it on his body, Terminus is completed at this moment.

‘I want to try wearing it like that.’

‘If you saw it on the street, it’d definitely stand out, right?’

‘Are there any women’s clothes?’

Art that doesn’t end with admiring it as cool, but makes you want to try it yourself.

That’s because it flowed naturally from Lee Min-ki’s body.

‘I’m sorry for doubting him.’

Yoo Gyu-eon smiled wryly several times.

Every step is a missed opportunity.

It’s only been a little over ten seconds since he appeared, but he’s already striking a pose and heading back.

If he had his way, he would clear all the other models from the runway and enjoy a Lee Min-ki special for about three hours.

Heo Su-oh also smiled as he watched Lee Min-ki’s appearance from the waiting room camera.

‘Yeah, that’s what I was trying to show.’

It was Lee Min-ki who *owned* the expression.

It was so frustrating to look at a house built precariously on a cliff that I couldn’t stand it.

Is it all about building a good house?

Isn’t it also important on what foundation it is built?

So I changed it.

Finally, the basics were firmly laid under Lee Min-ki’s expressiveness.

‘He’s graceful.’

Lee Min-ki’s completed expression was well-suited to the words graceful and upright.

While the expressive philosophy of most fashion models is confidence, Lee Min-ki’s expression also included softness.

Like looking at the finest marble, a soft texture and solidity coexisted.

Suddenly, a reporter who attended the meeting recalled.

‘Come to think of it, Lee Min-ki got a little popular wearing a Hanbok last time, didn’t he?’

It was what happened at Gyeongbokgung Palace [a famous royal palace in Seoul].

Wasn’t that a foreshadowing of today?

He flinched.

Suddenly, goosebumps rose.

Lee Min-ki wasn’t suddenly brought in as an event model for this runway; he had been participating in the planning stage for a long time.

I heard that they’re filming a fashion film this time; isn’t today’s fashion show one of the build-ups?

‘It’s obvious.’

At the same time as starting this line of reasoning.

The reporter’s sense of duty also perked up.

‘I need to let the whole world know this news.’

* * *

Lee Min-ki.

He is the name of the actor who recently enjoyed fame with [Cafe del Dia] and [BFC Coffee].

Unlike a rookie, he took on a supporting role from his first work, and in just three projects, he landed the lead role in a public TV drama.

There was always a suspicion that followed him.

[Isn’t the agency pushing him too hard?]

It was said that JC Entertainment was intentionally promoting him aggressively.

[Honestly, anyone would sell well if they were pushed that hard lol]

[How can someone with no background start their acting career as a supporting role lol]

In a way, it could be seen as stemming from jealousy.

Among the aspiring actors, there would be no one as frustrating as Lee Min-ki.

Even his close friend Yoo Seon-ah showed signs of it.

[He’s good at acting, but is he *really* worth pushing that hard?]

[His face is so ambiguous]

[Aren’t there many better-looking guys?]

For a successful rookie actor, suspicion was almost a rite of passage.

But.

There was one way to dispel this suspicion.

[Wow, the fit is insane.]

It was all about the visuals.

[Terminus? Where do they buy their clothes?]

[There’s a brand page dedicated to YU fashion week]

[Is it like a Hanbok? [Traditional Korean clothing]]

First, it has to look cool.

Acting skills are subjective, but coolness is intuitive.

If anyone shows overwhelming visuals from the start, there’s no room for argument.

[They pushed him because of his visuals]

[Ah ㅋㅋ Makes sense to push him]

[Min-ki squad, assemble-]

[I cried watching ㅁㄱ] [Abbreviation, likely referring to a specific scene or character]

[When did he prepare all this????????]

[Wow, wasn’t that Gyeongbokgung [A famous Korean palace] thing last time this?? If Min-ki wears Hanbok and films a historical drama in Gyeongbokgung, I’ll watch it from the first episode]

[ㄴ Calm down, your sentence is falling apart]

Visuals that anyone would accept.

That was the extent of Lee Min-ki’s potential shown at this Seoul Fashion Week.

The fashion show is where all the people who look amazing in clothes gather, and he stood out there.

This meant one thing.

[Isn’t he a real-life visual깡패? [Visual Kkangpae – Korean slang for someone with overwhelmingly good looks]]

That he’s an actor who overwhelms in person.

[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ I want to see his next project soon]

[JC, get to work]

It’s just a fashion show.

A fashion show that ordinary people wouldn’t even know was happening was now in the top 5 of portal search rankings just because of his visuals.

What does that mean?

[WTF]

[MINGI import to malaysia plz]

[えええええ？？？？？このイケメンだれ？？？？？？どこのアイドル？？？] [Japanese: Ehhhhh? Who is this handsome guy? Which idol is he???]

It’s spreading overseas.

There were already signs of this since the Gyeongbokgung incident last time.

That’s right.

The fame of the actor Lee Min-ki was gradually spreading overseas, even without him realizing it.

Sometimes, a great photo is more powerful than a well-made project.

That’s how the overseas market is.

And.

Lee Min-ki’s luck went one step further here.

[Arthur Danto official]

[Everyone, attention please.]

Arthur Danto.

The editor-in-chief of a fashion magazine, one of the most authoritative in the West, turned his attention to Lee Min-ki.

* * *

“Wow.”

Lee Min-ki exclaimed softly.

Why?

Because of the article staring back at him from the phone screen he was holding.

[The attempt to find the significance of fashion in tradition has been common for a long time. From improving British suits to reggae, which deeply retains African sensibilities, leading fashion trends. But what’s noteworthy is the number of attempts. Now that new attempts are running out, turning our eyes to a completely different country in East Asia…]

What is this article?

It was about.

[Terminus. This company, which means boundary in Latin, has blurred the boundaries between tradition and modernity, and blurred the boundaries between art and the public.]

An article introducing Terminus and Lee Min-ki.

The editor-in-chief himself said he liked his design and was writing a major feature on it.

‘Does this make sense?’

He happened to be in Seoul.

Going to Seoul Fashion Week while in Seoul was a natural thing to do, and he was surprised to see Lee Min-ki there.

So he claims he wrote the article.

Yes, there’s nothing strange about it.

It’s too natural.

But why specifically.

‘Did he pay attention to me?’

Thanks to that, the attention towards Lee Min-ki was skyrocketing in the Western internet.

While sitting in a cafe waiting for a meeting.

“Someone has created a thread (internet bulletin board) on LeX to find even one more photo of the actor,” Director Seo Jung-woo muttered calmly, as if reading a menu at a barbecue restaurant.

“Whether you intended it or not, your fame is skyrocketing. Thanks to that, I’m getting a lot of calls. Everyone is asking me to put in a good word for them.”

“Hmm.”

Words were popping up from all directions.

CEO Yoo Gyu-eon couldn’t handle the pressure and went into hiding under the guise of a vacation.

Manager Park Han-mo declared a special vacation to catch CEO Yoo Gyu-eon.

‘He’s really running around.’

Lee Min-ki was imagining his appearance when Director Seo Jung-woo, who was fiddling with his phone, opened his mouth.

“Speaking of which, how about creating an SNS account?”

An SNS account, huh.

Instead of answering immediately to the sudden suggestion, Lee Min-ki sucked on his drink straw like a mosquito.

‘Isn’t an SNS account something that gets hacked all the time?’

That’s right.

Lee Min-ki was a person who was extremely unlucky when it came to SNS [Social Networking Service].

He vividly remembers.

As soon as he created an account, it would get hacked within a few months, and he would get terrorized on the internet for trivial reasons.

[Where did you get this outfit?]

What happened after he left a comment because he thought the clothes worn by a celebrity were cool?

The atmosphere suddenly froze.

[I made it myself. Why are you framing me? Are you claiming that I can’t make and wear clothes? I don’t feel good.]

[Apologize]

[You were rude]

[Mingi77, shouldn’t you read the room when leaving comments on other people’s accounts ㅎㅎ;; I’m just saying this carefully. Don’t get too hurt.]

[Are you preparing to be an actor?]

[ㅋㅋ He must be jealous because he’s unknown, but OGZ is a very successful influencer ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

It was literally a bombardment.

Thanks to that, he got hurt and deleted his account in just one day.

“…I’m a little scared.”

Thanks to that, Lee Min-ki didn’t have an SNS account, even though he was a rookie who had become famous to the point where it was embarrassing to call him a rookie.

In this day and age, it was to the point where he could be called a primitive man.

“Hmm, I understand how you feel.”

Director Seo Jung-woo raised the phone he had been tapping for a while.

The screen showed an SNS page of a celebrity.

It was Kim Tae-yang, a rookie actor boasting 400,000 followers.

Recently, he appeared in a fusion historical drama and received attention for both his acting skills and appearance.

400,000이라니. [Korean: 400,000이라니 – meaning “Wow, 400,000!”]

As expected, successful people are successful.

“SNS is a good way for celebrities to maintain buzz. If used moderately, the benefits outweigh the losses. It is also a way to generate advertising revenue without consuming a lot of image.”

That’s true.

Why are they so eager to post their updates on SNS competitively?

That’s because it’s all an advertising board.

Didn’t a certain Western athlete receive billions of won in advertising fees for one SNS post?

And the CEO of an electric car company was said to be doing all the marketing through SNS.

“And if you don’t trust yourself, JC can manage the account for you. These days, many people operate in that way.”

Clatter.

Director Seo Jung-woo put his phone down on the desk and said.

“What do you think? How about creating at least an account as a trial?”