Top Star By Luck [EN]: Chapter 143

143

Crack!

A tree, cleanly split, rolled across the ground after falling.

Lee Minki, responsible for the scene with just a machete, mumbled, seemingly embarrassed.

“Ah, did I overdo it?”

“…….”

*Don’t* say that with such a shy face.

It’s scary.

Director Shim Sungbo’s expression was one of bewilderment at Lee Minki’s bashful demeanor while dangling the machete.

‘It’s not even a matter of *overdoing* it.’

That tree.

Was it even thin enough to fall with one swing?

‘How did he do that?’

Is his strength more immense than I thought?

Or was it already cracked?

Is it even possible to chop down a tree in one go just because its condition isn’t great?

No, Sungbo.

What’s the point of seeking scientific rationality in something that already happened before your eyes?

It’s futile.

‘Still, it’s strange.’

How can an actor who’s never even held a knife before strike with such a perfect angle?

‘Does this make sense?’

Lee Minki, noticing Director Shim Sungbo’s still puzzled expression, scratched the back of his head awkwardly and said,

“Um, should we reshoot if it’s an NG [no good take]?”

“That’s…….”

Shim Sungbo hesitated, then shook his head once and replied.

“No. This feels even better.”

“Is that so?”

“Originally, if an NG looks good, it’s ad-lib [improvised].”

It’s different from what was intended.

The plan was to shoot a scene where the protagonist [Nam Seok-gu] sticks the machete into the tree to create an eerie atmosphere, but he knocked it down completely.

So, is it not good?

‘No, it’s rather good.’

It was an NG that the director would welcome with open arms.

There’s a term for calling this.

Ad-lib.

A good NG is elevated to ad-lib, isn’t it?

Like in some ancient fantasy movie where a flag breaking due to an NG was hailed as an omen of a fallen kingdom.

Lee Minki was also like that.

That actor was already the embodiment of ad-lib without even intending to be.

‘Shooting with this actor keeps bringing good scenes to mind.’

Director Shim Sungbo swallowed, feeling a slight dizziness at the sight of the fallen tree.

Was this the only one?

‘The mise-en-scène [the arrangement of scenery and stage properties in a play or movie] never stops.’

It kept happening.

No matter what scene was intended, when Lee Minki got involved, the feeling came to life more deliciously.

[Crunch!]

In a scene where the protagonist is ambushed, he accidentally steps on a branch.

It was originally intended to be pure intuition that he sensed the ambush, but now there’s a sense of plausibility.

[Splash!]

[Die! Die, you bastard!]

In a scene where they’re fighting, he accidentally loses his footing and falls into a mud puddle.

Thanks to that, an even more desperate appearance was created.

[Gurgle]

While Lee Minki was walking, the sound of an animal cry echoed from somewhere.

Thanks to that, the eerie atmosphere of the island naturally came to life.

It’s frequent.

If it was just one, maybe, but it keeps happening.

Good directing that follows Lee Minki, the actor, by chance was too frequent.

“Actor, you seem to be lucky.”

“Haha, I hear that often.”

For now, he laughs it off, but he doesn’t know if it’s okay to just laugh it off like this.

Because the intended directing keeps going wrong one by one.

But that’s the problem, it’s too good.

Director Shim Sungbo wiped the cold sweat flowing from his forehead with a complex feeling of joy and regret.

‘Does the god of ad-lib follow behind the actor?’

I think I know.

The god of film was hiding in the body of the actor Lee Minki.

There’s no other explanation.

No matter what acting he does, it stimulates the director’s inspiration?

Such ‘accidental’ situations that others, even if they’re the lead, would only encounter once or twice in a work, keep happening?

‘It doesn’t make sense.’

After worrying for a long time.

Director Shim Sungbo decided to just enjoy this situation.

‘As long as the work is filmed well, that’s all that matters.’

As long as the results are coming out well, there’s no need to interfere too much with the actor.

On the other hand, it wasn’t just Lee Minki who was doing well.

The other two people he brought, although they might not measure up to Lee Minki, were still excellent as actors.

“Aaaaaah! Snake! Snake! Sna-ake!!”

“Hey. Have you never seen a snake before? As expected of a rich young master.”

The two people cast at Lee Minki’s request.

Kim Tak and Yoo Seon-ah were like that.

“Don’t be scared. We’re stronger.”

“No, why are you so calm, Teacher?”

“Because I’m getting paid.”

Kim Tak, who joined as a rich young master character.

And Yoo Seon-ah, the bodyguard who formed a team for such Kim Tak in exchange for money.

The two actors showed explosive chemistry from beginning to end.

‘Their skills are good. It’s not for nothing that Minki recommended them.’

What should I say?

At this point, Shim Sungbo thought like this.

‘I feel comfortable.’

Yes.

Those are normal actors.

Actors who properly digest the expected script and directing.

It was as comfortable as handling limbs that were attached to my body from the beginning.

That’s normal.

Actor Lee Minki is the strange one.

‘I’m not strange.’

Shim Sungbo felt even a small comfort from the two’s acting and opened his mouth.

“Are you ready? Let’s slowly shoot one big scene.”

The highlight of [Manman-Tu].

There is one scene that must become a legend of this movie.

* * *

In a splendid building.

One of Hollywood’s top 7 film studios, AST.

In a high-rise office there, a woman gritted her teeth and said.

“Lee Minki, that actor went to Netplay.”

It was Emma Specter.

A petty person who even harbored resentment because she went directly to scout him but was rejected.

She heard the latest news about Lee Minki and muttered in an even more angry voice.

“……It seems he’s joined hands with a relatively small company.”

The secretary trembled at that voice and said.

“It’s Mayar Pictures, a film company in Korea that no one has ever heard of. It seems to be a new company.”

“Previous works?”

“It flopped.”

“Pfft.”

Emma Specter chuckled softly, then turned her head sharply and said.

“That’s what happens to insignificant things. It’s obvious without even looking. A puppy with only a high nose, rejecting all the offers that came in, until there were no companies left to find him.”

The words are grand, but her ill will is infinitely involved in the speculation.

But at the same time, it was also a common occurrence.

It wasn’t uncommon for newly popular rookie actors to act arrogantly, only to lose their place in the industry entirely.

Inevitably, those kinds of people would end up working with no-name studios after some time.

“Does Netplay have any Korean productions?”

“Yes, some directors have submitted their work. But most haven’t done well.”

“Why is that?”

“This is just my personal speculation.”

The secretary cleared his throat and said,

“Perhaps it’s because they’re too focused on the global market.”

“Explain in detail.”

“It’s a common occurrence in Asian countries. They aim to create content for the global market, but it ends up feeling awkward… becoming a film that doesn’t quite fit any foreign standards.”

As he said, it was a common occurrence.

How do Asians feel when they watch a movie supposedly made by Hollywood with Eastern influences?

[Ugh, is this supposed to be our country?]

You’re lucky if you don’t end up swearing.

[Do people in Paju [city in South Korea] even make snake wine?]

[Has the production team ever even been to Korea?]

[This looks more like Vietnam than Thailand.]

[Yoshimura Kim Hyun-soo is a Korean name? Do they think Korea is still under Japanese colonial rule?]

It was an error that arose from viewing the East through Western eyes.

Just because snake wine is made in a rural area of Korea, they turn Paju, a rural city in Korea, into a city known for making snake wine.

Just because Thailand and Vietnam are neighboring countries, they use the same architectural style.

Just because many people in the West mix names from different countries, they roughly mix Eastern names as well.

This couldn’t just be a simple mistake.

Eastern directors often made similar mistakes when creating Western-style works.

Click.

Emma Specter bit her lip.

‘It’s not that Korea can’t make movies, but a clumsy attempt is worse than not trying at all.’

She remembered occasionally seeing Korean films at film festivals.

She remembered that their directing and screenwriting skills were sufficient, but they were a country that couldn’t do more due to budget limitations.

‘Lee Minki, so that’s all he was.’

For domestic use only.

The limitations of an actor like that were obvious.

She felt a sense of relief, but at the same time, a strange unease.

The secretary next to her relieved that unease.

“Surprisingly, this project is aiming for the global market.”

“……!”

Emma Specter’s eyes widened at those words.

“What?”

“I checked all the interviews, and he declared that he would target the global market, including Hollywood, China, India, and Europe.”

“……Ha, haha.”

Emma Specter let out a hollow laugh.

“He’s out of his mind. I thought he was just a stupid actor, but he’s a lunatic.”

There was no other explanation.

It was ridiculous that he was participating in production himself at a career stage where he should be busy grasping the market structure, let alone the global market.

He was an actor not even worth keeping in check.

Emma Specter scoffed and opened her mouth.

“What’s the schedule for launching on Netplay?”

“May, they say.”

“May? That’s good.”

Emma Specter laughed again and said,

“We have a project launching in June, right?”

“Yes, New Guardians.”

New Guardians.

A drama depicting three heroes protecting New York.

Like [Manman Fight], it was scheduled to launch on Netplay.

Originally active in theaters, AST, which was also eyeing the OTT [Over-the-top media service] market, had put a lot of effort into this masterpiece.

It was almost certain to be a success.

The only question was whether it would be a big hit or a super hit.

‘She’s asking me about a project she personally directed.’

Just as she was wondering why Emma Specter had mentioned that project.

“Wasn’t the movie title ‘The Struggle of All Against All’? Yes, the movie industry is indeed a struggle of all against all.”

She said with an ominous smile.

“I should talk about whether we can move the release date to May.”

* * *

Since Lee Minki returned to the past and started filming his projects.

There was one phenomenon he had been experiencing quite frequently.

That was.

‘The story keeps changing?’

Whenever he participated, the story would deviate significantly from what he originally knew.

‘It was like that in Campus Story too.’

He went in as a villain who gets chewed up and spat out, but when he came to his senses, he had become the second male lead in a love triangle.

‘It was the same with Everlasting Green.’

He suddenly became a supporting character with leading role status.

‘Even at Cafe del Dia.’

At this time, Kim Jihwan’s interpretation of the character completely changed.

The structure of the characters themselves was completely reorganized, and the flavor of the work itself changed completely.

‘Fashion & Fashion too.’

This project, which was awaiting award results at a Western film festival.

This project, which surpassed 5 million viewers and could be said to be the representative work of Lee Minki’s career to date.

‘It was almost like filming the project all over again.’

There was no need to even mention it.

The handsome and chic protagonist from [Fashion & Fashion] that Lee Minki remembered was gone.

There was only a long-haired cat with worn-out emotions.

‘It changes too much whenever I participate.’

The content of the work changes, and the results change drastically.

He had been accepting this flow itself.

What would be the point of diligently preparing for a role if the movie was the same as the old one, whether he participated or not?

It’s better to have at least some change.

That’s right.

That’s what he thought, but…….

“Hmm, you added ad-libs again.”

“Was it not good?”

“No. It’s excellent.”

If that was [Manman Fight], he couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy.

‘This is a project that’s going to be a global hit, am I ruining it?’

Should he say that a trace of ominousness remained?

It was such a hit that he couldn’t help but feel anxious.

Moreover, Mayar Pictures seemed to be overly cautious of him due to the size issue.

‘The projects I’ve filmed so far weren’t like this.’

When his career was lacking, the directors ignored his ad-libs.

They couldn’t ruin the big picture of the project by accepting the whims of a rookie actor.

Of course, that was out of the question for Director Shim Sung-bo.

‘Whatever result I expect in my head, the scene always turns out better after filming. Actor Lee Minki is definitely a monster.’

He was just accepting it because the result was good.

Nothing more, nothing less.

What’s wrong with saying something good is good?

But to Lee Minki, those words just felt like flattery.

As a result.

[Any ad-lib is good!]

Faced with endless okay’s, Lee Minki couldn’t guarantee the success of Manman Fight.

It was natural to be afraid of it failing.

‘Hmm, is there any way to reduce the risk? If only I could ask a reliable third party to take a look.’

Lee Minki was lost in thought.

Director Shim Sung-bo casually brought up a topic.

“The preview screening is already tomorrow.”

It was a preview screening.

Not just any preview screening, but an intermediate preview screening.

The time had come to receive verification from Netplay.

“The direction of future investment and promotion will be determined based on this result.”

The moment he heard those words, Lee Minki’s fine hairs stood on end.

‘This isn’t the kind of third party I was hoping for.’