Top Star By Luck [EN]: Chapter 151

151.

‘Is that how you row the boat?’

Trainer Kim Ah-sung crossed his arms, adopting a masterly pose, and stared ahead with a dumbfounded expression.

In front of him, Lee Min-ki was excitedly muttering to himself.

“Wow, I’m going into the shark’s mouth! Am I dead now? Ah, another one pops out from behind… and gets eaten again.”

It was Lee Min-ki.

‘Has he become a masochist in the past few days?’ Kim Ah-sung wondered.

He couldn’t help but rave about the GIF of himself dying. The more stimulating it was, the more excited he seemed.

“Wow, the quality is so good! Did they major in CG [Computer Graphics]? I should keep this as my personal pick. Well done!”

‘Why is he acting like that even after watching a GIF of himself dying?’ Kim Ah-sung questioned in his mind.

Normally, shouldn’t he take it as an insult?

No, wasn’t he the one who subtly expressed displeasure just a few days ago?

‘Has the man changed?’

There were many questions, but the reason was simple.

‘As long as it helps me, whatever.’

Because it was ultimately beneficial.

Turning the [Rocket man diving Lee] video on the internet into a meme.

Covering Western internet with his face and antics.

Even if the process was somewhat rough, there was no reason for an actor who needed recognition to refuse.

‘As long as it promotes me.’

So he started it.

The [Diving Lee] meme contest.

He announced that he would receive applications through broadcasts, review them himself, and give all the sponsorship money to the creators.

The result is that.

[$12 Donation!]

[$21 Donation!]

[$102 Donation!]

[20,000 won Donation! (Approximately $15 USD)]

[$81 Donation!]

[6,500 won Donation! (Approximately $5 USD)]

[$1 Donation!]

[1,000 won Donation! (Less than $1 USD)]

Non-stop pouring donations.

Publicity to millions of subscribers based on that.

Taking it a step further, re-proliferation.

Everything was within Lee Min-ki’s calculations.

‘I was worried about how to raise awareness overseas, but there’s no better way to promote myself than this.’

All he needs to do is make his face known.

If he can get them to watch the movie for even just 10 seconds based on that recognition, he is confident after that.

Because it’s [Manman2].

Because it’s [Manman2], the symbol of a reverse run [referring to a film that unexpectedly becomes a hit] that made a global hit even with meager capital.

Lee Min-ki was just making that hit a little bigger.

And not with capital from his own pocket.

[$100 Donation!]

[12,000 won Donation! (Approximately $9 USD)]

[100,000 won Donation! (Approximately $75 USD)]

[Wow, the donations are crazy today]

[lol, we can’t lose to the foreigners]

With the public’s money and effort!

All Lee Min-ki did was set the stage.

But Lee Min-ki was the only one enjoying the fruits.

Is this all?

[Does all this go to Min-ki?]

[No]

[They say they’re giving it all back to the people who made it]

[Lee Min-ki really knows what social contribution is]

[He’s giving back as much as he received]

[Isn’t this real flex? lol]

[This kind of opportunity is important for amateur creators]

In the midst of it all, his image was getting better, though not intentionally.

His image was already good.

However, this challenge, combined with the previous dance challenge, was completing ‘Actor Lee Min-ki, who spares no investment for amateurs.’

‘If you have a lot of subscribers, you can do anything.’

Lee Min-ki chuckled softly amidst the pouring praise.

‘Now I know why they keep talking about subscribers.’

In today’s world, if you take a dump, you become famous… no, even if you just take a dump, you become famous… no, that’s not it either.

‘They say if you become famous, people will applaud even if you take a dump, but if you intentionally use fame in a positive direction, it’s more than just applause.’

It was something that would only make Lee Min-ki laugh, unlike others.

It wasn’t like this in the old days.

[Hey, Lee Min-ki stole your pencil case]

[No, I just picked it up in the hallway to return it…]

[lol]

[Lee Min-ki stole a pencil case and lied when he got caught!]

[My dad says Lee Min-ki’s family lives in a rental house.]

[What’s a rental house?]

It was a life where whatever he did was interpreted in a malicious way.

Even if he had good intentions and did good deeds, all he faced was hostility.

It might have been close to a miracle that his personality wasn’t twisted in such a world.

‘It was so damn hard.’

It still stings.

Lee Min-ki was originally a person who had difficulty falling asleep.

Even if a wound heals, it becomes a scar, so even after a few years, when he lay down to sleep, old memories often came to mind, as if the scar was throbbing.

Now, hasn’t it changed a little?

The world’s kindness began to come to mind.

When I lie on the bed and close my eyes, I wonder what good things will happen tomorrow.

That’s what came to mind first.

[Lee Min-ki, who I trust and watch]

It’s different now.

[Is Lee Min-ki a god?]

[Why are there so many foreign languages in the chat room lol]

[About the little actor that only I knew was actually world-class]

[He’s not world-class yet]

[It’s a pre-release lol]

[That’s right lol]

The world is full of light.

His kindness becomes entirely kindness.

Lee Min-ki couldn’t stand this situation, he was so happy.

‘Kindness.’

Suddenly, that thought came to mind.

What if I could share kindness with the people of the world, beyond just having it myself?

Helping amateurs.

That soon becomes helpful to him.

What if we don’t stop at ending this virtuous cycle as a one-time event, but grow it, grow it a lot, and discover the 2nd and 3rd Song Woo-dangs [referring to discovering more talented individuals]?

Isn’t there a sign of that right in front of me now?

[JEK that guy lol]

[lol what’s with the quality lol]

[He’s originally famous for his synthesis lol]

[I dived and opened my eyes and saw another world…?]

[He’s always uploading synthesis, but he’s getting popular like this lol]

[This is the taste of K-localism [Korean local humor/style]]

JEK.

Like that person.

‘If I return my luck to the world, and the world repays it with kindness, what else could there be like this.’

It’s just an idea yet.

But I have the power to act.

Now, if I just have the will, I can start anytime.

‘A creator group or something.’

Lee Min-ki had that thought and repeatedly shouted in a laughing voice.

“Isn’t JEK a genius? Does he have anything else he made? I want to see it. Hurry up and give me some advice. Ah, you can go to the link and it comes out?”

It’s an opportunity created by Trainer Kim Ah-sung’s advice.

I have to make the most of it.

“Why do all of this person’s synthesized videos go to Jongno Baek Hospital?”

That sight.

Trainer Kim Ah-sung, who was safely taking a step back to avoid being seen on camera, thought this.

‘I didn’t expect this.’

I was going to call a CG expert to check the authenticity of the original video of that synthesized sound.

How did it turn out like this?

‘Yeah, Min-ki has talent. The talent to attract aggro [attention, often negative].’

It’s none of my business anyway.

Trainer Kim Ah-sung just decided to laugh.

‘I should ask him to pay for the idea later.’

* * *

A few weeks before Manman2 was released.

The [Diving Lee] meme swept the global internet community.

Is there any need to explain further since a bunch of videos with tens to millions of views poured out?

Where would that attention flow next?

[The movie is being released on Netplay]

[Ah, no wonder the quality is so high]

Naturally, it led to interest in the work called [Manman2].

The motive was a synthesized video, but as a result, the movie itself gained strength.

In the process, the whale synthesis controversy broke out once again.

[This is definitely not a synthesis. If this is a synthesis, the CG technology of the Korean film industry has surpassed Hollywood.]

Those experts voluntarily stepped up to determine the authenticity.

[It becomes clearer when comparing the three-angle shots additionally released by Maiar Pictures.]

[Look at the enlarged scene here. The same reflection is applied to all the splashing water, right? It’s terrifyingly precise.]

[Even if this is CG, it’s not commercially viable. It costs at least hundreds of millions of dollars to produce CG videos with this level of quality and length in three directions, and no production company would dare to do such viral marketing while taking the risk of controversy. Especially with less than a month left until the release.]

As a result, the direction was focused on the fact that the whale appearance was real.

[Iwajin (abbreviation for Why is this real)]

[Korea’s whale breeding technology is the best in the world!!!!!!]

Going this far, the recognition of the person named Lee Min-ki jumped to another dimension.

[World news. This video, which caused a stir under the name Diving Lee, have you all seen it? Surprisingly, it turns out to be a real situation.]

The movie hasn’t even been released.

All Lee Min-ki did in the United States was shoot some fashion pictorials, take interviews, and appear on a quiz show.

But in just a few months, he had gained global recognition.

[It’s scary because it’s rising too fast]

[Another national뽕 [뽕 (ppong) is a slang term for nationalistic pride or hype.]]

[No, no, no, if you go to Reddit and look at the threads, Lee Min-ki is really popular]

[Jimmy Shaw also introduced Lee Min-ki?]

[??]

[?]

It’s getting worse and worse.

Perhaps because of this level of recognition.

Gradually, the public’s expectations for [Manman2] were soaring.

[Title: I don’t expect much from Manman2]

[Content: It just needs to be bigger in scale than The Lord of the Rings, have better characters than Harry Potter, have a better narrative than The Shawshank Redemption, and be as hot as Top Gun]

[Comments (2)

[Crazy bastard]

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Expectations are piling up like crazy.

It’s just a Netplay exclusive made by an unknown studio with small and medium capital, but it has become an anticipated work that will eat up any blockbuster.

Thanks to none other than.

“It’s all thanks to the actor.”

Thanks to Lee Min-ki.

“No, what did I do? Haha.”

Director Shim Sung-bo, in front of Lee Min-ki who was embarrassed, took a sip of coffee and continued.

“I don’t know how to thank you. We couldn’t have imagined that we would be like this even half a year ago.”

“Haha.”

“Actually, I was thinking of quitting this job if this work failed.”

“Haha…….”

You wouldn’t have quit.

As Lee Min-ki was about to laugh, Director Jin Joo-yeon quietly approached and asked.

“What are you going to do if this work becomes a big hit, actor?”

“Ah, me.”

“Hey, Joo-yeon, offer him the next work later.”

“That’s how you build up. So, what are you going to do, actor?”

The atmosphere is somewhat light.

Filming is over, and all that’s left is to finish post-production and wait for the release.

Lee Min-ki rested his chin for a moment, contemplating.

He was about to answer roughly, but suddenly, something from the past came to mind.

‘It was fun.’

That thing that others were receiving trickle-down effects from his luck and influence.

Was it from then?

There was something he had kept in his heart several times.

Lee Min-ki opened his mouth, recalling it.

“I’m thinking of creating a label.”

“A label?”

“Yes, a label.”

Lee Min-ki nodded at Director Shim Sung-bo’s words, which seemed unexpected, and said.

“I’m going to gather the people I like, whether it’s acting, music, or dance, and create a label.”

This was a small dream that Lee Min-ki had recently.

“If there are people who want to work, I’ll give them work, and if there are people who can’t make it, I’ll help them make it. Just like what other labels do.”

As he said, it was not much different from existing labels.

There is only one difference.

The operating entity is Lee Min-ki himself.

“I also asked JC, and he said he would help if there was anything he could do. Ahem, it’s still a secret. Don’t tell anyone.”

That’s how the declaration ended with such an embarrassed nuance.

“Hmm.”

Was there something that came to mind?

Director Shim Sung-bo spun his glasses and said.

“Actor, is there a place for a studio there?”