Top Star By Luck [EN]: Chapter 194

운빨로 탑스타-194화(194/200)

194. Academy Awards Ceremony

The venue for this grand event: Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre [formerly the Kodak Theatre].

In the audience, which had quieted down after a brief commotion, an old man muttered to himself.

“The actor has arrived?”

An actor had arrived.

The host’s brief remark sent ripples through the crowd.

“An actor? Who is it?”

“Is it really necessary to announce someone’s arrival during the ceremony, whoever it may be?”

“Wait, what was that noise earlier?”

The awards ceremony didn’t necessarily need to be solemn; a cheerful atmosphere was usually welcome. However, this time, an unusual tension filled the air, like a scene from a disaster movie.

Amidst all this, one man wore a particularly joyful smile.

‘Yes, I’ve been waiting for this moment.’

It was the host.

Known for his habitually grumpy expression, he looked unusually refreshed as he dropped the bombshell.

“From Maillard Pictures, Lee Min-ki!”

Lee Min-ki.

Those three syllables finally descended upon the Dolby Theatre. Or rather, they struck it like a thunderbolt.

“Lee Min-ki?”

“Lee Min-ki is here?”

Voices of astonishment erupted in an instant.

“Why is that such a big deal? Lee Min–”

Someone was trying to play it cool and laugh it off.

“Oh my god!”

He couldn’t even finish his sentence. There were simply too many in the crowd who had been feeling bored and listless due to the absence of the main attraction.

“So he wasn’t absent after all.”

“Does this mean Maillard Pictures still has a chance?”

“Wasn’t he missing?”

Lee Min-ki.

It’s worth recalling what a certain Korean superstar once said:

[Someone with only fans is a star. Someone with haters is also a star. But a superstar is different. A superstar drives both fans and haters crazy.]

Lee Min-ki had many haters. Especially at this venue. There were many who were eager to tear him down with every word.

Which meant.

“Haha! I knew he’d come! I told you!”

His fans were just as numerous as his haters, if not more so.

“Lee Min-ki!”

“Hehehe! How many awards are left?”

“So that noise earlier was Lee Min-ki’s grand entrance. Honestly, he’s so flamboyant. Full of swagger.”

“Awesome!”

“The cliché is that the main character arrives late, but to show up only in the second half of the awards ceremony? He’s really making people sweat.”

The atmosphere crackled with energy.

People now realized why today’s ceremony had felt so lackluster. Why it had been so dull. The reason was simple:

Lee Min-ki hadn’t been here.

“At the request of the security company, the awards ceremony will resume in 10 minutes to check for any potential security incidents.”

With the host’s announcement, the ceremony was temporarily paused.

It goes without saying that he, too, was one of Lee Min-ki’s hidden fans at this event.

‘Serves them right.’

A fan who enjoyed seeing the haters squirm.

* * *

‘……Wow, I feel so self-conscious.’

Lee Min-ki muttered inwardly.

What to say about the awards ceremony he had arrived late to? It was so awkward that he could barely lift his head.

He cautiously raised his head and looked around, only to find at least dozens of pairs of eyes glaring at him, making no attempt to hide their displeasure.

Unable to bear it, Lee Min-ki looked away first.

‘Did they say the ceremony was briefly stopped because of me?’

It was inevitable that he would draw attention, considering he had arrived in the middle of the event.

Especially since they were only leaving the main categories such as Best Director and Best Actor.

They said it was paused due to a security issue. It sounded nice, but it was a situation where they could be suspected of terrorism.

“Hehe, there are so many people glancing at us like sneaky rats. Isn’t that right? That’s what you call a star among stars,” the man next to him, William Lockhart, said with a smug look on his face, arms crossed.

Lee Min-ki looked at him with an aggrieved expression and asked,

“Did you have to do that?”

“Do what?”

“I mean, there could have been a quieter way to arrive.”

“There’s no time. Even if I had to get hit by a missile and parachute out, this was the only way.”

William Lockhart grinned and put an end to Lee Min-ki’s complaints.

“Helicopter!”

That’s right.

Lee Min-ki had just flown directly from Riverside to the Dolby Theatre by helicopter.

It would have taken about 20 hours to walk from the airport to the ceremony venue, 6 hours by bicycle, and even driving would have taken an hour and a half.

Which meant.

“Thanks to you, I made it on time.”

A helicopter ride was a mere 30 minutes.

“But it was dangerous.”

“But it was fast.”

Yeah, super fast.

He didn’t know helicopters were that fast. It reminded him of the days when he was afraid to ride the old city buses.

Anyway, Lee Min-ki’s arrival here was entirely thanks to William Lockhart.

[William Lockhart, you’re a star, right?]

An hour before the ceremony began, Director Shim Sung-bo made a request to William Lockhart.

[Of course? If I’m not a star, then about 98% of the nobodies here should be considered commoners.]

[I’ll skip the formalities since it’s urgent, but do you happen to have a plane or helicopter? Something you can operate personally.]

[Ah, a private helicopter. Of course, I rode it here today!]

It wasn’t uncommon for stars in Hollywood to travel around in their private helicopters.

Among them, William Lockhart was a special case.

He had not only obtained licenses for both planes and helicopters but also had a passion for flying them himself.

[Could you go to Riverside Airport and pick up actor Lee Min-ki?]

[Oh, by when?]

[Even during the ceremony is fine.]

Coincidentally, there was also a place for helicopters to land next to the Dolby Theatre (Helipad).

The building right next to the Dolby Theatre, the Loews Hollywood Hotel, was the place.

[I need to hurry and ask the hotel for help.]

So, it took 10 minutes to “bribe” the hotel, which was initially refusing the request to use the landing pad. It took an hour and ten minutes to arrive, depart, and pick up Lee Min-ki.

That’s how they succeeded in making an emergency entrance during the awards ceremony.

‘Feels like I’ve filmed a movie.’

For William Lockhart, who enjoyed the attention, it was a delightful experience. So much so that he was considering giving up music and trying his hand at acting for a while.

Of course.

‘Wow…… I’m eating a lifetime’s worth of humble pie here…….’

Lee Min-ki, who lived off attention but was overwhelmed by it, was having a terrible time every second.

But in any case, it seemed they had arrived not too late.

“Director, you said we haven’t received any awards yet, right?”

“We will in the future.”

“Yes.”

Just as Lee Min-ki was about to close his mouth at Director Shim Sung-bo’s confident response, which was reminiscent of when they were filming a movie, Joo Ha-na barged in.

“Now that the actor is here, there’s nothing to worry about. Our awards ceremony starts now.”

“…….”

That sounds like a defeat flag [a statement or action that seems to guarantee failure].

Just three minutes after Lee Min-ki sat down and waited quietly.

“We will now resume the awards ceremony.”

The host returned, and the real awards ceremony, which everyone had been waiting for, began.

But there were only about six awards left.

Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Cinematography, perhaps.

‘Let’s get just one, just one.’

Director Shim Sung-bo tried to calm his nervous heart.

He couldn’t have imagined seriously aiming for an Academy Award a few years ago. If he could get just one award now, that would be enough.

He didn’t ask for much.

‘Let’s get just one.’

Saying just one made it sound like he was underestimating the Academy Award, but Director Shim Sung-bo was the director of a blockbuster that had grossed over a billion dollars.

He thought he could expect at least this much.

“Best Actor.”

His ‘just one’ mantra didn’t last long.

Because of the next word that came out of the host’s mouth.

“It’s a relief that the person who should receive the award arrived on time.”

Could it be.

In a moment that felt like time was slowing down.

“It’s a relief it’s not a proxy award [an award accepted on behalf of someone else].”

The host said with a smile that revealed his pearly white teeth.

“Lee Min-ki.”

The time that had been flowing slowly came to a complete stop.

“…….”

“…….”

Director Shim Sung-bo, Lee Min-ki, and his many fans sitting in this awards ceremony.

Time stopped for everyone equally.

The shock, so intense that even a second felt like a minute, struck like the heaviest hammer in the world.

The host smiled again and said.

“Are you going to be late again?”

“Ah.”

Only then did Lee Min-ki regain his composure, barely managing to hold onto his trembling legs and stand up.

But reality still didn’t seem real. No, it wasn’t being recognized.

The sight of the host making eye contact.

The sound of his footsteps echoing alone in this vast awards ceremony.

The touch of his skin lightly warming up due to the bright lights, despite the slightly cool indoor temperature.

None of it felt real.

‘Ah.’

When he came to his senses, Lee Min-ki was standing on the stage.

Next to him was the brightly smiling host, and in front of him were hundreds of people looking at him with different eyes.

Some with envy, some with admiration, some with joy.

“Congratula…… just in time…… Maiya…… I also…… cell phone…… SNS…….”

The host’s words sounded cut off.

The situation overwhelmed his senses, and his hearing wasn’t functioning properly.

When Lee Min-ki finally came to his senses, it was when the host thrust the microphone in front of his face.

“Please say a few words.”

“Ah.”

That’s right.

He had to say something.

“If possible, include your thoughts on coming here by helicopter.”

“I.”

Lee Min-ki parted his lips to speak, cutting through the laughter of the audience, but then closed them again.

‘What should I say?’

Nothing came to mind.

He had organized over a thousand words in his head about what to say if he ever stood on the podium.

Yet, when the moment to utter those words came right before his eyes, his mouth wouldn’t open.

What could he say in this situation where his mind was completely blank?

“Um.”

Lee Min-ki simply said this.

“I was lucky.”

He said he was lucky.

Luck. In the end, that was all that came to mind.

The audience was taken aback by the humble, almost self-deprecating, remark.

“Luck? Are you serious?”

The host, representing them, jokingly asked to defuse the situation.

“Surely, you’re not saying you won Best Actor with luck?”

“Yes.”

Lee Min-ki slowly nodded and said.

No, he was about to say it but paused for a moment.

He had a little time to organize his thoughts, so he held back for about 5 seconds before spitting it out.

“The people at Maillard Pictures who brought me to this place. The people at JC Entertainment who gave me the opportunity to become an actor and the chance to grow. Also, meeting the audience who loved my work was my luck.”

It was a thought he had held for a long time.

He had pondered a lot about what kind of luck it meant to have good luck.

Was it simply luck in a broad sense?

Or was it the luck of opportunity? The luck of meeting people?

Even though he was so busy every day that he couldn’t catch his breath, he pondered every day. But in the end, it was difficult to find the answer.

It was difficult to find a clear answer.

In the meantime.

When he was filming his last work and holed himself up in the mountains for a break. Only when he was alone in the mountains, unable to meet people, was Lee Min-ki finally able to find the answer.

“There is a limit to what one person can achieve. But because people achieved it together, I was able to come this far. That was the luck that brought me to this place.”

People were his luck.

When he distanced himself from people, Lee Min-ki finally realized that his luck was in people.

“I would also like to thank the numerous directors, actors, and all the workers in not only movies but also dramas, novels, comics, myths, and comedy programs who have been a source of inspiration and learning for me to continue my work. That goes for the people here as well. It was a great fortune for me to be able to live with you.”

That was what luck meant to Lee Min-ki.

He used to think that he had an unlucky life, but that wasn’t necessarily the case.

A life of living closely with creators was also a pretty good life for him.

At least there was learning.

The life that was painful because he couldn’t overcome misfortune also became the driving force to live hard when given the opportunity.

At least that’s what Lee Min-ki thought as he said.

“I hope that luck will be with everyone who has come to this place.”

Lee Min-ki bowed his head, and after a time shorter than 3 seconds and longer than 4 seconds.

Clap.

The sound of applause broke the silence of the awards ceremony.