Top Star By Luck [EN]: Chapter 128

128

“A super-duper surprise gift?”

Not just a gift, but a super-duper surprise gift.

What on earth is he talking about?

Just as Lee Min-ki was tilting his head, a question mark hanging in the air, Kim Tak nodded vigorously like a roly-poly doll and said,

“Of course. After all, we received so much from you, Min-ki. We wanted to do something for you in return.”

No, receiving is receiving, but…

It’s always nice to get a gift, but the fact that it’s from Kim Tak makes it a bit scary.

‘What kind of crazy stunt is he trying to pull this time?’

Is he going to throw a cake in my face?

Or offer a bribe?

If not that…….

‘Did he set something on fire?’

Lee Min-ki narrowed his eyes at Kim Tak’s unusual demeanor and said,

“……Just so you know, I want to make it clear. You were chosen because you did well, not because I picked you. It would be troubling if you thought I used my influence behind the scenes.”

Of course, he *did* use his influence.

He did get the audition opportunity directly from JC.

But he wanted to keep this a secret.

He wouldn’t be happy even if he received a lobby [bribe or influence] later.

‘The two of them wouldn’t be purely happy.’

Kim Tak and Yoo Seon-ah.

He wanted them to cherish their success as something they had achieved entirely with their own hands.

He didn’t want to taint it with success that someone else had spoon-fed them.

“I’m grateful, but I hope you don’t misunderstand too much.”

That’s why he drew the line.

“Misunderstand my ass,”

Kim Tak snorted and said.

“Who said anything about that? We’re just trying to show a little gratitude, like repaying a kindness.”

Oh dear.

Kim Tak even used the phrase ‘repaying a kindness’.

Is his intelligence growing bit by bit, like an earthworm wriggling?

‘Tak isn’t usually this perceptive. He even knows how to repay others.’

Lee Min-ki was enveloped in shock.

“Seon-ah first, right?”

“Yes.”

At the same time as Kim Tak’s words, Yoo Seon-ah picked up the bundle she had brought and rummaged through it.

“Ah, you said you went to a secondhand 거래 [georae – transaction/market].”

“That’s not it.”

Soon, what she took out of the bundle was somewhat beyond Lee Min-ki’s expectations.

“Sneakers?”

“Yes.”

Yoo Seon-ah smiled softly and said.

“I was wondering what would be a good gift, but I didn’t think giving you something expensive would really resonate with you, Min-ki. So, I prepared this.”

“…….”

“You’ve been running every morning since you were in 학원 [hagwon – cram school]. So, I bought you sneakers. Some good ones.”

As she said.

They were indeed good ones.

The latest model of running shoes from the specialized company Highpace, [Pacemaker].

Even the [Discovery] edition, which was released as a limited season edition.

That item that Lee Min-ki had been eyeing for a while was right in front of him.

Not incredibly expensive, but still worth tens of thousands [of Korean won, roughly equivalent to hundreds of US dollars].

“You wanted them, didn’t you?”

“How did you know that, Seon-ah…….”

It was indeed his favorite brand.

As Lee Min-ki blinked at the detail, Yoo Seon-ah said.

“I saw you browsing shopping malls on your phone from time to time. It was hard to get the limited edition.”

“It must have been difficult to find.”

“I was always browsing shopping malls, so I grabbed it as soon as it came up for sale.”

Was she pleased with Lee Min-ki’s dazed face?

A bashful smile spread across Yoo Seon-ah’s lips.

“You can only wear one pair of shoes at a time, but it feels good to have several pairs in your shoe rack, right?”

That’s right.

It feels good.

Lee Min-ki gently stroked the shoes with his fingertips.

It’s not *that* expensive.

If you spend some money and put in some effort, you can definitely get it.

But.

There was plenty of sincerity that made it embarrassing to even compare to such a price.

A sincerity so full that it would make your stomach feel bloated if you swallowed it all at once.

‘Why am I getting teary over this?’

It wasn’t a gift that you could give just because you had a lot of money.

It was a gift that you could only give if you knew Lee Min-ki well.

Faced with such an extravagant gift that made him laugh, Lee Min-ki could only say one thing.

“Thank you. I’ll wear them well.”

What else could he say besides thank you?

“Don’t just keep them as a collection. Please use them sometimes. Okay?”

Amid Yoo Seon-ah’s joke, Lee Min-ki fiddled with it and continued.

“Now that you mention it, should I put them on right now and run around the park in front of here?”

“That’s a bit too much.”

A brief laugh spread out.

And a few seconds after it subsided.

“I have something too.”

Kim Tak, who had been quiet for some reason, started with a meaningful voice.

“Min-ki, what do you think this is?”

* * *

What should I say about the gift that Kim Tak gave to Lee Min-ki?

Ah, this is really.

Really, really.

Ugh.

‘A watch?’

It was a watch.

Even to Lee Min-ki, who knew nothing about watches, it was a gold watch that looked incredibly expensive, with an aura that screamed, ‘I’m expensive.’

There was a small black italic inscription in the center.

“Arma?”

It was written ARMA.

The moment he recognized the sacred brand, Lee Min-ki’s pupils dilated greatly.

‘No, isn’t that an incredibly expensive brand?’

Arma.

Are there many people who don’t know Arma, even if they’re not interested in watches?

That name that anyone involved in fashion has heard at least once.

No less.

“It’s an Arma Scutum. Even if you try to buy it secondhand, it costs at least ten million won [approximately $7,500 USD], right?”

Arma Scutum.

The name of a watch that costs at least ten million won even at a low estimate popped crisply from Kim Ah-sung’s trainer’s mouth.

“Wow, if it’s Arma, it’s at least in the 1.5 tier among watch brands, and the condition is at least mint, and you’re just giving it as a gift?”

That’s right.

What Kim Tak suddenly took out was an Arma Scutum.

A gift that would never be exchanged as a normal gift.

It would only be used as a wedding gift at the earliest.

‘He said it was a surprise gift, but this is a bit too much. There’s such a thing as moderation.’

As Lee Min-ki was widening his eyes in bewilderment, Kim Tak opened his mouth.

“Hehehe, Min-ki is qualified.”

“Can’t you give me that qualification too?”

“Qualifications are not given to everyone, so isn’t it a qualification?”

“Oh, I see now.”

“I’m glad if you understand…….”

“Tak, should I ask with my fist whether I’m qualified or not?”

“Eek.”

Even as Kim Ah-sung and Kim Tak were doing nonsense together, Lee Min-ki’s gaze remained fixed on the watch.

‘I knew Tak had a lot of money from a long time ago, but.’

I remember.

He always wore luxury clothes.

He always took taxis every single day.

He didn’t even care about the price tag at the restaurant and swiped his card.

The card he glanced at was a black card exclusively for VIPs of the bank.

‘He was very rich.’

He was rich.

That’s why he secretly disliked Kim Tak.

To his eyes, who were desperately continuing their impoverished aspiring actor life, Kim Tak’s lack of sincerity, which was full of abundance, was as unacceptable as pineapple on pizza.

But now I thought I had forgiven him.

He had gained too much to be jealous of other people’s origins.

Also, he had grown mentally.

Besides, although it’s not that important.

He had been sticking around under the pretext of practice and had already received hundreds of thousands of won [thousands of US dollars] worth of food.

But even if the trickle-down effect is falling.

‘A watch like this as a gift?’

Isn’t it too expensive?

Between the hands of the Arma Scutum, the platinum letters engraved splendidly as if to assert its price caught his eye.

Even for him, who was no longer bound by clothing prices, this was a burden.

He thought he wouldn’t feel burdened even if he received a somewhat monetary gift, but the amount was too large for that.

“Seon-ah, what did I do wrong?”

“It’s wrong not to know what you don’t know. Do you know what meta-cognition is?”

“No!!”

After quietly watching the conversation in front of him for a while.

Lee Min-ki’s decision was simple.

“I’m sorry, but I’ll just take your heart.”

He was refusing.

“Huh? Huh? Why?”

At Kim Tak’s reaction, who was embarrassed by the one word, Lee Min-ki said calmly.

“I’m happy, but it’s too big of a gift. If I receive something like this, I feel like I’ll get used to receiving gifts in the future.”

It’s good to do something and receive something in return.

But if that threshold goes up too much, I felt like I would become someone who would have a hard time being purely happy when I received something small in the future.

Like how a friend buying you a hamburger is happy when you’re a student, but it feels like child’s play when you become a working adult.

‘If I receive a luxury item like this once, I’ll get used to it.’

I want to be someone who can be purely happy.

Gifts must have a place suitable for gifts. At least this is not the place.

“Tak must be burdened too. It’s okay.”

That was the moment he refused.

“Not really? I’m not burdened.”

Kim Tak answered as if asking what he was talking about.

“We have a lot of that kind of stuff at our house.”

“…… Yes?”

What do you have a lot of?

Where?

I wondered if I had misheard, but Kim Tak continued to speak nonchalantly.

“My parents’ hobby is collecting watches. I just asked them to recommend a suitable one to give as a gift to a fellow actor, and I got a cheap one.”

“A cheap one?”

Lee Min-ki’s eyes twitched.

Cheap?

This?

You said it’s over ten million won.

Did I mishear?

“Yes, I thought Min-ki would be burdened if I gave him something too expensive.”

“Still, this is too.”

“How can a successful actor not have a daily watch? Don’t you have any brands sponsoring you?”

Yeah, surprisingly, I didn’t.

Expensive watch brands tend to hire middle-aged actors as advertising models.

One of the reasons was that Lee Min-ki had unconsciously avoided luxury goods, mired in a long, impoverished life.

“Hey!”

Kim Tak clicked his tongue and said.

“From the beginning, I declared that I would give this to Min-ki and received it. If I just take it back, my father will break my leg? He said, ‘Have I lived my life so badly that I’m being rejected for a gift I’m giving?’”

“You’re generous.”

“He’s a former soldier.”

“What if Kim Tak has it?”

“Wouldn’t he break the remaining leg, saying I’m embezzling?”

Is it that serious?

Lee Min-ki’s eyelids repeatedly moved up and down for a long time.

Kim Tak said as if he didn’t care.

“If you’re really uncomfortable, I’ll lend it to you, so just think of it as having it. You can take it later, much later.”

“…….”

“Aish, I’m going to leave it even if you don’t take it? I won’t take it! I’ll never take it!”

That’s what he said.

His will to never take it back seems so resolute.

Perhaps Kim Ah-sung thought Kim Tak’s will seemed resolute, so he slipped in.

“Ah, Min-ki, you’re not going to take it? If you’re not going to take it, give it to me.”

“Uh-huh, qualification, qualification.”

“Qualification punch.”

Suddenly, such a thought came to Lee Min-ki’s mind.

Isn’t it just his own thought that this gift is a big gift and a burden?

Isn’t this the right way to express friendship among people who really have a lot of money?

Wouldn’t it be rude in its own way to refuse?

‘I don’t know.’

Let’s just take it.

Let’s take it for now, whether we return it later or not.

Lee Min-ki picked up the watch with that thought.

“I’m not receiving it, I’m just keeping it for a while.”

“You’re unnecessarily stubborn.”

Kim Tak chuckled.

Suddenly, a sentence came to Lee Min-ki’s mind.

[When you start a war, you stand up and declare it, but when you end a war, you have to kneel and beg.]

Will the day ever come when I return this watch?

Lee Min-ki pondered that point for a moment and opened his mouth half-jokingly.

“Then, since you said it’s a watch worth about ten million won, get ten million views and take it back.”

“Oh?”

At that moment, Kim Tak’s eyes widened.

*

Some time later, at the airport.

As Lee Min-ki entered the airport, a man followed him as if to greet him.

“I clearly told you.”

A man with a somewhat ordinary impression but an extremely businesslike expression opened his mouth.

“I said that overseas expansion would be imminent for the actor.”

Park Han-mo.

He grabbed the carrier with an indifferent gesture and said.

“I won this bet.”