Top Star By Luck [EN]: Chapter 133

133. Last Man Standing

An upset occurred on that local quiz show, a show renowned even in Hollywood for its recognition.

“In 1997, what is the name of the work that caused a great sensation at the Venice Film Festival by exposing the corruption of a small society…?”

“The answer is number 3, Entry Gun.”

“…That is correct. Lee Min-ki gains additional points.”

A man was answering the questions at a crazy speed.

Was he even contemplating the questions?

“In 2000, what is the name of this animation that was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame?”

“Number 1, The Simz Family.”

“That is correct.”

An absurd speed, to say the least.

As soon as the question was asked, he revealed the answer.

“Is that even possible?”

“He’s answering correctly before the question even finishes coming out of the questioner’s mouth.”

“That’s already seven consecutive correct answers.”

What should I say?

It was as if the man had the answer sheet in his head.

‘Easy.’

Lee Min-ki actually thought so.

The majority of the questions were things he knew.

To be precise, before the question even came out of the questioner’s mouth.

‘Come to think of it, I saw this a long time ago.’

That’s right.

Lee Min-ki had already seen this episode of [Last Man Standing] as a viewer.

When?

Before he fell backward on the stairs, cracked his forehead, and died.

‘I think they’ve aired nearly hundreds of episodes, but the episode I saw happened to be the one chosen.’

He knew the format of Last Man Standing.

A quiz show that adopted the battle royale system [a competition where the last one standing wins].

Even within that, it was difficult to guarantee victory because they slightly changed the system every season, but coincidentally, it was chosen to be advantageous for him.

But.

‘I thought it would be like this.’

Even this was within Lee Min-ki’s expectations.

Specifically, it had been this way since he first met Jeffrey Rogers and negotiated at Excalibur Burger.

[By any chance, how will the questions be formatted this season?]

[Do you know it’s a seasonal show?]

[I figured. American TV shows are usually like that.]

[You’re not wrong.]

From the beginning, he rushed in expecting a format that would be advantageous to him.

Also, the questions being asked now were the same.

“This question is essay-based. Write down the title of the movie that comes to mind when you hear the line, and reveal it on a first-come, first-served basis.”

The MC, who had been brought in to replace Jeffrey Rogers, slowly began to read a line of dialogue.

“Old man said that there is angel with a shotgun…….”

The moment the sentence flowing from the man’s mouth was not even fully completed.

Lee Min-ki raised the board at a speed that could be described as lightning.

“That is correct.”

Painkiller.

This question was also correct.

“Crazy.”

“Did that person come from the future?”

“A genius has appeared here! Everyone bow down before the king of quiz shows!”

Amid the buzzing audience and the guests’ exaggerated voices, Lee Min-ki gave a satisfied smile and clenched his fist.

‘I watched it with Tae-yang before. We even had discussions all night.’

It was truly a coincidence.

But it was also inevitable.

It was something that was possible because it was Lee Min-ki.

[Last Man Standing] is a show that has aired hundreds of times.

To say that you happened to see one episode and remember the contents accurately, does that even make sense?

Out of thousands, tens of thousands of works, it was just one.

This was entirely possible because he was Lee Min-ki.

‘I’m lucky.’

Lee Min-ki, who is usually obsessed with movies.

There are almost no works in the world that he hasn’t seen, so a vast database has been built in his head.

In fact, even if he hadn’t seen this episode, the result wouldn’t have changed.

The only merit that faint memory gave him was confidence.

‘It feels like I’m getting it too easily.’

He himself is not aware of it.

“Well, only 15 participants are left. 15 out of 100. Congratulations! Your names will be remembered in one line on Wikipedia. You must be very proud. Now, the next question… (omitted) What is the name of this work?”

“Odin’s Eye.”

“I’m getting tired of saying it’s correct.”

Thus, Lee Min-ki’s dominance continued.

But.

One person’s dominance does not always lead to good things.

‘This is not good.’

From the perspective of the person directing this broadcast, it was so.

Leonard Moore, a legend of American comedy shows who, after transitioning to directing, was once again writing a legend in the present tense.

‘Jeffrey Rogers, what on earth did you bring?’

He felt that the show was going downhill.

It is true that since appointing Jeffrey Rogers as a co-host, he has successfully continued the show by attracting various guests.

But in his eyes, holding even greater power behind the scenes, well.

‘This is troublesome.’

The current situation did not sit well with him.

Because Leonard Moore is a deeply rooted racist, as old as his years.

‘Did he leak the answers? Just because of one Asian actor?’

He already thought that Jeffrey Rogers was colluding.

Maybe he’s trying to make the work a hit.

But unfortunately, that’s not the answer.

Because he is also colluding with one of the participants.

‘That moronic kid, keeps missing his turn.’

The model who kept spacing out among the current participants was like that.

A world-class model brought in from Argentina.

Didn’t he make a backroom deal to make her win and give her an intellectual image?

It may be cognitive dissonance in many ways, but humans are originally lenient towards themselves.

‘He barely avoided elimination and made it to the final 10, but that’s not enough.’

There is a promise made with the model’s agency regarding business investment.

He had an obligation to make her win somehow.

“Hoo.”

Leonard Moore took a small breath for a moment.

‘As it is, I have no choice but to step in.’

He decided to give a small twist to the broadcast.

Of course, a twist that would be disadvantageous to Lee Min-ki and advantageous to that model.

Click.

The giant of American comedy shows got up from his old and heavy body.

* * *

The MC shouted in a loud voice.

“The final three are left. Congratulations! Just in case, I’ll ask, is there anyone who would like to yield the glory to another participant even now?”

At those words, the remaining three guests looked at each other and laughed as if they were in trouble.

“Puhahaha!”

Soon, laughter spread throughout the audience.

The MC sensed that this impromptu joke was successful and briefly reviewed the script.

‘I didn’t intend it, but at this rate, that handsome Asian friend is going to win.’

Jeffrey Rogers urgently brought him in as a special guest, so I wondered what kind of person he was.

I even wondered if he had received some kickbacks [bribes or secret payments].

But as a result, isn’t it going well?

He is doing his part very well.

‘I even suspect that the answers were leaked, but well, that’s not it. He even got one question wrong in the middle.’

Only three people are left.

One supermodel from Argentina.

One professor from a world-renowned university.

And Lee Min-ki.

The winner will come from these three.

The MC thought it was about time to move on to the next stage and opened his mouth.

“We are one step away from winning. I would like to hear what you would do with the prize money if you each won, just one word each. Two words and you’re out.”

The model, who had walked over and received the microphone from the MC, coughed softly.

Then she said.

“I’m going to buy a big house and give it to my parents. I have a very big family.”

It was two words.

Anyway, cheers flowed from the audience as if they were envious of those short words.

The MC also laughed and said.

“Can you buy a house with $100,000?”

“Houses are cheap in the countryside of Argentina.”

“Amazing. Very harmonious. Isabel Montes, your heart that loves your family is as beautiful as your appearance.”

A statement that evokes as much goodwill as her innocent appearance.

The MC then turned his target and looked at the PhD holder and said.

“Tom, what are you going to do? You’re not going to give such a boring answer like using it for research funds, are you?”

“Research is not boring.”

“That kind of answer is boring. Well said in one word. I would like to ask you to research hair loss treatments if possible.”

“My answer is not over yet…….”

“Okay! Next!”

The MC, who simply trampled on a man’s pure heart, finally turned the microphone to Lee Min-ki.

There is no separate comment.

He just held out the microphone.

‘This is not easy.’

Lee Min-ki hesitated for a moment with the microphone in front of him.

I didn’t really think about what to use the prize money for, but I have to say something.

A boring answer is a bit much.

I don’t want to bring up anything material either.

It’ll be bad for my image since I just came out for the first time.

‘If I give an ambiguous answer, it seems like it will be used as a joke. I don’t like that either.’

Is there a good answer that won’t get me caught?

A way to take care of my image.

Lee Min-ki hesitated for a moment.

‘Ah.’

He opened his mouth, recalling just the right means.

“If I win, I will donate the prize money to a medical foundation related to lung disease.”

“……!”

At that moment, a surprised shout echoed among the audience.

Donation.

Not anything else, but a donation.

Even the MC, who was ready to throw a joke somehow, had to pause for a moment.

‘If I make fun of him for donating, I’m likely to hear boos.’

Should I give him some leeway?

Let’s go one step further.

The MC smiled deeply and asked again.

“Good! But it doesn’t really fit. A handsome model from the East and a donation don’t match, do they? I suspect it’s an answer that was hastily made up on the spot for the quiz show. Isn’t that right?”

With those words, the microphone was returned to Lee Min-ki.

“Haha, do I have to tell you the reason too?”

“You can refuse if you don’t want to secure broadcast time?”

Lee Min-ki gave a small bitter smile.

‘So you’re coming out like this.’

Why don’t you just let me go?

But unfortunately for the MC, even this was within Lee Min-ki’s assumptions.

Lee Min-ki smiled slightly and opened his mouth.

And for a moment.

The atmosphere was heightened as the audience’s attention was focused entirely on his next words.

From Lee Min-ki’s mouth, a word close to a finishing move burst out.

“Yesterday, while on the plane to LA, a patient in the seat next to me collapsed and almost died from lung disease.”

“……!”

It was a fresh experience.

While even the MC had his mouth wide open, Lee Min-ki scratched his head as if he was embarrassed and said.

“He really collapsed without any signs, but I barely managed to save him.”

“Wow, did you save him yourself?”

“Yes, I felt it then. Fortunately, this person was in the business class of the aircraft, and there was someone next to him who knew how to deal with it, so he survived.”

Lee Min-ki took a breath, coughed slightly, and continued.

“But if they were people who didn’t have the environment [access to resources and help], they wouldn’t have been able to do that. Maybe they would have died without knowing why, without even knowing the reason.”

“Surely.”

“Yes, so I decided to donate the prize money to this side. Hoping it will be used meaningfully.”

As Lee Min-ki’s words continued, amazing shouts spread like a wave from the audience.

It was a perfect answer beyond a perfect score.

An answer that would not only secure a good image but also repeatedly emphasize recent issues.

How could you criticize that answer after hearing it?

‘How can a person be so kind?’

‘K-pop stars are well-educated in ethics after all.’

‘It’s different from the dissolute stars of Hollywood.’

‘It’s like the land of courtesy in the East [a reference to Korea’s reputation for politeness].’

In America, Lee Min-ki’s image was already moving in a good direction.

From just a funny person to a good person.

‘Wow.’

Even the MC let out a hollow laugh.

‘I have to surrender.’

How can I make fun of him?

Even the audience has all become that man’s side.

It became too solemn.

I don’t like the touching atmosphere, but if it’s come this far, there’s no choice.

Above all.

‘I even want to cheer him on.’

Even within him, the desire to become Lee Min-ki’s ally was gradually stirring, and it was even more so.

“Good, then the next ques…….”

It was the moment when the MC was about to proceed with the final round as it was.

Thud.

A hand flying from the side snatched his microphone.

A hand with blunt, fleshy grips and wrinkles all over.

The owner of that hand seemed as stubborn as his plump face.

An uninvited guest.

But he was also someone that no one in this place could not welcome.

“Leonard Moore?”

Leonard Moore.

The legend of American comedy shows and the producer of this show, who had invaded.

“Leonard came on stage.”

“Is it directing?”

While the audience was buzzing at his presence, Leonard Moore leisurely enjoyed the voice and opened his mouth.

“Donations would be good too. For tax benefits and for publicity. But blank checks or guarantees are all stories after winning the championship.”

“……That’s right.”

The next moment Lee Min-ki nodded.

Leonard Moore narrowed his eyes and said.

“I’ll ask the last question myself.”