Top Star By Luck [EN]: Chapter 146

Star Top with Luck – Episode 146 (146/200)

Episode 146

Why did Lee Min-ki’s life become so twisted, driving him to rock bottom in the past?

The fundamental reason is simple.

‘His luck was just terribly bad.’

This is significant.

However, bad luck manifests differently for everyone.

Some misfortune stems from carelessness, while other times it arises from human malice.

The man before me.

Ham Chi-hyun was precisely that kind of person.

A human who seemed to embody the misfortune Lee Min-ki had experienced.

“Haha, I didn’t expect actor Lee Min-ki to know me.”

The man said, radiating an endlessly affable smile from his gentle eyes.

“We’re meeting for the first time, right?”

“…That’s right.”

How could I not know?

Ham Chi-hyun.

You were one of the main culprits who ruined my life.

Lee Min-ki chuckled, responding to the man’s exaggeratedly playful tone.

“I memorize all the agencies.”

That’s right.

Ham Chi-hyun’s identity was none other than the president of an agency.

Ham Chi-hyun.

I don’t know exactly where that demon spawned from.

He was a person with as many secrets as a snake hidden in its belly.

However, one thing was clear.

‘He was good with words.’

He knew how to coax people.

Especially those who were desperate for a break.

[I don’t think of it as exposure. It’s about showcasing the beauty of the body. You know XX from XXX Company? They also started in this field. They gradually touched up their face while officially debuting.]

Taking aspiring models and exploiting them in nude photo shoots.

[It’s difficult to appear on major broadcasts from the start. Instead, there’s a lot of buzz these days about building a foundation through internet broadcasting. This appearance is a big opportunity. It can be a stepping stone to going on public broadcast.]

Disguising it as online broadcasting and having them appear on adult broadcasting platforms.

Or sending them out to cheap comedy programs to play degrading roles.

Or telling them to go dance on nightclub stages.

Or forcing them to handle five jobs in a week.

Or putting them in action scenes that would ruin their bodies.

[If you just increase the workload, opportunities will come. Nothing comes if you do nothing.]

He only looked at immediate profits.

He endlessly crammed in work while making plausible excuses, but he wasn’t very interested in the actor’s long-term career path.

A person who only cared about gathering immediate cash.

That was Ham Chi-hyun.

Here’s one more thing.

[I think we can settle the accounts around the beginning of next year.]

The fact that he committed fraud with the settlement.

Settlement is when the company’s investment costs are deducted from the actor’s income before payment is made, but this was a rare concept in actor or model agencies.

These agencies don’t invest much in training from the start.

So, when it’s time to settle the accounts.

[There are still a lot of expenses that went into sales.]

[If the actor had done well, we could have settled the accounts.]

[The company’s situation is not good, can you wait a few months?]

Suddenly, his attitude would change.

This was the main method of the pseudo-representative Ham Chi-hyun.

[Isn’t it strange?]

Of course, the people who signed the contracts had their doubts.

But he would just sweet-talk them appropriately.

How could an aspiring trainee with a lack of information beat a representative who had been worn down in the industry?

Still, what could they say if they questioned him deeply?

[Contract termination? Good, but you have to return all the investment costs that have been put in so far.]

In the name of the investment costs that had been put in so far, he would claim enormous damages.

From transportation costs to clothing costs, to sales expenses.

And even the unrealized sales, claiming the opportunity cost of the events that had been booked in advance.

What if they still questioned him even after all this?

From this point on, it was the true nature of Ham Chi-hyun.

[You’re not thinking of working in the entertainment industry anymore, are you?]

He would pressure them with his connections in the entertainment industry.

[Good, all good, but you’re ready to retire altogether, right? I don’t know what other agencies will think of you if you can’t last a few years and give up.]

What choices would powerless rookies have?

[…I’ll do more.]

They had to endure.

‘He worked them hard like that for about 5 years, and then ran away with the company’s money later.’

Lee Min-ki was one of the victims.

‘What was a no-name agency president doing, talking about burying someone in the industry?’

It was ridiculously funny from afar, but it wasn’t visible when you were being thoroughly gaslighted [manipulated into doubting your sanity].

But now I know better.

The essence of Ham Chi-hyun is nothing special.

Just a con artist who is good with words.

Nothing more, nothing less.

I didn’t want to get involved when I was a rookie, but he eventually came back like this.

‘I didn’t want to run into him.’

I heard he ran away overseas with the money later.

In the end, we met again like this.

The position has changed a bit, though.

A con artist who hasn’t run away yet, and a very successful actor.

‘I really didn’t want to meet him.’

To Lee Min-ki, Ham Chi-hyun was like the grime under the toilet seat cover.

I know it’s dirty.

I also know that I have to clean it someday.

But he was the kind of person I wanted to avoid as much as possible unless an unavoidable situation arose.

While Lee Min-ki was thinking the same thing over and over, he continued to smile and said.

“I’m following all the works that the actor is filming! Isn’t it a coincidence that we met like this?”

“I guess so. It’s a coincidence.”

“To think you’d come to the movie theater in the morning. Your market research is thorough. There are many actors who don’t watch their own works during filming.”

“I guess so. The movie was fun.”

Lee Min-ki continued with soulless answers.

Even though I faced a bad connection from the past, there was nothing special I wanted to share.

I guessed that all he would say was flattery.

There’s no point in arguing about things that haven’t happened yet.

“I’m also looking forward to the filming of the new work. I heard that the actor participated directly in the production, were you originally interested?”

“I guess so. I became interested.”

“Since our agency also sent a supporting actor to [Manman-tu], I was greatly moved to hear about the actor through that friend. You took the initiative in any acting.”

“Is that so? The director is great.”

“Haha, the actor is great. Our actor owes you so much, I’d like to treat you to a meal.”

At those words, Lee Min-ki instinctively realized.

‘He’s trying to test the waters.’

It was Ham Chi-hyun’s unique behavior of creating a connection and milking it for a long time.

A method of adding credibility to his words by mentioning it when necessary.

“Isn’t this also a relationship?”

But unfortunately.

“I’m on a diet these days.”

Ham Chi-hyun was a target of Lee Min-ki’s vigilance.

Lee Min-ki, who rejected the meal offer with a short word, said with a smile.

“Thank you, but I’ll just take your heart.”

“The release date of this work is… around July, was it?”

But he didn’t give up.

Ham Chi-hyun steered the conversation as if he would somehow lead it to another topic.

In front of those words.

“I have a separate sales manager, so I don’t know much about that part.”

Lee Min-ki repeatedly changed lanes [avoided the topic].

“I guess Netplay had something to say?”

“I don’t know much about sales. I’m entrusting it entirely to the studio.”

“You respect each other’s areas. It’s an ideal form of collaboration.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, especially when a group works together.”

“I see.”

After exchanging soulless questions and answers that were as breathtaking as that for a long time.

“As expected of the actor. I heard you’re going to advance to the United States, that was true.”

“I don’t know the sales route yet. It’s in the production stage.”

“……”

Is he going to keep this up until the end?

Just as Ham Chi-hyun’s gentle eyes twitched slightly in front of Lee Min-ki’s iron wall, as if he wouldn’t give even a spoonful of information.

“Ah! It’s starting now!”

With Kim Tak’s immature voice, the conflict ended as if the rope in front of the crescent moon was cut off.

It was the moment when Lee Min-ki was about to open his mouth after looking around.

“Here’s my business card.”

Ham Chi-hyun said as if he wouldn’t miss even that.

“If you contact me next time, I’ll invite you to a good place.”

“…I understand.”

Lee Min-ki reluctantly took the business card and moved his feet into the theater with his party as if he had been waiting.

Dark hallway.

As he gradually walked inside, the smile disappeared from Lee Min-ki’s face, and just as dark thoughts were smoldering in his head, Yoo Seon-ah opened her mouth.

“That person earlier. He seems to have a very good personality, doesn’t he?”

Lee Min-ki also smiled and replied.

“Yes, he does.”

He seems to be a good person.

It’s hard to deny that.

But just as the skin and flesh of a watermelon are different, people’s outsides and insides are also different.

The person Ham Chi-hyun seen in Lee Min-ki’s eyes.

‘He’s still full of con artist tendencies.’

It was a monster that compressed a huge evil into a human form.

Did he say he sent one supporting actor to [Manman-tu]?

I know who it is.

It must have been the person I had a deep conversation with yesterday.

‘It was worth telling him everything, including the movie theater and the movie to watch.’

The representative himself willingly came all the way.

Maybe the method is still the same as before.

‘Shall I tap him a little [investigate him secretly]?’

Revenge is necessary.

Especially if it’s an opponent that bothers me in my heart.

* * *

JC Entertainment.

The place Lee Min-ki visited, taking time out even on a holiday.

“You said it’s Media Future Company.”

Director Seo Jeong-woo opened his mouth, putting his laptop down on the table in front of Lee Min-ki.

“The representative’s name is Ham Chi-hyun, I looked into it as far as I could.”

At that moment, Lee Min-ki’s heart fluttered slightly.

How will he evaluate him as a fellow industry member?

Maybe he will evaluate the other side favorably as a fellow industry member.

It was the moment I had that thought.

“He’s a typical planning con artist.”

A straightforward word flowed from Director Seo Jeong-woo’s mouth.

“The Media Future Company that he runs belongs to a typical fraud planning company.”

“…Huh.”

“Why are you doing that?”

“No, I just thought you can’t know a person just by looking at the outside.”

Lee Min-ki scratched his head.

“I wondered.”

“You had a feeling.”

Director Seo Jeong-woo sighed as if it was natural and said.

“The actor may not know yet, but there are many planning companies in this industry that exploit talented rookies. No, to be exact, there were many. It’s much less these days.”

“Um, um.”

Lee Min-ki nodded vigorously at the reasonable words.

“To the extent of turning them to adult platforms. Until a few years ago, there were places that made them do back-door business [illegal or unethical deals]. There was one recently. 3Y.”

“Um, um.”

You’re only saying the right things.

“If you make them do it one by one like that, they unknowingly end up specializing in odd jobs that are good to use and throw away.”

“Um……”

This is a bit heartbreaking.

Specializing in odd jobs that are good to use and throw away.

Those words sounded like they were digging into a corner of Lee Min-ki’s heart.

Because it was true in the past.

“Director, you seem to have some bad feelings towards that side.”

“Didn’t you know? Old planning companies were all like this.”

Director Seo Jeong-woo said, raising one eyebrow as if he was surprised.

“That’s why CEO Gu In-mo made the current JC, saying that we should at least not rip off actors among ourselves and do business honestly. Do you know what JC stands for?”

“Joy & Creative.”

The answer popped out of Lee Min-ki’s mouth right away.

Joy & Creative.

It was the word of joy and creativity.

It was too easy a question for Lee Min-ki, who once memorized the Golden Namu Wiki [Korean Wikipedia] planning company item.

It was a proud moment for that answer.

“That’s just the official slogan.”

Director Seo Jeong-woo shook his head and asked again.

“There’s a separate truth. Try to guess.”

Is it an advanced course?

Lee Min-ki tapped his chin slightly and pondered for a while at the question that changed from memorization to descriptive.

He barely opened his mouth.