Top Star By Luck [EN]: Chapter 159

159. After a Long Conversation

Director Shim Sung-bo blurted out a word.

“Do I have a choice?”

“……!”

Lee Min-ki’s eyes widened at those words.

Did he just agree?

He agreed, right?

But it was too early to rest assured.

Lee Min-ki felt like swallowing a soft cake in one gulp, but he decided to throw one more carrot [offer another incentive].

“Of course.”

Lee Min-ki smiled.

“You are the best director in the world right now. If you don’t want to, William Lockhart is no big deal.”

“Huh.”

That was a bit much.

Director Shim Sung-bo chuckled at the blatant flattery.

But it wasn’t over yet.

“Is it that important to write down a clause or two in the contract? To me, your name is the best contract.”

To say it like that.

What should he say at this point?

‘You’re being unfair.’

He couldn’t refuse.

Director Shim Sung-bo burst into laughter at the emotion that had taken root deep in his heart.

‘I feel like I’ve been drawn into a carefully laid plan.’

Lee Min-ki was the same from the first time he saw him.

He presents irresistible conditions and makes you voluntarily take them.

‘It’s a scary ability.’

The fact that he makes you do it voluntarily without feeling bad was the key.

Because a director can unleash his best abilities when he makes the work he wants to make.

A moment later.

The answer Director Shim Sung-bo heard was quite impressive.

“I have something to say in advance. I was going to say this later.”

He sighed and said.

“Let’s start working after I come back from my honeymoon with Joo-yeon.”

Honeymoon.

Lee Min-ki’s expression crumpled comically at that one word.

“Yes? Honeymoon?”

Honeymoon?

Suddenly?

Is that the honeymoon I know? [Referring to the traditional post-wedding vacation.]

The one where you go on a honeymoon together after the wedding?

Lee Min-ki blinked, and Director Shim Sung-bo said as if he knew this would happen.

“I proposed on the evening of the day I came back from the film festival in Germany.”

“That fast?”

“We decided to have a small wedding with the minimum number of people.”

“You could have a grand one.”

“Joo-yeon said she didn’t want to.”

“Ah.”

If the bride says so, there’s nothing he can do.

Lee Min-ki nodded absentmindedly, and Director Shim Sung-bo said in a firm voice.

“For your information, you must attend. And for your information, Joo-yeon insisted on this too.”

I see.

Lee Min-ki blinked at the situation where words that might be the most important in a person’s life were coming out as lightly as a breakfast menu, and then said.

“Director, have you found someone to host the ceremony?”

“Not yet……”

Before Director Shim Sung-bo could finish his words, Lee Min-ki quickly opened his mouth.

“I’ll do it.”

He had to do this much.

Since he already had a life full of luck, he should spread some luck at the wedding.

* * *

A few days later.

Director Shim Sung-bo and Director Jin Joo-yeon’s wedding took place on the OTT [Over-the-Top, streaming service] release date of [Manman2].

Compared to the fame of the two directors who had risen to world stars, the number of visitors was small.

‘They said they only invited close friends.’

They really only invited close people.

‘Did I mishear? Was it twenty wedding instead of small wedding?’

It was exactly twenty.

Twenty guests attended, excluding the staff.

It was a wedding where they excluded almost all business partners or industry people involved in work and only invited really close people.

‘Director Shim Sung-bo said he didn’t have parents.’

He said he grew up in an orphanage since he was young.

Suddenly, Lee Min-ki realized a little why Director Jin Joo-yeon insisted on a small wedding.

In a fancy wedding hall, the number of guests on both the bride and groom’s sides is compared, even if unintentionally.

The majority of those guests are made up of their parents’ connections.

‘She wouldn’t want to kill her loved one’s spirit at the wedding.’

Indeed, Director Jin Joo-yeon is deep inside.

But Lee Min-ki didn’t even know that he was part of Director Jin Joo-yeon’s scheme.

If there is one overwhelming connection, the other guests become insignificant.

Lee Min-ki happened to be that person.

“Look at that.”

The effect was amazing.

Since entering the wedding hall, he had been hearing murmurs about him from all directions, so much so that he couldn’t help but hear them even if he didn’t want to.

“It’s really Lee Min-ki.”

“Sung-bo has made it big.”

“……His shoulders in the pictorial weren’t photoshopped.”

“Actors really look good in person.”

“I’m glad I made good friends. Thanks to Sung-bo, I get to see Lee Min-ki up close.”

The attention was tremendous.

It was so tremendous that it was hard to tell whether this was Director Shim Sung-bo & Jin Joo-yeon’s wedding hall or his fan meeting venue.

‘Hmm, I even tried to dress as plainly as possible so as not to stand out.’

Lee Min-ki himself tried his best, but unfortunately, it was meaningless.

Because he had good physical features.

[Plainly, I understood the order.]

His exclusive stylist, CEO Yoo Gyu-eon, pursued aesthetics even within plainness.

[There’s no reason why the word plainness should lead to a lack of style. As the saying goes, simple is best, plainness with good basics is expressed as neatness.]

Thanks to CEO Yoo Gyu-eon’s passion, Lee Min-ki’s attire was the epitome of neatness.

And neatness is a fantastic match with good physical features.

“Look at the fit.”

“Is it a luxury brand?”

“Actors get all their clothes sponsored exclusively.”

Lee Min-ki was like a flower with a great fragrance, and he couldn’t hide himself even if he tried.

Thanks to that, Lee Min-ki had to try.

To do his best not to steal the attention from the bride and groom at the wedding.

Director Jin Joo-yeon didn’t think so.

‘That’s my man’s connections.’

It was also her connections, though.

Coincidentally, Lee Min-ki also hosted the ceremony as promised.

“I thought the two of you would get married from the first time I saw you, but I didn’t know you would do it this quickly. Who invites people to a wedding a week in advance? But I had no choice but to come because it’s our director.”

Even so, after a busy wedding where he vaguely remembered what happened with the hosting and everything else.

A time when busy work was roughly flowing and he could take a breather.

“Isn’t the scenery nice?”

“It is.”

At the question of Director Shim Sung-bo who approached, Lee Min-ki slightly turned his head and looked beyond the terrace.

A private villa in Gangwon-do was the wedding hall.

Even if it’s a small wedding, the venue rental fee is not much different.

But it was worth it.

‘Maybe the director is the happiest he’s ever been right now?’

The scenery is amazing.

Lee Min-ki was envious for a moment of the fairy-tale wedding atmosphere in a mountain villa.

‘Marriage.’

Will I get married someday too?

I don’t even have anyone to meet right now, should I start looking now?

As he was about to fall into unnecessary thoughts, Director Shim Sung-bo said as if to awaken his attention.

“Actor, thank you for attending despite your busy schedule.”

“No, I’m also on a break.”

Lee Min-ki smiled and said.

“It’s 당연히 말이 안 되잖아요 [obviously doesn’t make sense] for someone who said he would host to skip because he’s busy.”

“That’s true. I said something unnecessary.”

While Director Shim Sung-bo scratched the back of his head as if he was embarrassed, Lee Min-ki looked around and said.

“It’s nice and quiet here.”

“I promised Joo-yeon a long time ago. She said she doesn’t like things that are too noisy.”

“I was surprised that you had the wedding so quickly. I thought it would take several months just to prepare.”

“I also have to film the actor’s work.”

Director Shim Sung-bo, who was about to speak, slightly turned his gaze and looked at Jin Joo-yeon, who was a little away and busy chatting.

“Joo-yeon also said she didn’t want to postpone the wedding that she had already decided on.”

There was a subtle smile on Director Shim Sung-bo’s face as he said that.

……But it didn’t take long for it to disappear.

“Are you talking about me?”

It was because Director Jin Joo-yeon, who heard those words, broke in with champagne in her hand.

“Our Sung-bo, he didn’t want to let me go, so he wanted to do it as soon as poss…….”

“Shh, shh.”

Director Shim Sung-bo hurriedly covered her mouth.

Lee Min-ki, who was watching the scene, chuckled.

‘He’s going to be bossed around.’

Well, he was that kind of character.

I thought he had changed a bit because he was acting serious these days, but he’s still the same.

“Actor, do you have anyone you’re dating?”

“Hey! Joo-yeon, it’s rude to ask celebrities that.”

“I’m still more hungry for success.”

“Wow, if everyone was like the actor, humanity would have gone extinct due to low birth rates?”

“Hey! Jin Joo-yeon!”

“Why are you shouting? I think the actor would have a line of women. I’m just curious.”

“Haha……”

Women.

Is it that story again?

But his thoughts haven’t changed much.

“I don’t think I need to deliberately look for someone to meet.”

“Oh, are you pursuing a natural encounter?”

“If there’s a connection, it’ll come, right?”

He is confident in connections.

That’s the biggest luck Lee Min-ki has gained in this life.

Just like Director Shim Sung-bo met Director Jin Joo-yeon, and Director Jin Joo-yeon met Director Shim Sung-bo.

‘A fateful encounter will come to me with great luck.’

Luck is people.

He’s just waiting for that luck to come.

It’s true that work is much better right now, even if it’s after he’s achieved everything he wants to achieve.

“Hehe, actor, married life isn’t bad either.”

“Joo-yeon…… We’ve only been married for a few tens of minutes.”

Anyway, perhaps because it was a uniquely started wedding.

Even the wedding reception was uniquely unique.

Right now.

“From now on, we will start the screening of the masterpiece created by Director Shim Sung-bo and Director Jin Joo-yeon and me! Manman2!”

“Waaaaaaa!”

It was watching [Manman2] with a projector outdoors.

Of course, it was timed exactly at 8 PM, the release time for Netplay.

‘It must be a mess in the US too. Hooo, the ranking has to come out well.’

This was the point Lee Min-ki was focusing on right now.

Whether the OTT ranking of [Manman2] will come out properly.

The Netplay rankings are tallied in real time every 10 minutes.

‘Whether it will take first place in viewing time’ was Lee Min-ki’s biggest concern at this moment.

‘Usually, a blockbuster work takes first place in 2 hours.’

That was the average figure for the works that take first place on Netplay every year.

[Manman2] has already been a hit in theaters, but conversely, many people have already seen it because of that.

How will it perform on Netplay, which can be said to be the main stage?

[Ugh…… Salty, spit! Spit, spit! Ugh, who the hell.]

Even as Lee Min-ki’s worries deepened, the screen in the movie flowed calmly.

‘I think it’s been 10 minutes already.’

He was restless about the Netplay results, but he was hesitant to take out his phone and check it right away because it was a reception, so he thought he would have to wait about 30 minutes.

Sreuk.

Jin Joo-yeon, the main character of the wedding, took out her phone without a word.

About 12 seconds after the screen turned on.

Her eyes widened as brightly as if she had received a proposal.

“Director?”

A moment later.

She replaced the answer to Lee Min-ki’s question by raising her finger.

Of course.

“……!”

No more, no less.

It was a neat thumbs up.