Top Star By Luck [EN]: Chapter 17

Episode 17

‘Amazing, this fervor.’

The cheers of the crowd crash in from all directions like waves.

Is this what it feels like to stand in the middle of a tsunami, looking down on the world?

Lee Min-ki stared blankly at the stadium amidst the deafening roar.

‘It’s far and small.’

The players look as small as ants.

He doesn’t even know who’s who since he hasn’t had much interest in baseball.

“Quit it!”

“Damn it! Can’t you throw any better than that!”

“Ugh! My blood pressure! I’m going to die before my parents because of those bastards!”

“Aaaargh! Disband! Please disband!”

He doesn’t even know who’s on his side.

‘I’m pretty sure they’re on our team based on their uniforms, but why are they cursing?’

He was just bewildered.

How did Lee Min-ki, who knows nothing about baseball, end up here?

To recall that, it was necessary to revisit trainer Kim Ah-sung’s words.

[Didn’t I tell you? What Min-ki needs is presence. But what’s the best way to train presence? Should we go to a club and pick up girls? No, that’s not the way. It’s much simpler. Just go to a place where you can show off your presence to your heart’s content.]

The logic was that it was a baseball stadium.

Everyone at the baseball stadium screams and shows off their presence, so it’s easy to ‘practice’ showing presence there.

[It’s enough if you don’t get buried among them, so shout as much as you want and mingle as much as you want.]

Presence overflowing around you.

In other words, it means that whatever you do, you won’t stand out.

That’s why he ordered Lee Min-ki to stand out here.

‘Easy to say.’

Lee Min-ki, the person involved, sighed deeply.

The problem is how to do it.

How can someone who has no interest in baseball suddenly come to a baseball stadium and do something?

‘I can’t even tell who’s on our side and who’s the enemy.’

Moreover, this is Sajik Baseball Stadium, known as the most intense and passionate baseball stadium in Korea.

‘Let’s see, in this case, it seems like I should blend in with the surrounding atmosphere and get a feel for it first.’

All he sees are spectators.

No, if you look closely, there are people who show off a particularly large presence among them.

“Ma!”

“Ma!”

“Ma!!!”

It was a voice that he didn’t know whether it was scolding the opposing team or pressuring his own team.

But there was one person who stood out in particular.

His voice was louder than the others.

Moreover, the person with the whistle around his neck was standing on the platform, shouting and leading the crowd.

“Get ready! One! Two! One! Two! The strongest Nokde! Nok! De! Nok! De! The strongest Nokde! Nok! De!”

He could tell at a glance.

That person seemed to be cheering normally.

‘Is that the cheering squad leader or something?’

Kim Ah-sung gave him the ticket, but Lee Min-ki also did some research online.

At the baseball stadium, the cheering squad leader often goes up on the cheering platform to sing cheering songs or lead chants.

‘Let’s follow that person.’

As he listened, the pattern of the cheering squad leader’s voice gradually began to enter his ears.

“Nok! De! NokdeNokde Nok! De!”

It was the song he had seen and memorized online.

Lee Min-ki took a deep breath and hesitated for a moment. Then, he slowly began to chant the voice in a small voice.

“Nok… De Nokde, Nokde, Nok… De.”

It was the moment when he was timidly trying to match the timing.

“Ah! You there, young man.”

“Yes, yes?”

The person next to him stared at him and said.

“You have no energy! That’s not how you do it!”

“Yes?”

“Try it. Nok! De! NokdeNokde Nok! De!”

“NokdeNok….”

“No! That’s not it! Hey! Do you even eat?”

His voice is sharp.

It felt like it was drilling into his ears, so much so that his eardrums felt numb.

Even the pronunciation is faint.

But he seemed to know what he was asking for.

‘Does he want me to raise my voice?’

While he was unintentionally arguing with him, the attention of the people around him was focused on Lee Min-ki.

In other words, the hot presence that had been poured on the players until just now was focused on Lee Min-ki.

“Ahem.”

“He doesn’t know how to do it.”

Suffocating presence.

In the midst of it, Lee Min-ki felt a sense of pressure like his hairs standing on end.

‘I’m getting dizzy.’

In times like this, he had one of two choices.

Either kill himself and hide, or take a step forward.

He usually chose the former.

Not many studios like supporting actors or extras stepping forward.

It’s best to step back if possible.

But this time it was different.

“What.”

“What’s up?”

“Young man, you don’t look well?”

There was no place for Lee Min-ki to retreat.

Of course, no matter how strong the pressure was, the people here were basically good people.

If Lee Min-ki kept bowing, they would notice his intention and step back.

But that was obviously not the answer.

Because that’s not why he came.

‘I don’t know.’

In the end, the choice Lee Min-ki made was this.

“Nokde―!!!”

To shout.

He didn’t even know if he was matching the chant, but he just shouted.

It’s okay if he’s wrong. It’s okay if it’s an act that breaks the atmosphere.

It doesn’t matter if he’s embarrassed and kicks the blanket when he gets home later.

At least for this moment, he wanted to resist the presence that surrounded him with all his might.

“……”

Could it be that the resonance contained in his voice was transferred to the surroundings?

“Ma!”

“He knows how to do it!”

“That’s it!”

The surrounding spectators smiled contentedly, as if they were finally satisfied.

It was the moment when Lee Min-ki was truly recognized as a member of the group.

They soon returned to what they had to do.

Immediately.

“Nok! De! Nokde!”

It was to continue the cheering they had been doing.

Cold sweat trickled down Lee Min-ki’s pores as he was released from the pressure in an instant.

But he didn’t feel so bad.

‘It’s refreshing.’

Was it because he had shouted as much as he could, something he had never done in his life?

His lungs throbbed, and his head was dizzy like someone who had just woken up from drinking.

At the same time, his vision cleared and the surrounding scenery came into view.

The cool, open stadium.

That was what captivated Lee Min-ki’s eyes.

At this point, the next thought that naturally came to his mind was this.

‘So that was presence.’

Revealing myself.

The fact that the people around me are only looking at me.

That clear sensation tickled Lee Min-ki’s skin like a spring breeze.

Once he faced it directly, the next thought he had was this.

‘I want to feel it more.’

I want to continue the shout from before.

I don’t want to be buried in the presence, I want to show off the fact that I am here.

Enough to reach the players beyond these spectators.

Enough to reach the spectators on the opposite side of the stadium beyond the players.

Let’s show off.

…That’s what he thought.

“You there!”

The cheering squad leader, who had been busy leading the cheering song until just now, shouted at him.

“Come up here for a second!”

* * *

Trainer Kim Ah-sung.

He doesn’t usually show it, but he was from Gyeongsang-do [a province in southeastern Korea].

Moreover, he is from Busan [a major city in South Korea] and also a baseball fan.

His favorite team is Lotte Giants.

Although the Korean entertainment industry is concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area, so he rarely goes to Busan due to his busy schedule, his heart often stays at Sajik Stadium during the season.

Today was no different.

Trainer Kim Ah-sung, who happened to be watching the live broadcast of the game, thought.

‘Wow, that’s amazing.’

Lee Min-ki.

Lee Min-ki, who appeared small in the game video, clearly showed off his presence.

[Ma!]

[Ma!]

He only knows how to do that, so he only shouts ‘Ma’ or ‘Lotte’ in time.

But perhaps because his appearance was so desperate.

Unexpectedly, that caught the attention of the camera, and his appearance on the cheering platform appeared in the game broadcast every now and then.

‘I was just going to tell him to go and get a feel for it, but he’s going up on the cheering platform and putting on a show. Oh, is that even possible?’

It is definitely not common for a cheering spectator to go up on the cheering platform.

It’s a big event that even an avid baseball fan might experience once or twice in their lifetime.

But Lee Min-ki happened to be caught in that position.

It was a good thing if you were lucky, and a bad thing if you were unlucky.

Of course.

‘Wow, Min-ki’s luck is amazing.’

For Kim Ah-sung, a baseball fan, it was something to be envious of, grabbing his stomach and rolling on the floor.

But what made this game really interesting was the next moment.

‘He’s even dancing?’

Lee Min-ki started dancing on the cheering platform.

‘Wow, that’s going to be a dark history.’

It was also a terrible dance.

A terrible dance that makes everyone who sees it laugh.

In fact, there is a designated dance for baseball cheering songs, but Lee Min-ki’s dance was completely different.

But that suited the atmosphere even more.

‘I told him to feel the vivid presence, but I didn’t tell him to stand out like that.’

This was something that even trainer Kim Ah-sung did not expect.

But it’s someone else’s business.

So it’s fun.

“Hehehe.”

He was holding his cell phone and watching Lee Min-ki’s bizarre behavior happening on the other side of the Korean Peninsula in real time.

“Ah-sung.”

A man peeked over the partition and spoke to him.

“The meeting is about to start. You know that, right?”

He was a person whose appearance stood out at first glance.

Rather than his face standing out, it would be more accurate to say that his clothes were very stylish.

Small head and long legs.

A long coat that was perfectly tailored to his body fit like a magazine pictorial.

Moreover, he was in his 30s, but even if he insisted he was in his 20s, people would believe him.

Kim Ah-sung’s words calling him were even more surprising.

“Director, I’m not done with this yet, so just a moment.”

He was a director.

In fact, this man held the title of director at JC Entertainment despite his young age.

He sighed and said.

“Is it baseball again? Stop watching it at the company.”

“I’m not watching baseball. I was watching my student.”

“……”

The man paused at the word student.

I would believe him if it were anyone else, but the person speaking was Kim Ah-sung.

“Does your student also play baseball?”

“Not that, he’s appearing here.”

Kim Ah-sung pointed at the screen as if to show him.

But 5 seconds.

10 seconds.

Even after 30 seconds, Lee Min-ki’s appearance did not appear.

It seems that the last time the camera showed Lee Min-ki was just a moment ago.

“Yes, yes, I understand. I’ll believe you.”

As the director sighed and spoke, Kim Ah-sung protested as if he was wronged.

“No, it’s true. Director, don’t you believe me?”

“Yes, I really believe you. Let’s go quickly.”

“No, really.”

“In the first place.”

The director cut off Kim Ah-sung’s words as if they were not worth listening to and said.

“Today’s meeting is being held because of you, trainer, right? You can’t be absent, can you?”

That’s right.

Today’s meeting was held to finalize the audition method and the judges who would participate in the private audition at Jam Acting School.

“Ugh.”

Kim Ah-sung, feeling a sense of responsibility, finally put down his cell phone and was about to get up from his seat.

“And.”

The director looked at him and said.

“I might participate in this audition as a judge.”

Kim Ah-sung looked surprised at the director’s subtle hint.

“You personally, director?”

“I’ve been walking around the shopping mall for work recently, and I feel like the next rookie trend will be someone who looks good in clothes.”

“Hmm, that’s not easy.”

Kim Ah-sung seemed to be thinking for a moment and then said.

“Wouldn’t it be easier to cover it up with a face?”

“If you have the body, you can just make the face.”

“Ah. With the concept of being from Apgujeong [a wealthy district in Seoul]?”

With that, the two of them chatted noisily and moved to the conference room.

* * *

That evening.

A post was uploaded on an internet baseball site.

[Today’s Best]

[Title: Lotte’s unprecedented crowd invasion.jpg]

[Recommended: 382/71]

It was a post with a video attached.

A video of a handsome man shouting randomly on stage and taking attention while dancing randomly.

The comments were unique.

[lololol it’s a terrible dance and terrible cheering but it’s so addictive]

[Today’s scene stealer ㅇㅈ [acknowledgement]]

[I’m pissed because he’s handsome]

[Shouldn’t we ban handsome guys from coming to the stadium?]

[lol it’s a violation of the Geneva Convention]

[Are they recruiting people to the stadium like this these days?]

[lololol the country is doing well~!!]

[Is he a part-timer?]

[I don’t care lol]

[↑ Ban this guy]

[If he came after getting paid, there’s no way he’d be flailing around without knowing anything lol]

[That’s all calculated]

Like that, a few hours.

Lee Min-ki’s dark history was turned into a GIF and began to spread to all sorts of communities.