Top Star By Luck [EN]: Chapter 179

179. A Star by Luck

“Indeed, people…”

Son Hee-jeong murmured, her voice brimming with excitement.

“Inspiration only grows when you step out into the world.”

“……”

“Staring at the wall at home because you’re facing a creative block won’t solve anything. You have to experience things to get inspired and improve.”

“……That’s a good thing, right?”

“My heart is still pounding. If I were to turn this into a musical piece… Wait, where did I put my pen?”

Son Hee-jeong rummaged through her bag, pulling out a notepad and scribbling furiously.

She didn’t want to waste a single drop of the inspiration flooding her mind, as if afraid it would evaporate like water on hot asphalt.

Lee Min-gi watched her, utterly perplexed.

‘Are all musicians like that?’

‘William Lockhart is the same. And now Son Hee-jeong. Why are all these successful people so…intense? We almost died back there. Shouldn’t they be a little scared, a little shaken? Shouldn’t there be some lingering PTSD?’

He’d expected Son Hee-jeong, in particular, to be more composed, given her serious public persona and her appearances on variety shows.

But this?

“Ah, it feels like a dam has burst. Yes, the piercing sound, the cries of the seagulls, that’s it. I’ll bring in the snare and kick drum… Ah, a Bach quote would be perfect.”

She muttered to herself, lost in a world only she could hear, like someone experiencing auditory hallucinations.

‘So that’s what the maestro Son Hee-jeong is really like.’

A bit eccentric.

The fantasy he’d held for so long was slightly shattered, but not in a bad way.

‘She’s a musician.’

He felt a sense of freedom. Seeing someone who usually projected such seriousness reveal this uninhibited side made her seem more approachable.

If you’re an artist, being too cool is a bit much.

‘Yeah, let’s just think of it that way.’

Just as Lee Min-gi finished rationalizing it, Joo Hana, who had joined them, chimed in.

“You’re just like that, Actor.”

Lee Min-gi protested, as if wrongly accused.

“Me?”

“You’re usually quiet, but when a movie you love comes up, you get so animated. You explain everything with such an excited expression…”

“I do that?”

“Huh? You didn’t know?”

Lee Min-gi’s cheeks flushed slightly at Joo Hana’s surprised reaction. She continued, oblivious.

“You take notes while watching movies. You watch your favorite scenes dozens of times, re-analyzing every detail of the acting. The lighting angles, the composition, even what kind of perfume they might be wearing. I thought you were analyzing movies on a really deep level.”

“……That’s enough.”

“I thought that’s why your skills were improving so quickly.”

“Ugh.”

Lee Min-gi wanted to disappear into a hole.

He knew he got a little carried away when discussing things he liked, but he hadn’t realized he was *that* intense.

He felt a little mortified.

But there was more to come.

“Should we add a pirate scene?”

Director Shim Seong-bo suddenly suggested.

“Director?”

“The main character encounters pirates, but he wins them over with music, playing something they remember from their childhoods.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“I guess not, right?”

“No.”

“Then how about he distracts them with music and then smashes a guitar over their heads to knock them out?”

“No, that’s a little…”

Lee Min-gi quickly intervened.

Strictly speaking, they were all the same.

* * *

What are the disadvantages of living in a provincial city?

Specifically, how does it compare to a big city?

What are the downsides compared to a place like Seoul?

It was simple.

[Title: The Sad Reality of Living in the Provinces]

[Content: Why don’t you ever come to our town on your national tours, you baby Bambino [Korean slang for someone cute and precious]. I’m going to break your antlers.]

There were very few cultural events.

No musicals.

No concerts by famous singers.

University festivals held all over the country? Unfortunately, there were no universities. Or if there were, they weren’t big enough to host a proper festival.

There wasn’t even a local live music venue.

The only place to listen to music was a Colatec [a type of Korean dance club], which no one went to anymore.

[Ah, I’m so bored]

[Seoul people say it’s nothing special, but we need to knock some sense into them]

[They say they don’t care because they don’t watch musicals ㅋㅋㅋ There’s a big difference between choosing not to watch and not having the option ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

[You don’t go to musicals because it’s a 2-hour round trip? It takes us 8 hours]

[Korea is a small country. Can’t you just do a day trip?]

[If you watch a 3-hour performance after an 8-hour round trip, do you have to sleep over? Or can you just go straight home?]

[Yeah ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Your ticket price is 120,000 won [approximately $90 USD], but our transportation and accommodation costs are 120,000 won ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

[You go after work, but we have to take a vacation to go ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

There was nothing.

Things were slightly better in Busan, the next major city, but the situation was still similar. If you enjoyed offline events, you could consider everything outside of Seoul a cultural wasteland.

And now, something was making the young people of Geoje Island even more frustrated.

[Why doesn’t anyone come to our fan meetings]

Celebrities never even visited for fan meetings.

[If you’re not coming to Geoje Island, don’t call it a fan meeting]

[It’s too much to ask]

But.

Things were different now.

Celebrities were finally coming to Geoje Island for fan meetings! No, more than that!

“Lee Min-gi is coming?”

“I saw him on TV earlier.”

Lee Min-gi was coming to Geoje Island to film.

And not just by picking a location, but by renting out the entire school as a backdrop! And he was planning to film for an extended period!

“He was almost kidnapped by pirates on the way.”

“Is that part of the plot? That’s interesting.”

“No, he was *actually* almost kidnapped by pirates.”

“Where is that comic being serialized?”

It was bound to be a major topic of conversation.

Geoje City was one of the most overlooked cities in Korea, wasn’t it?

If it were a smaller city, tourists might still visit, but Geoje Island didn’t even have that.

Because Busan, the city next door, was too famous for tourism! People went to Busan, but no one came to Geoje Island!

But now, that sorrow was about to be alleviated.

“It’s a fan meeting!”

Lee Min-gi and the Maiar Pictures crew announced that they would be holding a signing event with no limit on the number of attendees.

“Lee Min-gi knows how to do fan meetings?”

“He’s famous for being mysterious.”

“Wow, there were even rumors that he was a virtual actor created with CG.”

“I heard you can sometimes see him at the gym.”

Lee Min-gi, who never showed his face publicly, was holding a fan meeting in Geoje Island.

But as mentioned before, it wasn’t just Lee Min-gi.

“Joo Hana is coming too.”

“Joo Hana, the nation’s first love?”

“I watched her drama for a day starting tomorrow and I really fell in love.”

“Wow.”

Joo Hana, the reigning “nation’s first love,” was coming.

The Joo Hana who was melting hearts with her innocent face and charming personality.

And that wasn’t all.

“Son Hee-jeong is coming too.”

“Wow, I’m a huge fan of Son Hee-jeong.”

“My mom used to follow Son Hee-jeong back in the day.”

Son Hee-jeong was coming.

Son Hee-jeong, one of the most celebrated musicians in Korea, was coming.

Shim Seong-bo and Jin Joo-yeon, the director couple, were also coming, but their presence was less impactful, so let’s set them aside for now.

In any case, three leading figures from different fields in Korea were coming to Geoje Island for a fan meeting.

So what would happen?

“We have to go see it, right?”

“If I get there 5 hours early, can I get in?”

“I’m going to start lining up at dawn.”

“What about school?”

“My palatopharyngeal arch inner pyriform sinus side [pretending to be sick with a sore throat] is swollen, so I have to rest today.”

“Wow, your pronunciation is so clear.”

People began to flock to the island.

Of course, as mentioned before, Geoje Island had one particular characteristic.

“This is my first time coming to Geoje Island, and I live in Busan.”

Even people from Busan were driving 50 minutes to attend.

The event that Lee Min-gi hadn’t given much thought to was turning into a large-scale regional phenomenon.

* * *

Brrr-

In the car driving along the island road, Manager Park Han-mo, who had arrived earlier, asked with a hint of worry.

“Actor, are you okay?”

“About what?”

“It’s nothing, but… well, something happened on the way, didn’t it?”

“Ah.”

It had happened.

Pirates had attacked and tried to kidnap him for ransom. It seemed like a simple kidnapping at first.

“Um, that’s right.”

Lee Min-gi smiled faintly and said.

“I’m fine because I’m unharmed.”

At the utterly innocent remark, Manager Park Han-mo sighed.

“……I often think the actor has an incredibly strong mentality.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, usually, people complain of mental stress, cancel their schedules, and take a break. Wouldn’t that be normal?”

How many people would cancel everything and rest even if they just caught a cold? It was even more common for people with high salaries.

There weren’t many people as diligent as Lee Min-gi, despite his income.

‘JC Entertainment is incredibly lucky to have him.’

Moreover, he was humble from beginning to end.

He never hesitated to say thank you. Thank you for giving me a ride. Thank you for your hard work.

‘I’m so fortunate to have such a celebrity.’

How many people applied to be managers, drawn by the glamorous image of celebrities, only to be hurt by those with terrible personalities and leave the industry forever?

If there were only people like Lee Min-gi, even retired managers would return.

‘I’m just grateful.’

Thank you.

Especially for working with me.

Manager Park Han-mo sincerely felt that way, though he kept it to himself.

Instead, he said something else.

“I’ll be shadowing the actor’s schedule for the time being.”

“Yes?”

“Even if you go to the local grocery store, even if you take a walk in front of your house, I’ll be with you. Think of me as your personal secretary, wherever you go.”

“Yes?!”

Just as Lee Min-gi was about to protest, as if he were being spied on, Manager Park Han-mo said firmly.

“It’s all for the actor’s safety. I’ll do this until I hire a separate bodyguard.”

“……What if I don’t want to?”

“You know the answer without me having to say it.”

“Ugh.”

Lee Min-gi sighed.

“Okay. Only when I’m in Geoje Island.”

Manager Park Han-mo smiled inwardly at the small act of rebellion.

Yes, that was the key.

When a manager acted so forcefully, many ordinary celebrities would feel their pride wounded and threaten to replace them.

Sometimes they would directly threaten the company, saying they couldn’t work because of the manager.