Top Star By Luck [EN]: Chapter 19

19.

Audition Day Morning.

For the first time in his life, Lee Minki was absent from morning practice.

It wasn’t because he was terrified before the important audition or trying to take a day off.

He had something to do to increase his chances of passing, even by a little.

‘Director Seo Jungwoo said he pays a lot of attention to fashion.’

So, he came to someone who knows fashion well.

That person was none other than…

Yoo Gyueon, the owner of the shopping mall where Lee Minki works part-time as a fitting model every week.

“You’ve come to the right person.”

He nodded with a serious expression that was rarely seen.

“In any field, experts do the job well. Did you know that? Many people say that casual wear is just about wearing comfortable clothes, but that’s what people who don’t know say. Even with the same casual style, the feeling it gives can be completely different depending on how you wear it.”

“……”

“Why is it that the gray sweatpants worn by a returning student look so shabby you can’t bear to look, but when a celebrity wears them on TV, they look amazing? Every single wrinkle is carefully calculated.”

He was more talkative than usual.

‘Was he always such a strong-willed person?’

‘Come to think of it, didn’t he say he was preparing to be a designer?’

Lee Minki’s guess was correct.

CEO Yoo Gyueon didn’t start the clothing shopping mall simply to make money.

He started the shopping mall as a means to make and sell his own clothes.

It was only natural for him to have a philosophy as a designer. It was also a basic requirement for him to be excited in front of a muse who would reflect his philosophy.

“I’m going to show off my skills today. You can look forward to it.”

CEO Yoo Gyueon cracked his knuckles.

Lee Minki chuckled at the sight of him being so passionate, going beyond just doing him a favor.

“Do you have something good going on?”

It was the moment he asked half-jokingly.

“Yes, I do.”

“Really? Is it something like a relationship?”

“It’s because of you, Minki?”

“Pardon?”

Yoo Gyueon raised his forehead slightly as if asking what he was talking about.

“Didn’t I tell you?”

“Thanks to Minki, our shopping mall’s sales have been skyrocketing recently.”

“Pardon?”

Minki’s eyes were filled with questions at those words.

‘Sales increased because of me? Did I have that kind of talent?’

Was he more suited to be a model than an actor, unexpectedly?

Was he handling his talent wrong?

Just as Lee Minki was feeling doubtful, Yoo Gyueon opened his mouth again, looking directly into his eyes.

“The baseball stadium clip……”

“Ah!”

A groan burst from Lee Minki’s mouth.

Baseball stadium.

The word that had recently become like Pavlov’s dog [a conditioned response] popped out of his mouth.

Yoo Gyueon said in a bewildered voice at the unexpected reaction.

“What’s wrong? Is there something uncomfortable?”

“……No, it’s nothing. Yes, it’s really nothing. Please continue.”

“Hmm, anyway.”

Yoo Gyueon narrowed his eyes as if bewildered by Lee Minki’s reaction, but continued.

“Since the appearance of Minki at the baseball stadium, sales have suddenly doubled.”

“……”

“Even before that, sales had been gradually improving since Minki started modeling.”

So that was the reason.

Lee Minki finally realized the truth and sighed softly.

‘It’s a relief that the baseball stadium helped, even in this way.’

Well, it was all over the place.

Nevertheless, Lee Minki was unfamiliar with CEO Yoo Gyueon’s treatment because he rarely had memories of receiving such treatment.

He hadn’t seen anyone say ‘Things are going well thanks to you’ in recent years.

Rather, he heard the words, ‘You’re going to ruin the company.’

Therefore, it was only natural that Lee Minki was unfamiliar with the fact that he was receiving someone else’s favor.

“I’ve often thought about what I could do for Minki.”

CEO Yoo Gyueon continued, rummaging through the clothes neatly hung on the hanger with a pleased voice.

“So, when I received a request from Minki, I immediately thought, ‘This is it!’ Thanks to that, I studied a lot for a few days.”

“Haha…… I was lucky. To receive help like this. I’m so grateful.”

“No. If Minki passes the audition and becomes more famous than now, we can help each other, so isn’t it me who is more lucky?”

The words that he would return the favor since he had received something.

This short logic touched Lee Minki with a special emotion.

Because it was never a matter of course in his past life.

‘Is this how others have been living?’

While Lee Minki was caught up in a poignant feeling, Yoo Gyueon clapped his hands briefly and said.

“Stylist. You know? Today is Minki’s important day, so please show off your skills to the fullest.”

“Yes!”

The employee who was usually in charge of Lee Minki’s styling also raised her brush with a determined voice.

That’s how the two hours of fussing went by.

“I’ve done as much as I can.”

CEO Yoo Gyueon wiped the sweat from his forehead.

He had tried on all the clothes he could put on.

At the end, he completed the optimal look for Lee Minki’s face and body shape.

Was it worth the effort?

Lee Minki, who had fully absorbed CEO Yoo Gyueon’s know-how, looked different from usual.

‘It’s like he’s about to appear in a pictorial right now.’

As Lee Minki was looking in the mirror with a surprised expression, CEO Yoo Gyueon nodded with a pleased expression and said.

“You must pass. No, you will pass.”

“Thank you!”

A little later.

Lee Minki packed his bags and left the office.

He had a good feeling.

Something felt different today.

As he opened the door and walked to the academy, the figure of a certain person was imprinted on Lee Minki’s eyes like a photograph.

‘Who is it?’

It was a person wearing a long coat, and the fit was amazing.

The overall impression stopped Lee Minki in his tracks for a moment.

But he was short on time.

The impression of the man disappeared from Lee Minki’s mind, and instead, it was filled with thoughts about the audition again.

‘I should go and warm up.’

He moved his legs diligently again as if he had never stopped.

Meanwhile.

After Lee Minki left the office.

Only after a few minutes did Yoo Gyueon finally stop pretending to be calm and asked the employees.

“……Minki will pass, right?”

“Of course!”

The stylist, who had been adorning Lee Minki’s whole body until just now, clenched her fist and said.

“I haven’t been doing this for that long since I started this job. But I receive good energy from Minki every time. If the judges don’t have eyes like the eye of a needle, they’ll pick him right away, right?”

“I think so too.”

He was somehow anxious.

‘I’ve done the best I can, for now.’

How long has it been since someone else’s work felt like his own?

Yoo Gyueon was pacing back and forth in the office, restless.

Thump.

Suddenly, the office door opened, and a familiar person appeared.

It was a man wearing a stylish coat.

At his appearance, Yoo Gyueon raised one eyebrow and said.

“You’re here?”

It was a man who often came by to ask Yoo Gyueon for work related to clothing.

A person with a youthful face compared to his age.

“Is that how you greet a guest? You should say ‘Welcome’ politely.”

“You’re not a guest, you’re a nuisance.”

He didn’t care about Yoo Gyueon’s words and walked around the office with a leisurely gait as if it were his own living room, then said.

“You must be busy from morning.”

“What?”

“Clothes are scattered all over the place. It looks like you’ve been styling someone. It’s a bit casual?”

“Ah, this.”

Yoo Gyueon looked at the scattered clothes with a pleased smile and said.

“Someone who said they were going to an audition came here until just now.”

“The person you mentioned while eating, the one you praised so much?”

“Yeah, that person.”

“Hmm.”

The man laughed as if the words were unexpected and said.

“This is a coincidence. I’m on my way to an audition too.”

* * *

Around the time Lee Minki arrived at the academy.

Several people had already arrived at the practice room and were warming up.

It was the moment when Lee Minki opened the door and appeared there.

‘Who is it?’

Everyone doubted their eyes.

In a short moment, Lee Minki’s style far exceeded the average of the space.

But once they started to be conscious of it, everyone’s movements became awkward as they glanced at him involuntarily for a while.

The first to speak was Kim Tak.

“Wow, Minki, you’ve put a lot of effort into it for an important day?”

As he was not a deep thinker, praise came out right away.

“You should dress like this usually. Don’t dress so shabby.”

And something that wasn’t praise came out right away too.

It was wrong to expect anything.

While Lee Minki was at a loss for words and chuckled, Yoo Seonah intervened.

“Tak, it’s rude to say that in front of him, you know?”

“But he did look shabby.”

“That’s true! But still! You can’t say anything.”

Yoo Seonah stood up for Lee Minki and poured out scolding at Kim Tak.

But even she was busy glancing at Lee Minki’s appearance.

‘Amazing.’

She was nervous.

She opened her already big eyes even wider.

‘I knew he was a diamond in the rough, but he’s like this when he’s made up on purpose.’

Lee Minki’s fashion was simply a white shirt over jeans, if you had to pick one.

The pants had natural washing, and the top was slightly oversized so as not to hinder movement.

The hair slightly covered the forehead, highlighting a faint part.

At first glance, it was just an ordinary look.

But the overall completeness was so high.

‘Why is it so different?’

They didn’t know.

That Lee Minki’s style was the epitome of “꾸안꾸” [Kkuan-kku, meaning “dressed up but not too much” or “effortlessly stylish”], a style that would begin to become popular in earnest a few years later.

It wasn’t just Yoo Seonah who was surprised.

‘Was that person always so cool?’

The academy students who were practicing in the practice room also stopped practicing and were busy glancing sideways.

‘I thought he was only good at acting.’

‘Minki has subtle muscles. Does he work out?’

‘Since he has a good base, he immediately gets wings even if he decorates a little.’

Of course, it was true that Lee Minki’s base was good.

But what completed it was the power of fashion.

It is often said that the completion of fashion is the face, but fashion is also what creates a gap between people who are equally visual.

Moreover, Lee Minki had a good figure, so his clothes looked even better.

In addition, Yoo Gyueon didn’t show it because he was focusing on popular clothes, but his skills as a designer were first-class.

It was inevitable that he would stand out with his delicate touch.

‘Ugh, why are they looking at me like this.’

Lee Minki was awkward with such attention.

He had definitely dressed up, but he couldn’t find a place to put his eyes because everyone was staring at him so intently that it was burdensome.

He was tormented by the feeling that he would make eye contact no matter where he looked, and barely said.

“Where’s the trainer?”

“Ah.”

At that trivial question, Yoo Seonah answered with a start as if she had woken up from a dream.

“He’s taking care of some work first. He said to meet at the audition hall in an hour, and to warm up in the meantime. He told me not to act like I know you when the audition starts.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“And also.”

As Lee Minki answered with a smile, Yoo Seonah hesitated and said.

“This is my personal advice, but don’t go around thanking people so easily.”

“Pardon? Why?”

“Just because.”

* * *

A few minutes before admission.

There were people who were comfortable even with the audition just around the corner.

The number was five.

They were all exceptional in appearance at first glance, and all were scholarship students at Jam Acting School.

“You know what? Korean hip-hop isn’t that cool.”

“Anyway, lookism is ruining the world.”

They were resting comfortably, either familiarizing themselves with the script as usual or chatting.

There was not much tension to be seen.

This is because they were not in a hurry to debut, nor were they in a position to be desperate for a single private audition.

‘JC Entertainment is a great place, but there’s no need to be impatient.’

Kim Taeyang, a man with long hair down to his shoulders in a Jesus hairstyle and wearing glasses, was the same.

He was more curious about something other than the audition itself.

‘The people the teacher usually praises, are they really that good?’

It was the skills of the people who would be auditioning together.

Everyone in this place was curious about Lee Minki.

It would be enough to go and check in person, but ironically, Lee Minki’s practice was concentrated in the early morning, so there was no chance to run into him.

And he went to work part-time as soon as the academy class was over in the afternoon.

“Come to think of it.”

Kim Taeyang opened his mouth.

“Will that person, Lee Minki, do well?”

It was a short word.

But that word became the catalyst.

“I wonder?”

A woman who was muttering while holding the script raised her head and said.

“If he was really good, wouldn’t he have already debuted or be attending with a scholarship? I heard he didn’t even graduate from the theater department. He’s old and has no experience. And he keeps failing auditions.”

They didn’t have any factors to highly evaluate Lee Minki.

He was stuck in the academy until the late age of twenty-five without being able to debut.

He gets some praise from the teachers, but that was all without any results.

To the people in this place, that was just a common greeting.

“Still, he seems like a fun person when you watch that baseball stadium video.”

“Ah, I saw that too. It was so funny.”

“He’s handsome, but is he that popular?”

They were having a pleasant conversation about Lee Minki’s identity.

Step by step.

When they turned their eyes indifferently at the sound of footsteps coming from afar.

The figures of two people came into view in the hallway.

It was Lee Minki and Yoo Seonah.