Top Star By Luck [EN]: Chapter 199

199. The Afterlife

What is the afterlife like?

A place people go when they die. A place to be punished. A place to be judged for the deeds committed in life.

If one were to use a simple analogy from the mortal world, there was a very clear term for it.

Placement matches.

That’s right.

The afterlife was like placement matches in an online game.

One’s achievements in life are evaluated in the afterlife. Based on one’s past life, a second life is granted, and one returns to the mortal world once more.

[Imagine being a poor shoeshine boy, only to become the chairman of a major corporation after visiting the afterlife!]

[Or being the successful owner of a chicken franchise, only to be reborn as a chicken!]

Life isn’t a one-time game.

By repeatedly going back and forth to the afterlife, one might eventually climb to a better rank.

But the important thing is that the first placement match is crucial.

[Hey, do you think you can climb from Bronze to Diamond rank?]

[How can Bronzes go to Diamond when they’re playing with other Bronzes?]

[Silver, maybe, but Diamond from Bronze is a bit much…]

Everyone is greatly influenced by their environment.

Can someone who starts at the bottom live an upright life?

[I stole a loaf of bread to feed my starving younger sister and spent seven years in prison.]

Of course not.

[After being released, I had a criminal record, so there was nothing I could do. The stigma followed me everywhere. I had no choice.]

Of course not.

Since childhood, his mother had left home, and his father was an alcoholic and domestic abuser. His younger sibling was in juvenile detention. Is it easy to live a normal life when you’re starving?

Since ancient times, humans have been animals that follow their environment.

The son of a wealthy family might run a social foundation for appearances, while the child of a poor family desperately craves a single pack of ramen to fill their empty stomach.

It was difficult to live a proper life when one’s first placement match was a failure, starting from the bottom.

Everyone knows it.

It’s unfair.

[Are you saying that someone who has lived an unhappy life should continue to live unhappily?]

[Weren’t you raised in a noble family?]

[I killed several people, so what? You all should have been born in the Middle Ages like me.]

That is why the trial in the afterlife after death was important.

It was a place where the weight of each individual’s life was evaluated based on different criteria, and relative assessments were made.

In this afterlife courthouse, built 3,000 years ago and maintaining the architectural style of ancient Greece, a man muttered.

“This guy is really something.”

“I live for watching this these days.”

There was a person who had recently become a hot topic in this place where the living were evaluated.

There was someone who seemed special even to those who had counted countless lives and transcended universal value judgments.

None other than.

“Lee Minki, he’s really amazing.”

Lee Minki was such a person.

He was a being who had wandered the bottom due to bad luck, but after regaining his luck in the afterlife, he blossomed in life.

Like in *The Truman Show* [a film about a man whose life is a staged reality show], everyone in the afterlife courthouse enjoyed watching him, and unsurprisingly, he was a hot topic among the jurors today as well.

“I told you. If we just gave him back his luck, he would achieve great things.”

“He was amazing. We almost made a big mistake.”

“Did you see that movie the other day? I couldn’t sleep at night after watching it.”

Modern Northern Europe, Medieval Europe, Ancient Macedonia, the Korean Peninsula before Christ.

The jurors, selected from all sorts of environments as if attending a diversity concert, were busy discussing Lee Minki.

“How can a person not lose their touch?”

“I wish he would film just three more new movies before he dies. No, five.”

A scene that could be called fandom.

The jurors were talking about Lee Minki’s past life for hours.

“They have no sense of decorum.”

A scholar with a catfish beard scoffed and said.

“He’s just a soul, aren’t you overestimating him too much?”

“What?”

“Originally, there is a limit to one person’s power……”

“Why bother arguing with him? That guy is just bitter. Lee Minki is doing so well, unlike what he thought, even though he interfered so much.”

“……”

That’s right.

The juror who was trying to bring Lee Minki down now was the very person who had endlessly opposed giving Lee Minki back his luck last time.

He was in the majority back then.

But the situation had reversed. In the current courthouse, he was a thorough minority.

‘These disloyal bastards.’

He felt a small surge of anger and said, trembling his beard.

“Hmph, he should just live well on his own. Isn’t he interfering too much with others? A thoughtlessly thrown stone can kill a frog at the water’s edge [meaning a careless action can have unintended consequences].”

There was a statement that had become a repertoire.

The influence Lee Minki spread was so great that it was even causing unnecessary ripple effects in the world.

Mainly, that humanity was drawing energy that should have been used for scientific development into the cultural industry.

“Movies are ultimately just consumption. If that energy had been devoted to agriculture, humanity might have already overcome the food crisis.”

He was explaining the theory for a long time.

“That’s a funny thing to say.”

A man chuckled and said.

“What’s wrong with everyone living happily together?”

Rebuttals poured out.

So many rebuttals that it was difficult to handle.

“Of course, that’s right.”

“Is a wealthy life the only right life?”

“At least it’s much better than doing nothing, isn’t it?”

Lee Minki, he was just an unknown actor. No, he was just a person who had lived the life of an unknown actor.

An ordinary human who had not contributed anything to the world.

But his luck was so miserable that he was specially given a second life.

[Lee Minki Cultural Arts Foundation donates scholarships to 120 aspiring theater and film students nationwide]

Suddenly, he started spreading luck all over the world.

As if it wasn’t enough to enjoy it alone.

[Lee Minki’s movie, *Give Me Luck*. After its release, volunteer work at orphanages nationwide increased dramatically]

[Lee Minki’s movie, *Our War*, demands for increased military welfare are pouring in]

Every time he makes a movie, the world keeps getting better. The world is becoming a more livable place.

As much as Lee Minki had influence, hundreds of millions, tens of millions, hundreds of millions of lives were gradually moving towards a better life.

“He’s almost worthy of being called a saint.”

“Who can give such great joy to others like him?”

But it didn’t end there.

“Look, the people who were influenced by that human are helping other people again.”

Second and third Lee Minkis continued to be born, creating a virtuous cycle of luck in the world.

Only one person, only Lee Minki, was given luck. But with that alone, an unprecedented cultural revolution… a great development was taking place in the world.

“I can’t believe it. Can one person really do that much?”

It was a sight that was hard to understand even from the perspective of the jurors who had looked at countless lives.

Stars can rise. But what did those stars generally do?

“Shouldn’t they pursue their own selfish desires?”

“They cause drug incidents, or lead promiscuous and dissolute lives, negatively impacting the world.”

“They may not be able to overcome their arrogance and cause social scandals.”

“Lawsuits and public opinion manipulation also frequently destroy companies.”

Before doing something positive for society, it’s a win if they don’t cause any negative impact.

But Lee Minki was exactly the opposite.

“I thought he was going to create a foundation to launder money.”

“He was desperate to give away his assets.”

“Did he establish a acting school? Even linking it to entertainment companies.”

“I thought he was starting a business, but it was really purely for nurturing future generations.”

“He said he uses all the profits he earns for social contribution and doesn’t even invest in real estate.”

It was a terribly righteous life.

The person himself says he is grateful for his luck, but.

‘Is that possible just by giving him some luck?’

From the perspective of the jurors who provided that luck, it was incomprehensible.

“He could have lived more wickedly.”

Just because one’s luck improves doesn’t necessarily mean they will live a better life.

It is common to become intoxicated with the pouring luck, fall into arrogance, and use that luck to fulfill one’s selfish desires.

“Even the predecessor who took Lee Minki’s luck before him did just that. His luck with real estate exploded one after another, accumulating enormous wealth.”

“He made countless ordinary people suffer through speculation.”

“Hmm.”

I remember.

That person was now living the life of a flood victim in a basement after having his luck returned.

In other words, Lee Minki was living that kind of life not because of anyone else’s power. Only one thing.

“He was originally that kind of person.”

Lee Minki was originally that kind of person, so he came to live that kind of life.

“Keueuk.”

The catfish-bearded juror, who had been busy slandering Lee Minki for a long time, was now out of everyone’s mind.

But the truth was that.

“Luck was just an environment. It’s like being born in a good country, in a good family, under good parents. The important thing is how you act within the given environment.”

In that sense, Lee Minki’s actions were special.

To what extent.

“Judge, maybe we are making a misjudgment.”

It was enough to overturn even their thoughts.

Misjudgment.

The judge, whose appearance resembled a red giant, raised his fierce chin at the statement that was difficult to dismiss lightly.

It was that giant who had ruled to give Lee Minki luck last time.

He opened his lava-pouring mouth.

“A misjudgment? Are you now claiming that there was a flaw in the afterlife trial?”

“…Yes, that’s what I think.”

Despite the voice that was so fierce that it made his heart shrink, the juror said in a determined voice.

“Just by changing one environment, such an extreme difference has arisen. Are we qualified to evaluate a person’s life?”

“A person is not something that ends with one evaluation. Directionality grows in a life that is repeated over and over again.”

“That may not be the case.”

The juror looked at Lee Minki’s figure beyond the clouds.

He was already old enough to eat, and his body was so uncomfortable that he couldn’t even move as he pleased, let alone act.

But even so, he was.

[Today is a meaningful day. It is because everyone in the world can enjoy the freedom of art. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all the copyright holders who have willingly contributed to the modern video archive.]

He was still running at the forefront for the happiness of more people.

An actor went on to become a director, and was completed as a giant who influenced the entire industry.

What kind of comedy is this?

It was not anyone else, but the person who had no luck and crumbled like a fallen leaf without leaving any footprints in the world led such a big change.

“What are you trying to say?”

“I’m just.”

The juror paused for a moment.

Because it was burdensome to say this out loud.

But it was also something that had to be said.

“…I think we should change in the future too.”

Let’s change.

In order to move in a better direction, let’s explore the path of change in the afterlife, which has remained unchanged for thousands of years.

That was the moment that was said.

“Are you crazy? Are you denying history up until now because of just one human?”

“He’s finally gone crazy.”

Voices of slander immediately erupted.

Even though they were people who positively evaluated Lee Minki, they were not to the extent that they would deny the system itself.

But.

‘The topic has been thrown.’

That was what he was prepared for.

This criticism is just the beginning. In the future, it will swell into even bigger controversies. Nevertheless, it was a necessary statement.

‘But this is also part of the process of change.’

There is no change without conflict.

The juror thought so and looked at Lee Minki again from afar.

‘I look forward to the day when we meet again in the afterlife.’

Also, I want to see the sequel.

* * *

At the same time.

Lee Minki is now.

‘Is this the end?’

In a pure white hospital room, he was quietly dying on the bed.