Top Star By Luck [EN]: Chapter 34

34. Chemistry

Chemistry.

It meant there was a good synergy between two actors, making them enjoyable to watch.

It was a word people who watched a lot of productions habitually uttered, a seemingly unremarkable exclamation at first glance.

But it was different when this word came from Director Yeom’s mouth.

‘Director Yeom is actually praising someone?’

The actors and staff in the reading room were all shocked.

‘He did do well in the reading, but…’

‘The co-star is actor Kang Do-won, though?’

Who was Director Yeom?

A person with incredibly discerning eyes for acting.

As boisterous as the works he filmed, he was someone who would explode in anger if anyone on set acted even slightly clumsily.

For him to immediately praise Lee Min-ki after seeing his reading.

To the people on set, this foreshadowed one thing.

‘There might be changes to the production.’

There could be issues with the importance of roles.

Director Yeom wasn’t someone who filmed according to the script.

He was a person who flexibly built up the production, changing the script and direction as much as necessary depending on the situation.

To him, fun was the bible.

As the actors’ fine hairs stood on end, he continued speaking.

“To be honest, I was a bit doubtful because Min-ki is a rookie, but it’s good to see him responding well.”

Repeated praise.

“These days, rookies are really good. He showed promise even during Campus Story, right?”

More praise followed.

The actors flinched at the words ‘Campus Story.’

Although they hadn’t even properly recognized the title, it was because they were given a hint that Lee Min-ki had appeared and been active in it.

However, Lee Min-ki himself was quite embarrassed.

‘The praise is a bit excessive.’

He didn’t particularly feel like he had given an excellent performance.

No, even if he had, he couldn’t think of anything to say in this situation.

So many people in the reading room were just staring at him.

The more praise he received, the greater the burden became.

As he stood there blankly.

“If he does well, we might have to increase Gu Hak-jin’s role a bit?”

A dangerous compliment came out.

A remark that could shake even the morale of the actors, going beyond simple praise.

Whether Director Yeom intended it or not, Lee Min-ki was put in a situation where any response would be detrimental.

It wasn’t Lee Min-ki who spoke up in that situation.

“Haha, Director, you’re favoring the rookies too much.”

‘This person is?’

Lee Min-ki was startled and looked in the direction of the voice.

The person sitting there was someone he knew very well.

No, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the whole nation knew him well.

Choi Yu-chang.

The actor who played another main character in this production.

A veteran no less than actor Kang Do-won, and a top-tier actor with a ten-million-viewer title [referring to actors whose movies have sold over 10 million tickets, a mark of huge success].

He suddenly intervened, smiling brightly.

“Director, please give us some love too!”

“No, Yu-chang, that’s not what I meant.”

“If you take away my part to give to the rookie, I’ll pout. Huh? I’m Choi Yu-chang, the ten-million actor! Director!”

He said it like that, but it was a joke.

A joke that appropriately diffused the attention that had been focused on Lee Min-ki.

With those few words, a gentle smile spread through the reading room, and Lee Min-ki’s breathing became easier.

Just enough to make it easy to answer.

‘Let’s get a grip.’

Lee Min-ki belatedly lowered his head and said.

“Thank you, Director. I’ll continue to work hard in the future.”

“Oh, he’s polite too.”

Choi Yu-chang’s appropriate reaction elicited an even bigger burst of laughter.

Director Yeom also cleared his throat and said.

“Then shall we continue?”

That’s how the first reading proceeded peacefully.

Firmly planting the presence of a large rookie named Lee Min-ki in everyone’s hearts.

And.

‘That person is quite impressive?’

Even earning a subtle liking from Joo Ha-na.

* * *

A vacant rooftop.

Flick.

Kang Do-won lit a cigarette and thought.

‘What was that line from the reading just now?’

There was something he wanted to ask Lee Min-ki.

It was what he had thrown at Lee Min-ki as a test during the reading earlier.

[Hey, Gu Hak-jin, does what I say sound like bullshit to you?]

The answer to that line was quite fresh.

[…Senior, you know it too. That’s not what I meant.]

That line was so intense that it wouldn’t leave his head.

Was the subtle tremor embedded in it something Lee Min-ki had intentionally added as a detail? Or was it simply a coincidence?

‘If it was intentional, he’s no rookie.’

There was a somewhat famous saying among actors in this industry.

[If you’re only good at your own acting, you’re third-rate. If you’re good at seeing other people’s acting, you’re second-rate. If you mix the two, you’re first-rate.]

Let’s apply that to this.

If that’s the case, Lee Min-ki saw his acting and matched it, so he could be said to have the potential to become a first-rate actor in the future.

But really.

“…….”

Kang Do-won watched the cigarette smoke fluttering and scattering in the air for a moment.

Flick――

He stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray and thought.

‘I’ll find out when the actual filming starts anyway.’

The filming had been boring lately.

The appearance of the rookie made it enjoyable for the first time in a while.

* * *

After finishing the reading, the first day’s schedule ended with a brief tour of the set.

The first day’s reading proceeded with a feeling like an orientation.

They would skip a day and resume full-scale on-site filming from the day after tomorrow.

[Min-ki, this is also a connection, shouldn’t we build up some camaraderie?]

Lee Min-ki refused actor Park Yu-chang’s offer to go out for drinks, and his mind was a flower garden as he left the set.

‘It’s nice to receive attention, but it’s nice, but it’s burdensome. No, honestly, it’s good.’

It was good.

He had exchanged a word or two with those big-name actors in the past as well.

But that was only as a minor role.

There wasn’t much of a feeling of being a member participating in the same production.

But now, he had even received praise from the people involved, so he felt like he was flying in the sky.

Besides, the reading was difficult at first, but it was quite manageable afterward.

It was thanks to his body adapting to the tension.

After that, he was able to smoothly show off the acting skills he had practiced as usual.

‘Overall, I did well.’

Lee Min-ki was smiling contentedly as he looked out the window of the running car.

“Did something good happen?”

Manager Park Han-mo, who was holding the steering wheel, glanced back and asked.

It must have been too obvious on his face.

Lee Min-ki cleared his throat and said.

“Well, yes.”

“How was it? Tell me a little bit. I’m curious about everything.”

Come to think of it, it was thanks to Manager Park Han-mo’s advice that he was able to get this role in this production.

Since he was someone he would have to work with in the future, Lee Min-ki decided to answer honestly.

“Actually, during the reading…”

They talked for a long time.

Manager Park Han-mo burst out laughing and said.

“Wow, really? Actor Kang Do-won is very famous for not praising others. Actor Choi Yu-chang too.”

“Really?”

Lee Min-ki was surprised by the unexpected words and replied.

“Oh, come on. They kept saying nice things all day today.”

“It’s all because you’re really good, Actor Lee. What’s Actor Kang Do-won’s nickname? Have you heard of the ‘Reading Killer’?”

“Reading… what now?”

“Reading Killer. He’s called the Reading Killer because he pressures and ‘kills’ the other person during the reading.”

Was Actor Kang Do-won that kind of person?

It was the first time he had heard of it, and moreover, the image of Actor Kang Do-won he had seen today was quite gentle, so it didn’t quite resonate with him.

But the manager wouldn’t lie.

‘I don’t know as much as I thought, and the manager knows a lot.’

He felt that his past acting life had been nothing more than a superficial experience.

He had the title of an actor and signed a contract, but no one recognized him.

It was like going to the airport with an English Village passport [a metaphor for having credentials that are not actually useful in the real world].

‘I was even doubting whether I was really an actor while making a living with part-time jobs.’

On the other hand, it was different now.

‘Now I’m definitely an actor.’

He definitely felt like he was doing acting work.

Overall, he was satisfied.

He felt like he wanted to hum a song.

As he was thinking that, Manager Park Han-mo cautiously probed.

“But you shouldn’t be too obviously happy on your face. You know you have to manage your expression later, right?”

“Ah.”

Lee Min-ki gathered his wits at those words and said.

“Yes, I have to pay attention as much as possible.”

In fact, there was one more schedule left for today.

Why would he refuse the drinking party that the senior actors were holding?

It was all because he had something to do.

Something he couldn’t miss, something he had to go to.

Manager Park Han-mo said clearly.

“The first interview is the most important.”

That’s right.

It was an interview.

He had appeared as a supporting role in his first production and received some attention, so now the moment had come to show his face to the media in earnest.

The first bridgehead was the media interview.

“The time when rookie actors receive the most attention is when they release their debut work and do their first interview. It seems like no one is watching, but a lot of people are watching. They also subtly distribute it as press releases. And industry people subtly refer to it, and you can see the actor’s mindset in these things. Rumors spread quickly among journalists.”

Manager Park Han-mo calmly continued his explanation.

“Besides, [Star Magazine], which is conducting the interview with you this time, isn’t a place that always speaks kindly.”

He knew it well.

Lee Min-ki had also heard about Star Magazine’s reputation and notoriety.

‘Usually, entertainment magazines look for gossip and spread it like yellow journalism, but Star Magazine was quite objective.’

They praise what deserves praise.

But they also criticize firmly when they criticize.

Thanks to that coldness, they had considerable credibility among readers.

There was even a saying that you could trust Star Magazine’s reports first, regardless of whether the facts were confirmed.

“Hmm.”

Lee Min-ki let out a groan.

‘It was nice when I was reading it, but it’s burdensome to be in the position to be written about.’

Fortunately, they had given him a pre-arranged questionnaire.

For the past two days, Lee Min-ki had categorized and memorized dozens or hundreds of repertoires of the questions and answers.

It could be said that it was a bit of an overreaction.

But if Lee Min-ki was the subject of the action, it was by no means an overreaction.

“It’s scary if a single word is spread wrong.”

Because there were many times when a casually uttered word was distorted and spread.

‘I complimented a friend’s clothes and it was said that I was judging their level, and I said I saw a friend’s sister on the street and it was said that I was a stalker.’

Like a butterfly’s wings causing a storm on the other side of the world, Lee Min-ki also experienced such things often.

How many times had even words spoken without any malice unintentionally backfired?

‘I even went to a cram school for retaking the college entrance exam and was gossiped about because there was a host bar upstairs [a bar where male hosts entertain female customers].’

Words kept being distorted.

It was entirely due to bad luck.

Originally, the same words were important depending on the time and place, but Lee Min-ki’s words only flowed in a particularly vicious direction.

And bad people around him bit him especially hard.

He was trembling with bad memories while leaning back in his seat.

“But I believe in you, Actor Lee.”

Manager Park Han-mo smiled and said.

“Yes?”

“I haven’t met many people in this industry, but entertainers who cause controversy with their remarks usually give off a feeling from the start. You could say they have a sense of entitlement. They react very strongly even to trivial words. They can’t control themselves even on social media.”

“I don’t have social media, though, right?”

“Huhu, but when I listen to you speak, I feel that you’re considerate even in trivial words. I believe that will be reflected in the interview.”

“…I hope it’s as you say, Manager.”

“This is something that people do with people, right? Good people eventually work out well.”

The words were quite warm.

But unfortunately, it was the opposite of what Lee Min-ki had experienced in the past.

He was least confident in his luck with people.

‘But you never know.’

Lee Min-ki said, hoping that the interview would go in a good direction.

“If this production is successful, I’ll buy you expensive meat, Manager.”

“Haha, I’ll keep that in mind. For reference, I only eat Korean beef, two-plus grade [the highest quality grade of Korean beef, known as Hanwoo].”

“…….”

Lee Min-ki’s facial muscles twitched at the confident words.

Why do the people I meet these days all like Korean beef, two-plus grade so much?

* * *

JC is a big company.

When it comes to actor management companies, they usually aim for a small elite, so the buildings are often small, but JC was a bit of an exception.

Perhaps it was because they touched on various fields from music to acting, entertainment, and video production.

Its scale overwhelmed other actor management companies.

The JC office that Lee Min-ki visited this time was also like that.

A building in Mapo-gu that they used entirely as their headquarters.

From the entrance on the first floor, the words JC Entertainment were written largely.

On the first floor there.

Lee Min-ki looked at his reflection in the glass wall and checked again.

‘Good skin, the clothes are okay. The hair is perfect.’

A white sweater and black pants.

It was a style that wasn’t overly flashy but neat, and looked likable no matter how you looked at it.

JC had paid attention to it because it was his first interview.

JC’s in-house stylist was talented.

It was a simple fashion, but even if you looked around at every piece of lint on the clothes, there was no place to find fault.

‘Did they say the reporter would arrive a little later?’

The interview was scheduled to start in about 20 minutes.

But before starting the full-scale interview, Lee Min-ki decided to sit in the cafeteria in the lobby on the first floor and review the interview content.

No, that was the moment.

Splash!

An unexpected water splash covered him.

No. Looking at the water droplets dripping from his head and the white sweater gradually turning brown, it was an Americano splash.