Top Star By Luck [EN]: Chapter 35

35. A Symbiotic Relationship

Every profession has it.

A symbiotic relationship.

For one side to thrive, the other side must also thrive.

They lift each other up and become food for each other.

Like the crocodile and the plover.

The smartphone manufacturer and the chipmaker inside.

The chip manufacturer and the foundry that makes the AP [Application Processor, the main chip in a smartphone], and so on.

They were bound to be intertwined somehow.

There was one industry where this symbiotic relationship was particularly strong.

That was the entertainment industry.

To be precise, it was the relationship between celebrities and entertainment reporters.

[Good celebrities are always followed by good media.]

[Scoops don’t just fall from the sky while you’re waiting with your mouth open. To get exclusive reports quickly, you need to build a good relationship with the celebrity from their rookie days.]

Celebrities need buzz to survive.

Entertainment reporters need celebrity buzz to achieve results.

The two could be said to be like one body.

However, the entertainment industry’s structure is more like a thumbtack than a pyramid.

Mediocre celebrities are as common as fish on the beach, while successful celebrities are a tiny minority.

Not every celebrity can have a good reporter attached to them.

Naturally, it was customary for seasoned veteran reporters to be assigned to famous celebrities, and rookie reporters to rookie celebrities.

[That’s how everyone starts.]

[And then, when the celebrity you’re in charge of takes off? Then the reporter in charge also takes off.]

[You never know when someone will become famous. So don’t ignore them just because they’re unknown, and cultivate a good relationship from the beginning.]

Reporter Hong Yoo-joo, who was assigned her first celebrity to cover today, was one of those people.

‘The tedious chores are finally over. Time to start my full-fledged entertainment reporter life.’

She became an entertainment reporter because she liked celebrities.

But, contrary to her dreams, the only work she was given was following senior reporters around and handling chores.

But that’s over now.

Reporter Hong Yoo-joo was finally assigned a celebrity to cover.

Of course, a senior reporter and a VJ (video journalist) accompanied her to the site, but so what?

If she worked for a long time, she would have many opportunities to do interviews alone.

“One iced Americano, please. Venti size.”

“Would you like a mug or a disposable cup?”

“Mug, please.”

Like a true rookie, Reporter Hong Yoo-joo arrived at the scene earlier than others and was busy preparing for today’s interview in advance.

Arriving at the scene in advance and waiting is basic.

She planned to stay here until her senior arrived and get a feel for the atmosphere.

‘Hehe, Lee Min-ki, was it? He’s really handsome. His career trajectory looks good for a rookie, too.’

She could feel it just by looking at the pictures on her phone.

He has potential.

She would work with him, helping each other grow.

If she built up her position in the company, she would be able to go to more important assignments.

‘But since I’m a reporter, I can’t just report favorably. I need to mix objectivity and subjectivity appropriately to write articles that as many people as possible can be satisfied with!’

She was full of dreams.

“Customer number 21, your venti iced Americano is ready.”

“Yes!”

She received the ordered Americano and was returning to her seat.

Suddenly, a person sitting in a chair stood up, and Reporter Hong Yoo-joo’s body collided with them.

“Ah!”

At the same time, her body staggered, and the iced Americano cup in her hand flew forward.

Splash!

It poured a bolt from the blue onto a stranger’s head.

‘…I’ve gone crazy.’

Reporter Hong Yoo-joo’s face turned pale as she grasped the reality while lying on the floor.

This is the JC building.

If someone is sitting in the cafeteria on the first floor of this building from broad daylight, there is a high probability that they are working in the industry.

In other words, her hopeful first step was completely ruined.

But it wasn’t over yet.

The moment the person who had been doused with Americano under the concrete ceiling turned around to look at her with a startled expression.

“…Haha.”

Reporter Hong Yoo-joo had no choice but to smile weakly.

‘…My life is completely ruined.’

The victim who was doused with Americano.

His face was all too familiar to her.

Lee Min-ki.

He was the celebrity she had been eagerly waiting to cover and the subject of today’s interview.

‘A rookie reporter spills coffee on the person on the day she meets her first celebrity to cover? I wouldn’t be surprised if I get a written apology and a ban from field work for a while.’

She was so lost in despair that she couldn’t even apologize.

“Excuse me, are you okay?”

Lee Min-ki opened his mouth.

He looked directly at Reporter Hong Yoo-joo with a very worried expression and voice.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

At that moment, the thought that entered Reporter Hong Yoo-joo’s mind was this.

‘He’s even more gorgeous in person.’

It was as if the voices of angels were heard in her ears, and the spring breeze and sunlight were shining in the cafe.

Even though the situation was the complete opposite.

* * *

The first interview went strangely.

Since it was already ruined, he was getting his hair and makeup redone by the stylist in the dressing room.

“Keuheuhe, Kehahahaha, Kehahahahahaha, Ugh! Hak, hak, hak! Euhahahak!”

Trainer Kim Ah-sung, who happened to pass by, laughed.

He was holding his stomach and laughing.

“Woohahak! Euhak, euhahak!”

He laughed as if he was about to lose his breath.

He was laughing heartily, even shedding tears.

Every time he laughed, the stylist muttered as if she was pathetic.

“Min-ki, don’t worry about Ah-sung. He’s always like that.”

“……”

After a while.

Kim Ah-sung finally took a breath, as if he had regained his composure, and said.

“Wow, how is it that everything Min-ki does is funny?”

“Why?”

“How can you get coffee spilled on you on the day of your first interview? Is that it? Is your life a comedy? Is this really a hidden camera? Woohot, euhahahak!”

No sooner had he calmed down than he burst into laughter again.

His behavior was reminiscent of a comedy show viewer, and Lee Min-ki, who had already changed into new clothes, pouted his lips and said.

“…I guess so. I guess my life is a comedy.”

He was unlucky.

All he could say was that he was unlucky.

He went out to get an interview looking perfectly styled, only to be doused with water by the reporter who had promised to interview him.

Could this really happen? What are the odds?

No, is there anyone else in the world like that besides him?

“Heueueueueueue……ueueue……”

Fortunately, he had a change of clothes, so he managed to coordinate a new outfit.

‘I survived thanks to the stylist.’

As expected of a top-notch stylist working at JC, she succeeded in restoring Lee Min-ki’s appearance in just 10 minutes.

Still, the appearance that had been carefully groomed over time was bound to be different.

“Hmm, it feels a little different from natural drying, but the slightly dampness isn’t bad either. Min-ki, it shouldn’t be a big problem with this. I think it’s even better?”

The stylist said so, but he couldn’t help but sigh.

“Keukeu, Min-ki, but don’t be too discouraged.”

Trainer Kim Ah-sung said to Lee Min-ki, wiping the tears from his eyes.

“The media company made a mistake to you.”

“That’s right.”

“Then maybe they’ll write a good article? They’ll be watching each other’s backs anyway. They’ll do something for you.”

“I wonder if that’s true?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never been through anything like this before. Euhahahak!”

How long had he held back before Trainer Kim Ah-sung started laughing again.

He was competent in his own way, no, incredibly competent, but he was of no help in this situation.

The stylist glared at him, who was busy rolling around.

“Ah-sung, get out if you’re going to be a nuisance.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

Listening to him only made him more confused.

‘Oh well, whatever.’

If worrying about it won’t make it any better, then not worrying about it is one way, isn’t it?

‘Don’t worry.’

Lee Min-ki practiced the mental victory method he had acquired after a long period of bad luck.

Letting go of the past.

No matter how much he kicked the blanket, only he would sweat. Would anyone bring a Time Stone and go back to the past to change history?

‘Whatever happens, it’ll be better than the old days.’

With that thought, Lee Min-ki stretched once and got up, saying.

“Teacher, then I’ll go to the interview.”

“Okay, bring me an iced Americano when you come back. But don’t bring it covered in your clothes.”

“……”

He’s hopeless.

Lee Min-ki felt his liking for Trainer Kim Ah-sung plummeting vertically and walked out of the dressing room towards the company lounge.

That was the moment he arrived.

“I’m sorry!”

“……”

There was someone who suddenly apologized to him, bowing all the way to his waist.

To be exact, there were two of them.

* * *

Meeting room.

There, Lee Min-ki and Manager Park Han-mo were sitting across from two people.

Among them, Reporter Hong Yoo-joo was sitting with her head half-bowed, fidgeting without saying a word, like a wet mouse.

On the other hand.

“I don’t know what to say.”

Another reporter, who looked a little older, was busy apologizing as if he were a nanny.

“Reporter Hong is a rookie, so she was too enthusiastic, and that’s how it happened. I can’t apologize enough for this incident.”

His name was Reporter Kim.

He was said to be a veteran reporter with a considerable position in that media company, [Star Magazine].

Generally, reporters are said to be aloof, but Reporter Kim was repeatedly apologizing as if he didn’t know what to do about his junior reporter’s mistake.

There was someone who was chatting with him with a smile.

“Hey, it can happen when you’re working.”

It was Manager Park Han-mo.

“It’s a mistake because it happens inevitably.”

“No. When we get back, we’ll also give her a severe reprimand separately. And we’ll apologize to Min-ki again separately……”

“I said it’s okay. I made a lot of mistakes when I first joined the company.”

Of course, that mistake wasn’t spilling water on a client.

‘The same situation continues.’

That’s how Lee Min-ki saw the situation.

Reporter Kim apologized endlessly, and Manager Park Han-mo brushed it off.

But what should he say?

It was true that it was too ambiguous for Lee Min-ki himself to delve into it deeply.

‘It’s not like they did it on purpose.’

Would a rookie reporter be crazy enough to deliberately commit terrorism against the celebrity they’re covering?

Of course, it was a mistake.

He was scolded by the stylist for ruining the work she had put so much effort into, but that was all.

He wasted some time.

But that’s it.

He had no intention of dwelling on it, even to the point of distinguishing right from wrong.

Rather, he was more concerned about something else.

‘What if the interview gets ruined because of this? That’s the bigger problem.’

It was the interview.

It was an interview that he had come to, even forgoing the [Forever Green] company dinner.

He had no intention of ending it by just receiving burdensome apologies.

But looking at the current situation, it was true that it was not easy to do anything.

‘What should I do?’

Could he somehow turn the conversation towards the interview?

He was only thinking about that method.

“Reporter Hong, I apologize again.”

“I’m sorry……”

“We’ll formally apologize for our mistake next time.”

“Hey, no. Our actor is so generous that he’ll laugh it off. Actor, right?”

Manager Park Han-mo passed the baton to him.

In that fleeting moment, Lee Min-ki instinctively realized.

Depending on the answer he gave this time, today would either end with him just receiving apologies.

Or he could sense that he could properly get an interview and end the meeting with a win-win situation.

The fleeting moment felt like an hour.

‘Wait, is it already this late?’

Lee Min-ki, who was startled by looking at his watch, finally gave his answer.

“How about we do the interview first?”

“……”

With that short answer, silence fell in the meeting room.

They were exchanging apologies, and then the right to decide was passed to Lee Min-ki, but the person himself said that he didn’t care about this apology at all.

There was someone who was particularly surprised by that statement.

‘The interview comes first?’

It was Reporter Kim.

‘Is this person normal?’

What kind of people does he think celebrities are?

There are some who are gentle, but the vast majority are people who are steeped in a sense of privilege.

Rookies are no exception.

No, it was often more so because they were rookies.

They naturally acted like they were in a position of power because they didn’t know the impact of their words.

One of the reasons was that few people had experience in social life.

That’s why they were being careful because even a minor problem could turn into a big problem.

……That’s the accepted theory.

“Oh, I have an appointment late tonight. I have to go to the gym and work out. If I’m late, the manager will add sets. Haha…… I’m sorry for bothering you while you’re busy, but can we do the interview first today?”

Lee Min-ki’s reaction was not that of a rookie.

‘What’s with the workout?’

A gym, really?

No matter how he thought about it, it was a word that came out without any relevance.

No, is it really irrelevant?

‘No.’

A thought suddenly occurred to him.

That actor is smiling with a face that is so innocent, but an actor is an actor for a reason.

There was clearly another intention at the base.

That was to say that he would just cover it up and move on.

‘No, that can’t be. Not yet, I don’t know yet.’

Not yet.

Reporter Kim was being as careful as a fielder preparing for a come-from-behind home run in the bottom of the ninth inning, thinking that he might not know.

“I’m really in big trouble if I’m late. I’ll die at the hands of the manager. Our manager is a really scary person. Huh? One set is added for every minute I’m late.”

Lee Min-ki said urgently, as if urging him.

With an almost desperate voice.

“Let’s start the interview first. Think of it as saving a person’s life.”

That was the moment he heard those words.

‘Ah.’

Reporter Kim’s strength drained away.

It became clear.

‘Does this mean that he’s willing to cover it up and move on?’

Doubt turned into certainty.

Not even a speck of intention to delve into it deeply could be seen in Lee Min-ki’s words, let alone his voice.

Working out, blah blah blah.

The manager is strict, blah blah blah.

Would he have said those words if he didn’t have enough sources to make excuses?

What this means is one thing.

‘He’s a master.’

He was going to cover it up and move on.

In other words, it was the same as saying that he would just put a debt on this side.

It would be easy to argue in front of him.

But that’s not good for Lee Min-ki or them.

So he was going to take it and move on.

It’s easy to say, but it’s as rare as the Loch Ness Monster for a rookie actor in this industry to put that into practice, so Reporter Kim was shocked.

‘Is this person an angel?’

Reporter Hong Yoo-joo was also surprised.

Aside from the apology, if the interview was canceled, the amount of responsibility she would have to take within the company would increase immeasurably.

For a media company, it’s basic to get news material in any situation.

She thought she had wasted a day, but Lee Min-ki was saying that he would give it to her.

He was even scattering the tense atmosphere with ridiculous excuses.

‘He’s an angel. Actor Lee Min-ki is an angel.’

In fact.

‘Oh, I’m really running out of time.’

He was really worried because it was almost time to go to the gym, and he was just looking at his watch.

‘If I arrive around 9 o’clock, I’ll have a cup of coffee around 8:30, work out until 10 o’clock, drink a protein shake, and then get the afterburn effect (combustion effect that follows anaerobic exercise), so I have to go to bed around 11 o’clock, and I have to wake up at 7 o’clock in the morning to fit my daily schedule.’

Here’s one important thing.

The [gym near my house]’s iron rule: add one set for every minute you’re late.

I’m not kidding.

[Huh? Are you leaving already? You have 4 more sets left?]

[Yes?]

[You were 4 minutes late today.]

[……That’s because of the filming.]

[Min-ki, that’s your situation, not mine. Are your 4 minutes important and other people’s 4 minutes are a joke?]

The word