Top Star By Luck [EN]: Chapter 5

5.

“That student is one of the worst here, though…?”

The director blurted out, looking bewildered.

That Lee Minki’s skills were lacking.

And not just lacking, but the worst in the academy.

Kim Ah-seong, the trainer, chuckled at the hardly believable statement.

“Haha, if that student is considered lacking, then Jam Acting School must have incredibly high standards.”

He was about to ask for clarification, wondering if there had been a mistake.

“Well, I hesitate to say this about our students, but he is, quite frankly, one of the worst.”

The director cut him off.

Without hesitation.

‘Hmm.’

Kim Ah-seong finally thought to himself after hearing that.

‘Does this guy wear his eyes as accessories? [Meaning: Is he blind or clueless?]’

The Lee Minki he saw was far from lacking; in fact, he was well above the average of most academies.

No, he probably wouldn’t even be criticized if he were put on a professional stage right now.

If he was considered lacking, was the level of this academy that high?

‘No way.’

He had stopped by in the morning to look around the academy’s overall situation.

The result was this.

It was mediocre.

He didn’t know what kind of curriculum they were using to teach the students, but overall, the level was terribly crude.

The teachers seemed unmotivated, and most of the students seemed to be just hanging out.

Even the students in the special class he was temporarily in charge of weren’t that great.

‘They probably invited me here to get on JC’s good side, but that’s not enough.’

Kim Ah-seong had received many such offers besides Jam Acting School.

Each time, he would stop by to earn some extra income and discover new talents, but most of the time, he didn’t find it very meaningful.

That’s why he couldn’t understand what the director was saying now.

‘Is the director’s eye for acting so bad that the students’ skills are like this? This industry is getting more and more rotten.’

But there was no reason to point it out.

Kim Ah-seong hid his true feelings and replied with a smile.

“Come on, no way. I saw that student briefly this morning, and he was quite good. Good enough that we at JC would want to snatch him up.”

“You mean Lee Minki?”

“Of course. Haha, I was thinking of calling dibs on him. His fundamentals are so solid. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone takes him soon anyway. He said he wants to go to Daon, and Daon would be good too.”

The director’s thoughts upon hearing that were as follows.

‘Is this guy crazy?’

The student named Lee Minki that he knew had nothing special about him.

Rather, he was far below average.

He couldn’t compare to students who had been exposed to acting since they were young.

He was a late bloomer with a lack of talent.

He seemed to be doing okay, but he made frequent mistakes, perhaps due to his inherently clumsy personality.

‘He’s failed 11 auditions in a row, too.’

Despite that, his dreams were high, and he said he had applied to Daon again.

In short, there was a reason why he underestimated Lee Minki.

To praise such a Lee Minki so highly.

‘Has even the mighty JC gone downhill? To appoint someone with such poor judgment as a full-time trainer.’

That was the only conclusion he could come to.

It wasn’t like he had brought Kim Ah-seong here because he particularly valued him.

He simply thought that having a connection with him, given his significant influence at JC, would be helpful to the students.

But it had come to this.

‘Am I wasting money?’

Kim Ah-seong and the director, who had once respected each other, suddenly reevaluated each other.

‘A businessman with no vision.’

‘Someone who will bring ruin to the company.’

After an awkward moment, Kim Ah-seong finally spoke.

“Then how about this?”

He said with a still beaming face.

“I don’t usually do this with students, but how about we make a bet?”

“A bet?”

“On whether Lee Minki will get into Daon or not.”

At that moment, Kim Ah-seong’s eyes flashed.

“I still think my judgment is correct. If that student passes Daon, how about supporting this academy with a scholarship?”

“……Hmm, it’s not a big deal.”

Most acting academies of a certain size have a scholarship system.

In particular, Jam Acting School had a system in place to refund the full tuition fee to outstanding students selected internally.

But a bet is not a bet if only one side bears the cost.

“Then what if that student fails?”

It was the moment the director probed slightly.

“I’ll push JC to hold an unofficial audition for Jam Acting School.”

A big fish was caught.

From the director’s point of view, there was no reason to refuse the offer.

* * *

Near the end of the short lecture.

“Minki, you’re getting private lessons from someone, right?”

Kim Tak persistently followed Lee Minki.

It was hard to believe he had been ignoring him; he was so persistent.

“No, I’m not.”

“Come on, your skills have improved so suddenly. Did you find some kind of pinpoint instructor? Or is a professional actor giving you one-on-one lessons?”

“I don’t have the money for that. I have to go to work right after this.”

“Haha, do you think I’m that easy to fool?”

He hadn’t fooled him, but he was fooling himself.

“We’re close, aren’t we? Let’s be honest.”

What kind of relationship did they have?

A relationship where they ignored and were ignored?

If that was the case, a relationship between a cow and a chicken would be better.

Lee Minki said, as if shaking off the annoying Kim Tak.

“I keep saying the same thing, but I’m not getting any of that. Really. I just practiced hard as I was told.”

Unfortunately, this was the truth.

Lee Minki was an actor who had always acted with a hungry spirit, from his debut days to his professional career.

He couldn’t even dream of renting a practice room on holidays when the academy’s practice room was closed. He just went to the riverside or an empty lot and practiced alone.

Therefore, he had never even imagined luxurious lessons.

‘Why is this guy doing this?’

But he was clinging to him just because of one acting performance, even though it was a failed performance where he even stuttered.

How pathetic could a person be?

“Haha, I won’t leave until you tell me the truth.”

“…….”

This guy was persistent.

Very persistent.

In the end, Lee Minki sighed, unable to find an answer, and said.

“I used to be a professional actor.”

“I knew it.”

Kim Tak’s eyes flashed.

Lee Minki captured that in his eyes with a look of disdain and said.

“I was active for a few years, but it didn’t work out. Then I fell down the stairs and died, and I went to the afterlife. They reincarnated me there.”

“Ah, so you came back to the past with that professional experience?”

“Now we’re talking.”

“Haha.”

Kim Tak laughed and said.

“Do you think I’m a fool?”

“…….”

To be honest, he did.

It was the moment Lee Minki forcibly suppressed the urge to slap him.

“Minki has always practiced hard.”

Suddenly, another person intervened.

A clear and ear-catching voice. A cute appearance.

An idol in the process of preparing for her debut.

It was Yoo Seonah.

She spoke as if defending Lee Minki.

“That’s finally seeing the light. They say acting skills are like a staircase. You don’t improve for a while, but then you improve a lot at once, and Minki did that this time.”

Lee Minki’s thoughts as he looked at her were as follows.

‘Why is this person more proud of herself?’

He had never even properly talked to her before.

But she was acting like they were close, coming up to him as if they had been friends for a long time.

He could subtly feel the gazes of surprise around him.

He didn’t know what she was thinking, but no. They had just started talking.

‘I wish she would just go away.’

Whatever Lee Minki was thinking, Yoo Seonah continued to say what she had to say.

“Kim Taek.”

“It’s Kim Tak, not Kim Taek.”

“Yes, Kim Tak, you don’t know? Minki comes to the academy the earliest every morning. To practice.”

“Really?”

Kim Tak made a surprised expression, and Yoo Seonah nodded and said.

“Yes, I sometimes come early to practice, but I’ve never come earlier than Minki.”

“Oh… so that’s the secret. I guess you have to practice a lot to improve?”

“Of course.”

Before he knew it, the two of them had left him and started talking about his acting methods.

It was distracting.

He always went to this academy alone, but suddenly these two were acting like this.

‘I don’t know if my luck has gotten better or worse.’

Kim Tak was clinging to him more than necessary.

“Minki, let’s practice together in the morning from tomorrow. How about coming and practicing at the same time?”

“Do whatever you want.”

“Great. I’ll come even earlier tomorrow. Look forward to it.”

Yoo Seonah was also clinging to him.

“I’ll go too when I have time.”

He was completely out of his mind.

Lee Minki let the two people’s conversation flow through one ear, let the gazes of the academy students around him flow through the top of his head, and checked the time.

‘It’s already this late.’

It was time to go to work.

“Then see you tomorrow. I’m leaving.”

“Wait a minute. Don’t just leave, let’s have a meal with the people in the same study group.”

“I’m in a hurry for work.”

Lee Minki left as if running away.

But what did he say a little while ago? He seemed to have said something about a study group.

* * *

That evening, Lee Minki, who had finished his academy and part-time job, was exhausted.

The feeling of being sucked into the bedsheets.

But it wasn’t a bad feeling either.

‘I had a fulfilling day today.’

He lived diligently.

More than that, it was rewarding.

At the acting academy, he concentrated on acting and received praise for the first time.

Not the kind of flattery that was meant to sound good, but real, genuine praise.

He could tell the difference.

It was the same with his part-time job.

‘Strangely, no troublemakers came today.’

He worked at a convenience store near Hapjeong [a district in Seoul].

Every night, troublemakers overflowed, and it wasn’t uncommon for him to be tired, but today was unusually quiet.

Instead, kind customers came.

‘They memorized the names of the cigarettes, and they cleaned up their eating area well.’

Work went well too.

‘The sticker came off in one go. The barcode scanned well in one go. And the USB plugged in at once.’

That wasn’t all.

‘I won another drink!’

When he opened the drink, [Another drink!] was written on the lid.

He bought one drink and got another one for free!

It may seem trivial, but for Lee Minki, it was a huge event that he would remember for the rest of his life.

He was lucky.

Clearly, his luck had improved.

He didn’t know about his financial luck, but he felt that his luck had improved quite a bit at work, at least.

It also helped that the neighbor didn’t turn on the vacuum cleaner at night today.

‘I’m happy.’

Surprisingly, Lee Minki was feeling happy right now.

He was that kind of man.

A man who was happy if he didn’t choke while drinking water.

That was Lee Minki.

‘I hope tomorrow is like today too. Except for Kim Tak clinging to me.’

Lee Minki smiled brightly with such hope for a while.

Soon, he fell into a deep sleep.

And the next morning, when he arrived at the academy.

“Oh, Minki is here.”

“You’re here?”

“…….”

When he realized that two people were waiting for him in the practice room, he had to correct his thoughts a little.

No.

“What’s going on? There are so many people?”

There were three people.