Top Star By Luck [EN]: Chapter 52

52.

Where do auditions usually take place?

To explain, it depends on the preferences of the organizer.

For large-scale auditions with hundreds of people, they inevitably rent a large hall.

Or they might rely on a broadcasting station or studio.

However, smaller auditions are a bit different.

[I was called in for an audition, and it turned out to be an abandoned factory.]

[Maybe because it was a school drama? They called us to a school. Some people even came in school uniforms.]

Sometimes there was a theme.

Matching the audition venue with the work to observe the chemistry between the actors and the production more closely.

The drama I applied for this time, [Cafe del Dia], was the same.

‘There’s a place like this.’

Cafe Rio, a three-story mega-cafe located in the western part of Incheon, was the place.

Lee Min-ki looked around the building from outside the store, lost in thought.

‘I heard they renovated an abandoned factory and are using it as a cafe? They even roast and blend beans, selling them all over the country. They’ve even set up dedicated farms overseas.’

He had researched the location in advance.

Because this place was scheduled to become the filming location for [Cafe del Dia] in the future.

And also.

[Cafe Rio is like a mecca of Korean coffee blending culture.]

Cafe Rio itself was known as a mecca among industry insiders.

Barista Kim Kyung-hee had told him.

[Any barista interested in coffee beans visits there at least once. I also received my apprenticeship training at Rio in the old days.]

He learned the details from her.

She said it would help with acting if he understood the equipment, kitchen layout, and tools used.

She even brought the tools they use here and had him try them out.

According to Barista Kim Kyung-hee, even similar coffee tools feel very different to handle depending on the brand.

‘To think that the teacher used to work here. I’m lucky.’

It seems there is such a thing as luck with people in this world.

Perhaps the greatest luck following him in this life is his luck with people.

Lee Min-ki smiled faintly and entered the building, where about twenty actors were already waiting on the first floor.

However.

The atmosphere in the waiting room was quite heavy.

‘They’re nervous.’

Perhaps because everyone here was a competitor before being a colleague, the gazes were sharp enough to prickle the skin.

Moreover, looking at their faces, each one was quite familiar.

‘That person also applied here. Unexpected.’

It wasn’t just actors who fit the description of the main character.

There were people who specialized in villain roles or unattractive roles.

If they weren’t remembered from dramas, they probably failed.

And probably will in the future too.

I didn’t expect them to apply for such roles, but I guess every actor tries to break free from their fixed image.

“Please sit here and wait until we guide you.”

“Thank you.”

Lee Min-ki bowed to the staff and sat by the window.

People glanced at him, but he seemed to be out of the spotlight.

Or so he thought.

If only one person hadn’t opened the door and appeared from the entrance.

“……”

“……”

It was Kim Ji-hwan.

The actor who passed the Daon Entertainment audition, dropping him.

He appeared in a coat, showing off his long limbs.

‘He definitely has the visuals.’

Did he customize his outfit for the audition?

He came wearing a neat dress shirt and black suit pants.

His hair also had a soft perm.

It was a familiar sight.

The protagonist’s appearance from the drama was standing right in front of him, raw and unfiltered.

However.

“……”

“……”

Why is he glaring like that?

Kim Ji-hwan’s gaze was fixed on Lee Min-ki so intensely that he felt uncomfortable.

“Actor Kim Ji-hwan, right?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll show you to your seat.”

Kim Ji-hwan kept looking at Lee Min-ki even as he followed the staff.

Like a bird of prey eyeing its prey from hundreds of meters away, he couldn’t take his eyes off Lee Min-ki.

Even sitting almost twenty steps away.

It got to the point where Lee Min-ki became uncomfortable.

‘What is it?’

Is there something about me that bothers him?

Why does he keep looking at me like that?

Do I have something on my face? Or is he trying to have a staring contest?

‘He’s a strange person.’

Whatever.

How long can someone keep staring?

If I ignore him, he’ll do his own thing soon.

“……”

Seriously, he stares for so long. Doesn’t he have dry eye syndrome? He must have blessed genes.

After feeling that subtle tension for a while.

“Now, we will begin the open audition for Cafe del Dia. Please come up to the second floor in the order your names are called. First, Lee Min-ki and Kim Ji-hwan, please come up.”

With the staff’s guidance, the audition began.

* * *

The structure of the second floor was like a bar.

An open kitchen was placed in the center, surrounded by tables.

At one of those tables was the director of this drama.

“I’m Noh Ho-yeon, who is in charge of this production. Thank you for coming all the way here.”

Director Noh Ho-yeon smiled.

A man who looked extremely down-to-earth.

That is, literally a man with a lot of hair, from his head to his beard.

“The coffee smells really good, right? I’ll tell you in advance, we’re planning to use this place as a filming location for the drama later.”

He rattled off small talk as if trying to ease the stiff audition atmosphere.

Meanwhile, Lee Min-ki had the career of Director Noh Ho-yeon completely inputted into his head.

‘He originally worked in film and recently switched to directing dramas, right?’

It was a rare case even if you searched the entire industry.

Usually, film directors were considered higher-ranking, and dramas were often avoided because the production environment was harsh.

Because of that, rumors even circulated that Director Noh Ho-yeon was disliked by investors and kicked out of the industry.

‘But he gradually built his career in dramas, and later hit the jackpot with overseas exports during the OTT [Over-The-Top, streaming media service] craze.’

It felt like there was a reason for everything.

Just because he has a gentle face doesn’t mean he’s someone to be taken lightly.

A characteristic of Director Noh Ho-yeon was that he meticulously took care of every detail.

“Okay, let’s start slowly. Min-ki, please prepare first.”

Kim Ji-hwan went first during the last Daon audition.

But it seemed different this time.

Lee Min-ki was in the front.

“We’ll watch the designated acting first. I won’t give a separate signal, so start as soon as you’re ready.”

“Yes.”

Lee Min-ki took a step forward and took a deep breath.

The fragrant coffee scent pierced through his nose and filled his lungs, uplifting his heart.

Then, the scene from the drama gradually unfolded in his mind.

[Hey, Sung Jin-woo, are you that great?]

The voice of the other actor gradually came to mind.

It wasn’t written in the script.

But Lee Min-ki heard it clearly.

“Specialty, something every barista wants to sell at least once. But they give up because it doesn’t make money.”

It was the beginning of the acting.

It was a scene explaining the character of [Sung Jin-woo] in the early part of Cafe del Dia.

“Cheap Robusta with cheap blending. Aren’t you a little tired of only dealing with cost-effective coffee that caters to the tastes of neighborhood women because it’s a local business?”

The dialogue was annoying.

No, it was arrogant beyond annoying.

But this was right.

A man with a noble appearance and a brilliant career, having won awards at overseas coffee competitions.

[Sung Jin-woo] was someone who had a strong dissatisfaction with Korean coffee culture.

“Roasting suitable beans with high roasting level. That’s not coffee, it’s just burnt bean water.”

He had an enormous pride in his job, to the point of having a sense of duty.

In some ways, he was very similar to Barista Kim Kyung-hee.

‘He wants to overturn the Korean barista culture itself.’

Although they were different genders, the two pursued the same thing.

Beyond the culture of popular coffee that has spread mainly in Korea, they wanted to widely promote the taste of high-end coffee, mainly specialty [high-quality, single-origin coffee beans].

“Korea is now among the top 10 in the world in terms of coffee consumption. But all the cafes that are popping up are franchises that prioritize cost-effectiveness.”

[Who doesn’t know? But Korean consumers aren’t very interested in high-end coffee. We’re people who sell places, not coffee.]

Gradually, the voice of the other actor seemed to be heard in his ear.

Lee Min-ki visually imagined the scene with the other person standing in front of him and said.

“Selling places? You must have read some marketing books, but that’s why this country doesn’t change from this shape.”

Lee Min-ki gave a bitter smile.

The [Sung Jin-woo] he was playing was clearly a different character from the original [Sung Jin-woo].

‘It would be good to refer to the Sung Jin-woo that Kim Ji-hwan played, but that’s just Kim Ji-hwan’s Sung Jin-woo. It doesn’t suit me.’

There was a concern.

How could he play Sung Jin-woo in a way that suited him?

The reference he found at the end was Barista Kim Kyung-hee.

Her who loves coffee.

Now, the [Sung Jin-woo] that Lee Min-ki is pursuing was a combat-type Kim Kyung-hee barista.

Lee Min-ki’s fingertips drew a sharp curve toward the empty air.

“Handling specialty single-origin coffee. That’s the condition I work here.”

That’s right.

What Lee Min-ki learned from Kim Kyung-hee barista wasn’t all about coffee.

He had learned the character of Kim Kyung-hee barista itself.

“……”

Of course, whether he won an overseas award or not, if a barista aggressively confronts a cafe owner, he will be treated like a crazy person and kicked out without exception.

According to Kim Kyung-hee barista, everyone has the same mayfly life in Korea [short and insignificant].

It’s all dramatic exaggeration for the drama, so just go with it.

‘……Because I take care of the details, I see things that shouldn’t be seen.’

His hands and feet curled up momentarily.

Because the embarrassment he had been trying to block while concentrating on acting came like a wave.

After all, it is also necessary to blur things appropriately in the media.

But.

‘Euaaaak. Euaaa…….’

The embarrassment was always his responsibility.

* * *

‘Oh.’

As Lee Min-ki’s designated acting came to an end.

Director Noh Ho-yeon was feeling some kind of emotion.

‘The character is clear?’

The character Lee Min-ki was showing was too clear.

A handsome man who turns into a madman when it comes to coffee, despite his usually gentle impression.

The character of [Sung Jin-woo] was emanating from Lee Min-ki as it is.

‘I thought he looked subtly delicate and wouldn’t be able to do this kind of acting, but when he started acting, he completely changed.’

It’s just amazing.

It’s natural for actors to have this range of acting, but Lee Min-ki’s acting was even more special.

‘Has he been to a cafe a lot?’

Should I say he was familiar with the place itself, the cafe?

It was as if it would have been okay to film the acting as it is now.

But.

Designated acting was nothing more than designated acting.

Anyway, if you’re a seasoned actor with some experience, you’ll usually do well in designated acting.

Lee Min-ki did well, but other people would do well too.

There was a need to see if he could do more than that.

‘Now, let’s see how much he has researched.’

Director Noh Ho-yeon opened his mouth with a hint of anticipation.

“Good job. Now, let’s watch the free acting.”

It was the beginning of free acting.

“You can say the lines you’ve prepared, and you can use any props in the store if you need them for acting. There’s no time limit, so feel free to do it.”

“Yes!”

At Director Noh Ho-yeon’s instruction, Lee Min-ki breathed in and out to the end of his lungs.

Now is the real beginning.

Why did he suffer so much in barista class?

Now, the moment has come to see the results.

‘I don’t know if this will work or not.’

Lee Min-ki looked around for a moment, then walked straight ahead.

Then, he looked at the kitchen table of Rio Coffee and made a flustered expression, and then rummaged through the shelves for a moment.

He found a tool and let out a sigh of relief.

Right.

‘There it is. Hario coffee dripper.’

It was a coffee dripper.

Among them, Hario products [a popular brand of coffee brewing equipment].

This was an essential part of the acting that Lee Min-ki had prepared for this audition.

“I’ll start.”

Sreuk.

At the same time as declaring the start of the acting, Lee Min-ki put on the apron hanging on the shelf in a natural motion like flowing water.

Then, he rolled up his sleeves and started grinding the beans in a grinder.

‘Oh?’

The expressions of the judges, including Director Noh Ho-yeon, were all dyed with surprise.

‘Is he making coffee himself?’

‘The movement is natural, it doesn’t seem like he’s done it for a day or two.’

‘What is he going to use it for?’

But there was a common point in that gaze.

‘Everything is good, but when is the acting?’

It was a question about the absence of lines.

But Lee Min-ki didn’t seem to be conscious of that gaze at all, and folded the paper and put it on the dripper.

Then rinsing.

Measuring the ground beans and putting them in the dripper.

From blooming to extraction.

The movements like a textbook of hand drip were gradually unfolded from Lee Min-ki’s fingertips.

As if moving a scene from a painting.

‘It’s neat.’

‘The way he drips is so cool.’

‘He must have done it a lot.’

After a short time passed like that.

Lee Min-ki poured the finished coffee into a glass.

He walked over to Director Noh Ho-yeon.

“……”

“……”

What is he going to do here?

At the moment when everyone was full of curiosity, Lee Min-ki put down the coffee with a picturesque movement and opened his mouth for the first time.

“Have a good time.”

It was that moment.

‘Aha.’

‘Everything so far was acting.’

Everyone realized.

All the series of actions of preparing, extracting, and providing hand drip.

Each and every one of them was Lee Min-ki’s acting.

‘Haha.’

Director Noh Ho-yeon burst into laughter inside at the acting that was so natural.

‘Lee Min-ki, I thought he had a calm personality just by looking at his face, but he’s a proper psycho [in a good way, someone exceptionally dedicated]?’

To think that he would digest free acting like this.

Is it because it’s a coffee-themed drama that he showed off his coffee-making skills?

Director Noh Ho-yeon belatedly began to savor Lee Min-ki’s acting as if savoring it.

When I thought of the early movements that I thought were meaningless as acting, each and every one of them was a feast of details.

The details of the character [Sung Jin-woo].

‘Even if there are other drippers, he deliberately rummages through the shelves to take out the Hario dripper, um, is it because he used it a lot in the competition? Well, that’s the right choice if you think about Sung Jin-woo’s personality. He’s from a competition winner.’

Starting with the choice of tools.

‘Then what about putting his butt in deeply and raising his arms high? Aha, it’s Kim Hee-kyung barista’s signature move. Did he know and do it?’

Everything, even the small gestures.

The more you think about the details, the more fun it is.

‘He has prepared a lot.’

The details that you can recognize because you know coffee deeply sparkled like jewels.

Why Director Noh Ho-yeon is trying to make a drama with coffee as the subject.

That’s because he’s such a coffee maniac that he plans to open a cafe when he retires in the future.

Those details and stuff were not something that the average person could recognize.

Even Noh Ho-yeon himself barely noticed it because he was interested in coffee.

‘Isn’t it too much of an adventure?’

The fact that he likes coffee is only known to a very small number of people, right?

If he hadn’t recognized it, he might have dropped it. What would he have done if he had been rude and demanded an explanation?

‘He could have gone safely.’

Of course, Lee Min-ki knew this much.

That going safely is safe, and even that he can fall if he slips.

Also, the possibility that Director Noh Ho-yeon would not recognize his details is high.

No, in the first place, he didn’t even know that he liked coffee.

But.

‘I have to do this much to beat Kim Ji-hwan.’

He endured it.

Lee Min-ki’s goal is to surpass the original lead role.

Then there were two choices.

Fail safely, or take the risk and pass.

Meanwhile.

‘…….’

Kim Ji-hwan could only clench his lips tightly and stare at this scene as if he couldn’t understand.