Top Star By Luck [EN]: Chapter 66

66

Café del Día.

The Wednesday-Thursday drama successfully aired its first two episodes.

Structurally, the drama was largely composed of these two episodes.

The first part was set in Korea.

It depicted [Sung Jin-woo] successfully managing the first branch of Café del Día.

Following that, the part being filmed now was the second part.

It was set overseas.

Two years later, the story follows the three characters as they participate in the World Coffee Championship (WCC) to promote the café and aim to win an award.

The scenes being filmed today were from the very beginning of that part.

‘Can I pull this off?’

Director Noh Ho-yeon, holding a stack of papers, looked anxiously at the middle of the coffee field.

A man was squatting there, sweeping coffee beans into a bag.

Rustle.

Rustle.

Alone in the coffee field, he sweeps up coffee beans, again and again.

The white clothes stood out against the green field.

But he didn’t seem particularly lonely.

Nor did he seem exhausted.

Rather.

‘He looks so dependable.’

Even in the loose-fitting clothes, his broad back made him look like he was posing for a photoshoot.

‘Hmm, those are some impressive shoulders.’

It was astonishing.

A person who could reveal his identity with just his shoulder blades.

That back was gradually becoming one of actor Lee Min-ki’s defining characteristics.

Thud.

Meanwhile, two people walked with calm steps from far away in the coffee field.

A man who didn’t feel as sturdy in the upper body as Lee Min-ki, but instead had long, slender legs and a cool, chic face.

And a woman with such an innocent face that even a con artist wouldn’t dare to scam her.

They were Kim Ji-hwan, playing [Cha Young-hwan], and Seol-ha, playing [Oh Yu-na].

‘Ah, please.’

Director Noh Ho-yeon squeezed his eyes shut.

No, as a director, he couldn’t close them completely and peeked slightly.

‘They’ll do great, right?’

At most, it’s just a scene where the two other leads approach the protagonist, who is harvesting coffee beans in the coffee field, and start talking to him.

It’s nothing special.

Most actors can easily handle this kind of acting, so why is my heart pounding so much over such a simple scene?

‘The script reading was decent enough. Please, just don’t film it weirdly. Even if it’s just mediocre, please.’

0. 5 seconds.

Lee Min-ki, noticing the footsteps, stood up and turned around.

And seeing the people within his gaze, a smile appeared on Lee Min-ki’s face.

The next moment.

That moment when everyone’s heart was pounding.

“Jin-woo.”

Kim Ji-hwan also said, with a light smile on his face as if meeting him.

“Did you drop some money there?”

That short sentence.

Director Noh Ho-yeon’s eyes widened at that casual remark.

‘Natural!’

It was a natural voice.

It was a natural expression.

It was a natural gait.

Strange.

It’s just a greeting scene.

Nevertheless, Director Noh Ho-yeon’s pupils dilated as if he had witnessed a dead rock star resurrecting and belting out a shout.

But it didn’t end there.

The next scene was even better.

“Young-hwan.”

Not to be outdone, Lee Min-ki’s voice, filled with laughter as if meeting a very old friend, flowed from his mouth.

“How was Korea?”

“Korea?”

Kim Ji-hwan slightly raised the corner of his mouth and chuckled.

“Thanks to you leaving the store to find coffee beans, I almost died. So, aren’t you going to thank me?”

“It’s not like I came here to play. I came here to work, so what’s there to thank?”

Extremely ordinary conversation continued.

Just the kind of conversation that two long-time colleagues would casually exchange.

“Good air, good mountains, good water. If I had known it was a place like this, I would have come instead.”

Seol-ha chimed in.

“Isn’t this like being on vacation?”

“Seol-ha, the internet is slow here.”

“No wonder, Jin-woo, you weren’t answering your calls. Give me that sack too.”

Seol-ha also started picking up beans.

Overwhelmed by the atmosphere, Kim Ji-hwan did too.

The three of them naturally continued to chat while picking up beans.

It’s nothing special.

Just a dialogue scene.

But.

‘Natural.’

Director Noh Ho-yeon was already captivated for the seventh time.

It was natural.

It wasn’t just that the acting was natural, but more importantly, the characters of all three hadn’t collapsed.

“Can’t you still tell the difference between rotten beans?”

[Sung Jin-woo] was still prickly.

“Do baristas have to know even this?”

[Cha Young-hwan] was full of complaints.

“Are you fighting again?”

[Oh Yu-na] intervened between the two.

The fact that intimate chatter was naturally continuing while maintaining this character was a miracle.

Because naturalness is the life of dialogue.

The moment the actors feel even slightly awkward with each other, the viewers instinctively know it.

How many people have dropped out because their characters collapsed when the episode changed in the story?

‘Maintaining the existing character while slightly changing the relationship is never easy.’

If anything, it’s extremely difficult.

How was this possible?

Why were Lee Min-ki and Kim Ji-hwan, who were growling at each other both in and out of the drama, able to match each other so naturally?

That was because.

‘Ji-hwan improves really quickly.’

‘He said he doesn’t try to stand out, but observes the other person and then fits himself into them.’

The two had been actively communicating for the past few days.

On the first day of the drama’s broadcast.

The five people, who happened to have dinner and watch the drama together, ended up talking about the work all night.

In the meantime, a miracle happened.

‘Ji-hwan isn’t that prickly either.’

‘This person has a broad perspective on the same work. And it’s deep too.’

A slight crack had formed in the relationship that had only been uncomfortable.

Acting is said to grow in steps.

Over the past few days, Kim Ji-hwan had shed the shell that had been built up in his heart and moved beyond it.

‘Competition is competition, but I learn what I can.’

The improvement in the real-life actors’ relationship was reflected in the work.

But Lee Min-ki was just as surprised.

‘What Senior Choi Yu-chang said is true.’

Lee Min-ki suddenly recalled the teachings he had heard from the million-dollar actor Choi Yu-chang when filming [Forever Green].

‘He said that if you’re playing a lead role, it’s best to be friendly with everyone on set as much as possible.’

He said that improving relationships leads to improving acting.

If there is a wall in the heart, it is reflected in the work.

Until now, the two people’s rivalry had been well-resolved because it was in line with the relationship between [Sung Jin-woo] and [Cha Young-hwan] in the story.

But in the new chapter, it was necessary to take a step forward, and that’s what they had arrived at now.

“Jin-woo, isn’t your skin too tan?”

Becoming friends.

“Coffee beans also get roasted, so isn’t it better to have the outside burn than the inside?”

“……Haha, are you saying I came because I was burning inside?”

“Did I hit a nerve?”

Of course, there was a hint of resentment in the joke, but it was definitely friendly.

Strictly speaking, they weren’t friends, but more like frenemies [a portmanteau of ‘friend’ and ‘enemy’].

That’s the extent of the change.

But it was a very clear change.

A change as certain as the change between seawater and river water.

“While we’re on the subject, Young-hwan, you can now tell the difference between Robusta and Arabica, right?”

“Haha, of course, I know better than someone who can’t sell a cup of coffee for less than 5,000 won [approximately $3.75 USD].”

“Wait! You two, stop the power struggle.”

“It’s not a power struggle, it’s Young-hwan.”

“Stop it!”

Oh Yu-na, unable to watch the two of them start fighting again, intervened.

“Jin-woo, aren’t you going to give a cup of coffee to a guest who came from afar?”

“……You’re lucky Seol-ha is here. Follow me.”

A scene barely ended.

The reunion scene.

After the commotion in Korea, their reunion after two years quickly passed.

Director Noh Ho-yeon, who had aged mentally, leaned over as if collapsing and muttered.

“Cut.”

* * *

[Café del Día] continued its successful broadcast.

The next day, the viewership rating was 10%.

It had already recorded a slightly above-average number, but in the drama industry, the following week was actually more important than the first viewership rating.

‘Viewers only remember dramas with rising viewership ratings, but in reality, there are more dramas with falling ratings.’

Because they have to avoid falling.

Even if the first week is due to the power of marketing, the drama’s true performance is revealed from the following week.

That’s why industry insiders often judge in the third week.

And.

Café del Día, as if the worries were unfounded, soared like an aircraft piercing through the blue sky.

[Episode 3: 11.7%]

[Episode 4: 12.1%]

[Episode 5: 12.2%]

[Episode 6: 12.4%]

It recorded a stable upward trend, neither falling nor maintaining.

At this point, the performance of [Café del Día] was summarized.

A well-made drama.

Not a huge hit, but a work that could proudly put its name on the list of winners of that quarter.

[Director Noh Ho-yeon did a great job]

[Lee Min-ki, Kim Ji-hwan, and Seol-ha have amazing chemistry]

[The work as a whole is so fresh lol]

[It makes me want to drink a cup of coffee while watching it]

[You know what’s really frustrating? That it airs at 10 PM.]

[I have to sleep, but it makes me want coffee lol]

[Caffeine madness at night ㅠㅠ]

Contributing to the insomnia of the Korean people was a bonus.

While it was continuing its successful run, it wasn’t just viewers and broadcasters who were paying attention to the performance of Café del Día.

On the top floor of a decent building in Mapo-gu [a district in Seoul, South Korea].

A man was sitting in the CEO’s chair, busy looking at documents.

“CEO, the data you requested yesterday has just been compiled and sent.”

“Ah, thank you.”

It was CEO Song Jin-bae.

As the manager of Bumcheon Food Company (BFC), he was a man with the ambition to make the entire nation drink one coffee a day.

He lightly drank his coffee and scrolled through the report data he had ordered in advance.

“The response isn’t bad.”

It was the success and marketing trends of [Café del Día].

It contained information on how much sales could be obtained by investing in this work in what way.

As he fixed his gaze on the screen, his secretary asked with a puzzled look.

“I didn’t expect you to check it yourself, CEO.”

“The promotion itself is something we’re going to do no matter what, but if we’re going to do it, we have to do it smartly.”

“Have you already decided on the model to cast?”

“Is there any need to say it?”

CEO Song Jin-bae said as if it were obvious.

“Lee Min-ki, there’s no other value to consider.”

It was Lee Min-ki.

Perhaps it was a natural thing.

If Café del Día had a face, it would be none other than Lee Min-ki.

At CEO Song Jin-bae’s words, the secretary smiled faintly and said.

“The incident at the last presentation must have been very impressive.”

“Didn’t I say it? You have to know how to distinguish between real and fake. In the end, what works in this world is the real thing.”

“You’re saying that actor Lee Min-ki is that real thing.”

“A rare real thing.”

Praise poured out for a mere actor.

CEO Song Jin-bae’s appearance was even absurd to the secretary.

‘It’s rare for the CEO to overvalue a celebrity.’

Was it just rare?

It was practically non-existent.

No matter how good the image of the celebrity they brought in, they were mostly treated as disposable items.

So Lee Min-ki was an exception among exceptions.

‘Is that actor that great?’

He briefly recalled his acting in his head.

The scene of him brewing coffee in a white shirt and apron was plausible.

In contrast to his pretty face, his broad shoulders were etched in his memory.

It suited him well.

‘His visuals are definitely good.’

In just a few weeks, a man brewing coffee had become a romance on the internet.

Is there any need to say more here?

Of course, the secretary wasn’t very interested in Lee Min-ki.

He liked Seol-ha more.

‘I wish the world would recognize that women in white shirts are cooler.’

White skin and straight hair tied back.

Just thinking about her bright smiling face made his heart flutter.

He was so upset that Seol-ha was being overshadowed by the two leads in this drama that he was angry.

‘Tsk.’

Coffee trend, please, please.

White shirt trend, please, please.

The secretary clicked his tongue in disappointment and asked CEO Song Jin-bae.

“Then should I contact the agency sometime today?”

“If you can get a meeting, get a meeting.”

“Yes, I’ll contact them right away.”

He was about to leave the CEO’s office after finishing his business.

“One more thing.”

CEO Song Jin-bae stopped him at the door and added.

“Other companies must have contacted them first, right?”

“Yes, probably.”

The secretary nodded repeatedly.

It was like a set tradition that someone who filmed a food drama would soon film a related food commercial.

With Lee Min-ki’s visuals, there was no way he wouldn’t have received an offer.

Perhaps he had already finished filming.

‘In these cases, it’s better to preemptively secure them, even if it means paying a penalty later.’

He thought that CEO Song Jin-bae had been overly cautious.

But he couldn’t say everything inside.

The secretary smiled gently and said.

“Actor Lee Min-ki is a rookie, so he’ll be careful, but the drama’s trend is so good that it’s likely that they’re already in negotiations.”

“I see.”

CEO Song Jin-bae nodded as if he expected it and said.

“If there’s a place he’s already signed a contract with, tell them we’ll pay the termination penalty as well.”