Top Star By Luck [EN]: Chapter 68

Abruptly, the schedule was canceled.

The other party requested termination of the contract, but it wasn’t exactly Lee Min-ki’s fault.

CoffeeO.

It was the fault of the parent company’s representative who ran that brand.

[Oh, I’m sorry. The representative suddenly changed his mind… There’s a female idol he likes, and he insists on entrusting it to her. Yes, yes, I’m really sorry.]

Out of the blue.

It’s true that the fandom of executives often plays a role in the selection stage of advertising models.

It was an open secret.

But to try to replace him two days before the filming schedule.

[I’m really sorry. Please apologize to the actor as well. You must have prepared a lot already, but I have nothing to say.]

The other side was acting apologetic and groveling.

“Huh.”

Lee Min-ki let out a small chuckle.

“It seems that company has a lot of money.”

Usually, these contracts require returning the upfront payment several times over upon termination, but is that amount just pocket change to them?

I don’t know exactly, but it would already be in the thousands.

Does being a company representative mean you can melt away this much with your 덕질 (deokjil: fandom)?

Lee Min-ki blinked at the situation that came as suddenly as a traffic accident.

“It feels like getting rejected before even confessing.”

“…….”

Of course, the other two felt the same way.

They were trying to create a serious atmosphere, but it was all for naught.

[Haha! Adidas!]

Just as he felt someone’s voice in his head.

Director Seo Jeong-woo also smiled as if he was troubled and said.

“It’s relatively common. Since billions of won can easily move with one marketing campaign, it’s not a big problem even if they change their minds.”

Well, it’s not like it never happens.

Although it’s embarrassing, Lee Min-ki himself was someone who had contracts canceled on him often in his past life.

He was more familiar with this kind of cancellation than unfamiliar.

It’s just that the situation was what it was.

‘I made up my mind with great difficulty.’

It wasn’t easy to reject the offer from Beomcheon, but things flowed this way.

‘It really feels like getting rejected.’

Of course, it just feels that way.

He had never confessed to anyone, so he had never been rejected.

“Still, it’s rather fortunate.”

While he was still reeling from the shock, Manager Park Han-mo, who had already regained his poker face, opened his mouth.

“If we had brought up the termination first, this situation would have become more difficult. The actor’s image would have been ruined, and we might have had to return the contract fee first.”

“We survived thanks to waiting.”

“Yes, rather, we should say that our company put them in debt.”

Well, they must feel sorry for blowing up an advertisement.

If a similar project comes up later, they will try to give JC one more.

‘Good, good.’

It was truly a narrow escape.

It was a few hours ago that he received a call saying that an offer had come from Beomcheon.

Not enough with a phone call, they started a meeting to discuss it directly a few tens of minutes ago.

After roughly finishing the story and chatting a bit, it took about 10 minutes to get out of the conference room.

If they hadn’t waited for that, the damage would have been considerable.

“Um, so can we say we rejected this offer and go to Beomcheon and ask for an additional fee?”

As he tried to mutter even a joke with a lighter heart, Director Seo Jeong-woo shook his head and said.

“It’s better not to tell lies that will be found out someday. Above all, it’s not good for the actor to leave an image of betraying someone.”

His voice was somewhat serious.

Lee Min-ki nodded, as if he was trying to refrain from even small jokes about the contract.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

The situation was roughly settled that way.

Lee Min-ki was given the contract from Beomcheon and the penalty fee from CoffeeO.

JC Entertainment left CoffeeO with a small debt.

As a result of exercising short patience, it could be seen as flowing into the best situation.

‘It’s a strange situation.’

Director Seo Jeong-woo, who had sorted out the situation in his mind, smiled faintly.

What should I say about this?

At best, it was all about having a conversation for a few tens of minutes, but nevertheless, the impression remained quite strong in Director Seo Jeong-woo’s head.

‘Choosing loyalty, even 실리 (silri: practical benefits) rolled in.’

In the end, isn’t it just profit left?

If he had chosen Beomcheon in pursuit of the best result, he would have lost a lot.

On the other hand, when he chose goodwill, the best result rolled right in front of Lee Min-ki.

It was like choosing a hidden option in a game.

It was truly lucky.

‘Luck, huh.’

Why is that?

Director Seo Jeong-woo found it difficult to just pass over this happening.

There was a point that bothered him.

‘Actor Min-ki is strangely lucky.’

It was luck.

It had been like that since the first time they met.

His friend, Yu Gyu-eon, a first-class fashion designer, happened to be attached as a collaborator next to him.

In addition, when he was put in [Campus Story] as a minor role, he grew into a supporting role.

‘I heard that the person who was supposed to play a minor role originally left his seat due to acute appendicitis.’

What else was there?

When he filmed [Evergreen], he said he was offered an impromptu special audition at the audition site.

[Cafe del Dia] is… this was the least lucky.

The production presentation was just that he did well.

‘He’s really a consistently lucky person. Is it because he has good skills and skills follow him?’

Director Seo Jeong-woo, who even felt a small sense of incongruity, glanced at Lee Min-ki.

“Tae-yang makes 연어장 (yeon-eo-jang: salmon marinated in soy sauce) really well. In fact, he’s not just good at making salmon marinated in soy sauce, he’s good at cooking in general.”

“Surely, actor, you’re not leaving all the housework to actor Tae-yang, are you?”

“…It’s not that much. If there’s something I want to eat, I pay for the ingredients. Hehe, it’s a win-win strategy.”

“Don’t overwork him too much. I was surprised that he recently developed housewife eczema.”

He seems to have become friends with that sensitive Kim Tae-yang.

Kim Tae-yang is not easy.

Wait, come to think of it, it seems like he has an unusually large 복 (bok: good fortune in relationships) for a rookie actor.

‘I heard that a 천만 배우 (cheonman baeu: ten million actor) is someone who coaxes him to drink?’

Did he become like that because he debuted and succeeded?

No.

Fundamentally, looking back, from the beginning, it was a fortune that Director Seo Jeong-woo’s friend, trainer Kim Ah-seong, was attached to Lee Min-ki.

‘What is it?’

Director Seo Jeong-woo stopped abruptly while walking down the street.

‘The more I think about it, the luckier he is.’

When I think about it one by one, it was a series of surprises.

Was there anything that could be called bad luck?

If there was, well, maybe it was failing the Daon audition.

‘But Daon is also a problematic agency in its own way, so you never know.’

That’s right.

There is a problem with Daon.

It is not well known outside, but from the beginning, JC and Daon were closely intertwined since their founding.

Therefore, as a founding member of JC, Director Seo Jeong-woo could not be unaware of Daon’s problems.

It’s not for nothing that trainer Kim Ah-seong hates Daon.

What if it was his luck that he was dropped from such Daon?

Here’s one more thing I learned.

That Lee Min-ki is not the type to betray people for petty profits.

He didn’t betray CoffeeO.

Then, unlike anyone Director Seo Jeong-woo has ever experienced, isn’t there a possibility that he won’t betray JC?

‘He’s someone worth keeping an eye on.’

Also, it’s a rare personality in this industry.

Interesting.

Director Seo Jeong-woo, who had reorganized his evaluation of Lee Min-ki, smiled slightly.

Luck.

A lucky person.

Then there was something that had to be entrusted to a lucky person.

Such a thing that he would definitely entrust if such a person appeared next to him someday.

Director Seo Jeong-woo, who had been contemplating in the same place for a long time, stared at Lee Min-ki.

“Director?”

Was it because his appearance was strange?

It was the moment when Lee Min-ki called him with a puzzled expression.

“Hoo.”

Director Seo Jeong-woo sighed for a long time, then shook his head and said.

“Min-ki, let’s stop by a convenience store on the way and buy a lottery ticket.”

“Yes?”

Did I hear something wrong?

Lee Min-ki twitched his eyes and asked again.

“A lottery ticket?”

“Yes, I hope Min-ki will pick my lottery tickets from now on. Oh, if we win, let’s split the winnings in half. And from now on, please do my 뽑기 (ppopgi: gacha game pulls) in the game for me instead.”

A lottery ticket and 뽑기 (ppopgi: gacha game pulls).

Lee Min-ki stared at Director Seo Jeong-woo with a strange expression.

‘Director, you look very 실리주의 (sillijuui: pragmatic), but you unexpectedly like this kind of thing.’

* * *

How does advertising usually proceed?

To put it simply, it could be said to be a series of outsourcing, outsourcing, and more outsourcing.

The most shining of these is the advertising agency.

Their job was to receive a request from the advertiser and create an advertisement suitable for it.

And.

There were existences that went one step further and received outsourcing from advertising agencies.

Video production studio.

It was a studio that produced advertising videos as it is.

In most cases, they are grown independently outside the advertising agency, but sometimes they exist internally.

Studio Banbaji, this place was also one of those companies.

Would it be a little special among them?

The work of an advertising agency is largely divided into inbound (requesting work from outside) and outbound (directly running outside and receiving it), and the more inbound there is, the more competent the advertising agency tends to be.

Among these, Studio Banbaji is a company where the majority of its work is inbound.

In other words, it means that there are many companies that find them first, so it is synonymous with being a competent company.

But today was the problem.

‘Beomcheon, huh.’

An advertising request flew in from Beomcheon.

Beomcheon.

What kind of company is Beomcheon?

There is no need for a long modifier.

It is a company that can be called a 거부 (geobu: tycoon) in Korea when it comes to coffee.

But this Beomcheon was an extremely 까다롭기 짝이 없는 (kkadaropgi jjakieomneun: picky) existence as an advertiser.

‘They really nitpick everything.’

Is it because coffee is like a symbol of modern corporate marketing?

Even if it was something that other companies would 적당히 (jeokdanghi: moderately) confirm and move on, Beomcheon often insisted on being 까다롭다 (kkadaropda: picky) to the end.

They added a request to make this advertisement especially harder.

How well do you want to make it to do that?

“Hmm.”

CF director belonging to Banbaji Studio.

Director Kwon Ye-rin groaned for a long time before opening her mouth.

“It’s a rookie.”

“Yes!”

At that, the storyboard writer, who was playing with a pen on one side of the office, smiled brightly and replied.

“Actor Lee Min-ki, he’s so hot these days.”

Lee Min-ki’s awareness had increased significantly in the last few months.

It was the effect of [Cafe del Dia].

If he was a supporting actor worth remembering in [Evergreen], [Cafe del Dia] made him a 명실상부 (myeongsil sangbu: in name and reality) famous rookie.

No, he rose on his own, regardless of whether others raised him or not.

‘If he continues this trend, he will establish himself as a mid-level actor in a few years.’

Director Kwon Ye-rin was recalling her memories 드문드문 (deumundeumun: vaguely), and the storyboard writer said with a beaming smile.

“Lee Min-ki is no joke. Everyone in the community I’m 눈팅 (nunting: lurking) in is going crazy. They say he’s at least in the top five among the rookies these days, you know?”

I guess this side is also a little interested.

Certainly, he has a mask that people would like these days.

“Rather than just being sculpted and handsome, there is a coexistence of a youthful boyish feeling.”

“…Is it that much?”

“Like milk? He’s so pure. But his shoulders are no joke. Hoo, I’m glad I jumped into the advertising world…”

It wasn’t just an interest.

It seems that he is an extreme fan beyond simply liking Lee Min-ki.

‘He’s at his peak.’

Director Kwon Ye-rin chuckled at the words that revealed her affection to the fullest.

She was not so cold-hearted as to stop a fan from confessing her faith because she liked him.

It is difficult to deny that pretty and handsome actors are the vitality of this work.

But.

Even she found it difficult to accept the next words as they were.

“The rumors are good too. He’s very humble and always smiles softly wherever he goes.”

It was said that he had a good personality.

Director Kwon Ye-rin’s forehead twitched at the words. Then, she asked as if 반박 (banbak: rebutting) slightly.

“Isn’t that just a rumor? Rookies who suddenly rise are usually bad-tempered.”

“No. I heard Lee Min-ki is different.”

The storyboard writer was startled and waved her hand, then said.

“You know that production presentation last time? I heard that Lee Min-ki always made coffee and handed it out to the staff on set, and that’s how the idea came out?”

“Rookies always hand out coffee.”

“Lee Min-ki is different!”

“Does he hand out 고급 (gogeup: high-end) coffee? Like a coffee truck that fans use as 조공 (jogong: tribute)?”

“No. It’s not like that.”

The next moment.

It was difficult to believe the words that came out of the storyboard writer’s mouth.

“I heard he 뽑아다가 (ppopadaga: pulls out) coffee with his own hands and hands it out?”

“Pulls out?”

“Yes! He manually pulls it out with a coffee machine.”

He said he pulls it out himself and hands it out.

It’s almost at the same level as unicorns and dragons playing cheerfully in the Seoul sky, but the storyboard writer repeatedly said.

“I have a friend who works as a lighting in Cafe del Dia. He said he’s never seen anyone say bad things about actor Lee Min-ki.”

Detailed.

Director Kwon Ye-rin blinked at the enthusiastic claim.

‘Are there already so many heartwarming stories circulating? Isn’t it just a rumor? No, it’s subtly specific to say it’s just a rumor.’

Nevertheless, she couldn’t just believe it.

Often, the heartwarming stories circulating among industry people and the heartwarming stories circulating among the public were often different.

There are also plenty of cases where a person who is famous for being good on the Internet is actually 찍혀 있다 (jjikhyeo itda: marked) as the worst XXX on the actual site.

‘In the first place, the stories are different even in the same industry. XXX here may be XXX there.’

Therefore, the more industry experience accumulates, the more difficult it is to just trust word of mouth.

‘Well, he looks like a nice person.’

Director Kwon Ye-rin looked at Lee Min-ki’s face on the screen and opened her mouth.

“Hmm, how long have you been in this industry, writer?”

“6 years this year?”

“Really? Then you can’t not know, right?”

Of course, the rumors circulating among advertising agencies are also different.

“Actors look down on advertising a bit.”

There was a common perception of actors.

Advertising is just advertising, and they don’t treat it as a work.

If they just want to show their face for a while and make money, there were few people who seriously engaged in advertising as part of their career.

“Well, there were some people like that. But wouldn’t actor Lee Min-ki be a little different? He’s also a rookie.”

There are also people who think that rookies are better, like this storyboard writer.

‘No.’

Absolutely not.

Rather, the more rookies who rise in a short period of time to film CFs, the higher the probability that they will be infected with 스타병 (seutabyeong: celebrity disease).

[I’m not originally a person who does this kind of acting]

[Is that how you work here?]

[I have a shoot tomorrow morning, so can we finish around here?]

All the words she had heard directly.

It was 기가 막히고 코가 막혔다 (giga makhigo koga makhyeotda: dumbfounding).

Even rookies who secretly hide their celebrity disease often show signs of annoyance.

‘People who have been 무명 (mumyeong: unknown) for a long time are mostly okay, but actor Lee Min-ki is a rookie who rose quickly, so I’m 불안하다 (buranhada: anxious) again.’

Right.

In addition, there was another superstition.

In the case of stars with good bodies, they often have bad personalities when you meet them.

It’s just a superstition.

It’s not a certainty.

But just as 관상학 (gwansanghak: physiognomy) does, wouldn’t there be a judgment based on 경험주의 (gyeongheomjuui: empiricism)?

‘It’s not something I can proudly say anywhere.’

Director Kwon Ye-rin said, hiding her inner thoughts.

“Shall we start the idea meeting soon?”

“Ah… can’t we do that a little later? The copywriter’s work is a bit slow.”

“Then please check as much as possible before the actor comes.”

“Yes! I understand.”