Top Star By Luck [EN]: Chapter 79

79

“How much is the debt?”

The debt collector flinched at Lee Min-ki’s confident demeanor.

Clearly, he was legally the superior party.

But why did he feel so intimidated, as if he owed the person in front of him?

‘What is this?’

He felt an instinctive sense of inferiority.

It was like a jackal facing a tiger.

Step.

Without realizing it, the debt collector took a step back, straining to speak.

“…A little over 100 million won.”

“Is that so?”

Thank goodness.

Lee Min-ki, hearing the specific amount from the debt collector’s mouth, let out a small sigh of relief inwardly.

‘I was wondering if I should ask the agency for help, but I can handle this much. I never thought I’d be using the money I’ve saved since my debut like this.’

It was a close call.

He was worried it might be an enormous sum, but 100 million won was manageable.

“I’ll pay it.”

Lee Min-ki said casually.

At the same time, he subtly turned his head to look at his father.

‘Even so, 100 million won isn’t a small amount, so he’s been hiding it all this time?’

He knew his family had debts to some extent.

But he didn’t know the specific amount.

And he never imagined that a debt collector would come to demand payment.

It wasn’t that he was indifferent.

His parents had been thoroughly concealing it.

Just like how parents in ordinary families don’t reveal their specific financial situation to their children.

‘If I had known, I would have helped sooner.’

He had been hiding that for years?

There was a time when he was a little disappointed that they couldn’t support his acting career, but now he knew why.

With 100 million won, how much would the interest alone be?

‘Well, it’s okay. I’ll just pay it back.’

It’s not an enormous amount of money to show off.

But it’s not a small amount either.

He had earned income from appearing in a drama, as well as advertising fees.

That had already surpassed 100 million won in savings.

It was a huge sum he had never handled in his life, but he didn’t feel too bad about spending it now.

Because.

‘I’ll earn more money.’

Compared to the income he would earn in the future, it was just the fat contained in chicken breast [a negligible amount].

More than anything.

‘If I’m going to spend money anyway, it’s best to spend it when it can be used most valuably.’

How and when you spend money is important.

So, if he was going to spend it, he wanted to spend it in the ‘most valuable way.’

That way was the reward in front of him.

His bank account might hurt a bit, but it was an act of relieving his family of a lifetime burden.

It was a worthwhile deal.

He was confident that 100 million won would become pocket change in the future.

Investing in a few stock items would more than recover the amount. For him, who knew the future, investing was like swimming with his feet on the ground [very easy and safe].

From the beginning, his goal was to succeed as an actor rather than actively managing money.

Lee Min-ki, who had shaken off even the slightest attachment to money, opened his mouth.

“I’ll send it soon. Give me your account number.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Here’s my business card. Please contact me here from now on. I’ll let them know in advance, so you can contact the agency as well.”

The debt collector took Lee Min-ki’s business card and quickly left.

Looking back whenever he had the chance.

After a few seconds.

Silence fell between the two men left in front of the house.

‘What an atmosphere.’

Lee Min-ki’s head ached.

He never expected the moment of reunion he had been putting off to come in this way.

He wondered how to break the ice with his awkward family, but he never thought it would be by paying off their debt.

‘What should I say?’

Meanwhile.

“……”

His father just stared at Lee Min-ki without saying a word.

His eyes, filled with all sorts of emotions, were complexly intertwined in the empty air.

Whether he felt proud of his son, grateful, or just didn’t know what to do because he was sorry.

In fact, it was like this.

‘Shamelessly.’

He felt shameless.

He had been vehemently opposing his dream, but now he was shamelessly accepting the fruits of the person who had achieved that dream.

It was entirely because he didn’t know.

‘He must have suffered a lot raising me.’

Lee Min-ki wasn’t exactly repaying him as an actor, but as a son who was notoriously difficult to raise.

‘I broke my bones five times when I was young. I was bullied at school and transferred once. My clothes were strangely torn often, too.’

This was just paying it back.

Not giving, but returning.

That was how Lee Min-ki felt.

“Wow, it’s hot today. Isn’t it?”

In fact, he was showing off a little.

But seeing the scene in front of him, it was worth showing off.

Feeling the awkward atmosphere for a moment.

Lee Min-ki smiled gently, using his acting skills.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m just giving back a little for raising me all this time. Just this much.”

One of the ‘100 sentences that I think would be cool to say someday’ that Lee Min-ki had been thinking about flowed calmly from his mouth.

Among the remaining sentences were.

[Give me everything from here to there.]

[I am Lee Min-ki.]

[The reason I can stand here today is all thanks to the viewers.]

And so on.

Anyway, one of those sentences resonated calmly.

If he hadn’t been trained by years of acting, he might have laughed too much, unable to withstand the pride of this moment.

“You’ve worked hard.”

His father, also feeling a mixture of apology and gratitude, could only say this.

“And I’m sorry.”

An apology.

Usually, receiving an apology from family wouldn’t be so comforting, but this time, the apology actually eased his heart.

From a relationship where even an apology was difficult to give, they had become able to say that much.

“I should have brought it up sooner, but it got late as I was assessing the situation.”

He would have said it even over the phone.

But he didn’t want to gloss over it with such a cheap apology.

Because an easily given apology would be just as easy to forget.

It might feel like he was belatedly clinging to his successful son.

“You’ve grown up well on your own. I didn’t know my son would do this well. Did I not trust you enough?”

Lee Min-ki opened his mouth, feeling a sense of relief from those words.

“Whose son am I? Of course, I have to do well.”

It was a confident voice.

A voice that laughed it off without any resentment.

His father also felt a small sense of salvation at those words, and then Lee Min-ki said.

“I’m late, right? The road was blocked on the way.”

“Our son seems to have changed a lot since he appeared on TV.”

“It’s all thanks to my father for giving birth to me so beautifully.”

“……No, your mother gave birth to you beautifully.”

A smile appeared on his father’s face in an instant.

This is my son.

That kind of feeling, that he raised him.

Lee Min-ki’s father, subtly unable to openly express the remaining debt in his heart, put his hands behind his back and looked up and down before saying.

“Have you gotten taller? The eye level is a bit different.”

“Insoles.”

“Insoles are effective. Buy one for your dad later.”

“This is custom-made.”

“Do celebrities use special insoles?”

“If you buy and use just any, you can’t walk for long.”

The conversation between father and son was enough.

“Let’s go in.”

“Where’s Mom?”

“She said she’s going on a date with Min-seo.”

The two soon entered the house.

Lee Min-ki entered the front door, took off his shoes, and looked around the house for a moment, soon realizing that the house was much older than he remembered.

‘The house atmosphere was like this.’

His memory was faint because he hadn’t visited home for too long.

He thought it was a cozy house even though it was old because his memories were beautified, but when he peeled back a layer, the reality was somewhat cold.

‘The wallpaper is all wrinkled. The furniture is all old, too. The floor is floating, and there’s even a slight mold.’

It was just old.

Moreover, it was the oldness that came from not having money.

He felt it even more because he had been staying in good accommodations thanks to JC recently.

But.

He expected this much from the beginning.

‘The future is important.’

A lot will change.

He, and his family too.

* * *

‘Jackpot, jackpot, jackpot.’

His heart was racing like crazy.

No, her legs were actually tapping.

Broadcasting station entertainment department.

Among them, a PD [Production Director] from Team 3, which mainly operates online, was jumping up and down as if she would fly into the sky at any moment, over the casting she had barely managed to secure.

“Hehehehe.”

As she was doing that, a man poked his head out from the partition across from her and said.

“PD Na, please be quiet.”

“Ah, ahem, I’m sorry.”

“You see Team 2? They got chewed out by the director yesterday, so they’re on edge. Let’s be mindful.”

“Yes.”

It must have been noisy.

PD Na’s face turned as red as a persimmon with embarrassment.

Nevertheless, there was a reason why she couldn’t control herself.

Because.

‘It’s Kim Do-ha and Lee Min-ki! This is a jackpot! This is definitely a jackpot!!’

It was an opportunity to have two hot stars on one show.

The fact that she somehow managed to make this ridiculous plan happen made her heart flutter.

‘How did I do it?’

Kim Do-ha originally had a high price tag.

Unlike his kind face, he scrutinized everything like a quality inspection in a precision factory when it came to work, which was a challenge.

Moreover, there was no need to mention Lee Min-ki.

‘He must be getting a lot of offers these days because he’s a hit.’

When is the time when actors’ prices are highest in their activity cycle?

When they hit it big?

No.

It’s right after they hit it big and have been slightly out of the public’s eye for a while.

It was also time to prepare for a new project in earnest. It was never easy to get even one interview, as money was being offered from all over the country.

‘Hehe, to pull this off. Aren’t I too competent?’

She writhed in excitement for a moment.

Soon, she let out a sigh of relief again.

‘Besides, the plan is in this shape, so I’m glad they accepted it.’

It wasn’t just an easy interview.

There was a short plan attached to it.

[60-second impromptu acting.]

The idea was to have the two actors do a short performance.

From the beginning of the plan, PD Na’s personal desires were packed like cream in a Dojima roll cake [a popular and rich Japanese cream roll].

It wasn’t intentional, but there were parts that the agency saw favorably.

It was an opportunity to show off their acting skills a little, so it was good for maintaining their image.

Since it was a 60-second performance, it was relatively less burdensome.

But still, acting is acting.

She couldn’t help but have a small doubt.

‘Will they prepare properly?’

Since the two of them are so expensive, it’s a relief just to have them.

Will they really act as well as they did in dramas and movies?

That would be even better.

‘Hey, that’s too much. Delusional.’

PD Na shook her head from side to side, feeling amused by her own thoughts.

It’s a relief that they even came, so what’s the point of hoping for sincerity?

Is it just a day or two that celebrities are arrogant?

With these two, their already high noses must have soared to the end of the sky by now.

“Hehe.”

She was smiling happily.

“PD Na, I told you to be quiet.”

“Ah, yes.”

PD Na lowered her head again, realizing that she had been unknowingly jumping around.

But.

Even at this time, she didn’t know.

That in the world, there was a star who, until just a year ago, desperately wanted even a 10-second performance, not a 1-minute performance.

* * *

“Isn’t that Lee Min-ki?”

“It’s just someone who looks like him.”

“Uh…… I think it’s Lee Min-ki.”

Oops.

Lee Min-ki quickly pressed his mask down on his face.

People were starting to recognize him just by walking down the street, making it burdensome to go outside.

‘I’m glad I moved to the JC residence.’

If he had stayed in the one-room village, wouldn’t his privacy have soon become the media’s delicious public property around this time?

Anyway.

‘They said it’s a 60-second impromptu performance.’

Lee Min-ki sat on a bench in a bookstore and looked through the script he had received in advance again.

And soon sighed again and closed it.

‘……It’s simple.’

Only the background and characters are specified.

There wasn’t even a speck of specific actions or lines.

It was said to be an impromptu performance, but it was actually very honest.

Is it okay to be this honest?

There are many actors in the world who cover up their bad acting with camera angles, but aren’t they thinking of being considerate to those people?

‘Well, it’s okay. This is better.’

Fortunately, Lee Min-ki also remembered the specific details of the plan he participated in this time.

Because he had seen it before.

‘This was quite successful, and later it became a gatekeeper for verifying actors’ acting skills.’

Because it was such a successful content, he also enjoyed watching it quite a bit.

It was uploaded on MiTube [a fictional video platform similar to YouTube] as a series almost every week or two.

No matter what, he thought there would be a script behind the plan, but he never thought it would really be almost an impromptu performance.

‘At least they definitely kept the purpose of verifying skills.’

What’s important is different.

The person he has to face is Kim Do-ha.

‘He won’t prepare carelessly.’

None other than Kim Do-ha.

Whatever the actual personality of the person, it was no coincidence that he succeeded as an actor.

A man who embodies the character with just his voice.

The actor who had become the epitome of a good man.

At this time, it would not be an exaggeration to say that Kim Do-ha was the representative of the ‘new generation’ of acting actors.

The title behind Kim Do-ha’s name is quite heavy.

That’s why.

‘I’ll take him as prey.’

Lee Min-ki decided to take that title.