Top Star by Luck

Chapter 103

Hwang Ui Seong nodded.

He had come to recommend a meal, but he happened to overhear the conversation Lee Min Ki had with Heo Soo Oh.

In the course of events, Hwang Ui Seong’s assessment of Lee Min Ki was adjusted.

‘He doesn’t just have big dreams but also some degree of skill to back them up. On top of that, he has enough reasoning to understand the production crew and a certain level of social skills to manage the field.’

At first glance, it wasn’t a particularly impressive conversation.

Intentionally disrupting the plausibility to gain progression—how difficult could that be?

However, the fact that a rookie actor understood this was worth noting.

Moreover, he even succeeded in convincing another rookie.

‘People like that are easy to work with on set.’

No matter how much experience some people gain, they still can’t step away from their artistic mindset.

Those were the most exhausting types of people for a director to work with.

At any rate, the fact that Hwang Ui Seong overheard this conversation—

It could be a stroke of luck for both Lee Min Ki and Heo Soo Oh.

The reason was simple.

‘His foresight is short.’

He was ready to abandon Heo Soo Oh and find a replacement if necessary.

How could he stand idly by when a minor role challenges the lead actor and calls for a retake?

If the crew allowed a minor actor to dictate the set, it would be over.

In some respects, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that Lee Min Ki had even helped Director Hwang Ui Seong.

‘I thought about kicking him out and reshooting, but it looks like I don’t need to go that far.’

Reshooting is something even directors want to avoid unless absolutely necessary.

Thanks to Lee Min Ki’s excellent mediation, both time and costs were saved.

‘I should go over and chat a bit about the film.’

Director Hwang Ui Seong let out a nearly invisible sigh and revealed himself.

“There you are.”

His intention was good.

However, at the moment of his appearance, Heo Soo Oh froze stiff, overwhelmed by sudden anxiety.

“Uh… Uh…”

“I enjoyed watching you two.”

He completely skipped explaining whether he meant the acting or the conversation, which made things even more awkward.

“Actor Lee Min Ki still seems to have a lot of room for improvement in acting.”

And to make matters worse, he began with acting critique again.

Some time after the incident.

There was a small change on the [Fashion and Fashion] set.

Namely—

“Min Ki, I told you to maintain your stride.”

Lee Min Ki’s personal trainer appeared.

And not just any trainer.

A highly competent one.

A professional model who was still actively working and recognized enough to have participated in Seoul Fashion Week.

Moreover, someone handpicked by Director Hwang Ui Seong.

“Stride is life. Just as computer components are made up of 0s and 1s, the runway begins with walking and ends with walking. Only with precise steps can you move on to expressions.”

He had been emphasizing the basics so much that his mouth was likely to dry out.

And this trainer was none other than—

“…Isn’t Soo Oh being too good at this?”

It was Heo Soo Oh.

At Lee Min Ki’s complaint, Heo Soo Oh shook his head firmly and said,

“No. Min Ki, for this, you need to trust me completely. Anyone aspiring to be a model does this much at a minimum. Let’s watch again. You there, please record this with the camera.”

“Ah, yes.”

Heo Soo Oh moved next to Lee Min Ki and demonstrated a walking example.

In that moment, it was as if the chaotic studio floor disappeared, and the person Heo Soo Oh and the outside world became completely severed—a perfect display of movement.

Barely 20 seconds.

The time it took Heo Soo Oh to walk forward, strike a light pose, and return.

During that brief period, everyone on set let out small gasps of admiration.

‘He really is good.’

‘As expected of a professional model.’

His pride was oddly strong, making him a difficult person, but it was pride built on undeniable skill.

No—he deserved to have pride.

But the truly surprising part came after the walking demonstration.

“Min Ki, watch carefully.”

Heo Soo Oh played the footage of his own walking, and on top of it, he added a metronome.

Tick, tick, tick, tick.

The sound of the metronome struck perfectly in time.

As Heo Soo Oh’s walking video played,

“…!”

It was flawless.

For the entire 20 seconds of walking, every step matched the beats without the slightest error.

‘Perfect.’

While Lee Min Ki quietly marveled, Heo Soo Oh calmly said,

“Did you see? This is the most basic requirement for a model. Maintain the exact stride and rhythm. Expression comes afterward.”

Calm.

He delivered the instruction so calmly.

But the guidance was so naturally given that it felt almost mundane, and yet someone was fidgeting at this sight.

‘You two were fighting just a while ago.’

It was Kim Gam.

‘Wait, and Soo Oh, why are you even here? It’s not your day to come to the set. Did you really come just to teach Lee Min Ki?’

They had been fighting like enemies before, but now Heo Soo Oh was passionately giving one-on-one training.

And this wasn’t a one-time thing—it had been nearly fifteen days already.

‘Hah, the world is unpredictable.’

Kim Gam wiped his eyes in disbelief at the surreal sight.

Yet, reality remained as rigid as the laws of thermodynamics.

“Again. One, two, three, four, five, six—no. Maintain the exact rhythm. Even a single step must be precise.”

“Ugh, I thought I got it perfectly this time.”

“You’re not there yet. Don’t just think with your ears—memorize it with your body. Break the rhythm down even further in your mind. The basics must come before the expression.”

The same instructions were repeated over and over.

Meanwhile, Heo Soo Oh sighed as he focused on Lee Min Ki’s foot movements.

And inwardly, he thought.

‘He’s less talented than I expected.’

Indeed.

Lee Min Ki lacked an impressive natural talent for modeling.

No, to be fair, he was slightly above average in terms of ability.

But it fell far short of the expectations that came with the Lee Min Ki brand.

Most importantly—

He was lacking so much in fundamentals that it was hard to imagine he could ever deliver the cool runway performance he had shown before.

‘So he really pulled that off through sheer expressiveness alone?’

He remembered it.

Compared to a traditional model’s runway, it had been laughably poor.

It could have been considered a joke.

Recalling that moment, Heo Soo Oh clapped his hands and spoke up again.

“One, two, three, four. Again. This time, you got it somewhat right.”

“Ah, really? I knew I could do it if I kept at it.”

“But instead, your posture is off. You were so focused on your feet that you slightly bent your knees. Your gaze was also incorrect. You must look straight ahead. Be careful not to look downward.”

“Argh!”

That was the current situation.

Even now, his walking was awkward at best.

Professional fashion models spend more than half a year practicing the basics of walking.

Walking posture.

Walking rhythm.

Gaze control.

Only after mastering these three elements can one start adding expressions.

Even so-called “hip” models master the straight 11-step walking before they attempt the 8-step walk.

Just like pianists, models are meticulous when it comes to basics.

‘This is the most basic of basics.’

Even aspiring models can do this much.

But why?

Why was it so hard to find even traces of this in Lee Min Ki’s walk?

His steps were shaky.

‘Why can’t he do it?’

There was a reason.

It wasn’t because he lacked talent or because he wasn’t serious about modeling.

He had looked into it seriously enough to consider it a career path.

The reason was simply that Lee Min Ki was a unique case.

‘Tsk, I’m conscious of it, but it’s still not working.’

It was because of trauma.

In his past life, hadn’t he broken his ankle just by walking?

Even walking carried a burden.

The trauma built up over decades lingered subtly as a nuance that even Lee Min Ki himself wasn’t aware of, holding him back.

Overcoming it completely was no easy task.

Like baseball players who have torn their shoulders and never regain their original throwing power.

Even after their shoulders recover completely.

A single injury becomes a trauma that eats away at them mentally.

Lee Min Ki was in the same state.

The difference was that he had an overwhelming will to overcome it.

“One, two, three, four.”

Lee Min Ki walked with steady steps.

It was hard to find any refinement in his movements.

This was the equivalent of a singer who had incredible expressiveness but was completely off in pitch and rhythm.

The kind of singer who, for some reason, was still bearable to listen to—that was the problem.

As a model, his process was lacking in every way, but somehow, the result was stylish.

It was hard to accept.

It was too absurd, wasn’t it?

Maybe Heo Soo Oh was even angrier because he didn’t want to acknowledge the style he saw in Lee Min Ki’s runway.

It was so vastly different from a traditional model.

And yet, it was impressive enough that he didn’t want to admit it.

“Your gaze was off again this time.”

“Again?”

“The basics only stand out when you’re surrounded by people who have mastered them. Start again.”

At Heo Soo Oh’s strict critique, the staff watching from afar murmured in disbelief.

“Wow… at this rate, his feet are going to be completely ruined.”

“Min Ki already looks good enough. Why is he being pushed like this?”

“Isn’t he just throwing a fit because he got embarrassed during the last shoot?”

“He looks fine, but his personality’s so twisted.”

For fifteen days straight, Heo Soo Oh had relentlessly drilled the basics into Lee Min Ki.

And not even anything complicated—just walking.

“It’s not like he’s teaching him anything special.”

“Man, that’s harsh. Really harsh.”

It looked like an absurd scene.

From a distance, it couldn’t help but appear that way.

“He’s already doing fine. What’s the problem?”

To them, Lee Min Ki’s walking already seemed decent enough.

They had seen him during the last shoot.

But ironically, that was precisely why Heo Soo Oh was being even stricter.

‘He’s not bad as a fitting model, but if he wants to walk on the Seoul Fashion Week runway, he’s nowhere near ready.’

Lee Min Ki couldn’t settle for just being decent.

The professional stage was fast approaching.

In that setting, being “decent” was no different from losing gracefully.

In other words, it meant losing.

Heo Soo Oh’s strict teaching had its reasons.

His personality might be rough, but he wasn’t someone who lacked professionalism.

On top of that, he had taught many students before.

He knew better than anyone that soft guidance wouldn’t help the person he was teaching.

“Min Ki, take five minutes to rest, and then we’ll start again.”

“Yes!”

For an hour straight, Lee Min Ki had practiced walking without rest.

Exhausted from both filming and walking practice, he slumped to the ground.

“Ouch.”

Lee Min Ki even took off his shoes, massaging his aching feet.

Heo Soo Oh watched him silently for a moment before speaking.

“…Don’t you think I’m being too hard on you?”

“Huh?”

“You know what people say. That I’m intentionally taking revenge on you.”

It was something that had been bothering him.

He was teaching Lee Min Ki, but he wondered if it might look like he had personal motives.

“Hmm.”

Lee Min Ki hesitated for a moment at that.

It was unexpected that Heo Soo Oh was taking the lead in teaching him how to walk.

But how should he put it?

Lee Min Ki thought of it as Heo Soo Oh’s own way of apologizing.

“That’s true.”

Lee Min Ki nodded and said,

“You have a lot of pride, don’t you, Soo Oh?”

“Well, yes, I do.”

As Heo Soo Oh nodded, Lee Min Ki stretched out his toes as if to relieve his feet and said,

“Would someone with that much pride teach me poorly on purpose?”

“What?”

“That would just damage your own pride. It would be a stain on your name.”

Lee Min Ki smirked and continued.

“If people say, ‘Heo Soo Oh’s direct student Lee Min Ki is this bad,’ what would that do to your reputation? I’d spread it everywhere.”

“…”

“You came all the way to this remote area to teach me. There must be a reason for that.”

At Lee Min Ki’s confident words, Heo Soo Oh blinked in surprise.

Was he… threatening him?

As if to say that half-hearted teaching would only backfire on him?

But there was something about Lee Min Ki’s words that hit the core of Heo Soo Oh’s nature.

Heo Soo Oh.

To describe his personality, he was, quite frankly, arrogant.

It was also the typical personality of a fashion model.

He set strict standards and tended to devalue anyone who failed to meet them.

And here—

The most rigid standards were applied not to others but to himself.

To match his lofty temperament, he pushed no one but himself to the absolute limit.

That was who Heo Soo Oh was.

“I see.”

Heo Soo Oh smirked and spoke.

“Min Ki, do you have any plans for tomorrow?”

“No. Tomorrow is a rest day.”

“Let’s aim for just 10 hours.”

“…What did you say?”

“Tomorrow, we’ll focus on just one thing: gaze control.”

“Argh…”

Lee Min Ki let out a groan, as if unable to accept the reality.

But even so, he didn’t refuse.

Watching this scene, a thought suddenly came to Heo Soo Oh’s mind.

‘So he managed to do that much without even the basics.’

In other words, wasn’t it this?

It was like a boxer who debuted on the pro stage without having learned jabs or straights, yet still made an impact through sheer brawling.

If—

If by some chance, that boxer met a proper coach, started from footwork, and built up the fundamentals, what would happen?

What kind of boxer would he become?

It would be like [Lee Jong Ho] in a movie taking model lessons and spreading his wings.

“…”

Heo Soo Oh paused, lost in thought for a moment.

He swallowed the words that came to his mind.

Instead of saying something he couldn’t take responsibility for, he said something else.

“Let’s practice.”

Words he could take responsibility for.

That was simply this—he would teach to the best of his ability.