Top Star by Luck

Chapter 105

The fitting room of a fashion show, where busyness must exist without violence.

However, what erupted there was not physical violence but verbal abuse, which was still quite intense.

“You little punk, flapping your mouth like dust on the floor. I’ll rip your tongue out.”

“…….”

“Not going to answer me?”

“Uh…”

“You actually did it just because I told you to? Did you get shot in the head?”

The attacker was the veteran model Heo Soo Oh, and the victim was Yoo Joon Chan.

Suddenly, Heo Soo Oh had quietly appeared from behind and began glaring at Yoo Joon Chan while spewing words.

“Hey, what are you trying to gain by causing controversy with Actor Lee Min Ki? Tell me. Let’s do the same with me. How about ‘Newbie Model Yoo Joon Chan fights with Heo Soo Oh’? Let’s do some noise marketing.”

“…….”

As if that made any sense.

In this narrow industry, what would happen if Yoo Joon Chan offended Heo Soo Oh, who was leagues above him?

He would be blacklisted by everyone, no matter where he went.

Moreover, the fashion industry had senior-junior hierarchies that were stricter than the military.

If things went wrong, he might not even be treated as a human being.

“Yoo Joon Chan, is Actor Lee Min Ki your friend or something?”

“Uh, why do you keep using such honorifics…”

“Whether I use honorifics or not isn’t your business. Oh, was it uncomfortable for you because I only used honorifics with Actor Lee Min Ki? Yoo Joon Chan, the genius rookie senior, did it bother you that a pathetic person like me is criticizing you?”

“T-that’s not…”

Under the barrage of words, Yoo Joon Chan looked on the verge of collapsing into tears.

‘Why the hell is he doing this only to me? He insulted actors himself.’

It was nothing more than blatant hypocrisy.

He remembered.

During a gathering after a photo shoot, Heo Soo Oh had talked down about actors, saying they weren’t much.

Yet now, he was shielding Lee Min Ki.

“Geez, is your head just for decoration? You don’t know your place. Hey, try talking casually to me.”

However, there was a good reason why Heo Soo Oh was defending Lee Min Ki.

‘It’s pissing me off.’

He was angry.

That alone was enough.

Lee Min Ki had been good to him.

While things had gotten heated during their fight, he later realized that Lee Min Ki had actually helped him.

Lee Min Ki was a kind person.

Moreover, despite being a successful actor, he was willing to learn whatever he needed to.

To sum up, he was a good person.

And who would dare torment a good person?

A bad person.

A rookie with no respect had dared to insult his kind person—how could that not make him angry?

The logic might seem off, but anger was never logical to begin with.

Just as his rage toward Lee Min Ki had been irrational, his anger toward Yoo Joon Chan was equally abstract.

“You got plastic surgery, didn’t you?”

“Senior, that’s… mentioning parents is a bit…”

“Shut up. Didn’t you trash-talk your parents just because they didn’t pay for your nose revision surgery? Eyes, nose, and jaw. Didn’t your oh-so-great parents pay for all of it? You ungrateful punk. Are you even human? Should I just post all this on the internet?”

“Uh, Senior, that’s supposed to be a secret…”

“It’s because it’s a secret that I’m saying it, you idiot. Do you have any sense at all? Even the toilet paper in my bathroom has more sense than you.”

“…….”

Toilet paper with more sense?

That was unfair.

But what could he say in response? These words weren’t meant to be countered in the first place.

‘Does this guy not care what others think?’

Yoo Joon Chan glanced around with a look of injustice.

The dozens of people in the room were all staring at them—some in shock, others in amusement.

It made even less sense to him.

‘Heo Soo Oh, aren’t you concerned about what others think?’

If he acted like this, wouldn’t people form a negative impression of him?

Sure, Heo Soo Oh was an established veteran, but even he had countless seniors above him.

He might get scolded later for causing such a scene.

But this was a miscalculation.

If he cared about such details, why would he have acted that way toward Lee Min Ki during the shoot for Fashion & Fashion?

Besides, this time he had a solid justification.

“Juniors always embarrass their seniors. Who praises you for insulting actors?”

His reason was that a junior had tried to tarnish an actor’s name, so he had no choice but to step in.

“…….”

Under the relentless scolding, Yoo Joon Chan’s soul seemed to have left his body as he stared blankly ahead.

Heo Soo Oh’s resolute gaze filled his vision.

The moment he understood the determination in that gaze, Yoo Joon Chan realized one thing.

There was no escape.

Unless he bowed his head, this would never end.

Ultimately, Yoo Joon Chan had only one choice left.

“Senior, I was wrong…”

It was an apology.

“I won’t cause any more trouble.”

And he even bowed his head properly.

To the point where it seemed excessive.

“You still don’t get it, huh?”

But Heo Soo Oh wasn’t someone to stop just because of that.

“Are you crazy?”

“What?”

“You should be apologizing to the victim, not to me. Why are you lashing out at me when you made a mess somewhere else?”

“Then should I go apologize…”

Hearing that, Heo Soo Oh thumped his chest in frustration and said,

“Geez, do you think apologizing now will make things better? Sure, Lee Min Ki might accept it because he’s nice, but do you think that’s a real acceptance? Your brain must really be a decoration.”

“…….”

It was overwhelming.

In the face of Heo Soo Oh’s intense scolding, the other models remained silent.

‘This is fun!’

The senior models, who ranked higher than Heo Soo Oh, were busy watching the scene unfold for entertainment.

‘If I step in, he’ll turn on me too…’

Meanwhile, the junior models stayed quiet, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire.

As for Lee Min Ki, who was watching the situation…

‘Wow, that guy really does have a temper.’

He himself felt more awkward than anything.

Sure, Yoo Joon Chan was unpleasant.

When he had said certain things, Lee Min Ki had even wanted to punch him.

But from his perspective, Yoo Joon Chan already seemed to be blacklisted in the modeling industry.

Or at least his character had been utterly destroyed.

‘…At this point, shouldn’t this be enough?’

Lee Min Ki thought about intervening but stopped.

There was no need to go that far.

Why volunteer to be a pushover?

‘Soo Oh, good luck.’

The fitting room finally regained some peace.

“Hey, Soo Oh, let’s talk outside.”

Heo Soo Oh only calmed down after his manager arrived, and Lee Min Ki finished his preparations amidst the peace.

‘…Should I just quit everything?’

Yoo Joon Chan sat slumped in a corner with a hollow face, unable to say a word.

It had all happened in just a few minutes.

If there was one thing made clear during that short time—

‘I need to be careful.’

‘Ugh, scary.’

It was that all the whispers badmouthing Lee Min Ki had completely vanished.

It wasn’t something he had intended, but as a result, Lee Min Ki successfully suppressed the industry’s complaints.

And it would probably remain that way moving forward.

Attacking him now meant turning Heo Soo Oh, the industry’s “elite mob,” into an enemy.

‘The actor really does have good relationships… No, I don’t even know if I should call this “good.”’

CEO Yoo Gyu Eon nodded with a serious expression.

He had been ready to step in if necessary, but the situation resolved itself.

“Actor, it’s almost your turn.”

“Yes.”

“Stay calm, and don’t think about anything. Nothing happened.”

“What happened?”

“You’ve become more handsome than expected.”

“Ahaha.”

With a small joke to reset the mood, Lee Min Ki got up from his seat.

Although the commotion had stirred his emotions, in a way, it was for the better.

‘It’s refreshing.’

All the tension seemed to have evaporated.

In just a few minutes, he had witnessed people talking behind his back and then watched someone’s metaphorical skull get smashed with a bat.

How could walking the runway feel more nerve-wracking than that?

“You must have had a hard time recently, losing weight.”

“Yes, my gym trainer was upset, saying I was ruining the body he worked so hard to build.”

Recalling Trainer Kwon Joon Yong’s words, Lee Min Ki gave a bitter smile.

[“Sigh, are you some kind of masochist? Why are you ruining your own body? Oh, someone look at my client, please!”]

He had been very upset lately.

At that moment, Yoo Gyu Eon spoke in an unshakably firm voice.

“Let’s go eat some Korean beef tonight.”

“…!”

Korean beef.

That heavenly food where you lightly sear it on the grill, dip it in a pinch of salt, and let it melt in your mouth.

Gulp.

After weeks of preparing for the fashion show and not even thinking about food, the thought of Korean beef activated Lee Min Ki’s salivary glands.

“It’s a secret, but I’ve reserved a spot at a fine-dining restaurant with a membership system.”

“CEO, I’ll definitely come back victorious.”

“There’s no winning or losing on a runway.”

Ah, that was a bit much, he realized.

“But.”

Yoo Gyu Eon smiled faintly and added,

“If you’re going to do it, it’d be nice if you won.”

“Yes!”

“Now go. It’s your turn.”

In just a few words, Lee Min Ki’s motivation was fully recharged, and he strode toward the curtain like a triumphant general.

A staff member, sensing his enthusiasm, stopped him briefly.

“You can go in three seconds.”

That curtain.

Tied at the corners so it wouldn’t sway and ruin a model’s style as they passed through.

Beyond that was the runway.

A place where hundreds of sharp eyes would focus entirely on him, from head to toe.

‘I can do this.’

Finally, Lee Min Ki stepped forward toward that dream stage.

Jung Ga Yeon, director.

A director at the Seoul Design Foundation, which oversees Seoul Fashion Week, and a designer herself.

She couldn’t calm her pounding heart as she awaited the runway.

‘What’s happening backstage? Are they getting ready? How amazing must they look?’

Unfortunately, a scene of harsh scolding was unfolding back there.

To a devastating degree.

‘Phew, I’m so excited.’

There was a reason why Jung Ga Yeon was particularly thrilled about this event.

‘The new outfit designed by Designer Yoo Gyu Eon was truly the best.’

Because she had seen the real thing.

She saw the potential in Lee Min Ki’s physical presence.

And she witnessed the designs that could fully unlock and display that potential.

There was only one thing she hadn’t seen yet.

The result of the perfect harmony between an amazing outfit and an incredible model.

That one thing was everything.

It was both the alpha and the omega.

She decided to refrain from seeing it until the runway, despite her anticipation.

‘New outfits are best enjoyed on the runway.’

Because she wanted to fully savor the surprise.

To be honest, she already had a rough idea.

But she wanted to experience the final product with her own eyes, at the best moment and in the best place.

Thump.

At that moment, a model who had been walking the runway turned at the back.

Thump.

In just a few more seconds—

Her imagination, which had pushed to its limits, would become reality.

‘Those people who treated Lee Min Ki like a mere marketing product will be blown away, right?’

Convincing them had been so difficult.

The thought of seeing their shocked, slack-jawed faces was exhilarating.

Thud.

On the runway.

A single person appeared.

A small head.

Long legs.

Moderately long arms.

Broad shoulders.

An upright posture.

Lee Min Ki.

The moment he appeared on the runway—

“……!”

“……!”

The world’s most sophisticated runway scene suddenly turned into a painting, reminiscent of a traditional ink-wash masterpiece.