Top Star by Luck

Chapter 127

Choi Yoo Chang.

A ten-million actor.

The person most associated with the number ten million in Korea casually walked out from among the crowd.

Like a neighborhood uncle out for a stroll, he held chopsticks in one hand and a pack of beef in the other.

“Choi Yoo Chang?”

“Why is Choi Yoo Chang here?”

With each step he took, the voices around him grew louder, like the Doppler effect.

Lee Min Ki, puzzled, asked in disbelief.

“Senior? Why are you here…?”

He definitely asked.

But Choi Yoo Chang didn’t respond and instead strode forward, plopped down in front of the frozen Lee Min Ki, and—

Rip!

Tore open the beef pack without hesitation and said,

“What’s surprising? I told you. If you’re Lee Min Ki, then I’m Choi Yoo Chang.”

Snap.

The sound of him breaking apart chopsticks was cheerful, as if the conversation didn’t matter at all.

Lee Min Ki, still baffled, asked again.

“When was that?”

“At the café. I left a comment, didn’t I?”

Ah.

The moment he heard those words, a comment clearly resurfaced in his mind.

[If the author is Lee Min Ki, then I’m Choi Yoo Chang.]

That.

That comment, which had seemed like utter nonsense no matter who read it.

He never imagined it, but it really was Choi Yoo Chang himself.

‘Does this even make sense?’

It was hard to believe.

He wondered if it might just be someone who looked similar.

Faced with an absurd reality he could hardly accept, Lee Min Ki broke out into a cold sweat and spoke.

“Senior, are you the person who got into a drunken argument with people at the next table last time?”

“Our very own Kang Do Won.”

It really was him.

Lee Min Ki heaved a heavy sigh, placing both hands over his face in despair at the grim reality, before lifting his head again.

“Uh, if you were going to come, why didn’t you check the private message I sent? I sent DMs to everyone who commented.”

“It’s no fun if I announce it beforehand.”

Ah, I see.

You came all the way here just for fun.

Someone whose presence is worth a fortune.

Clicking his tongue, Choi Yoo Chang said,

“I asked Do Won to come with me too, but he said no.”

Ah, Actor Kang Do Won.

Recalling his face, which exuded charisma to the point of menace, Lee Min Ki shook his head and replied,

“It’s probably for the best he didn’t come.”

“Why? Don’t you like Do Won? You like me better, right?”

“No, that’s not it. Just having you here is already overwhelming, and if Senior Do Won had come too, this wouldn’t feel like my fan meeting anymore.”

“Hmm, then should I just leave?”

“No.”

Shaking his head, Lee Min Ki said,

“That would be rude of me as your junior. Since you’re already here, please enjoy the meat before you go.”

Whoever it was, as long as it created a buzz, it was welcome.

Choi Yoo Chang was the perfect weapon for the media.

Meanwhile, his appearance here was part of Lee Min Ki’s luck.

A legendary senior actor like Choi Yoo Chang joining a junior’s fan café.

Leaving a comment after seeing the authentication post.

All of it could be considered a stroke of fate.

“Aren’t you opening any soju?”

“I’m not that kind of actor.”

“Too bad.”

A chaotic show disguised as a fan meeting unfolded at Gwanghwamun, and before anyone realized it, a day had passed.

From a broad perspective, it was an act of profound fan service.

After all, the event had been planned as a fan meeting from the start.

It would be rare for such commotion to become widely known among the general public.

[Lee Min Ki Fan Meeting Incident.txt]

[Summary of Lee Min Ki Incident That Hit Search Rank #1 Today.jpg]

[Lee Min Ki grilled pork belly, played drums in the background, and gamed.]

At the very least, it spread across internet communities as a humorous post.

[(Attached Material)

Lee Min Ki posted a verified message on a café, but no one believed him LOL

But it turned out to actually be Lee Min Ki.]

And it spread vividly.

With descriptions so detailed, they resembled the explanations in a college entrance exam workbook.

[Comments (231)]

[Ah LOL, of course, they had to come out.]

[LOL LOL LOL How can fans not show up when the actor himself called? That’s impossible.]

[If it were me, I’d brag about it for life LOL.]

[Now replaying the Top 10 greatest moments in the deceased’s life.]

It was entertaining.

In fact, this wasn’t the first time something like this happened with Lee Min Ki.

How many times have fans failed to recognize a celebrity in person?

[No, I’m really DJ Row ㅠ]

[ㄴ Poor kid.]

There had already been similar incidents several times.

And each time, they ended up as humorous posts.

However.

[LOL LOL LOL LOL]

[No, seriously, this is hilarious no matter how many times I see it LOL.]

[The funniest part is Lee Min Ki taking group photos after the fan meeting and then treating everyone to meat LOL.]

[ㄴ What is he, the Pied Piper? LOL LOL LOL.]

[ㄴㄴ Even Choi Yoo Chang got treated, I heard.]

[ㄴㄴㄴ A million-star actor level LOL.]

[ㄴㄴㄴㄴ How does it all fit in their stomachs?]

Never before had it occurred on such a large scale.

[Proof) I was the one dancing the traditional mask dance at Gwanghwamun back then.]

[Lee Min Ki only ate ribs…

I wanted sirloin, but Lee Min Ki kept ordering only ribs, so I had no choice but to eat ribs.

They were delicious, though…

But still…

When I asked for dessert, wasn’t ordering two more servings of ribs crossing the line?

I started wondering if he was haunted by a ghost who died craving ribs…

He’s not even a rib villain or anything…]

[ㄴ Our member… you ate well, huh?]

[ㄴㄴ Who are you?]

It was only natural for the story to spread.

And not just within internet communities.

Journalists, thrilled by the rare scoop, trembled with excitement and frantically pounded their keyboards.

[Photo of the Month / Lee Min Ki Grilling Meat]

[‘Mask Dance x Bicycle x Lee Min Ki x Game x Choi Yoo Chang x Longboard’]

[Lee Min Ki: Proving His Trendiness Just by Breathing]

Becoming a hot topic.

Especially when the news spread in a positive light, it was nothing but welcome for an actor.

Especially from a fan meeting.

Typically, a fan meeting would only be talked about among fans, but for it to become widely known to the entire nation?

The effect needed no further explanation.

Proof of that was the 300,000 additional subscribers Lee Min Ki’s official SNS gained within just a few days.

Moreover.

Lee Min Ki had prepared one more gift for this fan meeting.

That was.

[JC, Debut of Two Rookie Actors +1]

[Personal Congratulatory Appearance at Lee Min Ki’s Fan Meeting]

A gift like this.

At some point, the JC dorm had become as familiar to Lee Min Ki as his own living room.

“Wow, the interior has changed a bit.”

“We bought a new sofa.”

“Did Min Ki buy it with his money?”

“No, even when I offered to buy it myself, the company insisted on taking care of everything.”

Yoo Seon Ah, casually seated on the new sofa, pouted her lips as she spoke.

“…But, Min Ki, I didn’t expect to suddenly receive the acceptance notice in such a setting.”

When Lee Min Ki heard the lighthearted remark that sounded like a child's complaint, he chuckled softly and replied.

“Were you flustered?”

He had been waiting to hear this.

It was the perfect time to bring up congratulating them on their acceptance.

Lee Min Ki smiled awkwardly as he spoke.

“As a gift, wasn’t it pretty good?”

“A surprise gift should still be moderately shocking. My heart almost dropped.”

At Lee Min Ki’s sly comment, Yoo Seon Ah murmured, as if dumbfounded.

“Who surprises people like that at their own fan meeting?”

Indeed.

During the recent fan meeting at Gwanghwamun, Lee Min Ki had announced the acceptance of Kim Tak and Yoo Seon Ah into JC Entertainment.

He did it as though he was introducing them to the audience.

[Here are two friends who will be joining me as actors under JC Entertainment. It’s sudden, but please welcome them with applause.]

That was their first official notification of acceptance.

Accompanied by applause from over a thousand people, their acceptance was confirmed.

Lee Min Ki smiled sheepishly and said.

“Did I go too far?”

“Yes. Do you even know how I felt at that moment?”

“I heard the results from Teacher Ah Sung in passing, though.”

“Well, yes, roughly. Just in passing. And then, before I could process it, it turned into instructions on what to do next during training and on set.”

That was true.

It wasn’t as if Lee Min Ki had completely hidden the matter.

He had heard that Kim Ah Sung, with his loose lips, had indirectly conveyed their acceptance.

Moreover, they had accepted it.

The important thing was where the official announcement took place, and that happened to be at the fan meeting.

‘No matter what, there’s nothing better for a rookie actor than public recognition.’

It was true.

There’s a saying that infamy is better than obscurity, emphasizing how vital recognition is.

Even if it meant enduring humiliation, as long as their names were etched into the public’s memory, it was worth it.

Lee Min Ki had essentially gifted his fan meeting audience to them.

In the form of public recognition, that is.

[These are friends I’ve been with since my days at the acting academy. They were my friends, teachers, juniors, and seniors. Now that they’ve taken their first steps as professional actors, I hope you’ll join me in celebrating them.]

Thanks to this, the names of these two individuals had been imprinted on the public’s minds through news articles the moment they debuted.

“I wanted as many people as possible to know about you two. As a rookie myself, I know how precious attention can be.”

It was like how rock stars in the 1980s would take rookie bands on tour with them.

A way of nurturing their juniors.

Or perhaps, a way of showing off their excellent taste to the public.

Maybe it was simply human nature.

‘I believed these two would succeed no matter what.’

Still, pulling off such a surprise might have been too much.

“If it was too sudden, I apologize.”

Lee Min Ki began to speak.

“Well… it’s not that I felt bad, so don’t misunderstand.”

Yoo Seon Ah pouted her lips slightly as she replied.

“I was a little moved. Actually, I was very moved.”

“Right?”

“Thank you. But next time, let me know beforehand, please.”

“Huh? I liked it. Do it again.”

Kim Tak, as tactless as ever, interrupted right as a sentimental line was about to be said.

“By the way, Ji Hwan isn’t here today, is he?”

“I heard he got called away for an urgent shoot?”

“Wow, he’s quick.”

Although Kim Ji Hwan was absent,

He had already received confirmation of his acceptance on the day of the audition, so there wasn’t much else to say.

“Hey, aren’t we rivals now?”

“Sure, but take off your rookie label first.”

“Look who’s talking. You only got your first lead role recently.”

As they were chatting about their debuts,

The smell of fresh tomatoes wafted from the kitchen, and a man emerged.

“Let’s talk while we eat.”

It was Kim Tae Yang.

He placed the gratin, freshly baked in the oven, on the dining table.

“Wow, the smell is amazing. Did you make this yourself?”

“Of course. I prepared everything from the sauce to the ingredients myself.”

“Man, as expected from Chef Tae Yang. Thanks for the meal.”

“Chef Tae Yang?”

“It’s short for Chef Tae Yang.”

“Oh, I thought it was short for something else.”

Kim Tak, who had become unexpectedly chummy with him, picked up a spoon.

Kim Tae Yang watched him quietly for a moment before turning to Lee Min Ki and speaking.

“Min Ki, congratulations on your overseas debut.”

“…Did I mention that?”

“I heard it from the director. Was it wrong?”

“No, that’s not it.”

Lee Min Ki scratched the back of his head and said.

“That’s how it turned out.”

Indeed.

Just a few days ago.

Lee Min Ki’s overseas debut had been confirmed.

Hearing this, Kim Tak widened his eyes in surprise and exclaimed.

“What? An overseas debut? Hollywood?”

“It’s not like that.”

“Bollywood?”

“That’s even further from the truth.”

Wasn’t he getting a bit too excited?

Hearing Kim Tak’s voice almost spitting with excitement, Lee Min Ki waved his hand dismissively.

“It’s not for a movie or anything. It’s just a promotional trip for a photoshoot.”

“Hmm, what are you promoting?”

“You know, Seon Ah, right? Terminus. The brand I modeled for at the last fashion show.”

Clearing his throat, Lee Min Ki explained.

“They said they wanted to distribute it in the U.S. and invited me to join them.”

The fact that Terminus had gained attention overseas was something that had happened quite some time ago.

But recently, a formal distribution proposal had come from an American brand.

And they invited Lee Min Ki as part of the launch show package.

[If a soccer team and a soccer player are one entity, then a brand and its model should also be considered one entity.]

It came with an abstract analogy.

They claimed that the Terminus brand would only resonate fully with Lee Min Ki’s presence.

Since it wasn’t an unpleasant thing to say as a model, he gratefully accepted the offer.

“Wow, then doesn’t this make you practically a world star now? Like, if you just put up a piece of clothing you wore, it would sell for millions?”

“Hmm.”

“Man, that’s different. Those destined to succeed have a different class of overseas debut.”

Kim Tak’s exaggerated enthusiasm made Lee Min Ki clear his throat awkwardly before continuing.

“It’s nothing that grand. It’s an overseas debut, sure, but it’s more like handling a magazine interview while I’m there.”

He’d just briefly showcase and then return.

“Still, if it goes well, wouldn’t that be great? You’re secretly hoping for it, aren’t you?”

“…”

“Who knows? You might get scouted by an industry big shot while you’re there.”

Honestly, that was true.

His heart was tingling with excitement, and he could hardly sleep because of it.

But letting his expectations grow too much wouldn’t help, so Lee Min Ki decided to keep it to himself.

‘No, wait. Considering jinxes, should I actually act overly excited instead?’

He pondered briefly.

Eventually, he concluded that while showing excitement might not be bad, it would be embarrassing to do so in front of people he considered family.

“Hey, let’s move on from this topic; it’s a bit embarrassing.”

Just as Lee Min Ki tried to steer the conversation away, thinking it might never end.

“So!”

Kim Tak, who had been overly excited for a while, spoke with an incredibly triumphant expression.

“We’ve prepared a super-special surprise gift for Min Ki.”

A super-special surprise gift?

For a moment, Lee Min Ki’s breath paused.