Top Star by Luck

Chapter 128

"An ultra-special surprise gift?"

Not just a gift, but an ultra-special surprise gift.

What on earth does that mean?

As a question mark floated over Lee Min Ki's head, Kim Tak nodded vigorously like a roly-poly toy and said,

"Of course! After all, we received something from you, Min Ki. We wanted to give back in some way, so we prepared this."

Sure, receiving something is one thing.

It's nice to get gifts, but when the giver is Kim Tak, it’s a little unsettling.

'What kind of bizarre thing is he planning this time?'

Was he going to throw a cake at his face?

Or maybe offer a bribe?

If not that...

'Did he set something on fire?'

Noticing the unusual atmosphere around Kim Tak, Lee Min Ki narrowed his eyes and said,

"…Let me make this clear. It's not because of me that you were chosen. You got selected because of your own efforts. If you're thinking I pulled some strings behind the scenes, you're mistaken."

Of course, he did pull some strings.

It was true that he had personally secured the audition opportunity from JC.

But he wanted to keep that part a secret.

Even if they later found out he helped, it wouldn’t make him happy.

'They wouldn’t be able to purely enjoy their success.'

Kim Tak and Yoo Seon Ah.

He hoped they would treasure their achievement as something they had earned entirely on their own.

He didn’t want their success tarnished by being spoon-fed.

"Thank you, but please don’t misunderstand."

It was at that moment he drew the line.

"Misunderstanding, my foot."

Kim Tak let out a snort and said,

"Who said anything? It’s just a little token of appreciation out of gratitude."

Oh no.

Kim Tak had gone so far as to use the word "repay one’s kindness."

Was his intelligence evolving, inching forward like a wriggling worm?

'For Kim Tak to be considerate of others and think about repayment, that’s not like him at all.'

Lee Min Ki was overwhelmed with shock.

"Seon Ah goes first, right?"

"Yes."

At Kim Tak’s words, Yoo Seon Ah picked up a bundle she had brought and began pulling something out.

"Oh, the thing you mentioned you bought second-hand?"

"It’s not that."

Finally, what she pulled out of the bundle exceeded Lee Min Ki’s expectations.

"Sneakers?"

"Yes."

Yoo Seon Ah gave a small smile and said,

"I thought about what would be a good gift, and I figured something expensive might not resonate with you. So I prepared this."

"…"

"Since your academy days, you’ve been running every morning. That’s why I bought some good-quality sneakers."

She was right.

It was indeed a good-quality product.

The latest sneakers from running-specialist brand Highpace, the [PaceMaker].

And not just any model, but the [Discovery] edition, a limited seasonal release.

It was something Lee Min Ki had once eyed from afar.

Not exorbitantly expensive, but still a product worth several tens of thousands of won.

"You wanted these, didn’t you?"

"How did you know, Seon Ah?"

It was his favorite brand.

As Lee Min Ki blinked in surprise at her attention to detail, Yoo Seon Ah explained,

"I saw you browsing shopping malls on your phone from time to time. Since it was a limited edition, it took some effort to get it."

"It must’ve been hard to find."

"I kept an eye on the shopping mall every day, and when one came up, I grabbed it immediately."

Was it because she liked the dazed look on Lee Min Ki’s face?

A bashful smile played at the corners of Yoo Seon Ah’s lips.

"Even though you can only wear one shoe at a time, isn’t it comforting to have a few pairs in your shoe rack?"

That was true.

It was comforting.

Lee Min Ki gently brushed the tip of his fingers against the shoe.

It wasn’t an overly expensive item.

If one were willing to spend some money and put in the effort to search, it was something that could be obtained.

However.

The sentiment imbued within it was so immense that comparing it to its price felt embarrassing.

It was filled with sincerity, so much that it felt overwhelming, as if swallowing it in one go would make one’s stomach churn.

‘Why am I tearing up over something like this?’

It wasn’t a gift that could simply be given by someone with a lot of money.

It was the kind of gift that required knowing the person called Lee Min Ki well enough to choose.

Faced with such an earnest gift that made him smile without realizing, there was only one thing Lee Min Ki could say.

“Thank you. I’ll wear them well.”

What more could he say besides expressing his gratitude?

“Don’t just keep it as a collector’s item. Make sure to use it occasionally. Got it?”

Within Yoo Seon Ah’s playful words, Lee Min Ki fiddled with the gift and continued.

“Speaking of which, should I wear them now and go for a run in the park over there?”

“That might be pushing it a bit.”

A brief wave of laughter spread between them.

And after a few seconds of calm.

“I have something too.”

Kim Tak, who had been quiet until now, finally spoke in a meaningful tone.

“Min Ki, guess what this is?”

How should one describe the gift Kim Tak presented to Lee Min Ki?

Oh, this was just...

Really...

Wow.

‘A watch?’

It was a watch.

And not just any watch—it was a luxury gold watch that screamed opulence.

Even to Lee Min Ki, who had no knowledge of watches, its aura practically shouted, ‘I’m expensive.’

There was a small line of black italic text written at its center.

“Arma?”

The text read ARMA.

As soon as he recognized the prestigious brand, Lee Min Ki’s pupils dilated.

‘Wait, isn’t this an outrageously expensive brand?’

Arma.

Even if one wasn’t into watches, it was rare for someone to not recognize the name Arma.

It was a brand so iconic that anyone remotely involved in fashion would have heard of it at least once.

And to think...

“This is an Arma Scutum. Even if you try to buy it secondhand, it wouldn’t be less than ten million won, right?”

Arma Scutum.

The name of a watch that easily crossed the millions in value was casually spoken by trainer Kim Ah Sung.

“Wow, Arma is a brand that easily ranks in the top 1.5 tiers of watch brands. And this one is in mint condition? Just giving it as a gift?”

Indeed.

What Kim Tak casually pulled out was an Arma Scutum.

It wasn’t a gift that could be given lightly.

At minimum, it would be something used as a wedding gift.

‘A surprise gift, you say? This is going too far. There’s a limit to everything.’

As Lee Min Ki stared wide-eyed in disbelief, Kim Tak spoke up.

“Huhu, Min Ki, you deserve it.”

“Can you give me some of that worthiness too?”

“Worthiness is only worthiness because not everyone gets it, right?”

“Oh, now I get it.”

“Well, if you understand...”

“Tak, should I test whether I’m worthy with my fists?”

“Eek.”

While Kim Ah Sung and Kim Tak were exchanging playful banter, Lee Min Ki’s gaze remained fixed on the watch.

‘I’ve known Tak was wealthy for a while now.’

He remembered.

How Kim Tak always wore luxury clothes.

How he took taxis everywhere without a second thought.

How he didn’t even glance at the prices on menus before ordering.

And how the card he casually used once was a VIP-exclusive black card from a bank.

‘He was really rich.’

He was indeed wealthy.

So, there was a part of him that subtly disliked Kim Tak.

To his eyes, struggling desperately as a poor aspiring actor, Kim Tak's carefree attitude, basking in affluence, was as unacceptable as pineapple on pizza.

But now, he thought he had forgiven him.

After all, he himself had gained too much to begrudge someone else’s circumstances.

He had grown mentally, too.

Not that it was all that important.

He had also freeloaded meals from Kim Tak during practice sessions worth hundreds of thousands of won.

Still, even if trickle-down benefits were benefits nonetheless...

'A watch like this as a gift?'

Wasn't it way too expensive?

Between the hands of the Arma Scritum watch, the platinum engraving, almost flaunting its price, gleamed brilliantly.

Even though Lee Min Ki no longer cared much about clothing prices, this was still overwhelming.

He thought he could handle expensive gifts, but this was far beyond that threshold.

"Seon Ah, did I do something wrong?"

"Not knowing what you don’t know is wrong too. Have you heard of metacognition?"

"No!!"

As the conversation unfolded before his eyes, Lee Min Ki took a brief moment to observe.

The decision he reached was simple.

"Sorry, but I’ll only accept the sentiment."

He decided to refuse.

"Huh? Huh? Why?"

Kim Tak’s flustered reaction to his one statement prompted Lee Min Ki to respond calmly.

"I’m grateful, but this gift is too much. If I accept something like this, I feel like I’ll get too used to receiving gifts in the future."

Giving and receiving is fine.

But if the threshold gets too high, wouldn’t he become someone who couldn’t genuinely appreciate smaller gifts?

Like how a student would be happy with a hamburger bought by a friend, but as an adult, it might feel trivial.

'Once I receive a luxury gift like this, I’ll probably get used to it.'

He wanted to remain someone who could sincerely appreciate things.

There’s a time and place for every gift, and this wasn’t the right time or place for this one.

"Tak, this must have been a burden for you too. It’s okay."

With that thought, he drew the line.

"Not really? It wasn’t a burden."

Kim Tak replied as if he couldn’t understand what the fuss was about.

"My family has plenty of these."

"…What?"

Plenty of what?

Where?

Did I hear that wrong?

But Kim Tak continued, unfazed.

"My parents are watch collectors. I just asked them to recommend something suitable as a gift for a fellow actor, and they gave me a reasonably priced one."

"Reasonably priced?"

Lee Min Ki’s eyes twitched.

Reasonable?

This?

Didn’t this cost over 10 million won?

Was I mistaken?

"Yeah, I figured something too expensive might make you uncomfortable."

"But still, this is…"

"Does it make sense for a rising actor like you not to have at least one daily watch? Don’t you have a brand sponsoring you?"

Well, no, he didn’t.

The higher-end watch brands typically chose middle-aged actors as their advertising models.

Plus, Lee Min Ki had unconsciously avoided luxury items, given his long life of poverty.

"Come on!"

Kim Tak clicked his tongue and said.

"I already told my dad I was giving this to you. If you don’t take it, he’ll probably break my legs, asking if I’ve ruined my life enough to have gifts rejected."

"That’s quite bold."

"He’s an ex-soldier."

"What if you keep it instead?"

"Then he’d probably break my other leg for embezzlement."

That serious?

Lee Min Ki’s eyelids went up and down in disbelief for a long moment.

Kim Tak shrugged as if it didn’t bother him at all.

"If it’s really an issue, consider it a loan. Keep it as if it’s yours. You can give it back much later if you want."

"…"

"Look, even if you don’t want it, I’m leaving it here, okay? I absolutely won’t take it back!"

He seemed dead set on not taking it back.

Kim Tak’s unwavering determination was so apparent that Kim Ah Sung quietly interjected.

"Min Ki, if you’re not going to take it, why don’t you give it to me?"

"Hey, hey, credentials, credentials."

"Credential punch."

Suddenly, a thought occurred to Lee Min Ki.

Maybe thinking of this as a big, burdensome gift was just his perspective.

For someone with a lot of money, maybe this was just an expression of friendship.

Wouldn’t refusing it be rude in its own way?

'I don’t know.'

Might as well take it.

He’d take it for now and figure out what to do with it later.

With that thought, Lee Min Ki picked up the watch.

"I’m not accepting it; I’m just holding onto it for now."

"Such unnecessary stubbornness."

Kim Tak chuckled.

A phrase suddenly crossed Lee Min Ki’s mind.

["You declare war standing tall, but you end it on bended knee."]

Would the day ever come when he returned this watch?

As Lee Min Ki mulled over that question, he half-jokingly said,

"Then since this watch is worth 10 million won, why don’t you take it back after you land a 10-million-won actor title?"

"Oh?"

Kim Tak’s eyes lit up at those words.

Some time later, at the airport.

As Lee Min Ki entered the airport, a man followed as if to greet him.

"I told you before, didn’t I?"

The man, who had a fairly ordinary appearance but an exceptionally businesslike expression, spoke.

"If it’s you, actor, overseas expansion is only a matter of time."

Park Han Mo.

Dragging a suitcase with a nonchalant hand, he added,

"This time, I won the bet."