Top Star by Luck

Chapter 51

Café del Dia.

A youth drama set against the backdrop of a café.

A few days after deciding to participate in the public audition for that drama, Lee Min Ki went to a special place to prepare in earnest.

It was…

“Welcome to Kim Hee Kyung’s Coffee Startup Class.”

A coffee class.

‘First, it’s time to study.’

The audition criteria were divided into two parts.

One involved a designated acting piece, and the other, a freestyle performance.

The former was about interpreting the script provided in advance by the production team, while the latter required preparing freely, suited to the character.

It was then that Lee Min Ki thought,

‘Since it’s a coffee drama, let’s study coffee.’

If he was going to do it, he might as well give it his all.

‘The designated piece is just the preliminary round. Everyone will do well in that. I need to show my skills in the freestyle performance.’

He knew Kim Ji Hwan’s abilities well.

Although the acting he saw in the past at the Daon audition wasn’t anything special, recently, things had changed.

After watching a project Kim Ji Hwan had appeared in recently, Lee Min Ki was deeply shocked.

‘He’s really improved.’

Kim Ji Hwan had started showing the acting skills worthy of an up-and-coming star.

Perhaps he possessed immense talent, or he was working himself to the bone behind the scenes.

Moreover, in the original Café del Dia that Lee Min Ki had seen, Kim Ji Hwan was clearly the main character.

Being the lead isn’t just about talent.

Kim Ji Hwan’s character and the director’s vision must have aligned perfectly.

It wasn’t enough to just prepare diligently.

To break through that chemistry, it required preparation two steps deeper than the most hardworking person.

And so, Lee Min Ki prepared for this class.

“First, let’s learn about the Moka pot. Europeans often use this pot to easily brew coffee.”

A coffee startup class.

The plan was to take this coffee class, and with the knowledge he gained, prepare his freestyle performance based on that.

[The production team only suggests a freestyle performance for one reason.]

The advice from trainer Kim Ah Sung was firmly imprinted in his mind.

[They want to see how much the participant understands the project and the character. Acting skills? That can be judged just by the designated piece. Freestyle performance is all about the character. Remember that.]

He had to understand the character.

The character description for the role Lee Min Ki was auditioning for, the protagonist [Sung Jin Woo], was as follows:

[A talented barista.]

[A well-liked man with a handsome face and a gentle personality, but when it comes to coffee, he is more serious than anyone.]

[He loves coffee to the point of obsession.]

If he could obsess over coffee, then he could act out that obsession as well.

That was Lee Min Ki’s thought.

There was one more thing.

‘The Café del Dia audition, they said they would set up a bunch of coffee-related tools on site. They even mentioned that if you need anything for your freestyle performance, you can use it.’

Having experienced the future, he had access to information others didn’t.

It was knowledge none of the other participants had.

It wouldn’t be wrong to say Lee Min Ki had a huge advantage when it came to information.

Call it unfair if you want.

However, it would be foolish not to act on what he knew.

In the long run, not acting on this would also be an irresponsible decision.

‘Since I’ll need to study coffee while shooting the drama anyway, I might as well get ahead.’

From now on, it was all about studying.

Serious studying.

With that thought in mind, Lee Min Ki diligently took notes on the paper in front of him.

—

Kim Hee Kyung.

A barista who gained fame after proudly winning the silver medal at the 2014 World Barista Championship.

Often invited to represent the barista profession in the media, she was also known by another title:

‘Korea’s top coffee education expert.’

She wasn’t just a passionate teacher; she viewed coffee education as a calling.

[I want to spread barista culture across Korea. Imagine the whole nation brewing a cup of coffee in a Moka pot for their loved ones every morning.]

While nurturing professional baristas was great, her dream was to promote barista culture widely in Korea.

However, the reality was far from easy.

[Oh my, teacher, you explain things so well.]

[This is tough, can I just stop here?]

[I’m taking a break today.]

[Does this even make money?]

That was the problem.

Many didn’t take the barista classes seriously.

They treated it more like a cultural experience.

To put it bluntly, most people were insincere.

Celebrities, even more so.

[Just teach me the basics.]

[What should I say on TV to sound like an expert?]

Most approached it superficially.

They would earn a cheap certificate, put it on their resume, and then use their time in the class as a story to boast about on a show.

This was precisely why Kim Hee Kyung wasn’t fond of Lee Min Ki.

‘He said he’s here to prepare for an audition?’

It was obvious.

He’d pretend to care.

Then, once things got a little tough, he’d use his busy schedule as an excuse to run away.

Satisfied just to have learned enough to look impressive somewhere else.

‘He’ll probably mention in an interview how he took a coffee startup class just to prepare for the drama.’

That’s what she expected.

After all, it was the same routine that had repeated many times.

But then…

“Min Ki, could you explain to me the content from the previous class? Start with Robusta and Arabica. And also, list the world’s top three coffee beans in order.”

Something was off.

“Robusta has a strong bitter taste but is widely grown because it thrives anywhere. Arabica is harder to grow but generally tastes better. But that doesn’t mean Robusta is automatically lower quality.”

From Lee Min Ki’s mouth, the content of the previous class flowed out effortlessly.

Even with a level of precision that was almost excessive.

“The top three beans are Hawaiian Kona, Geisha, and Blue Mountain. However, just because they’re expensive doesn’t mean they’re high quality. That’s mostly due to strong marketing by monopolistic companies.”

“Can you name the top producing regions?”

“In order of production: Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia, Indonesia, Honduras, and Ethiopia. Most are from the third world.”

“…Why does Ethiopian coffee taste so good?”

“Because there are many high-altitude regions. The density of coffee beans varies depending on the altitude they are grown at. Greater altitude means greater temperature fluctuations between day and night. These fluctuations cause the beans to expand and contract, increasing their density. The denser the bean, the richer the flavor when brewed. Beans grown above 1,400 meters are called SHB.”

“…”

It was too accurate.

A perfect answer with no room for criticism.

It was as if the sentences had been copied directly from a textbook.

As the explanations flowed steadily from Lee Min Ki’s mouth, Kim Hee Kyung started to feel lightheaded.

Something was strange.

‘Why is he working so hard?’

During the first class, I did tell them to review the origins of the coffee beans.

But I didn’t expect him to memorize it all this thoroughly.

No, I didn’t even expect him to study at all.

“You memorized everything? Well done. You must have studied a lot.”

Feeling both astonished and curious, Kim Hee Kyung asked, and Lee Min Ki, looking a bit shy from the compliment, smiled and replied.

“I found it interesting as I was studying.”

“…It’s not easy to do that much just because it’s interesting.”

“Maybe because your class was so fun, I wanted to study more.”

Lee Min Ki smiled brightly.

That smile made Kim Hee Kyung’s heart momentarily feel drenched, like in a spring rain.

‘Wow, his smile is something else.’

She had dealt with celebrities for so long that their looks no longer impressed her, but there was something more about Lee Min Ki.

It was as if her heart was melting softly.

She even felt like she wanted to kidnap him and keep him at home.

‘Get a grip. He’s much younger than you.’

When I was preparing for the college entrance exam, this guy was in elementary school.

Barely pulling herself together, Kim Hee Kyung spoke.

“You did well. Really well. No need to review theory anymore. Today, let’s learn how to brew drip coffee. We’ll finish the class once you’ve completed the practical steps.”

“Yes!”

At his enthusiastic response, Kim Hee Kyung worked hard to suppress her urge to laugh.

A short while later.

“I’ve shown you how it’s done, so now it’s your turn, Min Ki. It may look easy, but there can be some mistakes. It’s common for beginners, so don’t be nervous. Relax your arms.”

Following Kim Hee Kyung’s instructions, Lee Min Ki started brewing drip coffee.

But how should she describe it?

For the seventh time that day, Kim Hee Kyung felt dizzy.

‘Why is he so good at this?’

Lee Min Ki’s coffee brewing skills were astonishing.

No, his movements were clumsy when observed in detail.

But the results were excellent.

Whirr.

The grinder emitted an unusually pleasant aroma.

Trickle.

The coffee beans on the filter paper soaked evenly the moment they met the water.

‘Most beginners make tiny mistakes here.’

Pouring the water correctly was key.

It was far from easy.

Most beginners’ hands would shake, or they’d tilt the angle wrong, ruining the balance of the coffee grounds.

But Lee Min Ki’s drip coffee…

‘It’s perfect.’

It was hard to believe he was a beginner.

How could this be possible?

The answer was simple: preparation.

‘As expected, preparation is everything.’

In Lee Min Ki’s book, there was no such thing as “learning on-site.”

He believed in trying everything on his own first, and only then relying on the teacher.

Effort after effort.

This had been his ingrained habit since childhood, and it was the core of who Lee Min Ki was.

In his life, luck was something he could hardly ever count on.

Thus, he believed in the value of hard work.

If he lacked luck, he thought he could make up for it through effort.

It was the same with today’s drip coffee.

Before taking this class, he had practiced dozens, no, hundreds of times.

Even last night, he kept practicing until his arm shook and he couldn’t brew anymore.

So, why take the class?

There was a reason for that, too.

‘The teacher will point out where I made mistakes.’

He used classes not as learning sessions but as a means of validation.

Of course, there was enjoyment too.

‘In the past, whenever I took barista classes, I used to give up after burning myself.’

He used to spill and splatter all over the place.

His latte art never came out right, always falling apart.

Even though he followed the instructions, repeated failure made him doubt his own dexterity.

But apparently, that wasn’t the case.

‘Maybe you need luck for this too.’

Well, he decided to think positively.

It meant that from now on, he wouldn’t face such failures again.

‘Hahaha, this is fun! Hahaha.’

He could do it.

There were few joys greater than learning something you used to struggle with.

After a string of failures, he now understood the joy of success.

How could he stop now?

Lee Min Ki’s earnest effort soon turned into tangible results.

‘He’s really good.’

His progress was rapid.

What more could she teach him?

Kim Hee Kyung watched his movements in awe for a long while, then finally spoke.

“Everything’s great overall, but there’s one thing I’d like you to improve. The posture.”

“Did I get something wrong?”

“Well, nothing’s wrong per se, but there’s a better way to do it.”

Since her student had done everything on his own, there wasn’t much to correct.

The basics were already covered, so now it was time to teach him something beyond that.

Kim Hee Kyung grabbed the kettle sitting next to him and said,

“Watch carefully. Relax your shoulders, tuck your hips in, and tilt your head slightly.”

The water from the kettle traced a picture-perfect arc as it fell into the dripper.

Trickle.

Even the sound was beautiful as Kim Hee Kyung’s graceful movement poured the water, and she asked,

“How is it? Looks more refined, doesn’t it?”

“That looks amazing.”

In a surprised tone, Lee Min Ki asked,

“If I brew coffee with that posture, will it taste better?”

“Haha, no, of course not,” Kim Hee Kyung waved her hand dismissively.

“It has nothing to do with the taste.”

“Huh? Then why should I use that posture?”

Hearing the mixed wonder and respect in his voice, Kim Hee Kyung chuckled and answered,

“Because it looks cool.”

“…”

“When you appear on TV, you’ll want to look like an expert, right? It’s that kind of era now. Even chefs appear on shows and dramatically sprinkle salt. Baristas need to do the same when needed.”

So, it was all just for show.

Seeing Lee Min Ki’s bewildered face, Kim Hee Kyung continued.

“When you appear in the drama looking cool, more people will want to become baristas, right? So, work hard. I’ll benefit from that too.”