Top Star by Luck

Chapter 54

‘This is bewildering.’

It was literally just bewildering.

Who was Kim Tae Yang?

A rookie boasting a sophisticated appearance along with overwhelming acting skills.

He was a monster that could easily be counted among the top five rookies who debuted around the same time as him.

‘In the past, I couldn’t even stand next to him.’

The memory of being envious and frustrated seeing Kim Tae Yang doing well was still vivid.

It was also shocking when they faced each other during auditions back in the Jam Acting School days.

But now.

He was sprawled out on the sofa, looking completely at ease in his pajamas.

“You two have met before, right?”

Manager Park Han Mo, sitting between the two of them, was busy chatting with a relaxed smile.

“Since you’re both rookies who debuted around the same time, I think it would be good for you to get along.”

“……”

“You can talk about acting too. It’s always beneficial to have a lot of friends in the entertainment world.”

Sure, it’s good to be friendly.

It’d be great to be connected with a successful rookie and maybe even do interviews together later.

Share some stories.

But how should one describe the way Kim Tae Yang was looking at Lee Min Ki?

It was so indifferent that it felt almost apathetic, as if he were looking at a background NPC in a game.

‘When I saw him before, he seemed like the kind of person who would greet first.’

Had something changed in his mind?

As the dry atmosphere lingered between Lee Min Ki and Kim Tae Yang.

“Oh dear.”

Manager Park Han Mo awkwardly checked his phone, which he had pulled out of his pocket, and spoke.

“I have something urgent to attend to, so I’ll be leaving. I hope you two have a great day.”

That person just fled.

It was obvious he fled because things were awkward.

What urgent business?

You don’t seem to have any talent for acting.

* * *

A week had passed while waiting for the audition results for [Café del Día].

‘Shouldn’t they be contacting me soon?’

The production team seemed to have some issues, as their reply kept getting delayed.

It seemed that the judgment process was taking longer than expected.

Perhaps they had a lot to consider internally.

During that time, Lee Min Ki was experiencing a rediscovery of sorts.

A rediscovery of the giant rookie, Kim Tae Yang.

Vroooom—

The sound of the vacuum cleaner was loud.

The vacuum’s noise echoed throughout the house several times a day.

Zing— Zing— Zing—

And the sound of the wet vacuum too.

The main culprit behind this harmony of vacuums was.

‘He’s incredibly obsessed with cleanliness.’

It was Kim Tae Yang.

Whenever he was bored, he would vacuum, and his cleanliness seemed almost excessive.

Ssss—

Ssak ssak—

Clack, clack—

Whenever you’d almost forget about it, the sound of cleaning would fill the house again, making it hard to find a speck of dust, not just on the floor but even on the shelves.

To the point where you’d wonder if he had a cleanliness obsession.

‘Sure, it’s good to live in a clean place, and yeah, it’s good. But when one person is so obsessively clean, it makes you feel self-conscious.’

That’s how cohabitation works.

Cleanliness is a relative concept; if one person is excessively clean, an ordinary person ends up looking messy.

And it wasn’t just cleaning.

Sizzle—

Rumble!

Bubble bubble—

Kim Tae Yang was also someone who excelled in cooking.

For the past three days, he had prepared breakfast, lunch, and dinner with full meals, which was fascinating to Lee Min Ki, who usually stuck to a simple fitness diet out of laziness.

‘Isn’t it normal for people who live alone to just eat ramen or frozen food? Or get delivery?’

Not to mention, his cooking skills were outstanding.

He cooked Korean, Western, Japanese, and Chinese food, and the dishes he made clearly looked a cut above the rest.

‘I’ve never seen someone who even plates their food with sauces like that at home.’

He wouldn’t look out of place in a cooking competition show.

What should one say?

It was as if Kim Tae Yang was declaring.

[I live a life this upright.]

His lifestyle was so upright that it was almost uncomfortable.

Of course, there was nothing wrong with living an upright life.

If that were all, Lee Min Ki would have thought, “Well, he’s a decent neighbor.”

But the real problem lay elsewhere.

The problem was.

“……”

“……”

There was absolutely no conversation between the two of them.

There were literally no conversations.

“Are you going to have lunch?”

“Yes.”

“It looks delicious.”

“Yes, chicken breast?”

“Because of working out.”

Even when trying to start a conversation, it would get cut off with short responses.

Of course, while they didn’t talk, it wasn’t as if they had no interaction at all.

Lee Min Ki would work out at home, and when he did, he’d often leave sweat or workout equipment lying around.

If it stayed that way for just a few minutes.

Vrooom—

Kim Tae Yang would clean it all up neatly.

Swiftly, smoothly, spotless.

To the point where even a drop of sweat felt like it was out of place.

Whenever Lee Min Ki snapped back to reality after doing something, Kim Tae Yang would often be watching him from a distance, giving him a sidelong glance.

Squinting his eyes.

‘He’s giving me a look. That’s definitely him giving me a look.’

As mentioned earlier, cleanliness is a relative concept.

Lee Min Ki’s lifestyle was well above the average for a typical Korean in his twenties.

The problem was that Kim Tae Yang’s lifestyle was in the top 0.1% among all of humanity.

‘Ah, this is awkward. So incredibly awkward.’

And so, it had been a week since Lee Min Ki had been unable to find any comfort at home.

It was an ironic situation.

He had moved to escape the discomfort of others, but now that he had moved, he found the person inside his own home to be uncomfortable.

He kept staring.

Whenever he tried to relax for a moment, there he was, staring at him.

In the end, with the weight of silence pressing down on him, Lee Min Ki had no other choice.

And that choice was.

“Puhahahaha! That’s why you shouldn’t live with other people recklessly! I told you, you’d regret it!”

It was to consult with someone else.

In the JC company break room.

Trainer Kim Ah Sung burst out laughing, clutching his belly.

“I mean, why would you deliberately bring misfortune upon yourself? Don’t you know the happiness of living alone? Are you, by any chance, the type who enjoys being crushed by the calamities you bring upon yourself?”

“……I had no idea I’d end up living with Tae Yang. And who would have thought we’d have this little to talk about?”

It was a shame.

The only person around whom Lee Min Ki could seek advice was Trainer Kim Ah Sung.

Because of the fact that he had once been over thirty.

‘I can’t consult people at the company because it might cause problems on a company level.’

While Kim Ah Sung was also affiliated with JC, their relationship dated back to before he joined JC, so it was a bit different.

Jerry wouldn’t be much help.

And although he was friendly with CEO Yoo Gyu Eon, wasn’t he technically the head of a business partner?

Choi Yoo Chang was too high up, and even if they arranged a meeting, it would definitely end with, “Let’s just drink.”

Kwon Joon Yong?

That was even more obvious.

[Do you know why male creatures fight for dominance? It’s simple—because they lack strength. Build enough physical strength, and they’ll naturally cower. I’ve never been picked on since my school days. Got it? Let’s add two more sets of deadlifts today.]

He was someone who believed every problem in the world could be solved with muscles.

With people like that around him, Trainer Kim Ah Sung was all he had left.

“Puhahahahaha! Uwahahahahaha!”

Not that Trainer Kim Ah Sung offered much comfort, either.

He was more likely to enjoy the situation while munching on popcorn.

“Min Ki, there’s an old saying. If you don’t like the temple, the monk should leave.”

“Come on, I just moved in last week. How could I leave already? The company would think I’m crazy.”

“Really? Then the uncomfortable person should be the first to make a move.”

“Ugh, that’s easier said than done.”

“There’s nothing easy in the world. But after the storm, you can always find beauty in the rainbow.”

I have no idea what you’re trying to say.

Really, no idea at all.

‘Still, talking to someone else made me feel a bit better.’

If nothing works, time will solve it, I guess.

Even if it doesn’t, it’s not like roommates have to get along.

It’s fine as long as we live well as strangers.

It’s not like he’s causing me any harm.

‘Yeah, when you think about it, maybe I’m the one making him uncomfortable. He was probably living well on his own before I moved in.’

As Lee Min Ki was trying to find comfort in having vented his frustrations.

“But you know.”

Trainer Kim Ah Sung smirked and spoke.

“I don’t think it’s that Tae Yang dislikes you or anything.”

“Huh?”

After saying something cryptic, Trainer Kim Ah Sung followed up with something even more confusing.

“Maybe it’s because he’s paying too much attention to you.”

“……”

That’s him paying attention?

No matter how you look at it, it seems like he’s looking at me like I’m invisible. And you’re saying that’s him being considerate?

Before Lee Min Ki could make sense of what he meant, Trainer Kim Ah Sung continued.

“You remember the JC audition, right? You were the only one accepted, right?”

“Uh, yeah?”

I didn’t know the full details, but I assumed they hadn’t reached out to many people.

So I naturally thought it was like that.

“Actually, Tae Yang also passed at that time.”

“What?”

An unexpected revelation.

Lee Min Ki’s eyes widened as Trainer Kim Ah Sung laughed.

“He did pass, but he initially turned it down.”

“Wait a minute. He passed, but he turned it down?”

Lee Min Ki asked in disbelief.

“Why?”

“How would I know? Maybe he wanted to go somewhere else other than JC.”

“Then how did he end up at JC now?”

“It was around the time you were filming Campus Story, I think? He seemed pretty conscious of it. He was in a bad mood every day. Since someone who auditioned around the same time as him was already showing results.”

“……Ah.”

Was it restlessness?

That feeling of being anxious when someone who started around the same time as you pulls ahead while you’re still standing in place.

I could understand.

No, I had no choice but to understand.

Because the peers who started with me had all passed me by.

‘Looking back now, it seems trivial, but back then, it made me irrationally resentful.’

Just as I began to grasp the situation, Trainer Kim Ah Sung landed the final blow.

“He was grinding his teeth, determined to debut quickly and surpass you. He’s never shown that kind of attitude before. Heh heh.”

“……”

You seem to be enjoying yourself a bit too much.

Trainer Kim Ah Sung leaned back comfortably in his chair and sighed deeply.

“So, I suggested he try for JC in the internal audition.”

“Not another company, but JC?”

Lee Min Ki asked, as if it were unexpected.

“Doesn’t that create potential conflict?”

“No, no, Min Ki. That’s not how it works.”

Trainer Kim Ah Sung waved his fingers in the air.

“Actors thrive the most when they can observe someone in similar conditions right next to them and stoke the flames of rivalry.”

At that moment, hearing those words.

Suddenly, I thought I could understand Kim Tae Yang just a little bit more.

“I’m saying this.”

Trainer Kim Ah Sung hammered it home.

“It’s rivalry. It’s only natural to be wary of what the other person is doing.”

That’s right.

Kim Tae Yang had also been quietly observing Lee Min Ki.

‘I wasn’t the only one conscious of the other. He was too.’

He must have been paying attention to what kind of lifestyle I had, how I practiced acting.

The awkwardness we felt might have been due to the unconscious competition brewing between us.

It wasn’t strange to feel uncomfortable.

It was natural.

“Well, if it’s really that uncomfortable, why not watch a movie together and try to start a conversation?”

After rambling on for a while, Trainer Kim Ah Sung shrugged and said.

“In this industry, talking about projects is the most effective way to break the ice.”

Is that so?

As I finally began to feel relieved by Kim Ah Sung’s words, I smiled and said.

“You really live up to your title as a teacher.”

“Excuse me, what nonsense are you saying?”

Trainer Kim Ah Sung laughed as if it was ridiculous.

“I’m always a teacher. Of course, the best teacher in Korea, too.”

“……”

“You’re lucky, Min Ki. To have someone like me, an outstanding instructor, teaching you.”

There’s no helping him.

He’s the kind of person you can’t even compliment a little.

* * *

That evening.

After finishing his workout late, Lee Min Ki returned to the dorm.

‘Moving was great, but it’s a shame that the gym is farther now.’

The distance was a bit inconvenient.

Still, it wasn’t too bad, considering he could use the commute as part of his jogging routine.

But the real issue was starting now.

‘Phew, conversation, communication, peace. Communication fosters peace.’

He was determined to at least try and have a conversation with Kim Tae Yang.

Beep beep, beep beep.

With a tension that felt out of place in his own home, Lee Min Ki opened the door and entered.

But something felt odd from the entrance.

[You know what? Old man said that there is an angel with a shotgun.]

A familiar voice could be heard from the living room.

It was a voice he had heard many times and was very familiar with, but one that should not have been coming from this house.

‘Could it be?’

With a cautious curiosity, he tiptoed towards the living room.

It was at that moment.

‘That movie.’

Kim Tae Yang was sitting in the living room, watching a movie on TV.

And that movie was one so familiar to Lee Min Ki that it almost glued his eyes to the screen.

[Painkiller]

Painkiller.

It was a film that Lee Min Ki had watched countless times, but it was also a minor movie that was hard to find anyone else who had seen.

In Korea, it had drawn less than 100,000 viewers and was considered a total flop.

Even serious movie buffs only knew the title of the film, yet here was Kim Tae Yang, engrossed in it, leaning forward as he watched.

‘He’s watching that?’

It was a scene I never expected to witness in my life.

“Old man said that there is an angel with a shotgun.”

Seeing someone else mumbling the iconic line as if they were deeply moved by it was even more surprising.

It was an unimaginable sight.

Yet, the fact that it was unfolding right before his eyes left Lee Min Ki in shock.

‘He’s watching that and enjoying it like this? Is he out of his mind?’