Top Star by Luck

Chapter 60

“The first round of the special event for the ‘Café del Dia’ press conference has ended! From now on, each barista should prepare for the second round!”

The host’s cheerful shout echoed in the air, and cheers erupted from the audience.

And.

Lee Min Ki, standing on the stage, stared blankly ahead, feeling overwhelmed with mixed emotions.

‘Was the atmosphere of a press conference always like this?’

The blinding spotlight was making him dizzy.

Looking ahead, he saw the audience in a frenzy of excitement.

When he slightly turned his head to the right, he saw Kim Ji Hwan.

He was wearing a sour expression.

‘The problem isn’t with him, though…’

It was to his left.

Two baristas.

A man and a woman were standing in a line on the same stage as Lee Min Ki.

Behind them were arranged various equipment like drip pots and grinders necessary for making coffee.

Feeling even more baffled, Lee Min Ki let out a hollow laugh.

‘This feels more like a competition than a press conference.’

No, his judgment was actually correct.

This [Café del Dia] press conference was indeed thoroughly inspired by barista competitions.

[Who will claim the glory of victory among the four baristas?]

The host was also aligned with this.

Two professional baristas, along with the two leads, Lee Min Ki and Kim Ji Hwan, were making coffee.

They would then serve it to the three judges in front, one by one.

The scores from this would be totaled to determine the winner.

‘There were two categories, if I remember correctly.’

Drip coffee and latte art.

That’s right.

Latte art (drawing pictures on top of coffee using milk foam) was included in the second round’s judging criteria.

[Since it’s hard to convey the taste of coffee through pictures, it seems best to appeal with visuals.]

It was a reasonable judgment at first glance.

Isn’t promotion all about visual information anyway?

That’s why even wine experts go out of their way to describe things visually.

Besides, latte art appears in the drama.

Considering that the purpose of this event was promotion, there wasn’t much issue with it.

The problem lay elsewhere.

It was this.

Lee Min Ki wasn’t particularly confident in latte art.

‘Ah, I’m not really good at latte art.’

Lee Min Ki groaned slightly, staring into the empty air.

‘Of all things, why latte art?’

Honestly, he wanted to avoid any potential pitfalls.

However, the production team had insisted repeatedly, saying it was essential, so there wasn’t much he could do as an actor under contract.

[It’ll be a great opportunity for you too, Min Ki. These days, viewers are sensitive to things like this. Who knows, maybe if you create a stunning latte art, cafés across the country might sell it as ‘Min Ki Latte’ someday.]

The hopeful words of the production team felt more like a burden.

‘Easier said than done.’

Latte art might seem simple on the surface, but it required highly delicate craftsmanship.

It’s like knitting.

For a beginner, even succeeding with the simplest pattern could take an entire day.

‘If only I had a month, or even a week more to practice.’

Maybe because latte art appeared in the show.

Thanks to his efforts, his skill wasn’t bad for a beginner.

In front of laymen, he might be able to pass off as an expert.

Here came the second problem.

Right.

The people standing next to him weren’t laymen.

‘…Even if it’s just for promotion, this is way over the line.’

When he glanced sideways at the two baristas, their faces exuded confidence.

They were the real deal.

As usual, Kim Ji Hwan had a dissatisfied look on his face.

‘Since it’s a production team-hosted event, they’ll probably give generous scores, but still, it has to at least look somewhat convincing…’

Ah, forget it.

What’s the point of worrying?

It’s not like he could suddenly fake a stomach ache and run away.

‘Now that I’m here, it’s just a matter of doing it or not doing it.’

Just as Lee Min Ki was steadying his wavering resolve.

“Thank you for waiting!”

The host shouted enthusiastically, his energy enough to make the blood boil.

“After a fierce battle with drip coffee in the first round, which barista will emerge victorious―――!!!”

The host’s shout was so loud it made him wonder how his throat wasn’t sore.

It was loud enough to hurt the eardrums on this end.

While Lee Min Ki resisted the urge to cover his aching ears with his palms, the host once again yelled loudly.

“From now―― the second round will begin! Ready―― go!! ”

At that moment.

The three competitors dashed towards the coffee machines with the ease of someone who had done it a thousand times.

Rubbing his eyes, Lee Min Ki belatedly moved his body.

‘First, the coffee.’

Viiing-

The familiar roar of the coffee machine echoed as it began to extract the coffee.

Listening to the sound, Lee Min Ki simultaneously prepared the steamed milk.

Bwooooooong-

The milk in the steam pitcher began to froth as it heated up.

This froth was what would be used for the latte art—milk foam.

When the temperature reached 65 degrees, and the texture felt hot to the touch, Lee Min Ki stopped the heating precisely.

‘Good, so far so good.’

Feeling relieved at the perfectly frothed milk with a velvet texture, Lee Min Ki let out a small sigh of relief.

Thanks to hundreds of practices, he could now do this part with his eyes closed.

But this was nothing.

The real challenge was about to begin.

It was time to draw the actual picture on the coffee.

How many times had he failed at this stage?

Before starting, he took a brief moment to glance around. His three competitors had already begun working on their latte art.

‘There’s no need to rush. Remember what your teacher taught you. Just stay calm and do as you practiced.’

There was a design that Kim Kyung Hee had specially created for him.

He just needed to follow it.

Controlling his rapidly beating heart, Lee Min Ki tipped the steam pitcher over the espresso he had prepared earlier.

Ssss-

The steamed milk poured smoothly, turning the dark espresso into a soft brown tone.

The problem came next.

‘Here goes.’

It was the stage where the picture would start forming with the foam.

In this stage, even a delay of 0.1 seconds in pouring could change the result completely.

[It’s not about your eyes. It’s about the feel in your fingertips. Trust your instincts. Latte art is a miracle created through endless practice and a little bit of luck, so keep that in mind.]

Recalling the advice from barista Kim Kyung Hee, Lee Min Ki focused all his nerves into his fingertips.

And.

‘Huh?’

A miracle happened.

* * *

Lee Min Ki’s eyes widened in disbelief at the result emerging from his hands.

“…!”

It was perfect—almost a perfect blossom had appeared on top of the coffee.

A blossom.

The design that Kim Kyung Hee had specially crafted for him.

A pattern resembling a blooming flower.

But as beautiful as it was, it was just as difficult. Even when he practiced alone leading up to the event, he had never fully succeeded at it.

‘How could this happen here?’

His eyes felt faint.

“Oh! A beautiful pattern is forming! It’s like flowers are blooming everywhere. What could he be making?”

When the host pointed to Lee Min Ki’s cup, he felt a chill run down his spine.

‘Just stay like this.’

One more step.

As long as he finished it off properly here, there would be no problem.

It was impossible to create a flawless design like a professional latte artist.

But as long as he produced the best possible result within his abilities, that was good enough.

The blossom slowly completing before his eyes was, at least to him, the most beautiful latte art in the world.

‘This is it, the final step.’

The three people who had started before him had already finished and submitted their results one after another.

Only he remained.

But now, all he needed was to softly draw the final tail of the blossom’s foam to complete it.

Thump, thump.

His heart pounded wildly, making each moment feel several times longer.

‘10%, no, 5% left.’

As Lee Min Ki’s nerves heightened to complete the finishing touches.

“Go, Min Ki――!!!”

A loud shout erupted from the press seats in the front of the event.

It was a fan cheering for him.

A voice that couldn’t hide the affection they felt for Lee Min Ki.

But a kind gesture doesn’t always work out for the person on the receiving end.

“…!”

The voice that sliced through the air like thunder pierced Lee Min Ki’s ears, instantly blanking out his mind.

‘Wait, what did they just say?’

It was just a cheer.

But in that heightened state of tension, an unexpected interruption at that moment felt catastrophic.

Like a car horn blaring near you on the day of an important test.

Like a coin suddenly dropping on the floor in the middle of a rhythm game.

Flick――.

It was enough to break the concentration of someone who had been approaching the peak of their focus.

Just 0.5 seconds.

It was barely the time it takes to close and reopen your eyes once, albeit with absolute clarity.

But.

In latte art, even 0.1 seconds could send everything crashing down.

Conversely.

0.1 seconds could also lift it to the heavens.

0.1 seconds.

Lee Min Ki’s hand shook.

0.2 seconds.

The falling milk foam wobbled unpredictably, leaving delicate traces behind.

0.3 seconds.

The foam, now sinking into the brown sea of coffee, formed a seed.

0.4 seconds.

The seed sprouted, and a bird spread its wings.

0.5 seconds.

The bird’s tail pierced through the blossoms and touched the edge of the cup.

“……”

“……”

Lee Min Ki’s breath stopped.

The cameraman also widened his eyes, capturing the world inside Lee Min Ki’s cup.

One second later.

The host, startled by the sudden silence, leaned in and said.

“What should I even call this?”

The camera projected Lee Min Ki’s latte art onto the event hall monitor.

It showed a magpie soaring gracefully among the fully bloomed flowers.

It was something reminiscent of an ink painting, captured perfectly in the cup.

“Wow…”

One spectator let out a gasp of admiration.

“It’s beautiful.”

Another muttered.

In that fleeting 0.5-second moment, a shake of the hand gave birth to an art.

Luck.

It was nothing less than luck.

Of course, it was only luck that Lee Min Ki himself knew about.

* * *

“Now, we’ll announce the judging results.”

The special event for the press conference had ended successfully.

All that remained was the judging. Each of the three judges could give a maximum of 5 points.

The results were divided into three categories: technical score, taste score, and artistic score.

[Contestant 1. Kim Jin Man 5/4/3 = 12 points]

[Contestant 2. Sung Ha Eun 4/5/2 = 11 points]

[Contestant 3. Kim Ji Hwan 3/3/2 = 8 points]

There was a slight difference, but the professional baristas, Kim Jin Man and Sung Ha Eun, took first and second place.

Kim Ji Hwan, however, fell behind by a significant margin.

And.

[Contestant 4. Lee Min Ki 4/2/5]

With 11 points, Lee Min Ki tied for second place with barista Sung Ha Eun.

The judges then gave their comments.

“I’ve seen a lot of latte art in my time, but the latte art I saw today from actor Lee Min Ki was truly remarkable. That’s why I’m giving him 5 points.”

He was the only one among the four contestants to receive a perfect 5 in the artistic score.

“……”

Lee Min Ki, confirming the results, held his still-thumping heart and let out a sigh of relief.

‘I did it.’

He thought he’d lose for sure, but he made it through.

The event he had been dreading the most during today’s press conference had just been resolved.

‘Am I a barista or an actor?’

He would never do something like this again.

As he chuckled to himself while retreating to the rest area behind the event hall.

“Min Ki, congratulations.”

“Teacher.”

Barista Kim Kyung Hee had approached him without him noticing, smiling proudly.

“I didn’t expect you to pull off such quick thinking at the last moment. You made a lot of mistakes before, but it seems like you practiced a lot behind the scenes?”

“Uh, yeah, I guess. I got lucky.”

Lee Min Ki cleared his throat.

He had practiced, but the bird pattern at the end was mostly luck.

“Sure, it could be luck.”

Barista Kim Kyung Hee countered his words with a smile.

“But you know what they say, luck is also a skill.”

Luck is a skill.

Even a professional was saying that.

Deciding to accept her kindness, Lee Min Ki replied with a smile.

“Yes, I guess I’m lucky.”

“That’s right…”

“Especially in meeting a great teacher like you, Kyung Hee.”

As he expressed his gratitude with a light smile.

“……”

Barista Kim Kyung Hee blinked in surprise and then said.

“Did you know? Min Ki, you have such a charming way with words.”

“Huh?”

“Just know that. I’ll go congratulate the others now. Think about whether you want steak or sushi for dinner.”

“Huh?”

No matter what he said into the empty air, barista Kim Kyung Hee walked away toward a corner.

At the end of that path stood a man leaning against the wall with a very uncomfortable expression.

It was Kim Ji Hwan.

His face was twisted in frustration after coming in last in the judging.

Even though it was just an event, the result clearly didn’t sit well with him.

‘But he did practice a lot behind the scenes.’

Recently, he’d even had burn marks on his hands.

He didn’t show it on the surface, but he must have gotten those burns while practicing coffee-making.

Knowing the history behind those burns, Lee Min Ki felt a small sense of admiration.

‘He’s surprisingly hardworking.’

He had realized it during the recent filming sessions.

Kim Ji Hwan wasn’t just about talent—his efforts were extraordinary.

Whenever director No Ho Yeon pointed out even a small flaw, he would go all out to fix it by the next shoot.

‘There’s a reason why his skills improved so rapidly in such a short time.’

Kim Ji Hwan was a rival.

But he was a rival worth watching.

He was not someone to be complacent about just because he had been outdone once.

Anyway, there wouldn’t be any more problems for the rest of the event.

The biggest hurdle had already been overcome.

“Now, it’s just the Q&A left.”

The Q&A wouldn’t be too difficult.

They would just talk about the project and discuss some general knowledge about coffee.

“Alright then.”

With a lighter heart, Lee Min Ki got up from his seat.

But he still didn’t know.

That in this world, there are always unexpected twists waiting around the corner.