Top Star by Luck

Chapter 61

Q&A.

In Korean, it translates to ‘questions and answers.’

To make it even shorter, it’s called ‘Q&A.’

Usually, when people think of a Q&A, they believe it’s about asking questions you’re genuinely curious about, but at events like press conferences, it’s a bit different.

[It’s all scripted.]

It’s literally about asking pre-arranged questions and giving answers in line with that.

Before inviting the reporters, they had already distributed the list of questions to the major entertainment reporters.

[If they ask us this, we will respond like this. Please memorize it in your head so you don’t make any mistakes in the real situation.]

It was like opening an answer sheet and solving short-answer questions.

If a question seemed even slightly complicated or plausible, you could bet that the answer had already been predetermined.

One might worry about it seeming awkward, but at the event, professional hosts adjusted the tempo, so a natural atmosphere was always created.

This event, the production presentation for [Café del Dia], was no exception.

“Min Ki, you’re a rookie actor, but you’ve made some significant moves in the entertainment industry, quickly rising as a trending figure.”

“Haha, thank you.”

“Recently, your muscular, wild image has caused quite a stir, right? Will you be showing that charm again in Café del Dia?”

“Hmm, that’s true.”

Lee Min Ki flipped through the answer sheet in his mind.

‘What was I supposed to say here?’

As much as the question list had been distributed earlier, the answer list had also been reviewed and checked.

Lee Min Ki had stayed up late for the past few nights memorizing the answer sheet word by word.

‘I was supposed to tilt my head with a bright smile and say this.’

Reproducing the smile and posture he had practiced in front of the mirror until his facial muscles cramped, Lee Min Ki replied with 140% effort.

“As an actor, I always want to show viewers my best side, but this time, I’m aiming to present a calmer charm.”

“And what would that calmer charm be like?”

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

“Would it resonate if I say I’m a man who smells like coffee?”

His answer had a bit of a cringe factor.

If he had said this in a school classroom, he would probably get beaten up by his friends during break time.

But.

The journalist was also a professional.

“Oh! A man who smells like coffee! In my mind, I imagine a guy who looks great in a dress shirt and apron. Haha, I’d like to promote a ‘one Min Ki per household’ policy.”

A true professional.

Even Lee Min Ki, who set the tone, was so embarrassed by the extravagant reaction that his fingers and toes curled up.

No, they actually curled up.

‘…Hold on.’

Listening to it live at the scene, the conversation might make you cringe, but when seen in text, it would come across as a witty response, and in edited videos, it would be a highlight.

“Now, I’d like to ask Actor Kim Ji Hwan a question. If you could describe your rival, Lee Min Ki, in one word?”

“Rival?”

He frowned.

Just when Lee Min Ki thought he had messed up, Kim Ji Hwan regained his composure and said.

“On TV, Lee Min Ki is a rival, but on set, he’s someone I respect.”

He did it.

He really pulled it off.

Though his slightly awkward smile gave off a bit of a sour taste, just managing to say that was something.

Lee Min Ki knew Kim Ji Hwan had done his best.

‘You were a pro too.’

But this would soon come to an end.

Not only was the Q&A session nearing its conclusion, but the entire production presentation was almost over.

The photo session was finished, and the discussion about the project had ended.

Now, only one thing remained.

‘The viewer Q&A.’

It was time for the audience to take over the interview.

A small bead of sweat formed on Lee Min Ki’s forehead.

The moment actors find most difficult in production presentations was right now—the viewer Q&A session.

Trainer Kim Ah Sung had said this.

[It’s easy to pull out a pre-set answer. There’s an agreement beforehand, and you just have to memorize it. But viewer questions? Yup, that’s all about quick thinking. Min Ki, you’re in for some trouble. Haha.]

How could a person laugh like that?

Just as the image of him flashed in his head, making Lee Min Ki feel nauseous, the host’s expression flickered with an unsettling gleam.

“We’ll now be taking questions from the viewers. If there’s something you’d like to ask the production team, please raise your hand!”

Here’s how the process goes from now.

When a viewer raises their hand, the host picks one of them at random.

The host’s technique lies in filtering out anyone who might cause trouble as much as possible.

Using experience and big data, the host meticulously scanned the audience’s expressions and then shouted in a loud voice.

“Yes! The person in the checkered shirt!”

At the tip of his finger sat a man with a sour expression.

He looked to be in his 30s.

A person with a bulky build, an ordinary face, and a backpack on his lap.

He gave off the vibe of a typical office worker who had rushed here right after finishing work.

‘People like him usually ask safe questions.’

From the host’s experience, such types often asked questions directly related to the project itself.

It was better than asking something personal.

Just as the host thought he had made the right call, it happened.

“I.”

The chosen audience member, still with a blunt expression, raised his hand and spoke in a monotonous voice.

“I’d like to ask Actor Lee Min Ki a question.”

“Yes.”

Lee Min Ki discreetly swallowed a bit of sweat and pulled his chair slightly forward.

‘As long as it’s a safe question, there shouldn’t be any problems.’

But in the next moment.

The question that calmly came out of the viewer’s mouth was, unfortunately, a true landmine.

“What do you think about the risks currently facing the coffee industry and what solutions would you propose?”

“……”

In other words, it was a complete landmine.

Kim Bawi Cham.

The named user from [Coffee or Tea] confidently threw out his trap.

‘You said you know coffee well? Let’s see you answer this.’

* * *

What.

A dizzy spell briefly washed over Lee Min Ki’s mind.

‘He didn’t ask about the drama, but about coffee? And even about the market?’

He thought, at best, it would be about relationships with other actors on set.

Or maybe how he prepared for his character in the project.

But everything missed the mark.

‘What’s an industry risk? What’s a solution?’

This was a total misfire.

Of all people, someone like that had to be chosen to ask the question.

It was sheer bad luck.

“Haha, um.”

Sensing that things had gone off track, the host quickly intervened.

“That’s a very good question! Wow, you must be quite interested in coffee. But since we’re here, it’d be great if you could ask a question more related to the project! Right?”

It was a subtle way of telling him not to ask strange questions.

But Kim Bawi Cham wasn’t someone to back down from subtle hints.

He was practically channeling the spirit of a journalist determined to expose a corrupt politician, so he replied in an even more firm voice, pushing through the host’s interference.

“My question is related to the project. Café del Dia is a coffee-related drama, after all.”

“……”

“I’ll ask again, Actor, what do you think are the chronic issues of the coffee industry, and how would you propose to solve them?”

It was ruined.

Sensing that things were heading for disaster, the production team exchanged nervous glances.

‘Who brought someone like him?’

‘Did they not screen the audience properly?’

‘What’s the host doing? Make a joke or move on, do something.’

‘If this causes a problem, who’s going to take responsibility?’

Everyone’s gaze was entangled in a web of complex thoughts.

But despite all the looks being exchanged, the situation had already unfolded.

If Lee Min Ki avoided answering, he’d become easy prey for the reporters who were desperate for a story.

No matter what the content of the article was, it was unlikely to benefit a drama set to air soon.

‘See?’

Meanwhile, Kim Bawi Cham was brimming with satisfaction.

‘Turns out they only pretended to know what they were talking about for marketing purposes. Can’t say anything when faced with a slightly difficult question, huh?’

He was basking in triumph.

To him, everyone’s silence was a victory.

Logically speaking, no one would normally ask such a question in this friendly event space.

Yet, Kim Bawi Cham thought his insight was sharp.

Usually, people who seek attention are unaware they’re doing so.

Even if Lee Min Ki managed to answer somehow, it didn’t matter.

Kim Bawi Cham was ready to counter with even deeper, more detailed questions to completely shatter Lee Min Ki’s confidence.

The question itself was a trap.

What remained was how Lee Min Ki would respond to this trap.

‘Come on, give me an answer.’

As a few seconds passed, the lively atmosphere deflated like the lifeless skin of a plaster statue.

‘Ah, I need to stop this.’

The host was about to make a bold move to defuse the situation when suddenly.

“That’s true.”

Lee Min Ki, holding the microphone, opened his mouth.

“I hesitated a little because I was thinking about how to answer.”

In that calm and composed voice, a small ripple of surprise spread through the room.

‘What’s he going to say?’

‘Is he confident?’

‘Answering a question like that poorly could backfire.’

‘Has he given up?’

In the midst of a silent outcry, what could Lee Min Ki possibly answer to a vague and complex question about the risks and solutions in the coffee market?

Lee Min Ki’s response was this.

“The environmental problem is significant.”

It was the environment.

* * *

The environment.

As everyone in the room blinked in confusion at the sudden mention of that keyword, Lee Min Ki calmly continued.

“The risk to the coffee market is the environment. Specifically, global warming.”

After mentioning the environment, he brought up global warming.

‘What is he talking about?’

Even Kim Bawi Cham, who had been primed to launch an attack, was momentarily thrown into confusion by the completely different angle of the answer.

‘Wouldn’t the typical flaw in the coffee market be about consumers’ preferences?’

Criticizing consumers would be a suicide move.

He had planned to tear apart Lee Min Ki’s response with a meticulous rebuttal, pointing out all the reasons for every issue.

‘But now he’s talking about the environment?’

All the rebuttals he had simulated in his head were unraveling from the premise.

Not only Kim Bawi Cham, but everyone else in the room felt the same way.

However, Lee Min Ki, who had introduced the topic, remained as composed as ever, his voice flowing steadily.

“The coffee tree is an extremely sensitive plant when it comes to its environment. Some species require temperatures to remain consistently in the high teens throughout the year, and both rainfall and elevation must be precisely controlled to harvest even a single coffee bean.”

“……”

“However, due to global warming, climate change is occurring, and the world is increasingly experiencing unexpected heat waves and cold spells.”

What does that have to do with coffee?

Ordinary people who simply consume coffee wouldn’t know.

Even coffee enthusiasts wouldn’t have thought about it.

“Coffee-producing countries like Brazil and Colombia are vulnerable to droughts.”

But for Lee Min Ki, it was a topic he could easily answer.

“Coffee trees wither quickly. A single drought can cause tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of trees to die like dominos. However, removing dead trees and replanting them is no easy task.”

It seemed almost as if his answer had been rehearsed, but even if someone claimed it was, it would have been hard to believe given how smoothly the words flowed from him.

“You have to wait three years, at least three years, for the trees to fully grow again before you can harvest the beans. But there’s no guarantee that another natural disaster won’t happen within those three years.”

How was he able to speak about this so easily?

Why did Lee Min Ki know in such detail about a topic that most people would never even think of?

The reason was simple.

‘In the future, coffee farms in South America suffer due to unusual weather patterns, causing coffee prices to skyrocket.’

Because he had actually experienced it.

In the near future, climate change would cause coffee prices to soar worldwide.

The price of coffee beans would double in just a year.

‘I heard there was a protest across Italy because the price of coffee went up by 0.1 euros.’

In this era, climate change felt as distant as a fantasy novel to most consumers.

But just a few years later.

Climate change would become a reality everyone would feel.

Even consumers like Lee Min Ki, who enjoyed coffee as a hobby, would begin to discuss it as a hot topic.

“To sum up, for the coffee market to survive long-term, we need to find ways to reduce carbon emissions. I believe that is the solution, not just for the coffee market but for the global agricultural market as a whole. Thank you.”

Having pieced together what he had in his head, Lee Min Ki looked around with an awkward feeling after finishing his response.

‘…Was I too serious?’

He had spoken based on what came to mind.

It was quiet.

The production team, the host, the audience, and even the person who asked the question remained silent.

They were like statues.

‘Uh-oh, did I mess up?’

A bad feeling crept over Lee Min Ki.

But strangely enough.

Why had even Kim Bawi Cham, who had been so confident, gone silent?

The reason was surprisingly simple.

‘What is climate change?’

Kim Bawi Cham was also a person interested in coffee itself.

He was utterly clueless about how the earth’s changes affected the coffee market.

He didn’t know.

Since he didn’t know, he couldn’t argue back.

All he could do was mumble to himself.

If he gave up and conceded, that would be the end of it, but Kim Bawi Cham hadn’t come here for that.

He had come to criticize anything and everything, so his shoulders twitched with restlessness.

‘What does an actor know about this?’

Even his pride was starting to crack.

In the end, driven into a corner and gnashing his teeth, the choice he finally made was this.

“Excuse me. I asked about the current coffee market, not the future coffee market.”

It was evading the point.

Unable to argue logically, he chose to argue the point itself.

It was a cowardly move.

Nevertheless, Kim Bawi Cham thought he had made a brilliant play.

Once a conversation shifts from being a discussion to an attack, the rebuttal itself becomes irrelevant.

“…Ugh.”

That persistence made Lee Min Ki flinch.

How could someone be this petty?

Is this a Q&A or a debate?

Is he really trying to win over him?

‘Now what should I say?’

Should he ask the host to cut it off?

Wait, why is the host just standing there?

Hold on, why does he look so entertained?

The situation was strange.

Not just the host, but everyone around was looking at Lee Min Ki with anticipation in their eyes.

‘Do they seriously think I can keep going back and forth?’

No.

I’m running out of things to say.

This isn’t a debate show; please, help me.

‘I’m going to die!!!’

In the moment when he resented everyone for not helping him, for not loving him, there was something that Lee Min Ki also didn’t know.

“This is quite an interesting discussion.”

There was someone else in the room who was interested in the same topic.

Beomcheon Food Company (BFC).

The company that had a significant influence on the Korean coffee industry, and its CEO, Song Jin Bae.

He was probably the top expert on coffee in the Korean peninsula, and he picked up the microphone and spoke.

“I never expected to hear such a high-level discussion. I’m delighted. Both of you made excellent points.”

Kim Bawi Cham’s face lit up at Song Jin Bae’s words.

In Korea, anyone who knew anything about coffee knew who Song Jin Bae was.

To be praised by such a person.

It was a moment that could be a lifelong bragging point for a coffee enthusiast.

“But climate change is indeed the crisis currently facing the coffee market.”

The giant spoke.

“Which means that Actor Lee Min Ki has hit the nail on the head.”

With just one word.

In just one sentence, the hopeful expression on Kim Bawi Cham’s face cracked apart like shattered glass.