Top Star by Luck

Chapter 68

The schedule was suddenly canceled.

The other party requested a contract termination, but it wasn’t exactly Lee Min Ki’s fault.

It was the fault of the CEO of the parent company that operated Coffee-O.

[Oh dear, I’m sorry. The CEO suddenly changed his mind… There’s a female idol he likes, and he insists on hiring her instead. Yes, yes, I’m really sorry.]

It came out of nowhere.

It was a well-known fact that personal preferences of executives often played a role in selecting advertising models.

However, trying to change the model two days before the shoot?

[We are truly sorry. Please convey our apologies to the actor as well. He must have already prepared a lot, and we have no words to offer.]

On the other side, they seemed so apologetic, almost bowing down in guilt.

“Heh.”

Lee Min Ki let out a small chuckle.

“That company must have a lot of money.”

Usually, in such contracts, they had to compensate several times the deposit upon cancellation, so perhaps that amount was considered pocket change.

Though he didn’t know for sure, it must have already amounted to something in the thousands.

Could the CEO consider it a hobby expense?

In this sudden situation, like a car accident, Lee Min Ki blinked.

“It feels like being rejected before I even confessed.”

“…….”

“…….”

Of course, the other two felt the same.

They had been trying to create a serious atmosphere, but it had suddenly evaporated into thin air.

[Haha! Adidas!]

For a brief moment, someone’s voice rang in his head.

Director Seo Jung Woo, too, chuckled awkwardly as if finding it difficult.

“This is a relatively common occurrence. When marketing budgets exceed billions, even sudden changes don’t pose a major problem.”

Well, it wasn’t something unheard of.

Although surprising, Lee Min Ki himself had been someone who, in his previous life, often faced contract cancellations out of boredom.

So he was more familiar with such cancellations than most people.

It was just the situation that was unexpected.

‘I had just made up my mind.’

It hadn’t been easy to refuse the offer from Beomcheon, and yet things had taken this turn.

‘It really does feel like I got rejected.’

Of course, it was just a feeling.

He had never confessed to anyone before, so he had never been rejected either.

“Still, in a way, it’s a relief.”

While he was struggling to recover from the shock, Manager Park Han Mo, who had already regained his poker face, spoke up.

“If we had been the ones to bring up canceling first, things would have been more difficult on our side. Not only would it have damaged the actor’s image, but we might have had to pay the contract penalty first.”

“Thanks to waiting, we dodged a bullet.”

“Yes, you could say that our company now has a small debt of gratitude toward them.”

True, since they canceled the commercial, they must feel guilty.

Maybe next time, they’ll throw another similar job JC’s way.

‘That worked out well.’

It was a narrow escape.

They had received Beomcheon’s offer just a few hours ago.

The conversation had only wrapped up about ten minutes ago, after which they came out of the meeting room after some small talk.

If they hadn’t waited, the loss could have been significant.

“Hmm, so can I tell Beomcheon that I rejected the other offer and ask for additional pay?”

Now that he felt a bit lighter, he muttered a joke, but Director Seo Jung Woo shook his head.

“It’s best not to tell lies that will eventually be found out. And above all, it wouldn’t be good for your image as an actor to be seen as someone who betrays companies.”

His tone was rather serious.

It seemed that he wanted to avoid even joking about contracts, so Lee Min Ki nodded.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

With that, the situation was roughly settled.

For Lee Min Ki, there was Beomcheon’s contract and the penalty fee from Coffee-O.

JC Entertainment now had a small debt of gratitude toward Coffee-O.

Thanks to a little patience, it had turned out to be the best outcome.

‘This is such a strange situation.’

Director Seo Jung Woo, who had been organizing the situation in his mind, smiled faintly.

What could he say about this?

It had only been a conversation lasting several minutes, but it left quite an impression on him.

‘By choosing loyalty, practical benefits rolled in.’

In the end, they had only gained from it.

If they had pursued the best outcome by going with Beomcheon, they would have lost much.

On the other hand, by choosing goodwill, the best result fell into Lee Min Ki’s lap.

It was like selecting a hidden option in a game.

You could say it was luck.

‘Luck, huh.’

For some reason, Director Seo Jung Woo found it difficult to let go of this incident.

There was something that bothered him.

‘Actor Min Ki is unusually lucky.’

It was luck.

It had been like this since the first time they met.

By chance, his friend, renowned fashion designer Yoo Gyu Eon, was attached to him as a collaborator.

Moreover, when they cast him as a bit player in Campus Story, he grew into a supporting role.

‘The actor who was supposed to play that role ended up with acute appendicitis and had to drop out, if I remember right.’

What else was there?

During the filming of Forever Green, he was offered a spontaneous special audition at the casting call.

For Café del Dia, well… at least this one was less about luck.

He had simply performed well at the press conference.

‘He’s consistently lucky. Is it because his good skills align with his luck?’

Director Seo Jung Woo, feeling a slight discomfort, glanced sideways at Lee Min Ki.

“Actor Tae Yang is really good at making marinated salmon. In fact, he’s good at cooking in general.”

“Surely, you’re not making Actor Tae Yang do all the housework, are you?”

“……Not to that extent. If I want to eat something, I cover the ingredient costs. Haha, it’s a win-win strategy.”

“Don’t overwork him too much. He recently developed housewife’s eczema, and it shocked me.”

It seemed that he had even become close friends with the sensitive Kim Tae Yang.

Kim Tae Yang wasn’t easy to get along with.

Wait, come to think of it, for a rookie actor, he has an unusual amount of luck with people.

‘Didn’t he say that a million-seller actor asked him out for drinks?’

Was it after he debuted and became successful that things turned out this way?

No.

If you think about it, it all started when Director Seo Jung Woo’s friend, Trainer Kim Ah Sung, attached himself to Lee Min Ki.

‘What is this?’

While walking, Director Seo Jung Woo stopped in his tracks.

‘The more I think about it, the more ridiculously lucky he seems.’

The more he recalled each detail, the more astonished he became.

Was there even any misfortune?

If there was, maybe it was being rejected at the Daon audition.

‘But then again, Daon has its own issues as a planning agency, so who knows.’

Exactly.

Daon did have issues.

Though it wasn’t widely known, JC and Daon were intricately connected since their founding days.

As one of JC’s founding members, Director Seo Jung Woo couldn’t be unaware of Daon’s problems.

It wasn’t for nothing that Trainer Kim Ah Sung disliked Daon.

If being rejected from Daon was also part of his luck, then how remarkable.

And there was one more thing he had learned.

The fact that the person named Lee Min Ki wasn’t the type to betray people for minor profits.

He hadn’t betrayed Coffee-O.

Then maybe, unlike others Director Seo Jung Woo had dealt with, he wouldn’t betray JC either.

‘He’s someone worth keeping by my side.’

Additionally, he had a rare personality in this industry.

How amusing.

After reevaluating his impression of Lee Min Ki, Director Seo Jung Woo smiled slightly.

Luck.

A person with good luck.

Then there was something that absolutely had to be entrusted to such a lucky person.

If one day, someone like that were to appear by his side, there was something he was determined to entrust to him.

After standing in place for a long time, deep in thought, Director Seo Jung Woo gazed quietly at Lee Min Ki.

“Director?”

Perhaps sensing something strange, Lee Min Ki called out to him with a curious expression.

“Hoo.”

Director Seo Jung Woo let out a long sigh, shook his head, and said,

“Min Ki, let’s stop by a convenience store on the way and buy a lottery ticket.”

“Pardon?”

Did I hear that wrong?

Lee Min Ki twitched his eyes and asked again.

“A lottery ticket?”

“Yes, I’d like you to pick my lottery tickets from now on. And if you win, let’s split the prize money fifty-fifty. Also, from now on, I’d like you to do my in-game draws for me.”

A lottery ticket and game draws?

At such a bizarre request, Lee Min Ki looked at Director Seo Jung Woo, puzzled.

‘Director, you look incredibly pragmatic, but you secretly like things like this, huh.’

* * *

How does advertising usually proceed?

To put it simply, it’s a continuous chain of outsourcing after outsourcing.

The most prominent of these are advertising agencies.

Their job is to receive requests from clients and create ads that meet their needs.

And.

There are entities that receive outsourced work from these advertising agencies.

Video production studios.

As the name suggests, these studios produce the ad videos.

Most of the time, they are independent from advertising agencies, but sometimes they exist internally.

Studio Shortpants was one such company.

And it was a bit special.

The work of an advertising agency is largely divided into inbound (receiving work requests from outside) and outbound (going out to secure work), and the more inbound work they have, the more capable the agency is considered.

Studio Shortpants was a company where the majority of its work was inbound.

In other words, many companies sought them out first, which meant they were a competent company.

But today, there was a problem.

Beomcheon.

An ad request had come from Beomcheon.

Beomcheon.

What kind of company was Beomcheon?

There was no need for a lengthy introduction.

In the coffee industry in Korea, you could call it the top player.

However, Beomcheon was also an incredibly picky client.

‘They really nitpick about everything.’

Perhaps it was because coffee had become a symbol of modern corporate marketing.

While other companies might have approved certain things easily, Beomcheon often demanded meticulous attention to every detail.

This time, they even made a special request, asking for extra effort in producing the ad.

What on earth do they want to do that’s making them so picky?

“Hmm.”

CF Director Kwon Ye Rin of Studio Shortpants let out a long sigh before speaking.

“He’s a rookie actor.”

“Yes!”

The continuity writer, who had been scribbling with a pen in one corner of the office, replied with a bright smile.

“Actor Lee Min Ki is incredibly popular these days.”

His popularity had surged over the past few months.

It was thanks to Café del Dia.

If he had been a memorable supporting actor in Forever Green, then Café del Dia had firmly established him as a famous rookie.

No, it wasn’t so much that others had put him in that position as that he had risen to it himself.

‘If he keeps this momentum, he’ll be a mid-level actor in a few years.’

While Director Kwon Ye Rin was recalling bits and pieces of information, the continuity writer beamed with a big smile.

“Lee Min Ki is no joke. In the communities I visit, people are going crazy. They say he’s definitely in the top five of rookies these days.”

It seemed like she was quite interested in him as well.

He did have the kind of look that people liked these days.

“He’s not just handsome like a sculpture, but he also has a boyish charm.”

“…That much?”

“He has this kind of milky, pure vibe. But then, his shoulders are no joke. Phew, it’s a good thing he got into advertising…”

It seemed like she wasn’t just a casual fan.

Apparently, she wasn’t just interested in him, but an extreme fan of Lee Min Ki.

‘She’s really into him.’

Director Kwon Ye Rin chuckled at the writer’s affectionate words.

She wasn’t the kind of cold-hearted person who would tell a fan to stop confessing their admiration.

It was hard to deny that good-looking actors were the lifeblood of this industry.

However.

Even she found it difficult to take the next comment at face value.

“He’s got a good reputation, too. They say he’s really humble and always smiles softly wherever he goes.”

It was about his personality.

Hearing this, Director Kwon Ye Rin’s brow twitched, and she asked, slightly in disbelief.

“Isn’t that just a rumor? Most rookies who suddenly become famous usually have bad attitudes.”

“No, they say Lee Min Ki is different.”

The continuity writer, startled, waved her hands in protest.

“You know the last press conference, right? I heard that it was because Lee Min Ki kept making coffee and handing it out to the staff that they even decided to hold the conference.”

“Rookies usually hand out coffee, don’t they?”

“Lee Min Ki is different!”

“What, does he hand out premium coffee? Like the kind fans send with those coffee trucks?”

“No, it’s not that.”

Then came an unbelievable statement.

“He actually makes the coffee himself and hands it out.”

“Makes it himself?”

“Yes! He uses the coffee machine to brew it by hand.”

Apparently, he brewed the coffee himself and handed it out.

It sounded as unbelievable as saying unicorns and dragons were frolicking merrily in the sky over Seoul, but the continuity writer repeated herself.

“I have a friend who works in lighting on the set of Café del Dia, and they said they’ve never heard a single bad word about Actor Lee Min Ki.”

That was detailed.

Director Kwon Ye Rin blinked at the passionate claim.

‘There’s already that much of a positive reputation going around? Is it just a rumor? No, it’s too specific to be just a rumor.’

Still, she couldn’t fully believe it.

Oftentimes, the stories circulating among industry insiders and the general public were quite different.

There were many instances where someone who was famous for being kind on the internet was actually notorious as a jerk on set.

‘Even within the same industry, the stories can differ. Someone who’s a saint here could be a jerk over there.’

Therefore, the more experience one had in the industry, the harder it was to trust every rumor.

‘Well, he does have a kind-looking face.’

Director Kwon Ye Rin looked at the picture of Lee Min Ki on the screen and spoke.

“Hmm, how long have you been in this industry, writer?”

“It’s been six years this year?”

“Then you should know, shouldn’t you?”

Of course, the rumors circulating within advertising agencies could also be different.

“That many actors look down on commercials.”

There was a common perception of actors.

That commercials were just commercials and not something to be treated as a serious part of their careers.

If they were only making a brief appearance to earn money, it was one thing, but there were few who seriously regarded commercials as part of their career.

“Well, there have been those kinds of actors, but wouldn’t it be different for Actor Lee Min Ki? He’s still a rookie.”

Some, like this continuity writer, might think that rookies were better.

‘No way.’

That wasn’t true.

In fact, rookies who rose to fame quickly and started filming commercials were more likely to have caught a case of star syndrome.

[I don’t usually act like this.]

[Is this how you work here?]

[I have a shoot tomorrow morning, so can we wrap this up for now?]

These were all things she had heard firsthand.

It was infuriating.

Even rookies who tried to hide their star syndrome often showed signs of being annoyed.

‘Most of the actors who had long careers before becoming famous were fine, but I’m still uneasy about Actor Lee Min Ki because he became famous so quickly.’

Sigh.

There was also another superstition.

It was said that actors with great physiques often had bad personalities.

This was purely a superstition.

It wasn’t a certainty.

But just as physiognomy existed, there was some experiential basis for making judgments.

‘Not that it’s something to brag about.’

Director Kwon Ye Rin hid her thoughts and said,

“Shall we start brainstorming ideas?”

“Ah… Could we do that a little later? The copywriter has slowed down a bit.”

“Then, please check everything before the actor arrives.”

“Yes! Understood.”

There was only one thing to focus on.

Regardless of who the actor was, creating the best result.

That was the professional’s job.

So, half nervous and half expectant, they waited for a day and a half.

And what Director Kwon Ye Rin encountered was someone completely different from what she had anticipated.

That is.

It wasn’t just a matter of being polite on set or anything like that.

[Sorry, but if it’s not too much of a bother, could I please get a tour of the studio?]

[That’s what the actor requested.]

Lee Min Ki’s courtesy had started even before they arrived at the set.