Top Star by Luck

Chapter 69

“……”

Director Kwon Ye Rin twitched her eyes while holding her phone.

On the screen of the phone in her hand, a message was written:

[Sorry to bother you, but would it be okay if I asked to visit the studio?]

[The actor requested this.]

Director Kwon Ye Rin stared at those two sentences for a while.

Then, she burst into a small laugh.

‘He’s not even a college student.’

Saying he wanted to visit the studio to observe.

What exactly was he hoping to gain?

Had he seen something somewhere?

There were stories about some celebrities who were so serious about their work that they would come early to observe the set to get familiar with the environment.

‘But those stories are usually exaggerated.’

There wasn’t much for an actor to do at the site.

They would come, briefly review the script, get their makeup done, follow the instructions, film, and then leave.

‘His determination is admirable though.’

Director Kwon Ye Rin chuckled as she held her phone.

Was it because her behavior seemed strange?

The passing scriptwriter, Writer Na, poked her head in and asked.

“What’s going on?”

“Oh, Writer Na, take a look at this.”

“Just a second.”

Writer Na, who wore studio shorts, took the phone from Director Kwon Ye Rin and her eyes widened in surprise.

“Oh my, this is amazing.”

With her eyes wide open like saucers, she covered her mouth with her palm and asked in a surprised voice.

“Lee Min Ki wants to come visit? Seriously?”

Could a child receiving a Christmas gift from Santa Claus be as happy as this?

“There’s no need to be so surprised. He must just want to ease some anxiety.”

Director Kwon Ye Rin shrugged her shoulders and said.

“He’s a rookie who hasn’t filmed a commercial before.”

She was wrong.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t filmed a commercial because he was a rookie, but because, despite being experienced, his position in the industry had been lower than props.

Lee Min Ki hadn’t even managed to be a magazine cover model at a convenience store, let alone a commercial.

“Lee Min Ki will probably shed his rookie label really quickly.”

It was a slight to him.

If he heard those words, he’d probably be happy but also a bit downhearted.

In any case, these people wouldn’t ever know that.

Writer Na jumped up and down excitedly.

“This is crazy. He’s so diligent. The rumors were true, huh?”

“You never know yet.”

“Do you not like Lee Min Ki, Director?”

“No? Not particularly?”

“Then why do you always counter the compliments about him?”

“Hmm, it’s rational speculation based on experience?”

Yeah, right.

Writer Na sighed and said.

“You’ll let him come, right?”

“Well… it’d be a bit odd to refuse since he’s asking to come, wouldn’t it?”

Anyway, Lee Min Ki was personally picked by the advertiser.

There wasn’t any particular bad relationship.

Writer Na grinned from ear to ear and said.

“Oh, I should prepare a gift for when Min Ki comes.”

It felt like a guest was coming over.

Though Director Kwon Ye Rin felt a good instinct rising within her, she deliberately denied it and said.

“By the way, what happened with the copywriter you hired last time?”

“Oh, that.”

At that moment.

The grin on Writer Na’s face quickly disappeared.

She sighed and said.

“It seems they’re having trouble getting a sense of it.”

“Really?”

“Yes, they’ve been trying in various ways, but nothing seems to hit the mark, so they asked for a few more days.”

It was something that had happened recently.

There was a freelance copywriter working with Writer Na and the studio, but lately, they had been experiencing a slump.

Recalling their pale face, Director Kwon Ye Rin furrowed her brow.

‘They weren’t originally like this.’

A slump, huh?

If anything, they usually had too many ideas.

Whenever they touched a project, it would hit the mark every time.

They were someone you could trust to deliver.

In advertising, the role of the copywriter was immense.

One could even say it was the most important.

‘Still, if things don’t improve, I might have to replace them.’

As a fellow creative, she could understand their situation, but sometimes, as a professional, one had to be cold.

“What if they don’t come through in the end?”

Writer Na muttered in a worried voice.

Director Kwon Ye Rin, gazing at the wall thoughtfully, responded.

“Alright, I’ll start looking for a backup just in case.”

* * *

‘This is exciting.’

Lee Min Ki had been feeling excited lately.

If there weren’t any people around, he would have already thrown away all pretense of keeping a composed expression and spent the entire day grinning from ear to ear.

Of course, he had every reason to be excited.

Why?

[‘Café del Dia’ surpasses 13% viewership]

Because things were going well.

“Heh heh, heheh, hehehehehe.”

Oops.

He had been holding it in, but as soon as he relaxed, the laughter came out again.

Anyway, “Café del Dia” had been hovering between 11% and 12% in ratings.

That alone wasn’t bad.

It could easily be called a hit.

For Lee Min Ki personally, it had boosted his name recognition, almost as much as a blockbuster.

But then, something even more amazing had happened.

[Did you watch the new episode? It was so fun!]

After showing signs of rebounding at episode 10, by episode 12, the show had surpassed the 13% mark.

[Seeing the three of them getting along made me smile, lololol]

[They kept bickering in the beginning]

[I took a screenshot of Lee Min Ki’s shoulder, lol]

[Lee Min Ki and Seol Ha’s chemistry is amazing. The rude male lead and kind female lead combo is the best.]

[Jihwan is a scene-stealer]

[They should just all live together]

It was all thanks to the new episode.

The story had expanded from a local business rivalry to an international competition, and the slight changes in the characters had been well-received.

Was that all?

The filming was progressing so smoothly that they had plenty of footage left.

‘They said they’re almost done with episode 15, right?’

With just a couple more visits to the set, they’d finish filming the 16-episode drama.

‘I’ve got some extra time.’

That was a rare occurrence in the hectic world of drama production.

Even if they started filming with some buffer, they’d eventually resort to last-minute scripts by the end.

But this time, things were different.

They had time to spare.

Rather than using the extra time to rest, Lee Min Ki decided to spend it in a more productive way.

Which led to this.

“Hello! I’m Lee Min Ki!”

He had come to observe a commercial shoot.

Smiling warmly at his enthusiasm, Director Kwon Ye Rin said.

“Welcome. You said this is your first TV commercial, right?”

“Yes!”

“I heard you’re really interested in the set. Feel free to ask about anything you’re curious about. As long as you’re not in the way, I’ll answer everything.”

“Thank you! I’m in your care today!”

Lee Min Ki replied with a voice full of energy.

With the lung capacity he’d built up through exercise combined with proper vocalization, his voice pierced through like an arrow to those who heard it.

‘He’s got some energy.’

Director Kwon Ye Rin was slightly startled by the unexpectedly strong first impression.

Meanwhile, a woman who had been lurking nearby, a little away from the director, approached Lee Min Ki and spoke to him.

“Hello.”

It was Writer Na from [Studio Shorts].

“I’m really enjoying the drama. You looked great on screen, but you’re even more handsome in person.”

A compliment out of the blue.

Lately, he had been hearing compliments about his appearance often.

But no matter how often he heard them, he never got used to them.

‘No matter how many times I hear it, it feels amazing.’

To Lee Min Ki, compliments about his appearance were like Tylenol.

No matter how much he took, he never built up a resistance.

In other words, it always felt good.

“Thank you for the kind words.”

As Lee Min Ki smiled gently, it happened.

‘That smile…’

Writer Na felt as if flowers were blooming around her and the world was spinning as she spoke.

“C-could I get your autograph?”

“Oh, of course. Where would you like it?”

“Just a second! I’ll bring something right away.”

Writer Na hurriedly brought a pen and notebook, which she handed to him.

Taking them, Lee Min Ki focused his mind on the pen.

Soon, the handwriting he had practiced over the past few months flowed smoothly onto the paper.

Writer Na, looking at it with a face full of admiration, said.

“You even write well. I’ll cherish this as a family heirloom.”

A family heirloom, huh?

She sure knew how to speak prettily.

Lee Min Ki suddenly felt the urge to do even more for her.

“Would you like me to sign a few more? I can sign as many as you want.”

“…Really?”

“Would you like a picture as well?”

Might as well throw in a bonus.

Just as an impromptu fan meeting was about to take place, Director Kwon Ye Rin stepped in, frowning slightly.

“Writer Na, the actor didn’t come here for that today, did he? He’s a guest, so let’s help him do what he came here to do.”

“Oh!”

Writer Na, startled by her words, quickly bowed to Lee Min Ki.

“Sorry, did I overstep?”

“Huh? Not at all.”

It was just getting good.

Overstep?

Not at all.

He had been wondering what kind of variation to add to the next signature when she interrupted.

Still feeling unsatisfied, Lee Min Ki licked his lips as Director Kwon Ye Rin led him to a designated spot in the corner.

“This is where you can sit. I’ve warned the staff, so if anyone bothers you, just let me know. We’ll be busy with our work, so feel free to observe comfortably.”

“Thank you! I’m looking forward to learning a lot today!”

Lee Min Ki responded once again in a loud voice.

His tone and polite expression were as energetic and enthusiastic as ever, and then he added one more thing.

“By the way, when does filming wrap up today?”

“Hmm? Probably after 10 p.m.? We’ve got a bit more work today.”

“Ah, got it! Thank you!”

The way he spoke made it seem like he was planning to stay until the very end.

But Director Kwon Ye Rin’s thoughts were different.

‘Let’s see how long he lasts.’

She was still half skeptical.

It was commendable that he came to observe the set.

But in any case, you needed a certain amount of knowledge to ask questions and actually gain something from the experience.

Could a complete outsider really pick up anything?

Director Kwon Ye Rin didn’t place much significance on Lee Min Ki’s visit.

She figured he would get bored and leave at a convenient time.

‘He’ll probably last until the afternoon.’

He hadn’t prepared anything either, so it was obvious.

Not having high expectations, Director Kwon Ye Rin returned to her work to finish the remaining tasks.

‘I’ll just buy him lunch.’

But she still didn’t know.

She had yet to realize that Lee Min Ki wasn’t someone who could be taken so lightly.

* * *

“……”

Thirty minutes had passed since Lee Min Ki’s observation had started.

He sat quietly in his seat, doing nothing.

He just watched the filming from a distance, making sure not to get in the way of the staff.

Taptaptap.

Occasionally, he typed on his laptop or sipped coffee, but that was about it.

Director Kwon Ye Rin glanced over at him, somewhat surprised.

‘He’s quieter than I thought.’

She had expected him to ask something.

She had been thinking about what to say if he got in the way.

But Lee Min Ki was different.

With a mask on his face and a baseball cap pulled down low, he quietly sat in his spot, observing like a ghost, as if he wasn’t even there.

Taptaptap.

Occasionally tapping on his laptop.

‘Doesn’t he have any questions?’

Director Kwon Ye Rin furrowed her brow.

But another 30 minutes passed.

Then another.

Nothing changed.

Taptaptap.

Lee Min Ki kept typing on his laptop.

Sip.

He drank his coffee.

Observation, laptop notes, coffee.

That was all Lee Min Ki was doing.

“Would you like something to eat, sir?”

“Chicken breast.”

“Is it good?”

“No.”

Even when the staff chatted with him occasionally, the conversations didn’t last long.

“We got this dessert from a shop nearby. Would you like to try some?”

“Thank you, but I’m on a diet.”

“One won’t make a difference, will it?”

“I think so too, but my trainer seems to notice everything.”

He even refused small gifts, keeping a clear line between work and personal interactions.

It was rare to see someone so focused only on their task while maintaining a polite demeanor.

It was surprising to see how quiet he was.

‘Doesn’t he have any curiosity?’

Strictly speaking, he was very curious.

He just didn’t want to interrupt them while they were working and was saving his questions to ask all at once afterward.

Besides, just watching the set was fun enough for him.

‘I’ll be filming a commercial here soon.’

It felt like how high school students must feel when touring a university campus.

After all, for the past seven years, Lee Min Ki had been like a college applicant himself.

The thought of being in the center of the set soon made it hard to suppress his smile.

But slowly, Lee Min Ki’s presence started to attract attention.

Even when he was doing nothing, his presence was noticeable, creating an aura around him.

‘Is he addicted to coffee?’

He never seemed to take the straw out of his mouth.

It was almost like he was collecting empty cups like bottles of wine on display.

And it was always iced Americano.

Why?

She thought about it for a moment.

‘Well, he’s minding his own business, so it’s not like I have to offer him anything. I’m not someone who’s desperate to give out favors.’

Director Kwon Ye Rin deliberately turned her attention back to the shoot.

Lee Min Ki was a guest observer today, but they had come for work.

Their value as professionals might be different, but when it came to prioritizing work, there was no comparison.

“Look over here.”

“Yes.”

On the set inside the studio, an actress struck various poses.

Today’s shoot was for a cosmetics commercial.

The background was a simple gray, designed to emphasize the actress’s beauty by downplaying the colors around her.

The tagline was simple to match the concept.

‘Shining purely. Paradis.’

The model was a newcomer.

Bang Eun Young.

You could probably stand her in the middle of Gangnam Boulevard and only one or two out of a hundred people would recognize her, but her looks were on par with those of a famous actress.

Although she was unknown, there was demand for unknowns.

They could bring a fresh, clean image.

‘In thrillers, they sometimes cast unknown actors to play villains on purpose.’

Bang Eun Young wasn’t completely unknown though.

She had played a minor role in a historical drama recently, and her appearance had been praised, with some calling her a “Joseon Elf.”

She seemed to have quite a bit of pride, as she gave off an air of nobility.

But that only suited the concept of the cosmetics ad.

‘This feels good.’

The concept had been well-defined during the brainstorming stage, and it seemed like they might even finish the shoot before the day was over.

‘Once this is over, I should ask Actor Min Ki if he had any questions.’

With a light heart, Director Kwon Ye Rin picked up the camera again.

But.

Unexpected issues always arise on set.

“Ugh, seriously!”

It was a situation no one could understand.

Bang Eun Young threw the bag in her hand to the ground and shouted.

“I told you to bring me water! I’m thirsty!”