Top Star by Luck

Chapter 73

There was something about watching actors.

“People change.”

People did change.

The moment they started acting in earnest, it felt as if they transformed into a completely different person from the one you originally knew.

To the average person, this was akin to witnessing magic.

“Seriously, this guy seems like a total couch potato, but as soon as he starts acting, he becomes a king straight out of a historical drama.”

“Jim Carrey? How can that actor be the same person as before? I thought it was someone else entirely.”

“Actors really aren’t just actors for no reason.”

Their appearance is the same.

Their scent is the same.

They are the person you’ve always known.

So why do they suddenly feel like a stranger, even though all the information matches your memory?

It was simple.

-If you’re an actor, you must be able to change everything except the foundation to truly become an actor.

That’s what actors should do.

That’s what being an actor is.

Starting from something as simple as their footsteps, to the movements of their hands, their facial expressions, the tone of their voice, inflection, and nuance, they must be able to change everything to be considered an actor.

-Abandon yourself. Discard your way of walking, your breathing patterns, and even how you blink. Only by discarding everything can you become an actor.

That’s what acting is.

It’s about becoming someone other than yourself.

‘Changing, huh.’

Lee Min Ki stood with both feet on the studio floor, dressed like an office worker.

His suit fit him sharply.

On top, he wore a crisp white dress shirt, and below, slim-fit dress pants that extended perfectly down his legs.

A company ID hung around his neck in a lively arc.

A typical new employee look.

However, the role he had to act from now on was far from typical.

‘…This is going to be tough.’

It was none other than transforming into a completely different person.

Like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, his task was to change into a new person in an instant.

This was the comment that came with the storyboard synopsis.

“The new employee drinks a coffee and completely transforms into another person. The idea is to show that you can change just by drinking a familiar beverage. We’d like you to express the shift in energy. Think of Clark Kent in American films, who becomes Superman as soon as he straightens his chest and lifts his head. We’re looking for a cool transformation.”

It sounded easy.

It was something any actor would want to try at least once.

After all, the Superman role was such a legendary reference in the industry.

Rustle, rustle.

Lee Min Ki read through the storyboard again, which he had already worn out from reading so many times, as he sunk deeper into his thoughts.

‘Come to think of it, there was a time back at the academy when we were assigned a project about split personalities.’

What was it again?

They said that actors could clearly understand their role from the gap in that change.

It was quite an intriguing task.

‘I played both a man and a woman back then.’

It was a male personality and a female personality.

To emphasize the difference between the two genders, he had to do a ton of research.

Even the range of motion in his pelvis when taking a step would make the feeling change as drastically as heaven and earth.

He’d thought a lot about what constituted a feminine gaze, a feminine posture.

He’d done well for the most part, but in the middle of it, his voice had cracked, and he’d ended up getting laughed at a lot.

“….”

His face flushed red.

‘Ahhhh… I should’ve just done what everyone else did.’

Why do embarrassing memories always last so long?

Even so, it felt like he was starting to get an idea.

It was at that moment when he ran the simulation through his mind one last time.

“Ready.”

About twenty steps away, Director Kwon Ye Rin, who was grouped together with the staff, signaled to Lee Min Ki.

“Action!”

It began.

The moment that voice resonated through the air.

Lee Min Ki sat in the office chair, slumped his head, and sighed deeply as if the world was caving in.

“Hoo…”

It was just a simple movement.

Just sitting in the chair and letting out a sigh as though exhausted by the world.

Yet, it felt like the only thing in existence.

The usually gentle and healthy image of actor Lee Min Ki disappeared with that short sigh.

Sitting there was a completely different person.

A new employee.

Just an ordinary, weary new employee A, worn down by corporate life.

His upper body drooped so weakly that you’d want to walk over and offer him comfort.

At that moment, when it seemed like he might shatter like glass with just one more push.

“Hey, rookie.”

A chubby man approached and plopped down some documents on his desk with a thud.

“Here, take this, and this. And this too. You can get it all done by lunch, right?”

It was the classic sight of work being dumped on him.

But Lee Min Ki accepted them all silently, without a word.

Then, just as the man was about to leave.

With a shaky gaze, he glanced at the documents left on his desk, but instead of picking them up.

Clank!

He grabbed the can of coffee sitting on the desk with a firm grip.

It was a can of coffee, elegantly branded with “BFC” – Bumcheon Food Company.

Click.

Gulp, gulp.

Lee Min Ki downed the can in an instant.

And as he picked up the documents and stood up, Director Kwon Ye Rin’s heart began to race.

‘It’s starting.’

This was the beginning of the ordeal set in the storyboard.

‘This won’t be easy.’

The commercial was about a person completely transforming after drinking a single cup of coffee.

The copywriter had come up with the idea after witnessing how a sharp-tongued actress had calmed down as soon as she saw Lee Min Ki back when he used to frequent commercial sets.

‘It’s either fresh or overly simple, depending on how you see it.’

After all, there were tons of commercials with similar concepts everywhere.

But that’s the nature of ideas.

In a world where hundreds of ads were churned out every day, truly innovative ideas didn’t exist.

What really mattered was how they were executed.

How they were directed, and how they were acted.

‘Let’s see.’

A lot was riding on Lee Min Ki’s performance.

Apparently, the fate of the commercial would be decided by his acting skills.

Even if it wasn’t perfect, they could always reshoot, but the foundation had to be solid.

‘He needs to give us something to work with.’

Director Kwon Ye Rin hoped Lee Min Ki would at least do well enough not to be embarrassing.

Tock! Clang.

At that moment, the can fell to the floor and rolled away, and Lee Min Ki loosened the tie around his neck and tossed it to the ground.

Step.

Simultaneously, he shoved one hand into the pocket of his suit pants and started walking down the corridor in his dress shoes.

And then.

‘Huh?’

Director Kwon Ye Rin’s eyes widened.

‘Is that the same guy from before?’

All he did was get up from the chair.

In just a fleeting moment.

In the blink of an eye, Lee Min Ki’s presence completely changed.

‘Were his shoulders always that broad?’

His hunched back suddenly spread wide like a manta ray, filling the set in an instant.

‘That jawline is sharp.’

His previously slackened jawline tightened.

Confidence began to radiate.

Shk.

Lee Min Ki slicked back his hair with one hand.

The pre-set parting revealed a cool, confident forehead.

He rolled up his sleeves.

His muscular forearms, which had already shown their strength in Forever Green, were revealed.

A metal watch on his wrist boasted its thickness.

And then.

‘His expression is so composed.’

Even his face had changed.

His eyebrows lowered.

The drooping corners of his eyes lifted.

His eyes became larger.

His protruding lips receded inward.

With each step Lee Min Ki took, it was as if the man himself was ascending an escalator, changing stage by stage.

By the time he had confidently strode about ten steps from where he had been a timid new employee just moments ago, he had transformed into the hidden heir of the company’s chairman.

‘Damn.’

‘That confidence is explosive.’

‘That style suits him too.’

‘Is he really the same guy from before?’

As the set crew marveled at Lee Min Ki’s transformation.

With the click-clacking sound of his shoes, Lee Min Ki had already walked up to the manager’s desk and called out with a clear voice.

“Excuse me, Manager.”

The next moment.

A pile of documents crashed down onto the manager’s desk.

They were the ones the manager had left earlier.

“Let’s split the work.”

“….”

The manager looked down at the scattered documents, his chubby chin hanging open in disbelief.

It was as if something that should never have happened in this world had just occurred.

As he alternated between looking at the documents and Lee Min Ki, his forehead began to twitch uncontrollably.

“Cut!”

Director Kwon Ye Rin’s voice rang loudly across the set.

At the same time, the tension, which had been taut like a string pulled tight, snapped like an arrow loosed from a bow.

‘Did it work?’

Lee Min Ki flinched.

Acting out a scene where a person changes completely after drinking a single cup of coffee.

He had practiced it to the best of his ability, but it was such a unique performance that even he wasn’t entirely sure.

Thump, thump.

As time passed with his heart pounding like a hammer.

Director Kwon Ye Rin beamed brightly and shouted.

“Min Ki, you’re a genius!”

“….”

It seemed he’d done well.

Finally relaxing, Lee Min Ki let out a long breath and said.

“…Thank, you.”

Oops, he bit his tongue.

His face flushed again as his tongue slipped from the lingering tension.

Embarrassing.

He had done it at the academy too, and now, after doing everything well on set, he’d made this kind of mistake at the last moment.

‘Ahhhh.’

It was so embarrassing, with everyone watching.

But did you know?

Mistakes, depending on the circumstances and the person who makes them, can result in completely different outcomes.

‘Did he just bite his tongue?’

Small laughs began to spread among the crew.

‘He has that side to him too?’

‘I was a little intimidated by his acting just now, but he’s still cute.’

‘I think I’m going to become a fan of Lee Min Ki from today.’

Director Kwon Ye Rin, who was about to burst into laughter along with the others, barely suppressed it at the last second and said.

“You did so well. Let’s shoot from a different angle now.”

* * *

That evening.

“We’ll make it good enough to submit to Cannes (one of the top three international advertising festivals).”

With Director Kwon Ye Rin’s confident voice, the shoot wrapped up.

“Haha, isn’t Cannes a bit of a stretch though?”

“Why? We could make it if we try.”

Was it really that easy?

The number of Korean actors who made it to Cannes could be counted on one hand.

‘It would be great if I could be one of them, but….’

Well, it still felt like a star far too distant to aim for.

It wasn’t that Lee Min Ki was underestimating himself, but Cannes was simply the dream of everyone in this industry.

On the other hand, Director Kwon Ye Rin’s expression was filled with excitement.

The cold, aloof attitude she’d had when they first met was nowhere to be seen.

“I was so surprised today, you know? You did so well, Min Ki. Usually, new actors struggle a bit… Well, not that this is something I should be telling you. Anyway, look forward to it.”

“I’ll trust you, Director.”

Lee Min Ki let out a small chuckle as he tried to gather his surprised feelings.

‘Can people really change like that?’

She seemed so thrilled.

Her enthusiasm was almost tangible.

But this was the kind of relationship a director and an actor were supposed to have.

Like a craftsman rejoicing over finding a good tool, for a director, a great actor becomes their muse.

For Director Kwon Ye Rin, Lee Min Ki was an actor who inspired her creativity.

Of course.

“When I make my debut as a director one day, I’ll have to reach out to actor Lee Min Ki.”

This was also the case for other staff members.

All day, Lee Min Ki was the topic of conversation among them.

Mostly in a positive light.

“Idiot, by then, would actor Lee Min Ki even be at the level where he’d agree to work with you?”

“Well, who says I can’t reach out to Hollywood actors?”

Among them was someone who didn’t just talk but mustered up the courage to act.

“Mr. Actor, we’re all going out for dinner tonight. Would you like to join us?”

“Ah, I’m sorry. I have a workout appointment later.”

“Wow… self-discipline.”

Of course, summoning the courage didn’t always yield results.

Even being rejected didn’t necessarily lead to bad feelings.

“Now I see why he has such a great body, thanks to his discipline.”

“Not just anyone can be an actor.”

“That guy is going to be successful.”

With that, Lee Min Ki left the drinking party behind and walked out of the studio feeling lighter.

After all, he was heading to exercise.

His gym trainer from [Gym Near My Home], Trainer Kwon, was even coming for a personal training session, so he couldn’t just skip it.

In the past, he might’ve tried to find an excuse if he really couldn’t make it, but now there wasn’t even room for that.

‘Busy, busy.’

He’d just drop off his stuff at home and head out immediately.

It was while Lee Min Ki was walking through the alley near his apartment with that thought in mind.

“….”

Somewhere in that alley.

About twenty meters away, a suspicious man was standing.

His hoodie pulled down low.

Holding something wrapped in newspaper in one hand.

‘Is that… what I think it is?’

As Lee Min Ki tensed up.

The other person thought.

‘Found you, Lee Min Ki.’

Finally, they had crossed paths.