Top Star by Luck

Chapter 10

Jam Acting School.

A prestigious acting school located in Mapo-gu.

It produced outstanding results, rivaling even well-known theater and film departments.

[Unleash your dream of becoming an actor with Jam Acting School!]

[Join Jam Acting School alongside thousands of seniors!]

Wherever you went, there were actors who graduated from Jam Acting School.

Thanks to their strong bonds, they even had their own network.

The reason why such a small academy could achieve such success was due to its strict winner-takes-all structure.

[Full scholarship for outstanding students!]

[Let’s go the extra mile with the debut preparation class!]

The director of the school, Director Park, had recently been feeling anxious.

‘Could he actually pass?’

It was all because of Lee Min Ki.

Not long ago, Director Park made a bet with Trainer Kim Ah Sung.

The bet was whether or not Lee Min Ki would pass the audition for Daon Entertainment.

Honestly, he didn’t think there was even the slightest chance of him passing.

Why, you ask?

Lee Min Ki was so lacking in skill that it was faster to count from the bottom!

[Pfft.]

[He fell again.]

[Why is he so awkward?]

Though he was in the debut preparation class, no one genuinely believed he could debut.

At best, he’d get a minor role.

If he was incredibly lucky, maybe a supporting role in a web drama.

That was the kind of person Lee Min Ki was.

To anyone with an eye for acting, he was someone you couldn’t help but look down on.

But recently, he had changed a bit.

“Ugh.”

After watching the rehearsal room for a moment from the hallway, Director Park let out a long sigh.

‘As expected, his skills have improved drastically.’

The moment he saw Lee Min Ki’s acting, he realized it.

His improvement was incomparable to just a short while ago.

His previously awkward acting now had life, and his mistakes had significantly decreased.

His previously sluggish movements now showed a hint of sharpness.

This change had occurred in just a month.

‘No matter how much acting improvement happens in steps, can it happen this fast?’

While he was secretly watching Lee Min Ki’s acting—

“Huh? Director?”

Flinch.

At the voice from behind, Director Park stiffened.

Turning around hastily, he saw a casually dressed man grinning mischievously.

“Oh, good morning.”

“What’s the matter so early in the morning?”

With a chuckle, the man glanced toward the rehearsal room and spoke.

“Aha, could it be?”

“……!”

Director Park scowled, trying to hide his embarrassment, and said,

“I was just passing by. It’s my academy; can’t I walk around wherever I want?”

“Of course, it’s your academy, Director. What does it matter who’s doing what, right?”

Director Park’s blood pressure began to rise.

Trainer Kim Ah Sung, enjoying Director Park’s reaction, chuckled and said,

“He’s doing well, right? Min Ki.”

“……”

“He’s incredibly diligent. Every morning, he comes in one or two hours earlier than everyone else to practice something. I even heard he’s been going to the gym these days. Wow, you don’t often find someone working as hard as him, even among professionals.”

“……”

“How does he do it? He’s a beast, a real beast.”

“……Ahem!”

Unable to listen anymore, Director Park subtly moved away and said,

“I don’t care!”

“Yes, yes. Take care.”

As he walked briskly away, almost fleeing, a thought crossed Director Park’s mind.

‘Lee Min Ki, could he really pass the audition at Daon Entertainment?’

As an academy, it would be a cause for celebration.

Daon Entertainment was a top-tier agency in the entire industry, and having a successful auditionee from the academy would be an excellent achievement.

But he had made a bet with Trainer Kim Ah Sung.

He had to pay him a scholarship.

It wasn’t that he regretted the money.

It was just… it was just that he couldn’t quite explain the strange feeling inside of him.

‘What should I call this feeling?’

Director Park didn’t know.

He hadn’t realized that, deep inside, he was beginning to root for Lee Min Ki.

He had ignored him for so long that accepting this change was difficult.

On top of that—

‘That guy’s probably thrilled beyond belief.’

Just thinking of Trainer Kim Ah Sung’s smug face was enough to irritate him.

It was as he walked on.

“Oh, it’s the Director.”

He ran into another person.

This time, it was Kim Tak, a guy with dyed yellow hair.

‘This student…’

He was someone who usually didn’t put in any effort and often skipped classes.

To put it bluntly, he was lazy.

He seemed to have talent, but he didn’t try.

His family was supposedly quite wealthy.

Yet, recently, he hadn’t missed a single class and even came in for morning self-practice every day.

“……Keep up the hard work.”

“Oh! Thank you!! Have a great morning, Director!”

He was overly enthusiastic for no reason.

* * *

Did you know?

Time spent diligently passes unusually quickly.

Ten hours feels like one, a week like a day, and a month like it was just yesterday.

Perhaps it’s true that the happiest moments slip by in an instant.

That’s how it had been for Lee Min Ki recently.

Morning self-practice, afternoon academy classes, and late-night gym sessions.

As he repeated these three routines, the day he had been eagerly waiting for finally arrived.

‘Today’s the day.’

As he opened his eyes that morning, endorphins surged through Lee Min Ki’s mind.

‘Just five hours until the Daon Entertainment audition. Time to shower, eat, and stretch a bit before heading out.’

The audition was set for 11 a.m.

But as always, Lee Min Ki woke up at 6 a.m.

It took time for the body, relaxed from sleep, to regain its energy, and it was important to be prepared for any unforeseen emergencies.

He had synchronized his body clock to match Daon Entertainment’s schedule.

Ssshh!

As water poured over him, Lee Min Ki mentally reviewed the acting he would perform today.

‘What I’ve done so far isn’t bad. But let’s make it a bit sneakier.’

An actor must know how to monitor themselves.

Like a seasoned engineer analyzing a vehicle’s parts, Lee Min Ki constantly pondered his own strengths and weaknesses.

Each morning, he refined the acting he would perform that day.

[7:30 a.m.]

Fully awake, Lee Min Ki tightly tied the laces of his sneakers.

‘It takes about an hour to walk from home to the Daon Entertainment audition hall. It’s a good distance to jog.’

Since then, he wasn’t sure.

But starting his mornings with a jog to his destination had become part of his routine.

He no longer worried about twisting his ankle while running.

He didn’t feel anxious.

Instead, he had come to enjoy the mild muscle aches.

‘I’ve changed a lot.’

Screech!

As he opened the door and ran along the riverside, Lee Min Ki thought to himself.

‘I have a good feeling.’

Unlike the bustling roads from earlier, his legs felt fantastic as they ran freely, unhindered.

The fresh morning air that filled his lungs seemed to promise him a bright future.

He had a gut feeling that he would pass the Daon Entertainment audition.

What had once been a distant dream now felt like a reality right in front of him.

‘I’ve done everything I could.’

He had spent a fulfilling month under the guidance of a good teacher.

At first, Kim Tak and Yoo Seon Ah had been uncomfortable to work with, but they had become a good benchmark to keep him focused.

‘Alright, almost there.’

Lost in thought, he had run for quite a while.

Before he knew it, he had reached his destination.

“Whew.”

Exhaling a hot breath, Lee Min Ki came to a stop.

The uphill path from the riverside walk shone like the road to the future.

Once again, he had a good feeling.

* * *

Daon Entertainment.

Shortened to Daon.

A prestigious agency that had solidified its place in the Korean entertainment industry.

Every aspiring actor dreamed of joining this place at least once, but those in the know were aware of one of its lesser-known traits.

What was it, you ask?

– Daon Entertainment? Do they even hire people there?

They rarely recruited.

Within the industry, Daon was known as an elite, selective company.

– Daon only keeps the best of the best.

– They rarely sign contracts, right?

Of course, many companies claimed to be elite.

But in most cases, it was because they couldn’t expand, as they only had a few star actors.

However, Daon Entertainment was different.

They truly pursued an elite, selective strategy.

They valued the freedom of their actors more than profit-making activities.

In a capitalist society, this kind of company seemed questionable, causing fans to speculate about the agency.

– They rarely hold open auditions and only recruit through famous celebrity connections.

– It’s like their own exclusive league.

– My sister works in an agency, and she said you can only get into Daon through introductions.

– How does a company even operate like that?

Despite the good rumors, the reality was a bit different.

– The CEO’s a gangster.

The CEO was a thug.

A gangster boss who had made a fortune through loan sharking and entertainment clubs ran Daon Entertainment like a live-action actor training game, funded by his money.

Why didn’t they recruit more actors?

Because the CEO collected actors like they were his personal favorites.

It was as simple as that.

They didn’t bring in actors just because they were popular or expensive.

Everything, from start to finish, depended on the CEO’s preferences.

– Daon Entertainment? They’re ridiculously picky.

– The CEO’s built his own little kingdom.

– What’s the point of holding auditions if they don’t even hire anyone?

– Daon made me wait two hours for a meeting; it was a first for me.

Because of this, insiders who knew the truth often gossiped about it behind the scenes.

Regardless, the company was doing well.

The CEO had a surprisingly good eye for things.

Whether it was luck or skill, he had a knack for succeeding, which only fueled the positive rumors.

That’s how it was in this industry.

Information always circulated secretly, and if you weren’t part of the main circle, there were limits to what you could find out.

For someone like Lee Min Ki, who was at best a supporting actor or usually a minor role, it was even worse.

That was why the employees at Daon were on edge.

“Is the CEO still not here?”

“Ugh, where the heck is he?!”

The CEO was notorious for doing whatever he wanted.

Kim Jong Hyuk, the executive in charge of today’s audition, was also screaming out in frustration.

“When did the audition start? How can he just disappear without a word?”

“Is his phone off?”

“His phone’s off! He’s not even checking his messages! I’m going to lose my mind!”

Three judges were supposed to handle today’s audition: Director Kim Jong Hyuk, the CEO, and the head of the management team.

But the most important judge, the CEO, was nowhere to be found.

Sure, the remaining two could pick someone, but it wasn’t that simple.

‘If the CEO doesn’t like someone, it doesn’t matter who we choose.’

That’s how dysfunctional Daon Entertainment’s structure was.

In other areas, they respected the employees’ discretion as much as possible, but when it came to signing actors, it was a different story.

If they brought in someone the CEO didn’t like, there was no telling what kind of backlash they’d face later.

‘Is this how you’re going to be?’

Even for this audition, the CEO had shown little interest, and it was only happening because Kim Jong Hyuk had insisted.

If the results weren’t to the CEO’s liking, he’d probably find something to complain about.

But the audition had to go on.

They couldn’t turn away the people who had come this far.

After a long deliberation—

“Raise the bar.”

Kim Jong Hyuk finally made a decision.

“Only pick two people who are truly exceptional. Reject the rest.”

“Wait, just two?”

At the incredulous voice, Kim Jong Hyuk replied coldly.

“It’s better not to pick anyone than to choose poorly. Unless they’re extraordinarily talented.”