Top Star by Luck

Chapter 13

“How could he be late? Is the sun about to rise in the west or something? What happens if the sun rises in the west? Does the Earth come to an end?”

Kim Tak rattled off random words, barely stopping for breath.

Surprisingly, Yoo Seon Ah, who usually only countered his words, nodded in agreement.

“……Exactly. Is the world coming to an end? How could Min Ki be late?”

Lee Min Ki was late.

For most people, being late wouldn’t be a big deal. But Lee Min Ki was no ordinary person.

If Lee Min Ki was late, it was a big deal.

“He’s always the first to arrive. Hmm.”

“I thought that guy practically lived here.”

That’s because he was the one who always showed up first and grabbed a free coffee.

Yoo Seon Ah, as if witnessing a rare phenomenon like the Earth spinning in reverse, let out a brief groan and said,

“There’s only one reason Min Ki wouldn’t come today.”

Recently, there had been one big topic of conversation among them.

And that was—

“Looks like he was really shocked after failing the audition.”

Lee Min Ki had failed the audition at Daon Entertainment.

Yoo Seon Ah slapped both her cheeks as she spoke.

“Well, the teacher always nags him every day, but he wanted to get into Daon so badly, and he worked really hard, so it’s not that strange.”

She murmured, as if she was as shocked by his failure as if it had been her own.

Seeing her like that, Kim Tak, looking puzzled, asked,

“Then why aren’t you affected? You were rejected too.”

“…You always have to phrase it like that.”

“Oh, sorry.”

Kim Tak quickly covered his mouth.

Yoo Seon Ah glared at him like he was annoying and said,

“I didn’t really care either way about getting into Daon.”

“Why?”

“As long as you’ve got the skills as an actor, you can make it anywhere. It’s all up to you.”

“Oh wow, I’ve learned something new from you, Seon Ah.”

Kim Tak nodded sincerely, as if truly impressed by her mindset, then asked,

“Then, Min Ki is different?”

“For Min Ki… it was the first real chance he had in a long time. He kept getting rejected even at the application stage. He worked really hard, ever since his first day at the academy.”

Yoo Seon Ah remembered Lee Min Ki on his first day at the academy.

He wasn’t good at acting, but he worked incredibly hard, and that left an impression on her.

They hadn’t really interacted much because they didn’t have much in common, but she was always aware of how hard he worked.

When they were all focused on Daon Entertainment as a common goal, she was so happy it almost felt like her own success.

“In any era, hard-working people deserve to be rewarded.”

It was only natural to root for him as a fellow human being.

Yoo Seon Ah added one more thing.

“And he’s handsome.”

“So that was important.”

“Of course! He’s an actor, isn’t he? Good looks are a talent too. More than that, aren’t you sad? You were closer to Min Ki than I was.”

Not really.

They weren’t particularly close.

At least, that’s what Lee Min Ki thought, but it didn’t matter.

In Yoo Seon Ah’s eyes, they seemed close.

Even Kim Tak himself thought he was close to Lee Min Ki.

“Ah, of course, I’m devastated! I’ve been rooting for him so hard. Man, our Min Ki’s gotten really good these days. Daon must’ve been blind.”

“This is a serious issue, so don’t joke about it.”

“I’m not joking at all.”

Kim Tak was serious this time.

Since he had always been skeptical about Lee Min Ki, he couldn’t help but feel a subtle sense of disappointment at his failure.

‘What if he doesn’t show up because he’s too shocked?’

That would be boring.

What’s the point of coming to the academy if he wasn’t there?

As the two of them were lost in their thoughts, the door creaked open.

A tall figure appeared.

“Hoo…”

It was Lee Min Ki.

It seemed like he had run to get here, as a small heat radiated from his body.

His appearance made both of their eyes widen in surprise.

“What’s wrong?”

Seeing their startled faces, Lee Min Ki looked confused and asked,

“Do I have something on my face?”

“No, it’s not that. We’re just happy to see you.”

“I’m the last to arrive today. I’ll go get some coffee.”

“I’ll have a hibiscus ade, and upsize it, please.”

“…….”

She really doesn’t hesitate to order the most expensive things.

Lee Min Ki sighed quietly to himself and asked,

“Sure. How about you, Seon Ah?”

“Oh, I can pay for mine.”

“It’s fine. I’ve been getting free coffee from you guys for a while.”

“…Then I’ll have an iced Americano.”

“I’ll be back soon.”

After dropping off his bag, Lee Min Ki quickly left the practice room.

His bright demeanor caught the two of them by surprise, and they quickly put their heads together.

“Is that guy okay?”

Kim Tak whispered in a shocked voice.

“He seems too cheerful, and it’s making me nervous.”

“Maybe he’s acting like that because he’s in shock? You know how it is. You seem fine at first, but then a few days later, it really hits you.”

“He’s pretending to be okay. Isn’t this a sign of depression?”

“I don’t know, but just in case, you should be careful with what you say today, Tak.”

“Why me?”

“Weren’t you about to suggest seeing a psychiatrist?”

“Busted.”

While the two of them whispered, Lee Min Ki’s thoughts were simple.

‘It feels refreshing.’

He didn’t feel bad at all.

Sure, he had failed the audition at Daon Entertainment.

But it wasn’t as if his life had fallen apart because of it.

‘I gave it my all.’

He wasn’t the type of person to be crushed by a single failure.

He had done his best.

He had prepared well under a good teacher, and he had improved during the process.

Lee Min Ki was content with just that.

Even though he had failed the audition, he had shown 100% of the performance he had prepared, with no regrets.

There was no reason to get down over one rejection when he had gained so much from the experience.

‘I’m used to failure.’

He felt disappointed, sure.

But being disappointed and being devastated were two very different things.

Even if it wasn’t Daon Entertainment, there would be other opportunities.

From now on, he just needed to prepare for those moments.

‘Alright, let’s work hard again.’

As he stepped outside the building, intending to walk to the café, something unexpected happened.

“Oh.”

“Huh?”

In the first-floor lobby, he ran into someone by chance.

A man who looked more suited to the word “unemployed” than “teacher”—Trainer Kim Ah Sung.

“Oh, Min Ki!”

Kim Ah Sung waved first and casually walked over.

“You look better than I expected. I was worried you’d be down and moping around like laundry hanging to dry.”

“…It’s all in the past now.”

“Right?”

Kim Ah Sung shook his head and said,

“Daon Entertainment isn’t all that. Just forget about it. They say setbacks can be opportunities, don’t they? When a junk car goes, a Benz comes.”

Was this supposed to be comforting?

Lee Min Ki smiled wryly at Trainer Kim Ah Sung, who had consistently criticized Daon Entertainment since their first meeting.

‘It’s easier to deal with him casually like this, rather than when he gets serious.’

As he was already planning to buy coffee, he thought he might as well get an extra one for Kim.

“And so, I brought a Benz.”

A Benz?

Despite the odd metaphor, a small glimmer of hope flickered in Lee Min Ki’s mind.

Trainer Kim Ah Sung, speaking in a cryptic tone, said,

“Want to hear about it? Over coffee.”

* * *

While sitting awkwardly in the café, the vibration bell rang.

“Ah.”

“I’ll get it.”

While Kim Ah Sung went to pick up the coffee, Lee Min Ki sighed deeply, feeling a bit relieved.

‘A Benz, huh.’

What in the world was he planning to say?

There was an air of mystery surrounding the whole situation.

His thoughts wandered, and his curiosity grew.

‘Is he going to introduce me to a company?’

No way.

Even he had to laugh at the ridiculousness of his own thought.

Did he really think they had become so close after just a month of lessons?

Trainer Kim Ah Sung was a well-known figure in the industry.

He probably had so many students that he couldn’t even remember all their names.

‘Let’s not get my hopes up.’

The higher the expectation, the greater the disappointment.

After all, disappointment only comes when you expect something.

‘Maybe he’s just going to give me a gift. Like a phone case, or a monthly subscription to Netflix. Maybe a movie coupon.’

He lowered his expectations.

Just as he was bracing himself, Kim Ah Sung returned and slid a cup of coffee toward him.

“Ah, thank y—”

“I don’t have much time, so I’ll get straight to the point.”

He wasn’t going to make small talk first?

He was getting right to it?

A few tense seconds passed, feeling as if time had stopped.

Then, the words that came out of Kim Ah Sung’s mouth hit Lee Min Ki like a hammer.

“Do you want to join JC?”

“Cough!”

It was an offer to join JC.

Lee Min Ki choked in shock.

“Cough! Ugh! Cough, cough.”

He couldn’t stop coughing.

Since his luck had returned, he hadn’t had this kind of choking fit before.

It seemed this situation was beyond even his newfound good fortune.

‘Wait, did he just ask if I wanted to join JC? Just like that?’

It was only natural for him to be shocked.

Even after he finally managed to calm himself down, his heart wouldn’t stop racing.

Was his reaction funny?

Trainer Kim Ah Sung laughed until tears welled up, wiping his eyes as he spoke.

“Min Ki, why are you so surprised?”

“No! Cough! How can you just casually say something like that without warning?”

“What do you mean, ‘without warning’? I told you.”

“Huh?”

Kim Ah Sung furrowed his brows, picking at his ear with one finger, and said,

“Don’t you remember? I said when a junk car goes, a Benz comes.”

“……”

“If Daon is the junk car, then obviously the Benz is another company. I thought you were smarter than this, Min Ki.”

Well, that’s true.

But who calls Daon a junk car?

Isn’t Daon one of the top three agencies, even on a bad day?

‘Stay calm. Stay calm. You know what kind of personality your teacher has. Arguing won’t get you anywhere.’

Lee Min Ki told himself.

Just like in acting, he tried to relax, emptying his mind to calm himself.

‘Nope, it’s not working.’

It wasn’t working.

With each repeated thought, his heart raced even faster.

JC.

Not just any agency, but JC.

JC wasn’t just a simple entertainment agency.

Its financial power and sheer size were so immense that even saying they had competitors felt like an insult.

Calling it an agency didn’t quite do it justice; it was more accurate to describe it as a media conglomerate.

And here he was, suddenly offered a chance to join.

‘Am I dreaming?’

He had thought that his luck had run out after being rejected by Daon, but apparently, it hadn’t.

As Lee Min Ki struggled to control his racing heart, Trainer Kim Ah Sung sipped his coffee and said,

“I’ve told you many times, Daon isn’t such a great place.”

“Hmm, yeah. I thought you were joking.”

“I don’t joke about that kind of thing in front of aspiring actors. If the word gets out wrong, I could get blacklisted in the industry.”

Trainer Kim Ah Sung spoke in a calm tone.

“Of course, even if I introduce you to JC, it doesn’t mean you’ll automatically sign a contract. There’s a process.”

“A process?”

So, there was something else after all?

As soon as the doubt crept in, Trainer Kim Ah Sung swirled his coffee and said,

“Yeah, there’s a process that not even someone as amazing as me can bypass.”