Top Star by Luck

Chapter 23

‘No way, this is way too fast, isn’t it?’

At Kim Ah Sung’s words, a rush of heat passed through Lee Min Ki’s head.

‘I knew I’d start getting supporting or minor roles soon, but seriously, starting right on the first day? I haven’t even had 24 hours since I got the audition results!’

But regardless of what he thought, Kim Ah Sung didn’t care much.

He simply yawned leisurely and continued speaking.

“So, what?”

“Well, it’s just… a bit overwhelming.”

“What’s there to be overwhelmed about? Judging by your usual performance, I don’t see any reason why you wouldn’t do well. It’s not like you’re being cast as the lead in a huge production or anything. It’s just a minor role in a typical drama.”

“…”

“Min Ki, listen carefully. Being humble is good, but underestimating yourself is a different story. From now on, have confidence.”

Who said anything about confidence?

It wasn’t about lacking confidence. He was just startled by the sudden job offer.

Lee Min Ki gazed at Kim Ah Sung with a half-lidded stare, but Kim Ah Sung, looking proud as if he had just uttered a profound truth, continued.

“The genre is a campus romance comedy. It’s a cable drama airing on TVM right now, and it’s doing quite well. It’s pretty popular.”

“Isn’t that the Campus Story drama?”

“Oh? You know it?”

Kim Ah Sung’s face showed a hint of surprise.

“The ratings aren’t great, and mostly women watch it.”

“I try to keep up with as many shows as I can.”

To be exact, he had seen it a long time ago.

About seven years ago, to be exact.

‘Campus Story, huh? It wasn’t that highly rated because they used mostly rookie actors, but the production quality was quite good, and it’s been remembered as a classic over time.’

What was the plot again?

Wasn’t it about a guy who joins a folk guitar club at college?

The male lead lies about knowing how to play the guitar to impress a girl he likes, and then hastily starts learning it. That kind of story.

It was a light-hearted romance.

‘More than light-hearted, it was pretty cheesy. I remember there were a lot of cringey scenes too. Like the male lead confessing with flowers and candles everywhere.’

As Kim Ah Sung had mentioned, the show was especially popular among female viewers in their teens and twenties.

In contrast, it was almost completely ignored by the older audience.

“Come to think of it, didn’t you say something similar during the audition?”

Kim Ah Sung nodded as if understanding Min Ki’s vague comment.

“So, are you going or not? They’re in a rush. If you’re not going, we need to tell them, so they can make other arrangements. They’ve already mentioned bringing in a promising rookie.”

Wow, that’s impressive.

He had already finished the conversation without even consulting him.

But, whatever.

Who was he to turn down work as a rookie?

‘And if it’s Campus Story, that’s a show I actually liked. This works out well.’

Besides, it was a minor role, so there wouldn’t be too much pressure.

Lee Min Ki let out a tiny sigh and replied.

“I’ll go.”

“Great. It’s within walking distance, so let’s head out right away.”

The two of them packed up their things and rushed out of the practice room.

As they left, Yoo Seon Ah, who had been watching them go, muttered to herself.

“…I’m so jealous.”

“If you’re jealous, you should nail your next audition.”

“Tak, I told you to read the room.”

“Oh, right.”

* * *

Campus Story.

On the surface, it seemed to be sailing along with decent ratings, but the reality was far more chaotic.

‘There’s no time! No time!’

They were scrambling, rushing to film minute by minute, second by second.

Their stockpile of footage had run dry long ago.

If they stumbled even once, it would be like falling off a cliff.

That was no exaggeration.

‘And now we’ve got a hole in the schedule.’

On top of everything, a minor actor had been rushed to the hospital with acute appendicitis.

Even though it was a minor role, the character was important enough to straddle the line between a supporting and a minor role.

In other words, they couldn’t just grab anyone to fill the spot.

Park Yoo Chan, the PD responsible for this project, was on the verge of losing his mind.

Why?

Because Campus Story was his directorial debut.

Casting actors was one of the basics for any PD.

If something went wrong here, it would be like broadcasting his incompetence to the world.

‘This is driving me crazy. JC said they’d send a rookie, but still…’

They had already delayed the filming order to buy some time, but even that would soon hit its limit.

“We need to start filming soon. If we’re going to move to the next scene, it has to be now.”

The assistant director was urging him to begin.

Even if they finished filming, the editing team still needed time to work, so there was no room left to delay.

It would be great if they could cut the scene.

But for a rookie PD to meddle with the script of a famous writer would be a career suicide.

‘The universe is really out to get me.’

Park Yoo Chan was in the middle of pacing back and forth when—

“PD.”

A man approached him abruptly and spoke.

He looked like the cockiest man in the world.

“I’m from JC Entertainment.”

It was Kim Ah Sung.

He pushed Lee Min Ki forward with his palm and said, “I already contacted you. This is the guy.”

“What’s his name?”

“Lee Min Ki. This should be his first appearance in a production, right? Am I right?”

“Uh, yeah. Yes, that’s right.”

Seeing how clumsy he was acting, the wrinkles on PD Park Yoo Chan’s forehead deepened even further.

‘Lee Min Ki? Never heard of him. He looks decent enough, but why is he acting so awkward? Is he really a total newbie? JC is known for managing their actors well…’

The role they needed to fill wasn’t just any minor role.

It was one close to being a supporting character.

The role was crucial to the episode: a teaching assistant who antagonizes the female lead and stirs tension between her and the male lead.

They couldn’t just cast anyone for this.

‘Hmm, his face is a little too soft for a villain, though.’

After a brief internal debate, Park Yoo Chan made a decision.

‘There’s no time left anyway. We’ll just go with it. If it really doesn’t work out, I’ll have to beg the writer to adjust the script.’

With that, he handed Lee Min Ki over to the assistant director.

“Let’s move quickly. Get him the script first.”

He wasn’t expecting much.

He just hoped they could somehow get through one scene.

That was all Park Yoo Chan wanted from Lee Min Ki.

And then.

“Huh?”

It didn’t take long for his expectations to be surprisingly overturned.

* * *

The scene they were shooting for Campus Story was about this:

The female lead, Kim Ha Na, was struggling to juggle her college life while living in poverty.

If she missed even one semester of scholarship, she’d have to take a leave of absence and work to earn money.

Her nerves were on edge.

On top of that, her relationship with the male lead was in ruins.

Pushing her to her limits was the teaching assistant, Lee Nam Wook.

But the actor set to play Lee Nam Wook had just been rushed to the hospital with acute appendicitis.

Even if it was a minor role, they couldn’t cast just anyone.

No one expected anything from Lee Min Ki as they anxiously hoped he’d just manage to get through the scene.

But then—

‘Who is this guy?’

Suddenly, there was a shift in the atmosphere on set.

“I already explained everything during our meeting yesterday. If you need a recommendation letter, you’ll have to contact the professor directly. I don’t have the authority.”

“But isn’t the professor overseas and completely unreachable right now?”

“Yes, exactly, so there’s nothing I can do.”

“Is this even fair?”

The rookie actor, Lee Min Ki, was delivering his lines flawlessly.

Just a few minutes ago, he seemed like the most naive person in the world.

But now—

“Ha… Honestly, is it my fault that you can’t get a recommendation letter? It’s not, right?”

He had transformed into the most irritating person alive.

He had only changed his clothes and read the script for a few minutes, yet he had become the very embodiment of the teaching assistant character.

His rude, unkind demeanor was perfect for the role.

“Should I write you a recommendation letter? And if I get fired for document forgery, then what?”

“Can’t you just put in a word with the professor…?”

“How many times do I have to say the same thing? He’s not available! I have a ton of work to do too, you know. Look, I get it. I really do! But I can’t spend all day dealing with just this. Do you think standing here is going to solve anything?”

Every single line, not one bit of it sounded like it was coming from a rookie.

People watching were left with the urge to punch him in the face.

Normally, even a slight awkwardness in a rookie’s performance would stand out, but with Lee Min Ki, everything felt completely natural.

Park Yoo Chan PD blinked in disbelief at what he was seeing.

‘Is he really new to acting? How

is he this stable? I would’ve been happy if he just didn’t mess up the lines…’

And it was for a villain role, no less.

The success of a drama often depends on the villain’s performance, and Lee Min Ki’s acting was as polished as a ripe apple.

Of course, this was only natural.

After all, it wasn’t his first time acting.

More than 90% of Lee Min Ki’s unofficial acting career had been filled with minor roles.

‘This is a blessing.’

He was beyond happy, even thrilled.

‘I thought it’d just be a quick one-off role with a few lines, but this character actually has quite a bit of screen time.’

In the past, his roles had been like this:

Charging headfirst into a battlefield in a historical drama, only to get stabbed and collapse.

Getting shot while chasing the main character.

Ordering a coffee in a café, standing in line before the lead.

Just fleeting background roles.

But now, even though it was still a minor role, he was interacting directly with the lead actors.

‘This is amazing.’

Grateful for the opportunity, he put all his energy into his performance.

“And as for that recommendation letter… Ha, if you were cutting it close to the deadline, you should’ve applied earlier. Am I wrong?”

Of course, his character was still irritating.

The staff watching couldn’t help but think.

‘…He’s actually pretty handsome.’

Despite his annoying behavior, his good looks still shone through.

How should they put it?

If he was that annoying in real life, maybe they wouldn’t mind experiencing it once.

No, they’d even welcome it!

And it wasn’t just his face. His clothes somehow looked exceptionally good on him too.

‘If I’d had a teaching assistant like him when I was in college, I’d have studied way harder… Wait, that’s not the point.’

‘He must’ve been really popular as a student.’

Even though he was playing a villain, his tired-looking eyes drew people in, mesmerizing them.

Watching Lee Min Ki effortlessly become the hero of the moment on set, PD Park Yoo Chan thought to himself.

‘I don’t know… Ending this character as just a minor role feels like a waste.’