Top Star by Luck

Chapter 9

Kim Ah Sung, the trainer, chuckled and said,

“Really? Then let’s see it.”

It was a somewhat provocative remark.

Hearing that he had to show something, Lee Min Ki blinked and asked,

“…You want me to show you?”

“Why, wasn’t that what you were so confident about? You said you wanted to. You said you wanted to try playing a thug. Then show me.”

Kim Ah Sung said this with a smirk.

Unlike the respect he had seemed to show for his choice earlier, there was now a hint of mockery in his tone.

“You said it yourself that you wanted to walk a difficult path, Min Ki. But there’s a fine line between courage and recklessness.”

Maintaining his gaze fixed on Lee Min Ki, he continued.

“To succeed at an audition, you need certainty, not just hope. If you’re going to take the risk, prove you have a reason. Not with words, but through your acting.”

Kim Ah Sung’s eyes were cold as he spoke.

He needed to see if Lee Min Ki had the skill to back up his words.

If he wasn’t confident, he should give up and focus on a safer role.

“Why? Are you nervous now that you actually have to do it?”

At this provocation, Kim Tak and Yoo Seon Ah had similar thoughts.

‘Wow, the teacher’s really tough.’

‘Isn’t he basically telling him to give up? Does he really have to go that far?’

Kim Ah Sung’s tone could almost be seen as cruel.

Lee Min Ki was being unreasonably stubborn, so Kim Ah Sung was pushing him hard to break his resolve.

In part, it was intentional.

However, if one looked deeper, there was more to his words.

‘Show me if you really mean it.’

Kim Ah Sung had expectations for Lee Min Ki.

Considering the natural temperament of someone like Lee Min Ki, choosing to play a thug was almost the right answer.

Almost.

But there still needed to be further proof if this was truly a sincere choice or just a random decision.

After all, even a broken clock is right twice a day.

That’s why Kim Ah Sung wanted to see it with his own eyes.

‘Is this just a bluff, or is there something solid behind his words?’

He couldn’t entirely dismiss the former possibility.

But he hoped it was the latter.

‘If what I said sounds too intimidating to him, it’s better for him to give up here.’

That was Kim Ah Sung’s thought.

As for Lee Min Ki…

‘This is perfect.’

Lee Min Ki thought Kim Ah Sung had just given him an opportunity.

An opportunity to clearly prove his abilities.

“Alright. I’ll show you.”

“Good. How much time do you need to prepare?”

“It’s fine.”

Lee Min Ki declined Kim Ah Sung’s offer of more time.

“I’ve practiced a lot. On my own, whenever I could.”

Since he had been provoked, he needed to respond in kind.

* * *

“Phew.”

Standing up and facing the wall, Lee Min Ki took a deep breath.

‘Can I really pull this off?’

He had accumulated plenty of practice time.

But acting is always a new challenge, no matter how much you practice.

His heart was pounding.

‘A free acting performance… It’s been a while since I’ve done one.’

Once you debut, you mostly do designated performances. Free acting became both a nostalgic and unfamiliar territory.

Free acting meant he could perform any scene from any script he wanted.

Those classic scenes from famous films.

Even just reading the lines alone, you could clearly grasp the character, as if they were coming to life.

But there was one trap in this.

‘You have to fully absorb the lines without being overwhelmed by them.’

You must not be dominated by the script.

It was a dilemma that many rookies faced.

They became too conscious of the script and couldn’t break free from its framework.

‘But a professional can’t let that happen.’

Even when performing the same script, a professional should be able to showcase their unique interpretation.

It’s like when a singer covers someone else’s song.

They must bring out the essence of the original while not resorting to mere imitation.

Whatever song they sing, it has to become their own.

Overcoming this challenge was the first step toward becoming a professional actor.

‘Can I do this properly?’

He had already prepared the script.

One he felt quite confident about.

But instead of jumping straight into the performance, Lee Min Ki paused to calmly picture himself in his mind.

After all, he had changed since his thirties.

And so had his character.

His hair had grown long enough that he would need to visit the salon soon.

His jawline was slim.

His nose wasn’t too high or too low, but he felt confident in its shape.

Overall, his features were delicate.

‘A typical thug portrayal wouldn’t suit me.’

He couldn’t just play a character that looked rough and mean.

His appearance was far from intimidating.

More than that, how could he describe it?

He needed to become a sly, annoying character, like a playboy.

The image of Lee Min Ki slowly transformed in his mind.

‘Got it.’

At some point, his mental image solidified.

Realizing it was time, Lee Min Ki shouted out loud.

“Oh, sister!”

A thug, but specifically a smooth-talking playboy.

Lee Min Ki’s lips curled into a grin that nearly touched his ears.

“You’re here again? Where’s that guy you brought with you last time? Oh, my big mouth.”

A con artist trying to charm a woman out of her money.

That persona was layered over Lee Min Ki’s appearance.

“Haha, today, I’ll treat you to the full course.”

But he wasn’t smooth.

There was still a faint awkwardness in his movements.

Since playing a thug was such an exaggerated performance, there was a slight sense of dissonance.

But to be fair, it was more than enough for an amateur.

At least, that’s how it seemed to Kim Tak and Yoo Seon Ah.

‘Wow, I thought he was such a goody two-shoes, but he has a side like this?’

‘He’s just like Kim Tak!’

But what about Kim Ah Sung, who was no amateur?

‘Something feels lacking.’

There was something unsatisfactory about it.

Of course, Lee Min Ki’s acting was excellent.

For most people, it would have been more than praiseworthy.

But Kim Ah Sung didn’t expect just “good enough” from Lee Min Ki. He wanted him to take it a step further.

‘Is this all? It can’t be.’

Just as doubt crept in…

“…!”

Lee Min Ki’s legs suddenly wobbled.

As if he’d been hit, his body collapsed to the side.

His expression looked confused, as if he had been caught off guard.

He tried to stand up, but fell again, like a fish flopping around.

‘Did he stumble?’

Kim Ah Sung’s eyes flickered.

It was common to make mistakes in a performance, but this wasn’t the best timing.

Even if the fundamentals were good, breaking the flow like that would be a disqualification.

…That’s what he thought, at least.

“Sss.”

Lee Min Ki rubbed his cheek and shouted,

“Hey! Who the hell hit me?”

* * *

In that instant, Kim Ah Sung’s mind spun with confusion.

He thought Lee Min Ki had stumbled, but now he was shouting loudly.

And he was swearing pretty aggressively, too.

While the distraction broke his focus for a moment, Lee Min Ki continued pointing to thin air, shouting again.

“Hey, what’s your deal? Why are you hitting me? You got money? Should I call the cops? Huh? Should I?”

As the voice registered in Kim Ah Sung’s ears, he realized,

‘That was part of the act!’

Even the way he had fallen so naturally was part of the performance.

At that very moment, the thug character in Lee Min Ki’s performance clicked into place in Kim Ah Sung’s mind.

‘This guy’s got something.’

The missing 2% in his acting had now been completed. A vivid realism emerged, and the performance’s immersion took over Kim Ah Sung’s mind.

The moment he shifted from merely evaluating to fully appreciating the performance.

“Damn, that’s embarrassing.”

Lee Min Ki stood up, grimacing as if the fall had truly pained him.

Even as he stood, his legs trembled naturally, like a shaking tree.

‘Wow, the details are amazing.’

Kim Tak silently marveled, anticipating the next part of the performance.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

An alarm rang out loudly.

It signaled that Lee Min Ki’s 1-minute-and-30-second time limit had ended.

“Ah.”

With a lingering sense of regret, the short free performance came to a close.

Lee Min Ki’s thoughts were simple:

‘Oh, crap.’

He was in shock.

‘Talk about bad luck. Why did my legs give out right then?!’

Indeed.

Lee Min Ki’s stumble hadn’t been part of the performance at all.

It was simply because his muscles were still sore from the leg workout he had done the previous day.

Everything after that was pure ad-lib.

He had lightly cramped up, tried to stand up again, and then fell again.

His pained expression was because he really was in pain, and his swearing was half genuine, too.

‘You idiot! They offered to give you more time. Why did you say you were ready right away?!’

He knew the reason. He had thought it would look cool.

Responding to a challenge with confidence.

Because that was what being cool meant.

Of course, coolness and embarrassment are separated by a fine line.

‘Ugh!’

He felt so embarrassed that his face was burning.

Even though the performance was over, his mind was full of regrets.

If he could turn back time, he’d do it all over again.

But it was too late for that.

Much too late.

“…”

“…”

Looking around, the atmosphere had visibly stiffened.

The expressions on Kim Tak and Yoo Seon Ah’s faces were hard to read.

It was clear they wanted to say something, but they held back.

To Lee Min Ki, it seemed as if they were barely suppressing their laughter.

Of course, that was entirely his own misconception.

‘That was amazing. I need to ask him how he did that body acting later.’

Kim Tak was itching to ask him about his technique.

‘I thought he’d be weak at action scenes because of his slim build, but he’s really good at everything. I’ve learned so much today.’

Yoo Seon Ah was mentally replaying Lee Min Ki’s performance.

Though it hadn’t been acting.

At any rate, all three of them remained silent, waiting for Kim Ah Sung to speak.

“Min Ki.”

The first thing he said was a question.

“What script was that from?”

“Ah, that was…”

Lee Min Ki opened his mouth to answer, but then hesitated.

He was about to proudly name the piece, but then he remembered—it hadn’t come out in this time period yet.

After all, it was a script he had written in the future.

That’s why he had been so confident.

Though it didn’t go as planned.

‘I should just be honest.’

After taking a deep breath, Lee Min Ki spoke again.

“I wrote it myself.”

“Wrote it yourself? Really?”

“Yes.”

“Huh.”

Kim Ah Sung chuckled, as if he found the situation amusing.

Then, after a moment, he threw out another question.

“Min Ki, do you write scripts often?”

“Sometimes. If I get the chance in the future, I’d like to try scriptwriting. It’s a dream of mine.”

“A dream, huh. That’s interesting.”

At that moment, Kim Ah Sung stood up and, leaving the three of them looking puzzled, opened the door to the practice room and said,

“Min Ki, keep doing what you’re doing.”

“…!”

For a moment, Lee Min Ki’s face lit up.

Kim Ah Sung continued,

“And it’s good that you’re writing, but for auditions, try to stick to well-known works. Judges aren’t usually fond of original scripts.”

“…Yes, yes!”

“And one more thing.”

Kim Ah Sung gave Lee Min Ki a once-over and asked,

“Why were your legs shaking like that?”

“I guess I wasn’t fully relaxed.”

“Really? Then take a seat and rest. It’s only going to get tougher from here.”

The truth was simple.

His calves were about to cramp.