Top Star by Luck

Chapter 15

‘Modeling part-time job?’

For a moment, Min Ki thought he had misread something.

There was as much distance between Director Kwon and the term “modeling part-time job” as there was between protein and cheesecake.

However, no matter how many times he read it, the sentence remained unchanged.

[Director: By any chance, Min Ki, would you consider taking on a modeling part-time job?]

It was indeed a modeling job.

Min Ki’s fingers froze mid-air in response to the sudden offer.

‘If it’s a modeling part-time job, it’s probably for a shopping mall fitting model.’

It was a familiar term.

After all, he had done it a few times in the past.

In this industry, with so many people around who have exceptional looks, it might not stand out much, but even Lee Min Ki was, in name at least, an actor.

He didn’t lack the looks necessary for a modeling job.

Over his seven years in the acting world, he had naturally experienced it a few times.

‘The pay is quite decent. The workload is manageable. It also helps with building recognition.’

At the very least, it paid more than 10,000 won per hour.

In an era when the minimum wage was barely 5,000 won, this type of part-time job was the pinnacle for aspiring individuals in this field.

However, Min Ki was already aware of the existence of this job.

He had even considered it before.

Still, the reason he hadn’t pursued it was:

‘It’s unstable.’

It was because the work wasn’t consistent.

If the jobs kept coming in, it would be far better than most part-time jobs. However, once the work stopped, it could halt indefinitely.

Moreover, due to the nature of the industry, which relied on verbal contracts, it wasn’t uncommon for payments to be delayed or withheld.

… That was the general knowledge about fitting model jobs, but truth be told, Min Ki had experienced particularly bad luck.

‘What should I do?’

Min Ki hesitated to give a definitive answer.

Even though the offer had come, it was difficult to accept immediately.

Perhaps it would be better to increase his night shifts, even if it meant sacrificing some sleep.

Caught at a crossroads, unable to make a decision, he hesitated for a moment.

[Director: It seems like the pay will be pretty good.]

[Director: So, what do you think?]

[Director: If you’re okay with it, they’d like to use you starting tomorrow.]

[Director: It’s urgent.]

Sighing at Director Kwon’s continued persuasion, Min Ki made his decision.

‘Fine, I’ll give it a try, at least once.’

There was no reason to refuse a job that had come to him on its own.

At least he could extinguish the immediate fire.

With that thought, Min Ki replied.

[Me: Uh, before that, I have a confession to make to you, Director.]

[Director: You didn’t take any photos, right?]

[Me: Actually, about that meal earlier today…]

[Me: Yes.]

[Director: ^^]

***

In a busy shopping mall.

A man moved nonstop, carrying and packing items.

His long, flowing hair and his outfit, reminiscent of a gypsy, were quite striking.

He was Yoo Gyu Eon, the rising star and owner of this shopping mall.

Suddenly, he stopped in front of the air conditioner, wiping the sweat from his forehead as he thought.

‘Busy.’

Work was hectic.

Extremely busy.

But being busy was a good thing.

Since anyone can easily try their hand at running a clothing mall, many don’t make it.

Most malls are much quieter.

For Yoo Gyu Eon’s business, which was transitioning from a small operation to a mid-sized one, being busy was a blessing.

However, even so, CEO Yoo couldn’t be entirely happy.

‘It’s about time for a change.’

Sales had dropped compared to last week.

He had a good idea of why.

The model who had originally been working with him had quit.

That model, a university student who had gained some fame online for his boyfriend-like looks, had suddenly gotten tired of the job and left.

It wasn’t something hard to understand.

Everyone has their own circumstances.

The problem was that he had been struggling to find a new model.

‘People keep quitting, they lack the basics, or they cause problems.’

Because anyone with good looks could try modeling, finding someone dependable was tough.

Verified A-list models were too busy, and rookies didn’t even know the basics of posing.

Some lacked manners or caused relationship issues.

Tardiness was a given.

Naturally, there was a shortage of good people.

‘Anyway, the person I was introduced to is supposed to come in about an hour.’

Would this person be normal?

His father had strongly recommended this model, so Yoo had agreed to the introduction reluctantly, with low expectations.

Portfolio photos were merely for reference, and he wouldn’t believe anything until he saw the person in the flesh.

‘If it doesn’t work out, I’ll just apologize to the model and wrap things up today.’

He had already resigned himself to the situation before even meeting Min Ki.

“Boss.”

One of his employees came running over, out of breath.

“They said they’ve arrived.”

“What? Already?”

As CEO Yoo showed a surprised expression, the employee, equally surprised, added.

“They finished their previous appointment early, so they’re nearby. They’re asking if it’s okay to start right away.”

“Hmm, the timing is perfect, but…”

Had they come too early?

Since the person was a rookie with no modeling experience, he had scheduled extra time for training.

After all, he couldn’t send them back right away if they couldn’t do the job.

Still, to arrive even earlier?

‘Interesting person.’

They probably didn’t have anything else to do.

Feeling a tinge of curiosity, Yoo replied, “Alright. Let’s start early and finish quickly.”

He had no idea what kind of person Lee Min Ki was.

***

Only an hour later.

In the end, Yoo Gyu Eon was nothing but astonished.

‘Is this guy really a rookie?’

It was all because of Lee Min Ki.

“Hey, this time, let’s try a slightly different pose…”

“Like this?”

Before Yoo could even finish speaking, Min Ki had adjusted his pose.

His movements flowed as naturally as water.

This had happened multiple times already.

Yoo had expected it would take quite some time to get the basics of posing down, but that wasn’t the case at all.

“Ah, that’s perfect.”

“Or like this?”

Once again, Min Ki adjusted perfectly without needing any corrections.

Yoo let out a small laugh and said, “…That’s great. Perfect.”

Min Ki wasn’t ordinary.

It was as if he had completely mastered posing.

No, more than mastering it, his body seemed accustomed to the motions.

‘No matter how I look at it, he seems like he’s done modeling before.’

From the moment he first saw him, Yoo had already approved of his looks.

‘His skin is naturally good, so minimal retouching is needed. The stylist even complimented him.’

But more than his face, it was his body.

His frame was solid, so whenever he put on any clothing, it looked good on him.

He could probably make rags look stylish.

On top of that, his well-toned muscles were an additional bonus.

In the world of fashion models, people often think that being as skinny as a skeleton is ideal, but that’s only true in high fashion.

In that world, where everyone knows what they’re looking for, the model’s body is secondary to the clothes they wear.

However, in shopping malls catering to the general public, it’s different.

Regular customers care about the overall appearance, so a slim body with well-defined muscles is more suitable.

And if the posture is good, even better.

It was something Min Ki had mastered from the start.

‘I thought it would take at least five hours, but at this rate, it might not even take three.’

Yoo Gyu Eon chuckled, watching Min Ki adjust his poses in real-time without needing much correction.

He was too skilled.

Since this was an outdoor shoot, they had originally planned for 40 minutes per outfit, but because Min Ki was a rookie, Yoo had anticipated it would take an hour per outfit.

He had scheduled plenty of time, but it seemed like they’d finish in no time.

“I think if we shoot from over there, it’ll give a nice feel.”

“Let’s finish this first.”

“Oh, did I say something unnecessary?”
erthe lighting, but he instinctively captured the texture of the clothes.

He didn’t just understand how to make the most of his body; he knew how to use the environment to his advantage.

‘If we finish this shoot early, should I still pay him for the full hours?’

Yoo Gyu Eon wasn’t sure whether to feel pleased or bemused as he asked:

“Excuse me, I’d like to ask you something.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

Even his voice projection was clear.

At this point, Yoo was no longer even surprised as he spoke.

“Just to confirm, this really is your first time modeling, right?”

Min Ki smiled brightly at the question.

“Yes, of course.”

Naturally, that wasn’t true.

Min Ki had over five years of experience.

His problem was that as soon as he started to adapt to a job, the opportunities would vanish.

Min Ki was a seasoned professional.

And a very diligent one at that.

‘Everyone here is so nice. The people I worked with before were really strict.’

But that wasn’t entirely true.

The reason the employers Min Ki had worked with in the past were so strict had one main cause.

They would nitpick to lower his pay.

They would complain that the photoshoot had taken too long and use that as an excuse to dock his pay.

Yoo Gyu Eon, on the other hand, was simply treating him normally.

And to Min Ki, that was enough to bring him joy.

“Let’s quickly start with the next outfit.”

As the years passed, he found himself enjoying how well the clothes suited him.

When the shoot ended in just 2 hours and 40 minutes, this time it was Min Ki’s turn to be surprised by Yoo Gyu Eon.

“…….”

He was paid in cash, and it was more than he had expected.

With a puzzled tone, Min Ki muttered.

“Um, this seems to be a bit more than we agreed on.”

The originally agreed-upon rate was 15,000 won per hour for five hours of work, so it should have totaled 75,000 won.

15,000 won was a bit higher than the average rookie model rate, but it was still three times the current minimum wage.

Moreover, they hadn’t even worked for the full three hours.

He was prepared to accept 45,000 won for finishing early.

But in the envelope, there was 100,000 won.

It was the amount you’d earn from working 20 full hours at a convenience store.

“Are you sure you didn’t make a mistake with the amount?”

Min Ki asked, still in disbelief, to which Yoo Gyu Eon replied as if it were obvious.

“You did such a great job that I added more.”

“…….”

“I had anticipated this would take five hours, but thanks to how proficient you were, we finished much earlier. You saved us a lot of time.”

Yoo’s words were sincere.

With the extra time saved, they could focus on other tasks.

Considering the hourly rate, 30,000 won wouldn’t have been unreasonable, but since this was their first meeting and Min Ki had come highly recommended, Yoo believed the pay was fair.

Though, Min Ki didn’t exactly see it that way.

‘What’s with this guy?’

He was suspicious to the point of doubting the situation.

It wasn’t that Min Ki was naturally distrustful, but his past experiences of getting scammed had made him wary.

Whenever he went to buy a phone, he was forced into a 36-month contract, and when he went to look at used cars, he was always shown wrecked vehicles.

Even when he rented an apartment, mold would start growing within days.

So, it was only natural to be suspicious when someone gave him more money, fearing there might be consequences later.

‘This is strange. Did I miss something? Is there something wrong with accepting this money?’

As he racked his brain, trying to recall any overlooked details.

“You startled me.”

Yoo Gyu Eon, with a bright smile, continued.

“If there’s another opportunity, I’d love to work with you again… or, if you’re available, how about making this a regular thing? We could schedule a weekly shoot.”

“Pardon?”

What did he just say?

Min Ki had almost missed his words, so he focused and listened again.

“We could meet every Wednesday, once a week, and do a five-hour shoot.”

“…….”

“If you continue working like today, I’ll make sure you’re paid the same. In fact, there will be even more work in the future. It’s a shame we had to finish so early today. Haha.”

With that, Yoo Gyu Eon kept talking.

And Min Ki finally realized that he was serious.

“Excuse me.”

Min Ki stepped forward and reached out to shake Yoo Gyu Eon’s hand.

“Yes?”

“Thank you, CEO. I look forward to working with you.”

Yoo instinctively took a step back, surprised by Min Ki’s voice, which was filled with more than just gratitude—it sounded like he was deeply moved.

“Likewise…”

—

That evening.

Yoo Gyu Eon met with a man for dinner.

However, the man mostly brought up one topic of conversation.

“He’s really good at his job.”

The topic was none other than Min Ki.

“He showed up an hour earlier than scheduled, and not only was he diligent, but he also had everything down perfectly. I don’t know how much research he did, but it’s rare to find someone so well-prepared, especially for a rookie. His attitude was perfect.”

Yoo’s compliments about how well Min Ki had done kept pouring out.

The man sitting across from him listened for a while before asking:

“What’s his name?”

“Did he say his name was Lee Min Ki?”

“Lee Min Ki?”

The man looked slightly surprised at the mention of that name.

“Why?”

“No, it just sounds familiar.”

“Does it?”

Yoo Gyu Eon continued cutting his steak, not giving it much thought.

“Lee Min Ki is a pretty common name.”

“Yeah, it is. It’s really common.”

The man nodded, repeating the name.

Lee Min Ki.

Come to think of it, he had recently heard that name somewhere.

As he repeated it to himself a few more times, he let out a small laugh and said.

“I know someone who’s always praising a guy named Lee Min Ki, too.”

“Who’s that?”

“Someone I know. He teaches acting, though his personality is a bit odd.”