Top Star by Luck

Chapter 86

Around the time Yoo Seon Ah learned that she had applied to 3Y Entertainment, Lee Min Ki gave her his first piece of advice.

“Don’t go.”

He was trying to dissuade her.

Yoo Seon Ah’s reaction was only natural.

“Huh? Why?”

She questioned it.

“Isn’t 3Y a good place? Kim Do Ha is also there. Oh, and I’m not paying for the upcoming overseas audition. The company is covering both the accommodation and the plane ticket.”

At first glance, she seemed to be making a valid point.

3Y was known for having many successful actors, not to mention Kim Do Ha, who was currently at the height of his popularity.

Lee Min Ki, too, might have strongly recommended 3Y if he hadn’t known about the past.

But not anymore.

“I know. But please trust me this time.”

Lee Min Ki sighed slightly as he spoke.

“3Y, well, I’ve heard some rumors. It’s not a good place. There’s some bad talk going around about it.”

“What kind of talk?”

“Well… I can’t explain it in detail to you, Seon Ah.”

That was to be expected.

It was only natural that he couldn’t go into detail.

There was no concrete evidence to present.

Or rather, if he wanted, there was evidence. Very detailed evidence, in fact.

But at this early stage, Lee Min Ki had no intention of sharing it with anyone.

‘Even if I expose it, I haven’t decided how to do it yet.’

For now, he was only looking into ways to anonymously report it.

And he wanted to make sure it was to a media outlet that would report it as transparently as possible.

Maybe because it seemed strange that Lee Min Ki was trying to dissuade her without solid evidence, Yoo Seon Ah looked at him with half-closed eyes and spoke.

“Hmm, I really wanted to go to 3Y this time. The co-CEO over there even said he was very positive about my profile.”

“There’s bad talk. I’ve heard that there are messy scandals inside.”

“Isn’t it fine as long as I don’t get involved? And isn’t 3Y a company with a great image?”

“Well… that’s true, but…”

Uh-oh.

She didn’t seem like she was going to listen.

What other evidence could he offer?

Wasn’t there something suitable?

‘There’s nothing.’

Those 3Y bastards had managed their image so fantastically.

Of course, with Kim Do Ha as one of their stars, their actions were just like his.

‘Ugh, should I just sneak a document and show it to her?’

At that moment, when he thought it might be worth a shot, Yoo Seon Ah spoke unexpectedly.

“Alright.”

She said something surprising.

“I’ll trust what you say, Min Ki. If you’re trying that hard to stop me, there must be a reason.”

“Huh?”

“You’re not just anyone, Min Ki. You’re an actor actively working in the industry, so you must have heard a lot of things. Right?”

“Well, I suppose you’re right, Seon Ah.”

“There’s an old saying that if you listen to your elders, even when sleeping, you’ll reap rewards.”

Yoo Seon Ah spoke with a satisfied voice, patting her chest.

On the other hand, Lee Min Ki found her words somewhat ridiculous.

‘Is she saying she doesn’t need evidence?’

No, was it enough for her that he said it, without any solid reason to back it up, even with an audition right in front of her?

How much did she trust him?

It didn’t seem to be an issue of trust.

‘Shouldn’t she be careful of getting involved with some cult?’

Even though things had worked out as he hoped, Lee Min Ki couldn’t help feeling a bit dumbfounded, while Yoo Seon Ah had her own reasons.

‘Min Ki recently appeared on TV with Kim Do Ha.’

She had seen it.

She had seen Lee Min Ki doing well on television.

No matter how depressed she was at times, she had enough sense not to mention it to him. But after watching the [60-Second Interview], she felt even more disheartened.

Why? Because it was like this.

A fellow aspirant, who had struggled alongside her, suddenly took off.

He was working with someone who was like a star in the sky.

She didn’t even know if she could enter the agency where Kim Do Ha belonged as a mere rookie, while her peer was competing directly against Kim Do Ha himself.

And he even won.

This was something she couldn’t bear.

The fact that she felt such emotions toward her peer only made her feel more miserable.

‘Why am I feeling like this? Am I really that worthless?’

Once, Lee Min Ki had been far behind her.

Now, she was feeling jealous of her own peer.

How shameful was that emotion?

It even made her wonder if she had secretly looked down on Lee Min Ki.

But as for him.

His attitude had changed.

[People can’t live with only positive thoughts, can they? Even if it’s a dirty feeling like revenge, if it helps, it’s medicine.]

He had offered her a different perspective when she was desperate, as if standing at the edge of a cliff.

It was okay to be as negative as she wanted.

That was what being human was.

So, did her evaluation of Lee Min Ki as a person diminish?

Not at all.

‘Min Ki, I envy you. I’m seriously jealous. It feels like you live in a completely different world from me.’

On the contrary, she admired him even more.

She acknowledged it.

She had completely surrendered.

Not only was he better as an actor, but also as a person.

So, she decided to catch up quickly.

She would shake off her current feelings and get up, and one day, she would say it proudly.

That she had caught up to him.

‘I’ll confess that I used to be terribly jealous of you back in the day.’

It wouldn’t happen soon, but one day, she was determined to make it happen.

Back to the present.

In any case, from what she knew, Lee Min Ki was someone who had worked well with Kim Do Ha.

[Didn’t Min Ki go somewhere with Kim Do Ha recently?]

[Where?]

[A club.]

[What?]

[A club.]

[What?]

There were also things she had heard from Teacher Ah Sung.

If someone who had hung out with the top star of the company was trying so hard to dissuade her, there must be a reason.

That alone was enough for her.

“Oh, Seon Ah, I have something to do today, so I’ll get going.”

Just as Yoo Seon Ah was deep in thought, Lee Min Ki suddenly stood up.

He was in a hurry.

Having decided to expose the [Kim Do Ha Scandal] once again in this life, he couldn’t afford to hesitate any longer.

Even at this very moment, there were likely more victims.

“Seon Ah, good luck.”

He said that as he was about to leave the practice room.

“Wait a moment.”

Yoo Seon Ah called out to him once more.

“Just watch.”

“….”

At her somewhat challenging words, Lee Min Ki gave a wry smile.

It seemed like her determination had taken a slightly strange direction.

But to be honest, it wasn’t unpleasant to hear from his perspective.

“Alright. I’ll be watching.”

Just as he was about to leave.

Yoo Seon Ah added one last thing.

“Oh, and good luck with your new project.”

“A new project…”

Come to think of it, he had forgotten about it.

He had come here to think about his new project.

He had spent all his time comforting and dissuading Yoo Seon Ah, but his original purpose had been the movie.

“Hmm.”

As Lee Min Ki let out a troubled groan, Yoo Seon Ah tilted her head and asked.

“You haven’t decided yet?”

“Well, about that.”

Lee Min Ki scratched his head slightly as he spoke.

“I actually came to the academy today to get a sense of it. I was hoping to grab onto something.”

“…Really? Wait a minute. Was there any project worth filming these days?”

At that moment, Yoo Seon Ah frowned as if she was thinking hard.

“Ugh, I’m not sure either. Maybe the timing is a bit off.”

She frowned for a while, as if she had no idea.

“Ah!”

She suddenly slapped her palm on Lee Min Ki’s shoulder and said.

“Min Ki, since you’re good at dressing up, it’d be nice if you could film something where you can wear beautiful clothes!”

“Clothes?”

“How about a fusion historical drama?”

At that moment.

As soon as the keyword “clothes” came out of her mouth.

“Oh.”

Lee Min Ki’s eyes widened.

He got it.

The new project idea had come.

It had come to him completely.

This was it.

It hit him like lightning in his head.

* * *

The next day.

As Lee Min Ki had made up his mind.

There was someone who sighed deeply with relief.

‘Found it, that was close.’

Daon’s CEO, Hwang In Goo, wiped away cold sweat in an uncharacteristic manner.

“They say the darkest place is under the lamp. That saying isn’t wrong.”

That material.

The documents that could be considered the Achilles’ heel of Kim Do Ha and his gang had been found.

As the saying goes, they had found the person who had stolen Lee Heul’s phone and fled.

And it turned out to be.

“Lee Min Ki, so it was you.”

A few days ago, while searching the club room’s recordings from every angle, just in case, it had become clear.

It

was Lee Min Ki.

No one else could have taken the phone and escaped at that time and from that angle.

‘You’re becoming quite the nuisance. No matter what I do, you always get in the way.’

The phone’s location data was backed up to the internet every minute.

In other words, up until just before it was stolen, the phone had been in the club room.

This meant it had to be one of the insiders.

And it was exactly when Lee Min Ki had excused himself to go to the bathroom that the Wi-Fi had been turned off.

Lee Min Ki’s luck was oddly good.

He had managed to avoid almost every surveillance camera at just the right angles.

But in the end, science triumphed over luck.

‘It was a bit troublesome, but in the end, I found all the evidence. I thought he was naive, but he turned out to be quite the snake.’

Hwang In Goo sighed briefly in relief.

“Do Ha, you should’ve told me sooner.”

“….”

“I can’t believe I had to suffer because of one worthless fool.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Useless bastard.”

At those harsh words, Kim Do Ha bit his lip in humiliation.

He had tried to handle things quietly.

But Hwang In Goo had instinctively interrogated Lee Heul after noticing the change in his phone.

[No wonder company documents have been leaking, was it you?]

[Gasp.]

[Gasp?]

And Lee Heul had fallen for it like an idiot and spilled the beans.

‘Nothing’s going right. How could things get this tangled?’

It was an absurd world.

Lee Min Ki.

It had only been a few weeks since he had met that guy, but everything Kim Do Ha had built was about to crumble.

All the trust he had accumulated.

All the connections he had forged behind the scenes.

Even the solid path he had laid out for himself in the industry was at risk of vanishing.

Grit.

As Kim Do Ha trembled with suppressed anger, Hwang In Goo spoke again.

“You started this, so you’re going to take responsibility.”

“What?”

“You’re going to deal with him directly. Surely you can do that much?”

“You mean… me?”

“Do Ha, are you making me repeat myself?”

Kim Do Ha instinctively flinched as he felt a shiver run down his spine.

In that brief moment, Hwang In Goo’s eyes gleamed like a snake as he continued speaking.

“You remember that footage from the other day, right? The one of you getting cozy with a girl in the room.”

“Yes, I have it.”

Everything had been recorded in real-time.

It showed Lee Min Ki getting quite intimate with a woman.

The camera angle was malicious, and the footage had been edited to appear even worse.

To anyone who saw it, it would look like Lee Min Ki was making advances on the woman.

“And why would you…”

Just as Kim Do Ha cautiously asked.

“Tell him you’ll release it to the press.”

“…!”

At that moment, Kim Do Ha’s eyes widened as Hwang In Goo let out a sinister laugh.

“A rookie actor who rose to fame thanks to women. One photo like that, and it’s all over. There’s no need to explain any further. Whatever he’s preparing, he’ll have to step down. ‘Rookie actor specializing in sexual harassment.’ Doesn’t that sound great?”

He was right.

Strictly speaking, Lee Min Ki hadn’t done anything to that woman.

But once a scandal erupted, no explanation would be necessary.

The moment he started explaining, he’d lose.

Even if he took it to court and fought for years to prove his innocence, it wouldn’t matter.

“The public sees celebrities the way they want to. Once they’ve been marked as bad, people don’t want to admit they were wrong, so they turn into anti-fans.”

Who wouldn’t know that?

“Since he’s just now rising as an actor, success must be desperately important to him. Once he’s had a taste of success, he won’t want to let it go.”

Hwang In Goo continued speaking in a chilling tone.

“Tell him to handle it well unless he wants to be labeled a sexual predator and give up his acting career. You can do that much, right?”

“….”

“If he refuses, you can offer to help him end things for good. Of course, it’ll all have to be your decision.”

Kim Do Ha hesitated briefly.

His opponent was Lee Min Ki.

Even though the guy had sabotaged his future, it wasn’t easy to threaten a fellow actor’s career.

Because.

Even if his methods were twisted, at his core, he was still an actor.

However.

“Understood.”

As Hwang In Goo had said earlier, people tend to see the world the way they want to.

“I’ll take care of it, and I’ll make sure it’s handled properly.”

In Kim Do Ha’s eyes, he already saw himself as the victim.

And Lee Min Ki was the perpetrator.

There was no problem with punishing a despicable person with despicable means.

“I don’t care about your reputation.”

Hwang In Goo waved dismissively at Kim Do Ha, who was bowing his head.

“But if you fail, the knife meant for Lee Min Ki’s back will end up in yours.”

* * *

At the JC headquarters office.

“You’re talking about a new project?”

“Yes, a new project.”

In response to Director Seo Jung Woo’s question, Lee Min Ki nodded.

“I’ve found it. A project I want to shoot.”

“Did you find something you like?”

Lee Min Ki cleared his throat slightly before replying.

“This time… I want to film something about fashion.”

“…Fashion?”

“Yes, clothes.”

Director Seo Jung Woo raised his eyebrows as if he couldn’t quite grasp it, but Lee Min Ki spoke again, this time with more confidence.

“I want to shoot the greatest fashion movie in Korean history.”