Top Star by Luck

Chapter 89

‘What is this sound?’

Lee Min Ki blinked his eyes.

Who was calling him? It turned out to be the person who had taken a photo with him.

‘What is this?’

There was only one possibility he could think of in such a situation.

It was that.

They were trying to extort money.

They would keep quiet if he gave them some money.

“……”

“……”

In the tense silence, they gauged each other’s reactions for a moment.

Lee Min Ki sighed briefly and spoke.

“What do you want?”

[Excuse me?]

“Tell me what you want. Money? Or something else?”

[Uh,]

“I’ll make this clear: whatever condition you impose, I have no intention of accepting it. I’ll refuse.”

From the beginning, Lee Min Ki assumed the other party would try to blackmail him.

In that case, it was crucial not to give them any leverage.

It was safe to assume that this call was also being recorded.

‘Whatever I say, they can edit it and use it against me as another weakness.’

So, even if he spoke, it was important not to give them any room to exploit.

It was just like dealing with politicians.

[Dear citizens, through this overseas support business exchange, our government has secured natural resource rights…]

[Title: Breaking News) National Treasury Leak]

[Kneeling before America, crying to Japan, and apologizing to China]

How often had politicians worked hard to secure interests abroad, only to be vilified for supposedly giving away money overseas?

It happened regardless of which party was in power.

In any case, Lee Min Ki decided to avoid these kinds of trap cards from the start.

“If you have nothing else to say, I’ll hang up.”

He intended to cut off the conversation entirely.

Engaging in dialogue created the possibility of misunderstanding.

If no words were exchanged from the start, there would be no chance to distort or manipulate anything.

As soon as it seemed that the conversation would be unilaterally cut off by Lee Min Ki’s refusal—

[Wait, wait!]

Suddenly, the person on the other end, who had been silent, spoke urgently.

[That’s not it. I contacted you to thank you.]

“……What?”

[You’re the one who reported it, right, actor?]

So it was.

As previously mentioned, the enemy of an enemy is a friend.

That meant, even if someone was an enemy, if they were an enemy’s enemy, they could become a friend.

That was the saying.

* * *

On the other side of the phone, Bae Da Young, with a gloomy expression, mumbled softly in her mind.

‘…Am I out of my mind?’

She had made the call.

It was all because she had words of gratitude and other things she wanted to convey.

What exactly?

It was about what she had experienced and the internal affairs of Kim Do Ha’s gang.

[We’ll use you to put a bell around Lee Min Ki’s neck. Think carefully about how you act if you want to debut.]

Kim Do Ha’s gang.

Maybe because they were under Daon’s CEO Hwang In Goo, their behavior naturally resembled his.

They created weaknesses in others.

And through those weaknesses, they controlled people, eventually dragging them into becoming accomplices.

Bae Da Young had also unknowingly walked a similar path.

[You’ll help me debut?]

[Yeah, I’ve set up a meeting with an executive here, so make a good impression.]

It started with a meeting.

It seemed strange that the location was a bar, but there wasn’t much issue with holding a discreet meeting there.

Celebrities often preferred such places to avoid leaking stories.

It was a misjudgment.

[Remember this: you’re an ant. Your life is in my hands. If I get in the mood and move my finger, your future will vanish.]

She was caught in a trap that day.

After that, she acted like one of their minions.

She was thoroughly exploited to catch others’ weaknesses, push relationships forward, or even ruin people using her femininity.

Having been used so many times, by the time she came to her senses—

[Looks like you’ve been working out? Your body is pretty firm.]

She had become no different from a human waste like Kim Do Ha’s gang.

No, mentally, she had become even worse.

She found some comfort in dragging others down to her level, finding solace in their downfall.

Seeing someone like Lee Min Ki, who debuted effortlessly and was thriving, only fueled her anger.

Whenever she saw such brilliant rookies, her resentment soared.

She wanted to expose their true nature and turn them into the same garbage as her.

But.

Suddenly, her mood shifted.

‘This guy picked up Lee Heul’s phone.’

She had seen it.

In the room, she had seen Lee Min Ki pick up Lee Heul’s phone and run away.

Even though she saw it, she didn’t inform Kim Do Ha’s gang.

There was no particular reason.

It was just a whim.

Perhaps it stuck in her memory because Lee Min Ki had put a band-aid on her, and she was curious about how he would use the phone.

Would he return it to Lee Heul? Or was it just a result of bad habits?

It was merely a whim.

After all, pretending not to see it wouldn’t make her responsible, and she was curious about what Lee Min Ki would do with it.

And then there was the band-aid.

For some reason, the band-aid remained in her memory.

‘Isn’t he a real pro?’

Who in the world carries band-aids around?

An adult.

The more she thought about it, the funnier it seemed.

Even in an old, cheesy romance movie, such cringey flirting wouldn’t come up.

If this was a tactic to attract women, she felt like advising him to stop doing that in other places.

‘It only works because of your face. If you were an average guy, it would have just given people the creeps.’

No, maybe it worked because of his face.

It was insignificant.

But the human heart is often swayed by trivial things.

Anyway.

Perhaps it was because she had always disliked Lee Heul’s personality.

[You b***h, how dare you talk back? Just because I fooled around with you for a bit, do you think we’re on the same level? Hey, Bae Da Young, know your place. You’re just trash.]

That’s why it happened.

Anyway, for a while, she had been curious about what Lee Min Ki would do with Lee Heul’s phone.

And what he ended up doing was far beyond her imagination.

[Kim Do Ha scandal]

[Entertainment, in collusion with high-ranking police officials, forms a drug cartel.]

It became public.

An anonymous tip was submitted.

Even though she knew her safety might be at risk if it became known she had done it, she still went ahead and reported it.

Was it just another whim, or was it a shred of conscience?

In the midst of her uncertainty—

[That f***er, pretending to be the only righteous one in the world.]

The moment she heard Kim Do Ha had tried to sway Lee Min Ki but was refused, she was sure.

She had figured out who Lee Min Ki truly was.

“I finally realized. The reason I ended up like this was because I chose to live this way.”

Her words were like a confession.

But Lee Min Ki still responded as if he couldn’t understand a word.

[Um, what are you talking about right now?]

“There were plenty of chances when I could have reported and escaped.”

With a self-deprecating smile, Bae Da Young continued.

“But I couldn’t do it. I was scared. Afraid they’d retaliate. Afraid my path as a celebrity would be completely cut off.”

Of course, it was already far too late for her to make a living as a celebrity.

“So, I just wanted to tell you clearly.”

With determination, Bae Da Young took a deep breath and spoke.

“Thank you.”

“……”

“I wanted to see Kim Do Ha and his gang get punished, and you made that happen.”

[Um, even if you say that to me…]

Lee Min Ki seemed to hesitate, unable to give a clear response.

It was natural.

He still didn’t trust her.

Of course, anyone would feel the same.

But Bae Da Young hadn’t called expecting to earn Lee Min Ki’s trust in the first place.

“I know. You’re struggling because of the photo we took together.”

Now was the real turning point.

Bae Da Young knew exactly what she could do in this situation.

As someone who had already fallen into insignificance, she also knew what she could offer Lee Min Ki.

No, it was because she had been a part of Kim Do Ha’s crimes that she could do it.

“I’ll turn myself in.”

She was going to confess.

“!”

“I’ll reveal everything to the media—the things Kim Do Ha made me do, including trying to blackmail you. You know I did it on purpose. I also have all the evidence. I just need to disclose it.”

[Wait a minute. What exactly am I hearing right now?]

“This has nothing to do with you. I’m doing this on my own. Even if people try to stop me, I’ll still do it.”

It was already too late.

The moment her words spilled out in her conversation with Lee Min Ki, she couldn’t delay anymore.

If they recorded it and spread it, that would be it.

But Bae Da Young had no intention of burdening Lee Min Ki with any of this.

‘It’s the sin I committed, so I have to take responsibility.’

That was all.

On the contrary, her heart felt lighter.

“That’s all. Thank you. And I’m sorry, actor.”

Bae Da Young then hung up

.

And.

On the other end of the line, holding the phone, Lee Min Ki was left dumbfounded.

‘Why is she doing this?’

Bae Da Young.

What should he call her?

‘I deliberately let her go.’

She was a petty criminal that Lee Min Ki had chosen not to report.

While reviewing the data on Lee Heul’s phone, he realized it.

She was also a victim who had been used by Kim Do Ha’s gang to her very core.

It wasn’t surprising.

One of Kim Do Ha’s gang’s main tactics was to turn victims into accomplices.

At first, he had thought about reporting her since, after all, she was part of the gang, but Yoo Seon Ah’s face had overlapped with hers, and he decided to hold back.

After all, any explanation he gave would just lead to a mudslinging contest, and in the process, it might reveal that he was the whistleblower.

So, rather than taking that risk, he had intended to let it slide quietly.

But.

[I’ll turn myself in.]

Turning herself in?

Lee Min Ki let out a hollow laugh.

‘Should I call this good luck?’

If it was luck, it was indeed luck.

She had witnessed his strange behavior and pretended not to see it, and that was lucky.

And the fact that someone who had been an enemy had now switched sides to support him was also luck.

But.

‘Lucky, huh?’

It was luck he had created himself, even if he didn’t realize it.

And it was also the misfortune that Kim Do Ha’s gang had built for themselves.

* * *

In the bottom of the 9th inning, with three points behind, a grand slam turned the game around.

[Lee Min Ki scandal reversed]

[Victim B reveals she acted on orders from Kim Do Ha’s gang]

[Victims increased through similar methods]

[More whistleblowers emerge—escape or internal report?]

Victims, who had once silenced even their breathing in front of Kim Do Ha’s gang, began to speak out on their own.

How they were exploited.

How they got involved.

Whom they deceived.

Which companies were part of the conspiracy.

They began voluntarily revealing everything.

The beginning was anonymous victim B.

[Though I may have started as a victim, I didn’t want to live as a perpetrator.]

Naturally, the standout beneficiary of this situation was.

None other than Lee Min Ki.

[Lee Min Ki, almost used by Kim Do Ha’s gang, it turns out.]

People had thought he was similar to them, but he turned out to be a victim.

It was inevitable that public opinion would reverse in his favor.

[1. So, Lee Min Ki really was a good guy.]

[2. Adding one win to Lee Min Ki, who was doing laundry at home.]

[3. Haha, I knew this would happen.]

[4. Lee Min Ki is famous for skipping drinking parties and going to the gym. What’s this about a room with girls? Haha.]

[5. Where are all those forest friends now?]

[6. Honestly, it was a reasonable suspicion.]

[7. The real reasonable thing will be the lawsuit filed by JC’s lawyers against those trolls, haha.]

Usually, in such scandals, even the slightest splash of mud could turn into a stain that never goes away.

But this case was different.

[B suspect reveals her thoughts, thanks Lee Min Ki for showing consideration.]

[The fact that he put a band-aid on her when she was hurt.]

When would you ever see a situation where the perpetrator defends the victim?

From the start, there were countless examples of Kim Do Ha’s gang’s methods, but this time, Lee Min Ki had clearly avoided getting caught up in them.

[Lee Min Ki is suspicious.]

[No, come on, please, get a grip.]

[There are hardly any clean celebrities. Do you think Lee Min Ki is different? It’s all about fighting over money. Get real.]

[No, seriously, get a grip… Please…]

[You’re the one who’s not seeing reality.]

[Sir, are you living in another world by any chance?]

[Arrested at Daon’s office.]

About a week after the incident occurred, it finally calmed down.

Kim Do Ha’s gang had committed their crimes.

Daon, the drug distribution cartel, had played a significant role.

There were many victims.

Among them, Lee Min Ki was one of the key figures.

And finally, the whistleblower remained anonymous.

* * *

In an office that looked like a battlefield, with objects strewn everywhere.

Amid a pile of broken desks and countless chairs, a man was wailing.

“Ahhh!”

Bang!

At the same time, the chair, which had been intact, collapsed under the swing of a baseball bat.

The man, who had always been shamelessly sly, a figure notorious for being discreet in the Korean entertainment industry.

It was none other than CEO Hwang In Goo.

Though he was currently being investigated without detention, it was clear he would soon be arrested.

With bloodshot eyes, staring blankly into space, he screamed.

“That bastard, Lee Min Ki!!”