Top Star by Luck

Chapter 106

The moment Lee Min Ki appeared on the runway.

The hall soaked into a delicate ink painting, as if drawn on fine Korean paper.

Fluttering sleeves.

Subtle vertical stripes created naturally by the material’s folds.

One step, two steps.

With each stride Lee Min Ki took, the clothes fluttered gracefully, producing a different kind of elegance each time.

Someone who was watching it for a moment muttered unconsciously, as if enchanted.

“...Is that a modernized hanbok?”

No.

That was not a modernized hanbok.

Certainly, the design philosophy itself originated from the hanbok, but what could one call it?

It had a stunning sophistication, just as British traditional attire evolved into the modern suit.

‘Ah, what do I call that?’

While they struggled to find an appropriate description, someone with a sharper eye murmured.

“It’s a ‘New Hanbok.’”

New Hanbok.

It was a concept introduced relatively recently.

If the modernized hanbok applied traditional hanbok into practical everyday wear, the New Hanbok went a step further, focusing on upgrading the very concept of the hanbok.

Eleven steps, twelve steps.

Not even ten seconds had passed since Lee Min Ki appeared on the runway.

But each of those fleeting steps struck the audience’s minds like a lightning bolt.

‘Did Lee Min Ki always exude such presence?’

The clothes, of course, were stunning.

But the way Lee Min Ki carried them was overwhelming.

‘He’s definitely short. But somehow, that feels like an advantage.’

His steps, as straight as if measured by a ruler, even felt elegant.

His gaze was not lofty.

Rather, it felt pure.

How could lacking physical traits appear so irresistibly charming?

Was it because of the beauty of the clothing?

Or was it because Lee Min Ki and the hanbok harmonized so well that it reached a point of sublimation?

There were many reasons, but Director Jung Ga Yeon came to this conclusion.

‘It feels believable.’

Lee Min Ki’s fashion felt plausible.

It looked endlessly realistic.

If fashion models often portrayed idealized figures like gods from mythology, Lee Min Ki’s runway was different.

‘It’s realistic.’

It was closer to reality than ever.

It felt so familiar that it even sparked the urge to try wearing it oneself.

It wasn’t someone beyond reach.

But it wasn’t ordinary either.

Simply put,

Lee Min Ki was an object of admiration.

‘His walk is alive.’

CEO Yoo Gyu Eon, who realized his prior worries were unfounded, let out a bitter smile.

‘I should’ve trusted him.’

He had thought Lee Min Ki wasn’t ready to be on the runway.

As a commercial model, he was unmatched.

But compared to full-time fashion models, he seemed inexperienced and lacked an overwhelming presence.

Yet now, seeing the result on stage, what was the outcome?

‘That was exactly what I was aiming for.’

Terminus.

Breaking the boundary between art and commerce.

There was only one reason Yoo Gyu Eon decided to create this brand.

[In the end, isn’t fashion something for people?]

He had felt that art was too far removed from reality.

[The model wears it, the celebrities pick it up, and then ready-to-wear brands refine it a bit to make it mainstream—only then do people finally wear it.]

[In the end, everything on the market ends up looking the same.]

He hated that reality.

He wanted to break boundaries and bring it closer.

He wanted to present it to the masses.

He wanted to pursue art that wasn’t just for professional models but something anyone could wear.

But in the end, he too had been caught up in his own illusions.

Because on the most important stage, he had tried to express the philosophy of Terminus only through tall, full-time models.

Lee Min Ki.

By draping it on his body, Terminus was now complete.

‘I want to try wearing that.’

‘That would really stand out on the street.’

‘Is there a women’s version?’

It wasn’t just admiration; it created a desire to try the art personally.

That natural effect flowed from Lee Min Ki himself.

‘I feel sorry for ever doubting him.’

Yoo Gyu Eon let out several bitter laughs.

Each step felt precious.

Barely ten seconds had passed since he appeared, and yet he was already striking a pose and preparing to leave.

If it were up to him, he would clear out the other models, hold a Lee Min Ki special, and enjoy it for three hours.

Heo Soo Oh also smiled as he watched Lee Min Ki’s performance on the backstage camera.

‘Yes, this is what I was trying to show.’

Lee Min Ki had always been expressive.

It was like looking at a precarious house built on the edge of a cliff—so frustrating that one couldn’t bear it.

Was building a beautiful house everything?

The ground on which it stood was equally important, wasn’t it?

So, he had changed that.

Finally, beneath Lee Min Ki’s expressiveness, solid basics were laid.

‘Graceful.’

The expression Lee Min Ki delivered now was best described as graceful and upright.

If the philosophy of most fashion models was boldness, Lee Min Ki’s expression was accompanied by gentleness.

It was like looking at the highest quality marble—where soft textures coexisted with solidity.

Suddenly, a journalist in the audience recalled something.

‘Come to think of it, Lee Min Ki got some attention with the hanbok last time, didn’t he?’

It had been at Gyeongbokgung Palace.

Perhaps that was the foreshadowing for today.

Flinch.

A chill ran down their spine.

What if Lee Min Ki hadn’t been suddenly cast as an event model for this runway, but had participated in the planning stages from the very beginning?

There were rumors about a fashion film being shot soon—what if today’s fashion show was part of that buildup?

‘It’s obvious.’

The moment this train of thought started,

their journalistic sense of duty surged.

‘The whole world needs to know about this.’

Lee Min Ki.

That was the name of the actor who had recently gained fame through Café Del Dia and BFC Coffee.

A monstrous rookie who, unlike a newcomer, secured a supporting role in his first work and, in just three projects, landed a lead role in a public broadcast drama.

However, there was a suspicion that always followed him.

[Wasn't he forcefully pushed by his agency?]

People said JC intentionally gave him a boost.

[Honestly, anyone would succeed if they got pushed that hard, lol.]

[How did someone with no background start acting as a supporting role, haha.]

It could be seen as jealousy.

Among aspiring actors, there was no one who made people’s blood boil like Lee Min Ki.

Even Yoo Seon Ah, a close friend, showed signs of that sentiment.

[He’s good at acting, but is he really worth that level of push?]

[His face is so meh.]

[Aren’t there better-looking guys out there?]

For a successful rookie actor, suspicions like this were almost a rite of passage.

But.

There was one way to dispel these suspicions.

[Wow, his visuals are insane.]

It was the visuals.

[Terminus? Where do you buy those clothes?]

[There’s a dedicated brand page on YU.]

[Is it like hanbok?]

If he looked good, that was all that mattered.

While acting ability was subjective, visuals were instinctive.

If someone displayed overwhelming visual appeal right from the start, there would be no room for rebuttal.

[With visuals like that, of course they pushed him.]

[Ah, lol, he’s worth the hype.]

[Min Ki fandom, assemble—]

[I cried after seeing him.]

[When did he prepare for all of this???????]

[Wow, isn’t this the same thing from Gyeongbokgung last time?? If Min Ki does a historical drama in hanbok, I’m watching from the first episode.]

[Calm down; you’re breaking sentences here.]

Anyone could see it was a convincing visual.

The potential Lee Min Ki showed at this Seoul Fashion Week was exactly that.

A fashion show is full of people who look great in clothes, yet he stood out among them.

This meant only one thing.

[Is he a real-life stunner?]

They were calling him an actor who dominated with his real-life appearance.

[lol, I can’t wait to see his next project.]

[JC, do your job.]

It was just a fashion show.

To the average person, it was an event they wouldn’t even know was happening, but his visuals alone had pushed it into the top five of portal search rankings.

What did that mean?

[WTF]

[MINGI import to Malaysia, please.]

[えええええ？？？？？このイケメンだれ？？？？？？どこのアイドル？？？]

It spread overseas.

The signs had already been there during the Gyeongbokgung incident.

That’s right.

The reputation of actor Lee Min Ki was steadily spreading overseas, even before he realized it himself.

Sometimes, a single well-taken photo hit harder than a successful project.

That was especially true in the overseas market.

And.

Lee Min Ki’s luck took one step further here.

[Arthur Danto official]

[Everyone, attention please.]

Arthur Danto.

One of the most authoritative fashion magazine editors in the West had turned his attention to Lee Min Ki.

“Wow.”

Lee Min Ki let out a small exclamation.

Why?

Because of the article displayed on the phone screen in front of him.

[Attempts to find meaning in tradition have always been common in fashion. Britain’s suits evolved from traditional wear, and Africa’s reggae fashion deeply preserved its cultural essence, sometimes leading trends. But the key point here is the number of attempts. As new ideas are drying up, look to one East Asian country for something entirely different...]

What was this article?

It was about Terminus.

[Terminus, which means ‘boundary’ in Latin, has torn down the walls between tradition and modernity, and between art and the public.]

The article introduced Terminus and Lee Min Ki.

The editor was featuring him in a significant way, saying he loved the design.

‘Does this even make sense?’

Apparently, he happened to be in Seoul.

Since he was already in Seoul, it was natural to attend Seoul Fashion Week, and during that time, he was amazed after seeing Lee Min Ki.

So, he wrote an article about it.

Sure, there was nothing strange about it.

It all sounded natural.

But why him?

‘Why did he focus on me?’

Thanks to this, Western internet interest in Lee Min Ki skyrocketed.

While sitting in a café waiting for a meeting,

“Someone determined to find even a single photo of you has started a thread on Reddit.”

Director Seo Jung Woo murmured calmly as if reading a menu at a BBQ restaurant.

“Whether you intended it or not, your fame is skyrocketing. Thanks to that, I’m getting a lot of calls too. They’re all asking for any possible opportunity.”

“Hm.”

People were talking about him from all directions.

CEO Yoo Gyu Eon, overwhelmed by the pressure, went on a vacation disguised as leave.

Manager Park Han Mo declared a special day off, saying he would go find CEO Yoo Gyu Eon.

‘He really does run around with his feet.’

While imagining Park Han Mo’s antics, Lee Min Ki noticed Director Seo Jung Woo fiddling with his phone before he spoke up.

“Since we’re on the topic, why don’t you consider creating an SNS account?”

An SNS account.

Lee Min Ki sipped his drink like a mosquito instead of answering immediately.

‘SNS accounts always get hacked, don’t they?’

That’s right.

Lee Min Ki was notoriously unlucky with SNS.

He remembered it vividly.

Whenever he made an account, it would get hacked within months, or he’d get harassed online for trivial reasons.

[Excuse me, where did you get this outfit?]

One time, he commented under a celebrity’s photo asking about their outfit because it looked cool.

What happened next?

The atmosphere froze.

[I made it myself. Why are you framing me? Are you claiming I can’t make my own clothes? I don’t feel good about this.]

[Apologize.]

[You were rude.]

[Mingi77, don’t you think you should be more cautious when commenting on other people’s accounts? I’m just saying—don’t take it too hard.]

[Are you preparing to be an actor?]

[lol, must’ve been jealousy. He’s a nobody, but OGZ is a popular influencer, so...]

It was a bombardment.

In just one day, he was so hurt that he deleted the account.

“...I’m kind of scared.”

Because of this, Lee Min Ki, despite being a famous rookie, still didn’t have an SNS account.

In today’s world, you could almost call him a caveman.

“I understand how you feel, but...”

Director Seo Jung Woo held up his phone.

The screen showed the SNS page of an actor.

It was Kim Tae Yang, a rookie actor boasting 400,000 followers.

He had recently starred in a fusion historical drama and was gaining attention for both his acting skills and looks.

400,000 followers.

A born star is a born star.

“SNS is an excellent way for celebrities to maintain buzz. If used properly, the benefits far outweigh the risks. It’s also a way to generate advertising revenue without significant image consumption.”

That was true.

Why else would celebrities compete to post updates about themselves?

Because it was all advertising space.

In the West, some athletes reportedly earned billions for a single SNS post.

The CEO of a certain electric car company was known for doing all his marketing on SNS.

“And if you don’t trust yourself to handle it, JC can manage the account for you. Many people operate that way these days.”

Clink.

Director Seo Jung Woo placed his phone down on the table and said,

“How about it? Why don’t we at least create the account as a trial?”