Top Star by Luck

Chapter 107

‘……An SNS account, huh.’

Lee Min Ki blinked as he held his phone.

To be honest, it wasn’t that he disliked SNS itself.

There were always controversies, like people saying SNS was a waste of life, but wasn’t it also a significant benefit to many?

It’s not like married people had to quit their jobs just because there were office affairs, right?

[SNS is also a great tool for celebrities to maintain consistent public interest. If used moderately, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.]

Director Seo Jung Woo’s words were reasonable.

There was also a part of him that admired it.

Though he hadn’t used it himself, he often browsed through others’ posts.

Whenever popular actors uploaded something on SNS, the overwhelming responses left him feeling envious.

Moreover, the official fan cafe [Mingi-dan] constantly raised related questions.

[Why doesn’t our actor communicate with us?]

[ㄴ It’s not like we’re entitled to it.]

[Still, when I see other celebrities interacting with their fans, I get a little jealousㅜㅜ]

[Maybe he’s just being careful.]

[Let’s refrain from saying things that might burden Min Ki.]

[But it would still be nice if there was an official place to upload photos.]

It was at this point that he realized something.

‘Wasn’t I the same way?’

Didn’t he also feel disappointed seeing actors who were seldom in the news?

Actors who only did one project in three years and kept their private lives completely hidden—didn’t he also feel that frustration?

That thirst left him restless.

‘In that case, why not just—’

What if he only posted photos?

He wouldn’t have to write sharp remarks, talk about philosophies, or get involved in controversies.

If he ate something delicious, he could say he ate it.

If he visited a good place, he could say he visited it.

If he wore something pretty, he could say he wore it.

He could post only things like that.

‘If that’s a way to repay the fans who love me.’

With a determined mind, Lee Min Ki opened his mouth.

“Alright. I’ll try creating an SNS account.”

It was at that moment.

Director Seo Jung Woo smiled widely, as if he had been waiting for this, and spoke up.

“You’ve made a great choice. JC has already prepared all the marketing procedures, so if you create the account and share the password, we can take it from there.”

“What?”

“You won’t have to do anything, Actor. JC will act as your hands and feet.”

The words were reassuring.

No, but wasn’t this moving a little too fast?

Surely this guy didn’t already have everything prepared?

This felt like a setup, as though they were trying to finalize things while he was caught off guard.

Adding fuel to the fire, Director Seo Jung Woo continued.

“Let’s aim for 1 million followers within three months.”

“1 million? In three months?”

Wasn’t that number too big?

And wasn’t three months too short?

Even if he gained 10,000 followers every day, wouldn’t he still fall short of 1 million in three months?

As Lee Min Ki blinked in confusion, Director Seo Jung Woo continued as if nothing was strange.

“It’s not impossible. JC’s marketing team is quite capable. We’ll do our best to contribute to your income. Thank you.”

Why did he sound so excited?

If they had prepared this thoroughly, they could’ve at least told him in advance.

If they had, he might’ve made a decision without such hesitation.

“Also, this will make overseas expansion discussions much smoother. Unlike local fans, overseas fans tend to pay more attention to SNS.”

Again with the overseas expansion.

Why were people like Manager Park Han Mo and Director Seo Jung Woo so obsessed with overseas markets?

“Isn’t overseas expansion still a long way off?”

Lee Min Ki let out a dry laugh.

“It’s not that far off.”

A voice suddenly broke into the conversation.

It was a middle-aged man with an incredibly stern expression and a voice that suggested immense stubbornness.

“It’ll be easier than winning an Academy Award.”

And this man’s identity was none other than—

“This is Director Seo Jung Woo from JC. I’m in charge of Actor Lee Min Ki. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

He was also a living legend in the Korean film industry.

“Director Hwang Ui Seong.”

Did you know?

Most actors calculate which advertisements they might shoot through a project before they even begin filming.

Just like Lee Min Ki filmed a food commercial through Café Del Dia.

If they play a chaebol character, they might land a car commercial.

If they play beautiful characters, they might film a cosmetics advertisement.

There are countless strategies to leverage projects into ad deals.

Director Hwang Ui Seong’s film Fashion and Fashion.

This project wasn’t much different.

“So you’re saying you want to release the clothes featured in the movie as actual products for sale.”

“Yes, I believe the potential is more than sufficient.”

Director Seo Jung Woo nodded.

“Since it’s a fashion film, linking it to fashion products will make it easier to attract marketing through investors. It will also greatly help with overseas sales.”

From the moment the words Fashion and Fashion came out of Lee Min Ki’s mouth, Director Seo Jung Woo had already been planning to turn the film’s fashion into real products for sale.

‘Gyu Eon strongly objected, so I held back, but he eventually gave in.’

Yoo Gyu Eon had been the biggest obstacle.

He seemed easygoing on the surface, but when it came to commercialization, he was oddly stubborn.

This time, that stubbornness was about collaborative product sales.

If you use the power of movies to sell your clothes, it wouldn’t seem like real skill.

However, the moment Lee Min Ki succeeded in launching the [Terminus] brand, such stubbornness had already become meaningless.

There was just one condition.

[I don’t really know about this. Jung Woo, you know these things better, so handle it yourself.]

It meant leaving everything entirely to JC.

That was actually a good thing.

But he added one more condition afterward.

[And this isn’t something that can be solved by convincing just me.]

It meant that even Director Hwang Ui Seong had to be persuaded.

‘Once Director Hwang Ui Seong is convinced, it’s over.’

Lee Min Ki had never opposed it from the start.

Yoo Gyu Eon, who designed the clothing, had already succeeded in persuading him.

The only one left was Director Hwang Ui Seong.

But this Director Hwang Ui Seong was, in a way, the biggest obstacle.

‘He rejects almost all sponsorships and marketing efforts.’

Because he was a very meticulous person.

Yoo Gyu Eon had once said that he was someone who had tangled his own fate under the delusion of artistic ideals.

But Director Hwang Ui Seong, despite being obsessed with artistic ideals, hadn’t failed.

His skills were so exceptional that he could make a living off his artistic pursuits.

To ensure that his work remained authentic, he rejected the intrusion of capital.

He was someone who almost completely refused production companies’ involvement in his work, claiming he needed to preserve its purity.

‘There’s no tougher person to persuade than a stubborn, principled, and talented creator.’

Thus, overcoming Director Hwang Ui Seong was the biggest challenge in this collaboration.

“……In the case of foreign markets, the mascot of the work is often easier to promote than the work itself.”

Director Seo Jung Woo opened the conversation.

He spoke carefully, as if trying not to offend Hwang Ui Seong.

“There are times when snacks that appeared in movies become products and create a buzz, or when dances are deliberately inserted.”

“Dances?”

“By making a dance popular, they raise the recognition of the work based on that trend. It’s a method primarily used in the Japanese market.”

He seemed disinterested.

But stopping here wasn’t an option.

At this point, everything that could be said had to be said.

Director Seo Jung Woo maintained a barely-there smile as he continued.

“As you know, collaborations between luxury goods and media have been symbols of each other for a long time. For example, in the movie [A Drop in Paris]…”

“Château Grand Sainte, 77 Vintage.”

“Yes, you’re absolutely correct. As expected, you know it well.”

At Hwang Ui Seong’s words, Director Seo Jung Woo chimed in and continued.

“Château Grand Sainte is a famous wine, but in fact, it was a fictional product that didn’t exist before the movie’s success.

Later, after appearing in the movie, it was released in real life and became a massive hit.”

It was a famous story in the industry.

Château Grand Sainte had gained fame as a fictional luxury wine in the movie, yet it didn’t exist outside of the film.

But when audiences flooded with inquiries asking where they could buy “Château Grand Sainte,” it was eventually released in reality and became a huge success.

“This incident led the French film industry to maintain ongoing collaborations with the wine industry. Of course, they took great care to ensure it didn’t harm the integrity of the work.”

‘If a collaboration with fashion even slightly negatively impacts the integrity of the work, he’ll absolutely draw a line.’

To be honest, the Chinese market is the frontrunner in this area.

Over there, it’s as if they’re determined to turn every product that appears in movies into a collaboration.

But it was better not to mention that.

Why?

Because Hwang Ui Seong was known not just for disliking the Chinese film market but for outright despising it.

[Hwang Ui Seong: ‘My films cannot coexist with censorship.’ ‘Censorship? That’s something the Nazis would love.’ Statement controversy.]

[Hwang Ui Seong: ‘The mindset that it’s okay as long as it sells well is what destroys culture.’]

China is the world’s leading market for media censorship.

This was also one reason why Hwang Ui Seong’s films were often produced with minimal budgets.

How could he secure large investments when he couldn’t sell to the world’s largest film market, China?

A Korean director blacklisted in China’s cultural circles.

That was Hwang Ui Seong.

Since he enjoyed tackling social issues in his films, he probably didn’t care.

‘No, he probably took pride in it.

But that doesn’t mean we can give up on this collaboration.

Filming a fashion movie and not doing a clothing collaboration?

That would be insane.’

Director Seo Jung Woo took a breath and spoke again.

“The brand doesn’t have to be explicitly emphasized in the work itself.

As long as we can release collaboration products and utilize them for marketing purposes, that’s sufficient.”

“Hmm.”

Despite the lengthy explanation, Director Hwang Ui Seong didn’t say a word.

It was unclear whether he was contemplating or dismissing the proposal as absurd.

He just stared forward with an endlessly composed expression.

That infamous blank face.

It was the expression that even the most ill-tempered actors fell silent before.

Director Seo Jung Woo, while smiling outwardly, was sweating internally at the sight of Director Hwang Ui Seong’s signature expression.

‘Is he going to reject it? Or is he considering it positively?’

It was instinctively clear.

Director Hwang Ui Seong would make a definitive decision.

If he agreed, he would proceed. If he refused, that would be the end of it.

Once he refused, no words could change his mind.

Gulp.

In the dense, suffocating silence, it finally happened.

“I’ve heard your explanation.”

At last, Director Hwang Ui Seong opened his mouth.

“But let me ask one question, if I may.”

“Yes, please feel free to ask anything.”

The next moment.

Director Hwang Ui Seong turned his head from Director Seo Jung Woo to look at Lee Min Ki.

“What are your thoughts, actor?”

“Huh?”

Lee Min Ki flinched.

The arrow had suddenly turned to him.

Director Seo Jung Woo had asked to handle this persuasion entirely himself, so Lee Min Ki had been deliberately staying silent.

But Director Hwang Ui Seong was now asking for his opinion.

“What do you mean by my thoughts…”

Lee Min Ki cautiously began.

Then Director Hwang Ui Seong asked, with an expression devoid of even the smallest trace of emotion.

“Do you think this collaboration will help the work?”