Top Star by Luck

Chapter 109

[Fashion and Fashion].

The theme of this movie could be expressed in one sentence:

[What happens when excessive talent is given to someone who does not love talent?]

In the story, the protagonist [Lee Jong Ho] was an ordinary small citizen.

He was someone who gave up all the joys of life and only focused on working to care for his [mother], who was collapsed in the hospital due to a stroke.

He had given up on the university he had studied hard to enter.

He was juggling four part-time jobs a day.

If he could, he would have entered a factory that paid well.

Even a deep-sea fishing vessel wasn’t out of the question.

But he couldn’t leave in peace, worried that something might happen to his [mother] who was lying in bed.

‘Of course, he would have to obsess over money.’

In the midst of this, he caught the eye of [No Young Hoon], an employee of a shopping mall-slash-agency.

[How about trying to be a model?]

He wasn’t interested.

Saving and scraping every penny, adornment was a luxury to him.

When even a 700-won pack of instant ramen felt wasteful, and he chose the 500-won bundle, what use were clothes?

Even a 3,000-won market t-shirt would have to be worn until it fell apart.

In other words.

Fashion was something [Lee Jong Ho] had never been interested in from the beginning.

But there was a choice to make.

[Do models get paid a lot?]

Whether they paid a lot was all he cared about.

He had no interest in being a model, but if they paid him, he would do it.

This was the beginning and the entirety of Lee Jong Ho’s reason for becoming a model.

It was merely a means.

A means to somehow keep his [mother], who was in a coma in a hospital bed, alive.

But he didn’t know.

He didn’t know that the modeling work he started so reluctantly would hit a jackpot beyond imagination.

[Model of the Year].

[This man’s proportions are addictive, like a drug.]

[Brilliant. The clothes, Lee Jong Ho, and us all.]

He struck gold in his career as a model.

In an instant, he snatched the position of a sought-after model.

And with that, many people approached him.

[Why don’t you come to our agency? We can pay you more.]

[Jong Ho, your gaze is truly beautiful.]

[Why are you living in such a squalid place? Here, take this. It’s a car key.]

Suddenly, wealth and fame followed.

A dazzling life that ordinary people would never encounter in their lifetime.

This was now bestowed upon [Lee Jong Ho], who just moments ago had been drowning in poverty.

[Are you interested in changing the world?]

Ultimately, a big-name designer in the fashion industry declared him as their muse.

But did Lee Jong Ho truly appreciate this?

‘My head hurts.’

He had no interest at all.

He just continued modeling work, forcing himself to endure because he needed to care for his mother.

The purpose of life still felt miserable.

Meanwhile, his father, who he thought had disappeared, reappeared and started blackmailing him using his family’s circumstances.

His life was becoming unbearable.

[Sir, I want to quit this job.]

[……Jong Ho, have you gotten too full of yourself?]

[Maybe I have. Maybe I have.]

[Stop talking nonsense and go to the salon. There’s another big meeting tonight. You need to look good, so tell them to make you pretty, okay?]

He was exhausted.

If he could, he wanted to quit everything, whether it was modeling or anything else, and just leave.

And then.

[Jong Ho, let’s go on a trip together. To the sea.]

He received a proposal from a powerful figure in the industry, one he could not easily refuse.

Just when he was struggling to decide whether he really had to go this far.

[Are you the guardian? The patient passed away just earlier at 11 PM…….]

Thud.

In the end, he lost the only meaning in his life.

Now, everything was set.

At the end of this catastrophic descent, what choice would Lee Jong Ho make?

What was left of his life?

Would he free himself from the burden of his mother and live a life of luxury alone?

Or would he collapse after losing the pillar of his life—his mother?

“Hoo.”

At that moment, Lee Min Ki, standing in front of that scene, let out a breath.

‘I waited and waited for this.’

It was a legendary scene.

A representative scene from [Fashion and Fashion].

If one were to select the top 100 greatest scenes in Korean film history, this scene would almost certainly make the list.

He remembered.

The actor who originally played this role had received critical acclaim from critics and earned recognition from netizens for his acting skills with just this one scene.

But now, this scene belonged to no one else but Lee Min Ki—himself.

His heart pounded like crazy.

‘Not many people here know the future of this scene.’

No one would know until it was released.

Well, Director Hwang Ui Seong might know.

One, two.

Lee Min Ki lightly steadied his breath, as if trying to shake off his nervousness.

“I told you. Sir, I don’t want to do this job.”

In the massive set surrounded by green chroma key.

Lee Min Ki muttered while standing on a fake rooftop, under fake rain.

“Why didn’t you listen to me?”

He had always been someone whose emotions were faint to the point of being reminiscent of a mannequin.

But at this moment, he far surpassed even that level.

[Lee Jong Ho], as portrayed by Lee Min Ki, felt chillingly devoid of any emotion.

As if he were a doll with nothing but emptiness inside.

Watching Lee Min Ki, [No Young Hoon], played by Kang Se Hwang, spoke with a trembling voice.

“Jong Ho. Calm down, okay? Think about it just one more time. Please?”

“Until when?”

“I’ll convince them somehow. Yes! Let’s go on a vacation. For a month or two, somewhere nice. Eat delicious food and get plenty of rest. See beautiful things! After that, you’ll feel better, won’t you?”

[No Young Hoon]’s persuasion was desperately frantic.

His wealth and fame all came from being [Lee Jong Ho]’s manager.

A successful model planner.

But the truth was, he had no intention of caring for [Lee Jong Ho] emotionally and simply gaslit him, forcing him to focus only on work.

A good woman.

Good drinks.

Those were the bait he used.

“We’ve done well so far. Jong Ho, if you work just a little harder, you’ll be at the top! You can have everything you want!”

Yet none of this caught [Lee Jong Ho]’s attention.

If anything, it only deepened his sense of nihilism.

At that moment—

[No Young Hoon] detected a change in [Lee Jong Ho]’s expression and smiled brightly.

“Yeah! You know it too, right?”

A faint smile had appeared on [Lee Jong Ho]’s face.

[No Young Hoon] thought that [Lee Jong Ho] had remembered something good and finally changed his mind.

“Oh, our Jong Ho. You’ll catch a cold. Let’s go down first. I’ll get something nice—”

“Mister.”

[Lee Jong Ho] cut off [No Young Hoon]’s words.

Then, with a voice full of resignation, he asked,

“If you make a lot of money, can a dead person come back to life?”

“…What?”

“Money. If you make a lot of money, can you bring someone back to life?”

“H-Haha, Jong Ho. If there’s something you want, I’ll try to figure out a way—”

“Then try bringing me back to life too.”

In the next moment.

[Lee Jong Ho] threw his body off the rooftop.

Like tossing an empty soda can into thin air, he flew into the void with a light movement, completely free of hesitation.

“Hey! Lee Jong Ho!”

[No Young Hoon] shouted as he belatedly ran after him.

But.

Thud.

Looking down over the edge of the rooftop, [No Young Hoon] only opened his mouth in shock, unable to say a word.

At that moment.

“Cut.”

With a heavy voice, the somber atmosphere of the set brightened instantly.

The falling rain stopped.

The lights came back on.

Just as it was argued in Demian that one must break through the shell and come out, the fictional world of the film, which had covered the set, shattered into pieces.

Instead.

Complete reality replaced it.

Step, step.

Director Hwang Ui Seong, walking expressionlessly toward the bottom of the set's rooftop, opened his mouth.

“Are you alright?”

“Ah, well. Yeah. I thought my heart was going to give out for a second.”

Lee Min Ki, who was caught in the safety net, let out a cough and said playfully with a grin,

“I don’t think I broke anything. I might have some bruises, though.”

Indeed.

Of course, although Lee Min Ki had jumped off the rooftop, it was still just the set's rooftop.

Below, a special filming net had been installed to catch his body.

“That’s a relief.”

Director Hwang Ui Seong nodded and said,

“We might have to shoot this a few more times, so it’s good that you’re not hurt.”

“What?”

Lee Min Ki’s eyes widened.

Shoot it again?

Even though it was a stunt, jumping off just once had been terrifying enough to feel like dying.

And now he had to do it again?

He had been drenched with artificial rain, his hair completely wet, and now they’d have to reset everything?

As the dizzying sense of exhaustion from repeated retakes crept into Lee Min Ki’s mind—

“I’m joking.”

Director Hwang Ui Seong said slowly.

“…”

“I think this one take is sufficient.”

Ah, so it was a joke.

So the director could joke too.

It would be nice if he didn’t joke again in the future.

A few days later.

“Great job, everyone!”

Officially, the filming for Fashion and Fashion had come to an end.

Usually, after completing a project, it was customary to hold a crank-up (filming completion) celebration.

But Director Hwang Ui Seong was a little different.

“Just go have a meal together on your own.”

The director would not attend.

Not only did he dislike group dinners, but he also preferred to keep working, so if anyone wanted to celebrate, they could just meet up without him.

A true lone wolf.

Or rather, a “my way” kind of person.

Honestly, what was the point of a crank-up dinner without the director?

“Well… should we just wrap things up here?”

The atmosphere called for everyone to scatter appropriately.

“Hmm, we’ll have a press conference and media screening soon, so we’ll have another chance to celebrate properly then.”

“Ah, that sounds good. Let’s just go home early and rest today.”

Naturally, it was decided that everyone would leave early.

For those who enjoyed drinking, it might have been disappointing, but the staff who got to leave work early certainly didn’t mind.

This was also intentional on Director Hwang Ui Seong’s part.

His philosophy was that work should only happen in the studio.

‘He’s truly unique.’

Lee Min Ki watched the departing Director Hwang Ui Seong, who left to smoke a cigarette.

“Hey, actor!”

Kim Gam walked toward him with a leisurely smile and said,

“I really enjoyed filming with you this time. Let’s work on another project together. As soon as possible.”

“Haha… If the opportunity arises, sure.”

“Opportunities are made, not found. Let’s shake on it.”

Lee Min Ki accepted his handshake.

Kim Gam was one of the few bright personalities in Director Hwang Ui Seong’s cold and distant crew.

He was also one of the rare individuals who could handle the director’s stubbornness head-on.

‘I learned a lot from him.’

As Lee Min Ki gratefully accepted the compliment, Kim Gam’s eyes shone slightly.

‘Lee Min Ki… this guy is definitely going to make it big.’

It was something he could sense instinctively while working.

Lee Min Ki could take initiative and knew how to grow.

There were many who worked hard.

But no matter how hard one worked, not everyone improved.

‘Effort without growth, unfortunately, means nothing.’

What truly mattered was the final result.

Kim Gam instinctively felt that Lee Min Ki would one day become a giant in the industry.

“You said you’d win an Academy Award, right? Let’s win one together.”

“Ugh, who told you that?”

“Who else? The guy who went out for a smoke just now.”

Just as their conversation began to stray into banter—

“Hey, Kim Gam, look at this guy.”

The lighting director, who had sneaked up next to them, nudged Kim Gam and teased,

“You’re already trying to butter him up just seconds after finishing a project. What’s next? A contract?”

“Hey, don’t say things people might misunderstand.”

“Misunderstand? Well, you said it yourself. After this project, his value is going to skyrocket. You’ll probably have to bring a bag of cash just to set up a lunch meeting. Right?”

It was something everyone who had observed the filming process thought in common.

Lee Min Ki was going to succeed.

Although he was already successful, it was clear he would achieve even greater success soon.

“Don’t think about monopolizing him alone.”

At the lighting director’s joking remark, Kim Gam scoffed and replied,

“That’s why I’m claiming him now. So you can’t say otherwise later.”

“……”

Lee Min Ki’s face twitched as they continued chatting about him without hesitation.

These people really had a reason to get along with Director Hwang Ui Seong.

They certainly didn’t care about others’ opinions.

Still, there was a lot that Lee Min Ki had learned from their attitude.

‘For sure, working with people who take ownership of their work made me work harder without even realizing it.’

The standard was high.

Talented individuals who knew how to speak up for themselves had gathered here.

Seeing them voluntarily do whatever they could to improve the quality of the movie made Lee Min Ki push himself to do the same.

And it was fun, too.

‘Are all other crews like this?’

Probably not.

Every studio had its own unique characteristics.

But what was certain was this:

‘Actors are not just parts of a machine.’

They are creators who stand alongside directors.

He would carry this realization with him for a long time.

As he reflected on this realization, Lee Min Ki bowed deeply and said,

“I really learned so much thanks to everyone during this project. I look forward to working with you all again!”

At this, Kim Gam smirked and replied,

“Oh, we should be the ones saying that. It’s not like we’ll see each other just once and never again.”

“Kim Gam, knock it off already.”

Although the principal filming for the movie had ended, the post-production process still had a long way to go.

It would take months to finalize the editing, release the movie, and carry out the marketing campaign.

In the meantime.

Lee Min Ki decided to start something new.

“You’ve finally made up your mind.”

“Yes.”

It was this:

“The official launch of Lee Min Ki’s account.”

He was officially opening his social media account.

He had delayed it throughout the filming of Fashion and Fashion, not wanting to be distracted.

But now, that was no longer an issue.

While he tried to keep his excitement in check, Director Seo Jung Woo smiled faintly and said,

“You’ll hit one million followers within three months.”

That statement.

Manager Park Han Mo had been repeating the exact same thing endlessly.

It had recently become a mantra he used, almost as if trying to brainwash Lee Min Ki.

“I’d be happy with even half of that.”

“Half isn’t good enough. One million in three months is the bare minimum. At JC, we’re even predicting up to 1.5 times that number.”

Ugh.

That’s an excessive expectation.

If a CEO of a company put forward such a bold portfolio, investors would probably panic and call for their impeachment.

‘That kind of thing is oddly jinxed.’

It’s the kind of statement that seems bound to fail simply because someone says it must happen.

‘Wait.’

Did someone say jinx?

For some reason, Lee Min Ki suddenly thought of a scene from a movie and spoke hesitantly,

“Well then. Director, how about a bet?”