Top Star by Luck

Chapter 114

There is a rule that applies to every era.

It is this.

“Wow, this loser really made it big.”

For introverted students, school was a painful place.

“Hey, loser, you know? I gathered all the information and planned it for you, so if you win the prize money, you have to split it 7:3 with me.”

“Hey, then what about my share?”

“Figure it out from the remaining 3.”

Hearing the voices of the two arguing over their share, Song Woo Dang bit his lip.

‘These jerks.’

The same guys who bullied him now planned to leech off him in the future.

Truly, school was indeed a tormenting space for an introverted student.

Furthermore, if that student had extroverted talents, the torment only escalated.

‘They bullied me, saying I didn’t know my place.’

Song Woo Dang had been a target of such bullying.

They started picking on him because he danced well, and later, they treated him like a plaything.

It was also these guys who forced him to apply for the "Treatment Challenge," also known as the "Lee Min Ki Challenge."

‘Even without them, I was already planning to prepare and apply on my own.’

Filled with frustration, Song Woo Dang clenched his fist tightly in his pocket.

Even if they hadn’t said anything, he had intended to apply anonymously.

However, these guys forced him to participate, made him record a humiliating video, and submitted it.

Since each person was only allowed one submission, he couldn’t even make a proper video.

The problem was that the video they sent in...

[Hello, this is JC Entertainment. Thank you for participating in the Treatment Challenge planned by our headquarters.]

...unexpectedly caught the eye of the judging panel.

They said they enjoyed his video and wanted to see his skills in person, inviting him to an interview at a nearby practice studio.

To be honest, he felt more bewildered than pleased.

‘...Do they have poor eyesight or something?’

They gave a positive evaluation of that?

It was something he had been forced to do, dancing reluctantly.

Even then, he intentionally danced awkwardly, knowing that if he performed well, the bullies would only torment him more.

JC Entertainment wasn’t just any agency; they had several celebrities under their name. What on earth did they see in that video?

Moreover...

“Look at this loser, all dressed up for an interview.”

“Man, he sure loves standing out. That’s why we can’t let go of Woo Dang.”

He had no idea why these two were tagging along.

“...”

Honestly, he felt like dying.

Even if he won the prize money from the challenge, these guys would probably snatch it away.

He wanted to die.

‘I just want to graduate already.’

One year left.

Just one more year, and he could graduate and live on his own.

After that, he wouldn’t have to deal with school anymore and could take charge of his life.

He just had to endure it.

With that thought, Song Woo Dang walked forward.

No matter what, he still had to attend the interview.

“This place is shabbier than I expected. Are we really supposed to have the interview here?”

After a determined walk, the three of them arrived at the practice studio.

But there, waiting for them, was someone they could never have imagined.

“...Lee Min Ki?”

Lee Min Ki.

He sat there confidently with two interviewers by his side.

‘I don’t really get why he came along.’

Next to Lee Min Ki.

Two people sat there.

One of them was Manager Park Han Mo. Since he had organized this offline meeting, his presence was expected.

But the other person was unexpected.

[What? Judging? I can’t miss that. Min Ki, I’m coming too! Give me the address!]

It was Trainer Kim Ah Sung.

The moment he heard about it, he insisted on coming along.

Claiming that he had dabbled in dancing in his youth, he suggested joining as a judge.

‘Come to think of it, Trainer did dance quite well back in the day.’

Was that why he always wore hoodies?

Occasionally, during breaks in practice sessions, he would showcase his moves.

Primarily flashy b-boy moves like windmills and Thomas spins.

Looking back, he did dance well enough to make it hard to believe he was just an amateur.

He also seemed to enjoy attending audition interviews.

[Deciding someone’s fate with my own hands—it’s an irresistible thrill.]

He was probably joking, but who could be sure?

‘Is it really a joke?’

With uncertainty lingering, Lee Min Ki kept his eyes on the door.

“Min Ki, do you think that kid really dances well?”

Trainer Kim Ah Sung asked, lounging casually on his chair.

“It’s just a hunch for now. But I feel like if he danced properly, he’d be really good.”

“Hm.”

“You saw the video too, didn’t you? What did you think?”

“Well, who knows? I’ll keep my thoughts to myself. You’ll find out in a few minutes anyway.”

Trainer Kim Ah Sung just chuckled.

It wasn’t clear if he genuinely didn’t want to commit to an opinion or if he had also sensed something from the short video.

“Well, let’s see.”

Just as the conversation wrapped up...

Creak.

The practice studio door opened.

And the people who entered...

‘Huh?’

There were three of them.

‘That’s a bit much.’

Something felt off.

He had only called one person, so why were there three?

Feeling puzzled, Manager Park Han Mo stepped forward.

“Among you, who is the contestant, Song Woo Dang?”

“Well, that’s, uh, me.”

A particularly small-framed individual stepped forward.

His body was frail, and his posture slouched with a lack of confidence. His shoulders especially drooped low.

It was hard to imagine someone with such a timid appearance engaging in something as outgoing as dancing.

But appearances didn’t matter.

His face matched the one Lee Min Ki remembered.

‘That’s him. Seeing him now, I’m sure of it.’

It was Song Woo Dang.

The same person who had boldly commanded the stage, performing intricate techniques after shedding his timid demeanor.

“And the other two are... friends of yours?”

“Well, uh...”

Song Woo Dang hesitated, mumbling without giving a clear answer to Manager Park Han Mo’s question.

"Ah, of course."

One of the two smirked, grabbed Song Woo Dang's shoulder, pushed him aside, and stepped forward.

A tall figure with a cute, handsome face.

With long arms and legs, he had an appearance striking enough to make one think he could try out as a trainee.

He gave off the vibe of a typical charming high school boy.

Yet, at the same time, there was an awkward atmosphere lingering around.

What could one call it?

‘Ah, this kid probably loves to mess around.’

Yes, he had the essence of a delinquent.

A character who seemed like he might have a cigarette tucked in his pocket, he slung an arm around Song Woo Dang's shoulder and spoke.

"We're not just friends with Woo Dang. We actually submitted the audition together."

"Together?"

"We didn’t have time to perform together, so Woo Dang danced alone, but we planned the whole thing. The submission was our idea too. Right, Woo Dang?"

At those words, Song Woo Dang nodded hesitantly with a defeated expression.

"Uh, y-yeah."

It wasn’t the kind of dynamic one would expect in a natural friendship—it felt hierarchical.

The handsome student, seemingly satisfied, smiled brightly and said,

"You heard that, right? Only Woo Dang appeared in the video, but we applied as a team from the beginning."

"That’s right. I even used my own camera for the recording."

At that moment, a thought struck.

‘He said he recorded it himself?’

Lee Min Ki chuckled inwardly.

The voice teasing Song Woo Dang back in the classroom—it must’ve been this student’s.

As that realization dawned, a story suddenly surfaced in his mind.

‘Wait, could this be that situation?’

It was just a hunch.

Perhaps Song Woo Dang submitted the audition under their teasing.

He probably didn’t even think he’d pass.

‘If you actually get accepted, we’ll review it ourselves and make it a joke.’

But when he unexpectedly got in, greed took over.

Under the pretense of a joint effort, they likely wanted to enter the competition together and possibly claim a prize.

It was merely speculation.

There was no solid evidence to confirm it.

But for Lee Min Ki, who knew Song Woo Dang’s background well, his suspicions were firm.

And it turned out that his assumption was startlingly accurate.

‘This doesn’t look good.’

If it got worse, it might be better to find a reason to send them back.

As that thought crossed his mind, Lee Min Ki spoke.

"Friends, what should we do? We only called him here to see him dance properly."

"What?"

"This is sudden. We’ve already selected most of the finalists, so it’s hard to extend the broadcast."

He revealed some internal circumstances.

This was news not just to the students but even to Manager Park Han Mo, the co-planner.

However, Manager Park seemed to catch on and silently agreed.

The focus was on Song Woo Dang, not the others.

Just as they were thinking of sending them back,

"Woo Dang, what do we do? They say only you can stay, and we have to leave."

"Uh…"

The student turned the conversation toward Song Woo Dang.

"Do you think you can do well without us? We’ve been helping you until now, but from here on, you’re on your own."

"That’s…"

"Woo Dang, we came together, but if we leave like this, it won’t look good for you either."

Song Woo Dang’s shoulders slumped further as the other student chimed in, as if waiting for this moment.

"Sigh, we even told everyone at school that we were participating together. How embarrassing would it be if we went back like this? Woo Dang, what do you think?"

"…"

"Ah, seriously, how humiliating. I might have to bow my head to the classroom kids."

At first glance, it sounded like a joke, but instinctively, one could tell.

It was a threat.

Either help us or resign with us.

‘Clever.’

After a few exchanges, it was clear.

Song Woo Dang was clearly being controlled by the two.

He was likely worried about his school life, regardless of how the audition turned out.

Lee Min Ki furrowed his brows.

‘This doesn’t look good.’

He didn’t like it.

He, too, had been the victim of countless malicious rumors and had suffered under the scrutiny of school bullies.

Though over a decade had passed and much of it was resolved, those memories remained vivid.

‘This is a joke.’

But those students weren’t just sly—they were smart.

They had likely calculated that Lee Min Ki wanted to look out for Song Woo Dang.

Hence, they used Song Woo Dang as leverage.

"Um… I’m really sorry. Could we all participate together?"

Finally, words close to surrender came from Song Woo Dang’s lips.

As Lee Min Ki was racking his brain for alternatives,

"Sounds fun."

Kim Ah Sung, who had been watching the situation unfold while sitting in a posture that could ruin one’s back, suddenly chuckled and spoke.

"Sure, all three of you can do it."

"Teacher?"

"Come on, it’s an audition. The more talented people, the better, right? Min Ki, don’t you agree? Instead of picking just one, let’s see all three. If they’re good, they’re good. Separately, of course."

Kim Ah Sung outright sided with them.

In a way that blatantly catered to their terms.

This left Lee Min Ki, who had been agonizing over the situation, looking dumbfounded.

‘Now, all of a sudden?’

He had expected some incident since Kim Ah Sung had insisted on tagging along, but he didn’t expect intervention like this.

"They’re eager to participate. Shouldn’t we respect that enthusiasm? What do you think, students? Am I right?"

"Ah! Of course!"

The tall, handsome student, as if grabbing a lifeline, nodded vigorously at Kim Ah Sung’s words.

"We didn’t appear in the video, but we’re better than Woo Dang. I even taught him how to dance. Hey, right?"

"…"

"Hehe, you’ll be amazed when you see us."

They weren’t even trying to hide their pressure on Song Woo Dang anymore.

However, Kim Ah Sung’s smile remained unchanged, whether he was ignoring it or otherwise.

"That’s great. Great. The talented should win. Right, Min Ki? That’s what auditions are for."

He even clapped his hands.

Then he shouted arbitrarily,

"Alright, let’s have the tall student go first. Okay, start right now."

"Yes!"

"Do you need us to play music?"

"That would be amazing."

At Kim Ah Sung’s unilateral decision-making, Lee Min Ki let out a small sigh.

Was there a reason behind this, or was it just impulse?

‘Kim Ah Sung isn’t someone who acts rashly.’

Despite his laid-back demeanor, he was someone who calculated everything in the background.

Was it a trap?

‘Let’s just play along for now.’

With that thought, Lee Min Ki played the music.

He wanted to see if their confidence matched even half of their boastful words.

“Start!”

The student began dancing the moment Trainer Kim Ah Sung’s refreshing voice gave the signal.

‘…That’s…’

Lee Min Ki slightly widened his eyes.

‘He dances pretty well.’

The student’s dancing was decent.

While it couldn’t compare to a professional dancer, there was definitely potential.

Even if he had submitted a proper video, he might have barely met the passing standard.

So, he could at least back up some of his bragging.

In just the five seconds after the dance started, these thoughts formed in Lee Min Ki’s mind.

“Cut! Cut! Cut!”

A loud voice interrupted the flow.

None other than…

“Trainer?”

It was Trainer Kim Ah Sung.

“That’s enough. Well done. Okay, we’ve seen it, so now head back.”

Even though he was the one who allowed the student to perform, he stopped the dance after just a few seconds.

Without even watching until the end.

Perhaps because it was so abrupt.

Even Lee Min Ki was confused, and the frozen student managed to open his mouth.

“Am I… accepted?”

“Hmm? We’ll let you know the results later.”

Kim Ah Sung cut off the question as if avoiding a clear answer.

His attitude was blatantly nonchalant.

Kim Ah Sung was usually carefree to the point of being insubstantial, but this time, he took it to another level.

His posture said it all.

A judge casually resting his feet on the table while watching someone dance—how could that be acceptable?

Maybe it was his attitude that didn’t sit well.

“Wait a minute. You need to watch everything and give us proper feedback.”

The student spoke, clearly dissatisfied.

“We’ve practiced a lot too. Didn’t we show something much better than in the video? At the very least, you should say something.”

The protest continued.

Thud.

Kim Ah Sung Trainer lowered the foot he had placed on the table.

He leaned forward, clasped his hands together, and spoke.

“Huh? I’m saying you danced so terribly that you should just leave.”

“Excuse me?”

“There’s nothing more to see here, so just go. The other two can stay for now.”

“Why are you changing your words…”

The student tried to argue.

“Ah, so noisy.”

Kim Ah Sung’s expression, always tinged with a smile, suddenly turned cold, and his voice hardened sharply.

“We agreed that each of you would audition individually.”

It was the first time Lee Min Ki saw Trainer Kim Ah Sung with such a serious face.

At that moment, he realized that when Kim Ah Sung wasn’t smiling, his expression could be as sharp as a razor.

“Bad memory, huh?”

With that one sentence, the atmosphere in the room froze like ice.