Top Star by Luck

Chapter 84

[60-Second Acting].

Originally conceived as a supplementary project for interviews, it soon exceeded expectations and established itself as a leading short-content format in the entertainment world.

The formula for this show’s success was attributed to three main factors.

Acting skills.

Character.

And shock value.

To succeed, all three had to be captured perfectly within 60 seconds.

And.

[Did Lee Min Ki always act this well?]

Lee Min Ki happened to have all three of these factors.

[Yeah, he’s always been good.]

[Min Ki is seriously amazing ㅠㅠㅠ]

[That guy’s really good at acting, for real.]

[I realized it when I saw “Café del Dia.” This guy’s going to blow up.]

[He’s been good since his debut. I first saw him in “Campus Story” and didn’t even realize he was a rookie. I was shocked when I found out.]

[I thought he was some unknown actor who had been struggling for 7 years ㅋㅋㅋ]

[You must be seeing Min Ki for the first time ㅎㅎ]

[Ah, seriously ㅠㅠㅠ was I the only one who didn’t know? ㅠㅠㅠ?]

[Let’s start studying together from today.]

From MeTube to female-oriented communities, there was an explosive reaction.

His acting was already a given.

Having built up plenty of potential, his talent had now fully bloomed after countless practices.

His character also followed the success formula of [60-Second Acting].

In other words, it pursued stereotypes.

[Ah, I’ve imagined something like that before.]

[Fantasies on.]

[Everyone’s had that daydream where terrorists break into your classroom and you fight them off ㅋㅋ]

[For real ㅋㅋ imagining pulling off a 108-hit combo while the teacher’s lecturing.]

[Yeah, I used to think like that. Miss those days.]

[I still do.]

[?]

[??]

[What, why? What’s wrong?]

By setting up scenarios and characters that everyone had thought about at least once, it saved time from having to build up character development separately.

Of course, there were also unexpected reactions.

[I got chills while watching it; it reminded me of something similar that happened to my older sister, so I really related….]

[True, just thinking about the situation while he’s acting alone is really terrifying;;; With a bit more directing, it could be seriously scary;;;]

[Apparently, it’s a common game guys play when living alone—like checking if someone else is there. But if there really was a burglar, wouldn’t that be insane?]

[Honestly, the girl’s the crazy one;;;; Why would she break into someone else’s house;;;; insane.]

[ㅋㅋㅋㅋ why is everyone so into it. He was just acting alone ㅋㅋ큐ㅠㅠ]

[It really felt like a horror movie.]

The reactions varied depending on the viewer.

Even Lee Min Ki himself had not anticipated this.

In some places, it was seen as comedy, while in others, it was perceived as horror acting.

In any case, after the character came the shock value.

This needed no further explanation.

The performance was calibrated to match the threshold of provocation for future [60-Second Acting] standards.

It was something that the innocent content of today could hardly follow.

To summarize:

Acting skills, character, and shock value—the trifecta.

From head to toe, Lee Min Ki meticulously calculated success and executed his performance like solving a math problem.

The result?

[Title: Did you see the new project by LMG?]

No explanation needed.

[Ah ㅋㅋ of course, I saw it ㅋㅋ obviously.]

[Season #1581259, meeting Lee Min Ki again.]

Screenshots of Lee Min Ki and Kim Doha’s interview spread across internet communities.

No, to be exact, only the part featuring Lee Min Ki from [60-Second Acting] was spreading.

60 seconds is a short time.

It was too short to show a full-fledged performance.

Acting fundamentally requires a story, and it’s nearly impossible to build up enough immersion for the audience within 60 seconds.

This was a natural limitation.

However, that’s why there were also advantages to the 60-second format.

For instance.

[What’s up with that flailing in midair ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

[I’ve watched it like 10 times on repeat.]

[Wherever I go, I see Lee Min Ki.]

[The leech channels are working hard.]

It was perfect for sharing.

Because it was short, people could concentrate and watch it in a short time.

Compared to dramas, which require at least 30 minutes, or movies, which require more than an hour of full attention, its impact was absurdly powerful.

It was even shorter than the typical 3- to 8-minute MeTube content.

Though generating revenue from MeTube views generally requires videos to be longer than 3 minutes, [60-Second Acting] didn’t aim for view counts.

The purpose was to boost the actor’s popularity and exposure.

Whether intentionally or not, Lee Min Ki’s [60-Second Acting] was nearly perfect in every way.

[Lee Min Ki could do comedy too.]

Its impact was undeniable.

[But he really does have talent.]

[Yeah, it seems like Lee Min Ki is legit.]

[Of course, ㅋㅋㅋ He’s not some rookie who got lucky with three consecutive hits after debut.]

[He’s truly incredible.]

Meanwhile, as Lee Min Ki basked in the spotlight, there was someone thoroughly overshadowed.

That was.

[Kim Doha also filmed one.]

Kim Doha.

When people heard that he had participated in this project, their thoughts were unanimous.

‘Kim Doha is good at acting.’

‘Since Lee Min Ki acted that well, Kim Doha will also do well, right?’

They envisioned a performance befitting the reputation of this versatile actor, Kim Doha.

Compared to a rookie who had only filmed three projects, it was common sense to expect great acting from a seasoned actor who had worked on more than ten.

Not to mention, he had already proven his sense of humor in variety shows.

‘What kind of performance will Kim Doha show?’

With excited hearts, the viewers clicked.

And.

“Season the pork belly with pepper… set the air fryer to 210 degrees for 3 minutes?”

It wasn’t interesting.

It didn’t evoke any sense of fun.

[It’s kind of bland.]

[It’s just ordinary.]

[He does act well, but that’s about it?]

[I don’t feel like rewatching it.]

[Somehow, it feels a bit underwhelming.]

[But Doha’s still handsome, so it’s fine ㅠㅜ]

If Kim Doha’s video had been the first to be seen in [60-Second Acting], it might have been fine.

But unfortunately for him, the act before his was Lee Min Ki’s.

Lee Min Ki, who conceived the next evolution of [60-Second Acting] after experiencing it firsthand.

Kim Doha’s prototype couldn’t compete.

[It’s not that Kim Doha was bad, but Lee Min Ki is just on another level.]

[When you compare the two, the difference is really noticeable.]

It was inevitable.

It was like placing a high school student who had just enrolled in an art academy and was learning to sketch orange peels next to a seven-year veteran Fauvist painter.

There was no way the business could survive.

[Kim Doha has a good career, but his acting skills are truly something.]

[You mean Lee Min Ki, not Kim Doha.]

It was the moment when Lee Min Ki’s acting was reassessed.

From being a promising rookie with good intuition, he was reclassified as a top-tier rookie actor who overwhelmed others with sheer acting skill.

He fulfilled his promise.

He truly overshadowed Kim Doha.

In the public’s eyes, Lee Min Ki stepped on Kim Doha as a stepping stone and climbed higher.

* * *

On a sunny afternoon.

“Yawwwwn.”

Lee Min Ki stretched on a bench near a bookstore, letting out a long yawn.

“Isn’t that Lee Min Ki?”

“Must be someone who looks like him.”

Though some people around him occasionally recognized him, he had successfully concealed his face well enough that it didn’t happen often.

Wearing a thick cap and a mask.

“Did you see that guy’s proportions earlier?”

Of course, some things couldn’t be hidden, no matter how much he tried to cover them up.

“Is he a celebrity?”

“Hey, your boyfriend just passed by.”

“……I wish.”

These days, it was becoming harder to walk around freely.

Even without doing anything noticeable, too many people recognized him now.

Even today, a simple stroll was about all he could manage.

Just staying in one spot was becoming an event in itself every day.

‘For now, I can still go outside, but soon I won’t even be able to do this.’

Lee Min Ki thought to himself as he glanced up at the blue sky.

How long would he be able to enjoy this normal life?

‘Maybe it’s because I’ve been involved in so many abnormal incidents lately, but just the fact that things are peaceful is kind of healing.’

Ordinary life was something easy to overlook because it was so mundane, but when it became harder to hold onto, it became infinitely precious.

This was especially true for celebrities.

There’s a famous story that Michael Jackson couldn’t even shop at the neighborhood grocery store.

Apparently, his friends rented out an entire supermarket just so he could enjoy a normal day as an ordinary person.

‘I mean, there’s no way I’ll ever get that famous, though.’

Michael Jackson was an extreme case.

Lee Min Ki chuckled briefly, staring into the air, and let out a small sigh.

‘I’ve got a lot on my mind these days.’

There was the whole situation with Daon.

Sorting through the data contained in the phone he had acquired was nearly done.

When the time came to reveal it, it had to be revealed.

‘But when, where, and

how.’

That hadn’t been decided yet.

This wasn’t the end.

If the Daon controversy was a personal dilemma, there was another concern that weighed on him as an actor.

‘It’s about time to start a new project.’

It was about choosing his next work.

JC had already started bringing it up.

[It seems like you’ve rested enough.]

Even if they didn’t immediately jump into filming, it would be a good idea to start considering one or two projects.

That way, it would be easier to coordinate with the production teams regarding schedules.

Moreover, no matter how popular he had become, as a rookie, he still had to strike while the iron was hot.

[A rookie actor’s fame may flare up briefly, but it doesn’t last long. If you don’t want to be a one-hit-wonder, it’s better to continue releasing work consistently.]

This was advice from his manager, Park Han Mo.

[Of course, since you’ve just shot a successful project, you might be afraid of failing with the next one. But you need to change your mindset. It’s okay to fail. Even if the project flops, what’s important is that you keep filming.]

Sure, filming is fine.

But the real issue was which project to pick.

Lee Min Ki was deep in thought.

‘What’s a good project that’s trending right now?’

In truth, there were many successful projects out there.

Lee Min Ki had a rough idea of which ones would succeed.

If he picked one from that list, there would be little chance of failure, despite Park Han Mo’s concerns.

But the most important thing was which project he *wanted* to film.

‘Commercial success is great, but I want to pick a project where I can grow.’

He felt an instinctive pull toward growth.

‘Joaquin Paul Jonathan said it best. If you’ve done two or three commercial projects, try to film one artistic piece.’

That’s supposed to be the perfect balance.

The golden pattern for securing both success and growth as an actor.

If you only film commercial projects, your range of acting gets fixed, and there’s no long-term development.

Someone else once said this:

[Commercial films build recognition, while artistic films build skill.]

Artistic, huh.

Art is tempting.

Isn’t there a project that’s artistic and lets you use your body in a variety of ways?

“Hmmm.”

It wasn’t an easy decision.

Picking any random project meant at least three months of filming, if not a year or more of work.

He couldn’t just pick something without care.

Moreover, having already seen firsthand that a project’s success could exceed expectations.

‘Café del Dia wasn’t supposed to be *this* successful.’

This also meant, inversely, that his involvement could lead to a project’s decline.

So he had to choose carefully.

He had to rack his brain and pick the right project that matched his chemistry perfectly.

‘Sigh, but even so, compared to the days when I had no money and was worrying about my health, these are happy concerns.’

With all these possibilities in his mind, he kept walking aimlessly, letting his feet take him wherever.

“Ah.”

When he snapped out of it, he realized he had arrived at a very familiar place.

It was.

‘Jam Acting School.’

The acting academy he had graduated from.

Without thinking, he had unconsciously walked down a path his body remembered.

‘Wow, that’s eerie.’

Just how deeply ingrained in his mind was this place?

At this rate, he was practically a salmon returning home.

But at the same time, he felt it was good timing.

It was an acting academy.

A place where people who loved acting gathered to contemplate acting.

It made him feel like he was going back to the days when he was eager to debut.

‘Maybe if I look around here, I’ll get some inspiration.’

With that thought in mind, Lee Min Ki changed his course and entered the building.

Hoping not to run into the Director.

That person would probably try to rope him into filming an interview.

‘Let’s see.’

As he walked through the hallway, he saw people in each practice room, fully immersed in their acting exercises.

“Ah, Tophus, why have you hidden yourself in this shadowy place? It’s damp and dark here.”

“Michaela, I can no longer go out into the light.”

“Everyone can bask in the light.”

“If you saw my ugly form, you’d change your mind.”

Some were rehearsing lines with exaggerated emotions as if they were preparing for a play.

“Hoop!”

“Good! Try it with more bounce!”

While others were warming up by doing flips, like circus performers.

‘That’s impressive.’

It was fascinating to watch.

As someone who had a minor trauma regarding body movements, Lee Min Ki often felt admiration when he saw people performing physically demanding stunts that could easily lead to injury if done wrong.

‘I feel like I’m getting inspired.’

It was fun.

He felt like if he kept watching, something would really spark within him.

Just one more step.

It felt like if he took just one more step, he would see it.

What could it be?

Why did it feel like he was about to see something but couldn’t?

In this moment of returning to his humble beginnings, the fog in his mind cleared for a brief moment, and he felt like he was on the verge of grasping something.

‘Huh?’

At the corner of Jam Acting School.

He unintentionally noticed a scene.

In a quiet practice room where there wasn’t a soul in sight, someone sat crouched with their knees pulled in, looking as though they were about to cry.

And it was someone he was quite familiar with.

‘Seon Ah?’

Yoo Seon Ah.

Someone he hadn’t seen much of in recent gatherings, was still sitting there on the practice room floor.

‘Why are her eyes so swollen?’

Her face was full of sadness.