Top Star by Luck

Chapter 79

“How much is the debt?”

At Lee Min Ki’s incredibly confident attitude, the debt collector flinched.

Legally, the collector had the upper hand.

Yet, why did it feel like he was the one in debt, facing the man before him?

‘What’s going on?’

He sensed a primal gap between them.

It was like a jackal facing a tiger.

Thud.

The debt collector, without even realizing it, took a step back and squeezed out his words with difficulty.

“…A little over 100 million won.”

“Is that so?”

What a relief.

After hearing the exact amount from the debt collector, Lee Min Ki let out a small sigh of relief inside.

‘If it had been much more, I might’ve had to ask my agency for help. But this much is manageable. I never thought I’d use the money I saved up since debut for something like this.’

It was a close call.

He had worried that it might be an enormous sum, but 100 million won was something he could handle.

“I’ll pay it.”

Lee Min Ki casually said.

At the same time, he glanced slightly at his father.

‘No matter what, 100 million won isn’t a small amount. Has he been hiding this all this time?’

He knew his family had debt.

But he didn’t know the exact amount.

And he certainly never imagined, even in his wildest dreams, that a debt collector would show up at their door.

It wasn’t that he had been neglectful.

His parents had simply hidden it that thoroughly.

Just like many parents in other households who don’t reveal the specifics of their financial situation to their children.

‘If I’d known, I would’ve helped sooner.’

Had they kept this hidden for years?

There was a time when he felt a bit disappointed that his parents couldn’t support his acting career. Now, he understood why.

With 100 million won, just the interest alone would be significant.

‘Well, whatever. I’ll pay it off.’

He didn’t have so much money that he could flaunt it.

But it wasn’t a small amount either.

He had earned a considerable sum from starring in a drama, and the advertising fees also contributed.

He had long surpassed 100 million won just from his savings.

Though it was a large sum of money that he had never touched before, he didn’t feel it was too wasteful to spend now.

Why?

‘I’ll just make more money.’

Compared to the future earnings he would make, this was as insignificant as the fat content in a chicken breast.

More importantly.

‘If you’re going to spend money, it’s best to spend it when it’s most worthwhile.’

Money is valuable depending on how and when you use it.

So, if he had to spend it, he wanted to use it in the most meaningful way.

This was that moment.

His bank account might feel the pinch, but it was worth it to lift the lifelong burden off his family’s shoulders.

In the grand scheme of things, it was a bargain.

He had the confidence that 100 million won would soon be nothing more than pocket change.

If he invested in a few stock options, he could easily recover more than that. For someone who knew the future, investing was as easy as walking on flat ground.

To begin with, his goal was to succeed as an actor, not to aggressively accumulate wealth.

Having no regrets left about money, Lee Min Ki opened his mouth.

“I’ll transfer it right away. Give me your account number.”

“Uh, okay.”

“This is my business card. From now on, contact me directly. I’ll inform my agency, so you can reach out to them as well.”

The debt collector took the card from Lee Min Ki and quickly left.

He kept glancing back over his shoulder as he went.

A few seconds later.

Silence settled between the two people left standing in the alley outside the house.

‘What an atmosphere.’

Lee Min Ki felt a headache coming on.

He hadn’t expected their reunion to unfold like this.

He had been wondering how to break the ice with his awkward family, but he never thought he’d start by paying off their debt.

‘What should I say?’

Meanwhile.

“….”

His father just stood there, silently staring at him.

His eyes were filled with a mix of emotions, tangled in the empty air.

Whether he felt proud of his son, grateful, or perhaps too overwhelmed with guilt to know what to do.

In truth, it was this:

‘I’m so shameless.’

He felt ashamed.

After all those years of opposing his son’s dream, now he was shamelessly reaping the benefits of his success.

He hadn’t known.

‘They must’ve gone through a lot raising me all those years.’

Lee Min Ki didn’t feel like he was repaying his family as an actor, but rather as a son who had been difficult to raise.

‘How many times did I break my bones as a kid? Was it five times? I got bullied at school and even had to transfer once. My clothes kept getting torn up too.’

This was just paying back what he owed.

Not giving, but returning.

That was how Lee Min Ki saw it.

“Whew, it’s hot today, isn’t it?”

To be honest, he had exaggerated a little.

But looking at the scene before him, he felt it was worth it.

The awkward atmosphere lingered for a moment.

Lee Min Ki smiled softly, calling on all his acting skills.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s just a small way to give back for raising me. Just a little.”

One of the “Top 100 Cool Phrases I’d Want to Say Someday” that he had kept in mind smoothly flowed from his mouth.

Among the other phrases were:

[Give me everything from here to there.]

[I’m Lee Min Ki.]

[I owe it all to the viewers who made this possible.]

And so on.

But at this moment, one of those phrases resonated calmly.

Had he not been trained through years of acting, he might have burst out laughing at the satisfaction of the moment.

“You’ve worked hard.”

His father, feeling a mix of gratitude and guilt, only managed to say that.

“And I’m sorry.”

An apology.

Usually, receiving an apology from family isn’t something that makes you feel at ease, but this time, it actually helped him feel better.

They had reached the point where an apology could be exchanged.

“I should have told you sooner, but I kept hesitating, trying to gauge the situation, and it ended up being too late.”

He could have told him over the phone.

But he hadn’t wanted to cover it up with a cheap apology.

An apology given too easily would feel shallow.

He didn’t want to seem like a father who only turned up late to cling to his successful son.

“I didn’t expect you’d grow up so well on your own. I guess I didn’t trust you enough?”

Feeling a weight lift off his chest, Lee Min Ki opened his mouth.

“Whose son do you think I am? Of course, I’d do well.”

His voice was confident.

There was no resentment, only a lighthearted tone that glossed over everything.

At those words, his father, too, felt a small sense of relief, as if he’d been saved.

“I’m late, aren’t I? I got caught in traffic on the way here.”

“My son, you seem to have changed a lot since you started appearing on TV.”

“That’s all thanks to you for giving me these good looks, Dad.”

“…No, it’s your mom who gave you the good looks.”

For a brief moment, a smile appeared on his father’s lips.

This is my son.

The son I raised.

His father, unable to directly express the remaining guilt in his heart, looked him up and down from head to toe and said:

“Did you grow taller? You seem to be looking at me from a different height.”

“Lifts.”

“Lifts, huh? They work pretty well. Buy me a pair later.”

“These are custom-made.”

“Even celebrities wear custom lifts?”

“If you buy just any pair, you can’t walk long distances.”

For them, this short conversation was enough.

“Let’s go inside.”

“Where’s Mom?”

“She went out on a date with Min Seo.”

The two of them soon entered the house.

After stepping into the entryway and taking off his shoes, Lee Min Ki glanced around, soon realizing that the house was much more worn down than he remembered.

‘This is what the house looks like now, huh?’

He hadn’t visited in so long that his memories had become faint.

His nostalgic memories had romanticized the house as cozy despite its age, but reality was much harsher.

‘The wallpaper is peeling. The furniture is worn out. The floor is warped, and there’s even a bit of mold.’

It was just old.

And more than that, it was the kind of wear that comes from not having enough money.

Having stayed in a nice dormitory provided by JC recently made it all the more evident.

But.

This much was expected.

‘What’s important is the future.’

A lot was going to change.

For him, and for his family.

* * *

‘This is amazing, amazing, amazing.’

Her heart was racing like crazy.

No, her legs were even bouncing up and down.

Inside the broadcasting station’s entertainment division.

Among the third team, who focused mainly on online content, a producer barely managed to secure a casting and now felt like she could fly to the sky in excitement.

“Hehehehe.”

While she was grinning to herself, a man popped his head over the partition across from her and said:

“Producer Na, keep it down.”

“Oh, uh, sorry.”

“See the second team? They got chewed out by the director yesterday, so they’re on edge. Let’s be mindful.”

“Okay.”

She must have been pretty noisy.

Embarrassed, Producer Na’s face flushed as red as a ripe persimmon.

But she couldn’t help it.

There was a reason she was so ecstatic.

Why?

‘It’s Kim Do Ha

and Lee Min Ki! This is going to be huge! It’s going to be a massive hit!!’

She had managed to secure both of the hottest stars on the same show.

Just thinking about how she had somehow made this impossible project happen was enough to make her heart flutter.

‘Wow, how did I even pull this off?’

Kim Do Ha’s appearance fee was always high.

Despite his gentle face, he was incredibly meticulous when it came to work, scrutinizing everything as if he were doing quality checks in a precision factory. That alone was a challenge.

And then there was Lee Min Ki.

‘He must have so many offers lately, with how popular he’s become.’

When is an actor’s appearance fee the highest?

When they’ve just hit it big?

No.

It’s when some time has passed since their big success, and they start to fade slightly from the public’s view.

It’s also the time when they’re preparing for their next project, and people are throwing money at them to sign deals. Even getting an interview at that time is no small feat.

‘Wow, am I really this competent for pulling this off?’

She was so excited that she shook her body in a little celebratory dance.

Then, she let out a deep breath of relief.

‘And on top of that, the concept I pitched was so odd. I’m glad they accepted it.’

It wasn’t just a simple interview.

There was a small additional concept attached to the plan.

[60-Second Impromptu Acting.]

It was a concept where they would ask the two actors to perform a short impromptu scene.

From the start, this project had been brimming with Producer Na’s personal biases, like the thick cream in a Swiss roll cake.

It hadn’t been intentional, but the agency actually appreciated the idea.

It gave the actors a chance to show off their acting skills a little, and it helped maintain their image.

Since it was just a 60-second performance, the burden was relatively low.

Still, acting was acting.

It was only natural to have some doubts.

‘Will they prepare properly?’

Just having those two high-priced actors agree to come on the show was already a blessing.

Would they give a performance as good as what they showed in dramas and movies?

That would be ideal.

‘Eh, I’m getting ahead of myself. Wishful thinking.’

Producer Na shook her head, laughing at her own thoughts.

Just having them agree to come was good enough. Why expect perfection?

Wasn’t it common knowledge that celebrities have their heads in the clouds?

Considering the popularity of these two stars, their egos were probably sky-high by now.

“Hehe.”

She giggled to herself again.

“Producer Na, I told you to keep it down.”

“Oh, right.”

She lowered her head again, realizing she had gotten too carried away.

But.

At this point, she had no idea.

That there were stars in the world who, until just a year ago, would have given anything for even a 10-second acting opportunity, let alone 60 seconds.

* * *

“Isn’t that Lee Min Ki?”

“Probably just someone who looks like him.”

“Uh… no, I’m pretty sure that’s Lee Min Ki.”

Uh-oh.

Lee Min Ki quickly pulled his mask down over his face.

These days, even just walking down the street, more and more people recognized him, making it uncomfortable to go outside.

‘Good thing I moved to the JC dorms.’

If he had stayed in that one-room apartment complex, by now his private life would have become delicious public property for the media.

Anyway.

‘It’s supposed to be 60 seconds of impromptu acting, right?’

Sitting on a bench at a bookstore, Lee Min Ki once again reviewed the script he had received beforehand.

And soon, he sighed again and closed it.

‘…It’s simple.’

Only the setting and characters were specified.

There was not a single detailed action or line of dialogue to be found.

They called it impromptu acting, but it was shockingly straightforward.

Was it really okay to be this honest?

There are plenty of actors who cover up bad acting with camera angles, but they didn’t seem to care about accommodating such people.

‘Well, whatever. This is better for me.’

Fortunately, Lee Min Ki remembered the exact nature of this particular project.

Because he had seen it before.

‘This thing became really successful and went on to become the standard for testing actors’ skills.’

It was such a successful concept that even he had enjoyed watching it.

New episodes used to come out every week on MyTube.

He had assumed there would be a script since it was a planned production, but he was surprised to find out it was truly impromptu.

‘At least they stayed true to the goal of testing acting skills.’

But there was something more important.

His opponent was none other than Kim Do Ha.

‘He won’t be half-hearted about it.’

This was Kim Do Ha, after all.

Regardless of a person’s real character, Kim Do Ha’s success as an actor was no coincidence.

A man whose voice alone could command a character.

An actor who had become the poster boy for kind-hearted roles.

By this time, it was no exaggeration to say that Kim Do Ha represented the “new generation” of serious actors.

The title associated with the name Kim Do Ha carried significant weight.

That’s why.

‘I’ll take him down.’

Lee Min Ki had decided to steal that title for himself.