Chapter 3

**Lucky Break to Top Star - Chapter 3 (3/200)**

Chapter 3

Min-gi had been deeply engrossed in acting for quite some time.

“Phew.”

As he drank from his water bottle, the fatigue seemed to wash away, leaving him feeling refreshed.

It felt good to sweat for once.

No, "good" was an understatement; it felt exhilarating.

Min-gi sat on the floor, gazing at the ceiling, lost in thought.

‘How long has it been since I was this focused?’

Even to himself, it was astonishing.

He had only ever acted in front of a mirror in the practice room, but he had become so engrossed that it was almost unbelievable.

How could he describe it?

His entire body seemed to follow his commands perfectly.

‘No missteps, no cramps, no ringing in the ears, no blinding sunlight, no sneezes.’

Everything went smoothly.

As he sat there, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.

‘Could this be due to luck as well?’

Surely, not everyone could do this.

‘Maybe I was distracted by worrying about slipping and spraining my ankle.’

If that were the case, it would be too much.

The idea that even acting required luck, and that the same effort could yield different results, was hard to believe.

Just as he was trembling with disbelief, a voice came from behind.

“You’ve been working hard since morning.”

“…!”

Min-gi was startled and tried to get up. There, a man with a deep cap stood.

‘Who is he?’

Min-gi, still in shock, managed to stand up. The man smiled and said,

“Are you a student here? What’s your name?”

“I’m Min-gi. I’m in the audition class. When did you…?”

“I’ve been watching for a while.”

“Ah.”

His face suddenly felt hot.

‘No one was around, so I got carried away and did some weird acting, and he saw it all.’

As an actor, he should get used to such situations, but it was still embarrassing.

“You were really focused on acting.”

The man chuckled and said,

“By the way, I don’t often see students with such good acting skills.”

Min-gi was surprised and asked,

“You think my acting is good?”

“Yes, it was excellent.”

The man’s words made Min-gi even more confused.

“Your voice tone is well-controlled, your diction is clean, and your expressions are natural without being overdone. You don’t have any bad habits, and it’s clear you’ve practiced a lot.”

“…”

“Most importantly, Min-gi, your hand movements are very detailed.”

He demonstrated with a slight movement of his fingers.

“Usually, acting skills are revealed through the hands. Inexperienced people have awkward hands, but yours were good. You have a good sense of observation.”

The compliments kept coming.

Min-gi rarely heard such generous praise.

But hearing them now left him feeling quite conflicted.

‘I’m happy to hear the praise, but I’m not sure if I should be happy about this.’

In reality, he was an unknown, but he had been a professional for several years.

Receiving praise as a student at an acting school wasn’t something to be overly excited about.

How could he describe it?

It felt like a college math major being praised for solving a quadratic equation well.

Most importantly,

‘Who is this guy?’

Min-gi had never seen this man before.

He had been attending the school for quite a while, but he didn’t recognize this face.

The man seemed to have some background, given how he evaluated Min-gi’s acting.

“Thank you. By the way, are you from the school?”

Min-gi asked, hoping for an answer.

“Oh, I got carried away. Hold on a moment.”

The man rummaged through his inner pocket and handed Min-gi a business card.

The name on the card was impressive.

Trainer.

And not just any trainer, but a dedicated trainer from a major agency.

“…”

Min-gi’s mind went blank.

‘He’s a pro.’

The man had a certain aura, the kind that comes from working in the industry for a long time.

He was confident and stood out.

Min-gi had guessed he might be a professional, but not to this extent.

‘He’s from JC.’

JC, one of the top five agencies in the Korean entertainment industry.

The dedicated trainer from such a prestigious agency had visited the acting school and watched Min-gi’s performance from early morning.

This was not the level of someone who would be at such a school.

If he had been a minor actor in his previous life, he would have found it hard to even approach someone like this.

‘Why is he here?’

Just as his curiosity was piqued, Trainer Kim Ah-sung continued.

“I was asked by the school director to give a special lecture. I had some free time today, so I came early and happened to see Min-gi’s practice. I feel bad about it.”

He chuckled.

If it had been earlier, it would have sounded like a silly laugh, but now even his facial expressions carried weight.

Nothing had changed, but that was how Min-gi saw it.

“Min-gi.”

Trainer Kim Ah-sung said casually.

“Do you have a preferred agency if you get accepted?”

“Daon.”

“Ah, Daon isn’t bad. They have many successful people.”

Trainer Kim Ah-sung seemed to agree with Min-gi’s choice, but then he made a sly expression and said,

“But why specifically there? I don’t recommend it.”

“Why?”

“It’s a secret.”

He changed the subject and asked,

“So, why there?”

“Because my favorite actor is there.”

“Ah, I see. That’s a good reason. I understand. That’s enough.”

It seemed a bit unnecessary.

Just as Min-gi wondered why he had asked that,

“I’ll be coming here often for a while.”

Trainer Kim Ah-sung smiled and said,

“Min-gi, can you come 30 minutes early every day at this time?”

“Huh?”

“If it’s okay, I’ll try to give you some feedback. Keep the business card.”

Min-gi’s mind was even more confused as the man left the practice room.

“By the way, your acting was good, but your movements were a bit stiff. You were too focused on your ankles. Try to loosen up. Being meticulous and detailed is good, but too much of anything can be a problem.”

* * *

That day.

Min-gi couldn’t concentrate on his acting class.

Partly because the instructor was late, but mostly because of the shock from the morning.

‘I got a business card from someone from JC.’

And he had even offered to watch Min-gi’s acting.

A dedicated trainer from JC.

Was it just luck?

He had always been someone who, no matter how hard he tried, never got noticed.

But now, he had caught the attention of someone in the industry.

‘Was it all just luck?’

Min-gi was lost in thought.

‘Can luck be this big?’

He was genuinely confused.

It felt like a stroke of luck he had only heard about in internet stories.

But he didn’t know yet.

While luck played a part, it was ultimately because he had put in the effort.

He had come out early in the morning to practice.

He had focused and delivered a good performance.

It was possible because Min-gi was there.

‘Ah, I’m so confused. So confused.’

Even though he didn’t realize it.

Just as he was waiting for the instructor, a man spoke to him.

“Oh, Min-gi, you look happy today.”

A man with dyed yellow hair and dressed in high-end casual wear.

Kim Tae-geun.

He was in the same audition class as Min-gi.

Min-gi instinctively kept a 2mm distance from him.

‘This guy is a bit awkward.’

While he couldn’t completely avoid him, he didn’t want to get too close.

Why?

Because Kim Tae-geun was someone who craved attention.

‘He used to ignore me a lot.’

Among actors, there are those who like to stand out, and some of them do so by making others their targets.

Kim Tae-geun was one of those people.

“With auditions going on, the atmosphere is a bit tense. Some debut quickly and leave, while others stay for a long time. By the way, this doesn’t apply to you, Min-gi. Ha ha.”

Look.

Within a minute of talking, he had already made a condescending remark.

It showed he had no consideration for others.

Min-gi had bad luck.

Of all people, this guy had to approach him.

But it was okay.

In the past, he might have tried to please such people because he didn’t understand the industry, but now he didn’t need to.

He knew that Kim Tae-geun was just a pebble that would eventually be washed away.

‘There are many people who attend acting schools just for fun.’

Not everyone who attends an acting school is serious.

Most are content with the title of aspiring actor and stay in that position.

“Ah, yeah, sure.”

Just as he was about to dismiss it,

“By the way, I remember you said you wanted to join Daon Entertainment.”

Kim Tae-geun brought up a sensitive topic without hesitation.

“Isn’t today the first round announcement for Daon? I didn’t apply, but did you? I heard you didn’t make it last time. Did you get in this time?”

As he laughed alone, Min-gi sighed and said,

“I got in. First round.”

“…What?”

Kim Tae-geun’s words froze.

At the same time, a small crack appeared in the atmosphere of the debut preparation class.

“I got a call this morning. Here.”

Min-gi took out his phone and showed the acceptance notification to Kim Tae-geun.

Kim Tae-geun stared at it for a while, then his eyes widened.

“Unbelievable… You really got in?”

“It’s just a formality.”

“R-right? Ha ha.”

Kim Tae-geun, still in shock, rubbed his eyes and confirmed it again.

“Still, don’t get too confident! Everyone gets in the first round. The real test starts from the second round. I mean, I hope you do well, Min-gi.”

Kim Tae-geun, now on the offensive, continued without pause.

This guy is impressive.

He should have backed off, but he didn’t seem to read the room.

Just as Min-gi was about to give him a direct rebuke,

“Min-gi, you got into Daon’s first round?”

Someone else butted in.

But it was someone Min-gi recognized.

Yoo Seon-ah.

She had been a standout in the debut preparation process.

‘This person.’

Min-gi remembered her clearly.

She had a unique appearance and acting skills, and she had quickly debuted and left the class.

She looked at Min-gi and said,

“Wow, I applied there too. Nice to meet you. We’re auditioning together.”

“Seon-ah, you too?”

“You remember my name?”

“I just remember hearing it.”

The instructor had praised her a lot.

She smiled and said,

“Anyway, I got a call this morning too. I thought I was the only one preparing for Daon, but it’s nice to have a companion.”

She, who rarely spoke much, smiled and continued.

“Actually, I heard that Daon’s first round is quite strict. They lay out papers with the applicants’ names on a table and turn on a fan to see whose paper goes the farthest. Of course, that’s a joke.”

Surprising.

Was she always this talkative?

She had quickly debuted and left, but she had been preparing for Daon.

“…Still, you have to get into the second round to know for sure.”

Kim Tae-geun, who had been pushed to the background, said awkwardly.

“The real test starts from the second round, right?”

“Right. If you get in, we’ll be eating from the same pot at the same agency.”

“…”

This girl is strong.

A person who sees everything negatively lost their presence in front of someone who sees everything positively.

She continued without hesitation.

“Min-gi, what kind of acting are you preparing for?”

“I’m choosing a scene from a movie featuring my favorite actor at Daon.”

“Ah, you have a plan.”

The two of them were now engrossed in conversation.

A moment later,

“Class is starting.”

The instructor arrived 7 minutes late, and the class began.

Without any preparation.

“Do you remember the assignment from last time? We don’t have much time, so let’s start right away.”