Chapter 5

**Lucky Break to Top Star - Chapter 5 (5/200)**

Chapter 5

"Is that student the worst here...?"

A bewildered statement escaped the principal's lips. The statement about Im Ki's poor skills, and not just poor, but the worst in the academy, was hard to believe. Trainer Kim Ah-sung smiled and said:

"Haha, if that student is that bad, it must mean that Jam Acting School's standards are incredibly high."

It was a moment when he was about to ask for a correction, thinking it might be a mistake.

"Um, I'm hesitant to say this about our students, but they are indeed the worst."

The principal stated it straightforwardly.

'Hmm.'

Upon hearing this, Trainer Kim Ah-sung finally thought:

'Does this person wear glasses as a mere accessory?'

The Im Ki he saw was not just not bad; he was far above the average of most academies. In fact, if he were to be put on a professional stage, he wouldn't even get criticized.

If he is considered bad, then the level of this academy must be that high.

'There's no way.'

In the morning, he had visited and observed the overall situation of the academy. The result was as follows:

It was terrible.

He had no idea what kind of curriculum they used to teach the students, but the overall level was abysmal. The teachers seemed to lack enthusiasm, and most of the students appeared to be there just for fun. Even the students in the special class he was supposed to teach for a while were not particularly outstanding.

'They probably invited me here to try to get a foot in the door with JC, but that's not going to happen.'

Trainer Kim Ah-sung had received many such offers from other places besides Jam Acting School. He often visited such places to earn some extra income and discover new talent, but most of the time, he didn't find them meaningful.

That's why he found it even harder to understand the principal's words.

'Is the principal's eye for acting so poor that the students' skills are this bad? This industry is really going downhill.'

However, there was no need to point it out. Trainer Kim Ah-sung hid his true thoughts and replied with a smile:

"Oh, no way. I saw that student this morning, and he was quite good. We at JC would even consider kidnapping him."

"Are you talking about Im Ki?"

"Of course. Haha, I was thinking of marking him. His fundamentals are so solid. I think he'll be picked up by someone soon. He said he wants to go to Daon, which would be great for him."

Upon hearing this, the principal thought:

'Is this person sane?'

The student Im Ki, as he saw him, had no outstanding qualities. He was far below average. He couldn't compare to students who had been exposed to acting from a young age. Even among latecomers, his talent was lacking. He seemed to make frequent mistakes, perhaps due to his clumsy nature.

'He failed 11 consecutive auditions.'

Despite that, he had high aspirations and applied to Daon again.

In short, there was a reason for the principal to undervalue Im Ki.

To overvalue such a student...

'Has even the great JC become outdated? To appoint someone with such poor judgment as a dedicated trainer...'

That was the only conclusion he could draw.

It wasn't that he had brought Trainer Kim Ah-sung here with high regard. It was simply because Kim Ah-sung had significant influence at JC, and he thought it might help the students to have a connection there.

But to this extent...

'Am I wasting money?'

Trainer Kim Ah-sung and the principal, who had mutually recognized each other, suddenly reassessed each other.

'A man with no eye for talent.'

'A person who will bring ruin to the company.'

For a while, an awkward silence filled the air.

Finally, it was Trainer Kim Ah-sung who spoke.

"Then how about this?"

He still had a smile on his face.

"Usually, I don't do this with students, but how about a bet?"

"A bet?"

"Whether Im Ki will get into Daon or not."

At that moment, Trainer Kim Ah-sung's eyes sparkled as he said:

"I believe in my judgment. If that student gets into Daon, how about the academy providing him with a scholarship?"

"Hmm, that's not a big problem."

Most acting academies of a certain size have scholarship systems. Jam Acting School, in particular, had a system where outstanding students selected internally received a full refund of their tuition.

But a bet is a two-way street.

"Then, what if the student fails?"

The principal probed.

"I'll push for JC to hold an unofficial audition for Jam Acting School."

The big fish had taken the bait.

From the principal's perspective, there was no reason to refuse such a proposal.

* * *

As the short lecture was about to end,

"Im Ki, you're taking private lessons from someone, right?"

Kim Tae-gi persistently followed Im Ki. He was so persistent that it was hard to believe he usually ignored him.

"No, I'm not."

"Come on, your skills suddenly improved. Did you find some great teacher? Or maybe a professional actor is giving you one-on-one lessons?"

"I can't afford that. I have to go to my part-time job right after a short break."

"Haha, do you think I'll be fooled that easily?"

He had never been fooled, but Kim Tae-gi was fooling himself.

"Between us, let's be honest."

Between us? What kind of relationship is that?

A relationship of mutual ignoring?

If that's the case, it would be better to be like cows and chickens.

Im Ki, annoyed by Kim Tae-gi's persistent following, said:

"The same thing keeps coming up. I'm not taking any lessons. Really. I just practiced hard as I was told."

That was the truth.

Im Ki had always approached acting with a hungry spirit, from his debut to becoming a professional. On holidays when the academy practice room was closed, he couldn't afford to rent a practice room like others. He just went to the riverside or an open field to practice alone.

So, he had never even imagined having a luxurious lesson.

'Why is this person like this?'

Even his acting, which he had done once, was so bad that he stumbled over his words. How could he stick around like this?

How humble can a person be?

"Haha, I won't leave until you tell me the truth."

"..."

This person is persistent.

Very persistent.

In the end, Im Ki, finding no answer, sighed and said:

"I was originally a professional actor."

"Of course."

Kim Tae-gi's eyes lit up.

Im Ki, looking at him with a disdainful expression, said:

"I acted for a few years, but it didn't go well. Then I fell down the stairs and died, and I went to the afterlife. They reincarnated me there."

"Ah, so you came back to the past with your professional experience?"

"Now we're getting somewhere."

"Haha."

Kim Tae-gi laughed and said:

"Do I look like a fool to you?"

"..."

To be honest, he did.

Im Ki had to suppress the urge to slap him.

"Im Ki always practiced hard."

Suddenly, another person joined in.

A clear and pleasant voice. A cute appearance.

An idol in the process of preparing for debut.

Yoo Seon-ah.

She spoke as if defending Im Ki:

"That's finally paying off. They say acting skills improve in steps. Once they improve, they improve significantly. That's what happened with Im Ki this time."

Im Ki, looking at her, thought:

'Why is she so proud of it?'

He had never even spoken to her properly before.

Now, she was acting as if they were close friends, standing next to him and pretending to know him.

He could feel the surprised gazes of the people around them.

Whatever she was thinking, no, we just started talking.

'Please, just go away.'

Regardless of what Im Ki thought, Yoo Seon-ah continued:

"Kim Tae-gi."

"It's Kim Tae, not Kim Tae-gi."

"Right, Kim Tae, you don't know, but Im Ki comes to the academy the earliest every morning. Just to practice."

"Really?"

Yoo Seon-ah nodded and said:

"Yes, I sometimes come early to practice, and I've never seen Im Ki come later than me."

"Wow... such a secret. So, you really need to practice a lot, huh?"

"Of course."

Before he knew it, the two of them were discussing his acting methods without him.

It was overwhelming.

He had always been alone at the academy, but now these two were doing this.

'I don't know if my luck is getting better or worse.'

Kim Tae-gi was sticking to him more than necessary.

"Im Ki, let's practice together in the morning from tomorrow. How about coming at the same time?"

"Do as you please."

"Great. I'll come even earlier tomorrow. Look forward to it."

Yoo Seon-ah also joined in.

"I'll come if I have time."

He was completely overwhelmed.

Im Ki, half-listening to their conversation and feeling the gazes of the academy students on the back of his head, checked his watch.

'It's already this late.'

Time to go to his part-time job.

"See you tomorrow. I'm leaving."

"Wait a moment. Don't just leave. Let's have dinner with the people in the same study group."

"I have to rush to my part-time job."

Im Ki left the place as if fleeing.

What did he say a moment ago? Something about a study group?

* * *

That evening, after finishing his part-time job following the academy, Im Ki was completely exhausted.

The feeling of sinking into the bed was almost overwhelming.

But it wasn't entirely unpleasant.

'I did my best today.'

He had lived earnestly.

More than that, it was fulfilling.

At the acting academy, he had focused on acting and received his first genuine praise.

It wasn't the kind of flattery people give to make you feel good, but real, proper praise.

He could tell the difference.

The same went for his part-time job.

'There were no troublemakers today.'

He worked at a convenience store near Hapjeong. It was not uncommon for troublemakers to flood in at night, making his shifts exhausting, but today was unusually quiet.

Instead, good customers came.

'They remembered the names of the cigarettes and cleaned up after themselves.'

His work went smoothly.

'The stickers came off in one go. The barcodes scanned perfectly, and even the USB plugged in on the first try.'

That wasn't all.

'I won an extra bottle of drink!'

When he opened the drink, the cap read [One More Bottle!].

Buying one bottle and getting an extra one was a big deal.

It might seem trivial, but for Im Ki, it was a monumental event that he would remember for a lifetime.

He was lucky.

Clearly, his luck had improved.

While his financial luck was uncertain, he could feel that his luck at work had significantly improved.

Even the neighbor didn't run the vacuum cleaner at night, which added to his good fortune.

'I'm happy.'

Surprisingly, Im Ki was feeling happy.

That was the kind of person he was.

He was happy when he didn't hear a sneeze while drinking water.

That was Im Ki.

'I hope tomorrow is as good as today, except for Kim Tae sticking to me.'

Im Ki smiled for a while, harboring this hope.

Soon, he fell into a deep sleep.

And the next morning, when he arrived at the academy,

"Ah, Im Ki, you're here."

"You're here?"

"..."

When he realized two people were waiting in the practice room, he had to revise his thoughts.

No.

"What's going on? There are so many people?"

There were three people.