Chapter 129
A bet?
Lee Min Ki asked, puzzled.
“Did we make a bet?”
“We did, verbally.”
Did they?
As he thought about it, he vaguely recalled saying something about going international.
‘Is that really worth calling a bet? There wasn’t even a prize.’
While Lee Min Ki tilted his head in confusion, Manager Park Han Mo’s eyes were brimming with a subtle sense of pride.
In any case, only a few minutes remained until his official international debut.
‘I’ve finally come this far.’
Embracing his overflowing emotions, Lee Min Ki gazed at the lounge for a moment before turning to Manager Park Han Mo and asking.
“By the way, Manager, is it okay for you to follow me overseas?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
“What about the other actors you manage? At least one of them?”
“I must not have mentioned it. Since three days ago, I’ve been exclusively assigned to you.”
“Pardon?”
“It means from now on, you and I are a team bound by fate.”
Bound by fate.
The meaningful phrase left Lee Min Ki searching for a response before he opened his mouth to speak.
“Well, aren’t we already bound by fate, considering we’ve been—”
“One moment.”
Manager Park Han Mo glanced around quickly before speaking.
“Let’s go in before too many people gather.”
Looking around, Lee Min Ki noticed people already stealing glances his way.
So, this is how far he’d come.
Relishing the satisfaction, he followed Manager Park Han Mo’s quick steps.
Why is he walking so fast?
“Can we walk together?”
Wow, he’s really fast.
No, seriously.
A Korean airline.
Among the flight attendants working there, one manual was passed down.
Specifically.
“Got it? Just because a celebrity boards doesn’t mean you can strike up unnecessary conversations.”
Flight attendants were instructed not to speak to celebrities.
“Is that an official rule?”
“No, it’s not about that. It’s just common sense not to bother customers. It makes them uncomfortable.”
When the rookie attendant asked, the senior attendant folded her arms behind her back and explained as if it were obvious.
“If there’s a complaint later? It tarnishes the airline’s image. Entertainment agencies switch airlines over the slightest issue, sometimes boycotting as a group.”
It happened often enough.
Since celebrities naturally draw public attention, even a single word could have massive repercussions.
Perhaps that’s why even minor complaints could snowball into massive boycotts.
Airlines frequently emphasized the “don’t talk to them” rule when training new staff.
Especially in business class and above, where celebrities were more likely to be encountered.
“There really are people who got fired over this. If you want to keep working here, keep it in mind.”
“What about just admiring from afar?”
“Even staring can make them uncomfortable. Think about how you’d feel if a store clerk stared at you while shopping.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“You’re still missing the point. Let me give you an example from one of my senior colleagues…”
As the long lecture drew to a close, the rookie attendant let out a small sigh.
“Ugh, but it’s a shame. On this flight…”
“Lee Min Ki?”
“Yes.”
The sudden name made the rookie nod.
“Lee Min Ki is flying with us. And we can’t even look at him.”
That’s right.
Lee Min Ki was scheduled to board this flight to LA.
Not someone with the same name.
The Lee Min Ki, Korea’s hottest rising star—no, someone moving beyond the status of a rookie to becoming a full-fledged star.
“It’s not like we’ll ever see him in person again.”
“……”
It was an immature lament.
But this time, even the senior attendant couldn’t easily refute it.
‘It’s Lee Min Ki. What can you do?’
After all, the person in question was none other than that Lee Min Ki.
For a moderately famous celebrity, it might have been different.
But Lee Min Ki was exceptionally well-known for his visuals.
Moreover, he was also famous for rarely engaging in public activities outside acting.
Even his commercials were limited to coffee and fitness-related ads.
It was nearly impossible to see Lee Min Ki in person in Korea.
‘I’d like to sneak a peek too, but ugh, not in front of a rookie.’
It was bittersweet.
Even if scolded by her boss, she wanted to catch a glimpse secretly.
But wasn’t she supposed to set an example for her junior?
To think she had to treat that Lee Min Ki like any ordinary passenger.
‘At times like this, the world feels unfair….’
The senior attendant spoke with a heavy heart.
“……So, be extra cautious. He’s very famous. You don’t know what his personality is like.”
“People say he has a good personality.”
“Are you going to keep arguing? Of course! It’s well-known that Lee Min Ki has a good personality! But even people with good personalities can act out! For instance, Andre Yoon got drunk on one glass of champagne and sang in the cabin until he was warned….”
And so continued the lecture, devoid of sincerity, until the plane took off.
After sitting for some time.
Vroooom—
As his ears adjusted to the deafening engine noise, Lee Min Ki’s thoughts went like this.
‘Wow, I can’t believe I’m sitting in business class.’
The fact that he was in business class moved him deeply.
Some might find it odd for a celebrity to fly business class.
It wasn’t that first-class was unattainable, but business class might seem less glamorous compared to the luxurious image associated with celebrities.
However.
[We typically don’t use first-class. Even A-list celebrities rarely do.]
Most celebrities flew economy class.
If the agency splurged, then business class was the best option.
First-class tickets cost 5 million won more.
Naturally, agencies preferred to save on expenses.
But for Lee Min Ki, none of that mattered.
‘This is business class. Business class.’
For him, even flying to America was exhilarating. Business class was more than enough.
The seats were surprisingly spacious.
Just that made Lee Min Ki ecstatic.
‘I thought I’d spend my whole life in economy class. No, I didn’t think I’d ever fly at all.’
Because.
‘Wow, my legs feel so comfortable. And my shoulders too.’
It was because the space wasn’t cramped.
Lee Min Ki, by nature, had excellent proportions.
His legs were long, and his shoulders were broad.
Because of that, how much discomfort had he endured whenever he flew in economy class?
How vividly had he felt the body heat of the person sitting next to him?
Additionally, perhaps due to his innate misfortune, whenever he used public transportation, his seatmate always seemed to be a large-framed person.
‘Business class really is different.’
While he reveled in his delight, a question arose.
“They’re less interested than I expected.”
Neither the celebrities nor the passengers seemed to give him much attention.
“There’s no need to find it strange.”
The manager sitting next to him, Park Han Mo, spoke as if it was obvious when he noticed Lee Min Ki’s curiosity.
“I’ve heard that flight attendants receive specific guidelines. Besides, most passengers have at least this level of manners.”
“Hmm.”
Hearing that, Lee Min Ki gave a small nod but still seemed unconvinced.
“On a travel show I saw before, they were constantly chatting. The flight attendants even gave snacks until the point where it piled up.”
He recalled an old show.
A handsome actor, flying abroad for a shoot, was swarmed by flight attendants bringing snacks non-stop.
[They just gave them.]
The scene of other celebrities getting annoyed and scolding him still lingered vividly in his mind.
“If you think about it, somewhere—”
“It was scripted.”
Manager Park Han Mo cut him off sharply.
“Really? Are you sure about that?”
When Lee Min Ki asked, still harboring some doubts, Manager Park Han Mo yawned lightly before replying.
“Yes, I know because I asked that celebrity personally.”
Ah.
This must be reliable information.
Lee Min Ki let out a sigh, feeling deflated.
‘The world seems to be more grounded in reality than I thought.’
With a slight disappointment, he pulled out a magazine.
He had brought it along with the intention of studying fashion during today’s flight.
Since the in-flight internet was unavailable, he needed something to pass the time, and nurturing his aesthetic sense would also help improve his abilities.
Rustle, rustle.
He flipped through the pages for dozens of minutes.
“Zzz... Zzz...”
Manager Park Han Mo had fallen deeply asleep, reclining in his seat.
‘It’s my first time seeing the manager asleep.’
Lee Min Ki glanced at him sideways, finding it surprising.
Come to think of it, while he often slept in the car, Manager Park Han Mo rarely did.
It was likely because monitoring a sleeping celebrity was also part of a manager’s duties.
‘This atmosphere is nice too.’
The faint hum of the airplane filled the air.
Next to him, Manager Park Han Mo was lost in a deep slumber.
As for Lee Min Ki, he was engrossed in his magazine.
This moment of waiting for their arrival in America felt immensely pleasant.
“Cough!”
Suddenly, a loud coughing sound erupted from somewhere in the business class cabin.
It came from the man sitting next to Lee Min Ki, a middle-aged gentleman.
“Cough! Cough! Cough!”
The coughs were so intense that it seemed as though he might cough up a lung.
Clearly, not everything went smoothly for Lee Min Ki.
“Cough!”
After coughing for a long while, the man suddenly.
Thud.
With a faint sound, the middle-aged man slumped forward like a rag doll.
Clutching his neck, he continued to cough violently.
It looked as if he might die at any moment.
“……!”
Seeing the scene unfold before his eyes, Lee Min Ki’s eyes widened.
‘What? All of a sudden?’
What had started as a comfortable trip had now turned into a situation where the person beside him seemed about to collapse.
What on earth was happening?
Was this kind of occurrence common?
‘Wait, where’s the flight attendant?’
Lee Min Ki quickly looked around, searching for an attendant.
‘Not here.’
But none were in sight.
Maybe they were handling something elsewhere?
He glanced at Manager Park Han Mo, but he was still sound asleep.
When he turned back to the coughing passenger.
“Gasp, wheeze, ack.”
The man was clinging to his neck, barely holding on, as if on the brink of passing out.
‘This is bad.’
It was clearly an emergency.
Lee Min Ki made his decision in an instant, without hesitation.
“Manager, wake up.”
The first thing he did was wake Manager Park Han Mo.
“Ugh... Just a little longer…”
“Sleeping is good, but this is urgent.”
Lee Min Ki shook his shoulder and spoke firmly.
“It’s an emergency. Please get a flight attendant.”
“Huh?”
“Someone’s collapsing. I have something to do here.”
“……!”
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Manager Park Han Mo immediately rose from his seat.
He shouted loudly and left the area.
“There’s a patient here!”
Now, with his instructions to Manager Park Han Mo clear, Lee Min Ki moved swiftly.
The surrounding passengers were still unaware of the emergency.
Even if they noticed, they would likely be flustered.
It would take some time for the flight attendant to arrive.
Perhaps just a few tens of seconds, but even tens of seconds could be critical.
A person’s life could hang in the balance in that brief time. Therefore, what he needed to do was obvious.
‘Let’s do something first.’
Emergency aid.
“Excuse me.”
Lee Min Ki moved beside the slumped passenger, lifting him up as though carrying a load, and laid him down in the aisle.
Was the man half-unconscious?
There was no resistance from his body.
“Pardon me.”
Gently raising only his upper body, Lee Min Ki brought his ear close to the man’s mouth to check his breathing.
‘He’s not breathing.’
It was clear.
He was suffocating.
At times like this, what needed to be done was engraved into Lee Min Ki’s mind down to the cellular level.
‘Perform the Heimlich maneuver.’
It was the Heimlich maneuver.
A method to physically compress the lungs externally for a patient in respiratory distress, forcing them to breathe.
That was the action Lee Min Ki decided to take on the spot.
A technique particularly effective for choking victims.
Though well-known to many, it was infinitely difficult to recall and execute in an emergency.
However.
‘I’ve experienced it many times, but this is my first time doing it myself.’
Lee Min Ki was an exception.
This was because he had himself been in a choking state several times in the past.
Back in elementary school, there were even years when he received CPR twice in a row.
Thus, he learned through his body.
Thanks to that, the moment he saw a choking patient, the Heimlich maneuver came to mind.
Why? It’s like this.
The person who best understands the feelings of someone crossing the Jordan River is someone who’s been there and back.
“......”
Before long, even the sound of coughing ceased.
It was likely because there was no more air left in the lungs to expel.
The patient was mere seconds away from completely losing consciousness.
‘It should be around here. Above the navel, below the sternum.’
Placing his arms over the point he’d memorized countless times, Lee Min Ki firmly clasped his hands.
And then.
Quickly counting the rhythm in his head.
‘One, two, three.’
Thud!
With a blunt sound that echoed loudly, he forcefully compressed the chest.
The impact was strong enough to make the patient’s body jolt like a fish on a cutting board.
“......!”
Yet, the airway was still not cleared.
Even so, there was a small harvest.
The way the patient’s body had leaped in resistance to the impact confirmed that they had not yet lost consciousness.
If they had truly fainted, there wouldn’t have been any reaction at all.
Artificial respiration seemed narrowly unnecessary.
‘It’s still okay. Stay calm, and try again. One, two, three.’
Counting earnestly in his heart, Lee Min Ki once again contracted the muscles of his arms with force.
Thud!
The moment another impactful compression surged, to the point he worried about breaking a rib.
“Cough!”
Finally, a sound of hope emerged.
“Gah! Gasp!”
The patient jerked their body and collapsed forward, coughing violently as they began to expel their breath.
“Ugh! Cough! Cough! Huff! Huff!”
For a few seconds, they hyperventilated like a short-distance sprinter who had just run at full speed.
Bit by bit.
Very slowly, their breathing calmed.
“Are you alright?”
Relieved at last, Lee Min Ki, now confident the crisis was over, asked about their condition while carefully checking the patient’s complexion just in case.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Hurried footsteps echoed from the end of the hallway.
When Lee Min Ki turned his gaze in that direction.
There was someone speaking the same words he had just said, with a look of shock.
“Are you alright?”
It was a flight attendant.
As the attendant examined the patient’s complexion, the patient turned their head to look at Lee Min Ki and spoke in a voice full of exhaustion.
“......Thanks to you, I survived.”
Bucket List #17.
Hearing someone say, “Thank you for saving me.”
Achieving a small wish, a wave of relief swept over Lee Min Ki’s chest, and a feeling of pride finally surged.
He then declared boldly.
“I just did what needed to be done.”
Bucket List #18.
Displaying humility in front of someone who said, “Thank you for saving me.”
At this moment, Lee Min Ki was still unaware.
[Shared 20 seconds ago]
[Wow, Lee Min Ki just saved someone’s life on the plane.]
That inflight Wi-Fi services were spreading on the airplane.
And that the number of eyes watching him had grown significantly.