Chapter 130
After the emergency situation was resolved.
What could be said about the person whose life Lee Min Ki saved?
“I really almost died. I already have respiratory issues, and I lost my auxiliary device.”
“……”
“Whew, my life flashed before my eyes. If the actor hadn’t helped me, it would’ve been a disaster. My company’s work, my family—everything.”
He was surprisingly talkative.
It wasn’t just that he talked a lot.
The man continued speaking endlessly, regardless of whether Lee Min Ki responded or not.
“By the way, did you see the faces of the startled flight attendants earlier? If I had died here, it would’ve been chaos. Haha.”
“Haha…”
“It could have been a crisis that caused the airline’s stock price to plummet. You didn’t just save my life, actor, but also the airline and the crew. It’s as if you saved everyone.”
He looked at Lee Min Ki as if he were a protagonist from a superhero movie.
Faced with such an awkward compliment, Lee Min Ki let out a small, awkward laugh.
‘It does feel rewarding.’
After all, it was a word of gratitude.
Who wouldn’t feel good hearing words of thanks?
Especially since it wasn’t as though he made up anything.
‘But I didn’t expect him to talk this much.’
Starting from the middle, Min Ki began counting.
By now, it was over thirty times.
The man had expressed his gratitude more than thirty times, just changing the phrasing.
[Isn’t the in-flight meal delicious?]
[Come to think of it, maybe the in-flight meal caused it. I have allergies that make my throat swell, and I wasn’t careful. The actor saved my life.]
Even when talking about food, he circled back to thanking Lee Min Ki for saving him while eating.
[We’re almost at our destination now.]
[It’s a relief I didn’t die while in the air.]
Even when trying to shift the topic to the flight itself, the focus returned to Lee Min Ki.
What could he say?
By now, even Lee Min Ki couldn’t help but feel a bit weary.
‘It’s understandable, though, since I saved his life.’
In Lee Min Ki’s mind, a mixture of exhaustion and pride danced as he continued to smile faintly.
[Passengers, we will soon be arriving at Los Angeles Airport. I’ll repeat the announcement.]
Were they almost there?
A calm voice over the speaker announced their upcoming landing.
The lowered altitude seemed to have alleviated the pressure in his ears.
‘Thanks to him, time passed quickly.’
It was his first flight to the United States, and it had certainly been a dynamic one.
But he hoped never to experience a flight like this again.
If it happened twice, he might as well become Conan Doyle.
‘Dear God, I pray for love, peace, and tranquility.’
As Lee Min Ki began to pack up his belongings and prepare to stand, the man beside him spoke up.
“Come to think of it, I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’ve been rambling about myself this whole time.”
The man rummaged through his wallet as if he had just remembered something, pulling out an item as he spoke.
“Here, this is a small token of who I am.”
It was a business card.
Without realizing it, Lee Min Ki took the card and looked over it slowly.
“……!”
For a moment, Lee Min Ki’s pupils dilated dramatically.
He wasn’t just surprised—his heart almost leaped out of his chest.
It couldn’t be helped.
Because—
‘This man is a Hollywood insider?’
The identity of the man he had saved turned out to be anything but ordinary.
[Art & Science & Technology Pictures]
[Senior Vice President: Bae Jung Mun]
Art & Science & Technology Pictures.
Commonly known as AST.
The man was an executive at AST.
Naturally, Lee Min Ki couldn’t possibly be unfamiliar with the name.
‘AST is one of the top seven movie studios in Hollywood!’
As a film professional, it was impossible not to know the company.
It might be unknown to the general public.
But among films distributed in Hollywood, at least 80% were backed by one of the top seven studios. Among those, AST ranked in the top three.
There were hardly any films untouched by AST’s influence.
‘Senior Vice President… That’s at least an executive-level position, isn’t it?’
Who would have thought that a Korean executive from a Hollywood company would be seated next to him?
Not that it was unusual.
There were Koreans who had worked as lead character designers at Disney, after all.
But the fact that this particular man ended up sitting beside him on a plane was nothing short of remarkable.
Not to mention the fact that Lee Min Ki saved his life.
‘No wonder he was so curious about my acting work.’
Only now did it dawn on Lee Min Ki why Bae Jung Mun had kept asking so many questions.
He thought it was just idle curiosity, but it made sense if he was gathering information as someone in the same industry.
[So you’re planning to break into the American fashion scene? Impressive. But is it okay to share that with me? It’s an honor.]
Of course, it was strange that he kept his identity hidden.
“I’ve enjoyed all your work. If we ever have the chance, I’d love to work with you at AST. That would be a dream come true.”
Bae Jung Mun smiled brightly.
A moment ago, he would have come across as just a friendly middle-aged man. But now, his words carried an almost overwhelming weight.
‘Wait, now that I think about it, where’s Manager Park?’
As Lee Min Ki glanced at his manager, Park Han Mo, he froze.
‘What?’
The manager was trembling.
Like a leaf in the wind, he couldn’t even meet the other man’s gaze properly.
Rrrrrrr!
Was he shaking so much it made noise?
No.
It was just a coincidence that the plane’s landing vibrations synced with his trembling.
“Haha, it’s almost time to get off. It was a pleasure meeting you. Please feel free to contact me anytime. I’d be happy to treat you to a meal. Goodbye.”
With that, Bae Jung Mun stood up and left the plane ahead of them.
Left behind, Lee Min Ki alternated his gaze between the empty seat and the business card.
‘…I was lucky.’
To have a big shot like him owe him a favor.
Lee Min Ki exhaled deeply, unsure if this stroke of fortune was truly luck.
In truth, the one who was really lucky this time might have been someone else.
Why?
Because Bae Jung Mun owed his life to Lee Min Ki.
‘I feel like we’ll meet again.’
With that thought, he hummed a tune and walked briskly out of the lounge.
Long before Lee Min Ki got off the plane, news had already spread online.
The headline?
[Lee Min Ki Saved Someone’s Life]
Apparently, he had saved someone from choking to death mid-flight.
[Someone almost suffocated on a plane, but he performed chest compressions and saved them.]
[???? When?]
[Just now]
[???? Did Lee Min Ki board the plane?]
After the Gwanghwamun pork belly feud, things had quieted down, but suddenly, this kind of story emerged.
[Does this even make sense?]
[ㅋㅋ No way.]
It was logically implausible.
However, upon seeing the attached photo, it seemed logic wasn’t always reliable.
[I swear I was in the same business class cabin on the plane. Here’s the proof photo.]
A picture showed a passenger, limp and half-conscious, being supported from behind by Lee Min Ki.
It was a textbook Heimlich maneuver posture.
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[It’s hard to believe just from one photo.]
[Logically, ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
But no one believed it.
Celebrities helping people wasn’t uncommon, but saving someone’s life was an entirely different matter.
It seemed more likely to be a scene from an upcoming production.
[Isn’t Lee Min Ki known for clever viral marketing? Couldn’t this be another viral stunt?]
[That photo in the hanbok at Gwanghwamun also turned out to be viral marketing for a music video.]
[Yeah, right, ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
Although Lee Min Ki wasn’t someone with many anti-fans, as a celebrity, there were always people predisposed to look at him negatively.
Several hours passed like that.
[Breaking News: Air Hanyang expresses gratitude, “Lee Min Ki saved a life.”]
When official articles began flooding in, there was no choice but to accept it.
[What is happening?]
Denying it would make one look foolish.
[Exclusive Report: “Proper action at the scene saved a life.”]
The passenger, who had nearly died, even posted a lengthy interview as soon as they disembarked.
[“I have a chronic respiratory condition that frequently causes breathing difficulties. While I was dozing off on the plane, my pocket inhaler fell under the seat.
If left unattended, I likely would’ve died.
However, actor Lee Min Ki quickly noticed my situation, called the flight attendants, and provided emergency aid, narrowly saving my life.
I would like to express my gratitude to actor Lee Min Ki and Air Hanyang, who spared no effort in medical assistance afterward.
From now on, I will live thinking of this as the life given to me by the actor.”]
That was what the person involved said.
On top of that, interviews with other passengers and flight attendants on board quickly followed, one after the other.
[“Actor Lee Min Ki is so handsome. He could totally star in a medical drama!”]
[“Wait, Lee Min Ki saved someone’s life??”]
[“So, someone collapsed next to him on the plane, and he saved them with the Heimlich maneuver?”]
[“Healer of the Month: Lee Min Ki.”]
[“Lee Min Ki is short for ‘Legendary Minster of Morals.’”]
[“ㄴ No way.”]
[“Can a normal person even make that kind of judgment?”]
[“ㄹㅇ Most people would panic.”]
Even good news had its limits.
What kind of job do celebrities have?
No one expects them to be paragons of virtue; just don’t get caught driving under the influence, doing drugs, or committing assault.
Especially after the recent Kim Do Ha scandal, moral standards had become a particularly sensitive issue.
Given that Lee Min Ki had been suspected of being closely involved in that incident, skepticism still lingered.
Amidst all this.
[“This is our celebrity. He saved a life.”]
A celebrity who saved a dying person—what more needed to be said?
[“Lee Min Ki, you moral saint……”]
[“How can a person be this perfect?”]
[“If you’re handsome, at least have a terrible personality, you jerk!!!!!!”]
While the internet buzzed with heated articles.
The impact of this news wasn’t confined to Korea alone.
In an office building in Los Angeles, USA.
A man sitting at his desk clicked his mouse and chuckled softly.
“Was this person Hippocrates in his past life?”
Arthur Danto.
The editor-in-chief of [LE], one of America’s top fashion magazines, made the remark.
“The news has already spread widely online.”
He muttered to himself while scanning through internet forums.
[A Korean K-pop star saves a life on a plane.]
Not a K-pop star.
An actor.
But somehow, he was mistaken for a K-pop star, though such minor misunderstandings weren’t bad in terms of influence.
[“Oh, it’s that guy from Bojana Olson’s music video.”]
[“The actor I like was caught doing drugs and assaulting someone, so jealous of this.”]
[“They say Korean entertainers are rigorously educated in ethics by their agencies. It’s because of their Confucian culture, and this is what makes Korean entertainment powerful.”]
Even without doing anything, the internet was already abuzz.
Well, he hadn’t done “nothing.”
He had clearly acted.
‘Because he saved someone’s life.’
Was he lucky?
Not even that.
If the person next to him had died, that would have been bad luck.
It would have tarnished his image from the start.
Journalists always hungry for gossip wouldn’t have let him off the hook.
But what had happened?
By successfully saving a life, he had turned it into good fortune!
To the person who survived, it was a stroke of luck beyond measure, and the same went for the airline.
And that wasn’t the end of it.
‘This story will undoubtedly garner significant attention.’
As the editor-in-chief of [LE], Arthur Danto stood to benefit from the situation as well.
Wasn’t this the hottest model for attention?
He could already envision the magazine’s sales skyrocketing.
‘Fascinating. Not just lucky, but someone who spreads good fortune around him.’
His instincts were sharp.
This man, he wanted to work with him.
Before being an editor, his intuition as a businessman shone through.
Lee Min Ki was someone who would turn any investment into pocket change over time.
‘Is it just me who thinks this?’
Arthur Danto blinked.
For some reason.
He suddenly had a hunch that the world would soon recognize this man’s value.
No, it wasn’t just a hunch.
Ring-ring.
The phone call he received at that very moment confirmed it.
“Yes, what’s the matter……?”
[“Let’s cut to the chase. Did your team secure an exclusive interview with Lee Min Ki?”]