Chapter 17

Through his first formal advertising shoot, Zhang Chengyuan realized that the entertainment industry was far more challenging than he had initially thought. Just the aspect of acting alone could take him years to master, even with his exceptional talent. To become an actor with outstanding acting skills was not something that could be achieved overnight. He still needed to do more preparation, especially under the guidance of professional mentors. At his request, Park Byung-ryeol applied for him to attend a night course at a performing arts academy.

This made Zhang Chengyuan even busier, but fortunately, he persisted in practicing meditation and qi cultivation every night, ensuring that he remained energetic and full of vitality to face new challenges.

Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, it was already May. May 10th was Lee Hyori's birthday, and May 13th was the day Fin.K.L released their second album. Zhang Chengyuan had to take time out to congratulate the four seniors.

By early June, the Nongshim Shin Ramen commercial, which Park Byung-ryeol had been eagerly anticipating, finally began airing on major TV stations. The commercial had two versions: a 30-second version featuring Zhang Dong-geun as the main character, and a full 60-second version. In the full version, Zhang Chengyuan's screen time was almost equal to Zhang Dong-geun's, making him the second lead. The most memorable scene was when Zhang Chengyuan served noodles to Zhang Dong-geun, and the warm eye contact between the two left a deep impression on the audience, even sparking heated discussions among professionals who believed this commercial could become one of the best ads of the year.

Seeing Zhang Chengyuan on the TV screen, Park Byung-ryeol was even more excited than Zhang Chengyuan himself, as he understood better than anyone that his company was about to enter a period of high returns.

As the Nongshim Shin Ramen commercial continued to air, Zhang Chengyuan's image became increasingly familiar to the audience. Although people did not know his real name, they affectionately called him "Zhang Dong-geun's brother." Many people knew that Zhang Dong-geun had a real younger brother, so some who were unaware of the truth thought Zhang Chengyuan was actually Zhang Dong-geun's real brother. After all, both were so handsome and had a passing resemblance. Park Byung-ryeol even apologized to Zhang Dong-geun through intermediaries, assuring him that they had not created or spread this rumor. Zhang Dong-geun, however, took it in stride and congratulated Zhang Chengyuan.

Riding on the wave of Zhang Dong-geun's popularity, Zhang Chengyuan's fame grew even more. Almost everyone who saw the commercial remembered this handsome, polite, and warm-hearted young man. Many teenage girls were instantly captivated by Zhang Chengyuan's good looks and began to see him as a new idol. Unable to get their hands on Zhang Chengyuan's photos, they collected the Nongshim Shin Ramen commercial posters featuring his image as collectibles.

As Zhang Chengyuan's popularity continued to rise, it became easier for Park Byung-ryeol to secure more advertising deals. Many advertisers, upon seeing Zhang Chengyuan's photo, would exclaim, "Ah, you're Zhang Dong-geun's brother! No problem, come for a casting tomorrow." Some smaller advertisers even decided to use Zhang Chengyuan directly, as finding a model with his level of popularity and a more affordable price was not easy.

To solidify Zhang Chengyuan's image as a likable figure, Park Byung-ryeol, adhering to the principle of "development before profit," secured some health-oriented advertising deals for Zhang Chengyuan, such as outdoor sports shoes, mountaineering gear, and green tea ads, all from lesser-known but capable small and medium-sized enterprises. Occasionally, he also arranged for Zhang Chengyuan to shoot cover photos for youth magazines, hoping to boost his popularity through multiple channels.

Park Byung-ryeol had initially considered using this opportunity to help Zhang Chengyuan enter the television industry, but Zhang Chengyuan believed his acting skills were not yet refined enough. He thought it would be better to hone his skills and wait for the right moment to strike, rather than rashly taking on forgettable roles or even ruining his reputation. Park Byung-ryeol found Zhang Chengyuan's reasoning sound and did not force him to act, even though it meant less income for the company. For the long-term benefit, Park Byung-ryeol did not feel it was a loss.

Zhang Chengyuan's rise to fame also brought joy to Fin.K.L, who felt a sense of pride, saying, "No wonder he's our little brother." However, they did not reveal their relationship with Zhang Chengyuan and asked their managers and assistants to keep it a secret. This was to prevent the media from writing sensational stories and to avoid malicious attacks from anti-fans, thus protecting both themselves and Zhang Chengyuan's budding career.

At the time, Fin.K.L was promoting their second album, frequently appearing on music shows and variety interviews at various TV stations. Their schedule was very busy, leaving them no time to celebrate Zhang Chengyuan's success. Zhang Chengyuan was also extremely busy, so they agreed to meet up after this hectic period. Notably, Fin.K.L's second album achieved outstanding results, topping several music charts and gaining much more popularity than Zhang Chengyuan.

At Nine Old High School, many students had seen the Nongshim Shin Ramen commercial but did not recognize "Zhang Dong-geun's brother" as their school's "ice-faced weirdo" Zhang Chengyuan. A few keen-eyed students had their suspicions but did not dare to confirm them with Zhang Chengyuan, keeping their doubts to themselves. The vice-principal and homeroom teacher knew about Zhang Chengyuan's involvement in the commercial, but they had promised to keep it a secret and did not publicize it.

In school, Zhang Chengyuan continued to live a quiet life as usual, but he would occasionally disappear. The vice-principal had already informed the teachers, who assumed Zhang Chengyuan was dealing with family matters and did not pursue the issue. They were concerned about his studies, thinking that his grades might plummet, and the top student in the grade might become just another average student. However, when the final grades for the semester were released, Zhang Chengyuan's scores were still far ahead of the second place, leaving everyone in awe, exclaiming, "Genius is truly beyond the comprehension of ordinary people!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chengyuan shook his head and sighed, "Victory without honor!"

Zhang Dong-hu, who seemed even busier than his son Zhang Chengyuan, finally learned about his son's current situation. However, instead of being happy, he was even more worried about Zhang Chengyuan's future. In his view, the entertainment industry was the most unstable, and although Zhang Chengyuan was currently popular, he might soon be forgotten if he did not have good works to sustain his fame. He believed that attending a prestigious university and working for a large company would be more secure.

Initially, he thought that Zhang Chengyuan's studies would decline after shooting the commercial, and according to their agreement, Zhang Chengyuan would have to leave the entertainment industry and focus on his studies. However, he was surprised to find that his son's grades were still the best in the grade. He wondered whether to blame Zhang Chengyuan's high IQ or the poor performance of the other students at Nine Old High School. He thought, "The students at this school don't try hard enough to push my son down!"

At a bus stop in Seoul, a sweet-looking, big-eyed girl looked at Zhang Chengyuan's poster on the billboard and said softly, "Chengyuan oppa, you seem to be getting further away from me. Although you don't know me now, one day I will stand before you with pride and tell you how I feel."

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