Chapter 48

Finally, the press conference passed without any major incidents. Subsequently, Zhang Chengyuan followed the crew to the filming location in Gangwon Province to continue shooting. However, before leaving, he managed to see Xiao Shuijing, treating her to a meal of spaghetti to temporarily soothe her.

Five days later, on May 14th, a Monday, the drama "A Beautiful Life," starring Zhang Chengyuan and Ha Ji-won, finally began airing during the prime time slot on KBS. Due to the two lead actors not being major stars and not being familiar faces to housewives, the drama received relatively low attention. The ratings for the first night were only around 8%, ranking last among the dramas broadcast by the three major TV stations during the same time slot.

For a moment, the atmosphere within the production team became much more oppressive. Those who usually liked to joke no longer did so, as everyone was in no mood to laugh. As the lead actors, Zhang Chengyuan and Ha Ji-won naturally took the blame for the poor first broadcast, feeling a great deal of pressure, which often prevented them from fully engaging in their performances, resulting in many more NGs than usual.

Fortunately, the director was very understanding of their feelings. Not only did he not scold them, but he also had senior actors like Jeong Bae-soo and Yoon Hae-young talk to them, calming their anxious minds. They reassured them that a poor first broadcast was quite normal and did not mean the drama would fail.

Sure enough, when the second episode aired on Tuesday, the ratings soared to over 10%. The reason for this might be that Zhang Chengyuan's exceptionally handsome face had a significant impact on young girls, and Ha Ji-won's appeal to men was also considerable. As a result, many more young viewers tuned in for the second episode.

After watching the TV, a small portion of these young viewers left comments on the TV station's drama website, praising the lead actors' appearances and acting. Some representative comments about Zhang Chengyuan included:

"The male lead, Zhang Chengyuan, I recognize him. He once appeared in a ramen commercial with Jang Dong-gun, jokingly referred to as 'Jang Dong-gun's younger brother.' He is exceptionally talented and handsome! Now he is shining brightly!"

"National heartthrob, comparable to Jang Dong-gun and Won Bin, and perhaps even surpassing them. His physique is better, standing at about 188 cm, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, forming a perfect V-shape. His back view is truly mesmerizing."

...

Comments like these, which exaggerated Zhang Chengyuan to the point of making him seem like the most handsome man in Korea, were mostly written by Park Byung-ryeol's subordinates, who were instructed to do so to boost Zhang Chengyuan's popularity, while keeping it a secret from the still somewhat sensitive Zhang Chengyuan.

"The lead actor looks good, has a good aura, and his acting is decent for now."

"Isn't this the guy who played the young tiger Zhang Lie? He's taller, more muscular, and more mature now, almost unrecognizable. But he's not as fierce as before."

"Really handsome, hope to see more of his performances."

...

These were the mainstream reactions, which were relatively objective.

Of course, there were also those who disliked Zhang Chengyuan:

"What kind of person is this? Which sewer did he crawl out of? With this level of skill, he can be the male lead? Did the director take a bribe?"

"His acting is like mashed potatoes, utterly terrible. And they say he's handsome? He's just a product of plastic surgery. Thousands of such people emerge every year, more numerous than stray dogs in the countryside."

...

There were hundreds of similar negative comments, far more than the positive ones.

Seeing these malicious comments, even Zhang Chengyuan, with his calm demeanor, felt a surge of anger and cursed, "There are so many people in this world who can't stand to see others succeed and freely insult others. I really want to beat them up!" Park Byung-ryeol, however, comforted him with a smile, "Chengyuan, you're famous now. The more people criticize you, the more famous you are."

As the plot unfolded, the ratings for the subsequent episodes continued to rise. By the fifth episode, they were close to 15%, and by the ninth episode, they reached 17.7%. By the eleventh episode, they narrowly broke 20%, and although the momentum slowed, they generally maintained a rating above 20%, peaking at 23.6%.

It could be said that Zhang Chengyuan's first lead role in a drama was somewhat successful. Although it couldn't compare to the 30% or 40% ratings of popular dramas, it was a significant achievement for a new actor.

Subsequently, the evaluations of Zhang Chengyuan quietly changed. There were more praises and fewer criticisms. Some entertainment sections of newspapers even published his basic information and acting experience for the first time. Especially when a media outlet revealed that Zhang Chengyuan graduated from Seoul National University, the Korean public began to pay more attention to him, viewing him as an excellent student and a promising new actor. The criticism against him almost immediately subsided, with only a few comments like "He's still too inexperienced to deserve such high praise."

As Zhang Chengyuan became a hot topic, the ratings for the drama he starred in also rose. By the 15th episode, the ratings suddenly jumped to 27.7%, an increase of about 5% from the previous episode. Unfortunately, the plot was nearing its conclusion, which made the TV station and the production team sigh in regret. If they had known that Zhang Chengyuan's educational background would attract such attention, they would have hyped it up before the first broadcast. Park Byung-ryeol was even more regretful, lamenting that he had missed a golden opportunity. He knew that another artist from Seoul National University, Kim Tae-hee, had quickly risen to fame thanks to her beauty and education, but he had forgotten to capitalize on this aspect for Zhang Chengyuan, which was truly a pity!

On July 3rd, the final episode of the drama aired, concluding with a 28.5% rating. Although it didn't break 30% and couldn't compare to other popular dramas like "Queen Seon-deok" and "Hotelier," it still emerged as the top-rated drama in its time slot among the three major TV stations, achieving a successful conclusion.

The next afternoon, the main creative personnel and lead actors gathered at a barbecue restaurant in Gangnam to celebrate. Zhang Chengyuan, Ha Ji-won, and others naturally attended. After this celebratory meal, the production team officially disbanded. However, Zhang Chengyuan and Ha Ji-won did not immediately part ways. Instead, they went to visit Xiao Shuijing, spending several hours playing with her before leaving.

After completing this drama, Zhang Chengyuan's fame increased several times over, much to Park Byung-ryeol's delight. Park Byung-ryeol also raised Zhang Chengyuan's value several times, no longer accepting low-paying jobs. He was busy formulating new development plans for Zhang Chengyuan and running around to find suitable work for him.

Zhang Chengyuan, however, generally did not bother with these matters. He trusted Park Byung-ryeol's judgment and integrity, knowing that he would not do anything to harm him. Therefore, while Park Byung-ryeol was busy, Zhang Chengyuan enjoyed a leisurely life, either visiting his four older sisters like Lee Hyori and Seo Young-eun, or playing with Xiao Shuijing. Occasionally, he would take Xiao Shuijing to the company's practice room to visit her sister Jung Soo-yeon, signing autographs and taking photos with the trainees who were close to Jung Soo-yeon. Now, he was a small celebrity, and having fans was quite normal.