Chapter 49

In the months following the completion of the TV drama, Zhang Chengyuan had a relatively easy time, with his workload reduced by more than half, while his income increased two to three times. He could earn about five to six million a month, with the majority coming from advertisements, followed by runway shows, photo shoots, and magazine features, and variety shows being the least.

Since Zhang Chengyuan was not good at sweet-talking or making jokes, he rarely participated in the popular humorous and entertaining variety shows. When he did, it was mostly talk shows.

However, after participating in talk shows one or two times, there was usually nothing much left to say. Moreover, the audience did not want to see the same face every week, even if that face was as handsome as Pan An. After a while, the same expressions would become tiresome. Therefore, it was really difficult for Zhang Chengyuan to become a regular guest on any entertainment show. As a result, his income from this area was much lower compared to other jobs.

Notably, Zhang Chengyuan almost worked for free in a small role in a movie called "The Drunken Painter." The director was Im Kwon-taek, a veteran director with the highest number of films directed in South Korea, often referred to as the godfather of Korean cinema. His films were highly artistic, and almost every one of them received attention and praise. His most recent film, "Chunhyang," released in 2000, was the first Korean film to be nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Many of the lead actors in his films became famous stars in the film industry.

This was also the reason why Park Byung-ryul arranged for Zhang Chengyuan to participate in this movie. Although it was just a small role, with Zhang Chengyuan's handsome appearance and outstanding demeanor, he might leave a deep impression on the director, and perhaps even receive a recommendation from this film godfather in the future.

Although it was just a small role, it left a deep impression on Zhang Chengyuan. This impression had both good and bad aspects. The good part was that Director Im Kwon-taek's directing skills were indeed remarkable, and he was extremely serious and dedicated to his work. To accurately portray the life of the painter Wu Yuan and his unwavering pursuit of art during the late Joseon Dynasty, he even had the actors spend several months learning Chinese painting and the etiquette of the Joseon era.

The bad part was that the main creators and experts of the film had only a superficial understanding of Chinese painting, knowing only the surface and not the essence. They made forced and self-contradictory interpretations, completely failing to grasp the essence of Chinese painting. Although Zhang Chengyuan's previous life as Xiao Yuan was a Taoist practitioner in the early Song Dynasty, he had some knowledge of Chinese traditional culture. He knew that cultural heritage emphasized continuity, and the core ideas and essence would never change, no matter how the external aspects changed. Therefore, he gently reminded the director and others several times.

However, each of his reminders was ignored, and he was even scolded as a child's talk, which greatly displeased him. He then stopped paying attention to these people. After finishing his part, Zhang Chengyuan left the set immediately. The pseudo-ink painting atmosphere at the filming site made him very uncomfortable and even a bit nauseous, and he did not want to stay any longer. As for whether he could make connections with senior figures in the film industry and receive their support in the future, Zhang Chengyuan did not care. He was not interested in such matters. Park Byung-ryul was a bit disappointed but respected Zhang Chengyuan's choice and did not blame him.

It was not until late October that Zhang Chengyuan, who had not formally participated in any TV dramas or movies for several months, finally got a job with some weight. This time, he was to play a playboy character in a new film called "Color of the Soul" directed by the up-and-coming director Yi Ji-gyun. Although it was a minor role with limited screen time, he cherished this opportunity.

Not only because this role would allow him to officially enter the prestigious film industry and potentially become a high-income, high-popularity movie star, but also because this rare opportunity was recommended by Ha Ji-won.

Furthermore, playing a negative role would help him gain more acting experience and improve his skills, and it would also change the fixed impression left by his role in "A Good Life," thus broadening his range of roles. This would make it easier for him to take on other types of roles in the future.

With multiple benefits, he had no reason to refuse Ha Ji-won's kindness.

From the production team's perspective, Zhang Chengyuan's appearance, acting skills, and popularity were indeed much better than those of the originally selected actor. Although the price was higher, it was worth it, and they were very satisfied. Additionally, they could do a favor for the rising star Ha Ji-won, which might bring unexpected benefits in the future.

However, Zhang Chengyuan's agent, Park Byung-ryul, cited his minor status as a reason to avoid overly explicit scenes, which made the production team somewhat hesitant. After all, this was a youth sex comedy, and there were usually some revealing scenes. Since Zhang Chengyuan played a playboy, there would naturally be scenes where he interacted physically with the female actors. Such scenes were indeed described in the original script.

After careful consideration, the production team finally decided to keep Zhang Chengyuan and agreed to modify the script. The changes were only a few details and would not affect the plot. Moreover, if it really came to a point where explicit scenes were necessary, they could use a body double to replace Zhang Chengyuan.

After receiving confirmation from the production team, Zhang Chengyuan called Ha Ji-won to thank her for her help. On the phone, he said gratefully, "Sister Ji-won, thanks to your strong recommendation, I got this role."

Ha Ji-won said softly, "It's such a small matter, you don't need to say thank you. If you keep saying this, I'll think you don't consider me a friend. In the past few months, you've called me 'sister' so many times, I have to do something for my little brother, right? Besides, it's better for you to take advantage of me than some unknown male actor. Anyway, we've already gotten used to hugging and cuddling during our last shoot, so this time it's just an upgraded version."

In this movie, Ha Ji-won played the lead female role, and she had to perform several passionate scenes with Zhang Chengyuan's playboy character. After reading the script, she immediately hoped to work with Zhang Chengyuan again and thus contacted him and recommended him to the director.

The role Zhang Chengyuan took on ran throughout the entire film, with many appearances and a significant presence. Although it was a negative role that contrasted the male lead, it was not overly villainous, just a playboy. Therefore, when the movie was released, it would not damage Zhang Chengyuan's originally healthy image. Actors often play negative roles, and few are despised in real life because of it.

Considering this, Ha Ji-won recommended Zhang Chengyuan. Of course, there was also a bit of helping a friend, but she definitely would not say that out loud; she was not the type to expect repayment for her kindness.

After hearing Ha Ji-won's words, Zhang Chengyuan said cheerfully, "Sister Ji-won, it's my first time shooting such scenes. Please guide me during the shoot."

Ha Ji-won said irritably, "You idiot! How can I guide you in such scenes? You boys should take the initiative. Besides, it's my first time shooting such scenes too, and I have no experience. If you don't know how to act, go learn online. Okay, I have to go!" She then hung up the phone immediately.

Zhang Chengyuan said in confusion, "Can such acting be learned online? That's quite unusual! I'll have to learn it online when I have time."