Chapter 52

Despite Zhang Chengyuan's rudeness, the four Fin.k.l girls ultimately didn't really get angry. They just gave him a severe scolding again. After learning that Zhang Chengyuan had no other plans for the day, they forced him to be their errand boy, making him accompany them in practicing songs and dances for the whole day, along with free running errands.

Before they knew it, the time for enlistment had arrived. At the Seoul train station, after bidding farewell to some friends who had come to see him off, accompanied by his father Zhang Donghu and his agent Park Byung-ryeol, Zhang Chengyuan boarded the train to the Daejeon Station in Chungcheongnam-do, then transferred to a taxi to reach the Army Training Center in Jupyeong-ri, Yeongmoo-eup.

Zhang Chengyuan's friends were mostly popular artists, mostly busy with their schedules and unable to spare the time. The four Lee Hyori girls were also busy promoting their new album on various TV stations. Although they had once thought of interrupting their schedule for a day to specially see Zhang Chengyuan off to the Army Training Center, he firmly rejected their offer. He was afraid that the situation with them might be captured by reporters, leading to rumors.

Although for Zhang Chengyuan, who was about to disappear from the public eye due to enlistment, having rumors might be a good thing, for Fin.k.l, who were promoting their new album and were about to start separate activities next month, it would be an extremely troublesome matter.

Additionally, Xiao Shuijing didn't come to see Zhang Chengyuan off; she didn't even know that he was enlisting. Zhang Chengyuan was afraid that if she found out, she would be heartbroken and cry, and he also feared it would affect her studies. Therefore, he asked Xiao Shuijing's parents and sister to temporarily keep it a secret, planning to tell her only after the matter was over if she wanted to see him.

However, her sister, Jung Sooyeon, got up early that morning, took the subway to Zhang Chengyuan's new apartment, and accompanied him to the Seoul train station. She didn't leave until the train departed. Throughout the process, she remained silent, only speaking when Zhang Chengyuan asked her why she came to see him off, saying, "I'm here to see you off on behalf of Soojung. Otherwise, she would definitely blame me when she finds out."

As for Zhang Chengyuan's father, Zhang Donghu, he was quite interesting. Usually, he was always abroad on business, seemingly indifferent and never asking about his son who had earned money and become independent early. However, he would always appear at critical moments. This was the case during the college entrance exam, university enrollment, and now during enlistment. His actions showed that he was deeply concerned about his son Zhang Chengyuan. Zhang Chengyuan had long noticed this, which is why he always informed him of important matters. Although Zhang Chengyuan made the final decisions himself, it showed his respect for his father.

When they arrived at the Army Training Center, the registration area was already crowded with thousands of people. There were over a thousand young men enlisting, and the number of family members and friends was more than three times that. Everywhere, there were heart-wrenching scenes of family and loved ones parting. Zhang Chengyuan's mood inexplicably turned sad, and he felt a bit restless. He quickly went to queue up to complete the enlistment procedures, received his uniform, boots, and dog tags, got a haircut, and took some photos. After everything was done, he left the camp to have a farewell meal with Zhang Donghu and Park Byung-ryeol at a small restaurant.

During the meal, he handed over two letters he had already written to Park Byung-ryeol, asking him to deliver them to Fin.k.l and Xiao Shuijing's family the next day as a farewell message. As Zhang Chengyuan's agent, Park Byung-ryeol naturally knew all of Zhang Chengyuan's friends, making him the perfect person to handle this task. Moreover, Zhang Chengyuan trusted his character, not fearing that he would interfere with the artists' private lives like some other agents might.

In the letter to Fin.k.l, he wrote: "Sisters Hyori, Joo Hyun, Jin Ah, and Yoo Ri, I am very grateful for the way you have treated me like a younger brother over the years, and perhaps even better than a younger brother. I know that Joo Hyun treats me much better than her own younger brother, which might be because I am more obedient and handsome. Regardless, I am deeply grateful for your deep affection and will always remember it."

"I also sincerely hope that you will continue to treat me this way, for the rest of your lives! But at this moment, I am very worried that one day you might no longer like me. I fear that during my two years of service, you might be lured away by other men and become their girlfriends, forgetting about me. Therefore, I implore you to be more selective in your choices, to be more rational, and not to easily fall for bad men. At least, do not accept the advances of men who are less attractive, have worse character, or less potential than me! Otherwise, I will feel very embarrassed, and of course, very sad!"

"Do not worry about not being able to find a husband or being unhappy in the future. With me around, I guarantee that you will not encounter such a situation. If necessary, I will join the nationality of a small African country and marry all of you... Some things I cannot say to you face-to-face, but now, through this letter, I solemnly declare: Sisters, I love you! Forever! I wish that we can be together for the rest of our lives."

Unfortunately, the feelings described in this letter were seen by the four Fin.k.l girls as a younger brother's affection for his sisters, so they didn't take it seriously. The only thing that met his expectations was that their standards indeed became much higher, and they didn't even look at ordinary men. However, this was not due to the letter but because they had been in the entertainment industry for years, seeing many handsome men, especially Zhang Chengyuan's almost perfect face, which had made them somewhat immune to good looks.

In the letter to Xiao Shuijing, Zhang Chengyuan simply wrote a few lines, explaining the fact that he was enlisting and why he didn't tell her in time. At the end, he wrote: "My dearest sister Xiao Shuijing, after 5 weeks of new recruit training, I will return to Seoul to reunite with you, treat you to a steak, and apologize. Your loving brother, Zhang Chengyuan."

Two days later, when Xiao Shuijing saw this dry and unadorned letter, she felt sad but also thought, "Brother Chengyuan is really lacking in culture. He can't even write a proper letter. I wonder how he managed to get into Seoul National University. And he wrote so little, about the same amount as I usually write, which is really not sincere. When he comes back, I will definitely make him write a 10,000-word letter." Little did she know that Zhang Chengyuan was afraid she wouldn't understand, so he chose the simplest and most understandable way to express himself, and he was also afraid that she would get bored if he wrote too much. In his memory, Xiao Shuijing really didn't like reading text-based books.

After handing over the letters and having lunch, Zhang Chengyuan let his father and Park Byung-ryeol go back. He carried his luggage and returned to the training center to report to the dormitory of his squad. Watching his determined figure leave, both Zhang Donghu and Park Byung-ryeol felt very reluctant. One was worried about his son suffering in the strict and corrupt military camp; the other was reluctant to see the money-making machine temporarily shut down, causing him to lose a significant amount of income.

Regardless of the reasons, they both inwardly complained about the damned conscription system, which made generation after generation of young men suffer, preparing to fight against their fellow countrymen in the north. The Cold War between the two superpowers decades ago and the struggles of a few political opportunists had caused a nation and a people to suffer from division and separation for generations. In the eyes of ordinary people who yearned for peace, this was truly unreasonable!