Chapter 63

Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, more than a month had gone by. The filming of the scenes in Bali was finally completed. After finishing the scenes in Bali, the production team headed to the beautiful island of Tahiti in the South Pacific, known as "the place closest to heaven," to continue filming. This time, the team was streamlined, and only three main actors—Cha Tae-hyun, Sung Yu-ri, and Zhang Chengyuan—went to Tahiti, while the other actors returned to Korea.

There were not many scenes to shoot in Tahiti, so the filming was completed smoothly in just a few days. This marked the completion of all the outdoor scenes for the drama. Afterward, the team rushed back to Seoul with almost no rest, as the drama's premiere was just a few days away, and they needed to return to promote the new drama.

This overseas trip lasted more than a month. No matter how beautiful the scenery, staying in one place for too long made it feel the same, and it couldn't compare to the comfort and familiarity of home. Therefore, every member of the production team was genuinely happy to return to Seoul, and Zhang Chengyuan was perhaps the happiest of all, though his happiness was different from the others.

During this time, he was always close to Sung Yu-ri, but due to the presence of others, he couldn't make any intimate moves, especially at night when he couldn't hold her while sleeping, which made him extremely uncomfortable. He felt like he was back in the military, where he missed his four sisters.

On the night they returned to Seoul, Zhang Chengyuan wanted to take advantage of the reunion to indulge in some intimate moments with Lee Hyori and the others to ease his longing. However, for some reason, after dinner, the four women all left, and no matter how much he tried to persuade them to stay, it was in vain. Sung Yu-ri had been away from home for too long and wanted to reunite with her family, but Lee Hyori, Yoo Ju-hyun, and Lee Jin also made excuses to leave, leaving Zhang Chengyuan both disappointed and confused. He wondered if they were too busy or if they had seen through his eager desire.

Regardless, that night, Zhang Chengyuan was once again alone, unable to sleep. This situation continued for quite some time, making each night feel like an eternity.

Five days later, on June 23, "The First Love of the Prince" finally premiered on MBC. This highly anticipated drama, which had already generated a lot of buzz, attracted significant attention from the start, with the first episode achieving a viewership rating of over 20%, far surpassing the ratings of other dramas airing at the same time on other channels.

The second episode did not disappoint, further boosting the ratings to 25.3%, indicating that the drama had strong momentum and was not just a fleeting sensation due to hype.

The success of the drama's premiere was largely due to the effective pre-release publicity by the production team and the channel, as well as the immense appeal of Cha Tae-hyun and Sung Yu-ri to the younger generation. Zhang Chengyuan's role, at this point, was relatively minor.

In the first two episodes, Zhang Chengyuan's screen time was limited, so apart from his incomparable appearance and the cool, intelligent aura of a successful white-collar worker, which left a deep impression on the audience, he did not receive much attention or discussion.

The audience was more interested in Sung Yu-ri's versatile costumes and her noticeable improvement in acting, as well as Cha Tae-hyun's consistent warm and approachable image and his highly likable and comedic performance.

One viewer commented online: "It's a real treat to see Cha Tae-hyun oppa return to the small screen."

"Every move he makes makes me incredibly happy and excited."

"Princess Yu-ri is getting more beautiful. Every outfit in the drama is so fashionable that I can't help but want to copy them, especially the boots she wore at the Sapporo resort in Japan. Sister Yu-ri, I and my fan club will always support you."

"Princess Yu-ri, you are always our queen of popularity."

"Amazing! Fighting!"

...

A flood of praise and support for Cha Tae-hyun and Sung Yu-ri appeared online, and the media began to sing their praises, encouraging more viewers to watch "The First Love of the Prince." After the third and fourth episodes aired, the drama became the most talked-about show on the streets, in alleys, and in schools, alongside "Paris Lovers" starring Park Shin-hye, Kim Tae-hee, and Lee Dong-gun.

Of course, "The First Love of the Prince" could not match the consistently top ratings of "Paris Lovers," but since they aired at different times, "Paris Lovers" did not affect the ratings of "The First Love of the Prince." At most, the superb acting of Park Shin-hye and Kim Tae-hee made the performances of the younger actors like Sung Yu-ri seem a bit less mature. However, this minor flaw did not prevent "The First Love of the Prince" from becoming the top-rated drama in its time slot.

Surprisingly, among the young actors criticized by some picky experts and viewers for their poor acting, Zhang Chengyuan's name was not mentioned. His seasoned and outstanding performance made the audience forget that he was only 22 years old, seven years younger than Cha Tae-hyun, and playing a successful white-collar worker in his thirties. His business attire and strong, aloof presence made him seem older and more mature than Cha Tae-hyun, adding a mature charm. Of course, this was not a sign of premature aging but rather the result of the makeup artist's skills and Zhang Chengyuan's acting, which created a mature and charming image.

It was quite rare for a young actor like Zhang Chengyuan to convincingly play a mature and charming man.

As his screen time increased, more and more TV critics recognized this and became increasingly interested in him, hoping to find more surprising aspects of his performance. This could potentially increase the sales of their newspapers or the ratings of their TV programs. After all, if they continued to focus only on Cha Tae-hyun and Sung Yu-ri, the audience would eventually get tired of their columns or programs.

Influenced by the critics, the audience also shifted their attention from Cha Tae-hyun to Zhang Chengyuan. Upon comparison, they found that Zhang Chengyuan's charm and acting skills were not inferior to the already established Cha Tae-hyun, and to their surprise, he might even be better. The idea that a young actor could outperform a recognized veteran was hard to believe!

For a while, many people began to investigate Zhang Chengyuan, hoping to find his flaws to comfort their shaken beliefs. However, the more they learned about him, the more they realized that he was indeed a talented individual. His natural good looks, excellent academic and athletic performance in school, top score in the Seoul entrance exam, outstanding student at Seoul National University's Business School, the title of top soldier in the Korean Army, one of the highest-paid models in the modeling industry, and the recipient of the 2001 KBS Newcomer Award—his list of achievements seemed endless.

Such an extraordinary person had been overlooked and forgotten, raising the question of whether the public's standards were too high or if they had been blinded by other seemingly glamorous affairs.

As if it were a natural progression, within a week, Zhang Chengyuan's popularity soared. The number of fans on the official website multiplied, and unofficial fan clubs sprang up like mushrooms after rain, growing stronger and stronger. His rising popularity also significantly boosted the ratings of the fifth and sixth episodes of "The First Love of the Prince," from 27.3% to 31.4%, leaving the experts who thought the drama's plot was somewhat cliché and had no room for further growth speechless.

Taking advantage of this momentum, the photo book Zhang Chengyuan shot in Bali was released, selling tens of thousands of copies without much promotion. This not only brought in some profit but also deepened the fans' impression of him, further solidifying his fame and popularity.