Chapter 93

Before long, it was New Year's Day. This time, Zhang Chengyuan did not spend it with his four elder sisters but instead with the production crew in Namyang City. With the premiere of "Heroic Spring Fragrance" just around the corner, the entire crew became even more tense and busy, leaving no time for celebrating the New Year. After all, the New Year was not a major holiday for Koreans. Therefore, they simply gathered together for a slightly more lavish dinner after work in the evening, exchanged a few auspicious words, and considered it a celebration of the New Year.

On January 3rd, "Heroic Spring Fragrance" finally premiered. The first episode achieved a national viewership rating of 14.5%, and in the capital, Seoul, it reached 14.9%. This far exceeded the crew's initial expectation of 10%, so everyone's mood improved significantly. However, the success of the first episode's ratings did not necessarily mean that the show had already won the audience's approval. They would have to wait for the second episode's ratings to make a judgment. Thus, while working, the crew members were also eagerly awaiting the ratings for the second episode, which aired on January 4th.

After waiting another day, when the ratings for the second episode came out, the crew members were once again elated. Although the second episode's ratings were slightly lower than the first, they still remained above 14%. This was enough to show that "Heroic Spring Fragrance" had gained a foothold and that their efforts over the past month had been recognized by the audience. As a result, everyone was in high spirits, more motivated, and even more efficient in their work.

Zhang Chengyuan was equally excited, not only because of the good ratings but also because his sisters and younger sister had sent congratulatory messages. Even Xiao Shuijing joined in the fun. Zhang Chengyuan, in his free time, naturally replied to each message, not saying much in thanks, as it was unnecessary, but rather expressing his thoughts and blessings.

Additionally, when he had nothing to do and missed the four sisters of Fin.K.L, he often sent messages to "harass" them.

One day, while the four women of Fin.K.L were waiting in the green room of SBS's variety show "Yeon Shim Man Man" for the recording to start, Seo Euri suddenly received a message from Zhang Chengyuan. Opening it, she saw: "Four elder sisters, I know you are preparing to record a program together. Please take a photo of yourselves and send it to me. I miss you and want to see if you have become even more beautiful."

Seeing Zhang Chengyuan's message, Seo Euri immediately smiled happily and showed it to the other three sisters. Yoo Chae-hyun asked, "Euri, how did he know we are together? Did you tell him?"

Seo Euri replied, "Yes, I told him," as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Yoo Chae-hyun whispered, "This guy, he didn't ask anyone else but you. It seems he likes you the most now."

Seo Euri blushed and said, "Not really. He still likes Hyo-ri the most, and he treats us three equally."

Lee Jin also chimed in, whispering, "Don't deny it. If he didn't like you the most, why would he send the message to you first?"

Lee Hyo-ri whispered sternly, "There are so many people around, including reporters. Be careful what you say. Also, don't reveal any information about him during the recording."

Seo Euri replied, "Hyo-ri, don't worry. I'm the most discreet. You should be more concerned about Chae-hyun; she always talks too much on the show."

Lee Jin nodded, "That's true."

Yoo Chae-hyun said seriously, "I may not be good at keeping secrets, but I would never joke about Cheng-yuan. You don't need to worry about that."

Lee Hyo-ri said, "Alright, let's send a few photos to that little rascal first. Otherwise, he might call us directly and harass us."

The four women then each took a few solo photos and a few group photos, which they sent to Zhang Chengyuan. Soon, they received his replies: "Hyo-ri, you're not as sexy today, but I like it. I hope you can always keep your sexiest side for me alone."

"Chae-hyun, the floral cheongsam you're wearing today suits you so well, and your hairstyle is great. You look so beautiful today. When I get back, you must dress like this a few more times for me to admire. Preferably in bed."

"Jin, it's your turn. When will you give me your most precious thing? You look much sexier today, which makes me very excited."

"Euri, don't wear off-the-shoulder tops on the show anymore; I'll be jealous. You're mine!"

The four women, upon receiving such messages, felt both embarrassed, angry, and amused. They wanted to grab Zhang Chengyuan and beat him up. They sent messages condemning him: "You're dead. How dare you tease us? When you come back to Seoul, we'll teach you a lesson."

Zhang Chengyuan replied, "Sisters, I hope you can regain the chemistry of Fin.K.L during the recording. I love you all! Forever! Also, I have to go to work now; the director is urging me. See you!"

Seeing Zhang Chengyuan "disappear," the four women, though full of anger, had to suppress it. Yoo Chae-hyun suggested, "When he finishes filming and comes back to Seoul, we'll give him a good lesson." Lee Hyo-ri, Lee Jin, and Seo Euri immediately nodded in agreement, as they all had the same idea. However, they were not the type to hold grudges, so they would likely forget about it by the time they saw Zhang Chengyuan.

After a while, the program began, and the four women quickly focused their minds, adjusted their moods, and entered the recording site.

This program marked the first time since early 2002, when the four women of Fin.K.L began their individual activities, that they reunited on screen.

Upon entering, the four women respectfully greeted the MCs Park Soo-hong and Kang Ho-dong, as well as the supporting guests Kim Je-dong and Yoon Jeong-soo, and then bowed to the hundreds of audience members before sitting down in two rows facing each other.

In this episode, there were some scenes that Zhang Chengyuan found interesting or made him feel depressed.

...

MC Park Soo-hong asked Lee Hyo-ri, "Miss Lee Hyo-ri, are you very promiscuous?" Due to her sexy image and straightforward, unreserved speech, Lee Hyo-ri was often portrayed in the media as being free-spirited and promiscuous, especially with frequent rumors about her and other male artists or wealthy young men.

Lee Hyo-ri, who had a good relationship with Park Soo-hong, knew this was an opportunity to clear up the misunderstanding, so she said, "I want to take this opportunity to explain. Although I'm not averse to men and don't have the confidence to love only one man for life..."

Kang Ho-dong suddenly interjected, "You probably don't like men, right?" His tone was very certain.

Lee Hyo-ri was taken aback but quickly shook her head, "No, no, I do like men."

"Why do you treat me like this, not even looking at me?" Kang Ho-dong continued.

Lee Hyo-ri smiled bitterly, seemingly exasperated by Kang Ho-dong's self-importance, and retorted, "I just like people..." Before she could finish, the entire audience burst into laughter, and MC Park Soo-hong even walked up and high-fived her.

The audience laughed because Kang Ho-dong was known for his large, bovine build and pig-like head, often being teased as a pig or cow in many variety shows. For example, in the "X-MAN" episode Zhang Chengyuan first appeared in, he was described as competing with pigs for feed. This was all for the entertainment of the audience. Everyone present knew this, so they laughed heartily.

After a bit of laughter, Lee Hyo-ri continued, "But if I fall in love, I will only love one person."

...

Kang Ho-dong asked Lee Hyo-ri, "Do you have a boyfriend now?"

"No!" Lee Hyo-ri naturally wouldn't admit it.

Kang Ho-dong asked again, "When did you break up with your last boyfriend?"

Lee Hyo-ri touched her chin and smiled, "Hmm, about six or seven years ago."

This was actually true. Since meeting Zhang Chengyuan, she hadn't dated anyone else or been interested in other men. She didn't understand why at first, but when she realized she loved Zhang Chengyuan, she understood that she had always had a good impression of him, which is why she didn't pay much attention to other men's advances.

However, the MCs and the audience didn't believe her. They thought it was impossible for a beauty like Lee Hyo-ri to go six or seven years without dating. They took her words as a joke. But it was normal for her to want to keep her privacy, so the audience didn't blame her.

Seeing that the audience didn't believe her, Yoo Chae-hyun decided to play a joke, saying, "Hyo-ri, if you keep lying so openly, I'll announce my resignation from Fin.K.L."

Lee Hyo-ri, understanding Yoo Chae-hyun's intention to create a laugh, pretended to be angry and glared at her, "We're good sisters. Even if you don't help me, you shouldn't expose me."

Yoo Chae-hyun said, "Your lies are too obvious. Who would believe you? So just tell the truth about who you are..."

Lee Hyo-ri quickly said, "I'm still filming the drama 'Trifolium,' so I have to consider my image and can't talk about this."

This question was left unresolved, as Lee Hyo-ri and Yoo Chae-hyun deftly dodged it.

...

Park Soo-hong asked Seo Euri, "Have you ever been in a relationship?"

"Of course!" Even if she denied it, no one would believe her, so it was better to admit it. After all, it wasn't a big deal.

Park Soo-hong asked, "What have you done to please a man you like?"

As soon as Park Soo-hong asked, Kang Ho-dong immediately urged, "Seo Euri, speak up! Speak up!" He did this to disrupt her train of thought and get her to reveal the truth.

The audience, familiar with this tactic from previous shows, joined in, shouting, "Speak up! Speak up!"

Seo Euri, feeling pressured, couldn't think of a response.

Seeing this, Lee Hyo-ri suddenly pointed at Seo Euri with her right hand and enthusiastically said, "Speak up, speak up." On the surface, she was joining in the fun, but Seo Euri noticed that she subtly touched her face with her left hand.

Seo Euri immediately understood and said, "When I'm not on TV, I usually don't wear makeup. But when I meet my boyfriend, I want to look beautiful. However, I don't want him to notice that I've put in extra effort, so I use clear makeup to make it look natural. I also arrive a few minutes late, saying I just woke up and didn't have time to put on makeup, so I look a bit messy. At that moment, my boyfriend usually says, 'You already look beautiful.' I think to myself, 'Of course, because I've put in a lot of effort.'"

In reality, Seo Euri didn't need to please Zhang Chengyuan, as he always pleased her. She couldn't answer the question, so she used a story she had heard from her sisters before.

...

Kang Ho-dong asked Seo Euri, "Among the four of us men, is there anyone you like?"

Seo Euri asked, "Do I have to say?"

Kang Ho-dong confirmed, "Yes."

Seo Euri's eyes darted, glancing at the nearest person, Kim Je-dong, and pursed her lips without speaking. However, everyone could tell that her answer was Kim Je-dong.

Kim Je-dong, flattered, laughed, though he knew Seo Euri was joking, he was still very happy.

Park Soo-hong said, "Tell us why."

"Je-dong is funny and cute. I like men who are considerate of women, and he is like that..." Seo Euri reluctantly listed a few reasons.

Hearing this, Kang Ho-dong walked up and slapped Kim Je-dong's arm, and Park Soo-hong pretended to be concerned, asking, "Where did it hurt? Does it hurt?" but then slapped the same spot again. The audience found the MCs' jealousy hilarious and burst into laughter.

Kang Ho-dong, still not satisfied, said, "Je-dong, don't think Euri is really confessing to you!" Then he looked at Seo Euri and asked, "Euri, do you really love him?"

Seo Euri thought for a moment and said, "Oh, yes." Then she couldn't help but cover her face and laugh.

Hearing this, Lee Jin, sitting next to Seo Euri, couldn't help but grab her arm, "Euri, no, how can you say that..." Though she didn't finish, Lee Jin believed Seo Euri understood what she meant.

Seo Euri blinked, unconcerned. She didn't think Zhang Chengyuan would do anything to her after seeing the show. She thought she could just give him a little something later.

...

When Zhang Chengyuan saw the episode of "Yeon Shim Man Man" featuring the four women of Fin.K.L, it was on the evening of January 10th. However, he only watched for less than ten minutes before he couldn't bear to continue. He was so jealous, especially of Kim Je-dong, the man Seo Euri had "confessed" to in the show. Despite knowing it was wrong, he couldn't help but feel angry and turned off the TV.

Fortunately, Zhang Chengyuan didn't continue watching, or he would have been consumed by jealousy. In the following parts of the show, the four women of Fin.K.L revealed many of their past romantic entanglements, most of which had nothing to do with him. However, he didn't know that while some of these stories were true, many were exaggerated or even fabricated to enhance the show's entertainment value. Even the true parts were from before 2000, when the four women and Zhang Chengyuan had not yet developed romantic feelings for each other.