Chapter 94 of 100
Chapter 94
13 min read3,230 words
On the evenings of January 10th and 11th, the third and fourth episodes of *Heroic Spring Fragrance* aired, with the ratings rising slightly from the first two episodes, reaching 18.5% and 17.6% respectively. The fourth episode's ratings not only did not drop but were slightly lower than the third episode, not because of a lack of momentum, but due to the influence of the finale of SBS's concurrent drama *Love in Harvard*.
Moreover, with the recent positive media reviews and the support messages from viewers on the official website of *Heroic Spring Fragrance*, the production team had reason to believe that the show's spring was about to arrive. As the saying goes, after the clouds clear, the moon will shine. Without the strong competition from *Love in Harvard*, the attention and ratings for *Heroic Spring Fragrance* were bound to rise steadily.
Amidst the joy and anticipation, Zhang Chengyuan didn't forget to call his senior sister Kim Tae-hee to congratulate her.
"Big Sister Tae-hee, congratulations, your *Love in Harvard* has concluded successfully. Also, congratulations on winning the Top Ten Stars Award and the Most Popular Award at the SBS Acting Awards at the end of last year."
"The awards were given out over ten days ago, and you're only congratulating me now? What were you doing all this time?" Kim Tae-hee scolded angrily, her voice so loud that Zhang Chengyuan had to hold the phone away from his ear.
When Kim Tae-hee won the award on December 31st, she thought that her good brother Zhang Chengyuan would immediately call to congratulate her. However, after waiting for several days with no sign of Zhang Chengyuan, she became very angry. Just as she was gradually forgetting about it, Zhang Chengyuan brought up the old matter, which instantly triggered her pent-up resentment.
Although Zhang Chengyuan didn't know why Kim Tae-hee was so angry over such a small matter, he knew he couldn't anger her again, so he apologized softly, "Sister, it's my fault. I sincerely apologize to you. I've been busy shooting these days."
After venting her anger, Kim Tae-hee's resentment diminished by a large margin. Upon hearing Zhang Chengyuan's apology, she no longer felt angry and said gently, "Forget it, I'll forgive you this time. But next time, you must take your sister's matters to heart, or I'll make you pay." She rarely threatened Zhang Chengyuan like this.
However, Zhang Chengyuan wasn't surprised, as years of interaction had shown him that although Kim Tae-hee appeared gentle, she was actually very strong-willed. She rarely showed this side to others, only revealing it slightly to those closest to her.
Zhang Chengyuan obediently agreed and was about to say a few more flattering words when he suddenly heard the sound of running water from his phone. He was puzzled and was about to ask when Kim Tae-hee said lazily, "Chengyuan, I need to take a shower, so I won't talk to you anymore. We'll chat later." Then she hung up.
Hearing Kim Tae-hee's words, Zhang Chengyuan was stunned, his mind involuntarily imagining the alluring scene of Kim Tae-hee taking a shower.
After an unknown amount of time, a very slender hand suddenly hit his forehead. Han Chae-young said briskly, "You little guy, you're daydreaming again. You've been dazed for five or six minutes. Didn't you hear the director urging us? What are you thinking about, your face is all red? And where are you looking with those eyes? Do you want a beating?"
...
A week later, the ratings for the fifth and sixth episodes of *Heroic Spring Fragrance* soared to 25.1% and 27.5%, a significant increase that surprised everyone. Although everyone had been very optimistic beforehand, they only expected a maximum increase of about 3%. The sudden surge in ratings left everyone both delighted and somewhat incredulous.
Moreover, seeing these ratings, the production team began to set their sights even higher, hoping that the ratings would break 30% in one or two weeks. If the show could reach 30%, it would prove to be a very successful drama, and everyone would be happy and achieve success. Especially the two new screenwriters and the two lead actors, Zhang Chengyuan and Han Chae-young, would receive the most attention.
However, while everyone was joyfully envisioning a bright future, Zhang Chengyuan couldn't be happy at all. *Trifolium*, starring Lee Hyori, also aired that week, and the first episode's ratings were only 12.6%, while the second episode's ratings dropped below double digits. Although the audience for dramas has decreased in recent years due to the development of the internet, a single-digit rating was still very poor, especially for a drama starring Lee Hyori, who is currently one of the most popular and widely admired female singers in South Korea. This showed how much the audience disliked *Trifolium* and how disappointing Lee Hyori's first television role was.
Although Zhang Chengyuan had foreseen that *Trifolium* might fail, he didn't expect it to fail so thoroughly, especially since it was being beaten by the drama he starred in, *Heroic Spring Fragrance*. As a competitor in the same time slot, the more successful *Heroic Spring Fragrance* became, the more *Trifolium* would fail. Zhang Chengyuan could already predict that *Trifolium*'s ratings would continue to decline, and as the lead actress, Lee Hyori would inevitably face even more criticism from the media, being blamed as one of the main reasons for the drama's failure.
How could Zhang Chengyuan not worry about Lee Hyori's mental state? As her closest younger brother, he knew that although Lee Hyori appeared very strong on the surface, her inner strength was far from that. Since her debut, she had almost always been smooth sailing and highly praised, without experiencing any major setbacks. Now, suddenly becoming the target of criticism from the audience and media, how could she accept it so easily?
"Is Hyori-ssi hiding in her room, hugging her head in pain?" Zhang Chengyuan thought with great concern, eager to return to her side and comfort her.
At 10 PM that night, after finishing the day's shooting, Zhang Chengyuan immediately called Lee Hyori. Due to the heavy shooting schedule that day and knowing that Lee Hyori must have been busy during the day, he didn't call her until after work.
After several attempts, Lee Hyori finally answered the phone.
Zhang Chengyuan asked with concern and guilt, "Hyori-ssi, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, I'm doing well. Focus on your shooting and don't worry about me," Lee Hyori said calmly. However, Zhang Chengyuan could clearly hear that her voice was slightly trembling and her nose was a bit stuffy. He could imagine that Lee Hyori had been crying and, upon seeing his call, had dried her tears and even washed her face to stabilize her emotions before putting on a calm act to talk to him, so he wouldn't notice anything unusual.
Zhang Chengyuan said softly, "Hyori-ssi, don't lie to me. We've been together for so many years, I know every word and action of yours, you can't fool me."
Lee Hyori became furious, "I said I'm fine, so I'm fine. Why are you worrying so much? Focus on your work!"
Zhang Chengyuan sighed and apologized, "Sister, I'm sorry, it's my fault that you're in this situation." Zhang Chengyuan thought that if he hadn't starred in *Heroic Spring Fragrance*, even if Lee Hyori still faced this setback, he wouldn't feel like he had caused it himself, which made him feel extremely guilty and uncomfortable.
"If you keep talking nonsense like this, I won't recognize you as my brother anymore!"
Hearing Zhang Chengyuan's apology, Lee Hyori became even angrier. Although she was indeed very sad and upset, she was more afraid that Zhang Chengyuan would feel guilty towards her. That's why she had put on an act of "nothing is wrong" to reduce his guilt and unease. She knew that this sincere and caring younger brother would take this matter to heart.
Zhang Chengyuan apologized again, "I'm sorry, Sister, I won't say that again."
Lee Hyori said angrily, "Don't say sorry to me anymore, I don't want to hear it!" She paused, then softened her tone and said gently, "Chengyuan, don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Go to sleep! I'm also about to rest." Then she hung up.
After hanging up, Lee Hyori felt down for a while, then suddenly thought, "For the sake of that brat Chengyuan, I have to cheer up, so he doesn't worry too much."
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