Chapter 50: The Notice and Decision of Enlistment

  The film "Color is empty" was shot for several months, starting from mid-November and wrapping up at the end of January the following year. That year was 2002, coinciding with the quadrennial FIFA World Cup, and more unusually, about half of the matches were held in South Korea.

  This is a shocking and earth-shaking event for South Korea, a country filled with passionate football atmosphere. From the president to ordinary people, all walks of life, young men and women, old and young, all take pleasure in discussing football topics. Even the entertainment industry has been swept up in a football storm, with various types of programs related to football emerging one after another, extremely popular.

  Under Park Byung-ryul's management, Jang Sung-won also participated in several fashion shows and celebrity soccer matches, even earning strange titles such as "the artist who looks most like a soccer star", "the coolest and most handsome dribbling pose" and "best shooter". He became popular again for a while. However, Lee Hyori and other close friends teased him as the "most unprofessional actor".

  Because of Zhang Chengyuan's good football skills, he was also pestered by Xiaoshuijing to teach her sister Zheng Xiuyan how to play football. Because her sister had suddenly become obsessed with football recently, she practiced hard during the spring break, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get the hang of it. So she wanted to ask Zhang Chengyuan for help, but was afraid of being rejected and didn't dare speak up. Xiaoshuijing saw this and asked Zhang Chengyuan on her behalf, and with her intervention, Zhang Chengyuan naturally wouldn't refuse. It's worth mentioning that after the task was accomplished, Xiaoshuijing "extorted" a few of her sister's beloved small toys.

  By the end of February, after passing the Spring Festival and birthday, Zhang Chengyuan was preparing to make a big move in the new year and take another step forward. However, a sudden notice disrupted his plans. This notice was the enlistment notice that almost all Korean men disliked but could not avoid.

  For enlistment notices, not only do many young people dislike them, but male artists in the entertainment industry are even more deeply resentful. Many stars who were at the peak of their careers or had just started to gain momentum saw their popularity decline and their careers interrupted after receiving the enlistment notice, and after being discharged from the military, they still have to start over from scratch like a newcomer. Although there are also some superstars with extremely high popularity who may not be affected much, it is still a waste of two precious years of youth, and the loss of money is immeasurable.

  It's a knife to the head, and shrinking one's head is also a knife. Every physically normal Korean man has to go through this at least once, and trying to escape is almost impossible. The Military Manpower Administration in Korea isn't something to be trifled with; in order to kill the chicken to scare the monkey, they'll make sure to ruin your reputation if they catch you intentionally dodging military service. Last year's second half saw Liu Chengjun's military service incident as a living example.

  Liu Chengjun was one of the most popular singers at that time, and he joined American nationality for some personal reasons. As soon as this happened, it was recognized by the Korean Ministry of National Defense as an intentional act of evading military service, and he was immediately expelled from the country and banned from entering Korea again. Liu Chengjun's singing career in Korea also collapsed instantly. Moreover, he had previously made a promise to his fans that "he would serve in the army rather than become an American", which made most fans and many unrelated Korean citizens extremely angry after the incident, thinking that he was not worthy of being a Korean.

  Something like this had happened before, so Zhang Chengyuan had to be careful about the matter of serving in the military. Although he never thought of himself as a Korean, if he wanted to survive in Korea or even in this world, he would inevitably have to go through the motions with this body's identity and join the murky and corrupt Korean army, unless he crippled himself and was disabled for many years.

  Looking at the enlistment notice that read, "Please report to the ROK Army Training Center in Nonsan, Chungcheongnam-do on March 15th", Jang Sung-won's mind was filled with thoughts. Serving his military duty was a must, but whether he should go right away or not, he hadn't made up his mind yet. Such a big matter had to be discussed with his father, Jang Dong-hu, and it would also be reasonable to inform his agent and the management company. Of course, his agent Park Byung-ryul was the decision-maker of the management company, so just notifying him would be enough.

  Zhang Chengyuan immediately made an international call to his father, who was on a business trip in Thailand. After listening, Zhang Donghu didn't make any decisions for him and replied straightforwardly: "I don't understand much about the entertainment industry, when to join the army is up to you and the company to discuss and handle, as long as you don't try to escape military service by cheating or other means, then it's all fine." After finishing speaking, he immediately hung up the phone, whether it was because he felt that his son had grown up and didn't need him to worry too much, or because international calls were too expensive.

  Then, Zhang Chengyuan rushed to the company from home to discuss military service with Park Byung-ryul. After some consideration, Park Byung-ryul said calmly: "Chengyuan, from the company's standpoint, I naturally hope you can delay your enlistment for a few years. If possible, it would be best to exempt you from military service. However, delaying is easy, but exemption is extremely difficult. With the company's current resources and connections, it's simply impossible. From a friend's perspective, I think it's best for you to decide for yourself. After all, no one can predict whether enlisting this year or in a few years will be more beneficial to your future career. At most, I can only help you analyze the pros and cons."

  "Ah, please give me some advice!"

  "If you go to serve in the military next month, it will definitely interrupt your current rising career as an artist. When you return to the entertainment industry two years later, you will inevitably face a significant decline in popularity and lack of fan attention. At that time, you can only start again like a newcomer. After all, the entertainment industry is updated quickly, and two years is too long. Your position in the performing arts world and your position in the audience's heart are still a bit shallow."

  Zhang Chengyuan nodded in agreement: "Indeed it is. Then go again after a few years?"

  Park Byung-ryul said: "If you look at your current development trend, in about five or six years, when you're 25 or 26, you'll basically become a first-line star actor. At that time, if you go to serve in the military, you will inevitably face huge economic losses, and also have to face the embarrassment of declining popularity and losing your glory. If you delay for a few more years, there will definitely be rumors that you are trying every means to avoid military service, and your reputation may be ruined."

  And no matter what, when you come back wanting to resume your original brilliant performing career, you'll also have to put in a huge effort to regain everything. At the same time, the change in mentality, the feeling of falling from a high place, and others' cold treatment and crazy words will make you feel extremely painful...

  "Isn't there any benefit?"

  Park Byeong-ryeol smiled and said, "Relatively speaking, after being discharged from the military, you don't have to start from scratch again. You're already a second-rate actor, and if you're lucky, you might even become the male lead in a small investment TV drama. However, your treatment will definitely be much worse than before enlisting."

  After discussing for a long time, the two of them considered the pros and cons from various angles. In the end, Zhang Chengyuan made a decision to follow the orders on the enlistment notice and honestly report to the army training camp. At that time, they would find some media outlets with good connections to report on it, shaping Zhang Chengyuan into an exemplary artist who bravely takes on military service, deepening the public's good impression of him. In the future, when other celebrities drag their feet about serving in the military, the media will inevitably mention Zhang Chengyuan's name as a positive reference.

  When Park Byung-ryul asked him why he made such a choice, Jang Sung-won replied calmly: "I couldn't have been ordered to clean the toilets in the military camp by soldiers who were much younger than me when I was 27 or 28 years old. That would be even more humiliating!"

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