Chapter Eighty-four: Invitation to Try on Mirrors

  After getting to know the girls, Zhang Chengyuan encouraged them with a few words and signed his name for each of them before leaving with the Zheng sisters. At this time, it wasn't long until lunchtime, so he simply let Zheng Xiuyan end her practice early. Anyway, Zheng Xiuyan had been practicing hard for many years, and missing out on half an hour wouldn't make a difference. Moreover, the company was busy preparing to launch a new girl group, so they didn't have much thought to strictly manage these young trainees, making it easy for Zheng Xiuyan to debut.

  Found a Western restaurant, ordered steak and other food, and the three of them had a great meal. But this was not because the food was particularly delicious, but because the mood of the three people was very good. During dinner, Zhang Chengyuan looked at Zheng Xiuyan and said: "I didn't expect you to know so many friends around your age now, weren't you always called 'iceberg' before?"

  Zheng Xiuyan muttered in dissatisfaction, "Aren't you just like me?" When did Zhang Chengyuan become a person who was even colder than Zheng Xiuyan by several degrees? Even Zheng Xiuyan sometimes felt a chill when she saw him. But after these years of struggling in the entertainment industry, Zhang Chengyuan had become much more smooth and rounded, and the cold arrogance in his bones had almost all been suppressed. However, it was hard to guarantee that one day, when he reached a certain level of status, he wouldn't revert to his old ways.

  Jung Soo-yeon spoke up after a moment of complaint, seeing Jang Sung-won still staring at her without blinking, waiting for her response. She replied honestly: "The company plans to launch a large-scale male group and a large-scale female group within two or three years, so they put us together with the girls who are about the same age, have the best performance or the most potential, for training. As we spend more time together, our relationship naturally gets better, there's nothing strange about it!"

  Zhang Chengyuan said incredulously, "The decision-makers in your company are really out of their minds. With over a dozen people forming a team, does that mean each person will only sing one or two lines when performing in the future?" After thinking for a moment, he continued, "You'd better practice hard from now on. If you don't want to be eliminated in the end, it's best if you work even harder for me."

  In Zhang Chengyuan's opinion, the company's plan not only carries great risks but also requires a huge investment. To minimize costs, the selection of trainees will be extremely strict, aiming to make every member of the group an elite among elites. Zheng Xiuyan, although she is already a veteran trainee, may still be eliminated if she is not careful.

  Jung Soo-yeon said seriously: "I know, I won't let my guard down." In her heart, she thought: "How could I possibly give you the chance to look down on me?"

  After lunch, Zheng Xiuyan returned to the company to continue practicing, while Zhang Chengyuan drove Xiaoshui back home, accompanied her to do her homework, and played games with her until 9 pm when she fell asleep before leaving the Zheng's house. When he left, he also bid farewell to Zheng's father, Zheng's mother, and Zheng Xiuyan who had just returned home.

  As Zhang Chengyuan participated in the recording of two episodes of "X-Man", his popularity continued to rise, and as a result, he received many more invitations. After entering November, he became even busier, becoming a regular guest on various variety shows, shooting covers for several well-known fashion magazines, endorsing advertisements for two mid-sized companies, and participating in numerous large and small fashion shows and commercial performances.

  That day, he was practicing hip-hop dance at the dance academy when he suddenly received a call from Park Byung-ryul, his agent and representative of the company, asking him to come to the office for something important.

  Arriving at the company, in Park Hyung-ryeol's office, Jang Sung-won unexpectedly found that the company's current top earner, Kim Tae-hee, was also present. After being stunned for a moment, he immediately went forward and greeted her, "Taehee sister, you're here too!" The two had an extraordinary relationship, and in the absence of outsiders, some formalities were basically omitted, and at this time, there were only the two of them in the office.

  Kim Tae-hee beckoned him to sit beside her, patted his shoulder and smiled: "These days, seeing you find your place again, sister is really happy for you."

  Zhang Chengyuan smiled and said, "I also want to thank sister for her help earlier!" When Zhang Chengyuan had just retired from the military, his popularity had almost hit rock bottom. If it weren't for Jin Tai Xi filming a commercial with him and agreeing to create a scandal with him, Zhang Chengyuan would have had to work much harder to turn things around.

  "Let's not say anything about being grateful, sister doesn't like to hear that, just keep it in mind, who knows, maybe one day sister will still need your help!" Facing Zhang Chengyuan, Jin Taixi always spoke very directly, unlike when facing reporters, where every sentence had to be carefully considered before speaking.

  Jang Sung-won suddenly picked up one of her jade-like hands, lowered his head, and gently kissed it before releasing it. "Tae-hee sister, meeting you is truly my good fortune in this lifetime." Apart from Lee Hyori's four sisters, among the sisters he knew, Kim Tae-hee was probably the kindest to him, so this kiss only held gratitude and admiration, without any hint of obscenity.

  Kim Tae-hee touched his head and said, "I don't know why, but every time I see you, I feel very close to you, just like seeing my younger brother Kim Hyeong-soo. However, you are more handsome and stronger than him, and your personality is also more considerate of others."

  Not only Kim Tae-hee, but also all the people who want to open their hearts and get along with Jang Sung-won, such as Ha Ji-won, Moon Geun-young, Yoon Eun-hye, etc., can easily and directly feel Jang Sung-won's most sincere emotions from his eyes and behavior. Unconsciously, they recognize and accept him, treating him as a close friend with whom they can share their hearts. Moreover, even if they haven't been in touch for a long time, this feeling won't fade away, but rather seems to grow stronger with time.

  Zhang Chengyuan understood that this was the effect of his powerful yuan Shen, and with this powerful cheat device, he made many true friends. However, he never thought it was an immoral act because he also paid with sincerity. Moreover, unless he met someone who was truly kind-hearted and worthy of his respect, he would not use this trick.

  Just as Jang Sung-won and Kim Tae-hee were chatting happily, Park Byung-ryul rushed in and said, "Sorry to keep you waiting, I had an urgent matter at home..." Although he was the boss of the company, Park Byung-ryul never put on airs with Jang Sung-won, Kim Tae-hee and others.

  Before he could finish, Zhang Chengyuan immediately stopped him and said: "Delegate, brother, there's no need to tell us about your affairs with your wife. We can't help you even if we want to. If we were to help, it would only be helping your wife anyway, since our income is all in her hands."

  Park Byung-ryul is a rare case among Korean men, who loves his wife very much and is also afraid of her. Perhaps it's because of this that his personality has always been so kind, and he treats his subordinates like Jang Sung-won and other employees with such kindness. It can be said that Jang Sung-won and others should thank Park Byung-ryul's wife for this.

  Park Byung-ryul coughed awkwardly a few times before getting to the point: "This morning, our company received two offers for auditions. They're from SBS TV, and it's for a Monday-Tuesday drama that will air in late November. The title is 'Love in Harvard', and as you can guess from the title, it's about a story like that. Here's the synopsis and the script for the first few episodes. Take them home, read them carefully, and decide whether or not to take on the project. Let me know your decision by tomorrow noon. Personally, I hope you'll definitely take this on! Because this is a drama that can take your careers to the next level! Of course, even if you want to take it on, you still need to pass the audition first."

  Jang Sung-won, Kim Tae-hee and the company signed a relatively loose contract. Both of them have the right to choose their own scripts, while the company only has the right to suggest, so Park Byung-ryul cannot force them to take on TV dramas that they are not interested in.

  "What role is it?"

  Park Byeong-ryeol tapped his forehead and said, "Oh! I almost forgot to mention this. You two are the male and female leads. With your current popularity, the company won't let you play supporting roles."

  Kim Tae-hee didn't ask any questions, she just opened the script and started reading seriously. After reading only two pages, she said: "I quite like this play, the character image is also very suitable for me, no need to wait until tomorrow, I've decided to participate in the audition now." She paused for a moment, then said: "Seong-won, I think this play is also very suitable for you, why don't you join too?"

  Jang Sung-won hadn't even opened the script yet, but as soon as Kim Tae-hee said that, he directly and straightforwardly said: "Great, I've always dreamed of working with Sister Tae-hee on a TV series. Representative, I won't consider it anymore, just tell me when to go for the audition and what to pay attention to during the audition!"

  Park Byung-ryul said, "According to what I've heard, the female lead has basically been confirmed as Taehyeji, so her audition was basically just a formality. Of course, Taehyeji can't be too careless either."

  "Rest assured, I will make serious preparations." His expression was calm and composed.

  Park Byung-ryul continued: "However, Seong-won is in trouble because his opponent is very strong, and he's the most popular TV star of the past two years, Kim Rae-won."

  Kim Tae-hee frowned and said, "Is it Kim Rae-won, who is called one of the four small kings of TV dramas in the industry?" As soon as she heard that it was Kim Rae-won, she couldn't help but worry about Jang Sung-yeon, because this opponent was indeed not someone that Jang Sung-yeon could match up to at present.

  Before Jang Sung-won joined the army, Kim Rae-won had just started to make a name for himself in the entertainment industry. His popularity was nowhere near that of Jang Sung-won at the time, but two years later, Kim Rae-won became one of the hottest stars with hits like "Love Story in Harvard" and "Attic Cat". He won several awards including MBC Drama Awards' Best Actor Award, Most Popular Actor Award, Andre Kim Star Award, 41st Grand Bell Awards' Best New Actor Award, etc.

  Although Zhang Chengyuan's appearance and acting skills are not inferior to his, but at this time when it comes to popularity, TV drama audience appeal, and entertainment industry status, Zhang Chengyuan is almost powerless to resist, no wonder Park Byung-ryul and Kim Tae-hee don't think highly of him.

  Actually, after Park Byung-ryul introduced him to Kim Rae-won's situation, Jang Sung-won himself didn't think he had a chance of winning, unless Kim Rae-won gave up or got injured or sick. However, with Jang Sung-won's strong will, it was impossible for him to give up before even starting, and as long as there was a glimmer of hope, he would do his best to fight for it. Of course, if there were better options, he wouldn't be stuck on one tree either.

  In the following days, Zhang Chengyuan stayed at home every day, fully devoting himself to contemplating the script, almost to the point of neglecting sleep and food. If it weren't for Cheng Youli being free during this time and hurrying over to take care of him after hearing the news, he might have lost ten or so pounds.

  Unfortunately, not all efforts will be rewarded. A few days later, Park Hyeong-ryeol called Jang Seong-won and said regretfully, "Seong-won, you don't need to prepare for the audition of 'Love in Harvard' anymore, as Kim Rae-won has already been cast as the male lead."

  Zhang Chengyuan was stunned for a while, and finally sighed: "Forget it, I really can't beat him now!" After finishing speaking, he directly fell into the arms of Cheng Youli sitting next to him. Cheng Youli hurriedly comforted him by patting his head.

  "But you don't have to be too sad, I've found another TV drama audition for you, and it's still the male lead."

  Jang Sung-won doubted, "There won't be another formidable opponent, will there? My brother, don't play tricks on me again. I haven't slept well for five or six days already." He glanced at Sung-yi and added in his heart, "Even with Sister Sung-yi by my side, I didn't make a move!"

  "This time you can rest assured, your opponent is not someone like Kim Rae-won who's of a high caliber. The name is 'Jae-hee', doesn't have much fame, just recently made it into the newcomer award at the Korean Blue Dragon Film Awards."

  Jang Sung-won said with some annoyance, "Is that all? The Blue Dragon Film Awards is one of Korea's top film awards, and an actor who can win the Best New Actor award isn't someone to be taken lightly. I haven't even won a Best New Actor award yet!" The audition for "Love in Harvard"

  Park Byung-ryul hastily said, "The Cheongryong Film Festival is only held at the end of November, and he has just been shortlisted for now, not yet awarded. Therefore, his current popularity and reputation are still a bit worse than yours, so you still have a great chance of winning! Sung-won, you must believe in yourself, you're the best!"

  Jang Sung-won calmed down, regained his composure and said: "Piao Ge, I was out of line earlier. Don't worry about it. Who cares about the newcomer award? This time, even if Jang Dong-geun senior comes, I'll defeat him."

  Although Park Byung-ryul didn't think Jang Sung-won had even a one-in-a-thousand chance of beating Jang Dong-gun, since Jang Sung-won was pumped up, he happily chimed in: "That's right, that's right! As an actor, you should have this kind of confidence!"