Peninsula: I can steal the luck of disgraced celebrities

When news of the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island reached the film set, it was lunchtime.

On the afternoon of November 23, 2010, Lee Myung-bak rushed to the front lines and stated in the news:

"The South Korean military must strictly defend its territory and respond ruthlessly to any sudden attack."

"We must launch a major counterattack in the future to deter the enemy from attacking again."

The nerves of the entire peninsula were stretched to the limit over these three days.

The biggest news last week was still the entertainment gossip about 42-year-old Park Shin-yang playing a high school student.

This week it suddenly turned into a war channel, and it's relevant to everyone on the peninsula.

The shooting efficiency that afternoon was unusually low.

Everyone's phones were vibrating incessantly.

Family, friends, and the agency—every message they received asked the same question: Will a fight break out?

Li Yingfu called "cut" several times and finally finished work early.

After finishing work, he sat alone on the prop box, the last wisps of steam rising from the cup of coffee in front of him, his phone in his hand, the screen displaying a text message from his wife:

The child asked his father when he would be coming home.

He didn't reply, but simply turned his phone over and placed it on his lap, staring blankly at the staff packing up equipment in the distance.

Lin Chih-hsun was the calmest person on the entire set.

Although he didn't pay much attention to the situation on the Korean Peninsula in his previous life, if a large-scale war broke out, it's impossible that he wouldn't have seen any news about it back home.

This is likely just a border armed conflict, and a full-blown war is not expected.

Lin Chih-hsun leaned back in his folding chair, the Americano in his hand going from hot to cold.

Li Yingfu sat on the prop box, turned his phone upside down and placed it on his lap, then suddenly turned to look at him:

"Why aren't you nervous?"

"Does being nervous help?" Lin Chih-hsun placed the chilled Americano at his feet.

"I've done some research online. This is most likely a border armed conflict, and it won't escalate into a full-scale war. Neither side has the intention to go to war."

Li Yingfu stared at him for a few seconds, then lowered his head and took a sip of the coffee that had cooled down.

"You're quite optimistic. If a war really breaks out, someone your age should be receiving their enlistment notice next year."

"Yes."

It was only then that Lin Zhixun remembered that he was still a university student.

There is an unwritten rule among South Korean university students:

Unless they choose to pursue graduate studies, male undergraduates need to take a leave of absence during their second or third year to serve in the military, and then return to school to complete their studies.

However, pursuing a master's degree is not a long-term solution. As long as you don't get a doctorate, you will still need to finish your military service to pursue a master's degree.

Lin Chih-hsun doesn't want to waste two years of his youth on South Korea.

It doesn't provide wives, so why would it go?

Li Yingfu smiled and looked Lin Zhixun up and down:

"You look quite robust; if you went for the military physical examination, you should be able to get an A grade."

Before enlisting in the military, South Korean men need to undergo different levels of physical examinations, and they are assigned to different levels of military service depending on the results.

Lower-ranking military service, such as Class C, may involve easier work, but soldiers are more likely to be bullied in the military.

After saying this, Li Yingfu patted Lin Zhixun on the shoulder and got up to leave.

That evening.

After returning to his dormitory, Lin Zhixun took out his phone and browsed through his contacts.

The cursor stopped on Lin Zhengzhu's number.

The original owner of this body wasn't particularly close to his father, but matters like military service, which involved school registration and enlistment scheduling, couldn't be bypassed by him.

He pressed the dial button.

The phone rang for a long time before it was answered.

There was a rustling sound of paper turning in the background.

"What's wrong?" Lin Zhengzhu's voice was as calm as ever.

Lin Chih-hsun didn't beat around the bush and got straight to the point:

"Am I going to do my military service next year?"

The sound of papers turning over stopped.

"What, scared after seeing the news?"

"It's not that I'm afraid, but the director talked to me about military service today, so I wanted to learn about it in advance."

He succinctly relayed what Li Yingfu had said that day.

Lin Zhengzhu was silent for a moment, then said something that Lin Zhixun never expected.

"Don't worry, this war won't break out. This is just a show that Lee Myung-bak bought with his own money."

Lin Zhixun frowned.

"What does 'bought with money' mean?"

"Are you aware of the Grand National Party's crushing defeat in the local elections this June?"

"have no idea."

Lin Zhengzhu, on the other side, fell silent again.

"Men should pay more attention to politics; it's relevant to everyone."

Lim Jung-soo continued:

"In June of this year, Lee Myung-bak's Grand National Party lost ten provincial and municipal seats in the local elections, and Chung Mong-joon resigned along with the entire leadership."

"In July, Chung Un Chan also resigned as prime minister, and Lee Myung-bak's approval rating plummeted to its lowest point."

"Although the presidency changes every five years, Lee Myung-bak will likely serve another three years."

"But... for Lee Myung-bak, the driver of this bus in South Korea, to continue driving smoothly, he needs some 'external power'."

Lin Zhixun understood.

In his past life, he did shady business in Japan and had seen too much of this kind of logic.

When the pressure inside a container is too high, the easiest thing to do is not to slowly turn on the valve, but to drill a hole in the wall and let the pressure spray out.

The person chiseling the wall will cut their hands on the debris, but the container itself is safe for the time being.

"I remember Lee Myung-bak's Grand National Party was known for its hardline stance against North Korea, wasn't it?"

Although Lim Chih-hun doesn't pay much attention to politics, he does follow Lee Myung-bak's bizarre behavior closely, so he knows a little bit about it.

"It's precisely because of his tough stance on North Korea that he needs to create a tense atmosphere to keep the public supporting him," Lim Jung-soo explained.

"Lee Myung-bak paid a certain amount to North Korea through unofficial channels in exchange for their cooperation in creating tension on the border."

"North Korea took the money and did the job; the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island was the result."

Lin Zhixun recalled the scenes he had just seen on the television at the film set, including several shots of civilians who had fled into air-raid shelters crouching on the concrete ground with their children in their arms.

Two South Korean soldiers, one civilian, and one civil servant have died, and 19 people have been injured.

Two North Korean soldiers were killed and several others were wounded.

7454 million people on the peninsula live in fear.

But it was just a political game.

Lin Chih-hsun remained silent for a long time.

While Lin Zhixun was processing this matter, Lin Zhengzhu brought up another issue.

"As for your military service, I will arrange it for you."

"Arrange what?" Lin Zhixun asked, snapping out of his reverie.

"Don't worry, you don't need to waste two years joining the army."

On the other end of the phone, Lin Zhengzhu looked at a document on the bookshelf.

"That was the last gift your mother left for you."

Hang up the call.

Lin Chih-hsun turned off his phone, changed into his pajamas, and glanced out the window before turning off the lights.

The ginkgo trees on the film set stood quietly in the night, a few withered leaves were swept up by the wind, swirled around and fell back to the spot.

In the distance, towards Yeonpyeong Island, the sound of cannons continued, like fireworks.

He was still pondering Lin Zhengzhu's words, and murmured to himself:

"This story seems like a good script."

……

2018 8 Month 8 Day.

The film "The Spy Who Loved Me," distributed by CJ Entertainment, directed by Yoon Jong-bin, and written by Lim Ji-hoon and Kwon Sung-hwi, was released in South Korea.

Lin Chih-hsun won the Best Actor award at the 55th Grand Bell Awards for his role in the film.