Star Search 2019 champ Zhang Zetong may be the owner of a spanking new Audi Q2, but he hasn’t had the opportunity to drive it yet — and he's got our competitive COE bidding system to blame for it.

“I tried to place a bid earlier but I was $100 shy of the bidding amount. I didn’t manage to get it today, but I’m going to try again the next tender,” he laments to 8days.sg when we caught up with the 26-year-old during the imaging session of his maiden drama, All Around You, which will be shown on both Ch 8 and Toggle.

And he gets to play the lead in his first acting role — one of the perks of winning Star Search. In All Around You, Zetong stars as Ocean, an unfairly treated part-time waiter who later joins a company of social media experts. His leading lady is fellow up-and-comer Chantalle Ng, aka the daughter of Lin Meijiao.

“I was not expecting to land a role this 'heavy' so soon! Zetong tells us. FYI: He now goes by Zhang Zetong instead of Teoh Zetong because it's easier for people to remember.

I mean, I heard rumours that there would be a drama [for the Star Search finalists], but I didn’t know it was gonna start so soon and that I was going to be the lead! I’ve just tried on my first outfit and it was so exciting! I love it!” he enthuses.

And that's far from the only thing Zong is excited about.

As if getting his first lead role for his first project is not bonus enough, the newly-minted star will also be heading to Okinawa, Japan to film scenes for the drama.

“I’m super duper excited about that!” says Zetong. “I’ve not been overseas for work before so I’m fortunate to be able to travel for this drama! I mean, I’ve been to Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto, but not Okinawa. I really love Japan and I’m totally looking forward to this!”

We gently remind him that not every star gets the opportunity to go for an overseas shoot, especially for their first drama. And Zong assures us that he would not let it go to his head.

“I know it’s a privilege. Someone already warned me that it’s not going to be fun. They told me that filming is going to take up most of my time there, and that I shouldn't expect to go there and just play,” he tells us, adding that he's been working hard on his role.

“I’ve already read the script and there are enough pages it's about as thick as half a dictionary,” he laughs. “I'll also be attending language and acting classes to improve my performance, especially in my emotional scenes.”

Apart from being known as the Star Search champ, Zetong is also famous for being the Carousell guy , having worked at the online marketplace as an associate customer relationship manager for close to three years. He may have resigned from that job after winning the competition, but he's still involved with finding a suitable candidate as his replacement.

“Earlier today, I managed to be part of the interview panel for someone who applied for the job! My colleagues are very happy for me. I even received a parting gift — a stabilised handheld camera — from them. By the way, they're still in the midst of finding my replacement, so please feel free to go to sg-dot-carousell-dot-com-slash-career to apply!” he says.

So has Zong changed his LinkedIn profile job position to “Actor at Mediacorp”?

“(Guffaws) My contract with Mediacorp officially starts in December, so I’ll update my profile a few months after that,” Zong laughs. ‘Cos you’ll never know if you’ll pass the probation period!”

There's no doubt that expectations are riding high for Zong, who has also been on the receiving end of negative remarks regarding his win.

“I’ve read many mean comments [from netizens] about my win. Many of them were rooting for the other contestants to win instead,” he tells us. They said that my acting was subpar and that I'm not as strong as the rest. I will accept comments that are constructive, and use them to improve on my future performances. However, I will just ignore and try not to let those people who are purely hating on me affect my mood. They’re not worth it.”

Spoken like a true champ.

Photos: Mark Lee/ 8days.sg and Mediacorp Photo Unit

All Around You is available on demand for free on Toggle from Feb 28, 2020 and premieres Mar 2, 2020, 9pm on Ch 8 .