Translator: Dreamscribe
An unexpected reward sent from the 'AI Simulation' app. The timing was right at the end of episode 4 of 'Produce That 100!', at the moment Kang Rojun achieved an overwhelming No. 1 in vote percentage and 'passed'.
Rojun was looking down at his smartwatch.
-[... You have been rewarded with 'Stats +5 Enhancement Coupon' item.]
He focused on the word 'item' that popped up for the first time.
'Item, item... Yeah, that makes sense.'
Up until now, whenever a hidden mission was completed, the bonus had always been coins. But this time, he was given an item. Although Kang Rojun was briefly dazed by the unfamiliarity of it, upon thinking it through, it was only natural that items existed too.
From the start, the foundation of 'AI Simulation' was a game.
'Now that I think about it, wasn't there a shop button on the main screen too?'
Currently deactivated, but there was definitely a shop button on the main screen of 'AI Simulation'. That meant, of course, items must exist. The fact that Rojun received an item not from the very beginning but only after a certain amount of activity in 'Produce That 100!' suggested that even if it was difficult to pinpoint the exact conditions, 'AI Simulation' was gradually expanding.
'Is it like I'm growing together with the 'AI Simulation'?'
It's only been three months. If he continued using 'AI Simulation' going forward, there was a high chance that something hidden would be revealed. Naturally, the corners of Rojun's mouth lifted.
'This is fun, seriously fun.'
Then he recalled the item he just received. A 'Stats +5 Enhancement Coupon'. Which meant.
'It's probably a coupon that can increase one of my current stats by 5 points at once.'
Enhancing stats normally raised 1 point per 10 coins. So, 5 points would be 50 coins. Pretty decent. It was like he had received 50 coins all at once.
At that moment.
"No. 1-nim?"
Baby Perm No. 58, sitting next to Kang Rojun, spoke softly as he looked at him.
"...Are your acquaintances sending tons of congratulatory messages?"
It was understandable to mistake the situation since Rojun was looking at his smartwatch. So Kang Rojun nodded vaguely and stood up.
"Yes, excuse me for a moment."
Rojun stepped out of Room 105 alone and took out his phone in the hallway. He accessed the 'AI Simulation' app. The main screen with his character displayed had clearly changed. A new button had appeared to the left of the character.
-[Mission (Limited to 5 per day)]/ [Shop (Deactivated)]/ [Inventory]
'Inventory'. Rojun tapped it immediately. The changed screen looked like an item window. Of course, the only item was the one he had just received.
-[1] Stats +5 Enhancement Coupon
When he tapped the coupon item, the screen changed again. The stats window popped up.
'...I guess I can apply it directly by pressing like this.'
Among the listed stats, Rojun focused on 'Rap', which he was currently enhancing. He could invest in Rap, but Rojun had slightly different thoughts. If it were urgent, he would've picked Rap right away, but the next third evaluation wasn't about Rap. That meant there was still quite a bit of time.
Rap could be enhanced gradually without much issue.
What he needed immediately was 'Dance'. It was also the task for the third evaluation. Whatever the outcome, thanks to 'AI Automation', there was relief, but just in case, investing the coupon in 'Dance' seemed the right move.
"50 coins, I can earn that in 5 days anyway. Let's go with Dance."
Having made up his mind, Rojun touched 'Dance' in the stats. A message popped up immediately.
-[Would you like to use the 'Stats +5 Enhancement Coupon' on 'Dance'?]
As soon as he quickly confirmed, 'Dance' increased by 5 points at once.
-[Appearance (100/100)│Singing Ability (11.2/100)│Rap (5.3/100)]
[Dance (15.7/100)│Eloquence (8/100)│Acting (5.3/100)]
At that moment, there was a faint tingling in his wrist. Along with that, Rojun also felt a subtle change. It was hard to put into words, but roughly like a little more composure or calmness?
"Maybe it's just my imagination... but I'll be able to find out."
Just then.
-Bzzz.
The vibration buzzed again. Of course, it was another notification from 'AI Simulation'.
-[You have completed the Hidden Mission 'First Item Usage!' You have been rewarded with 15 coins.]
With that, he had effectively earned a total of 65 coins including the coupon.
After that.
Following the news of the unmatched No. 1's passing result, episode 4 of 'Produce That 100!' showed the elimination of No. 10.
-["No. 10, you are 'eliminated'. Please leave 'Produce That 100!' immediately."]
The screen showed No. 10's face, filled with regret and sorrow.
-Goodbye No. 10 ㅎㅎㅎ
-Wow… they just cut him like that?? That's so damn brutal
-It's a survival show, of course it's like this ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-No. 10 kept butting heads with No. 1 and ended up competing against him... He was just really unlucky…
-True that. No. 1's performance was just on another level
-Poor guy;;;
-ㅠㅜㅠㅠㅜOther than the red hair, No. 10 wasn't that bad... what a shame
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋThis is what happens when you unnecessarily mess with No. 1 ㅋㅋ
Just like that, No. 10 stepped off the stage and exited the hall. The camera that captured his back quickly changed angles. The death sentence wasn't over yet.
-["For your information, over 50% of the total votes for the 'Dance Team' went to No. 1."]
Leaving the crazed viewers behind, PD Woo Han-suk sent each participant home one by one. Soon, only 13 remained on stage.
-["The 13 surviving members of the 'Dance Team' are now Team 1. Remember your team members and your group."]
When the 13 members were shown in a full shot, PD Woo Han-suk's voice was heard.
-["The first official theme song for 'Produce That 100!' has been completed."]
Then the screen suddenly cut to black. A title appeared in the center.
-'Produce That 100!'
Which meant episode 4 ended there. What PD Woo Han-suk had said on-site about Netflix was edited out for now. Viewers poured out question marks at the 'theme song' shown at the end.
Reactions exploded.
The roar of excitement continued well past the night into dawn, and both the media and public opinion became excessively stirred up.
And so the sun rose on the next day, Saturday.
The location was the messy editing room of 'JTVM'. PD Woo Han-suk without his glasses was noticeable. Having likely edited all night, he was slumped like dead on the sofa in the back.
At that moment.
-Slam!
The thick editing room door burst open and Kim Se-hee and the other writers rushed in, full of high tension.
"PD-nim!!!"
Startled by their frenzy, PD Woo Han-suk woke up abruptly and wiped his drool.
"Holy crap! What, what is it!!"
Kim Se-hee, brimming with laughter, shouted out.
"Episode 4's viewership rating exceeded 20%!!!"
PD Woo Han-suk's eyes widened immensely.
What she said was true. The entertainment news outlets were already in a frenzy over 'Produce That 100!' ratings. The same atmosphere prevailed at the 'Produce That 100!' campus in Paju.
Dozens of participants were more ecstatic than anyone else.
"Wow- they say it's 20%, 20%!!"
"That's insane!! If it's 20%, how many people watched??!"
"If you include reruns and Youtube, it's probably several times more???"
"Amazing... Seriously, the search engines' main page is all 'Produce That 100!'"
Kang Rojun and the members of Room 105 were also in a pretty hyped mood. However, Rojun somehow calmed his exploding excitement and went for a run. No matter what happened, he couldn't neglect the mission.
After completing his stat enhancement, Kang Rojun grabbed his laptop.
'Let's finish editing 'Rental Lover' today.'
Compared to other participants, Rojun was quite busy. So his plan was to finish editing the script for 'Rental Lover' around the time the others were training.
It took him roughly a few hours.
As per PD Jung Soo-ryeong's request, Rojun completed the revisions.
'I extended the overall story, and I also added the setup for 'Lover No. 4' as PD-nim requested. This should be good enough.'
He sent the completed 'Rental Lover' script to PD Jung Soo-ryeong. It could be overlooked, but the time Kang Rojun spent writing or editing the script was very short. Of course, he wasn't quite aware of it yet. He had no one to compare with either.
At any rate, PD Jung Soo-ryeong called him 30 minutes later.
"Writer-nim things are hectic, so I'm just getting around to contacting you. I watched episode 4 of 'Produce That 100!' and congrats on surviving. Do you know how crazy popular you are with our key staff?? I'm honestly excited to see how surprised the key staff will be when they meet you? Oh, and I'll check out the revised script too. Let's meet tomorrow morning~"
Just like last time, PD Jung Soo-ryeong ended the call by saying she would come to pick him up again, and Kang Rojun left his laptop in the room and headed toward the restroom he frequently used. As expected, no one was there again.
Rojun stood in front of the mirror.
"Phew-"
He first tried dancing the choreography for 'brake'. Of course, thanks to the 'AI Automation' buff, he would execute it perfectly, but he felt a sense of increased ease. Next, he tried different dance moves, recalling the routines of other participants who were on the 'Dance Team'.
-Swish.
After just a few dozen seconds, what Rojun felt was.
'These dance movements... they seem quite vivid, don't they?'
Compared to the past, mimicking other choreographies had become noticeably easier. During his uncoordinated days, it was simply unattainable. Even if he watched someone dance, recalling it again was impossible. But now, even if a bit blurry, he could at least follow the movements.
As if, somehow, he had gained a copy ability.
And though it was hard to put into words.
'It feels like my body's sense of rhythm has expanded.'
Of course, it was probably still at the level of an average person, but for Kang Rojun, who had once been a stiff, hopeless dancer, it was a massive improvement.
After dancing for over ten minutes, Rojun switched focus.
First, a deep breath.
Then he recalled the role of 'Lover No. 4' from 'Rental Lover'. It wasn't hard to summon. Rojun himself had written 'Rental Lover', and it was he who had created the character of 'Lover No. 4'.
He intended to try facial acting.
His 'Acting' stat had risen slightly, and he needed to practice little by little to get rid of the unfamiliar feeling.
His facial expressions changed back and forth.
When he returned to his normal self, Rojun recognized the change.
'Did it get a bit better?'
When he had first attempted facial acting, it had been absolute garbage. Along with a skyrocketing sense of shame. But now, that cringey awkwardness had significantly decreased. He felt like his attitude toward 'Acting' had become more sincere.
'Maybe getting used to it through a little practice helped, too?'
Next was the quality of facial expressions.
He didn't know for sure, but what he just did didn't feel repulsive to himself and was quite decent. Not that the acting itself was good, but compared to the beginning, it was progress. Well, not that Rojun had any real eye to judge it.
'Even a slight increase in the Acting stat must be helping a bit.'
Having figured it out, Kang Rojun smiled, satisfied with how everything was improving.
'This is nice, really nice.'
Just as he was about to leave the restroom, he paused. Kang Rojun picked up his phone and opened the 'AI Simulation' app. What he tapped on was 'AI Automation'. He had suddenly grown curious. How many coins would it cost to study the acting for 'Lover No. 4'? He had already experimented with other roles, but 'Lover No. 4' was a newly derived character.
Besides, he had practiced it a bit.
As soon as the message popped up, Kang Rojun read it.
-[Through 'AI Automation' analysis, your desired outcome can be achieved. What would you like to achieve? (Only applicable to things related to the desired occupation: idol)]
He typed in the request he had in mind.
-[AI Automation: I want to perfectly study the acting of the role of Lover No. 4 from the script Rental Lover, with a particular focus on emotional and facial expression acting.]
He confirmed right away. The familiar loading circle appeared. The result came quickly.
-[AI analysis in progress... Analysis complete!]
-[To achieve your desired result, 10 coins are required.]
-[※ The number of coins required may vary depending on the difficulty of achieving the result.]
It cost 10 coins to study the role of 'Lover No. 4'. Upon seeing this, Kang Rojun murmured unconsciously.
"That's cheap??"
Without hesitation, he pressed the confirm button.
-[10 coins will be used.]
The learning process for 'Lover No. 4' began. By the time Kang Rojun felt a tingling sensation on his wrist, the message on the phone screen had already changed.
-[Applying... Application complete!]
The next morning, Sunday.
Having already completed his mission in advance, Kang Rojun stepped out of the campus wearing a cap and a mask. As he passed the entrance, a familiar sedan appeared in a similar spot as last time.
PD Jung Soo-ryeong's car.
Since he had experienced this before, Rojun walked confidently. As he got closer, PD Jung Soo-ryeong waved from the driver's seat window.
-Clunk!
As soon as Kang Rojun got in the passenger seat, the car took off. Holding the steering wheel, PD Jung Soo-ryeong, her rough hair tied up again today, gave a faint smile.
"Once again, congratulations on surviving. Well, I guess that's expected? And that 20% viewership... whew, you know that's really amazing, right?"
"Yes, I heard."
"Thanks to that, the value of you and the other participants must have gone up, but PD Woo Han-suk must be through the roof."
They chatted briefly about episode 4 of 'Produce That 100!', then PD Jung Soo-ryeong changed the subject.
"I checked the revised script. As expected, your writing is impressive. The deadline was tight, so how did you manage to write so smoothly? It's kind of fascinating."
Kang Rojun, having taken off his cap and mask, thought.
'No matter how many times I hear it, I still can't get used to compliments about my writing.'
He scratched his chin awkwardly.
"Thank you. I just wrote whatever came to mind."
"That's what we call talent. Or genius. Your face alone is enough to hit big, but you've got so many other skills too. You're not like some kind of god or something, right??"
"Of course not."
"It's just fascinating, really. I've been in this field a while, but I've never seen anyone with your kind of physical and creative combination."
Sincerely impressed, PD Jung Soo-ryeong stopped the car at a traffic light.
"Anyway, with just a few tweaks to the lines, the revised script should be good to go as-is. You did a great job tightening it up. And the character 'Lover No. 4', very well crafted, I'd say. Let's lock it in."
"Understood."
"All right, then let's see."
As if organizing her thoughts, PD Jung Soo-ryeong's smile deepened.
"Before the meeting, shall we take a look at your acting for 'Lover No. 4'? Have you practiced a bit?"
The same PD who asked even top actress Choi Rina to do impromptu acting. It would be enough to make anyone nervous, yet Kang Rojun answered quickly and calmly.
"Yes, I practiced 'a little'."