Translator: Dreamscribe
At Choi Rina's strange behavior, Kang Rojun, who was also the writer of 'Rental Lover', thought, "Huh?"
'What's going on.'
Choi Rina turned her head unconsciously and then froze. It was at this moment that PD Jung Soo-ryeong stepped in.
"What's going on? Why are you acting like that, Choi star??"
By the time everyone's attention focused on Choi Rina, she awkwardly smiled and rubbed around her eyes.
"Ah, I'm sorry. Something got in my eye."
"Huh? What got in?"
"I don't know. Dust maybe? There's quite a bit of dust here."
"Really? There's that much dust?"
"Yeah, a lot."
Choi Rina, while continuing to rub her eyes, gestured an apology toward Rojun as well. At the same time, she screamed inwardly.
'It was a hundred times easier to act when his face was covered!!'
With just one touch from Kang Rojun, her self-hypnosis or self-defense had crumbled. It wasn't because veteran Choi Rina was weak. This situation was simply unusual. The unexpected appearance of No. 1 from 'Produce That 100!', that No. 1 being writer Kang Chul-soo, and the fact that he was 'Lover No. 4'. Moreover, though she hadn't realized it yet, Choi Rina was currently falling for No. 1 from 'Produce That 100!'.
The acting with Kang Rojun had begun before she was mentally prepared.
His touch filled with affection.
It would be strange not to waver.
This didn't feel like a man's touch, but more like the sensation a fan feels when meeting their favorite artist. Regardless, she brushed off avoiding his face with a vague excuse.
'Hold on, just for now, hold it in.'
She steeled herself with the mindset of being a professional.
"It's okay, PD-nim. Let's go again."
The action cue was given again.
Kang Rojun's hand reached out again. This time, Choi Rina didn't avoid his face. Her method was to just fall for Rojun's visuals. And because of that, her reaction came out genuinely. The female lead who couldn't take her eyes off 'Lover No. 4' for even a second. This wasn't acting, this was Choi Rina's true feelings.
'No... how can a human being look like this?'
Kang Rojun was terrifyingly handsome.
There's a saying that someone so unrealistically handsome is scary. For a moment, Rina found Rojun frightening.
At this point, PD Jung Soo-ryeong said.
"...As expected of Choi star."
She smiled with great satisfaction while watching the camera monitor.
'Writer-nim's acting is killer, but Choi Rina's improved even more. She really looks like a girl who's fallen in love, lost in a dream, doesn't she?'
PD Jung Soo-ryeong, interpreting Choi Rina's true emotions as acting, whispered to the cinematographer.
"In terms of two-shot visuals, 'Lover No. 4' totally dominates, right?"
"Yes. Writer-nim's face is just absurd to begin with. B-But... is it just me seeing this?"
"Huh?"
"'Lover No. 4' is appearing more beautiful than the female lead."
He was referring to Kang Rojun as seen through the camera monitor. PD Jung Soo-ryeong was aware of it too. This wasn't a matter of being cool or pretty. It was about aura. Of course, Choi Rina was among the most beautiful top actresses. But looking at the footage right now.
'It might be a first for a female lead to be visually outshone by a male actor.'
'Lover No. 4' had the upper hand.
And then.
- Vrrrr.
A second short vibration buzzed from Kang Rojun's wrist.
Later.
After finishing the preliminary meeting and acting, Choi Rina got into the light gray van that was waiting. She looked into her compact mirror right away. She had arrived here confidently, but way too many unexpected things had happened.
'This is insane.'
Moreover, No. 1 from 'Produce That 100!', writer Kang Chul-soo, and 'Lover No. 4' kept overlapping in her mind. Her heart raced wildly. It wouldn't calm down. Then she recalled the moment she had flinched away from Lover No. 4's touch.
'Ha- fuck.'
She covered her face with both hands. It must have felt like a humiliating moment from the past. Even as she let out a small sigh.
-Swish.
She picked up the script for 'Rental Lover'.
'I can't make the same mistake during the actual shoot. Not in front of No. 1- no, writer-nim. And especially not an NG. I'm going to train even harder.'
Her fighting spirit flared up several times over.
Meanwhile, inside PD Jung Soo-ryeong's car, Kang Rojun looked out the window while secretly checking his wrist smartwatch. During the preliminary meeting, he had received two notifications from the 'AI Simulation'.
-[You have completed the hidden mission 'Confidently Introduce Yourself as the Writer!' Reward: 15 Coins.]
-[You have completed the hidden mission 'Fluster the Fellow Actor Through Acting!' Reward: 15 Coins.]
The hidden missions that popped up related to the side job. Rojun quietly smiled without showing it outwardly and cheered inwardly.
'Nice bonus, and two of them at that.'
While driving, PD Jung Soo-ryeong chimed in.
"It wrapped up well. People were really surprised to see you, writer-nim, but it was right to reveal your identity before the script reading. If it had been revealed during the script reading when everyone needed to focus on acting, they would've been too overwhelmed to perform."
She was absolutely right. Even though the script reading is conducted more simply than the actual shoot, it's still a crucial part of drama production for syncing lines, emotions, and timing. If a bomb like that went off there, the actors and key staff wouldn't have been able to concentrate.
So Kang Rojun agreed.
"That makes sense."
"More importantly, now that the actual script reading and the first shoot are all that's left, how do you feel?"
"I'm not sure."
"That's how it usually is. But once you're on set, something inside you just starts boiling."
Maybe it would. When he first got on stage in 'Produce That 100!', some unnameable emotion had surged within him, so it was obvious this would be similar.
'It'll feel different from 'Produce That 100!', but I've gotten really used to the camera.'
At the same time.
The participants at the Paju Campus were frantically moving their bodies around. Specifically, Team 1 was doing so.
"No! That's not it! Again!"
After the first evaluation, full-scale 'Produce'-related training had begun. Naturally, the trainer was Lee Han-na, and the twelve members of Team 1 excluding Rojun were sweating it out day and night. Those lacking in skill had to be in the practice room even at dawn.
Of course, all of it was being filmed.
Still, since it was the fifth day of practice after the first evaluation, which had taken place last Wednesday.
"Okay! That's it, see? You can do it! Next move!"
Team 1's skills were visibly improving.
The following day, Tuesday, practice footage for 'Produce' was sent to Teams 2 and 3. After their own individual training period, Teams 2 and 3 would also go through the first evaluation. During that time, Kang Rojun joined Team 1's practice space in more of an auditing role.
It was at the production team's request to get broadcasting footage.
"No! No. 15! Why do you keep repeating the same mistake?? Hoo- this won't do. No. 1-nim, could you show this part of the dance real quick?"
"Yes."
Additionally, to Team 1, Kang Rojun served as a textbook.
"That's it! This is it! Start as smoothly as No. 1, but with sharp precision. Okay?"
Whoever it was, everyone was immersed in practice, so time just flew by.
Meanwhile, near Jonggak Station.
In a tall building occupying two floors was the office of a famous OTT service. The striking red "N" model at the entrance stood out, and the place bustled with busy employees.
It was none other than Netflix Korea.
In a glass-walled meeting room covered with posters of various titles, PD Woo Han-suk appeared with deep dark circles under his eyes. He was accompanied by a few writers.
They were in a meeting with the Netflix Korea team.
The topic was, of course, the launch of 'Produce That 100!'.
From the flow of conversation, it looked like the meeting was wrapping up. A slim and sharp-looking woman smiled gently as she spoke.
"Then let's proceed with the original launch date for 'Produce That 100!' without any changes."
She appeared to be in her 40s and was the executive director, essentially the representative of Netflix Korea. PD Woo Han-suk turned off the tablet he'd been looking at and replied.
"Yes, the first launch is this Saturday, the 22nd."
"Only the first six episodes will be uploaded all at once, and starting next week, one episode will be released every Saturday."
In other words, the domestic launch date of 'Produce That 100!' on Netflix was now confirmed. However, while the main broadcast would air on Friday nights, Netflix Korea would upload it the following Saturday night. With 'Produce That 100!' launching on Netflix, they stood to gain a lot.
They could attract audiences who don't watch TV and also increase voter turnout.
The show was already hot, but this would act like an extra booster.
On top of that.
'With this, we've laid the foundation for overseas expansion.'
It was also part of PD Woo Han-suk's strategy for pushing the Hallyu wave globally. The executive director, well aware of this, smiled as she spoke again.
"A 22% viewership rating for 'Produce That 100!'? Wow, over 20% in this day and age. And I heard Japan's also showing a lot of interest."
"Yes, we were targeting that from the beginning, and thankfully, it's going pretty well."
"I looked into it a bit, and a lot of Hallyu fans in Japan already know about 'Produce That 100!'? Social media is blowing up, and apparently, the profiles of the participants are already being heavily shared. As expected, No. 1 seems to be the most popular over there too."
PD Woo Han-suk, thinking of Kang Rojun, shrugged his shoulders.
"No. 1's face would work in any country."
"Well, yeah. Every time I see him, I'm amazed. How can someone's visuals be like that?"
"I see him often too, but every time, he surprises me."
"Oh, and I heard the 'Produce That 100!' Netflix Japan launch date is also confirmed? One week after our launch?"
Woo Han-suk PD gave a crooked smile and nodded.
"That's right, August 31st."
"Wow- so the 'Produce That 100!' participants are making their Japan debut even before their official debut??"
Produce That 100!'s launch in Japan was now just about two weeks away.
The next day, Wednesday, in the late afternoon.
Kang Rojun was in the break room where there weren't many participants. He wasn't alone, No. 58 with the baby perm was sitting next to him.
Seeing No. 58, Kang Rojun suddenly spoke in Japanese.
"Shall we begin, then?"
No. 58 answered in awkward Japanese.
"Yes, we may begin."
They were executing their pre-planned Japanese conversation practice.
"Now that we're actually doing it, I don't have much to say. Um- did you always want to become an idol?"
"Yes. I've loved singing ever since I was young."
Though the gap in their Japanese skills was significant, communication wasn't a problem. The goal of the Japanese conversation was just to chat about everyday things. Along the way, Rojun corrected some of the words No. 58 used. The promise had been for about ten minutes, but before they knew it, thirty minutes had passed. No. 58 then bowed and thanked Rojun.
-Swish.
He began placing the items he brought on the table. A tablet, a phone, several thick notebooks, and more. They were materials to explain the composition he had suggested to Rojun.
"...It would be better if there was a laptop, but that can wait until you've learned a bit more. This should be enough to start with."
While No. 58 was operating the tablet, Kang Rojun showed interest in the thick notebooks.
"What's this?"
"Ah? Oh- these are things I've composed from a while back. I'll show you the arrangement stuff later."
"May I take a look?"
"It's fine, but it's a bit embarrassing since this is the first time I'm showing it to someone. I just did whatever I wanted, so there's a lot of weird stuff."
Composing, huh- would it feel similar to me writing stories? Rojun picked up a notebook with "2019" written on the cover. He wondered if it was made last year and asked No. 58.
"You passed the first round with a rap, right? And the second round was vocals."
"Yes."
"What kind of songs do you usually compose?"
"Rap, dance, ballad, I'm all rounder."
Rojun nodded and opened the notebook. There were things that resembled musical scores. It looked like he had freely scribbled down notes and symbols. How to put it, to Kang Rojun, it seemed somewhat like a craftsman's touch. No. 58 gave an awkward smile and added an explanation.
"I tend to write down melodies or chords as they come to mind. Even if you don't know how to read sheet music, the programs these days are good, so anyone can do it."
He said anyone could, but to Rojun, it didn't look easy at all.
'Of course it wouldn't be. You'd need professional-level knowledge or skill. And definitely a good sense for it too.'
He could run composition with 'AI Automation' right now, but without knowing composition or arrangement, it would clearly cost a massive number of coins. As he scanned through the sheet music, Rojun suddenly had a question.
"Are these lyrics? Why are they all written as 'ah' or 'oh'?"
"..."
No. 58's face darkened, and he forced a smile.
"I- I'm terrible with lyrics. Even if I can make a song, I can't write the lyrics."
Terrible? For a second, Rojun remembered his own awful writing. As he flipped through a few more pages of sheet music, he stroked his chin. His face lit up with interest.
"Hmm."
Then he made a suggestion to No. 58.
"Shall I try writing some lyrics?"
At the same time.
- Vrrrr.
A vibration from his wrist. Slightly startled, Rojun looked down at his smartwatch. The source of the vibration was a notification from 'AI Simulation'.
-[The 'Lyrics Writing' stat has been unlocked. You can now increase or enhance your 'Lyrics Writing' stat! Check out your updated 'Lyrics Writing' stat now!]
It was a type of notification he had never seen before.