Kang Rojun looked at PD Woo Han-suk standing in front of him and thought.
'Are you serious?'
It wasn't just anything, but he suddenly asked him and No. 58 to work on the theme song for 'Produce That 100!'. The currently trending theme song, 'Produce', was dominating the top ranks on various music platforms.
Moreover, 'Produce' was also the central song for the upcoming third round of evaluations.
'I mean, I could do it, but isn't a theme song extremely important?? And he's entrusting that to us?'
Thinking about it, it was quite a big deal.
He recalled the evaluation aspect, too. Whether it was vocals, rap, or dance, if the theme song was to be used in judging, then it should not have been assigned to Kang Rojun or No. 58. That's because the key points of the third evaluation round in 'Produce' were adaptability and replication, and both No. 58 and Rojun, as the creators of the song, would be able to perform quite easily.
This could lead to concerns about fairness being raised by other participants.
In any case, a slightly surprised Rojun glanced sideways at No. 58. No. 58 had his mouth wide open. He seemed to be having similar thoughts as Kang Rojun, but his shock appeared to be several times greater.
Soon, No. 58 stammered out a response.
"W-we're doing the theme song for 'Produce That 100!'?? Me and No. 1??!"
Usually reserved and soft-spoken, No. 58 sounded visibly flustered. On the other hand, PD Woo Han-suk nodded with a smile.
"Yes. I'd like to entrust it to No. 1 and No. 58."
"How could we possibly-"
"I think you can do it. Your songwriting and composing abilities are recognized by none other than Judge Song Min-geun, who's right here."
The chubby Song Min-geun, who was being looked at, nodded.
"They can do it easily. It's more than enough."
Song Min-geun was a famous composer and broadcaster who had many hit songs. Thanks to his confidence, PD Woo Han-suk's smile deepened.
"What do you think? Of course, I didn't make this decision lightly. I thought about it a lot, but in the end, I really hope you two could create the theme song."
"..."
No. 58, frozen, couldn't answer, as if at a loss for words. Kang Rojun felt it was doable but still gauged the atmosphere first. PD Woo Han-suk looked back and forth between Rojun and No. 58.
"You don't need to think about it too much. I'm asking you to create a song, but it's not 100% certain that it will become the theme song. We need to see the final product, and situations always change."
He added an explanation to ease the pressure.
"And even if your song is selected as the theme, it won't be used in the evaluation. It's not set in stone, but my current idea is to prepare a thank-you performance for the viewers. The 'Produce That 100!' participants would learn and rehearse the theme song made by No. 1 and No. 58, and the performance would be presented without the competitive tone of survival shows."
At that, No. 58, who seemed puzzled, asked a question.
"But what if I… get eliminated in the third round?"
Currently, Team 1 was in its voting period. Teams 2 and 3 hadn't even appeared in the surprise performance yet. The fate of No. 58, who was in Team 2, would be decided next week. If he got eliminated before the song was completed, he'd have to pack his bags. PD Woo Han-suk, aware of that, answered seriously.
"Right now, I'm making this offer not to Participant No. 58, but to Composer No. 58. If you accept, even if you're eliminated, the song still needs to be completed. Even if it's not selected as the theme, we'll still pay for the composition and lyrics. If it is selected, then of course we'll separately negotiate the matter of streaming revenue."
"Ah-"
"You can decline. As I said, it's not an order but a suggestion. In fact, we initially planned to ask Judge Song Min-geun, but we changed that plan. The judge himself said it would be better this way."
If there would be a separate contract regarding the streaming revenue, then it was less like an amateur job and more of a professional offer. If they said yes, they would have to complete the song no matter what.
Song Min-geun, who had been listening, chimed in.
"It might seem like a lot of pressure, but I think it's not a bad opportunity. Even if it's not selected, it'll be good experience. If it is, it'll count as part of your track record."
Kang Rojun, whose current motto was 'You won't know unless you try, so just go for it no matter what', had already made up his mind. Even if it failed, he'd go all-in. However, when he looked at No. 58, he still seemed unsure. Well, in situations like this, things usually settle once someone steps forward first.
With a calm tone, Rojun accepted first.
"I'll do it."
No. 58, eyes slightly widening, looked at Kang Rojun and then, as if making a decision, raised his hand.
"M-me too! I'll do it too."
PD Woo Han-suk gave a thumbs-up and smiled again.
"Okay, good decision. As you can probably sense, this should stay between the four of us."
"Yes."
"Understood!"
Nodding his head, PD Woo Han-suk fixed his gaze on Baby Perm No. 58.
"Lyrics come after the melody, right? Of course, it has to be a dance track, something that can inject energy into everyone…"
PD Woo Han-suk listed the kind of vibe he wanted for the song. He ended by saying he would summarize everything he just said and send it in a message.
"No. 58, that's it for now. I'm counting on you, composer-nim."
No. 58 bowed a couple of times and exited the meeting room. Just as Rojun was wondering if he should stand up too, PD Woo Han-suk waved his hand.
"Ah ah ah, No. 1, we're not done yet."
Next, Song Min-geun suddenly asked Kang Rojun.
"But No. 1, are you really the writer of 'Rental Lover'??"
PD Woo Han-suk stopped him.
"Judge-nim? How many times have I told you not to ask that?"
"Hahaha. I couldn't help it. Seeing him in person made me too curious."
Scratching his head, Song Min-geun handed something to Rojun. It was a small USB.
"It's a demo track. I actually want to request lyrics from you separately. You can consider it an official offer."
What is this now? Internally a bit flustered, Rojun asked as casually as possible.
"Is this unrelated to 'Produce That 100!'?"
"Yeah. This is a proposal from me as composer Song Min-geun. You wrote the lyrics for the rap 'Witch', right? Even while you were still learning composition and songwriting. But the quality was impressive. I got curious."
Murmuring to himself, Song Min-geun handed over the USB to Rojun.
"I can't tell you much about the track or story. Just listen to the demo and write lyrics in your own way."
There wasn't much to overthink. Big-time composers like Song Min-geun usually have tons of lyricists pouring in. Among them, he chooses the lyrics he likes. Major entertainment companies did the same. In other words, even if Rojun wrote the lyrics, there was no guarantee they'd be selected for this demo track.
'If he's not giving the track info, there must be a reason. Either way, I just need to listen to the demo and write lyrics, right?'
Kang Rojun came to a quick conclusion.
"Yes, I'll give it a shot."
"Haha, you're decisive. Don't overthink it, just write comfortably."
Telling him to contact him once the lyrics were done, Song Min-geun exchanged contact info with Rojun. In a way, it was the first celebrity number saved on Rojun's phone.
'Whoa- Song Min-geun's number.'
Leaving the fascinated Kang Rojun behind, Song Min-geun stood up.
"That's all I had."
He cleanly exited the meeting room, having finished his business. Kang Rojun now had two lyrics projects on his plate. As he had already planned to continue writing lyrics, this worked out well. Across from him, PD Woo Han-suk sat down. For some reason, he looked a little concerned as he spoke.
"Are you really going to be okay? Acting, these lyric projects… I don't want it to interfere with your activities on 'Produce That 100!'."
"I can manage, for now."
Laughing, PD Woo Han-suk shook his head as if he was taken aback.
"You do realize that saying 'I can manage' is not normal, right? Most people can't handle all that. But as long as there's no problem, that's a relief. Also, you know about the official announcement of you as the writer of 'Rental Lover', right?"
"Yes."
"Have you thought about what you'll say?"
Whether he had prepared something or not, Kang Rojun answered quickly.
"I plan to say it in a way that suits 'No. 1'."
It had the scent of a villain.
A short while later.
Kang Rojun exited the meeting room and headed toward the participants' dorm. His expression was calm, but his mind was filled with thoughts.
'I've got two lyric writing projects and 'Rental Lover' filming. I also decided to write new content as a writer, right?'
On top of that, he couldn't afford to neglect the 'Produce That 100!' schedule. Additionally, there was the Japanese conversation practice with No. 58 and composition study.
'Why are there so many things to do? It's a mission, but I'm glad I built up my stamina.'
He wasn't really complaining. If anything, Kang Rojun preferred being insanely busy. No, perhaps the right word was that he enjoyed it. In the past, when his face was disfigured, he couldn't work even if he wanted to. A hectic lifestyle was something Rojun had dreamed of. Now, it simply came with more glamor.
-Swish.
He entered the dorm building. The participants were nowhere to be seen. They were probably all immersed in training. It seemed No. 58 had also joined them right away. In particular, Teams 2 and 3, to which No. 58 belonged, must be especially busy. That's because, like Team 1, a surprise performance was scheduled for them soon as well.
In any case, instead of heading to Room 105, Kang Rojun went to his usual go-to restroom.
Standing in front of the restroom mirror, which resembled the one in the practice room.
'Let's start with singing ability and dance first.'
He began experimenting with the stats that had exceeded 20 points. After lowering the volume, he sang a few songs and moved his body around. The change was definite. Even though it felt like he was doing things roughly, his form looked anything but ordinary.
"It feels like my throat is cleared up, and my body's more fluid. Definitely better than when my stats were in the tens."
His brain had also evolved. He had absorbed more knowledge. Singing or dancing, watching a video and copying it was no longer that difficult. He also stumbled much less. While part of it was due to accumulated experience, the stat enhancement must have played a big role. It was hard for Kang Rojun to objectively assess himself, but to the eye, he seemed quite good even among regular people.
Compared to his former self, who had no rhythm or pitch, it was a massive improvement.
Then Rojun took out his phone and accessed the 'AI Simulation'.
He checked the 'Rap' stat.
-[Rap (14.4/100)]
With recent enhancements, it had surpassed 10 points. Soon, Kang Rojun, after manipulating his phone, played a song.
-♬♪
It was 'Witch', the rap track composed by No. 58 and written by Kang Rojun. Nodding his head slowly to the beat, he opened his mouth. He performed 'Witch'. Though there was still a bit of awkwardness, one thing was certain.
'It works, I can rap now too.'
His rap skills had also improved quite a bit.
A few hours later, around noon. Tokyo, Japan.
Near the bustling Tokyo Station, inside a large two-story cafe. Although tourists were scattered about, most of the customers were Japanese.
The cafe was almost full.
Maybe because of the crowd, the atmosphere was quite noisy, with a wide range of age groups present. However, over 70% were in their twenties or thirties. Many of the tables were filled with groups of women. Japanese was heard in every direction.
While drinking their beverages, the cafe-goers chatted excitedly.
"Isn't it way too hot today??"
"Totally. I can't even go outside."
Everyone had a phone in their hands. They chatted while staring directly at their phones. What stood out was.
"I'm so excited for 'Produce That 100!'."
"Same here. Watching it on YouTube in clips isn't enough anymore!"
"Who's your favorite?"
"Of course No. 1! Isn't he yours too?"
"My No. 1 is also No. 1! He seems like a tsundere, but his face is insanely handsome! No. 58 and No. 15 are cute too."
Multiple tables were simultaneously discussing the Korean show 'Produce That 100!'. And not just casually, it was intense. A clear sign of the explosive Korean Wave in Japan and the show's growing popularity there.
"Sigh- when are the 'Produce That 100!' guys coming to Japan?"
"They're really coming to Japan?"
"I saw it on YouTube. Was it the PD? He said there would be a Japan performance."
"Really???"
Then, around 1 PM.
Suddenly.
"It's time!"
"It's 1 o'clock??"
"Yeah yeah!"
At many tables throughout the large cafe, the same action was observed. They all stopped talking and focused on their phones. It wasn't just one or two tables, more than half were doing it.
"Did it drop on Netflix??"
They were all accessing the same platform, Netflix Japan. The reason was simple.
"'Produce That 100!' drops at 1 o'clock, right?"
"For sure."
That was the official launch time for 'Produce That 100!' in Japan. To be exact, going forward, 'Produce That 100!' would be uploaded every Monday at 1 PM on Netflix Japan.
Soon, more than 70% of the Japanese customers in the cafe began-
"It's up! 'Produce That 100!' is live! Thank you, Netflix!"
"Whew- I've been waiting forever, let's watch from episode one!"
"Is No. 1 in the first episode??"
"He should be."
Watching the officially launched 'Produce That 100!'.
And the next morning, Tuesday, September 1st.
While Korean media was filled with articles about 'No. 1', 'Produce That 100!', and 'Rental Lover', news from Japan also spread.
"[IssueTalk] 'Produce That 100!' Sets Off a Storm in Japan, Hits No. 1 on Netflix Immediately After Launch!"