While they were in the middle of song selection, No. 26 suggested an self-composed rap. Thanks to that, Kang Rojun was reminded of No. 58's 'Witch', for which he had recently written lyrics.
'Looks like this guy knows how to compose too.'
Rojun, who thought there were quite a few hidden masters around, asked No. 26.
"Do you compose the rap yourself?"
No. 26 nodded calmly and replied.
"I think I compose one every day. There's a lot that comes to mind being here. I write lyrics every day too. I just jot them down first and then combine them later."
"Ah-"
"I just thought of some rap lyrics a moment ago and noted them down."
It seemed he had been writing lyrics while looking at his phone.
"Since 'Produce That 100!' is centered around survival, there's a lot of material to write about. My own emotions, of course, and if you scan through the other participants, there's a flood of interesting stories. The thrill of surviving, the pain after being eliminated, the tension during survival evaluations, the jealousy that flares up watching skilled participants, the despair you feel when you're practicing like crazy, and the hopelessness when your skills plateau. Anyway, I've written five rap songs since I came here."
Rojun felt there was a lot he could relate to. He too wrote in a similar fashion as a writer and lyricist. As Kang Rojun slowly nodded, No. 26, who had been calmly muttering, scratched his head.
"I'm not bragging or anything. Just saying."
He looked again toward No. 58 and continued.
"I saw that No. 58 writes a lot of notes too, so I asked and found out he knows how to compose. But he's genre-free while I can only do rap."
"Hmm- when you saw No. 58 ssi rapping, who do you think was better?"
"I think I'm definitely better."
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Kang Rojun smiled faintly. He had gotten a rough idea of No. 26's personality. Then No. 26 met Rojun's gaze.
"But isn't speaking formally kind of uncomfortable?"
Kang Rojun simply agreed.
"Shall we speak casually?"
"Yeah. We're on the same team, so let's drop the formality for now."
"Alright, sure. That's easier for me too. Better for communication."
"But no sharing personal details for now. We'll sort out ages later."
No. 26 was the first person Kang Rojun had dropped formal speech with since coming to 'Produce That 100!'. It wasn't like he couldn't have done so with No. 105, but things had just kind of passed by, and he missed the timing. Whatever the case, Rojun picked up a familiar scent from No. 26.
'Straightforward and not bad.'
Back in his manual labor days, the aloof older guys he used to work with were similar to No. 26. Rough in behavior and tone, but solid during work and casually considerate. At a glance, people might say No. 26 was rude, but having spent a long time with those manual labor uncles, Kang Rojun found No. 26 decent.
"Alright, and let's go with your self-composed rap for the assigned song."
"Okay. That really okay? You'll have a lot more to get used to. You'll need to keep listening to the rap and lyrics."
"It doesn't matter."
Kang Rojun answered without hesitation, and No. 26 nodded blankly. In fact, Rojun had previously tested whether original songs and such could be done through 'AI Automation'. Of course, the test song had been 'Witch'. The result?
'As always, totally doable.'
As if 'AI Automation' had no limits, the result came quickly. As long as he had coins, 'AI Automation' was invincible. Unaware of this, No. 26 casually tossed out a comment.
"Among rappers, there are people who are uniquely handsome, but none who are insanely crazy super handsome like you, No. 1. That's why you grab attention. It'll be fine. If you ride the groove well and split the beat moderately, you including your face, your very existence will be captured as hip."
"You're talking about color, right?"
"Yeah. Your own color, vibe, style. That kind of stuff. Surprisingly, the rap scene is full of prejudice. Scenes of someone who looks like a bookworm but has an amazing tone that flips everything come out quite often."
"So I can play it as a reversal too?"
"You could. Stage performance is important too. But since you already complete the performance with your visuals alone, I'll make the atmosphere heated like crazy."
This 4th evaluation round allowed complete freedom not only in the competition rap song but also in how the performance stage was set. Costumes, concept, direction, and so on. Right now, No. 26 was deciding on those, and Kang Rojun offered his opinion.
"If the visuals are killer and the performance is good too, wouldn't that create an even bigger impact?"
"You said this was your first time doing rap."
"Yeah, but since we're a team, I'm saying let's heat up the atmosphere together."
"Alright, then let's finalize the stage direction gradually. I'll pick out a few of my self-composed raps and let you hear them."
"Cool."
No. 26 pulled a pair of wireless earbuds from his pocket and handed one side over. Kang Rojun took the left earbud, and No. 26 wore the right. As soon as each put in their piece, No. 26 operated his phone, and rap began playing through the earbuds.
-♬♪
The moment he heard it, Rojun was inwardly surprised.
'Wow- damn, this guy's really good at rap.'
It had a different feel from No. 58's style but was on par in terms of skill. The rap matched No. 26's thick voice and had a heavy tone. He played with the beat freely. While Rojun's voice was on the lower side, No. 26's was closer to thick and full. More than anything.
'The rap is good too.'
The first rap song he heard stuck in his ears. Then No. 26 moved his thumb again.
"That was the first rap. Next is this one."
The second self-composed rap played. If the first was composed only of rap, the second seemed like rap that could appeal to the masses. It had a catchy vocal hook and chorus. In total, No. 26 played four songs. After playing them, he asked lifelessly,
"Which one's better?"
Without much thought, Rojun answered right away.
"They were all good, but I liked the first and second ones. If we want to go hard with pure rap, then the first one. If we want public appeal, the second one."
"You know if we go with just rap, the votes might get spread out? On the other hand, the second one might attract more votes due to its mainstream appeal."
"So it's either go with the second one thinking about the votes, or just go raw with the first rap?"
"Exactly."
The two fell into a deep conversation. Rojun thought to himself, 'I can't believe I'm having this kind of talk'. Around then, a cameraman approached with a camera, but Kang Rojun and No. 26 didn't seem to care and kept talking. No. 26 started off.
"I'm leaning toward the second one. You can handle the vocal part."
Rubbing his chin, Kang Rojun shook his head.
"Let's just go with the pure rap and crush it. Clean and sharp, no frills."
"..."
"Wait- are you picking the second one for my sake?"
"Well, maybe a little."
Since it was Rojun's first time doing rap, No. 26 had suggested the self-composed rap with vocals to ease the burden a bit. But Kang Rojun smiled as if it was no big deal.
"It's fine. It won't be a problem. Let's go with the first one."
No. 26 changed his mind in just a few seconds.
"Okay. Then let's go with 'Small Fry'. Ah, that's the title of the rap- 'Small Fry'."
Later.
Having aligned their opinions, Kang Rojun and No. 26 continued with various small conversations, until No. 26 asked Rojun,
"Give me your chat ID. I'll send you 'Small Fry'."
After exchanging contact info, No. 26 added that he'd send the lyrics and score along with the self-composed rap. Rojun scrolled through the received file on his phone and made a decision.
'First, let's run it through AI Automation.'
No. 26, putting his phone back in his pocket, said,
"And since it's my self-composed rap, I'll handle dividing the parts."
"Yeah, that's easier."
"I'll split it equally. Of course, we'll go over it before practice. If you don't like it, we can cut it."
"Then let's wrap it up here for today. I'm going to keep listening to 'Small Fry'."
"I'll start with the part division, and both of us should think about stage direction, concept, and costumes whenever we get the chance."
"Agreed."
As soon as the conversation ended, Kang Rojun and No. 26 stood up and exited the hall. Among Groups 1 and 2, Rojun's group was the first to leave. The other groups were still gathered in the hall, racking their brains. While No. 26 strode ahead quickly, someone called out to Kang Rojun from behind.
"No. 1 nim-"
Turning around, he saw PD Woo Han-suk with heavy dark circles raising the corners of his lips. No. 26, who had briefly looked back, resumed his pace, while PD Woo Han-suk approached the now-stationary Rojun.
"Are you already done talking with No. 26?"
"Yes."
"Haha, No. 26- you've been paired with another interesting character."
PD Woo Han-suk folded his arms as he watched No. 26's retreating figure.
"No. 26 seems stiff, right? But he's actually quite popular among the viewers."
"I didn't think he was bad. I've worked with people like him before."
"Really? That's good to hear. I'm looking forward to seeing how you and No. 26 come across together."
With a deepening smile, PD Woo Han-suk began walking and motioned for Rojun to join him.
"I spoke with PD Jung Soo-ryeong. During this 4th evaluation period, there won't be any filming for 'Rental Lover'."
"Yes, I heard. I only have about two days' worth of filming left anyway, so once the 4th evaluation ends, we should be able to finish quickly."
"And by any chance, have you ever had an entertainment company you were interested in?"
Entertainment company? He meant an agency. There couldn't have been any. Kang Rojun only knew famous entertainment companies to some extent and hadn't shown particular interest.
"No."
"Not at all?"
"No."
"Hm- then when you have some time, try searching a few."
"Got it."
After giving Rojun a couple of pats on the shoulder, PD Woo Han-suk turned back toward the hall. Meanwhile, Rojun arrived not at Room 105 but at the restroom he frequently used. In the calm atmosphere, Rojun took out his phone. He launched the 'AI Simulation' app and pressed the 'AI Automation' button. A familiar phrase appeared.
-[Through 'AI Automation' analysis, the desired outcome can be achieved. What would you like to achieve? (Only options related to the desired occupation: Idol)]
Kang Rojun typed what he had already planned.
-[AI Automation: I want to fully master the self-composed rap 'Small Fry'. I'd like to play with the beat, control tempo, and deliver lyrics clearly.]
After pressing confirm, a spinning loading circle appeared for a moment. The response came soon after.
-[AI Analysis in progress... Analysis complete!]
-[To achieve the desired result, 25 coins are required.]
Rojun immediately sensed that it had become cheaper.
'Is it thanks to stat enhancement? Now it's around 20 coins without any adjustment period.'
Of course, there must have been a set lower limit.
It might go down by another one or two coins, but since Kang Rojun could earn 25 coins in a day or two, it wasn't a big concern. He went ahead and tapped to approve the coin usage. At the same time.
-[Using 25 coins.]
-[Applying... Application complete!]
The familiar tingling sensation spread.
The next day, Thursday the 10th, Tokyo, Japan.
Around 9 a.m. Near Tokyo Station, in a tall building. The entrance to an office occupying two floors bore a familiar red logo on its glass doors.
This was the headquarters of Netflix Japan, which had recently launched Korea's 'Produce That 100!'
Currently, 'Produce That 100!' was holding the No. 1 spot on Netflix Japan, and the viewership hours were rapidly increasing. For that reason, Netflix Japan was busy. They had to keep rowing, producing videos for the official YouTube, promoting, and so on.
In the middle of that, several people were gathered in a meeting room.
Around eight people sat around ㅁ-shaped table.
Most looked Japanese, but the man seated at the head of the table, exuding a representative aura, stood out immediately. Blue eyes and curly blonde hair, clearly a foreigner. Likely in his late forties.
This was Tom Cavill, the Executive Director and the head of Netflix Japan.
Tom Cavill spoke to the team leads seated on either side. His Japanese was notably fluent.
"Have you looked into 'Rental Lover' in detail?"
For some reason, the words 'Rental Lover' came out of Executive Director Tom Cavill's mouth. The female team leader on his right soon nodded.
"Yes. As you know, the 'Rental Lover' mentioned by No. 1 from 'Produce That 100!' is a Korean one-act drama, and No. 1 wrote it."
The female team leader smoothly explained the details she had researched about 'Rental Lover'.
"Filming has already begun, and we've confirmed that it's currently a hot topic in Korea. 'Rental Lover' became quite an issue when Korea's top actress, Choi Rina, took on the female lead role."
"It's just a one-act drama, but with someone like Choi Rina attached, it's bound to make noise."
"The rest of the cast has also been set with B-grade or higher actors."
"And then No. 1 suddenly declared that he was the one who wrote 'Rental Lover'."
"Yes, and from there, both the media and public opinion exploded."
For reference, in Japan as well, both 'Produce That 100!' and 'Rental Lover' continued to simmer with public interest. Of course, thanks to Koreans living in Japan, people here were also somewhat aware of the background details surrounding 'Rental Lover'.
"Hmm-"
Executive Director Tom Cavill folded his arms and let out a breath. His face was serious. Even afterward, the meeting room remained filled with reports and discussions about 'Produce That 100!' and 'Rental Lover'. They reviewed the situation in Korea, the situation in Japan, fan reactions, social media and community engagement, and so on.
Then, after ten minutes.
-Swoosh.
With his legs crossed, Executive Director Tom Cavill quietly drew a conclusion.
"It looks like we'll have to launch 'Rental Lover' as well."
*****
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