Magic that made the handsome look ugly. Gong Jumi wasn’t the only one experiencing this phenomenon. Yun Seungwon, seated beside her—the one she had spoken to—was included.
“...Actually, me too.”
All the other judges felt the same.
‘Right, looks like everyone’s in the same boat. Of course they are, after seeing that “No. 1.”’
‘That No. 1 should’ve had a more reasonable impact.’
It was only natural. “No. 1” had crushed everyone with his face alone, and his vocals had been fantastic on top of that. Gang Rojun’s presence had been terrifyingly overwhelming. After seeing a monster like that, what contestant could possibly satisfy them? The judges were troubled. Their eyes, which needed to be the sharpest on site, had been dulled.
“For now, let’s try to exclude No. 1 as much as possible when we watch.”
“Yes, sunbae.”
Contestant No. 2.
“...I-I prepared a song.”
It seemed he intended to sing, just like Rojun. This meant he overlapped with Gang Rojun again. Still, the song No. 2 had prepared was by a recent idol group, and he sang with all the resolve he could muster.
-♬♪
Unfortunately, however, the judges’ brows furrowed here and there during his vocals.
“Your pitch is unstable.”
“You have a habit of going flat, but it seems you don’t realize it yourself.”
Because his skills weren’t very good. On top of that, perhaps because he was conscious of Rojun, No. 2 trembled terribly. His voice cracked more than once. The hundred or so staff members of “Geubaekpeu” felt sorry for him.
“His actual skill looks a bit better than this, but coming after No. 1, he’s really shrinking.”
“It can’t be helped. The judging includes all on-site circumstances. It’s not like we rigged this. That guy was just unlucky to draw No. 2.”
“It’s a cold industry. No. 1 must’ve had sky-high confidence with that face, but the pressure would’ve been intense too. He was first, after all.”
“True... If No. 2 had held firm and performed without mistakes even in that situation, it would’ve earned him extra points.”
Not just in the idol world, but across the entire entertainment industry, the thing one needed most was “luck.” In this industry, when someone had looks, skill, charm, and plenty else yet still failed to rise, people even called it “having no luck.”
And so, after the stage of the unlucky No. 2 ended.
“Hmm—”
The judges’ evaluations continued. While watching No. 2’s performance, they established one standard. “No. 1” was an invasive species that trampled even the apex predators. If a contestant could erase even a little of that “No. 1’s” presence during their stage, they passed. If they couldn’t withstand the pressure and collapsed, they failed.
Gang Rojun had unintentionally provided the yardstick for the “Geubaekpeu” audition judging.
On top of that, he had raised their standards too.
“No. 2, first of all, your basics are somewhat lacking. You have a bad habit, but you didn’t know about it yourself, did you?”
A brutal critique burst out.
“I don’t know if your friends around you praised you and told you that you sing well, but if you stand on a professional stage in that state, viewers will notice immediately. They’ll say you’re singing carelessly. It’s unfortunate, but you fail.”
“I feel the same. You fail.”
A parade of failures. As a result, contestant No. 2 was—
“Yes, No. 2, you have ultimately failed!”
Eliminated. Still, there was hope. The failed contestants would gather in the same room, and their own league, the “revival round,” still remained. In any case, contestant No. 2 was moved by a staff member to the waiting room for failed contestants. Meanwhile, U Hanseok, the main PD of “Geubaekpeu,” was—
‘Mm—during editing, it’d be good to show him first.’
Coldly, he was finding edit points solely for the sake of ratings.
‘Or putting him right before Gang Rojun to create a contrasting picture wouldn’t be bad either... Still, it’d be better if someone with decent skills came out.’
A production where viewers would react, “Oh—he’s good!” and then No. 1, Gang Rojun, suddenly appeared. If that happened, Rojun’s presence would be inflated several times over. Fortunately, PD U Hanseok had a few fairly skilled contestants in mind.
‘Whatever happens, Gang Rojun is the main event.’
Afterward.
For a while, Gang Rojun had the successful contestants’ room all to himself. No. 2 failed, and No. 3 went up, but sure enough.
“No. 3, you have ultimately failed!”
Eliminated. No. 4, too. No. 5 as well. Eliminations lined up one after another to the point that PD U Hanseok had to worry. Thanks to that, Rojun—
‘It’s starting to feel embarrassing being alone. Reacting by myself is awkward too.’
—sat alone on the sofa in the spacious waiting room. In between, to relieve the boredom—
“No, Rojun-ssi, you said you weren’t talented, but you were a total liar!!”
An interview shoot proceeded. The writers, including Gim Sehui, whom he was acquainted with, were excited.
“You said you couldn’t sing??? Was that a strategy?”
No, I really can’t sing. But in this situation, saying he was tone-deaf would be insane.
“I was in good condition today.”
“Come on—I don’t believe you. At this rate, I wonder if you’re actually a great dancer too.”
“I think I’m on the side of being bad at it.”
Gang Rojun kept his words to a minimum. Chattering like a magpie would only expose his weaknesses.
‘It’d just be providing the production team with material.’
Depending on the situation, he only needed to show an appropriate amount of impact and skill. Just because Gang Rojun’s face had changed and the “AI Simulation” app had appeared, he didn’t feel the need to change his personality too.
‘At first, I was flustered and everything was fascinating, but now I’ve gotten used to it somewhat. Let’s just go like me. Like myself.’
Even when he had been hideous, Gang Rojun had been plain, aloof, and taciturn. Or perhaps gloomy and eerie. He had decided to carry on exactly like that without change. In addition, perhaps because he had experienced the stage, he had become even sturdier.
Well, now no one saw Rojun as gloomy anymore.
On the contrary.
“You must hear this a lot, right? Rojun-ssi, you have a bit of a decadent beauty? That kind of charm too. Maybe because you’re on the quiet side?”
It only worked as a major advantage.
The judging then continued until No. 10, and the first successful contestant appeared there.
“Congratulations! No. 10, you have ultimately passed!!”
It had been two passes to two fails, but after discussion among the judges, he was passed. No. 10, who had been bouncing around on stage, soon entered the successful contestants’ room where Gang Rojun was.
“Wow—the sofa!”
His hair was bright red. No. 10, who had passed with dance, showed an excessive reaction as soon as he entered the room.
“This place is totally different from Waiting Room 1!”
The camera stuck to him, liking it. Rojun grasped his personality at once.
‘His energy is too much. His personality is exactly like Writer Gim Sehui’s.’
No. 10 also discovered Gang Rojun sitting in the center like a king. No. 10 quickly closed the distance. Seeing him up close, his appearance resembled something like a weasel? At least, that was how Rojun felt.
“Wow—No. 1! I was watching your ‘Bereavement’ on the monitor earlier, and I seriously kept going, amazing, amazing.”
He was light. As if he would fly away if pushed. No. 10 instinctively sidled up to Gang Rojun.
‘The camera angle’s definitely going to focus on this guy. I need to use him as much as I can!’
It was to get as many cuts as possible. As if that was the correct answer, the camera filmed the first meeting of the successful contestants. A picture that could not be left out of a survival audition variety show like this. The psychological battle between competitors. Regardless, Gang Rojun was uncomfortable with someone whose energy shot through the sky like No. 10.
No. 10, who had no way of knowing this, quickly continued speaking.
“But seeing you up close... your face is seriously freaking insane??! Ah! Am I not supposed to say that on broadcast? Anyway, how was my stage??”
To be honest, Gang Rojun, who had grown tired of waiting, hadn’t focused on his performance on the monitor.
“I watched it well too. Your singing.”
“I danced, though??”
“Your dancing.”
“What?? What dance did I do?”
What dance? Who knew. Rojun thought about it carefully. Then he gave up. Let’s just gloss over it.
“...An intense dance?”
“......”
No. 10 sensed it.
‘This bastard didn’t watch.’
Gang Rojun shut his mouth again.
‘I wish he’d go away. This is seriously draining my energy.’
The camera was busy filming the two in that strange situation, and No. 10 interpreted Gang Rojun’s appeal differently.
‘He’s arrogant. His personality sucks too. So he’s got an insane face and can sing a bit, is that it? I bet I dance better than him.’
No. 10, who cursed Rojun inwardly, smiled awkwardly and sat on the sofa. In the very back, in the center. In his own way, he was keeping Gang Rojun in check.
About an hour passed from then.
“Ooooooh! The successful contestants’ room is killer!”
The successful contestants gradually began to increase. Before long, there were fifteen. Among the fifty people in Group 1 being filmed today, they planned to pick only twenty-five successful contestants—half of them. With about ten spots left now, one staff member came in and told the successful contestants.
“We’ll take about a thirty-minute break before continuing!!”
Not only the “Geubaekpeu” staff, but the judges, successful contestants, and failed contestants included, everyone was given a break. During this gap, Gang Rojun headed to the bathroom.
‘First, let’s look at the app.’
His real purpose was to check the “AI Simulation” app. No. 10, who was watching Rojun, whispered to the other successful contestants he had already gotten close to. The target was Gang Rojun.
“No. 1, you know, his presence really is explosive, but when I tried talking to him, his personality was kind of bad.”
“Why??”
“No—I mean, how should I put it? His eyes were like everyone except him is beneath him, and the way he talked was annoying... no, it felt like he was looking down on me?”
In truth, all the successful contestants in this space felt jealousy and envy toward Gang Rojun. Therefore, they quickly agreed.
“True—when I greeted him earlier, he was scary. His expression, I mean.”
“With a face like that, of course he would be. He sings pretty well too. Still, if his character is bad, he’ll crash fast.”
“There are a lot of idols who hit rock bottom because their character was a total mess.”
They all shared a sentiment that ran along the same line. Something like, “If only he weren’t here”? Meanwhile, Gang Rojun settled into a toilet stall without thinking much of it and looked into the “AI Simulation” on his phone.
-[Title: Side-Job Tycoon]
-[User: Gang Rojun/ Age: 24/ Height: 182.8/ Desired Occupation: Idol/ Side Job: [1]Screenwriter +1/ Coins Held: 270]
The coins were already heading toward three hundred. It seemed like a lot, yet also not enough.
‘Even though the coins I earn per day through the title increased to six—it’s still hard to spend them freely.’
He had somehow passed the first judging with “Bereavement,” but from now on, he would have to spend coins one hundred percent of the time. It was impossible to survive as someone tone-deaf and bad at dancing.
‘For now, during the filming period, let’s save as much as possible while using them.’
Then Gang Rojun, who had been pressing the app’s buttons and browsing through them, stopped. Because he had spotted an extremely slight change in the stats under “Status.”
-[Appearance (100/100)│Vocal Ability (2.6/100)]
The vocal ability stat, which had been 2.4, had risen by 0.2 to 2.6. 0.2 was an amount that required 2 coins to raise. Naturally, Rojun had never touched it. Then why had it gone up? There was only one thing he could guess.
‘...Aside from raising it with coins, does the value go up if I make an effort in reality??’
Otherwise, there was no explanation. Gang Rojun had sung quite a bit lately, including the recent mission, and even after coming to this audition variety show.
‘If so, that’s not bad.’
In any case, the more the world expanded, the more he would gradually have to do. His skills would naturally increase too. It meant he could escape being tone-deaf and clumsy.
‘Of course, I’ll need to spend a ton of coins and put in effort too.’
Soon, Gang Rojun, whose fighting power had risen, browsed a little more before turning off the app. Next, it was time to check the messages that had arrived. There were quite a few missed calls marked, and texts had come too. What is this? He thought, and when he checked the texts first, his eyes widened.
‘......?’
His widened eyes filled with question marks. Naturally so.
-[Hello, Writer Gang Cheolsu... Your work has been selected as a candidate for the winning entry in this one-act drama script contest. Please contact us when you confirm this message.]
That typographical garbage had been selected as a candidate for the winning entry? For a moment, Rojun wondered if it was a scam. It had only been a crap piece of writing he submitted for the sake of the mission.
The startled Gang Rojun first—
-Swipe.
—decided to make a call.
Meanwhile, at the drama department of SBC Broadcasting Station.
A woman with dry brown hair seated by the window. No, PD Jeong Suryeong rubbed her sleepy eyes, perhaps because she had just eaten lunch, then stretched out.
At that moment, a junior assistant director passed in front of her. PD Jeong Suryeong immediately called him to a stop.
“Hey, that—who was it. Ah, Writer Gang Cheolsu. Did you contact him? Why is there no news?”
The junior assistant director shrugged.
“He wasn’t answering his phone, so I left a text—but there’s still no reply.”
“Still??”
“Yes, yes. It is strange. New writers usually come running the moment you mention a contest win.”
PD Jeong Suryeong lightly narrowed her brow.
‘What is this? Is he ignoring us? No way.’
She instructed the junior again.
“Call him again.”
“Yes, yes.”
Just as the assistant director picked up his phone.
“Huh? I’m getting a call. Who is it?”
The assistant director tilted his head at the ringing and put the phone to his ear.
“Yes—this is Gim Jinseong... Ahh! Yes, yes, Writer-nim.”
Then he jabbed at his own phone with his index finger, mouthing silently.
“That writer, Kang Cheolsu.”
He switched the mode so PD Jeong Suryeong could hear as well. From beyond the cellphone came the voice of writer Kang Cheolsu—no, Rojun.
“Did my work really make it onto the list of finalists? This isn’t a scam, is it?”
PD Jeong Suryeong answered instead of the assistant director.
“Hello, I’m Jeong Suryeong, a PD from the SBC Drama Department. It’s not a scam. Your work really has been selected as a finalist. I’ll send you my business card.”
“Why would that work…”
“What do you mean, why? It was well written.”
“Well written?”
“Yes. In any case, I think we’ll need to discuss the details in a meeting. How does today look for you?”
“That’s difficult.”
“Difficult?”
“Yes. I’ll contact you again first. I’m in a bit of a situation right now. I’m sorry.”
—Click.
The call abruptly ended. PD Jeong Suryeong and the assistant director blinked. Between the two of them, PD Jeong Suryeong let out a baffled laugh.
“What was that? Did he seriously just run away?”
About three hours later.
The filming for the fifty members of Group 1, which had started early in the morning, only reached its conclusion late in the afternoon. The successful applicants’ room was filled with twenty-five people, including Kang Rojun, and those from Waiting Room 1 and Waiting Room 2 had been mixed together. The waiting room for those who had failed likewise held twenty-five people.
But there was still one more shoot left.
PD Woo Hanseok recited it in the waiting room for those who had failed.
“In thirty minutes, all of you will take part in a second-chance round. You’re free to show us whatever you want. Ten of you can survive.”
In other words, out of the fifty people in Group 1, thirty-five would become successful applicants. Thanks to that, the fighting spirit of those who had failed exploded, and next, PD Woo Hanseok moved to the successful applicants’ waiting room. The briefing on this side was going to be a little longer. Appearing with the cameras, PD Woo Hanseok looked over the successful applicants seated on the sofas, then opened his mouth while looking at Kang Rojun.
“Before I inform you of how things will proceed from here, the successful applicants will choose the training they’ll receive before the next second-round evaluation. Vocal, choreography, rap. You can receive training in something you feel you’re lacking in, or you can strengthen something you’re already good at. Of course, the trainers are famous and outstanding people.”
The successful applicants murmured softly. Kang Rojun, however—
“……”
His expression did not particularly change. At that point, PD Woo Hanseok smiled.
“However, for the next evaluation stage, you won’t be performing something of your own choosing. You’ll be showing us something we assign. The method, of course, is a secret.”
In short, it meant they had to choose wisely, because they had no idea what they would end up doing. This choice might help them, or it might not.
“I’ll give you ten minutes to think.”
Ten minutes passed faster than a bullet, and PD Woo Hanseok entered again, holding a tablet as he spoke.
“We’ll start with the last person to pass, number 48.”
“I’ll go with vocal.”
“Vocal, confirmed.”
The successful applicants stated the training they would receive. Vocal, choreography, rap—it came out in variety. At last—
“Now, contestant number 1, you’re last.”
It was Kang Rojun’s turn. PD Woo Hanseok was looking forward to it. Just what would that monster choose?
“His vocals are already at a high level, so there’s a strong chance he’ll choose something else.”
Then the gazes of the staff, the cameras, and all the successful applicants turned toward Kang Rojun. Rojun was silent for a moment.
“……”
Then he answered calmly.
“I won’t receive any training.”