At the Culture Drawer lounge, where writer Han Seoryeong and dozens of employees had gathered—
-♬♪
The room was filled with the OST song “Lovers,” written and sung by “Lover No. 4,” or Gang Rojun. Rojun’s clean vocals, sung without flashy technique over a bouncy melody, were especially striking. The Culture Drawer employees couldn’t take their eyes off Rojun on the TV.
“This song······is that the OST written and sung by Writer Rojun?”
“Yeah, that’s definitely Rojun’s voice. The song’s good—”
“The song is good, but Writer Rojun pulled it off so well. It matches the drama perfectly, doesn’t it?”
“When ‘Lover No. 4’ appeared and got a one-shot, the OST sung by Writer Rojun came on right away······ It overlapped with the character and—ugh, I got goosebumps.”
“Exactly! Doesn’t it feel like Writer Rojun is talking directly to me???”
“As expected of Director Jeong Suryung. She really knows how to put a scene together.”
The employees spared no praise, as if they had been bewitched.
“What’s this? Assistant Manager Kim, have you fallen for Writer Rojun??”
“How could I not after seeing that face? What about you, Hyeonji? You’re saying you haven’t?”
“No, I’m going to become a devoted fan of Writer Rojun starting today.”
Meanwhile, on the large TV blaring the OST, Gang Rojun’s face was gradually zoomed in on. He wore an affectionate smile directed at the heroine, Choi Rina, but it was also flirtation being tossed toward the viewers.
As if to say, ‘Want to lose yourself in a fantasy? Then come in.’
As the Culture Drawer employees began talking faster and faster, Writer Han Seoryeong, who had been silently assessing everything about Gang Rojun on the screen, thought—
‘······Episode 1 will probably wrap up around here. We’ll have to see how it goes next week, but for now, Rojun’s presence is overwhelming.’
She was evaluating everything about him as an actor, including his appearance.
‘If this had been an acting audition, I would have declared him accepted on the spot.’
Han Seoryeong had risen to the top after decades as a writer. She must have encountered or observed hundreds, perhaps thousands, of actors, and her eye for talent was exceptional.
‘His acting? Unlike the other actors, Rojun didn’t have any lines. But expressing things through facial expressions, gazes, and actions without dialogue is even more difficult.’
In Han Seoryeong’s eyes, the acting Gang Rojun had shown was nearly professional level.
‘Just judging by that one shot, he’s no worse than veteran actors. There’s no way a complete beginner could put that much emotion into his eyes······’
What was more, Gang Rojun’s acting had variations in pace and intensity. Though he spoke with his eyes, he made no major changes in his movements or expression. And yet, he had still managed to give viewers a thrill.
“······That boy was born for this. There’s a reason that fussy Director Jeong went so far as to cast him despite the controversy.”
A few employees turned toward Writer Han Seoryeong as she murmured softly.
“Right? The press and public really attacked him over the whole Writer Rojun thing, but he endured it quietly. I guess he was confident because he had this kind of impact.”
“From Director Jeong’s perspective, she must have been enjoying herself. She’d already seen Writer Rojun during filming, after all.”
At that moment—
“Ah! Ahh! It’s over.”
With a runtime of roughly an hour and ten minutes, Episode 1 of Rental Lover came to an end, and commercials began. Rojun had appeared for only about five minutes in the episode, but he had left a shorter and more powerful visual and acting impact than any other actor.
“Man—They reeled the viewers in big-time with ‘Lover No. 4,’ then ended it right there.”
“There’s no way we can stand waiting until next week for Episode 2 after that.”
“The viewers must be going crazy.”
“The viewers aren’t the only ones. The press must be frantically writing articles right now too.”
As the murmuring grew louder, Writer Han Seoryeong folded her arms.
“Writer Rojun’s acting side was impressive, but he’s no slouch as a writer either. Rental Lover is highly original and fresh. It balanced lightness and tension appropriately and made both work.”
“Seriously······ To think that’s his debut work.”
“That writing is more than good enough to have won a one-act drama contest.”
Writer Han Seoryeong smiled as she looked over the employees around her.
“When this many employees stayed in their seats on a Friday night and watched the entire drama to the end, that says everything. And they watched it here at the company.”
Most of the Culture Drawer employees smiled awkwardly.
“Right, today was Friday.”
“I forgot to leave work while watching it.”
“No wonder Netflix Japan was so desperate to get it.”
The star writer Han Seoryeong brushed back her bobbed hair.
“As a writer, I’m jealous, but as Culture Drawer, it feels like we’ve found a gold mine. An idol and a writer. On top of that, he has an innate talent for acting. He’ll look like a disruptive species in any industry.”
Then she murmured with genuine feeling—
“If he keeps growing like this······just how big could he become?”
At the same time—
Countless members of the public had also just finished watching Rental Lover. In cafés, bars, and all sorts of other places—
“No way—wow, Rojun’s face is insane. ‘Extremely handsome’ doesn’t even begin to cover it.”
“Wasn’t the ending seriously freaking amazing??”
“Yeah. Insanely, insanely amazing. You saw his face, right?”
“He didn’t even look human.”
Those who had watched Rental Lover on their phones or on TVs in various establishments let out exclamations of admiration. The whole country was in an uproar.
“That’s the guy from Produce the 100, right? Rojun.”
“Yeah. You still haven’t watched Produce the 100??”
“I told you, I’m not interested in idols—but this Rojun guy is kind of crazy. His visuals are on another level. He eats all the other male actors alive.”
“I watched Produce the 100 and I like Rojun, but honestly, I wasn’t expecting much from his acting?? But he’s insanely good.”
The public couldn’t stop talking about Gang Rojun.
“He’s good at acting too?? What are we supposed to do if he’s good at that as well?”
“Wasn’t the drama fun too? I heard Rojun wrote it as well.”
“Right. Rojun’s the writer too. And he sang the OST that played at the end.”
“The OST was really good. It’s definitely getting released, right? Anyway, at this level, Rojun basically carried the whole thing by himself.”
“Hey, hey, but Choi Rina and the other actors were good too.”
“True, Choi Rina was incredibly pretty. How is she so beautiful even as a wrecked shut-in??”
The official open chat for Rental Lover was also overflowing with messages.
-How was our Rojun’s acting!!!
-Where’d all the people who were bitching about his acting go? LMAOOOOOOOOOO
-It’s fun!! I said it’s fun!!! Bring us Episode 2 right now!!!!!
-I seriously held my breath when Rojun appeared
-Rojun’s good at acting, isn’t he?? Isn’t conveying emotion through your eyes even harder???
-To all the people who kept yapping about some acting controversy, keep talking now, assholesㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ!!!
-You can’t end it like this....sigh...how are we supposed to wait another week....
-The drama was fun, the OST was good, and Rojun’s face was insane
-I want to see more of his actingㅋㅋㅋㅋ Of course, I still like idol Rojun better
·
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Naturally, the actors who had appeared in Rental Lover, including Choi Rina, had watched the broadcast live as well. In particular, the OST that played near the end had been stuck in Choi Rina’s head.
“The OST is seriously—once it’s released, I’m putting it on infinite repeat.”
The impact had also hit Director Woo Hanseok and the Produce the 100 production team hard.
“Seriously, what exactly is Writer Rojun?? He’s so good at acting?!”
“Tell me about it!! I can practically see all the directors who watched Rental Lover rushing to him!”
“With that face, that physique, and that acting, even I’d cast him if I were a director!!”
That was how Episode 1 of Rental Lover swept across Korea. Not merely a sweep, but something on the scale of a disaster. Meanwhile, Director Jeong Suryung and the entire core production crew of Rental Lover had gathered in the drama department of SBC Broadcasting. Jeong Suryung was monitoring the situation from the master control room, surrounded by fellow producers, the head of the drama department, and other executives.
“Man—as expected of Director Jeong! You got some great shots!!”
“Especially the direction of the final cut. That was killer.”
“Sounds like you’re saying Rojun did all of that himself.”
“That’s not exactly wrong. The story was good and the whole thing was entertaining, but Rojun landed a perfect hook at the end, didn’t he?”
“Now all that’s left is the overall viewership rating, right? Director Jeong, what do you think it’ll be?”
Director Jeong Suryung shrugged with an expression that said, ‘What do you think?’
“I haven’t had this feeling in a while. I think it’s going to turn everything upside down.”
The other producers added their comments, their words filled with both envy and acknowledgment.
“Either way, this means Rojun has further cemented his footing as an idol, while proving his potential as both a writer and an actor.”
“If Rental Lover becomes a hit too, he’ll be a guaranteed success.”
Director Jeong Suryung was brimming with certainty.
“Idol, writer, and actor. All three.”
About fifteen minutes later, at the Produce the 100 campus—
The commotion had reached this place as well in the wake of Rental Lover. The location was a spacious practice room. All nine contestants had gathered, including Gang Rojun, who was wearing a tracksuit, along with 58 Sihoo and 26 Dogyeong. In front of them sat a medium-sized monitor connected to a tablet.
In other words, all of them had watched Episode 1 of Rental Lover.
“Holy crap, no way, Rojun hyung!! Hyung!! Are you seriously human??”
“When did you even practice acting? That impact at the end was freaking insane.”
“Whoa, after watching the drama, Rojun hyung feels kind of distant. You could make your debut as an actor now too, hyung, couldn’t you??”
“Hyung, be honest. This is your second or third life, right? You practice just like the rest of us. No, you spend even more time on all that side-job stuff, and you’re still good at acting? That makes no sense!”
The contestants seemed unable to believe what they had just seen. Gang Rojun was no different.
‘Was that me?? I was surprised because it didn’t feel like me.’
Though it was footage of himself, watching it on TV made him seem like a different person.
‘Editing really is amazing. Honestly, on set, I wondered if this would even come out like a drama······ But they made it look insanely cool.’
On top of that, it still felt somewhat unreal that Rental Lover, which he had thought was terrible, had aired on television and been watched by countless people.
“I’m honestly amazed too.”
The contestants immediately pounced on him.
“This guy’s such a fraud!!”
“What do you mean, amazed? Lower the corners of your mouth before you talk.”
“More importantly, hyung······ how did you feel when you stroked Choi Rina’s hair??”
“Are you a pervert?”
“No!! I’m asking seriously! Everyone’s curious, aren’t they?! It was Choi Rina! You stroked Choi Rina’s hair—how could we not be curious?!”
“···I’m curious.”
“Even though her hair was that greasy, she still smelled nice, right? Huh? Hyung.”
The curiosity of the vigorous young men showed no sign of fading, and Gang Rojun answered in a rather solemn tone.
“She did smell nice.”
“Argh—so jealous!!”
At this point, 58 Sihoo, sitting beside him, chuckled.
“Still, it’s, it’s a relief. Rojun’s acting was good. The mood had been kind of bad these past few days because of all those malicious comments about some acting controversy.”
“Exactly!! Rojun hyung proved himself for real, didn’t he?? The haters must be keeping their mouths shut by now!”
“Anyway, it’s hard to get used to having an actor from the TV sitting right next to us.”
The uproar continued without end.
Naturally, Gang Rojun didn’t dislike the atmosphere.
‘So acting has its own kind of thrill.’
It was certainly a different kind of joy from being an idol.
‘Since being an idol is my main job—if I act while being an idol too, it’ll be twice as fun.’
Rojun imagined a future that might not be so far away. He could vividly see himself charging across the fields of both his main profession and his side jobs. Soon, 26 Dogyeong cut in with his dry tone.
“The OST was good too. Once it’s released, it’ll definitely make the upper ranks of the charts.”
The other contestants quickly agreed.
“Hey, the ‘Produce the 100’ chart is dominating the music charts right now, so does that make us competitors?”
“No, we’re all the same Rojun hyung, so we’re on the same team.”
“Either way, it’s a given that Rojun’s going to line up the charts again.”
Just then, 46 Gangmin, an exotically handsome young man, asked Rojun—
“Hyung, have you checked the money?”
“The money?”
“Yeah. You’ve done a lot of songwriting and acting, so you must have quite a bit coming in, right?”
That was true. Gang Rojun had been so busy with Produce the 100 and everything else that he hadn’t had time to think about money. Besides, there was practically nothing to spend money on while he was on campus.
‘Writing, songwriting, acting, and even participating in an OST. I wonder if some money’s finally started coming in.’
There was his work on Produce the 100, the songwriting for Rental Lover and top singer Park Hyeonjeong, and so on. He didn’t know the exact amounts, but when he began each project, he had been told what he would be paid.
‘Hundreds? No, could it be thousands?’
Still, songwriting fees were not one-time payments; the more the song sold, the more money continued to come in. So the initial songwriting fee itself might not be a huge amount. Besides, Gang Rojun was still a newcomer in every industry, which made it even more so.
‘Director Jeong and Director Woo Hanseok said what matters is what happens after I really break out.’
There was a huge difference between having results and having none. And now, Gang Rojun had created a typhoon that shook both Korea and Japan. It meant that whether it was his main profession or a side job, his value would skyrocket.
At that moment—
“The commercials are over!! Produce the 100 is starting!”
Everyone, beginning with Gang Rojun, turned their eyes back to the medium-sized monitor. The JTVM channel was displayed on the screen, and the title of the program that had just begun appeared.
-‘Produce the 100!’
After Rental Lover, it was now time for Produce the 100.