Jeong Su-ryeong, a director in SBC’s drama department. After spending four years as an assistant director, she debuted in her fifth year and had spent the next ten years handling dramas as a director. Fifteen years of experience in total. Her age was roughly early forties.
The drama she had recently taken on had flopped, but PD Jeong Su-ryeong had a fairly good filmography.
Several hit weekend dramas and miniseries.
Naturally, PD Jeong Su-ryeong’s phone was packed with actors’ numbers, and she had worked with all sorts of renowned actors until now. Rookies, veterans, top stars—how many actors must have passed through her hands?
On top of that, PD Jeong Su-ryeong had much higher standards than other directors.
When casting actors, she looked not only at appearance, but also at the aura they gave off, their atmosphere, their voice, and even the length of their fingers. But after fifteen years in the field, one was bound to grow numb to everything.
At this point, no actor in particular moved PD Jeong Su-ryeong.
And yet, the moment she saw the face of writer Kang Cheol-su. No, Kang Ro-jun.
“What the hell.”
She cursed.
It was like a natural disaster that had slipped out as if she’d been bewitched.
‘Wh-what is with this kid???’
PD Jeong Su-ryeong stared straight through Kang Ro-jun, who was sitting across from her. Her body stiffened. It was understandable, given the tremendous shock that had swept through her. Even to her, who had seen countless actors, Ro-jun across from her was—
‘His face is… ridiculous.’
His visual level was terrifyingly high. Swaying black hair, perfectly arranged eyes, nose, and mouth, flawless skin without even the tiniest blemish, and strangely dark irises. She had only seen his face for a brief moment, yet PD Jeong Su-ryeong had broken down.
That was how strong the impact was.
A writer? That was a writer?
No matter how she looked at him, Kang Ro-jun did not feel like a writer. PD Jeong Su-ryeong scanned Ro-jun as if possessed.
‘He’s tall too—and why are his hands so pretty? Those aren’t a writer’s hands either.’
Having noticed something, PD Jeong Su-ryeong asked Ro-jun.
“You work out, don’t you? You don’t look like someone who just lives normally.”
Work out? Of course he did. Kang Ro-jun recalled the things he had done as missions that very morning. Recently, he had been exercising every single day.
“I do. Lightly.”
“Lightly??”
“Yes. Things like push-ups or sit-ups.”
What was he talking about? PD Jeong Su-ryeong, still staring fixedly at Ro-jun’s face, opened her mouth.
“A-are you really writer Kang Cheol-su?”
Kang Ro-jun calmly nodded and added an explanation while placing the script he had brought on the table.
“Kang Cheol-su is a pen name. I looked it up and they said it didn’t matter.”
“That’s true, but… wow, I’m really shocked.”
“Because of my face?”
“Of course! You know too, don’t you? That you’re absurdly handsome.”
“Thank you.”
“There’s no way you wouldn’t know! No, but with that face, why are you writing? I’m not saying being a writer is lacking, but there has to be a path where your potential would explode far more!”
PD Jeong Su-ryeong was overly excited. Because Ro-jun had forced her dulled eyes wide open.
“Ah! Are you perhaps already active as an actor? Not in Korea, but another country??”
“No, not at all.”
“…What a waste. Such a waste. Your face is insanely wasted if you’re only going to be a writer, you know??”
“I’m not only going to be a writer. In fact, that’s what I came to talk about.”
“Huh? Writing isn’t your main job? But you said you’re not an actor either. Then what are you??”
PD Jeong Su-ryeong’s intuition immediately kicked in.
“You have an agency, don’t you? You’re an idol.”
Wow, she was sharp. Was it because she was a drama department director after all? Inwardly surprised, Ro-jun explained as calmly as possible.
“It’s hard for me to say right now—and anyway, due to circumstances, I can’t move around freely. For now, I’m thinking of writing as a side job.”
“A side job. If you’re treating writing as a side job, then ‘Rental Lover’ was really well written.”
Even now, Ro-jun was having a hard time adjusting to hearing that that crap writing was well written.
‘This is embarrassing—that textual garbage turned into this.’
Whatever the case, he had to say what he had come to say.
“I just scribbled it out. I think I was lucky.”
“What is this? Are you saying your face isn’t the only thing that’s genius?”
“Anyway, for this one-act drama script competition, can things proceed while keeping everything about me a secret? My face and all.”
“…Mm, there isn’t really an official event. Like an awards ceremony or anything. However, your work is still only a candidate for selection, but if it’s chosen for the grand prize or excellence award, ‘Rental Lover’ will be produced as a one-act drama. Then you’ll have to sign a contract. On top of that, you’ll have to work closely with the PD who takes charge of directing. About that much?”
It would be produced as a drama? He hadn’t paid much attention, so he hadn’t looked at it in detail, but he felt like he had seen something like that in the competition information. Kang Ro-jun could feel the matter gradually growing larger.
“How long would that process roughly take?”
“The process—first of all, the final announcement will be next week or the week after. It’s hard to say exactly when production will begin. It could start in a month, or it could take half a year. But if it does start, after a director is chosen, it’s a one-act, so it’s short—roughly two months until filming? Three months if it’s late.”
At this point, the quick-witted PD Jeong Su-ryeong smiled.
“For now, if you win an award, it’s fine if you communicate only with me until then. Well, there are plenty of mysterious writers out there, so it wouldn’t be strange either. Later, once the project begins, I’ll tell the PD in charge that only the PD will meet with you in person.”
“Won’t you be taking charge, PD Jeong Su-ryeong?”
“I’ve been eating off directing for fifteen years. I’m long past the point of directing one-acts now—and usually, one-acts are handled by assistant directors making their debut, but whoever it is, I’ll put in a good word for you. That works, right?”
They were exactly the conditions Kang Ro-jun had been thinking of.
‘If it’s like this, it won’t really damage Produce the 100.’
Of course, Ro-jun did not know. That PD Jeong Su-ryeong was looking after him excessively. If it had been her usual self, she would have cut him off and refused in the early part of the conversation.
This picture was only possible because writer Kang Cheol-su was Ro-jun.
Whatever the case, that was enough for the meeting. Kang Ro-jun was about to get up from his seat, but then stopped.
“You mentioned actors earlier.”
“Yes?”
Because he had one last question to ask.
“Are there ever cases where the writer who wrote a work appears in their own project?”
Meanwhile, at the same time. The theme studio campus in Paju.
Kang Ro-jun was absent, but the production team of “Produce the 100” was still filming. Today was the filming for Group 2. Like Group 1, there were fifty people, and likewise, they would continue filming up to the loser revival round.
It was morning, so they were busy preparing, but the “Produce the 100” team, having already finished filming Group 1—
“The setup’s done!!”
“Okay! It’s smoother than yesterday! Call the PD!!”
They moved more briskly than they had during the filming for Group 1.
In the meantime, PD U Han-seok, his face soaked in fatigue and his skin tone even darker, could be found in front of the stage in the hall. He was already making small talk with the four judges who had finished getting ready.
The topic was—
“Number 1 really caused an incident yesterday.”
Kang Ro-jun.
“An incident? What incident?”
“Number 1 already set off a nuclear bomb just by appearing. What more incident could he cause?”
“Ah, because you said Number 1, I thought of his face again. I’d barely managed to forget it. If it affects my judging today, that’s not on me.”
PD U Han-seok recited one of the things that had happened yesterday to the judges.
“That Number 1 guy said he wouldn’t receive any training at all.”
“What? None whatsoever?”
“Yes. It’s been a while since I was that flustered.”
“Wow—that really is causing an incident! So?”
“What do you mean, so? I just told him to do that.”
“Huh. Then only Number 1 skips training?”
“That’s right. The picture’s good, so I’m going to make use of it.”
The judges stroked their chins as they recalled Kang Ro-jun.
“Then won’t his character lean a bit toward the villain side??”
“That might be what he’s aiming for. Strategically.”
“Well—with that face, it probably doesn’t matter if he’s a villain or whatever, at least in the beginning.”
“He said he won’t take training—does that mean he’s confident in everything else besides vocals too?”
“Who knows. He might have nothing at all and just blurted it out.”
Soon, among the judges, the thirty-year veteran singer Yun Seung-won gave a small laugh.
“Am I the only one looking forward to the next evaluation? Whether that kid’s the real deal or just reckless.”
After that, filming for Group 2 began in earnest.
One hour later.
Kang Ro-jun, who had arrived home—
“Hmm—I guess it’s best to start with vocals after all?”
He decided to invest the coins he had. To start with, lightly, about ten. The stat he would enhance was Singing Ability, which had recently risen slightly.
-[Singing Ability (3.6/100)
He had spent 10 coins, but it had only gone up by a single point. Well, there was no need to rush.
“Let’s take it slow, slow. I have a lot to do anyway.”
Like this, he would pour in a small amount of coins once a day or every two days. Someday, the stats would have a day when they displayed their power.
“And the day will come when I escape being tone-deaf and clumsy too.”
At that moment.
-[You have completed the hidden mission ‘Spend 10 or more coins on enhancement!’ As a gift, 15 coins have been awarded.]
“AI Simulation” gave him a bonus. Then he hadn’t spent anything—he had earned 5 coins instead, hadn’t he?
“Sweet. So sweet.”
Smiling, Ro-jun proceeded to study the entertainment industry, or idols, and things related to writing. He reread the pieces he had written over the years for fun. However, no matter how he looked at them, they seemed like textual garbage.
Still, he forced himself to read them.
Because none other than a drama PD with fifteen years of experience had acknowledged them.
‘At this point, my eyes are the crappy ones.’
And just like that, several days melted away in an instant.
Before he knew it, the weekend had arrived, and around Sunday morning, Ro-jun had to pack in preparation for the camp. However, he did not have as much luggage as he had expected.
“Well—I think I just need to pack washing stuff, lotion, and some clothes.”
Was there any need to prepare on a huge scale? Kang Ro-jun decided to go as he usually did, and his packing time ended quickly. Then he opened the “AI Simulation” app.
-[Owned Coins: 299]
He had not yet done today’s five missions. Once he finished today’s, he would have 305. At last, he had surpassed 300.
“Today, I’ll exercise—and should I go outside for the first time in a while? Not getting asked for my number, but if I’m the one asking, I think there shouldn’t be a problem.”
At the same time, Kang Ro-jun thought of “Produce the 100,” whose camp would begin tomorrow. As expected, not receiving training was good in many ways.
‘I secured time to do missions too.’
For reference, even after entering the “Produce the 100” camp, Ro-jun naturally intended to carry out his daily missions.
‘But—there’ll definitely be cameras in the lodging or places like that too, right? Then things like exercising for missions will all get filmed.’
Well, did it matter? Brushing it aside moderately, Ro-jun accessed the internet on his opened laptop. The search term was “Produce the 100.” Unlike a few days ago, an enormous number of articles poured out.
《“Produce the 100!” Has Begun Filming and Is Properly Capturing Buzz—Can It Achieve Its Target Ratings?》
“Produce the 100” was slowly beginning its promotions in earnest. Of course, the first broadcast date was also boldly stamped into the article titles.
《“Produce the 100!” Confirms First Broadcast, Friday, July 24 at 9 PM!》
At this time, PD U Han-seok was in the editing room at JTVM. A place lined with countless monitors.
“Uh, uh—let’s see that part again.”
Since the first round of filming, including Group 1, Group 2, and the loser revival round, had all been completed, they were in the middle of selecting the footage to use. With time tight until the first broadcast, they had to carry out filming and editing simultaneously, and reduce the already little sleep they were getting even further.
The scene PD U Han-seok was currently watching was Number 1. In other words, Kang Ro-jun.
To be more precise.
-[“I enjoyed watching too. Your singing.”]
-[“I danced though??”]
-[“Your dancing.”]
-[“What?? What kind of dance did I do?”]
-[“An intense dance?”]
It was the first conversation between Ro-jun and the red-haired accepted contestant, Number 10. After watching the monitor closely for a while, PD U Han-seok requested another cut. Then the monitor displayed Number 10 and the other accepted contestants. Among them, Number 10’s first line.
-[“Number 1, I mean, his presence really explodes. But when I tried talking to him, his personality was kind of bad.”]
Soon, PD U Han-seok, his face serious—
‘It’s only natural that Ro-jun becomes the target of the other accepted contestants’ attacks. His impact from his entrance was that strong. But that Number 10—he’s a bit much. He’s directly leading public opinion too.’
He made a decision.
‘If Ro-jun chooses the same thing as that Number 10 for the next evaluation… I’ll keep all these cuts, and it would be interesting to pit him against Number 10.’
It was an editing point.
The next day, the morning of the 13th.
When Kang Ro-jun opened his eyes, he completed his missions first, as if by habit. However, today he moved a bit more hurriedly.
“The gathering time is noon—so I need to leave the house at 9:30 at the latest.”
Because starting today, the “Produce the 100” camp began. It was his first experience, so he was nervous, but perhaps because he had already completed the first round of filming, Kang Ro-jun was unexpectedly composed. No, if anything, his anticipation was greater right now.
“I wonder how the next evaluation will proceed—”
Like that, Ro-jun washed roughly and applied lotion moderately, as usual. Then, the shoe cabinet. After putting on his shoes, he picked up the backpack he had packed.
It was extremely small to be considered luggage for camp.
Well, others might show up dragging suitcases, but for Kang Ro-jun, this small backpack was enough. Before opening the front door, Kang Ro-jun briefly said goodbye to the house he would not be able to return to for a while, and then—
—Swoosh.
He left the house.
At that moment, his phone vibrated in his pocket.
—Bzzzz, bzzzz.
It was a call. He had been about to climb the stairs, but stopped and checked the phone screen. It was an unknown number. Tilting his head, Kang Ro-jun answered the call first.
“Yes, hello.”
A woman’s voice came from beyond the phone.
“Writer Kang Cheol-su, this is PD Jeong Su-ryeong.”
The other party was PD Jeong Su-ryeong, whom he had recently met. In a tone mixed with laughter, she abruptly congratulated him.
“Congratulations on winning the grand prize in the one-act script competition, Writer.”