A gift the “AI Simulation” app had sent out of nowhere. The timing was at the tail end of episode 4 of “Geubaekpeu,” the very moment Gang Rojun “passed” in an overwhelming first place in the vote count.
Rojun was looking down at his smartwatch.
-[······As a gift, you have been awarded the item “5-Point Stat Enhancement Coupon.”]
He focused on the word “item,” which had appeared for the first time.
‘An item, huh. Right, that makes sense.’
Whenever he completed a hidden mission, the bonus had always been coins. But this time, it had given him an item. Gang Rojun was dazed for a moment because it was unfamiliar, but thinking about it, it was only natural that items existed too.
After all, “AI Simulation” was based on a game.
‘Come to think of it, there was a shop button on the main screen too, wasn’t there?’
It was currently inactive, but there was definitely a shop button on the main screen of “AI Simulation.” So of course items would exist as well. The fact that Rojun had received an item not from the start, but only after he had been active in “Geubaekpeu” to a certain extent, suggested that “AI Simulation” was gradually expanding, even if the exact conditions were unclear.
‘Does it feel like me and “AI Simulation” are growing together?’
It had only been three months so far. If he kept using “AI Simulation” from now on, there was a high chance that something hidden would manifest. The corners of Rojun’s mouth naturally lifted.
‘This is fun. Really fun.’
Then he recalled the item he had just received. “5-Point Stat Enhancement Coupon.” Which meant.
‘It’s probably a coupon that can raise one of my current stats by 5 points all at once.’
Stat enhancement raised a stat by 1 point for 10 coins. In other words, 5 points was 50 coins. It was quite good. It was as if he had received 50 coins in one shot.
At that moment.
“No. 1?”
No. 58 with the baby perm, sitting beside him, spoke softly while looking at Gang Rojun.
“···Are your acquaintances sending you a ton of congratulatory messages?”
Since Rojun was looking at his smartwatch, it was an easy misunderstanding to make. Gang Rojun roughly nodded and stood up.
“Yes, excuse me for a moment.”
Gang Rojun left Room 105 alone and took out his phone in the hallway. He accessed the “AI Simulation” app. He immediately saw a change on the main screen where the Gang Rojun character stood. One new button had appeared to the left of the character.
-[Missions (Limited to 5 per day)]/ [Shop (Inactive)]/ [Inventory]
“Inventory.” Rojun tapped it at once. On the changed screen, something like an item window appeared. Of course, there was only the single item he had just received.
-[1] 5-Point Stat Enhancement Coupon
When he pressed the coupon item, the screen changed again. The stat window appeared.
‘···Looks like I can apply it right away by pressing it like this.’
Among the listed stats, Gang Rojun fixed his gaze on Rap, which he was currently enhancing. He could invest it in Rap, but Rojun’s thoughts were a little different. If it were urgent, he would select Rap right away, but the next third evaluation wasn’t rap either. That meant he had quite a bit of time.
There was no major issue with enhancing Rap gradually.
What he needed right now was “Choreography.” It was also the assignment for the third evaluation. Whatever happened, he had “AI Automation,” so he could relax for now, but in preparation for any unforeseen circumstances, he judged that investing this coupon in “Choreography” was the right choice.
“It’s 50 coins, and I can earn that in five days anyway. Let’s go with Choreography.”
Having made up his mind, Rojun tapped “Choreography” among the stats. A message immediately appeared.
-[Would you like to use the “5-Point Stat Enhancement Coupon” on “Choreography”?]
When he quickly pressed accept, “Choreography” rose by 5 points at once.
-[Appearance (100/100)│Vocals (11.2/100)│Rap (5.3/100)]
[Choreography (15.7/100)│Talking Skills (8/100)│Acting (5.3/100)]
At that moment, there was a faint prickling on his wrist. Along with it, Gang Rojun felt a change too. It was hard to put into words, but roughly, had his composure or ease increased a bit?
“It might just be my imagination··· I’ll know once I check.”
Just then.
-Bzzzz.
The vibration sounded again. Of course, it was a notification sent by “AI Simulation.”
-[You have completed the hidden mission “First Use of an Item!” You have been awarded 15 coins as a gift.]
With this, including the coupon, he had earned a total of 65 coins.
After that.
Following the news that the unrivaled No. 1 had passed, episode 4 of “Geubaekpeu” showed No. 10’s elimination.
-[“No. 10, you are ‘eliminated.’ Please leave ‘Geubaekpeu’ as you are.”]
No. 10’s face appeared on the screen, filled with regret, dejection, and more.
-Goodbye No. 10 hahaha
-Wow... he just gets cut like this?? That’s freaking brutal
-It’s a survival show, so of course lolololol
-No. 10 kept going against No. 1 and ended up on the same stage as him... his luck was seriously bad...
-Fr, No. 1’s stage was just on another level
-Poor guy;;;
-ㅠㅜㅠㅠㅜAside from the red hair, No. 10 wasn’t bad... what a shame
-Hahahaha this is what he gets for messing with No. 1 for no reason lol
Just like that, No. 10 came down from the stage and left the hall. The camera angle that had been capturing his back swiftly changed. The death sentences weren’t over yet.
-[“For reference, more than 50% of the total votes for the ‘Choreography Team’ went to No. 1.”]
Leaving the viewers in an uproar behind, PD U Hanseok sent the contestants home one by one. Soon, only 13 people remained on the stage.
-[“The 13 surviving members of the ‘Choreography Team’ will be Group 1 from now on. Remember your team members and your group.”]
As the 13 of them were caught in a full shot, PD U Hanseok’s voice came over it.
-[“The first official theme song of ‘Geubaekpeu’ has been completed.”]
At that point, it abruptly cut to a black screen. A title appeared in the center.
-“Produce That 100!”
That meant episode 4 ended there. The part related to Netflix that PD U Hanseok had mentioned on-site had been edited out for now. Then, at the “theme song” that appeared at the end, viewers poured out question marks.
Reactions exploded.
The explosive roar continued through the night and into the early morning, and both the media and public opinion shook violently.
And so, the sun rose on Saturday the next day.
The location was the cluttered editing room of “JTVM.” PD U Hanseok, who had taken off his glasses, stood out. Perhaps he had edited all night, because he was sitting on the sofa in the back, dead to the world.
At that moment.
-Bang!
The thick door of the editing room flew open, and the highly energetic Kim Sehui and the writers poured in.
“PD-nim!!!”
Thanks to the wildly excited women, PD U Hanseok woke with a start and wiped his drool.
“You scared me! What, what is it!!”
Writer Kim Sehui, grinning broadly, shouted.
“Episode 4’s viewership ratings passed 20%!!!”
PD U Hanseok’s eyes went enormously wide.
What she said was true. The entertainment media was already buzzing about the ratings for “Geubaekpeu.” The situation was the same at the “Geubaekpeu” campus in Paju.
Dozens of contestants were bouncing around more than anyone else.
“Whoa—20%, they said, 20%!!”
“That’s insane!! If it’s 20%, how many people even watched it??!”
“If you include reruns and NewTube, it’ll be several times more, right???”
“Crazy······ Seriously, the main page of every search site is nothing but ‘Geubaekpeu.’”
Gang Rojun and the members of Room 105 were just as pumped up. However, after somehow suppressing his wildly excited heart, Rojun went out for a run. No matter what happened, he couldn’t neglect his missions.
Then, after completing his stat enhancement as well, Gang Rojun grabbed his laptop.
‘Let’s finish revising “Rental Lover” today.’
Compared to the other contestants, Rojun was on the busy side. So by the time the dozens of contestants started training, he intended to finish revising the script for “Rental Lover.”
The time it took was roughly a few hours.
Rojun finished the revisions according to PD Jeong Suryeong’s requests.
‘I expanded the story overall, and I finished inserting the “Lover No. 4” setting the way the PD-nim mentioned. This should be enough.’
He sent the completed “Rental Lover” script to PD Jeong Suryeong. It might be easy to overlook, but the time Gang Rojun took to write or revise a script was short. Of course, he himself still didn’t really know that. He had nothing to compare himself to.
In any case, the call from PD Jeong Suryeong came 30 minutes later.
“Writer-nim—things were so hectic that I’m only contacting you now. I watched episode 4 of ‘Geubaekpeu’ well. Congratulations on surviving too. Do you know you’re exploding in popularity with our key staff?? I’m looking forward to seeing how shocked the key staff will be when they see you, Writer-nim. Oh, and I’ll check the revised script too. See you tomorrow morning~”
After saying she would come pick him up just like last time, PD Jeong Suryeong hung up, and Gang Rojun put his laptop in the room before moving to the bathroom he often used. This time too, there was no one there.
Rojun stood in front of the mirror.
“Phew—”
First, he danced the choreography for “brake.” Naturally, thanks to the “AI Automation” buff, it would be perfect, but he felt like he had gained even more ease. Next was a different dance. Recalling the choreography of other contestants who had been on the “Choreography Team,” he moved his body.
-Swish.
What Rojun felt within a few dozen seconds was.
‘The choreography movements······ aren’t they pretty vivid?’
Compared to the past, it had become easier to follow other choreography. Back when he had two left feet, it had simply been hopeless. Even if he watched someone dance, it was impossible to remember it again. But now, though it was faint, he could at least follow the movement path.
As if, how to put it, he had gained the ability to copy.
And though it was hard to express in words.
‘It feels like my sense of rhythm has expanded inside my body.’
Of course, he was likely still at the level of an ordinary person, but for Gang Rojun, who had been stiff and hopeless at dancing, it was enormous progress.
Rojun danced for over ten minutes, then changed the subject he wanted to try.
First, a deep breath.
Soon, Gang Rojun recalled the role of “Lover No. 4” from “Rental Lover.” It wasn’t very difficult to bring it up. Rojun was the one who had written “Rental Lover,” and “Lover No. 4” was also a character he had created.
He intended to try acting with his facial expressions.
His “Acting” stat had risen, however slightly, and he needed to try little by little to erase that unfamiliar feeling.
His expression shifted back and forth.
Rojun returned to himself again and recognized the change.
‘Did it get a little better?’
When he had first tried acting with his facial expressions, it had been total garbage. Along with a soaring sense of shame. But now, at least that embarrassing attitude had decreased quite a bit. It felt like his mindset toward “acting” had become more serious.
‘I guess practicing even a little helped me get used to it too?’
Next was the texture of his facial acting.
He couldn’t tell for sure, but what he had just done hadn’t disgusted even himself, and it was fairly decent. Not that his acting was good, but that it had improved compared to the beginning. Well, what would Rojun know by watching himself?
‘Looks like even the slight increase in my Acting stat does help.’
Having finished assessing it, Gang Rojun. Everything was getting better. Satisfied, he smiled.
‘Nice. Very nice.’
Soon, he was about to leave the bathroom when he stopped short. Gang Rojun took out his phone and opened “AI Simulation.” What he tapped was “AI Automation.” He had suddenly become curious. How many coins would it take to learn the acting for “Lover No. 4”? He had already experimented with another role, but “Lover No. 4” was a newly derived role.
On top of that, he had practiced a bit too.
As soon as Gang Rojun saw the message that appeared.
-[Through “AI Automation” analysis, your desired result can be derived. What would you like to derive? (Only things related to your desired occupation, idol, are possible.)]
He wrote the request he had thought of.
-[AI Automation: I want to perfectly learn the acting for the role of Lover No. 4 in the script Rental Lover. In particular, I want the emotional acting and facial expressions to stand out.]
He confirmed it right away. The familiar loading circle. The result came quickly.
-[AI analyzing······ Analysis complete!]
-[10 coins are required to derive your desired result.]
-[※The number of coins may vary depending on the difficulty of deriving the result.]
Learning the role of “Lover No. 4” cost 10 coins. As soon as he confirmed it, Gang Rojun murmured without realizing it.
“That’s cheap??”
Without hesitation, he pressed the accept button.
-[10 coins will be used.]
The learning of “Lover No. 4” began. Around the time Gang Rojun felt a tingling on his wrist, the message on his phone screen had been replaced.
-[Applying······ Application complete!]
The next day, Sunday morning.
Having finished his missions in advance, Gang Rojun left the campus wearing a cap and mask. Once he passed through the entrance, he saw a familiar passenger car in a place similar to last time.
PD Jeong Suryeong’s car.
Since he had already experienced it once, Rojun strode over, and when he got close, PD Jeong Suryeong waved through the driver’s-side window.
-Thud!
As soon as Gang Rojun got into the passenger seat, the car set off. As she turned the steering wheel, PD Jeong Suryeong, who had her frizzy hair tied back again today, smiled crookedly.
“Congratulations again on surviving. Well, I suppose it was obvious? And a 20% rating······ whew, you know how incredible that is, right?”
“Yes, I heard.”
“With this, your value and the other contestants’ values will have gone up too, Writer-nim, but PD U Hanseok’s will be enormous.”
The two talked for a while about episode 4 of “Geubaekpeu,” and it was PD Jeong Suryeong who changed the subject.
“I checked the revised script. As expected, your writing is good, Writer-nim. The period was short too, so how does the writing come out of you so smoothly? It’s fascinating to see.”
Gang Rojun, who had taken off his cap and mask.
‘No matter how many times I hear it, I can’t get used to compliments about writing.’
He scratched his chin awkwardly.
“Thank you. I just wrote what I could.”
“That’s what people call talent. Or genius. Your face alone is already a jackpot, but you have so many abilities too, Writer-nim. You’re not seriously some kind of god, are you??”
“Of course not.”
“It’s because I find it fascinating, fascinating. I’ve been in this field for quite some time, but I’ve never seen physical specs like yours, Writer-nim.”
PD Jeong Suryeong, speaking with sincerity, stopped the car at a light.
“Anyway, the revised script can go as is if we just lightly touch up a few lines. You supplemented it well and made it fun. And you pulled off the ‘Lover No. 4’ character nicely too. Let’s confirm it.”
“Understood.”
“Now then—let’s see.”
PD Jeong Suryeong, who seemed to be organizing her thoughts, smiled even more broadly.
“Before the meeting, shall we take a look at your acting for ‘Lover No. 4,’ Writer-nim? Did you practice a little?”
PD Jeong Suryeong was someone who even made top actress Choe Rina act on the spot. It would have been natural to be nervous, yet Gang Rojun answered quickly and calmly.
“Yes, I practiced ‘a little.’”