Half of the actors in *Rental Lover* wore dumbstruck faces, while the other half looked utterly blank. They were all staring holes into Gang Rojun, “Lover No. 4.”
It was a situation far beyond anyone’s expectations or predictions.
The acting skills of “No. 1,” “Writer Gang Cheolsu”—whom they had assumed would be consumed merely for hype or shock value—
“Crazy… his acting… why is he good???”
It was enough to make a veteran actor weep.
It was a brief emotive scene, but anyone could tell it was no ordinary performance. An aura that viewers would discern within seconds—there was no way the actors, whose main profession was acting, could fail to recognize it.
“An emotion so rich and smooth, you’d need to have rolled around the acting industry for at least five years. Wh-what the hell. Did he do theater in the past??”
“Those intense eyes, the gaze direction, the flexible expressions, the dialogue delivery without a hint of awkwardness… they definitely didn’t cast him just for the controversy.”
“…This is absurd. With a face like that, and all that he already has, he’s good at acting too??”
Their eyes wide, the actors each screamed internally. The key staff of *Rental Lover* were no different.
“Wasn’t he supposed to be just a booster for hype?? That’s a proper actor right there.”
They were all deeply shocked by Gang Rojun, who was portraying “Lover No. 4.” It was a natural reaction. Rojun had already shown them so much: the writing prowess that had even captivated Jeong Suryeong, his status as the flagship star of *Geubaekpeu*, the visuals that had bewitched countless viewers, and so on.
On top of all that, his acting was jaw-dropping; they couldn’t help but be left speechless.
He had too much going for him.
“No, that can’t be right! An idol! A writer! And acting good enough to devour professional actors—that’s just too cheaty!!”
His graphic-like visuals alone were enough to make actors jealous, but if his acting was threatening too, this wasn’t mere envy—it was a crisis.
Soon, the actors’ attitudes and expressions hardened considerably.
On the other hand, PD Jeong Suryeong—
“Why did his English suddenly… turn from Korean to American?? And in just one week???”
She already knew about Gang Rojun’s insane acting skills, so she was focused on something else: Rojun’s incredibly fluent English. When she’d first seen it, it had been as awkward as anyone’s, but in just one week, he had become a complete master.
To the point where he could appear in a Hollywood film without issue.
“I-is that even possible?”
No, it was impossible. At least by PD Jeong Suryeong’s common sense. It wasn’t a moderate difference between last time and this time; it was believable enough to say he was a different person.
Choi Rina, who was matching acting rhythms with Gang Rojun, was feeling this too.
“But No. 1. No, I mean, Writer-nim, your English is incredible??”
She too had already seen Rojun’s acting, so she focused on the English.
“The way he speaks English suits him so mu… no! No! Get a grip, Choi Rina! I almost spaced out again!”
Then, the junior assistant director sitting next to PD Jeong Suryeong whispered.
“Sunbae-nim. Writer Gang’s English is killer. Just what about it did you feel was lacking?”
“…You’re right. I feel like I’ve been played, but it’s not bad.”
“At that level, isn’t there no reason at all to remove the English setting from ‘Lover No. 4’?”
“None at all. We absolutely have to keep it in.”
Whatever the circumstances, from director Jeong Suryeong’s standpoint, a bursting of character charm was welcome. And so she stared intently at Gang Rojun’s face as he acted.
“He’s not nervous at all.”
Because she had caught another side of Rojun.
“Last time, it was just me or Star Choi, so you could say he was less nervous. But this time, he’s acting for everyone for the first time. And yet his momentum is no different from usual. Even…”
PD Jeong Suryeong, rubbing her chin, assessed the atmosphere of Rojun’s acting.
“With crazy visuals like that, his acting is remarkably transparent. Flexible. You could say it’s like soju—the flavor is strong, but it’s highly versatile, able to blend with anything.”
Any actor, even a top star, if their color is too strong, the public says their acting is obvious. Even if their skill is outstanding. However, the acting of Gang Rojun that PD Jeong Suryeong saw had a strong scent but transparent color.
“If he keeps acting, assuming he continues down this path, he’ll often hear things like this as he grows: ‘I can’t even remember his previous roles.’”
Regardless, the script reading, filled with silent confusion and chaos, continued swiftly. The scenes between the female lead “Yi Daeun” and “Lover No. 4” in the latter half sped along.
After some time, the actors and key staff seemed to have calmed down somewhat, but—
-Swish.
In his final scene, Gang Rojun dropped another bomb. Because it was his turn for Japanese lines.
“I cherish you, though we cannot speak. From the moment you called me, I was sincere, though we could not communicate. The reason I was so taciturn…”
It wasn’t just a bomb; it was a nuclear bomb.
After that.
Directing given multiple times by PD Jeong Suryeong, countless cue signs, the actors’ performances, Gang Rojun’s extraordinariness, and so on. The *Rental Lover* script reading had begun early in the morning and only ended after half a day.
The moment the script reading ended, many people swarmed Rojun, but—
“I’m sorry, but I have to leave right away.”
Gang Rojun was pressed for time. He had to head straight to the *Geubaekpeu* campus. Right now, Team 1, excluding Rojun, was rehearsing like crazy at the campus. Because tomorrow was the day of the third evaluation—a surprise performance for “Produce.”
Thanks to that, after bowing to many people, including the actors and Choi Rina—
-Swish.
He hurriedly left the reading room with PD Jeong Suryeong. Watching Rojun’s retreating figure, the key staff muttered sincerely.
“He’s not just a rising star; a cosmic-scale super rookie has appeared. He’s simply a monster.”
“Exactly. His foreign language skills are one thing, but honestly, I didn’t know he’d be good at acting too. Is there anything he can’t do??”
“How surprised will the viewers of *Rental Lover* be?”
“If it were me, I’d be foaming at the mouth.”
Meanwhile, Gang Rojun got into PD Jeong Suryeong’s car as he had in the morning. Jeong Suryeong, departing immediately, looked at Rojun in the passenger seat and laughed incredulously.
“What did I say? Better than last time? No, Writer-nim, it wasn’t just better—you became an American. What magic did you pull?”
It would have been simple to say he had learned it through “AI Automation,” but Rojun chose a different answer.
“I guess I had a linguistic talent I didn’t know about.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I practiced a lot too. I’ll omit the detailed explanation.”
PD Jeong Suryeong, who had narrowed her eyes, smirked.
“Well, okay. Prying isn’t my style anyway. Higher character quality is welcome. But—you’ll be showered with jealousy wherever you debut, Writer-nim.”
“Do you think so?”
“Of course. Didn’t you see the actors earlier? They were all burning with flames. If that jealousy turns into fighting spirit, they’ll grow; if not, they’ll be eliminated. Anyway, practice keeping your mental strength ironclad too—the entertainment industry is a far worse trash heap than you think.”
But the current Gang Rojun had no way of knowing that. So the answer was obvious.
“What will I do? I’ll just charge in headfirst.”
Then, while pretending to look at his phone—
-Swish.
He secretly skimmed through the “AI Simulation” without PD Jeong Suryeong noticing. Because he had been so busy since early morning that he hadn’t been able to touch it.
-[Titles: Side Job Tycoon +3 / Awareness Monster +2 / Global Genius +2]
-[User: Gang Rojun / Age: 24 / Height: 182.8 / Desired Occupation: Idol / Coins Held: 601]
-[Side Jobs: [1] Scriptwriter, [2] Actor, [3] Lyricist]
-[Global Languages: [1] Japanese, [2] English]
Smiling faintly at his considerably evolved state, he proceeded with stat enhancement without showing it. Today as well, he invested 20 coins. The target was, as expected, choreography. The result?
-[Choreography (20.5/100)]
His choreography had finally broken through 20 points. At the same time, a tingling sensation in his wrist. Though it was quite brief.
“I’ll experiment with dance when I have time, and next I’m taking vocals to 20 points.”
Having made a fervent decision, just as Gang Rojun was on his way to the *Geubaekpeu* campus, PD Woo Hanseok had arrived at a recording studio.
A fairly spacious recording studio with various instruments attached to the walls as interior props.
What was unusual—
“…Wow—”
—was that Trainee No. 58 was there too, looking around the studio with wide eyes. No. 58, wearing a backpack, had his gaze fixed on the recording booth mainly used by singers, while PD Woo Hanseok came face to face with a chubby man sitting in front of the recording equipment.
“Are you sure you really have time?”
The chubby man. No, it was Song Mingeun, a composer and broadcaster who was one of the judges for *Geubaekpeu*. The owner of numerous hit songs nodded with a smile.
“Yes. It’s fine; if it’s for *Geubaekpeu*, I have to make time even if I don’t have it. I’m a judge, after all.”
“Haha. Thank you.”
“So.”
Song Mingeun turned his gaze to No. 58 and changed the subject.
“Trainee No. 58 is going to compose?”
No. 58, extremely nervous, exclaimed.
“Yes!”
“You passed the first evaluation with rap, right? The second was vocals. But neither was an original song, was it?”
“Yes, I didn’t use an original song.”
“I don’t think there was anything about composing in your profile. Or was there?”
PD Woo Hanseok chimed in.
“There is—a comment saying you compose as a hobby.”
“Ah—a hobby. Is that hobby good enough to show me? Outside of the broadcast?”
At the thrown question, PD Woo Hanseok gave No. 58 a look, and No. 58 took out all his composition notebooks from his backpack. Song Mingeun smiled when he saw the notebooks that numbered over ten.
“That’s some hobby. How many are those?”
The notebooks were soon passed to Song Mingeun, and he opened the most worn one first. As he slowly skimmed through it, the smile on his face gradually faded.
And.
-Flap.
He turned the next page. Then the next again.
-Flap, flap.
Song Mingeun, who had been going through the composition notebooks for nearly five minutes without a word—
“…This is far too good to be a hobby.”
His face had turned quite serious before he knew it.
“Sense. No, you’re overflowing with talent. How is this a hobby? How many years have you been composing like this?”
No. 58 answered in a small voice.
“For quite a long time. Over five years.”
“On your own?”
“Yes.”
PD Woo Hanseok, arms crossed, chimed in.
“This is the first time he’s shown them to anyone.”
“Huh—”
Song Mingeun let out something akin to an exclamation.
“He crosses genres freely, and even his old tracks aren’t tacky. They’re good enough to release right now. The fact that he achieved this quality working alone is the realm of pure talent.”
He tapped the composition notebooks with his index finger.
“How many of these are there?”
“A little over thirty volumes.”
He reached a conclusion.
“This is both an asset and a treasure.”
A slightly surprised Woo Hanseok cut in.
“Asset? Treasure? Are they that good?”
“To be blunt, I’m already coveting the few songs I just saw. And you say there are over thirty volumes? That means countless songs are recorded in here—so yes, it’s an asset and a treasure.”
“…”
“If you go through producing, mixing, and so on, the tension will shoot up. Well, frankly, if the song is good, it’ll turn out well even with shoddy production.”
Song Mingeun met eyes with the blank-faced No. 58.
“It may have been good that you worked alone. If you’d carelessly shown these to someone in the field, they would’ve stolen your songs. But why is there not a single lyric in any of them?”
“Ah.”
At that moment, PD Woo Hanseok picked up one of the notebooks and answered on his behalf.
“There’s one here.”
What he showed was the rap track “Witch.” The only song with lyrics written down. Song Mingeun looked down at the sheet music for “Witch” for a few seconds, then nodded slightly. He seemed to feel the beat and flow just by looking at it.
Soon, Song Mingeun regained a smile mixed with satisfaction.
“The lyrics are killer. From the rhymes to matching the tone and groove, it’s so crisp and refreshing. What the—he writes lyrics well too. If you put out this ‘Witch’ right now, rappers would flock to it. But why did you only write lyrics for this rap?”
“…”
After a brief silence, PD Woo Hanseok gave the answer.
“Actually, the lyrics for that rap weren’t written by Trainee No. 58, but by No. 1.”
Question marks appeared in Song Mingeun’s eyes, which had been blinking.
“…No. 1? Why is No. 1 coming up here?”
The next day, Wednesday the 26th. Around the afternoon.
The location was Jamsil Indoor Gymnasium. An enormous crowd had gathered in the stands. At least several thousand. It was hard to find an empty seat. The spectators chattered noisily while waiting for the match, causing the vast gymnasium to buzz.
Of course, it wasn’t only spectators here.
Around the arena, invited reporters, match-related film crews, gym officials, volleyball team players, and so on could be seen.
Until this moment, no one knew what event would take place in this gymnasium.
Only the gym officials knew.
Thanks to that, the reporters were busy taking photos of the players who would be competing.
It was right then.
“The match will begin shortly.”
The announcement echoed throughout the gymnasium.
“Before that, we have a surprise performance for everyone who came to today’s match!”
At that moment, the thousands of spectators, the reporters, and everyone else looked around. They hadn’t heard anything about a surprise performance. However, pre-match celebratory performances were common, so the spectators—
“Waaaah!”
—responded with moderate cheers and applause.
“A surprise performance? What kind??”
“Probably just cheerleaders. It happens often.”
“Ahh—”
“Or a trot singer.”
“A trot singer??”
“Yeah, last time a trot singer came out.”
Not knowing what would appear, many spectators took out their phones without much expectation.
The reporters made similar assumptions to the spectators.
“It’ll be cheerleaders.”
“Yeah, it’s cliché but safe.”
In any case, the reporters prepared their large cameras.
At that moment, the lights illuminating the gymnasium suddenly went out, plunging it into darkness.
Once their eyes adjusted to the dark, some spectators caught sight of people running onto the volleyball court. There were many. At least ten.
“Must be cheerleaders.”
“Why are they going so hard with the production again.”
The spectators naturally assumed they were cheerleaders, and as a few lights came on—
-Pop!
—the volleyball court alone was lit up.
Where the eyes of everyone gathered in the gymnasium converged—
“…Huh?”
“Wait, those aren’t cheerleaders??”
“What? Who are they??”
—not cheerleaders, but thirteen men in black blazers with numbers pinned to their chests had taken their positions. Those thirteen men raised their heads, seeming to have finished their preparations.
-Swish.
The moment their faces were seen, shouts erupted from all over the stands.
“Huh??? Huh!!!”
“Ah!!! *Geubaekpeu*! *Geubaekpeu*!!”
“Omigod! Team 1 of *Geubaekpeu*!! That’s No. 1 over there!!!”
“Insane!!! For real, No. 1??!!”
“*Geubaekpeu* Team 1!! The real deal??!!”
At that moment.
-♬♪
“Produce” blasted powerfully.
And soon, throughout the vast gymnasium—
“Kyaahhh!!!”
“Kyak!!”
“Uaahhh!!”
“Crazy!! Freaking amazing!!!!”
Screams loud enough to tear ears asunder began to fill the air.