“You’ve already finished the lyrics?” Song Min-geun, phone pressed to his ear, looked as if he couldn’t believe it.
‘In just a few days—he wrote all the lyrics I asked for?’
The people around him gestured, asking what was going on, but Song Min-geun shook his head as if to say it was nothing and answered into the phone.
“You’re saying… you finished all the lyrics? From beginning to end. Not just the first verse or anything like that. The demo I gave you goes up to the second verse, you know?”
This time as well, Gang Rojun’s answer from the other end of the phone was concise.
“Yes, I know. I listened to the whole thing, through the second verse. And I finished the lyrics through the second verse, too.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes.”
Song Min-geun lightly scratched his chin and let out a small groan.
“First of all, all right. Can you send the lyrics you finished to my phone? I’ll check them first.”
“Yes—understood.”
—Click.
The call ended cleanly. As the plump Song Min-geun lowered his phone, a hollow laugh slipped out.
‘That… doesn’t make sense.’
He had heard that the lyrics for the rap “Witch,” composed by No. 58, had been written by “No. 1,” and when Song Min-geun had seen the lyrics for “Witch” himself, he’d thought they were good. No, considering he’d said it was his first time writing lyrics, it was closer to talent.
So Song Min-geun had been secretly looking forward to it.
But this was too fast.
‘Did he even listen to the demo properly?’
It was a speed that defied Song Min-geun’s common sense.
In fact, several sets of lyrics for the song he had requested from Gang Rojun had already arrived in Song Min-geun’s hands. Naturally, they were all the work of professional lyricists. For Song Min-geun, a major composer and broadcaster, it was an everyday scene. Even those professional lyricists usually took two to three weeks if it was short, and over a month if it was long.
Of course, there were occasionally lyricists who finished in a single day.
But those cases were extremely rare even among professional lyricists, and most tended to take two to three weeks. Yet No. 1, who was supposedly a beginner in composing and lyric-writing, had finished all the lyrics in just a few days, so from Song Min-geun’s point of view—
‘Hmm—he must have rushed through it because he’s busy.’
A suspicion, almost inevitable, began to bloom. As a judge, Song Min-geun knew just how tight the schedule for “Geubaekpeu” was, and recently No. 1 had admitted on his own that he was the writer of “Rental Lover.”
So writing work had been added on top.
In other words, No. 1 currently had to juggle filming and practice for “Geubaekpeu” while also continuing his path as the writer of “Rental Lover.” On top of that, small things like studying composition and lyric-writing were thrown in as extras. For an amateur who hadn’t even officially debuted yet, it was only natural that he would be gasping for breath.
So there was a high possibility that he had merely pretended to write the lyrics and sent them over. At least, that was how it looked in Song Min-geun’s eyes.
‘I understand. He’s suddenly getting rising-star-level attention, and expectations are pouring in, so he must want to live up to all of it.’
But No. 1 only had one body, and he couldn’t do everything perfectly. If he lacked skill, he had to spend time and build experience. On the other hand, No. 1 probably had no time to spare right now. Song Min-geun, stroking his chin, swallowed a bitter smile.
“Did I suggest it too hastily?”
Just then.
—♬♪
A short notification sound rang from the phone in Song Min-geun’s hand. A message had arrived. When he checked, the sender was No. 1. Along with a short line saying, “I’m sending the lyric file,” there was an attached file. Rather than replying, Song Min-geun immediately tapped the attachment.
A file packed with text opened.
The lyrics No. 1 had written.
The demo Song Min-geun had given him was a ballad with a slightly lonely sentiment. Not too sad, but not indifferent either. A ballad that kept to the right line while carrying a deep appeal. Without much expectation, Song Min-geun began reading from the first line of the lyrics.
[The moment you turned back]
[The world I saw changed to black and white]
[And I think I finally understood]
[That both you and I were dear to me]
[You, who had always been at my feet]
[Became part of the scenery far away]
[The black-and-white world is growing darker and darker]
·
·
·
A seriousness settled over Song Min-geun’s face as he read through the lyrics. After reading to about the middle, he returned once again to the first line. Then he read the lyrics more slowly, savoring the many emotions in them.
A few minutes later.
“This—”
Song Min-geun, surprise clearly in his eyes, was purely impressed.
“He didn’t do this carelessly at all, did he?”
Carelessly? Not at all. It was the opposite.
‘From the emotional flow to the choice of words. It’s incredible. He wrote it well. Well enough to make me greedy.’
The lyrics No. 1 had sent carried resonance, and Song Min-geun reacted to it. Soon, he began matching the lyrics he was looking at with the melody of the demo.
—♬♪
After singing a few phrases of the song, Song Min-geun—
—Swoosh.
Looked at the colleague sitting nearby. At the same time, he recalled what that person had said earlier while thinking of No. 1.
‘But when you look at No. 1—it feels like God really tried making one properly, just once, doesn’t it?’
Likewise thinking of “No. 1,” Song Min-geun murmured softly. Before he knew it, a smile had appeared on his face.
“God gave this kid way too much.”
Afterward.
Around the time Song Min-geun, still in shock, was marveling over Gang Rojun, the internet was overflowing with all sorts of news about “Geubaekpeu.”
First, the viewership rating for Episode 8.
《“Geubaekpeu” Breaks Its Peak Again with Episode 8 Rating of 25.4%》
“Geubaekpeu” had finally surpassed 25% in ratings. It was climbing without end. In the entertainment industry, most were already saying there would never again be another audition variety show like “Geubaekpeu” in terms of buzz, fun, content, and so on.
Along with that.
“Copy ‘Geubaekpeu.’”
“Uh—Chief. Going in right now is a bit…”
“Who said to go in right now? I’m saying start it subtly around the time ‘Geubaekpeu’ ends. Then wouldn’t more than half of ‘Geubaekpeu’s’ ratings naturally flow over to us?”
“F-first of all, understood.”
“And find a character like No. 1, too.”
“Pardon?! Ch-Chief, that’s really impossible! We can’t find visuals on No. 1’s level! You’ve seen him, you know that!”
“Then discover even half of one!”
Whether terrestrial broadcasters, general programming channels, or cable, everyone was frantic to copy the mega-hit that was “Geubaekpeu.” It wasn’t a strange phenomenon. The broadcasting world had always been a place where, once a program became a hit, similar content sprang up like mushrooms after rain.
Meanwhile, “Rental Lover” was as hot as if lava had erupted.
《Production Team of “Rental Lover” Releases Script Reading Photos Including “No. 1”; Netizens Say, “It’s Amazing That No. 1 Is There”》
It hadn’t been quiet when top actress Choi Rina had become involved either, but compared to the current situation, that time might as well have been silence. Both the media and public opinion were busy howling about “Rental Lover.”
This, too, was a first if anything was.
《At This Rate, “Rental Lover” May Become the First One-Act Drama to Catch Miniseries Ratings》
The fact that a one-act drama had become such a huge topic.
On the “Geubaekpeu” side, voting for Groups 2 and 3 was in full swing, and the situation surrounding Gang Rojun, or No. 1, had grown several times bigger than it had been on Friday night when he made his declaration.
The viewers’ firepower was tremendous, and Netflix Korea added fuel to that fire. Episode 8 of “Geubaekpeu” had been uploaded to Netflix Korea just yesterday. In other words, those who watched the live broadcast, those who watched on YouTube, and those who watched on Netflix combined to emit a massive cohesive force.
By the time Sunday noon came around, the contestants on the Paju campus were having a rare day off.
However, baby-perm No. 58 was sitting alone in the lounge, where quite a few people had gathered, focused on something.
‘Even if I fall far short of No. 1, there are things I can do in my own way.’
He was working on the theme song PD U Han-seok had proposed to him. Of course, today wasn’t the first day; he had been working on it little by little ever since the day he received the proposal. It had been at least five days, and quite a few notes had already been drawn in No. 58’s composition notebook.
‘The feeling of this campus, the survival show I feared, surviving, the fellow contestants I became close to, the delicious meals, the thrill of going up on stage, the pounding heart from the first broadcast.’
No. 58 drew out a melody using all the emotions he had felt while experiencing “Geubaekpeu” as guideposts.
‘There’s no need to rush. I’m going to make it properly and pass it to No. 1.’
And Song Min-geun, who had read Gang Rojun’s lyrics over and over again and even tried recording a guide—
“Argh—why isn’t this kid answering his phone?”
Was feeling frustrated in the recording studio. He had called No. 1 because he wanted to talk to him more right away, but he hadn’t picked up.
“I heard everyone on campus is off today—don’t tell me he’s sleeping?”
No, Gang Rojun was not sleeping.
At present, he was—
“Hi—action!”
At the filming set of “Rental Lover,” transformed into “Lover No. 4.” His scene partner was Choi Rina. The male actors playing Lover No. 2 and Lover No. 3 were on standby.
“Cut!! Good! Let’s go straight to the next one!”
In truth, “Lover No. 4” had the smallest amount of screen time compared to the other lover roles. So it would have been fine to film him little by little with each shoot. However, PD Jeong Su-ryeong chose to take Gang Rojun’s situation into consideration and film his parts in a concentrated block at the start of production.
“Action!!”
If they did that, even if filming for “Rental Lover” continued, Gang Rojun, once his own scenes were finished, could leave quickly. They would make maximum use of Gang Rojun while avoiding a clash between “Geubaekpeu” and “Rental Lover.”
It was a strategy worthy of veteran PDs.
In any case, that day’s filming for “Lover No. 4” did not end until late afternoon, and after greeting the actors, PD Jeong Su-ryeong, and the staff, Rojun got into the van. When he checked his phone, there were five missed calls from Song Min-geun.
‘Whoa? What’s this? Did he not like the lyrics?’
Gang Rojun flinched slightly. But soon, his mindset shifted to, So what?
‘If they’re not good, there’s nothing I can do.’
It would be a shame, but he still had plenty of things to do. Then the van, driven by the assistant director, set off, and Rojun called Song Min-geun. He answered in an instant.
“Argh—No. 1?? Why is it so hard to reach you???”
Sensing that the man was clenching his molars, Gang Rojun laughed appropriately.
“I’m sorry. I had to go out for certain reasons.”
“Huh? So you’re not on campus right now?”
“No.”
“Ah, then call me again when it’s convenient.”
Rojun called Song Min-geun again after he passed through the campus entrance.
“You called me a lot. Is it because of the lyrics?”
Song Min-geun answered in a tone mixed with laughter.
“That’s right. I checked them, and they’re killer.”
Huh? Killer? Not as in I’ll kill you? Did that mean they weren’t bad?
“Were they all right?”
“They’re not just all right… I don’t usually do this unless something really gets me, but the moment I saw the lyrics, inspiration struck, so I even recorded a guide, you know?”
“Ah—”
“First, we need to meet. It’d be faster if I go to the campus. What’s your schedule like tomorrow?”
“I won’t be on campus in the morning, and I think I’ll be back after lunch.”
He had filming for “Rental Lover” tomorrow morning as well.
“You go out often, huh? Is it for that writer thing? Anyway, then I’ll come in after the afternoon. Of course, I’ll contact PD U.”
“Understood.”
“No. 1.”
“Yes?”
From the other end of the phone, Song Min-geun murmured quite seriously.
“I think you’re naturally gifted at lyric-writing, too.”
Monday morning. The set of “Rental Lover.”
The site was filled with many staff members rushing around in a frenzy. It was even more so because filming was about to begin. In the midst of it, Gang Rojun was, like yesterday, getting his hair, makeup, and styling done to become “Lover No. 4.”
Soon, just as Rojun, dressed in a suit, was walking toward the set camera—
“Writer?”
Someone tapped Gang Rojun on the back from behind.
When he turned around, Choi Rina was standing there with smiling eyes.
“Would you like one?”
She held out a protein bar.
“It’s something I eat often. It’s good.”
“Thank you. What flavor is it?”
“Flavor? Just protein flavor.”
“Protein flavor—hmm.”
“You’ll understand once you debut, but a magic gradually unfolds where things that don’t taste good start tasting good.”
Just then.
“Uh, uh, sorry to interrupt the actors’ conversation.”
PD Jeong Su-ryeong, who cut in between them, seized Rojun and dragged him away. At the same time, Jeong Su-ryeong whispered.
“Writer. Before, you told me you had a few more things written besides ‘Rental Lover,’ didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Not short pieces, but long-form?”
“I have long-form ones too.”
“How many?”
“I’d have to count to know. Some of them are unfinished.”
“Including the unfinished ones, send me all your long-form drama scripts.”
“You’re going to read them?”
“Of course.”
PD Jeong Su-ryeong, grinning, asked playfully.
“But don’t tell me they’re all the kind of writing that could sell?”
A few hours later, around 3 p.m. Japan.
“Geubaekpeu” was uploaded to Netflix Japan every Monday at 1 p.m. In other words, about two hours earlier, Episode 8 of “Geubaekpeu” had also been uploaded in Japan. And currently, on a famous Japanese social media platform—
[@__21YYY_]
[Who watched Episode 8 of Geubaekpeu!!! What’s this Rental Lover that No. 1 was talking about???]
Curiosity about “Rental Lover” was—
-Right, I’m curious about Rental Lover too!!
-He said No. 1 wrote it, so is he talking about a book called Rental Lover??
-It doesn’t come up even when I search!
-I’m going to ask my Korean friend!
Spreading explosively.