When Gang Rojun went up on the fourth evaluation stage with the twenty-three other contestants for the introductions, he felt as if his brain had stopped. He had already performed in front of an audience before—at the volleyball arena for the third evaluation.
But that time had been short and intense. There had been no real interaction with the audience, either.
It had quite literally been a few minutes of choreography, and then it was over.
This time, however, felt a little different. There was a standing area, and the audience was watching from an awfully close distance. Many people he knew had also attended as invited guests. Gang Rojun, who had made eye contact with Producer Jeong Suryeong of the “Rental Lover” team and with Choe Rina, thought,
‘I really forced that smile.’
He had thrown them an eye-smile, but inside, his tension was at its absolute peak.
According to Producer U Hanseok, people from famous entertainment companies seemed to have come as well. Above all, this grand stage itself had been made solely for the contestants of “Geubaekpeu.” He was already trembling because it was the fourth evaluation, but thanks to the stage that had been deliberately designed to put them in the spotlight, his sense of exhilaration had jumped two or threefold.
‘I can’t calm down.’
Gang Rojun could feel adrenaline rapidly spreading through every vein in his body. Then, in the waiting room, something happened that made Rojun’s tension grow even more. Words appeared on the front monitor that all twenty-four contestants, including Rojun, were watching.
-Title: Witch (Original Rap)
-Composed by: No. 58 / Lyrics by: No. 1
The thousands gathered in the hall outside the waiting room must have been staring at the same thing. The information for Team A of Group 1, who would be taking the first evaluation—in other words, the original rap by No. 58 and No. 71—had been revealed. The fact that No. 58 had composed the original rap “Witch” stood out, but what seized everyone’s attention more than anything was this:
‘It’s up.’
The lyrics had been written by “No. 1.”
Gang Rojun had already known, having heard it from No. 58 and Producer U Hanseok, but seeing it announced in the excitement-filled hall made his heart pound.
Would people be a little surprised?
There were a few people in the hall who would already know, but most did not. In fact, the contestants in the same waiting room as Rojun immediately began murmuring among themselves.
“......Huh?? No. 1?”
“No. 1 wrote the lyrics??”
“Wait. It says No. 1 for lyrics.”
“Exactly. No. 1, did you write the lyrics for that original rap??”
The eyes of more than twenty contestants fixed on Gang Rojun, who was sitting near the front. Right beside him, No. 26, who was on the same team, quickly tossed him a question in a dry tone as well.
“Is that true? You wrote the lyrics for that rap, No. 1?”
With everyone’s attention focused on him, Rojun cleared his throat and nodded.
“Yeah. I wrote them.”
“Un-believable. For real? Wow, you even write lyrics?”
Even the usually blunt No. 26 visibly opened his mouth in surprise. How could the rest of the contestants be any different?
“Whoa, No. 1 really wrote them?”
“I had no idea. When on earth did you do that?”
“Did he even have time to write lyrics? No, more than that, the fact that he can even write lyrics......”
“It was already shocking that he’s a writer, and now suddenly lyric-writing too??”
Their eyes said exactly this: That guy isn’t human. His vocal and choreography skills were already insane, so where in the world was there an idol who, out of nowhere, was also a writer and a lyricist?
‘His visuals alone are already a total cheat!! Stop it already!’
Meanwhile, No. 26 focused on something else.
“...Putting the lyrics aside, you gave lyrics to the original rap of a competing team?”
No. 58 and Rojun were enemies. He had written lyrics for an opponent he had to fight and beat. To No. 26, it was an unnatural sight. Gang Rojun, on the other hand, wondered what the big deal was. When he had written the lyrics for “Witch,” it had been before the fourth evaluation announcement in the first place.
‘Even if I’d known, I probably would’ve given him the lyrics anyway.’
The fact that No. 58’s team had chosen “Witch” as their evaluation rap was proof. When No. 58 had asked, Rojun had coolly answered that he did not mind. Of course, it had included a bit of calculation on his part.
It was a decision a hundred times better than having it be revealed blandly.
‘As a timing for announcing the lyricist, it’s killer, isn’t it?’
Meanwhile, the hall where thousands were gathered was shaking several times more violently than the waiting room with the contestants. The audience in the standing area and the seats were talking.
“That says No. 1 wrote the lyrics. Wh-what is this??”
“I think it came out wrong. Like an error.”
“If it were an error, the production crew would be moving right away, but it’s still there.”
“Insane! Did No. 1 really write the lyrics?!”
“Awesome, awesome!!”
“No. 1 writes lyrics too??!!”
“It was already crazy that he’s a writer!! Wow—he must even know how to write lyrics!!”
It had not been long since he had dropped the bomb that he was the writer of “Rental Lover,” and now lyric-writing had gone off like a chain reaction at this very venue, so of course everything was overturning.
Rustle, rustle. Murmur, murmur.
The audience busily looked around the entire hall or chattered frantically with the people beside them. Short screams could be heard here and there. With thousands of people doing this at the same time, it was enough to make one’s ears ring.
Producer U Hanseok, who was scanning the overall atmosphere, thought,
‘Hmm—they’re all losing their minds. Well, I was surprised at first too.’
He fully understood the excited audience. And once again, he felt the authority and power of No. 1, of Gang Rojun.
‘He hooked even Japan across the sea with the fact that he’s a writer. I wonder how much they’ll lap up this lyric-writing issue too.’
On top of that, this was not the end of Rojun’s lyric-writing. “Witch” was merely a light opening shot. There was also Song Mingeun’s song, with him sitting over there as a judge, and “Survival 100” was waiting as well.
‘He even wrote the Japanese lyrics for “Survival 100.”’
Soon, Producer U Hanseok’s gaze moved to the judges’ seats close to the stage. They, too, were busy talking among themselves. Everyone except Song Mingeun. The situation with the “Rental Lover” team seated behind them was also amusing.
“Lyrics? The writer wrote the lyrics for that song??”
“It says No. 1 right there! Then that means the writer wrote them!”
“Insane. Is there anything the writer can’t do with words??”
They were bouncing with joy and shock at the same time. One of them asked Producer Jeong Suryeong,
“Producer! Did you know?!”
Producer Jeong Suryeong, whose eyes were fixed on the monitor on the ceiling, did not answer.
“......”
She, too, had just found out for the first time. Soon, Producer Jeong Suryeong let out a deep, hollow laugh.
‘This time he’s a lyricist?? Idol, actor, writer, and now lyricist? He’s not some game character, so why does something keep coming out no matter how much you peel him back?’
Feeling goosebumps rise on her forearms, Producer Jeong Suryeong confirmed, at that moment, one of the things she had been thinking all along.
‘The OST. As expected, the writer has to participate.’
Even at a rough guess, it was related to “Rental Lover,” and Producer Jeong Suryeong, who had been rapidly running calculations in her head, glanced to her right. Choe Rina, with the beauty mark beside her nose, was staring blankly at the stage monitor with her mouth slightly open, completely dazed. Producer Jeong Suryeong narrowed her brow and lightly nudged Choe Rina in the side.
“Star Choe, what is it? What’s wrong?”
But Choe Rina only murmured softly, her eyes still on the monitor.
“......He’s cool.”
“Huh? What did you say?”
Only then did Choe Rina snap back to her senses and quickly gloss it over.
“I-it’s unexpected. I didn’t know the writer could even write lyrics.”
“That’s what I’m saying. Look at that, the entertainment people are drooling.”
Choe Rina followed the gesture of Producer Jeong Suryeong’s chin. The expressions of the dozens of entertainment company representatives in the back were unusual. There was every reason for it. No matter what anyone said, the big fish in “Geubaekpeu” was one hundred percent Gang Rojun, and his value, which had already been soaring, had just risen even higher.
“There are some kids who compose, but isn’t there nobody who’s both a writer and a lyricist too?”
“There isn’t. No. 1 might even be able to compose.”
“We’ll have to see how he wrote the lyrics, but if he writes lyrics, then of course he can probably compose too.”
“He might be hiding other abilities too, you know?”
“He’s a villain and a freak. A freak. A completely new type.”
Right then.
“Team A of Group 1, ‘Witch,’ begins now!”
Onstage, the host Jang Daehan continued the proceedings. The entire heated hall went dark for a moment. Within a few seconds, the rap beat began to ring out.
-♬♪
The original rap “Witch” had begun.
In the dark hall, a single beam of light shone on the left side of the stage. No. 71, seated on a simple chair, brought the microphone close to his mouth and rode the rapid beat. His outfit was a loose hoodie.
“Witch! The curse you spread is a vicious type, get your face out of my sight.”
The thousands in the audience quickly assimilated into the splintering beat, and with moderate cheers, they shook the slogans and fans they were holding.
No. 71, with his puppy-like features, rose from the chair, his movements growing more intense.
The beat sped up.
When his part ended and No. 71 raised the microphone above his head, the light moved to the right. No. 58, with a baby perm, seated on a similar chair, spat out his rap as if he had been waiting for this moment. No. 58 was usually quiet, and at a glance he could seem timid, but none of that was visible now.
-♬♪
He used his whole body to stir up the audience’s excitement, and the rap No. 58 poured out was filled with contempt and vengeance. That was what the rap “Witch” was about. In particular, the way he made it sound as if he were slightly scraping his throat at the end of each phrase was the highlight.
The passionate first verse ended, and without an interlude, it moved straight into the second verse.
By then, the lights illuminated the entire stage.
No. 58 and No. 71, who had been quite far apart, drew closer and exchanged rap lines like a back-and-forth rally. As the situation rushed toward its climax, the audience had already surrendered themselves to the beat and were enjoying themselves. However, the dozens of entertainment company representatives were different.
‘......No. 58—as soon as he starts rapping, his usual quiet character gets peeled away immediately. Quite a powerful performance comes out of that innocent image.’
They carefully observed No. 58 and No. 71, who were undergoing the first evaluation. They were not audience members, but merchants who had come to inspect goods.
‘He has composing ability, and his rap is high-level. His vocals weren’t bad either. He’s overshadowed by No. 1, but No. 58 is definitely good too.’
‘No. 71 is pretty good too, but No. 58 is better after all. No. 58 is more popular as well.’
‘Excluding No. 1, No. 58’s abilities stand out the most in “Geubaekpeu.”’
Though they did not say it aloud, the entertainment company representatives evaluated No. 58 and No. 71 with stern faces. Rather than whether they rapped well or poorly, they looked at how well they suited being a product, being an idol. At the same time, they set a price. They even pictured the future.
How much could they enchant the public?
For now, No. 58 had the advantage, and his score was high. If one had to be precise, their perspective was entirely different from that of the “Geubaekpeu” judges. That was because the entertainment company representatives judged reality with extreme practicality.
Around then.
-Swish.
No. 58 and No. 71, who had been roaming the stage, sat back down on the simple chairs, and the intensely spreading beat cut off abruptly. The original rap “Witch,” which had heated up the hall for several minutes, had ended. At the same time, thousands in the audience poured out applause and screams.
-Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap!
They threw out praise for the “Witch” they had just heard.
“It’s good!! It’s good!!!”
“Please release this as a track!! I want to keep listening to it!!”
“The rap is great too, but the lyrics stick so well that it’s even better!”
“Did No. 1 really write the lyrics?? They fit perfectly?!”
“Knowing No. 1 wrote the lyrics while listening makes it even more spine-chilling!!”
The judges, entertainment company representatives, and others were generally similar.
‘He didn’t write those carelessly, did he? Those rap lyrics are proper.’
‘......The quality is more than enough to put a professional lyricist to shame. No. 1 is a monster.’
The rap “Witch” itself was good enough to lodge sharply in the ears, but because the person in charge of the lyrics was No. 1, it received extra points. In any case, No. 58 and No. 71, who had definitely raised the heat of the first stage, said,
“Thank you!”
“Thank you—”
They bowed here and there. The audience’s screams grew even louder, and the faces of the two were being displayed large on the monitors distributed throughout the hall. The one who cut through the atmosphere that had persisted for several minutes was the host, Jang Daehan.
“That was a killer stage! The fact that this was an original rap makes it even more surprising.”
A brief interview followed. Of course, here Jang Daehan did not ask questions related to composing or lyric-writing. Soon, No. 58 and No. 71 greeted the audience once more and turned toward the back of the stage. The judges’ evaluations were scheduled to be given after they had also watched the stage of the second Team A.
“Whew—somehow, we got through it.”
“Yes. There were mistakes, but I’m satisfied.”
“Me too.”
No. 58 and No. 71 spoke as they walked behind the stage. At that moment, No. 58 saw the team that was up next. Team A of Group 2, waiting in the wings. Gang Rojun and No. 26, wearing white shirts and slightly loose jeans. Though he had come face-to-face with an enemy, No. 58, who met Rojun’s eyes, closed his mouth.
“......”
Gang Rojun was the same. Starting a conversation here felt somehow badly timed. Still, inwardly, Rojun applauded No. 58.
‘That was sick. What the hell, once he equips rap, he soars onstage.’
At that moment.
“For the fourth evaluation, it is now time for Team A of Group 2, who will face Team A of Group 1!”
Jang Daehan’s shout rang out from the stage.
“Team A of Group 2! No. 1 and No. 26!!”
Rojun, smiling faintly, said simply to No. 26,
“Let’s go.”
Soon, stronger than at any other time,
“Kyaaaaaaaa!!!!!”
“Kyaaaaak!!! No. 1!!!”
Screams that seemed about to tear his ears apart struck Gang Rojun’s ears.