Handsome enough to knock someone flat in shock? The renowned singer Park Hyeonjeong narrowed her eyes and snorted.
“Take it down a notch, oppa. Honestly, you really have to give it to yourself for overreacting.”
“Overreacting? Let’s see whether I’m overreacting, or you’re the one who falls flat.”
Song Mingun was confident. The lyricist was that “Number 1.” No—he was Gang Rojun. Park Hyeonjeong, on the other hand, was certain that Song Mingun’s illness had flared up again. Overreacting was his trademark, after all. Besides, Park Hyeonjeong had been in the industry for over twenty years and had spent a long time as one of the top singers. In vulgar terms, how many stunningly handsome men hadn’t she seen?
It was obvious that it would take a lot to surpass her standards. Even more so if he was an ordinary person rather than a celebrity.
‘Well, he must be somewhat good-looking for a lyricist. Judging by how much oppa is overreacting.’
Apparently satisfied, Park Hyeonjeong brushed back her slightly permed hair and shrugged.
“Sure, sure, I get it—I’ll look forward to it. Anyway, I absolutely love both the composition and the lyrics this time.”
“Of course you do. Who made the song?”
“Play the guide track again.”
“Sure.”
The song rang out once more.
-♬♪
Park Hyeonjeong was listening, and the moment the melody ended, she entered the recording booth where the microphone stood. As she put on her headphones, Song Mingun’s voice came through from outside the booth.
“Let’s just do the first verse for now, so we can get a feel for the tone.”
“Okay. Got it.”
The song’s melody rang only through the headphones Park Hyeonjeong was wearing. Her emotions soaked in during the intro, she opened her mouth toward the microphone.
[The moment you turned around]
[The world I saw turned black and white]
A voice thick with emotion. Lyrics written by Rojun poured from the mouth of the renowned singer Park Hyeonjeong. After listening for a while, Song Mingun grew quite serious, stopped the song, and gave her direction.
“It’s good, but it needs to be a little duller. More empty.”
They resumed recording. After repeating the directing and recording for about an hour, Park Hyeonjeong left the booth, apparently taking a short break.
“Whew— I think I need to heat it up for a few more days. I can get the emotion right, but I can’t settle on the tone the way I want.”
“You did well. Why, aren’t you Park Hyeonjeong? Give it another day or two and you’ll catch it right away.”
“Yeah.”
“More importantly, we’ve got a title. ‘Black-and-White Sound.’”
“‘Black-and-White Sound’— I like it. Everything about this song feels like my style. Especially the lyrics. The sense of it is incredible.”
“That’s why I used his work even though he’s unknown.”
“……Huh? He’s unknown?”
Song Mingun gave a quiet laugh and nodded.
“How could I not use lyrics of that quality?”
“Wow—Song Mingun used an unknown lyricist’s work?? That’s incredible.”
Then Park Hyeonjeong recalled the lyrics to “Black-and-White Sound,” which would become her song, and added,
“I was sure he was a professional lyricist. It’s shocking that he’s unknown.”
Meanwhile.
After leaving the set of *Rental Lover*, Gang Rojun was in a van returning to campus. He was in the middle of checking the “AI Simulation” app, including the gift he had received when filming *Rental Lover* ended.
-[You have completed the hidden mission “Wrapping Up the First Shoot of a Part-Time Actor”! 15 coins have been awarded as a gift.]
After finishing his coin calculations, he spent twenty coins to enhance his stats. Then Rojun opened a search site. The buzz surrounding *Produce the 100* was still going strong. The snowball effect after the fourth evaluation’s audience recording had been tremendous, and it was even more intense because today was the broadcast of Episode 10, when the long-awaited clues would be confirmed.
《[Issue Pick] Countless “Clues” and Spoilers Can Be Confirmed on Today’s Episode 10 of *Produce the 100*》
With articles continuing to pour out, the flames that had spread into the open were causing an uproar on YouTube and elsewhere. But no matter what, Number 1 was the hottest topic. Keywords related to lyrics and rap were boiling over, while *Rental Lover* and the entertainment-industry connections were also being discussed quite a bit.
Just then.
- Brrrr, brrrrrr.
A long vibration rang from Rojun’s phone. Someone was calling. Gang Rojun casually pressed the phone to his ear. The caller was Producer Woo Hanseok.
“Yes, Producer.”
Producer Woo Hanseok’s voice came through the phone, heavy with weariness.
“Hey—Number 1. We’ve set a date for the guide recording for *Survival 100*. Song Mingun got back to me sooner than expected.”
“Yes. When is it?”
“This Sunday, two days from now. Is that okay? He said there was no problem even if we did it right away.”
“That works for me.”
“Okay, I’ll lock it in for Sunday. You’re on your way back to campus, right?”
“Yes, I’ll be there in about twenty minutes.”
“Good. Enjoy Episode 10 tonight.”
Gang Rojun arrived at the *Produce the 100* campus in the early afternoon. At Room 105, Number 58, whose hair was styled in a baby perm, gave Rojun some interesting news.
“They say all the contestants are gathering in the hall at nine to watch Episode 10. No, I mean, we’re going to watch it. While having chicken and beer.”
Chicken and beer? Rojun’s mouth watered at once.
“I like fried chicken.”
A few hours later.
It was 8:30 p.m. The twenty-four *Produce the 100* contestants, including Gang Rojun, gathered in the hall with the stage. They sat in the area where the audience had been seated during the fourth evaluation. The *Produce the 100* broadcast was scheduled to play on the enormous monitor installed on the stage.
A few staff members who had prepared the chicken-and-beer party called out to the contestants.
“Sit wherever you’re comfortable! There’s no filming, so eat without worrying about anything!!”
A chicken-and-beer party with no filming? The contestants’ faces immediately brightened. At the same time, they were nervous. In thirty minutes, their fourth evaluation would be revealed to the world. Thousands of audience members had already seen it, but being broadcast nationwide was an entirely different matter. It would lead directly to votes that determined their survival. They wanted to enjoy themselves, but they couldn’t.
Even so, the contestants—
“Woohoo—how long has it been since we had chicken and beer!”
“It’s everyone’s first time since entering campus, isn’t it?”
“I even dreamed about eating chicken!”
“Me too, me too.”
“Whew, praise the chicken god. The smell is insane.”
They tried their best to enjoy the moment. Soon, the staff set out chicken and beer along with makeshift tables. Rojun quickly scanned the chicken first.
‘The menu’s fried and seasoned chicken. No half-and-half. Where’s the fried?’
Before long, he took a seat where the fried chicken had been placed, and Number 58 and Number 37 sat down on either side of him. In addition—
“I’m a fried-chicken person too.”
Number 26 joined them, stating it flatly, followed by Number 71, who had a puppy-like face and had been in the same group as Number 58. The five of them clinked their canned beers before *Produce the 100* even began. Then they tore into the chicken like starving beasts.
Number 58 expressed his admiration sincerely.
“……This is insanely delicious.”
Number 26 agreed bluntly.
“Why is it melting in my mouth?”
All twenty-four contestants stuffed themselves without a care for their image. Around then—
“*Produce the 100* is starting!”
At the staff member’s shout, the enormous monitor by the stage flickered on. It seemed nine o’clock had arrived. The familiar *Produce the 100* title appeared on the monitor.
-‘Produce the 100!’
Episode 10 began.
A dozen or so staff members in the back rows watched the live viewer reactions on their laptops.
“Wow—the number of people in the open chat is the highest ever today!”
Whether they heard that or not, Gang Rojun and the contestants kept their eyes fixed on the monitor with chicken in their mouths. Episode 10’s opening scene began with Producer Woo Hanseok’s line, which had closed out the final cut of Episode 9.
-[“The fourth evaluation’s 2-versus-2 team battle mission is rap.”]
Next, the faces of the tense contestants appeared. The contestants themselves spat out their beer in shock.
“Ugh—what are we going to do about that stupid-looking face? Seriously.”
On the monitor, Producer Woo Hanseok continued.
-[“Now we’ll decide the teams for the 2-versus-2 team battle.”]
The teams were formed one after another. Groups 1 and 2, from A through F, were finalized.
-Number 1 and Number 26 are on a team?? They surprisingly suit each other
-I heard from the spoilers that all the kids were amazing at rap
-Info: Number 1 and Number 58 compete against each other
-Ah!!! I didn’t know!! Stop spoiling it!!
-This is seriously freaking annoying
Viewers went wild in the real-time open chat. Some seemed to already know what would happen, while others reacted as if they were seeing it for the first time. Around then, the teams that would compete against one another, including Rojun’s and Number 58’s, appeared on-screen. Brief interview cuts of the contestants played.
At that moment, the screen switched to the expressionless Number 26, who was on Gang Rojun’s team.
-[“Team A of Group 2 will be skipping rap training.”]
Producer Woo Hanseok’s face twisted in bewilderment.
-LMAO Number 26 caught the villain bug from Number 1, huh?
-No, that bastardㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ This is freaking hilarious
-Number 26…run!! Don’t become a villain too!!
Number 26 swallowed his beer and murmured blandly as he looked at Rojun.
“That was a good line. Right?”
“More or less.”
As Rojun shrugged, the giant monitor displayed the contestants gathered in the hall for a meeting. Then the scene abruptly cut to people gathered in a conference room, with Producer Woo Hanseok standing at the head of the table.
-[“Thank you for attending. Let’s first see which entertainment companies have arrived.”]
The entertainment-industry representatives they had met appeared on-screen. Since the contestants were seeing this for the first time as well, their focus sharpened.
Everyone was thrown into an uproar by Producer Woo Hanseok’s forceful declaration.
-[“The entertainment companies here aren’t in a position to choose. They have to be chosen—the choice will be made by the *Produce the 100* contestants.”]
The contestants’ eyes widened. Rojun and the viewers reacted similarly.
-Whaaaaaaaaaat, I thought the contestants would definitely be the ones getting chosen!!
-This is amazingㅋㅋㅋㅋ Why do the entertainment companies look like thatㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Then what does this mean? Will the winner choose which entertainment company to join later??
-But *Produce the 100* is insanely popular right now, so the companies will probably come running like crazy
The scene with the entertainment companies lasted for several minutes before suddenly showing articles about *Rental Lover*. They reported that the *Rental Lover* team would be attending the fourth evaluation. A few more articles mixed with hints appeared, followed by cuts of the twenty-four contestants practicing as if their lives depended on it. As the tension steadily rose, the viewers’ chat sped up insanely. Before long, the screen showed the main stage, including the extended stage used for the fourth evaluation.
The stage introduction lasted a few dozen seconds.
Before they knew it, the monitor showed the early morning of the day of the fourth evaluation. Hundreds of people had begun gathering from the very early hours.
-Whoa.... There are so many
-LMAO I was in thereㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-I went, but they cut me off at the entrance....ㅠㅜㅠ
Even the chaotic process of the audience entering was shown.
As intense sound effects played, the screen changed to show the audience seats, standing area, and thousands of seats packed full. The *Rental Lover* team, including Choi Rina and Jeong Suryeong, and the entertainment representatives were put in focus, before the scene ended with the twenty-four contestants gathered in the waiting room, starting with Gang Rojun.
At that moment, the entire hall went dark, and Jang Daehan’s voice rang out.
-[“‘Produce the 100!’ From this moment on, we will begin the fourth evaluation!”]
Thousands of audience members erupted. Then came the introduction of the first contestants in the fourth evaluation: Number 58 and Number 71 of Group 1, Team A.
-[“Group 1, Team A’s evaluation rap will be an original rap! The title is ‘The Witch’!!”]
Soon, the information for the rap “The Witch” filled the screen.
[Title: The Witch (Original Rap)]
[Composer: Number 58 / Lyricist: Number 1]
It was the moment the existence of “Lyricist Number 1” was revealed to the entire country.
-Wow.... So it was real???
-He even writes lyrics?
-I’m seriously starting to think there’s nothing Number 1 can’t doㅇㅇ How was he born like that?
-The fact that he’s a writer still has some mileage left!!!
-But Number 1 writing Number 58’s lyrics is so damn coolㅋㅋㅋㅋ It’s like he can afford to do that much for an enemy without any problem
Hundreds of thousands of viewers went berserk.
At the same time, in the JTVM Entertainment Division—
Though it was nighttime, the entertainment division was brightly lit, and familiar faces could be found in one of the meeting rooms. Writers, including Producer Woo Hanseok, whose dark circles were particularly deep, and writer Kim Sehui, were watching Episode 10 of *Produce the 100* on the TV mounted to the wall, all of them half out of their minds.
“……”
“……”
Other than the sound of the TV, the room was silent. Producer Woo Hanseok and the writers had stayed up for days and nights to create Episode 10. At that moment, writer Kim Sehui yawned and spoke while keeping her eyes on the TV.
“The ratings… Do you think we can reach thirty percent?”
The other writers answered.
“It’ll be tough, but we’ve done everything we can.”
“Exactly. Now we just have to leave it to fate. Ugh, what a cliché. My brain isn’t working.”
“Being alive right now is a miracle.”
“Let’s pour that miracle into the ratings instead of ourselves.”
“Agreed.”
They were all half-dead, and Producer Woo Hanseok, who was in the same state, let out a long sigh before joining in.
“You know, I was thinking. Should we turn the whole game upside down?”
The writers looked puzzled and raised question marks.
“What do you mean, turn the game upside down?”
“I mean, let’s introduce a change. The big thing we decided on in the early planning stages of *Produce the 100*.”
“……What is it??”
At that moment, the faces of the twenty-four contestants just before the fourth evaluation appeared on the TV, three or four at a time. Number 1 was included, of course. Watching them, Producer Woo Hanseok answered.
“I was wondering if we should reveal the kids’ names now.”