Kang Rojun was currently sitting in a toilet stall. A place he always made use of, one that was practically a secret practice room to him. The restroom, already quiet to begin with, had grown even more silent now that the number of Geubaekpeu contestants had dropped to ten.
Naturally, he wasn’t there to take care of serious business.
He was simply—
-Swipe.
Using the toilet as a chair while looking at his phone. After finishing his Japanese and composition studies with No. 58, Sihu, Kang Rojun had come straight to this restroom. At the moment, he was checking the “AI Simulation” app.
More precisely, his current stats.
And among those stats, the important one was “Composition,” which had apparently been unlocked earlier.
-[Composition (10.3/100)]
Looking at the number, Rojun rubbed his chin.
“In the 10-point range, huh—higher than I expected?”
Compared to “Lyric Writing,” which had been in the 60-point range the moment it was unlocked, his “Composition” stat was only in the 10s. At first glance, it might have seemed extremely low, but Rojun’s reaction was the opposite—he found it surprisingly good.
‘It must’ve reflected the Geubaekpeu activities and the composition studying I’ve done so far, right? The lyric writing probably helped too. Anyway, it’s not bad.’
He was satisfied even with a score in the 10s. No, rather, he judged that the score had come out quite well.
‘If I get good at composing too, of course it’ll help, but it’s not urgent. There are still plenty of stats I need to invest in. For now, I’m satisfied just knowing I can raise my composition score.’
The difference between being able to enhance something and not being able to was huge. If he used coins—in other words, if he spent money—the speed of growth would become several times faster. At this rate, the title “Side Job Tycoon” would probably gain another addition soon. Screenwriter, actor, lyricist, and next, composer. As an idol, he would become an unprecedented all-round entertainer.
Then Rojun shifted his gaze to the “Arrangement” stat.
“Hmm—so arrangement will probably open once composition rises a bit?”
After making a rough guess, Rojun, since he already had “AI Simulation” open, invested 20 coins into stat enhancement. His target was choreography.
-[Appearance (100/100)│Singing Ability (31.1/100)│Rap (22.1/100)│Choreography (30.5/100)│Eloquence (13/100)│Acting (16/100)│Lyric Writing (88.9/100)│Composition (10.3/100)│Arrangement (0/100)]
The numbers had become quite nice to look at.
‘Well, they’re still far from 100.’
Soon, Kang Rojun came out of the stall and stood in front of the mirror. After admiring his insane visuals for a while, Rojun imagined the future. A picture where he ran wild in every direction as an idol while also devouring the market through side jobs as a writer, actor, and more. Before he knew it, a smile had filled his lips.
“I might arrive there faster than I thought.”
Afterward.
Time melted away. The contestants, including Kang Rojun, each handled their individual practice or training, while Producer Woo Hanseok and the main Geubaekpeu production staff once again entered a forced march of sleepless nights. Since they had surpassed 30% in ratings, it was now time to defend their position.
Therefore, Woo Hanseok staked his life on the editing.
“Mm—the cuts where the kids announce their names would be better if we used several angles at the same time.”
“Yes, Producer.”
“Change the sound effect. Use something that builds more tension.”
The footage they had shot recently was especially important. The announcement of the 24 contestants’ names, the announcement of those who passed the fourth evaluation, and so on. They were scheduled to become the core of Geubaekpeu’s episode 11, which would air tomorrow, Friday.
“For the part where the contestants’ names are revealed, how should we edit the order?”
“Hmm. Start with No. 58. No, go with Sihu. Put Rojun at the very end.”
Meanwhile, news about Geubaekpeu was endlessly exploding on the internet.
《Geubaekpeu Voting Ends, How Many Will Survive in Episode 11?》
《[Star Talk] Geubaekpeu Firmly Holds No. 1 on Netflex in Both Korea and Japan / Photos》
It was such a tremendous boom and issue that there was no way the media would leave it alone, but there were also plenty of hints that the Geubaekpeu side deliberately leaked.
《Edited Footage of Geubaekpeu’s Fourth Evaluation Easily Surpasses 1 Million Views on Japanese NewTube》
Around that time, starting with NewTube, the official trailer for Geubaekpeu episode 11 was uploaded.
-[Geubaekpeu] Episode 11 Official Trailer!!｜Produce the 100!
Views were sucked in at an absurd speed. The runtime was roughly 20 seconds. For some reason, those who watched the trailer went wild.
-Huh?? What is this? Are they announcing the kids’ names??!!!
Because it included about one second of a contestant murmuring, “My name is—” Woo Hanseok had inserted it on purpose. It was only one second, but the reaction was like a nuclear bomb had dropped.
-It looked like No. 46 was about to reveal his name in the middle!!
-Wow.... Crazy... Are they opening all the kids’ names in episode 11??!
-ㅠㅜㅠㅜㅠㅠㅠㅠFinally!! Can we call them by names instead of numbers now!! Ah... I’ve been waiting...
-No. 1.... Give me No. 1’s name... Please...
-But seriously lololol I’m curious about the other kids too... but I’m insanely curious about No. 1’s name
-What if after all this they only reveal the name of whoever wins some mission or something??
-↑Seeing how only No. 46 had a line, that might be it lololololololol
-If this is bait, there’s seriously gonna be a riot!!!
-Ah... I was barely holding back my fangirling because they were only called by numbers, but if their names get announced... I don’t think I can hold back
-No lololololol it’s just learning the kids’ names, why am I this nervous lololol
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This trailer was far too good a piece of fuel, and there was no way the media would leave it alone.
《[Issue Pick] “Names Finally Revealed?” Communities Stirred by Hint in Geubaekpeu Episode 11 Trailer》
At the same time, the Rental Lover side did not remain still either.
《Rental Lover Finishes Filming, When Will It Air?》
《Rental Lover, Written by “No. 1” and Supported by Choi Rina, Wraps Filming Amid Explosive Interest》
They had announced to the world that filming was over. Geubaekpeu’s influence was already enormous, but because Rental Lover was deeply connected to Kang Rojun, it quickly became a hot topic.
And so, after a day passed, on Friday morning the 25th.
Around the time Kang Rojun was in the middle of carrying out his daily mission, though it had not yet been revealed to the world, the work of changing the contestants’ numbers to names had been completed on-site.
For example, Geubaekpeu’s NewTube team.
-[Geubaekpeu] Rojun (No. 1) and Dokyeong’s (No. 26) “Small Fry” Rap Stage!! [Lyrics·Composition: Dokyeong]｜Produce the 100!
-Sihu (No. 58) X Jeongu (No. 71) / Witch [Composition: Sihu, Lyrics: Rojun]｜Produce the 100!