Park Hyeonjeong, one of the country’s most renowned singers, was the curious type. She had already been watching “Geubaekpeu,” but after getting even a brief firsthand experience of Kang Rojun recently, her interest had deepened further. So naturally, while traveling between schedules, she was watching the live broadcast of the “Rental Lover” production presentation inside her van.
As she amused herself by reading the live chat and admiring Rojun’s visuals on the screen—
‘His face is already devastating, so what’s he trying to do, dressing up this much? Is he trying to bewitch the entire nation??’
An utterly absurd bombshell reached her ears. It had come from Kang Rojun on the screen.
-[“I’m Rojun, playing the role of ‘Lover No. 4.’”]
Park Hyeonjeong’s face changed as if to say, What did I just hear?
“Huh??”
Blinking, she wondered if she had misheard and looked at the chat window. She had heard correctly. Park Hyeonjeong’s mouth fell open at once, and she covered it with one hand.
“He, he even acted??”
Park Hyeonjeong wasn’t the only one startled out of her wits. Hitmaker Song Mingeun, who had taken a brief break in the recording studio to watch the “Rental Lover” production presentation, was the same.
“…Huh?? He took on a role?!”
So were the “Geubaekpeu” contestants at the campus near Paju. No, they seemed several times more frenzied. Some wore expressions of disbelief, some were stunned, some jumped up and down shouting, and so on. It was a natural reaction. Just as shocked as the contestants were the “Geubaekpeu” production staff.
Except for PD Woo Hanseok, who had already known.
‘Not bad directing. Every single reporter’s soul left their body. Well, I’d be knocked flat too if it were me.’
The rest of the writers were beside themselves.
“Wh-what is this?? Rojun-nim took the role of ‘Lover No. 4’?”
“…Exactly. They said it was a surprise, so is he going to go, It was a j-joke! and change his story??”
“I don’t think so. It really… looks like Rojun-nim took a role. Wow—wait, I’ve got goosebumps.”
“Then Rojun-nim was both the writer and an actor?? Does th-that even make sense?!”
They were writers who had endured quite a long time in the entertainment industry. Not as much as PD Woo Hanseok, but they knew enough. To them, what they had just heard surpassed common sense.
“A-acting isn’t something you can just whip up after reading a script for a few days… When on earth did he prepare??”
“No, sure, Rojun-nim had a bit more free time compared to the other contestants, but still—he wasn’t at a level where he could suddenly pull off acting??!”
In the end, all the writers’ gazes stuck to PD Woo Hanseok. In their massively widened eyes was the implied meaning of, You knew, didn’t you? Woo Hanseok chuckled and shrugged.
“Well. I haven’t seen Rojun-nim act either. I heard he took the role of ‘Lover No. 4,’ though.”
As soon as they heard his answer, the writers pounced on PD Woo Hanseok. The hall where the production presentation was taking place was no different in its state of utter shock. Only, this place was filled with a heavy silence.
“……”
“……”
It was as quiet as the grave. Unnaturally so. Around a hundred reporters were all speechless, each wearing a different expression. The one thing they had in common was that they were all still staring holes into Kang Rojun, who remained standing.
This atmosphere continued for at least several dozen seconds.
The reporters, whose broken brains finally managed to start working again, broke the silence.
“W-writer Rojun just said he’s playing ‘Lover No. 4,’ right??”
“That’s what I heard too.”
“He’s saying he’s both the writer and an actor in ‘Rental Lover,’ right?”
“Yeah, that’s what it means.”
They had clearly heard it, but their faces said they couldn’t understand it. Meanwhile, PD Jeong Suryeong was feeling an indescribable thrill.
‘That noisy hall went silent in an instant. As expected, this kind of atmosphere is delicious. It went exactly as I thought. Heh heh, this must have been engraved deep in their minds.’
Because the design she had pictured from the beginning had become reality.
Soon, PD Jeong Suryeong turned her gaze to Kang Rojun, who was standing.
‘What about you??’
To Rojun, rather than pleasure or exhilaration, it felt like a mysterious sight.
‘It really turned out like this. Every reporter’s soul has left their body.’
Here, he recalled PD Jeong Suryeong’s hint. She had told him to put on a faint smiling gaze when he dropped the bomb. Kang Rojun awkwardly equipped a smile. As if that had become the trigger, a reporter in the front row managed to open his mouth.
“Um—Writer Rojun? When you say you took the role of ‘Lover No. 4’…”
Kang Rojun answered immediately without even hearing the full question.
“Yes, I acted as ‘Lover No. 4.’”
“!!!”
Only now did something strike the heads of all one hundred reporters.
‘…Has there ever been a case where a writer appeared in the work he wrote in a proper role? No, there hasn’t!! On top of that, that guy’s supposed to be heading toward being an idol, isn’t he?’
‘What, then? He participated as an actor in the work he wrote himself??! This is huge!!!’
‘The hottest guy lately! Not just a writer, but an actor too!! This is a scoop! A pretty big one!!’
They were certain it would become a delicious issue. The carefully planned buildup was enough to make their tongues wag. “Writer Rojun,” whose name had only recently been revealed on “Geubaekpeu”; his first external activity, the production presentation; and here, his first-ever declaration that he had also acted.
‘Insane!! PD Jeong Suryeong, you were hiding an event like this??!’
Not only the gathered reporters, but also the viewers watching the live broadcast, where an enormous number of people had assembled, felt their hearts drop.
In truth, the chat window was already—
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋwtf
-?_? Uh...? Rojun, what are you saying right now??
-What do you mean what, honestly with that insane visual it’d be weirder if he didn’t actㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-No, when the hell did he practice acting too??? Is that even possible?
-When you think about it, he really is nutsㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋFirst time I’ve seen someone act in the drama they wrote himself
-Amazing!!! I was so shocked I almost threw up!!!
It was saturated. From the moment Kang Rojun declared that he had taken the role of “Lover No. 4.”
-Just from the reporters’ dumb faces, you can tell Jeong Suryeong set the board up properlyㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Honestly I was kinda surprised, but aside from the fun of looking at his face, I don’t expect much from his acting
-Seriously.... his face and his abilities are god-tier.... acting aside, Rojun never does anything in an ordinary way
-Then Rojun debuted as a writer or actor before becoming an idol???!
-It’s guaranteed he sucks ass at actingㅋㅋㅋㅋIt’s obvious the PD forced him in for the attention, right??
-↑This is true thoughㅋㅋㅋㅋHe probably didn’t even have time to practice acting, and since it’s a one-act, they probably just shot it roughly
-I’m watching it!! I’m definitely watching Rental Lover!!!!
By this point, the quiet hall had flipped 180 degrees, and a mad barrage of flashes poured down. The shutter sounds rang out without pause. The target, of course, was Kang Rojun. At the same time, the reporters, half out of their minds, poured out questions.
“Rojun-ssi!! Since when did you decide to be both a writer and an actor!!”
“Which came first, the writer or the actor?!!”
“How did you film ‘Rental Lover’ while shooting ‘Geubaekpeu’??!!”
“Have you acted before?!”
“Are you perhaps thinking of switching to acting instead of being an idol???!!”
“Was appearing in the work you wrote your own idea!!”
Amid the endless screaming, one reporter focused on PD Jeong Suryeong.
“PD-nim!! How was Writer Rojun’s acting?! Since it seems rather sudden, there are bound to be concerns!!”
PD Jeong Suryeong shrugged, glanced at Rojun, then opened her mouth.
“It was killer. Writer-nim’s acting.”
After that.
The “Rental Lover” production presentation instantly turned into chaos. The reporters, now ferocious, showed no sign of calming down. In the end, it became a situation where they had to give up on a normal production presentation. Under ordinary circumstances, it would have been fair to call it an accident, but PD Jeong Suryeong’s face was filled with deep satisfaction.
‘It needs to be overturned to this degree for the scent to spread nationwide.’
Many things about “Rental Lover” were far from ordinary. Despite being a one-act, its hooking power was tremendous, and even its production presentation came to a frantic end as if an earthquake had struck.
But it had certainly drawn a proper line.
It was only an hour later that the frenzied reporters left the hall, and the “Rental Lover” team, including Kang Rojun, had to take a group shot on the stage without reporters present. Rojun’s production presentation schedule ended there, and the various actors raised their thumbs at Kang Rojun.
Because it was the first time they had seen a production presentation become this much of a hot topic.
Choi Rina added a comment as well.
“After today, it’s going to be suuuuper noisy—but I’m looking forward to the first broadcast, you know?? Whether they’re cursing or just curious, everyone’s going to watch ‘Rental Lover’ first, right?”
At the same time, a short vibration arrived for Kang Rojun.
-Bzzzz.
-[You have completed the hidden mission, ‘Get through a production presentation as an actor, your side job!’ You have been awarded 10 coins as a gift.]
Receiving coins as well only deepened Kang Rojun’s electrifying mood.
At that hour, various entertainment agencies and others who had watched the live broadcast until now were also reacting. The entertainment industry was instantly thrown into commotion, and within several dozen minutes, the incident struck offline—
“Whoa!! Rojun’s even acting!”
“Out of nowhere??”
“They say he declared at the ‘Rental Lover’ production presentation that he acted too?!”
“Wasn’t he a writer?”
“That’s what I’m saying! Ha—I should’ve watched the production presentation live!!”
—and online.
《[StarTalk] ‘Writer Rojun’ entering the ‘Rental Lover’ production presentation, visuals are incredible / Photos》
《During production presentation interview, Writer Rojun’s bombshell declaration: “I acted as well”》
The reporters who had attended the production presentation were determinedly pounding out articles.
《Writing and acting? ‘Rental Lover’ writer ‘Rojun’ declares his actor debut at production presentation!》
《‘Geubaekpeu’ is still ongoing, but ‘Rojun’ has already debuted as a writer and actor… What can’t he do?》
Reading the articles, one could see their efforts to convey as much of the shock they had felt on-site as possible. Naturally, there were also many negative articles.
Because the entertainment industry was a place that somehow created controversy even where none existed in order to tear people down.
《‘Rojun’ challenging acting in ‘Rental Lover,’ can he shed prejudice against idol ‘wooden acting’? Controversy ignites》
《[IssueTalk] Acting in a work he wrote himself? ‘Geubaekpeu’ Rojun may be hot, but greed makes you slip》
《Netizens on ‘Rojun’s’ actor debut declaration: “Let’s just look at his face and give up on acting ability”》
Whatever the case, positive and negative reactions alike were sweeping various search sites. On top of that, the tens of thousands of viewers who had watched the live broadcast were also carrying the issue to social media and communities.
Various online communities, in particular, were blazing.
As if sensing massive bait, Neotube also had numerous Neotubers spraying out videos related to “Rental Lover.”
-Edited video of the Rental Lover production presentation!! Rojun-focused!｜IssueTruckTV
-Our Rojun’s explosive visuals at the Rental Lover production presentation (seriously insane)｜Kongkong’s Daily Life
The ferocious typhoon swept over many people, and “Geubaekpeu,” Kang Rojun, and “Rental Lover” were engraved intensely into the public’s mind. That atmosphere swelled past Tuesday lunchtime and late into the afternoon. Around then, Choi Rina, during her next schedule, a pictorial shoot, checked the overturned internet and thought of Kang Rojun.
‘…The abusive articles running their mouths however they want are starting to spread. Well, once they see Rojun-nim’s acting, that controversy will die down instantly. By the way—Rojun-nim’s visuals today seriously almost stopped my breathing.’
PD Jeong Suryeong returned to the broadcasting station. More precisely, to the editing room. She had been moving busily since morning, so one might think she would rest, but as she entered the editing room, she put on a hairband as if it were familiar.
“All right, then.”
She stretched long.
“Shall we really roll this up properly?”
It was the moment “Rental Lover” entered full-scale editing.
Meanwhile.
Inside the van driven by a staff member, Kang Rojun had nearly arrived at the campus near Paju.
‘Whoa—this is crazy.’
Seeing his name filling the internet, he was letting out an exclamation mixed with thrill. It was chaos itself. PD Jeong Suryeong had told him it would be fairly amazing, but it was exploding several times more than that. It was a little scary too.
‘There are quite a lot of articles and comments bashing me. Well, these people would curse me no matter what I did.’
Then Kang Rojun arrived at the campus. At the large entrance, PD Woo Hanseok, with dark circles under his eyes, was waiting after being contacted in advance. There were also a few writers, including Kim Sehui, and they looked ready to burst with questions at any moment. Whether they did or not, PD Woo Hanseok, who had been waving, gave a crooked smile the moment Rojun came up.
“You really showed off your presence, didn’t you? Looks like things will be noisy for a while again. Was it manageable?”
“I was nervous at first, but I think I enjoyed it in my own way.”
“Hahaha, watching the live broadcast, it seemed that way. You even flashed some murderous smiling eyes here and there.”
PD Woo Hanseok put an arm around Kang Rojun’s shoulders and whispered.
“You’ll be at the center of ‘Rental Lover’ too, but don’t forget that you’re also the center of ‘Geubaekpeu.’”
What came next was the key point. PD Woo Hanseok informed him of what had been confirmed just moments earlier.
“Because Rojun-nim is the main vocal and visual center for ‘Survival 100.’”