When the first verse of the acoustic version of ‘Survival 100’ ended, Kang Rojun, who had taken his hand off the guitar, unknowingly let out a faint smile.

‘This is fun.’

Even the instrument brought joy to Rojun. To be frank, there was nothing these days that wasn’t fun. From composition to lyric writing, acting, and playing instruments, it was probably because these were all first experiences.

But Kang Rojun was good at unfamiliar things.

At a level above average.

When the brief performance by Rojun and 58Si-hoo ended, PD Woo Han-suk and the writers made a fuss. They didn’t hold back their impressions and praise.

-Clap clap clap clap clap!

They even applauded.

At the end, PD Woo Han-suk spoke as if it was finalized.

“Wow- my ears are melting, literally melting. The acoustic version of ‘Survival 100’ is now the ending performance!”

The writers jumped with joy, saying it was the right decision. Ending performance? While handing over the guitar he had used to PD Woo Han-suk, Kang Rojun recalled the small-scale concerts to be held in Korea and Japan.

‘Standing on stage with a guitar, makes me a bit nervous but also excited.’

He wondered how many people would react. Somewhere, he felt like he could already hear earsplitting cheers or screams. Soon after, Kang Rojun and 58Si-hoo left the production team’s meeting room and walked side by side toward the dorms.

It was 58Si-hoo, glancing sideways at Rojun, who opened his mouth first.

“...You’re really good at guitar.”

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Kang Rojun shrugged his shoulders and answered casually.

“It’s been a while since I played, so I guess I’m lucky it went well?”

“Was it really a while? For something like that... anyway, Rojun, there really isn’t anything you can’t do.”

“You’re good too, hyung. You actually led this guitar performance.”

“That’s because it was my song.”

58Si-hoo, who had lowered his gaze to the guitar in one hand, locked eyes with Rojun again.

“You played it right after hearing it once, didn’t you?”

“I played it while looking at the sheet music.”

“Still, I thought it was amazing, your musical talent and other things... you seriously feel like a person sculpted by God to be a real star.”

“......”

When Kang Rojun didn’t respond, 58Si-hoo brushed his baby perm and continued speaking.

"When I look at you, I feel like something is being ignited."

"Ignited?"

“Yeah... I don’t really know how to explain it. But it lights a fire. Rojun, you’re just too ridiculously good? Of course, there’s jealousy, but that emotion also motivates me to keep running.”

Rojun didn’t dislike the honest impressions 58Si-hoo was sharing.

‘Way better than someone trash-talking behind my back, saying it upfront like this is a hundred times better. This hyung seems quiet, but he throws straightforward punches, huh.’

Scratching his head, 58Si-hoo lowered his voice in embarrassment.

“So, just keep sprinting at full speed in front of me.”

Kang Rojun immediately muttered as if to say don't worry.

“I’m doing that.”

Then suddenly, Rojun broke into a run. Behind him came 58Si-hoo’s shouting voice.

“No!! Are you crazy!! I didn’t mean actually run!”

The two of them only joined the ‘Survival 100’ group practice when it was late in the morning. The place was a spacious practice room. Of course, Lee Han-na was leading at the front.

“Hey! The tempo’s all over the place!! Again!”

Except for those two, the other 8 participants were already drenched in sweat, and Kang Rojun and 58Si-hoo began sweating profusely within just a few dozen minutes. That meant practice was being carried out that intensely. Currently, in ‘Survival 100', both vocal and dance parts were divided per member.

-♬♪

According to the song spreading in the practice room, all participants performed the same dance, but some took the lead in timing, and the group split in half at times. The formations and training methods were no different from those of idols. Then came the climax led by lead vocalist 58Si-hoo and main vocalist Kang Rojun.

A brief instrumental break. Then into the second verse formation.

However, during practice, they rarely got to the second verse.

“Again!! From the top of the first verse!!”

Because Lee Han-na was pushing them hard with training. Thanks to that, participants were practically glued to practice except for meal times, and what started in the morning only wrapped up when night fell.

Everyone collapsed onto the practice room floor, completely exhausted.

The participants' eyes went dark at the thought of having to do this again tomorrow.

-Swish.

After taking a short break, Kang Rojun suddenly stood up, but his schedule wasn’t over yet. As he casually brushed his sweat-drenched black hair, Rojun left the practice room. Some of the participants glanced over with puzzled expressions.

“Where’s Rojun hyung going?”

“Maybe to the bathroom.”

The answer came curtly from 26Do-kyung, who was panting.

“The lounge. That hyung always does something before or after practice. He’s got writing and lyric work too. Seems like he barely gets a break.”

“......”

“......”

Even though the hellish practice had just ended, Kang Rojun went off to work again. Maybe that’s why the other participants got up like zombies, feeling they ought to do something too.

“I should get in a bit more personal practice...”

Whether they did or not, Kang Rojun entered the lounge after gathering his laptop and other things. His clothes were drenched in sweat, but he muttered, “I’ll just bear with it", and checked his phone. While he had been practicing, a message had come in from PD Jung Soo-ryeong.

She had sent the OST song she requested for ‘Rental Lover’.

Rojun checked the song file and muttered inwardly.

‘The title is- 'Lovers'?’

Putting in his earphones, he played the downloaded OST song. From the start, it had a bouncy melody that made his shoulders sway. It expressed the strange situation and inner psychology of the female lead in ‘Rental Lover’ very well. As he listened, Kang Rojun’s fingertips twitched for a moment.

His instincts as a lyricist were awakening.

“......”

After listening through the song once completely, Rojun tapped play again. In the end, he repeated the song about three times.

-Swish.

His fingers, placed on the laptop, began moving quickly. It was the start of full-fledged lyric writing. His speed was fast. He was always quick, but this time it was several times faster than usual.

There was a reason for that.

Kang Rojun was the writer of ‘Rental Lover', and he understood the characters better than anyone. Same with the world of the story. After all, he was the one who created it all.

Maybe that’s why.

-Tatata!

Without realizing how much time had passed, Kang Rojun got completely absorbed in typing on his laptop. So much so that even if someone poked him, he wouldn’t have noticed. In fact, a few participants made noise nearby, but Rojun paid no attention. He was in a trance, and when he finally checked the time because he needed to pee.

“Whoa, it’s already 2?”

It was past midnight and approaching 2 AM. He was way past bedtime, but as he scratched his chin, Kang Rojun made a different decision.

"Let's do just one more hour."

He didn’t want to interrupt the fun.

Later.

Having gone to bed after 3 a.m., Kang Rojun opened his eyes around 8 in the morning. Fatigue clung to him heavily, but Rojun didn’t feel bad.

‘Does this mean I like being tired? Am I a bit of a pervert?’

Brushing off the fatigue like it was nothing, Kang Rojun started moving earlier than the other participants. After completing his Daily Mission, he panted heavily and opened the ‘AI Simulation’ app. As expected, new title had been added, and the daily coin acquisition had increased to 14.

-[Title: Side Job Tycoon +3 / Recognition Monster +3 / Global Genius +2 / Instrument Master +1]

-[User: Kang Rojun / Age: 24 / Height: 182.8 / Desired Occupation: Idol / Coins Owned: 636]

-[Side Jobs: [1] Screenwriter, [2] Actor, [3] Lyricist]

-[Global Languages: [1] Japanese, [2] English]

-[Instruments: [1] Acoustic Guitar]

Next was stat enhancement. Rojun, who had planned to invest 20 coins, was a bit surprised when he looked at his stats. Two things stood out.

-[Appearance (100/100) │ Singing Ability (34.5/100) │ Rap (33.6/100) │ Dance (34/100) │ Eloquence (16/100) │ Acting (19.1/100) │ Lyrics Writing (100/100) │ Composition (18.9/100) │ Arrangement (0/100)]

First, his composition stat had jumped more than 8 points at once. He hadn’t touched it, so the increase was pretty significant for a natural rise.

‘Is it because of guitar learning??’

Next was lyric writing. Before he knew it, he had reached 100 points in lyric writing. Appearance was his default value, and the second stat to hit 100 was lyric writing. Rojun smiled more deeply. As if congratulating him.

-Vrrrmm.

The ‘AI Simulation’ handed him a reward.

-[You’ve completed the Hidden Mission ‘Second Stat Reaching 100 Points!’ You’ve been awarded 20 coins as a gift.]

Because of this, the fatigue completely vanished from Kang Rojun, and he headed straight to the practice room. Today’s practice, like the day before, was carried out with intense rigor. The fierce atmosphere and panting breaths filled the space. Then, by late afternoon, when practice was nearing its end, 58Si-hoo approached Kang Rojun.

“Rojun, I’ve divided the parts for the acoustic version.”

Apparently, 58Si-hoo’s battle spirit had also risen, he showed the acoustic version with the parts already divided. He had completed it overnight in terms of time. That night.

-♬♪

The sound of guitar echoed in the practice room until late into the night.

Meanwhile.

PD Woo Han-suk, who had stayed up all night editing episode 12 of ‘Produce That 100!’, headed to a concert venue in Yeouido with a few team members as soon as Thursday morning arrived.

“Hm-”

A medium-sized concert hall with two levels, ground floor and second floor. A protruding ㅜ-shaped stage, an ultra-large screen, and the venue could accommodate more than 3,000 people including both seating and standing space. This concert hall was the site for the domestic small-scale concert for ‘Produce That 100!’, and construction was already in full swing under PD Woo Han-suk’s direction.

‘The scale and atmosphere are just perfect.’

PD Woo Han-suk inspected the venue for about an hour before suddenly moving to Gimpo Airport. There were about 10 people in his group. His destination was.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“Ahh- it’s been so long since I’ve been to Japan!”

Japan. The reason was simple.

“We’re going there for work, not for fun.”

“But still, it’s been a while since going overseas! Can’t we at least feel a little excited!”

They were to join the Netflix Japan team and inspect the location where the small concert in Japan would be held. The schedule was one night and two days. The concert day was fast approaching.

At the same time.

《Episode 12 of ‘Produce That 100!’ airing tomorrow Friday, can it recover its plummeting viewership?》

As news of ‘Produce That 100!’ flooded the internet, the ‘Rental Lover’ side dropped a new update.

《Writer and actor Rojun's 'Rental Lover' first broadcast date confirmed...November 6th Friday!》

The airdate for ‘Rental Lover’ was officially revealed.

《You can watch ‘Rental Lover’, a collaboration by Rojun, Choi Rina, and PD Jung Soo-ryeong, on November 6》

From the production presentation to Kang Rojun himself, ‘Rental Lover’ had already been a hot issue, so the news that the show would air in less than a month sent the media and public into a frenzy.

Articles spread like wildfire.

But that wasn’t the end. By late afternoon, ‘Rental Lover’ dropped another bomb.

-[Hello! ‘Rental Lover’ will soon be released to all of you. In addition, there’s more good news! ‘Rental Lover’ has been confirmed to launch on Netflix Japan as well……]

On the recently created ‘Rental Lover’ SNS channel, the drama’s expansion into Japan was announced. It was the first time for a one-act drama, and since Kang Rojun was involved both as writer and actor, the buzz grew explosively.

-Wow! Rental Lover advancing to Japan!!

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋRojun is advancing into Japan as an idol and writer before his official debut

-Look at Netflix Japan acting fast ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋsince ‘Produce That 100!’ got a good response over there, they’re launching right away

-I’ve seen minis often, but it’s the first time a one-act drama went over to Japanese Netflix, right??

-I heard Rojun writes lyrics too?? Now even a writer? ㅋㅋㅋㅋif he debuts properly, he’s gonna rake in money like using a rake

-A drama written by Rojun… how could I not watch it… I’m definitely watching

While ‘Rental Lover’ was catching massive attention, PD Jung Soo-ryeong, who was leading the promotion, was holed up in the editing room. Like PD Woo Han-suk, her dark circles were down to her chin. The staff working on the edits with her were in a similar state.

“Play that sound effect again.”

“Yes.”

“Hm- not quite right, let’s use a different one. This one’s too bland.”

“Which one should we use?”

“The first one you played.”

Right about then.

-Vrrrrm, Vrrrrrm.

Her phone gave off a strong vibration. A call was coming in. With her eyes still on the monitor, PD Jung Soo-ryeong checked the caller. It was Kang Rojun. She immediately stopped editing, gave a small smile, and brought the phone to her ear.

“Oh- Writer-nim.”

“PD-nim, is now a good time to talk??”

“It’s fine.”

“I finished the lyrics for the OST ‘Lovers’ and just sent it over.”

“...Al-Already??”

“Yes. And.”

Rojun on the other end of the phone answered definitively.

“If you’re happy with the lyrics, I can proceed with the vocal recording for ‘Lovers’ right away.”

It had only been four days since the proposal was made.