Suddenly, I Became Crazy Handsome, and the World Became Easy
Chapter 79: Name (3)

With countless cameras, lighting equipment, and the production crew of 'Produce That 100!', as well as the 24 participants gathered in the hall, the name of the first successful candidate rang out.

"The first successful candidate, 'Rojun' nim, you have passed."

It was Kang Rojun. Instantly, all the participants’ gazes were fixed on him, and so were most of the cameras. But for some reason.

"......."

Rojun, the protagonist, had no reaction on his expressionless face. Thanks to that, a few seconds of silence followed. Feeling something strange, PD Woo Han-suk called out to Kang Rojun again.

"Rojun-nim?"

"...Yes?"

"Did you hear that you passed?"

"Ah."

'Right, I'm Rojun, aren’t I?'

Because he had been called only by No. 1 for so long, the name ‘Rojun’ suddenly felt distant. There was something a little awkward about it too.

‘It feels weird to be called by my name all of a sudden, I got too used to being No. 1. Anyway, passing is sweet.’

Kang Rojun scratched his black hair and gave a faint smile to the camera.

"Thank you."

"You look like you expected it?"

To PD Woo Han-suk’s question, was this the time to give off villain vibes? Rojun instinctively responded, still smiling faintly.

"Somewhat."

‘You all thought it was me too, right?’ was the underlying meaning. PD Woo Han-suk shook his head with a smile on his face.

"Right, Rojun-nim, please move to the successful candidate zone."

Kang Rojun made brief eye contact with the successful candidates who were watching him and turned around. A space set up like theater seats came into view. Cameras were already installed in the area, and Rojun headed toward it. He sat down in the first row, first seat.

-Swish.

Once he sat, the view felt strange.

‘It’s a bit high. Unavoidably, I have to look down at the other participants.’

Of course, it was a direction deliberately intended by the production team. To make the successful candidates feel like kings. The remaining participants looked up at the king with eyes full of envy. Rojun felt slightly embarrassed, but he did not avoid their gaze.

Since this was being filmed, showing weakness was not an option.

Then,

"I’ll continue with the announcements."

PD Woo Han-suk held up his cue cards again.

"For reference, you can think of the announcement order as the voting popularity ranking. Then, the second successful candidate. Received many votes and also high scores from the production team and judges."

He made eye contact with a participant with a expressionless face.

"Do-kyung nim, who was No. 26. You have passed."

No. 26, who had performed the ‘Small Fry’ performance with Rojun. No, he should now be called Do-kyung. Do-kyung was the second to make it as a successful candidate. He, too, was apparently nervous despite his blank face.

"Phew-"

He quietly exhaled and bowed slightly.

"I will work hard. Thank you."

In a expressionless tone, Do-kyung gave his greeting and moved to the successful candidate zone. A short exchange between him and Kang Rojun. Do-kyung initiated.

"I didn't know I'd be second place."

"The reaction to 'Small Fry' was good."

"Yeah, but- anyway, your name’s Rojun?"

"Yeah, and you’re Do-kyung."

Using their names didn’t quite roll off Kang Rojun’s tongue.

‘Numbers were easier to remember. Until I get used to it, I’ll think of names with numbers in front. This guy is 26Do-kyung.'

The arbitrarily renamed 26Do-kyung asked Rojun a question.

"By the way, how old are you?"

For reference, from the moment names were revealed, PD Woo Han-suk had allowed disclosing each other's age. Rojun answered casually.

"Twenty-four."

"Oh-"

"I’m your hyung."

"Yes, hyung nim."

"What is that? Just keep it simple, just use hyung. How old are you?"

"Okay, then I'll call you hyung. I'm 20 years old."

"I figured as much."

Just as 26Do-kyung’s age was confirmed, the next successful candidate’s name came from pD Woo Han-suk’s mouth.

"No. 46, ‘Kang Min’-nim, has passed."

The third successful candidate was Kang Min, exotically handsome and ranked second in dance evaluation by choreographer Lee Han-na after Rojun. After finishing his greeting, he came up to the successful candidate zone. Rojun renamed him again.

‘This one is 46Kang Min.’

Watching him talk to 26Do-kyung, 46Kang Min gave off a laid-back vibe.

"No. 1 no, Rojun-nim. You said you’re 24? I’m 21."

"Be comfortable."

"Okay, hyung. I will."

Here, a momentary anxiety brushed over Kang Rojun, wondering if he might be the oldest among them.

'Still, there are idols in their mid-twenties too.'

Indeed, being 24 is considered quite old for a trainee. In the idol world, there are even elementary school trainees. But the industry wasn’t made up of only the young. There was quite a range of age groups. Moreover, Kang Rojun was a special case. He didn’t need a trainee period, and above all, his face canceled everything out.

Regardless, with the third successful candidate already announced.

‘Ugh- so nervous. There are only seven successful candidates left now, right? What if I didn’t make it???’

Baby-permed No. 58. No, Si-hoo was at peak anxiety. This time, for some reason, he really felt like he might not make it. He had gone up against Kang Rojun in the fourth evaluation, and because Rojun’s presence was so overwhelming, he thought he might have been overshadowed.

In fact, the puppy-faced No. 71 who had been in the same team as Si-hoo still hadn’t been called.

‘I was sure I had let it go... ha- damn, I really want to make it.’

At that moment.

“No. 58, ‘Si-hoo’-nim, has passed.”

Si-hoo was called as the fourth. His eyes opened wide in shock, and he overreacted.

“M-Me??!!”

“Yes. Si-hoo-nim, you passed.”

“Ah- ah!! Th-Thank you!!! Wow! Really, thank you so much!!”

Whether he was genuinely thrilled or not, he bowed repeatedly in all directions before dashing to the successful candidate zone. Of course, Kang Rojun immediately gave him a new name.

‘58Si-hoo.’

He was the first to offer congratulations.

“Welcome.”

Flushed, 58Si-hoo couldn't stop smiling.

‘He’s the easy-to-read type.’

The announcement of the successful candidates continued, and ultimately.

“This concludes the 10 successful candidates.”

The successful candidates' zone was filled with a total of 10 people. Simply listing by numbers: 1, 15, 26, 33, 46, 49, 58, 71, 84, 97. And the remaining 14 who did not make the cut stayed in their original seats. The expressions on the eliminated contestants were anything but calm. Some were frozen, others teary-eyed, covering their faces with their hands, or seemingly resigned.

PD Woo Han-suk lowered his cue cards and spoke softly.

“Eliminated participants, please leave ‘Produce That 100!’”

Once the broadcast portion was over, he bowed deeply toward the 14.

“I sincerely thank you. You’ve worked very hard.”

In the end, a few shed tears. Among them was No. 37, who had been room 105. The 10 successful candidates avoided eye contact with the eliminated ones out of guilt or discomfort, but Kang Rojun didn’t.

“......”

He clearly looked at the eliminated participants, including No. 37. It wasn’t to show off. As he had always done, he took the baton and made sure to witness their final moments.

Soon, the 14 eliminated participants began to leave the hall one by one.

Even those whose feet had been frozen in place eventually disappeared. In this place full of young people, it was a truly brutal scene. But that was survival, and it also proved how ruthless the entertainment world was.

It was once again PD Woo Han-suk who broke the silence that had settled in the now much quieter hall.

“Then, we will now reorganize the room assignments.”

Afterward.

Room reassignments were done randomly using a box. The rooms were arranged as 3-person, 3-person, and 4-person rooms. Kang Rojun ended up in a 4-person room.

‘Me, 26Do-kyung, 46Kang Min, 58Si-hoo. Is that it?’

The shooting for the successful candidate announcement was finished. It had started in the morning, but now it was already past lunchtime into the afternoon. The 10 survivors were given time to move and left the hall.

-Swish.

As they walked toward the dormitory in small groups, Kang Rojun heard a shocking piece of information about 58Si-hoo.

“What?? How old did you say? No, how old are you??”

“Why the sudden formal speech... I’m 25.”

It turned out 58Si-hoo was 25 years old.

Wow- what a baby face. Kang Rojun was genuinely shocked.

‘I thought for sure he was 20!’

Other successful candidates also looked startled. At the same time, Rojun felt relieved. Because the real big hyung was someone else.

“No way- I seriously can’t believe it.”

“J-just talk comfortably. Like before.”

“Oh, okay. Hyung.”

At that moment.

-Buzz.

A short vibration was felt on his wrist. Kang Rojun stepped a few paces away from the group and checked his smartwatch. It turned out the ‘AI Simulation’ app had sent him a reward.

-[You have achieved the Hidden Mission ‘Continuing Unrivaled Lead!’ 15 coins have been provided as a reward.]

Feeling uplifted, Kang Rojun carried on with the move with heightened tension. In the room that changed from 105 to 101, 26Do-kyung, 46Kang Min, and 58Si-hoo, renamed arbitrarily by Rojun, gathered together. The four of them, including Kang Rojun, brought their hands together with solemn expressions.

“Rock, paper, scissors!”

It was a self-held bed selection game. Fortunately, Kang Rojun won a single bed once again.

‘Nice.’

At that time, PD Woo Han-suk was busy. Not only because of the broadcasting duties for 'Produce That 100!', but also because now that the participants’ names were revealed, there were things that needed to be done first.

'Si-hoo first.'

He began with changing the credit name of the composer for the theme song ‘Survival 100’ that was about to be released. He coordinated with the production team of 'Produce That 100!' and Song Min-geun to change it from No. 58 to ‘Si-hoo'. The same went for ‘Witch’. While the broadcast footage would remain the same, from now on, videos for platforms like YouTube would use the name ‘Si-hoo’.

‘Next is Rojun.’

Kang Rojun had more changes than 58Si-hoo. His lyricist name, actor name, and writer name all needed to be updated. PD Woo Han-suk made a call to PD Jung Soo-ryeong first.

“Yes, PD-nim. It’s me.”

He shared the information with PD Jung Soo-ryeong.

“The episode revealing the participants’ names will air this Friday, so please act accordingly with the ‘Rental Lover’ side after that. Whether it's media play or anything else.”

Over the phone, PD Jung Soo-ryeong replied in a voice filled with satisfaction.

“Got it. Now I can finally call our Writer-nim ‘Rojun'."

The next day, Thursday morning. On the set of 'Rental Lover'.

Dozens of staff, cameras, lights, and other equipment were all focused on Choi Rina and the actors in the filming zone. PD Jung Soo-ryeong had her face locked on the monitor. Choi Rina, the female lead of 'Rental Lover', was performing with an exhausted expression.

“Cut. Rina-ssi, in that line, it would be better to act more flustered than emotional.”

“Understood.”

“Let’s go again.”

All the other actors playing the lovers, except for ‘Lover No. 4', were immersed in their performances. Even the waiting actors were focused. The action and cut calls repeated for hours. Today, the air among the dozens of staff was especially heavy.

“Action!”

By the time it reached around 3 PM.

“......”

PD Jung Soo-ryeong stared seriously at the actors on the monitor, then smiled.

“...Cut. OK.”

She stood up from her seat and clapped calmly.

“That last cut was nice. Great work, everyone.”

Soon, the dozens of staff started shouting all at once, and Choi Rina along with the other actors exhaled in relief and exchanged greetings here and there.

“Great job-”

“Thank you for your hard work!!”

The set grew increasingly lively. In the middle of it, PD Jung Soo-ryeong shouted loudly.

“Alright! Cleaning up is the real end of the shoot! Let’s clean up quickly! I made a reservation at ‘Honey Pig House’ next door to celebrate! Let’s stuff ourselves with meat!”

Just as a frenzy of cheers erupted again, PD Jung Soo-ryeong sent a message to Kang Rojun with a bittersweet smile.

-[Writer Rojun-nim, the full shoot just wrapped.]

This meant that filming for 'Rental Lover' had officially come to an end.

Meanwhile, at the 'Produce That 100!' campus.

Kang Rojun could be found in the break room. The ten surviving participants had a day of rest, and Rojun was sitting across from 58Si-hoo having a conversation in Japanese after a long time. Then, a message arrived for Rojun. It was from PD Jung Soo-ryeong.

After checking the contents, Kang Rojun thought.

‘Full shoot finished? Oh- I should call her in a bit.'

He felt a strange emotion. The drama for which he had written the script had just finished filming. That meant, after post-production, it was finally going to be aired. Soon, 58Si-hoo asked Rojun, whose expression had changed.

“Why? Did something good happen?”

“Yeah. Something related to writing.”

“Ahh-”

“But more importantly, let’s start the composition study now, hyung.”

“...Don’t do that.”

“But I still can’t believe it. That you’re really a hyung.”

58Si-hoo scratched his jaw awkwardly and began setting up his laptop and tablet.

"I thought I wouldn't be able to do this with you again, Rojun."

With a faint smile on his lips, 58Si-hoo began their composition study. They hadn’t done it often, but there had been some progress. Thanks to Rojun studying lyrics writing on his own. After about 30 minutes passed, 58Si-hoo suddenly remembered something at home.

“I should ask PD-nim if I can bring my guitar from home.”

“Guitar? You can play?”

“Yeah. A little.”

“Oh-”

Just then, Kang Rojun’s phone vibrated again. He thought it was PD Jung Soo-ryeong again, but it wasn’t.

-[Among the status stats, ‘Composition’ has been unlocked. From now on, increasing or enhancing ‘Composition’ is possible! Check your updated ‘Composition’ stat now!]

The ‘Composition’ stat had been unlocked.