In 'Produce That 100!', Teams 2 and 3 were in the middle of voting rounds, and the situation surrounding Kang Rojun, aka No. 1, had ballooned to several times the scale since Friday night’s declaration.

The firepower from viewers was immense, and Netflix Korea only added more fuel. That’s because Episode 8 of 'Produce That 100!' had been uploaded to Netflix Korea just yesterday. In other words, people who watched the live broadcast, those who saw it on YouTube, and those who streamed it on Netflix had formed a massive collective wave of impact.

By around Sunday noon, it was a rare day off for the participants at the Paju Campus.

However, Baby Perm No. 58 was sitting alone in a fairly crowded lounge, deeply focused on something.

‘Even if I fall far short of No. 1-nim, there’s still something I can do in my own way.’

He was working on the theme song proposed by PD Woo Han-suk. Of course, it wasn’t his first time working on it; he had been chipping away since the day he got the proposal. It was already the fifth day, and quite a few notes were sketched out in No. 58’s composition notebook.

‘The vibe of this campus, the terrifying survival rounds, survival, the friends I’ve made, the delicious meals, the thrill of stepping on stage, the excitement from the first broadcast.’

Drawing on the full range of emotions he had experienced through 'Produce That 100!', No. 58 was creating his melody.

'There's no rush. I'm going to make it properly and then pass it to No. 1.'

Meanwhile, after reading Kang Rojun’s lyrics multiple times and even recording a guide track, Song Min-geun was now.

“Ugh- why isn’t he answering his phone??”

Growing frustrated inside the recording studio. He wanted to have a follow-up conversation with No. 1 immediately but couldn’t reach him.

“I heard the whole campus has a day off today, could he be sleeping?”

No, Kang Rojun was not asleep.

He was currently.

“Hi- action!”

On the filming set of 'Rental Lover', transformed into ‘Lover No. 4’. His scene partner was Choi Rina. The male actors playing Lovers No. 2 and No. 3 were waiting nearby.

“Cut!! Good! Let’s move right on to the next one!”

In truth, the role of ‘Lover No. 4’ had the smallest screen time among the other lovers. Therefore, filming a bit at a time wouldn’t have been a problem. However, PD Jung Soo-ryeong, considering Kang Rojun’s circumstances, chose to concentrate his scenes during the early phase of shooting.

“Action!!”

This way, although the filming of 'Rental Lover' would continue, Kang Rojun could wrap up and leave quickly once his scenes were done. It was a strategic move to allow Kang Rojun to avoid conflicts between 'Produce That 100!' and 'Rental Lover' and make the most of his availability.

A strategy worthy of veteran PDs.

Whatever the case, the filming for ‘Lover No. 4’ ended in the late afternoon, and after greeting the actors, PD Jung Soo-ryeong, and the staff, Rojun got into the van. When he checked his phone, there were five missed calls from Song Min-geun.

‘Huh? What’s this? Did he not like the lyrics I sent?’

Kang Rojun flinched slightly. But soon, he changed to a more relaxed mindset.

‘If he didn’t like them, that’s just how it is.’

Though it was disappointing, there were still many things left for him to do. The van, driven by the assistant director, started moving, and Rojun called Song Min-geun. He picked up instantly.

"Ah, No. 1?? Why couldn't I reach you on the phone???"

Hearing the tension in Song Min-geun’s clenched voice, Rojun gave a light chuckle.

“Sorry, I had something going on, so I stepped out.”

“Oh? So you're not at the campus?”

“No.”

“Ah, then give me a call when you’re free.”

Rojun called Song Min-geun again when he was passing through the campus entrance.

“I saw that you called several times. Was it about the lyrics?”

With a touch of laughter in his tone, Song Min-geun replied.

“That’s right. I checked them, they’re killer.”

Huh? Killer? Not “I'm going to kill you", but killer as in a good? Did that mean he liked them?

"Were they okay?"

"Not just okay... I don’t usually do this kind of thing, but as soon as I saw the lyrics, I felt inspired and even recorded a guide track.”

“Ah-”

"Anyway, I need to meet you. It would be faster for me to come to the campus. How's your schedule tomorrow?"

“I won’t be at campus in the morning, but I think I’ll return after lunch.”

There was another 'Rental Lover' shoot tomorrow morning.

“You go out a lot, huh? Is it for that writer thing? Well, in that case, I’ll drop by in the afternoon. Of course, I’ll let PD Woo know first.”

“Understood.”

“No. 1.”

“Yes?”

From the other end of the phone, Song Min-geun spoke with noticeable seriousness.

“I think you’ve got a natural gift for writing lyrics.”

Monday morning. 'Rental Lover' filming set.

The place was hectic with many staff members running around. It was just before filming started, which made it even busier. In the middle of it, Kang Rojun was, just like the day before, getting hair and makeup to become ‘Lover No. 4’.

Soon, dressed in a suit, Rojun began walking toward the prepped camera.

“Writer-nim?”

Someone tapped him on the back.

Turning around, he saw Choi Rina smiling with her eyes.

“Would you like one?”

She held out a protein bar.

“This is something I eat often. It’s good.”

“Thank you. What flavor is it?”

“Flavor? Just protein flavor.”

“Protein flavor- hmm.”

“You’ll find out after you debut, but there’s this magic where even tasteless things start tasting good.”

Just then.

“Oops, sorry to butt in while the actors are talking.”

PD Jung Soo-ryeong stepped in between them and pulled Rojun away. She whispered as they moved.

“Writer-nim. You told me before that you had some other stuff written besides ‘Rental Lover', right?”

“Yes.”

“Not one-acts, but full-lengths?”

“I have full-lengths, too.”

“How many?”

“I’d have to count. Some are unfinished.”

“Send me all the full-length drama scripts, even the incomplete ones.”

“You’re going to read them?”

“Of course.”

PD Jung Soo-ryeong grinned crookedly and joked.

“Don’t tell me they’re all good enough to sell, are they??”

A few hours later, around 3 PM. Japan.

'Produce That 100!' was uploaded to Netflix Japan every Monday at 1 PM. So, about two hours ago, Episode 8 had gone live in Japan. And now, on Japan’s popular social media platforms.

[@_21YYY]

[Anyone who watched Episode 8 of ‘Produce That 100!’!!! What is the Rental Lover that No. 1 mentioned???]

Questions about 'Rental Lover',

-Yeah, I’m curious about Rental Lover too!!

-Since No. 1 said he wrote it, is Rental Lover a book or something??

-I tried searching, but nothing comes up!

-I’m gonna ask my Korean friend!

were spreading like wildfire.

*****

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