Later.

Having aligned their opinions, Kang Rojun and No. 26 continued with various small conversations, until No. 26 asked Rojun,

“Give me your chat ID. I’ll send you ‘Small Fry’.”

After exchanging contact info, No. 26 added that he’d send the lyrics and score along with the self-composed rap. Rojun scrolled through the received file on his phone and made a decision.

‘First, let’s run it through AI Automation.’

No. 26, putting his phone back in his pocket, said,

“And since it’s my self-composed rap, I’ll handle dividing the parts.”

“Yeah, that’s easier.”

“I’ll split it equally. Of course, we’ll go over it before practice. If you don’t like it, we can cut it.”

“Then let’s wrap it up here for today. I’m going to keep listening to ‘Small Fry’.”

“I’ll start with the part division, and both of us should think about stage direction, concept, and costumes whenever we get the chance.”

“Agreed.”

As soon as the conversation ended, Kang Rojun and No. 26 stood up and exited the hall. Among Groups 1 and 2, Rojun's group was the first to leave. The other groups were still gathered in the hall, racking their brains. While No. 26 strode ahead quickly, someone called out to Kang Rojun from behind.

“No. 1 nim-”

Turning around, he saw PD Woo Han-suk with heavy dark circles raising the corners of his lips. No. 26, who had briefly looked back, resumed his pace, while PD Woo Han-suk approached the now-stationary Rojun.

“Are you already done talking with No. 26?”

“Yes.”

"Haha, No. 26- you've been paired with another interesting character."

PD Woo Han-suk folded his arms as he watched No. 26’s retreating figure.

“No. 26 seems stiff, right? But he’s actually quite popular among the viewers.”

“I didn’t think he was bad. I’ve worked with people like him before.”

“Really? That’s good to hear. I’m looking forward to seeing how you and No. 26 come across together.”

With a deepening smile, PD Woo Han-suk began walking and motioned for Rojun to join him.

“I spoke with PD Jung Soo-ryeong. During this 4th evaluation period, there won’t be any filming for ‘Rental Lover’.”

“Yes, I heard. I only have about two days’ worth of filming left anyway, so once the 4th evaluation ends, we should be able to finish quickly.”

“And by any chance, have you ever had an entertainment company you were interested in?”

Entertainment company? He meant an agency. There couldn't have been any. Kang Rojun only knew famous entertainment companies to some extent and hadn't shown particular interest.

“No.”

“Not at all?”

“No.”

“Hm- then when you have some time, try searching a few.”

“Got it.”

After giving Rojun a couple of pats on the shoulder, PD Woo Han-suk turned back toward the hall. Meanwhile, Rojun arrived not at Room 105 but at the restroom he frequently used. In the calm atmosphere, Rojun took out his phone. He launched the ‘AI Simulation’ app and pressed the ‘AI Automation’ button. A familiar phrase appeared.

-[Through ‘AI Automation’ analysis, the desired outcome can be achieved. What would you like to achieve? (Only options related to the desired occupation: Idol)]

Kang Rojun typed what he had already planned.

-[AI Automation: I want to fully master the self-composed rap ‘Small Fry'. I’d like to play with the beat, control tempo, and deliver lyrics clearly.]

After pressing confirm, a spinning loading circle appeared for a moment. The response came soon after.

-[AI Analysis in progress... Analysis complete!]

-[To achieve the desired result, 25 coins are required.]

Rojun immediately sensed that it had become cheaper.

‘Is it thanks to stat enhancement? Now it’s around 20 coins without any adjustment period.’

Of course, there must have been a set lower limit.

It might go down by another one or two coins, but since Kang Rojun could earn 25 coins in a day or two, it wasn’t a big concern. He went ahead and tapped to approve the coin usage. At the same time.

-[Using 25 coins.]

-[Applying... Application complete!]

The familiar tingling sensation spread.

The next day, Thursday the 10th, Tokyo, Japan.

Around 9 a.m. Near Tokyo Station, in a tall building. The entrance to an office occupying two floors bore a familiar red logo on its glass doors.

This was the headquarters of Netflix Japan, which had recently launched Korea’s 'Produce That 100!'

Currently, 'Produce That 100!' was holding the No. 1 spot on Netflix Japan, and the viewership hours were rapidly increasing. For that reason, Netflix Japan was busy. They had to keep rowing, producing videos for the official YouTube, promoting, and so on.

In the middle of that, several people were gathered in a meeting room.

Around eight people sat around ㅁ-shaped table.

Most looked Japanese, but the man seated at the head of the table, exuding a representative aura, stood out immediately. Blue eyes and curly blonde hair, clearly a foreigner. Likely in his late forties.

This was Tom Cavill, the Executive Director and the head of Netflix Japan.

Tom Cavill spoke to the team leads seated on either side. His Japanese was notably fluent.

“Have you looked into ‘Rental Lover’ in detail?”

For some reason, the words 'Rental Lover' came out of Executive Director Tom Cavill’s mouth. The female team leader on his right soon nodded.

“Yes. As you know, the ‘Rental Lover’ mentioned by No. 1 from ‘Produce That 100!’ is a Korean one-act drama, and No. 1 wrote it.”

The female team leader smoothly explained the details she had researched about 'Rental Lover'.

“Filming has already begun, and we’ve confirmed that it’s currently a hot topic in Korea. ‘Rental Lover’ became quite an issue when Korea’s top actress, Choi Rina, took on the female lead role.”

“It’s just a one-act drama, but with someone like Choi Rina attached, it’s bound to make noise.”

“The rest of the cast has also been set with B-grade or higher actors.”

“And then No. 1 suddenly declared that he was the one who wrote ‘Rental Lover’.”

“Yes, and from there, both the media and public opinion exploded.”

For reference, in Japan as well, both 'Produce That 100!' and 'Rental Lover' continued to simmer with public interest. Of course, thanks to Koreans living in Japan, people here were also somewhat aware of the background details surrounding 'Rental Lover'.

“Hmm-”

Executive Director Tom Cavill folded his arms and let out a breath. His face was serious. Even afterward, the meeting room remained filled with reports and discussions about 'Produce That 100!' and 'Rental Lover'. They reviewed the situation in Korea, the situation in Japan, fan reactions, social media and community engagement, and so on.

Then, after ten minutes.

-Swoosh.

With his legs crossed, Executive Director Tom Cavill quietly drew a conclusion.

“It looks like we’ll have to launch ‘Rental Lover’ as well.”

*****

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