Audience for the 4th evaluation of 'Produce That 100!'? Slightly surprised, PD Jung Soo-ryeong stood up with the script in her hand. Watching her walk a little away, Choi Rina tilted her head, and a few steps away, PD Jung Soo-ryeong asked into her phone.

"Are you inviting us to attend as audience ?"

PD Woo Han-suk immediately responded from the other end.

"Yes, we’re going to bring in audience members for the 4th evaluation as a sort of special event."

"I read the article. It’s the same one, right? The one I saw and the one you're referring to?"

"That’s right. We’re inviting people to the venue mentioned in the article. We’ve amped things up for the buzz, and I thought it’d be great if the 'Rental Lover' team could come too. Kind of like an event within an event? Of course, if your schedule doesn’t allow it, we understand."

Though their domains are different, PD Woo Han-suk had spent enough time at the broadcasting station to understand the drama scene well.

"Still, even if it’s a bit of a stretch, I think it’d be good if you could come. Think of it as starting the promotion schedule early."

"Hmm-"

Actors in completed productions like films or dramas usually place importance on their promotional schedules. They appear at movie premieres to greet the audience, go on popular variety shows to introduce the project, and these days they also make active use of YouTube. Typically, one-act dramas don't go through extensive promotion, but 'Rental Lover' already had a promotional schedule lined up.

Naturally so, since the lead actress is S-Class Top Actress Choi Rina.

On top of that, the status of the other actors is also higher compared to those in other one-act dramas. PD Woo Han-suk's intention was for the 'Rental Lover' team to get an early taste of their promotional activities through 'Produce That 100!'.

"Since 'Rental Lover' and 'Produce That 100!' are heavily linked through 'No. 1', if the 'Rental Lover' team comes as audience members, I think there will be explosive synergy for both."

"'No. 1' aiming to become an idol, and the team from the work he wrote showing up to cheer him on at 'Produce That 100!'... yeah, that does create a pretty nice image."

Even though it was just a short conversation, PD Jung Soo-ryeong and PD Woo Han-suk quickly grasped each other’s intentions and the future buzz that would erupt. A capability only possible for veterans in their respective fields.

Soon, PD Jung Soo-ryeong mentally did the math.

'Just getting No. 1 and the 'Rental Lover' team captured in one camera frame would have a huge effect, and it would add curiosity for the public as a bonus.'

That curiosity translates directly into viewership ratings.

Already, the fact that Kang Rojun is the writer of 'Rental Lover' had caused a stir both in Korea and Japan. If they add more fuel to the fire now, the influence of 'Produce That 100!' will grow significantly. In both Korea and Japan.

At that moment, PD Woo Han-suk whispered through the phone in a hushed voice.

"The presence of ‘Lover No. 4’ that will be shown at the later production presentation, will be at least doubled."

PD Jung Soo-ryeong’s lips involuntarily curled up.

"It’s hard to answer immediately, but I’ll consider it very, very, very positively."

"Understood. Well, of course, there are schedules for Choi Rina-ssi, the other actors, and the staff too. But considering our own constraints, please let us know by tomorrow."

“No need to wait until tomorrow. I’ll call you within today.”

"Haha, thank you."

After ending the call appropriately, PD Jung Soo-ryeong turned around. Choi Rina was still standing there, looking into her compact mirror. PD Jung Soo-ryeong casually approached and asked casually.

"Choi star, if you could attend the live performace of 'Produce That 100!', what would you do?"

Perhaps it was an outburst of fandom, but Choi Rina answered instantly as if entranced.

“I'd go.”

"Whoa- you didn’t even think for one second? I thought you weren’t interested in idols?"

Snapping back to her senses, Choi Rina cleared her throat unnecessarily.

"Ah, no. I mean, it's not a common opportunity, right? From the article, the competition for audience seats is tremendous. And it’s also something related to Writer Kang."

Choi Rina thought she managed to deflect it well, and PD Jung Soo-ryeong let out a chuckle and nodded.

"Right, if not us, who else would cheer for our writer-nim?"

Soon, PD Jung Soo-ryeong passed by Choi Rina and walked to where the staff had gathered, and as soon as she said something.

"Eh??!!"

"Whoa!!"

The staff went wild.

Same day, around lunchtime, at the 'Produce That 100!' campus.

Amid the chaos of all participants busy with training or preparing for the 4th evaluation, Kang Rojun, wearing a black short-sleeved shirt and gray sweatpants, was walking through a quiet hallway. A natural but extremely eye-catching look.

Where he arrived was.

-Swoosh.

The 'Produce That 100!' studio recording room where Kang Rojun had previously met with Song Min-geun. As Rojun opened the door, PD Woo Han-suk and No. 58 came into view, No. 58, with a baby perm and a hairband, was seated in front of the equipment, and PD Woo Han-suk was lounging in a chair at the back with his legs crossed.

As Rojun entered and gave a slight bow.

"Hello."

PD Woo Han-suk smiled faintly and waved his hand.

"Yeah, sit next to me."

"Yes."

In fact, Kang Rojun had been working with No. 26 on the rap piece 'Small Fry' when he was summoned here by PD Woo Han-suk. As soon as Rojun sat down, PD Woo Han-suk began to speak.

"No. 58 said the theme song I requested is done, so I called you in."

Ah, so the composition is finished. Rojun made eye contact with No. 58 and gave him a casual thumbs-up.

"Good."

Following Rojun’s lead, PD Woo Han-suk also gave a thumbs-up.

"Good, good."

No. 58 scratched his head awkwardly, perhaps feeling uncomfortable with the sudden thumbs up.

"Th-thank you."

However, while the new theme song was completed, whether it would be officially chosen as the theme song was a separate matter. The final decision was up to PD Woo Han-suk, who lowered his thumbs and murmured.

"Well then, shall we have a listen first?"

"Yes."

No. 58 responded and began operating the equipment alongside the open laptop. Within seconds, an unfamiliar melody filled the entire studio.

-♬♪

The intro started with guitar sounds resembling a fast heartbeat. The tempo gradually increased. Then drums joined in, transforming it into an even more exciting rhythm. No. 58 explained that the vocals would kick in from this point onward.

As the heartbeat rhythm continued, the vocals layered in on top of the intro.

Soon, the drums and guitar became twice as intense compared to the intro, with piano joining the mix. In the verse, the tempo picked up, and at one point the guitar dropped out, letting the piano and drums take center stage, signaling the beginning of the chorus.

As he listened to the song, Kang Rojun thought,

'A mix of dance and rock? The moment the intro hits your ears, it's super addictive. This song...'

The song was good.

PD Woo Han-suk must have felt the same, as he closed his eyes and slowly savored the track. After the first verse and an interlude, the second verse began. From this point, it carried even more emotional weight.

As soon as the song ended.

"......How, how was it."

No. 58 cautiously asked. Instead of replying with words, PD Woo Han-suk showed a double thumbs-up again.

"Excited, overwhelmed, nervous, scared, but I'm going to run. That kind of feeling, right? This is killer. It perfectly captured the vibe I wanted. I got goosebumps, see here?"

Even afterward, PD Woo Han-suk kept patting No. 58 on the shoulder, showering him with praise for the song. It wasn’t just flattery, Kang Rojun thought the song was really good too. If vocals, dance, performance, etc. were added to this, the explosive power would be multiplied. As Rojun was briefly imagining this, attention turned to him.

It was PD Woo Han-suk who spoke up.

"How was it for No. 1?"

Wearing a soft smile, Kang Rojun looked at No. 58 and answered directly.

"I could put it on my playlist and listen to it on repeat for a month."

A roundabout but definite compliment.

PD Woo Han-suk then burst out laughing and gave No. 58 a firm confirmation.

"No need for meetings or anything. No. 58, I'm officially choosing this as the theme song for 'Produce That 100!'."

Apparently having been nervous and worried, No. 58’s face immediately brightened as he bowed repeatedly.

"Thank you!"

"No, no, no- I'm the one who should be thanking you. For creating a song of such quality. It’s been a while since I got chills listening to a song. I can already picture the writers going nuts over this."

Taking out his phone, PD Woo Han-suk started to message someone but then paused. He turned to No. 58 with a smile on his lips.

"I already have a title for the song. ‘Survival 100’. From this moment, this track is officially the theme song of 'Produce That 100!', ‘Survival 100’."

Then, PD Woo Han-suk shifted his gaze to Kang Rojun. Now that the song was done, it was Rojun’s turn.

"Lyricist-nim? Please write lyrics that fit this track perfectly, okay?"

Lyrics had already started popping into Kang Rojun’s head from the intro of ‘Survival 100’ as he brushed back his black hair.

“I'll try my best.”

Next, Rojun turned to No. 58 with a question about the track. No. 58 answered sincerely and thoroughly. The mood quickly heated up. Watching the two, PD Woo Han-suk felt like a proud father.

'This is why I direct, the taste of watching raw stones become gems.'

He imagined a not-so-distant future, ‘Survival 100’ sweeping the number one spot across all music platforms.

-[1] Survival 100 / Composed by: No. 58, Lyrics by: No. 1

Afterward.

Leaving Kang Rojun and No. 58 to their sudden meeting, PD Woo Han-suk left the studio. After all, a new episode of 'Produce That 100!' was airing that night, and he had editing and other work keeping him busy. Meanwhile, Kang Rojun and No. 58 continued their conversation in the studio for over 30 minutes.

Soon after, No. 58 sent the theme song 'Survival 100' to Rojun via messaging.

"When the lyrics are done, please show me first."

As if to reassure him, Kang Rojun nodded calmly.

With that, another task had been added to Rojun’s list. Right after finishing the work given by Song Min-geun, a new assignment had appeared, but since he was already doing lyrics anyway:

'This is ten times more fun than writing to random MR tracks.'

Kang Rojun and No. 58 left the studio and walked down the hallway together.

"These days, I haven’t had the chance to talk in Japanese or study composition with you, No. 1 nim."

"The 4th evaluation is more important right now. We can start again after it’s done."

"...That’s true."

It was a strange picture. Kang Rojun and No. 58 would be going head-to-head in the 4th evaluation. Technically, they were rivals. But Rojun was speaking as if he assumed No. 58 would survive. No. 58 let out a slightly bitter smile and murmured.

"Um- so I heard you're on casual terms with No. 26 now."

"That's right."

"Could- could I speak casually with you too?"

"You're kind of mixing it up weirdly." (TL Note: No. 58 mixed both formal and informal speech)

"...Sorry."

"You can speak casually."

"Thanks... yeah."

"Is it hard?"

"It's not as easy as I thought."

"Use semi-formal speech and ease into it."

"Yeah, I'll do that."

"I’m going casual."

As they chatted, the two went their separate ways back to their groups.

They met again around 9 p.m., in Room 105. No. 37 wasn’t present. Thanks to that, only Rojun and No. 58 began watching episode 9 of 'Produce That 100!'. The setup was the same as before, just with fewer people.

Soon from the tablet placed on Rojun's bed.

-'Produce That 100!'

Episode 9 of 'Produce That 100!', which had just started, was displayed. The previous week’s episode 8 had ended with the big reveal that Kang Rojun was the writer of 'Rental Lover'. But episode 9 didn’t start with Rojun, it opened with interview cuts of Group 1’s eliminated contestants.

-What the heckㅠㅠㅠIt’s not starting with No. 1ㅠㅠㅠ

-There was so much fuss over whether No. 1 is the writer of 'Rental Lover' or notㅋㅋㅋㅋ Seems like the PD just threw in a bold declaration and moved onㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Did you know? 'Produce That 100!' launched on Netflix Japan too, and people there are going crazy asking what 'Rental Lover' isㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-So the uncut version went out in Japan too?ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Since it had already been a hot topic for a week, even the real-time open chat, now expanded to 500,000 members, didn’t seem to cause much concern. Whatever the case, the broadcast continued with footage of the surprise performances by Groups 2 and 3, followed by cold and harsh evaluations. Then came images of those groups’ members and their post-performance daily lives.

‘No. 1’ also appeared.

Scenes from the gym or the break room.

-No. 1 is writing againㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋWriter-nim.....

-Where in the world do you find a super handsome writer like this...

-Is he writing another drama? I seriously have no clue what this No. 1 is up to anymore

-But I’ve never seen him practicing, so how is he good at everything???

From Group 1, where Kang Rojun belonged, five people were eliminated. Since Groups 2 and 3 would soon face the same fate, most of the contestants caught on camera looked visibly downcast. At that moment, a two-shot of Kang Rojun and No. 58 heading to the break room was shown.

-When these two are together, they're somehow cuteㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Right?ㅋㅋㅋㅋ No. 58 is kind of like a puppy that No. 1 is raising

-No. 58... acting like No. 1’s pet dog...

While watching 'Produce That 100!', Kang Rojun suddenly spoke, eyes still fixed on the tablet.

"You know."

No. 58, reacting, looked at Rojun's side profile and replied.

"Yeah?"

Rojun answered calmly.

"I was thinking about writing lyrics for 'Survival 100' and this occurred to me."

"Ah- Yes. No, yeah."

"'Produce That 100!' is popular in Japan too right now, right?"

"Yeah, just as much as in Korea."

"Then, don’t you think we could release 'Survival 100' in Japan too?"

"Huh?"

Then Kang Rojun, who took his eyes off the tablet, made eye contact with No. 58 and continued.

"I think I could write the lyrics in Japanese too."

*****

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