“You, you’re saying you can record right away?”

PD Jung Soo-ryeong, holding her phone to her ear, exclaimed in shock. It was because of Kang Rojun’s response on the other end. She was already surprised that the lyrics for the requested OST were completed this quickly.

‘To say the recording can proceed right away, does that mean he’s already mastered it??’

It had only been four days since the request was made, and now he was saying the recording could begin. PD Jung Soo-ryeong had produced dozens of dramas. She’d worked on countless OST projects, but such speed was a first for her.

‘Why is everything happening so fast???’

From the start, the OST contract process had already been unusual. Although Kang Rojun’s recognition was exploding at the moment, he wasn’t an official singer. Strictly speaking, it was like asking the drama’s writer to handle an OST.

But he was handling the work faster than any veteran singer.

As PD Jung Soo-ryeong was left speechless.

“PD-nim??”

The other staff in the editing room tilted their heads in curiosity. After signaling them to take a break, PD Jung Soo-ryeong stepped out and asked Kang Rojun through the phone.

“So, you’re saying it’s not just the lyrics that are done, you could even record the song as early as tomorrow?”

Rojun’s reply came with a hint of a smile.

“Yes, PD-nim. I didn’t do it half-heartedly.”

“No, it’s not that... It’s just, I was so surprised at how fast it was, just surprised. Usually, when I hand an OST over to a singer, it takes at least a few weeks for them to get used to it, or even a month if it's slow. But Writer Rojun, you did it in four days??”

“I tend to have pretty decent absorption skills.”

“I know that well, I saw it during filming. Anyway, thank you for taking the time despite your busy schedule.”

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, PD Jung Soo-ryeong wrapped it up.

“I’ll check the lyrics you sent, and we’ll schedule the recording session, as soon as possible.”

“Yes, PD-nim.”

As soon as the call ended, she checked the file Kang Rojun had sent. It was the lyrics for the OST, 'Lovers'. Standing in place, PD Jung Soo-ryeong quietly read through the lyrics, the corners of her lips gradually rising.

“......As expected, leaving it to writer-nim was the right choice.”

She looked deeply satisfied.

"Maybe because he wrote it himself, he really nailed the OST lyrics. They’re a perfect fit for ‘Rental Lover'."

The lyrics matched the mood of the song and the drama 'Rental Lover' perfectly. They conveyed the female lead’s emotions and psychology and reflected the characteristics of the show. After reading through the lyrics several times from beginning to end, PD Jung Soo-ryeong recalled Rojun’s face.

'His lyric-writing skills are amazing. Seriously, his writing ability is just-'

PD Jung Soo-ryeong hadn’t seen much of Rojun’s lyric writing work. If anything, it was limited to the rap 'Witch' he performed during the 4th evaluation audience of 'Produce That 100!' Even so, she could trust him because of his ability to write scripts and his exceptional, subtle sense.

To be honest, it was half a gamble.

And since he was the writer of 'Rental Lover', she had hoped he’d be able to write more nuanced lyrics.

In the end, it was the correct answer.

Now, after seeing Kang Rojun’s lyrics, PD Jung Soo-ryeong had a look on her face like, “What would have happened if I hadn’t asked him?” Returning to the editing room, she shook the assistant director who was nodding off. The assistant director woke up startled.

“Uhuh!! Uh- PD-nim, I wasn’t sleeping!”

"Never mind."

Wiping off the drool, the assistant director listened as PD Jung Soo-ryeong gave instructions.

“For the OST ‘Lovers', schedule the recording. The lyrics are done.”

Friday morning, the 9th, at the 'Produce That 100!' campus.

Kang Rojun, wearing his cap pulled down low, could be found in the lounge.

-Ta-da-da-dak!

He was busy typing on his laptop.

Since group practice didn’t start until noon, it seemed he intended to spend the extra time on other work. The amusing thing was the acoustic guitar placed next to him. Based on Si-hoo’s recommendation, he had picked up a decent one. Sitting at a table with a guitar and working on his laptop, he radiated a pure musician aura.

However, the work Rojun was doing now was writing-related.

‘It’s flowing smoothly.’

He was in the process of translating the first episode of an already-written script into Japanese. It was the script he’d discussed with PD Jung Soo-ryeong, which was to be submitted to Netflix Japan in the future. Since PD Jung Soo-ryeong said she would handle the initial pitch, the script needed to be translated beforehand. It was a task only Rojun, whose Japanese was at native level, could accomplish.

To any other screenwriter, it would have been a jaw-dropping sight.

After typing feverishly on his laptop for dozens of minutes, Kang Rojun stretched. Then he glanced at the title of the script he was currently working on.

-‘Like a Kaleidoscope’

To be honest, Rojun vaguely remembered when he wrote 'Like a Kaleidoscope'.

How was it back then? What was I doing back then? He thought he’d written it in a kind of blank state, yet now 'Like a Kaleidoscope' might actually be heading to Netflix Japan. Even more surprising, he had only written about ten episodes before getting lazy and stopping. The latter parts were done rather sloppily too.

"Will it really work out?"

At that moment.

-Bzzz.

His phone, placed beside him, vibrated briefly. A message had come in. The sender was PD Jung Soo-ryeong. The message basically confirmed the OST lyrics he had sent and said she would contact him immediately once the recording schedule was set. The lyrics written by Rojun had been selected, so there was nothing more to wait for.

-Swoosh.

He immediately moved from the lounge to the restroom, accessed the 'AI Simulation' app, and tapped the 'AI Automation' button. This was to study the OST 'Lovers' for 'Rental Lover'. As expected, the Coin cost wasn’t very high. Without much hesitation, Rojun approved the purchase.

-[Applying......Application complete!]

The OST 'Lovers' had been learned.

Meanwhile, all ten participants including Kang Rojun were immersed in intense practice. In the massive rehearsal room, the same choreography and blocking were repeated for hours. Even as sweat poured and they were gasping for breath.

“Again!!”

Lee Han-na showed no mercy. From late afternoon, the trainer would switch to judge Lee Da-mi for vocal training. From that point, it would be combined vocal and dance practice. Starting tomorrow, it would be rehearsals on top of rehearsals in the studio. Including 'Survival 100', there were also acoustic versions and individual pieces each contestant had to prepare.

Compared to the 4th evaluation, the schedule was multiple times more hellish.

During a short break from dance practice, Rojun bent over and rested his hands on his knees, groaning internally.

'I'm going to die, really.'

But the practice didn’t stop even through the night, and as the clock neared 9 PM, domestic broadcasters and various entertainment companies all turned their channels to JTVM.

The reason was simple.

-'Produce That 100!'

Episode 12 of 'Produce That 100!' had just started. From numerous viewers to people connected to Rojun, everyone sat in front of their TVs. The opening of Episode 12 picked up with the conversations among the 10 survivors whose names had been revealed in Episode 11. They were asking each other names and ages.

It might have seemed trivial, but the viewers' reactions were anything but small.

-Holy shittttttt Rojun is 24 years old???!!!

-No way!! I thought Rojun was like 20 at most, maybe 21….

-Do-kyung and Kang Min are about what I expected, but Rojun is 24 wtf

-Rojun looks so young

-Eh??? Si-hoo...is 25?? He’s 25???

-No wayㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Si-hoo being 25 is killing me ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Rojun… Si-hoo… they’re oppas…

-Ahㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Si-hoo being the oldest is such a shock

Next came brief interviews with the eliminated contestants, and then the reassignments of rooms for the 10 remaining contestants appeared on the screen. After that, a quick segment about the 'Rental Lover' production presentation was included. Viewers who had watched that live were excitedly typing in real time, and scenes of the daily lives or break time of the top 10 contestants were broadcast.

-[“A new theme song for ‘Produce’ has been selected.”]

PD Woo Han-suk appeared, briefing the participants. He explained quite seriously.

-[“It’s titled ‘Survival 100', and the guide recording has been completed.”]

Thanks to the teaser about the theme song dropped in Episode 11, the moment the title of the new theme song was announced, viewers went wild. Regardless, the camera angle showed No. 26, Do-kyung, asking a question.

-[“That theme song. Did Rojun and Si-hoo-nim make it??”]

PD Woo Han-suk smiled as he replied.

-[“That’s right. Si-hoo-nim did the composition, and Rojun-nim wrote the lyrics.”]

At that moment, the screen suddenly changed. A clip from quite a while ago was edited to appear as if it had just happened. Scenes of Kang Rojun writing lyrics in the lounge and 58Si-hoo composing the melody appeared one after another.

-ㅠㅜㅠㅜㅠㅠㅠha...super handsome

-They really wrote and composed it together??!

-So! Let’s! Hear! That! Theme! Song! Already!!!

-Even Rojun’s focused face is handsome… I mean, of course it is

Once again, PD Woo Han-suk appeared on screen and explained how the new theme song 'Survival 100' would be used, and finally mentioned the small-scale concerts to be held in Korea and Japan. He covered everything from the scale to the rough process. Then, thanks to one line from PD Woo Han-suk, the viewers grew restless.

-[“Then let me play the guide version of ‘Survival 100’, which has already been recorded.”]

Across the country,

-[♬♪]

'Survival 100', with lyrics and guide vocals by Kang Rojun and composition by 58Si-hoo, began to play. Of course, it was only about the first verse. Even so, the real-time open chat, which had already surpassed hundreds of thousands of users, exploded like a bomb.

-This is insane… this song is 100% going to blow up

-This is SO good??!!!! It’s got a hip vibe but also powerful, it sticks in your head!!

-Honestly 100 times better than the previous theme song

-The lyrics and composition are god-tier ㄷㄷㄷ

-But isn’t that Rojun on the guide vocal?? Sounds like his tone from ‘Farewell’

-Whoa? It really does sound like Rojun

-This song is nuts… it’s fucking amazing ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Ugh… just release the full track already!!! I can’t take it!!

PD Woo Han-suk revealed the guide vocalist.

-[“Yes, Rojun-nim did the guide.”]

Then it was announced that Rojun and 58Si-hoo were the lead and main vocals for 'Survival 100', and their individual parts were highlighted, concluding with the fact that Kang Rojun was the leader of this project. The screen shifted again, showing the 10 participants throwing themselves into fierce practice.

Soon, choreographer Lee Han-na appeared.

-[“Then- let's look at each person's condition first??”]

A brief evaluation of the participants’ 'Survival 100' dance followed. Overall, they were still lacking. The last turn went to Kang Rojun.

-[“Wasn’t it difficult this time, Rojun?”]

-[“It wasn't”]

As Rojun’s villainous side came into focus, the viewers’ chat sped up. Just as they were about to show Rojun’s dance, the screen skipped ahead. Then came the shocked expressions of the nine other participants and the stunned voice of Lee Han-na.

-[“Wait, Rojun. You’re not using some kind of superpower, right??”]

And with that, Episode 12 of 'Produce That 100!' ended.

Afterwards.

As soon as Episode 12 ended, an even stronger storm swept across the internet. Since the show had taken a break for a special episode, the impact was even greater. Endless articles were published, and viewers' fingers didn’t stop typing.

In addition.

-Edited clip of ‘Survival 100’ theme song from Produce That 100!!!｜Can’t Quit This Fandom

-My own edit of ‘Survival 100’ just to keep replaying｜Kim Yujin

-New theme song ‘Survival 100’ loop video!｜MusicMan

Guide recordings of 'Survival 100' began to circulate on platforms like YouTube. Most were edited clips from the broadcast. Some videos hit 1 million views, others reached up to 5 million. Its impact was so massive that it quickly rose into YouTube’s real-time rankings.

This meant that Kang Rojun’s vocals were being played in countless places.

And so, by Saturday morning, one day later.

《[Issue Pick] ‘Produce That 100!’ Returns with Episode 12, Instantly Rebounds in Ratings… 31.4%》

《‘Produce That 100!’ Proves Itself a Monster Variety Show with Episode 12 Hitting 31.4% Ratings!》

The ratings, which had dipped due to the special episode, soared back past 31% with the return of Episode 12. The new theme song 'Survival 100' also dominated the main pages of various search engines. Not just on Saturday, but through Sunday, and even into Monday morning, the 12th, the momentum continued.

It was a truly monstrous level of popularity.

At that moment, Kang Rojun was seated inside a mini bus. Not just him, the vehicle carried all ten participants as it sped down the road. Most of them looked deeply nervous. Rojun, wearing a black cap pulled low and staring out the window, was no different.

It made sense. As each day passed quickly, before they knew it.

‘It’s already the day for the rehearsal on concert venue. Time’s flying like crazy.’

The small-scale concert in Korea was set to be held tomorrow.