Translator: Dreamscribe
Kang Rojun tilted his head inwardly as he looked at the notification on his smartwatch.
'The 'Lyrics Writing' stat has been unlocked?'
This was the first time he had seen such a notification. Because Rojun said he would write the lyrics for the song made by No. 58, the 'Lyrics Writing' stat had been unlocked.
'Is it because I took an interest in lyrics writing? Or maybe I did something similar.'
In any case, he now understood why the stats for lyrics writing, composition, and the like hadn't increased and remained stagnant until now. There must have been some kind of condition.
'That condition was just fulfilled.'
Kang Rojun wanted to access the 'AI Simulation' app right away to check his status, but since No. 58 was right next to him, he held back for the moment.
'Then even if I had tried to enhance 'Lyrics Writing' or something similar, the stats wouldn't have increased.'
Just as Kang Rojun was organizing his thoughts, No. 58, sitting next to him, chimed in with slightly surprised eyes.
"You're going to... write the lyrics, No. 1-nim?"
Ah, right. The conversation had momentarily halted when Rojun mentioned that he would try writing the lyrics. Kang Rojun nodded casually and answered.
"Yes, if No. 58-nim is okay with it. If you're uncomfortable with it, that's fine too."
No. 58 quickly shook his head.
"No, I'm fine. Whoever writes it will do better than I can... No. 1-nim, you're amazing with vocals and dance, so I think you'll do well. I think you'll pick up composing quickly too."
"Well, we won't know until I try."
"No. 1-nim not only has visuals, but when I look at you, I can feel your talent and flair overflowing. Like an aura? That kind of thing. Your star quality is also tremendous."
Feeling awkward at the sudden compliment, Kang Rojun changed the subject.
"Anyway, if you're okay with me writing the lyrics, I'll give it a try."
"Yes. But have you written lyrics before?"
Had he ever done such a thing?
"Not at all."
All he had done was trash writing. Though that was now being turned into a drama. Still, Kang Rojun felt like he could do it. It's not that he was taking lyrics writing lightly. It felt closer to instinct.
'And at this point, trying anything will be helpful.'
In fact, just trying it had unlocked the 'Lyrics Writing' stat.
Certainly, writing a script and writing lyrics must be different, but nothing will progress unless he tries. Evolution doesn't happen without action. Soon, No. 58 smiled lightly.
"Still, I'm counting on you."
"Sure. Which song should I write lyrics for?"
"Hmm-"
"What's the most recent song you wrote?"
"Ah, this one."
No. 58 picked the cleanest notebook and opened it to show him. Looking at the composition, Rojun opened his mouth.
"Can you explain the song a bit?"
"It's a rap, but what should I explain, exactly?"
"Even if you haven't written lyrics yet, didn't you create the song with some kind of idea in mind?"
"Ah! It's like criticizing a... cheating girlfriend."
"Then the lyrics need to reflect a man criticizing her. What's the guy's personality like?"
"His personality? Uh- kind of like mine?"
No. 58's personality, Rojun immediately understood and replied.
"Got it. But if it's a rap, I'll need to write it to fit the beat, right?"
"That's true, but since you haven't learned composition yet- just write the lyrics. I can break them down to match the beat myself."
Maybe because it was something he liked, No. 58's usual gloominess was almost gone. He even seemed slightly proactive. Looking down at No. 58's composition notebooks, Kang Rojun asked again.
"But just from a glance, it looks like you've composed a lot. You've never shown any of these to anyone and just kept them to yourself?"
"For now- it's just for my own satisfaction..."
Well, if left alone, someone from 'Produce That 100!' would probably notice eventually. Or maybe he could subtly pass it along to PD Woo Han-suk. Kang Rojun handed the notebook he was looking at back to No. 58.
"What's the title of this rap song?"
"...'Witch'."
"'Witch', huh. Can I hear the rap, by any chance?"
"Oh, I have a recording. Just a second."
No. 58 picked up his phone. Soon, the beat rang out in the break room. The volume wasn't loud, as it had been turned down.
-♬♪
With the beat splitting through the air, No. 58's rap was layered over the track 'Witch'. Naturally, since there were no fixed lyrics yet, No. 58's rap was filled with sounds like ah, um, yeah, oh, and so on. But Rojun wasn't laughing.
'This is good? It really sticks in your ears. And No. 58 is pretty good at rapping.'
As expected from someone who passed the first round of auditions with a rap.
Soon, No. 58 said,
"If you give me your number, I'll send you the track."
He passed over 'Witch' to Rojun.
A short while later.
Kang Rojun and No. 58 began studying composition. Since they were short on time, they could only study for about 30 minutes, so they just touched on words and the basics. At that moment, Rojun wondered if, after 'Lyrics Writing', maybe 'Composition' would get unlocked too.
'No unlock notification for 'Composition'. Well, it's not urgent. I'll probably figure it out later.'
There was no news about 'Composition'.
Putting aside his disappointment, Kang Rojun entered the restroom he always stopped by before showering. Sitting in the stall, he pulled out his phone and opened the 'AI Simulation' app. What he needed to check was the status stats. Specifically, 'Lyrics Writing'.
The interesting part was.
"Huh?"
Kang Rojun was quite surprised the moment he saw the stat.
The reason was simple.
-[Lyrics Writing (61.4/100)]
The 'Lyrics Writing' stat score had exceeded 60 points.
"What-what is this?"
It had originally been 0 points. But as soon as the stat was unlocked, it had changed to over 60. That meant there was only one answer.
"Does this mean... I'm actually pretty good at writing lyrics?"
Considering the 'AI Simulation' stats are based on him, just look at his perfect 100 in appearance, and he had never touched the lyrics writing stat before, starting off with over 60 meant that Rojun's potential in writing lyrics was quite high.
The first thing that came to his mind was, of course, the 'Screenwriter' side job.
Though he thought of his writing as trash, once it hit the market, it won top prize in a contest. And now the 'Lyrics Writing' stat was over 60 from the start. In other words, Rojun originally had a talent for working with words.
Kang Rojun smiled faintly.
"Not bad."
Next, he tapped the 'Composition' enhancement button. As expected, a notification popped up.
-[The 'Composition' stat has not been unlocked yet.]
Same for the 'Arrangement' stat beside it.
"Okay, I understand for now."
With that understanding, Kang Rojun exited the restroom and lay down on the bed in room 105.
And then.
'Criticizing a cheating girlfriend, huh-'
He began to come up with lyrics.
Afterwards.
As soon as Thursday morning broke, Kang Rojun naturally began his morning run. After completing his daily mission, Rojun checked the 'AI Simulation' again, pleased with his physical condition.
-[Coins Owned: 545]
He didn't forget to enhance his stats.
-[Appearance (100/100)│Singing Ability (12.1/100)│Rap (11/100)]
[Dance (16.3/100)│Eloquence (9.7/100)│Acting (7.5/100)│Lyrics Writing (61.4/100)]
Before he knew it, Rap had surpassed 10 points.
'Next, let's get Dance up to 20 points first, then move on to Singing Ability.'
Once Kang Rojun set his plan and started his daily routine, entertainment media outlets were enthusiastically spreading the theme song 'Produce' from Episode 5 of 'Produce That 100!'
"'Produce That 100!' first theme song 'Produce' officially released!"
"[Issue Talk] 'Produce' by 'Produce That 100!' hits various streaming platforms, and public reaction is intense"
'Produce' had officially dropped on various music streaming platforms. Since it had just been released, rankings hadn't been announced yet, but media and public reactions were undoubtedly hot.
The result came the next morning, Friday the 21st.
[1 (new!)] Produce / Produce That 100! (Theme Song)
[2 (↓1)] Boy Friend / Kang Woo-jin
[3 (↓1)] With You (Acoustic ver.) / Honeydeep
[4 (↑1)] Season Vibe / Lim Jung-han
.
.
'Produce That 100!', released just the day before, had shot straight to No. 1.
"As expected of the 'Produce That 100!' craze… theme song 'Produce' hits No. 1 on streaming platforms just a day after release"
It had swept across multiple platforms, including the No. 1 domestic music streaming service.
-The theme song is seriously so sleek and well made ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ top-tier among audition variety show songs in my opinion!
-I love the song ❤
-I hope the songs composed by Produce That 100! contestants also become theme songs.
-Can't wait to see the Produce That 100! participants dancing to this theme song ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Wow, it hit No. 1 as soon as it dropped!! The firepower is insane.
-It's also No. 1 on Melon and Box ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-The melody has been amazing right from the intro ㅠㅠㅠㅠ I'm playing it on repeat on my way to work….
-It's pretty listenable ㅇㅇ
To top it off, with Episode 6 of 'Produce That 100!' set to air that very night, the fact that 'Produce' had devoured multiple streaming platforms meant the show's impact could only grow stronger.
Then night came.
Kang Rojun, including those at the Paju campus, people related to 'Rental Lover', various broadcasting stations and entertainment agencies, and countless viewers all tuned in to channel JTVM.
Episode 6 of 'Produce That 100!' had begun.
-'Produce That 100!'
Following the title sequence, Episode 6 picked up from the explanation of Team 1's third round evaluation. 'Produce' played as background music, and the camera zoomed in on the faces of Team 1 members listening to the briefing. Naturally, Kang Rojun got the most screen time.
Next were clips and interviews of participants who had been eliminated from the 'Vocal Team' and 'Rap Team'.
-["I stayed in Room 105, and I'm most bummed about not seeing my roommates again, but I feel relieved too. The friends who remain will do great. By the way, can I keep my number tag 88?"]
After showing photos of the 38 surviving contestants, once again the focus was on Team 1. It started with Lee Han-na, who was directing and created the choreography for 'Produce', briefing Team 1 about the dance.
-["From now on, I'll show you the choreography for the first theme song."]
Naturally, the full choreography for 'Produce' wasn't revealed on air yet. The spotlight was on Lee Han-na as she explained and the contestants listening closely. Without her approval, they wouldn't be allowed to perform on the surprise performace stage. The tension was clear on the faces of Team 1.
And in this scene too.
-["No. 1, you seem quite at ease. Does the choreography I made look easy to you?"]
-["It doesn't look difficult."]
No. 1's villainous nature shined through.
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋseriously, this mf ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-No. 1 really has zero chill ㅋㅋㅋㅋ it's refreshing though
-Didn't like him at first... but now he's lowkey super cool…
-Lee Han-na looks so confused ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Where's this confidence coming from? This choreography is new, it'll take time to learn
-Bet No. 1 will be No. 1 again this time!!!
The viewers had gradually adapted to villain No. 1, and the screen transitioned to a training video of 'Produce' being sent to the 13-member Team 1. They all began individual practice sessions while watching the video. Episode 6 focused more on the third evaluation round than on the contestants' daily lives.
The last part of episode 6 ended with Team 1 being gathered without prior notice, followed by Han-na's line as she appeared before Team 1 on stage.
-["I'll now begin your first evaluation."]
Saturday morning, the 22nd, at the 'Produce That 100!' campus.
Kang Rojun was in the middle of his usual run. participants from Room 105 and a few others were trailing behind him, struggling to keep up. While running as if it were no big deal, Rojun glanced at his phone.
'Hmm- still no viewership rating for Episode 6.'
He looked calm as he checked his phone. He was searching for the viewership ratings for the episode aired yesterday. Since it was still early, there was no official announcement yet. But he became aware of another piece of news.
'Ah, right. Today's the launch of Produce That 100! on Netflix, isn't it?'
While skimming through articles briefly, Kang Rojun opened something else. A memo file he had sent from his laptop. As he read the file with quite dense text, Rojun nodded slightly.
'Yeah. This is not bad at all.'
He had finished writing the lyrics for No. 58's rap song 'Witch' in just two days.
Meanwhile, at Jamsil Indoor Stadium.
It was a massive indoor stadium, set up in a way that evoked the feel of a volleyball stadium, completely empty without any audience. It was a venue used for sports like basketball, volleyball, and handball. On one side, a man was looking up at the stands that could hold over ten thousand spectators, a man who seemed familiar.
'When it's packed, it's eleven thousand people, if the 'Produce That 100!' kids come here, their legs will probably start shaking.'
It was PD Woo Han-suk, his face full of fatigue. Why was he here, when he should have been at the broadcasting station or the 'Produce That 100!' campus? Soon, PD Woo Han-suk asked the female writer standing beside him,
"Nothing unusual at the campus? Anything I should know?"
Woo Han-suk tried to visit the Paju campus as often as he could, but with his intense schedule, there were plenty of times he had to be away, hence the question.
The female writer responded casually as if there wasn't much.
"Other than the participants wearing themselves out practicing for the third evaluation's dance, there's nothing much. No major troubles. Occasionally, one or two of them talk back to Han-na nim, but they get shut down quickly."
As if something had just come to mind, she added,
"Ah! No. 1 and No. 58 started doing something together!"
"That- I heard it's not so much studying together as conversing in Japanese. No. 58 requested it."
"I heard that too, but after that, it looked like No. 58 was teaching No. 1 something as well."
"No. 58 teaching No. 1?"
"Yes. Since we only quickly skimmed the video without audio- I'll check it immediately."
The female writer nodded. PD Woo Han-suk, scratching his chin, quietly exhaled.
'What would No. 58 have to teach No. 1? Hmm, probably something light, well, I'll just ask No. 58 directly.'
PD Woo Han-suk didn't think much of it. Just then, a few writers, including Kim Se-hee, and two staff members from the stadium approached from behind him. One of the stadium staff members confirmed with him.
"PD-nim, rehearsal for the performance is before the volleyball match on the 26th. Then the actual performance kicks off just before the game. Is that correct?"
PD Woo Han-suk nodded.
"Yes."
There were only four days left until the surprise 'Produce' performance, which also served as Team 1's third evaluation.
"As discussed beforehand, please make sure it remains a secret from the audience."