A sudden title mission? Kang Rojun was slightly surprised at the mission that appeared on his phone screen. Not only was it a new type of mission, but its content was also quite novel.
"Choose a side job?"
Of course, his main job would be being an idol, but he had never even considered a side job.
"Why a side job all of a sudden??"
Rojun carefully examined the mission displayed by the ‘AI Simulation’ app. Apparently, completing it would grant him the title of ‘Side Job Tycoon’. But wouldn't a tycoon need more than just one? Sohow, he felt like this wouldn't be the last ti he'd be dealing with side jobs. Well, considering how celebrities often dabble in various fields, it wasn’t entirely strange.
Actors beco singers, and singers beco actors.
'I've even seen codians beco painters, and so go into business or open shops.'
If one set their mind to it, there was nothing they couldn't do. After all, idols who hit peak popularity often branch out into different areas. So, the app encouraging a side job didn’t seem like such an unreasonable idea.
'A multi-talented idol who's good at everything? Sounds fun. That would boost my popularity several tis over, wouldn't it?'
On top of that, completing this title mission would also reward him with bonus coins. That was an opportunity he couldn't pass up. Rojun stroked his chin as he muttered to himself, contemplating the mission’s completion requirents.
- [Completion Condition: Choose a first side job and engage in related activities.]
Since it only required him to choose a side job, it seed like he had the freedom to decide. He pondered carefully. To be honest, thanks to the ‘AI Simulation’ app’s ‘AI Automation’ function, this wasn't particularly difficult for him. His Status included skills like composition and arrangent, so he could easily choose composer as his side job and generate a random song using ‘AI Automation’.
However, the issue was.
"I don't have enough coins yet-"
It cost money. The ‘AI Automation’ feature, which functioned like a paid service, had to be used sparingly. At the mont, it was better to save up coins rather than spend them.
"Being a composer would be worth trying soday, but it's a bit too early now."
For this mission, it would be better to complete it using his own effort. He could just give up on it altogether, but
"No way I’m passing up 30 bonus coins."
After a mont of contemplation, Rojun muttered under his breath.
"There's no obligation, so I can just pick anything random and complete the mission, right?"
Thinking aloud, Rojun ca up with a possible side job. A writer. More specifically, a screenwriter.
He picked up the cheap laptop sitting in the corner of his room. The reason he thought of becoming a writer or a screenwriter was simple.
"I never thought this crappy writing of mine would co in handy."
The truth was, Kang Rojun had been writing on and off for so ti. It wasn’t because it was his dream or anything grand like that. In fact, calling it a hobby felt a bit off as well.
Because of his hideous face, Rojun had spent most of his ti holed up at ho. Eventually, watching TV beca boring, and he discovered that writing could help with his depression, so he decided to give it a shot.
After all, he already had hundreds of imaginations and daydreams every day anyway.
It was sowhat fun to transfer those absurd daydreams and imaginations into writing. But he had never shown his work to anyone. What was there to boast about when it was just a pile of nonsense? Since he had never learned anything properly, his writing was entirely self-taught. Over ti, by gathering information from the internet, he managed to structure his work sowhat in the format of movie and drama scripts.
'Though I haven't paid much attention to it recently- I had written quite a few.'
Rojun powered up his laptop and searched for his collection of "garbage words", or rather, his rough drafts. He found more than expected. This should be enough, right? Okay, first side job decided as screenwriter. Now, he just needed to engage in related activities, which was a bit tricky.
'Would it work if I just write sothing?'
He opened one of his drafts and started typing out a few lines. However, the app remained quiet. So this isn't enough, huh? Crossing his arms, Rojun exhaled in frustration. Then, a thought ca to him.
"Sohow it feels like it's telling not to be cunning and do proper side job activities."
A screenwriter’s first activity? For a newbie, the most obvious choice would be submitting their work to a competition or sothing similar.
With a serious look, Rojun opened a search engine and started looking up scriptwriting and screenwriting competitions. He found quite a few results.
Among them, the one that caught Kang Rojun’s eye was.
- [SBC] 2020 33rd SBC One-Act Drama Script Contest.
It was a script competition hosted by a public broadcasting station. Since it was already in its 33rd year, it seed to be an annual event. Skimming through the details, Rojun saw that the submission deadline was tomorrow.
Scratching his chin, Kang Rojun didn’t hesitate for long.
"Might as well throw sothing in?"
After all, he already had so short drama script trash lying around. He searched for one of his rough drafts, which had a title he had co up with on a whim.
-'Rental Lover'
The mont he saw it, an overwhelming wave of embarrassnt hit him. What the hell was I thinking when I nad it that? Letting out a deep sigh, Rojun fought through the cringe and moved his mouse, to submit it. Since he already had a finished script, the submission process didn’t take long. Before he knew it, the words ‘Submission Complete’ appeared on his laptop screen.
He had no expectations for this garbage writing of his.
He had only done it for one reason.
- Wooong.
A notification popped up from the ‘AI Simulation’ app.
- [Sudden Title Mission ‘Choose a first side job and engage in related activities’ has been completed! You have received 30 coins as a reward.]
Nice.
A smile spread across Kang Rojun’s face.
All he did was submit so script trash, yet he got 30 coins in return.
'So by 'related activities,' it ant actually taking action.'
However, there was no notification about acquiring the title. Huh? Why not? Rojun wondered for a mont but quickly brushed it off. He had only just taken his first step, maybe he needed to wait a bit longer.
For now, the important thing was.
- [Coins: 194]
He was just six coins away from 200.
Later.
The weekend passed, and Monday, June 29th arrived. The first thing Rojun did upon waking up was complete his daily mission.
"Huff- Heuk-"
His running mission had started with just 30 minutes, but with each completion, it increased by 1 minute. Now, he had to run for an entire hour. The sa applied to his other workouts. On the bright side, exercising daily was improving his physique. But on the downside, it was no longer sothing he could just breeze through.
'At so point, the ti and reps have to stop increasing, right? Please… they have to.'
Running for three hours just for one coin would be ridiculous.
Fortunately, there were plenty of mission types, so as his range of activities expanded, he’d have other options.
Once he finished his workout, Rojun got ready and headed out.
His destination: JTVM
He had received a notification about so kind of pre-recorded insert shoot today. Since every term was unfamiliar to him, the closer he got to the broadcasting station, the more his nerves intensified.
'She said it would be over quickly, but… it's still a shoot, right? And it’s my first ti ever??'
The first experience with anything was never easy. Rojun was too busy calming his trembling hands to notice the curious stares from other passengers on the subway. Upon arriving at JTVM, he was greeted by a group of writers, including the overly-energetic Kim Se-hee.
"Rojun-ssi, you're here??!! Your face is working hard today too!!"
"Right! You sohow look even more handso than the first ti we saw you… Did you get a skincare treatnt or sothing??"
"No way! With Rojun-ssi’s skin, any dermatologist would say there’s nothing to fix!"
But Rojun was already too tense to process their words. His brain was malfunctioning.
"Well… I’m unemployed, so at least my face should work hard."
He blurted out whatever ca to mind, but the writers burst out laughing. What's this? Which part was funny? Rojun, who found it hard to understand, was guided to a studio inside the broadcasting station. Inside, over a dozen staff mbers were already in place, along with caras. In the center of the studio, a folding chair was set up. As Rojun entered, Woo Han-suk, the PD, who had been chatting with a cara operator, greeted him. His exhaustion was written all over his face.
"Oh- Rojun-ssi, you’re here."
The studio imdiately buzzed with noise. The staff who saw Rojun for the first ti were startled. Regardless, PD Woo Han-seok showed a thumbs up to Rojun's face and continued speaking.
"Our first filming is confird for Tuesday, July 7th. Lucky seven-seven, right? The set construction is already finished too."
July 7th? That was about eight days away. Kang Rojun’s heartbeat quickened. At that mont, Kim Se-hee, the hamster-like writer, took Rojun aside. While checking his outfit, she added so explanations.
"You heard about the first shoot, right?? The premiere date is also roughly set. About ten days after we finish the first recording? And if things go quickly, we should finish selecting the 100 contestants by tomorrow at the latest. Oh, since we’re on the topic, should I give you a rough rundown of the first recording??"
"Yes, if possible."
"The first recording will be the first round of auditions with the judges. It'll be fild over two days, splitting the contestants into two groups: Group 1 and Group 2. Each group will have 50 contestants. Rojun-ssi, you’re in Group 1!"
She also ntioned that they would provide details on the location, necessary items, and schedule separately. Hearing all this made the whole thing feel very real. Rojun’s nerves flared up again.
"Uh- is there anything I need to prepare for the first recording?"
"The first round is open-ended! The production team only assigns tasks from the second round onwards. So, for this one, you just need to prepare sothing you’re confident in, whatever you do best! Singing, dancing, anything! Oh, and in the past, we even had soone perform magic."
Magic? Well, I do have a magic trick of my own. The ‘AI Simulation’ app. Rojun thought absurdly to himself. anwhile, Kim Se-hee bead brightly and continued.
"Just let know what you’ll be doing by two days before the first recording! That way, we can prepare properly!"
After that, they moved on to Rojun’s insert shoot. The format was simple. The PD would ask questions, and Rojun would answer.
"How did you first hear about ‘Produce That 100!’?"
At this point, Kang Rojun’s brain was half-malfunctioning. His response ca without passing through any filters.
"I got hit on."
"...Excuse ?"
"I was asked for my number."
"Ahahaha! Hahaha! Oh, right? Our writer basically street-cast you."
These insert clips would be edited in wherever they fit best.
Just then, a staff mber holding a cara called over Kim Se-hee and the other writers.
"Co take a look at this."
He gestured at the monitor attached to the cara. The writers, including Kim Se-hee, rushed over. And the mont they saw it. They let out pure admiration. No, it was more like awe.
"......He didn’t even wear makeup- holy shit, is this for real?"
"Every single angle is a cheat."
"Even this is nothing compared to seeing him in person."
"If he actually makes it on TV… People are gonna say he’s CGI."
Regardless of what was being said, the shoot eventually ended. It had taken about two hours. All Rojun had done was mindlessly answer questions. And right after it was over.
‘I need to get out of here.’
Without hesitation, he gave a quick farewell and left imdiately. Or rather, he ran away. Watching his retreating figure, PD Woo Han-suk pushed up his glasses.
"Hmm-"
His mind was already racing with calculations, thinking about how to edit Rojun’s footage and where to place the cuts. Then, when Kim Se-hee approached him, he smirked.
"We just found our Episode 1 finale shot."
"Huh??"
"We'll edit the episode to feature so of the more talented contestants at the start. Then, at the very end, bam. We cut to Kang Rojun making his entrance and end Episode 1 there. What do you think?"
Kim Se-hee and the other writers grinned. Because it was so easy to picture.
"Just his face alone is gonna make viewers lose their minds."
About a week later, on the morning of July 7th.
Location: SBC Drama Departnt, a major broadcasting station.
Since it was morning, so desks were still empty, and people were just arriving for work.
By the window-side desks, a woman with ssy brown hair tied in a loose ponytail let out a long yawn.
"Haaaahhhmmm-"
She seed to be in her mid-40s. Whether she had pulled an all-nighter at the drama departnt or simply arrived too early was unclear. But in her hands was a stack of papers.
- Flip, flip.
The sleepy-eyed woman was reading through a stack of papers. She was a director in the SBC Drama Departnt, and what she was currently reviewing was a script, one of the entries submitted to the 33rd SBC One-Act Drama Script Contest. Since she was one of the PDs in charge of judging, she had to go through these submissions. Other PDs were also busy reading their assigned scripts.
The system worked like this: each PD selected notable works, compiled them, then held etings with the writers. From there, the final selections for Grand Prize and Excellence Awards were made.
Before long, the woman set the script down on her desk with a light thud and stretched her arms wide.
"Ughh!"
The script’s cover page was clearly visible.
- "Rental Lover"
- Writer: Kang Chul-soo
Still groggy, the woman PD cracked her neck from side to side and glanced at the script before giving a simple verdict.
"This one's pretty decent. Let’s keep it for now."
anwhile, at the sa ti, in Paju, Gyeonggi Province.
A taxi ca to a stop in front of a massive site in Paju. From the backseat, a man with thick black hair stepped out.
- Thud!
His appearance was unusual. Although he was dressed casually in a short-sleeved T-shirt and jeans, he was wearing a white mask that covered his face. His face was so small that the mask alone nearly concealed it entirely. Standing still, the man stared intently ahead.
"......"
The site in front of him resembled a giant amusent park or thed attraction. The grand entrance alone felt like a portal to another world. Behind it, nurous buildings stretched into the distance. In reality, this place was a the studio campus, designed to mimic world-famous film studios. It housed various attractions and nurous facilities all in one place.
At that mont, the man in the white mask.
- Swish.
Turned his gaze toward the crowds gathering near the entrance.
"We're short on walkie-talkies!!!"
"Hey, soone fix the fencing over there!"
"The contestants should be arriving soon! Call PD-nim!!"
Shouts rang out, staff scrambled to check equipnt, and the entire area was a chaotic ss.
The masked man felt his heartbeat quicken as he thought to himself.
'Did I get here too early??'
Luckily, at that mont, two other n brushed past him.
Both were also wearing white masks.
Simultaneously, a few people in the crowd near the entrance noticed the masked n and waved at them.
"Contestants have arrived!! This way! Please co this way!! Ah! Keep your masks on!!"
anwhile, online, news articles were spreading fast.
《‘Produce That 100!’, The Survival Audition Show Generating Buzz Even Before Airing, First Shoot Begins Today in Paju》
Taking a subtle deep breath, the masked man adjusted his mask. A glimpse of his face could be seen underneath.
The man was Kang Rojun, and.
"Damn, it’s really my first shoot, I'm so freaking nervous. Whatever. Let’s just go."
Once again, the staff's voices rang out.
"Filming crew!! PD-nim says to standby!"
And with that.
The first shoot of ‘Produce That 100!’ had begun.
*****
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