The ‘The Studio Campus’ in Paju. Boasting an enormous site, this was the filming location for 'Produce That 100!'. In other words, it was where the production crew would be stationed until the broadcast ended. However, they hadn’t rented out the entire The Studio Campus.
They had only secured a large hall, a few studios, a training center, and accommodations.
Regardless, Kang Rojun arrived at the entrance, where the 'Produce That 100!' production staff had gathered.
-Swish.
Two n who had arrived before him, that is, two contestants, were standing in line. Sensing sothing, Rojun took the third spot. Soon, the two contestants ahead of him glanced at Kang Rojun.
‘He seems to have so height, but judging by his eyes alone, his looks are just average.’
‘His face probably isn’t bad... but he’s shorter than .’
They couldn’t make a clear judgnt. All three of them, including Rojun, were wearing white masks. Of course, Kang Rojun also quickly scanned the two n in front of him.
‘Whoa- his hair is yellow. If he dyes it that often, his hair’s gonna fall out like crazy. Isn’t he scared??’
Additionally, the man in the second position didn’t quite look Korean, at least from the bridge of his nose up. His facial structure resembled that of a foreigner. The space between his eyes was deeply set.
'Well, they did say they didn't only recruit contestants from Korea, so there might be foreigners.'
For reference, the reason why Kang Rojun and the others were wearing white masks was due to a request from the 'Produce That 100!' production team. Apparently, their faces were to remain undisclosed until the official evaluation. Anyway, while Rojun was observing the other contestants.
“Okay, roll the caras!”
One of the staff mbers near the entrance gave the signal. A familiar face to Kang Rojun.
‘That’s the person I saw during the insert shoot last ti.’
Following the signal from the staff mber, who was part of the directing team, the caras that had been filming the scenery and entrance in advance started moving. One cara focused on the entrance, another on Kang Rojun, another from a different angle, and so on. At this point, a female staff mber addressed the contestants standing in line.
“Today, we’re filming Group 1! The caras are already rolling, but just act as if they’re not there and follow the instructions given! Now, first contestant, please enter!”
Kang Rojun tensed up as he glanced at the cara filming him from two steps away.
‘How am I supposed to act like the caras aren’t there when they clearly are?? This is crazy hard from the start.’
anwhile, the first contestant stepped forward and calmly passed through the large entrance. A cara captured his back. A few minutes later, the second contestant received the signal to proceed. Around that ti, a few more contestants had arrived behind Rojun.
“Next! Please enter!”
It was Kang Rojun’s turn. He walked awkwardly. Thankfully, he had the mask on. If not, his awkward expression would have been vividly captured by the caras. After passing through the entrance and walking about ten steps, the vast interior of the campus unfolded before Rojun’s eyes.
‘Wow- what is this place? I didn’t know a place like this existed in Korea.’
European-style buildings and parks were scattered throughout, and there was even a bus stop inside. It felt less like a campus and more like a small city. Of course, the roads were filled with staff and caras set up in various locations.
For a mont, Rojun recalled the school trip he had taken in middle school.
‘It feels kinda similar.’
The anticipation and nervousness before everything began felt almost the sa. Just how much money did they pour into renting a place this massive? While Rojun was having aningless thoughts, he noticed that the contestants who had entered earlier were boarding a waiting bus. A staff mber standing in front of the bus spotted him and gave a brief explanation.
“Get on. You can sit wherever you’d like.”
Rojun responded and climbed onto the bus. The contestants who had boarded earlier were seated in a row by the window at the back. Rojun quickly scanned the interior of the bus.
‘The things attached up there, are those caras??’
At least six small caras were installed on the ceiling of the bus. It was clear the production team intended to capture every second, every mont. Feeling even more tense, Rojun settled into a middle window seat. And then, he was startled.
‘Whoa- shit, even here??!’
There was a cara positioned directly in front of his face. With so many caras, how was he supposed to pretend they weren’t there? Feeling awkward, Rojun shifted his gaze uncomfortably before ultimately turning to look out the window.
The bus departed once about twenty contestants had boarded.
“......”
“......”
It was quiet. No one opened their mouth. The only exceptions were a few contestants who found the silence unbearable and started small talk with their seatmates.
"Where are you from?"
"Seoul."
"Ah- I'm from Yongin."
too! I'm from Yongin as well! Kang Rojun ntally responded but held his tongue. Soon, the bus stopped in front of a building. Stepping out, he imdiately noticed that the size and atmosphere of the building were unusual, with many staff mbers present. Caras quickly zood in, and instructions followed from behind.
"Please enter the lobby one by one!"
A line ford again. Rojun was fifth in line. anwhile, the caras panned across the waiting contestants. Just as Kang Rojun was taking in his surroundings and observing the building ahead.
"Next, please enter!"
It was Rojun’s turn. He climbed the gray stairs and was t with a fairly spacious lobby. About six staff mbers were waiting inside. To the side, a black box was placed on a desk. As Rojun approached, a familiar face suddenly popped up.
"Co this way!"
It was the highly-energetic writer, Kim Se-hee. She recognized Kang Rojun right away, despite his mask, and playfully winked with one eye. Don't do that. It was strangely funny. Struggling to suppress his laughter, Rojun listened as Kim Se-hee explained.
"Keep your mask on, and now, pick a ball from this box!"
She pointed to the black box beside her. Rojun reached inside. It felt full of ping pong balls. After stirring them around for a mont, he pulled one out. A number was written on it.
"1?"
Rojun had drawn number 1. For so reason, Kim Se-hee looked slightly surprised.
"Ah- ah, number 1??"
Rojun, puzzled, asked back.
"Yeah, why? Is there a problem?"
"...Huh? Ahaha, no, no problem at all! Anyway, from now on, you will be referred to as Contestant number 1!"
Just 1 instead of his na? The other contestants were probably assigned numbers in the sa way. aning, from now on, this number was his identity. Before Rojun could fully process how his na had vanished in an instant, Kim Se-hee handed him sothing, a na tag with the number ‘1’ on it.
"Please pin this to your chest!"
After attaching the numbered na tag, Rojun gave a small nod to Kim Se-hee and.
-Swish.
He followed the signs and walked ahead.
His destination was ‘Waiting Room 1’, located midway down the hallway. Inside, a few contestants who had arrived earlier were already seated. More than 20 chairs were spaced out, and at the front was a large monitor. Several staff mbers were also present, and as expected, caras were mounted on the ceiling and throughout the room.
"......"
Reading the atmosphere, Kang Rojun walked toward the first seat at the front. As expected, the chair had a large number ‘1’ attached to it. Since he was contestant number 1, this must be his designated seat. Sitting down, he looked at the monitor ahead. A logo was displayed on the screen.
- Produce That 100!
The slight nervousness that had faded montarily ca rushing back into Rojun’s chest. Around this ti, outside, Kim Se-hee suddenly rembered Kang Rojun and radioed PD Woo Han-suk.
"PD-nim! Rojun picked number 1!"
PD Woo Han-suk sounded surprised as he responded.
"Number 1??! Of all the numbers, he had to pick number 1-"
About an hour later, at the SBC Drama Departnt.
A eting room with a ㄷ-shaped conference table. The ti was around 10 a.m. Several PDs were seated inside, piles of docunts stacked in front of them. One male PD yawned loudly and broke the silence.
"Everyone’s busy, so let’s get this over with quickly."
The eting began imdiately. The topic was brought up by the sa male PD.
"The one-act drama contest is such a pain every year. Ugh- just start by naming the scripts you picked."
This was the selection eting for the winners of the 33rd SBC One-Act Drama Script Contest. However, the PDs' expressions showed a clear sense of indifference and half-heartedness.
"I chose this one. The Night of Lost mories."
"Oh- I picked that one too. The thriller elents aren’t bad, right?"
"Yeah, yeah. Doesn’t seem like a newbie wrote it."
Even though they found it botherso, once the eting officially began, the PDs quickly focused. Discussions flew back and forth, so scripts were good, others were ambiguous, so weren’t bad but not great either, and so PDs outright dismissed all the submissions. In an instant, several one-act scripts were eliminated.
At that mont, a female PD with brown hair tied back spoke up.
"Wasn't this year a total drought? But I did find one decent script. Rental Lover. I thought it was fun."
The other PDs reacted.
"Oh, PD Jung Soo-ryeong, I thought you wouldn't even bother reading it, but you actually did?"
"Shut up. Who else thought Rental Lover was good?"
". It was a bit rough, but it was a decent read. By the way, the writer’s na is Kang Chul-soo, probably a pen na, right?"
"Most likely. But it could be his real na too. Anyway, while reading Rental Lover, I thought it was really unconventional. The idea was solid."
"Wow, high praise from PD Jung. That’s rare."
From there, deeper discussions among the PDs unfolded. Despite their casual approach, their veteran expertise was evident. The eting wrapped up after about thirty minutes.
"Okay, so the final candidates are 'The Night of Lost mories', 'Fake Family', and 'Rental Lover'. I'll send the report to the higher-ups."
"Appreciate it."
"Let’s have our staff contact the writers, et with them, and then pick the final winner."
For reference, the annual SBC One-Act Drama Script Contest guaranteed production for the first-place (Grand Prize) and second-place (Excellence Award) winners. Unfortunately, third place only received prize money. As the PDs began tidying up, one of them turned to Jung Soo-ryeong, who had picked Rental Lover.
"Since you pushed for it, you should handle the eting with Kang Chul-soo, the writer of Rental Lover."
Scratching her ssy hair, she replied indifferently.
"Fine."
She made a ntal guess.
'Judging by the rough writing style, the writer is probably so middle-aged guy.'
Back at the The Studio Campus in Paju
The filming for 'Produce That 100!' Group 1 had officially begun. anwhile, inside Waiting Room 1, Kang Rojun wasn’t feeling nervous, he was just bored out of his mind.
'This is seriously boring. Is it really right to wait for almost 2 hours??'
He had been sitting idly for nearly two hours. Of course, filming was inherently a series of waiting and delays, but having never experienced this before, Rojun found it exhausting.
'Seems like almost all contestants are seated, how much longer do we have to wait?'
Just as he thought, the 25 chairs in Waiting Room 1 were now fully occupied with contestants, all wearing white masks. Not a single seat was empty. Since Group 1 had 50 contestants, there was likely another waiting room as well, but the process was taking far too long. So contestants, seemingly as drained as Rojun, were humming songs or practicing choreography in one corner of the room.
At that mont.
-Bzzzzz.
Rojun felt a vibration. His phone in his pocket and the smartwatch on his wrist. Phones weren’t strictly prohibited, but they had been advised to limit their use. Carefully, Rojun checked his smartwatch. His eyes widened slightly.
An alert from the AI Simulation app had appeared.
-[The title ‘Side Job Tycoon’ has t its conditions and is now activated!]
Suddenly? But that wasn’t the only notification.
-[With the activation of the title ‘Side Job Tycoon’, an additional bonus coin has been granted for mission rewards.]
-[(Each title can be enhanced up to 5, and title-based bonus coins can increase up to 5.)]
-[(The maximum number of mission reward coins is 50.)]
Staring at the pop-up, Rojun blinked. He had already received 30 coins as a reward from a title mission. There had been no ntion of the Side Job Tycoon title at that ti, so he had brushed it off without thinking.
'This really ca out of nowhere.'
Now, suddenly, the 'Side Job Tycoon' title was being applied. His focus shifted to the mission coins.
'So if a title is active, I get bonus coins? And I can enhance the title too?'
Rojun glanced around before accessing the AI Simulation app on his smartwatch. Though not as detailed as on his phone, a simplified interface appeared. The first noticeable changes were.
-[User: Kang Rojun / Age: 24 / Height: 182.8 cm / Desired Occupation: Idol / Side Job: [1] Screenwriter 1 / Coins: 250]
His total coins had increased by one, and a new side job had appeared. Soon, he tapped on the ‘Mission’ button. Everything looked the sa except for one additional line of text.
-[Mission attempts available: 5/5]
-[Title Bonus Coins: 1]
After a brief mont of thought, Rojun ca to a conclusion.
'So basically, the title is just a straight-up bonus. Normally, without missions that give 5 or 10 coins, I get a base of 5 coins per day. But with a title attached, I get an extra bonus coin, making it 6 in total.'
If a title is enhanced, it can provide up to 5 bonus coins per title. aning, if he had a 5 title, he’d be earning 10 coins daily, including the bonus.
'Base coins aside, if I have five 5 titles, that’s 25 extra coins just from bonuses.'
In other words, titles weren’t a one-ti thing. If used well, Kang Rojun could maximize his daily earnings to 50 coins.
'This is a goldmine. But how do I enhance a title? Well, I’ll figure it out once I start using them.'
He still had no idea why it had suddenly been applied, but if a simple trash draft led to this effect, it was a huge win. A faint smirk naturally ford under his mask.
At that mont.
-Swish.
A male staff mber stepped to the front of the waiting room where a large monitor was mounted. The filming crew beca even busier. Seeing this, all 25 contestants returned to their seats, and the man in front glanced at his tablet before speaking with authority.
"You’ve all received your numbered na tags, correct? From now on, you will be addressed by that number."
His voice was clear and precise, likely intended for broadcast.
"During the filming of 'Produce That 100!', you should consider the number you received as your na. It will not change."
As he operated the tablet, his tone beca more serious.
"Additionally, this number determines your audition order."
A murmur rippled through the waiting room.
"Of course, the broadcast editing will mix up the order, but during the actual recording, auditions will proceed strictly by the assigned numbers."
Soon, the staff mber and various caras turned their attention toward a single contestant.
"......"
The one sitting quietly, Number 1. Or rather, Kang Rojun.
In an instant, the gazes of the other contestants were filled with sympathy, pity, and even a touch of mourning.
'Whew- thank god, I was praying not to be first. That poor guy.'
'Damn, the pressure must be insane. Being first- Talk about bad luck.'
'Ugh- going first is the worst. If you don’t make an impact, people will forget you as the audition progresses. Poor guy.'
'If he’s just average, he’ll be completely overlooked.'
Naturally, ‘Number 1’ Kang Rojun was internally freaking out.
'I'm going first??'
anwhile, so distance away from the waiting room, PD Woo Han-suk stood surrounded by staff near the massive stage. He was also thinking about Kang Rojun. Letting out a deep sigh, he muttered under his breath.
"Kang Rojun is going first? …Whew, the ones coming after him are screwed."
*****
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