I'm screwed, seriously screwed.
The excitent from the title mission lasted only for a mont before Kang Rojun was hit with shocking news that left him at a loss.
'Being the first one is too much-'
Because the first shot of this massive survival audition variety show was Kang Rojun himself. When he received the number 1 na tag, he thought nothing of it, but he never imagined it would also indicate his audition order. Rojun, who had been avoiding people and shutting himself at ho for years, had only just begun to step into the light and adapt.
His face had transford into that of a monster capable of overwhelming everyone, but inside, he was still the gloomy, eerie Kang Rojun.
For soone like him, just participating in 'Produce That 100!' was already an act of courage.
'Damn, this is so sudden.'
But what could he do? He had already stepped onto the battlefield, where competitors were scattered like landmines, and he had drawn the number 1 himself. Of course, he was flustered.
'Haa- well, I have to go. I can't just stand here stamring forever.'
Now, he had to pull himself together. Thankfully, he was usually composed, so he recovered quickly. Kang Rojun had already devised a plan for the situation. What he needed to do imdiately was strengthen his resolve, just a little more, and control his mind to be bolder.
He needed to stay calm.
A faint breath escaped from behind Rojun’s white mask. At the sa ti, he recalled sothing his late father used to say frequently.
'The world is harsh. What you need to have at all tis is the attitude of "I'm , so what the hell are you gonna do about it?"'
Right, life wasn’t always going to be smooth sailing. No one knew this better than Kang Rojun, who had spent years living like a shadow. Maybe this was actually a good thing.
'Since it’s co to this, I might as well go all out.'
His greatest weapon was, of course, his face. Plus, his trained mindset.
Just then.
-Bzzzt, bzzzt.
His smartwatch vibrated on his wrist. A call. The number was unfamiliar. But right now, this wasn’t important. Rojun casually ignored the call. The vibration soon stopped, followed by the arrival of a text ssage.
-[Hello, Kang Chul-soo-nim. This is SBC Broadcasting Station reaching out. Since we couldn’t reach you by phone, we’re leaving a ssage. Your script has been selected as a finalist for the One-Act Drama Script Contest. Please contact us when you see this ssage.]
Kang Rojun didn’t know. Because at that mont, the staff mber briefing at the front spoke again, calling for him.
"Contestant number 1, please proceed."
It was ti to head to the stage. Without much reaction, Rojun stood up from his seat. The caras imdiately closed in. Using them as his companion, Kang Rojun exited Waiting Room 1.
Before long, Rojun and the staff disappeared, leaving the remaining 24 contestants in the waiting room, each lost in their own thoughts.
‘It sucks for him, but it's none of my business.’
‘That number 1 guy seems surprisingly composed? If it were , I’d be losing my shit. Anyway, good for him.’
‘There are 100 contestants, and he has to go first? That’s just brutal.’
Their gazes shifted to the large monitor set up at the front. That screen would likely broadcast the audition process of each contestant. It wasn’t just this waiting room, Waiting Room 2 next door was probably the sa.
All 49 contestants of Group 1, except for Kang Rojun, were staring at the monitor.
‘Might as well watch and learn how the audition unfolds.’
For now, they were simply spectators, ready to witness the "execution" of Number 1.
anwhile.
Kang Rojun walked down the corridor, accompanied by caras. A staff mber led the way ahead of him.
Sohow, his mind wasn’t as cluttered as he expected. In fact, it was surprisingly clear.
‘Maybe because I haven’t seen the stage yet? This isn’t as bad as I thought.’
It could also be because of the white mask covering his face. Since his expression was hidden.
Soon, they arrived at a set of double doors, where the guide stopped. The caras, which had been closely following him, moved past Rojun to capture the mont as the doors opened. The caraman stepped backward, ready to film Rojun’s entrance.
At that mont, Rojun caught a glimpse of sothing.
'What the hell is that inside?'
A vast and grand space, swarming with dozens of staff mbers. The place buzzed with noise. Was that the main stage? It seed so, as the staff mber gestured toward him.
"This way, please."
Following the staff, Rojun stepped inside. And at that mont, he unconsciously parted his lips.
‘Wow......’
Was this another world? Kang Rojun’s eyes widened, and his mouth fell open in astonishnt. It was the kind of reaction one would have when witnessing sothing truly overwhelming.
‘This is insane, seriously.’
A hall so massive it was impossible to take it all in at a glance. A ceiling that stretched endlessly high, countless lights shining like stars, a huge stage occupying half the hall, and star-shaped decorations glowing in various colors around it. On the stage and the enormous screen behind it, the 'Produce That 100!' logo was prominently displayed.
And that wasn’t all.
‘Just how many people are there?’
In the direction facing the stage, at least a hundred staff mbers were bustling about. Unfamiliar filming equipnt and state-of-the-art audio devices filled the space.
Who could remain unfazed in such a grand setting?
Even a seasoned idol would feel nervous in a place like this. Naturally, the brief mont when Rojun’s nerves had subsided quickly passed, and the tension returned. However, it wasn’t fear or anxiety, it was a shiver of awe.
‘…I’ll be standing here, and the audience will be watching .’
He could finally grasp it for real. Kang Rojun’s life had officially entered the realm of the wonderland.
As he was still taking in the grand sight of the hall.
“Contestant number 1, this way, please.”
A staff mber moved toward the back of the massive stage. Kang Rojun cast one last glance at the hall, feeling reluctant to leave, before stepping forward.
His destination was the waiting area behind the stage, a simple space prepared for the contestants. Calling it a waiting room was a stretch, it was rely an empty area with a few chairs. The staff mber gestured toward one.
“Please have a seat for a mont. You’ll be heading out soon.”
anwhile.
Among the hundred or so staff mbers facing the stage, one person in particular was overseeing the entire scene. PD Woo Han-suk, the head of 'Produce That 100!', also caught sight of Kang Rojun disappearing backstage.
‘So he’s number 1, huh… Well, we can adjust it however we want in the broadcast edits, but the atmosphere on-site is already getting interesting.’
As the producer responsible for selecting all 100 contestants, Woo Han-suk naturally had his eye on Kang Rojun.
At that mont, so writers, including Kim Se-hee, who was familiar with Rojun, gathered around Woo Han-suk. The first to whisper was Kim Se-hee.
“If Rojun-ssi is number 1… the contestants after him won’t even stand a chance in the visuals departnt.”
“That’s what I’m saying. How did he end up drawing number 1?”
“We don’t know about his skills, but his looks are already in another league… Then again, who knows? If they only picked him for his appearance and his actual skills are lacking, the judges might score him really harshly.”
Kang Rojun had been chosen purely for his face. The focus was on generating buzz. As the writers speculated about the future.
-Swoosh.
Four people entered the area where the staff were gathered. They were the judges of 'Produce That 100'!, having just finished filming their interview scenes.
“Whoa- I caught a glimpse of it earlier, but the stage is really well put together.”
The first to speak was a short man in his 50s with a playful face. No, he wasn’t just any man, he was Yoon Seung-won, a veteran singer with a 30-year career who was still making waves in the industry. A woman followed behind him.
“Just looking at the stage, I can tell how much effort Woo PD put into this.”
She was Gong Joo-mi, dressed in an elegant white suit. A forr mber of a famous first-generation girl group, she's currently active as a musical actress.
The next to chi in was a stocky man.
“Is that our seat over there? Right in front of the stage?”
This was Song Min-geun, a legendary composer and broadcaster who had produced countless hit songs.
The last of the group was a tall, slender woman.
"Won't the participants hear us whispering among ourselves?"
She was Lee Da-mi, another first-generation girl group mber. Unlike the others, she now ran a mid-sized entertainnt company managing active idols.
These four were the official judges of 'Produce That 100!'.
Of course, there were also separate trainers for vocals, dance, and rap. After briefly greeting PD Woo Han-suk and the exhausted staff, the judges took their seats, located right in front of the magnificent, dazzling stage.
The placent was so close that they could see every contestant’s face in perfect detail.
The mont the judges took their seats, the staff handed them sothing, profiles of the 50 contestants in Group 1 scheduled for today’s auditions.
As soon as they saw them, the judges clicked their tongues.
“Hoo- there's so many."
“But there aren’t any photos on the profiles?”
“I saw earlier that all the contestants were wearing masks. They only take them off once they’re on stage, and until then, their faces are kept secret.”
“This kind of audition variety show is a first. Definitely unique.”
“There are more blank spaces than actual information. At this point, these profiles are useless.”
Aside from the sheer quantity, the profiles didn’t even contain the contestants’ nas or photos. They were practically blank. With nothing to analyze, the judges started making small talk. Just then, a man in a suit stepped onto the stage, the show’s host.
The mont she saw him, Gong Joo-mi laughed.
"Hey hey, Dae-han. Aren’t you trying a little too hard? You look so stiff, it’s awkward.”
The host and MC of 'Produce That 100'! was Jang Dae-han, a forr idol who had transitioned into broadcasting.
In his 30s, he was the youngest among the panel, a junior to the judges by quite a few years. Scratching his head awkwardly, he responded,
“It’s been ages since I wore a suit. I feel so out of place.”
With Jang Dae-han’s arrival, the stage quickly moved into rehearsal mode. Lighting, sound, filming, staff mbers bustled around for a while before retreating from the stage. Behind the array of caras, the expressions of over a hundred staff mbers began to shift.
Among them, PD Woo Han-suk’s face was the most serious.
“Let’s start with ‘Number 1.’”
PD Woo Han-suk officially signaled the beginning of the recording. The hall fell silent in an instant. All caras turned their focus to the stage, while Jang Dae-han, who had been waiting, picked up his handheld microphone.
"Being an idol was once my dream, and now it's also the dream of 'The 100' who will stand on this stage! 'Produce That 100!' begins now!”
The mont he shouted the scripted line from his cue card, the stage lighting changed. A mix of colors illuminated the set as caras moved frantically. Jang Dae-han proceeded to explain the 'Produce That 100!' system: how the show would progress, the audition format, the judging criteria, the scoring system, and how viewers could participate.
“For reference, all 100 contestants are currently wearing masks. They will be referred to by their assigned numbers instead of nas! As soon as they step on stage, they will remove their masks and showcase their prepared performances, without any pre-show interviews!”
Flipping to the next cue card, Jang Dae-han continued.
“Now, let’s bring out ‘Number 1.’”
The mont he finished speaking, the lights across the stage and hall dimd. It was as if night had fallen. But within the darkness, subtle movent could be detected.
And then.
-Flash!
A single bright white spotlight illuminated the center of the stage. Standing alone in the previously empty space was a man with dark hair, wearing a mask. His outfit was extrely plain, a white T-shirt and jeans. It was completely raw and unpolished, precisely the effect PD Woo Han-suk had intended.
‘Is that Number 1?’
The mont the judges laid eyes on the figure in the spotlight, their gazes sharpened. The evaluation had begun. ‘Number 1’ remained still. There was no sign of trembling or nervousness.
“......”
Several dozen seconds passed like that. The caras signaled that they had captured full shots of ‘Number 1’ from the front, side, back, and the entire stage. Then, Jang Dae-han raised his microphone again.
“‘Number 1’, please remove your mask.”
All eyes in the hall, over a hundred staff mbers, Jang Dae-han, the judges, and even the contestants watching from the waiting room, were fixated on ‘Number 1’. He stood motionless for a brief mont before finally raising both hands.
At that instant, the four judges held mild expectations, but nothing too high.
‘The contestants are all ordinary people, right? His visuals are probably average, so we should focus on his skills.’
‘Why even have them wear masks? If they take them off and aren’t impressive, the viewers will just be disappointed.’
‘Number 1, he must’ve been devastated the mont he drew that number.’
They had spent decades in the entertainnt industry.
They had seen it all, countless idols who were handso, beautiful, exceptionally skilled, witty, and overflowing with charm. There was nothing left for them to be surprised by.
So, it wasn’t strange that their excitent had dulled over the years.
At that mont, ‘Number 1’ lowered his head and removed his white mask.
Then, slowly, he lifted his face.
“……”
The instant ‘Number 1’s’ face was revealed to the world.
The first to react were the judges, who were staring directly at him.
“…Huh?”
Unintentionally, their eyes widened, and their mouths fell slightly open. All four judges, veterans who had been through everything the entertainnt industry had to offer, were montarily speechless. A brief but heavy silence followed. ‘Number 1’ looked at the judges, and the judges, as if spellbound, stared back at him.
Then, Lee Da-mi, the forr girl group mber and now an entertainnt company CEO, muttered under her breath.
“What the hell… That face… Are you kidding ?”
Even Yoon Seung-won, the singer with 30 years of experience, dropped the pen he had been twirling in his hand.
‘Handso- No, not just handso. This guy makes even the best-looking people seem insignificant.’
Each judge reacted in their own way, but their thoughts were the sa. That ‘Number 1’ could effortlessly overshadow the top-tier visuals of the entire entertainnt industry.
‘A disruption to the ecosystem.’
A presence that rewrote the standards.
Soon, veteran singer Yoon Seung-won, who had been staring at 'Number 1' as if enchanted.
-Swoosh.
Raised his gaze to the white light shining down on 'Number 1'. Then gave a hollow laugh.
“…Is that a damn halo?”
At the sa ti, ‘Number 1’s’ deep voice resonated through the entire hall.
“Hello, I am Contestant ‘Number 1’.”
And then, Kang Rojun stated what he was about to showcase.
“I have prepared a song. The song I will be singing is ‘Farewell’.”
*****
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