Suddenly, I Became Crazy Handsome, and the World Became Easy

Kang Rojun lifted the ball above his head. The task written on the ball was dance. Though Rojun casually raised the ball, a slight concern accompanied his thoughts.

‘Phew- dance. I knew it would come up eventually, but I didn’t expect it to be next.’

To be honest, he had been hoping for a vocal task over anything else. He would have to use 'AI Automation' either way, but there was still a huge difference between something he had experienced and something he hadn’t. That said, Kang Rojun didn’t fall into despair over it.

Rather, his mindset became simpler.

‘Vocal, dance, rap, I’ll have to do them all eventually anyway. I just need to manage my expressions well.’

Since it had come to this, he might as well show them a rebellion of someone who can't dance. Although he was tone-deaf, 'AI Automation' had made 'Farewell' sound almost professional. That meant there had to be a solution for his lack of dance skills, too. Whatever the case, the important thing now was to avoid showing any weaknesses to his competitors.

Meanwhile, several cameras focused on Rojun’s indifferent expression and the ball he had lifted above his head.

PD Woo Han-suk, who adjusted his glasses, observed Rojun with curiosity.

‘Why is that guy so calm? It’s like he already knew what he was going to pick.’

‘Well, either way, getting dance was a nice outcome. As long as it’s not vocals, it’s fine.’

Things were going just as he wanted. He already knew that 'Number 1' had above-average vocal skills, so it was best to assess his abilities in other areas as soon as possible. Besides.

‘I also need to confirm whether skipping training was just a way to attract attention.’

Currently, Kang Rojun was a notable figure in 'Produce That 100!', partly due to his insane visuals, but mostly because he had chosen not to attend the training sessions. Normally, skipping training would be seen as a sign of confidence backed by skill. But on the flip side, it could also mean he had no real talent and was just pretending to be a villain to draw attention.

‘Whether he’s good or bad, it doesn’t affect me. But if he’s just an empty-headed show-off, I’ll have to bring him down a peg.’

The first episode of 'Produce That 100!' was just around the corner, and the participants' images could be shaped however the editing team wanted. That was the power PD Woo Han-suk held.

‘Sure, with that ridiculous face, he might survive thanks to viewer votes. But if an uncontrollable contestant acts up too much, managing him later will be a hassle.’

Of course, if the audience saw him as a talentless villain or an unlikable contestant, he could be eliminated early. PD Woo Han-suk then spoke to Rojun.

“That’s fine. You can return to where you were.”

Kang Rojun, responding briefly, blended back into the group of successful candidates. The members of Group 1, who already knew his vocal skills, couldn’t help but steal glances at him.

‘His dancing must be garbage, right? Yeah, come on, his face is that good, and he can sing? He has to be bad at dancing.’

‘Screw up, please. Mess up the dancing and crash spectacularly.’

‘No way. If his face is god-tier, then at least something about him should be flawed!’

Especially 'Number 10', the red-haired contestant, was blatantly staring at Rojun.

‘I don’t know about his vocals, but at least I’ll be better at dance than him. Phew- please, I have to pick dance too.’

His only thought was to crush Kang Rojun. Just then, PD Woo Han-suk called the next contestant.

“Next, 'Number 10'. Please come forward and pick.”

Swallowing nervously, Number 10 reached into the box and carefully chose a ball. A moment later, he pulled his hand out slowly and checked the ball.

Then.

“Whoa!”

He let out an excited exclamation and raised the ball high above his head. A familiar word appeared.

-Dance

Just like Number 1, Number 10 had also drawn dance. Seeing this, PD Woo Han-suk glanced between them and came to a decision, while Number 10 couldn’t hide his delight.

‘Yes!!’

The reason he was so happy, dance was his strong suit. Luck had been on his side. Regardless, PD Woo Han-suk continued having the contestants draw their tasks.

“Next contestant, please step forward.”

The next ball drawn was singing. Then another dance. Rap followed shortly after.

Since it was all based on luck, the contestants' reactions varied, some looked devastated, while others brimmed with excitement.

It took about an hour just to complete the task selection for the second evaluation. With all 70 successful candidates drawing their tasks, it was only natural. In the end, 20 people drew dance, 30 got singing, and 20 rap. This was also a setup predetermined by the production team. The staff then divided the successful candidates according to their assigned tasks.

“Hmm- ”

PD Woo Han-suk, holding a megaphone, began the briefing.

“For the second evaluation, you will compete against other successful candidates within your assigned task category. The format will be a 1-on-1 survival battle. Your opponent, the song, and the dancing will all be decided by the production team.”

As he finished speaking, his smile deepened.

“You’re all hungry, right? Let’s first drop off your luggage at the dorm and have a meal.”

A little while later.

The staff, standing before the grouped candidates, announced the room assignments for the dorm. Kang Rojun was assigned to Room 105. Since there were 70 participants in total, they didn’t all move at once. The dance team, which Rojun was part of, went first.

The dorm was close by, so everyone walked.

Perhaps because they were competitors, the dance team members didn’t engage in much conversation. Most wore stiff expressions, which the cameras eagerly captured. Meanwhile, Kang Rojun was busy looking around.

‘This place is huge- Oh, is that smell jeyuk??’

Just as he was getting distracted by the scent of food coming from somewhere.

“We’re here!”

A staff member stopped in front of a gray building. It was a moderately sized, three-story structure. Kang Rojun was reminded of the one-room apartment he lived in.

‘This place looks a bit more modern than mine.’

One by one, the contestants entered the dorm. Rojun followed suit. Room 105 was at the end of the first-floor hallway. However, he didn’t enter the room right away, he had to follow the production team’s instructions, which were to wait in front of the door upon arrival.

At that moment.

-Swoosh.

Someone approached Rojun from the right and stood next to him. It was a man with a baby perm. A face he hadn’t seen before. Rojun glanced at the number tag on his chest.

‘58?’

Contestant 58 was not from Group 1 but from Group 2. He had a somewhat round face and didn’t seem very talkative. He simply gave a small greeting and said nothing else. He didn’t come off as gloomy, just shy. Well, Kang Rojun didn't particularly care either so he just brushed it off.

Soon, all the assigned members of Room 105 gathered.

1, 19, 37, 58, and 88.

Contestant 19, who was notably thin, and contestant 37, who had a tanned complexion, were both energetic.

“Ooh! So five of us are sharing a room!”

“Is this a five-person room?? Well, let’s get along! Not sure how long we’ll last, though!”

Kang Rojun and contestant 58 were on the quieter side. Contestant 88, who was taller than Rojun, was soft-spoken but had a good reaction.

“Haha, saying we don’t know how long we’ll last is a bit harsh.”

Once all five had gathered, a staff member approached and spoke.

“Decide your order with rock-paper-scissors. You’ll choose your beds in that order.”

Choosing beds? Rojun glanced inside the room and immediately understood why.

‘Ah- Two bunk beds and one single bed.’

Naturally, everyone would want the single bed. If possible, Rojun preferred it, too. Soon, the rock-paper-scissors game began among the members of Room 105.

‘Okay!’

Rojun won first place. While everyone else threw open hands, Rojun had gone with scissors. Once the order was decided, he made his choice.

“I’ll take the single bed.”

The next spot to be claimed was the lower bunk of one of the bunk beds. The remaining contestants had no choice but to take the top bunks.

The interior of Room 105 was more spacious than expected. It felt slightly bigger than the one-room apartment Rojun lived in. While the others busily unpacked their suitcases, Rojun, who was seated on his single bed, didn’t have much to do.

‘They have so much luggage. Am I the one who’s unprepared?’

Come to think of it, he’d be living with these guys now. He had expected it to be uncomfortable at first, but so far, it wasn’t too bad. He’d figure things out as time went on.

What really caught his attention, though, were the small cameras installed throughout the room.

‘Hmm- how many of us will actually survive this?’

Even though they were competitors, living in the same room made him a little curious about them. Soon, the energetic contestants 19 and 37 struck up a conversation with him.

“Huh?? 'Number 1', is that backpack all you brought??”

“Yes.”

“Whoa- That’s so minimal! Honestly, with a face like yours, I thought you’d bring tons of skincare products. But man, you really are super handsome. So jealous, seriously.”

“Not really. Just putting on lotion is enough.”

At that moment.

-["Ahem."]

A male voice rang out from the audio system installed in the dorm. It was PD Woo Han-suk.

-[“Do you like the dorm? After your meal, please gather at the stage hall by 3 PM, starting with the dance team.”]

It seemed like the briefing would begin with the dance team, which included Kang Rojun. Understanding the instructions, Rojun and his roommates headed to the adjacent cafeteria, where the main dish turned out to be jeyuk as expected.

'Ah- The jeyuk-bokkeum tastes great.'

After eating just enough to fill his stomach, Kang Rojun, along with the other successful candidates, explored the facility. Naturally, the staff guided them through various locations, the dorms, cafeteria, various training rooms, studios, and workspaces. The place had everything.

Rojun found it all fascinating.

‘Seriously, there’s nothing missing? This is crazy.’

It was like stepping into a whole new world. Of course, the other contestants reacted much more enthusiastically.

“Whoa- this practice room is huge!”

“I’ve always wanted to train in a place like this!”

With excitement filling the air, time flew by like a bullet, and before he knew it, it was already 3 PM.

Having spent the time skimming through 'AI Simulation' in his dorm, Rojun got up. Since he was the only one in Room 105 assigned to the dance team, he was the only one leaving.

“Ah! 'Number 1', you’re in the dance team? Good luck!”

Leaving behind contestant 19’s cheerful farewell, Kang Rojun exited Room 105. In the hallway, staff members were already gathering the dance team. Once all 20 members were assembled, they moved to the stage hall.

The stage setup was the same as before, cameras, lighting, sound equipment.

As soon as the dance team entered, PD Woo Han-suk greeted them.

“Welcome.”

After briefly locking eyes with Rojun, he picked up the megaphone.

“Please stand together with the contestant I call out next to you. Number 1, Number 10. Number 15, Number 21…”

PD Woo Han-suk continued listing numbers, and soon, 'Number 10', the red-haired contestant, stepped beside Kang Rojun.

“Hey, 'Number 1', are you any good at dancing?”

Rojun turned his head toward 'Number 10' and gave a vague response.

"Who knows."

“Well, since you skipped training, you must be good, right? But actually, some of the guys in our dorm were saying you might be terrible at dancing.”

Rojun flinched slightly.

“I might be.”

“If you really suck, that’s going to be hilarious. You’ve been acting all tough this whole time. Meanwhile, I can dance pretty well.”

So what? 'Number 10' was smirking as he subtly provoked Rojun. In response, Rojun simply shrugged. He wasn’t the type to sit back and take it, either.

“Calling yourself ‘pretty good’ at dancing sounds like you’re the one acting tough.”

“…What?”

Number 10’s eyebrows twitched as he frowned. Meanwhile, PD Woo Han-suk, having finished calling out numbers, cut in.

“Everyone paired up? The person standing next to you is your opponent for the dance survival round.”

In other words, 'Number 10' was Kang Rojun’s direct competitor.

Upon hearing this, 'Number 10' smirked.

“Oh- so we’re up against each other? Well then, looking forward to it.”

“Yes. Let’s do our best.”

Rojun gave a brief response, but inside, 'Number 10' was already grinding his teeth.

‘I really can’t stand this guy. What a smug bastard.’

PD Woo Han-suk received a tablet from a staff member and continued briefing the ten pairs of contestants.

“'Number 1' and 'Number 10', your assigned dance is for the song ‘Brake’.”

After announcing the assigned songs for all ten pairs, PD Woo Han-suk stepped back. There were no new songs, every single one was an old track. At that moment, a contestant tilted their head and raised a hand.

“Uh- PD-nim, it seems like most of the songs you announced seem to be male-female duets?"

“That’s correct. To be precise, all the songs announced are either male-female duets or mixed group songs."

"Ah, then should the paired two people divide the parts?"

“There’s no need for that. You will only perform the male parts of the duet. However, since there are two of you, one contestant will perform the dance for the first verse, and the other will perform the second verse.”

At this, even Kang Rojun found it strange. If they were just going to split the routine like that, why use duet dancing in the first place?

‘Even though I don’t know much about this, something about it feels…off.’

It wasn’t just Rojun, all ten dance team pairs gathered in the hall were having similar thoughts. Sensing their reactions, PD Woo Han-suk smirked and suddenly spoke into the megaphone.

“Come in!”

At that moment, with a loud clang, the massive side door of the stage swung open. A considerable number of people filed in, guided by staff members who lined them up on stage in a straight row. Bright white stage lights flickered on. The contestants gathered at the front of the stage, including Kang Rojun, looked up at the people standing above them.

Rojun was visibly surprised.

‘What the-? Women? And they’re all ridiculously pretty?!’

It was understandable. The people who had stepped onto the stage were all stunning women, attention-grabbing at a glance. There were ten of them in total. Cameras immediately zoomed in on them, and the contestants around Rojun reacted as if they recognized them.

“Huh? They look familiar.”

“Aren’t five of them from that group? Lime Some?”

“Lime Some?”

“They’re a rookie girl group. I think I saw them on a music show.”

“A girl group?!”

The murmurs among the contestants grew louder. Now that he thought about it, even Kang Rojun felt like he had seen these women on TV before. At that moment, PD Woo Han-suk spoke again.

“These ladies are currently active as girl group members, though they’re still rookies. They will be taking on the female parts in your duet dancing assignments.”

In short, they had brought in two rookie girl groups to participate. At that moment, on stage, the girl standing furthest to the right, who had a sharp, fox-like face, nudged the arm of the member next to her.

“Hey, look at that guy’s face.”

“Huh? Who?”

Actually, by this point, all ten girl group members' gazes were focused on just one person below the stage.

“That guy, the one with black hair and 'Number 1' on his tag.”

“Oh- oh... Whoa. What... what is that guy?”

It was 'Number 1'.