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

Kang Rojun, whose brain malfunctioned as he looked at the top actress Choi Rina sitting across from him.

‘...What did she just say?’

Although his face was partially hidden by a mask and a cap, had it not been for those, his dumbfounded expression would have been clearly visible. Naturally so, because Choi Rina had just dropped a bombshell.

‘D-Did she just say she’d play the female lead in my trashy script??! That Choi Rina-nim???’

It wasn’t just anyone, it was Choi Rina, who dominated the acting scene. And she had volunteered to be the female lead in 'Rental Lover'.

‘Why on earth??? What? Why??’

For Rojun, it was utterly incomprehensible.

Wasn't someone of Choi Rina’s caliber able to just waltz into any major project by the biggest names in the industry?

But 'Rental Lover' was nothing more than a one-act play, and even the writer of that one-act was a complete rookie, Kang Rojun. In that instant, the days he had carelessly scribbled away at 'Rental Lover' flashed before him. He had even muttered to himself with a chuckle, “Why am I writing this kind of crap?”

But from the other side of the table, Choi Rina’s smiling lips didn’t utter a single joke. Instead, she hammered it home properly.

“For the record, I’m not joking. I mean it.”

That’s exactly what made it weird, because she was serious.

Rojun’s eyes were filled with question marks, but PD Jung Soo-ryeong, who was seated to his right, looked completely relaxed. As if she had expected this bombshell from Choi Rina all along.

“Really? You want to do 'Rental Lover'? Hmm- why all of a sudden?”

To PD Jung Soo-ryeong, who asked the question with a smile, Choi Rina responded.

“As I mentioned, I really enjoyed 'Rental Lover'. Ever since I read it, it hasn’t left my head, the story. And this is a one-act you’re directing, PD-nim. How could I resist?”

“What part of 'Rental Lover' did you find entertaining?”

“The theme is unique. The characters have depth. The female lead, who has zero self-esteem and is a total shut-in, and the rental lovers who approach her. At first glance, it feels like a romcom, but the twist involving lovers with serious flaws gives it a thriller-like variation. That twist is only possible in a one-act format, which made me want to do it even more, and then-”

For several minutes, Choi Rina recited a detailed breakdown of 'Rental Lover'. Kang Rojun, who listened quietly, found it incredibly fascinating. She had clearly read it thoroughly. Then PD Jung Soo-ryeong crossed her arms.

“You must’ve read it just yesterday, yet you analyzed it so fast?”

“Oh my? Even if I don’t look like it, you know I’m actually quite the hard worker.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“There you go again.”

As the two exchanged what seemed like a playful banter, PD Jung Soo-ryeong shrugged her shoulders.

“But since this is a one-act, we can’t match your fee, Star Choi. If we try to meet your rate, we’d have to shut down before the cameras even roll.”

That was true. Choi Rina, currently one of the Top 5 actresses in the country, had an appearance fee that was off the charts. Considering her recognition and influence, the production budget of 'Rental Lover' wouldn’t even come close. But Choi Rina, seemingly well aware of this, responded without concern.

"I know, but I've saved up a lot of money. I don't have big demands. Just pay the original fee you had in mind for the female lead. Then there’s no issue, right?”

Is she serious? Rojun’s eyes widened slightly as he looked at PD Jung Soo-ryeong, who answered right away.

“No issue. But have you talked about this with your agency’s CEO?”

“No. But I’m currently taking a break anyway, and the shooting schedule for a one-act would only be one or two months max. Even if the pay is low for now, 'Rental Lover' has artistic merit, right? A bigger project might come along, too. I can persuade my CEO. It won’t be hard.”

“Well, CEO Kim is kind of powerless against you. Still, hmm-”

“Why? Were you planning to cast someone else?”

“I’m Jung Soo-ryeong, so of course I was keeping an eye out. It’s hard to explain the full context, but even though it’s just a one-act, I was planning to scale things up a bit. But to be fair, not with S-Class stars like you, more like with some decent A-Class ones?”

That wasn’t true. PD Jung Soo-ryeong had intended to reach out to even S-Class top actresses like Choi Rina. In the entertainment industry, connections were a cost-effective weapon, and PD Jung Soo-ryeong wielded that weapon well. It was just that Choi Rina had bitten the bait before it was even cast. Unaware of this, Choi Rina gave a small smile.

“Then I’ll do it. S-Class is better than A-Class, isn’t it?”

“Let’s go with that, then.”

Even though he didn’t fully understand what was going on, major decisions were being made right in front of Kang Rojun’s eyes. Now somewhat calmed down, he decided it was best to just keep his mouth shut. As PD Jung Soo-ryeong continued to steer the situation according to the blueprint she had crafted, she changed the topic.

“I really enjoyed your recent movie, Star Choi, but since 'Rental Lover' is a little different in tone, we’ll still need to see you act, right?”

“Of course. I didn’t take this lightly. In fact, after reading 'Rental Lover' yesterday, I did a bit of character analysis. I’ll perform a few lines.”

And just like that, right before Kang Rojun’s eyes, top actress Choi Rina began performing. Choi Rina, bringing the female lead of 'Rental Lover' to life. Who in their life would ever experience something like this? Rojun simply sat, utterly captivated, as he watched her performance.

“How’s that?”

As soon as she finished, Choi Rina dropped the emotion and returned to her usual tone. PD Jung Soo-ryeong gave a small round of applause.

“Wow- As expected of Star Choi. You probably had little time to analyze the character, but she came out really close to the one I envisioned. Your acting, well, that goes without saying. What do you think, Writer-nim?”

With that, PD Jung Soo-ryeong passed the baton. Choi Rina also turned her gaze toward Kang Rojun, who was wearing a mask. Her eyes were as clear as a doe’s. Looking at her, Rojun almost blurted out, “That was amazing.” It wasn’t flattery, he meant it. But he couldn’t respond in a frivolous way.

"I don't think I'm in a position to evaluate you."

Choi Rina’s smiling eyes deepened.

“Thank you, Writer-nim.”

Then PD Jung Soo-ryeong wrapped things up.

“Okay, then I’m going ahead with preparations assuming Star Choi is the female lead, alright? No backing out later.”

After that.

Choi Rina left the room before they had their meal. Once she was gone, Kang Rojun and PD Jung Soo-ryeong ate just enough to settle their stomachs before kicking off the actual meeting. It began with PD Jung Soo-ryeong, who had re-tied her frizzy hair.

“Surprised? Choi Rina showing up like that?”

It wasn’t just surprising, his heart nearly burst. But Rojun downplayed his reaction a bit.

“Yes, a little.”

“Sorry, Writer-nim, you are always so calm, I wanted to surprise you. But you’re more composed than I expected?”

"No. I was really surprised."

“Choi Rina’s good, right? As the female lead.”

“She’s not just good, she’s incredible. I didn’t even think this was possible.”

“Told you, I’ve been around for a while. This kind of thing is rare, so if it gets out, it’ll make a lot of noise.”

Pulling out the planner she brought along, PD Jung Soo-ryeong began writing something down as she continued.

“Uh- like I mentioned on the phone, things have changed a bit with 'Rental Lover'. I was already planning to throw some weight behind it because of you, Writer-nim, but now with Choi Rina on board, the scale has upgraded to megaton level.”

She explained why she was scaling up 'Rental Lover'. Most of it was because of Kang Rojun. The person behind 'Number 1', the face of 'Produce That 100!', turned out to be the same writer, and that writer would also be appearing in his own work. And the female lead? S-Class top actress Choi Rina.

“If we pull this off right, it’s going to be an unprecedented one-act drama. And because it’s a one-act, it’s actually more likely to stir up buzz.”

Just imagining it gave Rojun goosebumps.

‘This is going to be huge. Forget about me, the female lead is Choi Rina??’

PD Jung Soo-ryeong added more explanation.

“I read the revised version of 'Rental Lover' you sent over. It feels good overall, but I’d like to see the role of ‘Lover Number 4’, which you’ll be playing, get a bit more screen time. The character setup is fine. Also, let’s expand the stories of the other lovers. Right now it’s at about a two-part length, but let’s stretch it to three. At this scale, it should run at least three weeks.”

In short, she was asking him to build it out more. The workload had increased, but Rojun took it lightly.

‘It’s not hard. I wrote 'Rental Lover' pretty casually to begin with.’

In fact, he had quite a few ideas jotted down that he hadn’t developed out of sheer laziness.

“Understood. I’ll send it to you by the end of the week.”

“That’s quick? You sure you can manage? It’d be great for me if you keep up that pace, but there’s still 'Produce That 100!' to think about, right?”

“We’re in a brief prep period for filming right now, so it’s doable. And writing it won’t be hard.”

“You really are a genius in every way. A visual genius with killer writing skills too. How does it feel to own the world by yourself?”

“Not too bad.”

“Haha, and with charm on top of that, what are we even supposed to do with you?”

PD Jung Soo-ryeong mentioned that they would also be scaling up the directing aspects and the abilities of the staff beyond initial expectations. In other words, they were going to put in several times more effort than what was typical for a one-act drama. She also shared an update on the production status of 'Rental Lover'. The staff lineup had already been finalized, and the first production meeting would begin the next day.

“As for the script meetings, it'll just be you and me, Writer-nim. We’ll put Choi Rina at the top of the cast list and begin full-scale casting next week. Originally, we were planning to go with rookie actors, but now we’re raising the bar. It won’t take long, with Choi Rina as the lead.”