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

PD Woo Han-suk's expression became curious at the unexpected information.

'Rojun ssi knows Japanese?? I never even considered that possibility.'

From that expression, PD Jung Soo-ryeong read something and asked again.

"Ah, did you not know?"

Woo Han-suk nodded.

“No, I didn’t.”

“Hmm. Understandable. Writer Kang may look straightforward at a glance, but he’s a hard-to-grasp character. You know what I mean? That kind of guy who flips the board with a calm face. He did that a few times in ‘Produce That 100!’ too. And he gives off this vibe like he’s hiding a bunch of secrets.”

“I know. That’s why he always manages to surprise people. If anything, it’s part of his charm, and it’s worked well for the broadcast too.”

“I only found out when I talked to Writer Kang yesterday... Seems like nobody else knew either.”

“These days, when male or female idol trainees join, they start by learning the language of the target country, so why would he hide that? If he’s thinking about becoming an idol, having language skills is definitely a plus, right?”

Woo Han-suk, thinking for a moment, pushed up his glasses.

“To be blunt, No. 1 never dreamed of being an idol or anything like that. Honestly, when we started, he didn’t seem interested at all. I persuaded him with difficulty to get him to join ‘Produce That 100!’”

“Oh- really? I didn’t know that.”

“It’s like... despite that absurdly handsome face and physique, he didn’t even think about the entertainment industry.”

Here, PD Jung Soo-ryeong was slightly surprised. She didn’t know the story behind Kang Rojun joining ‘Produce That 100!’

‘So he didn’t even want to join in the first place??’

Recalling the first time he met Rojun, Woo Han-suk chuckled.

“Even when he joined, all he said was, ‘I’ll give it a try.’ That was it.”

“Totally fits him, so nonchalant.”

“Anyway, I don’t think he was hiding it, he’s just not the type to mention stuff like that. He’s not the kind to brag about what he’s got. Or, like you heard, maybe he only knows the basics of Japanese.”

“Hmm, yeah, Writer Kang did say he can speak a bit of Japanese. So maybe he’s not at a high level, just has basic skills.”

“Probably. Well, I should ask him about it at some point.”

PD Woo Han-suk mentally counted the dates.

“Today’s Monday, and with all the voting and chaos, I probably won’t get to campus until Wednesday. I’ll have to find Rojun ssi as soon as I get there.”

At the same time, he was secretly pleased.

'With "Produce That 100!" targeting the Japanese market and overseas, it's not bad at all that Rojun ssi, the face of the program, knows Japanese.'

Even if it was just basic skills, knowing a foreign language versus not knowing it at all made a big difference. PD Woo Han-suk already knew that contestant No. 58 could speak Japanese.

He heard that during the first evaluation.

Among the dozens of participants, there was even a Japanese who had come to Korea dreaming of becoming an idol. That was No. 66. Both got ‘Vocal’ in the second evaluation, and PD Woo Han-suk intentionally paired 58 with 66.

The result was a victory for No. 58.

So when it came to advancing into Japan, 58 was already in the plans, to be used often for greetings and promotional comments aimed at Japan. But if Kang Rojun could speak at least basic Japanese too.

'Then of course I’ll have to use both of them together.'

Naturally, Rojun had to be positioned at the forefront.

'But seriously, what’s with Rojun ssi? The way his talents pop up exactly when needed, it almost feels like ‘Produce That 100!’ was created for him.'

Soon, PD Woo Han-suk changed the subject.

“Anyway, let’s both double-check the Japanese thing. What’s the status with that ‘Rental Lover’ project? When’s the broadcast going up?”

“It’s currently in pre-production, and the broadcast, maybe late September or early October at the earliest? That could still change depending on filming and editing schedules.”

“Hmm. There’s a chance we might go over the initially planned number of episodes too, as you know, the response has been really good so far. Anyway, I’ll make sure No. 1 ssi can be involved in ‘Rental Lover’ as much as possible. Of course, if there’s filming for ‘Produce That 100!’ or other schedules, it might be hard.”

"I understand. Just consider the script meetings and when Writer Kang needs to film his role, that’s all I ask.”

The word "role" caught PD Woo Han-suk’s attention.

“Acting... Has No. 1 ever done any acting before?”

“No, not at all. This will be his first time. That’s why the role itself is designed to minimize lines and focus more on visuals.”

“But what’s the reason for including a foreign language in that role?”

“Writer Kang’s role is a newly created character, and the setup requires a flaw. I thought adding a foreign language as that flaw might make the picture more colorful.”

“I see. Got it. Once things take shape, I’m thinking of including a few shots of No. 1 writing in the ‘Produce That 100!’ episodes. As teasers. What do you think?”

“Sounds good. That would definitely stir curiosity and grab attention from the viewers.”

“Then toward the latter half of ‘Produce That 100!’, I’m thinking of hinting at the ‘Rental Lover’ project.”

The two, seasoned professionals, exchanged ideas smoothly and quickly. Then PD Jung Soo-ryeong took the baton.

“By that point, reporters will probably pick up on it and start churning out articles. Naturally, the hype will snowball among viewers. Our ‘Rental Lover’ show will probably air after ‘Produce That 100!’ ends, so I’m planning to link it with Writer Kang and start serious promotions and marketing around then.”

“Yes, we’ll try to support that on our end too. Even if the Korean broadcast is over, we still have the overseas version, and there are special episodes and other extensions in the works.”

“We also have a few bombshells besides Writer Kang, though it’s hard to say more now. Things that are unprecedented for a one-act drama.”

“Hahaha, the game’s really going to heat up soon.”

Woo Han-suk and Jung Soo-ryeong coordinated for nearly an hour, and feeling that the discussion had wrapped up well enough, PD Jung Soo-ryeong stood up first.

She murmured a final confirmation.

“By the way, everything we discussed today-”

Of course, PD Woo Han-suk had already caught on.

“Yes. Until things are official, just the three of us, including No. 1, should know.”

Meanwhile.

Like a volcanic eruption, ‘Produce That 100!’ exploded everywhere. It wasn’t just that it surpassed a 17% viewership rating.

《‘Produce That 100!’ exceeds 17% ratings, soaring in explosive popularity, what’s the secret to its success?》

The core content of ‘Produce That 100!’, the viewers’ first voting round, created an enormous buzz. On social media and in online communities, the photos of the 20-member dance team from ‘Produce That 100!’ were plastered everywhere.

[Who did everyone vote for in this ‘Produce That 100!’ round??]

-You're supposed to vote for 10 people total but I was too lazy and only voted for No. 1

-I voted for No. 1 too ㅋㅋㅋㅋ and No. 21!

-Besides No. 1, I just picked randomly based on looks.

-Nobody picked No. 10?? T_T

-Honestly... No. 1 is just too unbeatable to vote for anyone else...

Everywhere, the topic of conversation was them.