Suddenly, I Became Crazy Handsome, and the World Became Easy
Chapter 22.2: First Broadcast (4)

At the same time, at the “Produce That 100!” campus in Paju.

The time was around 10:25 p.m. The large hall where the second round of evaluations had taken place up until morning. But right now, no filming was going on. About a hundred staff including PD Woo Han-suk, some judges with available schedules, and the 70 contestants were all gathered, watching on set-up monitors. Not just one, but a total of three monitors.

Everyone was watching the premiere of “Produce That 100!” together.

Of course, this included Kang Rojun.

Rojun, who had just witnessed his own face massively displayed on TV, was thinking,

‘…Wow- I was on TV!’

Internally, he was jumping up and down. A mix of amazement, chills, thrill, and excitement coexisted. On top of that.

‘And I was the complete main focus in the final cut of episode one??’

The last scene of Produce That 100!’s premiere had been filled entirely with Kang Rojun. How could he possibly describe this feeling? He didn’t know, but he was brimming with an energy that made it hard to stay still.

In that moment, Kang Rojun recalled his past self. That hideous face and the bleak, gloomy days. But now, he was closing out the premiere of a massive survival audition program.

At that moment.

-Clap clap clap clap!

About a hundred staff including Kim Se-hee and the writers broke into applause.

“Episode one came out great!!”

“It’s just the beginning, but PD-nim, you’ve worked hard!”

“The visuals came out so fun!”

“Feels like all the fatigue just got washed away!”

It was a reaction close to cheers. PD Woo Han-suk, his face worn out with fatigue, took off his glasses awkwardly.

“What’s with you all- it’s not like this is our first broadcast or anything! Stop it, stop it!”

Among the remaining judges, Yoon Seung-won chimed in.

“My expression when I saw number 1 at the end came out looking totally dumb! You should’ve at least blurred it!”

Lee Da-mi, formerly of a girl group, also clapped while laughing.

“Why, sunbae! I looked like a dork too!”

PD Woo Han-suk bowed his head slightly in apology.

“Hahaha, sorry. I wanted to preserve the raw atmosphere.”

“Come on, I’m just joking. Personally, I really liked it. Especially that final cut. You stacked the buildup just right and pulled off a perfect cut.”

“That last cut of episode one was set from the moment I first saw number 1.”

At that moment, everyone’s gaze turned to Kang Rojun, who was seated at the front of the contestants. PD Woo Han-suk gave him a thumbs-up and asked,

“How do you feel, number 1? You closed out the premiere bursting with presence. Let’s hear what you’re feeling right now.”

He wasn’t used to being the center of attention, but as Kang Rojun slowly scratched his chin, he tried to express the excitement within him in his own way.

“I was happy. It felt surreal to see myself on TV.”

“…That’s it?? Your reaction’s way too calm.”

“I’m still kind of dazed. But the happiness is real.”

Rojun murmured with a natural smile. At that, the female writers near PD Woo Han-suk let out awkward coughs. They had almost fallen for that sudden smile.

‘Wha-what the heck, isn’t that the first time he smiled like that?’

Unaware of this, PD Woo Han-suk recalled the first time he saw Rojun.

‘Back then, he didn’t seem that interested in the entertainment industry, but by now he must be invested. Starting today, his life is going to flip over completely.’

The other contestants, excluding Kang Rojun, were feeling vastly different emotions. Those who hadn’t appeared in the premiere were insanely jealous of Rojun.

‘The last part of the first episode was seriously the PD just giving him the royal treatment?? So fucking jealous.’

‘The premiere’s total main character is number 1.’

‘Tomorrow’s going to be chaos over number 1, right?? I figured, but damn I’m jealous.’

Those who had their faces shown during the buildup starting in the mid-episode had a mix of emotions.

‘I had a pretty long appearance too, gotta be satisfied. That bastard number 1 is just on another level.’

‘Fuck- I was on for just a few seconds and that was it!!’

‘If the ratings go up thanks to number 1, that benefits me too, so I shouldn’t stress too much.’

‘I wasn’t edited out and made it to the broadcast, so I’m content.’

Whatever the case, the “Produce That 100!” team generally enjoyed the success of the premiere, and the writers standing near PD Woo Han-suk shouted while looking at their phones.

“PD-nim!! The official open chat is blowing up right now!!”

“We passed 50,000 people!!!”

“Everyone’s cursing you out, demanding the next episode!”

“Whoa- number 1-nim, your popularity is unreal!!”

“More than 70% of the chat is about number 1-nim… Isn’t this seriously going to blow up the ratings?!”

Some writers even showed PD Woo Han-suk the real-time news articles that had come up.

《“Produce That 100!” finally unveiled, premiere viewers demand “Give us episode 2 now!!”》

《From the first episode, “Produce That 100!” raced forward… The unreal visual of ‘number 1’ in the final scene / Photo》

《Who is “number 1” from “Produce That 100!”? The identity of the one who drove viewers crazy with a CG-like face》

At that moment, writer Kim Se-hee, who resembled a hamster and was now more energetic than ever, whispered to PD Woo Han-suk.

“PD-nim, what would’ve happened if you’d ignored number 1 back then-”

“Yeah, yeah. You’re the best, the best.”

Among the production crew, who looked like they were ready to stay up all night, PD Woo Han-suk looked toward the contestants gathered in the hall and wrapped up the mood for now.

“Today’s ‘dance team’ from the second round did great, and since the premiere is done, tomorrow is the second round for the ‘vocal team’, so everyone please return to the dorms and get some rest.”

Soon, dozens of contestants began to rise from their seats with a buzz. However, still high from the mood, they were busy chatting among themselves, and four people quickly gathered around Kang Rojun.

“Number 1-nim, amazing!”

“I felt a thrill myself!!”

The high-energy number 19 and number 37 were the fastest, and tall number 88 gave Rojun a double thumbs-up. Number 58 with the baby perm, though a bit gloomy, clapped lightly for Kang Rojun.

“Congrats, number 1-nim.”

As Kang Rojun left the hall with his fellow dorm 105 roommates, his chest swelled with emotion. It wasn’t just the premiere of “Produce That 100!”- it was the moment he saw himself on TV.

-[You have completed the Hidden Mission ‘First Broadcast Appearance!’ You have received 30 coins as a reward.]

And he got a sweet bonus too.

‘I got so many reward coins today!’

His coins now stood at:

-[Coins Owned: 410]

He had surpassed 400 coins.

Meanwhile, in the living room of a certain house.

A familiar woman is seen watching TV with her legs crossed on the sofa. It was PD Jung Soo-ryeong, her brown hair still frizzy despite having washed it. She was watching “Produce That 100!” after getting off work, just to check, and as she recalled contestant number 1, whom she had just seen on TV, PD Jung Soo-ryeong let out a chuckle.

"Writer Kang Chul-soo, he really is an idol."

The next morning, at the campus in Paju.

Around 8 a.m., the hall with the grand stage was bustling with over a hundred staff members, including PD Woo Han-suk, from early in the morning.

It was only natural.

Today was the second round of evaluations for the vocal team.

So, everyone was busy with setup. However, for some reason, among the staff and writers including Kim Se-hee.

“PD-nim! Still no update??”

“Why is it so late today?”

They were gathered around PD Woo Han-suk, full of anxiety. Of course, PD Woo Han-suk, with deep dark circles under his eyes, was also staring down at his phone, lips parched. He couldn’t focus on anything. The other staff didn’t show it outright, but kept glancing frantically at him.

At that moment.

-♬♪

PD Woo Han-suk’s phone rang in his hand, and he brought it to his ear faster than light.

“Hello? Yeah, yeah, go ahead.”

PD Woo Han-suk put the phone on speaker so everyone could hear, and his junior shouted from the other end.

“Sunbae-nim! The premiere viewership rating for ‘Produce That 100!’ just came in!! It hit 10.1%!!”

The premiere viewership rating was a whopping 10.1%. For JTVM, a general programming cable channel.

“…10.1%???”

It was an incredible figure.

*****

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