Suddenly, I Became Crazy Handsome, and the World Became Easy
Chapter 24.2: Storm (2)

As time passed, around 8:40 p.m.,

The “Produce That 100!” team in the stage hall wrapped up the second vocal evaluation shoot. Then, PD Woo Han-suk addressed the participants.

“Quick notice, episode 2 of ‘Produce That 100!’ will be airing shortly. I won’t interfere if you watch it with your roommates, but please don’t go switching rooms without permission. It could cause issues. And, on a happy note, our program hit 10% viewership! It’s all thanks to you, and we’ll continue to support you as best we can!”

His tone was filled with genuine gratitude. Of course, the surrounding hundred or so staff members wore the same expression. Soon, the staff began wrapping up, and the dozens of participants who had been gathered in the waiting room hurried off to their dorms. All of them had excited expressions. Among them, Kang Rojun stood out.

“Just a few more minutes until episode 2 airs. Damn- it’s kinda nerve-wracking.”

Rojun, too, maintained a calm exterior, but inside he was brimming with tension. It was only natural, his performance of “Farewell” was about to be broadcast nationwide. Not long after, Kang Rojun and the residents of Room 105 gathered and, walking quickly, entered their room and began moving efficiently.

“We’re watching on a tablet, right? Let’s use mine. Where should I set it up??”

“Number 1, is it okay if we use your bed?!”

“Yes, it’s fine.”

“Should I connect the Bluetooth speaker too? I have one.”

“That sounds great??”

A Bluetooth speaker, seriously. Kang Rojun scratched his chin awkwardly, and soon Room 105 transformed into a mini movie theater. A tablet placed on Kang Rojun’s single bed, a Bluetooth speaker connected to it, and the residents of Room 105 gathered closely in front.

Of course, not just Room 105, other rooms were also getting ready to watch episode 2 of “Produce That 100!” in similar setups.

At that moment, Number 19 checked the time.

“8:55 p.m.!”

As the broadcast time approached, advertisements began playing on the tablet streaming the “JTVM” channel, and the familiar “Produce That 100!” logo was stamped on the top of the screen. Number 37 rubbed both hands against their thighs.

“Why am I nervous?? Number 1, are you okay?”

“No. I feel kind of strange too.”

“Right? In today’s episode 2, you’re basically the main from the start.”

At that moment, Number 58, who had been quiet the whole time, muttered in a low, eerie voice.

“...I turned on the ‘Produce That 100!’ real-time open chat, it’s already going crazy.”

“Whoa! You’re right? The chat’s going so fast I can’t even read it!”

Even Kang Rojun could hardly make sense of the real-time open chat.

‘How many messages are flying in per second??’

Then it happened.

“Ah!! The logo disappeared! Looks like it’s starting now!”

The “Produce That 100!” logo that had been on the top of the screen vanished, and the ads ended. The time was 9 p.m. In other words, episode 2 of “Produce That 100!” was now airing. The tablet went briefly black, then quickly played the opening.

-‘Produce That 100!’

The same title card shown in the first broadcast. The first scene featured Kang Rojun standing on stage. It replayed the moment he removed his white mask, followed by shots of the judges looking stunned. There was also a brief cut of the shocked contestants in the waiting room.

Number 19’s eyes widened.

“That’s me!! That was me just now!”

But the cut showing the contestants ended after just a few seconds, and the angle shifted back to the stage. Rojun holding the handheld mic.

-[“Hello, I’m ‘Number 1.’”]

The real-time open chat lit up even more.

-[“I prepared a song. The song I’ll be singing is ‘Farewell.’”]

At that moment, countless people across the country were watching episode 2 of “Produce That 100!” One such place was a practice room of a mid-sized entertainment agency. Five girls were gathered in the middle of a fairly spacious practice room. Among them was a familiar face.

It was Ha-young, who had performed the “brake” dance with Kang Rojun.

The five gathered, including her, were the rookie girl group Lime Some. All five, including Ha-young, had appeared on stage during the second dance team evaluation. These girls, who had paused their practice, were now watching episode 2 of “Produce That 100!” on a smartphone.

“Oh-oh, he’s about to sing. But ‘Farewell’? That’s a really unusual song choice.”

“What do you think? Do you think he’ll sing well? Ha-young, did you hear it?”

“No. Not at all. When we practiced together, we only focused on the dance.”

“He has a nice voice, but... I kind of feel like Number 1 won’t be good at singing. Like that overly serious tone, but he’s actually tone-deaf??”

“But does it really matter? Number 1’s dance was insane anyway. By the way, when does the dance evaluation air? Next week??”

Soon, one of the members showed them the real-time open chat that had already been running.

“Wow- eighty thousand people connected!”

The chat updates were as frantic as if a war had broken out.

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋfeels like Number 1’s gonna totally flop as a twist ending

-Even if he can’t sing, who cares?? With that face, I’d love him even if he was tone-deaf

-I’ve never heard ‘Farewell’ before so I looked it up ㅋㅋㅋit’s an old song

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋif he’s tone-deaf, it’ll be hilarious ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Tbh if he’s good at singing too, Number 1 is just straight-up overpowered

-I bet he sings well

-Shut up, everyone, I wanna listen in peace

At that moment, the lighting on the stage in the phone screen changed, and the prelude began to fill the hall. A poignant melody laced with piano. The screen, which had been showing Kang Rojun, briefly showed the judges, their expressions a mix of concern and curiosity.

-♬♪

The angle returned to Rojun. At the bottom of the screen, song info about “Farewell” appeared, and amid overwhelming attention, Kang Rojun leaned toward the mic and opened his mouth.

-[“Your fragrance lingers still, your scent keeps me here”]

From the first line, deep emotion was carried through his voice.

Ha-young’s cheeks flushed red as her lips parted slightly.

“...He can sing too?”

Of course, every member of Lime Some widened their eyes.

“Wow, his vocals are seriously good.”

“Isn’t his tone so unique?? Was he originally a singer?”

“It really is a twist... He’s not just decent, this is the level where he could debut right now and have no problems.”

On the phone screen, Kang Rojun continued the song with a scraping vocal technique, low, yet filled with aching, as if he were weeping.

-[“Though seasons changed their colors, I remain right here”]

-[“Everything stays in place, all memories remain”]

Meanwhile, PD Woo Han-suk was still in the massive hall with the stage. Of course, the entire writing team and staff were also on standby. They too were monitoring the broadcast of episode 2, and it was writer Kim Se-hee, who had received the update from the network center, who shouted out.

“PD-nim!! The opening viewership rating for episode 2 is out!! 14.3%!!”

Another female writer picked up the baton.

“Open chat participants just surpassed 100,000!!”

The atmosphere was gradually heating up. The camera angle of episode 2 shifted from a bust shot of Rojun to a close-up, then to a full stage shot. From this point on, no one other than Kang Rojun appeared on screen. It was an edit PD Woo Han-suk had intentionally crafted, so viewers could focus entirely on Rojun and his song.

-[Without you by my side, I still look back again]

[Could you call my name once more — a sound to let me know you’re near?]

The resonance in Kang Rojun’s vocal tone deepened.

And the reaction from over 100,000 real-time viewers in the open chat:

-WTF?

-???????? Huh??????

-Yo what the fuck is this???

-Wait a sec ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋhe’s insanely good at singing????

-?_?

-Fuck I need to change my underwear after hearing that first line

-Wow.......

-Find the bastard who said he'd be tone-deaf

-????

-Number 1 is a broken-ass overpowered character

An explosion of question marks and intense exclamations erupted.

*****

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