Suddenly, I Became Crazy Handsome, and the World Became Easy
Chapter 49.1: Surprise (1)

PD Woo Han-suk, looking down at the rap 'Witch' composed by No. 58, was visibly surprised. It was already shocking that No. 1 wrote the lyrics for 'Witch', but at No. 58 response, Woo Han-suk’s eyes grew twice as wide.

“......The person who wrote the lyrics is No. 1. And it only took two days, is that right?”

“Yes.”

No. 58 nodded with certainty, recalling Kang Rojun as he added more explanation.

“No. 1-nim, don't you think he might not be a real human? Like he's the only evolved species or something.”

“Huh?”

“Even just looking at his face, which looks like it’s artificially made, it’s perfect. But his vocals are also insane. His tone is unparalleled. That alone would make anyone go ‘he’s insane', but then he dances with such unique lines and even does dance that makes your eyes pop out.” (TL Note: 'Dances with such unique lines' here is referring to lyrics writing.)

“......”

“Just at that point, he’s already beyond human. But then, his Japanese is at a native speaker’s level. I thought he had at least some humanity left since he said he’d never done composing and the like before. But it was a fake-out. He said it was his first time composing or writing lyrics, but after watching him whip up the lyrics for ‘Witch’ in just two days, I became sure again. No. 1-nim isn’t human like the rest of us-”

It was the first time PD Woo Han-suk had seen No. 58 communicate so confidently or speak at such length all at once.

‘His eyes are sparkling. No sign of jealousy or envy. Is that admiration?’

Actually, No. 58 had received quite a high score during the audition process for joining 'Produce That 100!' Because image-wise, he had an unexpected charm as a beautiful rapper and was also decent at vocals. But compared to Kang Rojun, he was like a baby. Moreover, PD Woo Han-suk knew more than No. 58 did.

‘...If he finds out that No. 1 is also doing writing and acting at the same time, this kid might faint.’

Well, PD Woo Han-suk didn’t yet know No. 1’s acting skills. In any case, Kang Rojun was currently the most composed yet the busiest participant in 'Produce That 100!' He flawlessly handled all of the show’s schedules with top-tier skills while also being a writer and actor, and now, he even wrote lyrics for No. 58’s song.

No matter how hard he tried to understand, PD Woo Han-suk’s brain couldn’t compute it all.

‘Is this even possible? He’s doing all the rehearsals, keeping up with the 'Rental Lover' schedule, and on top of that, wrote lyrics too? Is he really not human?’

If he had already been writing lyrics, it would be believable to finish them within a week. But for someone doing it for the first time to produce lyrics of this quality in two days? It was absurd.

“No. 58, can I listen to this ‘Witch’ once?”

“Ah- there’s a new recording with the lyrics now, just a moment.”

No. 58 hesitated and then played something on his phone. It was the rap 'Witch', a collaboration of No. 58’s rap and Kang Rojun’s lyrics.

-♬♪

It's good! That was PD Woo Han-suk's honest assessment.

'This is good enough to sell if given to a popular idol right now.'

But if the lyricist and composer were No. 1 and No. 58, what kind of reaction would the public have? Trying to stay calm, PD Woo Han-suk thought it through.

‘Even if No. 1 has writing skills, songwriting is a different domain, but this must be the result of some synergy between his ability to write and musical potential.’

Otherwise, the result wouldn’t make sense.

Currently, No. 1 is not on campus due to the script reading schedule for 'Rental Lover'. As soon as the script reading ends, he is scheduled to join Team 1’s rehearsal. PD Woo Han-suk changed the topic.

“For now, let’s keep the fact that No. 1 wrote the lyrics a secret from the other participants. By the way, I think you said composing was a hobby of yours, No. 58?”

Returning to his usual self as the conversation shifted to him, No. 58 responded.

“...Huh? Ah- yes.”

“How serious is that hobby?”

“I just make songs whenever something comes to mind.”

“This ‘Witch’ is a rap, right? Do you only make rap songs?”

“No... anything, really.”

“Oh- so including rap, you make dance tracks, ballads, whatever?”

“Yes.”

Intrigued, PD Woo Han-suk made a request to No. 58.

“Can I see the songs you’ve composed so far?”

“All of them?”

“Is there a lot? Doesn’t matter. All of them, if possible.”

After looking at PD Woo Han-suk’s face for a moment, No. 58 moved. He pulled out thick notebooks from a rather large backpack. There appeared to be around ten of them.

“Here. I only brought the recent ones. The rest are at home.”

"......That's a lot. You have at least 30 of these notebooks?"

“There are a little more than that.”

PD Woo Han-suk, who had thought, “This one’s no ordinary case either,” scanned through the composition notebooks. The pages were densely packed with sheet music, though they lacked lyrics. All the notes were scrawled in, but it didn’t feel haphazard.

‘Composition skills... If an idol has composition skills, it makes them stand out immediately. Rap, vocals, and even composition. Viewers’ reactions aren't bad even now, but if No. 1 weren’t here, this guy would probably be gaining a lot of popularity too.’

As he continued examining the notebooks, PD Woo Han-suk stroked his chin.

“Have you ever shown these composition notebooks to anyone?”

“Other than No. 1-nim and you, PD-nim, no one.”

“No one??”

“No.”

“Aren’t you curious about what level you’re at? I mean, have you ever thought about taking this beyond a hobby?”

“......”

After thinking for a few seconds, No. 58 responded in a low tone.

“I’ve wanted to be evaluated. Because only then can I step beyond a hobby and grow with confidence.”

“Okay. Then can I borrow all of these composition notebooks for a bit? Let’s show them to Song Min-geun.”

Song Min-geun, the judge on 'Produce That 100!' and a composer and broadcaster known for making massive hit songs. At the mention of Song Min-geun, No. 58 opened his mouth wide, while PD Woo Han-suk pulled out his phone.

“If Song Min-geun’s schedule allows, let’s go today. We can have the lyrics reviewed too while we’re at it.”

He made sure to bring the notebook that included 'Witch' as well.

Meanwhile, inside PD Jung Soo-ryeong’s car.

Turning the steering wheel, PD Jung Soo-ryeong spoke to Kang Rojun, who was looking out the window.

“These days, it’s kind of fun browsing the internet, isn’t it? Everywhere you go, people are talking about ‘Produce That 100!’ Especially about No. 1.”

She wasn’t wrong. Lately, it had become routine for Kang Rojun to surf the web for up to an hour before bed.

“Yes, it’s fun.”

“Here’s a bit of a heads-up. Right now, PDs and writers from our network’s variety department are targeting the participants from ‘Produce That 100!’ Once the show ends, there’s probably going to be a flood of casting offers??”

Kang Rojun imagined himself appearing on a variety show he used to watch on TV, and then PD Jung Soo-ryeong asked another question.

“So- have you been practicing for ‘Lover No. 4’? I already know you’re good, but acting is something that gets deeper the more you dig into it.”

“Yes, I’ve been practicing whenever I had time.”

“Good, that’s great. Your Japanese is strong, so that’s fine, but how’s the English dialogue? Do you think it’s improved since last time?”

Recalling the English he studied yesterday, Kang Rojun thought to himself,

‘It’s not just improved; I’ve practically become indistinguishable from an American.’

He nodded calmly.

“Yes, better than last time.”

“......”

PD Jung Soo-ryeong looked at Rojun with a curious expression, then turned her gaze back to the road ahead.

‘That reaction is kind of ambiguous. Sigh- maybe we should just remove the English dialogue??’