SCT-Novel Chapter 119: Enter (7)
Chapter 119: Enter (7)
Over the phone, CEO Heo Ki-tae gave additional explanations about the terms negotiated with Netflix Japan, including the script fee."30 million won per episode was the final agreement in this meeting, and as for the down payment..."
Although the briefing could be heard faintly, it didn't register clearly with Kang Rojun, who blinked his eyes.
'Th-thirty million per episode?! For 10 episodes, that’s 300 million... 300 million, seriously?!'
He was in shock from hearing such an amount for the first time in his life. It felt like someone had struck him hard on the head. Hundreds of millions. Even 30 million was staggering, but ten of those? 300 million? Hundreds of millions?? His brain crashed at the unfamiliar and unimaginable figure he never thought he’d ever touch in his life, let alone hear of.
It was a brief moment of mental breakdown.
Back in the days when his face was hideous, he lived hand to mouth doing manual labor, but now, just a few months into 'Produce That 100!', he had the chance to earn hundreds of millions. And not even from his main job, but a side one. Kang Rojun's mouth involuntarily fell open.
'...Wow- damn, I almost cursed out loud.'
Whether he sensed it or not, CEO Heo Ki-tae of 'Culture Drawer' called out to Rojun over the phone.
"Writer Rojun??"
Snapping back to reality, Kang Rojun opened his mouth.
"Sorry."
"Hahaha, it’s fine. Is this a bad time to talk?"
"No. It’s just... the amount I heard..."
"Do you feel it’s a bit low?"
Low? Not at all. Rojun shook his head quickly, even though CEO Heo wasn’t in front of him.
"Not low, just bigger than I expected."
"Oh! That’s a relief! We did our best negotiating, and it feels like I’m being complimented! Hahaha."
Though Rojun had yet to meet CEO Heo in person, Kang Rojun could already tell he had a bold and straightforward personality. Then CEO Heo spoke again.
"By the way, the 30 million per episode that Netflix Japan is offering for 'Like a Kaleidoscope' isn't based solely on evaluating 'Writer Rojun'. Naturally, your current popularity and stature as an idol were taken into account."
In other words, it was an amount unthinkable for a typical writer. The fact that Netflix Japan directly came to Korea to strike a deal was itself rare. Because it was Kang Rojun of 'Produce That 100!' and 'Rental Lover', a mid-tier rate of 30 million per episode was made possible.
"Anyway, think it over, and when you're sure, let us know."
"I’ll do it."
"Yes?"
Rojun responded immediately, as if there was no need to think.
"I’m okay with the terms you mentioned. Please proceed."
"Haha. Really?? Writer Rojun, you’ve got such a bold personality! I like it, understood! Then we’ll finalize with this agreement! The Netflix Japan team is likely waiting for an answer here in Korea, but if we reply too quickly, we might come off as too eager, so I’ll contact them after about a day."
"Okay, sure."
"Oh! And as for the contract for 'Like a Kaleidoscope', we at 'Culture Drawer' will handle that, but Tom Cavill said he’d really like to meet you? He mentioned he had something to say aside from the contract."
"Me?"
"Yes. Would you like to meet him?"
After thinking for a moment, Kang Rojun nodded.
"If it’s this weekend."
"Then we’ll wrap up the contract on our end first, and then arrange a meeting between you and the Netflix Japan team! We’ll send a staff member to the campus on schedule!"
After that, CEO Heo Ki-tae concluded the call after confirming the date and time. Slowly lowering his phone, Rojun’s eyes widened and the corners of his mouth curled up.
"...300 million. Damn, 300 million. This is really crazy."
But the time to enjoy the thrill wasn’t long.
"Rojun!"
From inside the break room, Si-hoo stuck his head out into the hallway and shouted.
"'Rental Lover' episode 2 just started!!"
Back in the break room.
Rojun, Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung began watching the second episode of 'Rental Lover', which had surpassed a viewership rating of 21%. Episode 2 began with.
-["......"]
Kang Rojun. No, the visuals of 'Lover No. 4'. Rojun gazing at Choi Rina, who played the female lead 'Lee Da-eun', with eyes full of endless affection. The camera angle was from Choi Rina's point of view, looking up at Kang Rojun. On screen, a slow close-up moved from Rojun’s waist to his chest, then to his face.
Here, the inner thoughts of the female lead, Choi Rina, are revealed.
-['Am, am I going crazy!! Is he human?! He, he's so handsome it's scary?!!']
Si-hoo muttered as if in agreement.
"Yeah, I cursed internally when I first saw Rojun too."
Do-kyung chimed in dryly.
"Everyone’s the same. The moment they see Rojun hyung, they all scream inside, ‘Damn, he’s super handsome’."
Even Kang-min, who let out a small gasp, joined in.
"Of course Rojun hyung is super handsome, but doesn’t he feel different in 'Rental Lover'? Like, seriously, kind of CGI-level?"
"Probably because of the makeup. Still, it didn’t capture his real-life visuals completely."
With praise pouring in, Rojun let out a small cough, and on the screen, the terrifyingly handsome ‘Lover No. 4’ suddenly began speaking fluent English to Choi Rina.
-["Are you okay? You look very surprised. On a nice day, our first meeting will be memorable. Is your name Lee Da-eun?"]
Question marks filled the eyes of the disheveled Choi Rina. That’s right, among the applied-for lovers, ‘Lover No. 4', whose visuals were god-tier, had a major communication problem. However, viewers of 'Rental Lover' didn’t seem to care at all.
-Wow.......our Rojun even speaks English???????
-Crazyㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋtotally fell for himㅋㅋㅋRojun speaking English
-That pronunciation... my ears are melting
-With a lover like that!!! Who cares about English?? He could speak an alien language and I’d still love him!!!!
-Rojun’s acting is seriously next levelㅋㅋㅋㅋIt’s like God made him just to be a celebrity
After Kang Rojun’s appearance, episode 2 of 'Rental Lover' continued to mix in Lover No. 2 and Lover No. 3. Of course, the screen time for ‘Lover No. 4', Rojun, was greater than in episode 1. In his second meeting with the female lead, Rojun’s Japanese skills were also showcased.
-[“I care about you. Even though we don’t understand each other. From the moment you called me, I was sincere. Though we couldn’t communicate. I was silent because I believed that even without words, our hearts were connected. Even now, you don’t understand what I’m saying.”]
The viewers erupted in a frenzy again. In any case, episode 2 mainly focused on the growth of the female lead, and its pace was faster than episode 1. That’s how episode 2 of 'Rental Lover' ended.
-What?? It’s over??? Why is it over already?
-SeriouslyㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋI blinked and it’s doneㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Time flew while watching Rojun
-Next episode!! Give us the next one already!!!!!
-The acting is flawless, the story’s good, and Rojun’s face is a masterpiece, nothing to criticize
-This ends next week??! Why!! Give us like 20,000 episodes!!!
Though the viewers were loudly buzzing.
-Now it’s time for 'Produce That 100!' Move move!!
They quickly migrated to 'Produce That 100!'. Without a moment’s rest, episode 17 of 'Produce That 100!' began. Especially today, anticipation was even higher due to the tease that the final winner would be announced.
After the commercials, the title of 'Produce That 100!' was shown.
-'Produce That 100!'
It picked up from the final evaluation stage from last week’s episode 16. It showed the live performances of the top 10 contestants, their interviews, the honest reviews from the five judges who watched the performances, and so on. Then came footage of the contestants during their break time.
During that gap, ten entertainment companies were introduced.
Not only the domestic Big 3, GN Entertainment, Big Star, and EY Entertainment, but also representatives from other well-known companies appeared and shared their ambitions.
-[“The 'Produce That 100!' contestants are seriously! So desirable. It’s not just us, every agency’s atmosphere is intense right now.”]
Naturally, the open live chats filled with hundreds of thousands of fans were going wild.
-I hope they end up at EY
-Honestly, the Big 3 are all the sameㅋㅋㅋㅋbut lately EY and Big Star are doing better
-FR GN’s been terrible latelyㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-But Big Star kind of sucks too, they barely give us any content
-They're all the same, none is clearly better than the others
-What are you talking about?? In the idol world, agency matters a ton
-I’ve been a fangirl for a long time... never underestimate agency size...
-EY and Big Star are doing well these days, GN’s kind of on its way outㅋㅋㅋㅋ
.
.
.
Good vs bad, okay vs not, endless takes were flooding in.
At this point in episode 17, the broadcast showed meetings between the 10 entertainment companies and PD Woo Han-suk, along with the game played for self-promotion time. Then scenes of self-PR according to the time each entertainment company secured. On site, it was originally intended for the four final winners, but in the broadcast, it was edited to feel like they were speaking to the viewers.
And then.
-["I have the final vote results in my hands."]
The moment of announcing the four final winners of 'Produce That 100!' had arrived. Because of this, the broadcasting industry, countless agencies, media, and everyone who had crossed paths with Kang Rojun watched the broadcast while holding their breath. Not only online viewers, but even the general public watching 'Produce That 100!' on their phones and devices locked their eyes on the screen.
"Who’s it going to be?"
"Rojun’s a sure thing. No way he doesn’t make it, the real question is who ends up in the group with him."
"You never know. There could be a twist."
"Come on, Rojun’s on another level, there won’t be any twist."
The stage where the final winners would stand appeared on the screen, followed by a sweep of the 10 contestants’ faces. The intense background music added to the suspense.
Soon.
-["I will now begin the announcement."]
From PD Woo Han-suk’s mouth, the first winner was revealed.
-["The first final winner!! Si-hoo!! Congratulations!!!"]
The chat exploded.
-Si-hoo!!!! Si-hoo yaㅠㅜㅠㅜㅠㅠㅠ
-Congrats, Si-hoo!!
-OMGㅠㅜㅠㅜㅠㅜㅠㅠㅠㅠ Si-hoo’s my true favorite, I’m so happy...
-I thought he was kinda mid tho;;
-Get lost
-Precious Si-hoo!!! Grandma loves you so much!!!
Si-hoo, eyes wide, bowed repeatedly in all directions. Fireworks burst, congratulatory sound effects played, and his face appeared on the giant screen behind him. Then came a montage of Si-hoo’s journey from the start of 'Produce That 100!' to now, and when the screen transitioned, he was already standing on the grand stage.
And next.
-["The second final winner! Do-kyung!!!"]
Viewers went wild again.
-Ah... I love Do-kyung so much!!
-Hoohah hoohah!!! Congrats Do-kyung!!!
-Knew it. Do-kyung was definitely gonna make it!!
-ㅠㅠㅠ Do-kyung made it!!
-I like his kind of slightly bad-boy vibeㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Do-kyung’s reveal followed the same sequence as Si-hoo’s. Before long, Si-hoo and Do-kyung stood on stage, and from PD Woo Han-suk’s mouth came the name of the third winner.
-["The third final winner!!! Kang-min!! Congratulations!!"]
Viewers’ excitement reached a new peak. In the chat, joy and curses coexisted in a strange harmony.
-Aaaah!! Kang-min!! Congratsㅠㅜㅠㅜㅠ
-This is perfect!!! Si-hoo, Do-kyung, Kang-min!!
-Hah... I was worried because Kang-min’s presence dipped in the later episodesㅠㅠㅠ So glad he made it!!!
-Ugh, Kang-min? That’s a stretch
-What stretch? The lineup matches popularity perfectly
-Jung-woo is way better than Kang-min
-No no no, Jung-woo had zero presence
-Congrats, Kang-min!!!!
Either their favorite had already made it or hadn’t been called yet. Or more realistically, not being called now probably meant elimination.
-Si-hoo, Do-kyung, Kang-min! Just one left!! One slot remaining!!
-? What do you mean one left, Rojun hasn’t been called yet
-Ack!! No way!!
-Of course the last one has to be Rojun
-Hah... Rojun's the finale... Jung-woo… goodbye
-Wow the producers are so meanㅋㅋㅋㅋcalling Rojun last??
-The remaining guysㅠㅠㅠ Look at their faces... already look like they’ve given up
-It’s confirmed. Rojun, Si-hoo, Kang-min, Do-kyung. Yup yup
Because Kang Rojun’s name hadn’t been called yet.
And then.
-["The final winner!!!"]
As if proclaiming it to the entire nation.
-["Rojun!! Congratulations!!!"]
Produce That 100!’s final winners were complete.
The next morning.
Episode 17, which included the final winner announcement, had aired the night before, and now.
《Rojun. Si-hoo. Kang-min. Do-kyung, Final Winners of 'Produce That 100!'》
《The final survivors of 'Produce That 100!' confirmed as Rojun. Si-hoo. Kang-min. Do-kyung!》
All across the country.
《[Star Pick] Final 4 Chosen by the Viewers: Rojun. Si-hoo. Kang-min. Do-kyung / Photos》
《Social media flooded with congratulations for final winners Rojun, Si-hoo, Kang-min, Do-kyung》
It was Rojun, Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung everywhere.