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

Jung Soo-ryeong, a director at the SBC Drama Department. After spending four years as an assistant director, she debuted as a director in her fifth year and has been directing dramas for the past ten years. A total of 15 years of experience. She was in her early 40s.

Although the last drama she directed flopped, PD Jung Soo-ryeong had a solid filmography.

Several hit weekend dramas and mini-series.

Naturally, PD Jung Soo-ryeong's phone was filled with actors' numbers, and she had worked with countless top-tier actors. How many rookie, veteran, and top actors had crossed paths with her?

Moreover, PD Jung Soo-ryeong had a particularly high standard compared to other directors.

When casting an actor, she didn’t just look at their appearance. She examined their aura, atmosphere, voice, and even details as small as the length of their fingers. But after 15 years in the industry, things tend to become dull.

At this point, no actor particularly excited PD Jung Soo-ryeong anymore.

But the moment she saw Kang Chul-soo the writer- no, Kang Rojun’s face.

"Holy shit."

It was an instinctive reaction, like a natural disaster.

'W-what is this guy???'

PD Jung Soo-ryeong stared intently at Kang Rojun, who was sitting across from her. Her body froze. It was understandable, she had just experienced a massive shock. Even with her vast experience seeing countless actors, the man sitting across from her was.

‘His face… this is unreal.’

His visual level was on another scale.

His gently swaying black hair, perfectly positioned eyes, nose, and lips, flawless skin without a single blemish, and mysteriously deep eyes. She had only glanced at his face for a moment, and yet PD Jung Soo-ryeong was already malfunctioning.

That was how impactful he was.

A writer? He’s supposed to be a writer?

No matter how she looked at him, Kang Rojun didn’t give off a writer’s vibe. PD Jung Soo-ryeong scanned him as if possessed.

‘He’s tall, too- what’s with those hands? Those aren’t writer’s hands.’

Something caught her attention, and she asked Rojun,

“You work out, don’t you? You don’t seem like someone who just idly sits around.”

Workout? Well, yeah, he did. Kang Rojun recalled the exercises he had done this morning as part of a mission. Lately, he had been working out every day.

“I do, lightly.”

“Lightly??”

“Yes. Push-ups, sit-ups, things like that.”

What is he saying? PD Jung Soo-ryeong kept staring blankly at Rojun’s face as she asked,

“A-are you really writer Kang Chul-soo?”

Kang Rojun calmly nodded and placed the script he had brought on the table, adding an explanation.

“Kang Chul-soo is just a pen name. I checked, and it wasn’t an issue.”

“Well, that’s true… But wow, I'm really surprised."

“You mean because of my face?”

"Of course! You know it too, right? How ridiculously handsome you are."

“Thank you.”

“There’s no way you don’t know! I mean, with a face like that, why are you a writer? No, I’m not saying being a writer is bad, but there must be paths where you could shine even more!”

PD Jung Soo-ryeong got overly excited. After all, Kang Rojun had made her dulled eyes open wide.

“Ah! Are you already active as an actor? Not in Korea, but in another country?”

“No, not at all.”

“…What a waste. What a damn waste. Isn't it too wasteful to just be a writer with that face??"

"I'm not just a writer. Actually, that's what I came to talk about."

“Huh? Writing isn’t your main job? And you’re not an actor, either. Then what-?”

PD Jung Soo-ryeong immediately had a hunch.

“You have an agency, don’t you? You’re an idol.”

Whew, she's sharp. Was it because she was a drama director? Internally surprised, Rojun tried to keep his composure as he explained.

“I can’t reveal much for now, but I can’t move around freely due to certain circumstances. For now, I consider writing a side job.”

“A side job… If you see writing as a side job, then ‘Rental Lover’ was really well-written.”

Hearing his trash writing being praised still felt strange to Rojun.

‘This is embarrassing, who would’ve thought that garbage I wrote would transform like this?’

Regardless, he had to say what needed to be said.

“I just scribbled it down. I think I got lucky.”

"What? So you’re not just a genius in looks?”

“Anyway, about the one-act drama script contest, would it be possible to proceed while keeping my identity a secret? Like, my face and such.”

“...Hmm, there aren’t any formal public events. No award ceremonies or anything. But your script is still just a finalist for now. If it wins the Grand Prize or Excellence Award, ‘Rental Lover’ will be produced as a one-act drama. In that case, you’d need to sign a contract. Plus, you’d have to work with the director in charge. That much, at least.”

A drama adaptation? Kang Rojun hadn't paid much attention, but he vaguely remembered reading something about it in the contest details. He could feel things escalating.

“How long does the whole process usually take?”

“The process, well, the final announcement will be next week or the week after that. As for production, it’s hard to say exactly. It could start in a month or take up to six months. But once it does begin, since it’s a one-act drama, filming will be short, about two months? Three at most if things get delayed.”

At this point, the quick-witted PD Jung Soo-ryeong smiled.

“If you win an award, you can communicate only with me until then. There are plenty of mysterious writers out there, so it won’t seem strange. Later, when the project moves forward, I’ll inform the assigned director that only they will have direct contact with you.”

“You won’t be directing it yourself, PD-nim?”

“I’ve been directing for 15 years. I’m way past the stage of handling one-act dramas. Usually, it’s an assistant director making their debut who directs them. But don’t worry, I’ll make sure whoever gets the job knows how to handle things properly. That works for you, right?”

It was exactly the kind of condition Kang Rojun had been hoping for.

‘This way, it won’t cause any problems for 'Produce That 100!'’

Of course, Rojun was completely unaware that PD Jung Soo-ryeong was going out of her way to accommodate him. Normally, she would have cut off the conversation early on and rejected his request outright.

This whole situation was only happening because Kang Chul-soo turned out to be Kang Rojun.

In any case, the meeting was pretty much wrapped up. Kang Rojun was about to get up but hesitated.

“Since you mentioned actors earlier…”

“Yes?”

There was one last question he had to ask.

“Have there ever been cases where a writer played a role in their own work?”

Meanwhile, at the same time. At the Paju Theme Studio Campus.

Though Kang Rojun was absent, the 'Produce That 100!' production team was still busy filming. Today was the second group’s turn. Just like the first group, they had 50 contestants, and their filming schedule also included the revival round.

With it being morning, preparations were hectic. But since the 'Produce That 100!' team had already finished shooting with the first group, they were moving much more efficiently now.

“All set!!”

“Okay! This is going smoother than yesterday! Call PD-nim!”

Everything was progressing more quickly than before.

In the midst of it all, PD Woo Han-suk, with exhaustion etched on his face and his skin tone even more tanned, could be found near the stage in the main hall, casually chatting with the four judges who were already prepared.

The topic of conversation?

“Contestant Number 1 caused quite a stir yesterday.”

They were talking about Kang Rojun.

“A stir? What kind of stir?”

“Number 1 already dropped a bombshell just by showing up, what more could he have done?”

"Ah, mentioning Number 1 made me think of his face again. I had just managed to forget it, I won't be responsible if it affects today's judging."

PD Woo Han-suk recounted one of the events from the previous day to the judges.

“That kid, number 1, refused to participate in any training at all.”

“What? Completely?”

“Yeah. It caught me off guard for the first time in a while.”

“Wow- that’s definitely causing a stir! So what did you do?”

“What else? I just let him do as he pleased.”

“Ha, so Number 1 gets to skip training entirely?”

“Yep. We’re just going to make it work in the edit.”

The judges stroked their chins, recalling Kang Rojun.

“Doesn’t that sort of set him up as a villain character?”

“He could be playing the long game, strategically.”

“Well- honestly, with that face, it doesn’t matter if he’s a villain or anything else. At least for the beginning.”

“He’s skipping training, does that mean he’s confident in everything except vocals?”

“Who knows? He might have nothing at all and just be bluffing.”

At that moment, veteran singer Yoon Seung-won, with 30 years of experience, let out a short chuckle.

“Am I the only one excited for the next evaluation? I want to see if this kid is the real deal or just reckless.”

Behind them, the filming for the second group officially kicked off.

An hour later.

Back at home, Kang Rojun was making a decision.

"Hmm- I guess starting with vocals would be best?"

He was deciding how to invest his remaining Coins. For now, he chose to use 10 Coins. The stat he planned to enhance was Singing Ability, which had recently gone up slightly.

- [Singing Ability (3.6/100)]

Even after spending 10 Coins, it only increased by 1. Well, there was no rush.

“Let’s take it slow. There’s plenty to do anyway.”

He would pour a small amount of Coins every day or every other day like this. Someday, his Stats would surely show their true power.

“There’ll come a day when I’m no longer tone-deaf.”

Then.

-[You have completed the Hidden Mission ‘Use 10 or more Coins for Enhancement!’ A reward of 15 Coins has been given.]

The 'AI Simulation' had given him a bonus.

That meant he hadn’t lost 10 Coins, he had actually gained 5.

"Sweet, sweet."

Smiling, Rojun continued studying the entertainment industry, idol-related matters, and writer-related work. He also took the time to reread the stories he had written for fun in the past. However, no matter how much he read them, they still looked like absolute garbage.

Still, he forced himself through it.

After all, a 15-year veteran drama PD had acknowledged his work.

'At this point, it must be my eyes that are trash.'

Just like that, days flew by in an instant. Before he knew it, the weekend had arrived. On Sunday morning, Rojun had to pack in preparation for the training camp. However, he quickly realized he didn’t have much to bring.

“Well- just some toiletries, lotion, and a few clothes should be enough.”

Is there really anything that needs extensive preparation? Deciding to just go as usual, Kang Rojun finished packing in no time. Then, he opened the 'AI Simulation' app.

-[Current Coins: 299]

He had yet to complete the 5 daily missions for the day. Once he finished them, he’d hit 305 Coins. He had finally surpassed 300.

“Should I work out today, and maybe go outside for a change? As long as I’m the one getting numbers instead of getting hit on, it should be fine.”

At the same time, he thought about 'Produce That 100!', which would begin its training camp the next day. Not participating in training was definitely the best choice.

‘It also gives me more time for missions.’

By the way, Rojun fully intended to continue doing his daily missions even after entering the 'Produce That 100!' training camp.

‘But- there’ll definitely be cameras all over the dorm and other places, right? If I exercise for a mission, it’ll all be caught on camera.’

Well, does it matter? He shrugged it off and turned to his laptop, logging onto the internet. His search query: 'Produce That 100!'. Unlike a few days ago, there was now an overwhelming flood of news articles.

《‘Produce That 100!’ Begins Filming, Will It Capture Viewers’ Attention and Achieve Its Target Ratings?》

The official promotional push for 'Produce That 100!' was now in full swing.

Of course, the premiere date was also boldly stated in the headlines.

《‘Produce That 100!’ Confirms First Broadcast, Airs on Friday, July 24th at 9 PM!》

At that moment, PD Woo Han-suk was in JTVM’s editing studio, surrounded by countless monitors.

“Hey, hey, let’s go back to that shot again.”

With the first round of filming complete, including both groups and the revival round, the team was now selecting the best footage to use. Since there wasn’t much time left before the first episode, editing had to happen simultaneously with filming. That meant even the little sleep they were getting had to be reduced further.

Right now, PD Woo Han-suk was reviewing footage of Contestant Number 1. In other words, Kang Rojun.

More specifically.

-[“I watched it too. Your singing.”]

-[“Uh… I danced, though??”]

-[“Your dancing.”]

-[“What-?? What dance did I do?”]

-[“A powerful dance?”]

It was the first conversation between Rojun and Contestant Number 10, the red-haired participant who had passed. PD Woo Han-suk observed the monitor closely for a moment, then asked for a different cut. This time, footage of Contestant Number 10 interacting with other contestants appeared on the screen. One of Contestant Number 10’s first lines stood out.

-[“Number 1 really has an explosive presence, but after talking to him, his personality kinda sucks.”]

PD Woo Han-suk’s face turned serious.

'It's natural for Rojun to become a target of other qualifiers, since he made such an impact from his entrance. But that Number 10- is a bit excessive. Even directly leading public opinion.'

A decision formed in his mind.

‘If Rojun passes the next evaluation and ends up in the same category as Number 10, I’ll use all these cuts. It’d be fun to pit them against each other.’

It was a perfect editing point.

The next morning, July 13th.

As soon as Kang Rojun woke up, he habitually completed his daily missions. However, today, he moved with more urgency.

"Since the meeting time is noon- I should leave home by 9:30 at the latest."

Starting today, the 'Produce That 100!' training camp would begin. It was his first experience with something like this, so he felt a bit nervous. However, since he had already completed the first round of filming, Kang Rojun was surprisingly composed. No, rather than nervousness, what he felt now was excitement.

“I wonder how the next evaluation will go-”

With that thought, Rojun quickly washed up and applied just the right amount of lotion as usual. Then, he moved to the shoe rack, put on his shoes, and grabbed his backpack.

For someone heading to a training camp, his luggage was shockingly small.

Others might show up dragging suitcases, but for Kang Rojun, this small backpack was more than enough. Before opening the front door, Kang Rojun briefly said goodbye to the home he wouldn't be able to come to for a while, and then.

-Swish.

Then, he stepped outside.

Just as he did, his phone vibrated in his pocket.

-Bzzz, bzzz.

It was a call. He was about to climb the stairs but paused to check the screen. It was an unknown number. Tilting his head in curiosity, Kang Rojun decided to answer.

“Yes, hello?”

A woman’s voice came through the phone.

“Writer Kang Chul-soo, this is PD Jung Soo-ryeong.”

It was PD Jung Soo-ryeong, whom he had recently met. With a slight laugh in her tone, she suddenly congratulated him.

“Congratulations, Writer-nim! You won the Grand Prize in the one-act drama script contest.”