get-shopping Chapter 130: Year-End (7)
Chapter 130: Year-End (7)
Kang Rojun faintly raised the corners of his mouth as he checked the flurry of notifications sent by the ‘AI Simulation’.'Oh- successfully added 'Composer' as a side job!'
In fact, Rojun had already anticipated it around the time the Sudden Title Mission had appeared. The achievement condition was completing his first composition. The related title was 'Side Job Tycoon', so naturally, the side job would be 'Composer'. That guess had now become reality.
‘Item and even Title Enhancement!’
As expected, the rewards from ‘AI Simulation’ this time were also quite useful. A deepening smile formed on Kang Rojun’s face.
‘As always, 'AI Simulation' is fun. It doesn’t leave room for boredom.’
On top of that, when he imagined the future with the newly derived side job of 'Composer', he felt quite excited. He had enjoyed composing the 'Song No. 1' this time, and just imagining how proud he would feel seeing the number of completed songs he personally created grow was fulfilling. Improvement in skill was just a bonus.
The dopamine rush at the moment when a diligently practiced skill bears fruit is significant.
Recently, Kang Rojun had experienced that several times.
‘Vocal, rap, and dance have started to rise more slowly, but skills like acting and composing are still stacking up quickly.’
Rojun then picked up his phone. It was to log into ‘AI Simulation’. Si-hoo was nearby, but after finishing his conversation with Kang Rojun, he was busy packing his things. Even if he looked, it’d be hard for him to notice.
-Swish.
As soon as he launched ‘AI Simulation', Rojun quickly scanned through the changes.
-[Titles: Side Job Tycoon+4 / (Evolved) World Star / Global Genius+2 / Instrument Master+1]
-[Side Jobs: [1] Screenwriter, [2] Actor, [3] Lyricist, [4] Composer]
With the 'Side Job Tycoon' title increasing to +4, the daily coin gain increased to 17, and 'Composer' was added to the list of side jobs. Already, he had four specified side jobs. Others might gape at how much he had to do, but Kang Rojun liked it.
‘The busier it gets, the more fun it becomes.’
Besides, hadn’t his side jobs now led to the kind of money that makes people say “whoa”? The kind of busyness that came with clear rewards was happiness for Kang Rojun. As he imagined the future overflowing with tasks, Rojun’s finger moved. This time, he touched 'Inventory'.
-[Inventory]
-[1] AI Automation 1-time free usage ticket
-[2] Stat +8 Enhancement Coupon
With the previous title evolving and the latest enhancement, the number of items had increased to two. And both were highly useful. Grinning broadly, Kang Rojun decided to first use the 'Stat +8 Enhancement Coupon'. His target was rap, which he had been raising after singing ability. As soon as he used the item, a tingling sensation ran through his wrist. Silently muttering “Ugh", Rojun endured the pain and checked his stats.
-[Appearance (150/150)│Singing Ability (60.3/100)│Rap (60.5/100)│Dance (50.2/100)│Eloquence (27/100)│Acting (25.5/100)│Lyrics Writing (100/100)│Composition (28/100)│Arrangement (0/100)]
For starters, rap had broken through 60 points, but more importantly.
‘Oh- Composition stat jumped by 5 points in one go?’
He wasn’t sure if it was because it had been added as a side job, but the 'Composition' stat had gone up by a full 5 points at once. A nice result.
Then, suddenly, Kang Rojun thought.
‘...If I run the 'Song No. 1' I created through 'AI Automation', I wonder how it will turn out.’
He got curious. How perfectly would 'AI Automation' refine the incomplete song Rojun had composed? The quality would probably skyrocket exponentially. Well, what else could he do? If he was curious, he had to try. Rojun immediately tapped the 'AI Automation' button.
-[Through ‘AI Automation’ analysis, the desired outcome can be achieved. What would you like to achieve? (Only options related to the desired occupation: Idol)]
In the blank field, he filled in what he wanted in quite a detailed and specific manner. The instructions came out a bit longer than he thought, but it didn’t matter, and the coins required by 'AI Automation' weren’t expensive either. Satisfied, Rojun immediately gave permission.
Not long after.
-[Applying... Application Complete!]
Along with the tingling sensation on his wrist once again, a file arrived on Kang Rojun’s phone.
-Vrrr.
It was a song, the one Kang Rojun had instructed to be created. He glanced at Si-hoo and then connected his earphones and put them in. Then, he pressed play.
-♬♪
The ballad echoed in his ears. Gradually, the corners of Kang Rojun’s lips curved like a bow. It was definitely the 'Song No. 1' that Rojun had composed, but the level of completion was drastically different.
‘There’s clearly the melody I wrote… but 'AI Automation' is freaking amazing.’
And that wasn’t the end. At that moment, Kang Rojun’s mind was being flooded with a deep understanding of the completed 'Song No. 1'. While saving the newly finished 'Song No. 1' into his laptop’s composition file, Rojun mentally played the guitar as a form of review. He also created the sheet music.
It took roughly ten minutes to finish the work.
Opening his eyes slowly, Kang Rojun recited to himself what he had just decided.
‘For now, I’ll do whatever it takes to compose the song myself, and for the final polish, I’ll run 'AI Automation'.'
That way, his skill would naturally improve, and eventually, the 'Composition' stat would reach 100. He could also continue collecting completed songs.
One of the biggest advantages of the cheat-like 'AI Simulation' was time reduction.
And he had decided to exploit that thoroughly.
He removed the earphones from his ears and rubbed his chin. Because Kang Rojun’s mind was already moving on to what came next.
‘Now that I’ve done a ballad, let’s try making a dance track.’
Thursday morning, the 3rd.
Around the time Kang Rojun and the members were waking up at the dorm, GN Entertainment, which had officially signed a contract with them, was kicking into full gear. Meetings were convened in both the management team and the A&R team within GN Entertainment.
The management team:
“We finished introducing the dorm yesterday, and from today, we plan to introduce the company. And…”
Centered around Manager Kim Ki-baek, who was now in charge of the four members including Rojun, the upcoming schedule was laid out. Meanwhile, the A&R team, responsible for handling the overall planning, production, and release of the debut, said.
“Before we collect songs, we need to decide on the type of album, the concept, and the members’ individual concepts. Let’s start by analyzing the profiles of Rojun, Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung. We’ll define the direction based on each artist’s identity and characteristics.”
A new album usually proceeds after the company and artist align on the desired direction, that is, the concept or identity. Along with that, they consider the release timing, trends, and public demand. Once the overall concept becomes clear, they collect songs that match the direction.
Once a song is chosen, the next step follows.
Therefore, the management team and A&R team must communicate smoothly while managing not just the artists’ condition but many other factors. CEO Ha Seo-hwan of GN Entertainment had also given a special directive to both teams.
“Ah, and the CEO-nim especially emphasized ideas for the group name of Rojun, Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung, so let’s all think about that.”
It was time to finalize the group name.
Of course, it wasn’t just the management or A&R teams that were busy. The PR and marketing teams were also working at a frenzied pace.
《[Issue Pick] Rojun, Si-hoo, Kang-min, Do-kyung leave 'Produce That 100!' and move into a new dorm / Photo》
The key was to inform the members’ fans of their recent updates while maintaining the popularity of 'Produce That 100!' As long as they provided that much, the fans would take care of spreading it through communities and SNS.
Additionally.
“We should start setting up the members’ personal SNS accounts and one for the group too, right??”
“The YouTube channel should launch even sooner.”
“I’ll organize it and submit the report immediately.”
SNS and the YouTube channel also needed to be properly managed. In today’s global era, it was essential. Especially considering that Rojun, Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung were practically already breaking into the international scene. The response from Japan was especially strong. The best link to Japanese fans was SNS and YouTube.
Currently, although 'Produce That 100!' had ended in Japan, its popularity remained, and they were particularly obsessed with the newly launched 'Rental Lover'.
It continued to hold the No. 1 and No. 2 spots.
[Japan’s Real-Time TOP 10 Content]
1. Rental Lover
2. Produce That 100!
.
.
.
'Rental Lover' was being passionately embraced among Japanese fans.
《Korean drama 'Rental Lover' captivates the public: ‘No wonder Japanese content can’t beat Korea’》
The quality of the production was excellent, but more importantly, the relatively short number of episodes satisfied Japanese fans’ preferences. Japanese dramas traditionally have fewer episodes and shorter runtimes compared to Korean ones.
But of course, the real core was Kang Rojun.
Could Japanese fans not melt when Rojun appeared in 'Rental Lover' as ‘Lover No. 4’?
However, even after hitting home runs with both 'Produce That 100!' and 'Rental Lover', Netflix Japan, now riding high on the buzz, was not satisfied. Around noon, they announced the production of Kang Rojun’s new work, ‘Like a Kaleidoscope’. The trigger was pulled by Netflix Japan’s official SNS.
-[Hello! We bring new updates from Netflix Japan to our subscribers! We are announcing the production of a new original series drama, and the confirmed title is ‘Like a Kaleidoscope’, the new work by Writer Rojun who brought you 'Rental Lover'! For those who enjoyed 'Rental Lover', this will be great news...]
This announcement spread among Japanese fans faster than light, and within just a few dozen minutes, Korea’s Culture Drawer picked up the baton.
《Writer Rojun’s next work officially launching on Netflix Japan!》
《“When did he even write the next one?” Fans in a stir over news of Netflix Japan’s contract with ‘Rojun’》
《[Star Talk] ‘Rojun’ is amazing even as a writer! What kind of work will ‘Like a Kaleidoscope’ be, revealed on Netflix Japan》
As a result, even Korean fans were in an uproar.
Domestic drama writers couldn’t help but be stunned.
"My goodness- Netflix Japan original series??"
"Wow...... overseas expansion right after the debut work hit. Even seeing it, it's hard to believe."
“This is the first time I’ve seen anything like this.”
“There’s no way this has ever happened. It’s rare enough for a debut work to launch overseas after hitting in Korea, but to go straight to international for the next one, Rojun’s definitely the first.”
One way or another, the combined media push from GN Entertainment and Culture Drawer lit up the front pages of various search engines.
Squeezing into that buzz, one broadcasting station dropped a new scoop.
《SBC to hold its awards show first this year, ‘SBC Acting Awards’ confirmed for Friday, December 18》
It was SBC.
Later that afternoon.
Kang Rojun and the members, along with Manager Kim Ki-baek and the management team, entered GN Entertainment. Now coming back after signing the official contract, Rojun felt slightly sentimental.
‘Now that it’s my agency, I’m already getting attached.’
The four of them followed Manager Kim Ki-baek as he took them around the various departments of GN Entertainment. Rojun and the members bowed at 90 degrees, and the staff who received their greetings gave them an enthusiastic round of applause.
-Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap!
Of course, congratulations, encouragement, and shouts of ambition were also thrown their way. As they made the rounds, it was a surreal experience for the four, who also got to see actors and other entertainers under GN Entertainment. After finishing the departmental tour, Kim Ki-baek said,
“Mm- next, I’ll show you the facilities you’ll be using. Shall we start with the cafeteria? The food here’s really good.”
Like they were on a food tour, they stopped by the in-house cafeteria first. Kang Rojun had imagined something of moderate size, but it was completely different. The sheer scale was overwhelming, and the interior resembled that of a hotel lounge.
‘Wow- the quality is insane.’
Sniffing the air, Kim Ki-baek let out a faint smile.
“Hm? Oh, you’re all hungry? Alright then, let’s eat.”
What- no one said they were hungry. As expected of the peculiar Kim Ki-baek, but truthfully, Rojun, Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung really were starving.
“Smells amazing.”
“Food food food.”
“Whoa- there’s Korean, Chinese, Western, Japanese options?”
“It’s basically a buffet.”
Whispering and bouncing with excitement, Rojun and the members soon blended in among the already-eating employees and dug in. Kang Rojun’s review was straightforward.
‘Freaking delicious.’
Judging by their wide eyes, the members clearly agreed. Do-kyung even said,
“Going for a second round.”
And added another plate.
After eating their fill, Kang Rojun toured various facilities one by one, including practice rooms with different vibes, the gym, work rooms, recording studio, and more. The overall atmosphere wasn’t so different from the 'Produce That 100!' campus, but the quality here was several levels higher.
Soon, inside the largest practice room, Manager Kim Ki-baek slowly nodded.
“With this, pretty much everything’s done. Oh, and I have one confirmed piece of news to share. Rojun-nim, you probably already know this.”
He looked around at the members other than Kang Rojun and continued.
“You’ve been confirmed as the special performance at this year’s SBC year-end awards show.”