The number one playboy on the Peninsula!

Chapter 241, "Produce 48," begins recording.

The flight was late at night, and the first-class seats weren't full. The flight from Hong Kong to Seoul wasn't long, only three and a half hours...

Gong Cheng slept soundly, and it was four in the morning when he got off the plane. He draped his jacket over his arm, and was dressed in a black hoodie and brown wide-leg pants. Compared to the sweltering and humid rainy days in Hong Kong, the night in Seoul was relatively mild and refreshing.

Inside the terminal, sparse figures bustled about in the hall, while a small group of girls gathered together, holding up support signs to greet the arriving passengers. Compared to the large number of fans and big-name fans greeting passengers during the day, the number of people in the terminal at four in the morning was smaller, but the love was more intense. After all, even fans have their own lives.

Those big fans who can provide support for twenty hours and then follow a full schedule are mostly rich and have plenty of free time... Gong Cheng covered his mouth and coughed lightly, looking around at the fansite admins who were holding up their phones and following him. He looked at them helplessly, "Aigoo, haven't I told you many times not to pick people up at the airport this late?"

As he spoke, he pointed to the girl closest to him and joked, "Cha Na-eun, you've got dark circles under your eyes, aren't you? Be careful you don't stay up late again tomorrow and get pimples, then you won't be pretty anymore." His chuckled face carried a hint of threat; after all, young girls love to look good. These fans, who had been sitting listlessly on the terminal seats a while ago, cheered and jumped for joy as if they'd been injected with stimulants once they saw him walk out of the passage.

"Oppa, do you think I'm pretty?" The fans stopped in their tracks because Gong Cheng's straight figure was standing there. His second manager, Che Qianhao, had already gone to the airport coffee shop to get coffee, and many fans went over to help carry the coffee.

This can be considered a perk for these big fans, and also a reward from Gong Cheng. Whenever he picks them up at the airport, he will buy them a cup of coffee as a "thank you for your hard work."

"pretty."

"But Oppa, I can't sleep if I don't see you every day, so don't feel pressured." Cha Na-eun smiled sweetly, her flirtatious words flowing effortlessly.

Gong Cheng nodded, and they all laughed out loud, "Yeah, I understand." Taking advantage of the break, he collected the stacks of envelopes handed to him by the fansite admins, holding them in his hand. "Looks like I really am pretty cold, rarely showing up for promotions, making you guys lose sleep many nights." He chuckled and teased. Che Qianhao and Jin Dayu beside him were distributing coffee and milk tea to the fans. In the late night at the airport, there weren't many media and reporters around, so he stopped and chatted with the fansite admins for a while.

“Yes, Oppa is like a drug to us, addictive…” a fangirl said sincerely, taking a sip of coffee. But before she could finish, Gong Cheng waved his hand to interrupt, “Stop, Jin Jinni, it’s embarrassing to say such things. From now on, put these kinds of things in your letters, and I’ll be secretly pleased.”

As he spoke, he turned his head seriously, looking at the dozens of fans who were big and small. The collar of their black crew neck sweatshirts revealed the collar of the lace shirts underneath, and their warm faces under their black, tousled hair looked gentle and lazy. "Who was it that said last time that I should do variety shows?"

"I did it..."

……

"Let me take you back to rest a bit more, Xiao Cheng." Kim Daewoo drove his Maybach, parked in the airport garage, onto the highway. The recording of "PRODUCE 48" was in the afternoon, and he wanted Gong Cheng to go back to the dormitory and sleep a little longer. Although the kid looked pretty good, he was usually a light sleeper, especially on airplanes. As his manager, he knew Gong Cheng's habits.

But they slept very soundly tonight, clearly exhausted. Tomorrow night they will fly to Macau again to continue their Asian tour, and with such a packed schedule, they naturally want to take advantage of the opportunity to rest as much as possible.

"Okay." Gong Cheng yawned, then took out his phone and turned off airplane mode. It was four in the morning, and there weren't many messages on Kakao. But the pinned notifications included "Execution Department Dragon" and "Little Washboard."

[Dragon of the Executive Department]: "Oppa, how are you in Hong Kong?"

Will you go back to Seoul?

"Why aren't you talking?"

"He's probably still busy, so you go ahead and take care of your work, oppa..."

"..."

"Are you still busy, oppa...?"

"Oppa, it's my birthday today... If you're in Seoul, could you come and celebrate with me?"

"It's okay if you can't..."

"Then can you give me your blessing, oppa?"

[Washboard Boy]: "Oppa, it's unnie's birthday today, will you come?"

"If you come, unnie won't invite many people, just the three of us~"

"But oppa, if you're busy, there's no need for you to come~ Really~ I'll comfort unnie for you~"

"My birthday is January 1st~..."

"..." Who asked you? Gong Cheng looked at Kim Minjung's last message. Throughout the entire message, there wasn't a single indication that he wanted him to attend Yoo Jimin's birthday party. Instead, he kept saying he would help comfort the Executive Department's Dragon. He thought about it strangely. What if these two little fans actually debuted at SM Entertainment and were in the same group? How much of a mess would they fight?
He wasn't making this up; it's true that almost every group is like this. A group as pure as Bombardment Meteor is practically unique in K-pop. At first, they just wanted to make a comeback and have some fun, but they became incredibly popular. Later, they expanded to seven members, and the members all had good relationships. With the goal of reaching the top, their individual careers didn't interfere with each other, making things much simpler and more genuine.

Like the seniors from Girls' Generation, to be fair, they didn't give a good look to the younger groups, even EXO and RyderBee when they first debuted. They wouldn't say they deliberately suppressed or showed disrespect, but there was a clear competitive relationship that involved the allocation of company resources. What's more, it's the members within a group. Twice is an exception. When they debuted through the audition program "SIXTEEN", it wasn't exactly a fight, but the competition was obvious.

After the group debuted, the competitive relationship lessened considerably due to Park Jin-young's deliberate constraints and the company's desire for them to continue as a group. The members got along very well, and as the tenth member of TWICE, as Kim Da-hyun had said before, he acted as an adhesive, gradually making everyone's relationships very strong. Of course, there were also small cliques among the members, and their relationships varied in closeness and distance, which is perfectly normal.

"Happy birthday~" Gong Cheng took a picture of Seoul at four in the morning and sent it to Liu Zhimin. After sending the blessing, he thought for a moment and edited it, "I will come if I have time, but you should still celebrate your birthday with your friends. Even if you can't make it, I will find someone to send you the gift (cake)."

This was a polite way of declining, since the filming of "PRODUCE 48" started in the afternoon and wouldn't finish until late at night. He also had to film again the next day, and he was flying to Macau the following night. There was always time he could squeeze in.

But isn't this just making things difficult for myself? There's plenty of time in the future, and besides, he figured a meeting would only last ten minutes or so, so why bother? He might as well let little Liu Zhimin celebrate her birthday with her friends. Thinking of the gift Liu Zhimin had given him, he couldn't help but smile…

……

"Son of a bitch!"

On April 11th, during the day, Kim Da-hyun and Chou Tzu-yu were buying coffee in the lobby downstairs at the company. But after seeing the message from "Time Bomb," Da-hyun couldn't help but kick the sofa next to her feet. Sunlight from the floor-to-ceiling windows shone on the brown wooden tables, chairs, and sofas in the coffee shop. Only Kim Da-hyun stood in the shadows in the corner, holding her phone, glaring and cursing.

Chou Tzu-yu, her hair neatly tied in a high ponytail, still had beads of sweat from practice on her forehead. She pursed her lips and asked, "What's wrong?" She rarely saw the leader of the food-loving group so angry. Usually, as oppa said, she was a very gentle and quiet person, but now she was frighteningly irritable, like Olaf, the ugly hero in League of Legends, wielding double axes and jumping around...

"Phew... It's okay, let's go upstairs." Kim Da-hyun took a deep breath and forced a smile. However, her forced smile, framed by wide eyes, was a little intimidating. She stuffed her phone into her pocket; she couldn't blame herself for being angry!
This is utterly inhuman! Some bastard actually asked me to take some time out of my busy schedule to buy him a small, portable camera from the market, saying it was a gift for a girl! He even wanted it packaged nicely and generously transferred a large sum of Korean won to me, arrogantly saying, "Da-hyun, you don't need to buy anything too expensive, it's just a gift for a friend. Keep the rest of the money as a kickback—learn the ways of survival."

Kickbacks? Who are you insulting?!
He's so arrogant and lawless, does he want me to help him pick up girls?
Kim Da-hyun had made up her mind: let whoever wants to help! She can't do anything about it! And she even suggested the gift be wrapped nicely, haha. How shameless!
"Are you really alright?" Chou Tzu-yu asked softly with concern...

"fine!!!"

……

"Jeon Somi, Somi?"

On the highway to Incheon, the Maybach drove smoothly. Gong Cheng, sitting in the back, took a sip of water and asked a question. Kim Dae-woo, who was driving, was talking about recent events at the company, such as the new boy group Stray Kids benefiting from the popularity of their senior groups, and their debut album released at the end of last month achieving good results. There was also the name Somi…

"Isn't she also going to participate in the recording of the first episode of 'Produce 48'? With that Kang Daniel?" He mentioned today's recording schedule. The production team had called over two of the most popular trainees from the first and second seasons of "Produce 101," IOI and WANNA ONE. It seemed like a plan to bridge the gap between the past and the future, and also to show the trainees the success of IOI and WANNA ONE, giving them more motivation.

"Yes, Somi is planning to terminate her contract with the company this summer," Kim Daewoo said. Rumors of this had already spread within the company. Although Somi had already debuted with IOI, she was still a trainee at JYP after the group disbanded.

After the Spring Festival this year, the company had already submitted a project proposal for a new girl group - ITZY. The executives planned to strike while the iron was hot and launch a new girl group this fall after Stray Kids. The project started last month, and Somi is one of the members selected by the company to debut.

The company's original plan for this year was to successfully launch new boy and girl groups. The boy group has already debuted and is receiving a very positive market response. Once the new girl group ITZY debuts, TWICE's schedules and activities can be temporarily suspended, and their individual information can be released, allowing ITZY to gradually take over. However, the sudden contract termination has forced a delay and postponement of ITZY's projects…

"There's nothing we can do about it. Everyone has their own ambitions." Gong Cheng smiled. The trainees' contract terminations were none of his business, and he wouldn't pay too much attention to them. Even if Somi terminated her contract with the company, the girl group that was supposed to be launched would still be launched. It was just a matter of how long it would be postponed.

Somi and Chaeyoung have a good relationship and have often seen each other at events. Gong Cheng wishes her well in her personal development choices. Not to mention trainees, even artists often come and go, and contract terminations are nothing new.

After a brief chat, Gong Cheng looked at the program content in his hand. The recording locations for "Produce 48" were roughly divided into two areas: the venue recording was at the Incheon Namdong Gymnasium, which was their current destination.

The trainees' daily living and training will take place at Yongkyu Resort in Gyeonggi Province. The production team has temporarily leased a portion of the resort, which includes dormitories and training facilities, and will be used for filming.

The general format is similar to that of the recording of "Idol Producer" by Zhang Yixing and Wang Jiaer at the beginning of the year. They booked the recording base of the factory and will lead the trainees to perform and record at the Namdong Gymnasium in Incheon during the program, as well as conduct elimination ranking and voting.

The Yongkyu Resort in Gyeonggi Province, where they stayed, is located in the Seoul metropolitan area, close to Seoul and Incheon, with convenient transportation. It is easy to go to the venue for recording performances, but the trainees spend most of their time practicing and recording at the resort's recording venue.

"..."

"Kang Daniel? Haha..." Gong Cheng looked at the content sent by the production team in his hand. The light rain outside the window pattered against the car window. His originally calm face couldn't help but chuckle. Wasn't this junior, who was a few months younger than him, currently arguing with Park Jihyo? Just thinking about it made him laugh. Gossip.

……

Two hours later, the Maybach stopped in front of the Namdong Gymnasium in Incheon. Many fans and photographers from the production crew were standing around. The recording of a large-scale talent show like "Produce 48" couldn't be kept secret, and there was no need to hide it.

The show needs popularity and viewership, and many fans stake out the filming location to take pictures, which are then circulated online as "leaked photos." However, they can only take pictures of the surrounding area, such as who is filming. Fans cannot enter the show's internal content and have no right to take more pictures.

Kim Dae-woo hurriedly pushed open the car door, his black leather shoes stepping into the puddles. He pulled a black umbrella from the car and opened it with a "snap." Gong Cheng got out of the car and reluctantly took the umbrella from Kim Dae-woo. This guy was 175cm tall and had a lot of bulk; it was tiring for him to hold the umbrella, and he wasn't tall enough. So he simply held the umbrella himself. He was wearing a matte black suit, a black shirt over his waist, and the top button of his shirt was undone, revealing a silver necklace. "Annyeonghaseyo..."

"Aaaaaaah!!!! Tarot!!!!"

"Oppa really came!"

When will Oppa release a new album?!

When will it be back?!

He smiled and waved to the fans waiting around him through the rain, then waved to the camera. A crew member from the production crew jogged over and greeted him, "Tarot..."

"Recording has already started..."

She briefly explained the recording progress and then hurriedly led Gong Cheng into the Namdong Gymnasium. There were countless cameras along the way, and Gong Cheng's tall figure moved through the hall, just in time to run into Jeon Somi and Kang Daniel, who had just changed into their filming outfits.

In the scene, the two stood awkwardly in the corridor, just in time to see Gong Cheng walking towards them. They bowed in unison and called out, "Tarot-senpai..."

"Long time no see, Somi." Gong Cheng greeted Jeon Somi with a light laugh. Although his relationship with Somi wasn't that distant, he couldn't say anything in front of the cameras. The hierarchical order on the Korean Peninsula was very strict, even to the point of being somewhat pathological. Regardless of how people behaved in private, they still had to put on a show in front of the cameras, otherwise, haters and antis would seize on any loopholes and attack them.

Just like when he first debuted, he would politely greet his seniors, but he didn't bow, which drew criticism from many haters and antis. But now all those controversies have vanished! As his fans say, "Oppa isn't from the Korean Peninsula, and besides, he lets his talent speak for itself, okay?"

Jeon Somi nodded excitedly. After Gong Cheng briefly greeted Kang Daniel, the two followed him into the conference room at the end of the corridor, where the production team and the mentors who participated in the recording were all.

"Ji-hyun noona, how have you been lately?" Gong Cheng greeted May J Lee, the choreographer who was closest to him and also the dance instructor for this season, with a smile. He was quite familiar with her, having worked with the company before and met her many times.

She was involved in the choreography design for Jay Park's "All I Wanna Do" and Twice's "Knock Knock," and she was the dance teacher that Lim Young-woong found.

May J Lee, with her neat short hair, black women's suit, and silver tassels hanging from her ears, hugged Gong Cheng and said, "Aigoo, you're really on fire now. It's been so long since I've seen you. Your dancing skills are getting better and better."

She exclaimed in admiration that when she collaborated with JYP a couple of years ago, at Park Jin-young's invitation, she often participated in the choreography for Bombardment Meteor. Among the seven members of the group, Lim Young-woong and Gong Cheng were the worst dancers.

However, the two are fundamentally different. Lin Yingxiong is relatively stiff and has no talent. He later sought her out to learn from her. Gong Cheng, on the other hand, is very talented but has never had a training career. Unexpectedly, in just two years, his skill level has become one of the best.

Besides May J Lee, the attendees also included female hip-hop rapper Cheetah, FTIsland vocalist Lee Hong-ki, SISTAR vocalist Kang Ji-hyun, and choreographers Bae Yoon-jung and Choi Young-joon.

"Annyeonghaseyo..." The mentors greeted each other. Compared to Gong Cheng, the other mentors were very familiar with each other, after all, they had recorded "Produce 101" together, while Gong Cheng was the most popular world-class superstar on the peninsula at the moment.

We hardly ever interacted in our daily lives; I'd only seen him on trending topics and posters. He's arguably the most successful singer in all of Asia, bar none. But thankfully, the entertainment industry in the Korean Peninsula isn't very big... people are "related" to him, like rap mentor Cheetah, who's quite familiar with Jay Park.

In the scene, Gong Cheng sits in the position of the national producer representative, watching the screen in the conference room with the other mentors. The screen is recording what the 96 trainees are doing.

Their recording task today began with the trainees' introductions and appearances, followed by a free selection of seats in the venue based on their ranking (1-96), and a self-assessment. Somi and Kang Daniel will serve as MCs for the first two seasons, while Gong Cheng represents both the national producers and one of the mentors.

After a hectic opening recording, the trainees were free to form groups and perform. The mentors then ranked the trainees—from the best (A) to the worst (F). This ranking was not limited by any agency; each trainee received a ranking based on their performance and was given corresponding training. Gong Cheng was a little worried. With so many people, the recording would probably go on until the wee hours of the morning. On the screen, groups of trainees stood chattering, representing different agencies participating in the auditions: Yuehua Entertainment, FNC, Cube, Woollim Entertainment, STARSHIP, and a large group of members from various sub-units of AKB48 from Japan…

Most of the trainees are from small and medium-sized entertainment companies. The "Big Three" companies don't usually send trainees to participate in shows. And, to be fair, the reason why the "Big Three" are called the "Big Three" is because the level of their trainees is quite high. For example, Somi next to me participated in one season and debuted as a top star. In addition to the company's reputation, her personal skills are also very good.

On the screen, in a white room, there was a huge blackboard with markers next to it. As required by the production team, 96 trainees entered one by one, picked up the markers, and wrote their names and dreams on the blackboard...

……

In the cameras around the ceiling and the VJ's camera, Miyawaki Sakura was wearing a white school shirt, like a uniform, with the pink "school badge" of "Produce 48" embroidered on the chest. Underneath the reddish-brown plaid pleated skirt, her slender legs were covered with white over-the-knee socks and white canvas shoes.

Her medium-length, reddish-brown hair was reflected in the camera lens, highlighting her delicate nose and rosy lips. Her slender hand gripped a marker, and she deliberately wrote a phrase in Japanese at the highest point of the blackboard: "To become an artist like Tarot-senpai, shining brightly, illuminating others." At the end of the sentence, she waved her hand and doodled a ★★★★★…

On the screen, trainees wrote their declarations and goals on the blackboard one after another. The dense handwriting included Chinese, Korean, and Japanese characters. Ultimately, the interwoven dreams and handwriting formed the four-sided diamond logo of "Produce 48".

“STARSHIP Entertainment, Noona?” Gong Cheng stared at a tall girl in the corner of the screen. Her outstanding height made her stand out among the female trainees, especially since there were quite a few Japanese people around. The girls formed a small group of three, two of them tall and one shorter. He felt that one of the faces, full of youthful innocence, looked familiar. After thinking carefully, he realized that he had seen her at a fan meeting.

I happened to overhear SISTAR's lead vocalist, Kang Ji-hyun, also known as Soyou, telling the other mentors that the three were trainees from their company. SISTAR is a group under STARSHIP Entertainment.

“Yes, Ahn Yoo-jin, Jang Won-young, and Jo Ga-hyun. Won-young is the youngest trainee participating in the selection, she's 14 years old this year…” So-young didn't think much of it and was pleased to hear Gong Cheng's question. She was very willing to get close to such a talented and promising junior. The mentors were well aware of how much exposure and traffic Tarot would bring to the show. Even the group that would debut from Produce 48 in the future, and even the trainees who didn't debut, would benefit greatly from his participation and receive massive exposure.

"Fourteen years old?" Gong Cheng couldn't help but click his tongue, recalling for a moment. So, the little girl was only 12 years old when she first attended his fan meeting? He picked up the trainee information that Zhao You handed him: Zhang Yuanying, born on August 31, 2004, in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea, blood type O, height 168cm...

I also looked at the profiles of other trainees, and they had all been training for five or six years...

"Tarot, it's your turn to record. You need to do some voice-over." The director patted Gong Cheng on the shoulder to remind him. According to the program's schedule, they had to record the opening content first, and then an hour later, after the trainees finished their self-evaluation, the mentors would enter and begin their evaluation.

Gong Cheng fastened the waistband of his suit jacket, stood up, nodded, then greeted his mentors and quickly left to prepare for work.

After he left, the camera in the conference room briefly paused recording, as the mentors needed a break and chatted away from the camera. Jeon Somi sat quietly to the side, listening to the conversation of these senior figures in the industry, and couldn't help but smile.

"Aigoo! Even though I knew Tarot would be coming, I still couldn't contain my excitement. I almost lost my composure on camera just now." Bae Yoon-jung, a dancer from Seoul who was considered by many netizens and trainees to be the mentor they least wanted to meet in the first season of Produce 101, exclaimed in exaggerated surprise, "Ji-hyun, how come you've never mentioned knowing Tarot? I thought people who became famous at a young age would be hard to approach, but I didn't expect it to be so..."

"Well, after all, he has achieved such remarkable success. Even if he is a little high-profile and proud, it's not a big deal. He's surprisingly easy to get along with." Lee Hong-ki, the lead singer of FTIsland and a vocal mentor, nodded in agreement.

He debuted in 07, around the same time as Jay Park, but after so many years in the industry, this was the first time he had ever met Tarot in person. They had practically no opportunity to interact normally, and there were countless rumors circulating about his colleague of the next few months—a womanizer, a playboy, difficult to get along with, and so on. In fact, many female celebrities, when asked on shows, "Is there any celebrity you most want to meet…?", have answered, "I most want to be friends with Tarot…"

I've heard that Gong Cheng is very popular in the industry, but the strange thing is that someone who's so popular is actually very difficult to get in touch with...

May J Lee smoothed her hair and chuckled, "We've known each other for a long time, but he's not as difficult to get along with as you all say. There are too many rumors in the industry. Xiao Cheng is a very good person. Get to know him better, and you'll understand..."

Jeon Somi smiled and nodded in agreement. As an artist under the same company, she was one of the people present who knew Gong Cheng quite well. There were rumors and gossip about this senior in the company, but no one had ever said anything bad about him; it was all just gossip.

……

Gong Cheng followed the director to the white room that had appeared on the screen in the conference room earlier. The trainees had already left, and under the arrangement of the director team, they entered the self-evaluation and seat selection process from 1 to 96.

In the shot, Gong Cheng's upright figure stands before the enormous blackboard. His matte black peaked collar gleams like satin, and a silver diamond ring hangs from the open collar of his shirt. His warm eyes, beneath his tousled hair, gaze at the densely packed "dream declarations" on the white blackboard. His shadow, cast by the lamplight, intertwines and overlaps with the messy handwriting on the blackboard...

"Kakaka..."

The photographer crouched down a short distance away and captured the moment. The photos will be used for promotional materials and posters before the show's premiere.

"★To become an artist like Tarot-senpai, shining brightly, radiantly, and illuminating others★For that most dazzling moment, take one step at a time★" — Miyako gazed at a string of neon words slightly lower than his forehead, the end of which bore the name of a trainee, "SAKURA".

He didn't recognize the name; after all, with 96 trainees, it was impossible for him to remember all their names. But he was certain it was a Japanese trainee. Gong Cheng casually picked up a marker and wrote two Chinese characters next to the message: "Good luck."

Ten minutes later, Gong Cheng sat down in the recording room next door. The production team, holding microphones, retreated to a corner. He picked up the script handed to him by the production team and began to read softly in a warm and gentle voice, "Here are 96 girls dreaming of a brighter future. We asked them, 'What does 'practice' mean to you...'" According to the production team, this voiceover would be recorded simultaneously as the trainees wrote their "dream declarations" on the blackboard. To give the audience a deeper understanding of the trainees' identity, "one girl said, 'Practice is like a subway loop that never stops, like the never-ending hands of a clock, like a long-distance run with no end in sight, like a maze with no way forward—it's a period of uncertainty...'"

The director, wearing headphones, listened to the recording: "To overcome those hours... the girls repeated rehearsals called 'practice' every day..."

Gong Cheng turned a page of the script in his hand, his soft voice rising slightly, "The 96 promising young talents who have strived to sprout and grow, and the national producers who will soon become their warm sunshine, it's time to walk into the future together..."

"Produce 48 - Let's begin."

……

While Gong Cheng was recording the opening content in various studios of the venue, the recording of the first season of Produce 48 officially began in the lobby of the venue, with the mentors sitting in the conference room staring at the trainees on the big screen.

The 96 trainees, organized by their respective agencies, were being interviewed and recorded in an orderly manner before entering the main recording hall one by one—the set of "Produce 48." 97 closely packed, orderly arranged chairs were placed on a stage dominated by purple and white colors, with dazzling lights and interwoven pink and white chairs arranged in a tiered pattern from bottom to top.

In the middle is a striking pink staircase, and at the very top of the staircase are seats arranged in a sequence of "1"s by several dazzling light tubes, making it look like a dreamy stage full of girlish charm, like a crystal palace. However, amidst the rows of seats and various camera positions, the rules of competition and survival of the fittest are also laid bare before the girls...

"..."

On the brightly lit stage, the 96 seats were gradually filled by trainees from various entertainment agencies. The girls sitting high up couldn't help but whisper among themselves, "Will Tarot oppa come?"

"Didn't they say that the show he's participating in has already been confirmed, and that he's the National Producers Representative and our mentor?"

"But wasn't Tarot oppa still having a concert in Hong Kong yesterday? Is it really possible for him to make it in time?"

Jang Won-young, with her long, smooth, black hair, sat beside her friends Ahn Yoo-jin and Jo Ga-hyun, who were also participating in the show. The three of them were dressed in matching outfits: simple white sleeveless tops, creating a clean and refreshing look. Compared to the white skirts of the other two trainees, Jang Won-young wore white straight-leg pants and pure white Converse sneakers, making her appear taller and more youthful. "They should be able to leave some free time in their schedules, right?"

"But what kind of mentor is Tarot oppa? I really want him to come and teach us. I watched the episode of 'Idol Producer' he recorded in China before, and he was really good at teaching." Ahn Yu-jin said seriously. She guessed that the trainees present must have watched that episode of the show to death. Gong Cheng was the representative of the national producers of the show and also served as a mentor.

However, the show's producers have yet to reveal whether Tarot is a dance mentor, a vocal mentor, or a rap mentor. In any of these three areas, no one would question him. He's one of the three generations of main dancers, and his vocal and rap skills are even more impressive. He debuted as a rapper, then worked in pop, and played rock; his captivating face and voice are all pieces of his success…

"If Tarot oppa is here, I really have to work hard!"

"..."

Amidst the murmurs of conversation, all 96 trainees took their seats.

Two figures slowly emerged from the passageway in the open space below the stage. Jeon Somi had short hair, wore white high heels, a crisp white shirt, and a lace-trimmed pencil skirt. Kang Daniel wore a gray suit with a pink tie. Both of them were carrying script cards.

The two members who debuted as the first center of PD101 from the first and second seasons respectively, were greeted with cheers from the trainees as soon as they appeared.

“Annyeonghaseyo~…”

"..."

Just as the two were introducing themselves and reading the script to explain the program rules, Gong Cheng finished the opening dubbing and the rest of the filming work, took off his suit jacket, and came to the meeting room where the mentors were. As expected, in five minutes, he and the other mentors would go on stage to face the 96 trainees on stage.

"Aigoo, I'm a little nervous, Jihyun noona." Gong Cheng sat on the sofa, took a sip of water, and said with a smile. It seemed that apart from him and May J Lee, all the other mentors present had participated in the recording of talent shows.

"Huh? If you're nervous, I must be so nervous!" May J Lee replied with a smile. Apart from collaborating with various companies on choreography, she hasn't been on many variety shows.

Dancer Bae Yoon-jung, who participated in the recording of the first season of PD101, smiled and said, "There's nothing to be nervous about. Actually, as you record, you'll find that teaching these kids and watching them grow until their debut is very fulfilling."

"..."

As the mentors were chatting comfortably, a staff member announced, "It's time for the mentors to come on stage."

Gong Cheng and the others stood up and walked out of the conference room, heading towards the recording hall on the stage through the narrow corridor. Gong Cheng was at the back, stretching his neck. The director's camera immediately cut to him. His tall figure, dressed in a black shirt and trousers, was indescribably handsome. "Why are you nervous?"

During the recording of the show, in addition to interviews with the trainees, there will also be many interviews with the mentors.

"Because it feels a bit tricky and stressful. I just looked at some trainees' profiles, and many of them are girls who have trained for many years. I'm worried that if I don't train them well, it would be very heartbreaking if they couldn't debut." Gong Cheng said seriously. Of the 96 trainees, almost all of them were already debuted, like members of AKB48 from Japan. As for the trainees from the peninsula, besides those with longer training periods, some were trainees who had "recycled" their previous training...

Compared to WANNA ONE from the previous season, Produce 48 has increased the number of debut spots from 11 to 12. The trainees who ultimately debut will form a limited-time group called "IZ*ONE" from Japan and the Korean Peninsula.

……

Jeon Somi introduced herself crisply and efficiently according to the script, then chuckled as she held the microphone, "Now, let's introduce the Produce 48 training team, the ones who can help everyone become international idols. Teachers, please come forward~"

Among the 96 trainees, the first to emerge from the corridor was their vocal coach, Lee Hong-ki. After his appearance, images of Lee Hong-ki's past works and music videos appeared on the large screen in the corridor…

"It's Lee Hong-ki, senior!"

"..."

Amidst the murmurs, Gong Cheng was about to enter the corridor with several senior mentors when he was stopped by the production team. He asked in surprise, "Am I not a mentor? Don't I need to appear?"

"Oh, you're the national producer representative, so the role of representative is primary, and mentor is secondary. Therefore, you should appear as the producer representative and be the grand finale~" Director Li Huanzhi explained with a light laugh. With such a big name, you have to be the grand finale to whet the appetite of the audience and trainees, right?
Gong Cheng immediately understood what the production team meant. "Alas, I'll wait a bit longer..." Compared to his role as the representative of the national producers, his role as a mentor seemed to be quite secondary. After all, he had recorded the first episode until midnight and decided on the trainees' rankings. It seemed that he could only teach them two classes tomorrow, and he would have to fly to Macau that night.

The next recording session won't be until several days later; the schedule is a bit too tight...

During the recording in the main hall, after Cheetah, Bae Yoon-jung, and other mentors appeared one by one, the cheers of the trainees subsided. They all looked at the dark waiting corridor with a mixture of anticipation and nervousness, eagerly hoping to see the famous "National Producer Representative".

The mentors and MCs Jeon Somi chuckled as they watched the 96 trainees standing in front of their seats on camera. Their anxious faces showed a level of excitement that was far greater than when they were about to meet the mentors.

"Produce 48 training team, introduction complete." Kang Daniel read a line from the script into the microphone, and the trainees' faces visibly fell into disappointment. They were very deflated. Even the Japanese trainees who didn't understand the Korean were disappointed after they roughly understood the meaning.

For a moment, he couldn't help but marvel at the popularity and influence of that senior backstage. Before the show started filming, the production team interviewed many trainees about their favorite artist, and the answer was almost unanimously in their profiles: "Tarot!"

Jeon Somi, holding the microphone, took over the conversation, her gentle smile abruptly shifting, "Next up is..."

At this point, many trainees' faces lit up again. They had thought that the superstar would be unable to make it to the recording due to scheduling conflicts... Even Miyawaki Sakura, who was standing in front of the pink and white transparent chair, couldn't help but stare at the passage behind the two MCs.

"A super popular pop singer who is the representative of the nation's producers and an all-around mentor, a member of the top-ranked group Bombardment Meteor, a Billboard chart-topping hits generator, a hit singles producer, a world-class superstar..." Jeon Mi-so rattled off a long list of titles prepared by the production team from the script. The solid achievements and honors made her throat dry. Her senior from the same company had these titles, which were not exaggerated at all. If the show had been recorded later, they would have added dazzling words like "Grammy"...

As she was reciting a long list of titles and achievements, the 96 trainees on set seemed to have forgotten that they were still recording a show. They covered their mouths and burst into a series of sharp, girlish screams, which made the mentors envious and speechless... Weren't they here to record a show? How did it turn into a huge fan meeting?

Gong Cheng stood in the backstage corridor, saying helplessly to the director, "Huanzhi, isn't this a bit much? There's no need for such a long title..."

"Aigoo, the audience loves watching that! Besides, I'm planning to relax in June, and by then you'll probably have won all the Grammys and stuff, and then I'll have the post-production editing team add those achievements to your list..." Li Huanzhi patted his shoulder with a smile. His impressive achievements needed to be showcased; with such high viewership, the audience and fans would love to see it...

"Oh dear, I haven't won a Grammy yet..." Gong Cheng pouted, then took a sip of water and prepared to meet the trainees. He noticed that these people were always trying to win Grammys!

……

On the large screen at the top of the corridor, a video clip related to "Tarot" was played at appropriate times...

"Aaaaaah!!! Tarot!!!"

(End of this chapter)