**The Villainous Member Has Returned! Episode 103**
* * *
Creak—
I brushed away the water droplets falling steadily from my hair and carefully opened the door.
I’d felt it even when I came in earlier to unpack, but the wardrobe room was bigger than I thought. Big enough that two men around 180 centimeters could easily sleep on the floor.
I suppose you could say I now understood why certain people had bragged that sleeping here was very comfortable.
“…….”
With the mood lamp glowing in the corner, the broad shoulders of a figure lying beside the largest wardrobe caught my eye.
They were the shoulders of Jihwaseong, who had spent the entire day alone in the dorm with Jaeha hyung.
Recalling the shouts I’d heard the moment I opened the door earlier, I slowly opened my mouth.
“…Hwaseong-ah.”
“…….”
There was no answer, but I could tell the kid wasn’t asleep from the way his blond hair stirred slightly.
What had happened earlier was truly….
“What’s going on? Are you two fighting? What the hell….”
“—We’re not fighting. I just… made a bit of a mistake toward Hwaseong.”
“Um, if that’s the case, uh, is it? Are you o-okay?”
“…Hyeong.”
“It’s really fine. Ah, you must all be tired. I’ll take care of the luggage. Go on in and get some rest.”
“…….”
“You too, Hwaseong. Hurry up.”
“…I still have more to say.”
“Jihwaseong.”
‘Go in, and let’s talk tomorrow.’
…It had been a mess.
“Hmph….”
I let out a low groan, laid out a sleeping mat beside him, and slowly reclined.
My mind grew heavy.
Had my judgment been wrong in thinking it would be better to let the two of them talk first?
I had assumed they would be fine since they were so close.
At the very least, I hadn’t imagined things would escalate to the point of raised voices.
Hwaseong had followed Jaeha hyung almost blindly, after all.
Jihwaseong was nineteen, and Jaeha hyung was twenty-one.
They had spent over five years together, and in that time, they had never once had an emotional falling out.
“To be honest, when I first came to AG, I was a bit of an outcast. That’s when Jaeha hyung really took care of me. So I guess you could say I ended up following everything hyung says unconditionally? Well, it’s a good thing to have a dongsaeng who follows his leader well!”
“Oh, really? With Jihwaseong’s nice personality… I would have thought you’d have gotten close with everyone right away without being left out.”
“Haha, no! I’m less so now, but back then my dialect was so thick that everyone said I sounded like I was angry. So rumors went around that I had a strong personality, but Jaeha hyung cleared up the misunderstanding.”
‘I bet the reason I made it through my trainee days without a stormy adolescence was all thanks to Jaeha hyung, wasn’t it?’
I recalled that interview and quietly clicked my tongue.
Even during the Arrows days, the two had never once fallen out.
If Hwaseong ever got angry at anyone, it was never at Jaeha hyung, and Jaeha hyung likewise always treated Jihwaseong with kindness.
So, if I had to pinpoint why Hwaseong was in that state now….
“It’s because you always act so noncommittal that Son Jaeha doesn’t tell you everything.”
“…What?”
“The agency’s current situation, how it ended up like this. The reason he didn’t tell you is because of that measly attitude of yours. Idiot.”
…So he was hurt by the stinging words Ryuwei left behind.
He had trusted and followed him like that, yet Jaeha hadn’t told him everything.
And to top it off, hearing that from someone he despised so much—needless to say, the situation had only worsened.
At least on stage, he’d managed to hide those emotions like a professional….
But once reality show filming began, he would have to face the cameras off-stage.
I slowly pushed my body under the blanket and wracked my brain.
To resolve this, I first needed to know what kind of conversation the two had earlier to make things turn out like that.
I turned my head, glanced at Jihwaseong, who lay with his eyes closed in silence, and opened my mouth slightly.
“Hey, Hwaseong-ah.”
“…….”
“Let’s talk with hyung tomorrow. Is that okay?”
“…….”
“It’ll probably go better with someone who isn’t the person involved. Hyung guarantees it.”
There was no answer, but I more or less took it as acceptance and slowly closed my eyes.
My insides were still in turmoil, but I couldn’t put off sleep any longer.
[Tomorrow’s schedule: AG A&R Team/Visual Director Meeting]
I had to meet a difficult person.
* * *
The most important thing for an idol from a survival show. That is….
[???: When is Tioje debuting?
AG: 3…
???: Wow, in three weeks?!
AG: 2… 1…
[Until end of semester D-72 @DANFJAKWGG372 So what concept are they coming out with? AG please just say something. How the hell can the official account be silent for a whole week?]
[⎿ Please calm down. The kids probably haven’t even all moved into the dorm yet.]
Concept and debut timing.
What concept they would come out with.
And at what timing they would safely debut, carry out a proverbial empty-house robbery, and cement their imprint on the public.
This was a common concern for all rookie idols, but it was an especially critical factor for us Tioje, who were starting off with the recognition from
[Please at least tell us the fandom name?? Surely it’s not still Sssue, right???]
[Tioje? Please tell us it’s not Sssue
Tioje: Please not Sssue]
[Menttolgiireokesaldajukgwi @mennnnheeriS2 No, lol, it’s about time for Sladix’s annual group album to come out, so ㅇㅅㅇ I wonder if the Tioje guys won’t just happen~ to debut at an overlapping time and flop, haha]
[⎿Eungeung @WHAWHFFLEK Why do you have to say you’re scared in such a long-winded way?]
[I don’t want it to be too conceptual… The Leo Fold seniors built up their universe so well that if latecomers try to follow suit, the picture just looks freaking weird ㅠ]
[⎿But then again, it’s ambiguous to come out casual like 2OCD or Sla—… The image of the current tier one boy groups is too solid.]
So while communities and SNS were ablaze with heated debate over “when and how they will appear.”
Even among our members on the move for the meeting, talk had come up about “what concept we would debut with, after all.”
“
“Oh, that makes sense. Somehow, I feel like it might be that too!”
“What do you think, Siu? After all, you’re much more familiar with the idol industry than we are.”
“Uh… hmm. In my opinion, something refreshing….”
“Ah, that’s true. You can only really do that when you debut, after all. Right?”
“Yes… but what hyungs said sounds good too.”
“Anyway, I hope we get to use the guitar a bit. Because I’m good at it!”
“Yeah, I’d like that too. Logan, you play the guitar really well. I had high hopes after seeing you at the mentor evaluation.”
“Wow, thank you, Jaeha hyung.”
So, while everyone added a sentence full of anticipation one by one.
Jihwaseong, who had frozen the atmosphere with his neurotic shouts yesterday….
“Ooh, just like Siu said, refreshing unconditionally. Refreshing! Put on a light blue jacket, huh? Wear denim jeans, yeah? You know, right? Everyone knows, right?”
As if determined to empty out every word he had held back until now, he was incessually adding to everyone’s opinions.
Subtly, except for Jaeha hyung’s.
“…Tch.”
It was not a good sign.
Right now, it might look like everything was fine.
The members flustered by yesterday’s incident could brush it off with an “Ah, so his voice just got a bit loud for a moment,” and Jihwaseong’s tension seemed to have returned.
But in the long run, it was close to the worst case.
Unresolved conflict lingers in the heart like a knot.
Just as I had driven the Arrows members’ relationships to the worst possible state.
…Ah, remembering it suddenly makes me embarrassed and furious again. How could there be such trash, seriously?
“Uh, Yongyong hyung? You look serious. Are you worried about the concept?”
“No, well….”
I looked at Jihwaseong, who was talking to me in an exaggeratedly animated way, relaxed my expression, and shrugged lightly.
“I’m not worried about the concept.”
If it were anything else, maybe, but not that.
At my words, Jihwaseong’s eyes clouded over for an instant before brightening again.
“…How are you not worried? Eheh, this hyung is so carefree!”
“So should I be worried?”
I tapped his shoulder and snorted.
You foolish child. Hyung is only worried about you and Jaeha hyung right now.
It was the most natural thought in the world.
After all, who was the visual director in charge of us?
None other than ‘that’ Mun Yunha.
Our Director Mun Yunha, who had handled the visual directing for all the hit girl idols of the past five years, not to mention Arrows before that, would surely….
“We’re going with mystery gunslinger boys and 80s, 90s boy scouts. This is right for a male rookie idol. They also have the image they showed in their survival show….”
…do a good… job.
“H-ha, haha….”
In the meeting room where the meeting was taking place.
I quickly hid my slightly trembling hands under the table and cast my eyes about.
The next goal in the renewed contract with X after
To capture the Rookie of the Year award at a popular music awards ceremony.
I was quite confident in this.
“Hello, I’m Rex of Arrows! I-I’m so happy and grateful to receive an award you can only get once in a lifetime….”
Because I already had the experience of winning Rookie of the Year once.
[Arrows, winning the Rookie of the Year award at the Korean Popular Music Awards with their 1st mini album 《GREEN APPLE》!]
[‘Good songs come before concept’—AG’s producing philosophy, another success?]
Rather than having a worldview, it was a debut song that performed quite well on the charts with a casual vibe like Sladix and 2OCD, and an ear-catching hook in the same vein as ‘Aiming.’
If forced to explain the feeling in words… a modern-day Robin Hood and Cupid?
Not too conceptual—so that unless someone explicitly said, “Ah, this is actually it,” you wouldn’t know.
But their hardworking appearances on stage definitely left a strong impression.
That was the path Arrows had taken to win Rookie of the Year.
I had enough to worry about with the members’ affairs as it was!
“…Excuse me, Director. I’m sorry, but what exactly is a mystery gunslinger boy…? Is it like a western gunslinger, what I’m thinking of?”
“Ah, I’ll pass out the planning documents. Read them, but don’t ask questions even if you don’t understand what they mean. That’s what the on-site director is for.”
“…Yes, ma’am.”
I surreptitiously wiped the cold sweat trickling down the back of my neck and let out a silent sigh.
Perhaps because it was about time for the water in my hair to dry out, a reddish tinge was seeping into my sweat.
As if it were representing my bewilderment.