The Villainous Member Has Returned! Episode 112
If you asked me to name the reason Jaeha Hyung was so busy right now, it wouldn't be just one or two things. But even so, if I had to pick just one decisive reason….
It was exactly that we didn't yet have a proper manager attached to us.
“Ah, well… We finished all the interviews, but we suddenly lost contact with the person who passed the final round.”
“Huh? You lost contact?”
“Yes. I think it was probably because they thought there would be more work than expected… We're reaching out to the next candidates right now though? I'm really sorry, but please wait just a little longer…!”
When I first heard it, well.
Since it had happened before too, I tried to let it pass, thinking it would naturally take some time.
Because I knew who the manager hyung would be once all of this passed and he arrived.
I had somewhat decided that it would be mentally better for me to see his face as late as possible, if I could help it.
However.
Now that I knew Jaeha Hyung was being torn apart like this, and that it was contributing to building walls in his heart.
The situation had changed.
If Hyung perceived even the manager's work as something he naturally had to do himself, and if that continued afterward, that would be a problem.
His head was already full of the thought that 'I have to do it myself,' so what would happen if it came to that?
“Rex, let's go! I heard Seol Yeeun is appearing at the club today, yeah?”
“Uh, yeah Hyung. Going isn't a problem… but doesn't Siwoo have a personal schedule later?”
“Don't worry, don't worry! You think I wouldn't have handled that too? There's a way for everything. You drink in the room, and I'll go see Seol Yeeun's face! Let's get out quick. Get ready and come out!”…
There was probably this reason why the Arrows members handled their schedules without issue, even though Manager Hyung kept going out drinking with me.
“I was trying to save this as something of a last resort….”
I clenched the hand holding my phone tightly and pondered for a moment over what I was about to do.
Whether it was possible right now.
And whether that strict PD Joo Cheol-young would be okay with something unexpected happening during the reality shoot content.
What would the company say too.
Wouldn't they say what gall a kid who hadn't even debuted yet had to suddenly blow things up?
Anyway, no matter what others said….
“…Right now, our members are more important, to me.”
There was no need to think about trivial matters anymore.
I pressed the call button toward the 11-digit number I had saved a while ago and slowly composed my voice. - ——?
“Yeah, it's me. Have you been well?” - ——! ——?
“Ah, I didn't call for anything else. I have something I wanted to ask.”…
I'm trying to give you some WituTube content. * * *
Among the debut reality shoots we were preparing, there was exactly one that was filmed in a studio.
Roughly explained…
Should I call it a Golden Bell-style quiz based on T.O.J members' information?
The perfect intention of members who didn't yet know each other perfectly getting to know each other more, supplemented with physical mini-games that couldn't be done at the dormitory, to package and sell as clip material.
That shoot was scheduled to film from evening until late at night, right after the choreography practice postponed to this afternoon, but….
Because of the snowball I had rolled, it started a little quicker.
No, wasn't it more than just a little?
“T.O.J members! Move quickly, quickly. Tsk, you're so slow you might as well be crawling! This won't do!”…
It seemed a bit hasty.
While I stood there blankly for a moment because of the cold sweat running down my spine, Logan, surprised by the current situation, opened his mouth first.
“Wait, wait. Gao Yan!? What are you doing here right now?!”
“Hm? Logan. Your news is too slow. To think you still don't know a new daily manager has been appointed!”
“What!?”
Gao Yan, who appeared together accompanied by several of his own filming staff, placed his hand on his waist with a proud expression as always.
“It's Gao Yan's new WituTube content, having achieved 150,000 subscribers as of yesterday. Named: One-Day Idol Manager Experience. It is also Gao Yan's intention to scout things out before becoming an idol, having raised his fame as a WituTuber.”
“Is it okay to say 'scout out' so openly, Gao Yan? No, and! Usually you do these things from early morning, and isn't it right to tell us beforehand? So suddenly like this?”
“No! It has only been 2 hours since the idea was approved by the company, so rather you should see this as early. Hwaseong, do you still not know? Time is not important to Gao Yan. Because that is a Hong Kong man.”
It was something I couldn't understand—what exactly was important to a Hong Kong man.
“Good heavens….” I had said 'the faster the better,' but to think he'd appear starting from the very next schedule.
“…
Kheup.”
Of course, looking at the message Gao Yan had sent separately….
There was indeed the company's intention to push us together since we were from the same survival show, seeing as our team currently had no manager.
Even though it was something I had done believing in Gao Yan's ability to execute, it was also proof that our company ultimately couldn't overcome that guy's showman temperament, so I felt slightly bitter.
“…
Long time no see, Gao Yan?”
“Mm! Long time no see, Chunyong Hyung. Today you must call me Manager-nim. Precisely, for 24 hours!”
I shook hands with Gao Yan, who greeted me shamelessly with the lines we had prepared in advance despite having just spoken with me on the phone, and clicked my tongue.
This guy really is the same no matter when or where.
Among the trainees who appeared on
“Hello there, it's Gao Yan! I'm telling you in advance, the one who loses out if you don't subscribe, like, and set notifications is you! Because you'll regret not seeing this right away!”
The moment he signed a digital creator contract with AG, several company WituTube team members who had been watching Gao Yan's tremendous energy immediately formed a team.
The noisy daily stories of Gao Yan, the so-called 'Noisy Boy' channel.
He couldn't go to the Mayan civilization he had boasted about, but Gao Yan's first WituTube content, which called in a few of his fans to a small studio for an interview, attracted countless people's attention.
Because….
“You said you knew you'd debut from the moment you first stepped onto the
“Of course. People should dream big by nature. Having already finished the mindset, Gao Yan acted as if he had already debuted. And look. Already a star like this.”
“Oh my, you're really exactly like you are on screen. It's touching….”
Because it wasn't Gao Yan interviewing the fans, but the fans interviewing Gao Yan.
Completely twisting the heartwarming format of 'a star interviews fans and illuminates lives different from his own' and evoking laughter, that content rose to 2nd place on WituTube's real-time trending videos in just 4 hours, leading Gao Yan to the position of WituTube star.
“Subscribers? Nice to meet you. It's the Hong Kong man who visited again today, Noisy Boy Gao Yan! Today there is a special guest! Trainees who are from the same company as Gao Yan, and who beat Gao Yan to debut, T.O.J!”
Anyway, an influencer who has achieved 15 million followers on Outgram really is different.
“Today Gao Yan will chase after T.O.J under the pretext of one-day manager and definitely dig out their debut secrets. Everyone, follow well.”
“Yessir, fake manager.”
“Tsk, Hwaseong. You ill-mannered idol. Call me Manager-nim!”
Anyway, it was a stroke of good luck that the guy came saying he'd do a one-day manager after getting approval this quickly.
“Ah, so it was something proceeded a bit hastily. Yes, I understand. Yes….”
Judging by Jaeha Hyung's expression while contacting the company right now, he couldn't imagine at all that this was something I had caused.
Since Gao Yan tended to be a bit of a drama queen, if this created synergy well, we might be able to draw the picture I had imagined.
Because the role Jaeha Hyung had played in place of a manager until now was truly….
There was a lot to do.
“This is absurdly preposterous! To think I have to do this much work, I declare a strike!”
“Hey, you! What kind of manager in the world says that at a filming set?!”
Sure enough.
From the moment Gao Yan hung a name tag saying 'T.O.J One-Day Manager,' there really wasn't a single moment where the audio had room to be empty.
“I have to fetch water at the filming set? Gao Yan?!”
“Haha, of course. Originally you have to bring us our water too, you know?”
“Yoochan Hyung. This is nonsense. Everyone has hands and feet. Then they can get and drink water themselves!”
“Yeah, right. We can drink water… ourselves. Even if someone doesn't bring it for us. Haha!”
Starting from such trivial things that it could almost be considered cute.
“This is a dawn schedule? Don't lie. T.O.J hasn't even debuted yet, so why do they have to go to the salon from dawn!”
“We have to do that… to debut….”
“You have a point, but! Gao Yan doesn't want to wake up at the crack of dawn like this? Is a manager's work this harsh?”
“I'm sorry, Gao Yan. But we don't have a manager yet! Jaeha Hyung has been helping us all this time.”
“Lies! There's no way one person can do all of this! That's something only a robot would do!”
Even unexpectedly piercing words to the core.
Right. Preparing for debut, coordinating schedules, and while doing that taking care of other members too?
That's no different from a lie, just as Gao Yan said.
“We're only filming members now, so get out!”
“Aren't managers supposed to watch from the side? But if you tell me to leave, I must leave. Gao Yan is quite the obedient type.”
“Ugh, no, forget it… Yeah. You writer. You filmed this well, right? Use this for a preview clip later. Otherwise it's meaningless.”
“Yes. I'll add captions like 'The Surprise Guest Who Came by Chance?' too.”
At the time when Gao Yan made the main PD hold his forehead and strutted around the filming set to the point where you couldn't tell who the protagonist was, then temporarily stepped back.
“Hey, Yongyong Hyung.”
Jihwaseong, who had sneaked up to me, poked my side.
“What, punk.”
“…
Did you see Jaeha Hyung's face?”
Jihwaseong, who had an expression full of thoughts here and there, asked me about Jaeha Hyung's problem as if it were natural.
To this extent, I wondered if he had a radar regarding Hyung… but, well.
Anyway, since I was also watching Jaeha Hyung's expression, it was ambiguous to attach such a title only to him.
I saw, of course.
I definitely saw.
“…….”
He had a face that looked lost in thought, unlike himself.
Jaeha Hyung and Gao Yan were people who rarely clashed even within
They weren't in the same room, hadn't even done mini-games together. They had been on stage together near the end, but that was it.
Meaning there had been far too little time for Jaeha Hyung, and Gao Yan, to grasp each other's personalities.
Of course, since they hadn't ended up debuting together, there hadn't really been a need….
“Then Jaeha Hyung has been doing all of this? Good heavens. Gao Yan will never forget this wretchedness and suggest to the company right away. So that a manager can be attached quickly!”
“Haha, no. They must be busy too. It's not like I'm continuing to do it, just spending a very brief time.”
“No, Jaeha Hyung. Absurd. We have decided to call that unproductive self-sacrifice. T.O.J members too! It is right to help Jaeha Hyung diligently!”
“Mmm, I'm very grateful for the sentiment….”
Someone of a completely different type than oneself mentioning his actions would definitely help cool his head a bit.
And furthermore, with Gao Yan causing such a ruckus, the company would likely think to call a manager hyung quickly too.
Regardless of me being mentally uncomfortable with that hyung, since he had done his job well in the beginning anyway….
It was about putting out the urgent fire first.
I placed my hand on the shoulder of Jihwaseong, who was staring at Jaeha Hyung's back with intense eyes, and muttered quietly.
“Later, when I call you at night, come down to the playground.”
“…
Why do you say such things so grimly? Scary! And why the playground, at night? Can't we do it after the shoot ends?”
“Stop being dramatic. Hey, and how do you know when this shoot will end.”
At my words, Jihwaseong had a rather puzzled expression.
A face that said, 'Aren't shoot times all set in stone?'
Well, I wish that were the case too….
“T.O.J members! We're going into the studio shoot now!”
This was content where if we didn't know each other properly, we couldn't go home.
Leaving behind Jihwaseong with an unsure face, wondering if my words were still unclear, I moved my steps toward the inside of the studio.
Outside, Gao Yan was waiting for us under the guise of one-day manager experience.
And at the end of my steps was Jaeha Hyung, thinking who knows what.
If the talk time I had promised Jaeha Hyung arrived after this shoot ended….
“Slate down! One, two—”
Something was bound to change.