**The Malicious Member Has Returned! Episode 125**
* * *
Thanks to Kim Chunyong’s firm determination to get rid of Jo Taeuk without a soul knowing, very few people were aware of the commotion that had occurred behind the campsite.
First, Kim Chunyong, the one who had devised the plan.
And Son Jaeha and Yu Hobin, who had unwittingly added their own flavor to it, and the person in question, Jo Taeuk himself.
However.
“Mmm. This is really….”
There was one person who happened to encounter that matter early on—a situation that even the other Tioje members enjoying the campfire would only learn of later.
“…
This feels like a pretty big deal.”
It was the person who had unwittingly directed their gaze at Jo Taeuk as he touched an envelope left behind for the members to enjoy.
The very person who had initially handed that envelope to Bang Yuchan.
The main writer, Lee Hyeonjeong, who had joined the Tioje reality filming after having worked on *Targeting Star*.
*Is this okay? No, of course it’s not okay. I thought they’d finally gotten a manager, and now he’s been fired! Goodness, sending him away immediately… Of course, it would be strange to hold onto him longer, but still!*
Lee Hyeonjeong, who had unwillingly witnessed that entire brief commotion, let out a short sigh as she watched the backs of the three men walking toward the campsite.
Even without trying to analyze the situation, there were facts one learned after working as a broadcast writer for years.
“Would you please send a brief word of thanks to those currently looking after the Tioje members?”
“Uh… j-just a moment. I need to think about this a bit!”
“…
Take your time. It’s not that important an interview.”
An idol group without proper care from its agency inevitably showed signs of it.
True to being a group created through a survival program, Tioje had taken far less time and far more effort from its formation to debut compared to other groups.
*…
It’s natural that the agency, which is only now properly preparing for the idol industry, creaks and groans a bit through that process, but still.*
Pre-debut schedules could somehow be patched together by rotating agency staff, but once full-fledged broadcast activities began, that was nearly impossible.
“…….”
Worry settled in Lee Hyeonjeong’s eyes as she carefully followed behind them.
The reason she—who had sworn she would never do survival filming again, that she couldn’t work with Ju Cheolyeong—ended up participating in this reality was, of course, partly due to Ju Cheolyeong’s subtle coaxing, but….
“Ah, hyungs! Where did you all go? I was just about to settle the score with Logan right now!”
“Hey, mate. I guarantee it, this is my game. Didn’t Hyung Yuchan side with soccer?”
“Haha, I didn’t exactly side with it. I was just saying I played a lot of soccer in high school, you know?”
“I’ve never done anything like that before, so….”
…it was because she had truly grown fond of those kids in their late teens to early twenties chatting away over there.
So, it was only natural that she kept worrying about a group that still hadn’t been receiving proper care.
*Judging from what happened earlier, they’ll need to find a new manager again. Whether that’s even possible in the current situation….*
Her gaze naturally turned to the person sitting at the edge of the campfire.
To Kim Chunyong, who had finished arguing fiercely with Jo Taeuk just moments ago and even personally put taxi fare in his hand to send him off.
Even in a situation where he had been grabbed by the collar by a manager he’d met less than two days ago, only to send that manager back, his expression was impossibly peaceful.
“Soccer and baseball? I guess I’m baseball.”
“Yongyong Hyung! I really believed in you, okay? See, I told you. If you’re Korean, it’s gotta be baseball!”
“But I played soccer a lot more when I was in school. It’s pretty hard to play baseball there, after all. So let’s just call this roughly a draw, yeah?”
*No, seriously, is it okay for him to be that peaceful?*
Lee Hyeonjeong suppressed the bewilderment surging over her like a storm, folding her arms as she watched the scene.
There wasn’t much she could do anyway; it was a situation where she just had to wait for AG to make the right decision.
And from behind her, as she watched that sight, a familiar voice spoke up.
“So that’s where you went; you’re still watching the kids even after filming ended? Man, this writer’s passion is impressive.”
“…
PD Ju.”
Lee Hyeonjeong looked at PD Ju Cheolyeong approaching her with a slightly intoxicated face, and she unconsciously made an exasperated expression.
He too had thought that group would do well and had fought tooth and nail to snag the reality show. And he was that carefree? Drinking casually with the staff?
*If the people involved are this laid-back, what are the rest of us supposed to do, really!*
Feeling an unconscious resentment toward both Kim Chunyong and Ju Cheolyeong, Lee Hyeonjeong stretched her mouth into a straight line and whispered quietly.
“It’s not that my passion is overflowing. I’m just worried.”
“Worried? What are you worried about?”
“You didn’t see, Producer, but things are happening to those kids right now….”
“This writer, really, you think too much.”
Taking a sip of the beer in his hand, Ju Cheolyeong roughly pushed back the hair falling onto his forehead and spoke leisurely.
“What idol doesn’t have troubles? The ones you need to watch out for are those who have it too easy. Those kids don’t know how to do anything.”
“…
Isn’t it enough for an idol to sing well and dance well? What else do they need to know how to do?”
“Huh? You filmed *Targeting Star* with me and you’re still saying that, Writer?”
Bursting into a hearty guffaw, Ju Cheolyeong pointed toward where the Tioje members were sitting.
“Ha, haha… Ah, my stomach. Writer, think about how many of those guys over there debuted without any hardship. Huh? Did Logan debut easily anywhere? And especially, what about Kim Chunyong?”
“That’s true, but….”
“Forget it, forget it. Come have a drink, Writer. Once we wrap filming tomorrow morning and head back, your head’s going to explode from editing.”
“Huh? W-wait!”
Even as she let herself be pulled along by Ju Cheolyeong, Lee Hyeonjeong couldn’t let go of that thread of worry, looking back at Tioje with undisguised bewilderment.
And then.
“…
Huh?”
Suddenly, an empty seat caught her eye.
* * *
“…
Whew.”
Hobin, who had stepped away from the campfire for a moment, took a deep breath.
“Hm? How did the three of you end up coming together? Did something happen?”
“Ah, well. Nothing like that. We thought we’d chat and unwind together while we were at it. Today’s filming was long, after all.”
“Oh, then where did our manager hyung go? I haven’t really gotten close to him yet, so I thought it’d be nice to talk to him!”
“Th-that person, ahem… he left early. Something came up.”
“What? Early leave?”
“Yeah. That’s how it is.”
“Wow, is that allowed? I knew our company had good benefits, but this is insane!”
He had a duty to explain to the Tioje members, who still didn’t know the full situation, why Jo Taeuk had left and what would happen going forward, but….
[LadySwan’s Suin nuna]
Before that, there was something he had to resolve.
“Ah, Hobin Hyung. Do you have any song requests? Our Logan plays guitar well. If you have a favorite song, you can tell us. You know, something you used to listen to a lot?”
“I appreciate the thought, but I’m fine.”
“…
Huh? Where are you going, Hyung? You can’t leave right now!”
“Haha….”
From the way Kim Chunyong’s expression strangely changed when he said he would step away for a moment, Hobin could sense why he had been led there in the first place.
And now that things had come to this, Hobin had only one choice.
Therefore, Hobin had to quietly slip away from Kim Chunyong’s planned “Yu Hobin Manager Poaching Project” and move of his own accord.
“…….”
After staring at his phone screen for a long while, Hobin carefully pressed the call button and organized his thoughts.
Along with that, he sorted through countless old memories as a bonus.
The days when he had become LadySwan’s road manager and clumsily handled schedules with them.
The time when, despite frequent mistakes, he had received encouragement that he was “kind and hardworking,” and resolved to become someone good at his job.
And when he had finally become someone good at his job, yet had to stand by and watch LadySwan’s indefinite hiatus.
And.
When he met Tioje.
— Ah, hello? Hobin?
Lost in thought for a moment, the dial tone faded before he knew it, and a gentle woman’s voice rang in his ear.
His tension eased in an instant, and Hobin smiled as he slowly opened his mouth.
“…
Yes, Suin nuna.”
— What’s up? Is it about that survival program thing from earlier?
There was a hint of anticipation in Suin’s voice.
After all, getting new schedules was something LadySwan had been hoping for all along.
That was precisely why Hobin had wavered so much at Taeuk’s coaxing, and why he hadn’t given Son Jaeha a definitive answer.
“…
I asked the production staff here, and it seems a casting request will likely go out. It’ll be the first time in a while that you all get together, nuna.”
— Oh my, I wasn’t expecting that at all! Then Hobin, you too….
But he couldn’t do that now.
“Suin nuna.”
— Hm?
“I think I’ll become Tioje’s manager this time. No, I intend to.”
The reason Yu Hobin had escaped from the board Kim Chunyong had subtly laid out for him was simple.
Because he couldn’t let this become an easy excuse—a ready-made indulgence.
“Excuse me… Mr. Chunyong. Are you alright?”
“Yes?”
“Your neck. Later, if we have a band performance or anything….”
“Ah. Well, it’ll be fine after a night’s sleep. It’s not a bruise; my clothes just rubbed against it. Don’t worry too much.”
Looking at the slightly reddened nape of Kim Chunyong’s neck from being grabbed by the collar by Jo Taeuk earlier, Hobin couldn’t help but think many thoughts.
If I hadn’t been so indecisive, he wouldn’t have had to go through something like that.
If I had made up my mind to become Tioje’s manager from the start, everything today could have flowed much more smoothly.
And now, of all times, to simply take the easy road on a platter someone else had prepared and say, “I’ll be the one taking care of you now”?
That was something he could never accept from himself.
And that was why he had to put his lingering attachment to the past behind him.
Hobin quietly continued speaking into the phone.
“You might think I’ve been stubborn and spineless all this time, nuna.”
— …….
“I don’t want to say I was pushed into this, or that I’m doing it because the situation turned out this way. I’m doing this because I want to.”
— …….
“When I look at Tioje, I’m reminded of you all a lot.”
But, and precisely because of that.
“…
I want to do well.”
Having poured out his words quickly without giving Suin time to respond, Hobin shut his eyes tight and waited for the scolding to rain down on him.
Right now, Hobin was declaring that he would let go of the precious thread called LadySwan that he had been holding all this time.
Curses were fine, and cold words telling him he was a disappointment were fine too.
And….
— That’s wonderful! Then Hobin, you’re going back to being a road manager?
The idol Hobin had watched over for so long threw him warm words of encouragement even at a moment like this.
— You always liked working on-site. Working in the field with rookies will be a lot of fun, right? Though it’ll be busy.
“…
That’s right. It was fun.”
— Yeah. I was really sorry you worried about us for so long… I’m glad.
I hope it goes well.
“You too, and Tioje too. Haha, then maybe we’ll do well too while we’re at it?”
“…….”
Phone already disconnected in his hand, Hobin looked at the red-haired idol staring at him intently from afar.
He looked somewhat uneasy, or perhaps deep in thought.
“…
Pfft.”
Hobin gave him a light wave, quietly chewing over words in his heart.
To LadySwan, thank you.
And to Kim Chunyong, it’s good to meet you, and I’m sorry.
His steps slowly turned back toward the campfire.
Now, it was time to explain everything that had happened so far as their manager.