The Malicious Member Has Returned! Episode 13
Jihwaseong, who had ended up standing beside Choe Gaon with two others to pick his own team, had to do his best to manage his expression. So that his true feelings wouldn't be revealed. 'What a load of crap.' Because it would be a huge deal if it showed.
He had simply been overjoyed to be one of the top three with Je-ha hyung, but who could have known the broadcasting station would pull such a troll move? 'They're saying we pick one by one in score order? Who decided that?' Of course, it had been Producer Ju's call.
Jihwaseong's total score was 308 points, placing him 3rd. He was the last of the three. Which meant the two ahead of him had the member selection priority first.
"Trainee Son Je-ha has first picked Trainee Jang Si-u in 5th place, and Trainee Liu Wei has picked Trainee An Jin-u in 4th place! Now, only Trainee Jihwaseong's choice remains. Just who will he pick?!"
A vein bulged on Jihwaseong's forehead as he let out a 'haha' laugh at Choe Gaon's hosting. 'Ah, I'm really pissed off. If it goes like this, aside from me, they're just going to pick those kinds of guys.' Jihwaseong's eyes turned to the hyung he trusted and followed, Son Je-ha. 'If only I had placed 4th or 5th, then Je-ha hyung would have picked me...' Feeling his gaze, Son Je-ha smiled brightly at Jihwaseong and mouthed, 'Smile.'
Seeing that reliable yet tender face, Jihwaseong came to his senses and straightened his shoulders.
Ah, I came here to debut.
No matter what, he had to overcome this hurdle too if he wanted to debut with the Je-ha hyung he liked.
Jihwaseong regained his composure and began to rack his brain. 'I have to choose properly. In a way that minimizes losses.' The only remaining AG trainee now was AG Global trainee Li Mingshen.
But Jihwaseong and Li Mingshen had almost no interaction. He couldn't communicate well with AG Global trainees in the first place.
Should he say they had almost no will to learn Korean?
Objectively, it would not be beneficial. 'Then the person I should choose is...' With firm resolve, Jihwaseong secretly gritted his teeth once and put on a bright voice.
"Ah! I've already decided who to pick from the very beginning."
"Oh, if you could give us a hint before saying who it is?"
"Well, that person... who received the most unique evaluation among us 18."
Choe Gaon's eyes sparkled at Jihwaseong's honeyed words.
The one who received a unique evaluation.
In a brutal idol survival show second to none in its ruthlessness, what unique evaluation could there be? But among these 18, there was definitely such a person.
"If Trainee Jihwaseong is alright with it, may I call that person's name?"
"Ah, yes. Of course! But what if I get it wrong after all this?"
"Haha, that will absolutely never happen. So—"
Choe Gaon, extremely excited, called out that person's name in a loud voice.
The 0 points given by Min Si-young and.
"The 6th place—"
The 100 points given by Jin Da-sol coexisting.
"Trainee Kim Chun-yong! Please come forward!"
To Kim Chun-yong. * * *
While Jihwaseong, the team's leader, briefly stepped out of the practice room to prepare something.
I looked over the faces of the finally formed team members and felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
"...Shall we do some light introductions while we wait for the leader? My name is Kim Chun-yong, and I'm 20."
Why... was this so familiar.
"I'll go after Chun-yong hyung."
"Oh, then after Gao Yan, it's my turn. I'm ready."
Haha....
I held my hands together and let out a hollow laugh as I watched the British man earnestly introducing himself.
By coincidence or fate, I ended up sharing a team with my multinational flatmates, Logan and Gao Yan. Three out of four in the same team. Is this even allowed?
This felt like the production crew's meddling.
Of course, there were other aspects that contradicted that opinion.
"I'm Seo Bin. Seo is my last name, Bin is my first name. I'm also 20... I'll work hard. No matter what."
Like Seo Bin here with his determined face.
He was a trainee from another agency. He had just been too nervous in front of such big-name judges, but after that he performed fairly well on stage, got eliminated from
"Oh, then you're the same age as Chun-yong hyung."
"Hm? Yes."
"Then you're my hyung. Nice to meet you, Bin-hyung."
"B-Bin-hyung...?"
"I said my name is Bin. If you add hyung to Bin, it's Bin-hyung."
"D-don't do that, just call me Seo Bin-hyung. It sounds a bit weird..."
"What? I was told that calling someone by both their family name and given name is rude in Korea. I will call you Bin-hyung too."
"No, you don't have to do that!"
And seeing how well he got along with those international guys, he definitely seemed like a good-natured person.
Seo Bin, who had been tossed around between Gao Yan and Logan for a while, slightly flushed his cheeks and approached me to greet me again.
"Uh, hi. Chun-yong... i. Chun-yong-ah. We're the same age, so can we drop honorifics?"
I patted Seo Bin's shoulder and answered with a bright expression.
"Of course. Let's do well together this time, Bina."
"Yeah. I'll really work hard. I got quite a shock from my ranking this time. But...."
Seo Bin, who had been chatting well with me, gave a slightly worried look behind me. Naturally following his gaze, I had to let out an 'ah' like a bursting sound.
There.
"An-annoying, really...."
Kim Ju-an, whose mental state was already shattered from ranking 11th, and who ended up on the same team as me—someone he didn't get along with—and Jihwaseong, was hugging my knees and muttering.
I was surprised too.
That Jihwaseong of all people had picked Kim Ju-an.
Well, if I had to find a reason....
Since I, who was originally 10th, had become 6th this time, the order had shifted little by little from before, and the rankings had become jumbled. Kim Ju-an, who was originally 7th, was pushed down to 11th in comparison to me, who was from the same agency, and in the process, probably fell into the hands of Jihwaseong, who had little choice.
"Really, ah... I don't like any of this...."
"Um, it won't be good if he keeps acting like that."
At Kim Ju-an's annoyed voice and Seo Bin's distressed groan, I tilted my head and began to think.
Before, I had given him advice out of the small bond of having suffered together at Queens Agency, but now that we were rivals....
I didn't need to bother coaxing and placating Kim Ju-an like that.
"Bina, hold on a second."
"Huh? Oh, okay."
I gestured a greeting to Seo Bin, rushed up to Kim Ju-an, threw my arm around his shoulder, and shouted loudly. Loud enough to be captured clearly on camera.
"Hey, Kim Ju-an. What's wrong with you? Hungry? Want to go out and eat some ramen or something?"
"...What are you talking about?"
At my friendly attitude, Kim Ju-an stared at me as if I were a ghost and openly looked at me with contempt. Did this guy have any awareness that the cameras were rolling right now, or not?
I slightly lowered my head and whispered to Kim Ju-an in a small voice.
"Don't go grumbling for no reason and get hate on broadcast. Let's just do well, okay?"
"—!"
Kim Ju-an unwrapped my arm from his shoulder and started in fright.
"Y-you. What. Why are you...."
Talking like Jihwaseong?
Kim Ju-an mouthed silently.
I honestly admired Kim Ju-an's quick wit. Honestly, I hadn't expected him to catch on. 'Hyung. Don't get drunk and stumble around on broadcast and get hate. Just leave, okay?' I only did that because Jihwaseong picked me this time. Of course, I was more hopeless than Kim Ju-an. Because I had insisted on going on stage and then vomited during the dance break.
...Anyway, since I didn't say it out loud and only mouthed it, it meant Kim Ju-an had come to his senses.
"I don't care if you ruin your own image, but don't be a nuisance to the team."
"......."
As I roughly finished speaking, tapped his shoulder, and stood up, the practice room door burst open as if it would break, and someone came in.
"Your Hwasungie has returned!"
The tallest among the contestants, blond hair fluttering however it pleased atop a pale face, and above eyes sparkling with passion.
Horn-rimmed glasses of unknown origin—Jihwaseong.
"Here, here. Take a lyrics sheet each. Take a tablet so you can watch the choreography. Ah, take the drinks I bought too."
Jihwaseong shoved things into the members' hands boisterously, making his presence known. Kim Ju-an looked quite bewildered.
Was his personality always like this?
That exact expression.
If there was one thing Kim Ju-an overlooked, it was that unlike himself, Jihwaseong was quite smart.
"I'll play the video right away! We don't have much time to prepare for the stage, so focus, okay?"
A person who knew exactly when and where to reveal his personality, and who, in situations where he didn't need to wear a mask, unleashed a fiery, hellish tongue.
That was Jihwaseong.
In short, he was someone who distinguished well between public and private matters.
If asked to pick the person best suited for the 'job' of being an idol, I could pick him right away.
Of course, there were times when he couldn't overcome his personality and burst out in anger, but I knew it stemmed from a desire to do well.
If there were no incidents, there would be no need to show that side either.
"Alright, everyone must have watched the choreography and lyrics by now. Shall we try allocating parts?"
While I was lost in reminiscence, Jihwaseong spoke in a confident voice, drawing thick lines over the rap parts.
"As you all know, I want to rap. Since there's barely anyone here who raps... If it's alright, I'd like to take from here to here."
At that, Gao Yan raised his hand with a solemn expression.
"I want to do the part in the back where we trade off with doubling and sub."
"Oh, doubling? Hm, I'll check that."
Following Gao Yan's words, one by one, they raised their hands and talked about the parts they wanted.
Seo Bin wanted the intro and second verse bridge, Logan the second verse.
I said I didn't care where as long as I could have the dance break center, and most of the members who remembered my first stage agreed.
Which is to say, 'most'. * * *
Lee Hyeon-jeong tapped the question sheet with the ballpoint pen she'd been holding and smiled with a pleased face.
"Trainee Kim Ju-an."
When someone asked what was essential for a smoothly progressing idol survival show, she now knew exactly how to answer.
That was....
"I heard there was a slight problem during part allocation."
Conflict.
"Th-that is...."
Perhaps having already poured out his emotions once, Kim Ju-an, his eyes swollen, lowered his head deeply again and chose his words.
It was an act far too pitiful for an ordinary 20-year-old man, but Kim Ju-an had a cute appearance that made him look much younger than his age, so it suited him quite well.
"I just thought that all trainees should have a fair opportunity, so I brought it up."
Gao Yan answered with a dumbfounded expression.
"That person threw a tantrum."
"...Threw a tantrum? Trainee Gao Yan. Who taught you those words?"
Despite seeing Lee Hyeon-jeong's eyes widen, Gao Yan kept his mouth moving.
"Yes. Tantrum. Gao Yan's Korean was taught by Gao Yan. I learned the sentence 'throws a tantrum' using a Korean translator. Kim Ju-an, he arbitrarily said he wanted to do the dance break center too."
Seo Bin looked slightly exhausted.
"This is our original song. Wanting to take many parts? I understand. But he said nothing the whole time and then did that, so I was a little, should I say bewildered."
"Trainee Kim Ju-an said the other team members didn't listen to him?"
"Huh? Us? Uh... wasn't that a dream?"
Jihwaseong shook his bright yellow hair with one hand and spoke in a level voice.
"Yes, well. He suddenly said he wanted to do the dance break too... We can't just give it to him. Chun-yong hyung said if he could do the dance break, he was fine with fewer vocal parts, but Ju-an hyung wasn't like that. He just had no opinion the whole time."
"So it was a small conflict caused by lack of communication. Could it be resolved by yielding to each other?"
"Ah, not quite. The way it was resolved is a bit different... ah, is it okay if I just say it?"
Logan made a gesture like something going bang, bursting. With quite an excited face.
"Wow, but Chun-yong hyung there. Not separately talk about, just."
"Trainee Logan. Sorry, but can you say it in Korean?"
"Oops. Ah, I mean, what should I call this? Chun-yong hyung just showed it."
Producer Ju, who had been beside the questioning Lee Hyeon-jeong with sparkling eyes, scribbled something on a sketchbook and urged the trainee being interviewed. [Explain more specifically]
Kim Chun-yong let out a deep sigh at his enthusiasm and carefully opened his mouth while scratching the back of his head.
"I don't know how this will sound... I, uh, tend to pick up choreography quickly."
"So?"
"Ju-an wanted to do the dance break center, but he hadn't learned the choreography yet...."
So I just... there.
"Taught him...."
At Kim Chun-yong's words, Producer Ju wildly clapped his hands in the air. The shape of his lips was saying the same words nonstop. '100 points! 100 points!'