The Evil Member Has Returned! Chapter 162
Yuchan hyung, who had dragged me out of bed, was now, at this odd hour, decked out in full disguise.
A mask, a hat.
Even a baggy jacket that made his build unrecognizable...
Was it because it was a break that he was just stepping out for a bit?
And before I could even voice my guess, a very excited Yuchan hyung poured out his words in a rush.
“Ah, we’re off today and tomorrow, you know. We can’t go far, so… I just thought I’d take a quick look around the neighborhood. That should be fine, right?”
As I thought.
Looking at Yuchan hyung’s slightly hopeful face, there was definitely something I could guess.
“Where are you going? Maybe, a noraebang?”
“Huh? How did you know? What, was it written on my face?”
“Haha….”
I could only let out a short laugh at Yuchan hyung, who was shaking my shoulders wildly in surprise and confusion.
No, how could I not know.
“Hey, Yuchan hyung. Where are you going? Got plans today?”
“Yeah. I’m meeting my college friends today.”
“Wow, hyung, don’t you ever get tired? How long has it been since promotions ended and you’re already going out again? Should I call you amazing, or just hardcore…”
“I’m going because I like it, because I like it. Ah, Hwaseong, you wanna come?”
“Ugh, no! I’m gonna play games in the dorm!”
Yuchan hyung, the only one among us who freely enjoyed the outside world, would meet his high school and college friends during breaks and hear about how things were going in the world from them.
And among those outings, the place he went to the most was definitely the noraebang.
“Rex. Wanna go to the noraebang with hyung?”
“…
Of all people, with me?”
“Yeah. You’ve been sleeping all day and only waking up at night lately. If you come out with hyung for just a bit, it’ll be a change of pace, and you’ll be tired enough to sleep well at night. How about it?”
“You already went there with your friends earlier. I heard everything from my room. You already went out once, and you’re going again?”
“Ah, that was with my friends. Is going with a member the same? My stamina’s fine. Besides, I only got to sing a little and felt a bit disappointed…”
“Forget it. I’m going to sleep. Just go with Hwaseong or something.”
And, on top of that, during the time when I was really struggling, he used to pester me constantly, saying I ‘needed a change of mood’.
If I didn’t remember that, I’d be unqualified as a member, really.
Recalling my prickly reaction back then, I brushed off Yuchan hyung’s shoulders, who was still staring at me, and mumbled as I pushed him toward the entrance.
“It’s just, well. I took a guess and hit the jackpot.”
Because I can’t say something like ‘I know because I’ve been living with you for eight years, rubbing shoulders every day.’
“…
A guess? Just like that? Is that possible?”
“Yeah, well. You like singing, hyung. Ah, that must be why you’re wearing all this.”
And perhaps my deflection worked, because I saw the surprise and bewilderment slowly fade from Yuchan hyung’s face.
“…
Ah, right. Am I wearing too much? But I felt like I’d get caught if I went out like normal.”
“No, it’s perfect, hyung. At least you’re not wearing sunglasses. It’s nighttime, this is enough.”
I nodded my weary head quietly and gave him a thumbs-up as he stood at the entrance.
As long as there were no issues among the members, I had no reason to pry into his private life.
And Yuchan hyung was more of an expert at actively resting than I was, so that was that.
“Have a good time, hyung. With that outfit, you won’t get caught by fans. I’ll let the other members know.”
“…
Huh?”
“Could you also check if our debut song has been added to the new song list? While you’re at it, sing it once and raise our streaming points.”
“Uhmm…?”
“But is it fun singing alone? Ah, hyung, you’re such a great singer, so maybe it is fun.”
To go sing even during the little free time you have.
It was truly wonderful when what you love and what you can do were in harmony.
Well, I should have a healthy hobby like that too.
No matter how much I racked my brain, the only thing that came to mind was the idle mobile combat game I played obsessively during my ‘Rex trash’ days.
[Face the battlefield of dreams! Star Betelgeuse 3rd Anniversary Launch Item Festival]
And, thinking back now, there was nothing more meaningless than that.
“…
Tch.”
After coming back like this, my account must have been wiped out too, seriously.
[A gift for maintaining rank 1,000 just for you, Adventurer! 10 free legendary summons♪ Guaranteed legendary weapon after 100 summons♬]
Because of those damn summon baits, I spent so much money, seriously.
Come to think of it, I think I had some reward summons I put off, telling that X guy I’d use them later...
This break, should I try some summons for old times’ sake, with that X guy’s nagging as accompaniment?
If there are any useful skills, I could think about how to use them.
“Anyway, have a good time, hyung. Blow off some steam.”
“Huh?!”
Just as I was seeing Yuchan hyung off and smoothly planning how to use my days off...
“Wait, wait! Chunyong. What are you saying right now?”
Yuchan hyung, who had seemed about to leave the dorm any second, grabbed my shoulders again with the same resolute expression as before.
What the?
“Huh? I was just telling you to have a good time.”
“No! Earlier when I called you from your room, I said I had something to say, didn’t I?”
“…
Weren’t you going to say you’ll go and come back alone safely?”
“Wow... Chunyong. You usually have good instincts, so why do you pretend you don’t in moments like these? No, maybe it’s not pretense?! Ah, haha….”
Yuchan hyung let out a loud laugh of disbelief, holding my shoulders and shaking for a while before lifting his head abruptly.
Under the hat he wore to avoid being recognized by fans or strangers, Yuchan hyung’s pitch-black eyes stared at me before curving beautifully.
And then...
“…
Follow me!”
He pulled the hat he was wearing down over my head, and before I could stop him, he dragged my arm out of the dorm.
“Huh, hyung? Yuchan hyung! Wait, I need to tell the members―”
“They all know!”
That truly happened before I could even stop him.
* * *
Turning back time.
When all of Tioje arrived at the dorm and Kim Chunyong went in to wash first.
“…….”
“…….”
The other members, who had been bickering in their own ways, quickly made eye contact and gathered in perfect order in the living room.
“Logan!”
“Okay. Hwaseong, please get a pen.”
Ji Hwaseong and Logan got something to write on.
“I think... he’ll take a while to wash... today...”
Jang Siwoo kept an eye on when Kim Chunyong would come out of the bathroom.
“Ah, I’ll send a message in advance. For any JDS crew work or other choreography matters, please tell them to contact me first.”
Bang Yuchan left a short message for Yoo Hobin.
In the middle of the living room that had taken on such a solemn and secretive atmosphere.
“……
I think everyone has seen it.”
The first to speak was, of course, the leader, Son Jaeha.
“Chunyong looks really tired lately. And he won’t really tell us about it. He informed us about the JDS crew stuff in a sort of just-notifying way, and he didn’t seem to want to talk about the things with the Wiz members.”
Son Jaeha, recounting the previous events one by one, smiled at the members along with a soft sigh.
“……
We need some kind of plan. Right?”
Yeah.
Why none of them played rock-paper-scissors to stop Kim Chunyong from entering the bathroom first.
That was the reason.
“Oh, our teaser is out! Yongyong hyung, have you seen this….”
“…
Chunyong’s sleeping?”
“Huh? In such an uncomfortable position? He slept during rehearsal earlier too! Seriously, how can he fall asleep at every chance like that?”
“Ever since filming the dance video with Dasol... teacher, it seems like he’s been sleeping especially more...”
“Yeah. That’s right. … If I didn’t know, I’d think he fainted or something.”
If you have eyes, you see; if you have ears, you hear.
Especially now, when they aren’t living separately but six of them are living together in one house, rubbing elbows.
No matter how much Kim Chunyong puts on a nonchalant act under the mindset of ‘I can’t be a nuisance,’ he couldn’t hide his fatigue itself.
Once that opening was made, a flood of words poured from five mouths, each in their own way.
“No, I mean, lately Yongyong hyung just falls asleep wherever he leans his head. Wow, I was really shocked seeing him sleep against the waiting room table! It must have been so noisy...”
“I asked him... and he said he’s recharging his stamina while sleeping... But... because of that, he seems unable to do any other hobbies at all...”
“Siwoo’s right. It seems like he just sleeps whenever he has a spare moment. Otherwise, he’s on his phone or something? Apart from that, he goes to the practice room for dance practice and does schedules.”
“Eww… I mean, isn’t that just no fun at all? Work, sleep. Work, sleep. I know two workaholics, and even they aren’t that bad.”
“Mm, definitely. I share a room with Chunyong and I haven’t really seen him do anything special. It’s like he thinks sleeping is resting...”
In a situation where one word turned into five, everyone shut their mouths at Son Jaeha’s final words.
“…….”
Whether they could talk to each other about it or not, all Tioje members owed Kim Chunyong a debt.
Like helping persuade parents for debut, being a bridge to clear misunderstandings between close hyungs and dongsaengs.
Being a conversational companion in an unfamiliar environment, or helping to break free even a little from a trauma that had been holding them back.
Of course, that was Kim Chunyong’s atonement for what he had done before, but the members who didn’t know that had no way of knowing.
Ah, they just see that their team hyung/dongsaeng is sleeping without any hobbies.
Therefore.
“I’m glad we’re all thinking the same thing. Then…”
Son Jaeha shook the paper Logan had brought, and slowly spoke again.
“…
I want everyone to write down what you want to do here. Since Hobin hyung worked hard to clear our schedules a bit, we can do these things in that time.”
“Oh, are you planning to do everything that’s written down?”
“If possible. Let’s drain his stamina and make him fall asleep so deeply on Monday he won’t know what hit him. I think that’s healthier than him lying down with half-open eyes on his phone.”
“…
Right. I’ll write first.”
“Ah, let’s execute in order of age. You know, respecting elders, kids?”
“Ah, we should decide this with rock-paper-scissors, really!”
So, amid bickering, the sentences they wrote down on the paper were six.
Teaching guitar, going to noraebang, playing online games, eating sweets together, and a secret.
“What on earth is the secret, Jaeha?”
“Mm... Since I’ll give you my first turn, hyung, how about not asking more?”
“That’s fine. Let’s do that. I’ll go first, guys.”
“Eek... no more than two hours, okay?! Otherwise we’ll run out of time!”
“We’ll have to see. If Chunyong finds it fun, he’ll want to do more, right?”
This plan would begin from the moment Kim Chunyong finished washing and went back to bed.
And so…
“…
I’ll be back.”
“Hyung, blow his mind with your vocals and come back. Got it?!”
It was a historic day when the previously failed boss raid was being re-attempted in six stages.