The Evil Member Has Returned! Episode 163
* * *
It was only after being led by the hand into the coin karaoke booth by Bang Yu-chan that Kim Chun-yong finally heard the full story. He stared at Bang Yu-chan, utterly dumbfounded, as the man bubbled over with excitement.
A healing project just for him, of all things?…
All of a sudden?
“So that’s why you suddenly dragged me out here? After talking with the members? No, if that was the case, you could’ve just told me in advance!”
“Hey, it wasn’t sudden. I gave you all the signals before dragging you out, didn’t I? And if I’d told you, you wouldn’t have come!”
“Ha, Yu-chan hyung… I didn’t understand any of those so-called signals. Honestly….”
“Awh, look, look. Chun-yong-ah.”
Bang Yu-chan snapped his fingers a few times right in front of Kim Chun-yong’s eyes, then picked up the karaoke microphone with a dashing smile.
He also swiped a 5,000-won bill into the machine for good measure.
After a moment of choosing his words, a soft-toned remark flowed from Bang Yu-chan’s lips.
“…
Normally, you’d pick up on that kind of nuance super fast. I’ve been watching you, so I know.”
Right.
Maybe not for the full eight years that Kim Chun-yong had known Bang Yu-chan, but the other T.O.J. members, including Bang Yu-chan, had also been observing Kim Chun-yong for six months now.
You might think six months isn’t enough to know someone, but it’s different when they’ve been living and breathing together that whole time.
Ah, at least his general personality and usual behavioral patterns were noticeable.
“Did you know, Chun-yong-ah? They say if you’re too tense, you can actually get sleepy.”
“…
Really?”
“Yeah. Lately, you’ve been falling asleep the moment you get in the van or just sit down in the waiting room, even when you’ve gotten enough sleep at night. I think that’s the fallout. You’ve been incredibly tense recently. So….”
Bang Yu-chan flashed his signature hearty grin and pulled Kim Chun-yong to his feet.
“…
Let’s loosen up a bit!”
There was a reason Bang Yu-chan had insisted to the other members that he be the first to spend time with Kim Chun-yong.
The initial impact mattered above all else.
That way, you’d look forward to whatever came next, and any disappointment of ‘is this going to be boring?’ would be minimized.
While Son Jae-ha handled being the leader and the other members provided the fine-tuned care, and Kim Chun-yong secretly pulled strings in the background, Bang Yu-chan hadn’t been twiddling his thumbs thoughtlessly either.
Unlike the other T.O.J. members, who’d spent their teenage years mostly outside the entertainment industry, Bang Yu-chan secretly prided himself on one thing.
He might not know much else, but when it came to wholesome, fun play, he was the best.
“Well, fine. Then let me check the song book first….”
“Ah-uh, stay still.”
Before Kim Chun-yong could say anything more, Bang Yu-chan beamed and rapidly worked the karaoke remote.
[21666 On the Way to Ride the Gyeongbu Line]
Without once opening the song book, he punched in the numbers and pressed start.
The intro was skipped faster than light.
Mic volume up four notches, tempo a half beat faster, and pitch at the highest male key.
Having done all this in a flash, Bang Yu-chan slung an arm over Kim Chun-yong’s shoulder and grinned brightly.
“…
Just follow hyung!”
“Wait, Yu-chan hyung! What song is this….”
“Sing it and you’ll know! Ah, the Gyeong! Bu-seon, on my way to ride! In front of the train station!”
“No, this is a baseball stadium cheer song!”
5,000 won for one hour. Unlimited songs.
And so it began—Bang Yu-chan’s Extreme Karaoke Guide, having brought them to this coin karaoke with the express plan to sing exactly 20 songs together in that time with Kim Chun-yong.
* * *
Meanwhile, back at the T.O.J. dorm after Bang Yu-chan had taken Kim Chun-yong out as the first batter.
There, the voices of the T.O.J. members, having gathered again in the living room, murmured in a low hum.
“…
Huh, still not yet? I think it’s been almost 30 minutes.”
“Eesh, Logan. It’s only been 20 minutes. But I agree that it feels like a lot of time has passed. No, what on earth is Yu-chan hyung doing right now?”
“Karaoke… he said it’s close… or something….”
Though each was sprawled out comfortably around the living room in casual clothes, their faces were tinged with subtle worry and curiosity.
It was because of what they’d agreed upon before each set out to do their part earlier.
“Hmm, a few of us need to go outside. In that case, shall we at least call in the middle from time to time? It’s a bit troublesome if we can’t get in touch.”
“Whoa, then let’s do video calls! Isn’t it better if we can see faces? We can assess the situation faster, and if something seems off from behind, we can alert them!”
“Oh! That sounds like a good idea. Then I’ll video call Jae-ha when I go to the karaoke with Chun-yong later.”
To preempt any potential issues, they must make a video call to the members at least once during an outing.
As their first batter, Bang Yu-chan, was still completely silent, their curiosity was only growing.
“Huh, Yu-chan hyung said there’s nothing to worry about… but still, I am curious! I’ve never been to a karaoke, you know. Do you just sing like you do on stage when you go?”
“Hey hey, Logan. You’ve missed out on one of life’s joys, huh? Today is for playing with Yong-yong hyung, so come with me next time. More than that, I’m worried that, given Yu-chan hyung’s personality, he might just shove a mic at Yong-yong hyung and shake him around like crazy.”
“It… could happen. And, Chun-yong hyung… playing aside, he looks tired….”
“Haha… it’ll be fine. We didn’t take him out to push him too hard; we went out to play together. And while playing, you can forget things too, you know.”
Having quietly listened to the younger T.O.J. members’ conversation, Son Jae-ha soothed them and toyed with his still-silent phone, his eyes rolling.
Though his words feigned nonchalance, Son Jae-ha himself was admittedly a little tense.
What if Kim Chun-yong wasn’t too keen on this situation?
What if a displeased Kim Chun-yong had left the spot and was heading elsewhere?
‘Of course, I know Chun-yong-i wouldn’t do that….’
Gently clearing his throat, Son Jae-ha leaned his head back on the sofa and tapped his phone idly.
No news is good news.
But still, if it’s completely silent, it does get on your nerves.
“…
Let’s wait just a little longer. Got it?”
And so another 10 minutes passed.
By the song count alone in that karaoke, it was a point where they would’ve sung at least 10 songs, if not more.
Just as Ji Hwa-seong, at his wit’s end, was about to raise his voice with ‘We’ll just go ourselves!’, it happened.
Rrrrrr…
The messenger video call alert rang from Son Jae-ha’s phone, and the four T.O.J. members scattered around the living room rushed toward it.
“Jae-ha hyung. Pick up, quick! Wow, what took them so long to call?”
“I think, they just remembered now, maybe?”
“Ah, I can’t see… any faces!”
“Wait, guys. Let’s calm down a bit…!”
As Son Jae-ha’s hand slickly unlocked the phone and answered, the screen filled with the dim interior of the karaoke booth.
- “♬♪♩♪…”
And the intro of a trot song—somehow strangely familiar yet impossible to name—resounded through the dorm living room from the phone.
At the same time, large question marks popped up on the members’ faces.
“…
Huh, what’s this? I think I’ve heard it a lot. Shi-woo, do you know what song this is?”
“Uh, uhm… that’s, ah….”
“Wait. I’ve heard it too. It’s familiar, right?! What on earth is it?”
“Uh….”
Just as the bemusement of those left in the dorm was steadily growing.
-“…
Ah, guys. Can you hear me okay? This is coming through, right?”
Bang Yu-chan appeared on screen with a flourish, waving at them.
Flushed and a little sweaty, Bang Yu-chan’s face looked happier than anyone else’s.
Truly befitting someone who, despite legally being able to enjoy alcohol and cigarettes outside the industry, had the perfectly wholesome hobby of karaoke.
“Heok, Yu-chan hyung!”
The moment a familiar face finally appeared on screen, the members crowded in as if to break through the phone, each blurting out words.
The team’s elder hyung having a fun time? Great.
It was a rare break, and after today they’d have to throw themselves back into schedules.
But cruelly, the members’ attention lay elsewhere.
“No, Yu-chan hyung! What song is this? And where’s Yong-yong hyung? Hurry, hurry, you know why we’re calling!”
“…
Can’t see his face…!”
“Hey, mate. Turn the screen around a bit. I want to see what the karaoke looks like!”
“Uhm, Yu-chan hyung. It’s a bit much for me to say this, but… what about Chun-yong-i?”
- “Haha, you guys are so cold!”
At the flood of words pouring from the members, Bang Yu-chan burst into easy laughter. Looking somewhere between smug and proud, he lightly shrugged his shoulders and continued.
- “Well, no need to say much, I’ll just show you. But guys, doesn’t the song sound familiar?”
“No, it’s familiar! But I can’t quite place it… is this a trot song?”
- “It’s a trot version. Did you know, if you fiddle with the karaoke remote just right, you can sing any ordinary song as a trot?”
“…
Eh?”
With those final words, Bang Yu-chan fixed his phone somewhere in the karaoke booth, and Kim Chun-yong and Bang Yu-chan’s forms came clearly into view.
- “Ah, this isn’t my part so I might not sing it well….”
Sweating slightly like Bang Yu-chan, Kim Chun-yong gripped the mic tight, his face flushed as he prepared to sing something.
- “Like this! On a dazzling day! Taking one step to find you!”
And then, the first verse began right on beat.
“…
Heol, crazy.”
Simultaneously, a sigh-like exclamation escaped Ji Hwa-seong’s lips.
No wonder the song sounded so familiar. Of course it did.
Others might not know, but it was a song any T.O.J. member ought to know.
- “Hi, Hi! Hide and Seek! See, See! In my eyes, I only see you!”
Right now, none other than the T.O.J. members had gone to a coin karaoke and were singing their debut song in a trot version.
During the 40 minutes the members waiting at the dorm hadn’t seen, Kim Chun-yong had already completely adapted to Bang Yu-chan’s Extreme Karaoke Guide.
“No, Yu-chan hyung. You’re raising the tempo even more here? This song is fast to begin with.”
“Chun-yong-ah. That’s just how you play at karaoke. Why else would all these buttons exist?”
“You can handle it because you sing like you breathe through gills, but I…!”
“You can do it, you can do it! And, I’m telling you, it’s just playing around? Who cares if you mess up a little? There, take a beat, and a one, two!”
All the talk about being washed up or whatever aside, they’d chosen to become singers because they wanted to sing and dance anyway.
How could it possibly be boring to sing and play in all sorts of different ways?
Besides, no matter what anyone said, Kim Chun-yong had been through an insane number of drinking parties.
Not having to deliberately amp up his mood just to lose his mind around uncomfortable people, but genuinely having a ‘real’ fun time with a close, friendly hyung—it was truly…
- “I hold, hold you! I caught you!”
Surprisingly, even more fun than expected.
With one arm draped over Bang Yu-chan’s shoulder, singing the trot version of ‘Hide and Seek’ almost in a trance, Kim Chun-yong’s face wore a bright smile that had momentarily forgotten all the fatigue and tension of late.
“…….”
Having confirmed that face from beyond the screen, Son Jae-ha let out a quiet sigh of relief with a faint smile.
Even without checking, it was plain to see: the first phase of the T.O.J. members’ second Dragon Raid was proceeding successfully.