The Malicious Member Has Returned! Episode 176
Countless idols’ self-produced contents had taken over the fans’ Whetube timeline homepages.
Opinions were divided on why people watched that content.
Fans’ blind love?
Or because of the members’ pretty, handsome faces that appeared throughout the videos but never got boring?
Or perhaps the buzz brought by a guest who happened to appear?
If not that, the editing team’s killer skills?
It was none of those.
After all, no matter what, since self-produced idol content had the word “content” attached to its name, content by definition had to be…
“Hey, what the hell! Im Seungho, hurry up and dance! Time’s running. Are you stupid?”
“No, no, wait! I’ll dance, but this is….”
“Uh-uh, hyungs. Time’s going. You have to dance first!”
…entertaining.
It was for this reason that the members of T.O.J, despite the tension that Kim Chunyong might get headhunted again, had resolved to invite JDS Crew as guests.
When making your first self-produced content with the hottest dancers of late, anyone would think in the back of their mind: *The idols are supposed to be the main characters here, but won’t they get completely overshadowed skill-wise?*
Therefore, T.O.J—including Kim Chunyong, who had first suggested the idea—decided to reverse the public’s expectations to find the fun.
Think about it.
No matter how skilled they were, no matter that they were dancers who had mastered all kinds of songs for choreography…
Did they really know every song?
Really?
For real?
“…What! What the hell song is this?”
“No, the choreography is easy. It’s basically just calisthenics, right? But what song this is…!”
“Ten seconds left!”
“Ugh! I—I don’t know!”
Spread your arms, then fold them.
Clap once to the right, then gesture like you’re throwing something away.
Bend your waist halfway, then raise your head again while throwing your hands up in a cheer.
Then strike a pose like you’re launching something far away, briefly put your hands on your hips, and pretend to gaze into the distance.
The dance of the JDS Crew members lined up in a row to guess the first question continued all the way to the last person, but no one knew the song title.
“No way, is Im Seungho messing with us…?”
“Is he deliberately leaving out details? Just because he’s on idol content?”
“Hey, you crazy bastard. There’s a limit to being funny!”
Doubt and anger gradually crept onto the faces of the JDS Crew members, everyone except Im Seungho standing at the very front.
They were certain that Im Seungho, standing at the front, must have trolled them.
“No, you guys. I followed everything accurately, down to the beat breakdown…!”
However, strictly speaking, it was not Im Seungho’s trolling, despite the cold sweat dripping from him now.
Having attempted three times, he was among the most sincere members of JDS Crew, and his passion meant he lived a life close to FM every single day.
So, if one had to pinpoint the cause of the problem here…
Rrrrrrr…
“Time out! The first question is over!”
“Holy shit, the answer already! What the hell was this song, Chunchun? We’re choreographers, for crying out loud. We’ve memorized most songs that came out recently….”
“The answer is—the cheer song for Busan Marines’ home run hitter, player Lee Jae-deok!”
It was the handiwork of T.O.J, united with the determination not to lose their member and the fierce resolve that their first content had to be entertaining.
“…What?”
“What, what song? …A cheer song?”
When a title they couldn’t have dared to imagine popped out of Son Jaeha’s mouth—who had been half-hosting—the JDS Crew members’ faces crumbled in bizarre ways.
“Yes. The cheer song for Busan Marines’ home run hitter, player Lee Jae-deok. This… is a song recommended by Hwasung, our team’s only baseball fan.”
“Of course, there are a lot of great cheer songs for the Daegu Blues that I support too! But the cheer choreography for player Lee Jae-deok is the most famous!”
“Yes. And since this is our self-produced content… hyungs, you know, right? I told you in advance.”
Watching the manzai-like banter between Son Jaeha, Ji Hwasung, and Kim Chunyong, vitality slowly returned to the eyes of the JDS Crew members, who had lost their spark thinking there was choreography they didn’t know.
“H-haha….”
“Okaaay. I’ve totally figured out the situation now.”
He had immediately caught on to what was going on.
From the very beginning, T.O.J—anticipating Kim Chunyong’s headhunting—had brought several absurd songs.
They had seen right through the assumption that dancers would obviously dance well and know a lot of songs.
And, rather boldly, even while renting someone else’s practice room, they had come to squeeze their own content dry.
“So this is how T.O.J wants to play….”
It meant that while the purposes of those gathered here to dance huddled together aligned to some extent, they also clearly clashed.
“I get it now. I understand what this situation is. Even if it’s dance, it’s definitely content.”
“Haha… Yes. Would you like to change the songs you’ve submitted, even now?”
“No! Ask and add more! Add songs and let’s just go random!”
“Hey, search the streaming sites quickly. That, what’s it called. Choi Geon-young from Ilick? The challenge he did recently. Bring that song too. Bring everything!”
“Hmm… It’s not like we don’t know a lot of songs either.”
“Eheh, Jaeha ssi. We’ll have to see about that. It’s a wish ticket, a wish ticket? We’re not people who would just let that go.”
“…We won’t just lose either.”
With Kim Chunyong in the middle, sparks flew between the gazes of the JDS Crew members and the T.O.J members.
With their goal so clear, how could they let this pass easily?
“Keuheuk….”
Standing in the middle of it all, Kim Chunyong could only press his forehead with a bizarre expression, neither able to cry nor laugh, as he watched the members and crew.
It would definitely be fun.
Kim Chunyong had indeed been the first to suggest picking a few laugh-track songs so they wouldn’t lose easily, but…
With these people’s overflowing enthusiasm, he was sure this self-produced content would create huge buzz, but! ‘…Is no one going to respect my opinion? Huh?’
Anyway.
With Kim Chunyong’s awkward smile, the prologue of the chaotic relay dance quiz was magnificently rising. * * *
While the JDS Crew members had magnificently decorated the first question of the relay dance quiz…
“Hoo….”
I, lined up in a row with the members, let out a low sigh mixed with relief, tension, and emptiness.
This was a situation where, if things went slightly wrong, we could become rude idols who brought bizarre songs while borrowing someone else’s practice room.
“Excuse me, Dasol-ssam. There’s something I need to tell you….”
“I… am… called… hyung….”
“Ah, yes! Hyung! Dasol hyung! …It’s just, well, it’s our self-produced content. You don’t have to take it so seriously….”
“Since… it’s… before… recruiting… an irregular… member… I have… to be… serious… no matter… what.”
“That’s not what I wanted to say…!”
Even though I had repeatedly asked him to approach this with a light heart, since this was idol self-produced content from the beginning.
Because inevitably, those requests would be cut during editing, and the public would only see the edited relay dance scenes.
If even one expression came out strangely, it would become something not worth filming.
But regardless of what Dasol-ssam—who was set to appear only in the last question for the sake of appearances—had said…
“This is it! With this, even real T.O.J members won’t know!”
“Hey, how can you be sure of that? You confident?”
“Yeah. This is a song Whetube’s algorithm recommended to me before. It’s not famous, but the dance is good. Serenia did a challenge with it recently….”
“Hey, you bald idiot. How dare you say that out loud? And how is a song that had a challenge not famous? Hey, change the song. Change it quickly!”
Having learned that we had brought quite a few absurd songs, the JDS Crew members were now picking absurd songs with as much enthusiasm as us.
Whether that was fortunate, or laughable.
Anyway, as they say, so long as it’s good, it’s good.
“God, butterflies in my stomach, butterflies….”
“Hey, Logan.”
I lightly nudged Logan, who stood before me with a rather nervous expression, repeatedly muttering words I couldn’t understand.
For some reason, if left alone, our big dog seemed like he would make a huge mistake.
“What! Chunyong hyung, wh-what is it?”
“…What are you so nervous about? It’s nothing, just some light self-produced content.”
“Oh, Chunyong hyung wouldn’t know this feeling because you dance well… but I’m different! I didn’t even dance at all before going on *Targeting Star*.”
…Aha.
Having fully understood his current tension, I had to desperately hold back a bursting laugh.
Indeed, unlike me and the other members who had trained at the agency for a long time, Logan was still not used to this idol culture.
“Hwasung-ah. If you do it too fast, hyung won’t be able to recognize it, so you have to do it slowly…!”
“Eheh, that’s not something I can control. I’ll try my best. But if hyung can’t get it right, I’ll film it on my phone right away.”
“What?”
One might think Yuchan hyung bickering with Hwasung over there was in a similar situation, but well.
Yuchan hyung just hadn’t danced much; it was a different case from Logan, who had been completely cut off from this culture.
“Our title tracks, and the songs we performed on stage during the survival show, I practiced them all hard… God, what if this is so bad that the fans get disappointed?”
With a soft perm from our hide-and-seek promotions and eyes rolling around wildly, Logan looked almost like a big frightened dog.
Even though he already had countless fans who loved him, he was worrying about this.
Goodness.
I ruffled his permed hair wildly, feeling pride, consolation, and mischief.
“…No need to worry, punk. Just somehow, whatever you see, make your movements big. Okay?”
“Make my movements big?”
“Yeah. Whether you’re dancing or doing calisthenics, hyung will guess it properly.”
“…Holy.”
“Al-alright! Our crew has picked all the songs now! We’ll show Jaeha ssi first, and Chunchun will guess last! Then everyone, turn around….”
At Seungho hyung’s loud shout, until the moment we turned around, bewilderment remained plastered on Logan’s face.
Along with the question: *I know hyung dances well, but isn’t guessing a completely different thing?*
I stood in the very last spot, stared intently at the mirror in front of me, and smiled quietly.
That fanged smile that comes out when I’m at my most confident.
Dancing well and guessing what it is by watching that dance are different things, you say.
Logan was in a situation where he knew one but not two.
“Wait! Hwasung-ah! I told you if you dance too fast I can’t recognize it, you punk! Damn, I can’t properly follow the moves…! *Sigh*, Logan. Turn around. This isn’t hyung’s fault. Got it?”
“God, Yuchan hyung! What the hell is this…?”
“Ahaha! Wait, phone! Phone!”
“Yu… chan… ssi… later… basic… training… fifty… more… hours… needed….”
Not just Logan, but everyone behind me creating chaos and giggling.
“Chunyong hyung, your turn! Sorry, I mean, I’m not good at dancing….”
“—Just dance! I said I’d guess it!”
Raise your arms wide, upper body wave while spinning once.
A few steps to the sides, along with light hand movements.
Then half-cover your face with your hand, and at the last moment do a neck isolation while turning again.
Watching the slightly clumsy moves that began to show as I turned around, I snapped my fingers to the beat.
Yeah.
As Logan said, dancing well and guessing what it was at a glance by watching that dance were indeed different things.
But…
“—Correct! ‘Insane Heart,’ which was a double title candidate from Senior Choi Ga-on’s first full album!”
“What! No, the choreography video was released not long ago…!”
“Holy, Chunyong hyung. How on earth….”
Well.
However much of a Rex trash I had been, I was still someone who had returned from the future.
I had more songs in my head than anyone here.
I smirked, and at the same time raised one finger before ruffling Logan’s hair as I had before.
“…T.O.J gets one point. The wish ticket, well. Maybe we’ll give it to ourselves?”
“Urk…!”
While the camera rolled splendidly in front of the JDS Crew practice room mirror.
Like that, for Xenia, for the public.
The appearances of us T.O.J and guest JDS Crew, to be shown ahead of the repackage album, were being recorded steadily, one by one.