The Malicious Member Has Returned! Episode 192
* * *
Just before the T.O.J members were about to head up to the pre-recording stage, the person who suddenly came to find them was none other than Choi Gaon.
"Ah, Gaon-sunbae-nim. I already saw you earlier, but what brings you here again…."
"No, well, you see. My agency hoobaes still have their stage left. There's a duty that comes with being a sunbae; I can't just up and leave because my pre-recording finished, right? I came to give you some snacks, at least."
The MC who had been with them from the mentor evaluations of
A talent who had newly made his mark on the solo idol singer lineage that had barely managed to survive.
"Ah, right. Chunyong-ssi, your sister said she was my fan, didn't she? Right? Take this. It's a signed album. I wonder if she'll like it."
"Ah, yes. I'm sure… she'll like it. Yes. Thank you. For looking out for us again…."
"No, what do you mean! This is the kind of thing an acquaintance should take care of quickly. Here, here, one for the other members too!"
In Kim Chunyong's judgment, Choi Gaon was a far better person than he appeared.
"Eating well and growing up fast is a good thing for me, you know? No, I mean, I'm a bit self-conscious about being short."
"Oh my, Gaon-sunbae-nim, your proportions are so good that I never imagined you'd think that way!"
"Hey! Yuchan-ssi, how can you say that? Wow, when the person with the best proportions here says something like that, the atmosphere gets weird, see? Hwaseong-ssi's expression got totally funny!"
Remembering the story Kim Chunyong had mentioned in passing through Yu Hobin, he diligently handed over a signed album, and considerate of the juniors who still found him awkward, he deliberately chose light remarks to throw out.
As if that were all.
"Ah, Rex-ssi? Long time no see. That… I think this might be the first time since the Arrows debut album repackage."
"Ah, yes."
"Hm, by any chance… are you taking any medication? Or getting counseling?"
"……."
"Sigh… this is a hospital where someone I know works. I'll give you a business card first, so talk to your manager about it. If you don't need it, you can just throw it away. Okay?"
A magnanimous man who would slip the business card of a hospital with thoroughly guaranteed privacy into the pocket of a junior who was like a thorn in his eye and had plunged the company's image into the abyss.
"…I already went with my manager to see the director. He said a hospital isn't allowed."
"If Rex-ssi is trying to take care of Rex-ssi's health, why does the director's opinion matter? Anyway, that old man too, really."
"Well, because of my image, running around here and there would be…"
"Just go, go! Or, Rex-ssi, is it that you don't want to go, actually?"
He was on a completely different level from CEO Do Jaechan, who treated Kim Chunyong like a difficult bomb to handle, Director Shin Giho, who had used him like a disposable tool to be soon discarded, and Min Siyoung, who would fly into a rage the moment he saw Kim Chunyong due to frustration and anger.
If this wasn't a good person, then who in the world could be?
Of course, that wasn't to say Min Siyoung or Do Jaechan were bad people.
But maintaining a kind position toward everyone was another matter entirely.
"Wow, is this the point choreography for the T.O.J members, Chunyong-ssi? Ah, my goodness. These days, idols' choreography is really difficult…."
"…Come on. Your debut song choreography was much harder."
"Aha, Crucial Boy? Right. Chunyong-ssi performed that on stage. With… Liu Wei, and the others."
See.
When he happened to mention Liu Wei, who had been problematic at the time, watch that expression of awkwardness rising on his face.
After returning to the past, Kim Chunyong had met a few people with such innately kind natures.
Such as Gao Yan, or Ishikawa Ryota.
"Holy, I couldn't eat anything earlier because I was nervous…!"
Or, say, Logan, who was holed up in the corner eating the bread Choi Gaon had brought like a puppy stealing snacks.
However, they all had one thing in common.
They had yet to exert any significant influence in the entertainment industry.
Gao Yan and Logan attracted attention as WeTube creators and as notable rookie idols, but if you asked whether their standing was firm, that was another story.
It took time to build a position alongside such an image.
Sufficient time, as much as Kim Chunyong had returned with.
'…Wait.'
With the situation turning out like this, even a thought crossed Kim Chunyong's not-so-clever head.
What Kim Chunyong had to do from now on.
Finding out who the 'other guys' were and definitely identifying the person who caused that accident.
At the same time, safely fulfilling the conditions of the contract thrown at him by X and X's company.
And among those, the most urgent was placing first at least once with this comeback song and winning the Rookie Award at the year-end awards ceremony.
The former could somehow be managed by going all out this time, but the latter was a situation that required a bit of luck.
But….
'If it's Gaon-sunbae-nim of all people, we can go in a win-win direction.'
The picture was perfect too.
A senior who had watched over them since before their debut.
And newly debuted juniors who admired that senior.
Frankly, in this case, there were quite a few cards Kim Chunyong could choose besides Choi Gaon.
[JDS Crew Leader Jinda Sol: Chunyong-ssi, I have something to say]
[JDS Crew Leader Jinda Sol: I think my contact name in your phone got longer again]
[JDS Crew Leader Jinda Sol: You're lying, right?]
[Han Dan-u: You can ignore An Taei's contact. He's slacking off because he doesn't want to practice choreography]
[Han Dan-u: Sorry]
[Han Dan-u: Do well in the repackage promotions]
Going further, even Jeong Yeon-u, whom he had just made a sort of debt to while wrapping things up earlier.
But there was a guarantee that getting entangled with them would inevitably lead to troublesome matters.
At least, probably.
The returned man's intuition was telling him that it would turn out that way in the end.
Therefore, Kim Chunyong decided that this time, instead of enduring such hardships, he would join hands with someone else.
"Excuse me, Gaon-sunbae-nim."
"Hm? Chunyong-ssi, what is it? Ah, do you need to go up now? Shall I move out of the way?"
"Ah, that's not it. We do have to go up soon, but more than that…."
"Hm?"
"We don't have much time, but would you like to film a challenge with us?"
A challenge that had to be filmed anyway, choreography that would be revealed someday.
If that was the case, it would be better to do it with someone who would only bring good influence when entangled.
"Wow, hasn't the T.O.J choreography been revealed yet? Is it okay to film and upload it with me like this?"
"Of course. We'd much rather do it with you than anyone else, sunbae-nim! Chunyong-ah, you really brought it up well."
"Haha, then with me, Hwaseong, and Yuchan hyung…."
But at this time, Kim Chunyong didn't know.
He didn't know at all how the repercussions of this short challenge would crash down upon him.
* * *
The challenge filmed and uploaded by T.O.J and Choi Gaon received quite a good response, as Kim Chunyong had hoped.
It was practically the only choreography video released before the stage for T.O.J's new song, 'W.o.W,' was officially revealed.
At a dawn hour when no one but heavy idol fans would be awake, the suddenly released video hit 300,000 views in less than two hours, so there was no need to belabor the point.
- "Yes, for the fans waiting for our comeback stage! Yuchan, Hwaseong, and Chunyong have prepared a short challenge!"
- "Right away… a new song challenge with Gaon-sunbae-nim!"
- "Wow, hello, Zenias! This is Gaon!"
- "Yes. We thought we'd try matching the point choreography of each of our new songs together with Gaon-sunbae-nim. Haha, I hope the fans will like it…."
Bang Yuchan and Ji Hwaseong, and Kim Chunyong and Choi Gaon.
Even a video of the four of them huddled together chatting right before the challenge was uploaded together.
[FireFire @fireworksday(link)
Hwaseong getting doted on by the sunbae, his form is insane. This is literally high schooler vibes]
[⎿No, Ji Hwaseong didn't even properly attend high school. Why is this person radiating such high schooler vibes]
[⎿Leave him alone, he's always like this... ]
[TrustBangYuchanGoToCollege @BangbangYourchan Yuchan added the challenge to show off how much he's improved at dancingㅠㅠ so moving... the member who stands out at the very moment the choreography is revealed like this is Yuchan? Oh please, my chest feels so tight it hurts]
[⎿(Blocked User) Professor TrustBang, I suffer more because of your excessive boasting]
Though it was simply the three members who were in the process of learning the choreography for Choi Gaon's new song 'Night Crawler' filming together at that moment, the meaning fans assigned to it was extraordinary.
Maybe it was because of this, maybe because of that. This person was probably chosen for this reason, that person probably wasn't for this reason.
Anyway, that's idol fans for you, always eager to assign meaning.
Nevertheless, after going around in circles, all opinions converged into one.
[Ah, but the choreography… is good]
[⎿Omg, did Jinda Sol choreograph this too? Or another dancer?]
[⎿We can't be sure since only the point choreography was released... you know you have to see the whole flow to tell if it's Jinda Sol]
[I'm going crazy, there's still 2 hours until the full stage? How long do I have to wait, just kill me]
[⎿I found this post after the MuMuDae live broadcast started, but T.O.J still hasn't appeared. Crazy]
[⎿No, T.O.J must be doing really well... it's been 30 minutes since the music show started and they haven't even shown their noses... ]
Seeing only the point choreography was not enough.
Quickly, more, and more often.
The desire to see my idol appear on TV and in media.
For fans meeting T.O.J after a month, it was a yearning accumulated during the waiting time; for fans who had watched Choi Gaon's activities until the end, it was a wish for a glorious finish.
But.
"What… is this."
There was one person there who had quite the reaction.
A person that even Kim Chunyong, intoxicated by the tasks at hand and filming the challenge quickly, couldn't recall.
It so happened.
A very old fan of Choi Gaon, and at the same time, Kim Chunyong's….
"Kim Nari! Kim Nari! Turn on the TV quickly, quickly!"
"Sorry, I turned it on earlier to watch our Si-u. Well, Choi Gaon hasn't even come out yet, so why is unnie…"
"Why do you think? Kim Chunyong, that rascal. He filmed a challenge with Gaon and didn't even tell me? With what face should I watch the stage?!"
…His one and only sister seemed to greatly oppose Kim Chunyong's flower path plan.
"Ha, haha. He's really dead… he didn't even send the album properly, huh? I'll have to go find him again, right?"
Now, she was even thinking of hindering Kim Chunyong—who had tried to avoid such trouble—in a completely different manner.