The Evil Member Returns! Episode 197
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The conversation I had with Hyung Hobin after much deliberation was short, but it couldn’t have been more beneficial.
“Oh my, Chunyong. Your expression is especially bright today? Did something good happen?”
“Ah, ahaha. Yes. Something good, indeed.”
After all, the worry that had been bothering me for the past few days while I had to focus on repackage activities and ‘finding the other guys’ was completely resolved.
It actually worked. This thing.
“I’m counting on you again today, noona.”
“Mmm, I’ll work hard. Today you and the kids all have good skin, so I’m motivated.”
“Haha, we all did some face masks last night.”
I smiled brightly at the shop noona in charge of my hair and makeup, nodding along.
The more I recalled my conversation with hyung earlier, the better my mood became.
Back when I was with my former manager, Tae-uk hyung, I never imagined I could hear such good advice from a manager hyung.
Is this why they say you need a good manager?
“Chunyong, close your eyes for a moment. I’m going to use the eyebrow razor.”
“Okaaay.”
I obediently closed both eyes and replayed the conversation I’d had with Hobin hyung earlier.
“I’ve thought about it. So, Mr. Chunyong, you want to cheer up your older sister right now. Is that correct?”
“Uh, when you put it that way, it makes my noona sound like a terrible person… but I guess that’s roughly correct.”
“So the method you thought of was a tour of the agency or broadcast station. So she can ‘coincidentally’ run into Gaon, whom your sister likes the most.”
“Yes. ‘Coincidentally.’”
In my opinion, I needed a more advanced approach to soothe my angry Bomi noona.
There was no way simply sending an album through a delivery service or the company at this point would feel sincere.
So what I came up with was delivering a signed album and letting her see Gaon sunbae’s face, but…
“…As expected, it’s difficult, right? Sorry, hyung. I feel like I brought it up for nothing.”
“Mmm, as expected, you know it’s difficult. That did seem to be what was troubling you.”
“Ah, yes. Haha, no matter what… I wouldn’t just casually call my family to a broadcast station or agency.”
“Yes. Definitely, someone like you, Mr. Chunyong, wouldn’t do that. Understood.”
Naturally, there were quite a few restrictions attached to this method.
First, even if she’s my family, Bomi noona is a civilian, and for a civilian to meet another idol with some specific intention was more than enough to cause talk.
Moreover, no matter how gentle and favorable she is to me, Gaon sunbae is a senior with years and years of experience.
I also needed to discuss with her whether she’d be okay with encountering a fan in this manner.
But our group is currently in the middle of promotions, and the realistically impossible parts were far more numerous.
After our first stage for ‘W.o.W’ ended safely and promotions were in full swing, that was the reason for my agony.
For what I wanted to do, the impossible factors outnumbered the possible ones.
Then I should give up.
I should compromise.
I knew from the start it couldn’t be done.
“Kim Chunyong, take care of Nari!”
“Noona! Ah, no! No! Please!”
“Get away, you bastard! Do you want to die too!? Go! Let go of this hand! …Eek!”
“Ugh! Noo, noona! Bomi noona!”
But then.
Even as the limousine bus flipped over, my noona twisted the hand I was holding and forced me to let go, and that’s vivid in my memory. Do you think it will go the way I wish?
“…Hmm.”
“Oh? Does it hurt? It shouldn’t hurt.”
“Ah, no. It’s not that it hurts, something just came to mind.”
“Oh, that’s a relief. Okay. If you get sleepy, you can doze off a little. I’ll apply the base.”
“Yes, thank you.”
With my eyes still closed, I wrapped up the conversation with the makeup noona and took a shallow breath.
Well, anyway.
Despite all that, things worked out well.
Because Hobin hyung, the ‘good manager’ I’d obtained after coming back and working myself to death, found a solution a hundred times better than what I had thought of.
“Instead of faking a coincidence, how about making it a real coincidence?”
“Sorry?”
“Mmm, to be precise, it wouldn’t be a meeting, just seeing each other. While going to the restroom or passing through the hallway, she might be able to catch a glimpse. Besides, it would be much more natural for you, Mr. Chunyong, to go and meet them.”
“Hobin hyung. What exactly are you saying…?”
“Oh, yes. Sorry. I left out the subject. So… I’m talking about backstage passes for the year-end music show.”
“Ah.”
Backstage passes.
I couldn’t have thought of, nor needed to find, a better method than this.
“Kuhum….”
I fought to suppress the corners of my mouth that were unconsciously rising, and heaped praise on my past self who had secured a good manager.
You worked hard, Kim Chunyong.
Getting grabbed by the collar by Jo Tae-uk was worth it, huh?
“Would that really work? No, from what I know, those aren’t tickets meant for the performing idols.”
“Timing-wise, that’s correct. They’re so busy preparing for the stage that they don’t usually think to send such tickets to family. But it happens more often than you’d think. Right now, for example, Min Siyeong sends tickets to her mother without fail.”
“Ohh….”
“Backstage passes start being requested about two weeks before the show. An official notice goes out to each agency. The quantity is limited, but agencies that have more performances get more because they have more staff attached to the stages.”
“So, what you’re saying, hyung, is….”
“Yes. It means that if you, Mr. Chunyong, and the other members put in a little more effort and achieve good results with this promotion, the number of tickets we are allocated will increase. Not just for your older sister, but perhaps we could even get a ticket for your younger sibling?”
“That fuels my motivation more than anything I’ve ever heard.”
In the end, everything was connected.
Treating my family well, working hard on promotions, having to get first place, having to win the Rookie Award.
If we work hard on promotions and achieve good results, we can get first place.
If we get first place, we naturally get closer to winning the Rookie Award.
If we win the Rookie Award, naturally, the number of year-end music festival performances increases.
And then, it would circle around and become a good thing not just for my noona, but even for Nari.
Winning the Rookie Award naturally becomes a clue to continuing the contract with X, and it would certainly help with ‘finding the other guys.’
Right.
In the end, it circles around and connects in one direction like this.
“Chunyong, Chunyong! You can’t smile right now. Your powder is getting smudged.”
“Ugh, okay. Sorry….”
“Oh dear. You should smile like this on stage, not in front of the mirror. You’d gain 100 more fans.”
“Oof… that’d be half the number of our group’s pre-recording audience.”
“Okay. You can open your eyes now. I’ll start on the liner.”
I opened the eyes that noona had gently closed and faced my reflection beyond the mirror.
The Rex Trash who had once glared with fierce eyes, throwing aside the self-management expected of any idol member, now seemed somehow hazy.
What was visible in the mirror was only Kim Chunyong, the dance member of T.O.J, who had dyed his red hair darker and was preparing for the upcoming stages and schedule.
Well, Kim Chunyong is soon Rex, the evil member Rex Trash is soon Kim Chunyong, but…
“Noona. Regarding our concept this time. What do you think?”
Having returned to my proper role like this, I must not forget what I have to do.
“Huh? All of a sudden?”
“Yes. Since you’re in charge of my makeup, noona. I’m curious what kind of feeling you get from it.”
“Oh… well, if you ask like that. For a concept that’s this clear, it feels a bit casual? That kind of feeling. Director Moon also asked us not to do makeup that’s too heavy. I guess the casual aspect is really being emphasized in this concept.”
“Aha, I see.”
I glanced at the makeup noona who was chuckling as if asking ‘why so serious today?’ and added casually,
“I do like this. No need to worry about it smudging when I dance, and I don’t have to be anxious about accidentally touching my face.”
“Wasn’t that the case during ‘Hide and Seek’ too? Ah, was it because of the wound makeup we did with the gakuran back then? But that was… a one-time thing anyway.”
“Right, one-time. But that was cool too. We probably won’t be doing that kind of thing during this promotion, right? Since Director Moon said not to.”
“Umm, that’s probably right. Especially for stage makeup.”
“Then, would it be okay if it was something removable before going on stage?”
“Huh?”
I stopped drawing the liner, my hand falling away, and looked directly at the makeup noona who wore a puzzled expression.
Now, she was someone I wasn’t just acquainted with but quite familiar with, and who had grown close with our members.
They say ‘what’s good for the sister is good for the brother-in-law’ for a reason.
“Noona. You said before that you were in a good mood after seeing that post on social media praising Logan’s hair. Saying the perm really suited him.”
“That’s… right? Well, hair isn’t exactly my department. But still, he is an employee of our shop.”
“How about you get praised this time, noona?”
“Huh? Chunyong. What on earth are you talking about since earlier?”
Now that reasons to do well with this ‘W.o.W’ promotion kept piling up.
The song is good, the choreography turned out well.
Then, what’s left is the stage performance and other recognition issues.
“Noona, let me whisper something for a second….”
“Huh? U-uh….”
Just performing well on stage wasn’t enough to just get first place.
In this world saturated with promotions and advertisements, simply praying for success because you have a good song and choreography was impossible.
Then what should I do?
I have to make people watch the stage, make them listen to the song, make them watch the dance one more time.
Something memorable.
“…What? Did you think of that, Chunyong?”
“I think fans like this kind of thing.”
“Heh, heh… Well, they would definitely like it. …Though I might get chewed out by the Director!”
“Noona. So, are we doing it or not?”
“…….”
At my words, the makeup noona rolled her eyes around as if conflicted, then soon raised her voice as if she’d made up her mind.
“…Oh dear. Sola, Jeong Sola!”
“Huh? Why are you calling?”
“Can you go to the stationery store for a bit? After Jaeha’s hair is done.”
“Stationery store…? I can go, but why?”
“Go and buy some stickers. The more variety, the better. …Even better if they’re animals matching the T.O.J kids’ nicknames.”
In the end, I grinned toward the makeup noona who had given in to my coaxing, flashing my canines, then folded my arms and faced myself in the mirror again.
Because I had finally properly grasped the direction of the path I must take.
Let’s do what I have to do, and do it right.