The Evil Member Has Returned! Chapter 202
* * *
By the time Kim Chunyong headed to the van a little late, Bang Yuchan and Jang Siu, who had said they were going to the basement level 4 shop, had already returned as well.
“Ah, sorry I’m late. I didn’t think I’d be the last one.”
“No, it’s fine. We gave plenty of time on purpose so you could grab some snacks, so it’s not a problem at all.”
“Ugh, really, thank you always.”
“Don’t mention it. Let’s get going then.”
“Hey, Yongyong hyung was late~. On the day we got first place, of all days, he was late~. …
Ack! Ack! Hyung! My hair!”
“Yeah, I don’t care.”
As Kim Chunyong landed a divinely inspired knuckle flick that didn’t muss up Ji Hwaseong’s styled hair, the van smoothly departed for their next schedule.
“Huhng, you’re always like this only to me….”
“Oh, Hwaseong. That means, ‘Why Always Me’, right? Whether it’s Korea or England, the nuance of the phrase is the same!”
“Ayy, guys. It’s a good day. Let’s go back to the dorm today and grill some meat. Hobin hyung said he’d put it on the company card.”
“Whoa, meat… Could it be beef…?”
“Well, it’s our first win day. For a day like today, it’ll probably be beef. You like that, Siu.”
The grumbling voices of the two same-age friends, and the chatter of others brimming with the joy of first place.
“Hoo….”
Against that backdrop of noise, a quiet sigh escaped Kim Chunyong as he leaned his head gently against the seat’s headrest.
Should I say the feeling of exhaustion is finally washing over me?
Actually, if Kim Chunyong had managed to exchange messages with X without incident in the waiting room and then talk on the phone with his sister or parents, he wouldn’t have felt this way.
You know that feeling.
That sense of fulfillment you get when you wrap things up just as you planned.
But at exactly that timing, X had been making a fuss yelling ‘We’re X-ed’, and then just as he was about to call his family, he’d received a sudden ‘proposal’ from Jung Yeonwoo.
So he hadn’t had a chance to properly savor the afterglow.
“…….”
Watching the scenery outside flash by quickly, many thoughts flickered across Kim Chunyong’s face.
Among them, the most serious one was….
The ‘proposal’ Jung Yeonwoo had made to Kim Chunyong.
“A mentor? Me…?”
“Yes. I gave a brief recommendation, and PD Joo really liked the idea. Haha… Actually, it seems like they had been thinking of casting T.O.J members from the start. It’ll probably be you, Chunyong, and one other member going on together.”
“No, even if you say that. We’re rookies who just got first place today.”
“You’re the debut member of a survival show that PD Joo Cheolyeong is proud of, you’ve gotten first place with a repackage album, and you’re rookies who are highly likely to win the Rookie of the Year award.”
“Heooh….”
“That’s why I came to talk to you today. To lock it in before you win the Rookie Award and your schedule gets too busy.”
“…….”
“Think about it carefully. I’ll mention it to your manager too, so I’m sure it’ll be brought up officially before long.”
A mentor position on Joo Cheolyeong’s next project, a new idol survival show.
A subtle burden mixed with worry settled on Kim Chunyong’s face, reflected in the outside scenery.
Well.
It’s not like he’d be participating in another survival show himself. A mentor position where he stands above it all and watches others get cut and pass?
Could someone like him, who debuted through a survival show and went through countless things in that process, really watch that soberly, properly… with a clear mind?
“Ah, Jaeha ssi. Have this one, not that. This is the decaf.”
“Oh, thanks. I forgot to mention it separately this time.”
“As your manager, these are the things I should remember. The straw is right next to it, so drink slowly.”
Of course, since Yoo Hobin is a very good manager, he would undoubtedly tell Kim Chunyong he didn’t have to do it if he expressed reluctance.
But on the other hand, with the group’s promotion riding on it, it wasn’t something he could easily decide to just say no to.
Above all, it was strangely connected to the messages X had sent while repeatedly saying ‘we’re X-ed’.
“Tch….”
Kim Chunyong smoothly pulled his phone out of his pocket to check the message once more—the one he had only read earlier and hadn’t managed to reply to yet.
**- X:** Sigh f*** I was crazy
**- X:** Why did I talk to you about that back then!!
**- X:** What am I supposed to do about this now? Hey hey you’re at fault too you know
**- X:** Tch damn I didn’t want to be like this on a nice day like today today
As he scrolled down through the useless messages filled with short curses and irritation, at some point, important words that Kim Chunyong needed to interpret a bit more started to appear.
**- X:** You’re the one who got caught by the company because you poked around in too many places saying you’d get first place without my help, you punk! ㅠㅠ
**- X:** Why on earth did you poke that bastard Jung Yeonwoo, huh??
**- X:** Did I need to tell you separately not to subtly show hints like that?!
**- X:** If this keeps up, you’ll get tangled in, I said you’d get tangled in before you’re properly ready!
**- X:** If that happens, I get disciplinary action, and you won’t be able to receive any help from me at all aagh!
**- X:** They’re telling me to write a letter of self-reflection again this time, five pages sob sob sob
Got caught. Shouldn’t have shown hints.
Tangled in. Before properly ready.
And one name clearly visible among all that: Jung Yeonwoo.
**[Sudden Mission Success! Check your reward.]**
**[Collection: The Sweetness of First Place ▷ Check the Hidden Collection reward!]**
Kim Chunyong, who had idly flipped past the reward that had arrived at some point, twinkling, slowly blinked his sharp eyes and fell into thought.
Normally, he would have been pleased thinking, ‘Wow, it’s been so long since I got a game-like reward like this,’ but this time, X’s messages were more on his mind.
Right. That was several times more important.
It was all a bit vague, like he almost understood but not quite, but if he thought about it a little, he could interpret X’s messages to some degree.
“So then….”
In a low voice, Kim Chunyong started spreading out his fingers and organizing the situation.
One finger.
X had said he would tell Kim Chunyong about the ‘other guys’ and the full story of the accident after he won the Rookie of the Year award, but Kim Chunyong couldn’t hold back and had pressed X at that moment.
Two fingers.
Thanks to giving X a hard time, Kim Chunyong got the hint that the person wasn’t from AG, and right after, he had approached Jung Yeonwoo, one of the ‘other guys’ candidates.
And three fingers.
As a result of Kim Chunyong testing Jung Yeonwoo by sacrificing the dating secret of Juyeong that he knew, Jung Yeonwoo wasn’t in the same category as the ‘other guys’.
“…
Hmm.”
Having folded his fingers one by one while briefly summarizing the past events, Kim Chunyong looked at the message that had arrived from X one more time and then chewed the inside of his cheek.
Two fingers were still left un-folded.
This meant that Kim Chunyong hadn’t perfectly carried out or understood everything yet.
‘That means my probing of Yeonwoo hyung for that purpose became the starting point for what’s now flustering X.’
X making a fuss was a common occurrence, but he had never seemed this serious before.
It meant that this ‘Star Sirius’ place or whatever—where Kim Chunyong had even signed a contract—was handling the matter extremely strictly.
But still….
‘No matter how I think about it… it seems like what X meant by getting tangled in was about the other guys.’
That’s how it seemed piecing together the circumstances.
What X meant by ‘showed hints’ was likely the fact that Kim Chunyong had returned from the future to the past.
‘… Did me showing hints in front of Yeonwoo hyung using future knowledge become the trigger, and because of that, I’m going to end up meeting the other guys—who I should’ve met in a prepared state—a little earlier?’
Now that his thoughts had reached this point, Kim Chunyong couldn’t help but think about the proposal Jung Yeonwoo had made to him.
An idol survival program.
A place where you can meet more people you’ve never met before.
‘Is it possible… that the other guys are there?’
The rather burdensome survival show mentor spot, which it seemed clear he’d end up doing with Jung Yeonwoo.
But what if the possibility of meeting the ‘other guys’ there is mixed in?
“…….”
Kim Chunyong’s silence grew longer.
Honestly speaking, Kim Chunyong didn’t want to do anything that would needlessly put X in a difficult position.
As X repeatedly emphasized, whether he liked it or not, the two of them were partners who had to keep pace together until Kim Chunyong became the greatest idol in K-Pop history.
So there was no need to deliberately cause trouble by even appearing on the same program as Jung Yeonwoo, just to spite the guy who was annoyed asking ‘Why did you poke him’.
But….
‘Clearly, those other guys are involved in the accident that happened to my family.’
At this point, it was the beginning of a torment that had returned from hell.
The things Kim Chunyong had done to his family and the Arowz members, he absolutely had to atone for himself.
Because Kim Chunyong thought that both the accident and everything that happened afterward were ultimately related to him.
But does that mean he should just leave alone the bastard who clearly caused harm?
Revenge… was too grand a word, but anyway.
Wouldn’t he need to meet them, give them a piece of his mind, and determine right and wrong?
‘Tch, that is why I poked Yeonwoo hyung. This has gotten a bit complicated.’
Tap, tap.
Irritation slowly began to creep into the fingers Kim Chunyong was tapping on the armrest.
So what was he supposed to do.
If he had his way, he desperately wanted to find the other guys without meeting Jung Yeonwoo, just as X wished.
But was that an easy thing to do in this wide, wide entertainment industry? Honestly.
He could think of a few celebrities who, like Jung Yeonwoo, were a bit sharp, always prepared, and acted methodically, but where would a rookie idol build connections with people like that?
“Ah, seriously….”
That’s when Kim Chunyong was lost in worry, unable to properly savor the joy of getting first place.
“Chunyong, Chunyong. So now we should prepare for practice together too, right?”
“…
Ah, yes? What for?”
Bang Yuchan, who had cried so messily earlier that all his makeup came off, drew Kim Chunyong’s attention as he sat in the back seat with a slightly swollen but happy face.
“For the stage prep. Hobin hyung told us earlier. You, me, and Siu are going up together.”
“Oh… I must have missed it since I came late. Could you explain a little…?”
“Oh right, sorry, I’m so happy right now I’m out of it. So… I’m talking about the year-end music festivals and award ceremonies.”
“Ah, those stages? But, just me, you, and Siu…?”
“So, besides our full group stage, they’ve planned a special stage where we split into teams. The three of us are that team.”
“Ah, that’s great. Since it’s just the three of us, I was thinking it might be nice to contact Ryota and show a short version of ‘Us Beyond that Wave’.”
“Ah, I thought of that too! But unfortunately, since this is a collaboration with another agency, the song is already decided.”
“…
A collaboration with another agency?”
“Yeah. Well, nobody was really keen on it, but….”
At Bang Yuchan’s words, the other T.O.J members in the van, who had been making voices soaked in the joy of first place, abruptly began to grumble.
“Ahh, Yuchan hyung. There you go again, bringing that up! Yongyong hyung would probably hate it the most, actually. Don’t you remember back then?”
“Huh, but I like it. I was thinking I wanted to meet them again, but it seemed like the timing never worked out….”
“Mmm… I feel the same. It might be pretty okay to meet them again. They’re good on stage, too.”
“I’m… a bit burdened by it.”
“Hmm, I also thought we didn’t necessarily have to do it, but… it seems the officials involved have a different view.”
When even Yoo Hobin, who was showing fantastic driving skills, expressed reluctance, a question mark appeared on Kim Chunyong’s face.
“Um, Hobin hyung. The subject keeps getting dropped so I’m confused. So who is it that we’re collaborating with….”
“Ah, Chunyong ssi. Yes, I hadn’t gotten around to telling you yet. So….”
And just when Yoo Hobin opened his mouth to give Kim Chunyong a detailed answer.
Ding!
“…
Hm? Just a moment. Sorry.”
A short message arrived on Kim Chunyong’s phone.
And the moment he checked that message, Kim Chunyong’s eyes involuntarily widened.
“Ah, Chunyong ssi. Did you check it all? So, the team that’s going to collaborate with T.O.J at the year-end music festival is….”
“Ah, I just found out. Thank you, hyung.”
“…?”
Yoo Hobin expressed curiosity through the rearview mirror at Kim Chunyong’s reaction, but Kim Chunyong was too busy staring intently at the name of the person who sent the message.
As if it had been waiting just for this moment, the message had arrived quickly.
**[Bomb (Defused): Chunyong Chunyong congratulations on 1st place!! (Fanfare) (Fanfare)]**
**[Bomb (Defused): I can’t believe I get to do a collab stage with a 1st place singer, I’m so so excited]**
**[Bomb (Defused): Teach me lots of dancing (*^▽^*)]**
Bright, thoughtless, running his mouth off just as he pleased.
But someone who, since childhood, had met countless people in the entertainment industry by following his parents around to filming sets.
‘This, maybe….’
Only then did Kim Chunyong grip his phone tightly, a confident smile worthy of someone who had just taken first place today spreading across his face.
The year-end music festivals, where the award ceremonies would be waiting.
It was the moment a short project was born—something Kim Chunyong had to do before then.