The Toxic Member Has Returned! Chapter 209
* * *
The first practice for the year-end collaboration stage prepared by TIOZE and WIZ together ended more safely than expected.
“I-I feel like I’m gonna die….”
“Still, Tae-i, you… if you think about when it used to take you two months to memorize choreography, didn’t you do really well today? It’s my first time seeing you work this hard.”
“Hawon. If Chunyong is driving us that hard and someone can’t memorize the highlight choreography in one day, shouldn’t that person just not be an idol? I really felt today that I actually *am* an idol….”
“Danu, is this how you get your revenge? Huh? Guys, please be a little nicer to your teammate.”
“Screw off.”
Since even An Taei, who had been the slowest learner and made the most mistakes, had roughly memorized the choreography, there was no need to explain just how far they had come.
Yeah.
“Anyway, everyone worked hard. Um… it seemed like there was a problem earlier.”
“Ah! So you were worried about that. It’s nothing, haha. The maknae and I are like that sometimes. It’s routine, routine. Right, Siu… ya?”
“…Yes. It just happens sometimes.”
“If that’s the case, I’m relieved. Anyway… I’ll see you again at the next practice.”
It definitely shouldn’t have ended safely, yet it ended safely.
“So what you’re saying, Chunyong, is that despite what happened between Yuchan-hyung and Siu, they finished practice as if nothing happened. Is that right?”
“Yes. Both of them really… finished as if nothing happened. I thought Siu might be a bit more shaken, but there wasn’t even a sign of that.”
And I told this to Jaeha-hyung, who shares a room with me.
Honestly, neither of them probably thought I would tell anyone about this, and I had no intention of deliberately informing the other members about this kind of trouble to make the atmosphere awkward, either, but….
“Hmm, I see. So. Siu and Yuchan-hyung….”
At least Jaeha-hyung needed to know how this situation was unfolding.
In case the worst possible situation occurred, there needed to be someone to mediate the situation as flexibly as possible together with Hobin-hyung.
And I could say for certain that Jaeha-hyung, who had always been a trustworthy leader, would fulfill that role far better than me, who had previously made a habit of clawing up the members’ insides as the toxic member.
And sure enough.
“Well, in my opinion….”
Jaeha-hyung, having listened to everything I said, nodded quietly, then soon leaned his upper body against the headboard and began to speak carefully.
“…Honestly, I think it would be fine to leave the two of them as they are for now.”
“What?”
“Just like Yuchan-hyung said, the two of them haven’t caused any disruption to our practice or activities, and besides, it’s their personal matter. You know what I mean?”
“…….”
I maintained silence and quietly conveyed my agreement to Jaeha-hyung.
Separate from the thought that this needed to be resolved immediately, Jaeha-hyung’s words were completely, utterly correct, without a single thing wrong with them.
It clearly wouldn’t be good for a third party to forcibly dig up what the two of them had covered up.
They must have had a reason for covering it up, and anyway, I don’t know the exact circumstances.
Besides, no matter how much Siu was a minor, even he was a member who had debuted after surviving a harsh idol survival show.
So, should I say it’s a bit strange for another person to try to insert himself into the affairs of grown men?
But….
“But that’s just literally my own opinion.”
The moment I was choosing words to persuade him amid that slight conflict, Jaeha-hyung’s voice struck my ears.
“Putting aside telling me about this, Chunyong, aren’t you planning to do something yourself?”
“Uh….”
“What you’re planning to do might cause trouble because of those two’s problem, so you told me in advance. Right.”
“That’s… right.”
When I nodded with a bewildered expression, Jaeha-hyung soon let out a big yawn as if sleepy and stretched his arms out wide.
Before I knew it, that gentle smile of his had settled onto his face.
“My thought is just my thought. Just take it as, ‘Oh, there’s an opinion like this too.’”
“You told me all this, and now you say to just listen? What do you….”
“Haha, Chunyong. You always say things like that even though you know everything.”
Even the nightstand light between our beds went out at Jaeha-hyung’s fingertips, and the room filled with darkness.
“…Ever since you let me meet Hwaseong at the playground that day, my thinking has changed a bit.”
Beyond the black canvas, only hyung’s voice came through clearly.
The playground.
I recalled the time when, after learning that Jaeha-hyung was taking medication, I had pushed him on the swings recklessly at the playground in front of the dorm, and closed my mouth.
Still, it seemed that Jaeha-hyung remembered that time even now, after our debut.
This is a bit….
Embarrassing.
Even though I kept my mouth firmly shut, Jaeha-hyung paid no mind and continued his words smoothly.
“Honestly, the standard by which I judge things is still similar to before. To the extent that it doesn’t harm our activities, to the extent that we respect each other’s private lives. I think I act that way in everything. Maybe it’s because I lived like that throughout my trainee days….”
“…….”
“But you’re not like that, are you, Chunyong?”
The sound of blankets rustling came from the bed next to mine, and Jaeha-hyung’s voice, buried beneath the soft blanket, grew slightly quieter.
“Since you solved even my problems as if they were your own… you’ll want to do the same this time.”
“Uh….”
“And honestly, I feel a bit more at ease after what happened back then… so I can’t say that’s a bad thing. I just feel like Yuchan-hyung and Siu might experience that too.”
But the words that followed after that seemed to be the loudest thing I had heard in the conversation with Jaeha-hyung up to that point.
Well, I hadn’t actually expected to be supported this much. Somehow….
It felt as though I had received a definite sign that what I had done to hyung before and what I was trying to do now were both okay.
“…….”
I, who had been sitting still with my upper body raised, buried my head deep in the pillow and muttered.
“…Then I’ll try it this time too. Is that okay?”
“Yeah. But please only do it to the extent that I can clean up after you this time too. Fistfights are a bit much, you know?”
“…You won’t have to clean up another bomb, so don’t worry.”
“Bomb? What do you mean by that… Ah, I’m a bit sleepy….”
I didn’t bother answering Jaeha-hyung’s last words, which were growing faint with fatigue and sleepiness, and instead thrust my tightly clenched fist into the air.
Yeah. Telling a trustworthy person in advance was enough.
The rest was just putting into action what I had thought of for Yuchan-hyung and Siu.
Staring at the pitch-black ceiling with wide eyes, I recalled the brief conversation I had with An Taei in the waiting room before the WIZ members left earlier.
“Tae-i, wait a moment. Look at me for a sec.”
“Hmm? Chunyong, I really can’t practice anymore today. You made me practice so much earlier, it’s like all the cartilage in my knees is worn out….”
“I’ll make you do that again next time we meet, but that’s not what I want to ask right now. There’s something only you heard, and I want to ask you about that.”
“Something only I heard? What do you—ah. Ah… that?”
“Yeah. …Want to eat cup ramyeon?”
“Tch, I already ate three cup ramyeon with Danu earlier… can’t we have something else? Something sweet! I’ve been practicing so hard I’m low on sugar, haha.”
“Okay. Then cocoa. I’ll boil a liter for you, so sit down for a bit.”
“Chunyong, you’re a bit more over-the-top than I thought?”
That conversation—the one that would become the key to finding out what the ‘promise’ between Yuchan-hyung and Siu was.
* * *
The day after the first joint practice with WIZ.
The TIOZE members’ morning, with all schedules packed in the afternoon, was noisy with everyone chattering about what had happened yesterday.
“So, I wish we’d get proper overseas schedules too! Like, going to England for about a week or so?”
“Come on, Logan. Isn’t that going too far just because you had fun talking to Jaden yesterday? Maybe if it were a nearby country like Japan. How could we go to England right away?”
“No! Hwaseong. A stadium tour is ultimately where we need to aim. Think about it. If we wear Liverpool uniforms and perform at Anfield….”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself, seriously!”
“But Hwaseong, you were being all lovey-dovey with Eun yesterday too!”
“Flir—what? Where did you even learn a word like that, Logan? And what’s with you blurting things out like that, geez!”
“Hmm. Guys, don’t wear yourselves out too much. You won’t have the strength to go up on the live broadcast stage later.”
Ji Hwaseong and Logan fiercely fighting with their spoons as they each devoured their cereal, with Son Jaeha mediating in between with a peaceful expression.
“You guys really fight over everything. Why are you so close and still not speaking casually with each other….”
And Kim Chunyong, leaning on the sofa and giggling while rubbing his belly.
“Huh? Oh… now that I think about it, you’re right. We definitely talked several times about speaking casually during *Targeting Star*.”
“Huh, I see. That’s right. We did talk about it then… but somehow, I keep wanting to speak to Hwaseong like this.”
“Right, right. It’s more fun to tease him using formal speech. So Logan, give up on the stadium tour. I’ve never heard of an idol going on a UK tour!”
“Nooo! Don’t say like that!”
“Ah, Jaeha-hyung. Some milk for me too….”
“Hmm, speaking of which, our housekeeper had bought some new ones.”
Yes—in other words, it was nothing if not peaceful.
“Whew, you guys. You really have good energy. To think you’re this excited even after practicing like that yesterday!”
The face of Bang Yuchan, who trailed out of his room shortly after, wasn’t all that different either.
As if the fight with Jang Siu yesterday had never happened—that’s how he was.
“Oh, Chunyong. After you drink that milk, pass some here too.”
“…Okay.”
Even when Kim Chunyong handed over the milk with a sly expression, that hearty smile never left Bang Yuchan’s face.
Really, if someone who didn’t know saw this….
“Ah, it’s really delicious! Maybe it’s because I’ve only been drinking low-fat milk for weight management. This is the best!”
As if nothing had happened at all.
“Huh? Logan, come to think of it, what about Siu? You’re in the same room. Is he sleeping in a bit more?”
“Oh, yes. He said he’d lie down a bit more? I couldn’t see him yesterday because he was on a different team… but he must have practiced really hard.”
“Well, Siu always works hard. That could be it. …Hey, anyway. Logan. Stop stealing my cereal!”
“Then take back what you said about the stadium tour being a dream. Take it back.”
Thanks to Bang Yuchan’s natural shamelessness, Ji Hwaseong and Logan didn’t notice any sign of it.
Son Jaeha knew thanks to his conversation with Kim Chunyong last night, but he had no intention of showing it.
“…….”
In this deceptively peaceful situation, Kim Chunyong, who had been lying quietly on the sofa with his mouth closed, opened his mouth to Bang Yuchan, who was drinking from a 2-liter bottle of milk as if he meant to empty it all.
“Ah, right. Yuchan-hyung. I contacted Tae-i after practice yesterday.”
“Hmm?”
“I mean, he said he forgot the choreography he’d memorized as soon as he got to the dorm. So he said he wanted some extra practice….”
“I asked the manager on their side, and we decided to meet more often. Is that okay? Me, hyung, Siu, and Taei. Like this, about once a week? He’s coming today too.”
“Pfft!”
“What…?”
At Kim Chunyong’s natural remark, Bang Yuchan spilled the milk he had been drinking enthusiastically down his chin, and a pale light swept over the face of Jang Siu, who had just carefully stepped out of his room.
“Since both of them said they’d practice hard, I thought you’d be happy.”
“Um, prac… practice is good. Good. Let’s do that. I’m fine with it.”
“I… heard just now. Yes… let’s… do that.”
The smile still hadn’t left Kim Chunyong’s face.
*As expected, they panic. And then immediately pretend like nothing happened. This is why I couldn’t notice anything until now.*
Kim Chunyong, who had keenly observed the two’s reactions, covered his mouth with one hand and tried to suppress a *hehe* laugh.
Actually, Kim Chunyong hadn’t planned to find out about the two’s ‘promise’ in this way.
At most, the two would manage their expressions and actions quickly like they just did, and in such a situation, any plan Kim Chunyong established would easily turn to vapor.
But.
[Bomb (Defused): Chunyong, I thought about what you talked to me about yesterday]
[Bomb (Defused): Should I help you with that?]
[Bomb (Defused): It might be easier to get them to talk if I’m right next to you rather than you being alone]
[Bomb (Defused): In exchange, you just have to listen to one request from me!]
[Bomb (Defused): It’s good for both sides ( ˃ᴗ˂ )]
What if there were gunpowder that could make the situation burn in an uncontrollable direction?
[Kim Chunyong: A request? What request?]
[Bomb (Defused): It’s not a bad thing! Really!]
[Bomb (Defused): I promise I’ll listen to you well]
[Bomb (Defused): No matter how thoughtless I am, I have no intention of scratching at you again]
[Bomb (Defused): Unless I do it unconsciously by mistake…]
[Kim Chunyong: Tae-i, then]
[Kim Chunyong: Are you confident you can listen to me well?]
And if he could adjust that gunpowder a bit to his own taste?
*So even duds really have a place to be used after all.*
Kim Chunyong gave a thumbs-up to Bang Yuchan and Jang Siu, who were quietly looking at him, and no longer even thought about hiding his smile.
“Haha… I’m really looking forward to it. I don’t know why I’m so eager to practice….”
An unexpected help had arrived, but it was the moment the board was finally set to take the next step.