The Vicious Member Has Returned! Chapter 229* * *
What I learned while sharing not-quite-backbiting gossip about Yeonwoo hyung with him was that Sagong Yu had a personality quite different from his appearance, much like me.
"That bastard Jeong Yeonwoo, seriously, ha... I didn't think he'd be like that to you too. You must've had a hard time."
"Obviously. When a senior with that many years under his belt approaches you... it's hard to refuse."
"…
That bastard doesn't respect other people's boundaries. I hate that the most. Does he think everyone else is like that?"
Of course, that didn't mean he wasn't at all a blunt and sensitive person, but....
"Chunyong, you're such a good guy. Sorry. I think I was wrong about you. It's just, I have a bad habit of judging by looks even though I know I shouldn't...."
"No, it's fine. That can happen. As you can see, I do look a bit rough around the edges."
"…
I get misunderstood a lot because of my looks too. I shouldn't have done that. No, let me apologize again. Shall I mix you a drink?"
"I-I'm fine! I'll just eat some snacks!"
"Then I feel too uncomfortable... I'll order chicken, then. Ah, and just call me Yu. I have a compound surname, so 'Sagong' is my family name."
After all, once you crossed the boundary he had set with his permission, he turned out to be far more warm and down-to-earth.
Thanks to that, I could easily hear the answer to the question of how an actor like him could be friends with that whirlwind An Taei.
"Haha... How did you become friends with Taei? You two seem like such a mismatch."
"Ugh, I knew you'd ask that."
"Honestly, I was surprised too when Taei said the friend he was introducing was you. You know what I mean?"
"Yeah, I know. He and I... our personalities don't really match. But you know. An Taei doesn't care about that stuff."
"But you do."
"You... you're sharp. To be exact... it's because I met him before this personality of mine had fully formed."
It was when we were very young, a peer I met on a movie set.
On that intense filming site filled with nothing but adults having serious conversations, having someone to talk to about similar topics was bound to feel very special to a child.
"He gave me a pine caterpillar as a gift, and I was so startled that I shoved it into his mouth."
"Are you sure you did it because you were surprised? You didn't do it on purpose?"
"Ugh, I was surprised! …
Anyway. But even after that, he just laughed and asked me to go play with him."
"Wow... Taei really is one of a kind."
"Yeah. So An Taei became something of an exception... and we just ended up like this."
"Hooo, so you couldn't hit it off with other kids like you did with Taei?"
"I do have a somewhat unusual relationship with An Taei. Still, I work decently with others, if distantly. It was the same during 'Hwasubun' this time."
As he said this, Sagong Yu's eyes seemed somewhat embarrassed, yet I could sense a slight resolve in them.
"I can't afford to do a bad job. I'm a pro, after all. I might be standoffish and can't act friendly from the start... but as long as people respect my boundaries and show basic courtesy, I treat them well too."
"…
Yeah. I can tell from how you are with me."
This was what someone with firm boundaries and a strong sense of professionalism looked like.
It felt a bit strange to say this after we had raged together over Yeonwoo hyung's habit of carelessly scratching at people's hearts, but....
I felt like I could see why Yeonwoo hyung had found him so amusing.
Every time you poked him, you'd get a quick reaction; in the midst of it all, he'd do his own work to the best of his ability.
This was exactly Yeonwoo hyung's type.
"......."
When my thoughts reached that point, I suddenly got chills at the realization that I was judging someone just like Yeonwoo hyung did.
No, I'm not that smart of a person.
If I were that smart, I wouldn't have fallen into a swamp of alcohol and become infamous as Rex Trash, and I wouldn't have any reason to be going through all this hell now.
Get a grip, Kim Chunyong.
"…
Hoo."
After briefly ruminating on my own identity, I opened my eyes wide.
It was nice to have made a new friend, and to have a friend's friend become my friend.
But I couldn't forget the reason I had come here.
I was here to obtain information that would let me deduce who the 'other guys' were.
No matter how much my brain soaked in the joy of spending time with good people after so long, I mustn't let my priorities get reversed.
The members who were probably happily chatting back at the dorm, overjoyed that they had finished their first year-end stage safely.
Earlier, [Saw your stage wtf how did you do that]
The family members who had sent that playful message.
For their sake, so that I could apologize with all my might.
"......."
I checked the skill activation status blinking on my phone in short intervals, then turned my gaze back to Taei and Yu slumped over the table.
The two of them were expressing curiosity about the "I have something to ask" that I had brought up earlier.
"Chunyong, why'd you stop talking! I'm curious, okay? Hurry up and tell us. What do you want to ask?"
"Hey, An Taei. Slow down a bit. He might need to think."
"Don't you usually ask whatever comes to mind right away?"
"That's just you, only you."
"You're picking on me again!"
Even though I had brought it up suddenly, thanks to the smell of alcohol beginning to swirl around the table, the conversation didn't feel too strange.
…Here goes, then.
I picked up the half-emptied whiskey bottle and tonic water, flashing a sly grin.
"First, let me fill your glasses, then we'll talk."
"Hmm? Well... not bad. We're going to drink anyway... but Chunyong, can you mix drinks well? You said you've never had alcohol before."
"Yeah, I'm giving it a shot. Give me a taste review. That way I won't mess up next time."
"Mhm, okay! Then give me a lot. A lot."
I filled Taei and Yu's glasses to the brim with liquid reeking of alcohol, letting my eyes dart about with extreme caution.
I had to be on my game from here on out.
Because I needed to get information from drunk people.
Drunk people's reactions varied widely, but based on the standard of "can still hold a conversation and hasn't completely lost their mind," they could be largely divided into about three types.
The first.
The emotional type.
"Ugh, uugh... I should've just, back then I...."
"Hey man, it's Rex. I'm sick of it... stop beating that dead horse... you're killing the buzz, seriously...."
"Hey! How can you say that to someone who went through something tough? You too, huh? You were drowning yourself in drink for a whole month after breaking up with your girlfriend too."
"Ah, is that the same as this? Rex is fucking going on three years now!"
This type was collectively referred to as me and my drinking buddies.
Using the momentary clarifying effect alcohol provided to lightly express emotions, and empathizing in the moment, but forgetting everything once sober.
Once the hangover ended, we'd set up the next drinking appointment with ghost-like speed, so whether this was good or bad...
Anyway.
And the second was....
After confirming the two of them guzzling down their drinks in one go, I slowly opened my mouth.
"…
You guys are my first celebrity friends, excluding our members."
"Huh...? Really?"
"Yeah. So, I wanted to hear about your other friends too. You guys, Taei and Yu, made a lot of other friends going around filming sets, right?"
"That's right! I have a lot of friends. Hmm. Who should I talk about first. First, Yu, of course? I told you earlier too, I first met Yu when I followed my parents to a filming set...."
The second.
The broken radio type, which Taei was currently demonstrating.
"Back then Yu fed me a pine caterpillar. You know what a pine caterpillar is? The one with lots of legs. Lives on pine trees. Haha, that was the first time I'd eaten a bug...."
Forgetting that he had said the exact same thing just moments ago, he repeated it again and again.
"Ah, I saw someone else there too. Who was it? Uh... right! Sehwa noona. I also first met Sehwa noona there. You'd know her too, Chunyong, the actress Lee Sehwa...."
Still, since Taei mixed in new information here and there, he couldn't be considered completely broken.
On the contrary, since various people's names came up, it was nice because I could pick and choose who to recall and approach.
"Ah, I know her. Actress Lee Sehwa. She's not that much older than us, right, about 10 years? But you call her noona."
"Yeah, the thing is, that noona is a huge klutz. She looks cold, but she makes so many mistakes. So, because she spilled water on me back then, we just decided to be noona and dongsaeng...."
"Yeah, yeah. Anyone else?"
"…
Jeonghyeon hyung?"
"Ah, actor Choi Jeonghyeon."
I counted the people An Taei had mentioned one by one in my head, continuously refilling Taei and Yu's glasses.
"Chunyong, when did you learn to mix drinks like this? When An Taei and I mix, it doesn't taste like this."
"…
Instinctively?"
"It's innate, seriously. Amazing...."
I barely held back a hollow laugh that threatened to burst out at Yu's drunken mumbling.
As if it were innate.
It was a skill I had learned while drinking, puking, and passing out.
"…
I'm glad you guys think it tastes good! Want more? More?"
"Uh, just one for me...."
"Me too, me too."
It did feel a bit shady that I wasn't drinking and was only feeding others....
"Mmm, mmm. It's good. Thanks, Chunyong. Talking like this brings back so many memories, it's fun. Yu, you remember too, right? When Jeonghyeon hyung made a mistake in front of Sehwa noona...."
"Yeah, the atmosphere on set got really cold and it was awkward, but you suddenly did taekwondo."
"Isn't it nice since you got an allowance? Back then, Gaeun hyung and Jiu noona lightened the mood, and they gave me 50,000 won as thanks."
"What? I did too!"
"You didn't!"
Since the two of them looked like they were having fun, I figured I didn't have to worry about dying of guilt.
While Yu and Taei briefly swam through their memories and chatted, I carefully examined the names mentioned.
Lee Sehwa, Choi Jeonghyeon, Park Gaeun, Yu Jiu.
Just as I had expected, they were all actors' names, and none of them were people who made me think "Could it be?" the moment I recalled them, like Yeonwoo hyung.
They simply worked hard in their places and did nothing bad.
But I couldn't stop this conversation for that reason.
Because I hadn't heard Yu's story yet.
"Mmm, umm... Ah, I can't remember. I-I need a minute, bathroom...."
"Yeah yeah, take your time."
And so, An Taei, who had been talking excitedly for a while, briefly stepped away.
"Hooo...."
Yu, his face flushed red from the rapid-fire drinking, let out a low breath and set his glass down on the table.
I didn't insist on refilling Yu's glass, instead meeting his eyes.
Because I had a feeling Yu was the "final" type.
You shouldn't give those people alcohol when they were about to open their mouths.
Because....
"Chunyong. Uh. This is something I didn't really want to tell Taei, but...."
...You can't let the flow of conversation break.
I leaned toward Yu, who was finally beginning to open up properly, and put on a serious expression.
"Yeah. Tell me."
I'm ready to listen to what you have to say.
No matter what you say, I have no intention of telling anyone else.
That was the expression I made.
"......."
Upon seeing my serious expression, Yu ducked his head down low and muttered quietly.
In a low voice suited to his appearance.
"The fact that I... hate Jeong Yeonwoo. You're the only one who knows. And you're the only one who's ever empathized with me."
"Uh, uh."
"The thing is, I've grown to hate that guy even more. Because of someone similar to him... something bad happened recently."
Those words crashed into my ears like a dump truck.
Just as I expected, Yu was indeed the third type.
The third.
The lock-open type.
People who normally held their tongues, thinking their words were at odds with their image, would more easily bring out words they had kept tightly hidden thanks to the alcohol and comfortable atmosphere.
The reason I had included this in my classification was because of someone I had seen back when I was infamous as Rex Trash.
"…
"That's why. Sorry, Rex. It's not like I was trying to make things difficult for you."
"And yet twenty more articles came out about me because of that? Whew…."
"That! But…."
There was plenty I wanted to say about the person who had produced this specimen, but that wasn't what was important right now.
What had been the reason I suspected Yeonwoo hyung might be one of "the others" from the very beginning?
That shadiness.
That perfection.
Hadn't it been because of such things?
The similar person Yu was speaking of meant that he, too, might have the potential to be one of "the others."
"Ah, seriously. I can't even tell my parents about this. I'm so dumbfounded…."
"Yeah, yeah, speak freely. Relax. What's going on?"
My voice rose slightly at the thought that I might have finally caught a lead, and when I patted his shoulder, Yu—who had let out a deep sigh tinged with the smell of alcohol—slowly opened his mouth again.
"He's my next-door neighbor…."
"Next door?"
"Yeah. He's an idol. You or An Tae-i might have seen him. Nate, from 2OCD…."
At the name Yu brought up, I was rendered speechless for a moment.
Nate of 2OCD, our senior group.
Real name, Lee Hyojae.
"Hello, I'm Nate! Is everyone having another good day today? Every day of the new semester as the warm spring breeze blows in. Today's first song is…."
That senior who had even snagged a radio DJ position with his soft, kind, calm image, like an oppa from church.
But I knew that his true personality wasn't like that.
Hyojae hyung was more frivolous than he looked, made plenty of mistakes, and was quite the foul mouth too.
How could I not know?
"Ah, Rex. I'll just cover today. You hurry up and go in. I have to go straight to the radio station after this. Ugh, the schedule is really fucking brutal."
"Yeah, yeah, then you go in slowly too…."
"What do you mean slowly, hurry up and fuck off, punk. I need to see you off and leave too."…
That hyung had been one of my closest drinking buddies.
"No, he keeps subtly rubbing people the wrong way. He even brings up the work I'm still agonizing over. I swear I'm going crazy."
But what Yu was saying now was strange.
As if that Hyojae hyung….
"Are all idols like that? You and An Tae-i don't seem that way. What the hell is wrong with those people…."
It felt as though he had become a completely different person.
"……."
A chill ran down my spine.
It was because a certain thing X had said came to mind.
- X: Candidates usually pick people with a high chance of failing, haha
- X: Our company can't exactly run a charity, can it? ㅠ
That's right.
Those words.