The Villainous Member Has Returned! Chapter 233
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It wasn’t like I was going to the 2OCD waiting room to do anything grand anyway.
I was simply going to pretend to greet my seniors as a junior, hoping to fish for this and that from Hyojae-hyung.
“…Really? Nate sunbaenim, from what I’d heard, you didn’t have that kind of image.”
“Image and actions being different—Jeong Yeon-woo is like that too. Hey, Chunyong. You really don’t know until you’ve been through it….”
“Yeah, yeah. What did he do to you? Like, for example… ‘I know quite a lot about your information,’ in that kind of nuance?”
“Ugh! Yes, that’s it! Ah, suddenly it’s all coming back… ugh. He pretends to be kind on the outside, but it’s like he definitely has some kind of intention….”
I was only there to see whether the words Yoo had spat out at me while drunk, venting his frustrations, were true or not.
Casually bringing out stories the other party wanted to hide from others.
And if it showed that the other person was in a bad mood, he would try to smooth it over with a laugh.
Then, when he thought the situation had been sorted out in his own mind, he would leave his seat.
After that, repeat, repeat, repeat.
“Before, he even suddenly mentioned two scripts I was still worrying about. Saying worrying too much won’t help or something. When I showed I was uncomfortable, he said he wanted to help!”
“Wow, that’s a bit….”
“Talking about helping. Actually, it’s no different from showing off that he’d heard something about me. We run into each other often since we’re next-door neighbors. It really annoys me.”
“Come to think of it, the 2OCD sunbaenim would be living in dorms. So you getting a house next door means….”
“Right? That’s weird too. He goes back and forth between the dorms and the house next door here. Please, please. I wish he’d just sell the house next door and only live in the dorms.”
I couldn’t be sure recklessly, but the circumstances were enough to invite my suspicion.
More than anything, especially his change in attitude, as if he had become a completely different person from my memory.
Originally, Hyojae-hyung looked calm and cold, but unlike that appearance, his mouth was a bit rough, and his personality was even more of the Honam type, and acting sly and mischievous like Yeon-woo hyung was actually not in his category at all.
Yeon-woo hyung wasn’t one of the ‘other guys,’ and that behavior was simply close to his identity.
But those very behaviors were what made me suspect whether hyung was in the same situation as me.
Statistically, it wasn’t strange to include people ‘who aren’t Jeong Yeon-woo but show an attitude like Jeong Yeon-woo’ within the boundary of the ‘other guys.’
And, sure enough.
“…Ah, it’s our first time meeting, right? Yes. Our members should have all greeted you together. The timing was too bad. Haha, I’m sorry!”
“Uh… um. No. Well, that can happen. T.O.J is busy, so….”
This time, I could tell for sure.
It wasn’t the ‘maybe’ guess I felt when I saw Yeon-woo hyung, nor was it like Yoo, who had been slightly suspicious but was merely someone with Yeon-woo hyung’s taste.
“…I thought I’d already seen you before.”
At the small voice coming from beneath his beaming smile, I couldn’t help but feel chills crawling up my spine.
Wow, really….
I should stop talking to myself.
“Hey, Hyojae. Is the talk over? Can we go in now?”
“Yeah. Since they made way for us. Let’s just exchange short greetings and go in.”
“It should take a moment, but why are you talking so long? I thought something had happened to you….”
“No, no. What do you mean something happened?”
“You always do that. Constantly making trouble out of nothing, worrying about others.”
“Why do you have to say it like that…!”
Just one muttered word, and one conversation with other members gave such hints….
To the other guys, I must look like that too.
It wasn’t at the level of counting on my fingers whether it was right or wrong anymore.
Conviction.
“Are you saying it to that extent? Hey, it’s because we’re in front of the juniors. If I talk about every single thing you’ve done….”
“Be quiet, quiet.”
Ah, the conviction that this hyung was one of the ‘other guys’ X had been talking about.
“Ah, ouch! Yongyong-hyung, my arm hurts. Are, are you angry? You can’t be…."
“…I’m not angry. Let’s greet the sunbaenim.”
“Oh, yes. Hello! We are T.O.J’s….”
I watched from a step back as Hwaseong and Logan, who had been sitting, greeted the 2OCD members, slowly gauging the situation.
Actually, it was because if not for that, I didn’t know what words would come out of my mouth.
I had made up my mind to learn step by step and lay out a big plan, but….
Now that one of the people who might have caused the accident to my family was right before my eyes, my insides were churning.
“So, you were all trying to go somewhere together, got lost, and ended up crying here?”
“Oh, not exactly… but close? Close. We were trying to go to the underground parking lot.”
The appearance of talking casually with Logan.
“…Family? Aha. Staff passes. That’s what you mean. I gave some to a few people I know too.”
“Huuuh, yes… but our member hyung misunderstood in the middle…."
“Then that could happen. You can stop apologizing. We saw something fun too.”
And so naturally, the face of someone listening to Hwaseong about why this series of events occurred.
“You guys… were you trying to take me there because of that? As a surprise?”
“Oh my. I didn’t want Yongyong-hyung to hear…! Wait, why did I say this?”
“Ah, did I ask something unnecessary? Haha, I tend to… when I talk, the other person easily spills their story to me.”
In the midst of that, I learned why Hwaseong and Logan had caused such a fuss, but I couldn’t be happy about that fact.
I only wanted to make my family live happily again and atone to the members.
Did I really have to watch someone use a skill on my member?
I put strength into my fingers that were instinctively curling and tried my best to maintain an indifferent expression.
It was obvious.
The reason Hwaseong spilled words he had been hiding so easily.
As if he was really comfortable with the other person like they’d known each other for a long time.
Like me, he must have used a communication skill received from something similar to X.
If someone asked, ‘Haven’t you done that to others all this time?’ I wouldn’t have had anything to say, but….
But it was different when it was done by someone who might be the cause of what happened to my family and the reason such things happened to my members.
I didn’t care if someone pointed their finger at me, asking if it was okay for me but not for others.
The anger slowly rising from deep in my stomach instead made my head cold.
As if setting up signposts for how to act from now on.
It was different from when I saw Ryu Wei or my former manager, Jo Tae-uk.
This time, the answer for what to do was clearly laid out.
“…Let’s go, then.”
“Huh? Right now? I, I was just talking to Nate sunbaenim…!”
“Oh, Hwaseong. From the start, taking Chunyong-hyung was the top priority.”
“Huh…? R… right. Ah, what. Why am I like this… ah, the surprise is ruined too!”
When I grabbed Hwaseong’s shoulder and naturally made him drop the hand that had been touching Nate sunbaenim, Hwaseong belatedly came to his senses and ruffled his blonde hair in confusion.
“Ah, damn. What is this? I didn’t mean for this to happen. Aish, Logan and my grand surprise plan….”
“It’s fine. I’m surprised enough, so let’s go for now.”
For now, retreat.
I was somewhat emotionally swayed right now, and if I stayed here longer, I didn’t know what might happen.
I threw my arms around Hwaseong and Logan’s necks and equipped my face with that signature fang-baring smile.
Though it didn’t contain the sincerity I had when looking at fans, members, and family….
“Ahem, excuse us. We’ll be on our way first!”
“Ah, you’re leaving? Geu, I enjoyed talking with Hwaseong-ssi….”
“…Haha. As I mentioned, there’s someone waiting. And, sunbaenim need to rest enough before the stage!”
It wasn’t a situation to reveal hostility or claws yet.
Though it was a short time since meeting, even stupid me had returned quite a while ago now, so some judgment had formed in my head.
First, Hyojae-hyung wasn’t sure yet whether I had returned or not.
So he had tested me earlier with words like, ‘It’s our first time meeting, right?’
And second.
“Then, shall we shake hands at least before you go? I did with Logan-ssi and Hwaseong-ssi, but I don’t think I did with Chunyong-ssi.”
“…Ah.”
This hyung habitually uses skills.
Since the survival show ended, I had been reluctant to use skills unless absolutely necessary.
Even my most beloved [Overlap], [Fortune Cookie] that tells today’s luck, and even [Idol’s Aura] that sometimes automatically activates as a passive.
X often nagged, ‘Why don’t you use the things I gave you properly like an idiot,’ but there was some reason for this.
“Haha, a handshake? It’s kind of embarrassing… since you’re a sunbaenim.”
“Ah, is that so? I’m just so used to this. If I don’t greet now, I don’t know when we’ll meet again.”
Because if someone using skills just like me saw my actions, they would notice.
I glanced once at the hand Hyojae-hyung held out, and once at the phone bulging out of his pocket….
It was probably a skill that required holding hands to do something.
That’s why he habitually tried to shake hands with everyone he met, inappropriately for his age.
“…….”
Calm, and kind-looking.
Underneath that, my drinking buddy hyung with a loose mouth and a Honam-type personality, repeating small mistakes.
Well, maybe he was like that then, but….
“…I’ll visit the waiting room again later. May I formally request a handshake then? Ah, I’ll bring the album too.”
Now, he’s someone whose personality I couldn’t even gauge.
“…….”
At my gentle refusal, Hyojae-hyung looked at me with his eyes wide open for a moment.
He looks quite shocked.
“Eek, Yongyong-hyung. Why are you like that to sunbaenim? We don’t know if we can come back here later!”
“We caused trouble here. We should visit again to apologize separately.”
“Huh, that makes sense. That seems right….”
With my younger brothers clinging tightly to my sides saying this much, that hyung probably couldn’t suggest shaking hands again.
I slightly tightened the arms around Logan and Hwaseong’s necks and mumbled toward Hyojae-hyung once more.
“…Haha, because it’s a good thing if we meet again.”
I won’t come.
I’ll ask Hobin-hyung to do it instead, sorry, using the excuse that my condition isn’t very good before going on stage.
Then my words about visiting again aren’t completely lies, so the 2OCD members can’t make an issue out of it.
If so, until I was fully prepared against this hyung and the ‘other guys,’ today’s meeting was destined to be my last encounter with my second drinking buddy.
“Then, we’ll be going first!”
Just as I was about to move my steps slowly with my two younger brothers in an unnecessarily more energetic voice.
“E-excuse me!”
“……?”
An urgent voice grabbed my ankle.
“Th-the album is in the car, right? The underground parking lot you’re going to now?”
“Uh….”
Hyojae-hyung’s kind face, which had turned back around, was heavily downcast, and full of hesitation somewhere….
What, why is he like that?
As if unaware of my pointless inner thoughts, Hyojae-hyung’s mouth opened cautiously and continued.
“…Yes. I usually keep the album in the car.”
“As I thought. It’s a bit of a shame to just send you three off like this….”
“Hey, Hyojae. What are you doing stopping the juniors from leaving?”
“He’s doing it again. Again. He didn’t used to…."
“—You guys rest!”
Hyojae-hyung, who had slammed the waiting room door shut on his members, rolled his eyes with a slightly excited and embarrassed expression….
“…Then, could I just follow you down and get the album?”
He said absurd, nonsensical things.
“It’ll be inconvenient to go back and forth. If I just follow you this time… I think it would work.”
It was such absurd nonsense that it even made me falter in my inner thoughts.
“Ah, I know I’m acting like a burdensome sunbae! It’s a bit creepy, right? But, I want to get close to you three….”
“…Huh.”
I couldn’t even think to hide my gaping mouth, staring at Hyojae-hyung who was embarrassed by his own words for quite a while.
So, he’s saying he’ll follow even though he knows I’m going to meet my family now….
For just one album, one handshake.
“Ugh, Yongyong-hyung. If sunbaenim is like that, then maybe…."
“S-should we go together? This is a kind of surprise too, right?”
While my two younger brothers, taller than me, chirped noisily beside me, I couldn’t help but furrow my brows to grasp the situation.
That determined expression.
The resolve to follow no matter what.
“So, may I go with you?”…
What are you scheming, that hyung?