The Malicious Member Has Returned! Episode 242
At the glorious failure of my persuasion, X spewed mockery and anger alternately for a long time, saying, “See, you’re nothing without me.”
- X: You said to trust only you! You boasted so, so loudly!
- X: Gim Chunyong-yong-guri totally failed, right?
- X: There’s no bigger failure than this, right?
- Gim Chunyong: Be quiet.
- X: But I don't want to? I’m going to annoy you more? Ehhhh—
In conclusion, since X's thinking had been right, the hallway of AG was filled with my gloom.
No, seriously—who would have known that Director Shin, who makes it so, so obvious they hate me, could be so passionate about doing something good for me.
“Did you know Tioje has an advertisement coming in this time?”
“Yes? An advertisement? I didn't know that….”
“An ion drink advertisement. The color is specified, so it’s good for the members to each do image virals. At the same time, it’s one of the best ads a rookie idol can land. After negotiations, we've decided to use that drink as the sponsored beverage for this survival program. Do you know what that means?”
“…….”
“The advertiser can aim for a sales boost from the model appearing on the program, and for us, it’s a chance to solidify our artist’s brand image—yet you’re going to kick that away with your own feet?”
To make matters worse, they piled on even the news of our team’s CF model selection—which not even Hobin-hyung knew yet—to pressure me, so it was difficult to argue back.
The attitude Director Shin maintained throughout our conversation was only one.
I’m doing this for your own good, but you’re going to quit because of pressure?
And you call yourself an idol?
Perhaps I should say it was a poisoned chalice I couldn’t refuse, since the primary goal of this life was the safety of my family and the success of Tioje.
In the end, I had no choice but to make it blatantly obvious I’d been roped into that conversation and say, “I’ll just do it.”
- X: Hey, hey, what did you say before? That except for the [Overlap] skill, I’m not much help?
- X: This is divine punishment coming to you, who didn’t know the value of skills. Tsk tsk.
It also meant X's annoyance wasn't entirely baseless.
Because if I had been able to use the ‘Overlap’ skill there, that conversation might not have been pushed so one-sidedly.
Whether by reminding Director Shin of the bad blood between us, or making them recall the previous conflict with PD Ju, and so on.
Anyway.
Still, even though I retorted that the only skill I could have used in that conversation was Overlap, it didn't work at all on X, who had arrived completely soaked in a strange sense of defeat.
- X: In the end! It means you needed the skill that I got approved and even earned a bonus for!
- X: I’m a talented person, I tell you, a talented person!
- X: How can both our company and you not know my worth?
- X: Despite how much I’m devoted to both sides, to be treated like some foreign object…
- X: I should just quit or change jobs, sob sob sob
Finally, in a way completely unlike X, they even dug at the ground and managed to fluster me.
Having already been forced face-to-face with reality, my only partner was somehow in a slightly strange state.…
Why are they like this?
- Gim Chunyong: Why are you acting like this?
- Gim Chunyong: Did something go wrong with that trip to HR you mentioned?
- Gim Chunyong: Did someone tell you it’s none of your business so don’t ask?
Whether my guess was correct or not, X's messages, which were already making my eyes spin, became almost like convulsions.
- X: Why! Why should I not know!
- X: Right now, who’s the closest winning candidate in the race to become the greatest K-pop idol of all time?
- X: And who’s helping them wholeheartedly from the sidelines!
- X: So-and-so is breaking every~~single company regulation, but they’re protected because it’s classified, while I get punished?
- X: This is real oppression, the kind that bullies dedicated employees!
- X: Do they think I’m an idiot who gets every single thing approved one by one…
Honestly, most of it was technical jargon I couldn’t understand, but I grasped a few things.
The fact that all this time, even though X could have given me stats and skills at their own discretion, they always got approval from above before handing them over.
The fact that because they spoiled the existence of ‘the others’ a bit earlier than scheduled, they had received punishment along with me.
And the fact that this ‘someone’ who was making X so furious had done something far worse than X yet wasn't punished at all.
Well, no matter how much X and I usually dissed each other, teased each other, got angry, and annoyed each other….
- X: I’m really upset… I worked so hard…
- X: But my partner can’t even get my punishment lifted while doing something good for himself!
- X: The company I’ve devoted my whole life to treats me like a complete idiot!
- X: Argh! Argh! Argh! Upset? No, I’m super pissed! I want to smash everything!
- X: Bring me a hammer, a hammer!
Seeing such a miserable sight wasn't very pleasant.
If I were to pinpoint X's current standing within me, though I hated to admit it, it wouldn’t be wrong to say they ranked right after my family and members.
Because X was the only one who provided the means to achieve my goals.
So, I wanted to work together to find some comfort or a solution.
“…Sigh.”
I stepped into Director Shin's office building, glanced furtively through the window at the top of Hobin-hyung's head, which showed no signs of emerging anytime soon, and quickly tapped away at my phone.
- Gim Chunyong: So you feel wronged.
- Gim Chunyong: You’re working hard, but your company and I don't recognize it and just torment you, so you’re angry. Right?
- Gim Chunyong: You must have been very upset.
- X: Did you eat something wrong?
A kind answer didn’t come back, but I stoically continued the conversation.
I was someone who had managed to communicate somehow with Liu Wei, Gim Juan, and An Taei—so taking time for my partner was nothing.
- Gim Chunyong: Well, if you don’t want comfort…
- Gim Chunyong: A solution? Shall we at least talk about that together?
- X: A soluuuution?
- X: You, who’ve only been receiving my help this whole time, what solution could you possibly offer for my sadness?
X acted like there was nothing they didn’t know about me, but in truth, they knew almost nothing.
What’s organized on paper and what you see and experience with your own eyes are completely different.
Before returning as Gim Chunyong, dance member of Tioje, there was one talent I had acquired after birth as a Rekseuregi who had fattened the bellies of entertainment news reporters.
It was neither dancing, nor self-reflection, and certainly nothing of a positive sort….
- Gim Chunyong: Then can’t you throw a fit too?
- Gim Chunyong: Seeing how you vent your irritation on me, I feel like you’d be good at that.
- Gim Chunyong: You said you're competent, you said you're a dedicated employee.
- Gim Chunyong: Just show them that the company loses out if you’re gone.
- Gim Chunyong: Like that so-and-so—just go ahead and do terrible things.
A talent for making bad things even worse.
- X: Are you crazy?
- X: So you want us to hold hands and cross the river together?
- X: Yeah, yeah, I’ll send you back behind bars, and then I’ll disappear too.
- Gim Chunyong: No, hey, listen.
Well, it’s not like I was trying to completely ruin X's position.
My point was that precisely at times like this, making a bold move by doing something you don't normally do could help.
Whether it was true or not, X had often emphasized that they were a competent employee who received the most bonuses and performance pay at their company.
The point was this….
Then if X throws a fit, isn't the company the one that loses?
It’s only because they’re so unusually docile and obedient to the company—if they had done even half of what they do to me, they might not have received such punishment.
If things go wrong, a competent employee might quit our company and move to another—how could they let that happen?
So, perhaps this could be a good opportunity to give X's company that sense of crisis.
- X: Uh…
- X: Hmm? Uh? Huh? Hm?
- X: Uhhhhh??
Having heard my words, X poured out infantile babbling for a long while, and only resumed speaking human language right before Hobin-hyung came out.
- X: I’ll try it.
- X: Huh? This is a revolt.
- X: Yeah, it's about time our company had a union.
- X: Acknowledge my rights and abilities, acknowledge them!
- X: Treat me with great hospitality, treat me!
That wasn't exactly what I had intended, but whatever.
- X: And listening to you… something comes to mind!!
- X: This means I might be able to give you even more full-scale support going forward.
- X: It never crossed my mind that I could break company regulations, so I never thought of it, ah hahaha.
- X: Just you wait, Gim Chunyong-nyong-nyong, Yongyong-guri.
Soaked in irritation, depression, and anger, seeing X digging at the ground like I used to do in the past was nothing compared to seeing them show motivation again, saying they would help me.
- X: Hey, but Gim Chunyong thought all this through??
- X: Is it because you have Rekseuregi experience~~?
- X: You have a real innate talent for stirring up incidents, huh?
Thanks to that, X's usual snide attitude was somewhat tolerable.
Good job, me.
Even if I couldn't avoid running into Yeonu-hyung, at least I did this much.
If X somehow resolves the disciplinary matter we’re currently facing and becomes able to look into ‘the others’ more freely, then appearing as a mentor on the survival program would clearly be a gain for me, except for having to face Yeonu-hyung.
Many celebrities would appear as guests.
And….
Because I would be able to see new faces.
“Ah, Chunyong-ssi. You waited a long time, didn't you? I'm sorry. The talk went longer than expected….”
“Haha, no. I was rather sorry because I wondered if I caused hyung to talk with the director unnecessarily because of me.”
“No. That’s what a manager is supposed to do. In the end, it's a shame we couldn't do it the way you wanted, Chunyong-ssi… but there is good news. I’ll tell you while we walk.”
“Ah, yes. Is it about the CF?”
“Ah, you already heard! Yes. Since it’s such a famous brand, it’s a good opportunity….”
Listening to the talk about the ion drink CF that our Tioje would be filming, I glanced briefly at Director Shin's office slowly growing distant.
It felt like I made eye contact with the person standing inside, and also like I hadn't.
Anyway, what was important was that I had now ended up unable to avoid the survival program mentor position any longer.
And so, a week.
[The King of Survival Ju Cheolyeong Announces Launch of New Idol Survival Program… “Will Succeed
[Aiming for a Triple Hit? Music Days' New Survival,
Articles about the program that would bring new winds to the idol industry and my upcoming schedule began to dominate the entertainment news sections in earnest.