The Evil Member Returns! Episode 25
* * *
As the day wound down—a day packed with the team-building game of Cops and Robbers, an eventful song selection, part distribution, and even individual interviews—the multinational roommates, faces etched with exhaustion, gathered one by one back at the dorm.
"Phew…."
"Oh, Gao Yan! You're back? Good work today too… Huh!?"
Ryota, who had finished showering first and was sprawled on his bed in weary languor, greeted Gao Yan as he walked through the door, only to recoil in shock.
"Gao Yan, what happened? Your face looks less like an idol trainee and more like an Aooni from a ghost story!"
It might sound harsh, but Ryota wasn't wrong.
With an expression that seemed both utterly furious and deeply sorrowful, Gao Yan shook his head vigorously and spoke.
"Ryota. Today, I have awakened to the truth."
"Suddenly? Hmm… What truth did you learn?"
"That becoming an idol… is hard."
Not only that, but for this guy, who usually competed with sky-high self-esteem, to say something so normal—
Sensing something major had gone down, Ryota quickly sat Gao Yan down on his own bed and patted his shoulders firmly.
"Gao Yan. Was practice really tough today? Did you eat all the energy bars you got from the draw?"
"I ate four of them. Right now, the energy bars are dancing in my stomach. A dance that I myself cannot do!"
"Aaargh!" Gao Yan screamed, tearing at his hair before starting to mutter something furiously in Cantonese.
Even if Ryota didn't understand a word, he could definitely tell it was cursing.
*'Uh oh? Is this okay? There's a camera over there!'*
But the only ones in the dorm room right now were Ryota and Gao Yan. Kim Chunyong, who usually served as their brake, was in the shower, steam billowing around him.
Ryota knelt down, clasping his hands tightly, and desperately wished for the return of their remaining multinational roommate, Logan.
*'Logan! Hurry back! I can't calm Gao Yan down on my own!'*
However, upon seeing Logan's face when he returned shortly after, Ryota knew his judgment had been wrong.
"God, it's a complete mess…."
"Logan, you too? Why!"
Hadn't Ryota compared Gao Yan's face to an ogre? Logan's was worse, if anything, not better.
An expression twisted with utter dejection. Gestures that screamed of some perceived injustice.
Even without sharing a common language, Gao Yan, understanding the sentiment a hundred percent, embraced Logan and poured out his emotions. Their feelings were intense, but for Ryota, watching them, it was nothing short of an ordeal.
"I was just… trying to do well."
"My opinion is the same. I only wanted to lead my team in a better direction!"
"Guys, what on earth happened…."
"Ryota!"
"Ryota!"
"Aaah, don't call my name so desperately! It makes me nervous!"
Ryota, trembling between the wailing Hong Konger and the Briton, thought the *click* he heard then was the sound of heaven's gates opening.
"...
You guys, are you tormenting Ryota right now? You do know there's a camera over there, right?"
Well, it was Kim Chunyong, fresh and dry from the shower, opening the bathroom door, someone who could calm this situation down. It was pretty close.
"Chunyong Aniki!"
Ryota was the first to dash towards Kim Chunyong, tears flying, and the other two immediately joined the procession.
"What the. Why? Why are you acting like this? Huh?"
Fluidly dodging the unsightly bunch, Kim Chunyong looked bewildered as he let them slump to the floor.
"Anyone who hasn't showered, no approaching me. Even if you have showered, if you're crying, no approaching me. What's the matter? If you're human, you should speak human language, guys."
"So cruel!"
"Yes, cruel!"
"Is it not cruel to rush at someone who just showered while you're drenched in sweat? You guys are ridiculous, honestly."
The sight of three sturdy male trainees sitting on the floor staring up at Kim Chunyong was captured perfectly on camera. Later, the main PD would applaud him, saying, 'A guy who knows his broadcast, as expected.'
Current Kim Chunyong hadn't done it with that in mind, but hey, good is good.
"Logan. You ready to talk now?"
"Yea… a little, a little."
Somewhat calmed down, Logan pressed his lips into a thin line. He glanced at Gao Yan, who was still scowling deeply, and spoke first.
He was now careful with his words, mindful of the cameras—clearly getting accustomed to survival shows.
"Hey, bro. So, what happened was…."
Slowly listening to Logan's clumsy Korean, Kim Chunyong raised one eyebrow and scratched his cheek.
* * *
Summarizing Logan's mumbling, word-spitting explanation was simple.
"Guys, after listening, I think this song is the best."
Since he could produce, he recommended the song by Lady Swan that he was most confident arranging.
He thought that if they did a song he was confident in, good results would naturally follow.
But…
"Will it really be okay with this one?"
"Hmm, I kind of… want to select a different song."
The other trainees' reactions were overly lukewarm, that was the point.
"Ah, of course, they said the chords were good. But it still didn't work out. Probably because they haven't… heard the arranged song for themselves yet?"
Logan was vaguely trailing off, mindful of the cameras, but I could roughly guess what happened next.
Someone must have said something to Logan off-camera, like, 'If this doesn't work out, it's your fault.'
Logan, who had never received that kind of hostility in his life, would have been utterly dumbfounded.
How do I know this unseen situation in such detail?
Because the actions Logan took were ones I had already experienced before.
"For Leopold, strong and cool choreography is the signature. So, with the latest song…."
"Rex. Wouldn't only the dance members stand out too much then?"
"I don't think so."
"Well, I'm fine with doing it. But maybe you could teach us the whole dance?"
"Huh? I-I'm supposed to do all the choreography?"
"No, I didn't mean to pressure you. But since you brought it up, I just wondered if you were prepared. And…."
When things didn't go well.
*'Can you take responsibility?'*
Recalling the bewilderment and hostility I felt back then, I plastered an awkward smile on my face.
Whoever it was on Logan's team probably didn't say it so directly, as they likely didn't know exactly where all the cameras were.
But people can still read nuances.
"Liu Wei said I was not helpful. And then the whole team laughed! This is unfair!"
Hm, well, sometimes it is said directly.
I wet my lips, watching the indignant Gao Yan. Liu Wei was a bit of a straight shooter, and since he was a foreign member, it seemed it was played off as a comedic moment.
Though there was a bone of truth in it.
The reason I deliberately fostered an atmosphere where the whole team seemed to have chosen the song together was because of this.
So that when difficulties arose during practice, one person wouldn't take the sole blame.
If you show yourself pinpointing the cause—the culprit—and resolving it quickly, it might give you peace of mind in the moment.
But what happens next?
A team where everyone is walking on eggshells, unable to properly voice a single opinion, could never produce a spectacular stage.
"Why is the stage so timid?"
"We're performing for an audience, did we really have to choose such a bland song?"
"The dance… is off."
"The outfits are seriously ugly. Whose idea was that? Is this why you didn't listen to my direction?"
I heard all sorts of things back when I ruined a stage, really. If I recalled the online community reactions, it was endless.
Anyway.
My gaze fell on the multinational roommates still sitting there, lips pouting.
Even though a rival team falling apart was a good signal for my own team, after sharing a room for just a few days, I felt a bit of sympathy.
Maybe it was because I had made a major mistake with interpersonal relationships before. If a situation allowed me to be good to someone, I wanted to be as good as possible. To the point where I even offered advice to that Kim Juan once.
And more so because these guys were decent, kind, and funny.
As for Ryota, he was on our team now… so as long as I was around, I didn't need to worry about his team's atmosphere. Gao Yan had the mental fortitude to just wake up tomorrow and push his own opinions again, so he was fine.
The problem was Logan.
"Ah, it's a really good song. I'm so sad. Truly sad. If only the arrangement is done well, it can really succeed, you know."
Even after talking it out with his roommates, he still seemed to have lingering regrets.
Come to think of it, both now and before. During *Targeting Star*, Logan rarely had a proper chance to showcase his producing abilities.
Arrangements were mostly handled by aligning directions with the trainees and the A&R team, and for original songs, we just sang what was given.
Was that why he left the show? Because he had little opportunity to show his skills?
"Hmm…."
Currently, I was neck-deep in work myself: I needed to discuss the detailed arrangement direction for the *Beyond That Wave* song, choreograph it, and properly set the stage concept.
But still…
"Logan. Do you think if your team members heard your arrangement, they'd be convinced?"
"Huh? Chunyong hyung, what did you just say?"
"Yeah. You must have an idea for the arrangement direction, right? Do you have it clear in your head right now?"
"...
Of course! The moment I first heard the original song, I was like, 'Ah! This is it!' If only I could let them hear it…."
"Then let them hear it."
"What?"
After all, it feels a bit off if you end things without being able to properly do what you want, doesn't it?
I rolled my eyes, pointing my finger at the door behind Logan, who was looking up at me.
"That guitar you brought at the beginning—you didn't leave it with the production crew, did you?"
"Uh, yeah. I thought bringing it into the dorm would take up too much… space…."
His fluid answer trailed off and got mumbled away.
Soon, Logan's eyes widened, and he looked back and forth between my finger pointing at the door and my face.
"—Wait. Let me go check first."
Before I could even answer, he bolted out of the room.
"Uh? Logan! Where are you going without even showering? You stink!"
"Leave him. He probably remembered something he left behind."
Gao Yan stared at the abruptly dashing back of Logan, bewildered, but then realizing his own turn for the shower had come sooner, he gleefully skipped into the bathroom.
Left alone in the room with me, Ryota stared at the door Logan had rushed out of before turning to me and awkwardly opening his mouth.
"Chunyong Aniki."
"Hmm? What is it, Ryota?"
"You said before that the word 'hyung' means the same as aniki, right?"
"I don't think I said that. I'm pretty sure I taught you a different word…."
"Nope! I just understood it properly now. Chunyong Aniki is a real, real Aniki."
What is this guy saying? With his eyes sparkling like that, so overwhelmingly earnest.
"From now on, I will serve you as a true Aniki."
"...
So he's beating around the bush to say he hasn't treated me as a hyung until now? Seems like today's practice wasn't enough for you. Well, we did slack off a bit on the practice."
At my ominous voice, Ryota suddenly jumped up from his spot and started muttering in an awkward acting tone.
"Oh dear! I think I need to go to the bathroom…"
"Where do you think you're running off to, Ryota? Gao Yan's in the bathroom right now. You wanna go in and get blasted by the showerhead?"
"You're so mean!"
"What's mean is you, Ryota, right now."
Grabbing Ryota by the scruff of his neck, I put on a kindly smile reminiscent of Jaeha hyung or Yoochahn hyung. Ryota's skinny body flinched hard.
Not my problem.
Helping Logan out a bit was one thing. But from now on, we had to move like crazy for our own team.
It'd be embarrassing to help another team only to have our own stage be mediocre.
No way.
"Aniki! Where are you dragging me aaaaaaa!"
To Ryota, screaming in terror without pause, I gave a clear answer.
"To meet Zhang Xiu!"