The Evil Member Has Returned! Episode 31* * *An AG fan, with the SNS nickname ‘AG Trading Company’, arrived at Sangam just in time for the pre-recording attendance check. Groaning, she pounded her back.
“Ha, seriously….”‘That team leader is insane. Why give me a task due at 8 a.m. two hours before I clock out!?’I had told him I had early morning plans tomorrow, so just let me know things a little earlier!
Thanks to that, after a rush of overtime until 11 p.m., I had to just wash up half-heartedly at home and then run breathlessly to the broadcasting station.
Her overworked body screamed at her, ‘Master, if this keeps up, I’m really gonna die.’‘I know. I’m shortening my lifespan like this. But I can’t help it. Today is….’Clenching her teeth, she spotted a sign held by a broadcast staff member in the distance.
Yes.‘You’re telling me a face like that is practicing in AG’s basement? Are you insane!?’She had been a fan of Lady Swan, a failed idol from AG, but the moment she saw a photo of Son Jaeha, she felt it was ordained from heaven: ‘This kid must debut.’ Son Jaeha, the trainee.
Today was the first audience day for
She created 34 fake SNS accounts just to win one audience spot. And she wrote exactly 210 Witube comments.
Those days of fighting fiercely against the survival idol fanatics.
- [Web Message] Music Days Idol Survival ‘Targeting Star’ audience selection notification
“Yaaaaaaaah! I got selaaaaacked!”
“The neighbor’s going to file a complaint, you crazy girl! Stop screaming!”
When the selection email arrived, the scream she let out easily hit 80 decibels. She couldn't count how many times her roommate smacked her back for being too loud.
“Ah, ah.
She quickly joined the very back of the audience check line and smiled contentedly.
She had received her waiting number late after overtime and couldn’t stand at the front, but since the audience wasn’t large to begin with, it would be easy to get a good look at her Son Jaeha.‘And, if the information I got from SNS is correct….’Hundreds of people shuffled along, following the production team holding signs, and finally stopped at this spot.
[Targeting Star Contestant High-Touch Event]‘Yeah, insane! This is it!’Before the audience entered, a brief high-touch event with the contestants.
It was called a high-touch event, but it was actually a chance to see the trainees’ faces up close and have simple direct interactions.
There had been speculation that the reason only the judges and Do Jaechan showed their faces at the earlier press conference was because of this, and that guess was exactly right.
“Gasp, amazing.”
“Oh my god. That blond is Ji Hwaseong, right? Wow, insane….”
“Juan! Juan, it’s your noona!”
Amid the rapidly growing murmurs of the audience, AG Trading Company quickly confirmed the face of the man standing at the very front.
“Hello, everyone! I look forward to your support!”
Faded black eyes, pure white skin.
A trainee with a gentle, neat impression, as if he might quietly open his eyes in a forest full of green.
Son Jaeha.‘C-crazy. A real, living, moving Jaeha….’Her eyes only saw Son Jaeha.
Leaving aside his overwhelmingly handsome face compared to other trainees, as an AG loyalist she had heard bits and pieces about how he suffered while being called the ace of AG male trainees.‘What should I say? That I’ll keep supporting him? Should I tell him I hope he definitely debuts through
Starting with the people at the front, they proceeded with high-touches with the trainees, each rapidly spitting out whatever came to mind, or what they had prepared in advance knowing this would happen.
What the already known trainees heard was almost like marriage proposals.
“Siwoo. Noona has been supporting you ever since you were first revealed. Let’s really debut!”
“Wonhyeop oppa. We’re really going to do well this time. … I’ll always support you no matter where you are.”
“Liu Wei. This! This! I wrote it in Chinese! Please read it later!”
The line shrank quickly. Most people just greeted the trainee they wanted to see and gave only perfunctory words to the others.
“Yo, I’ll be a hardworking Ryota….”
“I’m Ji Hwaseong. Please enjoy today’s stage, we’ve prepared really hard!”
Some quick-witted trainees quickly promoted themselves, and occasionally a few audience members were swept up in the atmosphere.
“That Ji Hwaseong is kind of cute. He’s tall, and the blond hair is nice….”
“I liked Logan. The posh look suits him really well.”‘Still, in my heart it’s only Jaeha. Of course, Jaeha and the five others will debut together… but as long as he’s with AG purebloods, I don’t care what happens!’Steeling her heart like that, AG Trading Company’s turn came, and she finally got a one-on-one with Son Jaeha.
“You must have had a hard time coming all the way to Sangam. I’m Son Jaeha.”
“Cough….”‘Seriously damn. Even his voice is crazy handsome!’AG Trading Company, mentally overwhelmed by Son Jaeha’s relentless facial assault, momentarily squeezed her eyes shut.
Then, remembering she had little time, she quickly started racking her brain.‘F-first, the first thing I should say is….’“J-Jaeha. You are….”
“Yes?”
“The most handsome among all the men I’ve ever seen.”
Once the floodgates opened, there was no stopping her.
“Counting all idols, trainees, and actors, you’re the most handsome. With a face like that, you could just lie in the street breathing and you’d debut, but in the videos on the AG prospect channel, you sing so well and dance so well, so I like you even more. If you don’t debut, I’m planning to report ‘Targeting Star’ for fraud to the Broadcasting Standards Commission. You, you’re really….”The one I, a true AG fan, picked.
“The best trainee….”
“…….”Son Jaeha, who had been standing still with blinking, surprised eyes at AG Trading Company’s lightning-fast confession, soon broke into a soft, melting cotton-candy smile.
“…Thank you.”
Son Jaeha carefully touched his hand to the one AG Trading Company had been holding out, and spoke seriously.
“I’ll definitely debut.”
Because you cheered for me like this.
“…….”Above AG Trading Company’s head, two baby angels flew around blowing trumpets.
Now she could only see Son Jaeha.
It felt like she could almost hear that voice.‘Crazy, crazy crazy Jaeha!’After that, she couldn’t recall how she high-fived the other trainees or what conversations they had.
Because that first high-touch had such an impact.‘Sigh, I don’t know if I’ll be okay watching Jaeha’s stage later. My heart might burst and I’ll have to call 119….’“Uh-yeah, work hard. I’ll support you.”
And then, just as she was about to casually greet the last trainee and walk past.
“Noona.”
“…Huh?”
That trainee’s voice caught her ankle.
The trainee standing at the last spot, with strikingly sharp eyes that left a strong impression, a handsome face with a bad-boy vibe.
“You know, it’d be a shame to just pass by like this, my name is a bit interesting—would you like to hear it?”
“U-uh… sh-should I?”
Weak to direct conversation, she glanced at the people who had entered ahead, then at the trainee holding her back, and readily nodded.
“Haha… thank you.”
As the trainee smiled at her words, sharp canines that matched his eyes stood out.
He took a deep breath, and then, wearing what he thought was his most handsome expression, introduced himself.
“I am.”
Having preemptively secured the last spot in the high-touch event through the team selection game, the cops and robbers final four benefit…
“I’m Kim Chunyong.”
“Pu, pfft!”
Laughter burst from the unsuspecting AG Trading Company’s mouth. You shouldn’t laugh when you hear someone’s name. You really shouldn’t!
But an idol trainee named Chunyong!?‘So he’s the one they said has a tacky name!’“Ah, sorry! I’m sorry! I’m not laughing at you, I just—”
“It’s okay. I’m the one who said my name was interesting first.”
Kim Chunyong laughed pleasantly at her, his eyes smiling.
“But still.”
You probably won’t be able to forget me now, right?
The idol trainee with the tacky name and a gangster-like face, Kim Chunyong.
It was the moment that AG Trading Company, who had only held Son Jaeha in her heart, had a new trainee etched into her mind.* * *“Yes! That was the ‘Calendar’ team, who did a wonderful cover of their seniors, Lady Swan. I never imagined this song could become such an exciting dance track. Wow, the intro sound is so good I’m still humming it.”
Choi Gaon, who hadn’t been able to watch the earlier mid-evaluation stage due to scheduling issues, genuinely admired them while wiping his forehead.
After the group performance of
- I’m waiting for the day we can be close againMonday, and then TuesdayEven Sunday is okayThe original song ‘Calendar’ was a gentle R&B ballad that highlighted the vocals of the Lady Swan members, about erasing days on a calendar while waiting for someone who had gone far away for some reason.
But this team changed the song’s speaker to the distant ‘other person,’ shifting the lyrics to “I’m so looking forward to the day I return to you.”
- Counting the days until I soon return to youMonday, and Tuesday.Drawn every day with colored pencilsThe light school uniforms with a teen vibe. The loosely tied ties and spray-decorated beret props matched perfectly with the bouncy keyboard sound.
- The disappearing datesWhen the snow falls and the flowering spring comes againI imagine you by my sideSuch heart-wrenching, sorrowful lyrics.
- The flying calendar pagesSince the snow melts and the flowering spring comesI hold you in my arms and We’re Flyin’…
A complete couple song reborn.
“W-wow….”
It wasn’t just the audience, who had been looking forward to some entertainment thinking they’d brought a song from the failed Lady Swan, whose mouths dropped open.
“Sniff, sn-sniff… O-our swans!”
Do Jaechan, who appeared as a special mentor today, shed a single tear that every camera from every angle captured. It was guaranteed to be a hot topic.‘They said that British kid put all his effort into the arrangement and lyrics. He’s the real deal. Even if he gets eliminated here, our CEO would die trying to sign him.’Moreover, the previous ‘Shadow’ team, who covered Leopold, performed the original with relatively little change, but during the dance break, trainee Kim Juan almost entirely blanked on the choreography, making the comparison even sharper.
I’d heard he did quite well at the mid-evaluation; I wonder what on earth happened.
“I, I like this, wrong, no… sniff…”
Kim Juan, descending below the stage with a pale face and muttering words no one could understand, clearly looked mentally shattered.‘Well, that situation isn’t my concern. Anyway… the overall first place is definitely the Calendar team.’Licking his lips in regret that such an amazing stage was only the second in the order, Choi Gaon saw the prompter frantically signaling [Go faster] and quickly recited the next line in the cue sheet.
“Now only two teams are waiting for you! Among the 4v4 match-up teams, the first to appear is— Oh my! Covering ‘Us Beyond That Wave’ by AG’s pride, AG’s history, the solo singer Min Siyeong sunbaenim!”Since ‘Us Beyond That Wave’ was the opening song for an anime with an ocean backdrop, they’d probably appear in refreshing marine looks, fitting for trainees.
That was a pretty good choice.
It would contrast with the strong male image of the 2OCD team, making direct comparison difficult.‘Tch, but it still probably won’t be better than the Lady Swan team. Their image was just so sophisticated….’However, Choi Gaon’s prediction was.
“…Huh?”
Very easily shattered by the four trainees who rushed out onto the dark stage and took their positions.