The villainous member has returned! Episode 40
* * *
Inside the van heading to the bustling streets for the commemorative first outdoor shoot of
“My gosh. Won-hyeop hyung, you’re saying there’s that many people? Today’s a weekday, and it’s even morning right now!”
“Ah, yeah. That place is crowded even in the morning. There are students going to school, and since it’s a really famous shopping district.”
“Wow, I’m so excited. Seriously! This is something I’ve been wanting to do for so long, for today to be my Dreams come true day….”
Logan, who had been unable to contain his excitement from the moment he got into the van, finally put on his headphones after shouting, ‘I have to make a song list for the performance!’, and the inside of the van grew quiet.
Watching him quietly for a moment, I turned my head, slightly pulled back the curtain on the window, and looked outside.
The number of young people grew as the van moved. Flashy clothes, I briefly read the words on a sign waving by the roadside.
“Hongik University, the Street of Youth….”
“Um… my Bucket List of things I want to do in Korea is, ‘Busking in Hongdae’!”
Among Music Days’ variety shows currently filming
Thanks to the synergy of the Korean singers’ outstanding skills and beautiful overseas tourist spots, Can You Heal Me? gained popularity beyond imagination.
– Can’t Stop Me Now (Cover)>
The performance videos consistently topped the music section of Korean VTube channels, to the point where it became the flagship variety show of Music Days.
But then, Logan happened to watch the Liverpool episode of Can You Heal Me?.
And then, because of that, he sent an audition video to Music Days from the UK and ended up appearing on
It felt more like fate than coincidence. ‘Considering Logan’s image, well. It suits him.’ I let out a small laugh and slowly ran through the events that would unfold.
Busking in Liverpool would be romantic, but, well.
Busking in the Republic of Korea. And in Hongdae, the holy land of Korean busking, no less…
“Chun-yong.”
Anyway, I was deep in thought when my name was suddenly called out.
“Uh, yes? Me?”
“Yeah. Why are you so surprised? Haha, making me feel awkward….”
Hyung Won-hyeop, who tapped my shoulder with a slightly sheepish expression, glanced at Logan who was engrossed in listing songs with his headphones on, and then whispered to me in a low voice.
Quietly enough so the production crew in front wouldn’t hear.
“Did something happen between you and Logan?”
“…
Between us?”
“No, you two are roommates and seemed really close… but now things seem a bit distant. I thought it might be better for me to know if that’s the case.”
…
Oh.
Even the production crew didn’t notice. To realize we’re being distant just because the conversation between me and Logan has decreased a little.
“Ayy, hyung. It’s nothing like that. How did you come to think that?”
“Huh? No. It’s just… there’s a vibe, you know. Feels different from usual? Haha, I wasn’t that close with you guys, so I might be wrong….”
I clicked my tongue and scratched my cheek.
Seong Won-hyeop hyung.
At his previous agency, due to various circumstances, he had been cut from the debut team twice.
Maybe because of the long trainee life that followed in such a precarious situation, he had an extraordinary level of perception.
After briefly pondering what would be best to say, I soon smiled brightly and answered refreshingly.
“It’s really not like that, hyung. You don’t have to worry. It was just that I had something on my mind.”
“…
Is that really it? Just in case it affects the filming or something….”
“Ayy. Absolutely not! Hyung, do I look like I’d lie?”
“Well, when you shut your mouth, you look kind of scary….”
“Haha, hyung sure is funny!”
I made a big show of patting Won-hyeop hyung’s back — thump thump — as I turned my gaze to Logan, who was still madly writing down song titles.
“Oh… Chun-yong hyung! I’m so happy to be doing this shoot with you.”
Clearly, though he didn’t show it, Logan’s expression wasn’t exactly overjoyed that I had come into his room.
He probably wasn’t too keen on filming right after that determined conversation we’d had at dawn.
Things like this need time and seeing each other’s faces to become natural.
But I don’t have much time, you see, Logan.
“We’ll be arriving soon! Trainees, please get ready!”
“Yes, understood!”
And anyway, once we arrived at the filming location, there wouldn’t be room to worry about any awkwardness.
Pretending to check my makeup, I discreetly took out my phone from my pocket and checked the app with X.
“…
What, what’s this?”
[Don’t Cry, Be Bold (D): Even if an embarrassing situation occurs during a performance, you will be able to handle it with composure.
Effect: Caster’s and fellow performers’ confidence +10%]
“No, I asked for something good, and this is what I get….”
“Hmm? Chun-yong, what was that?”
“Ah, no! Haha. My little sister, my little sister sent a message.”
“Seems like you have a good relationship with your family. Good to see!”
“Oh… I’m envious.”
At my hurried excuse, Hyung Won-hyeop laughed heartily in response, and Logan’s shoulders, who had been looking out the window excitedly, flinched for a moment.
…
No matter how I look at it, Logan, that guy definitely has family issues.
I took note of Logan’s slightly drooping eyebrows and sent a message to X.
- Kim Chun-yong: Hey what kind of skill is this?
- Kim Chun-yong: Don’t you have something like [Still, You Like It]? Something that helps me directly?
- Kim Chun-yong: What’s this weird thing you’re sending ㅡㅡ This is supposed to be the 1st place reward?
- X: Hey do you know how good that is, you crazy bastard
- X: Can you guarantee nothing will ever happen to you on stage from now on? Gees, this guy’s spouting nonsense again without knowing anything
- X: If something big happens, you better grovel and give thanks to me
- Kim Chun-yong: How do you grovel to you
- X: With an emoticon you idiot !!!!!!
“Tsk….”
I shoved my phone back into my pocket and took in the scenery beyond the van as it slowly began to park.
Well, I teased X a bit since it wasn’t the skill I expected. But it wouldn’t be completely unhelpful.
Because what awaited us wasn’t the romantic Liverpool, but a war-like busking in Hongdae.
* * *
Hongdae Busking Street.
And a large café located right in front of it.
The three trainees sitting in a corner spot there were whispering to each other in low voices.
“There are so many people….”
“Won-hyeop hyung, it’s been a long time since you came to a big café like this too, right? Me too.”
“Yeah… my trainee period was really long.”
Heavily armed with hats and masks, they looked quite suspicious, but since Hongdae is a place full of people with unique outfits, they drew less attention than they would elsewhere.
“Huh? Trainees aren’t allowed to go around? I didn’t know that.”
“That’s not it. My previous company was just a bit sensitive about that kind of stuff….”
“It was similar for me. They told me not to walk around alone past 10 PM, and not to eat snacks either.”
“For us, they completely planned out our meal boxes for us. Before
“Holy, I can’t even imagine that.”
“Anyway… the delay is getting too long, now.”
The reason the trainees who came to film busking in Hongdae are stuck in this café?
Upon arriving at the busking site, it was because of the flustered production crew whose expressions had crumbled.
“Trainees, please wait here for a moment! Yes. While filming some small clips with your personal cams! We need to do a quick site check right now, haha! Yes, just a moment! A! Mo! Ment! One moment!”
“Huh? Wait, what did you say?”
“Just a moment! Really! The blueberry smoothie here is delicious!”
Something didn’t seem to be going according to their plan, and after panicking, they soon pushed the trainees into this café and called for an indefinite wait.
“…
How long have we been here?”
At Kim Chun-yong’s question, Seong Won-hyeop checked his wristwatch and sighed.
“Sigh, I think about 30 minutes have passed. When we got out of the car earlier it was 11 o’clock, so….”
“Bloody….”
Even long after the trainees, abandoned here without knowing the reason, had filled their personal cam screentime with meaningless broadcast comments, no production crew member came to pick them up.
“Should we just keep staying here like this? It’s getting way too late. Then our performance time will also be shortened….”
“That’s What I’m saying. That’s what I mean.”
Logan, who was sitting close to the glass window, craned his neck to look outside and muttered with a troubled face.
“Huh… seems like there were people who came to our spot first.”
At those words, Seong Won-hyeop and Kim Chun-yong also clustered together and stuck their heads out the window.
The production crew, who kept saying something, and four men who didn’t seem willing to back down.
“Hmm….”
Kim Chun-yong, who had been closely watching the situation, saw a notification ring — Ppyong — on his phone and let out a small groan.
[Sudden Mission (NEW!)
A sudden filming trouble? To become the greatest idol in K-pop history, you must be able to handle even this flexibly. Let’s resolve the current situation safely and achieve the modest goals set for today!
Reward: Encyclopedia –
“…
Shall we go out first?”
“What? Can we do that?”
“More than whether we can or not, I thought it might be a bit off for us, the people involved, to keep sitting here. If we can’t, we should at least talk to the production crew about moving locations.”
“Hmm… okay, let’s do that. Logan, let’s go out together.”
Seong Won-hyeop, after a brief hesitation, nodded and stood up from his seat.
As Kim Chun-yong said, it didn’t seem like a situation that would be resolved by continuing to wait here.
Besides.
“Aren’t those guys trainees?”
“Trainees? From where?”
“No, you know. The one Music Days is doing these days….”
Inside the café, the number of people starting to recognize them was on the rise.
The three who quickly came outside approached the production crew and outsiders, whose voices were growing increasingly louder.
“Excuse me, writer-nim. Is there some issue right now? The waiting period has gotten too long.”
At Kim Chun-yong’s straightforward question, Lee Ha-jun, the youngest writer who was sweating profusely, jumped and waved his hands frantically.
“Uh, uh, Trainee Kim Chun-yong! You came outside!? No, it’s because of the reported performance time, it’ll be resolved quickly….”
“Who said it would be resolved quickly?”
At the voice filled with hostility, the trainees’ heads turned.
“Ah, these guys are fucking ridiculous.”
A short-haired man wearing a white tank top that showed his ribs, glaring at them with a crooked stance and a slanted leg.
“How many times do I have to say it? Just because it’s a shoot, do we always have to yield? This is our performance time right now, I’m telling you?”
“No, talk to us! To the trainees….”
“Ah, you guys are trainees appearing on a show? Then let me see your faces. Since we’re both involved parties.”
The man, who had walked up to Kim Chun-yong in large strides, looked at Kim Chun-yong, who was just as tall and big as himself, and gave a greasy smirk.
“Well, since you can’t dance, I guess you came to sing at least. But let’s have some business ethics. Where’s the rule to just order people here and there?”
“…
What?”
“You there. Your face doesn’t have any dance in it? Practice singing hard. Do your performance after our turn is over.”
‘You can’t even see the face because of the hat and mask, what kind of face reading nonsense is this.’ Kim Chun-yong, who had slightly frowned at the barrage of harsh words while observing his opponent, soon recalled who this person was and opened his eyes wide.
This guy. ‘…
Isn’t that Choe Geon-yeong?’
Choe Geon-yeong.
The winner of ‘Dancing Street’, the street dance program that Kim Chun-yong guest-starred on during his troublemaking days and got his scenes entirely edited out.
Right now he’s a street dancer, but later Choe Geon-yeong makes a name for himself as a K-pop choreographer with outstanding dance skills regardless of genre.
“Real street dancers and idols are different. You don’t even need to say it. Right, Rex-nim?”
“Ha, haha….”
“Rex-nim agrees too! Oh my, I didn’t know you’d relate! Fuckin’ hilarious, ah. Sorry. Please edit this out.”
…He had also subtly made jabs at Kim Chun-yong during the ‘Dancing Street’ shoot.
Kim Chun-yong quickly racked his brain, gauging the skill he received from X earlier, the current situation, and his opponent. ‘This… I think I’m really going to end up groveling to X, huh?’ At the same time, turmoil on Hongdae Busking Street was foretold.