The Malicious Member Has Returned! Episode 41
I looked at Choi Geon-yeong, who was strutting around in front of me, and organized my thoughts.
Today's harvest—what I needed to gain—was two things.
"God, this isn't what I was thinking...."
One was to find the reason why Logan—the one muttering behind me with a slightly anxious expression—had dropped out.
To be exact, why he had decided to drop out, and whether it was a problem I could prevent if I tried.
And the second was to successfully finish the busking performance—for that purpose, and for my ranking to rise.
Given that a sudden mission had arrived, it was clear that I couldn't busk safely without resolving the current situation first.
"Anyway, it's our team's performance time right now. Either move, or wait until we're finished. Those are your only two options. You get it? Then move aside. You're in the way."
Perhaps judging that I had been swept up by his momentum since I kept quiet, Choi Geon-yeong fired back at us in a sharp voice.
"No, this is the time we reported! How can you tell us to leave! We even came with all the official documents!"
"We applied at Mapo District Office too, didn't we? We even showed you the reservation status earlier. And we got here first, so don't be unreasonable!"
From the conversation between the youngest writer and Choi Geon-yeong, I immediately understood why the waiting time had dragged on so long and why this situation had occurred.
They had filed performance reports at two different offices, and an institutional mistake caused the times to overlap. That was it.
We had official documents, so we had legitimacy, and they had made reservations and arrived early, so they had the right to claim the spot.
Well, whatever the situation was....
"Excuse me."
"...What."
I couldn't just stay still forever.
I whipped off the hat and mask covering half my face and locked eyes with Choi Geon-yeong. Seeing my face properly, he flinched slightly.
"What, no. You said you're a trainee...."
He had been picking a fight, saying my face had no dance vibes or whatever, without even looking me in the eyes.
"Yes, that's right. Let's talk slowly."
I look a bit different from what you imagined, don't I?
I tended to get quite a lot of hate because of my thug-like face, after all.
Looking back and forth between Choi Geon-yeong and the youngest writer, who both looked bewildered at the sight of my face, I blabbered nonchalantly.
"Don't waste your energy for nothing. How about we just perform together?"
"What? Trainee Kim Chun-yong, what are you—"
"From what I heard, if we each compromise a little, I think we can easily perform together. The overlapping documents aren't even our fault."
"—Nonsense. The sounds will overlap, the sounds! One side sings while the other dances? Is this place that big? There's a limit to how delusional you can be, really!"
"Oh, I didn't say we'd only sing. Despite my face, I'm pretty good at dancing."
"Ah, that's complete bullshit!"
Not wanting me to say more, Choi Geon-yeong quickly cut me off and came at me, furious.
I had tried to take a mutually beneficial approach, but against an opponent whose pride as a street dancer pierced the sky, it seemed that was a choice that didn't work at all.
"Crazy, what? He says he's pretty good at dancing?"
Choi Geon-yeong muttered, even mixing in curses.
"The street scene's pride is dead. Now even some nobody trainees are trying to go toe-to-toe. Those broadcasting bastards think they're the top dogs...."
'This rude bastard.'
He pretended to speak quietly, but his voice was loud. In the end, it was meant to be heard.
And hearing those words straight to his face, the youngest writer flushed bright red with anger and embarrassment.
"What did you just say? Can you take responsibility for everything you said? Goodness, we were trying to let this go nicely."
"Let what go nicely? Who came up demanding we move because they need to film?"
"I clearly asked if we could move if there was another spot!"
"Excuse me. Do we look like jokes? So, why do we have to move? You can just go!"
An explosive, hair-trigger situation where the pride of Choi Geon-yeong and his crew clashed head-on with the broadcasting station people.
Unable to contain his anger and stomping his feet, the youngest writer finally started raising his voice, citing the reputation of other prominent figures appearing on our program.
"You keep going on about dancer, dancer. Do you know who our program's dance mentor is? I suppose you don't consider that person a dancer!?"
"Ugh, shit...."
If it turned out like this, it seemed I would have to resolve things in a direction slightly different from what I had in mind.
While I briefly racked my brain over what would happen next, Choi Geon-yeong shouted back without backing down, a sneer on his face.
"Who the hell is that dance mentor that you're acting so high and mighty? Dancers who appear on media are all the same,"
"—The winner of the International Dance Competition's Krump division, Jin Da-sol! Didn't you know that 'that' Jin Da-sol told Trainee Kim Chun-yong—the one you just got angry at—to join his crew? Running your mouth when you don't know anything!"
"...What. Da-sol, you mean Da-sol hyung?"
He had even said who the mentor was, and I got tangled up in it.
Watching Choi Geon-yeong's mouth fall open as he stammered, as if he had never expected this at all, I clicked my tongue.
The winner of 'Dancing Street,' Choi Geon-yeong.
Handsome face. A personality that speaks its mind refreshingly. Incredible dance skills and choreography creation ability on top of that—there were many words to describe him, but.
If there was one thing more impressive than anything else....
['Dancing Stage' Choi Geon-yeong, victory speech bursting with laughter... 'Da-sol hyung, I fucking love you']
['Dancing Stage' winner Choi Geon-yeong's team 'IllRic,' all members join Jin Da-sol's crew!]
The extreme fan of Jin Da-sol, our
No.
[- Choi Geon-yeong: I'm happy I can dance with my lifelong idol. If it's Da-sol hyung, I would even act as a guarantor. I didn't ask for Da-sol hyung's opinion, but anyway, that's how I feel. I want to be tied to him that desperately, if that's what it takes.]
He was a malicious fan.
A meeting between a (former) malicious member and a malicious fan. Kind of funny.
"Da-sol hyung told someone to join his crew?"
Pointing at me and rolling his eyes around, Choi Geon-yeong stamped his feet like an angry colt.
"T-this trainee? When did that happen!"
"Um... it was on the first filming day."
"Don't lie."
The fact that I had been invited to Jin Da-sol's crew was so shocking that he seemed to forget even the polite speech and manners he had been maintaining.
"Geon-yeong hyung. It's true. In yesterday's broadcast, Da-, Da-sol-nim said to that person that he wanted him to join his crew."
At his dance team member's quiet voice, Choi Geon-yeong grabbed the back of his neck and let out a silent scream.
Then he glared at the youngest writer with an expression bordering on hatred, thrust his face toward me, and seethed.
"I won't believe it until I see it with my own eyes. No, whose permission are you under to join Da-sol hyung's crew?"
"It's not something that requires your permission, but I'm not going to join anyway since I'm going to be an idol."
"What do you mean you're not joining!"
At my sluggish answer, Choi Geon-yeong ruffled his thick hair wildly, then seemed to make up his mind. He straightened his posture and addressed the youngest writer.
"Hey, broadcasting station person."
"...What is it, suddenly?"
"What this, this... trainee said earlier. Hearing it again, it makes sense. About doing it together. Yes, let's do it together. There's nothing we can't do. Right? We can even move spots. It's no big deal."
"Hah, now? No, why suddenly—"
"But!"
Choi Geon-yeong suddenly threw his arm over my shoulder with a thud, his face arrogant as he blabbered.
"I want to dance with this person."
"What? Geon-yeong hyung, dance with him? What about our performance today!"
"Shut up for a second."
Strength surged into Choi Geon-yeong's grip on my shoulder.
"I'm not saying our crew and your trainees should cowardly do it together. Just, this trainee and me. Just the two of us... well, let's have a captain's battle. If I'm satisfied there, I'll move spots."
Choi Geon-yeong's intention was transparent as he narrowed his eyes and sized me up.
He intended to crush me with overwhelming dance skills, and thereby crush the pride of the
"Hyung! You're not in your right mind. You're too worked up, calm down—"
"Hey, just think of it like that. It's even better if there are cameras. That's fine. Today is the day. I'll imprint my impression on Da-sol hyung—"
"Ah, Geon-yeong hyung! We want to dance too!"
"Shut up, shut up! Haven't you seen me do this before? Adapt to it already!"
Startled by their crew leader's sudden declaration, the crew members tried to dissuade Choi Geon-yeong, but nothing seemed to enter his ears anymore.
The youngest writer, slightly flustered by Choi Geon-yeong's state, looked at me with anxious eyes.
Since the filming had already been delayed like this—half hoping I would accept, half worried that a trainee might suffer needless humiliation because of his own words.
This person too, so transparent both then and now.
I swallowed the laughter trying to burst out, cleared my throat, and answered.
"...I'll try it, I guess."
At my answer, the youngest writer's face visibly brightened.
"Oh, will you be okay? I hope I didn't say something unnecessary and make things awkward for Trainee Kim Chun-yong—"
"No, well. This won't be filmed for the mission video anyway, right? Even if it is filmed, it won't get much screen time. Logan is the main focus."
"Well, there is a filming purpose. That's true, but—"
"If I leave a good impression and get him to move, it's a gain. Even if not, we can buy time for the production crew to find another spot."
I rotated my stiff shoulders to loosen them and replied in a light tone.
Even if things hadn't flowed this way, I had been thinking of provoking Choi Geon-yeong in a similar manner to make him move.
Come to think of it, I achieved it without lifting a finger.
The production crew, caught up in my relaxed attitude, gathered among themselves and whispered in low voices.
"Then should we send the others to look for a spot first?"
"If we do that, let's leave the minimum number of people here. We don't have much time. If we're going to do it, we have to do it quickly. The waiting time was already so long—"
Unfortunately, most of the production crew following the busking team for the mission filming were juniors with little experience, and they were somewhat lacking in the ability to smoothly mediate an explosive situation.
Thanks to that, the stage was set in an instant.
"Huh... Bro, this is a bit much."
While I was stretching to join the sudden street dance stage, Logan—who had been rolling his eyes together with Won-hyeop hyung—cautiously approached me, watching my expression.
With the situation turning out like this, it seemed the distance from dawn had become irrelevant.
I shook out my hair, slightly flattened by the hat, and asked back.
"Why. Worried?"
"Um, I suppose so. This is a bit different from the busking I know. There's no reason for Chun-yong hyung to take responsibility for this situation needlessly—"
Well, Logan had just wanted to busk like those Korean singers who sang at Liverpool's Albert Dock.
However, it was my plan to place a small burden on Logan's heart and hear his inner thoughts.
Reminded of my original purpose once again, I lightly patted Logan's shoulder and smiled.
"From what you saw, wasn't I pretty good at dancing? I won't get completely crushed."
"That's true, but bro. If you think about it logically. You know, this is complete nonsense. Even now, just moving locations—"
"Good grief. You. Come here."
When I pulled Logan's ear and whispered something, Logan gaped his mouth repeatedly, eyes wide open.
"...Really? Really? For real?"
"Have I ever lied to you?"
"Gosh, if that's the case, no, really?"
It felt like Logan's invisible tail was already wagging excitedly. Watching him quietly, I spoke in a small voice.
"Instead, Logan."
If this goes well.
"You have to answer what I asked at dawn."
"......."
"It's not forced, right? If it goes well, just answer. If not, you don't have to."
At my words, Logan hesitated for a moment, then soon nodded with a slightly determined expression.
Good.
I locked eyes with Choi Geon-yeong, who was glaring at me while warming up on the other side.
I had wondered if things would go as I thought when we met again earlier, but to think it would turn out like this. I suppose I had that hot-headed guy to thank.
Choi Geon-yeong, noticing I was looking at him, soon gaped his mouth wide and grinned.
'What are you looking at, dumbass.'
That.
I smirked, a slightly wicked smile on my face.
"If you're a real dancer, you should know how to make your own choreography. Someone who just copies others'? Pfft, crazy... is that a dancer?"
'He keeps talking about dancer, dancer every time he opens his mouth.'
Even if I can't perform better than you on stage, I've been up there at least a hundred more times than you, bastard.
Since before I came back, that bastard needed to learn why an idol is a total artist.