The Malicious Member Has Returned! Episode 42
* * *
Right before the street dance battle began.
“Is this really okay? Honestly, I don’t think this is right.”
Lee Hoejin, a crew member of IllRic who had been witnessing this whole series of events, finally couldn’t hold back and opened his mouth.
No matter how much he thought about it, this whole matter was a series of rash decisions.
To think they’d provoke broadcasting people when they couldn’t even be sure of the dance team’s future, and try to humiliate a trainee appearing on the show.
“Even now, let’s show them we’re backing down a bit and move somewhere else, hyung. We can ask them to promote us together while we’re at it. That would work. Ah, this really isn’t right….”
Choi Geon-yeong, who had been humming a tune even after hearing all of Lee Hoejin’s worried words, answered with an arrogant expression.
“Hey, don’t wuss out. I’m going to win no matter what, so why would we bother moving? Use this to warm up for our performance later, you bastards. Hyung’s gonna tear it up.”
‘He might be our leader, but he’s really an idiot. There’s no denying it. His confidence comes from his empty head…!’
Of course, it had already been three years since Lee Hoejin started learning dance with Choi Geon-yeong, formed a dance team, and began performing.
Lee Hoejin wasn’t unaware of how much Choi Geon-yeong respected and admired Jin Dasol.
[Street Dancer Jin Dasol Shockingly Joins AG Idol Survival
“Huh…? Jin Dasol-nim is appearing on media?”
“Oh. If that’s the case, we should tell Geon-yeong hyung….”
“No! Don’t tell him! He’ll smash the TV in the practice room! Can you even handle that!?”
Lee Hoejin had known from the beginning that Jin Dasol was appearing on
But the reason he hadn’t told Choi Geon-yeong, who stayed far away from social media, was.
“I want to dance like that too. No! I want to dance next to him. Lee Hoejin. Let’s do it together. It’ll definitely be a fucking amazing combination.”
“I-I want to too. But does wanting to make it happen? Hyung. If you have a brain, think a little….”
“What’s impossible, fuck. We just need to build our skills. Then… we’ll go kneel in front of Dasol-hyung’s practice room or something.”
“But if he still doesn’t accept us…?”
“We’ll just stay there until he accepts us!”
It was because even Lee Hoejin himself couldn’t get a feel for what choice Choi Geon-yeong—who only looked forward and ran without considering the consequences—would make.
‘But to actually meet those broadcast people in a situation like this, what kind of fate is this?’
With rough thoughts filling his head, Lee Hoejin looked at the trainee warming up here and there beside Choi Geon-yeong with anxious eyes.
‘His name was… Kim Chun-yong.’
According to the youngest of IllRic who had watched
“Then will they choose the song?”
“That’s what they say, but if you’re worried about Trainee Kim Chun-yong, I can say something….”
“Ah, it’s fine. It’d be a hassle. Let’s do this quickly; we have mission filming to do too.”
‘He’s thinking of filming here? Then that means he intends to at least earn Geon-yeong hyung’s recognition, or win.’
The trainee with a rough impression, who simply focused on warming up while talking to the production crew with a relaxed expression, made Lee Hoejin even more anxious because he couldn’t tell what the trainee was thinking.
‘Honestly, it was a topic I could have let slide, thinking it was for the broadcast, or that Jin Dasol-nim said it to hype up the trainee.’
But if the person who said it was ‘that’ Jin Dasol, things were a bit different.
With that face and those dance skills, fans would follow him no matter where or what he did, yet he always maintained taciturn speech and behavior.
A dancer among dancers who shows through dance instead of words—Jin Dasol.
“Dasol-hyung! Take me!”
Lee Hoejin recalled the sight of Choi Geon-yeong screaming at his phone when Jin Dasol won the international dance competition, and gave a bitter smile.
‘It makes sense that Geon-yeong hyung would flip his lid. He’d been saying he would definitely be the next crew member.’
Lee Hoejin had also thought that if a new member were added to Jin Dasol’s crew, it would naturally be Choi Geon-yeong.
Not simply because they were crew members, but because he knew his skills.
Anyone who had properly danced before could roughly gauge how well someone danced just by looking at their muscles during stretching or their light steps.
That rough-looking trainee had definitely noticed what level of dancer Choi Geon-yeong was.
‘But his attitude is really relaxed. As if….’
…he has something to believe in.
Lee Hoejin, who stood out in picking up choreography quickly, was also quite talented at observing people.
This meant his gaze watching Kim Chun-yong right now was fairly accurate.
But there was no longer any time for Lee Hoejin to stop the
“What? Is IllRic going on broadcast?”
“Huh, huh. Hey. That looks like a Music Days camera.”
“Wait. Those are the trainees from the idol survival that aired yesterday!”
“Holy shit, isn’t that Logan? Logan! Logaaan!”
“Crazy, daebak. Why would trainees come here? Must be an outdoor location shoot.”
The crowd that gathered around them due to IllRic’s fame in Hongdae, the presence of cameras, and the sparkling line of trainees robbed Lee Hoejin of any such choice.
“Okay. Perfect.”
As if he had been waiting for just this moment, Choi Geon-yeong stretched wide toward the sky and shouted loudly toward the crowd.
“Hello, I’m Choi Geon-yeong of the dance team IllRic!”
Woooah….
Choi Geon-yeong smiled at the cheers, which still seemed a bit shy and bashful, and continued speaking.
“To those who watch our team often, and those seeing us for the first time today. Today, the head of IllRic—me!—is going to try dancing with a special someone.”
Choi Geon-yeong stretched out his long arm and pointed at the trainee standing opposite him, Kim Chun-yong.
“Right now! This is a trainee appearing on an idol survival program, so for those who ‘don’t know,’ please introduce yourself!”
‘Ah, hyung! I told you not to provoke him for having low recognition!’
While the timid Lee Hoejin covered his mouth and screamed internally.
“Hello. I’m AG trainee Kim Chun-yong, appearing on Music Days’ survival program,
Kim Chun-yong, who had ‘something to believe in,’ stood before the people and shouted his proud name in a loud voice.
* * *
“This is my first time having an experience like this, but thanks to the dance team IllRic, I’ve gotten a good opportunity. Please take care of me! Please watch favorably!”
‘This bastard with an old man name is putting on so much aegyo.’
Choi Geon-yeong inwardly mocked Kim Chun-yong, who was bowing politely toward the crowd.
‘He’s about to be humiliated, that’s all.’
His plan in his head was perfect in its own way.
‘I’ll humiliate him moderately, then pretend to teach him something trivial while saying he dances pretty well for a trainee, then chase him off to a corner where people don’t gather. Hmm.’
Choi Geon-yeong didn’t have entirely bad intentions.
He just found it annoying that an idol trainee who knew nothing said he ‘danced pretty well.’
‘Not knowing what heart someone dances with every day. And that bastard got a crew member offer from Dasol-hyung? Bullshit.’
Choi Geon-yeong gave a glance to Kim Chun-yong, who was looking at him meaningfully, the
“We’ll begin right away. Music please!”
‘I’ll show you what the real deal is, you bastard.’
- This ain't a party for just crowd
let's shout it out for girls & boys
“Then, we’ll each dance to verse 1 and verse 2 respectively….”
“Hey, you handle that. As long as it’s a song I chose, I don’t care which part.”
“…Then if you dance verse 1 first, I’ll dance verse 2.”
Choi Geon-yeong headed toward where the most pedestrians were and began moving his body to the beat of the familiar song.
His specialty was Krump, characterized by vigorous energy, sense of rhythm, and tricks.
It was the same main genre that Jin Dasol—whom Choi Geon-yeong so admired—had before making a name for himself with unique and dynamic choreography.
‘Our team’s performance videos always went up on Wootube, and since we’re tangled up with a trainee, it’ll definitely be more of a hot topic. Maybe even Dasol-hyung will see it!’
Choi Geon-yeong, who ruthlessly chopped the beat and showed off an arm swing, glanced toward the back.
Toward Kim Chun-yong, who was reaching out his arms and responding as if he’d seen this before, Choi Geon-yeong stomped his foot with a bang and stuck out his tongue.
‘You’re just the opportunity for me to meet Dasol-hyung, and an extra. You bastard!’
There was only one reason Choi Geon-yeong hadn’t chosen a separate dance name.
He wanted to enter Jin Dasol’s crew and ask him to choose a dance name for him.
- All day, All night.
I feel the passion, And I feel it burn
I'm sure you'll agree if you see it
‘Our resolve is completely different. What does a bastard who only dances choreo made by others sloppily know about dance? Know your place. And.’
“Stay down!”
Woaaaah!
When Choi Geon-yeong took off his shoe and threw it into the sky at the end of verse 1, a thunderous cheer burst from the watching pedestrians.
“Thank you!”
Choi Geon-yeong lightly wiped the sweat flowing below his chin, stuck out his tongue, stepped back, and smiled arrogantly.
‘This is the most complete and intense dance I can perform.’
But if the idol trainee coming up next dances flimsily and unimpressively?
It was obvious where the audience’s gazes would turn and where the cheers would pour out.
- I know you think I'm stupid
But How about this?
Do I still look airhead?
“Huh? He’s just lying down?”
“Is that dancing too? Oh, he’s hitting the beat. Ooh!”
But then, the
“Wh-what the hell?”
Choi Geon-yeong, who had witnessed Kim Chun-yong’s dance right before his eyes, couldn’t help but let out a stupid voice unbefitting of his image.
True, the song playing right now was quite a famous pop song. But the song’s fame didn’t guarantee high-quality improvised choreography.
That’s why Choi Geon-yeong had randomly chosen this song, thinking ‘the moment we go live, that trainee is guaranteed to be humiliated.’
‘So you’re going a completely different route from me? Hah, with what skills?’
Kim Chun-yong, as if completely different from Choi Geon-yeong’s dance earlier, suddenly lay down on the street and began catching the audience’s attention by hitting the beat with his feet.
- Actually, you know nothing
I don't know much about it either
But, See, See
And as the impressive bass riff continuing from verse 1 poured out from the speakers along with recorded children’s laughter, Kim Chun-yong shot up from the spot using his core strength and moved his body freely.
The genre was Krump, the same as what Choi Geon-yeong had danced.
But the way he moved his body was completely different.
Rather than focusing on minute beat chopping, he used all the joints in his body.
He moved across the space in short moments, using a wide area.
Movements that made his actions look big by moving his head, hands, and feet simultaneously.
“W-wowaah…!”
“That….”
Exclamations flowed from the mouths of people watching from a slight distance at his flexible movements, while a hellish voice flowed from Choi Geon-yeong’s mouth right in front.
Familiar movements, familiar actions.
“D-Dasol-hyung….”
That’s right.
The way Kim Chun-yong moved his body.
Resembled that of Jin Dasol, whom Choi Geon-yeong so admired.
‘It’s not like I’d just do anything randomly without something to believe in.’
Kim Chun-yong did a chest pop in a way similar to Jin Dasol but with his own feeling added, and smirked.
There was a fact that only Kim Chun-yong knew among everyone here.
“Rex… nim, it seems… you should… practice… a bit… more.”
“H-how much?”
“Mm… 100.”
“A-a hundred hours?”
“No. 100 days….”
That was, Jin Dasol had been the choreographer for the title track of their second mini album, back when Kim Chun-yong was active with Arrows.
‘Back then, I ended up practicing the title song for over 100 hours. By the end, it was so hard I was cursing at Jin Dasol.’
Now that Kim Chun-yong’s dance ability descriptor had risen to ‘idol main dancer’ level.
It wasn’t difficult to dance a modified version of choreography he had once practiced until he threw up to perform on stage.
- How much people are shouting out?
I can't count. You do it for me
Do it for Me
Highlight.
As if teasing Choi Geon-yeong, Kim Chun-yong took off his shoe and threw it into the sky, exactly as he had done earlier.
Waaaah!
“Kim Chun-yong, Kim Chun-yong! Crazy, I’m definitely uploading this to Wootube!”
“Geon-yeong hyung….”
Beneath the voice of a fan shouting for Kim Chun-yong, Lee Hoejin muttered quietly.
“Hyung got fucking destroyed….”
For the moment, their dance skills were evenly matched, no. Choi Geon-yeong was probably better.
But what was important was capturing people’s attention.
And in that regard, Kim Chun-yong—who had been on stage hundreds of times more, even if he was just a malicious member—was overwhelmingly more noticeable than Choi Geon-yeong, who hadn’t yet won on ‘Dancing Stage.’
“After this, I’ll be busking right here with the
At Kim Chun-yong’s confident declaration of victory.
“Eek….”
It was perhaps natural that Choi Geon-yeong’s face completely crumbled.
Kim Chun-yong smiled wickedly at that and muttered inwardly.
‘An idol is a total artist.’
You rude bastard.