The Evil Member Returns! Episode 45* * *
It was 4 PM, and the filming for the "Global Trainee Bucket List Fulfillment" mission with the Gyeongbokgung team had just wrapped up.
"Trainees, we just need one group selfie from you each for the official SNS!"
"Oh, understood! Leave it to me!"
Ji Huacheng, dressed in a Sungkyunkwan Confucian scholar's hanbok, replied in a cheerful voice as he took the production team's spare device.
Though he wasn't feeling quite that cheerful inside. *'There's no need to take my anger out on the production team, anyway.'*
The target of the simmering rage boiling inside him was someone else.
Ji Huacheng's slightly annoyed gaze shifted toward the one responsible for that anger—Liu Wei.
"……."
Despite knowing full well that Sun Jaeha was standing nearby and clearly uncomfortable, Liu Wei wore a cold expression, silently focused on his own task.
Honestly. *'What? Coming to Gyeongbokgung in hanbok was your bucket list in Korea?'*
There's a limit to how much you can lie.
As if to prove that thought right, Liu Wei's attitude throughout the mission filming was far from good.
"Wow, should we take some pictures here? This wall is a really famous photo spot!"
"I'm not taking any."
"Huh...? Hey, hey! Where are you going!"
Even though he was the one who said he wanted to come, he was extremely reluctant to take photos inside Gyeongbokgung.
"How soon can I take this off?"
"It looks great, why? I think we have to keep wearing them until filming ends…."
"It's bothersome."
He openly showed his discomfort with the hanbok prepared by the production team.
"Liu Wei. What are you doing? Found something interesting? If so, let's…."
"No."
Whenever there was a break during filming, he'd be staring at his phone, so when Ji Huacheng subtly threw him a pointed remark, Liu Wei responded with an even more irritating attitude.
Ji Huacheng hadn't looked at Liu Wei unfavorably from the start.
Even though he was a global trainee with high debut odds, he had no intention of making enemies with a pureblood AG trainee.
"But what? 'Leave, since you clearly have no intention of looking together?'"
Ji Huacheng muttered Liu Wei's cold words, rolling his eyes as he steadily built up his disdain for him. *'If Jaeha hyung hadn't warned me beforehand, I wouldn't have filmed the mission video with you either!'*
Ji Huacheng recalled the conversation he'd had with Sun Jaeha before choosing a room for the mission filming.
"Huacheng. Come here for a moment. I have something to say."
"Huh? What is it?"
With a vaguely weary expression, Sun Jaeha led Ji Huacheng behind a vending machine, cleverly out of the camera's view.
Then, in a low voice, he said:
"…When you go into the rooms later, make sure you go into the one with the tiger doll in front of the door. Got it?"
"Tiger? Why would I need to specifically…."
"Ji Huacheng."
"……."
"Just… listen to hyung." *'There's no way hyung would make you do something bad.'*
When Sun Jaeha called Ji Huacheng by his full name, it only happened during moments that were truly critical or serious in Ji Huacheng's trainee life. *'So I went into the room with the tiger doll, and Liu Wei was inside—that's what this means.'*
Ji Huacheng's large eyes narrowed.
Something was definitely going on, but right now, Ji Huacheng had no way of knowing what.
The only ones who knew were probably Liu Wei, who was inside that room, and his hyung Sun Jaeha, who had directly instructed him which room to enter. *'I need to talk to hyung when we get back to the dorm. Something's definitely up.'*
Ji Huacheng wrapped up his brief thought and walked toward the two trainees still standing aloofly.
Liu Wei was still staring blankly at his smartphone screen, just like before. *'Damn it, how does someone like this get edited on broadcast to look like some shy guy who's bad with people!'*
The power of editing was truly magnificent. *'Blatantly pushing the Director Shin line—it's so dirty, just dirty.'*
Ultimately, Ji Huacheng's mood had twisted beyond the point of no return, and he spoke without filtering his thoughts.
"Liu Wei. Watching something interesting again?"
"……."
"You've been replaying the same video since earlier, haven't you? Wow, amazing. I wouldn't even think of doing that during filming. How do you manage it?"
"Huacheng. You shouldn't talk like that."
No sooner had Ji Huacheng finished speaking than Sun Jaeha, eyeing the production crew organizing the cameras, chided him.
"……."
However, the person in question, Liu Wei, didn't even spare Ji Huacheng a glance, remaining absorbed in whatever he was watching. *'Seriously, what the hell is he watching? This guy is so damn annoying!'*
Quelling his rising irritation with a shake of his head, Ji Huacheng casually glanced over Liu Wei's shoulder at his phone.
Playing on the screen was a low-resolution video of someone dancing on the street, the kind Ji Huacheng had seen before.
At the unexpected sight, Ji Huacheng blurted out without thinking.
"…A street dance video? Why are you watching something like that?"
And at that moment.
"Move."
Liu Wei shoved Ji Huacheng's shoulder away as he approached, the impact landing with a smack, and he heaved an irritated breath.
Liu Wei's already cold face had hardened like ice that would shatter at the slightest touch.
"…Huh?"
Struck by the sudden, attack-like gesture, Ji Huacheng was momentarily flustered before revealing his true colors and growling.
"What did you just say? Move? Move what? Me? Me?"
"You were sneaking a peek, and you're acting shameless."
"Wow, your attitude is insane! Who's the shameless one here?"
"Huacheng!"
"No, Jaeha hyung. You kept seeing it too. This guy, he only acts decent when the cameras are on him, and he's been—."
"Ji Huacheng. Stop it. It's all… already in the past."
"…Ha."
When Sun Jaeha called his full name again, Ji Huacheng clamped his mouth shut and furrowed his brow.
Seeing that, Sun Jaeha let out a small sigh, pressed a hand to his own forehead, and patted Ji Huacheng's shoulder.
"The staff asked us to take a selfie for the SNS upload, didn't they? Let's take it quickly. We need to get back soon too."
"…Yes."
"Liu Wei. Let's take it quickly and go."
Liu Wei glanced once at Sun Jaeha's face, then slowly nodded and moved closer to them.
And just before Liu Wei slipped his phone into his pocket, Ji Huacheng clearly caught the title of the video flickering across the screen before it turned off. *'…I-Like? Is that a dance team name?'*
Ji Huacheng made sure to remember the word he would search for after returning to the dorm and talking with Sun Jaeha, then clamped his hand firmly on Liu Wei's shoulder and smiled brightly.
"Smile. Got it? We need to take a good one, don't we?"
"……."
Liu Wei furrowed his brow briefly at the painful grip but soon plastered a handsome, camera-ready smile on his face.
This quick shift in attitude was why Liu Wei's broadcast image was fairly decent. *'Creepy bastard.'*
Clicking his tongue lightly at the sight, Ji Huacheng raised the spare device high and spoke words that were the exact opposite of what he felt inside.
"Then, I'll take it! Praying for the debut of the three of us. One, two—." *'Please, God, I hope you never debut!'*
Click!
[(Photo) (Photo)
Liu Wei, Sun Jaeha, Ji Huacheng! Why did these three come to Gyeongbokgung?! Star Shooters who are curious, be sure to check out
#TargetingStar #Hanbokz #MaybeSomethingLike_○○?!]
* * *
After finishing the first mission filming, the multinational roommates returned to the dorm, each buzzing with excitement for their own reasons.
"I have something to say!"
In particular, Gao Yan, who had fulfilled his bucket list of "Korean PC Bang Tour," burst through the door with an excited face.
"As of today, I have two hyungs. You could call them sworn brothers, apart from my family. Hmm, perhaps my sworn brothers are even better."
With the solemn face he always wore, he spouted nonsense.
"Ooh, a fascinating topic. Who are they, Gao Yan?"
"I've been waiting for that question, Ryota! One of them, as you know, is Chunyong hyung."
"I knew about Chunyong aniki! Because he's my aniki too. But what about the other one?"
"It's… Youchan hyung!"
As if deeply moved, Gao Yan placed a hand on his chest, took three deep breaths, and then shouted quickly.
"Youchan hyung is the god of RoR. I've seen a Diamond 1-ranked person in real life for the first time. Youchan hyung literally hard-carried. God-tier. GOAT. My god. That's how it is."
…
Should I tell him that in Korea, beyond Diamond rank, there's Master, Grandmaster, and even Challenger?
At my current level, I'd probably place Platinum if I took my placement matches right now.
Hmph.
"…How was it for you, Ryota? Even if it was filming, it was a day you got to do something you wanted. I bet it was nice."
Scratching my cheek with a slightly awkward expression, I deflected the conversation by asking about Ryota's experience instead of saying anything about it.
There was no need to ruin their excitement.
But still? Hey, I'm pretty good at games too.
Remember that for later, Gao Yan.
At my question, Ryota's eyes sparkled as he rattled off his answer like a rapid-fire gun.
"Ah, Chunyong aniki. It was truly fun for me as well! We hiked up and hung a wish lock."
"Wish lock? Ah, that…."
"Yes. We prayed for our debut! That was the main purpose. Mm-hmm. It's romantic. I felt like I'd become the lead in a K-drama."
"Ohoh, sounds great."
I decided not to mention that there are plenty of places to hang wish locks without going all the way to Namsan.
Anyway, they both seemed happy, so that was fine.
They're such unpredictable kids that I just wanted to make sure the outdoor shoot went smoothly, that's all.
If the roommates I'd essentially left out in the open were safe, then I didn't need to concern myself further with the filming details.
…
I had another, more immediate problem to worry about.
"Ughk."
"Chunyong aniki, are you sick somewhere? I thought I heard the sound of someone dying."
"No, brat. I'm perfectly alive."
I quickly reassured Ryota, who looked dead serious like he'd been possessed by a K-drama male lead, and then pulled the blanket over myself.
Though, honestly, I did feel like dying.
Even looking after myself was a breathless struggle, and now I had to interfere with the debut of a big, troublesome puppy who'd become a new member.
Poof!
Sadly, there was only one guy who could understand how I felt and offer consultation.
- X: Ah, seriously, this is insane
- X: Runaway? A runaway teenager?? The young master from an elite British family ran away to Korea to become an idol because he didn't wanna go to college like his parents wanted?!
- X: Dude, if a novel did this ㅋ they'd get cursed out;;;
"I know, you punk…."
"No matter how I think about it, Chunyong hyung seems sick. He's even started talking to himself. Indeed, I kept noticing him going to the bathroom to throw up. Treatment is urgent."
"Gao Yan, I'm not sick! I just went to the bathroom because I had to go!"
"Hup. I didn't expect him to hear. We carry out Chunyong hyung's treatment plan in secret, Ryota."
"I can still hear you, you brat."
Cutting off Gao Yan's nonsense with a single stroke, I let out a deep sigh and focused on my chat with X.
- X: So what are you gonna do now? Shouldn't you look into another guy instead??
- X: I mean, the guy's singing and composing are insane;; but what right do you have to stop a runaway teenager from going home safely?
X was right.
I had virtually no way to stop an arrogant British runaway teenager from being safely returned home.
What could I, whose only accumulated record so far was a reputation as an evil member, possibly do?
As if mocking my situation, X's chat messages kept flooding in without pause.
- X: Hey, hey, I recommend turning your attention to a different trainee now, for real
- X: As much as I'm like a ♡fairy♡ helping you, I can't stop a runaway teen from going home ㅜㅜ
- X: I mean, you said earlier, can't you convince him with the [Come on, just listen (D)] skill you got as a reward for the sudden mission?
- X: But your skill level's too low right now, isn't it? You'd probably need it to be at EX to pull that off ㅠㅠ
- X: Or the other person's affection level would need to be higher, right? But considering who you need to convince, I dunno, pffahahaㅋㅋ
"Ugh…."
I just turned off the completely unhelpful chat window, shut my eyes tight, and rubbed my throbbing temple.
To face such a huge mountain after finally gaining the certainty that we absolutely had to debut together.
For this Arrowz group I was meant to atone with this time, Logan, who was not only a brilliant lyricist and composer but overflowing with star quality, was absolutely necessary.
Logan himself also wished, if possible, to stay in Korea, complete
But AG, having learned that Logan's trip to Korea was a runaway, wanted him to return home to prevent any potential incidents.
"Wait."
…
How do they even know?
As something struck my mind like a flash, I shot up from my spot and kicked the blanket away with my foot.
"Good heavens, Chunyong hyung seems to have recalled a deeply embarrassing past!"
"I said no, damn it!"
I hurled a pillow straight at Gao Yan's face and then stood there with my mouth agape in shock.
Right.
"Um, my parents are very busy traveling overseas for work. I lived alone with my grandmother. She was the one who helped me come to Korea."
Logan had said his parents were so busy circling the globe that he only saw them around New Year's. Because of that, his grandmother handled most of the school-related communications.
So if Logan's grandmother was keeping her mouth shut, that meant Logan's runaway was currently the perfect crime.
Then how the hell did they find out?
And for a prospect of Logan's caliber, it would be normal to try and find a way to hold onto him, not just send him back.
Just as the single hidden truth seemed almost within my grasp, drifting through the fog—
"Oh, when do we have to go film again? So busy, God."
Logan, who had just stepped out of the shower, water still dripping from his hair, cut off my thoughts completely. The idea that had been on the tip of my fingers vanished in a puff.
"…That's what I'm saying, brat!"
"Oops, ah, that hurts, Chunyong hyung!"
"Stop exaggerating."
I gave Logan's back another hearty smack as he made a fuss, and clicked my tongue.
Anyway, time wasn't going to wait for me.
Already, the third competition.
The performance right before Logan's departure was looming right in front of us.