The Evil Member Has Returned! Chapter 47
* * *
A week had passed since the position competition teams were announced, and the trainees had begun their intense practice.
The hottest topic of conversation among the trainees was none other than the broadcast of
The main content was a summary of the stage video for the original song ‘Aiming’ from Episode 2, the cops and robbers game, and what happened within each team as they prepared for the second competition.
The ‘Us Beyond That Wave’ team, who had gathered together in Screening Room 2 to watch Episode 3, began adding their own words to the discussion as well.
“We looked a little… pitiful. Haha!”
And just as Yuchan hyung said, our appearance on the show was beyond words.
- “I felt so, so terrible… Uwaaah!”
There was Ryota, unable to overcome the pressure of drawing a song by the great senior Min Siyeong, doing a *dogeza* in the middle of his individual interview.
- “…….”
Dang.
In.
The flesh! Trainee Kim Chunyong frozen solid....>
My own image, freezing mid-motion with a chocolate bar in my mouth the moment Ryota tremblingly said he’d drawn Min Siyeong sunbae’s song.
- “Flummoxed? I guess I’d call it flummoxed. It feels more like meeting a professor who assigns an impossible task due in a week, though…”
Even Yuchan hyung’s spot-on analogy that any college student could relate to.
[lol wtf this is the first time i've ever seen a japanese person actually do a dogeza;;]
[no but how is an idol trainee named kim chunyoung
[Lady Swan looks tough too but looking at this side makes them seem like nothing in comparison...]
I swiftly shoved the phone I’d been secretly checking for internet reactions into my pocket and spoke in a syrupy tone.
“Haha… But we ended up doing well in the performance, didn't we? Once Episode 4 airs next week, um. I think it’ll be fine.”
And then.
“…That’s right. Be-because the hyungs did well on stage…”
The first to respond to my soothing words was Siu, who had been watching Episode 3 silently with his knees hugged.
This was unexpected too.
- “…….”
In Episode 3, since it was before the meeting with Min Siyeong sunbae, Siu’s unfocused and distracted state during practice was highlighted.
And naturally, that was perfect fodder for netizens to chatter about.
[Jang Siu, does he even want to debut? Why’s he being a nuisance??]
[⎿It’s probably build-up for Episode 4 ; mind your own fave, Yuchan mom]
[⎿Yuchan mom lol yeah~ that’s why your Jang Siu keeps getting called worse than his hyung ㅋㅋ]
[They hyped him up like crazy as AG pureblood, but he’s just as meh. What’s wrong with people’s eyes...]
[ah ffs, try getting stuck with a Min Siyeong song yourself~ think you’d practice just fine?~ ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Siu-hada @singsingull_ll11 It hasn’t aired Episode 4 yet, so I wish people wouldn’t jump to conclusions. Siu must have had his reasons, and it’s not a good look to say harsh things about a 17-year-old trainee.]
[⎿Yeah right, Siu fan ㅋㅋ why are their defense repertoires always so outdated?? try evolving a little ㅠ]
“I-I’m going to the restroom for a moment…”
Siu, who had come back with puffy eyelids after secretly checking his phone like I did and retreating to the restroom, actually had a face that seemed even more resolved.
“…Once Episode 4 airs. Everyone's opinions will change.”
I clicked my tongue lightly as I looked at our youngest’s face.
Anyway, Siu had agreed to appear on
Seeming to think the same, Yuchan hyung raised an eyebrow and patted Siu’s slender shoulder, adding his support.
“That’s right. Our performance was first place, wasn’t it? Chunyong’s choreography was great, and Siu’s stage composition was good too! No need to sweat the small stuff.”
“Waaah, but I didn’t do anything!”
“Ryota’s just nice! And I did nothing except sing, right?”
“Main vocalist Yuchan hyung is killing me twice overrr!”
“Haha…”
As the atmosphere in the screening room turned warm again, we began chatting about how things were going while snacking on the sponsored treats the writer had put in for us earlier.
“Chunyong, Ryota, how’s the dance position practice going?”
“Ah, well…”
“Needless to say. Chunyong aniki and Liu Wei are completely dominating! I’m just a backup dancer, a backup dancer.”
At Ryota’s exaggeration, I gave an awkward smile.
It wasn't entirely untrue, after all.
“Trainee Kim, Chunyong… you’re doing well today too. Do you still, not want to be an idol…?”
“Ahaha! Thank you, Dasol mentor-nim!”
“…What a shame, anyway… Trainee Liu Wei… too. Just your facial expressions, a bit more…”
“谢谢 (Thank you).”
In our dance position, it was me, Liu Wei, Ryota. Plus Lee Chaehyeok, Han Sangwoo, and Tsubasa who had been chosen. Standing out among them wasn’t some grand feat.
Since I was someone who had already gone through this once before.
If I couldn’t do well, that would have been a bigger mental blow, really.
Besides.
[Status Window
Name: Kim Chunyong (Survival Program Trainee)
Vocals: 55 (Idol vocal)
Rap: 63 (Idol sub-rapper)
Dance: 84 (Idol main dancer)
Appearance: 78 (80) (Handsome idol)
Charm: 76 (Charming idol)
Skills: Idol’s Aura (C)
Overwhelm the opponent with dance (C)
Determination of a B (F)
Still, you like me, right? (F)
Don’t cry, be strong (D)
No, but listen (D)…]
My stats, which had grown steadily without me noticing, had mostly returned to their original levels. The ‘Idol’s Aura’ skill had even gone up a rank, so it was a pretty decent state to be in.
Because of that, what concerned me more wasn’t the completeness of the dance, but things like Liu Wei’s gaze fixed coldly on me.
Even after watching him for years, the two people whose thoughts I could never grasp were Jaeha hyung and Liu Wei.
‘…….’
As I recalled Liu Wei’s emotionless face, I naturally chose to steer the topic elsewhere.
“Siu and Yuchan hyung are both in the vocal position together, right? Is that correct?”
“Ah, yess… We’re practicing a song by Serenia sunbae-nims.”
“Siu and Yuchan hyung both have high vocal ranges, so I think it’ll suit the song well.”
“Yeah, that part is definitely easier. Jaeha is doing incredibly well too... We truly don’t know who will end up performing on the music show.”
And as soon as I steered the topic away.
“Ah, but I’m a bit puzzled. It’s a little strange that Logan isn’t on the vocal position. Right?”
Yuchan hyung, who had been rubbing his chin seemingly deep in thought, suddenly hit the nail on the head.
“…Yeah. That’s right. Yes. I honestly thought he’d definitely be vocal.”
“Exactly. Chaehyeok from our team would have suited going to rap better instead. It’s a bit odd.”
As I had expected, just like before, Logan was assigned to the rap position. Using the same excuse the production team had used previously, that they ‘assigned positions that seemed most fitting based on netizen research’.
This confirmed my suspicion that Managing Director Shin was directly interfering with the show.
“Um… So it means I suit Rap.”
The face of Logan, now attempting a field he’d never considered in a competition that might be his final
“I’ll work hard. It’s hard to know when I’d get this kind of experience again.”
He remained composed nonetheless.
Liu Wei, doing what he does best. Logan, doing something he’s never done.
And me, stuck strangely in the middle, being checked by Liu Wei.
I couldn’t help but consider all the various conditions.
And even the method I had in mind.
“Ah, I was….”
Just as my thoughts grew long and I almost inadvertently blurted out what was on my mind,
Knock knock—
“Trainee Kim Chunyong?”
The main writer poked her head through the door of our screening room.
With a tired face, she glanced at the other trainees, then gestured to me and said in a low voice,
“Come down to the office for a moment. I have something to discuss regarding filming.”
“Huh? Just Chunyong all of a sudden? What’s this about?”
Receiving the gazes directed at me, I slowly rose from my seat.
“Ah, there’s something I mentioned before. It’s nothing, I’ll be back quickly. If it gets too late, head in first!”
It was because I had a hunch about why the main writer was calling me.
* * *
“Once the conversation is over, head straight back to the dorms. Understood? Don’t go back to the screening room.”
Inside the office I entered under Lee Hyeonjeong’s guidance, sat the person Kim Chunyong had been thinking of.
“Oh, Rex! No, Trainee Kim Chunyong. Is that right?”
“Ah, hello. Sajang-nim.”
…
President Do Jaechan.
Kim Chunyong quickly organized what he wanted to say in his head as he slowly took a seat.
Their gazes briefly met, and the first to speak was…
“So, the reason I requested this meeting is…”
“The reason I called Trainee Kim Chunyong here is…”
Both of them.
‘…The president called me?’
Slightly flustered by the unexpected situation, Kim Chunyong rolled his eyes as he thought.
“Um, I wanted to have a meeting with the president regarding my stage name. Would that be possible?”
When he had requested the meeting from Lee Hyeonjeong, Kim Chunyong’s thinking had been this:
Since he had appeared on the show using his real name instead of the stage name ‘Rex’ that President Do Jaechan had personally given him, he would use that as an excuse to create a private meeting.
And in that process, he would naturally bring up the topic of Logan, his roommate.
‘Of course, there’s a chance it could look too political. And we’ve clashed so much since my troublemaking days that I did hesitate...’
“Uh… Trainee Kim Chunyong? What did you say?”
As a slightly awkward silence began to stretch, Kim Chunyong quickly waved his hands.
“Please, you speak first. I’m sorry. I, um, had asked the production staff to request a meeting with you, sajang-nim. So I just assumed that’s why you called for me…”
“Ah! No, it’s not. Wait, you requested a meeting with me? With me? Huh, I hadn’t heard about that. Well, anyway.”
Scratching his cheek, Do Jaechan soon looked Kim Chunyong over and chose his words.
“Trainee Kim Chunyong. The reason I called you here like this is that I have a few things I wanted to ask about a certain trainee. I also heard you especially take good care of the global trainees who are your roommates.”
Do Jaechan nodded as he held out a few documents he had been keeping.
“There are no cameras here, and this conversation will stay just between the two of us, so I hope you won’t worry.”
Staring at the documents in confusion, Kim Chunyong instantly controlled his expression and looked Do Jaechan straight in the eye.
The photo embedded in the documents was of the person Kim Chunyong had been, just days ago.
No.
Just moments before, agonized over how to bring up in conversation.
“…Logan?”
“Indeed.”
Do Jaechan rubbed his rough hands together a few times, his eyes gleaming.
He, too, had his reasons for coming all the way to the trainee canning facility located on the outskirts of Seoul at this late hour.
- I wonder if President Do knows that Logan Lee, whom he’s been so fond of lately, is thinking of leaving the show?
“…PD Ju. What did you say?”
An agitated phone call from PD Ju Cheolyeong, who had no more intention of groveling to Managing Director Shin Giho.
- Managing Director Shin is aware. He plans to drop him personally. It’s unfortunate you didn’t know. Well, though Managing Director Shin oversees the entire survival show…
It’s strange you, the president, didn’t know, isn’t it?
It wasn’t as if PD Ju Cheolyeong had particularly good feelings toward President Do Jaechan.
President Do Jaechan was also one of the AG figures hell-bent on debuting Korean AG pureblood trainees, who constantly pressured the production team.
However.
Wasn’t it said the enemy of my enemy is my friend?
Moreover, it was an undeniable fact that Do Jaechan had been subtly showing affection toward Logan, who had flawlessly covered Lady Swan’s ‘Calendar’.
‘Does Shin Giho think August belongs to him just because I couldn't properly create one idol group?’
Do Jaechan had no intention of staying still either, having learned that Managing Director Shin had already prepared Logan’s withdrawal notice, planning to inform him with words like ‘due to the trainee’s personal circumstances’ only afterward.
Grinding his teeth, Do Jaechan calmly repeated his sentence to Kim Chunyong.
“It would be helpful if you could let me know if you’ve heard any family stories or personal difficulties from Trainee Logan. Since it puts me in a difficult position if I’m unaware of such things.”
The documents placed before his eyes, Do Jaechan’s unusual reaction, and the specific mention of ‘family stories’.
With his years in the entertainment industry granting him sharp intuition, Kim Chunyong could grasp how the situation was unfolding from these hints.
‘They’ve started to oppose each other now. Without me having to take the risk.’…
This made things much easier.
“His family matters are a bit difficult for me to talk about. But I could… tell you something else.”
“Take your time and tell me everything, Trainee Kim Chunyong.”
I came prepared to stay up all night, after all.
The snowball Kim Chunyong set in motion.
Began piling up snow in his own eyes as well.