The Evil Member Has Returned! Episode 5
“Hey, you’re Kim Chunyong. Why aren’t you answering? This bastard’s got no manners, then and now.”
The brat who spoke so rudely—Kim Juan—was a former agency trainee teammate who had been cut from the debut team before me and transferred to AG.
The peculiar thing was, for some reason, he just didn’t like me.
Our positions didn’t overlap, and I’d never done anything to him.
The only point of contact we had was the fact that we were the same age.
“…
What kind of way is that for an aspiring idol to speak?”
“Urk.”
When I pointed out this utterly common-sense matter, the innocent-faced brat flinched hard.
He really was a kid.
His words were rough, but it didn’t feel like outright malice—more like the usual posturing and power struggles you see among teenagers.
Kim Juan pressed close to me, seething.
“Shut up. Why did you come all the way here to mess with me, you crazy bastard? This isn’t even your agency.”
I rubbed my face with both hands and answered in a deflated voice.
“Hey, I got cut from the Queens debut team too.”
“What?”
“I said I got cut from the debut team. That’s why I signed a provisional contract with August and I’m going on a debut survival show. Happy now?”
“…
Don’t lie. You followed me on purpose, didn’t you? To piss me off?”
“Ugh….”
Fine. If that makes you feel better, think whatever you want.
I ignored Kim Juan and entered the building first. Just like at our old agency, Kim Juan trailed behind me, spouting all sorts of nonsense.
“Why are you going on a survival show? Who are you trying to mess with this time? Ah, it’ll be me again. Since we both got cut from the debut team, you’re probably just trying to act all high and mighty by yourself. Am I wrong?”
Had I ever really flaunted myself in front of others like that?
No matter how hard I thought about it, I had absolutely no memory of doing so.
“…….”
“When someone’s talking to you, at least listen, you son of a bitch.”
It was only after we got into the same elevator and no one else was around that I finally spoke.
“If you keep calling people this and that and bastard to just anyone, you’re going to get into serious trouble. Fix it sooner rather than later.”
Kim Juan frowned as if he had no idea what I was talking about.
He wouldn’t know. Fine, he wouldn’t.
Because that was something that would happen much later.
Despite his cute and adorable appearance, Kim Juan had a foul mouth, and after barely debuting, just as his career was taking off, a controversy over his abusive behavior would erupt.
“How am I supposed to wear this crap? Noona, are you out of your mind? Anyone can see this is hideous!”
When a video was exposed of him throwing the clothes a stylist had brought and yelling while pointing fingers, there was no way to make excuses.
Especially since Kim Juan had crafted an image of a kind, naive young prince, the backlash was immense.
He got cursed out as much as I did, and I was infamous as the century’s worst evil member, so that’s saying something.
I vividly remember the yellow journalists who used to hound me all swarming to Kim Juan at that time.
After that, Kim Juan’s appearances in the broadcasting world noticeably dwindled.
At least, until I came back.
We couldn’t exactly say we were on good terms, but still, out of some sense of camaraderie from training together and struggling through month-end evaluations, I’d given him a heads-up.
“Acting all superior again, fuck. I really can’t stand that attitude of yours.”
I guess it was useless.
“Sure, whatever.”
“Fuck, there you go again! Kim Chunyong, you bastard with the hick name—.”
Ignoring Kim Juan, who was spitting out the reasons he hated me like a rap, I opened the door to the assigned seminar room.
Whether he fixed his habit early or ruined his entertainment career again because he couldn’t, it wasn’t really my concern.
After all, Kim Juan wasn’t going to be a fellow member of Arrows with me, debuting through 《Targeting Star》.
As Kim Juan and I entered the seminar room, a few other trainees were already there, seated.
Meaning, the trainees who would be on 《Targeting Star》 with us.
Among them were hyungs and dongsaengs I had debuted with before.
I consciously tried not to register the members as I looked for a seat.
I felt too guilty to bring myself to approach them.
“Wow, hyung. Hello. Have you been well? It’s been a week, right?”
Before even finding his seat, Kim Juan scurried over and greeted the person at the very front.
He’d barely moved agencies, yet he was already calling him hyung after only having seen him a handful of times.
But when I saw the face of the person Kim Juan greeted, I immediately understood why he was pretending to be so friendly.
“Ah, so you’re….”
A gentle smile that matched his softly flowing thin black hair. Features that literally sparkled, making anyone who saw him turn their heads.
A tender gaze that seemed to drip honey even when he stood still. Proven skills that were above average in every way.
Son Jaeha, one of AG Entertainment’s longest-standing trainees.
“You’re Chunyong?”
“You’re Juan, right?”…
Our leader hyung.
Jaeha hyung beamed warmly and welcomed Kim Juan, who he’d known for less than a month.
“Hey. You’re here?”
“Yeah. It’s so hot outside, isn’t it, hyung? Wasn’t it hot on your way here?”
“Ah, I came early in the morning and stayed in the practice room before coming up. I didn’t realize it was that hot outside. Want to drink my juice?”
“Oh, is that really okay?”
Kim Juan looked ready to shed tears at Jaeha hyung’s kindness.
Well, Jaeha hyung was an incredibly good person to begin with, so that kindness probably didn’t mean anything else. He was offering it because he really was worried about the heat.
But Kim Juan wouldn’t see it that way.
“Thank you, hyung. I really feel like I’m adapting to the agency quickly thanks to you.”
“Huh? Thanks to me?”
“Yes, because you’ve been so nice to me….”
Look at that nauseating look in his eyes.
He already thinks there are cameras in this seminar room and is trying to craft his image.
He did it last time, and he’s doing it again.
There aren’t any cameras yet. No matter how vicious broadcasting stations are these days, they at least let you know whether cameras are present or not.
Who in their right mind would turn on a camera without warning, not knowing what might get filmed?
Later on, they do install cameras as they please, but, well. That’s a matter for later.
“Kim Juan hyung, you don’t need to act like that since there aren’t any cameras yet.”
And then, as if in response to my thoughts, a cold voice toward Kim Juan rang out.
It came from the seat right next to Jaeha hyung.
“…
Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?”
At this clear attack aimed at him, Kim Juan barely managed a smile as he spoke.
A guy with bright yellow bleached hair, pale skin, and a tall stature grinned broadly and said once more.
“I said there’s no need for image-making yet. Why bother already, so annoying?”
“I don’t get what you’re saying. Um. Your name is….”
“It’s Ji Hwaseong. Ji Hwaseong. You memorized Jaeha hyung’s name so fast, but you couldn’t even remember mine?”
Ji Hwaseong was another one of AG’s long-standing trainees, alongside Jaeha hyung.
“Haha, this is really funny. Why don’t you know me? Is your memory that bad?”
And he was one of the few hellish mouths who could land a hit on the two-faced Kim Juan.
Also… a member who debuted with me in Arrows through 《Targeting Star》.
“Hyung. Please stop drinking so much. It drives me insane seeing you like that. Is this an idol or a liquor bottle? You stink.”
I’d heard more than a few of his razor-sharp remarks while living as a member with him.
Well, of course, I deserved even harsher words.
“Uh….”
Anyway, maybe flustered by Ji Hwaseong’s merciless attack, Kim Juan stammered, glancing back and forth between Jaeha hyung and Ji Hwaseong.
“We, we just didn’t run into each other much.”
“Huh? That’s not true, though. I was always next to you every time you met Jaeha hyung. Was I just invisible to you, hyung? That’s weird, since I’m tall, I should be easy to spot.”
“Ah, no… that’s not it, Hwaseong.”
“Huh? Are we close? Since when do you call me Hwaseong? You didn’t even know my name a moment ago.”
Even though he was sitting a bit far from me, I could see Kim Juan’s fists tremble. That sight, somehow even pitiful, was… how should I put it.
A bit dumbfounding, I guess.
Why did that guy, who couldn’t say a word when getting fact-checked and slapped down by a dongsaeng a year younger than him, keep coming at me so fearlessly?
“…
Pfft.”
Ah, that wasn’t my laugh. It was the laughter of another trainee sitting in front of me.
“…
Kim Chunyong. You.”
However, Kim Juan seemed to think that sound was my laugh.
I pretended not to notice Kim Juan’s hate-filled gaze. Even if we were the same age, it wasn’t worth getting worked up one by one over a kid whose mental age was eight years younger than mine.
Even without him, there would be plenty to get worked up about ahead.
“What, you’re all already chummy?”
At that moment, as if on cue, someone pushed open the seminar room door with a light step at exactly the right time.
Sharp, shining eyes under round glasses, a square jaw.
“…
Ah.”
I let out a small sigh at that familiar face.
Ju Cheolyeong, the main PD of 《Targeting Star》.
Already the Midas touch of the idol survival world, having successfully produced shows like 《Dive Little Star》 and 《Ready for Idol》.
“What’s the fun if you’re entertaining yourselves? Then I don’t get to enjoy anything.”…
A man with no blood or tears!
Just thinking about all the suffering he put me through made my hands tremble.
I had to tense my thighs so I wouldn’t accidentally trip PD Ju if he passed by.
“You’ve got to do everything with the camera on, kids. You said you’re going to be idols, right? That’s why you’re going on a survival show, isn’t it? To get your faces out there.”
Completely unaware of how much my insides were churning, PD Ju strolled calmly to the front of the seminar room, cackling. Behind him, a youngest writer with heavy dark circles and a gloomy expression was frantically chasing after him.
“Gasp, P-PD Ju. What are you saying to the kids….”
Despite the youngest writer’s dissuasion, PD Ju was relentless.
“What, what’s the issue? Did I say something wrong? Hajun. The kids need to know everything for the broadcast to turn out great. They’re all about to debut, so what’s the harm in knowing a little?”
He handed out the paper and pens he had brought with him to the trainees and said genially.
“I’ll just proceed with the ones who came early. First, before the pre-interviews, you’ll all write a pledge. As you’ll see when you read it, it pretty much says you’ll take full responsibility for your own past.”
“…….”
“You’ll know what I mean, right? If you didn’t, you wouldn’t have made it here.”
As Ju Cheolyeong said, there was no one who didn’t know what he was talking about.
The kinds of pasts that young men, fresh out of or still in school, just starting out in society, might have. For example.
School violence.
Well, even if not that, something that would surely become a disadvantage once they debuted.
“Some of you might have things you feel guilty about, some might not. There might be guys who think, ‘There’s no way this will get out.’ But you know what? I don’t care at all.”
PD Ju smirked.
“The incidents you caused in the past. All of that is just ratings to me.”
Yeah. That’s exactly the kind of person he was, which was why I had it so rough.
A man who would do anything for ratings.
He was the one who ran a special feature on my evil member behavior on another entertainment news program he was in charge of.
He probably aired a moment of me frowning briefly at a stage light under a title like ‘Idol Who Hates Fans.’
I gritted my teeth and glared at PD Ju, just enough not to be noticeable. Oblivious to my stare, PD Ju, all hyped up, prattled on with that flippant mouth of his.
“If someone gets kicked out that way, that’s even better for me. It’ll be a hot topic. They’ll have to write an apology saying, ‘Sorry for not telling you in advance,’ but what’s the big deal? That’ll get ten thousand more people watching my show.”
PD Ju flicked the hair falling over his forehead back with a whoosh and continued.
“Don’t you want to get some buzz too, being on the same program as those guys? With a clean, innocent trainee image, you could even get more viewer votes. It’s a win-win for everyone, that’s what I’m saying.”
The seminar room was as silent as a mouse’s grave.
Words that declared he would thoroughly use us for broadcast material.
It was cruel for these young trainees, who had been in a garden dreaming of debuting through this survival show, to hear.
Of course, I wasn't one of them. If you lined up all the hate comments I got for acting like a toxic member, they'd wrap around the Earth twice—so that level of harsh talk was nothing to me.
So, naturally, it fell to me to break the silence first.
"Um, PD-nim."
"Hm?"
When I raised my hand and spoke, Head PD Ju raised his eyebrows as if surprised.
"Why? You want to quit already?"
"No, that's not it... Once we're done with all this, can we just do the interview right away?"
At my bold words, Head PD Ju adjusted his glasses, looking dumbfounded.
"...
Well, aren't you something. You already signed it? Did you even read through this? The issues related to the penalty fees are quite—"
I quickly cut Head PD Ju off.
"If I didn't do anything wrong, there's no need to read it all, right?"
In the past, hearing those words had made me worry whether I might've actually done something wrong, and I'd stayed behind in this seminar room for a long time. And that only resulted in taking away practice time.
I can't let that happen this time.
Of course, you might ask what time there is to waste on an interview that only takes exactly one minute.
"Can't I just get my interview done quickly first?"
To become the greatest K-pop idol in history, every single minute and second of practice time was precious.
And while Head PD Ju's words were sharp, the clear fact was: if you haven't done anything wrong, there's nothing to be afraid of.
My school days were spotless. School, practice, home, school, practice, home. I didn't even have friends at school.
The worst thing I'd done as a deviation was skip practice once and sneak off to a PC bang to play a game?
And every kid here was going to be the same. Because among the ones who appeared on
"......"
Head PD Ju, who had been staring intently at me after my words, nudged the youngest writer and said.
"Hajun-ah. Send me the kids who've signed the pledge in order. And the trainee friend who just raised a hand there?"
Head PD Ju's eyes glinted.
"Alright. You'll be interviewed first. Follow me out."
I followed Head PD Ju out and was soon moved to the office next to the seminar room.
It didn't feel real until I spotted the cameraman standing in front of the fixed camera, the main writer, and the logo stylishly written as
I really came back to do the debut survival again...
I really came back to debut as Arrows again.
Ignoring my surge of emotion, Head PD Ju, who had been rubbing his hands together while checking my personal details, snapped his fingers to get my attention.
"So... your stage name is Rex? It says Rex here on your personal info. Is that right?"
"Ah, it's Kim Chunyong. Please use Chunyong for the broadcast, too."
The previous Rex trash and I are different people. So this time, I'm not going to use a name that doesn't suit me, like Rex.
What even is Rex, really.
I don't even have a dinosaur-like face.
Hearing me, Head PD Ju rolled his eyes and scratched his cheek.
"...
Are you sure you'll be okay going out with that name? This stage name, wasn't it decided after talking with the CEO-nim?"
"It's fine. I'll explain to him later, so please just put it down as Chunyong."
After locking eyes with me for a long moment, Head PD Ju eventually nodded.
"Well, let's go with that, then. Kim Chunyong, Chunyong. The name's a bit old-fash— ahem... unique, so it'll probably go viral too."
Head PD Ju tapped the camera next to him and said.
"This is a one-minute preliminary interview, so it won't go out on the broadcast. It's just a kind of camera test. After I clap, just give a short self-introduction and tell us your aspirations for the show. Understood?"
"Yep."
Half of what Head PD Ju said is true and half is a lie.
It just doesn't air on the broadcast. This preliminary interview goes up on the official
And practically without any editing.
"Alright, then one, two—"
Clap!
"Hello, viewers of
I'd been to the salon since dawn because of this, damn Head PD Ju.