The Malicious Member Returns! Episode 60
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While Kim Chun-yong was busily displaying his veteran malicious member prowess and working to revitalize Outgram, the fans were also busy for their own reasons.
[In the
[⎿ Vocal’s pride yeah right. The Jinuses’ sharing event gifts are just being passed around among themselves lol Show the lottery results, won’t you?]
[⎿ What?? How do you know that??]
[⎿ Because I’m one of the ones who passed it around lol Of course, I’ve switched to Logan now]
[⎿ This person really isn’t a Logan fan, don’t misunderstand. If you go into the Jinuses’ timeline, there’s nothing but Liu Wei’s Outgram photos]
Some were promoting their own trainees with last-minute spurts, while others were trying to tear down the competition. Among them, fans of trainees hovering on the delicate edge of the debut cutoff were at their absolute wits' end.
‘Uh, uh. Mihyeon. Just go to the link I sent you and click it, okay? Uh. Seong Won-hyeop! If Won-hyeop’s rank is good, I’ll really buy you a meal!’
‘What? Your sister already voted? For who! Ah, shit. Why did you vote for Gao Yan!!’
They spend money on lottery events, money on subway billboard ads, steal their parents’, siblings’, and friends’ phones, verify identities, and then vote. Some might ask why they go so far for mere trainees, but ‘the success of the one I’ve poured my affection into’ holds a special meaning for idol fandoms.
Singer and fan are one body and one heart. Not connected by blood, but a bond tied by the heart. Even watching from the moment of debut is overwhelming, so to share in the very process of debuting? Anyone who has ever liked an idol could never simply let that pass. That’s why idol survival programs like
And here, there is another person affected by that.
“Ah, aah. I’m dying, seriously….”
“Did you wake up? That vote encouragement post or whatever, you can stop writing it now, right?”
AG Trading Company, a well-known fan of Son Jae-ha with dark circles down to her chin, chugged back an energy drink and answered her roommate.
“Yeah. No, I have to work harder. Crazy. Ah, I’m glad I took the day off….”
“Huh? Why on earth did you take a day off?”
“Well… I have to check the trends at dawn and run more sharing events, and Jae-ha’s Outgram mission started this time, right? The live broadcast for that is this afternoon. There’s no way I can miss the first live.”
“Sorry, but I don’t understand a single word you’re saying.”
“You don’t have to. Anyway, from then on, I have to run the lottery event even more intensely. I’m fucked, seriously. I’m breaking my savings.”
“You really… ask for trouble, seriously.”
Her roommate looked at her with a pitiful expression but kneaded her shoulders nonetheless. After she had wholeheartedly inserted Son Jae-ha into the daily routine of commuting to and from work, AG Trading Company’s life had effectively spun 270 degrees. One might wonder what huge impact merely coming to like an idol trainee could have. But it was unequivocally different.
Doing lottery grinding and form olympics by mobilizing her roommate on SNS and WeTube just to get lottery tickets for audience recordings was the baseline. On top of that, for weekday recordings or special occasions like today, she even took vacation days.
“But on days you go to recordings, don’t you just see your idol and come back? Why do you struggle so much before and after?”
“Hey, then what about the work I had to do that day? I finish it with overtime the day before or the next. I’d rather die than hear that I can't do my job properly because of my idol.”
“Sigh… Then on days you work overtime, just sleep as soon as you get home. You’re always giggling while clutching your phone.”
“How can I sleep, how! When photos of Jae-ha I don’t know about are still being posted on Outgram, am I just supposed to sleep?”
“You’re crazy in love….”
At her roommate’s deflated remark, AG Trading Company clenched her fist tightly and wore a determined expression.
“I’m not crazy. Jae-ha became the driving force that makes me work.”
The desire to become a fan your idol wouldn’t be ashamed of was one of the primary wishes shared by countless fans.
“I’ll become a millionaire. I’ll definitely become a millionaire and buy 10 million copies of Jae-ha’s debut album to make him rank first in all-time domestic idol first-week sales.”
“No, if that’s the case, you’d need to be reborn. Forget it. Forget it. Just look at this for now.”
The roommate, who had been watching AG Trading Company with a soured expression, held out her phone with a blank face.
“Huh? What the hell is it to make you have that face—oh, what the fuck!”
“Hey, I woke you up as soon as the notification came. But you couldn’t get up….”
What made AG Trading Company let out a thunderous yell was the notification for Son Jae-ha’s Outgram live broadcast. Because it had been ambiguously announced as simply ‘this afternoon,’ Trading Company, drunk on the relaxation of a day off, had missed it.
“Crazy, crazy crazy! It’s already been going for 30 minutes!”
As she frantically clicked into the live broadcast, the screen filled with Son Jae-ha’s handsome face.
- “Ah, they said you can’t do it for too long… so I think I have to turn it off now. I’m sorry.”
“Is this seriously insane? I missed a face this stunning? You crazy, sleep is the enemy! Are you crazy! Why didn’t you wake me up more!”
“I, I’m going in….”
At the sight of AG Trading Company on the verge of bursting into tears, the roommate cautiously slipped away into her own room. That aside, AG Trading Company was busy repeatedly recording and screenshotting, capturing the images of Son Jae-ha saying his goodbyes.
- “The other friends will continue broadcasting, so please watch over them. Thank you so much for today. See you again!”
By the time Son Jae-ha smiled shyly and ended the live, the concurrent viewer count had already soared well beyond 30,000.
“Ah, Jae-ha is seriously the best… Please, someone please have clipped it. Please!”
After rapidly sending a prayer to a distant benefactor, AG Trading Company immediately checked the live viewer trends and SNS reactions of other trainees.
[Hwaseong.zip @mars_zip2X0724 #JiHwaseong #Hwaseong #HwaseongLive (photo)(photo) Hwaseong who just freshly dyed his hair♡ Voted #1 on Posb as the guy who suits blond hair best! His mid-rank will be #1 soon too!]
[⎿(Account blocked by the poster) 20,000 viewers? Son Jae-ha is at 30,000 right now lol Mid-rank #1 is ridiculous~ Even #2 would be undeserved ㅠㅠ]
[Siwoo-hada singsingull_ll11 To one person who likes Siwoo’s Outgram post + verifies their mid-rank vote, we’ll send a dessert set via lottery♡]
[Ilikebritishman @logaaaanUKUK (video) Roholy, this man appeared with a guitar from his very first live broadcast… Seriously, you are my holy ㅁㅊ Right now, he’s also running stably in a holy safe zone (๑◔‿◔๑)]
[AddmoreofMinho @mimino00 (photo) Minho’s first post reached 5,000 likes♡ His vote is also at #12! Starting is always half the battle!]
[⎿ That’s not helpful, get lost ㅁㅊ]
With
“Either way, Jae-ha is still overwhelming… Oh, no he’s not. Ugh.”
Having become one of the public, AG Trading Company scrolled down her phone screen and held her forehead at an SNS post.
[Iaminlovewithachineseman… @alwaysliuuway Our LiuLiu♡ His Outgram post likes rank is♡ 3rd♡ But♡ his current mid-rank vote is♡ 4th ㅠㅠ♡ To see the face LiuLiu likes♡ Let’s all cheer up together♡]
“Spamming hearts like that is seriously insane… No, but wait, Liu Wei is 4th in the mid-rank? Wasn’t he originally 3rd?”
As she hurriedly entered the official voting site, the stark UI revealed the trainees’ rankings.
“Huh? Uh? … Wait, awesome!”
Apart from the shout, her hands were already rapidly typing into the direct message window.
[AG Trading Company: Awesome, Neulbom-nim]
[AG Trading Company: Chun-yong is 6th right now?? When I last saw it, he was 7th!!]
How did Kim Chun-yong, who had been barely teetering outside the debut cutoff, end up at 6th? There were quite a few factors behind that. The meme ‘How can an idol trainee be named Kim Chun-yong lol’ had spread among idol fans through word of mouth. Additionally, his position as the ‘eyepatch guy’ in the ‘Us Beyond That Wave’ stage from episodes 3 and 4 of
And, more than anything else….
[Neulbom Mir is typing….]
[Neulbom Mir: It seems like]
[Neulbom Mir: My overtime work managed to pull it off, Trading Company-nim….]
Neulbom Mir’s filming of the ‘Fulfilling Global Trainees’ Bucket List’ mission, which she had boldly gone out to shoot despite her overtime work. Now, right before the mid-rank evaluation when proper virality was needed, the video she posted was shining brilliantly.
Unlike other trainees’ mission videos that could only be viewed after paying for WeTube Blue due to the production crew’s scheme, the video of Kim Chun-yong that Neulbom Mir had personally filmed and posted could be watched indefinitely just by visiting her channel.
[That guy’s a trainee?]
[⎿ Also check out other dance videos of trainee Kim Chun-yong, who was even respected by dancer Jin Da-sol♡ (link)]
[⎿⎿No, you’re even advertising for him… Well, thanks anyway. He looks a bit scary, but he dances well and is good-looking]
[What’s this? Just a week ago this video only had modest views, why did it suddenly hit Hot Clips?]
[⎿ A trainee receiving the algorithm’s blessing ㄷㄷ]
[⎿⎿ Seems like fans of other trainees heard the rumor and came hoping to see their own fave’s face lol Yeah, in your dreams? Only Logan and Seong Won-hyeop are here, right?]
The
“Wow, seriously awesome. It actually worked.”
While Trading Company let out genuine admiration while reading the comments under the video, Neulbom Mir, unable to contain her overflowing emotions, was firing off messages as if the DM window would burst.
[Neulbom Mir: Ah, I really wondered if this would work ㅜㅜ]
[Neulbom Mir: The timing was really good]
[Neulbom Mir: Right when!! Chun-yong mentioned that filming in his post and]
[Neulbom Mir: The dancer he danced with also said they referenced my video to dance (cry) (cry)]
On top of that, aside from Kim Chun-yong’s own video mention, there was even supporting fire from an unexpected person, Choi Geon-yeong.
Contrary to Kim Chun-yong’s current situation becoming quite complicated, preparations for the mid-rank announcement were proceeding smoothly.
However. It was impossible to ignore that the situation was complicated. Just as Neulbom Mir and Trading Company were rejoicing that their trainee was drawing closer to debut, two men were conversing in an office at AG Entertainment.
“That bastard’s rank suddenly rose. And mine fell.”
Even at Liu Wei’s abrupt visit, Shin Gi-ho didn’t bat an eyelid, sneering and waving his hand dismissively.
“I wondered why you suddenly came all the way to the company. That happened because you lost the previous stage. It’ll be recovered soon.”
“No, it won’t recover. And this situation happened because you ignored my words.”
Liu Wei panted and glared at Shin Gi-ho. On his always expressionless, sharply defined features, displeasure was evident.
“Since then, I’ve provided you with all the necessary information. Trainees who aren’t on good terms with that guy, and even the results of background checks on other matters―.”
Bang!
“Shut up.”
Shin Gi-ho, who couldn’t hold back and slammed the desk, had both eyes bloodshot red.
“You know very well I haven’t been sitting on my hands either. Do you think you’re the only one annoyed by that guy? Don’t be insolent.”
“… As far as I know, there are more than a couple of articles you could release right now.”
At Liu Wei’s irritation, Shin Gi-ho frowned and let out a hollow laugh. Now that even the perfect plan to get rid of Logan had crumbled. Even proceeding cautiously wasn’t achieving half the goal, and now he wants to spread rumors that only cheap wrecker sites would enjoy?
“Fine, let’s ruin that guy. Let’s send him off completely. But with what? How exactly do you intend to send him? When all the information you provided to me was useless?”
He obsessively clicked the gun-shaped lighter resting on his desk and continued.
“Discord with fellow trainees. The picture is nice. But it was one-sided jealousy. Lack of diligence on the program? That, Liu Wei, you were worse. Dating rumors. People these days are experts at spotting composites. Fakes won’t work.”
Even if you attack Kim Chun-yong without any source, Kim Chun-yong, who is gaining the favor of Joo Cheol-yeong, will provide a flawless explanation that anyone can see on the broadcast. Ahead of the mid-rank announcement, that would merely serve as a pretext to further elevate Kim Chun-yong’s popularity.
“The reason I emphasize a just cause isn’t because I’m exceedingly moral. It’s because it’s clean. And it’s only natural that it takes some time to do that kind of work, you little shit. So, go and focus on your own filming. Don’t come whining into a place where adults are working.”
With that scathing eviction notice, shadows fell over Liu Wei’s face. There was no fallacy in Shin Gi-ho’s words. His logic was perfect. But.
“… I can’t just wait idly like you.”
Even though he shared the same interests with him, to Liu Wei, a direct party in this matter, it merely sounded like a poor excuse.
“Liu Wei. What did you just say? Where do you think you’re―.”
Whether Shin Gi-ho was cursing at him from behind or not, Liu Wei stepped out the door and slowly took out the phone from his pocket.
There were 4 days left until the mid-rank announcement filming. Outgram mission, live broadcast. Filming, voting. Issues, controversies.
[需要帮助 (I hope you can help.)]
It was the moment the power struggles of the higher-ups trickled down into a clash between Liu Wei and Kim Chun-yong.