The Malicious Member Has Returned! Episode 71
The news that Yeonwoo hyung had given gifts to the trainees spread through articles even before the
[Why Did Jeong Yeonwoo Take Over the Outgram Feeds of All the Trainees of Idol Survival Program
[The Reason Jeong Yeonwoo Swiped 4 Million Won at an Electronics Store in One Go_jpg]
[SLEDIX's Yeonwoo Gives Splendid Gifts to All
Of course, he gifted the latest smart watches to the members of his own song, "Groggy."
He even gifted expensive fitness bands to trainees from other teams, so articles were bound to come out no matter how hard one tried to stop them.
Yeonwoo hyung's face, smiling broadly as he handed out gifts to each and every trainee, was still vivid in my mind.
"It's nothing much, so don't feel burdened and just take it."
"Th-thank you!"
"What thanks? You just have to wear it well."
Giving gifts only to his own team members would look bad, so he made sure to give something to the other trainees as well.
That alone was enough to manage his image, but the extraordinariness of a man named Jeong Yeonwoo didn't end there.
More importantly, all those electronic devices were products from the company Yeonwoo hyung was currently working for as an advertising model.
The trainees had no reason not to wear something given to them by a great senior, and from the company's standpoint, they were endlessly grateful that their advertising model promoted their products in such a natural way.
They might rack their brains over the indirect advertising issue... but that's something the
"...Tch."
I clicked my tongue lightly as I looked at the silver metal smart watch sitting on my wrist.
No wonder he called himself smart.
Beep! [Message Arrived! Sender – Jeong Yeonwoo]
As if he knew I was thinking about him?
Looking at the sender displayed on my smart watch screen, I made a disgusted face without realizing it.
I had accepted it without a second thought because it was the same model as everyone else's.
Who would've known that Yeonwoo hyung's contact info would be inside.
So that's why all the internal settings were already organized.
Since taking this off during the broadcast ahead could get me tangled in some kind of scandal, this was surely calculated too.
"You're clever even about unnecessary things...."
"Chunyong aniki, what did you say?"
"Ah, just... talking to myself."
At my words that had slipped out unconsciously, Ryota tilted his head with a suspicious face, then clapped his hands.
"Ah! Is it a concept?"
"What? What did you say?"
"Hm, if it's a concept, I'll respect that. As expected, if I want to be an idol in Korea too, I need to pay attention to such professional aspects...."
"Hey, you punk, that's not it!"
"Ah, you don't have to be embarrassed! I've also seen and heard all kinds of—mbpbpb!"
Ryota's teasing stopped after I mashed my palm all over his face.
The guy's face was squished like a steamed bun, looking quite unfair... but it's his own karma.
Where do you think you are, teasing your hyung in Confucian Korea?
"We have mid-evaluation filming for each team after breakfast. Everyone, please bring your practice outfits!"
"Eek...."
It had already been several months since I started spending time with these multinational roommates.
Before I knew it, the mid-evaluation for the final stage right before the live broadcast was waiting for us.
Before that, I needed to somehow recover my ranking and take care of Liu Wei too. Why did time have to fly by so fast?
"...Hoo."
While I let out a sigh at my slight impatience, the emoticon in the message Yeonwoo hyung sent was smiling brightly on my smart watch.
- Jeong Yeonwoo: Trainee Kim Chunyong
- Jeong Yeonwoo: Practice hard ^^
- Jeong Yeonwoo: It's already been 3 days.
Ever since the day we talked in Yeonwoo hyung's SUV, my smart watch received a message once a day.
- Jeong Yeonwoo: It's me
- Jeong Yeonwoo: Don't block me ^^
At first, it had been bewildering.
It wasn't like the old days when we used to drink together; what contact could there be between a top singer and a mere trainee?
But whether I replied or not, Yeonwoo hyung sent me messages faithfully without fail.
From simple daily stories to ambiguous words that I had to wrestle with for a long time to understand.
Most of the time, when I finally understood, they were sentences that meant nothing much, which was infuriating; yet when I asked "Was that all?", it became ambiguous again.
Beep!
- Jeong Yeonwoo: I hope what I said back then helps
- Jeong Yeonwoo: You haven't forgotten, right?
Right.
Sometimes these kinds of messages arrived too.
"Was that the question Trainee Kim Chunyong wanted to ask me? How to win people's favor?"
"No, I didn't put it that way."
Back then, when Yeonwoo hyung said he'd help if there was anything he could do, the question I brought up.
It was, "How can I get what I want from someone who doesn't want my help?"
Since joining the "Groggy" team allowed me to get closer to Li Mingshen. I couldn't miss this when considering a backup plan.
Since I had already been thoroughly squeezed dry by Yeonwoo hyung, I figured I should extract some benefit for myself too.
"Is that what this is. What... are you seeing a girl? You're still a trainee, that's impressive."
"A girl? No, it's not like that!"
"I know. I saw the clarification post your noona put up. I was just teasing you. And from your reaction just now, I can tell for sure it's not a girl."
"......"
"Ah, you're a bit angry. Because I brought up your noona all of a sudden. Right?"
"...Haha. Sunbaenim, if you have nothing more to say, let's return to the dorm. You really did have a lot of luggage—."
"Alright, I'll stop teasing."
"Ah, have you finally remembered what you wanted to say? Ugh, I almost went back to the dorm without knowing that too. Whining about how heavy it was."
"......."
"Yes. Whining about it."
"Well, that person said they don't want Trainee Kim Chunyong's help. Then the method is...."
'You just need to make that trainee want something from Trainee Kim Chunyong.'
Seeing him specifically say "trainee" right away, I really wondered if he knew something.
"Hey, Chunyong hyung! We need to leave soon. At this rate, breakfast time will end!"
"Yeah, yeah, just a moment. I'll be right there."
Recalling that conversation for a moment, I hurriedly changed into my practice outfit and reviewed the current situation.
What was it Li Mingshen said? If I needed his help, had he said to find an unobtrusive way to bring it?
"Hoo...."
It was a demand that made me sigh involuntarily, but oh well.
As I slipped my arms into my hoodie sleeves for the last time, I smiled slightly.
If there was one fortunate thing.
It was that after today's mid-evaluation, the relationship between Li Mingshen and Liu Wei was expected to deteriorate even further.
* * *
Right after the competition's mid-evaluation, just before the individual interview.
"Hoo...."
Li Mingshen calmed his pounding heart and slowly caught his breath.
When he first decided to appear on
The debut lineup was already set anyway, so he told himself that he was here to confirm Liu Wei's safe debut before returning to China.
Therefore, during the preparation for every stage, Li Mingshen only put in enough effort to not be too much of a burden.
Even if he did his best, he couldn't debut here anyway. One Chinese member was enough.
With everyone's eyes fixed on Liu Wei now... even if he somehow made it into the debut ranks, it would only be troublesome for him.
Amidst all this, the members of the newly formed "Groggy" team this time:
Jang Si-woo, An Jin-woo, and Li Mingshen himself.
And the somewhat uncomfortable presence, Kim Chunyong, making a four-member team.
"......."
Li Mingshen hummed in thought, recalling what Kim Chunyong had said to him right after the vacation.
"I'm saying let's help each other out. I absolutely have to... debut this time."
It would be a lie to say he wasn't tempted.
If what Kim Chunyong proposed could be realized, it would certainly bring benefits to both of them.
The problem was that Li Mingshen himself knew his own position better than anyone else.
"I think you know better than anyone what you should be focusing on right now."
"R-right."
"Then stop having useless thoughts."
"Sorry... sorry, Liu Wei."
Having spent a long time with Liu Wei, he could even imagine the attitude Liu Wei would show him if that actually happened.
"Oh my, Trainee Li Mingshen? Even though you received good evaluations, you don't look happy."
"Ah, h-he... hello!"
Li Mingshen hurriedly greeted the woman entering through the individual interview room door and composed his expression.
The main writer, Lee Hyeon-jeong, sat across from him with a rather pleasant expression.
"You should be happy. Hmm? After receiving such good evaluations."
"Y-yes... I should."
"Now, now. Look at the camera. One, two—"
At her words, Li Mingshen felt his barely calmed heart racing again, and let out a light sigh.
In a way, it was natural.
Unlike his performances so far where he only put in enough effort not to be a burden, today....
"The 'Groggy' team received the best evaluations among the mentors today. Let me ask how you felt first."
Because he had given his best without even realizing it.
"How I felt, you say."
Li Mingshen spat out Korean with smooth pronunciation and clicked his tongue.
"No one... was buried by anyone... it was... g-good."
"The four of you moved as one body? Well, it seems Mentor Jin Da-sol looked upon you favorably. Ah, I think it would have been even better if the outfits weren't practice clothes. Hm. Can't be helped in a mid-evaluation."
"I'll take a closer look during the next vocal directing session, but it's fine. ...All of you."
"Ugh, I want to see the main performance quickly. The song is good, and the team members' chemistry is great too!"
Really.
"...It was fantastic."
At his own muttered words, Li Mingshen flinched and covered his mouth with his right hand.
'Fantastic? Did I really just say that?'
Li Mingshen had prepared many stages until now.
It wasn't just a story about
During art high school in China, and even after graduating from high school while attending a theater academy.
'There must have been at least dozens of stages like that, probably.'
Every time, Liu Wei had been beside Li Mingshen, and naturally, the spotlight had been Liu Wei's.
But today was different.
The mentors' full gazes directed at him. And his partners' clear trust as they matched their rhythm together.
The first day he felt, 'Ah, so I'm preparing for a stage.'
"Why are you so surprised? You can think it was fantastic. I thought so too."
"...Huh?"
"Those days come when you meet good team members. Everyone knows how hard the 'Groggy' team practiced. Especially, your chemistry with Trainee Kim Chunyong was incredible, wasn't it? No one expected the synergy between you two to be this good."
"......."
For a moment, confusion settled in Li Mingshen's eyes to the point of forgetting he was in an interview.
'I practiced hard, sure. But to have done this well, and to have wanted to do even better... that's a first.'
Despite such confusion from Li Mingshen, Lee Hyeon-jeong continued the interview, tapping the armrest of the chair with her finger.
"I'm curious about your opinions on the other trainees' stages. Can you tell me?"
"Other trainees' stages, um. You mean... other teams, right?"
Other teams, well.
Normally, he would have paid close attention to how well Liu Wei did.
But for some reason, today he really....
"I was so focused on... our team that I don't think I remember well."
"Oh, did you feel like your team was definitely the best this time?"
"I suppose... you could see it that way."
"Hm...."
Lee Hyeon-jeong, who had been considering poking Li Mingshen a bit more to find editing angles, soon lightly shook her head and clapped once.
"The interview ends here."
"...It ends here?"
"Yes. Trainee Li Mingshen's face looks so immersed in a dream that I don't think we need many more words."
"You look happy."
"......."
"More than any expression I've seen so far."
Exiting the interview room, Li Mingshen chewed over Lee Hyeon-jeong's final words as he slowly walked down the hallway.
He absentmindedly touched his cheek once as a bonus.
'Wouldn't it be fine if I just do this one stage well...?'
Li Mingshen's ranking was far from the debut zone anyway, and even if he did well, he wouldn't be at a level to threaten Liu Wei.
For the first and last time, instead of being a shadow that highlights someone else.
'...Can't I shine too?'
However, such thoughts couldn't last long.
"—Ack!"
静一下。(Be quiet.)
Because of Liu Wei, who suddenly appeared and grabbed his shoulder forcefully.
"Ah, it's good. It's good, but... I can't feel the emotion. Big movements are nice too, but don't you need a bit of facial acting?"
"I know right. It's too expressionless... the song's atmosphere isn't coming alive."
Liu Wei's pupils, which had received rather harsh evaluations today for Lee Seryeong's song "Submarine," were sunken coldly.
跟我来。(Come with me.)
Would it be strange if, added to the pressure Li Mingshen always felt from that face, a bit of rebelliousness arose?
Even though he knew Liu Wei disliked speaking Korean when they were alone.
"...I don't want to."
什么？(What?)
"I said I don't want to."
He spat it out sincerely, revealing a slightly neurotic emotion.