The Malicious Member Has Returned! Episode 73
* * *
Liu Wei's fiancée, Gao Shumin.
Twenty years old, the same age as me and Liu Wei. Currently attending a university in Beijing.
These days, her greatest interest is a Korean idol survival program she's watching by roundabout means in China,
She and Liu Wei, who is appearing on it, have known each other since they were six, are engaged, and even before their families became entangled, she had liked Liu Wei herself. Or so the story goes.
"Huh…."
None of this was information I'd dug up by persistently interrogating anyone.
It was merely a summary of the stories in the DMs sent frantically by Gao Shumin, whose floodgates had opened.
[Gao Shumin: Well, all of this is still a secret]
[Gao Shumin: But when Ryu-ryu and I get married, it'll all come out eventually anyway]
[Gao Shumin: That's what celebrities are like, right? I'm going to get a lot of sponsorships in the future]
[Gao Shumin: The sponsors who recognized me early are amazing :-D]
[Gao Shumin: I was wondering why I've been getting so many DMs lately (laugh) (laugh)]
Her DMs were still continuing even after a day had passed.
She'd just send them even if I didn't reply, so yeah.
"Kim, Chunyong trainee… notifications keep… coming."
"Ah, ahaha! Yes. My little sister keeps, uh, sending me messages."
"…
If… into my crew… dating is, free…."
"…
It's really not like that! Please don't say that, Dasol-nim!"
I was so flustered by the Outgram DM notifications beeping incessantly all day long.
It was a relief I'd turned off the Outgram notifications, even if belatedly; had I left them on, they would have become the second culprit, alongside X, to making me awkward.
Even now, having taken refuge in the emergency stairwell with Gao Yan, that embarrassment hadn't completely faded.
I'd prided myself on having met all sorts of people while passing around drinks at clubs.
"Seriously, she talks way too much…."
And yet someone like this was a first.
At my small sigh, Gao Yan simply crossed his arms with a thunk and nodded.
"Chunyong hyung, you still have a long way to go. There are many such people in the world. For example, Gao Yan's eldest sister."
"…
You had sisters?"
"Of course. Gao Yan is the youngest of five siblings. Gao Yan's eldest sister was reluctant to speak at first too, but if you poked her just a little, she'd rattle on nonstop like a dam gate opened during the rainy season. Using that method, Gao Yan stole and ate plenty of her snacks. Yep."
"R-really?"
"Exactly. According to Gao Yan's analysis, these people want the other person to notice them first. That's why they subtly drop hints. Posting old photos of Liu Wei without tagging him separately was also in that context."
As if the memory was still vivid, Gao Yan, who smacked his lips, flicked his finger once and waved his phone.
"Anyway, just as Chunyong hyung said, I screenshotted everything for now."
"…Yeah, good work. I'd screenshotted some too, but… there was just so much being sent. I couldn't do it alone."
"Then now we hand this over to a reporter? Gao Yan doesn't know any Korean reporters yet! If we're going to break the story first, it should definitely be Enter Gate. I'm mentally prepared. This too is the path of a superstar."
When the name of the entertainment tabloid company I'd often heard from Gao Yan's mouth came out, a bitter smile naturally leaked out.
Enter Gate (Ent-Gate).
[Sledix Joo-young, sweet date with Billie of girl group Lily J… "He even bought her a ring."]
[Wasn't he a born golden spoon? The full story of Teo's secret real estate speculation]
['Ahn Jae-ho's shampoo company was actually a paper company for money laundering' exclusive audio recording obtained]
Korea's representative yellow journalism outlet, which prides itself on all entertainment industry issues flowing through them. They were the ones who first coined the splendid nickname "Lex Trash," so no further explanation was needed.
Certainly, if we informed Enter Gate of this, they'd feature it even more sensationally than the rumors about me that had come out before.
Unlike me, who already gave off a sharp impression of "ah, that guy probably has something going on," Liu Wei had a neat and cold city pretty-boy image.
A fiancée for a trainee with looks that practically guaranteed him a debut spot—there was no way it wouldn't be a hot topic.
But….
"No, I'm not handing this to a tabloid. If I do that, Gao Yan, you and I become too easy to identify."
"Goodness, Chunyong hyung! Liu Wei threw the first punch, and you're still saying that!"
"F-first punch…."
I had no intention of denying that Gao Yan's Korean skills were improving by leaps and bounds day by day, but just where did he keep learning things like that?
Well, even if I asked, he'd just say, "I taught myself Korean." Obvious.
"…It's not like there's another reason I'm not handing it over."
I deliberately glossed over Gao Yan's words and waved my phone at him.
"Unlike Liu Wei, I'm going to do it myself."
"…Yourself?"
"There's probably no one… better than me at spreading this around."
When I showed unusual pride, Gao Yan's face changed strangely. A face that seemed to say, 'How is a trainee who only practices singing and dancing going to spread this better than Korea's best tabloid? Chunyong hyung is out of his mind.'
"Chunyong hyung, right now you seem… a bit out of your mind. I'll try to persuade you again after practice later. Yep, that is Gao Yan's role."
Ah, so he said that again.
Slightly embarrassed, I lightly scratched my cheek and looked away.
Well, you could think that.
But still, there was no one in this time slot who could do this better than me.
"Anyway… whatever."
I escaped the emergency stairwell slowly with Gao Yan and blinked my eyes wide in the lobby on the first floor, where hot air suddenly rushed in.
The main route to drag Liu Wei down was flowing along a solid path.
And the relationship with Li Mingshen, who would help with that, was progressing quite nicely as well.
* * *
Since live broadcasts and text voting would take place immediately after the fourth performance evaluation, the tension hanging over the trainee dormitory was incomparable to before.
"Ah!"
"Ah, s-sorry. I didn't do it on purpose."
"…Yeah. I got it."
The trainees were easily irritated and even more easily intimidated by trivial mistakes.
When this life ended, would more than half have to return to their trainee lives?
Faint worries clouded the faces of trainees who'd normally smiled brightly, and even when someone tried to liven up the atmosphere again, it mostly fell flat.
And Li Mingshen, who was among them….
"One eight, two eight, da, da… Yes. Yes. Goo… d."
"Th-thank you."
He tended to keep himself well-centered.
From the beginning, Li Mingshen hadn't appeared on
"…Let's rest for 10 minutes, then… again."
"Th-thank you!"
Dance mentor Jin Dasol went outside the practice room, and Li Mingshen slowly leaned his body against the mirror in front of him, catching his breath.
Since 'Groggy' had a lot of choreography that used the stage widely, Li Mingshen, who led the center of the large formation together with Kim Chunyong, expended quite a lot of stamina.
More than when he'd been on any other stage.
"Rest up. I'll go buy some drinks. Ah, ion drinks are okay, right?"
"Ah, yes. Thank you, Chunyong hyung…."
"Thank you, hyung!"
"What are you thanking me for. I'll be right back. The vending machine is right in front of here."
Yet Kim Chunyong, who'd expended just as much energy, left the practice room with an unbothered expression.
"From now on, I'll buy stuff like this. I'm the eldest hyung here, after all? Haha, if I don't act like a hyung at times like this, when would I ever?"
"Anyway, I'm the same age as you, Chunyong…."
"Well… Li Mingshen, just think of it as service you're receiving in Korea."
Simply for the sake of properly recharging his teammates' morale.
'It being right in front was one thing, but I have to go down another floor.'
Li Mingshen couldn't stop the thought that suddenly popped into his head.
'Chunyong, he really is….'
"A bit… amazing, isn't it? Chunyong hyung."
"…Huh?"
Li Mingshen opened his eyes wide at the trainee who was fumbling over his words beside him.
Jang Siwoo, who was famous even among the trainees for being shy, was initiating a conversation?
'I thought he was the type who wouldn't open his mouth unless it was absolutely necessary.'
"…Like Liu Wei."
Li Mingshen bit the inside of his cheek hard at the name of his friend that sprang up unconsciously.
Since the day he'd pushed Liu Wei away first, there had been no direct conversation with him.
But because their relationship was what it was, it was only natural that he kept coming to mind.
'…There's no way I wouldn't be concerned.'
Regardless of what Li Mingshen was thinking, Jang Siwoo, who'd worked up the courage to speak, was attempting small talk carefully toward Li Mingshen.
"Um, Chunyong… hyung. He seems to be good at, lightening the mood like this."
"…Really? It's my first time being on a team with him, so I didn't know well. We crossed paths a few times during mini-games, but… practice is different."
"Yes. This is my second time, but… hyung really takes good care of us."
Jang Siwoo rolled his eyes like a cat, glanced at Li Mingshen once, then blushed shyly and stammered.
"I caused a lot of trouble before… this time, I want to do well."
Not just quietly receiving help.
At those words, An Jinwoo, who was nearby, naturally chimed in.
"Me too. Setting everything else aside, Chunyong hyung… isn't he incredibly good? He picks up choreography quickly and his vocals are good too. Even though he's dance-focused, really, it's amazing."
The one who'd originally been running at 8th place in Kim Chunyong's stead was none other than An Jinwoo.
AG pureblood, solid fundamentals, handsome face. But still severely lacking in trainee years.
If he could debut through
An Jinwoo, who was approaching the survival from a similar position as Li Mingshen, was perhaps able to admire Kim Chunyong with an even more pure heart than him.
"I think there's really a lot to learn. He explains things easily too…."
"Right. So Jinwoo hyung thought so too…."
"It's my first time practicing with him too, ah. I wish we could have done it more often."
Listening to the two AG Korean trainees, Li Mingshen pressed his lips tightly together and lightly touched his forehead.
There was nothing wrong with what the two said.
Having become a member of team 'Groggy' this time and practicing together, he'd been able to spend his time more enjoyably than ever before.
Perhaps even beyond the survival program broadcast.
Li Mingshen's greed had already taken concrete shape before he knew it.
'Before going back to China, who knows when I'll be able to perform on stage with such a good team again.'
So, just this time.
'I want to put on a good stage just once, forgetting Liu Wei, forgetting the family, everything.'
"I'm back. Not too late, right? I was busy so I just unified the drinks!"
"I like it. Chunyong hyung, by any chance that…."
"Ah, right. Siwoo, want some yakgwa? I had some in my pocket."
"…Thank you."
There, together with the Korean trainee who looked fearsomely sharp but was kind-hearted.
However.
As if someone knew of Li Mingshen's hidden wish?
"…Good. Um, trainee Li Mingshen. Let's pay a bit more attention to the flat notes in the second verse. Trainee Jang Siwoo too. Trainee An Jinwoo, memorize the lyrics!"
"Yes, yes!"
"Trainee Kim Chunyong… when you go up to high notes, it would be better to pull out your falsetto a bit thinner. Your voice is already a bit husky. You have to give a clear tone difference."
"Yes! Thank you, mentor."
"Well. Among the teams I saw today, yours has the highest completion. I'll look forward to the stage."
After vocal mentoring with Min Siyoung, as Li Mingshen headed toward the dorms embracing a slightly elated heart, a voice caught him by the scruff of his neck.
"Wait."
Forcing out Korean words that he would never have uttered on a normal occasion….
"…Liu Wei."
Li Mingshen let out a shallow sigh and blinked his eyes.
Anyway, the relationship between Li Mingshen and Liu Wei was more complex and bizarre than anyone else currently appearing on
Childhood friends matched by their families long ago, yet a pair who could never have an honest conversation.
The two sides of a coin where if one shone, the other had to become the background.
Liu Wei, who grabbed Li Mingshen's shoulder, spoke in a low, grating voice.
"This time, follow properly."
Since you don't seem to have a good grasp of the current situation.
"……."
The moment he heard those words, Li Mingshen's eyes strangely darkened as well.
No matter what others said, the word that ultimately defined Liu Wei and Li Mingshen was 'friend.'
They had browbeaten each other, yielded to each other, subtly watched each other's moods, and at times couldn't say what they wanted to say, but still.
But hadn't they said that when friends fall out, they become worse than strangers?
He wasn't sure if there was such a proverb in China.
"…Yeah. Let's talk for a moment."
Whether they would really become worse than strangers was something they would find out from now on.