The Villainous Member Has Returned! Episode 80
Whether it was to decorate the grand finale that was the last mission, the trainees’ faces were somewhat grim as they watched the bold typography design.
“Why is it so… gloomy? There’s even stuff that looks like blood splattered everywhere? Won’t this get caught by the broadcasting review board?”
“It’s Witube blue content. They can probably adjust that kind of thing a bit and be fine.”
“Oh, Chunyong.”
When I naturally answered Yuchan-hyung’s muttering, hyung responded by draping his arm over my shoulder and beaming brightly.
“Damn, Kim Chunyong. You look handsome today? Ready to debut?”
“Hyung, that… sounds like you’re teasing me?”
“I’m serious, though. That red hair really suits you. I was thinking of dyeing mine too.”
Having confidently taken first place with the ‘Teen Spirit’ stage in the 4th elimination round and even putting his name on the chart rankings, Yuchan-hyung was now a full-fledged trainee, no.
He looked like an idol.
Main vocalist of Arrows, Bang Yuchan.
I flashed a quick smile at hyung, who was playing around grabbing the ends of my hair at the back, and offered a few words of sincere advice.
“Hyung, don’t dye it. Black hair suits you best in the world.”
“Uh, so sudden? Is this a defense? What is this?”
“No, I’m saying this because I like you, hyung.”
Jaeha-hyung, Yuchan-hyung, and I were members who didn’t really change our hair color.
Because black hair really, really suited the hyungs.
If Yuchan-hyung gave off a healthy feeling, Jaeha-hyung had a pale, soft feeling about him.
The fans really loved the similar yet contrasting feel of the eldest-hyung line, and our agency quickly caught on to that and applied it very well.…
As for me, well.
It was because having a noticeable hair color as the villainous member wouldn’t have been much help.
So this bright, bright red hair was also awkward for me.
When I woke up in the morning and saw red in front of my eyes, I was so startled, you know.
Anyway, there were several reasons why someone like me had ended up dyeing his hair like this.
First, Yeonwoo-hyung had separately hinted at me to try changing my hair color.
“First of all… I think warm colors would suit you. Pink would be fine too.”
“I really don’t think pink would suit me!”
“…Is it something to be so startled about? Goodness, then what color do you want? If you’re not going to listen to your mentor, you should at least have a firm opinion of your own.”
“So, what I was thinking is….”
“Wait, let me tell you in advance. Cool colors are out. Don’t even think of looking at that side of the palette.”
“…….”
Second, Visual Director Moon Yunha had pressured me to state my own opinion properly, so the colors I could choose were limited.
As expected, the kind of temper that made you think he might end up on the cutting room floor.
I had felt this way since the Arrows days, to begin with.
And, finally, the third reason….
“It’d be nice if we do well on this mission, but what exactly are we doing… ah.”
In that instant, Yuchan-hyung’s mouth, which had been speaking cheerfully, snapped shut.
It wasn’t just Yuchan-hyung.
The staff bustling about preparing for filming, and the other trainees chatting excitedly as well—the moment ‘he’ appeared, they had no choice but to clamp their open mouths shut.
And no wonder, since the very person who had taken over the entire share of the Targeting Star bulletin board and even brought it to the point of shutdown had entered the grand hall.
“…….”
Liu Wei, who walked in with an expressionless face as always, simply sat down nonchalantly and slowly read the words displayed on the grand hall screen.
Looking bold and brazen, as if he weren’t the very person at the center of that huge incident.
However, from the position of someone who had been watching Liu Wei all this time, I could catch the subtle difference from his usual self.
A difference that would probably be even clearer when seen through a camera.
His jaw muscles clenched tightly, or his strangely sunken eyes.
A face that was anxious, uneasy, and angry.
“…He can make that kind of face too.”
“Huh? What?”
“Ah, nothing.”
I hurriedly turned my gaze away from Liu Wei and clicked my tongue in my mouth.
It seemed Director Shin was blocking all the articles from major newspapers, but since those people didn’t vote for us.
Moreover.
Since the identity of his fiancée—who had been so worried that she inadvertently spoke to the villainous member she despised about breaking off the engagement—had been revealed like this, well…
Seriously, it meant Liu Wei was starting to worry a little about his own future now.
Watching Senior Choi Gaon enter, opening the grand hall door and appearing in a fluttering manner, I pressed my lips into a tight straight line.
When you’re worried or distressed about your own future like that, people sometimes make crazy choices.
Well, for now….
“Targeting Star trainees, it’s a pleasure to greet you even at night like this! Nice to meet you, I’m Gaon!”
I need to pay more attention to this than to Liu Wei.
Waaaaah!
Thinking it was the last mission, the trainees, whose mood was fully elevated, sent fiery cheers toward Senior Choi Gaon.
I also whistled together with Yuchan-hyung and added my strength there.
“Wow, it’s finally the last mission. My feelings are truly… extraordinary.”
Having splendidly brought out the words asking where all the trainees who had been shrinking timidly when he first saw them had gone and how they’d become so admirable, Senior Gaon soon even poked the corners of both his eyes with his sleeve.
“You’ve all really worked hard. Though it’s not all over yet! Shall we give each other applause for encouragement and for your hard work?”
During live broadcasts, there was never a moment to do something like this because broadcast accidents absolutely must not happen.
Just someone laughing, someone crying.
And someone else had to force out words of congratulations with a bitter smile.
Already knowing that, I clapped my hands with all my might toward all the trainees.
There was no need to mention the one who stubbornly didn’t move from there.
After a brief warm atmosphere, Senior Choi Gaon cleared his throat and spread both arms wide.
“Now then, we have to proceed with the mission! Ah, I’d been wondering why they didn’t do this all this time! I didn’t know they’d prepared it to this extent. Then, let’s reveal it right away!”
Matching Senior Choi Gaon’s comment, the text on the screen slowly blurred, and a rather eerily created map revealed itself.
A parking lot, trees. And even a road that seemed slightly twisted.
“Huh? Isn’t that… around our dorm?”
At the words a trainee muttered, Senior Choi Gaon’s face lit up and he raised his voice.
“Oh! Trainee Lee Chaehyeok! You recognized it right away? Might there be a secret to how you recognized it so quickly?”
“Ah, I go running around this area every morning so much….”
“Oh, what a very Lee Chaehyeok-like reason from the trainee who boasted of being a track and field talent! Haha, so naturally, I’d like to say it’s a mission favorable to Trainee Lee Chaehyeok, but!”
It doesn’t look like it will be….
Suddenly, noise screeched into Senior Choi Gaon’s microphone.
Then, on the map on the screen, a motion of droplets plop, plop splattering was added.
The red droplets spread across parts of the map, looking almost like they were saying ‘Go here.’
“No way, are they trying to scare us? It’s not that sca—”
“Yuchan-hyung. Shh, shh. Just go with it, that’s how it is.”
To Yuchan-hyung, who had lived an ordinary life, these kinds of over-the-top broadcasting industry things still felt somewhat awkward even after several months.
I tapped hyung’s shoulder and focused on the screen again.
While pretending to be a bit scared, and acting frightened as a bonus.
The blood-red writing on the screen was quite bad in terms of readability, but it wasn’t impossible to read if you tried hard.
[
1. Nine teams of two members each split up and search for the production crew’s notes.
2. Deduce the story within the notes and find where the hidden treasure is.
3. After acquiring the treasure, the team that reaches MC Gaon first wins! (※ Victory team receives a live broadcast benefit)]
Simple, nothing difficult, and a mission that could definitely secure plenty of screen time in the process.
Moreover, befitting PD Joo Cheolyeong, who was known as the ‘Midas Hand of Idol Survival,’ it was horror content, one of the things he was most confident in.
“Whether the treasure is a ‘real’ treasure can only be confirmed if you come to me, but the benefit through the mission will certainly help you all!”
Senior Choi Gaon’s beautiful voice sounded somewhat horrifying due to the noise-filled sound effects, but nonetheless, his cleanly audible pronunciation proved his professionalism.
“Now, we’ll form teams of two from now on. One trainee each from the teams that placed 3rd and 4th in the previous 4th elimination round will! choose.”
“Then… the ‘Impromptu Deviation’ team and the ‘Dive’ team will each get to choose one person.”
“Yes, I suppose so. Yuchan-hyung doesn’t seem very scar… I don’t think you are. Right.”
“Huh? Me? There’s nothing much to be scared of. Scary stuff… school?”
Yuchan-hyung scratching his cheek and rolling his eyes looked like he had ‘what’s so scary about this’ written on his forehead, so I had to try hard to hold back a laugh that was about to burst out without realizing it.
Right. Back then, Yuchan-hyung happened to be on the same team as Siu, who was equally fearless, so he couldn’t really enjoy it.
And I had done this mission on a team with Seobin, who was somewhat awkward with me, unlike now.
Seobin. Because it was Seobin.
Back then, really….
“W-wait. Lex. Wait! I can’t go any further. No, aaack! Something grabbed my ankle! Ack! Ack!”
“Aaack! Ah, crazy! Please, heeeelp, save me….”
The reactions were the best.
Seobin, who vied for 1st and 2nd place among our trainees for vocal cord management along with Yuchan-hyung, apparently suffered and suffered for several days after that day because his voice was hoarse, or something.
In contrast, I….
“Huh? Hello. Haha. It’s getting a bit cold now. You should wear some clothes….”
“Guh, uh….”
“I’ll take this note. Thank you. Good work!”
I wasn’t scared at all.
In times like this, if neither is scared or both are scared, it’s not great… should I say the balance was relatively good.
Targeting Star at the time was just slightly different from now. There was plenty of fun content.
No, rather, it was precisely then that….
Since I ran hopefully thinking only of debut, there were better parts for me.
Unfortunately, my reminiscence of the past couldn’t last long.
Yuchan-hyung, who was by my side, ended up on the same team as Ryota—who let out a roar-like shout of “Yuchan-aniki!”—and in a situation where only a few people remained….
“…Li Mingshen.”
“…….”
Because Liu Wei, who had been quietly maintaining his own pace until now, suddenly chose Li Mingshen as his courage test partner.
“Oh, oh! Yes, another new team has appeared!”
While a subtle silence hung in the grand hall, Senior Choi Gaon, who couldn’t stand by and watch that, quickly approached Liu Wei.
“Trainee Liu Wei! Why Li Mingshen? Is it, after all, for chemistry with your hometown friend?”
“…….”
Liu Wei, listening to Senior Choi Gaon’s fuss with one ear and letting it out the other, stared fixedly at Li Mingshen and slowly opened his mouth.
“…Rather than that.”
There’s something I need to talk about.
“…….”
In that instant, chills ran straight down my spine.
The only ones who knew that Li Mingshen and Liu Wei were currently on very bad terms were the two of them and me.
As I remembered, the courage test filming used trainees’ handcams for all scenes except for cameras at specific spots.
So, if a problem occurred with those handcams, anything could happen and no one would know.
“…….”
Li Mingshen, who briefly exchanged glances with me, strode over and stood beside Liu Wei. ‘It’s okay.’
“Hah….”
A sigh flowed out on its own.
His mouth was saying it was okay, but could it really be okay?
I had been worried earlier, but a person pushed into a corner like Liu Wei was now could do anything.
Just like all the bizarre mistakes I had committed during my days as a villainous member.
Moreover, Liu Wei was currently in a state where the target of his anger was clear.
It was truly not a good situation.
Then.
“Ah, I… I’ll go together with Chunyong!”
“Oh! Trainee Son Jaeha has chosen Trainee Kim Chunyong! Wow, this is going to get interesting!”
Jaeha-hyung, who had been on the same “Dive” team as Liu Wei, chose me, and thanks to that, a subtle picture was drawn with Liu Wei and Li Mingshen, and me and Jaeha-hyung standing in a line.
“Let’s do well together, Chunyong.”
“…Yes, Jaeha-hyung.”
Watching Jaeha-hyung’s fresh smile, I felt a strange emotion.
Everything up until now had started faster and more suddenly than I thought.
When I suddenly had to persuade Logan’s parents.
When Liu Wei spread malicious rumors about me.
More largely, even me returning like this.
“I want to do well with you too, hyung.”
So. Perhaps, even in this courage test….
I didn’t know what might happen.