The Malicious Member Has Returned! Episode 85
In the episodes aired before
Even though there were countless conflicts beneath the surface, it was an idol survival program where they had to wrap things up warmly so that there would be "relatively" less controversy.
"Minho hyung, look. If you open your mouth wider, your pronunciation gets better. I'm not lying. Ah, you don't believe me? Trust our friendship, just once!"
"Uh, how wide? Like this...?"
Click!
"Yesss, got a shot."
"What the hell, Jihwaseong. You said you'd help me record!"
"Of course I'm helping you. Think of this as a token of gratitude. A token that will make me laugh forever in my gallery."
"Hey, you bastard, delete it! Delete it!"
Scenes of them recording with amicable faces, or dancing in the practice room.
"Using the hand technique Logan taught me, I finally beat Tsubasa from the next room. He had no idea I hid an ace card in my wrist and shuffled!?"
"Brilliant! I still vividly remember when Ryota took all my chocolate bars with a full house at first, but you've grown so splendidly before I knew it!"
"Hmph, if I'd known Logan was scamming from back then, I could have learned much faster."
"Ryota, I keep telling you! I wasn't scamming, I was bluffing...."
"Logan, in East Asian countries, they call that fraud! I won't listen to excuses!"
Scenes of roommates from the same room chattering and recalling memories from that time.
And the video call with family relatives that would be the peak of that warmth.
- "Son, Mom knows how much a person named Seong Wonhyeop has struggled all this time. So do your best until the end, and I hope you put on a stage you won't regret."
"Mom...."
- "Don't cry! Why would you cry? Mom can't even pat your back from here. After this call, make sure to eat the ginseng I sent. Okay? Health is always the most important."
"...Yeah. I'll really do my best and come back. Thanks, Mom."
Until now,
But allowing them to talk face-to-face with their families like this, starting under the guise of a mini-game, must have been an obvious intention to tug at the viewers' heartstrings....
- "Mom and Dad, and unni definitely voted for oppa, okay? I was going to vote for oppa too. You're my oppa. But... the little child inside me told me to. That I have to debut Jang Siu, the cat."...
Or so it should have been.
I lightly wiped the cold sweat trickling down the back of my neck and cautiously asked my younger sister, who was speaking in an indifferent tone while neatly wearing her school uniform.
"...You know this is going on broadcast, right, Kim Nari?"
- "Of course."
But Nari was unfazed by my words.
No, it wasn't just that she was unfazed.
- "Unni told me to wear my uniform properly since I'm going on broadcast. I wore everything I'm supposed to wear! I never dress like this normally, ugh. It's already uncomfortable."
Rather, she just spoke resolutely, tucking her hair back so the cute cat badge attached to her tracksuit pocket was clearly visible.
Knowing that badge was unofficial merchandise made by fans supporting Siu, I couldn't help but lightly press my hand to my forehead.
I knew Nari had a strong will, but this was really... no joke.
One of my parents should have appeared, but should I have realized something was up when she said, "Both Mom and Dad have a company dinner today, so I came out instead"?
"...Keuk."
The assistant PD watching this whole situation laughed secretly at me, then quickly put on a straight face when our eyes met.
She acted as if nothing had happened, but I already saw everything.
"Ha, haha."
- "What? Why are you laughing? Do I look weird on camera? Should I have put on more makeup? My friends did this for me, does it not look good?"
At the hollow laugh that came out of me unconsciously, Kim Nari fired off questions like a machine gun.
Usually in these conversations, it's normal to send encouragement and support to the trainee on the video call.
My sister, who transcended the ordinary, acted as if such common sense was nothing.
Well... one way or another, if this went on broadcast, it would be a conversation that became a laughing point rather than a moving one, but.
"...No. You look fine. Anyway. Have you eaten? Don't you have to go to the academy later?"
- "I ate 20,000 won worth of malatang earlier. But I think it might not be enough, so I'm going to eat one more ramen before going to the academy. I have an exam today."
"You'll get bloated if you eat ramen? Just grab a chocolate bar or something. Don't complain about a stomachache during the exam."
- "Hey, oppa, you're on broadcast and you're criticizing your younger sister's diet?"
"Haha. When you say you're going to eat that much and then eat more, what can I say...."
It was indeed a video call that gave me great strength.
Preparing for the competition, stopping Logan from dropping out, the nerve war with Liu Wei, and even the decision to hand over the courage test memory card to the PD.
Since coming back, truly, I hadn't rested a single day properly and had just run forward like crazy.
Would this really be okay? Was my choice of Logan instead of Liu Wei really the right one?
Leaving aside the condition of becoming the greatest idol in K-pop history...
At this rate, would I be able to debut with Arrows again?
Pretending not to know all the countless questions rising in my head, I spoke like that.
In the midst of that....
- "Well, oppa, are you eating well? You look like you've lost some weight."
"...Can you tell?"
- "I heard people on broadcast look swollen, so I thought you'd look like that too? But you're nothing but skin and bones. You could stick tanghulu on it, even."
"Ack, ahaha! What kind of analogy is that, really?"
The short conversation comfortably shared with my younger sister helped me forget for a moment the many questions that had been tormenting me.
And that alone was enough for me, but.
- "So anyway, I didn't vote for oppa and voted for Siu during the mid-term voting... but I told my friends to vote for you. I wasn't going to tell them my brother was a trainee. But unni told me to just do it. I'll mention it well during this live broadcast too."
"Okay. Thanks. We're almost at five minutes now, so get ready to go to the academy. Don't be late and make Mom call you."
- "Ah, sh—, keok. I shouldn't curse. Has it already been five minutes? Why does time go so fast? Anyway, uh."
"What, what's wrong with you?"
At my words that it would end soon, Kim Nari suddenly started flustering as if something was wrong.
Then she tried to take something out of her tracksuit pocket with the Siu character badge attached, but stopped and cleared her throat.
- "Ah, damn. I wrote something like a letter... but if it goes on broadcast, my friends will make fun of me. So I'll just say it roughly."
Looking very awkward, Nari fussed with her hair and slowly opened her mouth.
So that I could see her clearly.
You're doing well.
- "Because you'll definitely be able to debut. Cheer up, Kim Chunyong. Anyway, the whole family is rooting for you. Sincerely."
"...."
- "...Uwaaack! Ack! Ack! So embarrassing!"
Click....
Even after Nari's scream cut off, I couldn't move for a while.
So, she.
She... cheered me on to do well, didn't she.
My younger sister.
As I just sat there still, the assistant PD who had been unable to hold back her laughter earlier cautiously approached and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"...Um, Trainee Kim Chunyong? The call is over. You can return now."
"...Ah, yes! I'm sorry. Haha. I spaced out for a moment because of my sister...."
Walking out of the room and through the trainee canning facility, I felt my head gradually clearing.
Because my family is cheering me on.
Since I came back after regret, this time I really have to do well.
Even until debut.
I gently lowered the corners of my raised lips and moved my steps quickly.
Since the dream-like call had ended, it was time to focus on reality again.
After today's trainee video call filming, three days later would be the final broadcast before the live show.
Once that's over, the live broadcast text voting would proceed, and the members who would truly debut would be decided.
[AG Industries @HARDWARE_store (Photo) (Photo) AG's pride!
On the day of the live broadcast, send 'Son Jeha' or 'Jeha' to #0022 and attach a photo to the link below to receive the prepared prizes ♡]
[FireFire @fireworksday Are you all planning to be satisfied with 2nd place? LOLLLL You all know what it means to debut as 1st place in an idol survival ;; Why aren't you working this hard on fundraising for the live broadcast voting event? I'm going crazy, I should just put in another 1 million won myself]
[⎿ You seem to have made an account mistake...]
[⎿⎿ Has this person not used SNS much? Why do they keep making account mistakes ;; Take the post down quickly, it's rude to other trainees' fandoms]
[BANG in my Heart @YooouchanAA (Photo) (Photo)
For Yuchan's debut! We've run an electronic billboard ad at the entrance of Yuchan's alma mater, Korea University Station♡
The ad will continue until the day of the live broadcast, so please show lots of interest♡]
[⎿ So a billboard ad for a school they don't attend went up instead]
Looking at social media and community opinion, my Arrows members and Logan were already certain debut slots.
Having gotten decent reactions for dyeing my hair and putting on a decent stage, if I assumed I was in 7th place....
Precisely, debut was only possible if Liu Wei's ranking, which had worsened significantly since the fiancée issue, completely crashed.
"...Tch."
Therefore, I had been quite troubled over the memory card containing Liu Wei's voice, which would play a decisive role in that.
How to use this.
The risk of spreading it myself was too high, and I also didn't know how to edit out the parts where I appeared together with him.
Then should I leave it in someone else's hands?
If so, who should I choose as that other person?
I was already indebted to the person who was Gao Yan's older brother, but with the live broadcast right around the corner, I couldn't afford to look for such things anymore.
At the very least, someone who had a favorable impression of me now and would focus on Liu Wei while excluding me from this situation....
"I think it'd be good if the PD-nim saw it."
"...So that's what you're saying. Haha, Trainee Kim Chunyong. I roughly understand why you brought this to me. But why me? Is there a reason?"
"Because you're looking at me favorably right now."
"...."
"Haha, I'm not particularly smart. But I'm good at knowing who likes me and who hates me."
I'm counting on you.
And so, the card I chose was Chief PD Ju.
We had a terrible ill-fated relationship before, and I still hadn't completely suppressed that anger inside, but....
Just as Gao Yan had said before, the enemy of my enemy is a friend.
Thinking back to what I'd eavesdropped on in the smoking area before the 'Crucial Boy' stage, PD Ju Cheolyeong was currently in a very bad emotional state toward Director Shin.
Moreover, since I came back this time, he was showing me an oddly favorable attitude....
If I could land a proper blow there with that, the memory card I handed over would become a very good card for him.
Honestly, up to this point, I was listing reasons to rationalize it to myself.
A move that was no different from a half-gamble thrown in an urgent situation with the live broadcast approaching.
However, I could tell this was properly working.
"Who's the next video call filming after Trainee Kim Juan?"
"Uh, as far as I know, it's Trainee Liu... Wei."
"Ah, I know that trainee isn't in the facility right now. Shall we call the next trainee first? I'll check if we can reach the guardian now."
Liu Wei wasn't in the trainee canning facility right now.
With his family all in China right now, the only place Liu Wei could go after leaving this facility was his agency....
Precisely.
It was Director Sin Giho's office.
The Malicious Member Is Back! Episode 86
* * *
As if to explain the current relationship between Liu Wei and Director Shin Gi-ho, the temperature in the office—where the air conditioner was blasting—was significantly low.
It had already been ten minutes since the two of them had sat in silence, staring at the laptop.
Seeing Liu Wei’s tightly sealed lips, which showed no sign of parting, Shin Gi-ho let out a deep sigh and leaned back.
“You haven’t said a word.”
“…….”
“Do you think staying silent will resolve the matter? That everything you did will suddenly become nothing?”
One of Liu Wei’s eyebrows twitched.
There was a clear look of displeasure, but that didn’t mean his tightly closed lips opened.
He felt there was no need to say anything.
“Ha….”
Shin Gi-ho, who had grown tired of Liu Wei’s attitude, sprang up from his seat and spoke in a low voice.
“…You saw the video just now, so you know. Producer Joo Cheol-young struck a deal with me over that. Well, it’s not something you need to know.”
“…….”
“If you want, you can go until the final live broadcast. But after that, well….”
Pfft.
“Ha, hahaha… Fuck.”
Shin Gi-ho let out a hollow laugh, clutching his forehead as he continued to laugh.
Beneath that laughter lay a subtle fury, which only amplified the anxiety of Secretary Choi, who had been observing the two of them from outside.
“The original plan was really simple. You do well, you debut. That was it. Yes. Because I failed to handle things properly in the middle, something got tangled up.”
Logan, that bastard with Anglo-American investor parents.
“I must admit this honestly. If I’d known sooner, I could have sorted it out. He’s definitely secured a debut spot now.”
“…….”
“But the current situation has nothing to do with that.”
Shin Gi-ho slammed the laptop shut with a loud thud and clicked his tongue.
“Even if Logan debuts, the attention will be divided to some extent anyway… but it’s just a matter of persuading the investors. His debut doesn’t mean it’s harder to break into the Chinese market, and you’re still popular as ever.”
“…….”
“But this is different. A trainee, and not just any trainee, orchestrating a smear campaign against another trainee. This is irreversible.”
Liu Wei’s gaze, which had been fixed on the laptop, slowly shifted elsewhere.
The lighter that had served as Shin Gi-ho’s signature item sat on the messy desk.
“And now, this evidence that you harmed another trainee. Public opinion toward you is already poor because of the fiancée issue. Your debut is hanging by a thread. But if this blows up too? Well, I can’t guarantee what will happen after that.”
“…Why did you call me here?”
Only then did Liu Wei open his mouth.
Having kept silent for quite a long time, his voice was very, very subdued.
“Not properly addressing the matter with Shu Min—I didn’t bring it up because I thought I could resolve it soon. I regret that it turned out this way. But your words keep straying from the main point. You’re just trying to blame me.”
“—Of course I want to blame you, you bastard!”
A shout burst from Shin Gi-ho, who had been trying his utmost to remain calm.
“If you fail to debut, the investors will turn their arrows on me. An investment where I couldn’t keep my promise. But if you do debut? Ha, the group’s brand reputation will hit rock bottom. A guy who’s jealous of other trainees, who even has a fiancée, will be in the group.”
That was precisely what was enraging and driving Shin Gi-ho mad right now.
Whether Liu Wei debuted or not, it was a problem for Shin Gi-ho.
The investors wanted more than one or two things. Liu Wei’s debut was merely one of the conditions.
It wasn’t simply that a Chinese person would debut, but that they would receive great love in Korea and elevate their home country’s standing.
Right now, Liu Wei was in a position where satisfying either side was difficult.
Shin Gi-ho gritted his teeth and chewed over his words.
“The fiancée, well. Yes. If I could have resolved the fiancée situation as you said, that would have been fine. If you’d broken off the engagement over this, we might have been able to turn public opinion around. But this is different.”
“How is this any diff—”
“What guarantee is there that you won’t do this again? You’ve done it before, haven’t you?”
The fact that Shin Gi-ho couldn’t control Liu Wei had already been revealed when Liu Wei unilaterally spread rumors about Kim Chun-yong.
The sense of foreboding that had been creeping up on Shin Gi-ho ever since had finally bitten him in the ankle.
Of course, in that process, Kim Chun-yong had struggled desperately to survive on his own, but Shin Gi-ho had no way of knowing that.
The conclusion was simple.
Whether Liu Wei debuted or not.
Between those two, Shin Gi-ho had to choose.
Glancing once at his lighter on the desk, Shin Gi-ho rubbed his stubbly cheek and muttered.
“I contacted the investors yesterday.”
That you might not make your debut this time.
“They all went absolutely crazy, but after explaining the current situation, public opinion, and your condition… well, they seemed to more or less understand. Except for a few, most agreed to transfer you to the next group.”
Hearing those words, Liu Wei’s eyes opened wider than ever—something that needed no explanation.
“…That’s different from the promise.”
“Was your failure to listen to me part of the promise?”
Wheeeeng—
The air conditioner, which had been running fiercely, slowly turned off as the room reached its lowest temperature.
However, Liu Wei’s pupils were frozen far colder than that.
Observing Liu Wei, who still refused to show his emotions properly and maintained a rigid expression, Shin Gi-ho clicked his tongue lightly.
“You always wear an indifferent expression, but inside, you’re more impatient than anyone. And that impatience ruined everything.”
That was the Liu Wei Shin Gi-ho had seen.
He definitely had talent. Enough to succeed if he debuted as an idol.
He had an arrogant side, but if he’d gotten close to the other kids his age and formed emotional connections, he could have changed.
But this time, Liu Wei hadn’t been able to do that. Most of all, he hadn’t had the will.
“It would have been one thing if you’d only ruined your own affairs, but you ruined mine too. My credit with the Chinese investors is hitting rock bottom. Escaping AG is something I can’t even dream of now.”
“…Even so, if my predicted ranking is in the debut range, what do you plan to do?”
“After the fiancée issue, that’s nearly impossible in the current situation, but….”
“…….”
“If that happens, I’ll have you dropped right before the live broadcast. Citing health reasons, saying you’ll be unable to promote for the time being. Then the trainees ranked below you will naturally take your place. For example, An Jin-woo. Or.”
The one Producer Joo Cheol-young and President Do Jae-chan had been paying unusual attention to lately….
“Kim Chun-yong, for instance.”
“…You must think I’ll sit still.”
“The moment you’re dropped, you’ll be called back to the company to write a brief statement, and then you’ll return to China. There’s nothing you can do.”
“…….”
“Even if you return to the filming set, don’t get any funny ideas. Staff dispatched from the company will be monitoring your movements separately.”
Shin Gi-ho clicked his tongue lightly, then added as if he’d just remembered.
“The investors agreed, of course. And your parents too, you little bastard.”
At Shin Gi-ho’s words, Liu Wei’s eyes trembled faintly. It was an expression he had never shown anyone.
As the saying goes, a child follows their parents.
If you examined that saying closely, it meant that people came to resemble those closest to them.
And that foundation stemmed from affection and love.
I want to be like that person who likes me. I want to fulfill what that person wants.
Liu Wei had thought he wasn’t that kind of person.
“Seeing the nuance that you’d already been looking into breaking off the engagement… the engagement wasn’t something you wanted, was it?”
“…No. That was my decision for the sake of my family.”
“What nonsense. What kind of high schooler worries about their family that much? Your father said himself that he’s been in a terrible mood since the engagement he pushed for, thinking it would be a good thing, blew up like this.”
Shin Gi-ho, who had been speaking in a nonchalant tone, murmured as if realizing something upon seeing Liu Wei’s slumped shoulders.
“Haha, look at this….”
He’d kept calling him a little bastard, a little bastard.
“He’s really just a kid desperate for his parents’ love.”
Not even once. Not in the slightest.
Liu Wei had never thought of himself that way.
He just liked winning, he thought. He only did what he was capable of.
His background, his circumstances—everything had accommodated him, shaping him into who he was.
But now.
His trembling hands and pupils.
‘Was I not supposed to do this?’
And the thought that suddenly surfaced.
It toppled every wall that had been supporting Liu Wei all this time.
“…….”
“Hah.”
Shin Gi-ho sighed as he looked at Liu Wei, who was still trying to hold himself together, his fists clenched tight.
He had no intention of acting as a nanny to the brat who’d ruined his own work; besides, he had to discuss the next group concept with President Do Jae-chan.
“—Secretary Choi.”
“Y-yes!”
At Shin Gi-ho’s short call, the secretary opened the door and entered instantly, trying his hardest not to look at Liu Wei as he replied.
“Take Liu Wei back to the filming set, then return. Ah, and….”
The ticket he’d planned to use to go to Qingdao after the live broadcast.
“I suppose I can cancel that.”
“…Yes. Understood.”
Even as they conversed like that, Liu Wei sat motionless, staring into empty space.
Searching for a way.
* * *
Even after Liu Wei returned to the set of
The trainees gave their all for the finale, and someone engaged in conversations to settle matters that had been lurking beneath the surface.
“…Are you listening?”
“Huh? Oh?”
“What the heck, Chun-yong. I’ve been talking this whole time.”
“Haha. Sorry, Li Mingshen. I guess I was tired and spaced out.”
And the latter—Li Mingshen and Kim Chun-yong—were among them, secretly slipping out of the cramped trainee quarters to talk.
“But why are we always in the stairwell? Chun-yong, do you like it here?”
“No, not really. It’s just that there are no cameras there.”
“…There are no cameras outside the facility either. The production crew doesn’t really stop us from taking walks outside of practice hours, you know?”
“Huh?”
‘I never asked anyone, so I just assumed. All this time, I’ve been going to the emergency stairwell for no reason.’
This was a fact he only learned after
“Anyway, I’ll make sure to delete all the photos you sent me. …”
“I don’t think I really need to write it.”
“Ah, yeah. I said I’d do anything, so this is a bit embarrassing.”
“No, it helped plenty.”
Kim Chunyong patted Li Mingshen’s shoulder a few times, then deleted the compiled document detailing everything Li Mingshen had suffered at Liu Wei’s hands.
In Kim Chunyong’s phone gallery, now swept completely clean, not a single trace remained that he had ever been involved with Liu Wei.
“Ah, damn. I’m kind of cold. Do you mind if I head in first?”
“Huh? Oh, of course. I’m feeling just fine right now. I’ll get some fresh air before going in.”
“…
Okay. Don’t stay out too late.”
And so, after Li Mingshen left.
Bzzt!
Kim Chunyong’s phone notification, silent for some time, rang at a perfectly timed moment.
\- X: Hey, hey. Why’re you standing there alone looking all pathetic?
\- X: You could just talk to me ^^
\- X: Conversation is important between us! We’re partners, aren’t we?
\- X: And since it’s the day that’ll decide whether you, you lagging piece of trash, go back or get to stay here ;-D
Despite reaching out after all this time, X was as nasty as ever, busy saying all sorts of mean things….
\- X: From what I see, if Liu Wei just gets eliminated now, you’d be able to debut, no problem.
\- X: You’re already neck and neck with Liu Wei, whose public image is completely ruined, even though you’re on the rise, so yeah ㅎㅎ
\- X: Plus you have that skill you got as a reward for the ‘Groggy’ stage and whatever
\- X: I think you’ve got a shot if you tear up the live broadcast stage?
\- X: So what I’m trying to say is….
Kim Chunyong murmured the last message X had sent aloud.
“What my thoughts are, they’re asking….”
Thoughts.
In his mind, it was still far too early to speak his thoughts.
He hadn’t properly debuted, helped his family and the Arrows members, or atoned for anything, so what thoughts could he possibly speak of?
What Kim Chunyong could do now was limited.
Do his absolute best on the live broadcast stage he was preparing for.
And.
“……."
No matter what, beat Liu Wei and debut.
The final live broadcast stage of \