The Villainous Member Has Returned! Episode 95
Even in the live broadcast filming set whose end no one dared to predict, Choi Gaon kept his composure without losing his pace.
“…
Yes! And, it was
The first name called was 5th place.
“A trainee who surprised countless people with a broad heart, and vocal range and singing ability just as broad as that.”
When people heard this description, only one person came to mind.
The pride of Korea University’s Department of Practical Music, who had heard remarks like, “How can a person be a miraculous singer without looking like one,” and “Maybe he can even hit 8 octaves for all we know.”
Among the Korean trainees of
“—Trainee Bang Yuchan! Congratulations!”
“Ah, huh!”
Waaaaaaaah!
Bang Yuchan, who had been bowing his head deeply with his hands clasped together, recited his overflowing emotions in a highly flushed voice.
“Ah, I, I… honestly, I didn’t think I would debut. Dance too, it was my first time learning properly. I didn’t have anything you could call a trainee period, so….”
Bang Yuchan truly thought of himself that way, but.
“What are you talking about! If not you, who’s gonna sing, Yuchaaaan!!”
“Bang Yuchan! Bang Yuchan!”
At least, among those present at the scene, there wasn’t a single person who thought Bang Yuchan wouldn’t debut.
A rare and precious marvel of a main vocalist. A handsome face, and a well-proportioned body on top of that?
Ah, there was simply no way he couldn’t debut.
“Yeah, yeah, you need one ordinary person in there for it to feel right. And that kid sings so well. Hmm, even if he hadn’t come on this survival show, I think he would have passed our company audition.”
Even the agency representatives who had been desperate to debut the AG trainees.
Shin Giho, who had heard Do Jaechan’s words right beside him, muttered with his eyes tightly shut.
“…
President Do.”
“H-huh? Ah, yes. Director Shin. What is it?”
“The announcement order. Changed.”
“…
Ah.”
Originally, survival show debut member announcements start from the very last place.
So to use
Because what people want to see most is who will take 1st place, and how many votes they received.
But.
They deliberately pushed 6th place back and started announcing from 5th place, whose entry was relatively safe and predictable?
What this meant was clear. The expectation that whoever debuted at 6th place would draw people’s attention.
Or, that they would be made to receive that attention.
“Roughly speaking, I think I know who 6th place is.”
“How can you be so sure. Our Jinwoo wasn’t half bad either? We have to watch until the end to know who 6th place will be.”
“Th-that’s right.”
‘That there isn’t a single trainee I wanted among those debut members was an unplanned event.’
Shin Giho barely kept his grinding teeth in check and pressed his throbbing forehead.
As things were originally supposed to be, there should have been a trainee Director Shin was pushing for among them.
Well, even if it wasn’t necessarily Liu Wei. A trainee who would have elevated his standing in the company and given him the power to move to his own company.
However, a plan twisted once had jumped in a direction Shin Giho couldn’t control at some point.
Where it had gone wrong, what he should have done to stop this situation.
‘All of this, that….’
“Director Shin, wouldn’t it be best to stop with the useless thoughts? You really think too much. That’s why you miss things even as they’re being announced.”
And a voice cut through Shin Giho’s thoughts, pushing into his ears.
President Do Jaechan, with a slightly sneering face, jutted his chin toward the trainee who had just been announced as 4th place and was bouncing around in excitement.
“‘The sensational guitar boy from Liverpool.’ It’s a good thing you can tell who it is just from the description. Right?”
“…….”
Logan, his face bright and excited, was mixing English and Korean wildly as he spoke his thoughts.
“Um, and! Ah, my flatmate! It was a truly once-in-a-lifetime, incredible experience. Holy, living together with someone like this, communicating—this life is truly precious to me. Really!”
I will remember it forever….
Watching that scene, Shin Giho’s stomach twisted so much he felt actual abdominal pain.
“Keuk….”
“Oh my, see. It’s because you think too much….”
Do Jaechan, who had been patting Shin Giho’s back nonchalantly, leaned toward him and whispered.
“Director Shin. Think positive. I found out something. In a good direction for both of us.”
“…
What are you talking about, right now?”
“Your essence lies in bringing in investments, growing business scale with it, and not being satisfied with rising fame. That’s why I scouted you, isn’t it? To properly grow our company.”
“…….”
That was right.
When President Do Jaechan had approached Shin Giho, who had made a content-side startup company—not an entertainment agency—into a huge success, those were exactly the words he had said.
For a moment, Shin Giho’s voice rose involuntarily as he recalled that time.
“…
You told me to grow it properly. But right now, aren’t the investors’ credit ratings dropping? Transferring Liu Wei to the next group is an incredibly stupid move. To say they’re fully convinced right now—”
“Shh. You’re getting too excited in a good seat. The trainees’ families are all watching.”
In an instant, Do Jaechan threw his arm around Shin Giho’s neck.
“Listen. I entrusted you with this program’s investment and management, but… precisely, this happened because you failed to do it ‘properly.’”
Why on earth do you only look at the Chinese market?
“Just because you’re a China expert, are you planning to never even glance at the English-speaking market? That’s a problem. How is that growing properly? In the end, it’s the English-speaking world that holds the global record market.”
“…….”
“Whew, goodness.”
As Shin Giho furrowed his eyes in bewilderment, Do Jaechan, feeling suffocated, thumped his own chest and rolled his eyes upward.
There, a secretary sent by Logan’s parents was seated.
“…
One side has collapsed beyond recovery. Then, you have to look at the other side. You’re better at that sort of thing than me, aren’t you? Broaden your horizons a bit.”
“…….”
While they conversed like that, on the stage below, 3rd and 2nd place had already been announced.
‘The youngest yet most talented, shy yet strong-willed trainee.’
And, ‘a trainee who knows how to overwhelm the audience with explosive energy and skill.’
That is, Jang Siwoo and Ji Hwaseong.
Jang Siwoo, who seemed greatly flustered and took a long time choosing his words, unknowingly called his older brother Jang Siwon “hyeong-a,” drawing screams from the Baby Kitten Protection Squad.
And Ji Hwaseong, well.
“Mom, Daaaad! I, I’m debuting, ugh, uheong…. Keup, fans, thank you so much. Vocal Trainer-nim, and Tae-woo hyung who kept looking at my choreography. Jae-ha hyung, who treated me well since I first came to AG….”
He definitely stayed true to his character.
Shin Giho’s eyes, which had been alternately looking at that lineup, the secretary standing behind them for Logan’s parents, and Do Jaechan, gradually deepened.
In the end, at the very last.
If there is no hole to escape through, isn’t it the essence of a businessman to dig into the ground himself?
Shin Giho soon carefully rose from his seat.
Scanning all the debut members with his eyes and determining how to cook things up to at least suck on a mildly sweet candy had been the original schedule, but….
“I’ll head in first.”
“…
Not watching until the end? My, my, and you call yourself a director.”
“I’m leaving now precisely because I am a director. Because I’ve realized I can’t leave AG yet.”
“That’s exactly the problem, saying things like that.”
“The problem is,”
it will really arise when I leave AG.
“…
not right now.”
This was no different from Shin Giho declaring defeat to Do Jaechan.
That after trying somehow to change the Chinese investors’ minds, he wouldn’t try to grab a lifeline of uncertain rottenness.
At that pride that wouldn’t break even so, President Do Jaechan clicked his tongue, tilted his head back once, and spoke leisurely.
“…
You’re so stiff. Still, wouldn’t you be unsatisfied if you didn’t see 1st and 6th place? It’s a program you were in charge of, isn’t it?”
“The 1st place that’s about to come out, it’s obvious who it will be….”
Amidst the introduction ringing through the indoor gymnasium, “The ultimate ace who has never disappointed fans even once,” Shin Giho shrugged his shoulders.
“…
As I said earlier, it’s because I think I know who 6th place is.”
The sight of Shin Giho’s back as he left the staff seats after those final words was the same as always.
Dragging his heels slightly. Yet dignified, with wide strides.
The moment Do Jaechan looked at that and assessed, ‘One way or another, when he has a purpose, he does his work properly.’
“Congratulations! 1st place, trainee Son Jaeha!”
Fireworks burst for 1st place alone, and the debut of the trainee Do Jaechan had trusted and cherished so dearly was decided.
“Jaeha, you worked hard!”
Sending him enthusiastic applause and words of encouragement, Do Jaechan slowly shifted his gaze to the other side of the stage.
Toward the candidate for Xenon’s final member.
Who would soon be decided.
* * *
After revealing his thoughts on 1st place.
The first ones Jae-ha hyung hugged were, of course, Siwoo and Hwaseong, who had trained together at AG and had their debuts decided.
“Jaeha hyeoong….”
“…
Thank you, guys.”
What kind of bond they had built was something I didn’t need to explain.
Because there clearly existed an emotion that only those who had trained together by each other’s side in the vague fear of not knowing when they could debut could share.
That’s why I chose not to approach them and instead send applause from behind.
I could hug them later.
Right now, what was important was….
“Now, only one spot remains for a debuting member.”
As Senior Choi Gaon said, his voice slightly hoarse and fading from the long filming, it was the last 6th place spot.
“The candidates to enter this spot… Now! Let’s meet them on screen!”
Even up to here, I wasn’t shaking that much.
Even when Jinwoo and I appeared on the split screen and people let out gasps of “Huk.”
But still, the moment my hands began to tremble came to me without fail.
Before stepping to the front of the stage to call the final debuting member, when I briefly conversed with the other trainees who had suffered together until now.
To be exact….
“Chunyong hyung!”
“Chunyong aniki, heoeong….”
When the flatmates who had shared a room with me throughout the
Logan couldn’t come to my side because he was already sitting in the 4th place seat the production team had prepared separately, but thanks to those big, droopy large-breed puppy-dog eyes, I could tell exactly what was on his mind.
That he wished we could debut together.
That he wanted to debut together.
“As expected, the world’s protagonist Gaoyan should take the last spot, but… Chunyong hyung is someone who shared friendship with Gaoyan. This time, I can yield. The protagonist originally appears last. When it’s more certain, he appears coolly alone. That is Gaoyan’s path, the Silk Road.”
“Gaoyan, that’s not helpful at all at an important moment!”
“Ahem, Ryota. Right now Gaoyan is pumping Chunyong hyung up, telling him he can definitely debut!”
“Haha, guys….”
Watching Gaoyan and Ryota exchange banter until the very end, I carefully parted my lips.
“…
Thank you.”
Ah.
Good guys who sincerely cheered me on and gave me courage, even while knowing they couldn’t debut themselves.
Ryota, who unfailingly called me aniki, at least to me, and Gaoyan, the Hong Kong guy who helped me with all his heart and soul.
It was clear these guys were the reason I had somehow endured the brutal survival show.
“…
It’ll be quick. You know? And, I’m not even sure right now—”
“Chunyong hyung, are you kidding? Your debut is pretty much already confirmed. …He can’t hear this over there, can he, Ahn Jinwoo!”
“Indeed, you should make speaking quietly a habit, Gaoyan. Anyway, Chunyong aniki.
You really will be able to debut.”
“Then, let’s bring out trainee Ahn Jinwoo and trainee Kim Chunyong to the front of the stage!”
Giving a thumbs up to Ryota, who spoke to me last.
I stood in front of the stage with Jinwoo.
A subtle tension swirled between us, but I didn’t have the mental composure to keep recognizing it.
Because I could faintly see the families sitting in the staff seats far away.
Debut. The past that had returned.
And the atonement I would carry out.
“Then, I will announce it now!”
This moment that would decide whether I returned to those terrible days as a villainous member, or moved on to a new chapter with the Xenon members sitting over there.
“Kim Chunyong!”
I closed my eyes tightly at the faintly audible voices of my family and prayed small inside.
Thinking of Arrows, my family. And the countless other people I had caused trouble to.
…I haven’t paid it all back yet.
Please let me do just a little more.
I….
“ToZ, Xenon’s final member!”
And the moment Senior Choi Gaon opened his mouth.
“――!!”
My vision flashed white.