The Vicious Member Has Returned! Episode 99
* * *
A group with a new name, new members.
In this moment of facing nothing but new things, Kim Chunyong wasn't the only one feeling confused.
[ㅇㅇ @WHAwhfflekd
No, I get the ToZ debut members, you know?? How can an idol's name be Kim Chunyong (New!) < He had that insane last-minute surge lol
But seriously, how were these mission scores calculated? We all know which trainee went crazy and ran wild in the missions, right?]
[⎿Honestly, that guy from Hong Kong wasn't at a debut-worthy skill level ;]
[⎿⎿I know what you mean. But didn't that get factored into the scores too? Skill or whatever, if they said that counts as points, they need to disclose the calculation method]
[ONLYONE! @onehyeopAA
I saw how fast you skipped through the eliminated trainees' rankings at the end—so fast you had to watch at 0.75x speed haha. Seriously, how unpleasant. You can't even show this much sincerity to the trainees you filmed with all this time? #MusicDays_Reflect #TargetingStar_Rude]
[⎿(Account blocked by author) Aww, wipe your tears. The ONE Hyeop Corps is going to the army now!]
[(Demand Survey ~9/19)
Harin♬ @HArinnnnne
I binged that idol survival program that was trending all over timelines lately, and what the hell?
Pushing only agency trainees is basic, and in the end, half the ones who debuted are agency kids lol…
Plus that Son Jaeha or whatever who's debuting at #1 keeps rubbing our genre's characters on him, f*cking rude. K-pop stans are always like this]
[⎿The rude one seems to be you, putting his name out there so openly when he could search and see it himself!]
[⎿⎿Here we go again… It was the beginning of a new boy group]
Dissatisfaction with how debut members were chosen, anger toward the program, even posts cursing while attaching whatever reason they could.
When people who didn't even know the damp, secretive inner workings of
"Ah. I feel like my head's going to split, seriously…."
Kim Chunyong, who had sneakily checked the SNS reactions, pressed his forehead and groaned.
He had only just taken his first step, yet it was already so exhausting and difficult.
Well, PD Joo Cheolyong was the one who had induced these reactions.
He'd probably be giggling excitedly, saying, "They need to keep mentioning me like this so my next program gets promoted," but….
'The other people who see this will say no, really!'
"Urrrgh…."
Kim Chunyong finally buried his face in his pillow and started screaming suppressed shouts.
Boing! Boing! Boing!
And perhaps because Kim Chunyong's appearance looked quite funny, messages had been pouring in from X without pause.
"Ah, seriously, so noisy!"
- Kim Chunyong, YOU'RE the noisy one! Stop shouting, you brat. If the neighbors complain, are you going to take responsibility?!
"Ack, ah, sorry, noona."
What had actually been heard louder was Kim Bomi's voice scolding him from outside the room, but to Kim Chunyong, that wasn't very important.
So, that anger naturally….
- Kim Chunyong: Are you crazy?
- Kim Chunyong: Hey, why are you sending over 100 messages
- Kim Chunyong: I'm a person with a private life too. There are times when I want to have my own time
- Kim Chunyong: But those damn notifications ringing at all hours! Notifications!
- Kim Chunyong: I really can't even fold this phone in half
…was directed at the one who made him hear those shouts.
But that person only got more excited and fired off more messages.
- X: But Chunyong-kun, if I don't do this, you won't pay attention to me… ㅠㅠ
- X: Ah, but thinking about it, I'm getting pissed?
- X: I, huh? helped you, huh? so much, huh?
- X: This ungrateful bastard, you debut and suddenly nothing I do is good enough
- X: Ah no, you were always like this to me
- X: Then what should I call you…? That's right, you rude bastard!!
- X: You haven't even checked the goal window since yesterday!
- X: Kim Chunyong, you really have no gratitude
- X: This is my job too, okay? Anyway, I have to diligently inform my contract partner of important news and give them rewards, okay?
"What work. If this were really work, send me a proper report…."
Kim Chunyong grumbled like that but pressed another category in the app.
Heading toward that goal window, which he had pretended not to see all this time because facing it felt somewhat reluctant.
[Goal Window
Current Goal: Win Rookie of the Year at a Music Awards Ceremony (Progress 1%)
Final Goal: The Greatest Idol in K-pop History (Progress 6%)
Upon Failure: Return to pre-contract circumstances]
Despite all the fuss X made, not much had actually changed.
The current goal had changed to 'Win Rookie of the Year,' and the final goal percentage had risen very slightly.
"Why is the progress like this, seriously. If this were a game, the server would've shut down long ago."
Still, it was true that Kim Chunyong's lips subtly curved up.
Because the status window right next to the goal window was distinctly different.
[Status Window
Name: Kim Chunyong (Main Dancer of Idol Group ToZ)
Vocal: 68 (Idol Vocal)
Rap: 65 (Idol Sub-Rapper)
Dance: 89 (Idol Main Dancer)
Visual: 80 (Handsome Idol)
Charm: 80 (Charming Idol)
Skills: Idol's Aura (A)
Overwhelming the Opponent with Dance (B)The Will of 6th Place (F)
You Still Like Me, Right? (C)
Don't Cry, Be Brave (B)
Wait, But Listen (C)Maintaining 45 Degrees is Essential (C)
Fortune Cookie (B)]
With stats that had regained their original levels through the steadily collected collection rewards throughout the survival show, and the skills accumulated below.
Especially thanks to [The Memory of a Second Debut], which had opened after debuting yesterday, the 'Idol's Aura' skill had reached A.
Thinking back to when he had started at F, the emotion was inevitably profound.
'And I'm sure… the person next to Shooting Rex noona was the one I first met in the individual practice room.'
That the first fan he had met upon returning as Chunyong, and someone who could be called Rex's last fan, were together.
"…I have to work hard."
Kim Chunyong checked the goal window once more, shook his bright red head vigorously, and sprang up from his seat.
Now the current goal was winning Rookie of the Year at a music awards ceremony.
When he thought about what happened after winning Rookie of the Year, his legs still felt like they might give out, but that was exactly why he had to push harder.
'Besides, our team had won Rookie of the Year before.'
But a team with a reformed Kim Chunyong and new members?
"…There's no way we can't take it."
Not Arrows, but now the name ToZ.
The clock that had briefly stopped after
* * *
He had heard before that it isn't over until it's over.
Whether during choreography practice or receiving recording direction.
Even when shooting debut concept photos, Director Moon Yoonha had yelled, "It's not over yet!"
So exactly, the moment that puts the final period on
[AG Ent_]
…going inside the AG company building and writing the standard exclusive contract for entertainers.
"Phew."
I looked at our company building that I was facing again after a while and let out a pleasant sigh.
Before, I had been going in and out as a trainee with a preliminary contract, or as an affiliated singer met with glares.
Now, I could enter with my shoulders squared proudly.
I paced in front of it, waiting for the person I had arranged to meet.
I hadn't known it would take this long to get here from the hotel, or something like that.
Fortunately, the wait didn't last long.
Because from afar, I could faintly see the figure of a large dog running frantically.
"Huff, God, Chunyong hyung! Sorry I'm late, really sorry!"
That pleasant voice mixed with English exclamations was a given.
"Hey, punk. Any later and I was going in alone."
"Oh, really, I tried to come quickly!"
Logan, who for some reason looked like a puppy tired from a walk, made a heavily distressed face and grabbed my arm fiercely.
"Truly, something a little scary happened. When I was leaving the hotel, it felt like someone was suddenly following me. Maybe, paparazzi?"
"…Really?"
"Yes! So I hurriedly took a taxi, but the taxi was going in the same direction too. That scared me, so I got off midway and ran here. So sorry, Chunyong hyung."
"…It's fine. I get the gist."
No, to think those kinds of people were appearing already.
I pressed my automatically furrowed brow with my fingers and clamped my mouth shut.
It was good that the members became a topic even before debut thanks to the effects of
Wasn't good.
It would get better once a manager hyung who would properly look after us came in, but for now, it was true that it bothered me.
"Let's go in for now. Any later and what will the CEO say to us?"
"Really? He sent me a separate debut gift! He doesn't seem like someone who'd do that."
"Yeah, yeah. The CEO must really like you…."
I clicked my tongue lightly and pulled Logan's arm inside the building.
Inside the elevator we'd gotten into to write the contracts, I cautiously opened my mouth.
"…Logan. Those people who followed you earlier."
"Oh, yes. Even though the survival show ended, we haven't officially debuted yet, so I was relaxing—"
"They're not like paparazzi, Logan. They're sasaengs."
"What? Sa, what did you say?"
"It means people who follow your every move and torment you. Paparazzi make money from that, but these people are different."
The very act of following you is their goal.
"…Oh."
At my words, Logan seemed to understand something and let out a short exclamation before falling silent.
When you have a job exposed to the public and gain popularity through that process, people begin to want more from the target.
What they eat. What they wear.
If they meet someone, who? A friend? Or family?
Surely they aren't betraying our expectations and meeting a man or woman, right?
I understood that when that mindset gets twisted and expressed in a strange direction, it becomes sasaeng behavior.
In my case….
[ㅇㅇ @Tmfprlxmfptl
Yesterday #Rex who appeared at #Gangnam_Pedira Rex trash (laugh)(laugh)
He was just drinking in the room, guess he doesn't have the guts to meet a woman~~]
[ㅇㅇ @Tmfprlxmfptl
#Rex just drinking again today and leaving, f*ck. This is boring to follow, I'll try targeting other members next. Next is Ji Hwaseong??]
[⎿Reporting]
[⎿⎿o.s.o… What are you going to do by reporting? I have a lot of accounts besides this one haha]
People who followed me around because I was already infamous, curious if I'd do something worse, or where Rex trash would hit bottom.
Or people for whom I was an incidental catch while chasing other members.
But Logan's case was different.
If the start was simply to enjoy mocking someone or to get attention on SNS, it would wither away quickly enough.
But what if they wrapped those actions in the name of affection?
I could guarantee that was 100 times more dangerous.
Ding—
Walking out past the slowly opening elevator doors, I offered Logan, who still wore a deeply serious face, a suggestion.
"Logan, how about going into the dorm early before shooting the reality show?"
"…Huh? Chunyong hyung, what do you mean all of a sudden?"
"I think word has gotten out about which hotel you're staying at right now. Since the dorm is managed by the company, I think that'd be better."
"Holy, I understand what you mean! But it might take some time to prepare the filming equipment and stuff."
It was a needless worry.
"Hey, the CEO sent you a gift earlier, right?"
"Yes. It was a dessert set, but I can't eat sweet things well…."
"Someone who sends you stuff like that—would he really refuse if you asked to move into the dorm early because you're scared of sasaengs?"
"Uh… I suddenly feel brave. Got it. I'll ask! I've never made this kind of request before, but everything has a first time…."
Logan, whose face quickly brightened as he wagged an invisible tail vigorously, naturally reached for the office door before hesitating.
What is it now.
"Wait… Chunyong hyung."
Someone's inside?
At those words, I naturally shifted my gaze to the office window.
"…Why is he."
Here of all places?