The Malicious Member is Back! - Chapter 1

The malicious member of an idol group.

While it can also refer to a member who would benefit the team more if they left, in the modern idol industry, “malicious member” holds a broader meaning.
They stick around in the corner of the team, subtly unsettling fans, and causing inconveniences to other hardworking members.
They are favored by sensationalist reporters obsessed with views, who eagerly churn out articles about them, but they’re not quite easy to remove. Literally, they are malicious stock, baggage, malicious members.

That’s me, Kim Chunyong.
My name, written with the characters for spring (春) and dragon (龍), signifies the dragon of spring.
I liked this name.
It was given to me by my late grandmother, who I loved the most. And above all, I liked the pronunciation of Chunyong.
Doesn’t it roll off the tongue so smoothly? Chunyong, how nice!

However, people didn’t address me by my name as it is.
“Mr. Rex, Mr. Rex!”
Our agency’s CEO gave me this name, Rex. A juvenile and somewhat plain stage name, with “T” removed from “T-Rex.”
The name Chunyong was considered too tacky for an idol, or so they said. It was cute, but I couldn’t fathom why they gave me such an uninspired stage name.
Did those old men think of dinosaurs just because of the “Yong” in my name? Because it means dragon?
Anyway, they added “trash” to it, Trash-Rex.
That’s how the public referred to me.
“Mr. Rex, get a hold of yourself. You’ll need to call a lawyer or go through an investigation.”
I muttered slowly to the police officer glaring at me.
“Well, my name is Chunyong….”
They should call me by my real name at the police station, right?
“Is that really important right now? Geez, this is driving me crazy….”
I turned my head away from the police officer who was vigorously scratching his head.
Is it because of the terrible hangover?
Or is it due to the alcohol poured into my mouth in an attempt to forget it?
For some reason, the sound of people whispering was ringing clearly in my ears.

“Did you hear? The person inside, it’s Arrows’ Rex.”
“What? So, you’re saying that’s Trash-Rex?”
“Yeah, they say he was lying on the street, so they arrested him urgently. He claims he only drank alcohol, but judging by his current condition, well, it seems like he’s quite weak?”
“Ha… iIt’s no surprise that it’s chaotic due to the investigation. They say even the Chinese member of Arrow’s escaped to China. So, is it really the end of the Team Pungbibaksan?”*
(*TN: Romanized text, either referring to the idol group or the fans)
“The other members just look pitiful. At least that Chinese member used to perform decently when he was still there. But Trash-Rex, what’s that?”
“They’re calling him a malicious member, saying how much trouble he caused. Pfft, I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
“Yeah, he’s famous, you know. The dumb, useless, member Rex. But… from what I know, it wasn’t like that from the beginning.”

Suddenly, my heart started to pound anxiously.
It was always like this when I heard that story.

“Rex, it’s about Rex. With his family…”

Stop, stop.

“After winning the Rookie of the Year award, he went on a family trip…”

Can you please stop? Why aren’t you listening to people?

“They all died in a car accident, and he’s the only one who survived like that.”

Crash!
“Could you just shut up already!”
After I slammed the desk, the voices went quiet. The police officer who had been watching me had a bewildered expression. I didn’t intend to startle him.
I desperately tried to explain.
“Oh, that’s, um, people outside, they were discussing our… family matters…”
“Ah, I see.”
Pity welled up in the police officer’s gaze. He had sighed audibly enough for me to hear, tapped the desk with his fingers, and spoke.

“Look here, Mr. Rex. There’s no one outside right now.”