The Malicious Member is Back! - Chapter 102
“Um, everything? Chunyong hyung, but…”
Logan seemed quite flustered by my request to show everything he could do, but that was as far as it went.
“Trainees! We’ll start filming right away before any more delays! One, two―.”
“Huh!?”
Click.
It was because the junior writer, with a delighted expression, clapped the slate at just the right moment.
“God, so suddenly….”
Because of the dance performance I had earlier shown with Choi Gun Young, the crowd had already gathered as much as it could, leaving us standing in the middle with no place to go.
‘Ugh, this isn’t good. I’m so used to being in front of the camera by now. Is it because we’re outside?’
I took a quick glance at Logan’s clearly flustered face, then suddenly slung my arms around Won Hyeop hyung and Logan, raising my voice.
“Hello, everyone! We’re trainees appearing on the idol survival program, Targeting Star!”
Waaah―
At my words, the crowd’s applause and cheers were directed at us, and I smiled at the two beside me, giving them a hearty pat on the shoulder.
“Things were a bit awkward earlier, but I’m originally a member who specializes in dance, and this is busking, after all.”
So then.
“Now, it’s time for you two to shine, right?”
“……”
“Uh, uh… yeah, that’s right!”
The two of them widened their eyes at my words.
Even though this was a WeTube Blue content shoot, in the end, it’s about raising our profiles to debut through Targeting Star.
And when it comes to making an impression on the public, there’s nothing quite like ‘busking.’
“Hello, everyone! I’m Seong Won Hyeop! I’m really glad to meet you all here. Ah, I’m most confident in my vocals, but I’m thrilled to be busking like this….”
Won Hyeop hyung, who had already known that, just momentarily forgot because of the unexpected situation earlier, quickly composed himself and began waving to the crowd with a smile.
The only one left…
“Oh….”
Logan, who could be considered the star of this stage.
Following Won Hyeop hyung’s lead, I greeted the crowd with a bright expression while keeping an eye on Logan, who seemed to be deep in thought.
Even though Logan had self-imposed thoughts of leaving, this busking was something he had mentioned as being on his bucket list. His resolve should be different this time.
And surely, if this was the Logan I’ve known until now…
“Ok, okay!”
‘That’s it.’
As if to meet my expectations, Logan, his eyes now brimming with determination, plucked his guitar strings lightly and shouted in a loud voice.
♬♩♪―
“Hi, everyone! I’m Logan Lee from Liverpool, England!”
Locking eyes with the curious onlookers, Logan continued cautiously.
“There are many places in Liverpool where you can go busking, so it’s something I’ve done often and seen a lot. But interestingly, the most memorable busking I ever saw was by Koreans who came to the UK.”
His speech was getting a bit long, but neither I, the production team, nor Won Hyeop hyung interrupted and simply listened quietly.
After all, the mission was ‘Helping a Global Trainee Fulfill His Bucket List.’
The star of the mission is allowed to talk a little longer.
‘Yeah, yeah. Keep going, Logan. Let your heart out, and let me in on it, too!’
Of course, I had some selfish intentions as well.
“I was pretty burned out at that time. But listening to their songs, I thought, ‘Ah, I want to go to Korea and sing like that too.’”
Logan nodded lightly, as if remembering that moment.
“…That’s still how I feel now.”
With those final words, Logan smoothly ran his hand down the neck of his guitar, flashing a bright smile as he wagged his invisible, ever-energetic tail.
“Alright then, let’s start our busking! The first song is ‘Aiming,’ an original track from *Targeting Star!*”
And soon, the acoustic version of “Aiming” began.
Following that was Won Hyeop hyung’s ranking evaluation song, “I’m Waiting for You.”
-Me, I’m not great at driving
So I’m just running to you
Your hand that I’ll soon hold will surely be warm
Just wait for me until then
I’ll be there soon, I’m almost there
And then came my ranking evaluation song, Exolity’s “The Sunshine Behind Me.”
“This part is a guitar solo!”
I tapped my fingers in time, watching Logan play the guitar like a madman.
“Trainees, we need to prepare the busking track MR in advance, so if you let us know, we can…”
“Um, sorry, but since this is a busking performance… wouldn’t it be better with just the guitar accompaniment?”
“Well, yes, but… if it’s Seong Won Hyeop trainee’s song, maybe, but for Kim Chunyong trainee’s song, the MR would be necessary.”
“It’s fine! I’ll handle the accompaniment.”
“Trainee Logan…? Have you practiced?”
“Well, I haven’t exactly practiced, but I can definitely play it. Um, unless Chunyong hyung doesn’t like it…”
“No, I’ll leave it to you.”
His face was so full of confidence when he asked if it was okay that I told him to go ahead, partly to see how it would turn out.
‘I didn’t expect it to be this good.’
My vocal tone, to put it nicely, blends well with others, but to put it bluntly, it’s so husky that it can be a bit overwhelming to listen to on its own.
‘That’s why when I sing solo, it’s better to adjust the overall pitch to slightly cover up my natural voice.’
Logan’s accompaniment, however, had lowered the pitch by a half-step from the original, perfectly highlighting my strengths.
‘I’ve never received such consideration, not even after debuting as an idol, but here I am, getting it like this, like this!’
“The touch that soothes me, the steps that had stopped are running again….”
I tried to calm my slightly overwhelmed feelings as I mouthed the familiar lyrics.
It was enough, it was more than enough, but still, this alone wouldn’t do.
I had already confirmed Logan’s extraordinary talent on the ‘Calendar’ stage and now with this guitar performance. But I needed more.
The reason why it had to be Logan.
The reason why I had to stop Logan from leaving, even if it meant going against someone’s will.
And that tiny doubt of mine—
“This is the first song I ever wrote after studying music, and it’s the first time I’m sharing it with the world! Wow, I’m so nervous. I really hope you like it!”
—was completely erased the moment those rhythmic sounds flowed from the acoustic guitar neck as soon as Logan finished speaking.
‘This is….’
As I lightly tapped my foot to the beat, a faint smile on my lips, Won Hyeop hyung, standing beside me, whispered softly.
“Oh, Chunyong, have you heard this song before?”
“Ah, yeah. Well….”
A song that might not be understood now, that shouldn’t be understood.
‘But it’s a song that no one who’s come back could ever forget…!’
