The Malicious Member is Back! - Chapter 108
A week had passed since the announcement of the position competition teams, and the trainees had been practicing like crazy.
The hottest topic of conversation among the trainees was none other than today’s airing of episode 3 of Targeting Star.
<“What’s the behind-the-scenes story of the ‘Aiming’ stage previewed by the Star Shooters?>
<Trainees covering legendary idol songs! The tension is visible on their faces…!”>
The main content was a summary of the original song “Aiming” stage from episode 2, the “Cops and Robbers” theme, and the events that occurred while the teams prepared for the second competition.
Gathered in Video Room 2, the members of “Beyond the Waves” team also began to chime in on the topic after watching episode 3 together.
“We looked kind of… pitiful, huh? Haha!”
And just like Yu Chan hyung said, our appearance in the episode was beyond words.
– “It was just… it broke my heart… Uwaaah!”
<A sudden bow from Trainee Ryota! Or was it not a bow?!>
Ryota, unable to handle the pressure of having chosen a song by the legendary Min Si Young, did a dogeza (formal bow) during his personal interview.
– “……”
<Completely baffled! Trainee Kim Chunyong freezes in place.>
The moment Ryota mentioned picking Min Si Young Seonbae’s song, I froze mid-bite, a half-eaten chocolate bar stuck in my mouth.
– “Difficult? Should I call it that? It’s more like meeting a professor who assigns you an impossible task to finish in a week….”
Yu Chan hyung’s spot-on analogy, one that any college student could relate to.
[OMG, this is the first time I’ve seen a Japanese person actually do a dogeza;]
[Why is a trainee named Kim Chunyong eating a chocolate bar on a survival show? Is this a chocolate bar commercial and not a survival program?]
[Lady Swan looks brutal, but when you see these guys, it makes that seem like nothing….]
I awkwardly shoved my phone back into my pocket after sneakily checking online reactions.
“Haha… But we did well on our stage, so once episode 4 airs next week, it should be fine.”
And then.
“…That’s right. Thanks to the hyungs, the stage went well….”
The first to respond to my reassurance was Si Woo, who had been quietly hugging his knees while watching episode 3.
This was unexpected.
<Trainee Jang Si Woo unable to focus on practice!>
<His team members are feeling uneasy—what could be the reason?!>
– “……”
<The production team is caught off guard by Trainee Jang Si Woo’s silence, leading to a temporary meeting….>
In episode 3, before his meeting with Min Si Young Seonbae, Si Woo was shown being unable to concentrate properly on practice, completely spaced out.
And naturally, this provided plenty of gossip fodder for netizens.
[It looks like Jang Si Woo has no intention of debuting. Why is he being such a burden?]
[⎿It’s probably just build-up for episode 4; mind your own trainee, Yu Chan fan.]
[⎿Yu Chan’s mom, lol, that’s why people keep saying Jang Si Woo isn’t as good as his hyung, lmao.]
[AG hyped him up because he’s a pureblood, but he’s just mediocre like the rest. Are you all blind…?]
[F*ck, imagine getting assigned Min Si Young’s song by chance—who could practice properly under that pressure, ㅋㅋ]
[@singsingull_ll11: Please refrain from making hasty judgments before episode 4 airs. Si Woo must have had his reasons, and it’s not right to speak harshly about a 17-year-old trainee.]
[⎿Okay, next Si Woo stan. Why is their defense so outdated? Try evolving, please.]
“I-I need to use the bathroom….”
Si Woo, who had also been secretly checking his phone, returned from the bathroom with red-rimmed eyes but a more resolute expression on his face.
“…Once episode 4 airs, everyone will start to think differently”
Watching our youngest member, I lightly clicked my tongue.
Si Woo had agreed to appear on Targeting Star with a big decision on his part, after all. Maybe I had underestimated him.
Yu Chan hyung, seemingly thinking the same, raised an eyebrow and patted Si Woo’s frail shoulders as he chimed in.
“He’s right. We got first place with our stage, right? Chunyong’s choreography was great, and Si Woo’s stage composition was solid too! There’s no need to stress over minor things.”
“Uwaah, I didn’t do anything though!”
“Ryota, you’re too kind! And aside from singing, I didn’t do anything either.”
“You’re killing me twice, hyung, as the main vocalist!”
“Haha….”
As the atmosphere in the room lightened, we each began to dig into the sponsored snacks the writer had brought us, chatting about how things were going.
“Chunyong and Ryota, how’s dance practice going?”
“Well, you know….”
“It goes without saying. Chunyong aniki and Liu Wei are completely dominating! I’m just the backup dancer, the backup dancer.”
At Ryota’s praise, I gave an awkward smile.
He wasn’t entirely wrong.
“Trainee Kim Chunyong… is doing well today, as always. Still thinking of being an idol…?”
“Hahaha! Thank you, Mentor Dasol!”
“…Still, hmm… Trainee Liu Wei… just needs… more expression….”
“谢谢 (Thank you).”
In the dance position, it was me, Liu Wei, Ryota, Lee Chae Hyuk, Han Sang Woo, and Tsubasa were selected. Standing out in this group wasn’t such a big deal.
After all, I’ve been through this once before.
If I didn’t do well, it would be more of a mental blow than anything else.
And besides…
[Status Window
Name: Kim Chunyong (Survival Program Trainee)
Vocal: 55 (Idol Vocal)
Rap: 63 (Idol Sub Rapper)
Dance: 84 (Idol Main Dancer)
Appearance: 78 (80) (Handsome Idol)
Charm: 76 (Charming Idol)
Skills: Idol’s Aura (C)
Intimidate with Dance (C)
Will of B (F)
But You Like Me, Right? (F)
Don’t Cry, Be Strong (D)
But Listen to This (D)
…]
My stats, which had steadily grown, were almost back to where they were originally.
Since my “Idol’s Aura” skill had leveled up, I could say I was in pretty good shape.
That’s why I wasn’t too worried about the quality of my dancing. What bothered me more was Liu Wei’s cold gaze piercing through me.
Even after years of knowing him, Liu Wei and Jae Ha hyung remained the two people whose thoughts I could never figure out.
‘…….’
As I recalled Liu Wei’s expressionless face, I naturally decided to shift the conversation.
“Si Woo and Yu Chan hyung are both in the vocal position, right? Is that right?”
“Ah, yeah… we’re practicing the song by Serenia Seonbaes.”
“Since both Si Woo and Yu Chan hyung have high vocal ranges, the song should suit them well.”
“Yeah, that part’s definitely comfortable. Jae Ha is really good too… we have no idea who will make it to the music show.”
And just as the topic changed,
“But something’s a bit strange. Logan not being in the vocal position seems odd, doesn’t it?”
