The Malicious Member is Back! - Chapter 118
As Kim Chunyong stood on stage, continuing his battle of nerves with Liu Wei, another scene was unfolding among the audience.
NBML, who stood in the crowd, holding her camera to capture every moment of Chunyong, felt a pang of unease.
‘’Crucial Boy’? This might be a problem.’
She was a bit anxious.
It wasn’t for nothing.
Other audience members were also muttering among themselves, or quickly posting on social media with comments like, “[OMG Targeting Star’s dance team is doing ‘Crucial Boy’ too, lol. They’re screwed~].”
And for good reason. What kind of song was “Crucial Boy”?
After the failure of Lady Swan, it was Crucial Boy, the debut song of Choi Gaon, that brought August Entertainment back to life, helping it reclaim its place in the spotlight.
The song had earned Choi Gaon the rookie award that year, and its complex choreography led to countless dance teams uploading cover videos.
“I spent almost a year just practicing the choreography for Crucial Boy. I don’t think I could do that again! Must’ve been youthful passion back then, haha.”
…Each move in the song’s choreography felt like a main dance break.
[“5 million views! ♪ ♬ The perfect combination of song and dance, Choi Gaon’s ‘Crucial Boy’ from his rookie days.”]
[“Choi Gaon, the ‘Madness Boy,’ says: ‘It wasn’t that I couldn’t dance, I just chose not to.’”]
Nowadays, Choi Gaon focuses more on showcasing his vocal skills, but during his debut, he went viral for his intense dance performances.
It was a difficult song that even the original singer struggled with.
Crucial Boy was known for its difficulty, and covering the song often led to more challenges than benefits for dance-focused trainees.
NBML swallowed hard, tightening her grip on the camera.
“Chunyong, I believe in you. Let’s just aim for the basics, okay? I’ll handle the damage control from here…”
Waaah!
The familiar sound of Crucial Boy began to fill the Music Days hall, and the crowd erupted in cheers. The song was so well-known that its opening notes alone could stir excitement.
NBML quickly adjusted AG Corporation’s cardigan that she had draped over her camera, ensuring it wouldn’t slip.
– Everything here is shining
But not everything that glitters is gold
You know we are… Crucial, maybe even diamonds
Because a solo artist’s song was being performed by six people, the stage composition had changed a bit.
Three dancers appeared for the first verse, followed by the remaining three in the second. It started with Lee Chae Hyuk, Tsubasa, and Liu Wei.
– Dance, music, stage to make you smile
But that’s not enough
Call for another something right now
You know what’s really important
“Oh, it’s better than I expected. And Liu Wei is really good…,”
AG Corporation muttered, trying to sound positive. Objectively, the performance wasn’t bad.
The costumes resembled what Choi Gaon wore during his rookie days, and their large, fluid movements were impressive.
But the problem was…
“…Wouldn’t it be great if Choi Gaon could just jump in and dance instead of MCing?”
The fact that the original artist was right there.
With the original artist sitting right there, no matter how hard the trainees practiced, it was inevitable that the audience would compare their performance to his.
Especially with such a notoriously difficult song, having the original artist nearby only made it easier to recall his version.
The audience members’ scattered comments made that clear.
“Gaon! Come on and dance for them!”
“Liu Wei’s good, but the others look like background dancers.”
Though their voices were drowned out by louder cheers, those critical opinions were hard to ignore.
“Yeah, it’s good, but… there’s something missing, right? Maybe because Gaon is here.”
Na Ji Hyuk and Min Si Young, who were seated near the front, kept glancing over at Choi Gaon, clearly making comparisons. Even Choi Gaon himself seemed a bit uncomfortable.
“This is exactly why I faked an NG earlier! I was hoping they’d change the song!”
When the third round song announcements were made, Choi Gaon’s surprise had been genuine because the producers had gone back on his initial request.
“Didn’t you promise to leave my song out of this? If this happens, everything I asked for goes out the window.”
“We didn’t plan for this, Gaon.”
“Wait, if the production team didn’t plan it, then who did?”
“You don’t know?”
“Know what…?”
“Well, even Siyoung doesn’t know, so it makes sense that you don’t.”
Choi Gaon let out a rare, bitter smile as he turned his gaze back to the dance trainees on stage. The answer to his question was right there in the center.
– Poppin’ firecrackers explode
We dance beneath them, you and I
Special? No, even beyond that
Crucial, crucial
We are the special Crucial Boy & Girl
At the song’s most dazzling highlight, Liu Wei was performing the song’s iconic choreography with precision. Even Choi Gaon couldn’t deny that Liu Wei’s dancing was exceptional.
At AG, where skill reigns supreme, there was no way they’d back an unqualified trainee.
But still…
The nagging feeling in Choi Gaon’s mind persisted, likely because he realized that this entire situation had been orchestrated for that trainee.
As someone who had practiced the choreography for Crucial Boy for nearly a year, Choi Gaon could tell just by watching Liu Wei’s moves.
That wasn’t the performance of someone who had just learned the routine for the first time for this stage.
The song had been changed specifically for that trainee.
As someone who took pride in being part of a company renowned for producing skilled vocalists, AG, Choi Gaon wasn’t exactly pleased with the current state of affairs.
‘I may not know all the details, but I can see what’s going on. Even if they’re pushing a trainee, this seems a bit much.’
Choi Gaon gripped the cue sheet tightly.
This was nearly turning the other trainees into mere props.
At this rate, it was almost guaranteed that Liu Wei would take the number one spot in the dance position and appear on the music show.
‘I wish there were a twist…’
Like, a trainee who could match his dancing skill.
Then, just after the first verse of Crucial Boy, during the highlight—
“…Oh.”
Choi Gaon let out an involuntary gasp as he saw the trainee stepping out from behind Liu Wei.
