The Malicious Member is Back! - Chapter 122
Sitting inside his office, Shin Ki Ho’s face was more grim than ever.
Known for his intimidating persona, he always carried a gun-shaped lighter, deliberately crafting a tough image to make difficult tasks easier.
But when he was genuinely angry… it was only when things weren’t going according to plan.
With trembling hands, he searched for something to throw, only to realize that everything on his desk had already been smashed. In frustration, he gripped his hair tightly.
“…Damn it.”
According to his plan, by this time, the announcement of Logan Lee’s voluntary withdrawal should have already been posted on the official Targeting Star website.
Due to personal reasons, the trainee could no longer participate in the show.
No matter what alliance President Do Jae Chan and PD Joo Cheol Yeong tried to form, this was a fact that wouldn’t change.
“So, you’re saying there’s a contract that guarantees Logan’s debut, even if he gets eliminated from this program?”
“Yes. With Logan’s potential, he could be a valuable addition to the upcoming group we’re preparing alongside other trainees…”
“Wait a minute.”
“Ah, yes! Please, go ahead.”
“To be honest, that doesn’t sound appealing to us at all.”
“…What?”
“We’ve already seen one of this company’s projects fail. Was it called Lady Swan?”
“La-Lady Swan was…”
Logan’s parents clearly weren’t impressed by Do Jae Chan’s proposal centered around Logan.
At the mere mention of Lady Swan, Do Jae Chan struggled to maintain his composure, a weakness easily noticed by the couple from the prestigious family of stock market fame.
That’s why Shin Ki Ho had anticipated this and brought them to Korea in the first place.
“You seem to have made up your mind, so there’s no point in dragging this conversation further.”
“Director Shin!”
“President Do, we need to be realistic. We have no reason to hold onto a contract trainee who wants to leave. Moreover, we have no solid achievements to show Logan’s guardians either.”
“……”
“The notice for Logan’s withdrawal has already been prepared. Conveniently, the third performance round ends today, so there shouldn’t be any issues with his return home.”
It was true.
Shin Ki Ho was even willing to pay out of pocket for Logan’s flight home if that’s what his parents wanted.
Once Logan left Targeting Star, Shin Ki Ho would be free to focus on pushing Liu Wei’s debut without having to worry about the Chinese investors. A small expense in comparison.
“Wow. So you’re all having this discussion without me, the actual person involved. Incredible.”
“…Logan Lee. Sit down. What kind of disrespectful behavior is this?”
“You two are always like this. I’m not going back like this.”
“―Logan!”
Logan, unable to endure the fact that his opinions were being completely disregarded, stormed out.
A burst of emotion like this, right before an important performance.
Naturally, Logan would mess up on stage, and once that happened, PD Joo, despite his defiance against Director Shin, would have no choice but to reduce Logan’s screen time. Everything was falling perfectly into place.
It seemed like everything would go exactly as Shin Ki Ho had intended. A minor hitch at the start, but in the end, it was all going according to plan.
But.
Just as everything was aligning perfectly.
“…I’ll go fetch him. We can continue discussing this afterward.”
Another unexpected variable appeared.
Director Shin thought nothing of it.
Logan’s mother. Even if she wandered around the station, there were limited areas she could access with her visitor badge.
It wouldn’t make a difference anyway. Logan, overwhelmed by his emotions, would eventually be brought back to the stage by the staff, as Director Shin had instructed them.
However, that insignificant variable…
That was what set off a chain reaction, toppling everything.
“…Where exactly is Logan’s mother now?”
“Oh, well. She was talking with a trainee, then went backstage…”
Logan’s mother, who had disappeared for a while, was now watching her son’s stage from backstage.
“Why is a visitor backstage? How on earth is access being managed?”
“Well, the trainee said she was an associate, so…”
“Logan? Logan said that? Huh, shi–.”
“No, no. It wasn’t Trainee Logan who said it!”
“…What?”
Grinding his teeth, Shin Ki Ho replayed the scene in his head.
When he rushed backstage, Logan’s mother was standing there, and next to her…
“Ah, Logan’s not originally in the rap position, so… but he’s doing well today, isn’t he? Hmm. It seems like the tips I gave him are paying off a bit.”
“Really? …So, in what area does Logan have the most talent?”
“Oh, didn’t you know? Logan’s really good at composing. And singing, too. Here, give me your phone, I’ll show you Logan’s first mentor evaluation video.”
“…S-sure.”
The trainee named Kim Chunyong, who Liu Wei had only shown a slight interest in, was now central to a situation Shin Ki Ho found absolutely absurd.
He heard about him from Liu, the trainee named Kim Chunyong, and Shin Ki Ho was only mildly interested.
At the time, he thought to himself, “This is a ridiculous situation.”
A well-known investor from Wall Street, sitting beside a mere trainee and listening to what he had to say?
Even after completely disregarding Do Jae Chan’s passionate explanation about the project?
‘What the hell is going on?’
This was Shin Ki Ho’s fatal mistake—he hadn’t realized that Alissa found Kim Chunyong’s unique bond with Logan intriguing.
It was only after Kim Chunyong spoke and before Shin could rush in, stating that “this area is off-limits to anyone not in the cast,” that Alissa, after a brief exchange with her husband, said:
“…We’ve decided to let Logan finish the program.”
These were the very words Shin least wanted to hear.
As she calmly made this statement, staring directly at Shin Ki Ho, who was now massaging his forehead in disbelief, feeling dizzy.
“…But that’s different from what you mentioned earlier, isn’t it? What you’re saying now suggests you’re accepting the CEO’s proposal—”
“No. What we’re not convinced about is AG’s upcoming group project. That’s entirely separate from whether Logan leaves this program. Those two issues are clearly different.”
…And I’ve seen things for myself.
Alissa glanced briefly at Shin Ki Ho’s clenched fists before continuing.
“The reason we initially planned to take Logan back was that we believed the path he’d chosen had no future.”
“…….”
“Of course, I wasn’t exactly moved by his performance on stage. I’ve spent my life handling money, so I’m clueless when it comes to music. It’s like I’m not British”
But…
“When I listened to someone who understands better than I do, I found there was some room for reconsideration.”
In short, as she and her husband phrased it, Logan would be allowed to complete filming for Targeting Star.
If he were eliminated, Logan couldn’t oppose returning to Liverpool.
“Then, if I may ask… what if Logan doesn’t get eliminated from Targeting Star…?”
“That would mean Logan has enough marketability and talent to win over the public’s attention.”
Simply put.
“We wouldn’t need to insist on the path we set him on. That’s what marketability is all about.”
