The Malicious Member is Back! - Chapter 126
“Whew….”
I let out a quiet sigh as I glanced at Jae Ha hyung walking beside me, making sure he couldn’t hear.
During the survival break, I had thought I might spend time with some of the trainees, but…
That person being none other than Jae Ha hyung?
So, in short, this situation was…
“Hmm, does this feel awkward?”
“Huh? No, no!”
“Haha. It just felt like you were being a bit too quiet. Don’t worry. Today, I’m the one asking for your help.”
“Oh, hyung, you should feel comfortable too. Really.”
Ahem.
I awkwardly cleared my throat, feeling like he’d hit the mark too accurately.
…Yeah. It was awkward.
Unlike me, who had memories of spending eight years with him, Jae Ha hyung only knew me as a trainee he’d seen a few times in this survival show.
And by some weird stroke of fate, we hadn’t once been on the same team among the 18 trainees.
We’d had brief conversations—during the second performance game, “Cops and Robbers,” and when we gave Kim Joo An a hard time—but that was it.
To put it nicely, we were still getting to know each other.
To put it bluntly, we were practically strangers.
The reason Jae Ha hyung came looking for me was simple yet complicated.
“Oh, so we’re filming a video for the company?”
“Yeah. It’s for promoting the program.”
The video was to be uploaded on AG’s trainee channel, featuring the choreography for “Aiming,” and the subject was none other than Jae Ha hyung.
Of course, it made sense. He’s AG’s top male trainee right now.
“But I’ve been having trouble with the dance break part. I kind of… messed up the stage last time.”
“Ah… yeah.”
Maybe the memory still pained him, as his expression briefly faltered before he returned to his usual gentle look and asked me:
“But I remember you nailing the center part back then. So, if it’s alright with you, could you help me out? I’ll make sure you’re compensated.”
Jae Ha hyung was asking for help with his choreography.
…From me.
Honestly, I should’ve declined.
Given the current situation, I needed to spend the break working on a plan to take down Liuwei.
Using my precious time to help someone else with their choreography?
That was a luxury I couldn’t afford.
However.
“Oh, sure! I’ve been meaning to go over the details again anyway. Haha, it’s good to keep moving during the break!”
“…Thanks for agreeing.”
I didn’t have the guts to refuse a favor from the hyung I’d tortured so much before.
…Damn it.
I clenched my fist, glancing at the AG Entertainment building in the distance.
Alright. If they tell you to do it, you do it.
That’s the fate of a former “malicious member” now riding the redemption express.
“Do you have an access card?”
“Yes, I got one after signing the temporary contract. Will this work?”
“Yeah. All the doors here open with access cards… Hold on. Thanks.”
We stepped into AG Entertainment’s practice room #1.
The one Jae Ha hyung liked the most. Since Targeting Star, it had naturally become Arrows’ practice room.
It’s where we’d practiced the choreography for the mini-album we were supposed to release before returning.
“I skipped Rex’s part just in case, but let’s go over the basic moves. You have to at least be ready for the first stage, right?”
“…I haven’t even heard the demo for this song.”
“Really? Oh, man… I didn’t realize.”
…The last practice had been a total mess.
I took a deep breath and scanned the familiar equipment in the room.
This time, things would be different. They had to be different.
“Yes, spin right there, da-da-da. Da. Yep, good.”
“The part after the drum sound—how’s the timing?”
“Yeah, it’s perfect. The details are spot on.”
Maybe it was because of this mindset, but the choreography check with Jae Ha hyung was going smoothly.
Even though he’d messed up that performance, he’d been practicing “Aiming” for nearly a month now.
His basics were solid, no question about it.
And maybe because of how much that failed stage had bothered him, his mastery of the choreography was so good, even I, a dance member, was impressed.
“Honestly… I don’t know if there’s much else I can help with. The only thing left to work on would be breaking down the beat, but I’m sure you’ve already got that down.”
“Haha, I’m not that good. Still got a long way to go.”
What are you talking about? There’s a limit to humility.
The aggressive external recruitment spearheaded by President Do Jae Chan after Lady Swan’s flop had landed harder than just on Director Shin.
The training, A&R, content, and even media analysis teams had all been overhauled.
At the time, it felt like too much, like everything was being replaced.
But the result was Jae Ha hyung.
[NEW! AG prospectER: Son Jae Ha]
A trainee with balanced talent and the looks of a manhwa protagonist.
Kind, hardworking, and always giving his best effort in everything.
“Whew…”
Listing everything one by one made me sigh without even realizing it.
That guy… he really was our leader, huh.
“What’s wrong? Are you feeling sick?”
“Oh, no. I just had something on my mind, that’s all! Haha.”
See?
No matter the ups and downs, there’s no way this guy won’t debut.
“I thought you weren’t feeling well… I’m glad that’s not the case.”
Of course, even after spending a lot of time together, there’s still something a bit mysterious about him.
But that’s not something I need to worry about right now.
I awkwardly scratched my cheek at his concern and turned off the backing track of “Aiming,” which had been echoing throughout the practice room.
It was the signal that our choreography practice had come to an end.
This joyful and peaceful practice session with our leader was enough for now.
If I wanted to debut alongside him again, I’d have to go home and rack my brains for a plan.
“You should be ready for filming now, right? Honestly, the AG choreography team could’ve helped you instead of me.”
“No, I needed you.”
“…What?”
Wait, wasn’t that just a bit too much? I mean, I know hyung is kind, but…
“Well, you see…”
But Jae Ha hyung, the man in question, continued slowly, his face still full of smiles.
For a moment, it felt like time was slowing down.
“Filming the choreography video… that was a lie.”
And then, silence.
The only sound filling the practice room, where it was just the two of us, was the faint hum of the air conditioner.
Yeah.
That’s exactly the kind of thing that made hyung hard to understand sometimes.
I had completely forgotten, since it had been so long since we’d talked like this.
I stared directly at Jae Ha hyung’s handsome face.
His pitch-black eyes under his sleek black hair were unreadable.
Even after eight years, I couldn’t figure out what thoughts lay behind those eyes.
Noticing my gaze, hyung let out a small “Ah!” and continued speaking.
“Well, you and I aren’t on the same team or even in the same dorm. So if I just asked to meet up without any excuse, I thought you’d feel awkward. I was wondering how to go about it, and… well, here we are.”
“….”
“That’s what happened.”
I opened my mouth slightly, trying to make sense of what Jae Ha hyung was saying.
“So… you went out of your way to book the AG practice room during break, just to make a reason to talk to me.”
“Mm, that’s about right.”
“…Huh.”
Now that I thought about it, there were plenty of things that didn’t quite add up.
In the middle of Targeting Star’s filming and broadcasts, shooting a separate choreography video for the AG trainee channel?
That’s the kind of topic that would blow up online, setting off real-time trends with people accusing AG of favoring its bloodline trainees.
And sure, I’d done pretty well with the “Aiming” stage, but our team MVP had been Ji Hwa Sung—Jae Ha hyung’s own inseparable sidekick.
If he knew about this…
“Why is Jae Ha hyung asking Yongyong hyung to check his choreography? He’s not even part of the choreography team! And it’s not me? I should be doing it!!”
…Ugh.
Just imagining the outburst I hadn’t even heard yet was enough to exhaust me.
