The Malicious Member is Back! - Chapter 135
It made the trainees feel closer to their fans and reminded the public of their ongoing survival in the show.
“Jae Ha’s still dominating… well, almost.”
AG Trading Company sighed as she scrolled through the feed and saw a post that made her pause.
[IfellinlovewithaChineseman@alwaysliuuway
Our Liuliu♡ His Outgram post ranks 3rd in likes♡ But his current mid-ranking is 4th ㅠㅠ♡ Let’s all work harder to see his happy face♡ Let’s cheer up together ♡]
“Ugh, all those hearts… Wait, Liu Wei is in 4th now? Wasn’t he 3rd before?”
She quickly checked the official voting site, her eyes widening at what she saw.
“Wait, what? Oh my god!”
Despite her shouting, her fingers flew across her phone, typing a message.
[AG Trading Company: Big news, NBML!]
[AG Trading Company: Chunyong is in 6th place now?? The last time I checked, he was 7th!!]
Kim Chunyong, who had been hovering just outside the debut zone, had somehow climbed to 6th place.
There were a lot of factors behind it.
First, the viral meme about “How can an idol trainee be named Kim Chunyong??”
Then, his role as the “Masked Guy” on the stage “Beyond the Waves” from episodes 3 and 4, which had caught fans’ attention.
His stellar performance in the third mission, “Crucial Boy,” had also gained buzz.
But most importantly…
[NBML_0000 is typing…]
[NBML_0000: I think]
[NBML_0000: My all-nighter did it, AG Trading Co….]
NBML’s tireless efforts to capture and upload footage from the “Global Trainee Bucket List” mission.
With the mid-rankings approaching and the perfect viral moment needed, her video was blowing up.
<2X0702 Targeting Star Kim Chunyong Hongdae Street Dance Battle by NBML>
While the production team’s official mission footage required a WeTube Blue subscription to view, NBML’s video was freely accessible to anyone visiting her channel.
[Is he really a trainee?]
[⎿Kim Chunyong, respected by Jin Dasol, check out his other dance videos♡ (link)]
[⎿⎿Woah, thanks for the rec… kind of scary looking, but he’s a great dancer and pretty good-looking.]
[⎿What? This video was just getting decent views a week ago, why is it suddenly on hotclip?]
[⎿⎿It seems like other trainees’ fans heard the rumors and came to see if they could see their kid’s face lol It’s impossible, right? It’s just Logan and Seong Won Hyeop, right?]
The Targeting Star production team later became aware of the video’s existence, but there wasn’t much they could do.
It wasn’t an unauthorized leak of filmed content, nor was it a repost of official footage—it had been recorded and uploaded directly, making it difficult to claim any copyright infringement.
“Wow, seriously. This actually worked.”
While AG Trading Company casually voiced her amazement, reading through the flood of comments under the video, NBML, overwhelmed with emotion, was busy hammering out messages in the DMs as if she were about to break the chat window.
[NBML_0000: I wasn’t sure this would actually work ㅜㅜ]
[NBML_0000: But the timing was perfect]
[NBML_0000: Just as Chunyong mentioned the shoot in his post]
[NBML_0000: And even the dancer he performed with referenced my video (crying)(crying)]
Not only did Kim Chunyong mention the video himself, but Choi Gun Young, the unexpected support from the dance team, had boosted its reach.
While the complexity surrounding Kim Chunyong’s situation grew, preparations for the mid-rank announcement were smoothly progressing.
However, the complexity couldn’t be ignored.
As NBML and AG Trading Company celebrated their trainee’s increasing chances of debuting, two men in an AG Entertainment office were having a very different conversation.
“That kid’s rank jumped all of a sudden.”
And Liu Wei’s fell.
Shin Ki Ho, who hadn’t even flinched at Liu Wei’s sudden visit, waved his hand dismissively, letting out a scoff.
“You came here just because of that? It’s because you lost the last round. It’ll balance out again soon.”
“No, it won’t. And this whole mess is because you ignored my words.”
Liu Wei glared at him, his sharp, usually emotionless features twisted with frustration.
“Since then, I’ve provided you with everything—information on trainees who dislike him, background dirt, everything.”
Bang!
“You’re so noisy.”
Unable to hold back, Shin Ki Ho slammed his fist on the desk, his eyes bloodshot with anger.
“You think you’re the only one pissed off at that kid? Don’t get cocky with me.”
“…I could write more than a few articles about this right now.”
At Liu Wei’s threat, Shin Ki Ho’s lips curled into a mocking smile.
Their flawless plan to get Logan eliminated had already unraveled.
Now, carefully calculated moves wouldn’t even achieve half their goal, and cheap rumors? That would only attract low-tier gossip mongers.
“Fine, let’s ruin him, let’s get rid of him. But with what? How exactly are you planning to do that? Everything you’ve given me so far is worthless.”
He clicked his gun-shaped lighter compulsively as he continued.
“Conflict with another trainee? Sure, sounds juicy. But it was all just one-sided jealousy. Lack of commitment? You’re the one who’s been worse in that regard. A dating scandal? People these days can spot a fake a mile away. It won’t work.”
Without real dirt, attacking Kim Chunyong would backfire. He had Producer Joo Cheol Yeong’s favor, and any accusations would just give him more visibility, especially with the mid-rankings looming.
“I’m not emphasizing legitimacy because I’m some moral paragon. It’s because it works. And naturally, pulling that off takes time, you brat.”
So go focus on your damn shoot.
“Don’t come whining in here like a child.”
With that cutting dismissal, shadows darkened Liu Wei’s face.
Shin Ki Ho’s words weren’t wrong. His reasoning was solid.
But…
“I can’t just sit around and wait like you do.”
Though they shared interests, for Liu Wei, who was directly involved, this came off as nothing more than a hollow excuse.
“Liu Wei, what did you just—”
Ignoring Shin Ki Ho’s curses from behind, Liu Wei slowly pulled out his phone as he stepped out of the office.
There were only four days left until the mid-rank announcement filming.
Outgram missions, live broadcasts, filming, voting.
Issues and scandals.
[需要帮助 (I need help).]
The power struggles above had begun cascading down, drawing the conflict between Liu Wei and Kim Chunyong closer to its breaking point.
