The Malicious Member is Back! - Chapter 136
The original song ‘Aiming,’ the cover song, and the position battle had already given the audience a good glimpse of the trainees’ stage presence.
Compared to when they were actively preparing for the competition, the idol training camp was now slightly more relaxed.
At least for the production crew.
For the trainees, however, their days were filled with one shoot after another, making things even more chaotic.
“Seven, eight. Stretch your arms out more.”
“Can we… take a quick break?”
“We haven’t even… gotten the details right… yet. Especially you, Seong Won Hyeop. Stay behind for extra practice.”
“Dasol niim!”
During the day, there were basic dance rehearsals, vocal lessons, and rap sessions, all part of the training program prepared by the production team and AG Entertainment.
“Wait! I think Ryota’s the culprit here!”
“Hwa Sung, you’ve misunderstood. How could someone as kind as me be the culprit?!”
“Ryota, if you’re going to say that, at least change your expression. You look totally guilty right now.”
“Aaah! Even you, Jae Ha hyung!”
After practice, the crew set up mini-games to build chemistry among the trainees, advertising it as “AG’s Practice System.
“Trainee Ryota is indeed the culprit! The detective who solved the mystery will receive a snack set from our sponsor! You can have a snack party when you return to the dorm!”
“Wow… I love it.”
Once the game, which was laced with sponsor promotions, was over, everyone frantically began uploading their Outgram missions and starting live broadcasts.
[JiHwasung@Zimars_TT
(Photo)
Caught the culprit with Jae Ha hyung today! (Handcuff emoji)
Curious who the culprit was? 😛]
[⎿ Trainee Ji Hwa Sung, spoiler for the mini-game. Outgram ban for 2 hours ㅠㅠ]
[Ryota @Ryota__TT
I didn’t do it ㅠㅠ I am not a bad person
#TargetingStar #Ryota #良太 #daily]
[⎿ Please remove “daily” from Trainee Ryota’s tag!!]
– “Hello, Star Shooters. This is Seong Won Hyeop! Yes, hello, konnichiwa. Have you eaten? Oh, not yet. I’m waiting for extra dance lessons now. Do I dance poorly? No! It’s not that…”
– “Seong Won Hyeop trainee… he’s a bit stiff, right?”
– “Ack! Dasol-nim!”
Still, the Outgram missions weren’t so bad.
The mission scores would factor into the upcoming mid-rank announcements, and social media activity allowed during survival programs meant viral potential.
Exhausting, sure… but in a good way, or so they convinced themselves.
Of course, Kim Chunyong had a different perspective, with more than a few things to worry about.
Ding!
– X: Yeah, posting that video to Outgram and boosting your rank was a good move
– X: Congrats on 6th place, that’s great! Finally in the debut zone!
– X: But what are we going to do now!!
– X: Are you really going to debut with Liu Wei? Your rank went up and Logan dropped to 7th. What’s your plan!? Why did you bother taking him down if you’re going to do this!?
– X: There was a perfect way to get rid of Liu Wei, but you said you wouldn’t drag others into it, ugh
– X: You can’t be this clueless
– X: Alright, I’m officially stepping in now
Ding! Ding!
[A 45-degree angle is essential (C): Capture a photo of yourself at a 45-degree angle to enhance attractiveness by 10 percent]
– X: This is your prize skill for winning first place in the last round, and your opinion doesn’t matter. Just take it. Contrary to what you think, you suck at taking selfies
– X: Ah, I should have done this earlier ㅡㅡ You should’ve just accepted the prize in front of the billboard ad. Ugh, so frustrating!
– X: Argh! I’m so mad!
– X: From now on, your task is simple: post with this skill on Outgram, and as for Liu Wei, you’ll deal with him with Gao Yan’s help…
Ding! Ding! Ding!
“Seriously, this is driving me crazy. I need to get a phone that stays on silent mode permanently…”
Despite the grumbling, Kim Chunyong quickly replied to X’s messages.
[Why are you deciding my rewards, you jerk?] and [You’re not helping, just stay out of it].
He even threw in a few pointless punches to his phone for good measure.
‘This bastard… I already have enough to think about, and he’s just making it worse. No matter how much I think about it, he’s definitely a devil.’
If asked objectively whether X was helpful to Kim Chunyong… well, the answer wouldn’t be a complete no.
X regularly sent useful skills and gave his opinion on contract clauses when Chunyong had questions.
Of course, as an emotional counselor, X was a solid zero, maybe even a negative.
‘Honestly, it’s more helpful when he just shuts up and doesn’t send anything.’
Still, Chunyong’s expression wasn’t great because, in some ways, X was right.
Being in the debut zone was a good thing.
However, because of Kim Chunyong’s rise to 6th place, Logan had now dropped to 7th.
Liu Wei, despite his decline, was still comfortably holding onto 4th.
“If I don’t do something about Liu Wei, everything I’ve done up to now will be for nothing.”
Kim Chunyong absentmindedly touched his hair, which had grown long enough to brush against the nape of his neck, as he pondered.
He needed a way.
‘…Li Ming Shen told me to find a way where he wouldn’t be exposed. Either that, or I’ll have to reveal everything myself.’
Neither option seemed easy, but it was far better than accepting Gao Yan’s absurd suggestion to let him handle the exposure.
And it was definitely better than some alternative method that would inevitably harm others.
Ding!
– X: Just let that Gao Yan kid spill everything!!
– X: Why don’t you take the comfortable way out?? Why not?? Seriously, I don’t get it.
– X: You’ve got that ‘good guy syndrome’ ;; You’re doing this because you feel like you can’t let anyone get hurt, thanks to all the guilt you’re carrying from last time.
“Oh… you’re really making me repeat myself here, aren’t you? Does this company just hire people based on how well they nag?”
Kim Chunyong scowled at the snarky message, his fingers flying across the phone screen.
