The Malicious Member is Back! - Chapter 145

And then, a voice—one far too familiar.

The person responsible for forcing me to watch this entire disaster unfold firsthand.

“…Yu Chan hyung.”

“Chunyong, you really need to change your usual hideout spots. What if someone other than me finds you like this next time?”

Flashing his signature mischievous grin, Yu Chan hyung came right up next to me, plopped down, and gave my shoulder a few solid pats.

“Everything’s gonna work out fine now. Sure, your mid-rank dropped a bit, but you’ll climb back up in no time!”

“…That’s not even the issue right now. I just—”

“Chunyong-ah.”

“…Yeah.”

“I know you hate troubling other people. That’s just how you are. And that’s fine. But sometimes, letting someone help isn’t going to make things worse. Especially when it’s something you didn’t even do. So what’s the harm?”

Nothing he said was wrong.

If there was a way to clear things up and fix the situation, then the sooner, the better.

But I chose to let this pass without a response because I didn’t want to fan the flames of a baseless rumor.

And more than anything— I didn’t want to burden anyone anymore.

I had already made too many people suffer in the past.

Now that I was finally back on track, I couldn’t let that happen again.

But then—the very people I wanted to make amends to were the ones stepping up to help me.

I gently slipped Yu Chan hyung’s arm off my shoulder before speaking.

A sentence that I should have said back then—and one I absolutely needed to say now.

“…Thank you, hyung.”

Just thank you.

For not giving up on me when we were still in the same team. For still being here even now. For being the same hyung I remember.

And even to the Noona who refused to pick up my calls—

“Ugh, why are you saying it like that? That’s so cringe.”

Yu Chan hyung shuddered dramatically, then let out a hearty laugh.

“Dude, I barely did anything. You can find all of this online. When I did school research projects, I had to do way more work than this. The real MVP here is actually Jae Ha.”

“Hyung learned some basic legal procedures in a college elective once. Don’t worry, Rex. Having a good hyung means having stuff like this taken care of.”

Hearing him say the same thing as before, like nothing had changed, I couldn’t help but burst into a small, unexpected laugh.

“Oh, right. Gao Yan was actually supposed to see you first! But I stole his turn instead. Anyway—stay strong, Chunyong. Let’s eat together later.”

“Got it, hyung. Thanks.”

For quite a while, I watched as Yu Chan hyung cheerfully waved and climbed back up the stairs.

That’s why I told the members of Arrows.

This was why I wanted to be better—

For my former group members. For my family.

Because these people—who had zero obligation to do so— still went out of their way to help me.

Simply because they were good people.

“…What a beautiful friendship, Chunyong hyung.”

And then, of course—the one who ruined my sentimental moment walked up from the basement below.

Yeah. I knew you were there the whole time.

Clearing my slightly raspy throat, I gave a mocking cough before drawling:

“You wish.”

My words were as dry as they could be, but Gao Yan didn’t even blink.

Instead, after making a few dramatic spy movie gestures, he leaned in and whispered:

“I looked into what you told me.”

“…Yeah?”

At the very least, thanks to Gao Yan, I had snapped back to reality.

I had to move fast. I couldn’t let the help my hyungs and Noona gave me go to waste.

…If I wanted to get through the mid-rank announcement unscathed and settle things with Liu Wei before the live broadcast.

* * *

I walked slowly toward the emergency stairwell with Gao Yan, going over everything in my head.

X’s unease, Li Ming Shen’s concern, Gao Yan’s over-the-top reaction—And yet, I hadn’t wavered once from my plan.

Because if I used this method…There was no turning back.

Liu Wei and I had barely interacted back in Arrows, but just once—we had a conversation over a beer.

It was after that incident. Back when my reputation as a malicious member was starting to gain traction. Right before Liu Wei left the group.

“Ah… finally, I can breathe.”

Unlike the other members, I had zero solo schedules. So I had come back to the dorms first, grabbing a beer from the fridge and downing it in silence. By all logic, no one else was supposed to return until the early morning.

Liu Wei suddenly burst through the dorm door.

“…Liu Wei? Why are you back already? You had a radio show.”

“I canceled.”

“…Okay.”

Usually, he would’ve just ignored me completely and gone straight to his room.

But instead—he lingered in the kitchen, staring at the beer in my hand.

As if he needed it too.

“Want one? It helps.”

I didn’t know what possessed me to say that.

But then, after hesitating for a moment—

Liu Wei, who never drank, grabbed the can I offered. And chugged it all in one go before finally speaking.

“I finally called off the engagement.”

A sentence that should never have come out of an idol’s mouth.

Until now, I had pushed it way down my priority list, thinking I shouldn’t let this affect someone else.

But at this point?

There was no reason to hold back.

Liu Wei crossed the line first.

Alright, then…

“Did you find their account?”

“Checking now. Just trust me, Chunyong hyung. Gao Yan didn’t study both Cantonese and Mandarin for nothing.”

Let’s get that engagement broken off for good, Liu Wei.

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