The Malicious Member is Back! - Chapter 146
Mid-Rank Announcement Day, 4:30 AM.
“……”
Liu Wei woke up at an unbearably early hour, his hand reaching mechanically for the phone beside his pillow before his mind was even fully awake.
The mid-rank voting page on the Targeting Star official site hadn’t changed much since last night.
[1st Son Jae Ha
2nd Ji Hwa Sung
3rd Jang Si Woo
4th Liu Wei
5th Bang Yu Chan
6th Logan Lee]
The other five names? He couldn’t care less. Sure, beating them would be ideal.
But Liu Wei had no intention of wasting unnecessary energy. His focus was locked on one thing alone.
[8th Kim Chunyong]
Mission scores were practically meaningless now, so if this stood…
“…好了 (Perfect).”
Liu Wei muttered under his breath.
The words slip out in flawless, standard Mandarin.
Tossing his phone onto the bed, he rubbed his face with both hands, stretching his lips into something resembling a smile.
It felt stiff. Awkward.
Liu Wei was never one for smiling. It’s because he was raised in an environment where survival mattered more than expression.
“Li Ming Shen has already moved on to the next choreography, and you’re still here.”
“…….”
“You better not mess this up, Liu Wei.”
He didn’t hate it.
Winning didn’t require a smile.
Liu Wei’s obsession with improvement, his need to prove himself—That was in his blood.
If someone was better than him, he had to crush them.
And if that wasn’t possible?
Then eliminate them.
He could do it.
He had to.
“If a Cultural Affairs Scholarship student debuts in Korea and returns home, the family’s potential will finally be recognized.”
“…….”
“You can do it.”
That was how he ended up in Korea.
A stepping stone. Nothing more. A launchpad to becoming a true superstar back in China.
Shortly after leaving Qingdao and coming to South Korea, his path to the top seemed to be paved with nothing but roadblocks.
Until Liu Wei met someone on Targeting Star, the show where he was cast to present himself.
“Oh, my grandmother gave me this name. Is it too tacky?”
Standing at the very bottom, where most would shrink back in fear—he carried himself proudly.
“Rather than difficulties, the most memorable thing was staying up late with my team members, thinking about how to cover such an amazing song by our great senior!”
Even when struggling through impossible circumstances—he had the sense to play the long game.
“After this, right here, I’ll be busking with the other trainees from Targeting Star! I can sing too, so stick around and watch!”
And when the moment called for it—he knew how to steal the spotlight.
These were all qualities that Liu Wei was striving for, and all qualities that were essential to being “real” and not just “floating.”
“A rat like him shouldn’t have those kinds of skills.”
So of course, Liu Wei was willing to push things a little further. To expose a weakness if he had to.
It was only natural for him to want Kim Chunyong gone.
“These rumors you spread, they’re too flimsy. I told you before—rumors that only gossip rags care about don’t last.”
Shin Ki Ho’s words were true. The two fabricated rumors Liu Wei had spread through his sponsors were nothing more than temporary distractions.
And now, thanks to Son Jae Ha’s post and Kim Chunyong’s sister’s clarification, they had already died down in just two days.
But that was enough for Liu Wei.
From this moment forward, nothing else mattered.
All he had to do was keep proving himself—And Kim Chunyong would never have the chance to climb back up.
Because Liu Wei had backers who would make sure of it.
He had no obstacles left in his way.
Unless—one very specific, deeply buried secret of his—suddenly came to light.
* * *
There was a subtle tension in the Music Days studio for the mid-term rankings.
Dartboards, props that no one actually used but had been thrown in because of the Targeting Star name. A lighting crew that had somehow become four or five times bigger overnight. And contestants with noticeably heavier makeup than usual.
The production team was practically screaming at the audience: “This is a special episode!”
“Get ready! We’re starting soon!”
“Kurghhh….”
“A-AHH! Yu Chan-aniki, w-water, please!”
“Can I just—can I just use the bathroom real quick?!”
The shout from the assistant director announcing the start of filming caused a few people to jump.
“Behold… Gao Yan’s silk road to first place unfolds before your very eyes…! A small step for me, but a giant leap for K-pop!”
Even Gao Yan, who was still joking around, had a light sheen of sweat trickling down the back of his neck.
One might wonder if they were boasting too much, but the pitying looks the production staff kept giving them would have made it crystal clear.
“I mean… if idol survival trainees weren’t nervous at a mid-rank announcement— what else would they be nervous for?”
All the trainees had checked their rankings at least once— on SNS, on community boards—no one could pretend otherwise.
Bees
Lmao. I love Gao Yan.
I’m going to laugh so bad when Liu Wei falls. *Evil laughter*
kcyfan1000
Can’t wait for this bastard Ice Fairy to be exposed <33
Thanks for the translation 😀