The Malicious Member is Back! - Chapter 152

When filming a program like this, it was almost unheard of for a guest to show up “suddenly.”

Even if they called it a surprise visit, the standard routine was always the same: get mic’d up in advance, bring the camera crew along, and get a quiet heads-up from production like, “Someone’s about to come in, so please act surprised.”

“Did anyone say Yeon Woo was coming?”

“N-no… I didn’t hear anything at all!”

“Get a mic ready first. And ask the writer!”

But judging by the producers’ deeply flustered expressions right now, that wasn’t the case this time.

Jeong Yeon Woo seonbae.

…Well, if it’s “Yeon Woo hyung,” that’s just how it goes.

You can’t guess where he’ll bounce next, and with that kind of personality, he always writes the most unexpected songs.

He’s also the one who dragged all those SLEDIX members to the top by the scruffs of their necks.

“…Tsk.”

I clicked my tongue lightly and brought Si Woo back into formation.

“Huh? Chunyong hyung? Why did you—oh.”

Si Woo looked a little confused, but once he saw Yeon Woo hyung sitting casually in front of the practice mirror, he seemed to get it.

“All right, before the mics get here, let’s take a quick look. Just off the record. Honestly, I prefer watching stuff like that.”

Even when picking the team for the song we’re practicing now, “Groggy,” Yeon Woo hyung had a similar vibe.

Always the same, really.

* * *

Pyo Je Yeol, Lee Se Ryeong, Laki, Jeong Yeon Woo.

“W-whoa….”

The trainees looked up at the artists standing before them, trying to suppress their nerves and force a smile.

With someone like Leopold, 2OCD, or Lady Swan, the trainees could still wag their tails a little and go, “seonbaenim!”

After all, those artists were either still early in their careers, just now stepping into the spotlight, or from the same agency and likely to show them some warmth.

But the ones standing in front of them now were in a different league entirely.

[Hip-hop singer-songwriter Laki wraps up successful North America tour for 5th album… “Next single aiming for Billboard.”]

[Lee Se Ryeong selected as OST singer for American animation studio Pixis… “First Korean ever.”]

Artists who had taken their songs beyond Korea, weathered the storms of the entertainment industry, and were still standing at the top.

Up until now, the only person the trainees had met at that level was Min Si Young—so really, nothing more needed to be said.

“You all look so stiff. Relax, everyone!”

“Y-yes!”

“Oh! That’s the first time I’ve heard your voices not just cheering. I bet you’ll sing my song beautifully, huh?”

“Haha….”

It wasn’t until the most senior of them, Lee Se Ryeong, soothed them with her gentle tone that the tension started to ease.

“Haha, thank you, Se Ryeong seonbaenim! The mood really brightened, thanks to you. So now… let’s get into team selection!”

Seizing that moment, Choi Gaon—who’d been standing by observing—quickly took over the hosting.

“Our senior artists will now call out the trainee they’d like to sing the song they composed. One by one! Then hand them the handkerchief you’ve been given.”

Following Choi Gaon’s comment, assistant directors rushed forward to hand each singer their handkerchiefs.

“If two or more of you want the same trainee! In that case… we’ll leave the choice up to the trainee. This is going to be exciting!”

White for Lee Se Ryeong, blue for Pyo Jeyeol. Laki had red and…

“Oh, this suits me well. Thank you.”

Jeong Yeon Woo had black.

Even before Choi Gaon finished his sentence, Yeon Woo grinned and spoke up.

The other artists beside him quickly turned to glance at him.

“Uh, Mr. Yeon Woo. Want to swap colors with me?”

“Oh, Mr. Laki. …No, I’m fine. It’s not a big deal.”

“Ah, I-I see! That’s a relief! I tend to meddle a lot, haha!”

Maybe it was because they were so used to broadcasting?

To a stranger, the exchange would’ve looked like a slightly awkward skit to generate air time.

You could easily imagine a caption like <Even Veterans Get Shaky on the Targeting Star Set?!> popping up on screen.

But to Kim Chunyong, who knew Yeon Woo all too well, everything was clear.

Jeong Yeon Woo was not in a good mood right now.

‘As if I wouldn’t notice. He’s always like this.’

Cold sweat trickled down the back of Chunyong’s neck as he once again came face-to-face with the quirks of his drinking buddy.

Really, how would a top idol and a problematic member end up drinking together in the first place?

“I really… hate everything about this. Being an idol, the way I live now…”

“Same. That’s why I’m here drinking with a hopeless guy like you, Rex. Haha—don’t take that as an insult.”

“That’s just weird. Why do you drink then, hyung? Usually, only idiots like me drink like this.”

“You know the answer and still ask? It’s to become stupid. If you’re too smart, it’s hard to keep working in this business.”

They may have been walking parallel lines, but there was at least one place their paths crossed.

Jeong Yeon Woo and Kim Chunyong, polar opposites, found friendship in the shared zone of their own ruin.

Mixing alcohol with psychiatric meds.

The only difference was…

Jeong Yeon Woo, with his godlike control over his private life, had never made the news—not even once. Kim Chunyong, on the other hand, didn’t have the mental bandwidth to care about that kind of thing.

‘Ugh. Just thinking about that time gives me heartburn. Damn it. How does his face alone make me smell alcohol?’

If he were to start listing all the things that happened while drinking with Yeon Woo in club rooms, it would never end.

Even ten fingers wouldn’t be enough to count them all.

‘Yeon Woo hyung’s not a bad person at his core, but… this time, he can’t live like that. He needs to atone.’

Thankfully, right now they were nothing more than a top idol and a trainee meeting for the first time.

Wiping the cold sweat off his neck, Kim Chunyong squared his broad shoulders and made a firm resolution.

That this time—under no circumstances—would he get tangled up with Jeong Yeon Woo.

‘No way Yeon Woo hyung would even care about me in this round anyway.’

And with good reason. In the last survival show, there’d been a common thread in the trainees Jeong Yeon Woo picked.

“Lee Se Ryeong seonbaenim has chosen trainee Son Jae Ha! All right, then next—Jeong Yeon Woo seonbaenim? Please call out your trainee!”

That’s right.

“Hmm… Trainee Jang Si Woo?”

Someone with all the core qualities of an idol.

“Gasp—what?”

When his name was called before that of higher-ranked Ji Hwa Sung or powerhouse vocalist Bang Yu Chan, Jang Si Woo looked completely startled.

But that surprise came from not yet understanding Yeon Woo’s nature.

“What are you so shocked about? Come get your handkerchief.”

“Ah, th… thank you.”

“Though I’m not sure this is something to be thankful for.”

Among all the trainees on <Targeting Star>, Jang Si Woo was the most similar to Jeong Yeon Woo—the perfect well-rounded hexagon type.

Of course, compared to Yeon Woo, the size of that hexagon was much smaller, but the potential was there to make up for it.

“I picked Jang Si Woo because I think he’ll express my song well. So don’t feel pressured.”

If there was such a thing as Yeon Woo’s ideal trainee, it would’ve been someone exactly like Jang Si Woo.

The rest of his picks followed a similar pattern.

Even if their rankings were low, they had the qualities of all-rounders.

What Jeong Yeon Woo wanted above all was a team with balanced strength in vocals, choreography, and stage composition.

“Team Groggy… takes 3rd place! It was a great stage, but a bit of a disappointing result.”

They didn’t place high because the stage seemed a little lacking in polish, but the song itself—being that Jeong Yeon Woo’s creation—was undeniably top-tier.

And most reactions said things like, “If only they’d had more time to practice,” so it wasn’t exactly a bad outcome either.