The Malicious Member is Back! - Chapter 165
– “Haha, I’ve always really respected him as a seonbae! And well… I figured Se Ryeong seonbae’s song might be a little too high for my range!”
– Kim Chunyong hastily coming up with reasons…
– ※ The production team suspects it’s all because of his Yeon Woo fandom!
Watching that, Yeon Woo let a faint smile slip across his lips and muttered,
“Well, yeah, he did look like he could drink. And that obvious lie of his was hilarious.”
“A lie?”
“Se Ryeong seonbae’s song probably fit his tone better, honestly. I heard it—it was decent. Mine, though, takes some work.”
Flicking the remote with his finger, Yeon Woo seemed lost in thought for a moment before adding quickly, as if he’d just remembered:
“─Anyway. That’s why I picked him. But he turned out to be better than I expected.”
“…From what I just saw, he’s in 8th place right now. Isn’t he screwed unless he totally kills it on the next stage?”
You don’t care about anyone unless they’re top-tier.
Even if he’d gone a little soft lately from being caught up in his secret relationship, Joo Young still showed the sharp eye worthy of a SLEDIX member.
Now only one performance remained—the 4th competition stage and the live broadcast.
There’d be a few more solo interviews and pre-taped segments in between, but could someone really turn things around in that little time…?
“…Hyung?”
“Oh, yeah.”
When Yeon Woo didn’t respond, Joo Young called him again, nudging the conversation back on track.
Yeon Woo, who’d clearly been thinking for a while, suddenly stretched his long legs out and let out a soft chuckle.
“He’ll do well, probably. I’m more vicious, and he’s definitely the nicer one…”
But we’re kind of alike.
“When it matters, he pushes through with what he thinks is right.”
“……”
At Yeon Woo’s cryptic remark, Joo Young could only nod and pretend he understood.
Right now, his head was filled far more with the expectation of a message from his girlfriend than fear of his leader.
– The final round of Targeting Star, ahead of the live show!
– With a bonus prize of the competition song being officially released—who will take first place?!
– “I’ve got to do well. No question.”
– “If it stays like this… debut might not be possible…”
– Don’t miss next week’s live broadcast!
– ※ Team name submissions now open on the official website. We await your ideas, Star Shooters!
Once the 90-minute episode wrapped up, the same old chocolate bar commercial rolled onto the screen.
“Hmm…”
Watching Joo Young hunched over, fixated on KakaoTalk, Yeon Woo glanced his way—
Then quietly pulled out his own phone and began typing a message.
– Jeong Yeon Woo: Good luck with the competition tomorrow
– Jeong Yeon Woo: I’ll be there to watch
– Jeong Yeon Woo: Oh, and about your hair
– Jeong Yeon Woo: What do you think about dyeing it?
– Jeong Yeon Woo: Since your name is what it is, how about pink? ^^
The recipient reportedly muttered, “He always sends stuff like this right when it counts. Gives me chills.”
Still. They couldn’t deny it was a message of support.
* * *
“Okay, trainees, before going on stage, please take off your smartwatches and fitness bands. And don’t forget to check your in-ears and mics!”
“Yes!”
The youngest writer made rounds to each waiting room of the 4th competition, announcing what had now become a familiar set of reminders.
“Finally, I get to take this off…”
In the midst of it, I undid the smartwatch on my wrist and muttered, half a sigh, to myself.
Everyone else had been wearing one too, so it felt awkward to be the only one without it.
For a whole week, every time Yeon Woo hyung sent a message, my heart rate spiked and doubled the alerts.
“Well, it’s such an expensive gift, so might as well use it properly, right?”
“There’s that too, I guess.”
At Jin Woo’s lighthearted comment, I clicked my tongue and glanced away.
Hwa Sung, Yu Chan hyung, Tsubasa, Gong Minho, and Gao Yan’s team—Lucky seonbae’s Teen Spirit—had just finished their rehearsal.
Next up was Se Ryeong seonbae’s ‘Diving’ team, which meant I had to move quickly if I wanted to handle what I’d planned.
“Our rehearsal’s last, right? We’ve still got some time then.”
“Ah, yes. So, if you want to go to the restroom, the writer said now’s a good time…”
It was something I already knew, but our sweet maknae still made sure to answer properly.
“Chunyong hyung, if you’re thirsty… should I go get drinks? I mean, you’ve always been the one buying for us.”
Still shy, but trying to show his gratitude to someone who’d helped him—
Just watching him muster the effort to say something made a wave of emotion rise up inside me.
Not that I have any right to say this, being the ‘problematic member’ and all…
If someone’s gonna run away to China, I’ll be the one to clean that up properly, Si Woo.
“…No, I was thinking of heading to the restroom anyway. But thanks, Si Woo. In my bag—there should be some red bean jelly or yakgwa. Help yourself if you want.”
“Ah, t-thank you….”
After confirming that Si Woo was carefully making his way to my bag, I slipped out of the waiting room and headed toward the broadcast station bathroom.
My locked phone was already logged into the community boards and various SNS apps.
“Chunyong hyung!”
“…Gao Yan.”
Gao Yan had just come off stage from rehearsal, and his face shimmered with sweat.
But even more radiant than that were his eyes—
Anticipation, and beyond that, unease. A question of whether this was really okay.
Understandable.
Back when I first told Gao Yan about my plan, he looked… more than a little uncomfortable.
—“Chunyong hyung, are you stupid? Even if you post it, rumors won’t spread that fast! And what if someone figures out it’s you? It’s too sloppy. Way, way too sloppy. Even Sun Quan wasn’t this bad!”
—“Sun Quan… Come on, I know Romance of the Three Kingdoms, okay? You want me to scold you? Huh?”
—“Tell me how this isn’t exactly like what Sun Quan did! At least Liu Wei uses the people behind him, but you—you’re just walking into the lion’s den alone!”
—“Walking in makes sense for me. But at the same time… it’s not just me.”
—“…What does that even mean?”
Still, the thing Gao Yan worried about didn’t look like it was going to happen.
Sure, posting on SNS meant taking a risk—
But SNS is also the kind of place where anyone can be anyone else in the world.
kcyfan1000
I’M SO EXCITED
Also, pink haired YongYong??? YES PLEASE
Thanks for the translation <3
Bees
Not Jeong Yeon Woo sending good luck messages, lmao.
Gao Yan is such a character. Only him being there makes the whole chapter two times better.