The Malicious Member is Back! - Chapter 23
Right after the first studio shoot ended, main writer Lee Hyeon Jeong called each trainee one by one to the personal interview room.
The first question she brought up was:
“How do you feel about receiving the rankings this time?”
It was about how they felt after receiving mentor evaluations.
The reactions of the 18 trainees varied.
“I think I got 11th place because I couldn’t fully showcase my skills. I don’t usually perform like this… Kim Ju An will continue to improve. Please support me!”
“Well, the rank of 13th isn’t exactly sweet, but… it’s just the basic ranking for now. I want to work harder and move up.”
While some gave conventional answers,
“Oh, back when I was in college, my nickname was ‘The guy who lays the floor.’ So, I’m really grateful for getting 12th place. It’s not the bottom, so I don’t have to retake anything. I hate retaking. I hate retakes, not here, not in college.”
Others cheerfully responded despite similar rankings.
“So, yeah. 7th place is nice. Right in the center. I think I’ll do even better next time! Dance Practice. I’ll work hard, so please watch over me.”
There were also responses expressing anticipation for the next stage.
“I can’t accept this.”
“…What?”
“Liu Wei is 2nd, and I’m 18th. Fundamentally, there’s no difference between Liu Wei and me.”
“Oh, I see. Is that how you feel?”
“That’s right. Liu Wei, just wait. I’ll be 1st in the next round.”
This time, individual trainee Gao Yan received the lowest rank with a stage that was not prepared at all.
‘Even though he doesn’t have skills, his face is quite handsome, and he’s listed as a specialist who receives attention for his talents. I accepted him as a provocateur… It’s beyond my imagination, isn’t it?’
Facing Gao Yan’s enthusiasm from Hong Kong, Hyeon Jeong, who accepted him for provocation, broke into a cold sweat and changed the topic.
“…I heard Gao Yan’s aspirations well. Now, let’s try changing the question. Are you ready to answer?”
“I am always ready.”
“…Well, you didn’t prepare any accompaniment, anyway. Trainee Gao Yan.”
There were several individuals, but…
“Who was the most impressive trainee on this first stage?”
“Oh. Of course, Gao Yan is the most impressive, but if it’s another trainee…”
Hyeon Jeong’s question was quickly answered.
It was not only Gao Yan, but the other trainees felt the same.
“First, second, third, it’s Jae Ha hyung.”
Ji Hwa Sung, whose hair was dyed light yellow, answered with a furrowed brow.
The expression Ji Hwa Sung made when he saw something impressive was distinctive.
“He’s always good, but today hyung was even better. Normally, when you’re nervous, you don’t show off your skills, but he doubled down. I’ve been watching him for five years… I was really surprised today.”
“As expected, AG’s ace is different, isn’t he?”
“Needless to say. I think everyone else talked about Jae Ha hyung. Because he’s 1st place… It’s natural, right?”
At Hwa Sung’s question, Hyeon Jeong felt the editorial angle and chuckled, answering,
“Of course, many also mentioned Trainee Son Jae Ha…”
“…But?”
“There’s another name that came up more. You can probably guess what it is, Hwa Sung. Son Jae Ha also mentioned this name.”
“Jae Ha hyung mentioned another trainee’s name?”
Slightly flustered, Hwa Sung grabbed his chin and pondered for a moment.
Someone other than Hyung? Someone else?
Who could it be…?
Ah.
“I was most impressed by Trainee Kim Chunyong.”
Son Jaeha replied with a melting smile on his face.
“Everyone gets nervous on stage, right? I was really nervous too. But Trainee Kim Chunyong seemed like he didn’t get nervous at all. If it were me, I might have tripped over the microphone stand at least once.”
There was no hesitation in Son Jae Ha’s words as he spoke about Kim Chunyong’s stage performance.
“So honestly, I felt a bit disappointed that Trainee Kim Chunyong got 6th place.”
Son Jae Ha’s perplexed expression turned towards the camera with a blinking red light.
His black pupils were filled with light.
“… Anyway, I want to watch the next stage too.”
* * *
“… And in the next performance, I’ll make sure to show a flawless stage. Everyone, remember Kim Chunyong, the spring dragon! Please.”
“Cut! Well done. Uh, Trainee Kim Chunyong. Then later, I’ll send your stuff to…”
Beep!
An excessively cute notification sound rang out, interrupting the main writer’s words. I couldn’t hide my confusion and quickly shouted to the writer.
“Later, writer. Later! Can I listen to it? I’m sorry.”
“Oh, oh? Well, it wasn’t a big deal. Go ahead.”
“Yes, thank you!”
As soon as I confirmed that the camera was off, I hurriedly left the personal interview room and ran to the vacant restroom.
Then, I went into the cubicle and quickly sent a message to the constantly buzzing phone.
It was a chat with X.
– Kim Chunyong: Can’t you discern the situation and timing?
– Kim Chunyong: What if I get messages during the interview? ;;
As if he had been waiting only for my reply, X responded in three seconds.
– X: If you give me a reward, I’ll hit my head and say thank you. How shameless can you be ㅡㅡ
– X: Anyway… I know that you really had a plan lol
– X: You’re a really peculiar contractor ;; It’s a good thing
– X: Anyway, check your notifications lololol I’m sure you’ve gotten a lot of good ones, right? lololol
“I set the notifications to silent, but you send messages with sound, so I end up like this….”
I was annoyed by X’s domineering behavior, but I did as I was told and tapped the gift box and scroll icon at the top of the notification window. Then, several notifications popped up on my phone screen one after another.
[Guidebook: Acknowledgment of a Master in the Field]
What a rookie idol trainee needs to make a name for themselves. It’s the recognition of another skilled individual. That skilled person will now spare no effort to scout you. Get in line among them and become an excellent idol!
[Collected Reward: <Skill> Suppress the opponent’s momentum with Dance (C)]
[Unexpected Mission Success! <First Stage Memory> Guidebook Open!]
[Guidebook: First Stage Memory]
You ranked 6th in the harsh idol survival first stage. It would have been better if you had received a higher rank, but the ways of the world are not so easy. Let’s work harder next time to aim for 1st place!
[Collection Reward: <Skill> Determination of 6th place (F)]
“Suppressing the opponent’s momentum, 6th place… There’s all kinds of things like this.”
I sighed and roughly jammed the phone into my pocket. I could check the skills later.
And whether it would be practically helpful hadn’t quite sunk in yet.
Anyway, what’s important right now is…
<6th Place Kim Chunyong>
The fact that I, who had barely made it to 10th place in the previous mentor evaluation, became 6th was what mattered.
6th place. What kind of rank is 6th place? It’s a rank that someone hanging on the brink of a debut coveted.
“…Phew.”
I had to cover my mouth and take several deep breaths to calm my heavy heart. My body, overloaded from tension, screamed that I was going to die.
Geez, why is tension already easing just because I did well?
Nothing was over yet. I laughed at myself in vain.
It’s just that the first stage ended. Moreover, I didn’t even make it to the top in the mentor evaluation.
“You have to do better. More.”
Brainwashing myself, I moved my feet back to the broadcasting station corridor.
There were dozens more mountains to climb ahead.
I had to toughen up my heart.
