The Malicious Member is Back! - Chapter 44
At Choi Ga On’s words, Logan, who sat next to me, whispered to me.
“Chunyong hyung, is the order really that important? Isn’t it the same song?”
“Of course, it’s important.”
The order mattered precisely because it was the same song.
I used a simple example to explain it to Logan, who seemed to have trouble grasping the concept.
“Logan, you said the tteokgalbi you had in Korea was delicious, right?”
“God, Yes. The sauce was so sweet, and the meat was thick. It was really tasty.”
“But would it still taste good if you ate it three meals in a row? Would it taste the same as the last meal as it did the first?”
“Um, probably not, right? It might get tiring after eating it several times…”
Oh.
Realizing something from my words, Logan nodded vigorously, understanding the analogy.
The same logic applied here.
In a competition where the same song is performed, naturally, the last team’s performance tends to garner less attention as the judges may become fatigued.
“It’s advantageous to perform first if possible. That’s why they’re doing it this way now.”
“Wow. So, um, we need to be serious, right? About deciding the order. How will it be decided?”
Knowing already how the order would be determined, I tried to hide my embarrassment and gave Logan a reassuring smile.
“The method to determine the order is…”
Before I could say more, Choi Ga On brought forward the hand he’d been hiding behind his back with a “ta-da” sound.
“Here it is!”
Three signs each with a different hand shape drawn on them.
Logan’s mouth dropped open in anticipation.
“…rock paper scissors?”
Yes, the universal method.
In English, rock paper scissors.
In Korean, gawibawibo*
(T/N: just a reminder that the italicized dialogue (when logan involved) is often to indicate it being written in English. In this case. Logan said it in English then Chunyong said it in Korean, which is 가위바위보.)
“The leaders of each team, please come forward and turn your backs to each other. Then, choose one of these signs and lift it up. The winner gets the privilege to choose the order first!”
“Rock-paper-scissors, all of a sudden?”
The sudden announcement of the method to decide the order had the trainees whispering urgently to their team leaders.
I quickly grabbed Ji Hwa Sung’s shoulder and whispered rapidly.
“About the stage order…”
“Obviously first. And I know what Jae Ha hyung will throw. He always chooses rock when selecting the meal menu. So we must avoid scissors at all costs.”
Half right, half wrong.
I tried to look serious while looking straight into Ji Hwa Sung’s eyes.
“No, throw scissors no matter what.”
Ji Hwa Sung’s confident expression changed weirdly.
“…What are you talking about? I already know Jae Ha hyung will throw rock. In a situation where we only need to counter Liu Wei, why scissors?”
“That’s right. Chunyong hyung, you’re acting strange today. You look even more handsome, but weird.”
“Bro, scissors can’t cut rock.”
“Kim Chunyong, what’s this, huh? Speaking nonsense again, Chunyong.”
“Hmm, there must be a reason you’re saying this… but do we really need to take such a gamble?”
I know. My words had no logical persuasiveness.
Unable to say that I’ve already seen the outcome, the method I chose to convince my teammates was…
“I had a dragon dream last night.”
Insisting through folk belief.
The expressions of my teammates changed weirdly after hearing my words. Especially Logan’s face.
“D-dragon dream? Dragon Dream? What does that have to do with anything?”
“Good heavens. Logan. A dragon dream is a sign of becoming an emperor. Right now, Chunyong hyung has a heavenly mandate (天命)*.”
(T/N: A dragon dream follows the Chinese ideology of the Mandate of Heaven, which is kind of like a legitimate and divine right a King or Emperor of China had to rule. In Korea, dragon dreams often indicate good fortune.)
“Oh, emperor, heaven…? Really? Chunyong hyung?”
Bewitched by my words, Gao Yan chimed in to support, and I intensified my grip on Ji Hwa Sung’s shoulder with a stern and serious expression.
“In the dream, you know, a dragon soared up, but it raised two fingers like this. It’s a sign to throw scissors. We have to throw it, right? Don’t you trust me?”
This relentless insistence was something I learned while playing drinking games during my time as a problematic member.
“Ah? Not drinking? Bottoms up?”
“I feel like I’m going to throw up…”
“Drink more. Not drinking is not loyal. Why are you skipping? You drink to get drunk, right? Oh, too bitter for you? No worries, the sly Rex will sweetly soothe your bitterness!”
It’s a shameful past just to think about it…
But it’s useful now.
“Scissors. Definitely. My soul’s vibration is telling me so.”
“Uh, uh… really?”
Ji Hwa Sung nodded uncertainly under my repeated emphasis on scissors.
That’s good enough. Ji Hwa Sung is weak against folk beliefs. He always checks his daily horoscope first thing in the morning, consults fortune-telling at the new year, and checks his zodiac horoscope before bed.
But how could he resist when a team member had a dragon dream?
He’s gotta believe it.
