The Malicious Member is Back! - Chapter 67
“Wow, I really wanted to meet you!”
“Um, me?”
“You’re the one that—”
Huh?
Isn’t this guy showing that he can’t keep his mouth shut?
“Hey, Kim Joo An, you…”
I hurriedly tried to clamp my hand over Kim Joo An’s mouth, but he had already blurted out the problematic words, with wide eyes.
“―You’re Jang Si Won seonbae’s little brother, right? From the milk commercial! The one with the catchphrase, right?”
Mom, give me the milk my brother drinks too!
I want to grow tall!
“……”
Kim Joo An’s childish voice echoed through the lounge, and Jang Si Woo’s face turned paler than a sheet of paper.
I wasn’t any different.
For the first time in a long while, I felt like bashing someone over the head with a bottle.
“Does it sound similar? Of course, you were cuter back then! Hey, you know. If it’s okay later, could you get me Jang Si Won seonbae’s autograph―”
Smack.
“…Huh?”
A tense silence filled the lounge.
Jang Si Woo, who had been trembling with his head bowed unnaturally, hastily slapped away Kim Joo An’s hand.
“Ah, um.”
Seemingly unable to endure the stares of others, Jang Si Woo stammered and quickly spoke while looking at me in distress.
“…I’m not feeling well. I don’t think I can work on the choreography today. Sorry.”
Before I could even try to stop him, Jang Si Woo hurried out of the lounge. Kim Joo An and the other two were left dumbfounded, not understanding what had just happened.
And I, the only one who knew the reason, felt my head splitting.
…Damn it.
The mood had been improving, but whether Kim Joo An intended it or not, his trolling had made Jang Si Woo shut himself off from the team again.
I watched in frustration as Jang Si Woo dashed back to his dorm room.
If I can’t find a way to fix this properly, our team’s chemistry will be completely ruined…
We’re screwed.
* * *
On the day of the mid-term evaluation, one week before the cover mission stage.
“We’ll conduct individual interviews one by one!”
Lee Hyeon Jeong called the trainees, who were still catching their breath, into the interview room one by one.
She didn’t intend to give them time to organize their thoughts about their condition or their feelings after watching other performances.
That way, unfiltered words would come out, making for more sensational interviews.
The first interviewee was Seong Won Hyeop, currently ranked 14th.
Despite his low ranking, his face was relatively bright, possibly because he had a favorable draw with the male idol group 2OCD in the cover artist selection, giving his team an advantage over others.
“2OCD’s ‘Be the LOW’? It’s a good choice. The dance fits well, and if we can perform this well in front of the audience, there shouldn’t be any issues.”
He had even received high praise from his mentor, Min Si Young.
Lee Hyeon Jeong looked at Seong Won Hyeop with interest and casually started the conversation.
“Congratulations. You received a good evaluation.”
“Oh, thank you! I still feel a bit dazed.”
“That’s understandable. The mid-term evaluation just ended. How did you feel watching the other teams perform?”
“Well, it was clear that everyone prepared really hard, and I was especially surprised when I heard Ryota’s team’s song since we’re competing against them. I really love ‘Sailing with Galleon.’ I had no idea that Mentor Min Si Young sang that opening song….”
Talking about the other team first, how convenient. This will make the conversation flow easily.
Lee Hyeon Jeong smiled elegantly, guiding Seong Won Hyeop’s answers in the desired direction.
“That’s right. Ryota’s team chose ‘Beyond the Waves.’ We were surprised when we received that information too. It was fascinating. However… from what I heard, it seemed like the team with Seong Won Hyeop received a better evaluation. What do you think?”
“Uh…”
Seong Won Hyeop, unaware that Lee Hyeon Jeong had smoothly set a trap, pondered deeply before speaking.
“Well, it felt like Ryota’s team wasn’t fully prepared for the stage yet….”
Got him.
Lee Hyeon Jeong didn’t give Seong Won Hyeop any more time to think and pressed on.
“Do you think they were lacking in practice?”
“No, it’s not that! It’s just that ‘Beyond the Waves’ doesn’t have a set choreography, so they need time to create it. But….”
“But?”
“Well, the key moves that Chunyong created were really good. The big, bold movements fit the song well, and using items like handkerchiefs made it feel like a natural extension of ‘Aiming.’ But how should I say this? Um, Si Woo….”
In the broadcast, from this long-winded explanation, only the parts where Seong Won Hyeop mentioned, “the members felt a bit disjointed” and “Um, Si Woo…” were edited and aired.
Some might call it the devil’s editing.
‘Well, he should have thought more carefully about what he was saying.’
Seong Won Hyeop, oblivious to his fate, continued to chatter away. But Lee Hyeon Jeong, having already extracted the necessary parts, signaled to the cameraman with a satisfied expression.
‘Get the next one in.’
The interviews continued to flow in the direction she wanted.
“I think we were a bit lacking.”
Only the part saying ‘they were a bit lacking’ would be edited and used.
“The arrangement was really good. It inspired me. Oh, how great it must be to have a team with such a member.”
Only the part ‘how great it must be to have a team with such a member’ was edited in.
“I really worked hard this time. When we did ‘Aiming,’ our team did come in first place, but… I wonder if I left a strong impression as ‘Trainee Kim Joo An.’ That’s why I said, even though it’s a bit much, I’d do an acrobatic move too, and told Jae Ha hyung. Then the other team members….”
Entirely cut out.
“Today, Gao Yan was awesome. Charging straight toward debut. Remember, the man from Hong Kong, Gao Yan.”
No editing needed.
Lee Hyeon Jeong, watching Gao Yan speak with a ‘Let’s see how far he goes’ expression, checked who was next in line and sent Gao Yan out.
Despite his speech being cut short, Gao Yan didn’t seem to mind.
Well, in Gao Yan’s mind, Gao Yan is always the best.
Leaving behind the supremely confident Gao Yan, Lee Hyeon Jeong greeted the next person sitting in the empty interview chair.
‘This is where it really begins.’
The trainee who was receiving lots of love from PD Joo, the one who might guarantee high ratings once <Targeting Star> started airing, the one all the other trainees were paying attention to….
“Hello. I’m Kim Chunyong.”
Trainee Kim Chunyong.
