The Malicious Member is Back! - Chapter 88
Liu Wei stood before the middle-aged man who was firing off sharp words over the phone.
“I didn’t ask for much, did I? I just said to have Liu Wei at the end of episode 1. That’s all.”
“Director Shin, you know that broadcasting isn’t always that straightforward…”
“Producer Joo, why is your tongue so long*? Sounds like you’ve got something to be nervous about.”
(T/N: I’m not sure about this one, but I know similar expressions that translate to “why do you have such a twisted tongue?” I’d assume this means something along the lines of “Why are you stuttering/why can’t you speak properly?”)
As he spoke, the man pulled a lighter from his pocket.
It was shaped like a gun, with a trigger that ignited the flame.
This lighter was one of the props that fueled the rumor, “AG’s Director Shin Ki Ho threatens people with a gun.”
“I know. You probably thought you could get away with this since I’m not in Korea. I get it. But Producer Joo.”
With each word, Director Shin clicked the lighter.
As if the person he was speaking to was right in front of him.
“It seems you’ve forgotten where the investment for that program is coming from. I’m in Korea right now. How about we meet face-to-face soon, huh?”
“No, Director…”
“Don’t refuse. Make sure you show up. If you don’t, I’ll come find you.”
In a low, growling voice, Director Shin concluded the call and threw himself onto the sofa opposite Liu Wei.
Producer Joo’s voice continued to make excuses over the phone, but Director Shin ended the call with a single tap. He then thrust some documents towards Liu Wei, speaking in a voice tinged with annoyance.
“The English guy will be dealt with soon, so keep that in mind. Don’t do anything unnecessary.”
“…Understood.”
“Anyway, you just need to focus on your performance. Got it? Just do your best in your role.”
As Director Shin spoke in Chinese, Liu Wei nodded quietly. But his eyebrows twitched slightly.
“…I understand everything. But there’s one more guy.”
“What? Speak up. I can’t hear you.”
Director Shin frowned as Liu Wei, who had been silent until now, spoke unexpectedly.
“I said, there’s one more guy who needs to be dealt with.”
And Liu Wei continued without backing down.
“Of course, I understand that Logan Lee needs to be dealt with first. But…”
Liu Wei paused, lost in thought.
Aside from Logan, who directly interfered with his plans, there was another guy he mentioned to Gao Yan.
The guy who performed a cleaner dance than Liu Wei during the first ranking evaluation shoot.
The guy who was now on the TV in Director Shin’s office, smiling brightly during an interview.
“…That one.”
Liu Wei pointed at the screen and spoke clearly.
– “Joo An seemed to have some trouble with the dance break choreography… so I thought helping him might speed things up.”
<Despite his sharp appearance, trainee Kim Chunyong is kind!>
“He needs to be dealt with too.”
“…Huh.”
Following Liu Wei’s gaze, Director Shin clicked his tongue.
He thought Liu Wei, raised in a privileged environment, had poor judgment.
‘Why is he suddenly worrying about that insignificant guy?’
Director Shin was aware of Kim Chunyong’s existence.
It was only natural. He had personally rushed Kim Chunyong into the trainee pool after he failed to debut with QUINCE, just to fill the numbers.
Although good-looking, his sharp features were polarizing. His vocals weren’t particularly outstanding.
‘He’s a decent dancer, but even if he somehow debuts, Liu Wei would still be the main dancer, making him practically non-existent.’
But Liu Wei was staring at Kim Chunyong on the screen, eyes boiling with rare emotion, quite unlike his usual cold, doll-like demeanor.
‘Tsk, such a bother….’
In any case, the current trainee that Chinese investors were most hopeful for and wanted to see succeed was Liu Wei.
There was no need to form a bad relationship with someone who had the favor of the investors.
Accustomed to moving with the flow of money, Director Shin opened his mouth to Liu Wei in a placating tone.
“If that guy directly becomes a hindrance to us, then we’ll really deal with him.”
“Directly?”
“We don’t have a justification yet, is what I’m saying.”
“…….”
Director Shin pressed his fingers onto the documents in front of them, chewing over his words.
“That guy Logan is clear-cut. He’s a hindrance to our vision, simple as that. But that one? A guy with no connections, just singing and dancing? Does that justify it?”
“…….”
“Just because he annoys you doesn’t cut it. I think you understand what I’m saying now.”
Director Shin clicked the lighter once more and gave an order to Liu Wei.
“Take a break for now. The mission details for the next shoot have been sent to your hotel. While the mission scores are just for show, getting airtime is a different story.”
Click—
Having said his piece, Director Shin left the room first, leaving Liu Wei alone in the office.
On the TV, the second episode of <Targeting Star> was still airing.
“Yong-yong hyung, ah, sorry. I got too close to Chunyong hyung and slipped up! Haha, anyway… I was a bit of a lacking leader, but Chunyong hyung helped me a lot.”
<Trainee Ji Hwa Sung expressing his gratitude and budding friendship!>
<What will the stage for the upcoming original song ‘Aiming’ be like!?>
Thunk!
Liu Wei, who had thrown the remote at the TV, twisted his mouth into a crooked smile and walked out of the office.
“That justification….”
It seemed like it was going to come soon.
He muttered in Chinese, ensuring no passerby could understand his ominous words.
* * *
After the first broadcast of <Targeting Star> and the two-day break, it was time to return to the trainee confinement factory.
“Dad, why bother driving him when you’re busy in the morning? Just tell him to take the subway and walk.”
“Oh, Bomi. Chunyong is practically a semi-celebrity now. I should at least do this for him.”
“What kind of celebrity is that? I checked the voting rankings this morning, and he’s not popular. No one’s going to recognize him.”
“Bomi! Didn’t I tell you not to be brutally honest with your brother?”
“Haha….”
Watching the banter between my dad and sister who came to see me off early in the morning, I gave a weary smile.
“No, I’m serious. He was ranked like 8th or 9th. If he gets eliminated in this survival too, we’ll really need to put him to work at dad’s shop.”
Every word my sister said hit me like a blow, but I felt a bit better thinking it meant she had logged into the voting page early just to vote for me.
“Haaa, I went in to vote for Jae Ha, but Kim Chunyong’s face kept popping up. So annoying, that ugly mug.”
…Or maybe not?
“I’m leaving now. You two should go too. You both need to get to work.”
Feeling a bit hurt, I pouted and started to push them away, when suddenly my sister grabbed my shoulder.
“Hey, hey. Kim Chunyong. Wait a minute.”
“What now? You want to hit me one last time before I go? If so, aim for my back, not my head. Getting hit by you all the time is making me dumb….”
“No, look. Who’s that over there? Can regular people just wander into places like this?”
I quickly lifted my head and looked in the direction she was pointing.
And there stood Logan, looking pensive as he wandered around the parking lot.
