The Malicious Member is Back! - Chapter 92
While the Korean trainees were lined up on the stairs, waiting to choose a room.
“Trainee Kim Chunyong, you’ll be going up after Trainee Son Jae Ha.”
“Ah, yes. Thank you for letting me know.”
“No problem, I’ll remind you again before you go up, so if you need to use the bathroom, now’s the time to….”
Bzzt!
Out of nowhere, my phone’s notification sound blared, causing the junior writer’s face to twist in disbelief.
I shot an awkward smile at the junior writer, who seemed to be asking with her eyes, ‘Is that really your thing?’ and quickly dashed to the bathroom to check my phone screen.
This jerk again?
“I told you not to message me during filming… seriously….”
– X: But there aren’t any cameras, so what’s the problem!?
– X: Hey, hey, just give up on the notification sound already ㅡㅡ
Honestly, isn’t it cute? Better than something creepy, right!
– Chunyong: Nice excuse, huh.
After sending my spiky response, X filled the chat with a string of “ㅋ”s before finally revealing the real reason for messaging me.
– X: So are you doing this mission with Logan??
– X: Hmm, I know you think he’s okay
– X: But? Do you really *need* him?
– X: What I’m saying is, don’t take unnecessary risks
– X: If he drops out for reasons you can’t control, you’re just wasting a good mission opportunity, right? -,-
“Does it really have to be Logan, huh….”
Clicking my tongue at X’s words, I pondered for a moment before slowly typing out a reply.
– Chunyong: It doesn’t *have* to be Logan
– X: Uh? Then why are you going this far??
– Chunyong: Well, his bucket list is a good one
– Chunyong: And… I just want to check something
– X: Check? What are you checking?
– Chunyong: Whether what I’m thinking is right or not?
Even though Logan had left Targeting Star and returned to England to participate in another audition program, something didn’t sit right with me.
While it might seem like he simply wanted to debut in his homeland, from what I had noticed, there was something off about the whole situation.
He tried not to show it, but his expression always darkened when family was mentioned.
Even when I carefully brought it up, he would firmly shut down the conversation.
Because of that, a thought crossed my mind:
Was the reason he left *Targeting Star*…
“…related to his family?”
As I uttered that thought aloud, I found myself clenching my fists tightly.
It was inevitable—thinking about family weighed heavily on my heart.
And if that really was the case, there might still be a way for me to persuade him.
*Ping!*
– X: Whatever, if you say you have it all planned out, I’ll go along with it.
– X: But don’t forget the contract conditions, alright? Sorry, but there’s a limit to how much I can help you.
– X: Man, if only I were working with someone simpler, I wouldn’t have to worry so much, but you’re just so clueless.
– Chunyong: Clueless?? ㅡㅡ
– Chunyong: Forget it. Just make sure to have my reward ready for winning the last performance.
– X: Oh, bro, I’ve got that *completely* ready.
– X: Hahahah ㅋㅋ Normally it’d be handed out randomly, but this time, just for you….
– Trainee Chunyong, it’s time for you to head up now!
“Yeah, yeah! I’m coming!”
At the sound of the junior producer’s voice calling me, I hurriedly shoved my phone into my pocket.
Right now, what was important wasn’t the reward that was coming next.
“All I have to do is pick a door.”
As I arrived on the fourth floor, six doors lay ahead of me, each with its own symbol standing in front.
Though it was a scene I had seen before, I muttered softly, making sure my voice was picked up by the camera at the end of the hallway as I scanned the rooms.
Once you picked a door here, you’d spend the entire day fulfilling one of the global trainees’ wishes.
And, of course, I had already decided which room I was going to enter.
* * *
“Ha Joon, have you checked the hallway cam?”
“Yes, Seo Bin entered Tsubasa’s room. They’re on the Namsan team. I’ll assign two ENG cameras to them.”
“Good. Half of them have entered the rooms now, so keep updating me as they go.”
Main writer Hyeon Jeong sat in a position where she could monitor the shooting in real-time, closely tracking the movements of the trainees.
‘You have to pay much more attention than you’d think.’
[AG’s own idol survival show Targeting Star ranks #1 on OTT service’s most-watched programs!]
[Targeting Star’s official theme song “Aiming” makes a triumphant entry into the TOP 100 charts.]
[Survival show Midas-touch PD Joo Cheol Yeong promises, “I’ll show you once more this time.”]
Despite only featuring 18 trainees—much fewer than other survival shows—the overwhelming attention and unprecedented success on the music charts were undeniable.
Even within Music Days, people were saying, “Is Joo Cheol Yeong going to pull off another success?” There was no room for error.
The newly introduced “mission” format, which had never been used before, required meticulous preparation due to its ambiguous presentation to the public.
And following this would be the outdoor shoot.
The first time the trainees would be exposed to the general public, people who had no interest in them at all.
‘You can’t afford to relax, not even for a second. Who knows what could happen? I’ve already had my fill of dealing with these socially awkward trainees during filming.’
Lee Hyeon Jeong nodded as the junior writer double-checked the mission groups. For something random, the combinations weren’t bad at all.
The room with Gao Yan, who had exclaimed “Korean PC bang tour,” was filled with Bang Yu Chan, who must have gamed a lot as a student. And in the room where Ryota mentioned “climbing Namsan,” there was Lee Chae Hyuk, who prided himself on his strong physical condition.
It was as if they instinctively knew which room would make them shine the most.
“If things keep going like this, it’ll be great….”
“Writer, should we check on Son Jae Ha as well?”
“Oh, has he gone in? Let’s take a look.”
Hyeon Jeong’s face shifted slightly after the call from the assistant writer.
On the CCTV footage from the hallway, Son Jae Ha could be seen immediately entering one of the rooms as soon as he reached the fourth floor.
‘Given Son Jae Ha’s meticulous personality, he’d usually pretend to deliberate a bit in front of the hallway camera before entering. Why is he so quick to decide today?’
And soon enough, Hyeon Jeong’s curiosity was answered.
“―The AG purists. Which rooms did they enter?”
