The Malicious Member is Back! - Chapter 93
“Uh, PD-nim? Weren’t you supposed to have an outside schedule today…?”
“I came right after that. Now, which rooms did the AG purists enter?”
Not long after, the slightly pale-faced PD barged in through the door with an urgent demeanor.
Slightly taken aback, Hyeon Jeong handed him a bottle of sponsored water and answered in a stunned voice.
“Son Jae Ha just entered Liu Wei’s room… Oh, somehow Ji Hwa Sung also ended up in Liu Wei’s room. Ahn Jin Woo hasn’t gone in yet.”
“…Huh.”
Laughing in disbelief at her answer, the PD collapsed into a nearby chair, looking much more relaxed than when he first stormed in.
“Ha Joon-ah, step out for a bit.”
After sending the assistant writer out with a face about to burst into tears, and left alone with Hyeon Jeong, the PD ground his teeth and finally spoke.
“…My outside schedule today? I was meeting Director Shin.”
At his words, Hyeon Jeong covered her mouth in shock, eyes widening.
“D-did you come here right after meeting Director Shin?”
‘Given that guy’s personality, and judging by that last phone call, he must have completely lost it…!’
When Hyeon Jeong gave him a knowing look, the PD cursed under his breath, pushing his disheveled hair back in frustration.
“Yeah, just like you’re imagining. The guy was squeezing me dry, like he was going to wring the life out of me… Crazy bastard. I don’t even want to think about it.”
“Did he have any demands?”
“There were a few things about screen time. He also mentioned what would happen if I didn’t comply.”
The PD clicked his tongue, rewinding the footage to where Ji Hwa Sung and Son Jae Ha entered Liu Wei’s room, his expression darkening.
“He’s already given hints to the ones he can control. Damn bastard…”
A heavy silence hung between them after that.
Right.
The trainees were, after all, still part of AG.
And when it came to the so-called ‘purebloods’ from AG, no one, not even the production team, could predict what they’d been told or how they might act.
“Ruthless. All they care about is money… Then again, I’m no different, in the end. It’s all just a matter of outcomes.”
Shaking his head, the PD tapped his fingers against the table before continuing.
“Anyway. What’s Liu Wei’s bucket list?”
“Oh, that… It’s ‘Visiting Gyeongbokgung Palace.’”
“In a hanbok? Sure. The kid Shin planted isn’t stupid, so he’s sharp, even with this.”
…His anger simmered just beneath the surface.
Seeing the tension on Joo Cheol Yeong’s face, Lee Hyeon Jeong swallowed hard.
If Shin Ki Ho was the tiger of AG, Joo Cheol Yeong was Music Days’ mad dog.
His willingness to do anything for ratings stemmed from his relentless drive to satisfy his towering pride.
‘He’s in a seriously bad mood… At this rate….’
Having watched him for a long time, Hyeon Jeong cautiously spoke up.
“PD-nim. You’re not thinking of doing something crazy, are you?”
“What the hell are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“No, it’s just… PD-nim, you look like you’re about to ruin someone.”
“It’s not that. Although, I did think about how to screw over Director Shin somehow. Damn it, nothing comes to mind right now.”
‘That’s the same thing! I just want to stay out of it and work quietly!’
As Hyeon Jeong screamed internally in fear, the PD rubbed his chin thoughtfully, his eyes narrowing as he watched the trainee on the monitoring screen. He clicked his tongue in disapproval.
“Why the hell is he going into Logan’s room? He was doing so well, then suddenly trips like this.”
At his words, Hyeon Jeong also glanced at the screen.
On it was the trainee Joo PD had been backing—Kim Chunyong. The moment he reached the 4th floor, he headed straight for Logan’s room, pushing the door open without hesitation.
“Is there an issue with him going into Logan’s room? I mean, they’re close. The chemistry for this mission should come out nicely, right?”
“Haha! Writer Lee. You think the issue here is chemistry? Sure, the two of them will make for good footage, but that’s not the point….”
Joo Cheol Yeong shook with suppressed anger, letting out a bitter laugh at her suggestion.
“Shin asked me to mess with Logan’s screen time. Since he’s going to be dropping out soon anyway, he wanted us to start laying the groundwork. But if Chunyong is with him, then he’ll take a hit too.”
The atmosphere in the office grew icy.
…Dropping out?
The shocking news left Hyeon Jeong speechless. She stammered, covering her mouth in disbelief.
“What! Just like that? We’re still in the middle of filming! What… he’s not leaving immediately, right? But they’re already asking us to sabotage his buzz?”
“That man thinks our production team works for him, like we’re his personal lackeys.”
The following translation adheres to the style and tone of the original text:
Joo PD’s grumbling gaze returned to the screen.
– “……!”
– “……!”
Logan and Kim Chunyong had a brief moment of tension, looking slightly flustered at first. But soon after, they welcomed Seong Won Hyeop with open arms as he entered the room.
They created lively content, unlike the other rooms, where the trainees were cautiously tiptoeing around each other, everything here flowed naturally.
Watching all of this unfold with a scowl, Joo PD ground his teeth audibly.
‘Does Shin Ki Ho really think all this footage is happening because of his investors?’
Under normal circumstances, or rather, before Kim Chunyong’s return, Joo Cheol Yeong wouldn’t have let his anger toward Director Shin burn so intensely.
There was nothing to be gained from openly opposing the powerful Shin of AG, and until now, Joo PD hadn’t had any particular motivation to take that kind of risk.
But now…
‘I’m the one making this show… What? They think they can throw a fit, and I’ll pull the footage they need for their mediocre trainees? These guys don’t even know what makes good TV.’
After spending eight tumultuous years as Arrows’ problem child and then returning with a very different attitude, Kim Chunyong had caught Joo PD’s eye.
And from the moment Chunyong had entered Logan’s room, determined to uncover the reason behind Logan’s voluntary departure…
The small snowball had begun to roll.
“…Writer Lee.”
“Yes, yes?”
“Neither of them are part of Director Shin’s line, right?”
“That’s… right? Logan, well, like you mentioned earlier, is out of the picture… and as for Kim Chunyong, there hasn’t been anything notable.”
“That’s all I needed to know.”
Joo PD, calculating madly in his mind, flashed a sinister smile at the screen before speaking softly.
“Writer Lee, let’s….”
Get in touch with President Do Jae Chan.
