The Malicious Member is Back! - Chapter 99
“This is a first for me, and thanks to the dance team IllRic, I’ve been given this great opportunity. Please take good care of me! I hope you all enjoy the show!”
‘This guy’s got f*cking grandpa’s name and he’s acting all cutesy.’
Choi Gun Young silently mocked as Kim Chunyong politely greeted the crowd.
‘Now, he’s just got embarrassment ahead of him.’
Choi Gun Young’s plan was, in his mind, flawless.
‘I’ll humiliate him just enough, then act like I’m teaching him something. After that, we’ll shuffle him off to some obscure corner where no one’s watching. Easy.’
Choi Gun Young wasn’t entirely malicious.
He just couldn’t stand an idol trainee who claimed to “dance decently” without really knowing what that meant.
‘This kid doesn’t even get what it means to be dancing every day, and he’s got the nerve to say he was offered a spot in Dasol hyung’s crew? That’s ridiculous.’
Choi Gun Young glanced at Kim Chunyong, who was staring him down with a determined expression, at the Targeting Star crew, and at Logan and Seong Won Hyeop, who were anxiously chewing their nails. He raised his voice.
“Let’s get started right away. Cue the music!”
‘I’ll show you what real dancing is, idiot.’
– This ain’t a party for just crowd
Let’s shout it out for girls & boys
“So, we’ll split it—first verse and second verse, then….”
“Hey, whatever. As long as it’s the song I picked, I don’t care who goes first.”
“…Alright then, you go first, and I’ll take the second verse.”
Positioning himself toward the busiest side of the street, Choi Gun Young began to move in rhythm with the familiar beat.
His specialty was Krump—characterized by explosive energy, timing, and tricks.
It was the same genre Jin Dasol, whom Choi Gun Young idolized, had been known for before he made a name for himself with his unique and dynamic choreography.
‘Videos of our team’s performances always get posted on YouTube. This one, since it involves a trainee, will definitely go viral. Maybe even Dasol hyung will see it!’
As he aggressively split the beats with sharp arm swings, Gun Young cast a glance backward.
Choi Gun Young stomped hard, sending a reverberating thud through the pavement, and stuck his tongue out at Kim Chunyong.
‘You’re nothing but a stepping stone for me to meet Dasol hyung, a mere background prop, you idiot!’
The reason Choi Gun Young hadn’t bothered to come up with a dance name was simple.
He wanted to join Dasol’s crew and have him personally give him a dance name.
– All day, All night.
I feel the passion, And I feel it burn.
I’m sure you’ll agree if you see it.
‘You and I are on entirely different levels. What does a guy who just flops around with choreo someone else made know about real dancing? Get a grip, idiot. And…’
“Stay in your lane!”
Woooaaaah!
When Choi Gun Young kicked off his shoes into the air during the final part of the first verse, the crowd erupted into cheers.
“Thank you!”
Wiping the sweat that had trickled down his chin, Choi Gun Young flashed a smug grin as he took a step back.
‘That was the most polished, intense dance I’ve got in my arsenal.’
Now, if the idol trainee followed up with some weak, unimpressive danc?
Iit was obvious who the audience’s attention and praise would be focused on.
– I know you think I’m stupid,
But How about this?
Do I still look like an airhead?
“Huh? Is he just lying down?”
“Is that dancing? Oh, he’s keeping the rhythm… Wait, what?”
But then, as Choi Gun Young watched the trainee from Targeting Star lie down in the middle of the street stage that he had just owned.
“What, what the f*ck?”
Confronted with Chunyong’s dancing up close, Choi Gun Young couldn’t help but let out a dumbfounded sound that didn’t suit his tough image.
Sure, the song playing was a pretty famous pop song, but the fame of a song didn’t guarantee a high-quality freestyle.
That’s why Choi Gun Young had picked it, thinking, ‘Once he actually starts dancing, he’s going to make a fool of himself.’
‘So he’s going for something completely different? Ha, like that’ll work.’
Kim Chunyong began differently from Choi Gun Young right from the start, lying flat on the ground, tapping out the rhythm with his feet, instantly drawing everyone’s attention.
– Actually, you know nothing
I don’t know much about it either
But, See, See
With the impressive bass riff that had been building from the first verse, a recording of children’s laughter poured out of the speakers, and Kim Chunyong sprang up using his core strength, moving freely.
The genre was the same as Choi Gun Young’s — Krump.
But the way he moved was entirely different.
Instead of focusing on intricate beat breaks, he utilized all of his joints.
He quickly shifted positions, using the space more broadly.
His head, hands, and feet moved simultaneously, making each motion appear larger.
“Wo-woaaah…!”
“That’s….”
As he danced with fluidity, the crowd that had backed up a bit began murmuring in awe, while Choi Gun Young, right up close, let out a voice that sounded like he was in hell.
Those familiar movements, those familiar steps.
“D-Dasol hyung….”
Right.
The way Chunyong moved was reminiscent of none other than Jin Dasol, the man Choi Gun Young admired to no end.
‘There’s no way he’s just doing random things without any foundation.’
Chunyong, performing a chest pop that resembled Jin Dasol’s but with his own twist, gave a sly smile.
There was one thing only Chunyong knew out of everyone here.
“Rex… You should… probably practice… more.”
“Oh, h-how much more?”
“Um… 100.”
“Wh-100 hours?”
“No. 100 days….”
It was that Jin Dasol had been the choreographer for the title track of Arrows’ second mini-album when Chunyong was still active with the group.
‘Back then, I ended up practicing the title track for over 100 hours. By the end, I was so exhausted that I even cursed at Jin Dasol,’ Chunyong thought.
Now that his dancing stats have been elevated to the level of an ‘idol’s main dancer,’ modifying choreography he once practiced until he was on the verge of throwing up and performed on stage was no longer a difficult task.
– How much are people shouting out?
I can’t count. You do it for me
Do it for Me
The highlight.
As if mocking Gun Young, Chunyong took off his shoe and threw it into the air, mimicking what Gun Young had done earlier.
“Wooooah!
“Chunyong, Chunyong! This is insane, I’m definitely uploading this to YouTube!”
“Gun Young hyung….”
Underneath the deafening cheers for Kim Chunyong, Lee Hwe Jin murmured quietly,
“Hyung got destroyed….”
At this moment, the actual dancing skills of Choi Gun Young and Kim Chunyong might be on par—or maybe Gun Young’s were even better.
But the key was capturing the audience’s attention.
And in that regard, the one who had climbed onto the stage hundreds of times, even as a former problematic member, was far superior to Choi Gun Young, who hadn’t yet won Dancing Stage.
“After this, right here, I’ll be busking with the other trainees from Targeting Star! I can sing too, so stick around and watch!”
With Kim Chunyong’s confident declaration of victory,
Choi Gun Young’s face fell, a reaction that was only natural.
Kim Chunyong shot him a wicked smile, silently muttering to himself,
‘Idols are holistic artists.’
You arrogant punk.
