The Malicious Member is Back! - Chapter 209



Only Noblemtl

The Malicious Member Returns! Episode 209

* * *

The first practice for the year-end collaboration stage prepared by T.O.J and Wiz ended more smoothly than expected.

“I feel like I’m going to die… .”

“Still, Tae, you… If you think about the time when it took you two months to memorize the choreography, didn’t you do really well today? I’ve never seen you work this hard before.”

“Ha-won. If Chun-yong can do that and can’t memorize the highlight choreography in one day, then shouldn’t he not be an idol? I really, today I realized that I am still an idol….”

“Really? Then how on earth have you been an idol until now, seriously? I’ll have to tell our choreography teacher. She said you have to be scolded to memorize well.”

“Danwoo, is this how you take revenge? Huh? Guys, be a little more affectionate to your teammates.”

“go away.”

Even An Tae-i, who was the slowest and made the most mistakes in movements, had roughly mastered the choreography, so there was no need to explain how well he was doing.

okay.

“Anyway, thank you all for your hard work. Well… I think there was a problem earlier.”

“Ah! You were paying attention to that. No, haha. The youngest and I sometimes do that. It’s everyday life, everyday life. Right, Siwoo… Hey?”

“… Yeah. It just happens sometimes.”

“Well, that’s great. Anyway… I’ll see you again at the next practice.”

It clearly couldn’t have ended safely, but it ended safely.

“So what you’re saying, Chun-yong, is that even though there was something like that with Yoo-chan and Si-woo, you finished practicing as if nothing had happened? Is that what you’re saying?”

“Yes. They both… ended up just being so casual. I thought Siwoo would be a little more shaken up, but he didn’t show any signs of it.”

And then I told this fact to Jaeha, who shares a room with me.

Honestly, neither of them thought I would tell anyone or do anything like that, and I didn’t necessarily intend to make the atmosphere awkward by telling the other members about this trouble situation… .

“Hmm, I see. Okay. Siwoo and Yoochan hyung… .”

Jaeha hyung at least needed to know how this situation was going.

Because in case the worst case scenario were to occur, there had to be someone who could mediate the situation as flexibly as possible, along with Hobin hyung.

And I can guarantee that Jaeha hyung, who has always been a trustworthy leader, would be better suited to that role than me, who used to be a malicious member and would always nag the members.

As expected.

“Well, I think….”

After hearing everything I said, Jaeha nodded his head quietly, then leaned his upper body against the headboard and began to speak carefully.

“… Honestly, I think it would be okay to leave those two alone for now.”

“yes?”

“Actually, as Yoochan said, the two people’s conditions didn’t interfere with our practice or activities, and also, it’s their personal matter. Do you know what I mean?”

“… … .”

I remained silent in response to Jaeha’s words and quietly conveyed my affirmation.

Aside from the fact that I thought this needed to be resolved immediately, Jaeha hyung’s words were absolutely right, with not a single thing wrong with them.

It is clearly not good for a third person to step in and dig up something that two people have covered up.

There must be a reason why he tried to do that, but anyway, I don’t know the exact circumstances.

Besides, even though Siwoo is a minor, he was a member who debuted after winning a harsh idol survival show.

So, I guess it’s a bit strange for another person to interfere in the affairs of grown men.

but….

“But, that’s just my opinion.”

At that moment, when I was choosing words to persuade amidst some conflict, Jaeha hyung’s voice struck my ears.

“Aside from telling me these facts, Chun-yong, don’t you have something else you were planning to do?”

“uh….”

“You wanted to tell me in advance because you were worried that there might be trouble because of what you were going to do and the problems between the two of you. Right?”

“that’s right.”

When I nodded with a bewildered expression, Jaeha hyung yawned deeply as if he was sleepy and stretched out.

Before I knew it, my brother’s face had that gentle smile on it.

“My thoughts are just my thoughts. Just listen and think, ‘Oh, there are other opinions too.’”

“My brother told me this, but I just wanted him to listen to me? What the…?”

“Haha, Chun-yong. You always say things like that even though you know everything.”

Even the light on the nightstand between our beds was turned off by Jae-ha’s fingertips, and the room was filled with darkness.

“…Ever since you introduced me and Mars to the playground, my thoughts have changed a bit.”

The only thing that could be heard beyond the black paper was my brother’s voice.

Playground.

I kept my mouth shut as I recalled the time when I randomly made Jaeha ride on a swing at the playground in front of the dorm after I found out he was taking medicine.

However, it seems that Jaeha hyung still has memories of that time even after his debut.

This is a bit… .

It’s embarrassing.

Even though I kept my mouth shut, Jaeha hyung continued talking without paying any attention.

“Actually, my criteria for judging are still similar to before. Within the limits of not harming our activities, and within the limits of respecting each other’s privacy. I think everything is played that way. Is it because I lived that way throughout my trainee life…?”

“… … .”

“But, you’re not Chun-yong, are you?”

I could hear the rustling of the blanket from the bed next to me, and Jaeha’s voice, covered in the soft blanket, also became a little quieter.

“Chun-yong, you treated my work as if it were your own… so you’ll want to do the same this time.”

“uh….”

“And honestly, I feel a little better about that… I can’t say it was a bad thing. I just thought that Yoochan and Siwoo would go through that too.”

However, the words that followed seemed to be the loudest sound to my ears out of all the conversations I had had with Jaeha hyung just now.

Well, actually, I didn’t expect to receive this much support. Why…

I feel like I got a clear sign from my brother that what I did before and what I’m going to do now is okay.

“… … .”

I sat still with my upper body raised, buried my head in the pillow and muttered.

“… Then I’ll try it this time too. Is that okay?”

“Okay. But this time, I’ll just ask that you do it to the extent that I can handle it. Fist fights are a bit much, you know?”

“… Don’t worry, my brother won’t have to deal with another bomb.”

“Bomb? What about you… Ah, I’m a little sleepy…”

I didn’t bother to answer Jae-ha’s last words, which were faintly coming from fatigue, and I just threw my clenched fist into the air.

Yes, it was enough to tell someone you trusted in advance.

The rest is just putting into action what you think for Yoochan and Siwoo.

Opening my eyes wide towards the pitch-black ceiling, I recalled the brief conversation I had with Antaei in the break room before the Wiz members left.

“Taeya, wait a minute. Let me see.”

“Huh? Chun-yong, I really can’t practice anymore today. You made me practice so much earlier, my knee cartilage feels like it’s all worn out…”

“I’ll ask you that next time I see you, and that’s not what I’m asking you right now. There’s something that only you’ve heard, and I wanted to ask you about that.”

“I’m the only one who heard that? What’s that, ah. Ah… that?”

“Uh… do you want some cup ramen?”

“Ugh, I ate three cups of ramen with Danwoo earlier… Can’t I have something else? Something sweet, like! I’m lacking sugar after practicing so much, haha.”

“Okay. Then cocoa. I’ll boil you a liter, so sit down for a moment.”

“Chun-yong, you seem to be a bit more extreme than I thought?”

I’m talking about that conversation that will be the key to finding out what that ‘promise’ that Yoochan and Siwoo made was.

* * *

The day after the first joint practice with Wiz.

The mornings of the T.O.J. members, whose schedules were all concentrated in the afternoon, were filled with the members’ voices talking about what happened yesterday.

“So, I hope we can get our overseas schedules set up properly! Like, going to England for a week or so?”

“Hey, Logan. Didn’t you go too far with the fun you had with Jaden yesterday? It might be different if it were a country close to Korea, like Japan. How can we go to England right away?”

“No! Mars. The stadium tour is where we should be heading. Think about it. If we wear Liverpool jerseys and perform at Anfield… .”

“I told you not to go too far, so don’t go!”

“Even Mars was joking around with Eun-i yesterday!”

“Where did you learn words like that, Logan? And why are you talking so bluntly, man!”

“Hmm. Guys, don’t be so tired. You won’t have the energy to go up on stage for the live broadcast later.”

Ji Hwa-seong and Lee Ro-gun are fiercely fighting over the spoons they each used to scoop up their cereal, while Son Jae-ha is in the middle of it, trying to stop them with a peaceful expression.

“You fight over nothing, really. Why are you guys so close and still not talking properly…?”

And, there’s Kim Chun-yong, who is leaning on the sofa and giggling while rubbing his stomach.

“Huh? Oh… Now that I think about it, that’s true. I’m sure we did talk a few times during .”

“Huh, I see. Right. That’s what happened back then… but somehow, I keep wanting to say that to Mars.”

“That’s right, that’s right. It’s more fun when you use formal language to tease. So Logan, forget about stadium tours. I’ve never heard of an idol going on a UK tour!”

“Nooo! Don’t say like that!”

“Oh, Jaeha hyung. I’d like some milk too…”

“Yeah, I think the lady bought some new ones anyway.”

Yeah, in other words, it was incredibly peaceful.

“Wow, guys. You guys are really in good spirits. You still feel excited after practicing so hard yesterday!”

The face of Bang Yu-chan, who was walking out of the room, wasn’t much different.

He spoke as if the fight with Jang Si-woo yesterday had never happened.

“Oh, Chun-yong. You drink some milk and I’ll have some too.”

“…is it so.”

Even when Kim Chun-yong handed over the milk with a puzzled expression, the cheerful smile never left Bang Yu-chan’s face.

Seriously, if someone who doesn’t know sees this… .

“Oh, this is really delicious! Is it because I only drink low-fat milk to control my weight? This is the best!”

It was as if nothing had happened.

“Huh? Logan, what about Siwoo? You two are in the same room. Should I sleep a little longer?”

“Oh, yes. I thought you said you were going to lie down a little longer? I couldn’t see you yesterday because you were on a different team… I guess you practiced really hard.”

“Well, Siwoo is always hard-working. That could be the case. … Profit, by the way. Logan. Stop stealing my cereal!”

“Then cancel the stadium tour, saying it’s a dream. Cancel it.”

Thanks to Bang Yoo-chan’s natural charm, Ji Hwa-seong and Logan didn’t notice anything.

Son Jae-ha, I knew it thanks to my conversation with Kim Chun-yong last night, but I didn’t intend to reveal it.

“… … .”

In this situation where he was pretending to be peaceful, Kim Chun-yong, who had been lying on the sofa with his mouth shut, opened his mouth toward Bang Yu-chan, who was gulping down a 2-liter bottle of milk as if he was going to finish it.

“Oh, that’s right. Yoochan hyung. I contacted Taeyang yesterday after practice.”

“Huh?”

“No, he said that he forgot the choreography he had memorized as soon as he got to his accommodations. So he said he wanted to practice some more…”

And between those lips, Kim Chun-yong’s canine teeth, which were a little sharper than others, were shining brightly.

“I asked your manager to meet with us more often. Is that okay? Me, Hyung, Siwoo, Tae. Maybe once a week? He’s coming today too.”

“Pfft!”

“yes…?”

At Kim Chun-yong’s natural and innocent words, Bang Yu-chan let the milk he had been drinking flow down his chin, and Jang Si-woo’s face, who had just been cautiously walking out of the room, turned pale.

“Because they both said they would practice hard. I thought you’d like it.”

“Um, Yeon, practice… good. Okay. Let’s do that. I’m fine.”

“I just… heard it. Yes… do that.”

The smile still did not disappear from Kim Chun-yong’s face.

‘As expected, you’re freaking out. And you’re pretending like nothing happened. That’s why I didn’t even notice it until now.’

Kim Chun-yong, who was keenly observing the two people’s reactions, covered his mouth with one hand and tried to hide his laughter.

In fact, Kim Chun-yong had no intention of finding out about the ‘promise’ between the two people in this way.

Even so, the two of them would quickly change their expressions and actions as they had just done, and in that situation, any plan Kim Chun-yong had made would easily go down the drain.

however.

[Bomb (removal end): Chun-yong, I talked to you yesterday and thought about it]

[Bomb (removal end): Can I help you with that?]

[Bomb (Removal End): It’s easier to talk when I’m right next to you than when you’re alone]

[Bomb (Removal End): Instead, you just have to do me one favor!]

[Bomb (removal end): This is a win-win ( ˃ᴗ˂ )]

What if there was a gunpowder that could heat things up in a way that made it uncontrollable?

[Kim Chun-yong: Please? What kind of request?]

[Bomb (Removal End): It’s not that bad! Really!]

[Bomb (removal end): I promise I’ll listen to you]

[Bomb (Removal End): No matter how thoughtless I am, I have no intention of scratching you again]

[Bomb (Removal End): I don’t know if I’m doing it accidentally or not… .]

[Kim Chun-yong: Tae-i, then]

[Kim Chun-yong: Are you confident that you can listen to me?]

And what if we could adjust the gunpowder a little to suit Kim Chun-yong’s taste?

‘There really is a use for even unexploded bombs.’

Kim Chun-yong gave a thumbs up to Bang Yu-chan and Jang Si-woo, who were quietly looking at him, and now he didn’t even think about hiding his smile.

“Haha… I’m really looking forward to it. I don’t know why I enjoy practicing so much… .”

Although the help came unexpectedly, it was the moment when the ground was finally set for the next step.