The Malicious Member is Back! - Chapter 230



Only Noblemtl

The Malicious Member Returns! Episode 230

* * *

Late at night.

“There are no plans for tomorrow, so go inside and get some rest. The members were talking about doing a live performance together in the afternoon… I think that won’t be a problem.”

“Haha… Thank you, Hobin hyung. You must be tired too.”

“No. It’s a given. And since all the TIO staff are so friendly, I don’t really feel like I’m doing any extra work.”

“Still… I’m worried.”

“What? Just work me a little harder. When I’m busy, that means Tioje is doing well.”

The accommodations we returned to with Hobin hyung’s kind encouragement were a mixture of heat and silence, signaling that we had safely completed our first year-end stage.

A few board games scattered around the living room that hadn’t been cleaned up yet, and cans of beer that Jae-ha and Yoo-chan were presumed to have each had a drink from.

It seemed like all the members had gone into their rooms and fallen asleep.

“after….”

My hand tightened as I held one of the beer cans.

With the thought that it might have been better if I had spent tonight with the members.

There are many more year-end performances we will be doing together in the future, and the members were considerate enough to let me spend just one of them with other people, so I went… Well, I don’t know.

“… I haven’t even met Nate properly yet. Is that the kind of person you are?”

“Oh. At first, I wondered why he was so aloof. He’s just so sly and… Ah, you’ll understand when you meet him.”

“It’s not that you’re loose-lipped or make a lot of mistakes, it’s that you’re sly?”

“Huh? Huh. It wasn’t the feeling you mentioned earlier. Ugh. It just didn’t feel right. You’ll know when you meet him.”

“If we meet… .”

“As I was talking, this started to sound like gossip. I live next door to that person, so it’s really bothersome… I’ve been really worried about moving lately. It would be better if we just didn’t meet at all. Since you’re the one who came looking for me first.”

I wanted to hear it, but after hearing it, I was faced with the heart-wrenching news head-on, so I didn’t feel very good.

Kwajik-

The beer can I was holding in my hand was crushed.

Too many thoughts came to mind.

This way, someone I didn’t expect to be included in that damn ‘other guys’ list.

Not someone else, but someone I was very close with during my time as a trash collector.

“Hey, hand Rex the envelope. He’s about to start spilling again.”

“How do you know all that, hyung? And it’s kind of… no, it’s also interesting to watch him do that and keep drinking with him.”

“… You punk. Watch what you say. Why are you saying something like that when there’s clearly someone right next to you?”

“No, he’s drunk and passed out… so what?”

“From the perspective of drinking together, we’re all the same. Why are you dividing the ranks by being so great? Fuck, isn’t this just because it’s hard to make a living? What do you know about him and me… You go away. The alcohol tastes bad.”

… Even among my drinking buddies, Hyojae hyung was a pretty good person.

Kang-

I tried to calm my complicated mind by throwing the crushed beer can into the recycling bin.

Even if Hyojae hyung may be one of the ‘other guys’, he may not be the one who caused the accident.

Maybe, Sa Gong Yoo, who was extremely sensitive because of Yeon Woo hyung, misunderstood.

Even after thinking back over the various circumstances in my limited mind, there was no objective connection that Hyojae hyung was the person involved.

but….

Why, I feel like those ‘other guys’ keep getting involved with me.

I wonder if someone entangled with me made all this happen.

It was just a common case of excessive self-consciousness, but I kept thinking about it.

“… Huh.”

I slumped down on the kitchen chair and ruffled my bright red hair.

No, I just want to apologize to those who suffered because of my past choices, turn back the clock, and be happy again.

What is going on?

I haven’t even properly told X yet because I know he’d be furious if he found out I was still digging into ‘the other guys’.

This is one of those burdens that I can’t even say anything about right now and that I have to carry on my own.

“… … .”

The one remaining beer can still had some clear, yellow liquid left in it.

A liquid that is neither hot nor cold.

There was a time when I lived like a half-mad person, trying to drink some of that.

Because it made me forget my reality and led me into a world of infinite sleep.

But, right now, I shouldn’t drink even a single drop.

You can’t run away from reality.

We must not turn a blind eye to what is happening before our eyes.

That meant that if someone close to me was the one who caused the accident in our family, I had to accept it.

What expression should I make then?

What should I do toward the other person?

No, what can I do?

Such thoughts, such worries.

“… … .”

The silence grew longer.

My brain, which is not even that smart, kept getting messed up because of complicated thoughts.

“ha….”

That’s how it was, when I couldn’t go into my room for a long time and was just fiddling with a half-empty can of beer.

“… Huh? Chun-yong is here? I didn’t even know he was here.”

“Oh, that’s right.”

Along with the sound of the door to Jaeha and I opening, I heard two low voices behind me.

“…brothers.”

It was Jaeha hyung and Yuchan hyung.

Their faces were faintly flushed with the same blush I had seen on Taei and Yu earlier, which supported my guess that they had enjoyed a short drink.

“You’re not asleep yet? … Did you two drink more separately?”

“Uh, uh. I didn’t drink more. I just had a private conversation. Chun-yong, I thought you were going to sleep over at Sakong-yu’s house today! You came home earlier than I thought, huh?”

“That’s right. So Yoochan hyung was going to sleep in your bed today… I think it was a good thing he didn’t sleep until now.”

The two people who came towards the kitchen table where I was sitting soon took the seats in front of me.

As if now that he knows I’m here, he doesn’t really plan on leaving me alone.

In the previously quiet accommodation, a steady, rumbling voice began to ring out.

“Did you have fun? Oh man, we had fun without you. Logan cheated with cards again earlier, and Hwasung almost cried. You couldn’t see that, Chun-yong, you lost a lot!”

“Umm, Yoochan hyung. If you say that, I think Chun-yong will be upset.”

“Hey. On purpose, on purpose. I was worried that we wouldn’t be able to have fun because we were so worried. I should let you both know that we had a good time.”

“Haha, I had fun. My brothers and sisters… it looks like they had a good time.”

At the sight of the two people’s faces looking quite cheerful, I nodded, pushing aside the beer can I was fiddling with.

A rough picture of how the members celebrated the year-end stage has been drawn.

Judging from the traces of the mini-cone firecrackers in front of the entrance, Jihwasung must have set them off as soon as he entered the room.

As soon as that happened, Logan would have gone to his room and grabbed the Jenga, cards, and games that were strewn about the living room.

Perhaps Siwoo was quietly sitting next to him, anticipating what would happen next.

The brothers in front of me… must have been watching that scene and toasting with cans of beer.

The whole process came to mind very precisely, to the point where the word ‘roughly’ seemed meaningless.

This was thanks to the considerable amount of time I had spent seeing the members.

“…haha.”

A smile appeared faintly on the corner of his mouth.

These are the things I wished for.

I’m continuing my idol life with ordinary, good people, talking about it with my subordinates, and working hard to go higher.

okay.

That’s what I was hoping for.

But somehow, I still feel like I can’t do that… .

“Oh, that’s right, Chun-yong.”

What woke me from my thoughts of digging into the ground again was the voice of Yuchan hyung, who was eating the pieces of candy left on the table.

“yes?”

“… I told Jaeha about what happened earlier.”

“If it was something like that earlier….”

“Me and Siwoo. And you.”

“ah.”

It felt like the lights in the dark kitchen were flickering and shaking.

There was a cheerful smile on Yuchan’s face as usual.

However, I couldn’t help but open my mouth and forget about all my previous worries for a moment.

why?

No, wasn’t it that Hyung and Siwoo wanted to hide that until now?

… That’s why I tried to create a place for reconciliation by getting Tae’s help without the other members finding out!

Yoo Chan-hyung, who seemed to have noticed the question in my trembling expression, scratched the back of his neck and looked back and forth between Jae-ha-hyung and me before slowly opening his mouth again.

“… Because it worked out well. No, because it’s going to work out well. I think it would be good to tell Jaeha too.”

“… … .”

“No, but Jaeha already knows? Chun-yong said you already discussed it with Jaeha!”

“uh….”

“Ha, come to think of it, I don’t think the one chestnut I fed you earlier will be enough. I think I’ll need three more.”

Although Yoochan’s voice was quite resentful, his entire face was filled with laughter.

As if it were a refreshing feeling.

Now, it feels like I’ve finally taken a proper step.

That came to me as a different feeling, as I had been wandering alone in my mind since arriving at the accommodation.

I don’t know if I’m doing well, but… .

There is at least one thing that has been properly finished.

Whether he knew it or not, Yoochan hyung’s mouth would not stop moving.

“… But I won’t push you any further. That doesn’t suit my personality, and you’ve suffered too much because of us.”

“Hmm, I guess Chun-yong was really worried about that.”

“That’s why! After hearing Jae-ha’s words, I feel guilty again. Oh my. Chun-yong, why do you take such good care of the people around you?”

“It’s not really like that… .”

“Okay, okay. Check this out. It’ll make you feel better. Haha, this is still funny no matter how many times I watch it… .”

In the cell phone that Yoochan hyung held out, bursting into a refreshing laugh like a carbonated bubble, there was a photo of the members who had been having a great time earlier.

A worthless, unscrupulous Ji Hwa Seong who is suffering from card fraud.

Logan, a large dog, is wagging his invisible tail while putting his arm around Ji-hwa-seong.

Siwoo is fast asleep on the sofa, hugging his knees.

Yoochan hyung making a V sign behind Siwoo’s head while he’s sleeping, and Jaeha hyung standing in front to take a picture.

and….

“Haha, what is this….”

“No, I felt empty because there were only five of us here. Jaeha made a composite photo for me.”

“Yeah. Chun-yong, you often post selfies on our SNS account. There are quite a few that can be cut out.”

“… … .”

This is a cut and pasted version of my selfie that I first uploaded to our official T.O.J. account right after our debut.

I let out a short laugh and then held onto the table for a while, sobbing.

Oh really.

How can human emotions be like a roller coaster?

I wiped away the tears that had formed in my eyes from laughing, and opened my mouth in my usual cheerful voice.

“… Please send this to me. I need to show it to my family.”

“Family?”

“Yes. My younger brother likes Siwoo. My older sister… well… she likes Gaon senior. But still, I think all of our members will like him.”

Yes, at dawn, just before morning comes.

– Second: (Photo)

– Second: My first year-end stage finished (V)

In our family group message window, a photo I sent was posted.

Nari and Bomi would joke around saying, “Why is this a composite?” and “Isn’t there an original?” but that’s exactly what I wanted.

“Okay, Chun-yong, go wash up and go inside. You’ll catch a cold. I’ll go to my room. Jae-ha, you sleep well too.”

“… Good night, Yoochan hyung. Jaeha hyung, you should go in first.”

“Yeah, come in before it’s too late.”

“Oh, oh. Oh, it’s been a while since I slept in…!”

The conversation I had with my brothers didn’t solve all of my previous worries and concerns, but it did make my head feel a lot lighter.

It felt like I had put a period on a sentence that had been dragging on forever.

Tiring—

The next scheduled event notification popped up at the top of my phone, telling me it was 5 a.m., and I checked it with my fingers that were no longer shaking.

[D-2

KPCA(K-Pop Culture Awards)

D-3

[Korean Popular Music Arts Awards]

Now that Sound Stage The Final is over.

Now all that’s left is the end-of-year award ceremonies where they must win the Rookie of the Year award to fulfill the terms of their contract with X.

There were a lot of year-end stages left, but those were the important ones.

Goals that will allow me to move forward and not get stuck in a quagmire and flounder.

“…good.”

I muttered to myself quietly and slowly got up from the kitchen table with a determined expression.

I also have to win the Rookie of the Year award at the awards ceremony.

You have to meet the people you need to meet.

I can’t just sit like this forever.

Even if I say I don’t know what to do when I meet ‘the other guys’, that’s something I couldn’t have known until I met them.

Even if X were to yell at me, that hadn’t happened yet.

-Bang!

The liquid inside the beer can that I had been fiddling with for a while poured into the sink, and the can was cheerfully thrown back into the recycling bin.

As the end of the year approaches, a new year begins.

…now, that was the first step.