The Malicious Member is Back! - Chapter 241



Only Noblemtl

The Malicious Member Returns! Episode 241

* * *

After hearing my explanation that ‘I’ve just won the Rookie of the Year award, but the position of mentor on a survival program is too burdensome, so I want to decline,’ Hobin hyung gave me various pieces of advice with a knowing expression.

“Well, I guess so. I guess you said it was okay because there were circumstances at the time. I haven’t properly reported it to the higher-ups yet… I guess that’s a good thing.”

“… But, for now, it’s roughly agreed that I will appear, right?”

“Yes. In this case, it would be better for Mr. Chun Yong to speak directly to Director Shin. To be honest. Since two other members have already been confirmed to appear, the Director will not be so picky.”

To be honest, I will listen.

Anyway, since AG’s first principle is to protect artists, there’s no way they’ll force you into a program you don’t like.

There was a bit of a gap between the Shin I knew and the Shin Ho-bin knew, so I was a bit hesitant, but I also thought that we should just compete with honesty when we have no skills or abilities.

“… Explain it properly from the beginning.”

When I said that I wanted to decline appearing on the survival program, Director Shin’s face naturally became filled with irritation and nervousness.

Indeed, the person who shook and shook the dirty Liu Wei.

However, since I had also learned a lot from frequently clashing with Director Shin over the past six months, I had no choice but to step down like this.

Do you think I memorized this human custom coffee for nothing?

“that is….”

I took a short, deep breath as I opened my mouth, and began to speak intermittently, adjusting the tempo appropriately so as not to give the impression that I had prepared this sentence.

“… It’s burdensome. Jaeha hyung debuted in first place, and Logan can compose songs, so it’s not hard for him to appear. But I debuted in sixth place, right? My trainee friends would also want to debut in a stable position rather than debut precariously, so I don’t think I can play the role of a mentor.”

“… … .”

“Uh, um. And if we’re just looking at the dance, Jinda Sol… the teacher is here. I don’t think there’s any need for me to go.”

“… … .”

“…Okay. That’s it.”

As I said this, I honestly felt a little impressed.

Even though I have a history of being dizzy from drinking, should I come back and see a crazy, rolling sack of slop?

Even though my skills and abilities were sealed, I guess that’s something that comes from experience.

A reason that is clearly organized, an emotional appeal that can weaken the other person’s heart.

There, there is a great substitute who can replace me.

Actually, the biggest reason I didn’t want to appear on a survival program wasn’t because of those things, but because I wanted to reduce the chances of meeting Yeonwoo hyung, but in any case, it wasn’t a lie.

… What kind of survival program mentor are you talking about right now?

I just want to keep my contract with X, maintain this life, and live happily with my members and family.

There was already a problem with the contract being disrupted by the secret search for ‘other guys’, so adding another variable to that was not desirable.

Besides, the accident happened at a time when I didn’t expect it.

The thing that caused the accident might be moving, so it’s best to avoid anything that might happen, right?

After finishing a series of determinations and organizing in my mind, I raised my head, which had been slightly bowed, and met eyes with the person sitting in front of me again.

Director Shin, who heard what I said, looked as if he was deeply thinking about something.

“… … .”

I think I know, but I don’t.

It seems like I’ll say what I want to say, or maybe not.

I had some expectations about this person.

Not positive expectations, but negative expectations.

What kind of person is the Shin Ki-ho I know?

The person who previously used me as a shield and ran away to China with Liu Wei.

The person who led Logan’s voluntary resignation, but failed due to my role in the middle.

A person whose plan to escape AG was ultimately ruined due to trouble with Liu Wei caused by the snowball that rolled from him.

Even during the preparation process for the repackaged album, there was someone who clashed with me on every little thing and showed differences of opinion.

From the beginning, Director Shin and I were never defined as being on good terms.

It was almost a strategic ceasefire relationship because of the common goal that Thioze should do well.

After all, appearing on a survival program is about raising the contestant’s profile.

So, if Director Shin Ki-ho still doesn’t like me that much, he won’t let me go there because of the weak side I just showed and his dislike for me.

In some ways, this was close to certainty.

“… … .”

I am certain that Director Shin will not roll up his sleeves and do anything good for me.

So, amidst all this anticipation, Director Shin opened his mouth after tapping the armrest of the chair for a while and said… .

“no.”

It shattered my expectations and left me quite flustered.

“Yes? Why, why not… .”

“You idiot. Don’t you even understand what it means for you to be on that program? Tsk… Listen carefully.”

And from then on, I had no time to say anything.

* * *

After some time had passed.

It was Secretary Choi and Yoo Ho-bin who came hesitantly into the office where Kim Chun-yong had sat for a long time, sweating profusely.

“I….”

“Director.”

The two people, who were on par with each other in terms of competence even in AG, met each other’s eyes once their words overlapped and then shut their mouths tightly again.

This was not a common occurrence for them either.

I felt like there were loud voices being raised here and there in the office, and I was worried because Kim Chun-yong’s expression afterward was so amazing.

But, Shin Ki-ho, the person he had a long conversation with…

“What are you two doing? Sit down.”

His expression was more refreshing than ever.

‘…What happened?’

The two people sat down quietly, looking at each other’s faces as they decided who would speak first.

Will the director’s secretary speak first?

Or, will the manager of the idol who was just stabbed by that director open it?

“therefore….”

“I, what happened….”

But despite that angle, the two audios overlapped once more, and the scene only got more awkward.

Thanks to that, it was Shin Ki-ho with a refreshing look on his face who opened the conversation.

“… What’s going on? The cast for this survival program has been finalized.”

Shin Gi-ho, who was stretched out on the chair, held up three fingers, folded them one by one, and repeated in a low voice.

“Son Jae-ha. Logan Lee.”

“… … .”

“And Kim Chun-yong. The three of them leave.”

It was natural that Yoo Ho-bin, who had been enthusiastically supporting Kim Chun-yong, had his face filled with sadness.

‘… Mr. Chun-yong, you’ve been working so hard so far, I thought you’d succeed this time too. What’s going on?’

Even in Yoo Ho-bin’s eyes, Kim Chun-yong had something extraordinary about him compared to other idols.

He somehow manages to accomplish what he sets out to do, and even makes things that seem impossible possible through effort and luck.

Kim Chun-yong’s failure to persuade Shin Gi-ho could not help but bring special emotions and sadness to Yoo Ho-bin.

“I see, that’s right.”

However, Secretary Choi, who had been watching Shin Gi-ho all along, felt a little proud.

‘You’ve finally established discipline!’

The reason Secretary Choi trusted and followed Shin Gi-ho was not because he was a man without pride or a desire to improve.

Was it because of the boundless confidence that the road to success was laid out for Shin Ki-ho?

Secretary Choi, who had been assisting Shin Ki-ho since the start-up company he was at before becoming AG, was proud that he had finally won against Kim Chun-yong, who had been a bit of an irritant.

Could it be said that the positions change depending on which side the person supporting each other is on?

“That’s good. Weren’t you worried because you couldn’t fix this properly for a while?”

“… Mr. Chun-Yong, you shouldn’t feel so burdened.”

One side is saddened by the sense of defeat, and the other side is worried about their idol who might be hurt by this.

However, the man sitting in front of him thought differently.

“Tsk, both of you, stop thinking about useless things. This will end up being good for him too.”

For Shin Ki-ho, this incident was neither his victory nor Kim Chun-yong’s defeat.

“…yes?”

“What kind of example is that? Do you think I forced him to appear just to harass that kid? What the hell do you think I am?”

Before the two people had time to be surprised, Shin Gi-ho’s mouth, once open, began to move without stopping.

“…Who has the highest brand index in TIOJ right now?”

“Ah, that’s… Yes. It’s all the same right now, but Logan and Son Jae-ha are definitely the best. Logan’s image is refreshing in the Korean music market, and Son Jae-ha… Yes. People are wary of typical things, but they also like them.”

“Yes. That’s the research that came out right after. But, there’s other data that I checked a while ago.”

Shin Ki-ho pointed at the documents scattered on the desk as if he had prepared for this in advance.

“Upward index. The one who drew the biggest upward curve since his debut is Kim Chun-yong. In particular, he went up even more after the repackage.”

“…ah.”

A sigh burst out simultaneously from the two people sitting in front of me, and Shin Gi-ho’s eyes flashed low.

He still didn’t like Kim Chun-yong very much.

No, I was never going to like it again.

To him, Kim Chun-yong was arrogant, sinister, and rude to adults, just like himself.

however.

“You really took first place, Tioje.”

“Oh, yes. And it’s not MuMude, it’s BNS, so it’s really meaningful. It means that male idols can also show their potential in the music market….”

“…okay.”

Shin Ki-ho blindly believed in numbers.

“Are you saying that you’re going to invest this amount? I mean, even though it’s your son’s business. Are you really okay with it…?”

“Haven’t I told you before? We look at marketability. This isn’t because he’s our son, but because we believe AG will stand out in the idol market.”

“Yeah, I see… .”

And then I saw the results.

The result of a series of clashes with Kim Chun-yong.

The future that is shown now that Shin Ki-ho has chosen a different path.

He had no choice but to admit it.

Somehow, Kim Chun-yong is somewhat… .

“With this kind of upward trend, you’re rejecting situations that would raise your profile? From what I’ve heard, there’s no special reason for rejecting them. You’re just lowering yourself because you don’t know your own worth.”

… I should say that it looked like a goose that laid golden eggs, growing up on its own in a place that no one knew about.

“Tsk.”

Shin Ki-ho, who had unknowingly praised Kim Chun-yong, clicked his tongue in annoyance when he realized the fact.

Of course, if he really cared about Kim Chun-yong, he would have agreed with his words that it was ‘burdensome’ and considered taking a break or appearing on other programs.

“… This program. The faces that appear on it are amazing. Jung Yeon-woo, Lee Se-ryeong. Even the PD is Joo Chul-young. If Kim Chun-yong leaves, there will definitely be synergy.”

“Yes, it definitely is. It also feels like a sequel to ….”

“Yeah. So just let them appear. When we said we were going to make a comeback at the end of the first half of the year, it’s not good for a new idol to have a hiatus.”

But, I didn’t feel affectionate towards Tam either.

They manage it appropriately, but they don’t look after it completely, and they don’t treat it so roughly that it damages its value.

This position that Shin Gi-ho came to have was actually a blessing to Kim Chun-yong, who hoped that Tioje would do well.

Because it also meant that, thanks to him, full support for Tioze was promised in the future.

But, the butterfly wings were fluttering in a strange direction… .

– X: First of all, you said something like “good job, good job”

– X: Yeah, so you can’t even gamble anymore? Kim Chun-yong is ruined, right?

– X: Say one more thing about skills not being of much help in the future. You really are.

– X: Ouch! Ouch! What am I going to do, seriously! Oh, I’m being annoying!

It didn’t work out entirely well for Kim Chun-yong, though.