The Malicious Member is Back! - Chapter 77
The top trainee I support.
âThe bestâŚ.â
ââŚâŚ.â
Son Jae Ha blinked in surprise at AG Corporationâs thunderous confession, then slowly smiled like melting cotton candy.
ââŚThank you.â
Son Jae Ha carefully placed his hand on the one AG Corporation had been holding out and said earnestly,
âIâll definitely debut.â
Because youâve cheered me on.
ââŚâŚ.â
Above AG Corporationâs head, two cherubs flew around blowing trumpets.Â
You can’t live without Son Jae Ha now.
It almost seemed like she could hear them.
âCrazy, crazy, thatâs crazy, Jae Ha!â
After that, she couldnât remember how she high-fived the other trainees or what she said to them.
The first high-touch had such a huge impact.
âGosh, I might not be okay when I see Jae Haâs performance later. I might need to call 911 because my heart will burstâŚ.â
âUm, do your best. Iâll cheer for you.â
And as she gave a cursory greeting to the last trainee and tried to pass by,
âNoona.â
ââŚWhat?â
The traineeâs voice halted her steps.Â
The one standing at the very end, with notably sharp and edgy eyes, a typical bad boy handsome face.
âYou know, my name is quite unusual to just pass by. Want to hear it once?â
âOh, uh, sure⌠why not?â
Weak to direct confrontation, she glanced once at the people who had gone in before and then at the trainee holding her back, nodding agreeably.
âHaha⌠thank you.â
When the trainee smiled at her response, his sharp canines stood out, matching his pointed eyes.Â
He took a deep breath, put on what he thought was his most handsome face, and introduced himself.
âIâm…â
By the benefit of being in the final four in the team decision game, âCops and Robbers,â he had claimed the last spot in the high-touch eventâŚ
âKim Chunyong.â
âPffft!â
AG Corporation couldnât help but burst into laughter. You shouldnât laugh at someoneâs name like that. You just shouldnât!
But an idol trainee named Chunyong!?
âHeâs the one they said had a country bumpkin name!â
âOh, sorry! Iâm sorry! I wasnât making fun of youââ
âNo worries. I did say my name was unusual first.â
Kim Chunyong laughed heartily and gave her a playful smile.
âStill.â
Now you probably wonât forget me, right?
An idol trainee with a country bumpkin name and a bad boy face, Kim Chunyong.
A new trainee was now etched into AG Corporationâs mind, who previously only had eyes for Son Jae Ha.
* Â * Â *
âYes! That was the âCalendarâ team, beautifully covering our senior Lady Swan. I never imagined this song could be such an exciting dance track. Wow, the intro sound was so good Iâm still humming it.â
Choi Gaon, who had missed the previous mid-evaluation performance due to scheduling conflicts, genuinely admired the performances as he wiped his forehead.
After the original song âAimingâ group performance on <Targeting Star>, the competition turned out to be of a higher level than he expected.
âThere are so many independent trainees and kids from other agencies, I wondered if this would be okayâŚ.â
Especially the âCalendarâ team that had just performed.
Waiting for the day you come closer
Monday, and Tuesday.
Even Sunday is fine.
The original song âCalendarâ was a soft R&B ballad by Lady Swan, capturing the vocals of the members as they sang about erasing each date on the calendar while waiting for someone far away for some reason.Â
But this team transformed the narrator of the song into a distant âpartner,â changing the lyrics to express anticipation for the day they would return.
Counting the days until I return to you
Monday, and Tuesday.
Drawing each day with colored pencils.
The light-hearted high-teen vibe with casual school uniforms, loosely tied neckties, and spray-decorated berets perfectly matched the bouncy keyboard sounds.
Erased dates
When the snow melts and spring blooms again
I think of you being by my side.
Such heartfelt and poignant lyrics.
Flying calendar pages
Because when the snow melts and spring blooms
Iâll hold you in my arms, and weâre flyinâ.
âŚIt had been reborn as a perfect coupling song.
âW-wowâŚ.â
The jaws of the audience, who had been waiting with the thought that they were going to hear a song from the completely failed Lady Swan, dropped in astonishment.
âSn-sniff⌠Our Swans!â
Every camera caught Do Jae Chan, todayâs special mentor, shedding a single tear. It was sure to become a hot topic.
âThat British kid put all his effort into arranging and writing the lyrics. He’s really something. Even if he gets eliminated here, the boss will die trying to sign him.â
Furthermore, the âShadowâ team that covered Leopold, did almost no alterations to the original song, and during the dance break, trainee Kim Joo An completely botched the choreography, which only highlighted the contrast.Â
During the midterm evaluation, it seemed he did quite well, so what could have happened?
âM-my, this, mistake, no⌠sniffâŚâ
Kim Joo An descended from the stage with a pale face, mumbling incomprehensible words, clearly showing signs of a mental breakdown.
âWell, whatever the reason, it’s not my problem. Anyway… the overall first place will definitely be the Calendar team.â
Choi Gaon, clicking his tongue in regret that such an impressive stage was only the second performance, glanced at the prompter urging [proceed quickly] and swiftly read the next lines from the cue sheet.
âNow, only two teams remain! The next team to perform in the 4-on-4 battle isâ Oh my! Covering AGâs pride and history, solo singer Min Si Youngâs âBeyond the Wavesâ!â
âSince âBeyond the Wavesâ is an opening song for an ocean-themed animation, theyâll probably come out in fresh marine looks, just like trainees do.â
It was a pretty good choice.
By contrasting themselves with the strong masculine image of the 2OCD team, they made direct comparison difficult.
âTch, but itâs going to be hard to be better than the Lady Swan team. Their image is just so sophisticatedâŚ.â
However, Choi Gaonâs expectations wereâŚ.
ââŚHuh?â
Completely shattered by the sight of the four trainees who rushed onto the dark stage and took their positions.