The Malicious Member is Back! - Chapter 180

Should I call this bold or smart?

Even knowing there were limited cameras placed for the courage test mission, with their locations predetermined, arguing where there were no cameras?

Or perhaps….

“I should’ve realized from the moment you insisted we talk in front of everyone. You planned this from the start, didn’t you? Without caring at all about my opinion again?”

“You really don’t see I was giving you at least a chance to explain yourself?”

“What exactly do I have to explain?”

Maybe their relationship had soured so deeply, they couldn’t even recognize such opportunities.

“…….”

Jae Ha and I silently crouched low in the grass, focusing on Li Ming Shen and Liu Wei’s conversation.

Our immediate concern had been finding Liu Wei, worried that he might harm Li Ming Shen if his emotions got the better of him, but….

“Liu Wei. For god’s sake, wake up.”

Li Ming Shen was clearly demonstrating what it looked like when a calm person lost their temper, so there was no need for us to step in hastily.

“You think I cleaned up your messes just because of our families’ relationship? I did that because I considered you my friend, you son of a b***h.”

Though I couldn’t fully understand Li Ming Shen’s heated Chinese, thanks to my rough knowledge of the language from my days as a problematic memer, I certainly caught the word “son of a b***h.”

And the look on Li Ming Shen’s face as he said it…

“You really have issues, you know that? I’m not just talking about now. You’ve had problems for a long time, and you’ve become this way because nobody ever bothered to point them out.”

Under the flickering flashlight beam, Li Ming Shen’s expression was more twisted than I’d ever seen it before.

No, correction.

It looked as if he’d caught fire inside.

“If you think I’m acting this way simply out of anger, you’re seriously mistaken, Li Ming Shen.”

On the other hand, Liu Wei was….

“I already told you. I was giving you the chance to explain yourself before I report everything to our sponsor. To Xu Min’s father, specifically. So I could clearly understand why you did this.”

His tone was icy.

Liu Wei’s Mandarin pronunciation was as precise as a textbook example from our Chinese classes, impossibly calm for someone supposedly furious.

“Did what? Exactly what did I do?”

“You provided information about Xu Min to him. You exposed it to an uncontrollable group, putting me in an extremely difficult position.”

“…Oh, you’re saying it started with me? Liu Wei, that’s your conclusion?”

In an instant, the three-step distance between them disappeared.

“If you already decided that’s the truth, then what kind of explanation do you want from me?”

“You finally admitted it’s an explanation.”

“Watch your words. I only used that word because you did. You had no intention of actually listening, so why bother talking?”

“…….”

When Liu Wei gave no reply, Li Ming Shen clenched his teeth and shoved Liu Wei’s shoulder roughly.

The push was so strong, Liu Wei, who was about a hand’s width taller, stumbled back noticeably.

“Forget it. I’m leaving. This is being filmed, and I don’t want to talk to you anymore. Since you threw away your camera, just crawl back to the dorm yourself.”

“…Li Ming Shen.”

Li Ming Shen fiddled with his handycam briefly, then turned away from Liu Wei and walked off down the path opposite to where we’d come from.

Watching him silently, Liu Wei quickly began to follow.

His hand clenched tightly into a fist, looking as if he were about to strike.

Of course, I knew Liu Wei wouldn’t actually hit Li Ming Shen here.

He might hang someone from a tree if he had to, but he wasn’t the type to throw punches directly.

While I was carefully observing the situation…

“…Chunyong-ah, hold on.”

“Huh? Wait, Jae Ha hyung…!”

Jae Ha hyung, who’d been observing beside me, suddenly stood up and walked towards them.

“You two aren’t really planning to leave it like this, are you?”

Leaving it unresolved like that didn’t seem right.

Speaking gently, holding a flashlight—handsome, tall idol trainee…

…Ah, there was no way he wouldn’t attract attention!

In the end, I reluctantly got up from my hiding spot and joined Jae Ha hyung.

Carefully placing my handycam down in the grass to avoid water damage was a given.

We couldn’t afford to lose our footage to something as trivial as rain, not after all the trouble we went through.

“What the…”

“…….”

Both Chinese trainees’ eyes widened at our sudden appearance.

The flashlight beam illuminated Liu Wei’s face clearly, and his gaze locked directly onto me.

“…Kim Chunyong.”

“Chunyong and Jae Ha? How did you guys….”

“You shouldn’t just throw away filming equipment, guys. Especially in the rain. We were pretty worried something happened.”

Despite Jae Ha hyung gently responding to their puzzled questions, Liu Wei’s gaze stayed glued on me.

No, now he turned his back to Li Ming Shen and started approaching me.

“I don’t need to speak with you anymore.”

Liu Wei’s low murmur in Korean was a voice I’d never heard from him before.

“But since we’re face to face again like this, there’s no reason to avoid talking, is there?”

A slightly cracked, very low voice.

Similar to mine yet distinctly lower, it was entirely directed at me.

As if neither Jae Ha hyung, standing beside me, nor Li Ming Shen, with whom he’d just fiercely argued, even existed.

“You promised you’d make things interesting. But honestly, it wasn’t all that fun.”

“…….”

“Thinking about how I could repay you for what you did—that was far more enjoyable.”

“Liu Wei, hold on…”

“Don’t touch me, Son Jae Ha.”

“…….”

Jae Ha hyung tried to step in as Liu Wei swiftly closed the distance, but it was futile.

Gently pushing my shoulder back with a finger, Liu Wei muttered slowly.

“It seems you still haven’t learned your lesson from what happened, so maybe we should do it again.”

Something a little clearer this time.

I rapidly blinked, trying to process what Liu Wei had said.

It was raining, almost stopping, but still raining, and I’d just heard something completely absurd amid someone else’s argument suddenly directed at me.

So, was this guy actually bringing up that ridiculous rumor again—the one targeting my family?

But I didn’t need to think too long about what he meant.

“Last time was your older sister. Maybe your younger sister this time?”