Chapter 181
He’d kindly clarified it himself, after all.
Liu Wei’s expression didn’t shift at all.
As calm as someone asking if I’d eaten properly, slept well, or practiced thoroughly.
“Ha, haha….”
This little…
“—Chunyong!”
“What, Li Ming Shen? Liu Wei’s clothes were just a bit wrinkled. Thought I’d fix it for him.”
I forced a smile at the startled Li Ming Shen, gripping Liu Wei’s collar tightly and pulling him close, carefully biting out each word.
“Hey.”
You pathetic pigeon bastard.
“I told you last time, didn’t I? Do you think you’re the only one who desperately wants this?”
“…….”
Jae Ha hyung and Li Ming Shen fell silent at my words, and Liu Wei’s eyes twitched slightly.
Normally, I’d realize I shouldn’t have said something provocative, that I needed to read the room, but not now.
“I was desperate too. My family mattered to me, so I did what I did. It wasn’t for your entertainment, you idiot.”
Not now.
“If your ridiculous rumor only targeted me, maybe I could’ve ignored it. But you dragged my family into this mess, and you expected me to just let it slide? Did you honestly think it’d be that simple?”
“You crossed a line you shouldn’t have.”
“Think you’re special or something? Stop saying meaningless s**t. It’s pathetic.”
My smile was bitter, anger mixing with disbelief.
“You never once thought about the lines you crossed, the s**t you’ve given us, but now you’re acting like we wronged you. Liu Wei. Isn’t that just hilarious?”
Ever since my sister and Nari scolded me endlessly, saying “an idol trainee shouldn’t curse,” this was the first curse to escape my lips.
Apparently disliking that word, Liu Wei bit his lip once and pushed my shoulder, raising his voice.
“…If you think that matters to me, you’re mistaken.”
“What?”
“Lines. Those were made to be crossed only by certain people. I’m allowed to cross them, you’re not. That’s why I can shake your family, spread rumors, and still debut.”
And you can’t.
“No matter how hard you struggle, Kim Chunyong, you won’t debut. Your spot never existed. Do you even understand the meaning of being preselected?”
“…….”
“So let go.”
Nothing will change anyway.
“…….”
As if it had rained enough, the clouds slowly parted on the breeze, letting dim moonlight filter through onto the trainee canning facility.
I felt the chill of that light, clenching my fists tightly.
Ah, seriously….
I wanted to punch him just once.
Whether it hurt him or not didn’t matter; the mere fact that he made me feel this way pissed me off.
Of course… I wouldn’t actually do it.
“Chunyong.”
Because Jae Ha hyung’s hand gently touched my shoulder from behind.
It was slightly damp from the rain but filled with warmth.
As I was caught between rationality and emotion, struggling within myself—
“—Wait, it’s over there! Gao Yan didn’t miss a single clue and ended up here! The treasure must be under that big tree!”
“Huff, step aside, Gao Yan! The treasure belongs to our team!”
“Ryota, running with those short legs won’t help you! Gao Yan’s legs are super long! This is the running speed of Hong Kong’s top one-percent man!”
“Eeeek! Our legs aren’t even that different!”
In the distance, the sound of other trainees sprinting toward this area could be heard.
The four of us exchanged quick glances, the sound of turning eyeballs almost audible.
“…Damn.”
And the moment we heard those voices, one of the people standing here suddenly bolted toward that direction…
“—Li Ming Shen!”
A move no one among the remaining three expected at all.
“Huh? Wha…? Li Ming Shen at the spot where the treasure should be?!”
“Minho, temporary alliance with Gao Yan’s team! It seems Li Ming Shen has the treasure. Let’s catch him and take it!”
“Y-Yeah! Let’s do that!”
Tap, tap, tap—
The sounds of footsteps faded as everyone, including Li Ming Shen, dashed away. Jae Ha hyung gently removed my hand that had been gripping Liu Wei’s collar.
“It’d be best to stop now.”
After that short statement to me, under the moonlight, Jae Ha hyung gave me a short nod before calmly turning toward Liu Wei, who stood quietly nearby.
His current expression wasn’t that of a trainee fighting alongside me in a survival show, but rather the dependable leader hyung who once protected me and our members.
“Liu Wei. Do you know what Li Ming Shen just took away?”
A handycam.
“With the memory card still inside.”
“…….”
“I think… if it ends up in the PD’s hands, it won’t be good for either you or Chunyong.”
At those words, Liu Wei slightly raised an eyebrow, stared at me briefly, then slowly turned and walked away.
Finally, only Jae Ha hyung and I remained here again.
“Haa….”
As I slumped down weakly with a sigh, Jae Ha hyung quietly brushed the wet leaves from my damp clothes.
“I think it’s the first time I’ve seen you get so angry, Chunyong-ah.”
“I suppose so.”
Still, after venting my anger properly, my mind felt clearer.
In truth, the handycam Li Ming Shen took was definitely unusable, it had gotten thoroughly soaked by the rain.
That meant the reason Jae Ha hyung stopped me was probably to prevent me from punching Liu Wei, causing an irreparable situation…
Chunyong-ah, listen.
“It seems our camera didn’t get wet. Because you carefully placed it away from the rain.”
Heeeeeee—
Jae Ha hyung’s voice mingled coldly with the eerie wind and the spooky background music the producers had arranged, piercing sharply into my ears.
“…Then our memory card should be fine too, right?”
And somehow, that didn’t sound like such a bad thing at all.
Discussion
4 CommentsBees
Thanks for the translation!!
kcyfan1000
Thanks for the translation <3
Xev
Sylver