The Malicious Member is Back! - Chapter 61

I secretly breathed a sigh of relief as I watched Jang Si Woo, who pretended not to notice me, busily jotting down various things in his notebook, out of the camera’s sight.

It’s been a while, and I wondered if he’d still be shy. It seemed he still was.

Given our team composition, with Yu Chan hyung, who has built up his social skills in the outside world, and Ryota from Japan, I was concerned if it would work out.

But it was a relief that we could air out the awkward atmosphere before it got too heavy.

“Seems like we’ve given it some time. Have you guys thought about the song?”

“Uh, not yet… The outcome was a bit of a surprise, so nothing comes to mind right away.”

“I’m thinking about it too, but I’m not sure… Sorry.”

“…….”

The first rule of handling our youngest, the sensitive cat Jang Si Woo, is…

“Can’t be like this. Let’s think more actively. We’re all going to have ‘equal’ roles as team members, right?”

Not singling them out or treating them like children.

Perhaps because of his noticeably young age compared to his remarkable talent and handsome face, Si Woo often received the “Aww, our youngest Si Woo” treatment from others.

But that’s unacceptable.

Si Woo was visibly annoyed by that. He even went as far as choosing a sexy concept for his solo debut to shed the cute idol youngest image – that says it all.

It didn’t go well, but that’s beside the point.

He needs to be treated with proper respect. As a full-fledged individual, and not just dismissed because he’s young.

And in fact, Si Woo shows his best performance when treated that way.

“―!”

Sure enough, my emphasis on “equal” seemed to brighten Si Woo’s expression considerably. Though only I might notice it now, it would be quite evident on the broadcast.

Alright, let’s keep it up. Overcoming Si Woo isn’t the only challenge we face.

“I think it would be better to write down our thoughts as we discuss.”

“Oh, should we? There should be a board over there.”

“I’ll bring it over.”

I dragged a whiteboard from the back of the practice room and wrote in large letters with a marker.

[Min Si Young]

This team’s, and my, greatest challenge yet.

Si Woo, I’ll try to manage somehow with my 7 years of experience, but this is genuinely daunting.

Who is Min Si Young?

Debuted at the young age of a second-year middle school student, she is the superstar solo female artist who built what AG is today.

The pillar of AG, a perennial winner, the thief of year-end awards. A genius who excels in songwriting and composition, creating all the songs for her albums herself.

“Ahem.”

“Huh? Chunyong, what’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing. Just choked a bit.”

How shocked I was when I heard that name earlier.

If it were the seniors from Lady Swan, at least they’re idols. Min Si Young didn’t dance after gaining seniority, battling with high notes only she could sing.

…And now, she openly dislikes me.

“It’s because of kids like you lacking professionalism, that our agency’s trainees are dropping out. It really pisses me off.”

…Of course, she disliked me before too.

Screeeeech―

“Uwaa! Chunyong Aniki, that’s a scary noise!”

“Oh, sorry. My bad.”

The marker squeaked against the whiteboard as my hand lost strength, producing a dreadful, mournful sound throughout the room. It almost seemed to say,

You guys are doomed…

Doomed…

I gritted my teeth and steeled my resolve.

Who’s doomed?

The notion that I’d do anything to turn back time wasn’t a lie. I really came back ready to do whatever it took.

Thinking of my family waiting at home for the first episode to air. To avoid going back to that moment of urgent arrest and ending up behind bars, I had to debut through this <Targeting Star>.

Is this something I wasn’t prepared for?

Next to the name ‘Min Si Young’ written on the board, I drew a few branches and mustered a cheery voice.

“So, first off, Yu Chan hyung. Is there a Min Si Young seonbae song that comes to mind right now?”