At my leisurely response, Choi Gun Young ruffled his shaggy hair in frustration before straightening up, as if he had come to a decision. He then turned to speak to the junior writer.
“Hey, you, from the broadcasting station.”
“…What is it now?”
“I was listening to this… trainee earlier. And you know what? He’s got a point. About doing it together. Yeah, let’s do it together. Why not, right? We can even move to another spot if we have to. It’s no big deal.”
“Huh, now? Why the sudden change…”
“But on one condition!”
Choi Gun Young suddenly threw his arm over my shoulder and, with a cocky expression, started to talk.
“I want to dance with this guy here.”
“What? Gun Young hyung, you’re saying you’re going to dance with him? But what about our performance today!”
“Shut up for a second.”
Choi Gun Young’s grip on my shoulder tightened.
“I’m not saying we should have our crews dance together with your trainees or anything like that. No, no. Just me and this trainee—one-on-one… How about a little showdown? If I’m satisfied, I’ll move.”
His eyes narrowed as he sized me up, and his intentions were crystal clear.
He wanted to crush me with his superior dance skills, humiliate Targeting Star’s production team for clashing with him, and, most of all, shatter my pride—the same pride that had earned me an offer to join that Jin Dasol’s crew.
“Hyung! You’re not thinking straight. You’re way too fired up right now. Calm down…”
“Hey, just roll with it. Wouldn’t it be even better with the cameras? This is it. Today’s the day… the day I leave an impression on Dasol hyung.”
“Ah, Gun Young hyung! We want to dance too!”
“Quiet, quiet! How many times have you seen me do this? Get used to it already!”
His crew members, startled by their leader’s sudden declaration, tried to talk him down, but it seemed nothing was getting through to Choi Gun Young anymore.
Noticing Choi Gun Young’s growing agitation, the junior writer glanced at me with an anxious expression.
Part of him clearly hoped I would accept the challenge, considering how much the filming had already been delayed, but there was also a clear worry that his words might put me in an awkward situation.
He’s just as transparent as ever.
I held back a laugh, cleared my throat, and responded calmly.
“…Alright, I’ll just try.”
At my response, the junior writer’s face noticeably brightened.
“Are you sure? I didn’t mean to put you in a tough spot, Trainee Kim Chunyong…”
“No worries. This isn’t even part of the mission footage, right? Even if they film it, it probably won’t get much airtime. Logan’s the main focus, anyway.”
“Yeah, that’s true. It’s mainly about the mission, but still…”
“If I can make a good impression and get him to move, that’s a win. And if not, at least the crew will have some extra time to find another spot.”
I shrugged, casually stretching out my shoulders as I spoke.
Honestly, this outcome wasn’t far from what I’d planned anyway. I’d been thinking of challenging Choi Gun Young to force him to give up the spot.
This just made it easier—like winning without having to do anything.
The crew, drawn into my relaxed attitude, began discussing among themselves.
“Maybe we should send a few people to scout another location?”
“If we’re going to do that, we need to move quickly and leave a minimal crew here. We’ve been waiting far too long already…”
Most of the production staff on this busking shoot were juniors, lacking the experience to handle situations like this smoothly. Thanks to that, the stage was quickly set.
“Huh… Bro, this might get heated…”
While I was stretching, getting ready to join the sudden street dance-off, Logan, who had been glancing back and forth with Seong Won Hyeop hyung, hesitantly spoke up, catching my eye.
It seemed that the distance between us from the early morning had disappeared, given the current situation.
I ruffled my hair that was slightly flattened by my cap and replied.
“Why? You worried?”
“Um, yeah, a little. This isn’t exactly the kind of busking I’m used to. And honestly, Chunyong hyung, you don’t have to be responsible for this whole situation…”
That made sense. Logan only wanted to experience busking like the Korean singers he’d seen performing on Liverpool’s Albert Dock.
But my plan was to shift some of that burden onto him, drawing out what was really on his mind.
Reminding myself of my real goal, I patted Logan’s shoulder lightly and smiled.
“Didn’t I look pretty decent when you saw me dance? I won’t be completely outclassed.”
“Well, sure, but bro… think about this logically. You know it’s just nonsense. We could still just move to another spot—”
“Ah, man. Come here.”
I tugged Logan’s ear closer and whispered something to him. His eyes went wide, his mouth opening and closing in disbelief.
“…Really? Are you serious? For real?”
“When have I ever lied to you?”
“Gosh, if that’s really the case… I mean, seriously?”
It felt like I could almost see Logan’s invisible tail wagging behind him. I watched him for a moment, then lowered my voice.
“But, Logan.”
If this goes well.
“You’ve got to answer what I asked you earlier this morning.”
“……”
“If things go well, you answer. If not, you don’t have to. Simple.”
Logan hesitated for a moment, then nodded with a slightly determined expression.
Got him.
I locked eyes with Choi Gun Young, who was glaring at me while stretching on the other side.
When I first ran into him again, I wasn’t sure if things would go the way I’d hoped, but here we are, thanks to that jerk.
I guess I have his hotheaded nature to thank for that. Noticing that I was watching him, Gun Young opened and closed his mouth exaggeratedly, as if to say something.
‘What are you looking at, idiot?’
Classic.
A sly grin tugged at my lips as I let out a quiet scoff.
“Real dancers should be able to choreograph their own routines. Taking someone else’s moves and just performing them? Pfft, that’s crazy… Is that what you call a dancer?”
‘He keeps going on about being a dancer, huh?’
I’ve been on stage at least 100 more times than you, pal.
Even before coming back here. That guy seriously needs to understand why idols are considered multidisciplinary artists.
YOU ARE READING
TMMIB!
Random**Story not mine** Title: The Malicious Member is Back! Nicknamed the worst malicious member in idol history, called 'Trash-Rex.' Stage name Rex, real name Kim Chunyong. As he was urgently arrested, with only the entertainment world waiting for him...
