Chapter 39
Chapter 39
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Even as a Villain, I Want to Debut
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Seriously, I had no idea how to take this.
'Kick Yoon Hyun-min out of the debut lineup?'
To be honest, part of me wanted him gone, but there's a world of difference between quietly hoping for something and actively making it happen.
This was the first time I'd ever gotten a quest laced with malice, telling me to knock someone down, so it left a really bad taste in my mouth.
'I don't like the guy, sure, but I never planned to get involved.'
That had always been my stance.
There are annoying people everywhere, right? Just ignore them and move on.
But maybe this situation was different. Yoon Hyun-min wasn't hurting me right now, but if he debuted in the same group...
'Ugh, just imagining it makes my skin crawl.'
This system existed to pave the way for my perfect debut.
So it must have figured removing Yoon Hyun-min would help with that.
'But what am I supposed to do about it...?'
Let me say it again: I have zero interest in shoving people aside.
Even when some idiot came at me, as long as I focused on my own stuff, they always backed off eventually.
But with a quest this politely hand-delivered, I didn't have much choice.
'No way around it now. Yoon Hyun-min has to go.'
Late that evening, after practice with the team, we headed back to the dorm.
The moment I opened the door, there was Han I-jae, reading a book with a blank expression. Next to him, leaning against the wall and staring blankly into space, was Hyeon Si-woo.
'This place always has the same vibe, no matter when I come back.'
Lee Won-jun emerged from the bathroom and, catching my eye, quickly crossed in front of me to his bed.
The room was filled, as always, with an awkward silence.
“......”
“......”
I was already feeling off from that quest earlier.
Coming back to the dorm didn't ease it—it just amplified the unease.
'What should I do? Even if Yoon Hyun-min's trash, is it okay to block someone else's path just for my debut?'
I'd resolved to get rid of him, but I still wasn't fully convinced.
Knock knock.
A knock at the door made my head turn instinctively.
“Who is it?”
“Can I come in?”
That voice—Lee Hae-won.
After getting a response from inside, Lee Hae-won finally opened the door and stepped in.
'What's wrong with him this time?'
He looked ten years older, like something had worn him down badly.
“Haa...”
“What's up? Something happen?”
Lee Hae-won climbed onto my bed and let out a deep sigh.
“I don't know, just...”
The confidence and joy from his first showcase were gone, replaced by a face full of worry again.
It made sense. Teaming up with someone like Yoon Hyun-min meant dealing with endless exhaustion.
'Lee Hae-won's such a pacifist; he can't handle this kind of atmosphere.'
Getting pushed around from all sides, he looked completely drained.
“For our team's bridge part, Tae-in's struggling with it, and Hyun-min hyung doesn't want to do it either, so it ended up on me.”
So that's how it went down.
If they were gonna dump it on him anyway, they should've done it from the start.
'Or maybe they gave it to Kim Tae-in on purpose to screw him over...'
The more I thought about it, the more Yoon Hyun-min's talent for pissing people off stood out.
“Honestly, I'm exhausted.”
Suddenly, Lee Hae-won buried his face in his knees and burst into tears.
'Crying out of nowhere like this?'
All eyes turned to the crying Lee Hae-won and my flustered self. Han I-jae was watching with a what-the-hell expression.
“Sorry about this. Hae-won must be really struggling. I'll take him out if it's bothering you.”
Han I-jae shook his head, signaling it was fine.
Meanwhile, Lee Hae-won kept sobbing into the pillow, covering his face.
'Wait. That's my pillow.'
Sure enough, it had tear stains shaped like his face.
'...This is driving me nuts.'
Something about his breakdown felt off.
Just over issues with Yoon Hyun-min and Kim Tae-in?
“Did something else happen to you?”
Lee Hae-won denied it at first, but after I pressed, he reluctantly opened up.
“Hyun-min hyung said that even though he yielded the bridge for the team's sake, shouldn't I share parts too?”
...What?
“So now that I've got the bridge, he says we should redistribute parts for the team...”
Hold on, is that what I think it is?
Suddenly demanding a part redistribution?
“The bridge went to you because Tae-in couldn't handle it.”
“Yeah.”
“So why should you be the one sharing?”
Lee Hae-won sniffled, clearly confused himself.
“I don't know. I've ended up with more lines than the others since taking the bridge, so he wants me to give some up. But the main stage is right around the corner, so I said no...”
I got the picture.
When he refused, Yoon Hyun-min must have twisted it to make Lee Hae-won look bad.
Even if he couldn't trash a top-ranker openly, he could subtly damage his rep behind the scenes, pretending not to lead the charge.
“After I said no, the team vibe got weird, and now it feels like it's my fault.”
In the end, Lee Hae-won had fallen right into Yoon Hyun-min's trap.
Back during the mid-evaluation, Yoon Hyun-min had taken the blame for ruining the team atmosphere, denting his own reputation.
So he needed a new scapegoat—someone everyone could hate, to regain support.
'Among trainees with middling ranks, he's the only one at 3rd, with hefty parts. The only one praised in the eval too.'
I could imagine what Yoon Hyun-min had been whispering.
Not outright bullying, but the start of subtle isolation.
'Didn't expect him to target Lee Hae-won too. Or maybe because it's him.'
No matter how cornered, anyone with brains wouldn't touch 3rd place.
Subtle harassment risked getting caught later, and the backlash would be huge.
Or maybe jealousy overrode his smarts.
“It's not your fault.”
The voice came from behind—surprisingly, Han I-jae.
'He'd know exactly how it feels. He went through the same in his old debut group.'
Hyeon Si-woo joined him, offering comfort by Lee Hae-won's side.
Lee Won-jun didn't seem eager but muttered a few words anyway, swept up in the mood.
As words of encouragement flowed, I stayed silent. The best support I could give Lee Hae-won was actions, not words.
'When I first got that quest to ditch Yoon Hyun-min, I wasn't sold on it...'
But seeing this? Yeah, now I was sure. He needed to go.
“Thanks, everyone. I'll clear up the misunderstanding with the team, get my head back in the game, and make the stage amazing.”
Lee Hae-won, snot and tears streaming, waved as he left.
Once the door closed, Hyeon Si-woo asked worriedly,
“Hae-won will be okay, right?”
“Even if he's not, what can we do? I believe in him.”
Anyway, time to plan. How to take out Yoon Hyun-min.
Alone in the bathroom, I opened the system and checked my inventory.
'Let's use the lottery ticket I got as a reward from the last quest.'
I had to throw everything I had at this to succeed.
First, see what resources I had.
The moment I hit the button, flashy effects hit, and the box shook wildly.
'Please, something good. Ideally a one-shot kill.'
And then the item appeared.
“Hm?”
Disposition Converter? What was this?
I read the description first.
Aah, got it.
It changes the disposition of whoever I target.
I opened the sub-window to see the options. Tons of dispositions listed.
'Angel, Demon, Justice, Diligence, Hardworking. Lots of choices.'
Basically, turn a villain into a saint or vice versa—for a week.
'But can this really hit Yoon Hyun-min hard?'
I pondered.
Even changing his disposition didn't seem like it'd deal a fatal blow.
'The trick is how to use it.'
I needed to think smart.
I'd never ruined anyone before, but I knew one rule: when digging someone's grave, dig your own escape route too.
Since the system gave this quest, Yoon Hyun-min must become a huge problem later. If I don't act now, I'm the one who goes down.
'Not that taking out trash like him needs to be so dramatic.'
My life motto: if there's a goal, give it your all.
“Ah.”
Idea.
Who to use the new Disposition Converter on.
That could definitely seal Yoon Hyun-min's fate.
Right after practice ended and break time hit, I headed straight to the break room.
From what I'd observed, Yoon Hyun-min always went there post-practice. Sure enough, he was sitting alone when I opened the door.
“Hey.”
“Oh, Won-woo! Hey!”
Spotting me, Yoon Hyun-min jolted upright, like he'd been caught off guard.
'His true colors show in moments like this.'
Wonder if he'd act the same if I were some low-rank trainee?
In this world, people judge by visible value all the time, but getting that look even from a guy like Yoon Hyun-min soured my mood.
'...Does someone who's never truly worked for his dreams deserve to treat people differently based on worth?'
Strictly speaking, everything about Yoon Hyun-min was fabricated.
His agency's backing. The PD who got favors and prettied up the edits. That's how he climbed the ranks.
'Even his antics now? The PD will probably edit them out.'
Some trainees noticed his bullshit but sided with him because the PD favored him and his rank was high.
I had no interest in playing along with that farce.
'I've never taken anyone out with my own hands before...'
But if I had to, better make it clean and permanent.
With that in mind, I checked the item I'd bought from the shop yesterday.
Time to use it. Let's see the real face behind the mask.
“Hyun-min hyung.”
“Yeah?”
“Hae-won stopped by yesterday. Said there was drama over parts?”
Yoon Hyun-min hesitated at first.
But after I used the item, his expression shifted dramatically.
“Oh, that?”
He muttered.
“It's nothing. Just... Hae-won and the others are so fucking annoying.”
Just like that, Yoon Hyun-min dropped the act and bared his true colors.
“Those goddamn little shits won't listen for shit. Fucking assholes...”