Chapter Nine: Homecoming

o its 400th special episode, (G)I-DLE and Suzy both swept all four music show wins with "Tomboy" and "So," respectively., each episode of will specifically invite one candidate to participate in a s..."Damn it, wow, there's actually such a thing."

Park Chan-wook always kept his dissatisfaction hidden in public. But as soon as his manager walked away, he immediately voiced his frustrations.

The atmosphere in the practice room was silent. Everyone sat on the floor, no one responding. Each person had their own thoughts. Even Captain Kim Jun-mnyeong didn't speak, it was clear that he also felt strongly against this kind of parachuting in.

"I've only ever heard of trainees debuting after joining the company and practicing for a while, now they can even debut directly without any training at all, not even a day as a trainee... wow, that's really something..."

"Seeing no response, Park Chan-lyeol continued, "Kris has already finished filming the teaser video and it's about to be released. Now someone else is taking his spot at this crucial moment. Not a single word from any of you in the same country Even we have to reshoot the MV together. What is the company thinking Are they going to replace two more people in a couple of days Are members even replaceable after debut"

Park Chan-wook and Wu Sai-ke's relationship was pretty good before. They had similar hobbies and were a rare combination of foreigners and locals who could play together.

Upon hearing this, LUHAN seemed a little displeased, his face changing as if he wanted to argue. However, LAY sitting beside him quietly tugged at him, causing him to abandon the idea.

While seated with them, TAO was looking at his own palm lines, as if he had grasped some meaning from them. Feeling LUHAN's movement afterward, he turned his head to glance at the two compatriots beside him, and upon finding nothing amiss, continued to stare at his own hand.

D.O. sat beside Kim Junmyeon, intently observing his own shoes. Wu Sehun stared blankly ahead, unsure if he was daydreaming or meditating. The other members also had various expressions, with no one agreeing.

"Can Lee Soo Man just say it again, that there won't be any more personnel changes It's already chaotic enough with the one change, we can't keep doing this," Kim Jun-Myeon finally spoke after a long silence.

He was unhappy about Ji Jingyuan's appointment, and he also had resentment towards Park Chan-hyeok. He was still upset about how they ignored him earlier, and he had been complaining non-stop ever since.

Even though everyone else is feeling uncomfortable, you insist on ruining the mood.

“Even if we don't change people, how do we explain this That boy is called... oh right, his name is Chi Jingyuan. Look at how he treats his seniors. Kris is considered his practice student senior and brother, but he was beaten into the hospital by him, and the company didn't even give him a reprimand.”

“This insider came in so arrogant, look at his fake smile. He’s still the maknae, I think he doesn’t even see us older brothers as people. The company blatantly favors him, even when we fight, the manager doesn’t say a word. I bet in a few days he’ll be riding on our heads, and…”

"Alright, that's enough!"

Kim Jun-myeon suddenly snapped, cutting off Park Chan-nyeol's sarcastic words. He looked at him impatiently and said: "What can you do then Are you going to fight him And get thrown into the hospital like Kris after a shoulder throw Or go to Teacher Lee Soo-man and protest, telling him that you are very dissatisfied with the company's decision and ask them to take it back, otherwise you will rebel and quit the group"

"Poof..."

Several members couldn't hold back their laughter, but because the atmosphere was inappropriate, they immediately stifled it and pretended nothing happened.

"Alright, it's common for there to be nepotism, and even senior groups experience this kind of thing. Since things are already like this, the company's decision can't be changed, so we just have to accept it. Besides..."

Kim Jun-myeon paused for a moment, then continued, "Besides, although changing members has made things a bit harder for us, it's not all bad. At least Kris's abilities don't meet my standard for debuting at all. You all know what kind of person he is, right It's not a bad thing that he left the group. I guess the only inconvenience ChanYeol might face is that there won't be anyone to go downstairs with him to find female trainees anymore."

"Me..." Park Chan-leek, who was called out, was very unhappy. He looked at Kim Jun-myeon as if he wanted to retort something, but due to the other's double identity as both captain and senior trainee, he could only grit his teeth and shut up.

"Based on my observations, Jingyuan's personality might come across as a bit arrogant, but he's not someone who is impossible to communicate with. At least, he shows all the courtesy expected of a junior colleague. There's nothing to fault him for. As for the nepotism issue, those family circumstances speak for themselves."

"Everyone is training to debut, and we've worked hard to get this far. We're about to succeed, so don't let those things affect us anymore. Just make a final effort."

"Get started with your training, you M-Team will be busy!"

Kim Jun-myeon suppressed Park Chan-nyeol's outburst, waving his hand to indicate that it was over.

The crowd also stood up, and soon the music sounded again in the practice room.

…………

"Whew..."

Chi Jingyuan let out a long sigh, as if trying to dispel the fatigue from his body. He opened the back car door and sat down with a plop.

This is the car that came to take him home. The driver is his second older brother's assistant, Park Jae-hyun. He had already greeted him before getting in the car. At this moment, he didn't want to say a word.

Someone who has been working as an assistant to the second master for several years must be very perceptive. Park Jin saw through Ji Jingyuan's exhaustion and didn't say much. He simply started the car.

The sky was getting dark, and the lights of the shop signs on both sides of the road reflected on Ji-yuan's face. Inside the car window, the crowds and scenery blurred and sped by. The car crawled along the road, honking noises everywhere due to traffic jams. Seoul's traffic was still this bad; citizens had been complaining about it for a long time, but there were no signs of improvement.

After waiting for a while, we drove across the Hannan Bridge and then circled back up from Itaewon Station.

Not long after, the car drove into a villa complex located in Longshan District and pulled into a white villa.

The villa has a considerable land area, but it doesn't look as impressive as the several surrounding villas that are larger. Therefore, it's not particularly eye-catching. The exterior decoration is in a standard American style and looks quite luxurious, maintaining a consistent level with the surrounding villas.

Ki-jeong got out of the car and nodded at Park Jae-hyeon, who was driving. Then he went inside.

This novel is first published on the Traditional Chinese Novel Network.n Baekhyun’s dating scandal surfacing, HAN’s departure from Seventeen, f(x)’s premature end to activities, and Red Velvet facing boycotts since their debut, things hadn't exactly been going smoothly f...