Became The Leader of a Girl Group Destined To Fail - Chapter 133

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————

Chapter 133.

After the Year-End Music Awards recording wrapped up.
We all returned to the Dormitory and collapsed immediately.
Everyone trudged into their rooms like the dead and fell asleep.
I was no exception.
Then, I suddenly woke in the early dawn hours.
After spending so long in that bitter cold, my entire body still trembled with chills.
For Yun Chung’s already fragile frame, it had been almost unbearable cold.
And what I saw upon waking was.

-You’re awake?

The Cotton Ball Entity.

“You’re back again.”

The Cotton Ball Entity fluttered about before settling onto my lap.

-I’ve been hearing people search for me constantly. Now that the urgent problem’s resolved, I suppose you don’t need me anymore?
“I suppose that’s how it is.”

The most difficult crisis had passed.
My vocal cords were completely healed.

Yun Chung (Baek Nok-ha)

Singing: 99/100

My stats had returned to normal.
My maximum stat had originally been 97, but it had risen to 99… Did that mean I had grown a little myself?
Director Kim was sued by Colors for embezzlement and leaking internal company information.
Kim Ryeo-yu had collapsed completely, beyond any hope of recovery.
She also stepped down from Top of Idol alongside Shin Yu-hwa.
As for Shin Yu-hwa, I heard he was being sued for assault.
Hong President had conquered Colors almost entirely.
Sung Director seemed quite shaken by Director Kim’s case and appeared to be exercising restraint.
Of course, Hong President wasn’t the type to let his guard down completely, so it seemed he would continue to maintain a cautious distance.
If there was one thing that concerned me, it was that Hong President had accumulated too much power.
There was no guarantee that a former ally would remain an eternal one.
…Still, I supposed he was better than Director Kim.
Workplace life could never be perfect anyway.
In any case.
All that remained now was to prepare the next album and win the Rookie Award.
In other words, only smooth progress lay ahead.

—…or so I thought?
“What?”

Cotton Ball Entity opened its enormous mouth and chuckled.

—Well. I can grant wishes, but I don’t make prophecies, Baek Nok-ha.

Then why were you smiling so meaningfully?

“Cotton Ball Entity. I have something I’m curious about.”
—What is it?

I pondered for a moment, then voiced the question that had been weighing on me all this time.

“What really happened to Yun Chung? Is she doing well? Is she watching me right now? Does she… approve of everything I’m doing?”

At my question, Cotton Ball Entity fell silent for a moment.
Then it drifted upward gently on the breeze that began to blow.

—You had many questions, Baek Nok-ha.
“I did.”
—To all of those questions, I cannot answer.

The Cotton Ball Entity drew right up to my face.

-Why don’t you ask yourself? If you were Yun Chung, what do you think it would have been like?

If I were Yun Chung.
If I were looking at myself now through Yun Chung’s eyes.

“…I’d think you’re trying hard, I suppose.”
-That’s harsh. Your evaluation of yourself is just ‘trying hard’?

The Cotton Ball Entity giggled and drifted away from me.
It seemed it had no intention of telling me anything else.
There was nothing I could do about it.
Truth be told, I hadn’t expected anything anyway.

“At least tell me why you came.”
-I came to settle accounts. You’ve successfully completed quite a few Quests, big and small, lately.

That was true.
For example,

[
【Perform a special stage at the Year-End Music Awards!】
Reward: 50 points]
[
【Meet 10,000 fans in person!】
※At a distance where you can recognize each other’s faces—audience seating, fan meetings, etc.※
Reward: 100 points]

Things like that.

-You’ve done well, Baek Nok-ha. Your current points are…

[Current Points: 1700 points]

-This much.
“More than I expected?”

Living in such a whirlwind, I hadn’t even realized points were accumulating like this.

-Sure. Keep it saved. You never know… there might come a day when we need it again? We still have two more survival rounds left anyway.
“Something else is going to blow up there too. Right?”
-I suppose.

Cotton Ball Entity trailed off, then suddenly brought up a different topic.

-About what happened in my previous life.

Cotton Ball Entity suddenly broached a different subject.

-Do you remember it all, Baek Nok-ha?
“Of course I do.”
-Really? Then trace through those memories. What was happening around this time?

Around this time?
The moment I tried to recall those memories, my head throbbed and an overwhelming drowsiness crashed over me.
What happened around this point… what was it?

-You’ll find a way somehow, Baek Nok-ha. I’m certain of it.

How can you be so sure about that?

-Because my eyes are accurate.

What nonsense.
Even as sleep pulled me under, I let out a soft laugh.
I was irritated, but—
there was something oddly comforting about those words.

***

Flash.
My eyes seemed to open.

“Yun Chung! You’re awake?! Baek-young made rice cake soup. She wants you to come eat!”
“Rice cake soup… a lump of carbohydrates…”
“Today you’re not allowed to complain about carbohydrates!”
“Ugh…”

What’s going on here?
It feels like it’s not much different from the nagging my mom used to do all the time….
When I came out to the Kitchen, everyone was huddled together at the dining table.

“You all woke up early?”
“It’s surprising that Yun Chung didn’t wake up.”

Kim Geum looked at me with an expression of wonder.

“The apartment upstairs was under construction and it was incredibly loud. How did you not wake up even once?”
“…Really?”

It seemed the Cotton Ball Entity had put me into a deep sleep.
I sat down at my place without making a fuss.

“I kept waking you up to eat tteokguk, but you wouldn’t get up.”

Ryu Bora handed me a spoon as she spoke.

“Sorry. I’ll wake up earlier next time.”
“There’s no need for that. But, unnie.”
“Hmm.”

I answered while taking a spoonful of tteokguk.
Seo Baek-young’s cooking skills kept improving.
The seasoning was perfectly balanced.

“Are you still having nightmares? You were sleep-talking the whole time.”
“Cough.”

At the unexpected question, a rice cake got stuck in my throat.
Kim Geum patted my back firmly.
I finally calmed down after drinking the water Seo Baek-young offered me.

“What did I say in my sleep?”
“Something like ‘damn Cotton Ball Entity’ or something. I thought maybe you were dreaming about some monster.”

…Come to think of it, it is a monster.
It may look rather cute on the outside, but it’s a monster with a dark heart inside.

“Right. I think I had a nightmare like that too.”

I forced a smile and dodged the question.
At least that was a relief.
I hadn’t muttered anything in my sleep that would raise suspicion.

“That’s right. We’re the MC for Top Doll.”

Yeon Ju-hong spoke while stuffing five rice cakes into her mouth at once.

“An article came out, but I heard Day was supposed to do it!?”
“What?”

A question mark flashed across everyone’s faces.

“Well, it’s not unusual. Day was always interested in radio hosting and variety shows anyway. It’s possible.”
“I wonder how our song is coming along?”
“Oh.”

I pulled out my phone and placed it in the center of the table.

“The demo came out yesterday, I think. Want to hear it?”
“Why are you only telling us now?”

Kim Geum quickly pressed the play button.
She must have been worried even without saying it.
After all, she wanted to compose but couldn’t, so she had to leave it to someone else.
She must have felt uneasy and anxious about it.
Anyway.
The moment the song started playing, we were all struck with shock.

Shwee-ryu-ryu-reung ri-tta ri-ri-tta
Tto-ro-rong tti-rip-tta-ri-ri
Boom-boom-boom pa-pa-pa-pa boom-pa-boom-pa

“….”

That was what the demo track sounded like.

“No….”
“The song is… the song is definitely… definitely good. It was made well according to what we requested….”
“Isn’t that Day’s voice? And he sang it so well that it’s even more appealing.”

Ju-hong must have learned that word “appealing” from the internet.

“No matter that it’s a demo song, why did you attach the lyrics so carelessly and sing it?”
“That’s exactly the problem.”

I exhaled a long sigh.

“Day sent a message along with the song saying he couldn’t possibly write perfect lyrics that fit this track. He’s asking us to try writing the lyrics ourselves?”
“…Isn’t tomorrow when our shoot starts? You’re telling us to write the lyrics and create a guide track by tomorrow?!”
“It’s genuinely impossible. Maybe we should just invite a few professional lyricists and commission them to write it….”
“We don’t even have time for that, honestly. So it looks like we have to do it ourselves.”

Everyone’s expressions were darkening.
There was only one person whose face suddenly brightened, eyes sparkling.

“I’ll do it!”

Someone who had been waiting for just a moment to work.
Kim Geum.

***

Ding.

I get it, seriously. I get it.

“I finished all the dishes. I’m going to wash up.”
“Sure.”

Leaving the members behind, I grabbed a towel and headed into the bathroom.

Ding.

It was because of this phone that had been ringing constantly since earlier.
Not Yun Chung’s phone, but mine.
What was going on? Why wouldn’t it stop ringing? It made me uneasy.
The moment I locked the door, I turned on my phone.
Notifications flooded the screen like a downpour.

[Moment’s mega-rookie girl group debuts after 5 years]

[A mega-rookie arrives… Girl group from top-tier agency ‘Moment’ makes its entrance]

[【Enraiven】, debuting from top-tier agency ‘Moment’… Will they sweep the rookie awards?]

[This year’s biggest rookie 【Enraiven】. Official debut in February]

Ah.
Now I understood.
What had happened around this time.
And what Cotton Ball Entity had been trying to tell me.
The original owner of the rookie award had finally appeared.
【Enraiven】.
A six-member girl group that had achieved explosive popularity even in my past life.
They won the rookie award right after debuting, and there was talk of them winning the grand prize the very next year.
But they didn’t.
Because of a controversy that erupted afterward.
So that’s why Cotton Ball Entity said I could pull it off.
Because I know the truth.
But even knowing the truth, it won’t be easy to expose this time….
However, if I fail to reveal the truth.
I could lose the rookie award.
I have to succeed no matter what.

[【Enraiven】, music sales manipulation controversy? Moment: ‘Not worth responding to’]

[After music sales, now albums too? Mega-rookie 【Enraiven】 caught up in manipulation scandal]

But is it really possible?

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————