Became The Leader of a Girl Group Destined To Fail - Chapter 157

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 157.

-So you’re holding onto items for me right now?

I had barely managed to establish contact with Cotton Ball Entity.

“I’m not asking for this just for my own benefit. You wanted me to win the rookie award too, didn’t you? If Ryu Bora gets hurt, all of this becomes pointless.”

We were bickering over the matter of items that could protect Ryu Bora.
I had asked Cotton Ball Entity to prepare a way to protect Ryu Bora, even if the points were expensive.
Or at least a way to find the perpetrator.
But Cotton Ball Entity refused outright.
It said it was difficult unless it was directly related to me.
It claimed that providing an item to find clues about the perpetrator was the best it could do.
But I couldn’t feel reassured with just that.

-No. That doesn’t mean I can make the impossible possible.

Cotton Ball Entity laughed, baring its large teeth.

-You’ve grown quite a bit, Baek Nok-ha. Now you’re even trying to negotiate with me.
“I’ve always been like this.”
-That’s what you think.

Cotton Ball Entity circled around me once.

-I made a contract with you. That means I can only directly intervene with you. Your members aren’t within my domain of influence.
“From the moment we debuted, we’ve been bound together as a shared destiny. We’re like people on the same ship.”
-That’s only your perspective. This world sees you and your friends as separate souls.

Cotton Ball Entity slowly approached me.

-Here I am explaining something so obvious to you. You have no idea how busy I am.
“I know. You made a contract with Da-hwin too.”

Flinch.
For the first time, I saw Cotton Ball Entity hesitate.

-That’s right. I have many other people under contract besides you.
“There are others?”
-There are, yes.
“Can’t you tell me who? I’d like to cooperate. Since we know each other’s situations, it should be easier to work together, right?”

Cotton Ball Entity hesitated for a moment, then puffed up its fur.

-I’m sorry, but I can’t do that, Baek Nok-ha. My contractors are sensitive about these things.
“…Contractors? Plural? So it’s more than one.”
-I’m quite popular.

With that, Cotton Ball Entity puffed out its belly proudly.

“Well, anyway. Is there really no other way?”
-The extent to which I can physically intervene is limited to you. I’m sorry, but your teammates aren’t my concern.

Cotton Ball Entity said this while settling onto my head.

-If you really need my help, try proposing a contract to that Ryu Bora.
“That’s not an option.”
-Why not?
“You’re not going to demand her soul or something, are you? What would you even ask from Bora?”
-….

Whether my words angered it or not, Cotton Ball Entity began pounding my head relentlessly.
Though since it was just a cotton-like entity hitting me, it didn’t actually hurt.

-Do I look like some madman obsessed with human souls to you? That’s your misunderstanding. Where on earth did you get such a ridiculous idea? Have I ever demanded your soul or anything like that?!
“Then what do you want?”

Thump.
Cotton Ball Entity’s movements stopped at my question.

-You’re too good at leading questions, Baek Nok-ha.

Cotton Ball Entity dropped from my head and flew back in front of me.

-Don’t forget that I’m being generous with you.
“…Well. I can see why you’d say that, watching how you treat Da-hwin. Why are you so harsh with her?”
-She’s incompetent.

She’s not incompetent—she’s just normal.
How could someone with so little experience in the entertainment industry be expected to do well?

-I need to go now. I’m busy, so don’t call me for trivial things like this.

Cotton Ball Entity opened its mouth wide.
Then sleep crashed over me like a tidal wave again.
Damn Cotton Ball Entity.
Whenever things got inconvenient, it would put me to sleep.

-And Baek Nok-ha. You have a tendency to handle everything yourself. But your members are actually quite capable, you know?

My members?
Of course they’re strong.
I’d have to be blind not to know that.

-Sometimes, trust your members and take it easy. Who knows? Maybe your members could solve problems for you instead.

***

Today was the first day of the second week of music broadcasts.
We gathered in the Waiting Room.
We’d made it onto the list of candidates for first place, but no one could smile comfortably.

“…And so. The Shop Owner had a message for us to be careful.”

At my words, all the members fell silent.

“Wait, not some obsessed sasaeng fan, but an actual criminal is stalking Bora unnie?!”

Yeon Ju-hong was the first to react.

“We still don’t know the perpetrator’s identity. There’s nothing certain about their intentions. Even though there’s a threatening letter from them, it’s hard to trust it completely.”
“They might be disguising themselves to avoid being traced.”

The Manager added her own explanation to mine.

“In any case, both the police and the Company are doing their best to find the culprit. So there’s no need for everyone to be overly anxious. However, we need to be careful for the time being.”
“Never go anywhere alone.”

I took a deep breath.

“Wherever you go, always move around in groups of two or three. You need to move together with the security personnel as well.”
“But don’t we have a ton of individual schedules coming up?”

Seo Baek-young asked with concern.

“…That’s true. Honestly, I’m worried about that too.”

Once this album promotion cycle ended.
To fill the gap until the next album, the members were scheduled to take on individual activities.
Seo Baek-young had committed to appearing on an idol dance survival program.
Kim Geum was filming a girl group rapper growth variety show on MEN.
Yeon Ju-hong had increased schedules collaborating with a brand she currently served as ambassador for.
And then there was the problematic Ryu Bora….

“Bora… are you really sure you don’t want to act? If you turned down the casting because this situation is weighing on your mind….”

Drama and film offers had poured in relentlessly, but she’d rejected them all.

“No. I turned them down because I don’t want to act. Not because I’m afraid of some lunatic.”

Ryu Bora seemed the most composed among the five of us.
I couldn’t understand why the person who’d actually received the threat was so calm.
Actually, if it had been me who received the threat instead, even Ryu Bora wouldn’t have remained this composed.
Rather, she seemed to think it was fortunate that it happened to her instead.
And that fact made me even angrier.

“For now, I’ll be holed up in the Dormitory except for group schedules, so don’t worry.”

Ryu Bora flashed a bright smile, as if she understood what we were all concerned about.

“If I run into them, I’ll smash their head in…”
“Bora… that can’t make the news….”

…Could that smile possibly mean that such a guy is beneath contempt…?

“Hmm. Self-defense too?”
“What are you doing, you lunatic? You’ll get hurt. Please, just leave already.”

Kim Geum grabbed Ryu Bora’s arm, her face pale with alarm.

“Could you just let that bastard slide? He committed a crime, nearly ruined someone else’s life, and now he’s throwing a tantrum after his own failure. Where does he get off?”
“…Now that you mention it, I’m pissed too… No, no. You can’t get hurt!”

Ryu Bora let out a scoff.

“Don’t worry, everyone. I think I know what kind of person he is.”
“You think you know?”

Ryu Bora’s expression turned coldly cynical.

“There’s been someone sending me threatening letters like this consistently since my child actor days.”
“…!”

What?

“It was quiet for a while, but looks like the sickness flared up again. Don’t worry about it.”
“If something like that happened, you should have told us…!”

Kim Geum stared at Ryu Bora in shock.
But Ryu Bora remained unmoved throughout.

“Even if I had told you, what difference would it make? It’s not like there’s anything anyone can do. I didn’t just sit around either. I reported it to the police and tried everything. But they said there was no actual crime committed, so they couldn’t prosecute. All they did was slap a fine on him a few times and call it a day.”

The eyes of Ryu Bora as she spoke were truly.

“At first I pretended to listen. But later, they’d say that as an entertainer, I experience this kind of thing all the time anyway. That these kinds of people attach themselves because I’m pretty. That I should just accept it.”

So cold and sorrowful.

“If you look up the incident records, you’ll probably find that person’s information. This isn’t the first time they’ve been reported for something like this.”
“It might not be the same person-”
“Black stationery with red ink, right? Saying their career was ruined because of me?”

She was right.
When I couldn’t answer, Ryu Bora let out a scornful laugh as if she’d expected nothing less.

“I know who it is. And even if I did know… there’s nothing any of you can do about it.”

We all fell silent.
Just as Ryu Bora said, there was truly nothing we could offer her.
At least knowing she wasn’t from MidBless eased my mind somewhat—it meant she hadn’t harbored a grudge from this incident.
But…
I was caught off guard by a situation far worse than I’d anticipated, momentarily at a loss for words.
The animosity ran far deeper than I’d imagined.
This wasn’t the first time she’d faced such explicit threats—it had been happening all along.
Ryu Bora’s seemingly unbothered expression only made it all the more devastating.
I couldn’t help but wonder how much she’d endured.

“So let’s not dwell on this. Let’s focus on our Stage performance. We’re one of the top contenders today, after all.”
“That’s right. Everyone, don’t worry. Let’s go.”

I pulled the members to their feet, my own shock and anger barely contained.
We couldn’t afford to let these emotions consume us.
Now that I understood the full picture.
All that was left was for me to solve it.
That would be enough.
I repeated it to myself over and over.

“Could I ask you all for one favor?”

Ryu Bora spoke softly to us.

“I know you’ll worry about me, but I’d really like it if we could perform well together on Stage. I don’t want the performance to feel heavy because of me. We’re professionals, after all.”
“…You’re right, Bora.”
“Unnie…”
“Fine. If that bastard shows up, I’ll beat him down with you. How’s that?”
“…Yeah. That works. That’s all I need.”

We forced the mood to brighten.

“Alright then… let’s chant our slogan.”
“Everyone, put your heads together!”
“Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!”
“StillBlue, StillBlue, StillBlue!”

We all pressed our heads together and chanted, steadying our resolve.
Now wasn’t the time to be consumed by anger.
Anger could wait.
First, we needed to handle what was in front of us.
We had to nail this stage right here, right now.
We couldn’t disappoint the people waiting for us.

***

“Finally, StillBlue’s turn.”
“Ah, I’m so happy our girls are already becoming legendary.”

Bleduck and Prism Homma had reconnected from their meeting at the Han River and come together to the Workshop.
Beside them were Hong Fan, Kim Deputy, and Pep-peu.
These people, who had become close through SNS, sat together in perfect harmony.
They had all come to witness StillBlue’s first-place performance.

“Gasp…!”

Finally, the members took the Stage.
In the darkness, they began to form their choreography formation.
Before the song began in earnest, the members smiled at the fans and gave them small waves.

“Are the girls in a good mood because they’re going for first place today…?”
“They said they were in an amazing mood during the pre-recording too!”
“That’s true, but… something about today…”
“There’s a kind of fierce intensity to it, isn’t there?”

I found it rather appealing.
The fans gazed at the members radiating such intensity and felt their excitement surge anew.
In that moment.
The intro began.

Only when I’m in your hands
do I feel alive
Only when you fold me and piece me back together
do I exist here

Yeon Ju-hong’s opening began.
The live performance was far more powerful than usual, and the fans’ eyes widened in unison.
Our maknae…!

What kind of Doll will I become
for you today?
What do you want to see in me?

Then came Seo Baek-young as well.
Among fans, Seo Baek-young had always been praised as the charismatic eldest member.
But today, there was something—a venomous glint in her eyes that reached straight into the fans’ hearts.

‘What on earth happened to our girls…?’

Whatever it was, this stage alone was legendary…!
The moment the fans’ jaws dropped.

I can be any I-Dol
Maybe like a Paper Doll

Ryu Bora’s part followed.
As always, her radiant face made the fans’ eyes sparkle.
However.
In that moment no one noticed.
Pep-peu thought to herself alone.
Something’s off.
Bora is smiling brighter than she ever has before….

Even if I’m trapped in paper, beyond the screen
I want to make your dreams come true
I want to be on your side

Why does my heart ache like this?

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