Became The Leader of a Girl Group Destined To Fail - Chapter 172

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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 172.

‘That’s Cha-yul’s song!’

The moment the intro played, every viewer caught on.
Cha-yul’s debut-era track.
Not exactly a mainstream hit, but the devoted fans knew it well.
The melody itself was exquisite, and it had earned a reputation as the perfect solo karaoke choice.
Of course, executing it properly was no simple feat.
Prism Homma broke into a satisfied smile.
Why?
Because Yun Chung singing Cha-yul’s song was a guaranteed win.
Whenever Yun Chung performed this track on the radio, social media and online communities would be flooded with clips of her rendition for days.
It had practically become known as Yun Chung’s signature strategy.

Hug me softly
I hope this sweet moment
Never comes to an end

Sure enough.
From the very first verse, the magic was unmistakable.

‘This is it.’

Nothing more needed to be said.
This was a lock.
Prism Homma released the tension from her shoulders and surrendered to the performance.

But eventually I wake from the dream
And this warmth fades away too
Please stay with me

The moment Yun Chung’s intro ended, Da-hwin’s part seamlessly took over.

‘Da-hwin’s doing well too.’

To be honest, I felt an undercurrent of stress when I heard that Enliven would be appearing together with us.
It was because Da-hwin and I had been locked in a competitive dynamic ever since “Dear My Diva.”
But after hearing that she was close with Yun Chung, I found myself feeling an unexpected sense of familiarity.

Don’t look at me softly
Just tell the truth
Tell me the truth now

The other members’ parts continued one after another, but Prism Homma’s ears weren’t registering any of it.
All I could think was that Yun Chung’s makeup today was legendary.

‘Isn’t Yun Chung in that white shirt dress an unbeatable strategy?’

I thought she came out to showcase her vocals, but she was really here to flaunt her visuals.
Watching Yun Chung in a pure concept for the first time in a while, Prism Homma estimated that at least 1,000 legendary screenshots would emerge from today’s performance.
And then.

‘Huh?’

Prism Homma realized something while listening to the song.

‘Could it be…?’

***

Today’s highly praised Three Kingdoms era female vocal B team

【Da-hwin, Yun Chung, Dam-on, Riko】

(Video)

The arrangement was incredibly meticulous overall
All four members have different vocal ranges, and the parts were divided and arranged delicately to match each range
Maybe that’s why all the members were able to showcase their skills comfortably

It was great because it felt like they were trying to showcase the stage itself rather than just a vocal showcase
└2222 It was nice how it wasn’t a competitive setup but kept building harmonies from start to finish
Today’s Three Kingdoms era female vocal B team with over 80% of parts in continuous harmony

(Video)

Every single part was harmonized—I’m pretty sure they’re basically an a cappella specialist team
All four members never had a moment to take the microphone away from their lips
But we got along really well, as if we were a team from the beginningㅠㅠㅠㅠ

Yun Chung really nailed the harmonies—she controlled the dynamics so well that the other members’ voices never got buried
Yun Chung’s legendary moments from today’s stage

(Screenshot)

[Yun Chung: I was the one who first suggested going with an a cappella concept.]
[Yun Chung: The original song itself is so beautiful, but it was originally sung by just one person… I kept thinking about how a group could really bring it to life.]
[Yun Chung: Then I thought, what if we layered harmonies like in a cappella? We could create a completely different feel.]
[Yun Chung: It was only possible because everyone has guaranteed vocal tone and singing ability.]

(Screenshot)

[Da-hwin: Yun Chung really looked out for everyone’s parts.]
[Da-hwin: She taught the members who weren’t familiar with a cappella how to layer harmonies… and she handled the difficult sections herself.]
[Da-hwin: She even did the arrangement herself.]

(Screenshot)

[Dam-on: To plan this stage, she watched at least 20 of our previous stages each.]
[Dam-on: I’ve never seen someone put in that much effort for a one-time stage performance….]
[Dam-on: That’s probably why the result turned out so good—I felt so proud and grateful.]

The person who suggested over 80% of the song be harmonies: Yun Chung
The person who gave up her own parts and ended up with the fewest lines: Yun Chung
But the person who actually sang the most harmonies and was the busiest: Yun Chung
The person who did the entire arrangement: Yun Chung
The result: legendary

Watching it again, she really seems like someone who genuinely loves music
I’m not saying I’m a nerd, but I’m a really good person. Our Yunbl.
After watching today’s stage, I reflected on myself

Honestly, I was watching to see who would do the best,
but today’s stage was something I could enjoy without making comparisons.

For real… I’m reflecting on how tense I’d been, worried about comparison posts coming up.
What kind of idol self-blocks aggro ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

***

‘Did it work?’

Only after checking the SNS reactions did I finally feel relieved.
Did I deliberately use the harmony strategy to block hate comments?
Of course I did.
I’m tired of that whole comparison thing by now.
I knew what WBN wanted.
They wanted real-time comparison posts to turn it into a mess and draw attention.
But there’s no reason I have to give them that.
I didn’t want to see other innocent idols getting hate either.
If I just work harder, that’s all it takes.
I was so busy because of this stage that I barely slept for a while….
But since it ended successfully, that’s what matters.

“Unnie!”
“Stop checking the internet and eat the meat already.”
“Right, right. Yun Chung, your stage today was a total hit no matter who you ask.”

Oh.
Where am I again?

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll eat.”

This is the 【Three Kingdoms Era】 after-party.
Of course, only female idols.
The male idols had their after-party at a completely different place.
No need to create unnecessary connections.
The person holding the meat tongs was Dam-on from Enliven.
The one who performed on stage with me today.

“Even though I said I’d grill it….”

I ate the charred meat without showing my displeasure as much as possible.
Dam-on has never grilled meat before.

“There’s a two-month difference, but you’re my senior. I should be the one grilling.”
“That’s right, that’s right.”

The other Enliven members nodded in agreement.
They all had the tight discipline typical of rookies.
I glanced over at our members at the adjacent table.

“Mmm, this meat is delicious. Our unnies only ever eat vegetables, so I was genuinely sad about it.”
“Today I’m not giving up the tongs. I’ve never seen anyone grill better than me. I won’t accept any objections.”
“Haha. I don’t drink alcohol… but what about beer? No, I don’t drink at all. Sorry.”
“…It’s delicious. Oh, my number? What would that be for…?”

They were scattered about, but they seemed to be adapting well.
I had deliberately separated my members.
This was the time to practice socializing—when else would I do it?
I wanted them to get along well with other female idols too.

“Yun Chung, would you like a drink?”

A drink?
I immediately shook my head.

“No, I don’t drink…”
“Why?”

Ga-yeon from X Days asked with a puzzled expression.

“We agreed to wait until all our members are old enough to drink.”
“Really?”

Ga-yeon’s eyes showed disbelief.

“Why go that far…?”
“The members who can’t drink yet feel left out. Haha.”

I can’t say that was especially true of Yeon Ju-hong.
She was always threatening, “If you all go drinking without me, I’m quitting the group!” so….

“So how many more years do we have to wait?”
“Ju-hong is eighteen right now, so if we just wait two years, that should do it.”
“Abstaining until then? You’re really a wonderful leader, Yun Chung.”
“No, that’s… well, if someone asks me to do something, I can’t refuse.”

It wasn’t difficult anyway.
It was better for me to exercise a little restraint than to disappoint the kid.
I’d never been particularly fond of drinking in the first place.
I hated losing my composure.
If something went wrong while I was drunk, it would only complicate matters.
It would just get in the way of damage control.

“Then we should have a drink together. Da-hwin, how about some beer and soju?”
“Y-yes…!”

Da-hwin was adapting quite well in her own way.
For the first time in a while, I was eating meat with a peaceful mind when a message arrived.

[BurnAsh Han Jae-i Senior]

“Oh, Han Jae-i?”
“Yes.”
“How are they?”

Ga-yeon asked with sparkling eyes.
I couldn’t quite bring myself to say it, but Han Jae-i isn’t really someone I’d recommend as a romantic interest….
Just look for someone else….

“She’s a wonderful senior.”
“Boring, though.”

BurnAsh Han Jae-i Senior

Junior

You’ve worked so hard~

It’s not exactly a repayment, but

for the next album,

I’d like to give you a song that Dan-ha and I created together

as the title track.

How about it? You’re grateful, right?

‘….’

This guy really doesn’t sit right with me.
He’s got the personality of some old raccoon spirit.
How did such a young person end up like this?

BurnAsh Han Jae-i Senior,

We appreciate the offer, but

our title track is already finalized.

If you’re open to it being a B-side instead,

we’ll listen to it and discuss it internally before deciding.

Not long after, a reply came back immediately.

BurnAsh Han Jae-i Senior,

Wait, you’ve already decided on the title track?

Rejecting it outright without even listening?

Sounds like you’re pretty confident.

Our song is seriously so good, you know?

I mean, it’d be fine to just put it on the album as a B-side,

but I bet you’d regret it once you heard ours, junior.

You’d be like, “We should’ve made this the title track~”

I was starting to get annoyed.
I typed out a string of curses, then deleted them.
Instead, I sent something else.

BurnAsh Han Jae-i

(music_file_mini_album_2_title)

Something far more convincing than a hundred words.
Then I just went back to eating my meat.

“Is StillBlue making a comeback this summer?”
“Not yet… there’s nothing confirmed yet. We’d be lucky if it comes out this year.”

The July comeback was already set in stone, but I played it vague to avoid any information leaks.

“X Days seems like it’ll come out in the fall. So please don’t release anything then.”
“Ha ha. I’ll pass that along to the company.”

So there won’t be any overlap.

“When is Enliven making their comeback?”
“They just said summer so far…! I’m thinking maybe around August…!”
“It’s May now. That’s only three months away? Things are going to get crazy soon.”

No.
Enliven’s comeback will probably be in July.
The moment we announce our comeback, they’ll rush to release theirs—it’s obvious.
That’s just how Moment operates.

Ding!

Just then, a message reply arrived.

BurnAsh Han Jae-i Senior

Junior

Now I understand why you were so confident

It’s the best song I’ve heard all year

Of course it is.
This was the song I released when I was Baek Nok-ha.
It even claimed the number one spot on the annual music charts.
The quality of this song is already proven.

D-63

My phone’s home screen.
A countdown displayed in tiny letters was visible.
I’d kept it hidden and treasured it all this time.
Saved for this moment alone.

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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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