Became The Leader of a Girl Group Destined To Fail - Chapter 19

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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 19.

Higher or lower? All the trainees were busy calculating in their heads.
However, I had roughly calculated before coming here, so I already knew what that score meant.
If this continues… the gap between first place and me will be quite substantial.
It wasn’t a good sign.

“Lee Gyeong-a, please come forward.”

A sudden burst of crying erupted.
It was naturally Lee Gyeong-a’s voice.
However, it wasn’t purely sorrowful.
Rather, it was tinged with relief.
Relief at escaping twelfth place.
…Right, she was twelfth in the last mid-evaluation.
On the large screen behind the Set, Lee Gyeong-a’s face appeared alongside her ranking from the mid-evaluation.

Lee Gyeong-a (11th
▲
1), 1,250 votes

Conversely, dark clouds began to gather on the faces of the other lower-ranked trainees.
Do Hee-young continued announcing the rankings of the other trainees.

Bang Su-in (10th
▼
2), 1,307 votes
Park Ha-eun (9th
▲
2), 1,505 votes
Shin Yu-hyeon (8th
▼
1), 1,629 votes
Jo Hee-on (7th
▼
1), 1,731 votes

With that, all the lower-ranked trainees had finished their announcements.
Whether their rankings had risen or fallen, none of them looked pleased.
What stood out most was Yeon Ju-hong’s expression.
Yeon Ju-hong had ranked 9th in the mid-evaluation, yet her name still hadn’t been called.
Thinking she must be ranked 12th, her eyes were already brimming with tears.
Lee Ju-seon, who had been 10th in the last mid-evaluation, was in the same state.
One of them would certainly rank in the middle or higher, but the other was almost certainly destined for last place.
After all, the only remaining trainees were those with the strongest debut prospects.
It was a cruel system.

“Next, I’ll announce 6th place. This trainee received 1,950 votes.”

Do Hee-young paused, glancing at the trainees one by one.

“Yeon Ju-hong, please come forward.”

A gasp.
A silent scream rippled through the room.
Yeon Ju-hong stood frozen, her mouth hanging open in disbelief.
Then the tears came pouring out.
The other trainees, especially Seo Baek-young and Kim Geum, rushed to embrace and comfort her.
I stood behind Yeon Ju-hong and patted her shoulder.

“Yeon Ju-hong, please come up to the stage and share your thoughts.”

Only then did Yeon Ju-hong wipe her tears and climb onto the stage.
Though no matter how much she wiped them, the tears kept flowing.

“I… I…”

Yeon Ju-hong continued to sniffle.

“I… I’m not sure if I… *sniff* …deserve to be here.”

She was crying so hard that both her sleeves were soaked, making it pointless to wipe her face.

“The… the other members… they all performed so well, but I’m the worst one here. I… I felt like I shouldn’t be on this stage at all.”

Yeon Ju-hong continued speaking steadily, even as her voice broke with hiccups.
A born entertainer, truly.
Yes, you have to be on broadcast.

“I… I really… wanted to go home so badly… But now I don’t want to leave, *sniff*, I’ve changed. Oh, the 6th place you gave me today… It’s more precious to me than 1st place, *hiccup*, and it’s such a valuable 6th place. From now on… I’ll work hard following my unnie… *sob*.”

Eventually, Yeon Ju-hong gave up holding back her tears and broke down completely.
Oh dear.
All the other trainees felt their eyes sting with emotion.
At seventeen, she was the youngest among us young trainees.
Everyone knew she practiced every single day while blaming herself.
No one failed to understand her heart.
Eventually, Do Hee-young embraced Yeon Ju-hong and led her to the 6th place seat.
Even as she sat in the chair, still sniffling, Do Hee-young handed her a tissue and comforted her.

“Now, let’s announce the 5th place.”

Once Yeon Ju-hong seemed to have calmed down slightly, Oh PD mercilessly continued the recording.
It was his way of saying we’d selected enough people, so let’s move on.
A person without blood or tears…

“From here on, these are the debut-ranking positions. Congratulations to all trainees who’ve made it this far.”

Do Hee-young smiled warmly at us.

“This trainee covered White Noise and received a total of 2,017 votes.”

Among those remaining, three trainees had covered White Noise.
Kim Ryeo-yu, Ryu Bora, and Lee Ju-seon.
Lee Ju-seon probably wouldn’t make it to 5th place… so it was essentially a battle between Kim Ryeo-yu and Ryu Bora.
While Ryu Bora showed no particular change in expression, Kim Ryeo-yu’s face had darkened.
She was thinking she couldn’t afford to be called out here.
She must be aiming for at least a top-3 position.
Conversely, Ryu Bora had maintained an indifferent attitude from the start, as if the ranking didn’t matter to her at all.
Whether she truly didn’t care or was just acting, even I watching from the side couldn’t tell.
Kim Ryeo-yu gripping her clothes tightly, and Ryu Bora with her large eyes cast downward.
Both of them appeared on screen together—

“The first trainee to receive debut rights from the first mission is—”

Caption: Please check back in 1 minute!

***

“….”
“….”

A Living Room.
A harmonious family had been intently watching Make a New Color when someone hurled the remote control across the room.

“Have they lost their minds, MEN?”

***

After the brief commercial break—one that had erupted with indignation.
The trainees’ images reappeared on screen.

“Thank you for your patience. Without further delay, I’ll announce the results. The first trainee to earn a debut slot from Make a New Color’s first mission is—”

Do Hee-young paused for effect before announcing.

“Ryu Bora.”

…A lower ranking than expected.
Given that she was a former child actress with considerable acclaim, I’d assumed her fanbase would be solid.
It was surprising.
Yet Ryu Bora didn’t seem to mind, ascending the stage with composure.

“I’m grateful to all the Colorists who’ve brought me this far. With such an honor bestowed upon me, I promise to show you the best version of myself.”

A radiant smile bloomed across her face as the textbook-perfect remarks flowed out.
There was nothing to criticize. Yet that very perfection became a flaw.
In those hollow words—devoid of any genuine emotion—the audience found themselves unsettled instead.
This wasn’t anger or sadness over an unexpectedly low ranking.
Rather, it was….

“…Does she not want to debut…?”

One of the staff members muttered something under their breath.
Right, she was truly a trainee who didn’t want to debut.
That’s strange though. If she didn’t want to debut, why did she practice so hard?
Why did she remain a trainee?
Turning away from everyone’s subtle questions, Ryu Bora took her seat in fifth place.
Do Hee-young composed her expression and announced the next ranking.

“Now we’ll announce the next ranking. This trainee caught the Colorists’ attention with a bold concept.”

A bold concept, she said.
I recalled the remaining trainees’ performances.
First, there was Kim Geum, who covered a male idol while adopting an intense street concept.
Kim Ryeo-yu, who chose a daring sexy concept unlike the original song.
…And then there was me, who just threw on an eye mask from the start.
I had a hunch.
This time, the one being called—

“Congratulations, trainee Yun Chung. Please come up.”

It was me.

***

??? What’s happening right now
? Yun Chung fourth place?
????
Are you kidding me, MEN is insane lol
Like, based on skill alone she should obviously be first, and they put her fourth?
They’re already trying to suppress her lol
This is why if you catch my eye at first, damn it ㅠ Just let Cheong-ah debut and it’s okay.
The fans are losing it lol There was already tension from the song selection
└What are you talking about; their positions don’t even overlap, why bring up that girl?
└└ Yeah, next is nepotism pick

The rankings for the first mission had all been announced.
My final ranking was fourth place.
Since it was within the debut-eligible rankings, it wasn’t a terrible position, but it wasn’t one I could be entirely comfortable with either.
Fortunately, the viewers’ reactions were quite divided.
The so-called “muggles”—people closer to casual viewers than idol fans—harbored considerable doubt about my ranking.
Based on skill alone, I should have dominated first place overwhelmingly.
But I understood something.
The most skilled trainee doesn’t always debut.
For idols, skill isn’t everything; charm is nearly everything.
Skill is merely one element of charm, not its entirety.
And this time, I lost in charm.
Though I can’t say I lost completely.
As the SNS reactions showed, it’s true that some “strategic voting” was involved.
Fans of other trainees deliberately gave me lower scores, seeing me as a likely debut candidate.
Because of this situation, my supporters were quite angry.

★
I’m so mad right now, seriously, our baby tiger cub, promise you won’t let your guard down anymore
Everyone get it together and apply for audience tickets seriously, you know how crucial early booking is
Our baby tiger cub Yun Chung, we absolutely won’t let you down.

It’s all so nice… I’m so grateful….
…But… why did I become a baby tiger cub…?
I couldn’t adapt to the unfamiliar nickname “baby” at all.
Being called a baby in my thirties made my skin crawl.
Of course, Yun Chung is twenty now, so there’s nothing strange about it…but.
In my previous life, I was a solo idol, so I never really had the nickname “baby” attached to me.
I had plenty of cute nicknames, but “baby” was something I couldn’t quite adjust to.
Still, since it was a nickname given by people who support me, I’ll just accept it.
Regardless, fourth place wasn’t so bad for me.
It was better to make it clear that I was a target of strategic voting.
It’s better to protect my ranking from the start than to drop in the second half due to complacency.
I turned on Yun Chung’s phone.
The first wish that appeared every time I unlocked it.

[Please debut in first place on the Entertainment Company survival program ‘Make a New Color’]

If I aimed for first place in the final ranking, it would have been better to settle for fourth place now.
I turned on the screen to check the rankings of the remaining trainees.
The rankings of the other trainees—those that had shifted.

Yun Chung (4th
▼
3rd), 2,201 votes
…

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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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