Became The Leader of a Girl Group Destined To Fail - Chapter 21

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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 21.

I’d drawn the songwriting flag.
I’d managed to avoid the worst outcome….
Well, it wasn’t so bad.
The other trainees quickly began snatching up their flags.
The last remaining flag was, unsurprisingly, the composition flag.

“No… no… no….”

With an anguished cry of despair.
It was Jo Hee-on who’d seized the final composition flag.
My condolences….
I have no idea what her specialty is, but I’m certain composition isn’t it.

“All right, everyone has their position now? Then I’ll announce the members for each position.”

Position 1. Composition
: Kim Geum, Shin Yu-hyeon, Jo Hee-on
Position 2. Songwriting
: Ryu Bora, Yun Chung, Lee Gyeong-a
Position 3. Choreography Creation
: Lee Ju-seon, Seo Baek-young, Park Ha-eun
Position 4. Concept and Styling Direction
: Yeon Ju-hong, Kim Ryeo-yu, Bang Su-in

Oh PD advanced the PowerPoint slide.

“This time, we’ll be dividing into three teams. And each team will be assigned one member from each position. For example, it would look like this.”

Team A. (Composition 1, Songwriting 1, Choreography 1, Concept 1)

“Now then, we need to form the teams.”

Oh PD rubbed his hands together eagerly like a fly.

“Wouldn’t it be boring if we just did a random draw?”
“No!”
“Ah, you’re being difficult.”

Difficult about what? She wasn’t even listening properly.
She heard people’s words but let them go in one ear and out the other.

“Now, while the mission rankings don’t affect the final results, they are still important. So let’s give benefits to the trainees who rank 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the mission.”
“…!”

The trainees’ eyes widened.
The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners from the last mission were Kim Geum, Kim Ryeo-yu, and Seo Baek-young.

“Now, Kim Geum, Kim Ryeo-yu, and Seo Baek-young. Come forward and receive your leader badges.”

The three who had suddenly become team leaders pinned the badges onto their training clothes.

“Kim Geum.”
“Yes.”

Kim Geum looked quite fitting with the leader badge.
She had a certain leader quality, but it felt less like an idol group leader and more like someone wearing a one-star rank in the military.

“You were the MVP of the last mission.”

That was true.
Kim Geum had secured both the judges’ selection for MVP and the on-site vote simultaneously, making her a formidable champion candidate.
I had no complaints whatsoever about Kim Geum taking both first places.
Her skills were genuinely impressive, and her stage presence was excellent too.

“Yes.”
“As an MVP benefit, you’ll get to pick your team members first.”

Kim Geum’s expression clearly showed disappointment—as if she’d expected more.
She really couldn’t manage her facial expressions.

“Now you must recruit members from positions other than your own. You’ll take turns in order. Starting with Kim Geum, then Kim Ryeo-yu, and finally Seo Baek-young.”

I didn’t hold much hope.
My position was songwriting.
However, in the songwriting position, there was Ryu Bora, who was best friends with Kim Geum.
Of course they would pick Ryu Bora.
And since the songwriting position wasn’t yet a priority—given that Kim Geum didn’t know the other members’ abilities well—it wouldn’t be the first choice.
If I were Kim Geum, concept development or choreography production would take priority.
If I were Kim Geum, I’d recruit a choreography member first.
Though I’m not sure who’s skilled at it.

“I’ll pick trainee Yun Chung from the songwriting position.”

?

“Okay. Trainee Yun Chung, stand behind trainee Kim Geum.”

Me? She picked me?
I couldn’t hide my bewilderment and pointed at myself with my finger.
Yet Kim Geum nodded with a remarkably resolute expression.
Huh…?
Why? Why would she?
Confused though I was, I stood behind Kim Geum.
After that, Kim Ryeo-yu picked Jo Hee-on, her closest friend.
Hmm.
I don’t know Jo Hee-on well, but from her reaction earlier, she seemed terrible at composition.
Just as expected—a blood relation pick, followed by a friendship pick.

“So, by default, trainees Shin Yu-hyeon and Seo Baek-young from the composition position form a team. Trainee Seo Baek-young, pick one more person.”
“I’ll pick trainee Ryu Bora from the songwriting position.”

That was a choice made with voting in mind.
The remaining trainees had relatively low rankings, so picking Ryu Bora might be more advantageous.

“I’ll pick trainee Yeon Ju-hong.”

Kim Geum then picked Yeon Ju-hong.
Yeon Ju-hong seemed pleased to be called relatively quickly, grinning as she stood behind me.
And so, one by one, names were called, and all team members were decided.

Team A
Composition: Kim Geum
Lyrics: Yun Chung
Choreography: Lee Ju-seon
Concept: Yeon Ju-hong

Team B
Composition: Jo Hee-on
Lyrics: Lee Gyeong-a
Choreography: Park Ha-eun
Concept: Kim Ryeo-yu

Team C
Composition: Shin Yu-hyeon
Lyrics: Ryu Bora
Choreography: Seo Baek-young
Concept: Bang Su-in

My team wasn’t half bad, all things considered.
Lee Ju-seon was a trainee I didn’t know well, but she could manage the middle sections.
The other three weren’t exactly at rock bottom in terms of ability either.
The choreography was my main concern, though….
If push came to shove, I could always dust off a few routines from my past life.

“Oh, Ryeo-yu! I don’t know anyone here!”

…That was a bit worrying.
Lee Ju-seon was scurrying over to Kim Ryeo-yu, complaining away.
So she and Kim Ryeo-yu were close.

“Don’t worry.”
“!”
“You don’t need to concern yourself with Ju-seon. I’ll handle it.”

That’s when Kim Geum came up behind me and whispered with grim determination.
Since when had she been watching me?
More importantly, what did she mean by “handle it”?

“You just need to pick out a good song for us.”
“Huh? You’re not the composer?”
“Even a blank sheet of paper turns out better with two hands. We’re a team now, so we have to support each other in everything. We even have to hold each other’s hands to eat a single bean from now on.”

She had a point, but why did it irritate me so much?

“Lee Ju-seon! Come here!”
“Wait, I’m—”
“Three, two…”
“I’m coming!”
“If you’re late, I’ll make you roll to the left.”

…Are you some kind of tiger instructor?
Thanks to Kim Geum’s unwavering determination, the three of us gathered with our spirits sharpened to a point.

“Alright, we only have ten days, so we need to move quickly.”

Kim Geum had brought out a large whiteboard from somewhere.

“First, we should establish a rough concept so we can build everything else around it. Yeon Ju-hong?”
“Y-yes?”

This was the first time I’d ever seen Yeon Ju-hong so intimidated by someone.

“Since you’re handling the concept, Yeon Ju-hong, we’d appreciate your input. What would work well for the four of us?”
“Um…”

Yeon Ju-hong seemed to be struggling to come up with ideas, hesitating uncertainly.
It made sense. The team had just been formed—what inspiration could she possibly have?

“Don’t worry about it. Let’s decide the broad strokes together. Even if you handle the details, I think it’s better if we establish the framework as a team.”
“Unni…”

Yeon Ju-hong looked at me with deep gratitude in her eyes.
I didn’t do this for you.
I just hate feeling stuck.

“Good. Would you prefer something dark or something bright?”

I surveyed the member composition before me.
Kim Geum alone would have suited a darker concept, but Yeon Ju-hong was different.
Cute and charming seemed like her natural fit.
Lee Ju-seon leaned more toward innocent-sexy.
…Wait.

“Hmm.”
“Uh….”
“Huh.”

We looked at each other and arrived at the same realization.
Our four images didn’t match at all, did they?
The atmosphere grew solemn, and no one dared speak.
Kim Geum was pure street style.
Yeon Ju-hong was cute.
Lee Ju-seon had a delicate, sensual aura.
And me? I was just… me.
What concept could possibly unite all four of us?

“We should go with something sporty and energetic.”
“That does seem right!”
“Fresh and new, like rookies should be? I suppose that works.”

Kim Geum proposed first, and Yeon Ju-hong brightened. Lee Ju-seon played along reluctantly.
Everyone nodded in agreement, but

“That can’t be the end of it.”

I alone raised a gentle objection.

“We should use sporty as our foundation, but we need our own distinctive concept on top of that.”
“That’s true. Sporty concepts are so classic….”

Kim Geum agreed with me.
So many idols had already done sporty concepts before.
Without establishing something clearly different, we’d just end up with an ordinary stage.

“Then how do we come up with our own distinctive concept?”

Silence settled over us once more.
If differentiation strategies came that easily, they wouldn’t be differentiation at all.
Everyone pondered before offering their suggestions one by one.
School uniforms, cheerleading, athletes, and so on.
Yet none of it truly resonated with us.

“This won’t work. A single concept alone won’t be enough to compete. Instead of just one, let’s combine two or three concepts together.”
“Oh.”

Kim Geum’s eyes lit up.

“That sounds like a good idea.”
“What do you think, Ju-hong?”

After all, Yeon Ju-hong was overseeing the concept overall.
I’d offered my opinion, but the final decision had to come from her.

“It sounds good…!”
“What about you, Ju-seon?”

Lee Ju-seon looked slightly taken aback when I directed the question at her.

“Won’t making it too complicated end up looking cluttered instead?”
“That’s a fair point.”

I acknowledged her concern.

“Then instead of combining two completely different keywords, what if we combine similar ones?”
“…I suppose that could work….”
“Okay. So which two should we combine?”

Everyone began writing various keywords on the whiteboard.

“Um, maybe….”

Just then, Yeon Ju-hong raised her hand.

“What about something like this?”

Yeon Ju-hong wrote keywords in the corner of the whiteboard while explaining the concept.
Once she finished, Yeon Ju-hong asked with anxious eyes.

“…Is it not good?”
“No.”
“It’s not.”

Kim Geum and I answered immediately.

“It really seems great.”
“I’m very pleased with it.”

When the two of us spoke seriously, Yeon Ju-hong’s expression brightened.
The discouraged Yeon Ju-hong from moments ago had vanished, leaving only a radiant one in her place.

“Really?!”
“Yeah, it seems solid. If we structure it well, it could be really fun, don’t you think?”
“It’ll be entertaining to watch too. I really like the concept.”
“What about you, Ju-seon?”

Yeon Ju-hong asked Lee Ju-seon, who had been silent the whole time.
Lee Ju-seon wore a slightly sullen expression.
However, the moment the camera turned toward her, she immediately smiled shyly.

“If everyone likes it, then I like it too.”

…I should keep an eye on that.

“Then, since we’ve roughly decided on the concept, Yun Chung and I will select the song. In the meantime, Yeon Ju-hong, please work on solidifying the concept and costumes.”
“Yes!”
“Lee Ju-seon, for now just sketch out the choreography style to match the concept. We’ll get the song selected as quickly as possible and send it your way.”
“How long will it take to get the song?”

Total practice time was ten days.
It was far too tight.

“Give me three days.”
“Then there won’t be enough time to choreograph….”

Lee Ju-seon trailed off.
I understood her hesitation—producing a song in just three days wasn’t trivial. Most people invested at least five days on something like this.
Looking around, everyone seemed to dedicate that much time minimum.
Only someone of Kim Geum’s caliber could promise to deliver in three days.

“Then I’ll keep you updated in real-time. The moment even a single line comes together, I’ll send it right over. How does that sound?”
“…I understand.”
“In the meantime, it would be wonderful if you could assist trainee Yeon Ju-hong.”

At Kim Geum’s words, Lee Ju-seon’s expression darkened further.

“Choreography is already demanding enough to piece together in fragments, and now you want me to help with the concept too? That’s unreasonable. I have my own practice time….”
“…We’ll help with all the choreography the moment the song arrives. Wouldn’t a little cooperation benefit everyone?”
“No, I—”
“You’ve got a good eye, Ju-seon.”

This was heading toward a real argument.
I cut in urgently, and both of them stopped their bristling for a moment.

“You’ve always had great taste in casual clothes. And honestly, don’t you feel more comfortable picking your own outfits?”
“…Well, I suppose that’s true.”
“Right. We’re all trying to achieve the best results, so let’s help each other out a little. In return, Kim Geum, Yeon Ju-hong, and I will do everything we can with the choreography.”
“Understood…. Then I will.”

The immediate tension subsided, but the atmosphere remained heavy.
I glanced sideways at Oh PD.
His grin was splitting his face.
This won’t do. The broadcast will come across terribly if the mood stays like this.
I need to do something—anything.

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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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