Became The Leader of a Girl Group Destined To Fail - Chapter 219

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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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Episode 11.

“We got an invitation to Coachella?!”

In the Dormitory’s Living Room.
Yun Chung calmed down Yeon Ju-hong, who had practically leaped out of her seat.

“Yeah. For the main stage. Actually… it’s our first appearance, so this kind of treatment is really solid. Especially when you consider we haven’t made a full push into the North American market yet.”
“Wow!”
“…This is… insane. Coachella, us….”
“Nice to meet you Coachella~!~! I’m shouting it~!!!”
“Is that the only English you know?”

Yeon Ju-hong was clapping her hands together gleefully, while Seo Baek-young seemed to be restraining her joy as much as possible—though her effort was betrayed by her eyes, which glimmered with an almost manic brilliance.
Kim Geum’s mind was already on the Coachella stage; she grabbed a cushion from the sofa and spun it around while singing.
…And Ryu Bora,
was the only one maintaining composure.

“Coachella? Everyone, calm down. Coachella is just the world’s most famous festival, that’s all. We should have been invited ages ago. We’re StillBlue, after all. They’re just slow on their end.”
“….”
“They should have called us sooner. It’s ridiculous. Really.”

Wait, isn’t she the one actually losing it the most right now?
I’ve never seen Ryu Bora talk this fast before….

“Anyway. They want an answer by September. Whether we’re performing or not.”
“We have to do it.”

Kim Geum’s eyes said: why would you even hesitate?

“…Are you okay?”
“All good. No worries. Just go ahead.”
“Speaking English like that won’t get you to Coachella, Kim Geum….”

Kim Geum, snorting forcefully, looked almost like a bull about to charge.

“Come on. It’ll all be better by April next year. Haha.”
“The lineup announcement is in December.”
“But wait, the performance is in April.”
“That said… Geum.”
“Yes?”
“We have no comeback plans whatsoever, and if we just say we’re going to Coachella, I’m a bit worried about how the domestic audience will react.”

Especially since Kim Geum’s last activity before her sudden hearing loss was concerts in China and Japan. If there’s no comeback and instead a schedule opens up in the Americas…
The domestic response wouldn’t be entirely positive. The fans’ disappointment would be enormous.
Of course, most would understand. Coachella is such an incredible opportunity, after all. It would become a source of pride for the fans themselves.
But…
If Kim Geum still had limitations performing on stage by then…
The worst-case scenario would be—no comeback, and then she bombs the Coachella stage?
I could already imagine what the social media response would be.

“It’s definitely an amazing opportunity, but we need to think about it even more carefully. They said we only need to give an answer by September… It’s not too late to wait a bit longer and see how Geum’s condition progresses before deciding.”

There was another reason why Yun Chung was so concerned about Kim Geum’s condition.
Even now, after Kim Geum had completed all her eardrum injections, her hearing hadn’t fully recovered.
The golden window for treating sudden sensorineural hearing loss—two weeks—had already passed…
Yet she still hadn’t recovered completely.

“Tomorrow is the most important appointment anyway. Let’s hear what the doctor has to say tomorrow and think about it then.”
“But…”

Kim Geum spoke with a face that had rapidly darkened.

“I don’t want the other members to miss Coachella because of me.”
“It’s not because of you.”

Yun Chung spoke firmly.

“Of course not, Geum. If I got sick and couldn’t go to Coachella, would you blame yourself?”
“What are you saying?! Of course not. You’re our law and—”
“That’s enough.”

Yun Chung let out a hollow laugh and then exhaled deeply.

“For now, let’s all stop thinking about this for today. We’ll talk again after Geum’s appointment tomorrow.”

At Yun Chung’s words, the members nodded with complicated expressions on their faces.

***

“…From now on, we’ll be moving forward with conservative treatment.”

And then came the long-awaited appointment at the Medical Clinic.
The doctor’s conclusion was exactly that.
According to the hearing test results, there had been some recovery, but complete restoration was not possible.
With this level of hearing, daily life would be quite inconvenient for the time being… but once I adapted, it wouldn’t be impossible to manage everyday activities, or so the doctor said.
Music was another matter entirely.

“Excuse me? Conservative treatment…?”
“Essentially, from now on, we’ll be focusing on preserving the remaining hearing rather than recovering it.”
“Does that mean you’re giving up on treatment?”
“Not at all. We’ll still try some other medications. However… the chances of returning to your previous hearing levels are quite slim. The treatments we can pursue going forward—”

Everything the doctor said after that didn’t reach Kim Geum’s ears.
No matter how hard the doctor tried to propose various methods, none of the words penetrated.
Instead, there was only one phrase echoing in my mind: that recovery could not be expected going forward.

‘…Recovery… won’t happen.’

Then.
For the rest of my life, like this?
In an instant, the anxiety I had desperately suppressed behind the dam of my members came crashing through.
The truth was, I had never gone a single moment without anxiety.
Even when Yun Chung brought the good news about Coachella yesterday and I cheered, I felt so anxious and my heart was in agony.
And the more I felt that way, the more I forced myself to smile brightly instead. I didn’t want the members to worry.
‘Kim Geum’ was the strong one. Bright, spirited, and never broken.
That’s how it had always been.
But.
Right now, I couldn’t be strong.
Live like this, unable to hear, for the rest of my life? Then every time I step on stage, I’d have to perform while trembling with anxiety like today?
Composing? Can I even compose? Can I make songs like before with hearing this ruined?
I could make them, sure. But what if the quality drops?
What was strangest even as I thought these things was that the silence in my ears wasn’t just despair—it made me doubt whether my ears were truly damaged or if it was something else entirely.
I had always believed my greatest strength was ‘strength’ itself. Not just mental fortitude, but actual skill and the ability to accomplish anything—that ‘strength’ existed within me.
But in this moment, that ‘strength’ felt like nothing but an illusion.
Or perhaps it was a delusion from the start.
Maybe I was only pretending to be strong, and I was never truly strong at all.

‘Thank goodness.’

I was grateful that only family was in the Medical Clinic.
I didn’t have to show the members me falling apart like this.

***

“Kim Geum went back to her hometown?”

In the silence that followed, Ryu Bora was the first to speak.

“Yeah. She said she wants to rest there for a while.”
“But why….”

Why without even saying goodbye, so suddenly,
No one here didn’t know what Ryu Bora’s next words would be.

“She seemed fine until yesterday….”
“Did she hear something bad at today’s appointment?”

Yeon Ju-hong asked quickly.
Baek Ju-ha’s face darkened considerably—she remained silent for a long moment before slowly nodding.

“…I’ll need to hear the details from Geum, but… yes. They said no further recovery is expected.”
“…!”
“So now the treatment is focused on preserving whatever hearing remains.”

At Baek Ju-ha’s words, everyone held their breath.
Their worst fear had become reality.
No one could bring themselves to speak, each processing this devastating news in their own way.

“Excuse me.”

I stood up alone.

“…I need to go to my room and collect my thoughts.”
“Chung.”
“Unnie….”
“Just for a moment.”

Baek Ju-ha and the members watched me with worried expressions, but I didn’t look back—I simply entered my room and locked the door.
And then—

“Come out now.”

I spoke to the empty air.

-It’s been a while, Yun Chung.

Then, from the seemingly empty space, the Cotton Ball Entity gradually materialized.
Still wearing that unpleasant smile.

“…You knew this would happen, didn’t you?”
-Of course. I knew everything.

The Cotton Ball Entity chuckled with its enormous mouth.

-You were so cold to me, saying you didn’t need my help. So now you need my assistance, is that it?
“That’s because you kept offering conditions that made no sense.”

A comeback every three months, Billboard Hot 100 for every single, demands like that—naturally, as Yun Chung, I’d been rejecting every request from the Cotton Ball Entity to prevent my members from overworking themselves.
Now there was no reason to entertain the Cotton Ball Entity’s demands anymore.
But….
This time was different.

“What do I have to do for you to restore Kim Geum’s hearing?”
-Who knows?

The Cotton Ball Entity was so thrilled by this situation that it fluttered back and forth through the air.

“Stop playing around and tell me quickly. I’m in a hurry too.”
-You’re the one in a hurry, not me. I deserve compensation for all the times you’ve ignored me!
“If you hadn’t demanded things that would work my members to death, I would’ve dealt with you. Tell me now.”
-There’s only one thing I want, Yun Chung.

The Cotton Ball Entity opened its mouth very wide as it spoke.

-Make Kim Geum leave the group.
“!”
-Then I’ll restore Kim Geum’s hearing.

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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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