Became The Leader of a Girl Group Destined To Fail - Chapter 222

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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 14.

“Wow, there really are so many people.”

At the entrance to Han River Park.
Yun Chung, Ryu Bora, and Kim Geum had separated from Yeon Ju-hong and Seo Baek-young.
Since Yeon Ju-hong was younger, the two of them had decided to watch the fireworks from the Dormitory nearby with a view of the Han River instead.
Because the Dormitory had a rooftop, Yeon Ju-hong had shown subtle disappointment, but ultimately agreed.
Though she’d extracted a promise: “Once Kim Geum feels better, next time I’m going with just Kim Geum and you!”
There were two bodyguards in casual clothes, and since they’d worked with Colors for a long time, the StillBlue members already knew them well.

“Thank you for today.”
“Of course. Please don’t worry and enjoy the festival. Just try not to stray too far from us.”

The bodyguards reassured the members with practiced ease, walking discreetly a short distance behind.

“Geum.”
“Yes?”
“You need to hold one of our hands at all times.”

Yun Chung and Ryu Bora walked side by side with Kim Geum between them.

“Why? I’m not a child. I don’t appreciate being treated like I’m lost.”
“You’re small… we can barely see you.”
“Bora’s right.”
“You two… I’m 163 centimeters. That’s not a small height. That’s the average for South Korean women…”

Kim Geum let out an exasperated laugh.
But to Yun Chung (168.5 cm) and Ryu Bora (who had grown slightly from 170 cm to 171 cm), Kim Geum inevitably appeared small.

“And you’re… well, you’re our precious Geum…”
“Seriously, when are you going to stop with that ‘precious Geum’ thing?!”
“Forever…”
“…”

Kim Geum made a fed-up expression and linked arms with both Yun Chung and Ryu Bora simultaneously.

“How’s this? Schoolgirl vibes, let’s go.”
“Gross. Get off me.”
“Holding hands isn’t gross, but linking arms is?!”

At Ryu Bora’s disgust, Kim Geum let out an exaggerated whine of protest.

“You two, stop fighting… just walk. We can’t stop moving here with this many people around…”
“That spot over there looks pretty empty. Let’s spread out a mat there.”

Looking at where Kim Geum pointed, the back section of the grassy field, set a little distance from the Han River, appeared peaceful and quiet.
While the area right by the Han River was packed with people, this back section was relatively sparse.

“We won’t see the fireworks very well from here, will that be okay?”
“What does it matter? If we can’t see them, we just live with it.”
“Alright then, let’s do it.”

I nodded and spread out the mat.
It was quite spacious—large enough for three people to lie down with room to spare.
Beside us, the bodyguards and Manager spread out another mat and settled in.

“But I’m curious about something.”
“What?”
“The Fireworks Festival starts at eight, so why are we here since noon?”
“…”

I looked quietly toward Ryu Bora.
After all, she was the one who’d woken everyone up at the crack of dawn and caused all this commotion.
I’d only just learned the festival started at eight.

“You don’t know you have to arrive early to claim a good spot?”
“…You’re the type who shows up thirty minutes before something, sticks your head out for a bit, then says ‘I’ve seen it all, let’s go’—yet somehow you’re being meticulous about this. That’s what’s strange.”

Kim Geum shook her head in disbelief, clicking her tongue.

“Yeah, that’s exactly the kind of person I am.”
“Huh? Then why are we doing this?”
“…”

Instead of answering, Ryu Bora pulled something from her bag and promptly lay down.

“What are you doing?”
“Trying to read. We have plenty of time.”

Ryu Bora had pulled out a small cushion, a poetry collection with a striking monochromatic cover, and a camcorder.

“What’s the camcorder for?”
“I thought we could film ourselves. The fans would probably enjoy it.”
“That’s not a bad idea… but a poetry collection? And why would you choose to read in this blazing sun when you could relax at home with a book?”
“You should cultivate some refinement too.”
“I’m already overflowing with refinement?!!?”
“Sure.”
“….”

Feeling like I’d somehow lost that exchange, I turned my attention toward Yun Chung.
But Yun Chung was busy herself, laptop open as she reviewed the contract terms with Coachella and the stage configuration.
So there I was, dragged along with nothing much to do, just sitting here blankly—

“!”

Ryu Bora suddenly pulled me toward her.

“What?”
“You don’t remember?”

Ryu Bora laid me down beside her and placed sunglasses on my face.

“Remember what?”
“How we used to play like this.”
“We played like this? When?”
“When we were kids.”
“?”

I just blinked, completely lost.
My expression screamed, ‘With you? When exactly?’

“Never mind. Let’s not talk about it.”
“No, explain it to me.”
“Just stay quiet and look at the sky. It’s clear today.”
“Are you seriously going to get some disease if you don’t explain?”

Kim Geum grumbled quite a bit, but obediently gazed up at the sky through Ryu Bora’s sunglasses. The sunlight was brilliant and dazzling, the day so clear it made her eyes water.
…The sky is pretty, I’ll admit.
But did I really play around like this with her at Han River?
When on earth was that?
Kim Geum rummaged through her memories again and again.

***

A whimper escaped her lips.

It was already 7 PM.
The Fireworks Festival would begin in an hour, yet Yeon Ju-hong’s mood was far from cheerful.
She felt as though her sisters had abandoned her.
Her eldest sister, Seo Baek-young, was right beside her, but the others had gone out—making it seem as though Baek-young had been saddled with her.

‘What am I, some kind of burden?’

Yeon Ju-hong felt genuinely hurt. Even if I’m the youngest, still!
Even if I might be a little unreliable, still!
Baek-young was wonderful, but the fact that the other sisters got to go out and have fun while I’m stuck here really bothered me.
And…

‘Things feel awkward between me and Baek-young…!’

I felt so sad.
Seo Baek-young was the one I’d known the longest, but the dynamic of being the youngest and eldest in the group created a peculiar distance.
Perhaps because of the age gap, it didn’t feel entirely comfortable—instead, it felt like I was the one leaning on her and acting spoiled.
Seo Baek-young’s personality was the very definition of an ‘eldest sister,’ and Yeon Ju-hong’s personality was the very definition of a ‘youngest,’ after all.
So rather than feeling like equal members…

‘It’s hard sometimes because she feels like such a perfect eldest sister.’

Yun Chung, being a more similar-aged sister, felt more comfortable by comparison. There were times she seemed a bit rough around the edges. She’d actually been a bit more careless back during trainee days.
But Seo Baek-young?
Throughout the entire trainee period, she’d been the strictest and most perfectionist, always an idol-like figure among the trainees. That impression from back then hadn’t completely faded away.
Yeon Ju-hong glanced over at Seo Baek-young.
What was her sister doing…? she wondered.
And in that moment.

‘…!’

Yeon Ju-hong saw it.
Seo Baek-young, smiling with an awkward expression, glancing sideways at her!

‘Oh, so unnie finds this awkward too…!’

With that thought, Yeon Ju-hong’s heart actually lightened.
So our perfect unnie is human after all…! I wasn’t the only one feeling wronged.
With that realization, Yeon Ju-hong could slip back into her usual role as unnie collector.

“Unnie.”
“Yeah, Ju-hong? What is it?”

Seo Baek-young answered as if she’d been waiting, jumping to her feet.

“Don’t you want to go out too?”
“Huh?”
“Honestly, only the other unnies get to go out and have fun~ It’s so unfair~ We want to go out and play too~ Don’t we?!”
“Well, yeah.”

At Yeon Ju-hong’s voice dripping with aegyo, Seo Baek-young’s tension melted and she let out a soft laugh.

“So let’s go out too!”
“Us…too?”
“Yeah!”
“Mm.”

Seo Baek-young’s expression turned conflicted. But Yun Chung had told her not to go out….

“The unnies left us behind and do whatever they want anyway, so what’s the difference?”
“I guess that’s true?”

Seo Baek-young laughed in agreement, haha.
Yeon Ju-hong had a point.
Right.
Those three abandoned us and do as they please, so why not? One day of rebellion wouldn’t hurt.
Seo Baek-young glanced down at the street below the rooftop.
The crowd was naturally packed, but it was dark and the throngs were so dense that they likely wouldn’t stand out right now.

“Alright, let’s go.”
“Really?!”
“Yeah. We might as well see the fireworks up close.”
“Yes!”

Giggling, Yeon Ju-hong grabbed her hat and mask.
Finally, she’d have something small to boast about to her unnie who had abandoned her.

“Let’s go, Ju-hong.”
“Just a moment!”

Before heading out, Yeon Ju-hong hastily grabbed the camcorder Ryu Bora had given her.
It was the camcorder she’d been told to use if anything fun happened and to film it.

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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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