Became The Leader of a Girl Group Destined To Fail - Chapter 241

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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 33.

Sunday afternoon. By the time I descended from the stage after the Music Broadcast’s first-place announcement concluded, my hands were already trembling faintly.

‘…Sigh.’

Once the scorching lights dimmed, nothing should remain but the roar of the fans—yet to me, it all felt like silence instead.
I looked at my members holding the trophy. They seemed utterly radiant, basking in the fact that we’d dominated every Music Broadcast’s top spot for two consecutive weeks.
…Under normal circumstances, I would have been just as blissfully happy as they were.
I exhaled deeply. That damned Cotton Ball Entity had left a peculiar heaviness lodged in my chest.

‘Until tonight, at least… I’ll probably feel like this the whole time.’

Either tonight or early tomorrow morning—the Billboard 200 Top 10 announcement was now only hours away.
Despite considerable time having passed since the pre-recording, my mind remained suspended in a weightless void.
It was exactly like a running start before a high jump.
That sensation of being frozen with bent knees, right before the leap.

“Chung-chung!”
“Hmm?”

At that moment, my members all turned to me simultaneously with worried expressions.

“Wait, you’re the one who just got first place, right? Why do you look so gloomy? You were practically crying up there on stage!”

Kim Geum patted my back repeatedly, utterly bewildered.

“What’s with those drooping shoulders? Come on, straighten up and smile.”
“Is it because I took the trophy again today, Chung-chung? Here, you can have it.”

Yeon Ju-hong, with an expression that asked ‘Could it be because of me?’, casually shoved the trophy into my pocket like slipping me hush money.
I’d thought about it before, but why do our members always hand things over like they’re passing bribes instead of doing it normally?
Finding it funny and endearing, I let out a small laugh.

“Oh, finally smiling.”

Kim Geum and Yeon Ju-hong exchanged a subtle high-five, triumphant.

“Is something really wrong?”
“No. I was just so tense, and then it all suddenly released. That’s probably it.”
“Ah, I see. That happens sometimes.”

Only then did the members nod in understanding.
Not a single member was unaware of the heavy sense of responsibility Yun Chung carried.

“It’s the mini fan meeting now, Chung.”

Seo Baek-young smiled warmly and draped an arm across Yun Chung’s shoulder.

“Don’t be nervous. You should spend time happily with the fans.”
“…You’re right.”

At Seo Baek-young’s words, I felt myself coming back to my senses.
Right, of course the mission is important, but—the fans are what matter most. These moments to meet so closely with EVEL are so rare.
…I can’t waste this.
Sigh.
I gently tapped my own cheeks with both hands and lifted my head.
Right now, focus.

***

Today the girls’ mini fan meeting was insane

Haha, today kind of felt like when the kids were rookies.
(video)
They asked what people wanted to hear for the regular 2nd album commemoration
StillBlue expected: Something like a 2nd album track like “Sol War Mine”
Fans: Sing “Blue”
StillBlue: ?

Anyway, I was curious how they’d sing “Blue” in today’s outfits
The reason why member solos didn’t make it into this album

Q&A time—I’ll write down what I remember
Fan: Wouldn’t it make sense to include a solo track or two from Yun Chung or Baek-young? Why didn’t you include any this time?
Baek-young: We did consider it. But Yun Chung said she wanted this album to contain songs from all of us, not just one person’s work, so all the members agreed it was a good idea.
Fan: Did Kim Geum’s hearing loss make the composition work difficult? How did she participate?
Geum: It was very difficult and I didn’t have the courage to even try my hand at first. So this time, our Steel Blue Composition Machine emerged as a dark horse… (here, Juhong laughs brightly as if he is looking at himself ㅠㅠㅋㅋㅋㅋ) Juhong approached with a focus on training.
But after listening to the song Ju-hong created about a thousand times, I thought, if I just arrange this a tiny bit, it might work… and I got greedy. Once I started with the arrangement, my old composition sense came back.
That’s when I realized—you don’t need perfect hearing to compose. I haven’t just been composing for a day or two… all those sounds are already stored inside me. I think I was just stubbornly searching for them outside myself. Foolishly.
Yun Chung: You’re not foolish.
Bora: No, you are. A complete fool.
Kim Geum: Ryu Bora’s getting scolded
Bora: I wonder who’s actually getting scolded?
Kim Geum: (..)
Hahahahahaha
Kim Geum: Anyway, continuing—when composing, I focused on the melody playing inside me rather than the one I could actually hear.
And naturally, I could hear the melody even without listening to it.
I trusted that instinct and composed. Instead, I’d never thought about getting feedback from anyone before, but now I constantly grab the members and ask them questions.
How’s this song? Does it sound good only to me? Or do you guys like it too? Things like that.
Ju-hong: Because of that, all the members suffered so much
Baek-young: Kim Geum really did that 24 hours straight.
Bora: I’m her housemate, and I almost ran away from home.
Yun Chung: I almost locked Kim Geum up somewhere.

The kids look so close-knit… Honestly, StillBlue’s #1 fan is StillBlue itself.

(crying/sobbing)
But in the video, Kim Geum spoke so admirably and proudly
This is too much…Kim Geum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Q&A was funny too

Question: Is there a possibility the housemate arrangement might change?
Yun Chung: I think it’s time we should consider independence.
All members: Ooooooh.
Yun Chung: Just kidding. Absolutely no plans to move out.
Bora: I’m telling you again, StillBlue is a community of fate—we can’t be more than 10 meters apart.
Kim Geum: The way she says this sounds like a joke, right? She’s completely serious.
Ju-hong: Bora unnie is so committed to StillBlue that she even wakes up sleep-talking in the car saying “…can’t go.” That’s how serious she is.
Bora: That’s not it.
Baek-young: I do want to change it once, the housemate arrangement. I want to try rooming with Bora.

Fans: Why?
Baek-young: Bora is the quietest, so I thought our living patterns would match well.
Geum: That won’t work. If Ju-hong and I live in the same place, we might get noise complaints from neighbors.

Hahaha, what are those two doing that noise complaints from the floor below are coming in?

***

That early morning.
The door opened, and I quietly stepped into the living room.
In truth, I hadn’t slept at all until now, but I’d pretended to sleep so as not to worry the members, and only came out once I was certain they were all asleep.

“….”

I quietly pulled out a can of beer I’d bought long ago and never once touched.
It must have been almost five years since I last drank.
We’d made a promise to all wait together without drinking until our youngest member, Ju-hong, came of age, so the members hadn’t touched alcohol since then.
This can of beer was something one of the managers had bought back then.
They said if I ever felt like drinking, I should do it quietly inside, but never outside.
I never thought I’d use it like this.
I took the beer and sat down in the living room.
The living room felt especially spacious tonight.

“….”

I took a sip of beer and gazed out the window, waiting blankly for dawn to break.

“Chung.”
“!”

A voice cutting through the silence made me spin around in surprise.
Standing there was Seo Baek-young.

“…Unnie?”
“Can’t sleep?”

But I was sure I’d confirmed she was asleep before I came out.
My heart is pounding.

“Ah, yes. I couldn’t sleep.”
“…Beer?”

Seo Baek-young’s gaze fixed on the beer can in Yun Chung’s hand.
This felt like being caught doing something terribly wrong.
Yun Chung laughed with an embarrassed expression.

“Ah. This is—”
“Want to share?”
“!”

Seo Baek-young drinks alcohol?
I could only blink at the unbelievable statement, but Seo Baek-young retrieved another beer can from the refrigerator with practiced ease. …This woman. She doesn’t seem like someone who’s only tried it once or twice.
Seo Baek-young plopped down beside me and offered the can.
Seo Baek-young plopped down beside Yun Chung and held out a can.

“…Cheers.”
“…salty.”

I glanced quietly at the door to the room where Yeon Ju-hong was sleeping.
…I should drink quietly.
I need to eat quietly.

“Yes.”
Yes.

Seo Baek-young’s voice at night had an even greater power to make people tense.

“!”
“!”

…Like this, right now.

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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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