Became The Leader of a Girl Group Destined To Fail - Chapter 247

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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 39.

And then morning came.
That day was scheduled for a meeting with the Performance Director regarding the Coachella Stage.
The five members gathered in front of the Elevator Lobby, each dressed comfortably in their Dormitory clothes, preparing to head to the Underground Parking Lot.
But then.
Yeon Ju-hong caught sight of Ryu Bora and gasped in surprise, pointing at her face with her finger.

“Huh? Bora, Bora! Your eyes are swollen!”

At Ju-hong’s words, the remaining members simultaneously turned their gaze toward Ryu Bora.
Why?
Because Ryu Bora was someone whose face never swelled.
No matter how much salty or spicy food she ate before bed, no matter what she did, her appearance was never affected the next day—Ryu Bora was the owner of an iron-clad beauty that seemed impervious to all harm.
So naturally, everyone was taken aback and stared at her upon hearing that her eyes were swollen.

“Wow, it’s really true.”
“Seriously. Ryu Bora. What did you do yesterday before bed? What could possibly make your eyes swell?”
“Bora, did you watch a sad movie yesterday and cry yourself to sleep?”

These were the reactions from Yun Chung, Kim Geum, and Seo Baek-young, respectively.

“Come on, noona. Even if she watches the saddest movie ever, she absolutely—absolutely—will NOT cry! Don’t you remember? That incredibly sad movie we all five watched together? Back then, Ju-hong was sobbing uncontrollably, I was streaming tears, noona had tears rolling down, Chung-chung had a few drops, but her reaction was…?”
“Right, Bora didn’t shed a single tear back then.”
“It’s all acting anyway, so why cry?”
“….”
“The ultimate T…!”

The other members shook their heads in disbelief.

“So why are our Bora’s eyes like this…?”
“Bora, Bora, did you cry yesterday? Did something happen?”
“What’s going on with you?”

As the three members surrounded Ryu Bora with deeply concerned expressions, Ryu Bora pushed them away with an annoyed gesture.

“Nothing happened. My eyes are just swollen from exhaustion.”
“Your eyes weren’t swollen even when you pulled all-nighters for two nights straight.”
“Could you please be quiet?”

At Ryu Bora’s single remark, Kim Geum shrank back and retreated to the edge of the Elevator Lobby.

“Nothing really happened, so let’s just head to the Company.”
“Y-yes, okay….”

The other members still wore unconvinced expressions, but faced with Bora’s unyielding attitude, they stepped back without pressing further.
Only one person.
Yun Chung alone stared fixedly at a distant mountain, refusing to smile.

***

“Let’s start with the song arrangement.”

The performance director pulled out a tablet to sketch out the rough order.

“Since Coachella is a festival, we should focus on upbeat, enjoyable songs overall. It would be good to give the entire setlist some cohesion.”
“You mentioned around eight songs, right?”
“It depends on how we arrange them, but that’s roughly what we should aim for.”

All the members nodded in agreement.

“Let me list them out without worrying about order for now. The songs we definitely want to include are obviously our recent releases, ‘Blue Burst’ and ‘Saltwater Mine’. These two should be must-haves. Especially ‘Saltwater Mine’—even though it wasn’t the title track, it got such strong international response that we even released it as a single.”

Yun Chung spoke first. All the members nodded in agreement.

“Good. Let’s lock in those two tracks.”
“From our previous albums, we should include ‘Blue’, ‘Urban Legend’, ‘Paper Doll’, and ‘Verdant Letter’—those four tracks. They were all title tracks, after all.”

Then Seo Baek-young brought up a point.

“What about ‘Fairy Tale?’ We’re not including it? That was a title track too, even though it was a double.”

Yeon Ju-hong then spoke with a hint of reluctance.

“I think it’s better to include only one track from each older album. Picking from our recent albums is the best approach.”

At the Performance Director’s words, Yeon Ju-hong nodded, disappointed but understanding.

“Good. We have six songs so far. Pick two more.”
“I think ‘Into the Silence’ would be best—it seemed like the core of this album. It has dramatic elements, so it would work well for choreography too.”
“Good. Then we’ll do that… and for the last song, would it be okay if I suggested something?”

Everyone nodded at the Performance Director’s proposal.

“What if we included an unreleased track? It happens often. We’d add one unreleased song with entirely English lyrics—something upbeat and festival-ready.”
“Hmm.”

At the Performance Director’s suggestion, I turned my gaze toward Kim Geum.

“Why are you looking at me?”
“Geum’s great at making upbeat songs like that.”
“What? Well, that’s true, but…”
“Okay. Geum will make it.”
“…I feel like I’ve been tricked…”

Regardless of Kim Geum’s reservations, all the members applauded as if it were an excellent decision.

“Good. The song selection is settled. The arrangement will be done by Yun Chung as always, right?”
“Yes. I’ll handle it.”
“Great. Then let’s communicate consistently with me while arranging. It’ll vary depending on the performance direction.”
“Yes. I will.”
“Right. So we’ll arrange it that way. The song order is crucial… I think we should start with Saltwater Mine, don’t you?”

Everyone agreed with the Performance Director’s suggestion. It certainly had relatively high international recognition, so it seemed like the optimal choice for setting the atmosphere in the opening.

“Yes. Then we’ll go with Saltwater Mine.”
“I need to sketch out the overall picture of the stage… From what the Shop Owner told me, you’re planning to have quite a lot of backup dancers?”
“!”

At the words of the Performance Director—Purdy—everyone’s expressions hardened.
The other members had already heard all about Hong President’s outrageous actions through me.

“Yes. The Shop Owner instructed us to have the trainees who are debuting this time stand as backup dancers.”
“But do you know how many of them there are?”

No one had even heard rumors about that part, so everyone shook their heads.

“There are twelve of them.”
“Pardon?”
“If we’re going to utilize all of them, it seems like it would require an enormous Stage. Well, at least the Stage will look fairly grand and magnificent.”

Purdy exhaled a sigh, his expression clearly displeased.

“However, since I’m also directing their debut song performance, I know their skill level. These kids aren’t ready to stand on such a large Stage. I honestly have no idea what the Shop Owner is trying to do.”
“!”

At the mention that their skills weren’t even fully refined, the members’ expressions hardened.
They had all assumed that since these were idols being debuted under Colors, their skills would be exceptional.
But if their skills weren’t even good….

“There’s a possibility of an unprecedented situation where backup dancers dance worse than the idols themselves, so mentally prepare yourselves. They’re already struggling just preparing their own debut song, and if you ask them to practice all eight of your songs, they’ll probably… collapse. Your songs aren’t easy either.”
“….”
“This is ridiculous. Normally, since the artist has to perform live, we have them take it a bit easier while the backup dancers carry the heavy lifting with synchronized choreography. But you guys need to do the opposite?”

At those words, Yun Chung let out a deep sigh.
Ah, this is really something.
I really need to resolve this quickly.

***

After wrapping up the meeting.
Yun Chung sent the members to the Dormitory first. She needed to meet briefly with Baek Ju-ha to hear about the progress of matters.
But then.

“Chung-chung.”
“Hmm?”

Ryu Bora grabbed Yun Chung.

“…Where are you going again?”

In the old days, I would have brushed it off with a casual denial, but now that she knows about all my actions, she won’t fall for it.
Yun Chung nodded.

“Yeah. You just heard it too. About the backup dancers. I thought it needed to be resolved.”
“Resolving it is fine, but…”

Ryu Bora hesitated unusually, her lips trembling slightly.

“Just… don’t get help from that thing.”
“Ah.”

When she said “that thing,” she must be referring to the Cotton Ball Entity.
The Princess Bora really seemed to dislike the Cotton Ball Entity.
Yun Chung let out a deflated laugh.

“Don’t worry. I don’t ask for help unless it’s really urgent anyway.”
“I just can’t stand that bastard.”
“You’re scaring me with that harsh language… please don’t…”

Yun Chung glanced around nervously, wondering if the Cotton Ball Entity might be listening somewhere.

“I won’t ask for help, so don’t worry. Ju-ha unnie agreed to help me with this one.”
“…Then that’s fine.”
“Right. You’re relieved now? Go inside and put some ice on your eyes. Your eyes are really swollen.”
“Is it that swollen?”
“You cried that hard—of course it’s swollen.”

Yun Chung exhaled softly.

“It’s not even worth crying that much over. You don’t even flinch when watching movies with sadder stories than this.”
“Chung-chung’s story is real.”
“!”
“It’s something unnie actually went through. And… alone.”

Ryu Bora’s expression twisted as the thought struck her anew, tears threatening again.
Yun Chung’s eyes widened slightly.
No, it wasn’t that serious. I’m fine, really.
…Was it really that shocking?

“Don’t ever try to bear everything alone again.”

At Ryu Bora’s words, Yun Chung nodded.

“Alright, alright. I get it. Now eat something sweet and get some sleep.”
“…You’re something else.”

I took off the hat I’d been wearing and placed it on Ryu Bora’s head, covering her contorted expression.
At the same moment, a tender smile bloomed across my face.
…She really does think of me as family.
That thought alone—I was grateful for 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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