Became The Leader of a Girl Group Destined To Fail - Chapter 257

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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 49.

Within the residential complex where StillBlue lived.
The five members were taking a leisurely stroll through the complex for the first time in a while.
Thanks to the well-maintained neighborhood, the members could move about quite freely within the secure confines of the complex.
Without much conversation, they were all content, their faces lit with happy smiles as they enjoyed the warm weather and the gentle breeze.

“Oh? A puppy.”

It was Yeon Ju-hong who spoke first.
At her words, all the members looked toward the puppy walking toward them.
It was an adorable little dog with pure white fur, walking steadily and properly beside its owner.

“It looks just like Baek-young’s Debut!”
“Really, it does. It looks so similar. Could they be relatives?”

When even Yun Chung chimed in, Seo Baek-young stared at the puppy with a serious expression.

“…Could this be Debut’s secret sibling?”
“Is Debut doing well? Could we bring them back to the dormitory?”

At Ryu Bora’s earnest request, Seo Baek-young let out an unexpected laugh.

“I thought you liked cats more than dogs, Bora.”
“I love both so much.”
“And the dogs and cats love Ryu Bora too.”
“…?”
“I suppose animals must be discerning about faces too.”

Unlike Ryu Bora, who looked bewildered at Kim Geum’s remark, all the other members nodded in agreement as if it were obvious.
Just then, the small white puppy that had been walking so properly suddenly trotted over and flopped down on its belly right in front of StillBlue.

“Oh my! Seol-gi, you can’t do that!”

The puppy’s name was apparently Seol-gi, and its owner hurriedly tried to pick the little one up.

“No! No! We love our puppy so much!”
“Please, let us say hello to Seol-gi.”
“Could we play with Seol-gi for just a little while?”

Unlike Yeon Ju-hong, Kim Geum, and Seo Baek-young, who actively appealed to the owner about their love for Seol-gi, Ryu Bora and I stepped back.
I had taken a step back, thinking that if all five of us appealed to the owner about our love for the puppy, it might feel a bit burdensome.
As for Ryu Bora…

“Why aren’t you going?”
“The puppy might feel overwhelmed.”
“…Yeah.”

Ryu Bora really did care more about the puppy than people.
I let out a quiet laugh.

“Chung-chung.”
“Hmm?”
“Aren’t you going to tell the members?”

Ryu Bora’s words caught me off guard. But the other members seemed too busy playing with the puppy to hear our conversation.

“Well, I might tell them eventually, but I’m not thinking about it right now. Why?”
“Just… I think if I were a member, I’d want to know.”
“They’d probably feel left out.”

I scratched my head.

“But I’ll keep it hidden as long as I can.”
“Are you worried the members might sign a contract with that fluffy thing?”

When Ryu Bora said “fluffy thing,” she spoke as if she were saying something contemptible.

“Yeah. All the members are people with such strong senses of responsibility.”
“Don’t I have a strong sense of responsibility?”
“You do have a strong sense of responsibility, but you’re someone who keeps your promises to me better than that sense of responsibility.”
“…That’s dirty. When you say it like that, I can’t refuse.”
“That’s exactly what I was aiming for.”

When Yun Chung laughed, Ryu Bora quietly punched her arm.
It was just a light tap in theory, but it actually hurt quite a bit.

“Still, I think we’ll be able to talk about it someday.”
“!”
“When we’ve been at this for about ten years. By then, maybe we can share it little by little. By that time, the members should be mature enough to overcome crises without that cotton ball’s help.”
“Do we really need ten years?”
“You said we’d have to be active for fifty years. So ten years out of that is pretty reasonable, isn’t it?”
“You said for life, not fifty years.”

When Ryu Bora spoke firmly, I quietly looked away.
How does this girl not understand what rest means…?

“Chung-chung.”
“Yeah?”
“Actually, I hated that.”
“Hated what?”
“The idea that idol groups will eventually disband.”
“!”
“Of course, as we gain more experience, the gaps between our activities might naturally grow longer than they were at first… but I still want to keep coming back forever, again and again.”

Ryu Bora spoke while watching the other members petting a dog’s belly in the distance.

“Even if someday no one comes looking for us anymore.”

At Ryu Bora’s words, I thought for a moment before answering.

“Then just do it that way.”
“!”
“I’ve told you this before, haven’t I? That you just have to do it. If you don’t do it, it won’t happen.”

Ryu Bora’s eyes widened, then narrowed again. As if remembering the past—her gaze lowered.

“No matter how difficult it is, you just have to do it.”

I said that and placed my hand gently on Ryu Bora’s head.

“I’ll always be here with you, and so will the members.”

*** 

‘I managed to snag both the first and last concert tickets again!’

Bleduck grinned from ear to ear as I entered the concert hall, light stick in hand.
Naturally, having secured standing room again, I gazed up at the stage with sparkling eyes.

‘And this time, it’s even a ticket that includes the sound check.’

Wow. My fingers, you’re truly amazing.
I praised my own fingers once more for breaking through that incredible competition rate and successfully booking the tickets.
Then.
At the sound of tremendous cheers, I immediately lifted my head and looked toward the stage.

‘Insane. The members in casual clothes…!’

All of the StillBlue members came out bare-faced and dressed in comfortable casual wear they normally wore.
The interesting detail was that all five of them were wearing very thin checkered shirts.
Each in a different color.
Yun Chung wore navy, Seo Baek-young wore white, Kim Geum wore yellow, Yeon Ju-hong wore a shade between pink and orange, and Ryu Bora wore a deep purple shirt.
Kim Geum and Ryu Bora both appeared wearing identical large horn-rimmed glasses, touching the hearts of fans who loved the same-age pair chemistry.

‘Oh, could I see the same-age pair chemistry again this time?!’

Since they were the same-age members who had come out with a puppy-cat stage last concert (though there wasn’t actually a puppy), my heart beat even faster.

“Hello, EVEL! Forever Blue, we’re StillBlue~”

The StillBlue members all greeted together in sync with Yun Chung’s signal.

“It’s been a while since we’ve met like this at a concert, right? First, we’ll start with ‘Blue Burst,’ our first rehearsal song and this time’s title track.”

With Yun Chung’s greeting, the backing track began to play and a light rehearsal stage commenced.
I was naturally mesmerized watching my bias Yun Chung—

“!!!”

Yun Chung, recognizing me, gave me a slight smile and then pointed to her hair.
It was fan service that only I would recognize, not anyone else.
Why, you ask?

‘Finally, someone noticed I cut my hair short…!’

Every video call fan signing event, I’d agonize over it: “Should I cut my hair, Chung? I’m so torn about it….” And finally, this time I’d actually gone through with it.

‘As expected, Chung-chung is a master of fan service….’

Yun Chung seemed to remember all her fans perfectly, sending out personalized autographs to each one in her own subtle way.
Not just Yun Chung, but the other members too seemed to remember nearly all their fans, each communicating with them in their own intimate manner.

‘This is why we come to offline events…!’

Bleduck clutched her swelling heart once more and waved her lightstick with renewed fervor.
Her custom lightstick, brimming with blue preserved hydrangea petals—Bleduck’s own masterpiece.

‘This concert feels legendary too…!’

No matter what, she would make this event for StillBlue a success. And she would make them cry—she absolutely would.
Bleduck and the other EVEL members grinned wickedly as they watched StillBlue singing away, oblivious to what awaited them.

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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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