Became The Leader of a Girl Group Destined To Fail - Chapter 26

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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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Chapter 26.

“You… are you really saying that to a fellow trainee? And to me, of all people? You’re just a trainee, and I’m a director at this company.”

Hmm.
A textbook response from someone old-fashioned when words fail them.

“If you don’t want that footage broadcast, couldn’t you simply edit it out?”
“That won’t work, trainee Yun Chung.”

That’s when Oh PD stepped forward.

“I’m a very fair person, you see.”
“….”
“If footage showing trainee Lee Ju-seon as a victim aired, shouldn’t footage showing Team A trainees as victims air equally?”

I didn’t respond.
It was the reaction I’d anticipated from the start.
Fair, my foot.
He simply didn’t want to let go of such compelling material.

“I see.”

I couldn’t agree that Lee Ju-seon was a victim in the first place, but I forced myself to nod along.

“Then why did you call me here? As you said, I’m just a trainee.”

Director Kim now looked utterly bewildered.
I could understand why.
The Yun Chung they knew and the Yun Chung standing before them now were quite different.
It wasn’t easy for trainees to speak so boldly to a director in the first place.

“I suppose you called me here for this: to let this matter pass quietly.”

But did he understand?
Someone who’s been the breadwinner of a small company household fears nothing.

“Well, I did call you partly to verify things.”

Oh PD broached the subject carefully.
Verify, indeed.
How predictable.

“Ah, were you worried I might have recorded something?”
“Exactly.”

Oh PD’s expression was one of amusement.
Kang Writer observed quietly between Director Kim and Oh PD, reading the atmosphere.

“Of course I did. I recorded everything.”
“!”

Director Kim’s face crumpled.

“And the recording captured everything—how Ju-seon was afraid of Ryeo-yu. Was that what you wanted to verify?”
“You’re really something else, aren’t you?”

Director Kim let out a hollow laugh.

“Don’t talk to adults like that, kid. You haven’t even debuted yet—”
“Exactly because I haven’t debuted, there’s nothing I’m really afraid of. Frankly, if I walk out of this company, take the college entrance exam, and pursue a different path, exposing one entertainment company isn’t something I’d particularly fear.”

I was twenty years old.
It meant there was still plenty of time to find a new direction.
And in the entertainment industry, how many people acted far more recklessly than this?

“But I agree too.”
“!”
“I very much agree with sweeping this all under the rug.”

Yet I couldn’t help but yield.
Because I had made a promise with that strange Cotton Ball Entity.

“So it would be best if we all just buried this cleanly, don’t you think?”

***

The agreement concluded with neither party satisfied.
All the footage would be edited out, as long as neither of us lost face.
Director Kim did call me crazy a few times while looking at me.
But I didn’t bother responding.
Crazy—what of it.
The moment the agreement wrapped up, I excused myself and left the office.
I had to get back to practice starting tomorrow.
I couldn’t afford to waste energy here.

“Hey, trainee Yun Chung.”

But Oh PD caught me before I could make a clean exit.

“I’ve got a new take on you, huh?”

Ugh.

“Aren’t you young people these days terrifying to live alongside?”
“Yes, well.”

As if I’m not living just fine.
Oh PD pointed a finger at me as he spoke.
God, this is genuinely repulsive.

“You know I covered for you this time, right?”
“Yes, I do.”

My response came out hollow.
It’s true that Oh PD ended up helping me.
Though of course, it was for his own benefit.
Oh PD wanted to put pressure on Director Kim, who constantly clashed with him, and I just happened to be the tool he used.

“When he asked me to install cameras in the practice room too, I thought maybe he just had a real appetite for broadcasting. But you had all these schemes hidden away?”
“I wasn’t deliberately scheming.”
“Sure you weren’t.”

But I was.
I didn’t expect him to spill everything so easily either.

“Anyway, thank you.”
“No, no. Huh? I’ll keep a close eye on you from now on. Give it a try.”

Oh PD seemed to already believe I was on his side.
I wasn’t.
This time, we were simply using each other out of necessity.
I sighed and bowed to Oh PD.

“Goodbye, PD.”

You’ll never know.
That you should be thanking me.

“Yeah, yeah, take care now?”

The truth is, I was about to blackmail you with your weakness, but I didn’t.

***

“….”

Tap-tap-tap.
The sound of trembling legs echoed.
Whose legs, you ask?
Certainly not mine.
They belonged to Lee Ju-seon.

“Did you see it all?”
“H-how did you…?”
“Oh PD gave it to me.”

I quietly swallowed the words about how I’d asked Oh PD for this.
Oh PD had to be the one pulling the strings—not me.

“He said he’s going to broadcast this.”
“Don’t tell me you installed a camera in the Practice Room…!”
“Ju-seon.”

I stared directly at the trembling Lee Ju-seon.

“Still haven’t grasped the situation?”
“…!”

Lee Ju-seon’s eyes finally began to fill with fear.
Fear of me.
It seems to be sinking in now.

“I could have just asked them to broadcast it.”
“….”
“But I asked them to bury it instead.”
“!”

Now her eyes gradually filled with astonishment.

“Why… why did you?”
“Because you’re part of our team. Teammates should cover for each other’s mistakes, don’t you think?”

At the word “teammate,” Lee Ju-seon’s face went rigid.
Yes, this would be even more chilling.

“You feel the same way, don’t you, Ju-seon?”
“…Yes.”

Right.
I feel the same way too.
We should cover for each other’s “minor” transgressions.
“Minor” cooperation comes as a bonus.

“Still not happy with the concept?”
“…No.”
“Good. You can choreograph, right? We’ve already lost a day and a half. Is it still too overwhelming?”
“I… can do it.”
“We’ll help you. Let’s do everything together. We’re teammates, after all.”
“Yes….”

Finally, the response I wanted.

“Thank you, Ju-seon. I’ll go call the rest of our team. It’ll take time to catch up with the other teams. We need to hurry.”
“…Yes.”

Lee Ju-seon could only respond with yes, yes, like someone under a spell, unable to say anything else.

“Oh right, make sure you explain things well to Ryeo-yu.”
“Me, me?”

Oh, she could get even more rigid here.
Kim Ryeo-yu must be quite terrifying, judging by how much Lee Ju-seon was freezing up.

“Then who’s going to do it, Ju-seon? Should I?”
“No, I….”
“Right. We agreed to cooperate, didn’t we? I saw you at the Practice Room earlier—you’re really good at talking. If you use that same persuasive touch on Ryeo-yu, wouldn’t everything just work out?”
“….”

Hmm.
Now I’m feeling a bit better about this.
I already know the truth.
Kim Ryeo-yu has probably already heard everything from Director Kim himself.
Knowing that man’s temperament, it’s obvious.
But I wanted Lee Ju-seon to tell Kim Ryeo-yu directly with her own words.
That way, she’d feel something from it herself.

“Oh, and Ju-seon.”
“Yes?”
“Oh PD said absolutely don’t mention that he has the video.”
“Yes…?”
“So don’t say anything about the video existing—just tell her you changed your mind.”
“But, but if you do that, there’s no way Ryeo-yu will ever listen to me.”
“Ah, really? That does sound tough.”

I sympathized with Lee Ju-seon as much as I could.
This kind of empathy—I had to give it to her somehow.

“But what can I do? Oh PD said not to mention it. What power do I have?”
“Unnie…!”
“If Oh PD finds out you mentioned the video’s existence, he’ll feel left out. It would be awkward if it’s just you and Ryeo-yu being close, wouldn’t it?”
“…!”
“So let’s just be careful with each other.”

I squeezed Lee Ju-seon’s hand firmly.
You’ve got this.

***

“Ju-seon unnie… she came back?!”

Yeon Ju-hong’s already large, round eyes widened even further.
Why are you opening your eyes so wide like that.

“Yeah.”
“And she said she’d erase everything that happened until now?!”
“No. What Lee Ju-seon did to you at the Market—how harshly she treated you—that’s going on air.”

Some things deserve to be covered up, but others need to be exposed.
I could overlook what Lee Ju-seon said to me at my own discretion, but I had no intention of sweeping her actions toward Yeon Ju-hong under the rug.
At her age, she should be held accountable for that kind of behavior.

“And she’s going to apologize to us too?!”
“Yeah. That’s going on air as well.”

Yeon Ju-hong bounced excitedly.
Kim Geum still looked bewildered, but there was an unmistakable glimmer of joy in her eyes.

“Wait, unnie. Are you a magician?”
“Or maybe a kindergarten teacher?”
“…?”
“How did you teach Ju-seon manners like that…! Mmph…!”

Yeah, I struggled plenty teaching that kid etiquette.

“Anyway, Ju-seon has never stepped outside our team. Got it?”
“Yes!”
“So let’s all act like nothing happened.”
“Yes!”

They chirped like little birds.
I felt like a mother bird raising her chicks.

“But… do you think Lee Ju-seon will cooperate well?”
“She’ll cooperate very well. Trust me on that.”

If she doesn’t cooperate, I’ll make sure she knows there won’t be another chance.

“…No, seriously, what’s your secret? Lee Ju-seon is incredibly stubborn, so how did you break her resolve?”

Kim Geum had reached the point of almost suspecting me.

“If you know too much… the mystique falls apart.”
“What? Did you already debut?”

Well.
I’ve done it once before.
Anyway, I had no intention of revealing my methods.
The moment I explained anything… I was certain they’d start fearing me.
Even if we might end up sharing the same roof someday, there’s no need to start with fear.

“Regardless, we’ve already wasted a day and a half. Let’s pick up the pace now.”

I gestured to Kim Geum.
At that, Kim Geum pulled out her laptop.
It was practically a goose that laid golden eggs.

“Geum, how far along is the composition?”
“Almost done.”
“Really?”

Even while her mind was falling apart, she’d completed the work.
It was truly admirable.

“I’ll play it for you both. Please share your thoughts.”
“Yes.”
“Mm.”

Yeon Ju-hong and I focused intently on the melody Kim Geum played.
Since the lyrics weren’t finished yet, it was a melody she hummed roughly.
But even so—

“That’s incredible.”
“…It’s amazing, isn’t it?”

The song was exceptional.
Far better than the one I had composed.

“It just needs a little polish. But we should start working on the lyrics soon….”

Kim Geum watched my expression carefully.

“Unnie, the lyrics….”
“I’ve already given it some thought, so don’t worry.”
“!”

Kim Geum’s face was practically glowing with emotion now.
Though honestly, it wasn’t that remarkable.
I just needed to refine the lyrics I’d used in my past life.
I’d already drafted a decent portion while Kim Geum was absorbed in the composition work.

“Unnie, you were so busy handling everything, and you still managed to conceptualize the lyrics? Do you have some kind of secret where your day has 48 hours?”

Yeon Ju-hong clicked her tongue in amazement.
Well, not quite that extreme.

“No matter how I think about it….”
“Hmm?”
“We absolutely have to debut together.”
“Wait, what about me? Kim Geum. What about me?”
“You need to work harder for now. I might be able to include you.”
“No…! No…!”
“You’re at about 80 points. Keep improving.”
“No!”
“This instructor isn’t satisfied yet.”

They really do seem like fledgling birds.
I watched the two of them bicker for a moment before making a hasty escape.
I should focus on refining the lyrics.

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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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