Became The Leader of a Girl Group Destined To Fail - Chapter 27

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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 27.

Even after Lee Ju-seon joined us, our team flowed remarkably smoothly.
Lee Ju-seon’s spirit was certainly dampened, but honestly, that was better.
Better than stubbornly insisting on things that wouldn’t work.
The outfits Lee Ju-seon had chosen were naturally revised entirely.
Lee Ju-seon had put together choreography with considerable effort.
It wasn’t perfect, but once we incorporated our feedback, a convincing routine took shape.
Yeon Ju-hong’s role turned out to be surprisingly significant.
She wasn’t an exceptional dancer, but there was something about her—a natural sense, you could say.
She seemed to understand what people enjoyed.
That kind of instinct can’t be bought, no matter how much money you throw at it.
With the completed song and choreography in place, the four of us proceeded through practice with steady progress.
And so,
the day of the midpoint evaluation arrived.

“Alright, we’ll start with Team A.”
“Yes!”

Not all the judges showed up today.
Only two trainers came.
Do Hee-young and Director Kim must have been quite busy.

“I heard there was quite a bit of friction during practice—did you manage to resolve everything?”

Kang Soon-hwa, the vocal trainer, asked.
It seemed the Production Crew had already made it quite the issue.
Of course, I still wondered why Oh PD was letting something this entertaining slip by so easily.
It was material that could cause viewership to skyrocket if handled right.
Though of course, it would come at the cost of ruining several people.
In any case, since Lee Ju-seon had returned to our team, they seemed to have accepted it as a positive resolution.

“Yes, everything has been resolved. There was a misunderstanding between us, and we worked it out through communication.”
“It actually became an opportunity for us to grow even closer!”

Kim Geum spoke, and Yeon Ju-hong backed her up.

“It all felt like something that happened because we were all so desperately eager. But at the same time, we realized how precious we are to each other and resolved it right away!”

I managed the situation as best I could.
Close bonds? Precious to each other? Of course that wasn’t true.
But I couldn’t say that on broadcast.

“That’s great. Now you just need to nail the stage performance, right?”

Jo Won-ho, the dance trainer, said with a knowing smile.
There was a barb in those words.
Right.
No matter how well we resolved things, if the stage performance was a disaster, it meant nothing.
Conversely, even if we hadn’t resolved things well, a perfect stage performance would make it irrelevant.
After all, what the public sees is only us on stage.
Everything that happens backstage is something we have to handle ourselves.

“Then let’s start right away.”

At those words, we immediately took our positions according to the choreography formation.
We’d practiced so much that I felt like I could stand in formation with my eyes closed by now.
The moment we shifted into stage mode, the other trainees responded with excited cheers.
…You all should try practicing with Kim Geum.
Then you’d understand.
I’d stake my life on it—Kim Geum was a perfectionist unlike anyone I’d ever seen.
Her personality was fierce as a tiger, which made her even more intimidating.
I clearly had far more experience than her, yet Kim Geum seemed like the senior.
Not that it was a bad thing.
Thanks to her, all of us—

I’ll read your diary backwards
It will sound like an incantation of love
Rewind the tape
Reverse

—could sharpen our blades.

***

“Tomorrow’s already the day of the actual Stage performance.”
“I know.”

I have no idea how time has slipped away like this.
As if enchanted, I went through the midterm evaluation, and several more days passed.
None of us four said it aloud, but we were all on edge during the midterm evaluation.
We had to present ourselves at a disadvantage, having lost a full day compared to the other teams.
However, the results weren’t bad.

‘Kim Geum.’
‘Yes.’

The judge praised Kim Geum first.

‘You certainly do have talent for the leader role. You did well.’
‘Thank you!’
‘Still, you need to work harder. You understand, right?’
‘Yes!’

I really liked how spirited Kim Geum was.

‘Yun Chung.’
‘Yes.’
‘You know you need to push the others harder, right? You’re the eldest.’
‘…Yes.’

For a moment, I considered just answering like that and leaving it at that.
But I couldn’t do that.

‘Still, they’re already running harder than anyone else on their own. I’ll play the carrot role.’

I knew better than anyone how hard they’d all been working.
They were all truly desperate.
Even Lee Ju-seon, who had once tried to quit.
Everyone practiced getting only a few hours of sleep a day.
Skipping meals was just routine.
It wasn’t because of dieting.
After a dance practice session, they simply had no energy left to eat.
Of course, whenever that happened, I’d grab them by the collar and make them eat anyway.

“Everyone.”
“Yes.”

All four of us lay sprawled across the Practice Room floor, barely breathing.

“Just hold on until tomorrow.”
“Yes.”
“Let’s just do what we’ve been doing.”
“Yes!”

Truly.
If we just do what we’ve been doing, we’ll be perfect.
But then again….

“I just want to lie here and sleep….”
“Me too….”

***

Love me or Hate me
Tic toc your heart is a metronome
Love me or Hate me
Ping pong how much longer will this go on

“They’re good.”

The day of the actual competition.
We were watching Team B’s Stage performance.
Fundamentally, there wasn’t a single person who couldn’t perform.
Everyone did well with their live vocals, and everyone’s dancing was at least competent.
But the only person who stood out in Team B was Kim Ryeo-yu.
It couldn’t have been any other way.

“Kim Ryeo-yu is singing half the song by herself. She’s really amazing. How is her lung capacity like that?”
“The way they distributed the parts like that—they must have been really confident.”

Yeon Ju-hong and Kim Geum made a deliberate effort to downplay Kim Ryeo-yu’s transgressions.
It wasn’t as though the other team members lacked skill, yet she hoarded every single part—that was simply inconsiderate.
Was her philosophy truly just “as long as I debut, nothing else matters”?
I wouldn’t know exactly how the parts were distributed until the broadcast aired, but Director Kim’s fingerprints were unmistakably all over it.
All I could say was that it was impressive.

“…Originally, she had even more. Ryeo-yu’s parts.”

Lee Ju-seon, who had briefly joined that team, spoke up.
Wait—she had even more than that?
So they’d reduced her parts because they were worried about backlash. I was at a loss for words.
I slightly loosened my grip on the microphone and whispered to Lee Ju-seon.

“Ju-seon.”
“Yes…?”
“Do you think you could have actually pulled off the center position if you’d stayed in that team?”
“…No.”
“Right?”

I patted Lee Ju-seon’s shoulder reassuringly.
Lee Ju-seon seemed to share my sentiment—her expression had grown noticeably darker.
Perhaps she was beginning to understand what would have happened if she’d remained on Kim Ryeo-yu’s team.
People truly only learn through experience.

“Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like any of the other teams share our concept.”
“You’re right. Team C went for the cute concept, and Team B went for the sexy one.”

Yeon Ju-hong visibly relaxed, clearly having worried about concept overlap. She exhaled in relief.
And for good reason—after the midpoint evaluation, Kim Ryeo-yu had made a rather brazen comment right behind us.

“That doesn’t look half bad. Should we try something like that too?”

I genuinely wanted to pinch her mouth shut when the cameras weren’t rolling.
Fortunately, it seemed she’d realized she’d face criticism for it and hadn’t actually followed through.
Though honestly, even if she had tried, Director Kim would have stopped her.

[Team B’s dazzling and captivating stage! I hope you all enjoyed it!]

Team B’s stage performance concluded, and Do Hee-young took over as the host.
Our turn was last.
Right after Team B.
It was happening now.

***

“Hello, Team Four Seasons! Why did you choose that team name?”

I couldn’t possibly say that all four of us had such different personalities and images.
That all four of us had equally strange personalities.

“Because all four of us possess distinct charms, just like the four seasons!”

Fortunately, Kim Geum, who served as our leader, packaged the answer beautifully.

“Excellent. Would you explain the concept and the song?”
“This time, we were truly committed to our concept! Ju-hong came up with an adorable idea, and we all worked together enthusiastically to create the song and choreography to match it.”
“Oh, what kind of concept is it?”
“That’s…! We’ll show you on stage!”

Kim Geum displayed an unwavering determination not to spoil anything.
There was no need to be that firm about it.
Moments like this really showed how much of a rookie she still was.

“Then at least tell us the song title?”
“Oh, yes! Our song is called 【Reverse】!”
“Oh, 【Reverse】 refers to a twist, doesn’t it?”
“Yes! There’s a twist in our stage too…!”

The moment Yeon Ju-hong spoke excitedly, Kim Geum covered her mouth.

“Okay. Good. Then shall we see the stage right away!”

Do Hee-young, true to her status as a veteran idol, continued the introduction without a hint of hesitation.
I gripped the hands of my teammates on either side firmly.
Trembling hands, palms damp with nervous sweat.
And between them, I barely held onto my sanity.
We were all of one mind.
Yes.
Let’s go, to the stage.

***

Prism, a devoted fan of long standing, had become quite knowledgeable about information thanks to her extensive experience as a fan.
The moment she heard about Team Mission audience applications, she submitted hers as soon as the button page opened.
And fortunately, she was selected.
Though she wouldn’t be able to bring equipment and film, she was thrilled just to be among the first to witness the stage in person.
If only the last audience viewing hadn’t been marked by reports of fans being captured like madness… She suppressed her regret and headed toward the Broadcasting Station with anticipation in her heart.
Yun Chung’s first Team Mission!
It would feel entirely different from an individual mission.
There wouldn’t be as many parts as there would be in an individual mission.
But she was looking forward to the synergy with the other members.

‘All familiar faces.’

Looking around, she recognized everyone.
Once a fan, always a fan.
She’d heard the order today was Team C, then Team B, then Team A.
And her favorite, Yun Chung, was last!
After watching Team C and Team B perform, her assessment was unanimous.

‘They’re good.’

Team C was far better than Team B.

“Did you see our Bora perform, Prism?”
“Of course. She’s my second favorite.”

Prism had come with another fan she knew.
That acquaintance was already a well-known name among Ryu Bora’s fanbase.
She’d been a fan since Ryu Bora’s child actor days, or something like that.

“No, our girl’s face has always been incredibly stunning, but today is truly legendary….”
“She’s really beautiful. The way she uses her expressions is so good that she really stands out on stage.”

It wasn’t a casual preference.
Prism’s home master had been wavering between Yeon Ju-hong and Ryu Bora.
However, the moment she saw Team C’s performance, her heart tilted decisively toward Ryu Bora.
A face that radiated nothing but pure light…!

“But Team B was a bit… too focused on Kim Ryeo-yu, so it wasn’t fun.”
“Right? I thought it was a solo song.”

The two nodded their heads as they evaluated the previous performance.

“Oh, they’re coming out!”

Then, Team A took the stage.

“Insane.”

Prism’s home master’s eyes began to widen.

“A… a beret? Yun Chung in a beret? A beret?”

Yun Chung, wearing a soft purple beret, was the very embodiment of high-teen elegance.
The outfits were hard to see since all four wore baggy black baseball jackets.

“Wow. Could their concept possibly be…?”
“What on earth is it?”

So Yeon Ju-hong was in charge of the concept…!
What could it possibly be?

“But why such an ugly baseball jacket…? At least unbutton it.”
“Right?”

Why such an outfit?
They did the hair and makeup perfectly, so why that outfit?

“And besides, everyone except Yun Chung is wearing glasses?”
“They’re pretty, but I wish they’d take those off….”

Glasses aren’t supposed to hide your face, you guys.

“I mean, glasses are usually so stylish, but they really don’t match the baseball jackets.”
“Right? It’s rare to see glasses look this bad.”

Prism’s manager swallowed her tears internally.
She was beginning to worry more and more.
The other team came out shining so brilliantly, but our girls were wearing such dull outfits.

[That’s…! We’ll show you on stage!]

…Still, since Kim Geum said it like that, let’s trust her once!
In the end, the fans suppressed their anxiety and waited for the stage.
But then.
A prelude emerged—far more refined yet kitsch than expected.

Suffocating, fake yourself
Aren’t you tired of it

Yeon Ju-hong’s opening.

Misaligned diamond button
The moment you press pop
Everything is,

Lee Ju-seon’s next lead.

Reverse

And Kim Geum’s single word.
At that one word, all four of them threw off their dull baseball jackets.
Then a preppy look with an unmistakably high-teen concept—kitsch and radiant—was revealed.

“Insane.”

It was precisely the concept that Prism’s leader had envisioned.
Only then did she understand. Why she had come out wearing glasses that didn’t even match the baseball jacket.
This was all merely a piece of the grand design that Yeon Ju-hong had drawn.
I’m so sorry, Ju-hong.
I didn’t even understand your greater vision…!
Prism’s leader swallowed back her tears.
Ah, truly… they were all so beautiful.
And—

Speaking of us, a nightmare
Fireworks in our monotonous daily lives
Turned upside down
Reverse

Even down to Yun Chung at the end.
There was nothing more to wish for.

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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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