Became The Leader of a Girl Group Destined To Fail - Chapter 31

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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 31.

Do Hee-young explained the rules of Menukal once more.

“In the final ranking announcement, the four trainees who place in the Top 4, along with one trainee selected by the judges, will ultimately debut. Therefore, the 5th-place trainee cannot be considered completely safe. While they have secured a debut slot, the judges may choose not to select them.”

If that’s the case, shouldn’t they call it a debut candidate rather than a secured slot?
I cursed under my breath.

“What that means is that the trainees who haven’t been called yet—those without secured slots—also have opportunities. Continue to showcase your potential. Our judges will evaluate you based on that potential. We will make our decisions based on the potential you haven’t fully displayed on the broadcast.”

It was essentially words of consolation for the lower-ranked trainees, but no one looked particularly pleased.

“Then, I will announce 5th place.”

5th Place
Seo Baek-young 213,452 votes

The moment Seo Baek-young’s name appeared on the screen, she swayed to the side, nearly losing her balance.
Ryu Bora caught and steadied her.
She hadn’t seemed that nervous, but apparently she was more tense than I’d thought.
…it was rather pitiful to watch.
Seo Baek-young came forward and gave her remarks.

“I’m the oldest here, and I’ve been lacking in many ways, so I was feeling quite anxious. I kept thinking, what if I don’t debut this time? I’m so grateful to all the Colorists for giving me this opportunity. Going forward…”

Her remarks were characteristically calm and sincere.
The fact that her remarks were quite lengthy was also very much like Seo Baek-young.
The moment Seo Baek-young sat in the 5th-place chair, the broadcast continued.

“Now, I will announce the 4th-place trainee.”

4th Place
Ryu Bora 235,785 votes

As the camera turned toward Ryu Bora, she displayed that familiar radiant smile once more.
Sparkling eyes and lips curved upward in a gentle arc.
She looked like the female lead from a drama who had fallen in love.
Not the face of someone who had achieved excellent results in a competition.
…An expression that carried an oddly discordant quality.

“I’m so grateful to all the Team Bubble Gum trainees. Especially the leader…”

Ryu Bora offered her closing remarks, expressing gratitude to her teammates and fans.
It was a textbook-perfect, concise greeting.
She delivered it without a single tremor in her voice.

“Now announcing third place.”

3rd Place
Kim Geum: 284,987 votes

“!”

I could sense the commotion rippling through the crowd.
Kim Geum had been a strong frontrunner for first place, so the reaction was inevitable.
Even Kim Geum herself seemed shaken—I could see her pupils trembling slightly.
But she quickly steadied herself and bounded up to the podium with spirited determination.

“First, I want to express my deepest gratitude to all the Colorists!”

Wow, what a powerful voice.
Kim Geum’s voice had been resonant and clear from start to finish.
…I have to admit, that spirited energy of hers is genuinely appealing.

“Now, only first place, second place, and twelfth place remain.”

The remaining contestants were me, Kim Ryeo-yu, and Bang Su-in.
Everyone had already predicted who would place twelfth.
Bang Su-in herself had her eyes squeezed shut.
It was clear she was holding back tears.
Every time I witnessed this, I was reminded of how truly cruel this system was.
If they announced twelfth place first, at least it would give people time to accept it.

“As announced at the beginning, the trainee ranked twelfth will receive a handicap. The details of this handicap will be revealed during the next mission. Now, I will announce the twelfth-place trainee.”

The faces of the three of us appeared on the screen, divided into thirds.

“Bang Su-in, trainee.”

12th Place
Bang Su-in 45,512 votes

Remarkably few votes.
The vast gap in votes hurt far more than the ranking itself.
Bang Su-in climbed onto the stage and took the microphone.

“I am lacking in many ways, yet I sincerely thank all the Colorists who voted for me nonetheless. Going forward, I will show you greater improvement.”

Bang Su-in seemed to be forcibly holding back tears that were welling up.

“I think I was far too complacent. I will work even harder from now on…. I apologize to my family, who had such high expectations, and to my fans.”

There was no reason to apologize.
My heart felt heavy.
All the trainees felt the same way. We lowered our heads. Because we understood what that emotion meant, we couldn’t bear to watch.
Do Hee-young’s eyes held the same anguish.

“Bang Su-in, think of this as merely a midterm evaluation. You are doing more than well enough. If you continue to improve from here, many people will come to recognize your true worth.”

In the end, Bang Su-in broke down in tears.
The tears she had been holding back burst forth at that warm comfort.
Do Hee-young embraced Bang Su-in and then helped her back to her seat.
Once Bang Su-in was seated, the other trainees approached and patted her gently.
Even though it was a competition, emotions had not disappeared.

“Now, I will announce the second-place trainee.”

I felt the camera focus on Kim Ryeo-yu and me.
Soon, our two faces appeared on the screen, divided in half.
Both Kim Ryeo-yu and I maintained composed expressions.
We had no choice.
We both already knew the results.

2nd Place
Yun Chung 293,980 votes

A gasp.
The trainees covered their mouths in shock.
Simultaneously, the screen changed.

1st Place
Kim Ryeo-yu 300,609 votes

“With a difference of 6,629 votes, trainee Kim Ryeo-yu has secured first place.”

An incredibly narrow margin.
Yet both of our expressions remained composed.
Especially mine, since I had learned the results yesterday.

[Kim Ryeo-yu, ‘Menukal 1st Place’, 300,609 votes… Yun Chung falls short at 293,980 votes]

That’s why I received this notification on my phone.
I’m not sure why Cotton Ball Entity would tell me something like this….
Perhaps it was giving me time to mentally prepare.
For sensationalist articles like these.
Why sensationalist?
Obviously.
Because the real first place was—

“Well then, we should tally up the bonus votes now.”

me.
My votes were 293,980. Adding the 50,000 bonus votes gives me 343,980 votes.
That surpasses Kim Ryeo-yu’s 300,609 votes.
Director Kim knew both my vote count and Kim Ryeo-yu’s, so he deliberately set the bonus at 50,000 votes.
Rather than awarding the bonus for the next mission, he deliberately gave it for this meaningless interim popularity poll.
To make fans and the public turn against each other.
Kim Ryeo-yu’s fans would naturally claim she was the true first place, while my fans would argue otherwise.
By drawing this kind of negative attention, he was trying to manufacture sympathy for Kim Ryeo-yu.

“First, trainee Kim Geum, who placed first in the on-site voting. Adding the 50,000 bonus votes brings the total to 334,987 votes.”

Kim Geum also seemed to sense the awkward atmosphere, and her expression wasn’t particularly pleased.

“Next, trainee Yun Chung, selected as MVP by the judges. Adding the 50,000 bonus votes brings the total to 343,980 votes.”

As Do Hee-young pointed to the screen, the updated rankings appeared once more.

3rd Place
Kim Ryeo-yu 300,609 votes
2nd Place
Kim Geum 334,987 votes
(284,987 + 50,000)
1st Place
Yun Chung 343,980 votes
(293,980 + 50,000)

With the bonus votes added, Kim Ryeo-yu, who had originally been in first place, had dropped to third.
No one was pleased with this situation.
In fact, even I and Kim Geum, who had benefited from the bonus votes to claim first and second place, weren’t happy about it.
So this was why they selected me as MVP.
I made every effort to hide my bitterness.
I wondered why they hadn’t given the MVP to Kim Ryeo-yu instead.
They were probably trying to make Kim Geum and me targets of criticism this way.
No matter how legitimately earned these votes were, it was essentially giving ammunition to Kim Ryeo-yu’s fans.

“Trainee Kim Geum, congratulations on placing second. Since we already heard your thoughts earlier, I’ll skip the closing remarks this time.”

Do Hee-young also offered her congratulations to Kim Geum with an ambiguous expression.

“Then, trainee Kim Ryeo-yu. Please share your thoughts on placing third.”

Kim Ryeo-yu’s expression didn’t waver at the mention of third place as she climbed onto the stage.
One might call it spirited, but knowing the full context, it just looked shameless to me.

“First, I’m grateful to all my teammates who believed in me and followed my lead. Since I’m an insufficient leader… my teammates should have ranked higher than me….”

As Kim Ryeo-yu spoke, tears suddenly streamed down her face.

“I’m also deeply grateful to all the Colorists who voted for me. Thank you for believing in me… and for cherishing me. Honestly… it was truly difficult for me… but I’ll treasure today for the rest of my life, and I’m grateful for the abundant opportunities I’ve been given.”

Do Hee-young handed Kim Ryeo-yu a handkerchief.
Kim Ryeo-yu buried her face completely in the handkerchief and wiped away her tears.

“There have been many misunderstandings… I’ll prove through my actions, one by one, that I’m not someone to disappoint the Colorists who supported me. And.”

Kim Ryeo-yu turned her head to look at me.
The camera followed, capturing me in frame.

“Yun Chung, I sincerely congratulate you on first place. I’m genuinely happy for you. Having a friend like you makes me feel so reassured.”

I smiled with the most moved expression I could muster.
So reassured that she nearly sent someone to their grave.
She really was something else.

“From now on, I’ll prove through my results and actions that everything said about me was merely a misunderstanding. Thank you!”

Well, it was a misunderstanding, wasn’t it?
Her remarkably loaded closing remarks finished, and Kim Ryeo-yu took her seat in third place.

“Now, in first place, trainee Yun Chung. Please come up.”

And it was my turn.

“First, I’m grateful to all the Colorists who voted for me. 293,980 votes—I’ll never forget them and will carry them in my heart always. I decided to become an idol because I desperately wanted moments like these. Because I know that if I give my all sincerely, there will be people who support me with equal sincerity. I’ll think of today as one of those moments.”

I slowly turned my head.

“But today, I want to give the first-place title to Ryeo-yu.”

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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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