Became The Leader of a Girl Group Destined To Fail - Chapter 34

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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 34.

In short, they were asking which trainee she wanted to team up with.
Kim Ryeo-yu smiled brightly and immediately—

“I’ve always admired Baek-young unnie.”

She pointed to Seo Baek-young.
Murmurs of admiration rippled through the audience.
I had to admit, I was impressed too.
That girl really doesn’t beat around the bush.

“Very well. Please head inside. Next, trainee Yeon Ju-hong!”
“Yes.”

Yeon Ju-hong answered while raising her right arm sharply.
This isn’t a classroom, Ju-hong.
You don’t need to raise your hand…

“Which trainee would you like to compete against?”
“I’d like to face Ryeo-yu unnie!”
“Oh, and why is that?”
“Because she has the highest ranking in our position! My goal is always to aim for the top!”

Yeon Ju-hong was genuinely bright and cheerful.
Her innocence was so pure that even her bold challenge didn’t come across as offensive.

“Trainee Seo Baek-young, which trainee would you like to compete against?”
“…I’m fine with anyone.”
“Oh, what do you mean by that?”
“Because I’ll win regardless of who comes.”
“Wow.”

Next to me, Kim Geum made playful chirping sounds while waving her hands excitedly.
Yeon Ju-hong joined in enthusiastically, swinging her hands along with her.
At that, Seo Baek-young’s face flushed red. She seemed embarrassed by her own words.
Now she’s embarrassed.
I’m embarrassed too.
Kim Geum was a character who never lacked confidence, but Seo Baek-young’s confidence had a different quality—it was genuinely formidable.
While her vocals seemed somewhat uncertain, when it came to dancing, she possessed an unshakeable conviction that no one could surpass her.
I appreciated that kind of conviction.
People with self-assurance are magnetic.

“Trainee Seo Baek-young. You certainly live up to your reputation as Colors’ veteran, with such remarkable confidence.”
“…W-well. And because all the trainees are so talented… no matter who comes—”
“Right, right. It’s a bit late for damage control, though.”

Do Hee-young teased Seo Baek-young with a knowing smile.

“I’ve watched Baek-young since she was little, and… she’s grown so well. I’m really proud. Even though I didn’t do anything.”
“Right. You didn’t do anything.”
“What did you just say?!”
“Oh, just kidding.”

The two of them seemed to have known each other for a long time, joking around without any awkwardness between them.

“Honestly, Colors is nothing without confidence. Not just me, but all our members have tremendous pride as well. I think the other groups probably feel the same way.”

Do Hee-young looked at us with what seemed like affectionate eyes.
Was this what a senior’s heart felt like?
I was the sole breadwinner of my Entertainment Company and its only signed artist.
So I had no juniors at the company.
I’d heard they were training trainees, but I’d never actually seen them—only caught glimpses in passing.
So I couldn’t quite grasp what Do Hee-young’s feelings were.
Even when other celebrities talked about their “juniors,” it never really resonated with me.
I didn’t have many close celebrity acquaintances, after all.
But now, I was beginning to understand a little.

“Anyway, let’s get back to the main topic.”

Do Hee-young cleared her throat, as if embarrassed.

“Team Four Seasons won the last mission.”
“Yes!”
“We informed the winning team that there would be benefits for the next mission. So I’m about to announce those benefits now.”

Do Hee-young continued, her gaze fixed on the four of us.

“It turns out Team Four Seasons has exactly two trainees in the dance position. Yeon Ju-hong and Lee Ju-seon.”

Don’t tell me. Don’t tell me.
I had a sinking feeling I already knew what the benefit was.

“Yes!”
“The two of you will become team leaders. The benefit of this evaluation is that you get to directly select your own team members.”

I knew it.
My spirits sank.
I only had one team.
Same with Kim Geum.
This benefit meant nothing to either of us.
Kim Geum’s shoulders drooped—a rare sight, since they were usually practically touching the sky.
It was unusual to see her like that. Her shoulders were normally held so high they practically reached the heavens.

“Don’t be discouraged. Kim Geum and Yun Chung. There’s a benefit for you two as well. I’ll tell you about that later.”

A test of patience, then.
I eventually nodded in acceptance.

“Now, please take turns selecting your team members. First, Yeon Ju-hong, since you have the higher ranking.”

Yeon Ju-hong’s face was brimming with ambition.
Whenever she made that expression, I found it somewhat frightening.

“Ryeo-yu, unnie!”

Kim Ryeo-yu stood beside Yeon Ju-hong with a knowing smile, as if she had expected as much.

“I’ll choose… Su-in, unnie.”

12th place Bang Su-in.
I began to understand Lee Ju-seon’s strategy.

“I’m Baek-young!”

Pure ambition incarnate.
She gathered only the most popular trainees from each position.
It was a choice that could have been disadvantageous, yet Yeon Ju-hong refused to compromise.
I appreciated that.

“Then the last trainee, Shin Yu-hyeon, will be joining Lee Ju-seon’s team.”

With all the dance positions finalized, every team was now complete.

“Now, let me explain the competition rules in greater detail. Everyone—what do you consider most important in a mission?”

Do Hee-young’s question sent everyone into contemplation.

“…Teamwork?”

That was Seo Baek-young’s answer.

“Skill?”

That was Kim Geum.

“Practice?”

That was Yeon Ju-hong.

“Charm.”

That was Kim Ryeo-yu.

“Talent.”

Surprisingly, that was Ryu Bora’s answer.
And my answer was—

“The song.”

That was it.
The other trainees’ answers were all correct too.
But that mattered for debut and voting.
What truly mattered for the mission itself was the song’s quality.
A good performance came from a good song, after all.

“You’re all correct. However, I’d like to give my vote to Yun Chung’s answer. The reason is that the question pertains to the ‘mission’ itself. If I had been asked what’s most important for an idol in general, I would have answered similarly to the other trainees.”

Do Hee-young said this and pointed at the television again.
The screen changed—

“Hello, I’m Dan-ha from Burnash.”

A man appeared.
…I knew him well.
Actually, everyone knew him well.

“I composed all of your mission songs.”
“!”

The trainees’ eyes widened in astonishment.
Dan-ha from Burnash was already renowned for composition and production.
Despite being only in his second year, he had released one single album and two mini albums.
He participated in composing every song on each album.
The title tracks were solely his compositions.
All of them were massive hits.
If asked to name the most talked-about idol of the moment, Burnash would undoubtedly be the answer.
He had been actively composing since his trainee days and was rumored to be a genius.

“The songs I’m about to play for you are ones I created, inspired by classical novels.”

Classical novels.
It was a double-edged sword of a concept.
If executed well, it would be engaging with plenty of room for interpretation.
But if handled poorly, it could feel stale or overly difficult.

“I’ve prepared five songs in total, so please choose the one you like most and create your performance around it.”

As soon as Dan-ha finished her introduction, the competition songs began playing one after another.
And when all five songs ended, we were all—

“Incredible.”

Speechless.

“What did you all think? There are so many songs here that it would be a shame to use them only once, don’t you agree?”
“Absolutely!”

Do Hee-young nodded as if she understood exactly how we felt.
Even I found myself nodding along involuntarily to those songs.
The five tracks were each distinctly different from one another, yet every single one was addictive and brimming with personality.
Any entertainment company with an appetite for quality music would be salivating over them.
I myself was already tempted.

“So, the team song of the MVP of MVP among these tracks will be included on the debut album.”
“!”

Debut album.
Just hearing those words made my heart flutter.
The other trainees felt the same way—their expressions had grown noticeably more resolute than before.
That’s right.
Debut really wasn’t far away anymore.

“Now then, Yun Chung and Kim Geum.”
“Yes.”
“I’ll give you the benefit I couldn’t provide earlier.”
“Could it be…!”
“Suspense kills, doesn’t it? Yes, that’s right. I’m giving you first pick of the songs.”

Now I understood why Do Hee-young had been so confident earlier.
First pick of the songs.
It was an enormous advantage.
The only problem was—

“I’d like to choose first!”

The order.

“….”

Kim Geum….
Kim Geum eagerly raised her hand, only to get pinched by Ryu Bora.

“Ow!”
“Well then, you two trainees. We need to decide who chooses first.”
“Hmm.”

Kim Geum deliberately extinguished the fire blazing in her eyes.
I stared at her with equally lifeless eyes because of it.
That impatient girl.
If we end up debuting together, I’ll need to fix that hasty temperament of hers first.

“Let’s keep it fair—decide with rock-paper-scissors.”

I nodded in agreement.
Back down?
Not a chance.
Teammates are teammates, but competition is competition.
Kim Geum seemed to feel the same way, her eyes burning with fierce determination.
You’re going to turn to ash, Geum.

“Scissors!”
“Rock!”
“Paper!”

Following the trainees’ calls, we each threw our hands forward.

“Ahhhhh!”

Whose scream was that?
Isn’t it obvious?

“Why are you so good at rock-paper-scissors, unnie!”

It was Kim Geum’s cry of despair.
Sorry, but Cotton Ball Entity showed me everything you’d throw yesterday through the article.

“I’m just lucky, that’s all.”
“Sigh…”

Kim Geum reluctantly accepted her defeat and stepped back.
The other trainees patted Kim Geum’s shoulder in encouragement.

“Now then, trainee Yun Chung.”
“Yes.”
“Which song will you choose?”

Dan-ha had composed a total of five songs.

1. Little Women
2. The Pendulum
3. Fingertips
4. Sigh
5. Medea

All the vocal position trainees looked at me with anxious eyes.
Of course they did.
The song I chose wasn’t just for me to perform.
They would have to sing it too.
But you all are incredibly fortunate, you know.

“I’ll go with ‘Fingertips.'”

I already knew which song would win the competition.

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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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