Became The Leader of a Girl Group Destined To Fail - Chapter 42

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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 42.

“….”

Han Jae-i and Dan-ha were, in fact, struggling with Ryu Bora’s recording.
While the first recording could be forgiven for faltering on such a difficult song, if the second recording proved equally challenging, it would be problematic.
That’s why they’d deliberately pushed harder, more coldly.
There would be many difficult songs ahead, after all.
She couldn’t fall apart here. She had to endure. Just like that.
But it was Dan-ha who came up with an idea when the recording remained hopelessly stuck.
There had actually been a similar case at Burnash.
Back then, a member named Seung-min had been struggling.
After much difficulty, Hong President, who happened to pass by the Studio, casually threw out a single suggestion.

‘The member closest to Seung-min—go in and sing together.’

At the time, it seemed like an arbitrary instruction.
But once the recording actually began—

Stretching out fate
What touches is the tip of your hand
Stretching out connection
If only we could be entangled, fingertips

And so, something miraculous emerged.
As Ryu Bora began hesitantly, Yun Chung quietly grasped her hand.

I’ll hold on
Even in any illusion
I’ll hold you

And as if answering, she continued the song.
The two began singing the rest of the song together.
Ryu Bora’s breathing, which had wavered as if unable to adapt at first, gradually began to find its rhythm.
It was because Yun Chung held her hand, keeping time together with her.

“You’re doing well.”
“….”
“At first you wouldn’t even make eye contact, but now it’s like we don’t exist? You two only have eyes for each other.”

Han Jae-i’s words went unanswered by Dan-ha.
What more needed to be said?
This was exactly what I wanted.
Dan-ha simply smiled, a knowing grin spreading across my face.

“Back then… the song you sang together with Seung-min.”
“….”
“It was you.”

Dan-ha remained silent, eyes fixed only on the two people inside the recording studio.
Han Jae-i watched Dan-ha with an enigmatic smile playing at her lips.

“Hopeless guy… won’t even answer.”
“The song’s finished.”
“Oh.”

Han Jae-i switched on the microphone connecting the outside to the recording studio.

“Thank you both for your hard work.”
“Thank you.”

Dan-ha added a brief word as well.

“You both did wonderfully. Far better than we expected, actually.”

At Han Jae-i’s praise, Yun Chung and Ryu Bora immediately released their hands.

“Excellent work. Whenever you’re ready, we’ll go again.”
“?!”
“Trainee Yun Chung, this time just the rap section.”
-Yes.
“Trainee Ryu Bora, that’s not your maximum volume, is it?”
-…I’ll try harder.
“Right, let’s go again.”

At Dan-ha’s words, the other three narrowed their eyes. They should give her rest time, for heaven’s sake.
Yet their lips betrayed them—curving upward with unmistakable satisfaction.
Especially Ryu Bora’s.

***

“Thank you for your hard work!”
“Thank you!”
“Yes, please head out. You’ve done well.”

After the recording ended, brief courtesies were exchanged.
Stepping outside, the sun had already begun its descent.

“Wow, the entire day just vanished like that.”
“…I’m sorry for putting you all through so much trouble.”

Ryu Bora looked somehow… embarrassed.
So you do know how to feel self-conscious.

“Don’t mention it. We finally finished the recording, so that’s what matters.”
“…Still, I apologize. If only I’d performed better…”
“You did well.”
“?”
“Those people are just too demanding.”

I ground my teeth involuntarily.
What kind of perfectionist demons were they?
Take it easy for once.
I felt a surge of frustration welling up inside me.
From the middle onward, Ryu Bora had performed more than adequately, but their standards were unreasonably high.

“You did well. Honestly, those Colors people… all they have are high standards… What, should I give her some bellflower root juice and send her off…?”

With no camera around, I vented freely.
Expecting someone who hadn’t even debuted yet to perform at a twenty-year veteran’s level—what were they thinking?
Would they take responsibility if her vocal cords got damaged?
As I huffed indignantly over nothing, Ryu Bora stared directly at me.
…Did I complain too much on my own?

“Why?”
“No, it’s nothing. Is there anything you’d like to eat?”
“I’m getting hungry.”

I’d been standing for so long.
All my energy had drained away, leaving me famished.

“Let me buy you something.”
“Never mind. You don’t have—”

I was about to wave my hand dismissively, but I stopped myself short.
Wait, if she’d been doing child acting for that long, wouldn’t she have plenty of money?

“Actually, you’ve got money, right?”
“….”

Ryu Bora looked utterly bewildered.

“Come on, let’s grab some tuna sashimi like we used to.”
“…I don’t have much money.”
“What? You’ve been working for years.”
“I spent it all long ago.”
“All of it?”

Where on earth did it go?
I thought of my own bank account, which had simply accumulated since I never had time to spend anything.
I missed those days as Baek Nok-ha.

“Don’t you see why I’m doing trainee work now?”
“Wait, you’re trying to become an idol because you’re broke?”
“What other reason could there possibly be?”
“There are plenty of reasons. It just happens yours is that one.”
“….”

Ryu Bora had nothing to counter with, so she simply shrugged.

“I see. Then let’s grab something simple.”
“What would you like to eat?”
“Tuna kimbap.”
“….”

Why not, seriously.
I love tuna.

“Sure, I can buy that for you. Let’s go.”
“Oh yeah.”

I followed Ryu Bora with a grin spreading across my face.
Sorry, but Yun Chung really had no money….
To the point where buying tuna kimbap made me hesitate a little….
The company covered diet food expenses, but they didn’t support buying things like this.
And so we entered the Kimbap Restaurant.

“One tuna kimbap, please.”

Ryu Bora ordered just one tuna kimbap.
Was she insane…?

“Aren’t you eating?”
“I am.”
“Then why order just one?”
“…One roll is enough for two people to share?”
“Are you crazy?”

Only then did I notice Ryu Bora’s gaunt frame.
Thin people like her always had different standards than mine, different standards altogether.

“Shop Owner, one more tuna kimbap, please.”

I immediately added to the order.
I wanted to order tteokbokki, ramen, and kimchi fried rice too, but I was holding back.
Because I had a shoot tomorrow, I was restraining myself.

“Tuna kimbap is ready.”
“Thank you.”
“But you ladies…”
“Yes?”
“Aren’t you the ones from that show?”

Gasp.
Someone had already recognized us.
I’d grown far too accustomed to Yun Chung’s presence.
Just as I was desperately about to deny it,

“You’re the actress from that drama, right?”

The Shop Owner beat me to it, looking directly at Ryu Bora.
Oh.
It was Ryu Bora, not me.

“Yes, that’s right.”
“Oh, what was the title of that drama you were in? The one on that cable channel.”
“Ah, Three Families Under One Roof. You mean—”
“Yes, that’s it! I really loved you in that. Bong-shim!”

Pfft.
Bong-shim.
It was such an innocent, endearing name—completely at odds with Ryu Bora.

“Why aren’t you acting these days?”
“Well…”

Ryu Bora hesitated.

“Oh, she’s been preparing to be an idol, sir. She’s talented at acting, but her singing is absolutely incredible.”

In the end, I couldn’t help myself and jumped in.

“Oh my! Really? I had no idea.”
“She dances well too. You really should see her perform.”
“Wow, that’s amazing. Actors these days can do anything.”
“Right? She’d be great as an idol too, wouldn’t she?”
“Absolutely. She’s so pretty that she could pull off anything. With a face like that. But you’re pretty too, miss.”
“I’m planning to become an idol alongside her. Please support us. We’re appearing on a program on MEN this Friday night at 10 PM….”

The brief but information-packed conversation with the Shop Owner had finally ended.
He’d even been thorough enough to explain exactly how to vote for us.
…This was the problem. This was the real problem.
My mouth just automatically ran away whenever I encountered an older woman like my mother’s generation.

“Your social skills are really good, unnie.”
“Be quiet.”
“I don’t think you were originally like this. Just like Hee-on unnie said.”
“People change.”

I tried to brush it off casually, but Ryu Bora’s expression grew melancholy.

“Yes. People do change.”
“No, that’s not what I meant for you to take from it.”
“My family changed too. Once they got a taste of money.”

Ryu Bora stuffed a piece of tuna kimbap into her mouth.

“When you earn money, you want more. When you earn more, you want even more.”
“….”
“My younger brother was supposed to study abroad in China for a month or two, but suddenly it became a ten-year program in America. My dad caught the business bug. My mom suddenly got obsessed with real estate.”

Ryu Bora continued stuffing kimbap into her mouth.

“Well, isn’t that how everyone is? Kim Geum even called me the eldest daughter of K. I couldn’t believe it.”

I laughed, but it wasn’t really a laugh.

“When my heart got so suffocated like that, I developed dyslexia. Even when I read, the words wouldn’t register. So naturally, I couldn’t read scripts either.”

Ah, so that was it.
Only then did I begin to understand Ryu Bora’s actions one by one.

“How could I possibly act if I can’t read scripts? Obviously, I couldn’t. But our family’s expenses had already grown, so I needed to keep earning money. That’s when Colors suggested I try being an idol. Of course, my parents welcomed it with open arms. I thought I was becoming a discarded card, but at least there was hope.”
“A discarded card? That’s not true.”
“….”
“You’re our winning card.”

I quietly raised my hand.

“Shop Owner, we’ll have ramen too, please.”

When I could eat this well, why was I going on about a single line of tuna kimbap?
I twitched my eyebrows as I looked at the plate that had been cleaned empty.

“Your dyslexia seems to have improved a lot. I noticed it when looking at the lyrics.”
“The company has provided a lot of treatment support. I’m doing better now. It came on suddenly because of stress in the first place, so they say it might improve if I continue treatment and reduce stress.”
“So the key is receiving less stress.”
“…That’s right.”

The ramen arrived in an instant.
I portioned some ramen onto a front plate and handed it to Ryu Bora.

“For the record, carbohydrates helping reduce stress is a very scientific fact.”
“…Are you sure?”
“Look at Yeon Ju-hong. She eats carbs all the time and she’s always cheerful.”

Ryu Bora seemed convinced.
Judging by how quickly she put the ramen in her mouth.

“If I need to earn my keep, I guess I have to become an idol.”
“That’s right.”
“Then just do it.”
“…You’re really… a person….”

Ryu Bora looked confused.

“I guess I’m not very pitiful?”
“Why would you need to be pitiful?”

I was genuinely puzzled.

“Everyone works to make money. You’re working to make money too, so what’s there to pity about it?”
“…Is it because of your family…that you’re trying to earn money?”
“Ah, that.”

I took a spoonful of the ramen broth and ate it.
This place makes excellent ramen.
I should bring Ju-hong here.
I need to teach her what it means to be a true ramen master.

“You’ll be an adult soon. You can cut ties then.”
“That’s easier said than—”
“It’s not easy. But if you do it, you can.”

I ladled some broth into Ryu Bora’s bowl as well.

“Whatever it is, if you do it, you can. If you don’t, you can’t. If you do, you can.”
“….”
“There’s no such thing as right. I can’t tell you what’s right either. You just do what your heart tells you to.”

I placed a piece of kimchi on Ryu Bora’s spoon as she stared blankly ahead.

“But there’s one thing I’m certain of. If you do it, you can make it. No matter what you decide.”

Then I lifted Ryu Bora’s hand and put the spoon in her mouth.
People need to eat first to regain their strength.

“It might not work at first. But if you keep at it, eventually it will. You know the golden rule of the entertainment industry? ‘Patience leads to success.'”
“…You’re something else.”

Ryu Bora finished the kimchi and then eyed the ramen.
…Did she want more?
I scooped another spoonful of ramen and placed it in her bowl.
Just eat it then—why are you staring at it like that?

“Just try being an idol for now. Who knows—it might work out, or it might not. Either way, we’ll see.”
“But what if I ask to leave after we’ve finally debuted?”
“Then I’ll buy you ramen again.”
“….”
“I have to hold my ground in front of you too. No way, listen—absolutely no leaving, you hear me.”
“Heh.”

Ryu Bora let out a quiet laugh.

“Just debut first, unnie.”
“You debut first and then talk about leaving. Your ranking’s lower than mine anyway.”

Hmph.
We didn’t say anything more after that.
We just ate ramen.
Of course, Ryu Bora paid for everything.

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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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