Became The Leader of a Girl Group Destined To Fail - Chapter 43

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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 43.

All the recordings were finished, and the choreography was complete as well.
Rather than one person leading the choreography composition, we all pooled our creative energy together.
Since I’d established the basic concept, I naturally contributed the most ideas.

“Ugh, I’m exhausted.”
“At least we finished the choreography before tomorrow’s evaluation.”
“…Should we pull an all-nighter?”
“Stop it. Do you have anything scheduled for tomorrow?”

On the way home from practice.
The cameras had returned after a long absence.
Since it was the day before the midterm evaluation, it seemed they were filming to capture the trainees’ emotional state.

“Yun Chung, be honest with me.”
“…?”

At Lee Gyeong-a’s sudden remark, I simply raised an eyebrow.

“You know, that concept. Hidden strength, genuine underdog. Is that it?”

Hidden… what?
A slang term from a decade ago—the cognitive dissonance hit me hard.

“Hidden strength, genuine underdog. I mean, you couldn’t dance at all before, right? But when we were creating the choreography this time, you seemed capable of at least being a backup dancer, even if not a main dancer.”
“Oh, come on, I’m not that good.”

I waved my hand dismissively.
Since the previous Yun Chung had been so terrible, my ordinary skills appeared relatively impressive by comparison.
Thanks to that, I’d earned everyone’s curiosity.
Really, though.
I wasn’t sure whether to be grateful to Yun Chung or not.

“Anyway, thanks to you, we established the concept smoothly and choreographed everything well.”
“Truly.”

Ryu Bora, who had been sitting quietly, nodded her head.
Why do you keep agreeing from over there like it’s some strange thing?

“…This time, Yun Chung really did well.”

Given the atmosphere, Jo Hee-on felt compelled to say something, though she seemed reluctant to speak.
It was obvious she was forcing it, but what could I do.

“If you performed like this normally too, hmm? How wonderful that would be!”

…Never mind.
You’d be better off staying silent.

“Still, thanks to Yun Chung, our chances of winning have gone up. I’m putting my faith in you, Yun Chung.”
“Huh?”
“We got first place last time, so we’ll get it this time too. And besides, all these ideas are yours this time around.”

…This.
It sounds like praise, but it’s actually putting a lot of pressure on me.
Especially now, when I don’t really want to be associated with the word “first place.”
Is she deliberately trying to start a conflict with Kim Ryeo-yu’s fans?

“Come on. Last time, it was Ryeo-yu who got first place. I only got first place because of our team.”

I said that and added more.

“So this time, let’s support each other. Anyone could be chosen as MVP of MVP. That’s how important teamwork is.”

Jo Hee-on shrugged her shoulders.

“Right. Someone has to win anyway.”
“Let’s just do well starting with tomorrow’s mid-evaluation.”

Then, Ryu Bora quietly threw out a comment.

“If even one team member makes a mistake, honestly, MVP of MVP is off the table.”

Oh.
What’s gotten into you, speaking at such length?
Unfamiliar with this side of her, I glanced at Ryu Bora.
Jo Hee-on hadn’t expected Ryu Bora to come out like this either, her face flushing red.
In fact, Jo Hee-on had made the most mistakes during today’s practice.

“Was that something you wanted me to hear?”
“Oh my.”

Ryu Bora smiled brightly.

“You were talking about MVP of MVPs. I meant that if we’re desperate for benefits, we should at least not be a burden—we shouldn’t cause problems. Since you and I make the most mistakes. I was just saying we should be careful.”

Silence hung in the air for a moment.
Though she’d said “you and I,” it essentially meant you should stop making mistakes.
Ryu Bora, who was always in angel mode in front of the camera, had everyone flustered.

“We haven’t been practicing long, so it’s inevitable we make mistakes. The song is this difficult, and there’s choreography on top of it.”
“That’s true. It’s hard. I find it hard too. But that doesn’t mean we should make mistakes anyway. I was just saying we should all snap to attention and do our best.”

Ugh.

“Your words are a bit sharp, aren’t they?”

Ryu Bora shrugged her shoulders.
It was the exact same gesture Jo Hee-on had made earlier.

“Did I upset you, unnie? If my saying let’s do well tomorrow upset you, I’m sorry. I’ll apologize.”
“No, Bora. It’s just—”
“Yeah, Hee-on. You know Bora didn’t mean it that way.”

Unable to watch any longer, Lee Gyeong-a interjected.

“Let’s all just snap to attention tomorrow and go for it. Okay? If you guys mess up, I’m the one who gets cursed out.”
“Yes.”

I answered quickly.

“I’ll give it my all tomorrow. Everyone, let’s do our best. Haha.”

Jo Hee-on was still fuming, while Ryu Bora continued to feign ignorance with that “I don’t know anything” expression plastered across her face.
…When she’s on my side, she’s so reliable.
But if she becomes an enemy….
Ugh.
Still, I can’t get used to it.
Ryu Bora taking my side.
I nudged Ryu Bora’s shoulder with mine.
It was my way of showing gratitude.
Yet Ryu Bora pulled away from me with a look that seemed to ask, “What are you doing?”
…Or was I wrong?
Maybe she wasn’t actually on my side—maybe she was just Jo Hee-on’s enemy.
Either way, she was impossible to read.

***

“First up, Dance Position A. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

Mid-evaluation day.
The cameras had assembled once again after a long while.
We sat in a corner of the Practice Room, waiting for our turn to be evaluated.
The first group was Dance Position A: Yeon Ju-hong, Seo Baek-young, and Kim Ryeo-yu.
This was our chance to see how 【The Pendulum】 had transformed so dramatically.
Truthfully, I was most curious about this.
The combination of those three seemed like it could be interesting.
The three of them had already taken their formation.
But somehow….

“Did they fight?”

Lee Gyeong-a whispered to me.
I nodded.
If you knew them even a little, you could tell.
Yeon Ju-hong with her puffed cheeks, Seo Baek-young with her raised eyebrows, Kim Ryeo-yu with her composed expression.
That.
They’d had a massive fight.
But fight or not, the song wouldn’t wait for them.

Pit, Pit
You are a trap laid out for me
Shh, Shh
Our bond sways like scissors
I can’t run away from you

As the song progressed, the trainees exchanged nervous glances with one another.
Wait, isn’t this the song we heard before?
No, it’s not.
Why did the song turn out like that?
The judges seemed to share similar thoughts, their expressions darkening.

“Listen up.”

Kang Soon-hwa spoke with a grave expression.

“What’s wrong with you all? Why did you butcher the song like this?”

The vocal trainer wasn’t the only one with plenty to say.
Jo Won-ho’s forehead was creased with tension.

“I don’t even understand downgrading the song. You’re the dance position. Can choreography at this level work? There’s no impact whatsoever. Who created this choreography?”

Yeon Ju-hong and Seo Baek-young’s gazes flicked toward Kim Ryeo-yu before returning.

“We all created it together, sir.”

Seo Baek-young answered.
A textbook response.
And a textbook mediocre one at that.

“Listen. If you keep going like this… you’ll have to drop the ‘Dream Team’ label and add ‘Nightmare Team’ instead. Are you okay with that?”
“No, sir….”
“You’re all in serious trouble. I mean it. Why did the song end up like this? Did Dan-ha really approve of the song being arranged this way?”

Right?
I’m wondering the same thing.
How on earth did that stickler even approve it…?
This time, no one answered.
Not even Yeon Ju-hong.
But seeing her bite her lip, it wasn’t that she had nothing to say—she simply couldn’t say it.
She had plenty to say, but couldn’t voice it.

“Baek-young, give us an answer.”

The two trainers pressed Seo Baek-young.
This was infuriating.
With her experience, there’s no way she didn’t know. That Seo Baek-young hadn’t wanted to rearrange the song like this.
Of course, the real culprit behind all of this was—

“I apologize.”

It had to be Kim Ryeo-yu.

“Consult again about the song arrangement and bring a revised version. Right now it’s so dull I can barely stand to listen to it.”
“I actually thought I was going to fall asleep listening to it.”
“And the choreography—please, stop trying to take the easy, comfortable route. If that’s what you’re going for, debut somewhere other than Colors. Don’t tarnish our name.”

That was harsh.
But understandable. Two of them had debut potential, and Seo Baek-young was famous as Colors’ ace trainee.
With such talented members gathered, trying to coast like this looked terrible.
They should have taken risks, even if it meant appearing overwhelmed.

“Why are they like that? Do they want to drive people crazy?”
“Guess they don’t want to debut.”

The typical comments you’d expect from an audition program came out.
I could see Oh PD’s mouth stretching into a grin.
Let’s ignore that.
Next, the Dance Position B stage began.

We stuck in love maze
My destiny
Don’t look at me like that
You’re the one who made me this way

Lee Ju-seon….
She’s doing well?
It wasn’t just the trainees who were surprised by the unexpected strong performance.
The trainers also widened their eyes in astonishment.
A combination of three lower-ranked members.
Since it was a team no one had high expectations for, the effect was outstanding.
Everything Dance Team A wanted was present in Team B.
With nothing to lose, they threw everything into it.
High notes that climbed endlessly, and breathless, relentless choreography.

“Hey, Ju-seon. I’m seeing you in a new light, seriously.”
“Right?”

The trainers didn’t hold back their praise either.
Exactly. That’s what I’m saying.
I didn’t even train her, so why do I feel so proud?
The Four Seasons team all looked at Lee Ju-seon with satisfied expressions.
Our villain… has grown.

“Thank you!”
“Still, don’t get complacent. Keep up this energy.”
“Yes!”

Lee Ju-seon returned with a satisfied smile on her face.
I quietly gave her two thumbs up.
Lee Ju-seon grinned triumphantly and sat down.
The midterm evaluation for the Dance position was complete.
So next would probably be….

“Vocal position, please come forward.”

It was our turn.
We took our positions at the intro, just as planned.
A murmur of surprise rippled through the room.
They’d probably expected us vocalists to simply stand and sing.
But what we had in mind was so much more.
We exchanged knowing glances.
And now,

Oh, you
On this night when even the full moon smiles
Where are you going

My moment had arrived.

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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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