Became The Leader of a Girl Group Destined To Fail - Chapter 54

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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 54.

Pollen burst forth in cascading clouds, scattering like confetti.
Before Do Hee-young could even finish her announcement, Lee Ju-seon collapsed into my arms beside her.

“Huuuuuuuh.”

And she wept—truly, deeply wept.
…We’d won first place. Why cry?
I should be smiling.
Yet somehow, I found myself trembling and crying alongside her.
It was because Lee Ju-seon’s sobs were so heartfelt, so genuine.
Yeah.
I’m not the type to cry when I’m happy.

“Congratulations to you both.”

Do Hee-young clapped her hands as she offered her congratulations.
That bright smile of hers—it felt like ages since I’d seen it.
I wiped my nose and bowed toward the Audience Seating.

“Thank you so much…!”

Ugh.
I wish I could speak as eloquently as Seo Baek-young.
My voice came out nasally and strained.
I had no choice but to nudge Lee Ju-seon repeatedly.
I’m done for. You—say something, hurry, thank them, share your thoughts—

“Huuuuh. *Hiccup*. Huuuuuuuuuuh.”

…This won’t do.
Lee Ju-seon is hopeless.
I wiped my tears and took the microphone myself.

“To our Vocal Team. I’m so, so… incredibly grateful, truly. And I want to extend my thanks to Ju-seon as well, and to the Dance Position B Team.”

I stammered through my words, struggling to find my footing.
But somehow, speaking anything at all steadied my nerves a little.
One hundred people from the public. Nearly a third of them had chosen me.
…Me, who had even shown up late.

“I don’t think you chose me—I believe you chose our team. I’ll always remain humble, holding this moment close to my heart… and I’ll work even harder to reach out to all our Colorists. Fingertip Team, fighting!”

As I turned to face the camera, pouring my heart out to everyone watching this scene—

“Me.”

An uninvited guest had burst onto the stage.

“…I know I have no right to do this….”

Someone no one had expected.

“But… I just need to say one thing….”

Jo Hee-on.
In an instant, the trainees and the entire stage fell silent.
Jo Hee-on had appeared so suddenly.
Just moments ago, she had been watching us from the audience seating.
Now she stood in the center of the stage, looking directly at me.

“Yun Chung. I’m sorry.”

An apology I never wanted to receive.

“You’re a good person… but I feel like I’ve only done terrible things to you.”
“!”

I could see Oh PD’s face twist into something complicated as he frantically waved his hands.
But Jo Hee-on pressed on, undeterred.

“Me leaving like this might not be the greatest gift to you… but I hope it at least serves as an apology.”

Coward.

“I apologize. I’ll stop here….”

In the end, Jo Hee-on never exposed Kim Ryeo-yu.
She simply ran away.

***

As I stumbled down from the stage in a daze, someone grabbed my wrist.
Startled by the crushing force, I spun around.
This wasn’t ordinary malice—it was something far worse!
It was Director Kim.

“Yun Chung trainee. Come with me.”

Director Kim shoved me into an empty waiting room and began speaking on his own terms.

“You’re debuting. Just like that.”
“…What?”
“And we’re burying this whole incident.”

Director Kim leaned back arrogantly against the sofa as he spoke.

“Isn’t this what you wanted? To debut. I’ve taken care of Jo Hee-on too. She’d definitely throw a fit about debuting alongside you, so I handled it first.”
“That’s harsh language. You shouldn’t describe a person that way.”
“We’ll coordinate the narrative with Oh PD and release it on our end. I promise there won’t be any fallout for you.”

This family was truly insane in every sense.
Kim Ryeo-yu was one thing, but Director Kim was another.

“Jo Hee-on is leaving due to health issues. The reason she apologized to you is because you worked hard despite being sick, but she couldn’t endure it and had to leave. Two people who started as rivals but became best friends. Good narrative, right? It benefits you too—there’s nothing bad about it for you.”
“What about Kim Ryeo-yu?”
“What?”
“Is Kim Ryeo-yu debuting? On the same team as me?”

Why would he omit the most crucial detail?
She’s the root cause of all this.
He can’t just leave her out of the equation.

“I wouldn’t know about that.”
“!”

Director Kim smiled with cunning calculation.

“Kim Ryeo-yu? She’ll debut no matter what. But whether she debuts on the same team as you—that’s uncertain. That depends on how well she performs.”
“…!”
“I have no intention of manipulating the vote count. At first, I considered it, but it turns out Oh PD is surprisingly sensitive about that sort of thing.”

Director Kim let out a scornful laugh, as if dismissing the notion.

“There’s no need to go as far as vote manipulation. We can simply have Kim Ryeo-yu withdraw.”
“Why would I do that?”

Director Kim’s gaze turned sharp and cold.

“You’re still young and ignorant about how the world works. The world doesn’t give you everything you want just because you want it all. I made one concession, so you shut your mouth and make one too. If you’re so confident in yourself, then go ahead and crush Kim Ryeo-yu on your own and debut.”

Director Kim spoke while looking directly at me.

“I can halt this entire program right now if I choose. If that happens, you’ll be blocking the debut path for all the other girls too, won’t you?”

I sat down across from Director Kim.

“A concession?”

There was no reason for me to stand alone and listen to his nonsense.

“What exactly are you claiming you conceded?”

It was absurd.

“That you didn’t halt production? In the first place, halting production isn’t something you can do on a whim. I know that too. At a massive company like Colors, decisions can’t be made based on one person’s opinion.”

Though Colors operated with a certain corner-cutting informality—like a mom-and-pop shop run on a whim—it was still a publicly listed company, after all.
How exactly were you planning to explain this to the shareholders?
And what would you tell Hong President?
I knew that Director Kim could never stop what was coming.
I could feel Director Kim grinding his teeth.
But I, too, was genuinely furious for the first time in a long while.

“For the sake of the other girls, I’ll keep my mouth shut, but it would be in your best interest if both Ryeo-yu and you, Director, offered me a proper apology.”

Director Kim let out a scoff, sneering.

“And if I don’t, what are you going to do about it?”

I didn’t answer.
If that’s how it is, then I’ll make sure you regret it bitterly through other means.

***

[‘Make a New Color’, unprecedented crisis… 000’s sudden withdrawal, why?]
[Make a New Color Production Crew, “health reasons… prioritizing trainees’ wellbeing”]
[Colors ☞ ‘discord rumors unfounded’ statement, where’s the truth?]
Strong spoiler) One trainee withdrew

I just came back from the audience seating and one trainee withdrew lol

Who is it?
└ J.H.O
└└ Wait, why is she withdrawing…?
└└└I don’t know for sure because I only heard things being talked about among the in-laws.
★
Wait, why is Hee-on withdrawing…? And she volunteered to withdraw…?
No way, the Jo Hee-on and Ryeo-yu combo was my favorite pairing
Please RT ㅠㅠ #I will absolutely protect Jo Hee-on #I am against Jo Hee-on leaving
Isn’t it weird though, the girl says she’s withdrawing right after joining the Vocal Team #Make_a_New_Color_explain #Jo_Hee-on_protect_always #Jo_Hee-on_withdrawal_opposed

Articles poured out in torrents.
Even people who didn’t normally watch the show gathered as the controversy erupted.

There were whispers that Yun Chung had bullied her…

Jo Hee-on left after completely calling you out on your way out?

Hey, you guys who went to watch, come over here for a sec

I know you weren’t there, but did you hear anything in the hallway??

I don’t knowㅠ We were there only when the MVP was announced. I think Jo Hee-on showed up when the MOM was being decided.
└ Did Yun Chung’s Vocal Team ostracize Hee-on?
There’s no official statement yet, stop jumping to conclusions lol
Jo Hee-on withdrew on her own, so why are you blaming others…? Did you lose your mind while being a fan?
└No, we’re the ones being fans, but you’re the one giving unsolicited advice lol Just move along~!
└└She probably left because of personal circumstances, so why are you demanding the Production Crew explain it lol Ugh… the Production Crew is so pitiful. From their perspective, Jo Hee-on is causing a scene;

Of course, the atmosphere in the Dormitory couldn’t have been good.
Everyone was gloomy. Trainees from any room.
Our room was no exception.

“Why did she leave so suddenly? And what’s with her apologizing to Yun Chung?”

Kim Geum’s expression was one of complete bewilderment.
She had every right to be.
The only people who knew the full story, besides Jo Hee-on, were Kim Ryeo-yu and me.
By now, Director Kim probably heard everything too.
I checked the real-time reactions on my phone.
All I could do was laugh bitterly.
I was the victim, yet somehow I was becoming the perpetrator.
Strike first, strike hard—was that it?

“Yun Chung, maybe—”
“Read the room, Kim Geum.”

Ryu Bora cut off Kim Geum’s endless questioning.

“…I’m going to step out for a bit.”

I left the room, my chest tight with frustration.
Click.
Damn it.

“Oh my.”

The moment I stepped out, I ran straight into the last person I wanted to see.
Kim Ryeo-yu was drinking water with a smug expression plastered across her face.

“Yun Chung, you okay?”
“…Okay with what?”
“Everyone thinks Hee-on left because of you, right? Well, I mean, that’s not entirely wrong, is it?”

This insane woman.
I was so dumbfounded that all I could do was laugh.

“Sure. If we’re talking about who actually caused this, isn’t it more you than me?”
“What nonsense are you spouting, Yun Chung? Hee-on specifically apologized to you before she left.”

Kim Ryeo-yu snickered and stepped closer to me.

“I heard everything from your aunt. She said if I apologize and your aunt apologizes, you’ll keep your mouth shut.”

Kim Ryeo-yu tilted her head back, deliberately trying to look down at me.

“An apology? I’ll give you one gladly. I’m sorry, Yun Chung. Really, truly sorry. Okay?”
“Wow.”

I barely restrained the urge to grab Kim Ryeo-yu by the hair.
I genuinely wondered what kind of family education produced someone like this.

“You call that an apology? What happens if I don’t stay quiet?”
“Then you all go down together—Jo Hee-on and you. Want to spill everything, Yun Chung? But here’s the thing. Jo Hee-on will never take your side. At best, she’ll just keep her mouth shut. So who do you think people will believe—you, who had a bad relationship with her, or me, who’s been closest to her all along?”

Kim Ryeo-yu laughed softly, then pretended to pat my head before messing up my hair.

“So let’s handle this gracefully while I’m being nice about it, yeah?”

I swatted her hand away.

“Gracefully?”

The sheer absurdity of it all left me speechless.

“I haven’t decided on anything yet. Your aunt went to the trouble of creating this opportunity, and you’re kicking it away like this. Does your aunt know? Don’t upset people—just stay quiet. I’m serious.”

No matter how much I try to let things pass, she won’t leave me alone.
I walked past the trembling Kim Ryeo-yu and stepped outside the Dormitory.
First, I needed to meet Jo Hee-on.

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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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