Became The Leader of a Girl Group Destined To Fail - Chapter 75

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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 75.

I’d pretended it was nothing special, as though debuting was naturally within reach.
But inside, that wasn’t the case at all.
Anxiety gnawed at me, and there was an emptiness too.
I had to place first.
But could I place first? Really?
I thought I could debut.
But my mission wasn’t simply to debut.

[Debut in first place from the Entertainment Company’s debut survival program ‘Make a New Color’]

There were so many things I wanted.
But I had no choice but to follow through.
After all, I’d never had a choice to begin with.
Not as Baek Nok-ha, and not as Yun Chung either.
So I had to clear my mind and charge forward without hesitation.
But.
I couldn’t charge forward with nothing.
I had to charge forward with my weapon.
So what was my weapon, anyway?
What was the weapon that would let me win this unwinnable fight?
I felt like I’d been thinking about this constantly since Make a New Color began.
At first, I thought all I needed to do was take down Kim Ryeo-yu alone.
Because initially, MEN and Colors were only desperately trying to debut one person—Kim Ryeo-yu.
So if I could just topple that one girl who received special treatment in narrative and screen time.
I thought I would win.
But as time went on, I realized that wasn’t it.
Kim Ryeo-yu alone wasn’t the problem.
There was Kim Geum, Seo Baek-young, Ryu Bora, Yeon Ju-hong, Lee Ju-seon… and five more trainees besides.
My allies could simultaneously become the reason my mission failed.
I realized I couldn’t unfairly defeat these girls who were competing fairly.
So the only method left was.

“In the end, I’m returning to the essence again.”

To show them through the Stage.

“Sigh.”

Such is my fate.

***

Now, all that remained was to demonstrate my worth as an idol.
MEN and Colors had carefully balanced the scales between Kim Ryeo-yu and Yun Chung.
Now that the scales had tipped, Yun Chung held a significant advantage, but Kim Ryeo-yu’s core fanbase couldn’t be ignored.
And there were still those who hadn’t fully shaken off their unease about Yun Chung.
Intellectually, they understood. That Yun Chung was the victim.
They also understood that Kim Ryeo-yu, whom they had once elevated, was the perpetrator.
But the moment they acknowledged that, they too became perpetrators.
So some of those who had sided with Kim Ryeo-yu stubbornly refused to face the truth until the end.
Because they didn’t want to admit their own wrongdoing.
I had to win over even those people’s votes.
I had to turn even those people’s eyes toward me.
Through the Stage alone.

[The next Stage is Team Ipansapan’s “Blue Wave.” Seo Baek-young, Yun Chung, Kim Geum, Ryu Bora, Lee Ju-seon, Yeon Ju-hong. Six trainees, each bringing their own unique charm to the Stage. Let’s watch together now!]

After Do Hee-young’s brief introduction ended.
Before the Stage officially began, Team Ipansapan’s practice footage played.

[Baek-young: We divided it into six positions. Center and Sub Vocal 1. Main Vocal. Rapper 1. Sub Vocal 2, Sub Vocal 3. Sub Vocal 4. Write down your name next to the position you think suits you. By the way, Sub Vocals 2, 3, and 4 all have equal parts. Think carefully about which part will best showcase your tone and charm, then write it down.]
[Bora: Still, shouldn’t we discuss who takes center? Everyone probably wants to be center.]
[Baek-young: Why? Are you going to do it?]
[Bora: No, it’s not like that exactly.]
[Geum: You do it then.]
[Ju-hong: I agree! The center position needs to command attention with visuals first!]
[Ju-seon: I have no complaints either. If it’s Bora, I won’t feel bad about stepping back.]
[Bora: …What do you think, Yun Chung?]
[Yun Chung: I’m going to do Main Vocal.]
[Bora: I shouldn’t have asked.]

And so the positions written on the whiteboard were as follows.

Center and Sub Vocal 1: Ryu Bora
Main Vocal: Yun Chung
Rapper 1: Kim Geum
Sub Vocal 2 and Main Dancer: Seo Baek-young
Sub Vocal 3: Lee Ju-seon
Sub Vocal 4: Yeon Ju-hong

How they determined positions, and how they settled on their concept.

[Geum: Yeon Ju-hong.]
[Ju-hong: Yes!?]
[Geum: Roll.]
[Ju-hong: You want me to roll with you!? Then I’ll roll!]
[Geum: Not with me. Roll with Lee Ju-seon.]
[Ju-seon: Are you trying to throw me under the bus again?]

And how they practiced.
At first, the constant bickering made the fans nervous.
Team Winners had flowed by without a single raised voice, very quietly.
But it had also been rather bleak.
So there was no fun watching it.
It left a strong impression of a team that had only just come together.
But what about Team Ipansapan?

But these kids are kind of cute
They really seem like a team since they’re genuinely close with each other
If they debut like this, wouldn’t that be perfect?
Ugh, my mental health got wrecked because of MEN, and I’m healing with the kids.
How could those MEN bastards handle kids like this…
└The Colors bastards deserve a mention too
Honestly, it does feel a bit different compared to the previous team…lol
└For real, we were all reading the room with the previous team~
Seeing them genuinely care for and like each other warms my heart…
Yun Chung-Yeon Ju-hong stocks soaring again today^_^ The Yun Chung-Ju-hong combo is the best
Kim Geum and Ryu Bora stocks are steady too^^ The tiger-deer chemistry is so delicious
└Who is Geum???
Kim Geum Ryu Bora lol, the kanji for the color purple is 紫.
└└└Shut up, Kim Geum-Ju-hong is the real deal
But Team Ipansapan is still kind of ambiguous

But the vote is only for five people…
I can’t decide who to vote out since there are six of us.

That’s the only thing I’m worried about… I want to pick all six people.
Since I think Kim Geum is going to debut anyway, I guess I’ll vote without Kim Geumㅠㅠㅠ
└Damn it, absolutely not. There’s no safe person. Did you watch the audition program One Day Today?

★
Ugh, MEN is so damn cruel. They show us six people with such great chemistry and then ask us to pick only five. I’m dying. Seriously? Change the rules right now
Ah, knowing that six is the poison path, but damn it, I’m still walking it…
@: Why is she like that??
@@: Leave her alone. Make a New Color has six members
My heart selling Baek-young, Yun Chung, Kim Geum, and Ju-hong is collapsing miserably

Unintentionally, these six people had become a major source of concern for the fans.
They were gradually shifting from the resolve to pick only their favorite one, to the determination to pick all six and make them debut together.
It wasn’t a forced relationship created by the Broadcasting Program, but a genuine chemistry built through sharing hardships and triumphs that was moving people’s hearts.
However, all these relationships would crumble to nothing if their Stage performance fell short.
Fundamentally, Colors fans had discerning eyes.
It was because the senior groups’ baseline skills were already high.
With high averages and minimum standards, failing to meet them meant complete failure.
Within such demanding expectations.

Dive to our blue wave
If you’re ready to be swept away

The center, Ryu Bora, began her entrance.
But something felt peculiar.
Team Winners earlier had worn outfits that seemed coordinated in a unified color.
However, Team Ipansapan was wearing outfits in different colors.
Each outfit suited their respective names.
Yet there wasn’t a complete lack of unity.
Despite all wearing different outfits, there was a subtle sense of cohesion and visual appeal.
Each person’s individuality shone through, but you could clearly feel they were the same team.
First, Ryu Bora wore a flowing, straightforward-feeling lavender one-piece dress.

The deep blue water is cold
Your gaze grows chill once more
Eyes half-closed, I dive in

Lee Ju-seon’s pre-chorus followed.
The song’s atmosphere suddenly brightened—

You surge toward me
Hoo I’m a stupid mermaid
Like I’m about to suffocate

Yeon Ju-hong inherited that bright, crystalline feeling.
Yeon Ju-hong wore a kitschy, retro coral-colored outfit that matched current trends.

Today again wave, wave, wave
Watch out watch out something’s wrong
Wait, I’m getting swept up again
Today again wave, wave, wave
In your blue mischief again
Save my wavering heart
Big blue wave, wave, wave

As the song’s atmosphere continued, the trainees’ voices converged into the hook section.
But the main vocalist Yun Chung’s voice dominated.
The hook that repeated once more was Yun Chung’s solo part.
It felt stable and assured, representing the team’s voice with certainty.
If the previous trainees had sparkled, each showing their own small wave,
Yun Chung felt like a massive wave surging forward.
Yet Yun Chung didn’t stop there, standing at center with a slightly playful expression that matched the song’s mood.

Again again you surge like a tsunami
I am I am a mermaid who cannot swim

Next came Seo Baek-young’s part.
Despite being a brief passage, it was Baek-young’s specialty to bring out the chewy texture with her unique accent.
And Kim Geum’s rap followed.
Perhaps because she had created the rap herself, Kim Geum’s voice shone particularly brightly.
The combination of Kim Geum standing like a tsunami and five others collapsing as if swept away refreshed the Stage’s atmosphere.
And Yun Chung’s hook continued once more, and the first verse gradually came to a close.

Ah Team Ipansapan is so cute I just want to burst (myself)
I also like that they all have their own personalities ㅠㅠㅠ For the first time, the kids are not confused and can distinguish each other. Face recognition was successful for the first time;
Didn’t they rearrange it that much? It’s the same as before…

The first verse had drawn modest reactions.
And then the real game began with the second verse.
Kim Geum had arranged it, and Yeon Ju-hong had chimed in to help from the side.
Ryu Bora had approved, and Seo Baek-young had given her consent.
The moment Lee Ju-seon broke into laughter and Yun Chung’s eyes gleamed with intensity—the second verse had begun.

This is absolutely incredible
She’s a freaking genius… a genius with five others
I’m literally screaming at midnight because I’m so into this
How many high notes has Yun Chung hit now? So clean it’s like our house got vacuumed
I knew she could sing, but this is seriously… legendary tier
At this level, she’d be in the top three active idol vocalists…

The spark was beginning to ignite.

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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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