Became The Leader of a Girl Group Destined To Fail - Chapter 77

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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 77.

In truth, Yun Chung’s image had never really appealed to viewers as a ‘person’.
She could appeal as an idol, but not as a ‘charismatic individual’.
Director Kim had never wanted extensive screen time for Yun Chung.
Most of her appearances were either absolutely essential scenes or group moments with the other trainees.
So in reality, many viewers couldn’t understand why the trainees followed Yun Chung so devotedly.

But why does Ryu Bora like Yun Chung so much? What’s the reason..? Is she just naturally magnetic..?
Does Kim have a bias for Yun Chung..? Why does she only look at Yun Chung all day lololol look at the camera,,
Team Ipansapan kinda looks like a meerkat and a trainer, of course Yun Chung is the trainer
Off-camera Yun Chung must be really good to them… there must be something that doesn’t make it on broadcast, that’s why the kids like her so much..? I want to see it too,, I want to be taken care of by Yun Chung too,,
In front of Seo-baek and Yoon-cheong, I laugh at the little brother moment. Oh my bastard.

But once this new footage aired.
Finally, viewers began to understand bit by bit.
Why the trainees followed Yun Chung so closely.
Why, despite all the rumors and controversy, they trusted and believed in her completely.

★
Honestly if I were in their position and a competitor took care of me like that..? I couldn’t resist,, that’s just looking into English kindergartens,,
Oh but thinking about how all my embarrassing moments would be searched… I’m ashamed but! I hope you’ll keep watching! Friends! So embarrassing! Yun Chung look here! #YunChung
She’s kinda like a teacher..? Taking care of our kids’ mental health,, guiding their futures,, yeah,,
Ugh my tear ducts are going crazy she must want to debut too but she’s putting all that aside and taking care of the members first,, where do you find trainees like this,, nowhere,,
A trainee who wrote a thesis on the charm points of other trainees

[Screenshot]
…
Today’s the last broadcast!
If you all want to vote for Yun Chung, someone who’s genuinely sincere to people, just send 8 to #16XX
Number 8!!
Starting at 11:30!!
Please support Yun Chung, such a tender and kind trainee

I don’t even watch this broadcast, but I’m getting emotional anyway… The thesis is one thing, but something about her story feels so poignant. It’s the kind of thing you can only talk about after experiencing it yourself…
└22… The thesis is touching too, but that part really struck a chord with me. I’m voting for her!
This is the student who was involved in the controversy, right? I can see you went through a hard timeㅠㅠ I will vote for you
I tend to worry a lot too, so I really empathized with her… I hope things work out for her

And so, for the first time, I transformed from ‘trainee Yun Chung’ into
‘Yun Chung the person.’

[Thank you for your patience. Our most steadfast supporters, the Colorists.]

And from that moment on,

[Current time: 11:30. This is the moment when you Colorists will paint these small dreams with your own colors.]

The voting had begun.

***

Two stages had finished.
Now, with one hour of voting remaining, only one stage was left.
All the trainees were waiting below the stage.
At the moment, a sponsored tint product placement segment was airing.

[Geum: Wow. It’s really moisturizing.]
[Ju-hong: It’s orange, just like my name!]
[Ju-seon: So. Pret. Ty.]

Anyone could tell they hadn’t debuted yet—the awkwardness was palpable.
Watching the stilted broadcast, the trainees squirmed in their seats.
The most natural one was Ryu Bora.
Actually, no.
Even Ryu Bora hadn’t done anything particularly impressive.
She’d simply applied the tint to her lips, but it looked convincing.
Even the caption reflected this.

Caption: Truly born to be an advertisement star…!

The trainees began casting resentful glances at Ryu Bora.

“Why do you all see me that way?”

In front of the camera, Ryu Bora displayed the most radiant smile in the world.
Among her fans, Ryu Bora’s nickname was nothing short of angelic.
Baby deer, angel, princess—every flattering epithet imaginable belonged to Ryu Bora.
This was because her image management in front of the camera was meticulous and absolute.
…Behind the camera, however, she was a ruthless force to be reckoned with.
Actually, calling her a deer didn’t even do justice to her nature.
She’d need to be compared to a tiger or some other apex predator….
The brief product placement segment had lightened the mood somewhat.
But in truth, the trainees’ spirits were far from lifted.

So Colors really is determined to debut Kim Ryeo-yu—look at all the shield-bashing…
└She’s Colors’ official princess anyway.. and being Kim Mo-gyeong’s niece from the start..
Her mistakes aren’t even minor—they’re literally expulsion-level—yet they’re forcing her through anyway lol And the muggles keep pulling out that “King’s Logic” nonsense to defend her
Yun Chung isn’t the only victim… basically all the other trainees suffered massive damage; the mission got cancelled because of Kim Ryeo-yu too
└Wait, is that really Ryeo-yu’s fault? Just point out what she actually did wrong, don’t drag in random stuff and make a fuss
└└Wow, there’s still someone defending Kim Ryeo-yu? You’ve got some serious devotion—please take that devotion all the way to the end
Extreme fans are seriously disgusting I don’t think anyone wants Ryeo-yu Take her yourselves

The shield of protection around Kim Ryeo-yu was so blatant that even viewers watching the broadcast could sense it.
Colors’ determination to push Kim Ryeo-yu forward was unmistakable.
It was so transparent that it actually had the opposite effect—draining people’s will to support her.
Not just Team Ipansapan, but Team Winners’ morale had hit rock bottom.
This was especially true because many of their members ranked in the lower tiers.
At first, I wondered if it was my fault. Was I lacking? Did I fail to earn their love because I wasn’t good enough?
But gradually, my suspicions shifted in a different direction.
Despite this being the final broadcast, the turning point came when almost all the screen time went to interviews about Kim Ryeo-yu.
Bang Su-in, Shin Yu-hyeon, and Park Ha-eun barely appeared at all.
Team Winners’ training process was almost entirely focused on Kim Ryeo-yu.
Beginning, middle, end—all Kim Ryeo-yu.
The editing was crude, suggesting that everything succeeded because Kim Ryeo-yu alone excelled.
In reality, Lee Gyeong-a had shown significant contributions, and the other trainees had substantial screen time as well.
Yet none of that made it into the final cut.
All that aired was how much Kim Ryeo-yu struggled and how hard she worked to overcome the crisis.
How could the other trainees showcase their charm if they barely appeared on screen?
Team Ipansapan, despite having less total screen time than Team Winners, at least distributed it evenly among members.
Team Winners’ training segment was twenty minutes. Team Ipansapan’s was twelve minutes.
But of those twenty minutes, seventeen belonged essentially to Kim Ryeo-yu.
Team Ipansapan at least gave each member their own moments on screen.
The trainees of Team Winners were beginning to regret their choices.
Why had I agreed to be on the same team as her?
It felt like they were being treated as common background props.
Even in the PPL video, which was filmed by team, only Kim Ryeo-yu appeared from Team Winners.
They’d all filmed together, but only Kim Ryeo-yu made it onto the broadcast.
Even the viewers could sense the blatant favoritism.

Wow, isn’t this a bit over the line..? I’m Chaae Suin, but really..haha, I completely excluded her and she doesn’t even appear.
Is Gyeong-a just Kim Ryeo-yu’s high note shuttle? At minimum, she should’ve been in the PPL video if she brought her along

While everyone was forcibly swallowing their complaints.
There was one person who remained unusually quiet.

“Writer Kang.”
“Yes?”

Yun Chung looked at the camera and Writer Kang, breaking into a bright smile.

“Can I vote for myself too?”
“Well….”

Writer Kang paused briefly before nodding.

“I think that should be fine?”
“Then I’ll do it!”
“Really? Then me too. Every single vote matters.”

Once Yun Chung received permission, the trainees watching from nearby pulled out their phones.
The camera captured the adorable moment without missing a beat.
And so all eleven trainees sent a text message together on their phones.
But not everyone had sent a voting message.
One person sent a different message instead.
And another person received that message.

“!”

The person who received that message was none other than….

“Huh.”

Hong Yeon-seo.
Also known as Hong President.

“President?”

Director Kim sensed something amiss and called out to her.
Hong President was currently in one of MEN’s conference rooms with Director Kim.
They were on the cusp of birthing the company’s own idol group.

“Director Kim.”

Once an idol group was born, they would have to shoulder Colors’ responsibilities for the next seven years.
Of course, they wouldn’t be responsible for all of Colors’ revenue.
But in a sense, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say they’d be responsible for the entire “next generation.”
That’s how much significance a rookie group carried.
That’s why even the stubborn Hong Yeon-seo had abandoned her reclusive life and stepped out into the world.

“…Yes?”

Director Kim couldn’t possibly be unaware of this rookie girl group’s importance.
She was the head of the trainee development team, after all.
Hong President trusted her enough to entrust all trainee verification to Director Kim.
She never imagined Director Kim would sabotage her own future like this.
But that was Hong Yeon-seo’s critical mistake.
Hong Yeon-seo rubbed her head as a dull ache crept in.
So that was it, Yun Chung.
Why you couldn’t compromise with Kim Ryeo-yu no matter what.
Why you refused to debut with her under any circumstances.
Why you alone refused to compromise, when most other trainees had.
Yun Chung knew one more thing.
A fact that could become a fatal crisis for the entire team.

“Trainee Kim Ryeo-yu… school violence. Did Director Kim cover it up?”
“!”

Director Kim’s reaction was… a wavering silence.
Yet above all else, it was a definitive affirmation.
He’d covered it up.
Hong Yeon-seo bit her lip hard.
Trusting people had been a mistake.

“Your reaction confirms it, doesn’t it.”

There was no turning back now anyway.
Time couldn’t be rewound.
Now she had to choose.
Whether to bury what Director Kim had buried.
Or whether to unearth what Director Kim had buried, however late.

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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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