Became The Leader of a Girl Group Destined To Fail - Chapter 8

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————

Chapter 8.

The very first episode began with their debut stage: 【Rainbow】.
True to the agency name “Colors,” the debut song was also named after a rainbow.
The composition was by Dan-ha, an idol under Colors from the group Burnash.
The lyrics were by Do-i, an idol under Colors from the group White Noise.
Their slogan was simple: a stage by Colors, for Colors, and of Colors alone.

“Kang Writer.”
“Yes?”
“What do you think of the song?”

Oh PD watched the twelve trainees ascending the stage, gnawing at his fingernails.

“The song needs to be good for them to gain traction, but I don’t have an ear for music—I can’t tell if it’s decent or not. And I’m not thrilled about Colors idols handling both composition and lyrics.”

Oh PD harbored considerable frustration over Hong President’s directive to utilize only Colors idols for the stage.
Even the choreography was created by Jin-hwa from Greysh, another Colors idol—they were truly squeezing every ounce of value from their own roster.

“You have to give Hong President credit for his Colors obsession. The man dotes on his own artists far too much. It’s not like he’s trying to stimulate a domestic economy or anything—why is everything in-house production?”
“Well, it’s annoying, but… if I’d invested that much in developing my own people, I’d want to use them too.”

That was fair enough. Oh PD wiped his mouth with his finger.

“Besides, he’s poured that much money into cultivating them. He has to use them.”
“That’s true.”
“I heard he barely leaves the studio these days—obsessed with producing and composing?”
“He’s famous for it. Hong President doesn’t care much about management, which is why Director Kim can get away with such tyranny.”
“Hong President is great in every way, but that’s the real shame. If we’d just removed Director Kim, Colors would be the undisputed top agency in the country right now.”
“That’s true. But he’s so passionate about music….”
“Which is why he succeeded, but it’s really unfortunate.”

Kang Writer nodded quietly.
Ever since planning Make a New Color, the production team and Director Kim had clashed frequently.
Director Kim had chosen to sabotage the entire group in order to debut her niece Kim Ryeo-yu at the center.
If Oh PD hadn’t kept her in check all this time, Kim Ryeo-yu would have monopolized everything, and only she and her close trainee friends would have debuted.

“I don’t understand how a major agency could let something like that happen.”
“Well, they’re a major agency, but not a conglomerate. And even conglomerates don’t always run smoothly.”
“True, just look at our broadcasting station….”

Oh PD clicked his tongue, recalling the department head who was merely a puppet dancing to Director Kim’s tune.
How much money had that man embezzled anyway?

“But still, the song is good.”

At Kang Writer’s words, Oh PD’s eyes lit up.

“Really? You’re sure?”
“Yes. As you know, PD, the director is somewhat lacking, but-”

Kang Writer continued, scanning the trainees on the monitor.

“Those kids over there are definitely pretty good.”

On the darkened stage, twelve trainees stood in a large V formation.
Kim Ryeo-yu was at the center.
Seo Baek-young and Ryu Bora flanked her on either side.
And nine other trainees stretched out behind them in a line.
Each trainee wore a white shirt and a black school-style skirt.
The overall aesthetic was distinctly preppy.
Within the unified outfits, the only distinguishing feature was their accessories.
Yun Chung wore a necklace, Seo Baek-young a bracelet, Ryu Bora a hair pin, Kim Ryeo-yu earrings, Yeon Ju-hong a brooch, and Kim Geum a ring.
The other trainees each wore a different accessory as well.
Though all different, they shared one detail—every piece bore a golden winged pendant.
Just as a keen eye might notice this, the backing track began to flow.
With an upbeat pop sound, the center, Kim Ryeo-yu, led the opening.

You are my New color
Paint me, draw me
I’ll color you, I’ll draw you

The chorus flowed from the very beginning.
All twelve performed a moderately difficult group choreography without drastically altering the formation.
However,

But in a flash, the rainbow fades away
And only the eternal blue sky remains

With Yun Chung’s vocals, the song’s atmosphere transformed completely.
Unlike the first half—a hook song anyone could listen to casually—

Over the rainbow
We’re waiting for you
I want to steal all your colors
I’ll paint my colors over yours

The overall atmosphere became grand yet melancholic.
The light choreography grew increasingly intense.
As the song reached its climax,
the twelve trainees formed a circle, pointing toward the center with their hands.

Over the rainbow
We’re still here
We’re still blue

With Ryu Bora’s final vocals, all the trainees turned around and sat down.
Wrapping their arms around their knees, the song ended.

***

“….”

The atmosphere was indeed ominous.
I glanced around the room.
Even though we were scheduled to gather an hour later, everyone had arrived early.
But no one spoke a word.
It made sense.
Yesterday was the day our first joint stage—our debut song, Rainbow—was released.

It’s out, it’s out
▶

[Exclusive premiere! Make a New Color’s first stage, 【Rainbow】. Girls blooming rainbows in your hearts right now]

It hadn’t even been twenty-four hours, yet the video’s view count was nothing short of explosive.
However, the surge of attention wasn’t entirely positive.

?Are they really a major group? The kids are struggling, I thought they were smaller
“Even ignoring the typo, the typo is better than that lolol”
Colors is past their prime
The center choice is a bit awkward
└I’d rather have Ryu Bora as center
└Yeah, next is Ryu Bora fan
└The line execution seems best with Seo Baek-young though
But surprisingly the unrevealed trainee is better, whoever sings the chorus is so clean
└She’s probably the main vocalist
└My name is Cheong-im Yoon ㅠㅠ Please change my name to make it pretty.
Ryu Bora is insane, she’s an actress but she’s so good?;
Who is the pink pigtail? I got hit ㅠ
└Yeon Ju-hong
└Wow, her name is Yeon Ju-hong too

Already a hot topic from the teaser, they’d driven the nail home with the self-introduction video.
When the stage performance was finally released, it caused an uproar.
Some trainees received positive evaluations, but others did not.
The more publicly known a trainee was, the harsher the criticism.

‘…It was an expected outcome.’

Fundamentally, already-known trainees carried high expectations.
Unknown trainees started with expectations at literally ‘0’, so their first impressions could shine brighter.

‘High-profile trainees are truly a double-edged sword.’

Succeed and you’re golden; stumble even slightly and you plummet.
That’s the fate of trainees.
Everyone’s expression was grim, but the one who appeared most tense was Kim Ryeo-yu.
Why?
The production team had just—

‘Earlier I noticed there seemed to be some tension between trainee Kim Ryeo-yu and another trainee over the center position?’
‘Could there have been some dissatisfaction with the center selection?’

That’s why we managed to secure this interview.
But becoming the center doesn’t mean everything is settled.
The broadcast is only just beginning.

***

Producer: Earlier, I noticed there seemed to be some tension between Kim Ryeo-yu and the other trainees over the center position?

[Gyeong-a: Ha ha…(awkward laugh)]
[Gyeong-a: I can’t talk about that.]
[Producer: Why not?]
[Gyeong-a: It’s being filmed.]
[Producer: By whom?]

Caption: Gyeong-a pointing upward… what does it mean?

[Ha-eun: She’s… the judge’s niece, after all.]
[Su-in: Why is everyone being so secretive about it? Is there any trainee who doesn’t know she’s Director Kim Ryeo-yu’s niece?]
[Geum: Honestly, well… everyone’s probably disappointed. They just can’t say it out loud.]
[Ju-hong: We thought there would be a center selection competition, you know.]
[Yu-hyeon: But then, on the first day of learning the choreography, Director Kim and Trainer Won-ho came and…]
[Ju-seon: They just told us straight up. The formation was already decided, so we just had to memorize it as is.]
[Gyeong-a: So I was curious. Then who’s the center? Is it Seo Baek-young?]
[Ju-hong: But then I realized it was Ryeo-yu. It was surprising.]

Caption: Trainee Kim Ryeo-yu, who became the center immediately

[Su-in: I thought it would be Seo Baek-young or Bora.]
[Seo Baek-young: I never expected to be the center. But still…]

Caption: (bitter)

[Seo Baek-young: I didn’t think it would be Ryeo-yu either.]
[Yun Chung: Actually, everyone deserves to be the center. I think everyone has the right to compete. But since we never got to compete, it’s disappointing.]

Producer: Actually, this isn’t the first time Ryeo-yu has been the center.

[Su-in: That’s what’s so strange about it. Ryeo-yu was the center for our first teaser too.]
[Ju-hong: Back then, we just thought someone had to be the center, so it must be Ryeo-yu, you know?]
[Ha-eun: But being the center again this time feels a bit much, doesn’t it?]

Producer: Do you regret not being the center?

[Seo Baek-young: Of course I regret it. How could I not? This much.]
[Bora: Not really.]

Producer: You don’t have ambitions for the center position?

[Bora: No, of course I do.]

Producer: Then why?

[Bora: I can do it after we debut. It doesn’t matter.]

Producer: How did you feel when you became the center?

[Ryeo-yu: It felt amazing. Like all my hard work was finally being recognized.]
[Ryeo-yu: It was like, finally my chance is coming, you know? It felt like a reward for working so hard.]

Producer: There’s been a lot of talk about the center controversy.

[Ryeo-yu: ….]

Caption: Ryeo-yu struggles to find her words….

[Ryeo-yu: There are a lot of misunderstandings, so it does hurt.]

Producer: What do you think was the reason you were chosen as the center?

[Ryeo-yu: But back then, Director Kim and the trainer both explained it to me. They said my image fit this concept, so I became the center. And they said that for the next song, whoever fits that concept best will be the center.]

Caption: Ryeo-yu wipes away tears

[Ryeo-yu: I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be crying….]
[Ryeo-yu: Everyone understands this, of course, but I’m not the center forever, and the center will change depending on the concept each time….]

Subtitle: I couldn’t say it, but my heart was hurt….

[Kim Ryeo-yu: I think it’s a matter of me performing well.]

[Will trainee Kim Ryeo-yu be able to prove herself…?
Find out next week at this time!
Don’t miss the live broadcast!]

With a tacky subtitle, the first episode of Make a New Color came to an end.

[Please paint Colors’ new color!]
[What new color will our colorists choose?]
[See you next week at this time, bye~!]

“…This is more fun than I expected?”

Viewers who had watched without any expectations tilted their heads as the first episode ended.
This is actually more entertaining than I thought…!

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————