Became The Leader of a Girl Group Destined To Fail - Chapter 96

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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 96.

“Phew.”
“At least… we can breathe easy now.”

Colors Practice Studio.
During our break, we lay sprawled out, eyes glued to our phones.
Today was the day our concept film dropped.
Since this was our first video under the name ‘StillBlue’, everyone was on edge.
Especially since we’d directed it ourselves from start to finish….

“If it flopped, I was genuinely worried we’d have to go with some weird concept instead.”

That was one of the reasons my heart had been racing.
If we botched this album, I’d essentially be Director Kim’s slave for the next seven years.

“Everyone seems to be responding well, don’t they?”
“The fans’ reactions are amazing!”

Yeon Ju-hong grinned happily, barely lifting her head.
It was hard for any of us to manage more than that.
We were already ten hours into practice today.
And we still had a long way to go.

“All that hard work paid off.”

Kim Geum spoke through a sheen of sweat.

“Going to that studio with no heating in this weather….”
“Wearing nothing but thin costumes….”
“We could only do it because we didn’t know better. Once you realize how cold it is, there’s no way you’d do it.”
“Who suggested we use the Snowy Field as the background? Acting in front of fake snow was impossibly difficult!”

I’m sorry….
It was my idea. I tried to stir up some buzz to show the fans.
Of course, just thinking about that cold made my teeth chatter.
I only thought about how much the Snowy Field CG would cost….
I momentarily forgot about the chill in the Studio as we ran the fans at full blast to create the Snowy Field effect.

“There are so many interpretation posts going up.”

Ryu Bora had contributed the most to this film’s scenario.
That’s probably why the interpretation posts caught her eye.

“Really? Did someone figure out all your intentions?”
“Up to 80%, but… we haven’t reached 100% yet. Oh, of course, there are many people who interpreted parts I hadn’t even thought of.”
“That’s what makes it fun.”
“That’s true. Just the fact that everyone is interpreting it piece by piece like this… it makes my heart feel all tingly.”

Ryu Bora’s eyes were absolutely sparkling as she said that.
It was rare to see those fish-like eyes gleaming so brightly.
Art is only complete when the creator’s vision combines with the viewer’s interpretation, after all.

“But seriously, our fans are all geniuses. I still don’t fully understand that scenario.”

Kim Geum gulped down her ion drink as she spoke.

“You should at least try to understand it….”
“I’m going to interpret it however I want.”
“Are you going to go off on your own tangent like that during interviews too?”
“But when Yun Chung said there could be all kinds of interpretations, you said that was right?!”
“Still, you’re the one who planned the concept, so you should know it properly.”

While Ryu Bora and Kim Geum bickered back and forth, I observed Seo Baek-young carefully.
I knew how tense she was….
After all, it was I who had suggested making Seo Baek-young the center of this film.
The other members said that I, being first, should be the center—but I didn’t want that.
In fact, if all these benefits were concentrated on me as the top-ranked member, the response would have been negative.
There’s still lingering ill will directed at me; I didn’t need to add fuel to that fire.
No matter how much it’s been revealed that my situation was unjust, I know the truth.
People still haven’t completely erased their negative image of me.
That’s how the human heart works.
They firmly believe the saying: “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.”
Even if their minds understand I’m the victim, their hearts will need time to truly accept it.
There’s no need to stand out from our very first activity.
Besides, there’s no reason for me to stand out as an individual anymore.
My mission is to win the Rookie Award as StillBlue, not as Yun Chung individually.
Honestly, even if my individual popularity is the lowest, as long as the group is popular, that’s all that matters.
I need to think and act entirely for the group.

“Unnie.”
“Hmm?”
“The response is good. You can relax now.”
“…You’re right.”

Seo Baek-young forced a smile.

“Is something bothering you?”
“No, it’s not that….”

Seo Baek-young turned and lay facing me.

“I think I finally understand how you must have felt.”
“What?”
“I’ve never been mentioned this much before….”
“?”

What was she talking about?
Wasn’t she ranked third?

“But unnie, your buzz and trending metrics from the web drama were always in the top tier.”
“That’s true, but… it feels different somehow.”

Seo Baek-young looked both slightly excited and overwhelmed.

“My image has always been… kind of fading into the background, you know? A stable pick to raise the group’s average skill level. That’s what it felt like.”

I couldn’t help but be shocked by such an unexpected confession.
The other members seemed equally taken aback, their expressions betraying their surprise.

“What?! Unnie, you placed third! If that’s the case, what about me placing sixth?!”

Yeon Ju-hong looked the most stunned of all.

“I got a lot of sympathy votes, honestly. Ju-hong, you’re the youngest among us. So the fans probably all thought… even if you didn’t debut this time, you’d definitely get another chance next time.”

Seo Baek-young’s smile was remarkably composed and detached.

“But for me, it felt like there wouldn’t be a next time. At twenty-one… that’s a precarious age for an idol.”
“By that logic, what about everyone else?”

I cut in firmly.

“Nearly half of Make a New Color’s trainees were in their twenties. But in the end, it was you who debuted. Third place, top three. Out of twelve people, placing third is far from easy. Don’t think like that.”

I never expected Seo Baek-young to think that way.
The survival competition must have been harder on her than I realized.
That makes sense.
Seo Baek-young was the one who had experienced the most “Monthly Evaluations”—the survival competitions held every month within Colors.
She’d been going through them her entire childhood.
Having to face an even bigger survival competition instead of debuting must have felt incredibly harsh to her.
Honestly, I think Seo Baek-young should have just debuted instead of being sent to Make a New Color.
I didn’t expect her mental state to be this shattered, though.
Maybe I should have chosen based on their mental condition rather than their skill levels.
I felt a bit of regret.
I’d always valued privacy.
Since I’d lived a life without privacy, I wanted to protect others’ privacy at least.
That’s why I deliberately didn’t check their emotional states.
…But what’s the right thing to do?
One year until the rookie award.
For me to safely return to my mother, no one’s mental state could break down.
Idols’ mental health is unusually deeply connected to their work attitude.
You can see it even in fan service alone.
How could someone with a broken mental state focus on fan service?
I felt conflicted.

“Thank you all. I’ll try to think more positively too.”
“That’s right! I hope you’ll be full of confidence, unnie.”
“And whenever those negative thoughts come back, please lean on us anytime. You’re like family to us.”

Yeon Ju-hong and Kim Geum were doing their best to cheer on Seo Baek-young in their own ways.
Ryu Bora was surprisingly quiet.
She seemed lost in thought instead.
…Why did I have so many things to worry about?

“For now, let’s all finish practice quickly and head home to rest.”

I wrapped things up appropriately.
I’d need to have a serious conversation with Seo Baek-young about this later.

“Right. Our teaser music video drops at midnight soon anyway.”

Only then did Ryu Bora speak up.

“We should watch everyone’s reaction to that together.”
“Uuuuuuuugh.”

Kim Geum let out a sound like she was dying.

“I’m so nervous my stomach hurts.”
“…Is it because you composed it?”
“Yeah, that’s probably it.”

That was right.
For our second release, what we’d prepared was—

***

Ding!

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[StillBlue – 【20℃, Clear Skies】 M/V]

The song that StillBlue released for the first time under our name was pre-released as a music video on OTube.
In truth, when Prism Homma heard that the pre-release track had dropped, they were surprisingly calm about it.
A massive storm had already swept through with Color Film before this.
Besides, a pre-release track wasn’t even the title song.
Since its role was merely to introduce the album concept and build anticipation, there were no expectations of a major investment.
However.

‘Still, isn’t the title itself the kind of thing that makes fans excited?’

True to its refreshing title, the thumbnail was equally bright and cheerful.
Sunny, beneath a cloudless sky.
Five of us smiling brightly without a single cloud in sight.
All of us wearing pastel-toned clothes suited to our ages.
Simple, without a trace of makeup.
Yet unmistakably radiating happiness.

‘Even if the song itself were terrible, this thumbnail alone would be forgivable…’

Prism Homma didn’t hesitate any longer and immediately pressed play.
The opening featured Yun Chung with her hair in a half-up style tied with a blue ribbon.
With her hair tied slightly high, she exuded a sporty yet adorable charm.

‘Insane Yun Chung half-up style’

Prism Homma had sworn not to capture or create clips from the first viewing, but this was truly a massive temptation.
Wasn’t this against the rules?
I’d always thought her skin was translucent, but with such subtle makeup, it stood out even more.

What’s your weather like today?
Mine seemed a little cloudy

R&B.
Rhythmic yet lyrical and effortlessly pleasant to listen to.
Against the light, airy music that emphasized vocal tone, her already distinctive voice became even more captivating.

‘Please, kill me with this….’

After hearing just two verses, I felt like I might faint from her vocal color alone.

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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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