The Daughter of a Conglomerate Family Has Debuted - Chapter 320
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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When did time pass by like this?
Living each day busily, it’s already December before I knew it.
At the end of the year when winter’s atmosphere was rising, our Flora’s dormitory was also filled with Christmas decorations thanks to Seo Ra-eun’s touch.
When was the last time I saw a Christmas tree inside a house?
‘I couldn’t even dream of it in our old dormitory.’
Before even considering whether we had the luxury or not, there was no space to put a tree, so for about 10 years I think I only saw trees in busy shopping districts.
Year-end.
Until just the year before last, it wasn’t a particularly welcome time for me.
Our year-end, that is, not Flora but Choux Cream’s year-end was always quiet.
There was nowhere that would invite us.
All we could do for our fans was turn on a live broadcast and send our regards to have a good year-end.
Year-end and Christmas were just periods that held no great meaning for us.
So quiet that it made us realize our reality all too well.
While countless artists showed off elaborate performances in fancy clothes on glamorous stages, we were at the dormitory watching them on TV, completely consumed by depression and feelings of inferiority.
I guarantee it wasn’t just me, just the Choux Cream of that time.
Flora’s members might have also spent such depressing year-ends before becoming Flora.
My year-end of having nothing changed.
Stages we create by reducing sleep time without a single day of rest, fans who can look forward to our stages.
We too became able to feel the excited atmosphere of year-end, the warmth of Christmas.
The day of the first year-end award show.
“Hello. Hello.”
Even though it was still evening, the award show venue reminded one of deep night.
Fans filled the venue, and when we went up to the artist seats on stage, familiar faces were everywhere.
Great senior artists we’d only seen on broadcasts, groups we often saw on music shows, and Flora’s junior singers who had emerged recently.
We greeted them and waved to fans while heading to Flora’s seats that the staff guided us to.
“You’re here?”
“Hi hi~”
Familiar faces welcomed us.
U&Da, sitting right next to us, handed us water.
“You guys look pretty today?”
“You guys look beautiful too?”
“We see each other so often now we’re almost like one group.”
Did the production staff arrange for us to sit right next to each other knowing we were close?
We exchanged light, playful greetings and took our seats.
Once seated, the entire award show venue naturally came into view at a glance.
“The atmosphere is definitely different from rehearsal.”
“There’s something overwhelming about it.”
Min Ha-young trembled and clung to me.
A stage in such a huge place – she seemed both nervous from the overwhelming feeling and equally excited.
“Ji-ye, look over there. It’s Grace Sunbaenim. What do we do, really?”
This year, there were particularly many great senior artists who resumed activities after long breaks.
Legendary senior artists whom everyone looked up to as role models when we were nurturing our dreams of becoming singers.
Grace Sunbaenim was one of them, sitting among senior artists we wouldn’t dare make eye contact with, greeting fans.
I followed Min Ha-young’s gaze to look at them, then turned my head to look around at other cast members.
At the MC seat sat Yoon Jae-hee, who used to be the youngest member and rapper of Choux Cream like me.
It seemed she had gone from being a music show MC to hosting award shows as well.
And Ji Yu-hwa, another former Choux Cream member, sitting in the front row below us.
She had been active as a solo artist for a while, but now she was sitting with her group Sierra members.
It was my first time seeing Sierra members other than Yu-hwa, but maybe because I’d watched so many of their stage videos?
They all felt familiar and intimate.
As I was quietly staring without realizing it, perhaps sensing my gaze, Yu-hwa and the Sierra members looked at me.
We hurriedly stood up and bowed.
“Sunbaenim, hello!”
“Oh, it’s Flora! Yu-hwa’s students.”
“Hello. You’re performing today, right? We’re looking forward to it.”
“Aren’t you cold? Take this.”
Sierra also seemed to have quite a sense of intimacy with us thanks to Yu-hwa, even giving us blankets as they accepted our greetings.
And shortly after, the award show began.
It started with a VCR looking back at the year’s events in the music industry.
The consecutive comebacks of senior artists who had taken long breaks and U&Da’s debut that had been promised through Start Plan.
And even our Flora’s achievements were covered importantly one by one.
After that, with the opening remarks of the MCs in charge of the award show, the artists’ stages began one by one.
Befitting a major award show that had been running for many years, special large-scale performances that couldn’t usually be seen continued one after another.
Performances by active idols who came fully prepared.
And awards were presented intermittently.
Popularity awards received through fan votes, various awards unique to this ceremony evaluated by industry experts… with names hard to remember.
Awards were distributed evenly among the artists invited to this ceremony, including Flora.
And more stages followed.
If earlier it was stages by newcomers and singers just starting to rise, this time it was stages by singers with stable popularity.
Stages of a completely different scale from the first part performances were prepared.
Numerous dancers and special effects filled the stage along with the singers.
And hit song medleys and new song performances by senior artists that deeply stirred memories.
Not only the real-time buzz but even the fans’ cheers were significantly different.
Our Flora also went backstage to start preparing for our performance.
U&Da’s stage, which was right before us, ended.
And while a short VCR introducing Flora played, we hurriedly went up on stage and got into formation.
The stage we prepared this time was “Revenge” and the pre-release song “Nothing”.
Since it was an award show, the arrangement was bold too. We completely removed Flora’s characteristic classical concept and greatly emphasized the band sound, changing it to a fast-beat rock feel.
As long as we don’t change our concept in the future, we’ll have to maintain an elegant image for life under the Flora name, but if not now, when else would we get to go on stage with our elegance erased?
Opportunities to perform with our concept completely removed in front of non-fans are rare except at times like this.
A free-spirited dance break led by Min Ha-young, and we performed live while roaming around the huge stage and mingling with the audience, fully embracing the festival atmosphere.
“Nothing”, which until its release was a complete gamble that didn’t match our concept at all, a song made thinking only of concerts, shined on this kind of stage.
The atmosphere heated up greatly under the band sound, and we successfully finished our live performance to conclude our show.
Our stage was over.
After that, we just comfortably enjoyed other singers’ performances with peace of mind.
And the main award presentations began.
This year’s Rookie Award naturally went to U&Da, who had shown great results with much buzz.
Honestly, everyone had guessed it and they probably expected it too, but since they had suffered quite a bit mentally before debuting, U&Da tearfully gave their acceptance speech.
After a few more awards, finally the last order. The presentation of this award show’s grand prize, the Music Award of the Year, began.
Some commotion arose among the fans, and while our Flora was also smiling quietly, we had mysteriously become silent.
Flora’s album was proudly displayed on the electronic display board showing the grand prize candidates.
That’s right. We were actually candidates for this year’s grand prize.
‘I can hardly believe this is real, but…’
No, thinking about this year’s achievements, it makes sense theoretically, but it’s hard to feel real.
Grand prize candidates, no less. Just being a candidate is a lifetime achievement.
I watched the award presentation with such thoughts.
“The winner of this year’s Music Award is.”
Rena, last year’s grand prize winner and this year’s presenter, shouted with a bright smile.
“Flora. Congratulations.”
…My goodness.
This is unbelievable.
Along with Rena’s words, our title song 【Revenge】 began to resonate throughout the venue.
All the artists who participated in the awards ceremony stood up and applauded us, and we rose with bewildered expressions and headed toward where Rena was.
My mind went completely blank as we walked.
Han Da-min received the award from Rena and stood in front of the microphone.
“Uh…”
Han Da-min quietly looked at the award, then composed herself and spoke maturely.
“We are truly grateful. Thinking that this would be our last chance, that since it was the last opportunity we should give our all, all the members came together as one and ran forward. For us, this award feels like it’s telling us that our efforts weren’t in vain, that our struggles and pain barely managed to grasp this opportunity, and I’m overwhelmed with emotion.”
Han Da-min expressed gratitude while mentioning all the staff members who had worked with us.
And finally, she conveyed our thanks to our fans, Garden.
“We will continue to work hard to become a Flora that keeps striving. Thank you!”
With the final greeting, 【Revenge】 began to resonate once again.
Fireworks burst to signal the end of the awards ceremony. With our backs to the fireworks, we bowed our heads toward the fans in greeting.
An awards ceremony ending with Flora’s song—it was the happiest year-end and the beginning of another year more than ever before.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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