The Daughter of a Conglomerate Family Has Debuted - Chapter 336
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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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“Ji-ye, come here.”
The moment Min Ha-young stepped out of the dressing room, she didn’t even glance at the mirror before clearing a space.
I moved to her side without hesitation, obedient and willing.
Following Min Ha-young’s count, I immediately began practicing.
“One, two, three, four, one.”
Our stage together.
A performance with such elevated difficulty that it made the previous special clip look trivial—and since this was a concert, we had to execute the live singing flawlessly as well.
The song was expertly chosen, the choreography was expertly crafted, and it was designed to let us both showcase our full capabilities, so I desperately wanted to nail it.
Though there were sections that confused me even after multiple run-throughs due to the challenging choreography, I hadn’t made any mistakes yet, and the practice was paying off.
As we continued, the VCR playing on the stage’s electronic display board ended, and the first performance began.
The first stage was Choi Song-i’s solo.
“Oh, Song-i’s starting.”
I had to watch our youngest member’s stage. I stopped practicing and watched Song-i on the monitor.
Song-i appeared on a set decorated with lush green lighting, ornamental trees and grass, creating the sensation of crisp, fresh air.
When the wind carves a path through the leaves,
Sunlight scatters like fragments of shimmer,
The noise of this breathless world fades away,
Only the sound of my breathing flows quietly—My Forest.
Song-i sat on a bench beneath the blue trees.
In her hands was an acoustic guitar, and she wore a cool one-piece dress with a straw hat.
A fresh, verdant song poured out, perfectly complementing her costume and the backdrop.
Through Song-i’s youthful voice came the sound of an acoustic guitar.
Remarkably, Song-i was playing it herself.
It was an instrument she’d learned intensively from her father specifically for this stage.
The forest, a sea of green embracing me,
In that deep embrace, I gently close my eyes,
Fill me so I can dream of myself again.
“First of all, she’s just so cute.”
Click, click—Min Ha-young and I reflexively began snapping photos of Song-i on the monitor.
She was adorable, and it was heartwarming to see her delivering a stable live performance as a solo artist after all her practice.
It was true.
Her skills had improved tremendously.
Her voice, which had been relatively small compared to the other members, now richly filled this massive audition hall, and she was fully capable of carrying a song on her own.
But what stood out most was the light in Song-i’s eyes.
‘She’s enjoying this.’
Song-i was savoring the stage.
That Choi Song-i sang with sparkling eyes, communicating with each member of the audience one by one.
Song-i, who was always blunt and had become an idol solely to defy her parents’ wishes.
When had she improved so much and come to love singing?
Our youngest member, who once had no preferences regarding music and only followed what her unnies did, now knew how to release songs infused with her own taste.
I felt a sense of pride just watching her.
“Your eyes are absolutely sparkling and bright!”
Just as I was about to switch my mobile phone camera to video mode, chuckling at Min Ha-young’s playful remark, a Staff member who had been moving busily unlike us spoke in a slightly hurried voice.
“Ha-young, Ji-ye, we need to move backstage now.”
“Oh, yes!”
I quickly tossed my phone into my bag and headed backstage.
Once backstage, I synchronized my movements with Min Ha-young again, and soon Choi Song-i’s stage ended, making it our turn.
***
The stage went dark, and simultaneously, the Fans’ cheers erupted.
Choi Song-i’s stage response was exceptional.
To be honest, within FLORA, Choi Song-i’s image was nothing more than the ‘Youngest Member.’
She had received praise for having solid fundamental skills in Singing, Dancing, and Variety Show work, backed by inherited talent and experience accumulated since childhood, but none of these stood out as particularly exceptional.
In fact, before debuting with FLORA, she had extensive broadcast appearance experience but had never prepared to pursue a career as a singer.
Since Choi Song-i herself viewed singing activities as a form of rebellion, she lacked strong motivation to improve.
Consequently, compared to other Members with greater ambition, Choi Song-i practiced less, and her musical growth hadn’t been particularly pronounced.
Instead, when she appeared on Variety Shows, she had a high success rate for laughs based on the connections she’d built with many entertainers—that was the extent of her role as a Member.
Today, that Member had shown musical growth before the Fans.
The person who never smiled on stage was now singing with eyes like the Milky Way, gazing at the Fans with a radiant smile that conveyed pure joy.
Her growth as a singer, her professional attitude, the guitar she’d practiced with for better performances, and the warm gaze she cast upon the Fans.
It was more than enough to receive the Fans’ affectionate cheers.
Of course, for Ryu Byung-sun, who only cared about his granddaughter, it was merely a moment to rest.
“Child actors who appeared on television from a young age really are different. Hearing them in person makes them sound so much better.”
“Grandfather, I don’t think Choi Song-i was a child actor?”
“Is that so? She appeared on television quite often. When does Ji-ye come on?”
“I’m not sure. It seems like they’re going in order.”
“Ji-ye should perform something as refined as that. I’m not confident she can.”
Ryu Jin-woo listened to his Grandfather’s grumbling while gazing at the stage.
Ryu Jin-woo didn’t know much about idol concerts either, but he suspected that idol units probably wouldn’t plan overlapping concepts, so the refined stage his Grandfather desired might not be what would happen.
‘Will she come out alone?’
What kind of stage would she perform?
Since he only watched his younger sister’s stages during Comeback week music broadcasts at best, Ryu Jin-woo had no idea what song or concept she would perform.
That was when it happened.
Light poured onto the darkened stage once more.
Before, it had been decorated like a cute, lush green forest.
This time, all those delicate and ornate Props had vanished, leaving only an empty stage.
‘What is this?’
The difference between this stage and the previous one was stark.
In that moment of thought.
Boom, boom!
The sound of drums echoed.
And to the beat of the drums, dozens of Dancers dressed in black began to emerge from both sides of the Stage, walking slowly in a single line with synchronized steps.
Boom! Boom-boom!
The drum sound echoed once more through the venue.
In time with it, the dim Lighting flickered and began to heighten the Atmosphere.
Beyond grandeur, the dark and heavy Atmosphere had grown so oppressive that it felt as though we had stepped into a horror film or a haunted house.
Boom! Boom-boom!
With the drum beat, the Dancers turned in unison to face forward.
Multiple figures lined up in formation, fog swirling beneath their feet.
‘Could the Concept possibly be….’
Ryu Jin-woo’s body stiffened subtly.
It wasn’t a possibility—anyone could see what this Concept was.
Horror. Pure horror.
With that realization, I understood why the Dancers’ Costumes and Makeup were so dark.
Black lips, smoky eyes, black garments—it was like witnessing grim reapers in the modern age.
‘Ah, why of all things.’
Ryu Jin-woo is sensitive to horror. And among the Fans, there were quite a few who shared similar feelings, as murmurs rippled through various sections of the venue.
Those frightened, those brimming with anticipation, those still unable to grasp what Concept this was, wondering aloud—what is this? What’s going on?
But soon those murmurs transformed into screams of excitement.
“They’re here!”
Ryu Byung-sun quickly raised his light stick and began waving it.
Ryu Ji-ye and Min Ha-young had appeared.
The two walked out to the drum beat, dressed in translucent black traditional robes and holding traditional fans that concealed their mouths, followed by Dancers walking in four columns behind them.
Beneath lay khaki-colored Costumes that clashed with the current Atmosphere, but the dim Lighting meant only the black robes were visible unless one looked closely.
With merely their Expressions and gazes, the murmurs from the Audience Seating completely subsided.
Boom, boom, boom, boom.
The drum beat gradually began to accelerate.
As the Dancers following the two split left and right, moving behind the Dancers already positioned on Stage, the Dancers turned in unison to face Ryu Ji-ye and Min Ha-young.
In that instant, a gong sound rang out, and the Dancers’ heads bowed.
They were bowing their heads toward Ryu Ji-ye and Min Ha-young.
And immediately, the Song began.
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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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