The Daughter of a Conglomerate Family Has Debuted - Chapter 40

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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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The Chaebol’s Daughter Debuted

Episode 40

“I hear that a lot, but Song-i is the same way. Song-i doesn’t show when she’s nervous either.”

“Are you talking about me, unnies?”

It seemed like she’d been wanting to join this conversation for a while, so I brought up the topic. As expected, Choi Song-i approached us as if she’d been waiting.

Han Da-min and I made space so Choi Song-i could come to the center.

“You’re like Ji-ye too, not showing when you’re nervous. But with Ji-ye, when she says she’s nervous, you can at least tell she’s nervous, you know?”

“Yes, yes.”

“But Song-i, aren’t you just not nervous at all?”

I reflexively looked at Choi Song-i.

When I’m nervous, I become quiet and can’t hear what people around me are saying well. It doesn’t show on my face, but it definitely shows in my behavior.

In contrast, Choi Song-i shows no signs of nervousness in either her face or behavior. On top of that, she often makes silly jokes while watching nervous members or does completely unrelated things.

Until recently, I even wondered if Choi Song-i wasn’t interested in this whole thing at all, let alone being nervous.

‘I didn’t know until I held her hand.’

During the first round competition ranking announcement, when Choi Song-i tightly grabbed my hand, her hand was trembling and soaked with sweat.

That’s when I realized. Choi Song-i was quite serious about this competition too.

However, Choi Song-i seemed unwilling to reveal this, shrugging her shoulders and acting cocky.

“I haven’t been nervous since Gaenari Kindergarten.”

Gaenari Kindergarten? Ah, the children’s channel that Choi Song-i had been appearing on since she was young.

The cameraman nodded casually at our conversation and asked.

“Is there any team among the other five teams that’s most impressive or concerning to you?”

“A concerning team? Hmm…”

The members including myself were about to fall into thought when.

“We’ll start filming.”

The director’s voice echoed throughout the huge venue.

The camera that had been filming us quickly withdrew as if nothing had happened and went down below the stage, and we also separated and stood in our respective positions.

All the lighting that had been dimly illuminating the entire venue went out, and a spotlight fell on So-hae in another set studio prepared separately below the stage.

The group song filming had begun.

***

“Haha, Team Leader Ryu, we’ve been seeing each other often lately!”

“Indeed! PD, how have you been? You must be very busy these days, right?”

“It is a busy time. Haven’t you been very busy recently too, Team Leader? Though it’s nice for us to see your face often.”

Ryu Jae-geum ignored the subtle discomfort that had settled on the PD’s face and greeted him brightly.

“Start Plan is Hongjin Electronics’ biggest project, isn’t it? The chairman is paying a lot of attention to it too. He keeps telling me to come and see it in person every time.”

Yes, he told me to come and see it in person.

Not our products. Ryu Ji-ye.

‘I’m doing things I’ve never done in my life because of Ryu Ji-ye.’

Ryu Jae-geum thought while wearing a good-natured smile.

This was the kind of field work he only did when he was a newly hired employee who had just joined the company.

Because he wasn’t particularly friendly or warm, his impression didn’t help Hongjin’s image. There were even business partners who felt uncomfortable with him being from the Hongjin family, so after gaining some experience, he stopped going out.

But because of Ryu Ji-ye, he was doing things he hadn’t done for a while.

He was naturally quick-witted, so he knew how uncomfortable the PD was with him right now.

Of course, it wasn’t particularly Ryu Jae-geum’s own will, but because he couldn’t resist his family’s pressure.

‘They always make me do this kind of thing.’

People-meeting work should be left to Ryu Jin-woo, who always smiles disgustingly and pretends to be sociable.

Ryu Jae-geum sat in the chair the PD readily offered while pouting his lips in dissatisfaction.

Even so, his eyes diligently searched for Ryu Ji-ye on that huge stage.

The lighting was seriously bright, and there were so many trainees wearing the same costume, pink school uniforms or whatever, both on and below the stage, that he couldn’t even see Ryu Ji-ye.

As he watched the stage for a while, the PD, who had been constantly watching his reactions despite being busy, casually struck up a conversation.

“Team Leader, you seem to have a lot of interest in this kind of thing, unexpectedly?”

“Well, yes.”

Ryu Jae-geum answered half-heartedly.

“It’s a popular series every year. I also like watching performances originally.”

“They’re pretty good even though they’re trainees, right? Ah, those kids on the front stage over there are the ones who got first place this round.”

“Hmm.”

Ryu Jae-geum looked at the trainees the PD pointed to with indifferent eyes.

The lighting filling the entire gymnasium, the six teams of trainees standing beneath it, and among them, those standing in an outstandingly prominent position.

It was May Rookie.

How did they dance again? Ryu Jae-geum said listlessly while trying to recall memories he’d never actually seen.

“They were pretty good.”

“Right? These are kids from SU this time. You know, right? The most famous entertainment agency in our country.”

“Ah, I know. SU. So major entertainment companies sent out trainees too?”

“Haha, it’s a matter of agreement.”

Ryu Jae-geum’s smile became strangely crooked.

A matter of agreement.

‘Ah, Ryu Ji-ye lost, she lost.’

Even Ryu Jae-geum, who had little interest in entertainment, knew about SU. That’s because a considerable number of idols and entertainers who appear on TV whenever you turn it on belong to that company.

It was one of the agencies that had been rooted in the industry for a very long time and extensively.

If it was a matter of agreement from there.

‘Choi Gyo-young should just go after SU instead of bothering Ji-ye for no reason.’

Ryu Jae-geum tried hard to hide his displeasure and said.

“I guess kids from good companies are good. Seeing how they got first place from the first round.”

At Ryu Jae-geum’s words, the PD silently raised the corners of his mouth.

Brilliantly shining

Remember this moment

It will surely spread sweetly

My The first plan

Then, with the first chorus of the group song, the stages that had been separated on both sides began to gradually approach the main stage.

“…Ah.”

Ryu Jae-geum let out a small exclamation.

As the bright lighting began to illuminate both side stages, he could finally see his younger sister Ryu Ji-ye.

The corners of Ryu Jae-geum’s mouth unconsciously rose with a grin.

‘No matter how you look at it, she’s different.’

How could she be so different from how she looked at home? Just watching his younger sister, who only caused trouble, dancing on stage felt like looking at a complete stranger.

Not her usual vacant eyes, but eyes sparkling like stars. And her prettily bright smiling expression with natural dance moves.

‘When did she, without me knowing…’

Thinking about it again, he had never in his life imagined that Ryu Ji-ye was someone who could dance like that.

As long as she was on stage now, she wasn’t Ryu Jae-geum’s troublemaker sister but really looked like a celebrity you’d only see on TV, which felt quite strange.

“…Ah, ahem!”

Ryu Jae-geum, who had been staring blankly at Ryu Ji-ye, cleared his throat and composed his expression.

‘That’s not what’s important right now.’

His gaze turned to the camera screen.

What was important was how prominently Ryu Ji-ye was being filmed among that tremendous number of trainees.

-The opening stage has the highest view count and is watched by the most people. How memorable you are there becomes a measure of early popularity. You know what I mean, right, Jae-geum?

Ryu Jae-geum recalled his older brother Ryu Jin-woo’s words as he alternately looked between the large electronic display board and the camera screens the PD was filming.

Either getting a lot of screen time.

Or leaving a proper impression.

Checking whether his younger sister Ryu Ji-ye was doing at least one of these two things properly was one of the missions Ryu Jae-geum had received from his family.

‘Hmm.’

For now, his younger sister hadn’t been caught on camera yet.

No, to be precise, she had appeared on screen, but really just briefly—maybe 0.5 seconds along with about ten other people, and that was it.

‘And even then, she was all the way in the back!’

Why was Ryu Ji-ye all the way in the back?

Sure, the other members had good abilities too, but Ji-ye was doing well too, so why was she in the very back?

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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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