Top Girl Group Scenario Rewritten with My Own Hands - Chapter 102

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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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Episode 102
I don’t know Ji Cheong-yeon that well.
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[The Undisputed Three Visual Queens of 3rd Gen Girl Groups (Long Post Warning)]
(excerpt)
…
(Photo)
Ji Cheong-yeon, Noksia
Used to be that idols dropped their family names and just went by stage names, but the famous theory is that Ji Cheong-yeon’s actual face is literally so Ji-Cheong-yeon-like that she just made it her official stage name as-is
She’s the defining ice queen of the 3rd gen, but with those visuals she’s solid-or-better at dancing, singing, and acting, so she got the “perfectly balanced hexagon” praise. She’s an actress now
…
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What I do know is that quite a few people online look at me and try to find Ji Cheong-yeon, and that Ji Cheong-yeon remains a high-profile figure despite not having been active for quite a long time.
“…did you know your MC was Ji Cheong-yeon?”
“I… didn’t. Seriously.”
“Really?”
“Yeah…….”
From the look on Han Jung-yeon’s face, she genuinely didn’t know either. So the casting must have happened after the proposal came in.
How did Ji Cheong-yeon end up taking on a girl group survival show as MC anyway? Even without knowing much, it seemed like after the group disbanded she was building more of an acting career than an idol career.
I’m not sure if this will turn out to be lucky for me or if it’ll draw attention in some other direction.
“Those who would seize the crown, bear its weight. We welcome all the idols who have arrived at For the Crown. I’m Ji Cheong-yeon, your host. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
As Ji Cheong-yeon read from her Cue Card with clear diction and purity, applause erupted from all sides.
“Among the seven groups standing here, which one will wear the crown as the final victor? Now we begin the trials to determine who that champion will be.”
Ji Cheong-yeon slowly stepped backward, opening up the view of the stage.
The Stage was circular, with our seating in front and a navy curtain draped behind, with only basic lighting effects.
In short, a completely bare stage. We’d been briefed beforehand that no team could use stage effects.
“The first trial given to everyone is the 180-Second Self-Introduction. Every group will showcase a performance embodying their group’s identity over 180 seconds. On this stage, with no effects beyond basic lighting.”
Though I’d already heard this during the pre-meeting, Ji Cheong-yeon’s voice had a natural way of making people focus.
One reason they cast her as MC was definitely solid…….
“The order of performances will begin with the group that debuted latest. After all groups have performed, each team will be given a total of three votes. You can vote for three teams you believe are worthy of advancing, and the same applies to your own team.”
The voting format is something I’m hearing for the first time. It seems they tried to make it fair among groups…….
If they’d gone by votes per person, Daylight with the most members would get nine votes, and Bellier with the fewest would get four—too wide a gap.
“And each team receives one ‘DOWN’ vote.”
What? For a moment I wondered what I was hearing from that crystal-clear voice.
“The ‘DOWN’ vote is exercised by each team’s representative. Vote for the group you believe has no business being here.”
They’re introducing a negative vote.
Classic V-Net, addicted to spectacle. Even if it’s internal voting…….
“The final tally will count ‘DOWN’ votes as -1. However, the number of ‘DOWN’ votes received will be marked separately. The ranking you receive today won’t affect the rankings battle to come, but today’s rank will grant benefits in the first competition stage.”
This is a statement that minimizes the impact of negative votes while raising their presence, inserting a tense device of potential elimination.
“Welcome to the first trial venue. Then, we shall now begin the first competition of For the Crown in earnest. Please show us everything you have.”
The murmuring and chatter of individual comments died down, and applause sounded from all around. Then the lights slowly dimmed.
The true arena of competition had just begun.
***
Survival shows like For the Crown aren’t new to the K-pop scene.
It’s more accurate to say it’s already had its moment of popularity and been left behind as a broadcast format.
Because of this, the first meeting and self-introduction stages are nearly fixed templates.
The participating groups enter the competition without knowing the lineup, gradually figuring out “oh, so these are the groups” through the meet-and-greet flow.
What I mean is, the fact that all participants already knew all seven participating teams before the meet-and-greet itself was a fresh situation.
Contestants probably had some knowledge beforehand anyway—from seeing the proposals or hearing rumors…….
But in my knowledge, this is the first time posters introducing participating groups were released before the first shoot, with contestants knowing all the participating groups upfront as they began the first competition.
Because most articles come out after filming…….
‘Crazy V-Net. So the program planning leaked, and they got excited about the internet burning, sent out press releases and did a surprise poster reveal and all that…….’
Well, let’s think positive.
Thanks to it, the atmosphere of the first entrance was generally warm. Groups that debuted earlier came in and found their seats, we could predict which teams would come next, and so among those with prior acquaintance, the mood stayed warm…….
In a way, it makes sense. For the Crown is a new survival brand, and even with V-Net as the host, there was some lack of what you’d call attention-grabbing appeal.
Usually in these survival shows, really successful groups don’t tend to appear. In Korea right now, any girl group that well-regarded would see participation as a risk—the hesitation is palpable.
From way back, the rule of thumb was that already-successful idols have nothing to gain from survival shows. A group already with name recognition and popularity has no reason to appear.
Right now, the spot for a young Top-tier Girl Group is vacant.
Every team participating in Pod Arc is either a rising star or a mid-tier group trying to climb higher to fill that seat.
So if you’re going to draw attention, do it properly. We’ve cast this kind of group! and make a big noise about it—that seems like the right move.
…Well, V-Net probably didn’t release the lineup at that convenient leak-timing with such grand intentions.
These idiots probably just thought ‘Huh? It’s burning? Might as well add more fuel to the fire!’ and dropped it.
But it’s turned out to be quite helpful for me.
Like how Bellier, which I assumed would be six teams, became a final participant only after my conversation with Han Jung-yeon—it wasn’t in the initial candidates.
– Bellier……. You know they’re popular overseas lately after losing that member, right? Their recent album is doing well.
– Of course I know that. But isn’t that group a bit weak for this lineup?
– That’s true. But that Curs producer has some connection with V-Net, you know? So instead of swapping someone out, they agreed to expand the participant teams by one. Seems like they wanted to give them more push this time.
– Is that company insider information too?
– Yeah. This person works in the parent company side, so it’s probably accurate? Anyway, since they announced there’d be an elimination system in the middle, adding a team didn’t matter.
It’s hard to guess whether the producer made a direct appeal. That producer is especially famous for providing songs and collaborating with V-Net on several survival shows, including DragonGirlfriend, and the group itself is gaining overseas popularity, so it wouldn’t have been a losing deal for V-Net either.
I worked to drain the tension from my expression, crafting a neutral face that didn’t look sharp no matter who was watching.
When you have strong features, even a blank expression can be misread as intimidating, so it was something I’d learned naturally while acquiring social skills.
Having to mind my expressions throughout the survival shoot is going to be tiring. Especially since with V-Net’s style, you never know when or where they’ll cut footage.
“Is everyone ready?”
“Yes~”
After that, Ji Cheong-yeon lightly reiterated the pre-announced rules.
For the Crown’s championship benefits, voting reflection ratios, and so on…….
The championship benefit is a solo concert funded and later broadcast by V-Net. It was selected as a reward because rising girl groups can’t easily hold concerts on their own, and it’s more generous than other survival shows that offered prizes like comeback shows.
“The first team to take the stage is Bellier, who is in their second year since debut. Please come to the stage.”
Following Ji Cheong-yeon’s words, Bellier took to the stage to prepare for their first performance, and all members looked quite nervous.
Being the newest group on top of it (we and Ashcode barely differ in debut date, though the stage experience gap is significant), they seemed very anxious about performing first.
Plus, it’s a performance on a bare stage with no direction possible beyond basic lighting. They have to showcase their group’s identity through nothing but the members themselves.
‘This must be really important for them.’
Right now, except for Lee Da-min who left, I don’t know anything about Bellier as a group. What they’re good at, what they prefer, what the team’s strengths are—I know nothing.
I know about their album released in February that did well overseas, but that’s it. This team has to show something here.
Bellier chose their most recent activity track, a song that did well overseas and became somewhat known to domestic audiences.
It was a flashy dance performance fitting the fast EDM, drop beats, and leather costumes, but…….
‘The vocals are definitely a bit weak.’
Lee Da-min was originally the vocal member, right? She wasn’t that great a singer either, and she’s a member who came in through connections, so I have a rough sense of why this group could accommodate her even awkwardly.
Bellier’s members overall had decent dancing but felt lacking in vocals and rap. That said, it wasn’t exactly stable either.
With few members, the stage didn’t feel full. Against the drapes and dark velvet carpeting, in black outfits, they didn’t stand out as much as they might have.
‘Honestly, it’s a bit disappointing…….’
The song quality and Arrangement itself were good. Which is precisely why the shortcomings stood out more obviously.
Since the original was a short song that didn’t fill 180 seconds, the added dance break felt slightly awkward, but it almost seemed like the best choice in terms of covering up the vocal weakness.
I had a hunch, but as expected, Bellier isn’t a championship contender. Not that I could say it outright to them…….
I mentally crossed Bellier off my list of potential winners.
“We’re the group that debuted latest here, so rather than aiming for first place, we wanted to learn more and compete with our seniors, and, um, grow more, which is why we decided to participate in For the Crown.”
Even as the group’s leader shared their motivation after the performance ended, there was no hunger for first place.
Too humble, and frankly, too passive for a survival competition.
That’s not to say I dislike them. I simply got the sense that these kids have no intention of winning.
Which means one less group I’ll need to eliminate for my own survival.
These kids won’t be able to win.
Rewriting the Top Girl Group Scenario With My Own Hands
Author
: Nam Seo-rang
Production Date
: May 29, 2026
Publisher
: AES Media
Editor
: AES Media Editorial Team
Address
: Teheran-ro 325 Urban Bench Building 4F, Gangnam District, Seoul
Email
: [email protected]
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UCI
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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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