Top Girl Group Scenario Rewritten with My Own Hands - Chapter 12

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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 12
September.
In other words, the month the second semester begins.
After getting some exercise, the uphill walk from the University gate to the Lecture Hall felt a little less grueling.
“I really hate First Period Class…….”
“Someone forgot to register for courses and has a lot to say.”
“Ah ah ah! No, come on, empathize with me a little!”
“Huh, I have free period on Fridays.”
“I really hate it……. The fact that ’empathize’ and ‘free period’ rhyme is so annoying.”
“But I have First Period all four days—Monday through Thursday?”
“……Why?!”
“Required Major Courses have to go in, and Ensemble gets cut out, so if you avoid morning classes when possible, First Period is mandatory.”
Su-ah still doesn’t seem to understand why I’m commuting to school with her, a fellow First Period warrior.
I arranged my schedule for morning classes only whenever possible, excluding Required Major Courses for Debut prep, and managed to secure free period on Friday. But somehow I still ended up with First Period all four days—what a mess.
Since I covered my tuition with a full scholarship thanks to last semester’s grades, I didn’t want to coast through, so I’m trying to attend properly if I can manage it. (Though I’ll probably have to take a leave of absence next semester anyway.)
I pushed the still-drowsy Kang Su-ah into the Vocal Specialization Lecture Hall and headed to my own classroom.
I gave my classmates a casual greeting—the first time seeing them in a while—and as I sat down, memories came flooding back. We’d actually had fun attending…….
“So how’ve you been, you master of ignoring messages?”
“Wow, you’re really complaining. Like you don’t ignore messages as a default?”
I felt a familiar presence, and it turned out to be Shim Yu-jeong, who’d been holding a grudge about the ignored messages.
It didn’t seem like she was genuinely annoyed—more like she was joking around—so I smiled slightly and shot back a response.
“That’s not the same thing. Never mind, answer my question.”
“You’re awfully interested in me, Shim Yu-jeong.”
“……Really?”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You deny it right away if it’s not true. Refusing to answer is an admission.”
Ugh, she’s got such sharp instincts…….
I gave a half-hearted nod and said we’d talk later, and Shim Yu-jeong sat down in an empty seat with an odd expression on her face.
Class started soon, and I had to sit through nonstop lectures until 1 p.m. without a single break.
Should’ve ordered an extra shot in my americano?
***
“So you’re actually becoming an Idol? For real, honestly true?!”
“When did I even say that…….”
“Oh, how could it be.”
“Even elementary school kids don’t use that anymore.”
“Um, how could it be, five in ten
1)
.”
“Why’d you suddenly throw in ‘five in ten’ there?”
“I heard you’re supposed to just add any random thing at the end.”
“Wow…….”
At my unenthusiastic reaction, Shim Yu-jeong laughed for a long time.
Every time I’m around this woman, my face gets all stiff.
But she’s actually great for bouncing ideas around or working with as a production partner because of who she is.
“So which company?”
“Music Proof.”
“Huh? Isn’t that a solo and band label? I know a senior from school who formed a band here at the University and is currently signed to them.”
“A band? Which one? Who do you know there?”
“Um, the vocalist there.”
“I know her. Do I look like someone who’d join a label without doing basic research?”
“No, I was just wondering how you’d know them. Those seniors must have quite an age gap with you. The vocalist is probably about ten years older than you, right?”
“Internet. I haven’t met anyone at the company……. You changed your speakers?”
I gave a half-hearted answer and just tapped the new speaker in the Studio absently.
Shim Yu-jeong used to bring me to her Studio sometimes even when I was in high school.
Even with a brutally tight schedule where we divided time in seconds, coming to Shim Yu-jeong’s Studio let me breathe a little easier, so I really loved this place. Even though it wasn’t my own.
“Alright, let’s start with the main topic—fast and to the point.”
“Will you help me work on the Debut Album? Nothing’s confirmed yet and there’s still a lot to do, but…….”
“Wow, hey. Are you seriously doing the Idol thing?”
“……It just kind of ended up that way.”
“How does something ‘just kind of end up’ like that…….”
Shim Yu-jeong looked at me with a subtle expression, then spoke again in a worried tone.
“I heard from your sister that it’s totally hands-off there. Are you sure that’s okay? They only give out what the artist does for the album release, and there’s hardly any support.”
“Well, it does worry me……. But if it doesn’t work out, I’m planning to fix it somehow. The problem is the Debut schedule is tight, so that’s what I need your help with. The company doesn’t seem like they’ll pay much attention.”
“You’re signing up for trouble. You said you didn’t want to be a player, right? What happened that made you take on this mess and become an Idol?”
“Um……, it’s complicated. Let’s move on.”
“I really can’t get a read on this. What exactly drew you in like that…….”
Sorry, that’s hard for me to explain too……. Instead of answering, I gave an embarrassed smile.
How am I supposed to explain that this thing called a system that came out of nowhere suddenly wound back time five years and told me to become an Idol…….
“You’ll help me, right? Right now, you’re the only one I can rely on.”
“Yeah, yeah……. So where do we start, and how?”
“Great. First, can you fill me in on what’s going on?”
It’s something I’ve been thinking since the moment she called—no, even longer than that, but this woman wants to come across as cool and cynical. The truth is she’s genuinely warm.
She worries a lot, cares a lot, and so she nags a lot. When I show up at her Studio after a while without staying in touch, she throws a fit about where I’m suddenly getting the nerve to show up, but then she asks if everything’s okay.
“Don’t use formal speech. It annoys me more.”
“Hehe.”
“Don’t laugh either.”
Yet she helps me every time, even while complaining.
***
Asking Shim Yu-jeong for help was really the right choice.
Whether it was venting or lamenting……, after listening to my complaints for a while, she said we should organize first and foremost.
“Okay, so you want to write a song that fits the group and appeal to the company that you have Producing Ability—right?”
“Yep, exactly. I’ve tried all kinds of things for about ten days, but nothing’s working. Nothing really grabs me.”
“You can’t just make something randomly and expect it to work. And why MIDI if you’re not even good at it yet? Use Guitar or Keyboard. You’re good at both.”
It’s true I wasn’t very good with MIDI when I was twenty.
But that was twenty-year-old me, and twenty-five-year-old me pretending to be twenty had long since adapted to using MIDI.
“Yeah, but……, if I want to make a point about proving my Producing Ability~ like that, acoustic just won’t cut it. If I was going to do indie, I would’ve picked up a guitar long ago.”
“True, all Idol dance tracks are electronic music anyway.”
But I couldn’t say that directly…….
I gave a vague explanation, and she let it slide, which I was grateful for.
After the Quest appeared, during those ten days of writing and deleting, I played a few Demos that I’d considered keeping. Shim Yu-jeong nodded and spoke.
“You’ve improved a lot. The quality’s nothing like what I heard in spring.”
“……Oh please, don’t bring that up. I’ve taken classes at school and got my own personal Macbook. Really, thank you so much?”
“Funny kid. Anyway, what you have now is clean and solid, but it doesn’t stand out.”
“Ugh……. I haven’t thought about concept or anything, so it’s just really vague and daunting.”
Ah, really. This sudden attack of blackmail from five years ago caught me off guard—my head’s spinning.
Despite my confused expression, Shim Yu-jeong still listened carefully to the last Demo I’d brought.
“Alright, overall assessment. You’ve really improved sooooo much. What’d you do during the break?”
“I appreciate the compliment, but……, doesn’t it feel like the focus is a bit off from what I’m worried about?”
“Goodness, you’re always so impatient.”
As I sat there drumming on the desk with a bitter expression, Shim Yu-jeong gave a small shrug and played one of the Demos I’d brought.
The Studio instantly filled with a strong Kick Sound and finely divided Hi-hat, with a broad, low Synth underneath. It was the most recent Demo I’d made.
It was made yesterday or the day before—something I thought might work for Go Hyun-seo, but then I had second thoughts that it wouldn’t fit the team, so I just quietly saved it…….
“This is good. If you write a Verse and make a Top Line, the quality should come through. But you already do that kind of thing well on your own—how dare you complain?”
“Ah, no, but this is a real concern, seriously…….”
“I get it, trust me. You don’t say that kind of thing lightly.”
“Oh……, that’s kind of touching. But I kept this one because it seemed too heavy. There are even middle schoolers among the Trainees at the company.”
At that, Shim Yu-jeong gave me a somewhat pitying look.
What? What is it?
“Didn’t you make this thinking about the kid you’re training with?”
“Yeah, that’s right. But separately from what I think would suit Go Hyun-seo, when I think whether it fits the team image—it doesn’t. It’s too heavy…….”
“No, your goal is to prove your Producing Ability. You made it with solid quality, and if you made it thinking of the kid who’ll be a member, then it’s definitely going to suit that kid, right? So make the performance design center on that kid.”
What, did I ever plan to pull a Title Track from the start?
As I started to understand the matter-of-fact way she was spelling things out, the solution to what had seemed like a blocked Quest started to come into view.
Looking at me with a slightly shocked expression, Shim Yu-jeong added an explanation with the look of someone thinking, ‘Poor lost soul…….’
“Submit this to the company, and when your Producing rights are granted, figure out the Title Track then. Unless you’re a major label picking members to match a concept from the start, concepts naturally divide by who fits best~ and so on. You need time to think too. I can’t say for sure, but if you polish it, it could be a Title Track. But as a B-side or sub-activity track, it’s definitely enough.”
The Quest said to ‘write a song for the group and members,’ not to write a song that fit perfectly.
Looking at the supplementary explanation, it seems there’s a pretty good chance of success just by proving adequate Producing Ability.
I over-interpreted the conditions. I’d gotten stuck thinking I needed to write a song that fit the group—something that would sketch out a Title Track.
Why didn’t I think about this until now…….
Once the thought clicked, I started organizing my head like tidying a messy room—the song structure, the Top Line, lyrics, and other secondary details began sorting themselves out.
As I was drumming on the desk and organizing my thoughts, I soon heard a small sigh from beside me.
“Look, whatever, it’s all good—but tell me, who’s pushing you to produce for a group like this? I know you’ve always had a lot on your mind, but why are you in such a rush?”
Chills ran down my spine all at once. How does this woman have such good instincts?
I thought I’d been found out about the system, but it doesn’t seem like that’s the case. I guess my impatience just shows. Am I really that pressed for time right now…….
“No, it’s not that. But our company doesn’t have an A&R Team, you know? Leaving the fate of a Debut song to the company feels too……, uh, uncertain. So I’m a bit…….”
“I see.”
“……It’s just, this weird sense of responsibility starts building up.”
“Lord.”
As I made an effort to look composed and change the subject, Shim Yu-jeong nodded in understanding.
Music Proof……, they had a reputation in the industry that was rough even back then. How did this company even manage to keep going.
“So, um……?”
“Yeah, you want to use the Studio? Just use it.”
“Awesome, I’ll wrap up quickly and head out.”
“You know how to turn on the security, right? Just turn it on before you leave.”
“…Of course?”
I don’t remember.
Of course not—it’s been three years since Yu-jeong moved the Studio, going by when I was twenty-five!
“How are you good at remembering stuff but always forget things like this…….”
Shim Yu-jeong stared at my expression, let out a long sigh, and explained how to turn on the security system again.
Don’t come in too late, don’t get cocky about walking at dawn—call a taxi, don’t stay up all night, go easy on the coffee, and go even easier on energy drinks.
After pouring out a barrage of nagging I’d never even heard from my parents, Shim Yu-jeong coolly slipped out of the Studio, saying she had First Period tomorrow too.
……I have First Period tomorrow too though!
Inspiration is volatile, so you have to work quickly when you think of something or at least memo it. There’s no guarantee that the rhythm and pitch I’m thinking of now will still be in my head tomorrow.
I’d already texted Su-ah to let her know I’d be coming in late, so I turned on the Synthesizer with the intention of coming home at dawn.
Once I connected the Audio Interface with all the equipment set up to the Macbook, the Synthesizer came to life. After working with a laptop for so long, the keyboard input felt so comfortable compared to virtual instrument controls.
I used an instrument that matched my imagined sound a bit better, adjusted the intensity of the Kick Sound, swapped out the Synth that was laid down…….
That night and the dawn, I spent it all extending about thirty seconds of a short hook into a full verse. I thought I was finally done, so I stretched, and the sun was rising outside the window.
Somehow, Shim Yu-jeong’s nagging seemed destined to remain just nagging. I’d bought an americano with two extra shots before the nearby café closed…….
Sorry, the nagging really doesn’t help at all…….
As I rolled my stiff neck from staring at the monitor for so long and checked the time on my phone, it had just passed 5 a.m.
– Kang Su-ah : When are you coming home???
– Kang Su-ah : (confused rabbit emoticon)
– Kang Su-ah : Go Hyun-seo is asking when you’re coming back
– Kang Su-ah : Answer the phone ㅠㅠ
Oh no.
At some point I’d stopped checking my phone, and now there were piles of missed calls and messages. Four missed calls from Su-ah, and from Go Hyun-seo—seven missed calls with no texts…….
I thought I’d set it to vibrate, but it was on silent……. I quickly sent Su-ah a messenger reply.
Sorry just saw it –
Was working at Yu-jeong’s Studio –
Coming home now –
Sorry… –
Oh, the file name—there was a complaint asking to “at least drop the cold adjectives from the file name,” so we agreed to just save it with my three-letter name. I still don’t really understand why they care so much about the file name though.
I quickly tidied up the Studio, turned on the security system the way Shim Yu-jeong showed me, and headed back to the dorm as fast as I could.
Looking at the time, I figured I’d probably have to just wash up and head right back out anyway, but I had to stop by since I’d missed so many calls!
But…….
“You’re pretty late. Where have you been?”
……Go Hyun-seo, did you not sleep either?
How is she in the living room at exactly this moment—what perfect timing?!
To be frank, since becoming an adult, I’ve rarely found myself intimidated by anyone.
If anything, I’d be the one causing the drama, so I’d get annoyed rather than scared by someone else’s.
“…Um, I was at a senior’s Studio.”
“What were you doing?”
“……Do I have to tell you? It’s personal.”
“After saying you’d be late, you’ve ignored all of Su-ah’s messages and haven’t answered the phone all night. Shouldn’t you at least be able to tell us this much?”
But……, honestly, I’m really intimidated right now.
Our practice room’s leader is seriously pissed.
1)
Audio Interface. A device that converts sound into electrical signals for computer input. Essential equipment for professional music work and connecting external devices.
Rewriting a Top Girl Group Scenario with My Own Hands
Author
: Nam Seo-rang
Production Date
: January 5, 2026
Publisher
: ACES Media Inc.
Editor
: ACES Media Editorial Team
Address
: 4F, Urban Bench Building, 325 Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Email
: [email protected]
※ This work is published by ACES Media Inc. under contract with the copyright holder,
and the contents may not be used in any form or manner without the permission of the company and author.
This e-book is protected by copyright law, and unauthorized reproduction or copying may result in legal liability.
UCI
: G720:N+A129-20260102083.0012

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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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