Top Girl Group Scenario Rewritten with My Own Hands - Chapter 27

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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 27
“Let me introduce ourselves. On three.”
“Hello, we’re Evergrit! Thank you for your support!”
At 4 PM, the media showcase began, facing journalists and media outlets.
There had been opinions that we needed to settle on a special greeting until the end, but we ultimately decided not to establish any particular catchphrase.
These days, many idols don’t set a unique greeting anyway, and no particularly good ideas had come up.
Hyun Jae-yi made a fuss about it being the collapse of K-pop culture, but… what could we do. Even she couldn’t come up with an idea that felt right, so we decided against setting a greeting.
– Do I really have to lead the greeting?
– Of course! That’s what the leader usually does.
– It doesn’t matter who does it, does it?
– How far are you planning to take the collapse of K-pop culture?!
– How is that even connected to this…?
– It just is!
Under Hyun Jae-yi’s insistent pressure, I ended up taking on the greeting as the leader.
But I still couldn’t connect the dots between the collapse of idol culture and why I specifically had to lead the greeting.
I agreed that someone needed to be the leader, but did it absolutely have to be me? And did I absolutely have to lead the greeting too?
The media showcase ended in what felt like a blink. I couldn’t even tell if I’d been nervous or not.
“You really were nervous, weren’t you?”
“What, did you think I was lying to mess with you?”
“Maybe a little?”
“My credibility has hit rock bottom…”
“That’s why you shouldn’t joke around so much. Lately, I’m telling you—you’re starting to act more and more like Kang Su-a.”
No, wait.
Go Hyun-seo was teasing me to the point where I must have been quite nervous.
“Stop messing with me… Besides, I didn’t mess anything up.”
“That’s true. You had a lot to do today and you didn’t flub a single thing.”
“Then that should be enough, right? Really, stop…”
“Why, it’s fun? You’re always doing the same to us.”
“That’s karma from all those times you messed with Hyun-seo!”
“If we’re keeping score like that… ugh.”
“Ha ha!”
I gave up trying to argue back when Kang Su-a jumped in, and sighed. Watching Hyun-seo and Su-a laugh so freely, it seemed like any response I gave would just invite more teasing…
I really should have stopped joking around sooner. But the triumphant expression on Hyun-seo’s face as she turned the tables on me was oddly satisfying.
“Did you really hate it when I was joking around?”
“Well, not exactly… It’s just, a person like you isn’t easy to tease.”
Looking at her expression, I think she would’ve reacted the same way even if I’d teased her less.
I guess if the opportunity comes around, I’ll just have to get my own back on this kid.
***
“I mentioned this beforehand, but our parents aren’t coming today. All the other members’ families are in the waiting room now.”
“Yeah, we talked about that last time…”
Team Leader Lee Su-bin’s voice trailed off in a way unlike her.
“This might be a rude question, but is there some kind of family matter that’s difficult to talk about?”
Ah.
This was a conversation I’d always known would come up eventually. Every time family came up, I made it clear I didn’t want to talk about it, and I hadn’t registered emergency contacts with the company for a reason.
How could I steer through this without making a mess of things?
I was past the age where I needed a legal guardian anyway…
“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I’m just asking so I have some sense of the situation. A simple yes or no is fine.”
“Oh, no. It’s not a difficult matter to talk about or anything…”
I paused for a moment to think, then smiled and opened my mouth.
I couldn’t ruin such a good day’s atmosphere. Even if right now it was just the team leader and me here.
“I just… don’t have a good relationship with my parents. My parents wanted me to focus on studying…”
“I see.”
“But I like music more, so from around the time I was choosing a university, there was some friction between us.”
I continued slowly, choosing my words carefully.
It would’ve been embarrassing to tell the whole truth, and I didn’t want to mention things that hadn’t happened yet and hopefully never would.
“They didn’t approve of composition either, and they obviously disapproved of me becoming an idol. So now we just pretend the other doesn’t exist. I doubt they’ll ever come see me perform.”
“All right. Is there anything else I should be aware of?”
“Hmm, I don’t think so. They’re not people interested in this kind of thing, so there shouldn’t be any unexpected contact from them.”
Fortunately, Team Leader Lee seemed to accept my explanation of the situation with my parents. She might have more questions, but she wasn’t pressing further.
As I walked back to the waiting room with her, I checked my watch—it was nearly 6 PM.
The time when our debut track’s audio and music video would be released.
[▷ SUDDEN EVENT TRIGGERED!]
[▷ EVENT: The Perfect Debut Showcase]
[At last, the moment to meet your fans in person! Make this showcase perfect—both the offline venue and the online broadcast reaching the world. Captivate all your fans across the globe!]
[The results of this event will impact your mission clear rating.]
[Event Duration: Until midnight on your debut day (2/24)]
[After the event ends, your Clear Grade (S/A/B/C/D) will be determined based on your achievement rate, and rewards and penalties will be applied accordingly.]
[▷ Check the guidelines!]
…The fact that this damnable system started acting up again right when we debuted was truly unfortunate.
It had been quiet for a while, but now that we’re debuting, it’s started making a fuss again…
What the hell does it expect from someone who just debuted today?
If that’s how it’s going to be, just make me a producer instead of an idol!
***
Guidelines.
Guidelines, of all things.
[▷ View Guidelines in Detail]
– Tip 1. Always, everywhere—be an idol! Equip your idol persona.
– Tip 2. Everything is about confidence! Be bold and shameless.
– Tip 3. Your fans love you. Be an idol who graciously accepts their love and knows how to return it!
When I first opened this, I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.
‘These bastards…’
So you already knew.
You knew and acted up anyway…
These are textbook basics without a doubt.
What should an idol be like? Just exemplary commentary on that question.
But…
“Oh, found you, Ji-on!”
“I was just about to head out anyway. Didn’t you hear me tell Ju-young I was going to the bathroom?”
Just as my head was heating up from all this useless information, Kang Su-a arrived looking for me.
Su-a deliberately glossed over my words and giggled mischievously.
I wished everyone would just disappear, but that’s not possible when being an idol is your job…
(Or actually, even if idol weren’t my job, you shouldn’t mess up your livelihood based on mood.)
“Why does your mood seem off again? Are you nervous?”
“Is it obvious? A little… yeah, a little.”
“I see…”
All the way back to the waiting room, Kang Su-a kept looking at me with eyes that seemed to expect some kind of answer.
But I didn’t give her anything beyond a light, dismissive response.
Still, if the leader’s sitting around looking too sullen, it kills the team’s energy. I made an effort to brighten the atmosphere during our short walk to the backstage, and the team’s mood came alive again.
I need to pull off this showcase well for the sake of this event, and also…
“So anyway, Han-byul and I snuck out to the hall for a second earlier,”
“What? You knew about this already, Ju-young?”
“…Yes!”
“Give me three seconds to explain that pause. Three, two…”
“I really do know!!! But more than that, there are so many fans out there?!”
Hyun Jae-yi launched into her excited retelling of how she and Lee Han-byul had caught a glimpse of the fans gathered in the lobby.
The excited tone and the emotion in her voice were unmistakably hope and anticipation.
Yes. This debut is a group assignment for six people, and unfortunately, only the leader—me—has reservations about it.
You know how incredibly frustrating it is when the person in charge of a group assignment acts like a troll? It was the same with the ethics class, and during ensemble performance practicum, it was exponentially worse.
Knowing all too well how infuriating that is, I have no intention of becoming a troll team leader in this real survival group project where my livelihood is at stake—not over something as petty as personal feelings.
And one more thing.
I cannot let this group called Evergrit fall apart.
There are several reasons, but setting aside the primal instinct for survival, I think it’s because there’s affection—isn’t that so?
“Should we do a cheer? Who wants to lead it?”
“Since it’s our first stage, shouldn’t you do it, Ji-on?”
“Why, is this connected to K-pop culture too?”
“Ahhh, you know it’s not, so why do you keep doing that…”
I gave Hyun Jae-yi a genuine smile.
I’m not sure what she felt, but (Hyun Jae-yi pouted while the others burst out laughing) it seemed to work for lightening the mood.
“If that’s not it, how about someone with a good idea just shouts it out? I don’t have the sense for this kind of thing.”
“The team’s songwriter in charge should stop goofing off this instant…”
“What, I mean it sincerely. And I’m going to have you all try your hand at it starting with the next song, anyway.”
Given that I’d racked my brain coming up with ideas across so many areas—the title track name, the album name (which Yun Ju and Manager Lee helped tremendously with; I couldn’t have done it alone!), and the fanclub name—and good ideas were still hard to come by…
It was clear I really had no knack for naming things.
After laughter had swept through the backstage and things had quieted down a bit, I took a moment to think about the event.
More specifically, why the system had suddenly thrown this event at us.
Quests, events, tips… The system’s offerings were all quite straightforward and simple in their interpretation.
Stripped of everything else, it basically meant: ‘Personal feelings don’t matter. Become a perfect idol.’ Something like that.
Yes, until now, there hasn’t been anything that properly showed ‘me’ as an idol.
I think this is coming up now because it’s something I’ll need to display constantly once I debut.
Let me think about this carefully. First, my personal feelings.
What do I think about it?
It’s uncomfortable. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what feels uncomfortable because so many things are tangled up together.
The idea of a complete stranger giving me love is uncomfortable, and being known by someone I don’t know is also uncomfortable.
But most of all, what’s most uncomfortable is the fact that some might eagerly watch for my downfall, while others could become so obsessed that they’d drag me down to hell with them. The thought that unintentional malice and excessive love could suffocate me is paralyzing.
I’m grateful for their love, but at the same time, it’s so burdensome it makes my stomach churn. Even if those people knew everything about me, would they still love me?
That’s why a job where you earn money while being loved is difficult. It doesn’t suit me, and it’s exhausting in many ways. It’s not a job I ever wanted.
If they said they loved my music, my work, my art—not me—I could accept that readily. But if they say they love me, I need to understand their reasons from the beginning before I can accept it.
I don’t have the confidence to give back as much love as they give me. I just hope I’m not being ungrateful.
An idol who graciously accepts love and knows how to return it?
Honestly, it’s hard. At least for me, it’s too hard.
If you wanted someone to do that, the system should have picked a natural idol like Hyun Jae-yi, not me. Jae-yi genuinely knows how to accept the love given to her and return it just as it was given.
I’m just… an odd one who questions back whenever someone gives me love—’why do you love me?’
Let me summarize.
What the system is asking me to do is fundamentally someone I cannot be.
So what do I do in this situation?
It’s surprisingly simple. I’ll act.
The tips the system provided didn’t include instructions to be sincere.
The idol named Ji-on from Evergrit is someone the public has never properly encountered before. So I’ll just play the part. The way fans want, the way the system wants.
Cynical and outspoken like the Sejeong Yae vlog I appeared in, but since this is my first time interacting with fans like in my first Universe post, I’m still struggling with it—yet unlike me with my twisted flaws, this person would be fully ready to be loved and to give love.
I just need to act out the ‘perfect idol material’ with all my strange flaws removed. That’s probably what the system is looking for anyway.
People can’t change overnight, so the system sent this as a way to tell me to just act well. That’s what I think, at least.
“Oh then, I’ll do it! I’m the oldest here~”
“Does being the oldest have something to do with the chant?”
“No? I just wanted to do it, so I made up some random reason.”
“Han-byul…”
I let out a small laugh, and soft laughter rippled through the other members too.
The music filling the stage slowly died down, and the lights dimmed.
Now it’s really time to go up.
“So then…”
“Skip the buildup and hurry. We really have to go now.”
“Ji-on, you have no sense of romance at all!”
Kang Su-a playfully chided me in an exaggerated tone, then broke into a grin and spoke.
“On the count of three, we say ‘Evergrit fighting!’ and put our hands up. Up! One, two, three!”
“Evergrit fighting!”
…Here we go.
In just a moment, a seven-year group assignment opens, and at the same time, seven years of living a lie begins.
I’ve lived a lot of strange things, but I’m doing this for the first time. Of course, the best option would be not to do it at all…
I pushed those true feelings to a corner of my mind and fitted the in-ear monitor deep in my ear.
In ten seconds, I have to perform the character ‘Ji-on of Evergrit’ in front of fans for the first time.
Rewriting the Top Girl Group Scenario with My Own Hands
Author
: Nam Seo-rang
Production Date
: January 5, 2026
Publisher
: Aces Media
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 according to a contract with the copyright holder.
The content may not be used in any form or by any means without permission from the company and the author.
This e-book is protected by copyright law, and unauthorized reproduction or copying may result in legal liability.
UCI
: G720:N+A129-20260102083.0027

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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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