Top Girl Group Scenario Rewritten with My Own Hands - Chapter 38

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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 38
JION
Hey EVERY! It’s Ji-on.
We’ve arrived safely in Japan. Since this is our first overseas schedule, I’m both nervous and excited.
We’ll do our best out there. Look forward to us, EVERY! ✌
(A full-body shot of Ji-on, apparently taken by someone at the Airport)
(A mirror selfie of Ji-on and Han-byeol taken on a Tokyo street)
(A selfie of Ji-on and Soo-ah taken inside the Airport)
(A brief ten-second video of Hye-rin, Soo-ah, and Jae-i playing rock-paper-scissors to decide what snack to buy at a Convenience Store. Ji-on’s laughter can be heard mixed in toward the end.)
King of the Strong Soo-ah 💖
Arrived in Tokyo 🫡 See you tomorrow EVERY 😘
(A short video shot as a selfie from inside a moving car)
Soo-ah: Hey guys, look here! One, two, three…. It’s a video!
Ji-on laughs knowingly, Hyun-seo shakes her head in disbelief, Jae-i and Hye-rin laugh with delight, and Han-byeol looks flustered.)
***
“Hello, senior! We’re ASHCORD. We look forward to working with you!”
“…Oh, it’s nice to meet you. You don’t need to be so formal.”
I tried to hide my reluctant expression as I looked at these young, unfamiliar faces.
Seeing such young members made my chest tighten for some reason.
The one thing that bothered me was today’s Music City broadcast.
ASHCORD, with their parent company PN being a major agency, was naturally an overseas-recognized rookie in an established group’s Active Period—so naturally their name appeared on today’s lineup.
To be honest, I found this group awkward. They hadn’t done anything wrong, but I’d planned to avoid them instinctively.
Still, I couldn’t dodge a greeting. I greeted them sincerely, returned their bow, and we exchanged albums.
“Now that we’ve debuted, it feels nice. Fighting on stage, okay?”
“Yeah, thanks. You too, Jae-i.”
Among the awkward atmosphere at the venue, Hyun-jae-i, who at least knew ASHCORD, was speaking the most naturally.
After ASHCORD’s Members had all left, I quietly spoke to Hyun-jae-i alone.
“Is she a close friend?”
“Not really, not super close or anything…. It’s that friend Jo Eun-bin I mentioned before.”
“Ah.”
“She goes by a Stage Name now—Noah. They haven’t officially announced the Leader Position, but I think she’s probably the Leader.”
Hyun-jae-i’s expression was quite indifferent.
I mean, she’d even done public Trainee work, so if her Debut fell through because of company politics, I’d probably feel the same way about the company.
Meanwhile, the younger Members, who’d met a same-age female friend in the music industry for perhaps the first time, looked noticeably excited.
They’d never met anyone their age—17—while active, and certainly not from a group like this after actually greeting them.
Unfortunately, they’d failed to exchange numbers (apparently PN had said no), but having someone to greet seemed to have lifted their spirits a little.
“I don’t usually say much about friendships, but let’s be a bit careful for now. Since we’re both rookies, we can wait to get close until we’re both more established. It might be better that way.”
“Okay….”
“The situation with our senior at Daylight is a bit different…. And as we keep active, you’ll naturally become closer anyway. Let’s take it slow.”
“I understand.”
Anyway, it’s a tiring society. You have to make friends while worrying about public opinion.
I gave the younger Members’ drooping shoulders a light pat and checked the cue sheet.
There’s a Cover Song stage midway through Part One, and right after we move into Part Two, it’s our turn for the “Lucky Days” stage.
[#6 Cover Song Stage
…
ASHCORD : Lunatic (Original Artist—NOXIA)
EVERGREET : Never Give Up (Original Artist—ACERA)]
Quite honorably, we got the final slot among five teams for the Cover Song stage. Except for us and ASHCORD, the other three teams had their Cover Songs cut to just the second verse, so this is actually pretty decent treatment for us.
As for ASHCORD, whom I’d been worried about…. They chose a dreamy, subdued-style song from their senior label at PN, NOXIA. They’ll probably use Live AR.
With such different Cover Song styles, there’s a good chance that aside from some people eager to compare, no one will try to pit us and ASHCORD against each other.
I don’t think there’s much to worry about. I probably just overcomplicated things.
As of now, no one can attach any Live Vocal Performance controversy to EVERGREET. I can say that with confidence as a producer.
***
As the stage ends, cheers and applause pour out.
The lights that had been following them until the very end cut out sharply, and during a short VCR of less than twenty seconds, ASHCORD had to quickly clear the stage.
Jo Eun-bin had experienced this once during rehearsal, but monitoring was difficult on this actual stage in many ways.
– Ah, ah. Is there a little feedback? Guys, are you okay? Does it need adjustment?
– Okay, it’s totally fine!
So Jo Eun-bin found EVERGREET, the group with her friend, fascinating. They went through sound check so naturally on the rehearsal stage, prepared for Live Vocal Performance…. but she couldn’t even attempt such things right now.
Actually, I’m not sure I can even call her my friend. Maybe Hyun-jae-i was just kind to me, and I got carried away thinking we’d gotten close….
She only found out that Hyun-jae-i had debuted after the girl had left the company during Trainee preparation.
When she watched EVERGREET’s stage on YouTube, her heart raced so much that she could instantly tell Hyun-jae-i’s skill had improved.
And now.
Even if I’m afraid to stumble and stay still
Even if fierce waves and wind frighten me
Watching Hyun-jae-i shine brilliantly, Jo Eun-bin felt her own debut stage become shabby for the first time.
Hyun-jae-i, with her permed light brown hair tied up in twin tails and wearing a Baseball Jacket with a patch, was exactly the idol Jo Eun-bin had always longed to be.
Even if I want to let go of everything and give up
I’ll just close my eyes and run again
As Hyun-jae-i naturally moved the Microphone in her hand, her voice filled the vast Stadium, moving perfectly with the backing track without even AR enhancement.
Her chest felt stuffy, her heart burning hot.
Live Vocal Performance…. We can’t even sing our title track properly, and we’re supposed to be singers….
Ah, it’s pathetic and embarrassing.
Though she’d felt it gradually before, even after achieving the Debut she’d so longed for, Jo Eun-bin remained uneasy and somehow ashamed.
She was doing what the company asked faithfully and well, but it didn’t feel like becoming the singer she’d dreamed of as a child.
Her Members were still young and their Trainee period had been short, so focusing mainly on Dance was in some ways inevitable,
and she’d tried to comfort herself, thinking that as they accumulated Active Period experience and grew older, they’d improve their singing….
Without stopping
Give me courage again
Chances remain
The game isn’t over yet
Never Give Up
In the second chorus, two Members who passed this part back and forth without hesitation while smiling brightly were both seventeen.
She’d clearly remembered their age because the younger Members had smiled brightly in the Waiting Room about meeting same-age friends for the first time.
They both smiled brightly, and even so their voices were clear, their Group Choreography not missing a beat.
One had powerful, strong projection that carried forward, the other was delicate but unwavering, with a vocal quality that emotionally captivated.
Age cannot excuse anything. Even the “young age” she’d been comforting herself with became useless as an excuse in front of equally young Members who excelled.
No, forgetting the younger Members—if she just thought about herself compared to Hyun-jae-i…. wasn’t the gap enormous?
Though she’d thought she was the best singer among her Members, remembering how she’d fumbled through the last Encore Live and ruined everything meant she couldn’t even claim that as a strength.
“…Unnie? Noah unnie!”
“Huh? Oh, yeah. You called?”
“We’re supposed to go to the Waiting Room now…. Are you okay? You seem a little off today.”
A round-faced, youthful-looking Member asked Jo Eun-bin cautiously.
Jo Eun-bin suddenly realized how spaced-out she’d been. If her state was odd enough for a Member to worry….
“No, it’s nothing. Let’s go.”
A voice that had lodged clearly in her ears from the stage irritated her, but Jo Eun-bin forced herself to ignore it and led her Members to the Waiting Room.
***
“Hurry, let’s start with Ji-on’s hair!”
“Yes!”
At the stylist’s order, my Members and I moved quickly.
Between the middle of Part One and the start of Part Two, we had only thirty minutes. In that time, we had to quickly touch up makeup and hairstyle, and adjust costumes slightly to match “Lucky Days.”
Basically the base costume stayed the same, and most of it was solved just by taking off the Baseball Jacket on top….
“Before we fix makeup, let’s put on the Knit first. If you fix makeup and then put it on, you might mess it up.”
“Okay….”
Today my styling seemed to have an unusually long list of adjustments….
I took off the jacket, put on a short ivory Knit, tied a Ribbon Tie over the Shirt, and fastened a small Brooch….
“Hold still, don’t move.”
I was about to turn my head slightly when I froze.
The stylist’s words carried weight…. With time already so tight, she had to adjust both costume and hair!
As I sat still looking in the mirror, the stylist placed a blue Beret on my head and began fixing it carefully so it wouldn’t slip.
Glancing sideways with just my eyes, I saw Hyun-seo putting on a crisp ivory Cardigan and a blue Hair Band. As time had passed, her slightly longer hair with a gentle perm on the ends certainly felt more charming than the model-student vibe of our Active Period styling.
“Wow! The beret looks amazing on you, unnie!”
“Really? It’s my first time wearing one, so it feels a little strange….”
“No way, it’s pretty! No problem!”
Hyun-jae-i, with her hair tied up in twin tails, seemed to be in a much better mood.
Apparently this one gets more excited the larger the audience…. She had the most excited expression during the Cover Song stage too.
Not everyone came to see us, but getting a chance to perform in front of this many spectators doesn’t come easily.
Maybe only year-end stages, and only when we’re invited. The sight of a Stadium-sized venue packed with spectators was truly magnificent.
Well…, it just made me think I couldn’t afford to make mistakes….
“Hey, unnie.”
“Yeah?”
“Later, when we do our own Solo Concert in a place like this, I think it would be really fun.”
Hyun-jae-i probably didn’t mean anything by it.
She probably just meant if our own fans filled a place like this, it would genuinely be so much fun.
I gave Hyun-jae-i a light laugh and patted her back gently.
“Yeah, that would be fun.”
Then Hyun-jae-i giggled and went off to tease other Members whose hair and makeup were done.
Does she even realize it, I wonder.
That what she just said is even more unrealistic than winning a Rookie Award….
But big dreams are good.
If someday we could fill a Stadium of this scale with our own strength….
That really would be fun.
I’d never dreamed of being an idol, and I’m not doing this because it’s fun now, but still I felt like I wanted to see that sight at least once.
Rewriting the Top Girl Group Scenario with My Own Hands
Author
: Nam Seo-rang
Date of Production
: January 5, 2026
Publisher
: ACES Media Co., Ltd.
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 Co., Ltd. in accordance with a contract with the copyright holder,
and the contents cannot be used in any form or by any means without permission from the publisher and author.
This e-book is a copyrighted work protected by copyright law and unauthorized reprinting or reproduction may result in legal liability.
UCI
: G720:N+A129-20260102083.0038

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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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