Chapter 122
“Hello.”
“Hello~”
I, Cha Yul, Sae-ah, and Kim Ryeo-yu.
The four of us gathered in the practice room at the Colors headquarters.
It seemed that the location was chosen because half of us belonged to Colors.
The cameras were already set up.
“First, let’s listen to the song assigned to us.”
Naturally, the oldest member, Sae-ah, took the lead in setting the atmosphere.
The song our team was going to perform was a classic idol hit from about 20 years ago.
A song with a sophisticated beat even by today’s standards.
“This mission is mainly about evaluating team members.”
Sae-ah said with a businesslike smile.
That was true.
The method for deciding the elimination in the second mission was as follows.
50% pre-public vote, 50% rival vote.
The notable point was that there was no ‘Best’ in the rival vote.
In this rival vote, only the ‘Worst’ was selected.
After announcing each team and its members on the internet, a pre-public vote was conducted for each team.
Then, after watching the performances, the rival vote would choose the team with the most disappointing performance as the ‘Worst’ team.
The scores from the pre-public vote and the rival vote would be combined, and the team selected as the worst would designate the least helpful member as the ‘Worst Member.’
And the group to which this Worst Member belonged would be the final loser of the second mission.
The problem was that when selecting the ‘Worst’ member, it wasn’t only based on skill and popularity.
‘Cooperation’ could also be included as an evaluation factor.
In other words, if I messed up politically, I could be chosen as the Worst.
Also, having a larger group could be an advantage or a disadvantage.
The more members a group had, the more candidates there were to be selected as the Worst Member, which seemed disadvantageous.
However, the more members a group had, the higher the chance to do well in ‘politics.’
Since more than one member from the same group could be in a team.
Moreover, since all twenty people were given the right to vote in this rival vote, it was possible that original team members could discuss and vote against a specific team.
Of course, due to malicious editing or public opinion, the probability of that happening was extremely low.
In the end, it was fair.
I looked around at the team members.
There’s no one I can trust.
Why can’t I trust Cha Yul?
This sister… even in the Baek Nokha days, she liked me, but…
She sometimes did things that were really hard to understand.
Her thinking was not that of an ordinary person.
I couldn’t let my guard down.
“So… let’s cooperate well.”
“Yep.”
“Sure~!”
Kim Ryeo-yu said with an uncharacteristically innocent smile.
You must be desperate too.
If you had managed your character with that desperation earlier, you wouldn’t have come to this point.
“We can roughly divide the positions into main vocal, lead vocal, sub vocal 1, and sub vocal 2. The main dancer can take sub vocal 2. After deciding the positions, let’s separately take volunteers for the center.”
Sae-ah skillfully divided the parts.
At a glance, it was a reasonable distribution that didn’t excessively favor anyone.
The main vocal had the most parts, but it wasn’t to a noticeable extent.
…It was comfortable.
After carrying the extreme group project with the kids in the Menucal, it felt like I was being carried.
“Does anyone have a desired position?”
Sae-ah looked at us and asked.
I stayed quiet for now.
Here, I was still a rookie.
Staying quiet was the right thing to do.
“Senior, why don’t you take one first?”
Cha Yul said.
“Really? Then I’ll take sub 2. Can I take the main dancer as well, juniors?”
Surprisingly.
I thought she would take sub 1.
Sae-ah was like a sub-center within Sugar Dream.
Her skills were generally average and ordinary.
She was pretty and had charisma, but her dancing and singing were just okay.
But she wanted to take the main dancer?
I briefly questioned it, but then looked at the team members and understood immediately.
There was no one here who danced.
Both Cha Yul and I were mainly vocalists.
Kim Ryeo-yu probably thought she danced well, but honestly, that wasn’t the case.
Would Kim Ryeo-yu be able to accept that?
I glanced at Kim Ryeo-yu.
As expected, her lips, barely held up in a smile, were trembling.
She seemed to be barely holding onto her sanity.
“Yes~! I like it!”
Still, seeing her answer well, it seemed Director Kim had trained her thoroughly.
“I don’t mind either.”
Cha Yul didn’t seem to care.
Hmm.
“I agree with you being the main dancer. But I think you could take sub 1, Senior.”
It seemed I was the only one with a different opinion.
“…Really?”
There wasn’t a big difference in the amount of parts between sub 1 and sub 2.
However, sub 1 had more difficult parts.
In other words, it was a position that required experience.
It was reassuring to have Sae-ah, the most experienced among us, take on the role.
“Yes. I think you’d suit the main or lead roles well. Since you’re more interested in the main dancer role… how about sub 1?”
“Well, I’m fine with that… but what do the juniors think?”
At my words, Sae-ah’s lips curled up subtly.
You’re pretending not to know.
It was obvious that you wanted sub 1.
Pretending to humbly take the smallest role.
But it was clear.
Your real goal was sub 1.
However, it was unlikely that clueless Cha Yul or Kim Ryeo-yu would notice that…
So I had to recognize it.
“I think it’s a good idea. Your voice is strong, Sae-ah, so sub 1 would suit you.”
“…Yes, I thought the same!”
Ryeo-yu, don’t cry.
Thus, sub 1 was decided.
“Then it’s my turn.”
Cha Yul looked at the lyrics sheet and fell into thought.
“I’ll take the lead vocal. I won’t go for the center. I’m a soloist, so I’m not good with group performances.”
Oh dear.
I immediately got tense.
“Then it’s your turn, Cheong. What would you like to do?”
“Main vocal suits you, doesn’t it? I saw you perform on Slop stage, and you were great.”
Cha Yul and Sae-ah added their opinions.
Every time they did, Kim Ryeo-yu’s eyes grew subtly cold, but probably only I could see it.
“Then I…”
I glanced at Kim Ryeo-yu.
Main vocal, huh.
“I’ll take sub 2.”
No way I’d take the main vocal.
There was no reason to take the main vocal in the first place.
The public vote was a ‘preliminary’ vote.
It meant it wasn’t based on the performance.
Therefore, the importance of the stage was significantly reduced unintentionally.
“I won’t be taking the center either.”
Now, I just had to do my part well. There was no need to stand out unnecessarily.
In this kind of survival competition, standing out would only turn other groups’ fans against me.
Going moderately was the best.
But…
“…! Then does that mean I’ll be the center?”
Of course, Kim Ryeo-yu didn’t know that.
She seemed visibly nervous.
She had been the center in Menucal before and had been harshly criticized for her lack of ability, so it was understandable.
Should I try to ease her tension a bit?
“Oh, is it too much pressure for you?”
Kim Ryeo-yu looked confused.
She was torn between ‘Why is Cheong giving me the center?’ and ‘I want to be the center, but… can I do it?’
Let’s throw the bait one more time.
Take it, take it….
“If it’s too much pressure, feel free to say so. We can discuss again who should be the center-”
“Oh, no.”
She took the bait.
“If everyone really thinks I can do it… I’ll give it a try.”
If Kim Ryeo-yu were in a slightly more rational state, she would have refused.
Standing as the center, surpassing her distinguished seniors?
The risk was too great.
But now, Kim Ryeo-yu’s anxiety was greater.
There was nothing but criticism on the internet, and fans were disappointed with her different image from the original concept.
Kim Ryeo-yu tried to revamp her image with a pure concept for the first mission, but her fans didn’t fall for her pure look.
Kim Ryeo-yu was seriously mistaken.
She thought her fans loved ‘Kim Ryeo-yu’ herself.
That wasn’t true.
“What do you seniors think?”
“I don’t mind.”
“Me neither. I think anyone would do well.”
They only loved Kim Ryeo-yu’s ‘image.’
It was a common misunderstanding and a common tragedy in the entertainment world.
“Ryeo-yu, what about the main vocal? Can you handle it?”
Sae-ah asked with a curious look.
It was a look that said, ‘Can you handle it?’
That person must have watched the Menucal too.
“If you help me, I’d like to try!”
“Of course, we’ll help. You said you can do it, so that’s settled. You’ll be responsible for your own words.”
Sae-ah said with a smile, her words carrying weight.
“Let’s take responsibility.”
The bait was cast, and the prey took it.
Now it was time to slowly reel it in.
Kim Ryeo-yu, who was barely holding on with a few core fans.
“So, the center and main vocal will be taken by Ryeo-yu.”
What if even those core fans were gone?
***
“Hello~! Rise up, ZetaA. I’m Shin Yuhwa!”
We were all practicing in the studio, singing, when an uninvited guest appeared.
I was wondering when he’d show up.
I just bowed my head in greeting.
“Today~ I came to support our team! It’s so nice to see you all again~”
“Wow….”
All four of us clapped mechanically and reacted appropriately.
Judging by the looks on their faces, it seemed that the others were also aware of Shin Yuhwa’s ‘bad’ reputation.
Kim Ryeo-yu must have been informed by Director Kim, of course.
It was amusing that even Cha Yul, who usually paid no attention to industry gossip, knew about it.
That meant the rumors were truly nasty.
“Yes~! Yoon Cheong!”
“Yes.”
I tried my best to smile without any personal feelings.
A deadpan look, but with a clearly smiling mouth.
“Actually, this is a reunion for Cheong and Ryeo-yu after meeting on <Make a New Color>! How does it feel to be performing with Ryeo-yu again?”
How do you think it feels?
I had a lot to say but chose not to.
“Well, it’s an honor to be performing with the four of us. I’m thrilled to get advice and vocal coaching from the seniors I’ve always admired.”
I deliberately focused on ‘the four of us’ instead of specifically mentioning Kim Ryeo-yu.
There was no need to be associated with Kim Ryeo-yu and have headlines like ‘Steel Blue’s Yoon Cheong Defends School Bully’ or ‘Yoon Cheong Bows to Capital’ circulating on the internet.
“Ah, yes~! It’s an honor to be performing with the senior members. How is this different from <Make a New Color>?”
Look at him trying to tie this to the other show.
“Both are excellent survival programs. The difference, I think, is that I’m participating with more experience gained from <Make a New Color>. Plus, I was one of the older contestants on that show, but here, I’m the youngest, which is a new experience.”
I smoothly deflected the topic.
I smiled broadly, avoiding the subject entirely.
I could see Shin Yuhwa’s neck veins bulging, but I lightly ignored it.
In life, the one who pretends not to notice often wins.
And I decided to be the one who pretended not to notice.
“…So, Cheong, isn’t it uncomfortable being on the same team as Ryeo-yu?”
Shin Yuhwa was more persistent than I thought.
Well, if he’s going to push like this, I have no choice.
“Oh! Now that you mention it, I heard that you, Senior, are very close with Ryeo-yu and her family. It must have been delightful to meet here!”
I decided to make the footage unusable altogether.