Chapter 13
When her name was called, Yeon Juhong stood in front with a face holding back tears.
I frowned. Yeon Juhong is 9th? No matter how subjective the judgment of the evaluation is, 9th?
In this evaluation, Yeon Juhong should have been at least 6th.
Not only me, but a bit of doubt also rose on the faces of other trainees.
It seems that there was ‘a bit of’ manipulation in the ranking as well.
I suppressed my anger inside.
I’ve seen a lot of dirty things while being in the entertainment industry, but it really doesn’t stop and it’s amazing.
Do Hee-young announced the rest of the rankings in a heavy voice.
11th, Park Ha-eun
10th, Lee Juseon
9th, Yeon Juhong
8th, Bang Suin
7th, Shin Yu-hyun
6th, Jo Hee-on
“Now, and now the 5th. I will call.”
From the 5th, it was the debut right ranking, so a more tense progress started.
“This trainee has shown steady skills since she first came to Colors.”
I know who it is even if the name hasn’t come out yet. I can already hear the next comment.
“But.”
That’s right. ‘But’ should come out.
“The world of true professionals is cold. You have to show something beyond stable skills. Today, she made it to the debut right, but she must have realized that she can’t be relieved. Please come forward.”
With Do Hee-young’s comment, the screen changes.
5th, Seo Baek-young
“Trainee Seo Baek-young.”
As expected, Seo Baek-young did not look happy even though she was in the debut right ranking.
It was noticeable enough to try to look happy.
“…Thank you. I will continue to work hard to show you a better image.”
Still, Seo Baek-young finished her feelings well. It’s true that her eyes were hardened, but she’s still a trainee. She can’t help but be immature.
The most frightening disappointment in the world is not someone else’s disappointment.
It’s my own disappointment.
Seo Baek-young must be feeling complicated right now. The frustration about herself, who couldn’t stand out more than she thought, and the unreasonableness of the agency.
Neither is an easy emotion to overcome.
The other trainees also seemed to understand Seo Baek-young’s feelings, and they all felt down.
The rest of the rankings were not so surprising.
4th, Ryu Bo-ra
3rd, Kim Geum
2nd, Kim Ryeo-yu
Only, excluding me.
12th, Lee Kyunga
1st, Yoon Cheong
***
“It’s cheap and dirty.”
I threw myself on the bed when I returned to the boarding house.
“Looking at this much containment, it seems that there is a debut group that they are pushing.”
The people who originally debuted from Steel Blue were as follows.
Kim Ryeo-yu, Seo Baek-young, Yoon Cheong, Kim Geum, Jo Hee-on.
This member composition must have been the composition that Colors was pushing.
“Anyone can see that Kim Ryeo-yu is not 2nd, but they insist on picking her as 2nd.”
In my view, it would have been perfect if Kim Ryeo-yu and Seo Baek-young’s rankings were switched.
It looked so cheap because they pushed it so blatantly.
But something is strange.
It’s understandable that Yeon Juhong is not here because their eyes are skewed.
…Why didn’t Ryu Bo-ra debut?
Isn’t Ryu Bo-ra the most popular here?
I tried to recall my memories of Ryu Bo-ra.
But Ryu Bo-ra did not debut as an idol.
Not only in Colors, but she also didn’t debut in other agencies. At least, that’s what Baek Nokha remembered.
And it’s not like she became an actress.
She just quietly disappeared from some point.
Looking at the mid-term evaluation earlier, it’s not like she didn’t have skills.
She did much better than Kim Ryeo-yu or Jo Hee-on.
…What happened?
I can’t remember every single thing that happened 10 years ago. I’m a human.
I glared at my phone, but the phone was quiet.
Is it not time for me to know yet?
“Anyway, looking at the delay in the mentor announcement, it seems like they’re… up to something.”
What kind of trick are they trying to pull again?
I sighed.
Even if I got 1st place, I wasn’t happy at all. What’s so good about being recognized as an adult among newborns?
If not getting 1st place is a disgrace, then it was a disgrace. More than that, I was more nervous about the next broadcast.
And the overall atmosphere was also nerve-wracking.
Judging by today’s atmosphere, Director Kim’s influence seems stronger than I had realized. Despite the clearly visible stage, the evaluations and rankings seem to align with his preferences.
Well, Kim Mokyung, even in his previous life, was not an ordinary tough person.
I glared at my phone again.
I’m trying to beat that person’s tyranny and debut in 1st place, can’t you give me more help? Give me some kind of hint.
It’s so frustrating. The next shooting day is in two days.
How do I wait until then?
***
Production Team: How was the mid-term evaluation?
[Ryeo-yu: I was a bit disappointed. I could have done better.]
[Production Team: Are you disappointed even though you got 2nd place?]
[Ryeo-yu: I’m always disappointed if I’m not 1st. I have to be 1st in the main evaluation.]
[Geum: I’m satisfied. That’s enough.]
[Baek-young: …The ranking was lower than I thought, but it’s because I’m lacking. I have to make up for it in the main evaluation.]
[Juhong: Hehe….]
Caption: Yeon Juhong, a trainee who couldn’t hold back her tears in the end…
[Juhong: I’ve heard it a lot before, so it’s okay.]
[Production Team: What do you mean you’ve heard it a lot before?]
[Juhong: Always ambiguous? I think I’ve heard that. I don’t have anything definite…]
Juhong cried with red eyes, then laughed again, saying “hehe”.
[Juhong: It’s not that I’m upset about the ranking. 9th place is more than I deserve. It’s just that I’m frustrated with myself for not improving even though I get the same evaluation every day….]
Caption: Yeon Juhong, a trainee who had to hear the same thing every time she was evaluated
[Juhong: I… have to work harder! Please watch! Someday, I will appear with my own weapon!]
Production Team: Which trainee’s stage caught your eye?
[Ryeo-yu: Trainee Ryu Bo-ra. She’s really pretty. It feels like she shines more even if she does the same thing.]
[Hee-on: Trainee Kim Geum. Definitely… she raps well.]
[Geum: Trainee Yoon Cheong. Doesn’t everyone pick Trainee Yoon Cheong? No? Why??]
[Bo-ra: That… was a different dimension.]
[Juhong: Why didn’t that sister debut earlier? She had enough skills to debut.]
Caption: Juhong, a trainee, if you cry and laugh, you’ll get a horn on your butt
[Kyunga: …The skill to not feel unfair at all for being 12th? I have to follow hard.]
[Yu-hyun: I was really looking forward to the main evaluation.]
[Suin: That sister could be a judge, right?]
Production Team: Then on the contrary, was there a trainee who was a bit disappointing?
[Ryeo-yu: Sister Baek-young?]
[Ryeo-yu: Ah, I keep looking like a really bad kid. That’s not it.]
Caption: I know…?
[Ryeo-yu: She was really good originally. The ranking was a bit shocking. She must have been shocked too?]
[Geum: Ryeo-yu.]
[Production Team: Didn’t Trainee Kim Ryeo-yu get 2nd place?]
[Geum: Yes, she did.]
[Production Team: Then why?]
[Geum: Honestly, wasn’t that not a stage to get 2nd place? It seemed like about 5th place.]
Caption: Honest MZ generation….
[Juhong: Ah, you shouldn’t ask that!]
[Production Team: But if you had to pick?]
[Juhong: …Ryeo-yu? She did well, but up to 2nd place…? The judges’ eyes are different, but something was different.]
[Suin: I, well, expected it. Ryeo-yu would be at least in the top 3.]
Production Team: Why?
[Bo-ra: (laughs)]
[Kyunga: Because she’s Director Kim’s relative. They say she’s a niece, but isn’t she actually a daughter?]
[Hee-on: Did Ryeo-yu get special treatment because she’s Director Kim’s relative? No, not at all.]
[Production Team: The thoughts of other trainees are different?]
[Hee-on: Isn’t it jealousy towards Ryeo-yu? I think Ryeo-yu must debut. Not because she’s my BFF, but really. There’s no one who works as hard as Ryeo-yu.]
Production Team: What do you think about the special treatment controversy?
[Ryeo-yu: ….]
Caption: Tears burst again…
[The hidden behind-the-scenes story… What is the truth of Trainee Kim Ryeo-yu?]
[Please check it out at this time next week!]
***
And, as PD Oh predicted, ‘Make a New Color’ drew a lot of attention.
What the heck is Yoon Cheong
It’s not because I’m Korean that I start with ‘no’, but really no
I knew our Bo-ra was pretty, but she can’t beat her face, really
Ah, our JuhongㅠㅠㅠㅠJuhong, your sister is cryingㅠㅠㅠ(gif)
Look at Yoon Cheong’s face, if you’ve seen it, listen to Yoon Cheong’s song, if you’ve heard it, now watch her dance, she’s just crazy
I’m getting Cheong addiction right now
It’s funny that all of Twitter is talking about Yoon CheongㅋㅋㅋSo where’s the Yoon Cheong gifㅠ
But isn’t Kim Ryeo-yu a bit strong?ㅋㅋLooking at what other trainees said, she seemed a bit strongㅋㅋ
└She’s been sommelieredㅋㅋIt’s only the 2nd episode, but she’s a bit of a bullyㅎㅎ
└Really, let’s not become friends in the forest againㅎㅎ
It seems like Kim Three Letters came out believing in her backㅋㅋAs expected, Korea is ‘blood ties’ in academic connections
It’s really a hit.
So, the viewer rating of ‘Make a New Color’ Episode 2-
Recorded 1.8%.
***
With the day of meeting with the mentor being postponed, naturally, the day of the final evaluation was also postponed by a day.
Most of the trainees were grateful that they had at least one more day to practice.
Of course, I wasn’t very happy.
I had already finished all my practice, and the more incomplete the other trainees were, the more I would stand out.
…Well, whatever.
“One, two, three. No, the tempo doesn’t match there.”
“Do you want to keep missing the moves, Hee-on?”
“Juhong, what did the teacher say? You have a habit of going offbeat when you start, you should fix that.”
I feel pathetic for feeling competitive with them.
All the kids here are chicks, and I’m a veteran.
…Let’s not be too petty.
“Baek-young, aren’t you focused? Your evaluation is the day after tomorrow!”
“Ryeo-yu, your energy suddenly drops from the second verse.”
This place is the Colors practice room right now.
Today was not an important shooting day, and it was a day to shoot the trainers watching the trainees’ stages.
The two trainers who participated as judges were also real trainers of Colors, so they were teaching the trainees.
I also kept practicing like other trainees.
…If there’s anything different, it’s probably that I hardly get any criticism.
If this goes on, it might be troublesome because it stands out too much.
Should I pretend to be a little wrong?
“Cheong, you need to focus. You’re off-key.”
As soon as I deliberately let the pitch slip a little, the criticism came in right away.
“Yes!”
“Don’t get complacent just because you got first place in the mid-term evaluation. The main evaluation is what truly matters.”
“Yes.”
This was the first criticism I received today, and also the last.
What’s strange is that I didn’t get any compliments at all.
As if they decided to treat me as a non-existent person.