Chapter 14
It was a brief break time… but the camera was still rolling.
Due to the pressure of the camera constantly rolling, there were no trainees who could properly rest.
Yes. This is the truly exhausting part of a broadcast that claims to be ‘reality’.
The fact that even the break time is being recorded.
“Cheong unnie.”
As expected, there was a trainee who approached me right away.
Who is it this time?
“Can… can you spare a moment for me?”
Ah.
I nodded my head right away.
“Of course, what can I help you with?”
Yeon Juhong.
It was unexpected, but she had a personality that got along well with people, so it wasn’t that surprising.
“I… just the pitch…. I still can’t grasp what the trainer told me….”
“Alright, then let’s sing together once.”
I listened to Yeon Juhong’s voice intently.
I sincerely wanted to help her.
Because-
“Now, let’s relax the throat here-”
She was the debut candidate I had chosen.
I had no intention of going with the original members of Steel Blue.
I had failed once in my previous life by doing so, so why would I do the same thing again?
Especially since the reason I failed before was due to member sickness, member replacement was all the more necessary.
Kim Ryeo-yu definitely had to be excluded, and other members too… if necessary, they had to be replaced.
Then the question was, who to replace them with.
And the trainee I chose as the most likely candidate was her.
“Wow, when I do as you say, it goes up!”
Yeon Juhong.
“I’m glad, it was helpful.”
It wasn’t because she was a popular member in her previous life.
Yeon Juhong had her own ‘position’.
Yeon Juhong said she hated being in an ambiguous position, but that meant-
“How does Cheong unnie know so much about this?”
She could blend into any position.
…But where did this… nickname come from?
Me, Baek Nokha.
30 years old.
10 years of idol experience.
I’ve heard all sorts of nicknames, but it felt strange to hear such a nickname from someone other than a fan.
“Well, I guess I just… learned it from being a trainee for a long time.”
Yeon Juhong was a member who could hold the center well among members overflowing with individuality.
The trainees of Colors… it’s good to have skills, and it’s good to have a strong personality.
There wasn’t much of a good chemistry between them.
Yeon Juhong was perfect as a member who could create such ‘chemistry’.
“Unnie is really amazing. I should get close to unnie.”
It wasn’t just because she was friendly.
It’s good to have a friendly relationship with everyone, but-
“If we go into dormitory life, can I share a room with you?”
“I’m fine with that.”
Yeon Juhong had something of her own.
“What, you two are already close?”
The trainee who subtly intruded was, Jo Hee-on.
She was also one of the members who were supposed to debut originally.
There wasn’t any particular feature, and if there was one thing that stood out-
“Ah, Cheong unnie was helping me with my vocals!”
She was Kim Ryeo-yu’s best friend.
So, the two had a lot in common.
“Is it because Cheong improved that you’re lining up right away? Juhong is smart, you know?”
For example, she was very good at making people angry.
Not enough to pick a fight… very subtly.
The moment I tried to refute,
“Ah, no, unnie is smarter than me. She was already ahead of me in line with Ryeoyu unnie!”
Yeon Juhong stepped forward one step faster.
“…What?”
“Ah, really. I have to learn from unnie! I’m not tactful, so I can’t line up for people or anything like that…. I really didn’t know anything about the niece of the director or anything like that! Ha… I really have to learn from unnie. I really don’t know much about social life….”
…What?
“You, your words-”
“Huh. Did I make another mistake?”
Singly singly.
Yeon Juhong spoke with a big smile.
Jo Hee-on was about to get angry, but glanced at the camera.
And she clenched her teeth and smiled.
“No, Juhong. But how can you say it like that~ Unnie wasn’t lining up…”
“Huh? I was joking?”
“Huh?”
“Weren’t you joking too, unnie? Unnie, you’re not serious? No, who lines up among trainees?”
Before I knew it, Yeon Juhong’s eyes had changed.
Her mouth was definitely smiling, but her eyes seemed to be slightly turned.
“No~ No….”
“Hey, let’s not be stiff about this! Let’s do it with a smile!”
“Hahahahaha….”
…I misjudged.
She’s not a friendly kid.
She’s just a scary kid!
Jo Hee-on didn’t say anything more and quietly returned to her place.
And as soon as Jo Hee-on disappeared, Yeon Juhong looked at me with a bright face again.
“Can I ask the next question then?”
“Uh-huh.”
…Is it really okay to debut with her?
***
“Now, let’s go meet the mentors. You can follow the staff to the meeting room they guide you to~”
Finally.
The long-awaited encounter with the mentor.
The staff began to call the trainees one by one and guide them.
And… I was the last in line.
Something about this feels uneasy.
Why do I get the feeling that they keep pushing me to the end?
As expected, my ominous premonition was correct.
After all the trainees had left, leaving only me in the empty practice room, PD Oh called me.
“Now, Yoon Cheong trainee.”
“Yes.”
“Originally, a member of Purple Apple should have been assigned as Yoon Cheong trainee’s mentor, right?”
It feels ominous.
PD Oh had an ambiguous expression. He didn’t look particularly satisfied, nor did he look dissatisfied.
What’s with that expression?
“But right now, the CEO is overseas.”
…That’s not true? I confirmed that the CEO was in Korea when I came earlier.
“So, it’s a bit difficult to suddenly cast another member of Purple Apple. You understand, right?”
“Yes, of course. I was the one who overstepped in the first place. I’m sorry….”
“Oh, there’s nothing to be sorry about.”
PD Oh casually waved his hand.
“Anyway, so!”
PD Oh grinned.
The man’s smile is a bad omen.
“I thought it would be nice to give the 1st place benefit of the mid-term evaluation at this time.”
“…Yes?
“I’ll give you the right to choose.”
…As expected.
“Namely~ right away~! Stealing another trainee’s mentor!”
“…Steal…ing?”
“Yes. I’ll tell you now who the mentors assigned to the other trainees are. You can steal one of them and make them Yoon Cheong trainee’s mentor.”
Ah, damn it.
“But then… what about that trainee…?”
“They’ll just go on without a mentor!”
This master of human and interpersonal skills.
I gritted my teeth inwardly.
“Now, this list is the mentor-mentee assignment list. I’ll give you 10 minutes, so decide who you’re going to steal the mentor from!”
PD Oh left, leaving only the list, me, and the camera.
In the end, I became the person who had to stare at the paper in the practice room where only the camera was left.
Roughly, everyone was assigned members within the expected range.
Just to highlight a few.
Kim Ryeo-yu-Do Hee-young (Grayish)
About this much.
Even so, assigning a judge as a mentor is too biased, isn’t it?
It doesn’t seem like it would be good for her to reveal such bias so openly.
…No.
I changed my mind.
This is bait.
Anyone can see that this is a message sent to me.
A message to steal Do Hee-young from Kim Ryeo-yu.
I think I understand PD Oh’s intentions.
He’s trying to set up a confrontation between Kim Ryeo-yu and me.
“Hmm.”
I recalled the footage shot so far.
By now, the viewers would probably know.
That Kim Ryeo-yu is the niece of Director Kim, and that she is subtly favored.
And someone will be expecting it. That I will drive out such a ‘villain’ Kim Ryeo-yu.
For example, PD Oh.
Unexpected.
He decided to make Kim Ryeo-yu a ‘villain’.
I thought he would be on the same side as Director Kim, but that’s not the case?
First, I had to read PD Oh’s mind.
But, that doesn’t mean I’m going to go along with PD Oh’s intentions.
***
“Have you decided?”
PD Oh came in as soon as 10 minutes passed.
Smiling as if his gums were in full bloom.
Sly guy.
“Yes, I’ve decided.”
“Oh, really?”
He didn’t expect me to decide right away, PD Oh looked surprised.
But it was a surprise close to joy.
“Good. Then, Yoon Cheong trainee.”
“Yes.”
“Whose mentor will you steal?”
“I will…”
***
Production Team: Do you like your mentor?
[Suin: I really do, of course. She’s a senior I’ve admired for a long time.]
[Bo-ra: It’s the best advantage of being a trainee of Colors.]
[Baek-young: Just moved?]
Production Team: But you could also lose that mentor.
[Ryeo-yu: …Yes?]
[Juhong: Yes?!]
[Geum: Oh.]
Production Team: We failed to cast the CEO, so instead, we gave Yoon Cheong trainee the right to steal the mentor of other trainees as a reward for the 1st place in the mid-term evaluation.
[Juhong: Cheong unnie can steal our mentor?!]
[Juseon: Wow.]
[Hee-on: That’s a bit too much….]
[Kyunga: …I don’t have any grudges against Cheong, do I?]
[Yu-hyun: That’s not possible!!]
Production Team: Who do you think she chose?
[Baek-young: …Ryeo-yu?]
[Geum: Considering that a judge was assigned as a mentor….]
[Suin: It’s quite attractive.]
[Ryeo-yu: It’s me, right. Ah…. I’m screwed.]
[Juhong: Who did you choose, Unnie??]
Production Team: The person Yoon Cheong trainee chose is….
Caption: Revealed in 1 minute!
[Who did Yoon Cheong trainee choose?!]