Chapter 3
Even though I was in a different body, the day dawned as usual.
7 a.m.
I was heading to the practice room.
In Cheong’s memories, she alwayst to the practice room at this time.
As if it were natural, she opened the practice room door, cleaned up, and practiced.
Most trainees arrived shortly afterward.
And today was no exception.
However, the atmosphere was different from usual.
Today marked the start of filming for “Make a New Color.”
Currently, there are 50 female trainees under Colors Entertainment.
But among them, only twelve were candidates for debut.
Out of these, only five would actually debut.
The remaining seven would return to square one and continue striving for debut.
And among these twelve, I knew seven.
They were the ones who had already debuted.
Five debuted with “Steel Blue,” and two followed later.
The other five never debuted and choose different paths.
Among the seven who did debut, only two had survived for ten years.
Three members of Steel Blue disappeared within a year, and another vanished from the entertainment industry within five years.
That’s how it went in this industry.
So many people disappeared that it was hard to keep track.
The biggest problem was that such cases were so common that everyone considered it natural.
Even though it wasn’t really natural.
Well, that’s beside the point.
“The tension is no joke.”
Everyone seemed stiff today because filming was starting.
Understandable.
It felt like the day of the college entrance exam.
By the way, not a single person greeted me.
Cheong used to be a trainee from a different agency until a few months ago.
But she left that agency’s debut group and joined Colors as the main vocal trainee.
So she didn’t know the other trainees here very well.
Being from the same agency didn’t automatically make them close.
I sat down near the mirror and started stretching.
Gotta loosen up… Huh?
…Why is everyone staring at me?
“Excuse me.”
The person who called me didn’t use my name, just said, “Excuse me.” Either they didn’t know my name or they didn’t like me much.
Neither option was particularly pleasant.
“That’s Baek-young unnie’s seat over there.”
…There’s a designated seat in the practice room?
Without any rebellion, I moved aside.
No need to start conflicts from the beginning.
Especially not with Seo Baek-young.
Suddenly…
“Baek-young unnie!”
“Welcome, unnie!”
“Hello!”
Even tigers come when you call them.
It was Seo Baek-young.
She was the longest-serving trainee at Colors, and everyone relied on her as the unofficial “leader.”
Nine years here.
People believed she’d definitely debut.
Maybe that’s why Seo Baek-young received greetings from everyone, unlike Yoon Cheong.
She came over to me after acknowledging everyone else.
Since it was her designated seat, well…
Seo Baek-young glanced at me for a moment.
“Surprising.”
“…What do you mean?”
“You were always in the corner.”
Seo Baek-young sat down next to me and started stretching like I did.
“Did you suddenly decide to be proactive for the filming?”
Ah, I could definitely tell.
“Everything’s fine, but don’t trip others up. Like last time.”
She doesn’t like me.
No, everyone in this practice room…
Dislikes Yoon Cheong.
I’m doomed.
***
In truth, even after looking at Yoon Cheong’s memories, they were only rough recollections.
To summarize Yoon Cheong’s life: she was a loner.
For some reason, Yoon Cheong chose to live without friends or colleagues.
I suspect she was afraid of people.
A vicious cycle.
Fear of people led her to distance herself from them, which in turn made her even more afraid of people.
Being afraid of people, Yoon Cheong also grew fearful of stages and cameras.
She practiced alone.
In empty places.
So, no one knew that Yoon Cheong worked hard.
They only saw Yoon Cheong’s results.
…The stiffness that set in as soon as the camera turned on.
During individual evaluations, this was somewhat manageable.
But during group evaluations, it became a problem.
“Are you kidding us? Do you think you can do everything just because you’re good at singing? Your dance moves don’t match at all!”
For group evaluations, everyone had to practice together.
They needed to synchronize dance moves and harmonize vocals.
However, Yoon Cheong practiced alone, except for the mandatory group practice time.
While her fear of people was the reason, it didn’t look good to the other trainees.
“She’s so selfish. She thinks she can debut as the main vocalist all by herself.”
It would have been fine if her solo practice led to good results… but unfortunately, her performance was dismal.
“Everything’s fine, but don’t trip others up. Like last time.”
So, Seo Baek-young’s reaction wasn’t entirely unwarranted.
Especially since Seo Baek-young had just been in the same team as Yoon Cheong during the previous evaluation.
The problem was…
“From now on, things will be different.”
“!”
Things were indeed going to change.
“Well, that’s fortunate.”
Seo Baek-young seemed quite surprised, but she responded nonchalantly.
And she wasn’t the only one taken aback.
The other trainees nearby looked equally surprised.
“…Did she take some kind of medication for the broadcast?”
“Leave her be. These quiet ones who suddenly act up are scarier.”
I can hear everything, you know.
Anyway.
Now the real journey begins.
***
**Make a New Color**
Make a New Color is a survival program for a rookie girl group under Colors Entertainment, one of the top five major entertainment agencies known for producing successful girl groups.
Out of twelve trainees, only five will debut.
Four will be chosen through viewer votes, and one will be selected by the judges.
Voting occurs every two weeks, but only the final vote counts toward debut.
In other words, even if you rank first in the initial vote, it won’t matter if you fall out of the top four in the final vote.
However, there’s another way to debut without being in the top four: catching the judges’ attention.
The panel consists of four judges:
1. Kim Mokyung, a producer and company executive.
2. Do Hee-young, a senior member of the popular girl group “Grayish” under Colors Entertainment.
3. Kang Sunhwa, the lead vocal trainer at Colors.
4. Cho Wonho, the lead dance trainer and choreographer at Colors.
I knew them all from my previous life.
…Not that I had a particularly good relationship with any of them.
There are no eliminations, but rankings are continuously announced every two weeks.
Additionally, the MVP for each mission chosen by the judges is revealed.
The top-ranked trainee and the MVP receive benefits for the next mission.
On the other hand, the trainee ranked last (12th place) receives a handicap.
And Yoon Cheong, who never escaped 12th place throughout the show, eventually debuts through the judges’ selection.
Originally, that was how it should have been.
But not anymore.
***
Shortly after, cameras and various broadcasting equipment filled one side of the practice room.
A man who appeared to be the PD stood at the front of the room.
“Alright, today, just practice as you usually do. Each of you, well, do what you’ve been doing.”
…If everyone practices individually, there won’t be much use for twelve people sharing one practice room.
I glanced at the PD.
I recognized his face.
PD Oh Baek-kyung.
The problem was, I didn’t recognize him in a good way.
“Feel free to chat among yourselves, um, as you feel.”
If this PD is directing the show, it’s risky.
“Don’t act boringly, just for show.”
He was famous for his devilish editing.
…He was famous for something else too, but that’s not relevant now.
Naturally, from the broadcaster’s perspective, more provocative scenes meant better ratings.
In a competitive survival program like this, if the contestants fight, it’s a jackpot.
A five-minute fight could overshadow three episodes.
The problem lies in the contestants’ images.
The trainees have no fans and no pre-established image.
That’s why the initial image created tends to stick around for a long time.
So, for now, I should remain quiet.
“Cheong-ah.”
But why is this person so oblivious when talking?
“Did our first group dance practice finish?”
Seo Baek-young, who seemed to have already stretched her body, asked me loudly.
Probably trying to extract some content from this.
“Our group dance isn’t easy. I’m worried.”
The first stage of this program is the “Group Dance Stage.”
It’s not a mission; it’s meant for introducing the trainees initially.
It’s a brief performance, lasting about four minutes, to make a good first impression.
The problem is that the dance difficulty level for this topic is quite high.
The original Yoon Cheong would struggle to keep up.
Even I only saw the choreography for the first time just 12 hours ago.
“Oh, we’re still practicing, but it’s not easy.”
Stay humble. Stay humble.
“Really? Which part is difficult? I’ll help.”
…I see what role you want to play.
The cool unnie, the caring leader role, right?
“Well, could you watch for a bit? Just our chorus part.”
Let’s maintain the balance.
“Of course, I can watch.”
Seo Baek-young readily accepted and stood up.
“Then, would you like to show it first? I’ll point out areas for improvement.”
Look at this.
Suddenly, all the trainees’ eyes were on us.
“I’ll play the music now. Just dance the chorus part.”
Yoon Cheong excels in singing but is a complete disaster when it comes to dancing.
If she performs like this, she’ll likely be a laughing stock in front of the camera.
The preview might even have captions like “Anxious Trainee from the First Appearance…?” flashing across the screen.
In short, it meant carrying the “black hole” image from the beginning.
“Oh, everyone is practicing, so I’m worried it might be a bother…”
“No!”
“Absolutely not. We’re fine, so don’t worry and go ahead.”
Other trainees quickly reassured her.
You’ll be fine, guys.
The problem lies with Yoon Cheong.
Most trainees looked at her with pity.
Seo Baek-young, on the other hand, maintained a cold gaze.
And finally, PD Oh—
“Ah, sure, sure. Let’s see it.”
His face showed excitement.
Perhaps PD Oh had already learned about the trainees’ profiles in advance—their strengths, weaknesses, positions, personalities, and characteristics.
That meant PD Oh was aware that Yoon Cheong struggled with dancing.
Yet, he still asked…
Clearly, for the broadcast, Yoon Cheong’s crisis was an advantage.
“Um… I’m still lacking in skill…”
“It’s okay. We’re all lacking, after all.”
“Then, unnie.”
I smiled at Seo Baek-young.
“Could you dance alongside me? Since you’re so good, it’ll help me find the rhythm and make me feel more secure.”
Seo Baek-young’s eyes widened slightly, as if she hadn’t expected this. But she quickly nodded.
“Sure, why not.”
She seemed to think it wouldn’t be a disadvantage to her.
“Since we’re dancing together, how about starting from the beginning instead of just the chorus?”
Damn PD Oh.