Chapter 40
“…”
“…”
What was this silence about?
It was the silence of the vocal team in an emergency strategy meeting.
Lee Kyunga, seeing my tears, seemed so shocked that her heart dropped, and immediately summoned Ryu Bo-ra.
Ryu Bo-ra, who had been practicing vocals, was dragged into the practice room.
Ryu Bo-ra didn’t say much. Though she pretended otherwise, she was very perceptive.
She must have realized something was wrong as soon as she came in.
“Well, I may not be the leader of this team… but as the senior, I can’t just ignore conflicts like this.”
Lee Kyunga already knew about the conflict between Lee Juseon and Team Four Seasons.
She was also a trainee who understood what could happen if such conflicts weren’t properly handled.
“Hee-on, it’s understandable that you might feel upset with Cheong. But that’s all in the past, isn’t it? Why do you keep bringing it up?”
“Unnie, I-”
Jo Hee-on, clearly feeling wronged, pouted.
However, she seemed to realize she didn’t have any allies here.
“Regardless, you shouldn’t make someone cry.”
“That’s not what I intended to do…”
“Then why bring up conflicts from the previous agency? It’s not necessary.”
“It was just small talk, small talk. I genuinely think Cheong has grown wonderfully and I’m proud of her.”
Are you my mother? Proud?
It was absurd.
Jo Hee-on got severely scolded by Lee Kyunga.
If Park Ha-eun were here, Jo Hee-on might not have been so cornered.
But here, it was just Lee Kyunga, who wanted to avoid controversy, me, and Ryu Bo-ra, who didn’t care about anything.
Ryu Bo-ra really had “indifferent” written all over her face.
I’d thought about this before… she really did things her own way…
Should I envy her…?
“Bo-ra, what do you think?”
Lee Kyunga, frustrated, finally asked.
“Hee-on unnie, do you still have any lingering feelings towards Cheong unnie?”
“I don’t.”
“Cheong unnie, do you have anything you want to say?”
A lot.
I recalled what Jo Hee-on and Kim Ryeo-yu had done.
Or rather, what they should have done.
The ‘incident’ that caused Yoon Cheong to fail miserably on the third mission.
Jo Hee-on and Kim Ryeo-yu did mentally pressure Yoon Cheong, but it was still minor.
However, the ‘incident’ was on a different level.
It was something that could ruin an entire trainee’s career.
The problem was that it wasn’t the right time for the ‘incident’ to happen yet.
It happened in a past life, but it might not happen this time.
I looked at Jo Hee-on.
Was it right to give her another chance?
Would she make a different choice in this life?
“…If Hee-on is fine, I’m fine.”
I had no justification yet.
For now, let’s just watch.
“Alright then. Let’s all just focus on practice.”
Ryu Bo-ra, with her characteristic indifferent eyes, smiled faintly.
“…Phew. Okay. Let’s move on for now. But Hee-on, if you have any lingering issues, bring them up in front of everyone. Got it?”
“…Yes.”
Jo Hee-on conceded.
She knew that continuing would only harm her own image.
“Since we’re all here, let’s discuss our concept and stage plans.”
“Yes, let’s do that.”
I immediately responded to Ryu Bo-ra’s words.
It was what I wanted.
“Is this about the choreography?”
Lee Kyunga seemed to know what I wanted to say.
“Yes. The producer mentioned it too.”
In fact, during a recent recording session, Dan Ha and Han Jae-i had suggested something.
‘Just because you’re in the vocal position doesn’t mean you have to stand still and sing.’
‘Right, right. It’s all about maximizing the charm of the vocals.’
‘If any stage props are needed, use whatever you can.’
Whether it was choreography or something else.
The two producers’ intentions were clear.
Do whatever helps the stage itself.
“Actually, I was thinking of adding some choreography.”
“I think that’s a good idea too.”
Lee Kyunga, also having that suggestion in mind, spoke up immediately.
Surprisingly, Jo Hee-on also agreed.
Thankfully, she was cooperative.
“I have something in mind.”
“Oh, Cheong.”
Lee Kyunga clapped exaggeratedly.
Her efforts to lift the mood as the senior… it touched my heart.
“So… like this… this part like this… how about this?”
“Oh-ho.”
The three of them listened to my suggestion with very thoughtful expressions.
“The idea itself seems very good. It doesn’t overlap with other teams, and it would be enjoyable to watch.”
Ryu Bo-ra was the first to accept it.
“Yeah. It seems like it would be very tough, but it would be rewarding once it’s done.”
“I also… think the idea is good.”
It seemed to be accepted more smoothly than I expected.
What a relief.
To be honest, if it didn’t work out, I planned to persuade Dan Ha and Han Jae-i.
Convincing those in power usually solves things quickly.
“Especially in this part, if Bo-ra does this….”
“Good, good. Bo-ra seems perfect for it.”
Lee Kyunga clapped again, seemingly satisfied.
“So, Bo-ra would be almost the center… right?”
However, Jo Hee-on had a slightly different reaction.
“Ah, that’s not it. The screen time is evenly divided. It’s just in this part that Bo-ra-”
“But even so, if Bo-ra takes the most impactful part, wouldn’t the public naturally think of her as the center?”
So she didn’t like not being in the spotlight.
I understood her feelings, but….
“Then do you want to try it, Hee-on?”
“…”
Jo Hee-on’s response was ambiguous.
She obviously didn’t think she could pull it off.
Of course.
This part required acting skills.
And from what I felt earlier, she wasn’t good at pretending to be nice.
Such a person attempting to act… impossible.
“If you have another idea, feel free to suggest it. We’ll all consider it.”
However, creating grounds for conflict was not an option.
I had to show that I was making an effort.
Especially since the camera was rolling now.
Of course, Jo Hee-on couldn’t respond.
Ideas don’t come out just because you’re asked to come up with them.
In the end, Jo Hee-on surrendered.
“But.”
Then, Ryu Bo-ra suddenly spoke.
“I think Cheong unnie would do better than me.”
Huh?
“The idea was hers, and her interpretation was much better. I think it’s right for her to do it rather than me.”
This, this wasn’t right.
I barely managed to control my shaking pupils.
Why was she refusing even when the opportunity was handed to her?
“No, it suits you better than me. I’ve never acted before.”
“Well, your face suggests you’d be good at acting.”
What kind of face suggests that?
“There’s a story in your eyes. Haven’t you been told you look like you have a story?”
“…Not really?”
Yoon Cheong had never heard such a thing.
That kind of comment was more directed towards ‘Baek Nokha.’
I’ve been told I look like a fallen princess of a ruined nation before.
Though I’m not sure what that means…
But that’s originally my face, not Yoon Cheong’s.
Isn’t her face a bit more delicate and sharp?
“Oh, I get what you mean. It’s like you have an older aura despite being 20. You have a relaxed vibe.”
Well, that’s somewhat accurate.
I was flustered by the unexpected turn of events.
I’ve never acted before.
The most I’ve done was a cameo in a drama or acted in my music video!
While I did get mostly positive reviews, people said I was surprisingly good…
But that was in the context of being good for a singer, not as an actor.
“More importantly, you were the highest ranked here. It’s better for us if you become the MVP of MVPs.”
Lee Kyunga nodded.
“Right. Having the overall top rank in our team would benefit us. Among us, you’re the most likely to succeed. We need to support you to some extent.”
It was convincing, but…
Acting was an unexpected part, so it was overwhelming.
“If you’re burdened to do it alone, how about this?”
As I continued to hesitate, Ryu Bo-ra looked me straight in the eyes and said,
“The producers initially talked about the story of two people.”
“Right.”
“How about you and I do it together? It would be less burdensome than doing it alone.”
This was very tempting.
Hmm.
Should I try it?
“Good. What do you think, Cheong?”
“Then… how about we pair up?”
I glanced at Jo Hee-on.
She looked like she was about to explode.
“Kyunga unnie and Hee-on form one pair. Bo-ra and I form the other. This way, each pair takes on the role of ‘two people’ on stage. It would be fun and ensure everyone gets attention.”
“That’s a good idea.”
Jo Hee-on, not wanting to miss the opportunity, quickly jumped in.
Though her actions were transparent, it was better than being passive.
We finally reached an agreement.
“Now that we’ve settled on the concept, let’s start planning the choreography.”
“Yes.”
So, we were finally able to leave at 3 AM.
At that time, we didn’t know what kind of sensation this stage would cause.