Chapter 6
A few days later, a video appeared on Mnet’s YouTube channel.
▶ [Mnet X Colors=?]
▶ [‘Make a New Color’ teaser. July 3rd (Fri) at 9 PM]
Oh.
Ah, this is the new girl group from Colors, Seobane.
2:11 Who is she? What’s her name?
Eng sub, please.
The video wasn’t very long.
After the silhouettes of twelve trainees appeared, an unfamiliar melody began to play.
Since their heads were bowed, it was still difficult to distinguish their faces.
And just as center Kim Ryeo-yu lifted her head,
the video ended.
★
[Coming soon]
[We’ll be your new color]
[July 3rd (Fri) at 9 PM]
The launch of a new girl idol group by Colors through a survival program wasn’t particularly surprising, as it had already been reported in the news.
The initial reactions were modest, to say the least.
Analyzing the trainees revealed their faces quite openly:
– Center: Kim Ryeo-yu (referred to as Kim Mokyung’s niece)
– Next to the center: Seo Baek-young, Ryu Bo-ra
– Next to Ryu Bo-ra: Kim Geum
The rest seemed to be undisclosed trainees.
Oh, Ryu Bo-ra is here.
Did Ryu Bo-ra quit acting?
What’s the center’s name?
└ Kim Ryeo-yu.
└ Isn’t she the public trainee?
└ Colors didn’t officially reveal her; it was the other trainees who did, haha.
└ She doesn’t seem like a typical center; why is she in that position?
└ Read about Kim Mokyung’s niece, it’s mentioned there.
└ What about Kim Mokyung?
└ Colors’ executive.
Given that these new girl idols were emerging from Colors, a major agency, some of the trainees were already somewhat known.
Of course, there was a bit of criticism.
Especially in an idol survival program, all eyes were on the center.
And that center was Kim Ryeo-yu.
Is it even possible to function in South Korea without any blood ties?
└ It’s not official yet; calm down a bit.
└└ You’re probably the one having a meltdown, Ryeo-yu stan, haha.
Ah, even though Colors’ management is terrible, they somehow manage to pick impressive talents. But this time, the girls aren’t that great. Thanks for leaving Colors, though.
└ Seriously, the bigger picture was to get rid of the stans.
└ The center is a disaster.
└ I’d rather have Ryu Bo-ra or Kim Geum as the center—someone with recognizable faces, haha.
└ Why did they choose Kim Geum as the center? Mentioning Kim Geum now? Ugh.
Baek Yeong is here too. I hope she debuts this time.
└ Wasn’t she part of White Noise’s debut lineup?
└ What nonsense! She was definitely part of White Noise’s debut lineup.
└ Seo Baek-young was a 4th-year trainee even back then. Don’t speak without knowing the facts.
Seriously, they keep excluding talented individuals and refuse to debut them.
└ If someone is debut-worthy, they’ll debut. These companies are profit-driven; why would they debut someone just because they like them?
Being trainees under a major agency like Colors, some of them were already gaining recognition.
Notably, Ryu Bo-ra, Seo Baek-young, Kim Ryeo-yu, and—
Wait, where have I seen the girl who raps?
└ Isn’t she the one from Unpretty Rapstar?
└ Ah, she developed her skills during the finals.
└ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└Colors really need to drop the “talented” title. Compete fairly, will ya?
└? Kim Geum stepped down back then due to health reasons, didn’t you know?
└Sure~ She must’ve backed out, scared of losing again~
A screenshot of Colors trainee from Genius Discovery.jpg
The rap genius kid from the show is joining Colors’ girl group survival.
Please support Make a New Color.
Please support our Geum too.
It was Kim Geum.
Particularly, Kim Geum had already garnered a fanbase from appearing on a rap survival program.
Not to mention, Ryu Bo-ra, who had been active as a child actor for a long time.
When are the profiles going to be released?
Mnet, do your job.
Release the self-introduction videos. We can’t promote them without any content.
Perhaps in response to the fans’ urgency.
Soon, a bit more content was released.
-Wow, it’s up.
▶ [We Speak with Our Stage! | Kim Ryeo-yu || Dance | 1-minute self-introduction♥]
▶ [We Speak with Our Stage! | Ryu Bo-ra || Sing | 1-minute self-introduction♥]
…
It was the personal self-introduction videos.
***
Today was the day to shoot the self-introduction videos.
Instead of heading to Colors as usual, the trainees headed to a studio rented by the broadcasting station.
“Alright, each of you will shoot your self-introduction videos.”
Despite the trainees’ unease, PD Oh appeared with a bright smile.
How annoying.
“I’ll give you exactly 1 minute. I won’t care what you do during that minute. Got it?”
I listened to the explanation quietly.
One minute seemed quite short, but the duration wasn’t the issue here.
“But, just one thing.”
This was the real problem.
“No talking. No unnecessary explanations or introductions.”
PD Oh said with the most excited face in the world.
“You all want to be idols, right? What does being an idol mean? The stage, of course. So, your first impression must be made on stage.”
Is he joking?
Then at least give us some preparation time.
That was the problem with PD Oh. Sure, idols speak through their performances? The intention is good.
But are idols some kind of machines? Press a button and a stage performance pops out?
With at least a bit of notice, we could have prepared.
Despite PD Oh’s annoying words, the trainees only looked resigned, no one protested.
Of course, it was partly because resisting was pointless….
But more than that, it was because anyone close to debut had at least one killer performance ready.
Of course, I was the same.
Especially me,
[<Make a New Color> First self-introduction video released! Idols speak with their stage? Netizens all ‘praise’ the fresh introduction method]
Thanks to the notification on my phone from that cotton fluff guy yesterday, I knew in advance.
You think knowing one day early doesn’t make much difference? That’s a mistake.
A day’s difference in preparation for a performance is enormous.
In that sense, I could say I owed that cotton fluff guy.
Or maybe not?
Since I’m working for the cotton fluff guy anyway, shouldn’t he obviously inform me of such things….
…But why does the cotton fluff guy notify me through news alerts instead of telling me directly?
“Alright, we’ll draw lots to decide the order.”
PD Oh said, rubbing his hands together like a fly.
“Come forward one by one and draw your lots.”
Following PD Oh’s words, the trainees stepped forward one by one to draw their lots.
I waited until all the other trainees finished drawing their lots.
The order didn’t matter anyway.
“Oh, Yoon Cheong, you’re number 8.”
PD Oh seemed to make a random reaction.
I returned to my seat without saying anything.
PD Oh wrote the trainees’ order on the whiteboard.
After setting up the cameras and audio, he informed the trainees about the camera’s range.
The space wasn’t very large.
It was about half the size of a practice room.
The trainees were probably used to that.
The trainees sat roughly at the back of the studio.
They were curious about the other trainees’ performances.
Of course, some trainees seemed quite nervous, memorizing lyrics or checking their choreography.
From my memory, none of the nervous trainees made their debut.
“Please briefly explain what you’re going to do to us. We need to know so we can shoot accordingly.”
After explaining, PD Oh sat down in spectator mode.
He took the best VIP seat with the best view of the stage.
I also sat in spectator mode and only watched the stage.
Why?
“Number 1, Kim Geum. Come on out.”
I had to investigate who to cast as my group members from now on.
***
“Yoon Cheong, it’s your turn, eighth.”
When my turn came, I felt the eyes on me.
I had watched the previous stages carefully.
Trainees confident in their vocals mostly performed pop song covers.
Dance-focused trainees performed self-choreographed routines to pop songs.
Neither was easy. They all performed well.
But I had to show something more.
I was the least known trainee here.
“And Yoon Cheong… you’re doing an original song?”
And my goal was to debut ‘at the top.’
“An original song is risky. Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
Presenting an original song in an audition program was a complete gamble.
If it went well, it was a jackpot.
If it flopped, it was a bust.
Either way, it was never average.
But I was confident.
“Alright. Since you’ve prepared the track too.”
Why was I confident?
“Let’s start.”
Obviously.
Purple hills between us
The sunset is coming to soothe
After all, it was a song that had ranked first for six weeks in my previous life.
***
Production Team: How did you feel about shooting the self-introduction video?
[Juhong: I was so nervous. I don’t think I performed my best…]
[Baek-young: I practiced over a thousand times… But it felt completely different in front of the camera.]
[Geum: Oh, I messed up. That’s what I thought.]
[Ryeo-yu: It was fun. I was nervous, though.]
Production Team: Whose performance did you like the most?
[Hee-on: Ryeo-yu. Definitely the ace… She’s my friend, but she’s really amazing, right?]
[Kyunga: Surprisingly, Juhong. There’s something about her that catches your eye.]
[Geum: Is there even a debate? That’s what’s surprising. Obviously-]
[Bo-ra: I can only think of one person.]
[Suin: Well, obviously-]
[Baek-young: Cheong.]
Subtitle: Yoon Cheong received unanimous votes.
[Juhong: I didn’t even know it was an original song. I thought it was a hidden masterpiece.]
[Geum: Seriously, if you had that kind of songwriting talent, you should’ve told us earlier. I would’ve followed you around to learn.]
[Ryeo-yu: I realized she had a hidden ace up his sleeve.]
[Kyunga: I thought it was too much.]
Production Team: Why?
[Kyunga: I was right after her, how was I supposed to follow that?]
Subtitle: Tears….
[Hee-on: Honestly, when I heard it was an original song, I thought she was crazy. It’s such a risky choice.]
[Yu-hyun: It wasn’t just that the song was good. It was intriguing. It’s not even a trending genre, more like an old-fashioned country style.]
[Ha-eun: But I felt she knew her voice really well. She knew how to use his voice effectively? She’s smart.]
Production Team: It could have been risky. Why did you choose an original song for your first self-introduction stage?
[Cheong: Writing and composing are my hobbies. I wanted to show as many sides of myself as possible. I didn’t know when I’d get another chance to showcase an original song. I can always show singing and dancing, but maybe not songwriting.]
Production Team: Do you think it worked well?
[Cheong: Haha. That’s a tough question.]
I pretended to hesitate before answering.
[Cheong: Yes, I believe it worked well.]
***
Ding!
Have you seen the Make a New Color self-introductions?
Damn, watch it right now.
Why? What happened?
└They’re just insane. Have the Colors trainees gone mad?
Ding!
New girl group with explosive reactions today
The undisputed idol powerhouse Colors
Ding!
Ding!
★
What’s up with Yoon Cheong?
Wow, Yoon Cheong is amazing
A trainee who continues the Colors tradition of singer-songwriters appeared