Chapter 74
[Ryeo-yu: So, we didn’t know each other very well at first, but we got to know each other better as we started ‘Make a New Color’. It felt like I was freed from my stubbornness… Oh, this person is just another trainee like me. I wondered if I had been too closed off.]
Caption: Trainee Kim Ryeo-yu has been with Colors for 7 years.
Caption: She joined at the age of 13, and it has already been 7 years.
Caption: Her first step into the world was <Make a New Color>.
Caption: However, the world she first encountered was very cold.
Caption: This was the same for all the girls.
[Juhong: It was tough.]
Producer: What was tough?
[Juhong: I learned for the first time how insignificant and weak I was. Even a small mistake would cause a wave that would sweep me away and get me scolded. Just like that.]
[Bo-ra: It’s really hard to trust people in this environment. A friend you practiced with yesterday could be eliminated today. Someone who loved you yesterday could become your anti-fan tomorrow.]
[Geum: It feels like doing well doesn’t necessarily guarantee a reward? You just have to be good. If not, you’re completely out.]
[Baek-young: The saddest thing is that no one can protect you. No one can protect me, and I can’t protect anyone.]
Caption: The worries and uncertainties that piled up…
[Ryeo-yu: But Cheong has such an open heart. Even though I never did anything good for her, she always treated me well. She was also very popular because she was so kind to the other trainees. Watching her made me reflect a lot. When Hee-on left, I felt a kind of skepticism towards people. That’s why I became more obsessed with teamwork. I didn’t want to let anyone leave like that again.]
Caption: They made mistakes and were inexperienced, but…
Caption: Their hearts were always sincere.
Caption: The girls are still growing.
I can understand
Even if I was about to debut and my best friend suddenly left, I would lose my mind too lolㅠ I’m not trying to defend her, just saying
Well, what do we really know from the outside? They must have their own reasons…
The flow of the interview subtly reflected the intentions of the producers.
And the viral marketers Director Kim had previously released.
The combination of these two was more powerful than expected.
The public opinion wasn’t that Kim Ryeo-yu did well.
‘She made mistakes, but it was understandable. Isn’t it possible for a young girl to make mistakes? The adults are to blame.’
That was the main public opinion.
It didn’t end there.
I wish all those who are blindly shielding Kim Ryeo-yu would just die, yeah, no matter how much you defend her, she’s still trash.
Ewㅋㅋ Excuses are disgustingㅎ
Shut up and just gtfo
By posting ‘extreme hate comments’.
People didn’t actually harass or kill her, but many crossed the line.
She didn’t commit a crime… but our country’s netizens are too eager to destroy peopleㅠㅠ
They began to create sympathetic public opinion towards Kim Ryeo-yu.
It was an attempt to label even those who were justly criticizing her as malicious commenters.
No, but there’s clearly a victim here, and it’s a fact that Kim Ryeo-yu lied;;
└Fact or not, it’s true that people are going overboard. What makes you so morally superior to bully a 20-year-old who hasn’t even debuted yet? Get a grip.
└└Wow;;;;; Chill;;;;;;
└└└How saintly were you at twenty?^^
[Ryeo-yu: Things went wrong, but I gave the part to Juhong for the sake of teamwork. I wanted to integrate more into the team that I hadn’t fully blended into yet. Of course… I thought too simply, which caused misunderstandings and backfired. That was my immaturity.]
[Ryeo-yu: So this time, I wanted to be honest. I thought that approaching my teammates more honestly would prevent misunderstandings and allow me to contribute to the team.]
The more the interview continued, the more the main point began to blur.
In the end, it seemed that this incident would be dismissed as the ‘mistake’ of ‘immature’ kids.
“What position do you want to take, Ryeo-yu?”
“I’ll take whatever is left…!”
“Oh… really?”
Kyunga roughly noticed that Kim Ryeo-yu was trying to reflect.
So she distributed positions to the other trainees accordingly.
However, she made sure no position received fewer parts.
‘We can’t afford to be criticized here.’
With that mindset.
Having already faced a severe storm once, they couldn’t have learned nothing.
So, Kyunga took the main vocal, Ha-eun took the main rapper. The remaining members, Kim Ryeo-yu, Yu-hyun, and Suin, took similar amounts of sub-vocal parts.
Practice went smoothly enough.
The trainees had now realized that one misstep could lead to downfall.
Everyone was cautious and careful.
Meanwhile, how was Team Desperate?
“…Shall we decide on a concept?”
They were also quite complicated in their own way.
“Listening to the song, it has a really upbeat melody. Maybe something like electro-pop?”
“A light, addictive… summer song vibe?”
“Let’s do something we haven’t tried!”
At Yeon Juhong’s suggestion, the trainees paused.
A concept they hadn’t tried before.
What kind of concept had the trainees, who had performed various stages, not tried yet?
“A cute one?”
“Yes!”
“Rejected.”
“Why not!”
Despite Yeon Juhong’s vehement objection, the cute concept was quickly rejected.
“I think it would be nice if it had that summer, shower-like feeling. Nostalgic yet lively, like first love.”
That was Ryu Bo-ra’s opinion.
“What are you talking about? It should be exciting and powerful! Emphasize the rhythm with girl’s hip-hop and a sporty vibe!”
That was Kim Geum.
“I want to go for a sophisticated concept. Colors’ girl groups are traditionally sophisticated and never look outdated. How about a refined yet glamorous feel?”
That was Seo Baek-young.
“Summer means cute and bubbly girl groups! We should appeal with our liveliness and youthfulness!”
That was Yeon Juhong.
“…I think it should be slightly pure yet subtly sexy. Like a fairy in the forest… pure sexy.”
That was Juseon.
Yoon Cheong thought.
She must be a little crazy to try to debut with these kids.
“Cheong, what do you think! You like sophisticated stuff too! Let’s show the restrained glamor of idols!”
“What are you talking about! Cheong unnie likes powerful appeals!”
“Unnie knows the power of emotions. Right? Like that Fingertips stage.”
“Cheong-cheong! We have to try something new! Cute! We have to repay our fans!”
“…Doesn’t everyone know that the pure sexy concept always stands out?”
…Should I just run away?
Yoon Cheong briefly considered it as she looked at these troublemakers.
They all had valid points.
So.
“Let’s do them all.”
“?!”
It didn’t seem like a bad idea to do them all.
***
Thus began the second stage.
The first team was Winners, which included Kim Ryeo-yu.
Their slightly dreamy, conceptual black outfits.
It matched well with the ‘little devil’ concept.
This time, the response was much better than before.
PD Oh’s desperate emotional appeal for ‘still inexperienced but hardworking girls’ worked somewhat.
Not everyone was favorable towards Kim Ryeo-yu, but at least there wasn’t an outright boycott like before.
Also, Kyunga and the other members were so desperate that the response was good.
“The reaction is good.”
“Thank goodness. Everyone worked hard.”
Ryu Bo-ra looked at me with a very peculiar expression.
It’s burdensome, you know.
Suddenly, Ryu Bo-ra turned off her microphone and mine, and pushed me into the bathroom.
Anyone who saw us might think you’re bullying me….
“…Aren’t you upset?”
“No.”
Whether it was Mnet or Colors desperately trying to save Kim Ryeo-yu.
She was asking if that didn’t upset me.
I wasn’t upset.
I couldn’t fully infer CEO Hong’s intentions.
But I could sense that she didn’t want to completely abandon the card called Kim Ryeo-yu.
…Well.
From the beginning, she had always been a trainee who received tremendous attention.
It’s also hard to find a trainee with as much star quality.
She probably didn’t want to let her go completely.
The problem was….
“If things go like this, you and Ryeo-yu unnie might debut together. Are you okay with that?”
“Hmm.”
That was the problem.
Honestly, I didn’t want to debut with Kim Ryeo-yu at all.
It wasn’t just because I disliked her.
I knew that if I debuted with her, we would eventually fail together.
In the past life, she ruined the group right after debuting due to her scandal.
How was it in this life?
In this life, she didn’t even debut and tried to ruin someone else’s life.
Will she change her mindset if she debuts?
Absolutely not.
She’d just think, ‘Ah, so I can debut like this? The world is so easy?’ and act even more recklessly.
“No. I’m not okay with it.”
I spoke honestly.
Then Ryu Bo-ra’s eyes widened.
…She asked and then got surprised by my answer?
“Then… how can I help you?”
“Bo-ra
.”
“Yes.”
“Why are you so eager to help me?”
I was genuinely curious.
Why?
“….”
Ryu Bo-ra pondered for a moment, then looked up.
“I didn’t originally intend to debut.”
“….”
“You’re not surprised?”
Well, she didn’t debut in the past life either… I sort of expected it.
Even if I didn’t know the details.
“But I want to debut now. With you.”
“Why?”
“The reason I didn’t want to debut was because I knew I wouldn’t be able to endure it.”
That’s why.
I recalled what Ryu Bo-ra had confessed before.
She had to quit acting due to dyslexia.
But she had to return to being an idol trainee to support her family.
“But now, there’s someone who will force me to stand up and whip me. Someone who won’t let me leave even if I say I want to.”
I looked into Ryu Bo-ra’s eyes.
The eyes that turned her into a successful child actor.
“So I want to debut now. But not alone.”
“…With me?”
“Yes.”
Those eyes that could convince anyone with any belief or words.
“Bo-ra.”
It would be difficult.
But
Still… I felt like trying.
Honestly, I was a bit shaken.
No matter how much I explained, persuaded, and shouted that we were right.
The voices of the adults were silenced under the pretext of adult reasons, and I felt that nothing had changed no matter the era.
So I was a bit exhausted.
I wanted to save my mom, and I could give everything to save her.
I knew I couldn’t give up.
But separately, my heart was just tired.
Thinking that I had to repeat the things I went through in ‘Baek Nokha’s’ life.
It made me sick.
“Why?”
But the life of Baek Nokha and,
“Let’s try.”
Yoon Cheong’s life had something different.
“…Yes. Let’s do it. Let’s try.”
At least, the future Yoon Cheong wouldn’t do those things alone.
Unlike Baek Nokha.
She wouldn’t be alone.