Chapter 80
The vote count was finished, and the trainees went up on the stage.
Each with different feelings, hopes, and expectations.
Except for one person, Kim Ryeo-yu.
Where did Kim Ryeo-yu go?
Wow, she really ran away.
This is an all-time record for running awayㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Even if she had the minimum amount of courtesy… She should at least come out at the end for the fans who voted for her out of guilt.
Not only did she ruin the stage, but she also completely ruined the atmosphere of the broadcastㅋㅋㅋ. How can the others smile even if they debut..?
Do Hee-young intentionally didn’t mention Kim Ryeo-yu.
As if the trainee Kim Ryeo-yu never existed from the start.
As if the entire broadcast was trying to erase the existence of Kim Ryeo-yu.
That was also at the request of CEO Hong.
Since things turned out this way, they hoped the remaining trainees wouldn’t be harmed as much as possible.
“First. We’ll announce the lower ranks, from 11th to 8th place.”
The idea to quickly finish the announcement of the lower ranks came from PD Oh.
Anyway, the lower-ranking trainees were obvious.
Let’s focus on the top ranks.
So, the lower ranks announced first were as follows:
11th. Shin Yu-hyun
10th. Bang Su-in
9th. Park Ha-eun
“And….”
Do Hee-young paused for a moment.
The screen displayed the faces of Yeon Juhong and Lee Kyunga side by side.
In the previous ranking announcement, Yeon Juhong was in 8th place.
Because of that fact, Yeon Juhong was standing there with a more nervous face than ever.
She desperately hoped it wasn’t her.
If it was 8th place, what should she do?
“8th place. Trainee Lee Kyunga.”
Ah.
Yeon Juhong tightly closed her eyes, and Lee Kyunga smiled.
“Although you couldn’t join us this time, trainee Lee Kyunga has proven that she can sufficiently handle the heavy and difficult position of the main vocalist in any group. I would like to give a round of applause to trainee Lee Kyunga. Your long journey is not over yet. Please continue to grow stronger. Trainee Lee Kyunga, please come out and say your final goodbyes to your fans.”
Despite Do Hee-young’s warm words, a strange smile lingered on Lee Kyunga’s lips.
It was because she had already been hurt too much by Mnet and Colors.
Still, she wanted to say her final goodbye.
To the fans who voted for her.
“While doing ‘Make a New Color,’ I actually hit many walls. The wall of innate talent. And the wall of my own limitations. The wall of effort. And the wall of the world.”
Every word she said had weight.
All the trainees knew what Lee Kyunga was talking about.
“Even so! There is one thing I felt during this journey. If even one person supports me and walks with me on my thorny path, I won’t want to give up. Though I was lacking, I sincerely thank the colorists who painted me up to this point with all my heart. And to my younger siblings who will now start a new journey of debut… I want to say thank you.”
Lee Kyunga turned around and shouted towards the trainees.
“Although we can’t stand on the same stage! We’re all the same colleagues off the stage. Let’s support each other and meet again! Next time, let’s drop the honorifics and just talk casually!”
It was a bold final goodbye, characteristic of Lee Kyunga.
The heavy burden on the trainees’ shoulders.
Her words relieved them of that burden.
But the one who found the greatest comfort in these words was….
“Unnieeeeee….”
It was Yeon Juhong.
The relief that she wasn’t in 8th place.
But also the guilt that came with that relief.
“Stop crying. The world hasn’t ended.”
Yeon Juhong couldn’t respond and just hugged Lee Kyunga, crying her heart out.
Lee Kyunga patted Yeon Juhong and went to stand in the 8th place spot.
Instead, she looked a bit relieved.
“Next, we’ll announce the 3rd and 4th place trainees. These trainees are confirmed to debut. They will be the next new color of Colors and will continue their activities as the new rainbow.”
Intentionally, the trainees who were most likely to be in 5th, 6th, and 7th places—half likely to debut and half not—were postponed.
It was because those three would make the viewers the most curious.
“First, we’ll announce the 4th place trainee. This trainee has received support from the colorists for their outstanding visuals and stable skills since the first episode of ‘Make a New Color.’ They also gained a lot of support for always resolving missions warmly with other trainees. This trainee is….”
It’s Ryu Bo-ra.
It’s Ryu Bo-ra.
At this point, isn’t Do Hee-young just giving spoilers?
“Trainee Ryu Bo-ra. Congratulations. You will be continuing your journey as the next new color of Colors. Please come forward and share your thoughts.”
Ryu Bo-ra came forward with a calm face in front of the people.
However, a strange sense of excitement was evident on her face.
“I am very grateful to the colorists who supported me all this time. Starting as a child actor, it felt like a miracle for me to come up on stage like this. Until now, I approached with acting and lines, but now I will approach with songs and the stage. With a heart always grateful to the colorists and the other trainees who made this miracle happen, I will remain an unchanging Bo-ra.”
No one had anything to add to her neat comments.
Everyone thought Ryu Bo-ra would debut anyway.
“Next, we’ll announce the 3rd place trainee. This trainee has received support from the colorists for their outstanding dance skills and unwavering vocals. This trainee, who has been evaluated as the spiritual support of the trainees.”
Uh… Is it Yoon Cheong?
Is it Yoon Cheong??
No, the dance skills were mentioned first.
“Trainee Seo Baek-young. Congratulations.”
Ah.
Seo Baek-young, who hadn’t been able to open her eyes, sat down as soon as her name was called.
“Ah….”
Though she had to move forward, Seo Baek-young couldn’t stand up.
It was a moment of extreme tension.
Throughout her trainee days, everyone had told her she would definitely debut.
They said, if not you, who else would debut?
But once the program started.
She wavered.
She felt acutely that talent alone wouldn’t be enough to debut.
Charm on top of talent.
Hearing those words from the judges hurt her deeply.
In moments of doubting herself, thinking maybe she didn’t have any charm, that she wasn’t cut out to be a celebrity-
“Trainee Seo Baek-young. Please come forward and share your thoughts.”
She was rewarded.
Ah, Baek-young is cryingㅠㅠㅠㅠ She never criesㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
Seo Baek, don’t cryㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
I thought she would definitely debut. Everyone knew except for Seo Baek herself…
“Actually….”
Seo Baek-young barely managed to catch her breath and spoke.
“I really don’t know how many times… and how desperately I imagined myself standing here. I doubted myself a lot… and even in those moments. Even in those moments, those who unconditionally supported me… To the colorists who believed in me… I will never let you down. I will be a Seo Baek-young who never loses her initial intention. I really… I can’t express my gratitude with just words.”
Seo Baek-young, who always spoke so smoothly that it made others feel envious.
But this time, her words were full of heartfelt emotion.
Seo Baek-young went down.
Do Hee-young’s voice continued.
“We will now announce the 2nd and 7th place trainees.”
One would debut, and the other wouldn’t.
“First, the 7th place trainee. Personally, I was really inspired by this trainee. This trainee had the biggest fluctuations in ranking. This trainee always showed a confident and bright demeanor on stage, no matter the situation. Although we won’t be walking the same path this time, I am sure we will see this trainee shining on stage in the future.”
Uh… is this a flag for Juhong..?ㅠㅠ
└It might not be, since those with big ranking fluctuations aren’t usually in the top two.
Ah, damn, it’s Juseon.
Ranking fluctuations scream Lee Juseon, shit.
Dirty world, protect our Juseon at all costs.
Is it Juhong ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ for being bright…
I’m losing my mind, how can this be.
“Trainee Lee Juseon.”
Ah, damn it, Juseon….
Juseonㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
She was the first eliminated trainee from Team Desperate.
That’s why she became everyone’s most painful finger.
All the trainees from Team Desperate ran to Lee Juseon.
They didn’t say any words of comfort.
They just hugged her tightly.
“First, I want to say thank you. Actually… I didn’t think I could receive so much love. I always received love from my family and friends as if it were natural. But the love from the fans was beyond what I could imagine. It was an overwhelming love that I couldn’t dare to take for granted.”
Lee Juseon didn’t cry.
It wasn’t the end for her.
“Thank you to the colorists who made it possible for me to receive such love. I promise to repay the love I received with even greater love. And to the other trainees who helped me receive this love and realize how precious it is… I wanted to say thank you. Thank you!”
It was the other trainees who were crying, not Lee Juseon.
It wasn’t because they were sad about Lee Juseon’s elimination.
It was because they deeply empathized with Lee Juseon’s feelings.
They felt anew the overwhelming joy of receiving love through today’s stage.
And because of that, they couldn’t give up on this stage.
“Now, we’ll announce the 2nd place trainee.”
Wow, they’re really rushing through the announcementsㅋㅋ
Already at 2nd place?
They’re really doing this..
“Trainee Kim Geum. Congratulations to trainee Kim Geum.”
As expected, 2nd place is Kim Geum…
It was obvious that 2nd place would be Kim Geum…
Kim Geum probably knew she would be in 2nd place.
At this point, just change her name from Kim Geum to something like Eunu for 2nd place.
“Colorists!”
Kim Geum shouted in the loudest voice.
“Thank youuuuu!”
ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
“I love you! I, Kim Geum, will absolutely be with our colorists for life! I will always love you! Thank you for letting me experience the incredible honor of being in 2nd place!”
Even after her short but concise speech, there was a long speech.
But with Do Hee-young’s sign that time was running out, Kim Geum quickly stepped back.
Now, only the 1st, 5th, and 6th place announcements were left.
“First, we’ll announce the 1st place trainee.”
Do Hee-young stood with a firm expression, holding a cue card for the first time.