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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Chapter 10
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Production Team: How did you feel about the other trainees' song choices?
[Ryu Bo-ra: They all picked well.]
[Yeon Ju-hong: No, everyone but me is so smart. How do they all come up with things so quickly? You all planned this without me, didn't you?]
[Kim Geum: …They're quite formidable, aren't they?]
Production Team: Who do you think made the best choice?
[Kim Ryeo-yu: Seo Baek-yeong Unnie? It felt like she truly understood her own charm. She's annoyingly good at this.]
[Jo Hui-on: Everyone did well, but… I guess…]
[Lee Gyeong-a: Cheong.]
[Shin Yu-hyeon: Yun Cheong trainee.]
[Seo Baek-yeong: Cheong, of course.]
[Yeon Ju-hong: No, I was genuinely surprised. Is that Unnie's IQ 200? How could she think of something like that?]
Production Team: Why do you think Yun Cheong trainee made the best choice?
[Shin Yu-hyeon: I only thought of the active senior artists.]
Production Team: What kind of senior group is PurpleApple? Why didn't you think of them?
[Jo Hui-on: Well, strictly speaking, PurpleApple seniors aren't from our agency. That's why I didn't think of them.]
[Seo Baek-yeong: No way anyone would think of covering the agency CEO…]
That was it.
The 'PurpleApple' that Cheong chose was not actually affiliated with Colors.
To be precise, 'Hong Yeon-seo', the CEO of Colors, was simply a member of PurpleApple.
CEO Hong, like many entertainment agency CEOs, was a former idol.
The production team debated whether to approve this or not, but ultimately, they did.
How was it approved, you ask?
"It's fun, isn't it? I think it'll create a buzz."
PD O's single remark made it pass.
[Ryu Bo-ra: And you can't really say that just popped into your head, can you? They're such huge seniors, so it'd be hard without confidence. I liked seeing her confidence.]
[Yeon Ju-hong: It's a song from 25 years ago! That's insane!]
[Kim Ryeo-yu: Is it really that big of a deal? Honestly, I think everyone probably thought of it. They just didn't choose it.]
Production Team: So, Kim Ryeo-yu trainee, you thought of it?
[Kim Ryeo-yu: I did think of it. But I prefer the WhiteNoise seniors.]
[Lee Ju-seon: If we had more time, everyone would have thought of it. But the time was too short, so we couldn't.]
Production Team: …That's what they're saying?
[Kim Geum: Are other trainees saying that? That if they had more time, they would've thought of it too?]
[Kim Geum: (Bursts out laughing)]
[Kim Geum: What is this, Columbus's Egg?]
[Kim Geum: Well… then they should have thought of it earlier. You have to admit what's due. I liked Cheong Unnie's choice. I really did.]
[Yeon Ju-hong: No, I didn't see it coming, but that Unnie is a dark horse! Like with her self-composed song last time!]
***
Production Team: Why did you choose PurpleApple's song?
[Yun Cheong: Oh, I…]
Subtitle: Yun Cheong trainee's shocking answer is…?
[Yun Cheong: First, I have immense respect for the PurpleApple seniors.]
[Yun Cheong: (Shy smile)]
[Yun Cheong: And, how should I put it, as soon as I heard the word 'mentor,' it just came to mind.]
Production Team: Why?
[Yun Cheong: If I'm going to choose a mentor… wouldn't the greatest senior… be best? Especially if it's the CEO…]
Subtitle: Burning ambition…!
[Yun Cheong: Ah, I'm just kidding. It's just that I respect our CEO. But then again, would she really come as a mentor? She's such a busy person. I'm not expecting much.]
Subtitle: Yun Cheong trainee provokes the production team's pride.
[Yun Cheong: For me, just covering the song is an honor. I'm not expecting to have the CEO as my mentor!]
Of course, I was expecting it.
What kind of person is Hong Yeon-seo, alias CEO Hong?
First of all, she's fundamentally an attention seeker.
She really loves getting attention. It's not just because CEO Hong used to be in the entertainment industry… she's just always been like that.
She acts all cool and composed, but to me, she's just an attention junkie.
She probably wants to be on broadcast these days since she hasn't been much. Her hands must be itching.
But she can't just appear without losing face.
So I'm throwing out this bait for her. Giving her a reason to show up.
There's a reason I deliberately interpreted the rules to target Hong Yeon-seo.
"Cheong-a. That idea earlier was great."
Kim Ryeo-yu.
It was because of her.
I glanced at the camera. The red light was on, recording.
She's talking to me because the camera's on.
"Oh, thanks. You chose your song really well too."
She's a relative of Director Kim, one of the judges.
Kim Ryeo-yu revealed her relation to Director Kim from the start.
To prevent any controversy from arising later.
She said that the debut group would be decided by votes anyway, and she was confident enough as Kim Ryeo-yu, not just as Director Kim's trainee relative.
Interestingly, that attitude made her popular.
They said her confident demeanor was charming.
…She's certainly a rare character.
"We couldn't work together this time since it was a solo mission, but let's do well together next time."
Kim Ryeo-yu extended her hand to me.
"Sounds good."
And I took her hand.
What can't you do in front of a camera?
"Are you going to practice now?"
"Yeah. I need to sing it alone first. In the vocal room."
"Let's go together. I'll practice in the room next to yours."
"…Okay. Let's do that."
If it weren't for the camera, I would have refused immediately.
Can't be helped.
…But why is she acting so friendly only towards me?
Kim Ryeo-yu and I walked side-by-side to the vocal room.
To keep Director Kim in check, I definitely need CEO Hong to show up.
I learned something while navigating the entertainment industry.
You have to choose your side carefully.
If you're going to choose a side, you have to side with the strongest one.
The one who will last the longest.
***
D-3.
Three days before the mission evaluation—
And the day of the long-awaited mid-term check.
It was also the first day we would meet our mentors.
In 'Make a New Color', the existence of mentors holds significant weight.
Since mentors are typically direct seniors from the agency, the agency actively encouraged mentor activities.
From small things like vocal and dance advice to larger roles like co-creating concepts.
Therefore, the presence of mentors was considered very important.
So everyone couldn't help but be nervous.
"Alright, everyone."
As soon as all the trainees arrived, PD O got to the point.
"First, only the three judges will directly watch your performances. The mentors will receive video recordings."
Right. All twelve mentors couldn't possibly come.
I nodded.
"Are there any trainees with questions?"
As soon as PD O finished speaking, someone's hand shot up.
Ah, that one…
"Yes, Yeon Ju-hong trainee?"
"When will we find out who our mentor is?"
Yeon Ju-hong.
Among the trainees, she was one whose evaluation was distinctly divided.
Some would say,
'Hmm, isn't she a bit ambiguous…? Her skills aren't top-tier, and her visuals aren't exceptionally outstanding compared to others.'
They would evaluate her this way.
But others would say,
'It might be a difficult position to debut with.'
And then, they would conclude with—
'But if she actually debuts, she'll probably be the most popular.'
And I agreed.
Because.
"Ah, you'll find out once all the mid-term evaluations are complete. You'll meet your mentors with your evaluation scores and performance videos."
Yeon Ju-hong had indeed debuted and was incredibly popular.
More popular than anyone else present here.
"Wow, that's crazy."
Of course, she didn't debut with StillBlue.
"Then, we'll start drawing lots for the mid-term evaluation order. Kim Ryeo-yu trainee! Come up, draw one, and go back."
Starting with Kim Ryeo-yu, the trainees one by one drew lots.
I also drew a lot somewhere in the middle.
Let's see, my turn is…
Number 12.
Last.
Good. To make a proper impression, being last was indeed good.
…Though it would also depend on how the editing sequence was handled.
Other trainees besides me also seemed generally satisfied with their order.
Except for Yeon Ju-hong, who got number 1.
"I'm doomed…"
Yeon Ju-hong was clutching her head, utterly distraught.
Why is she so upset?
Is she not confident in her own skills?
Well, in her early debut days, her live performances were indeed a bit unstable.
She was a growth-type character, after all.
And because she achieved that growth more noticeably than anyone else, she became very popular.
People love hard-working geniuses.
And while Yeon Ju-hong might not have been a genius, she was certainly a hard-working talent.
She practiced more fiercely than anyone else and undeniably improved her skills.
"Ugh, nooooo…"
She doesn't look like that.
…And she doesn't sound like that either.
To think she's that fierce Yeon Ju-hong.
I had encountered Yeon Ju-hong a few times during my active days.
Whether on variety shows or stages, she always performed with such fierce determination, which I found impressive.
…But it seems she had a clumsy side before her debut.
"Judges, please enter!"
At a staff member's call, a long desk was swiftly placed in front of the practice room.
And four chairs were perfectly set up.
Soon after, the judges entered.
It was the first time we were meeting them since filming began.
All the other judges had formidable presences—but the most eye-catching person would undoubtedly be her.
Director Kim Mo-gyeong, the agency's director and producer.
Kim Ryeo-yu's relative, and effectively the current power player at Colors.
"It's been a while, everyone."
And the person I would eventually have to deal with.
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