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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Chapter 18
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Homma A, from ‘You Are My Prism’.
Known simply as Prism Homma.
She had been stanning idols for a good ten years now.
It was a period that could be considered long, or short.
But she had one peculiar trait.
Instead of stanning just one idol, she fairly stanned all idols.
She was, in other words, a ‘multi-stan’.
That’s why her social media accounts were evenly filled with photos of various idols.
For her, this season of ‘Make a New Color’ was naturally a highly anticipated program.
Because it was a show to pick the idols who would be newly captured by her camera.
However, she was already ten years into her fandom.
A sort of burnout, or rather, a pseudo-burnout, was settling over her.
Stanning not just one idol but multiple groups sometimes made her feel overwhelmed by the excessive flood of information.
And now, one more was to be added to that situation?
It was quite literally a dopamine overload.
So, Prism Homma had a slightly ambiguous reaction.
She was looking forward to it, but not really.
She wanted to know, but not really.
The Colors idol groups were each very different, yet they shared a subtle similarity in their essence.
Beautiful faces with delicate features.
Members with all-rounder stats, excelling in both dance and song.
Whether it was producing, composing, or songwriting.
And there was always at least one member perfect for variety shows.
In fact, they were all so perfect that it sometimes created a sense of distance.
And Colors wasn't just any large company, was it?
Every album they released was a masterpiece.
Indeed, in a capitalist world, there was nothing that couldn't be achieved with capital investment.
So, she craved something fresh.
Something from Colors, but with a freshness distinct from the existing Colors groups.
A new flavor, but one that tasted familiar.
The homma chuckled to herself as she thought it.
How could that even be possible?
*I am your new world.*
But it turned out to be possible.
“Is she insane?”
Her jaw dropped as she listlessly watched the live broadcast of Make a New Color.
“She’s completely lost it.”
As soon as the stage ended, she frantically opened her social media.
Sure enough, her account’s timeline was ablaze.
The consistent taste of Colors fans!
The consistent palate!
The truth that everyone sees the same thing!
*Oh my hardened heart started beating again*
*I was on my knees watching, our Baby Beast Main Vocal is absolutely insane, it’s practically sacred*
*Is it okay for a god-tier idol to blindfold themselves with a tie? Even the main vocal?*
*Yeah, she can sing well, she can dance well, but a trainee with no mentor came up with that concept all by herself??*
*Colors, you maniacs, what kind of CG did you create?*
*Ah, look at our Cheong’s tear-mole! The lighting loved our tear-mole main vocal, it’s like the god of lighting blessed her!*
As expected, her timeline was filled with posts that mirrored her own feelings.
The performance just now had many striking points.
The tie blindfold, the leather rider concept, and the shimmering tear-mole.
*Did you see Yun Cheong’s lyric change?*
*Original lyrics:*
*:Step closer, boy*
*I’m here for you*
*Taking root and bearing fruit*
*Changed lyrics:*
*:Step closer, girl*
*I’m here for you*
*Taking root and bearing fruit*
*Isn’t she just telling us unnies to die?*
*The fact that she specifically changed that part clearly means she wants me to die. Anyway, that’s what it means.*
*This is SO true, absolutely true.*
*Isn’t Yun Cheong a huge twist? I thought she’d come out with an acoustic guitar and sing a folk song.*
*└Thought she was a baby bunny, but she was a Baby Beast! A baby cheetah was there!*
*└└I believed in you, Cheong. I knew it from the moment she chose that song. (old fan)*
Prism Homma briefly closed her social media account and replayed the video.
The Yun Cheong she saw now seemed like a completely different person from the rumors circulating among hommas before Make a New Color aired.
“She sings well but can’t dance and has no ‘it’ factor?”
Are you kidding me?
Did everyone without ‘it’ factor die?
“Who started such absurd rumors…? From a fan’s perspective, we should sue….”
Just coming up with that concept alone, without a mentor’s help, proved she was a true talent.
And she even perfectly pulled off the choreography?
In just one week?
“…Hoo.”
Prism Homma quietly opened her bank account.
It seemed it was time to buy a new camera lens.
No, whatever it was, it seemed it was time to prepare her bank account.
***
The storm-like final evaluation stage was finally over.
“I feel like I’m going to collapse….”
“Seriously….”
“I just went and threw up….”
“Wow, I hadn’t eaten anything, so only stomach acid came out.”
In the waiting room, twelve trainees were gathered.
Not a single one was in good shape.
I, for one, was practically one with the sofa.
The choreography itself was of the usual intensity, but the problem was Yun Cheong’s body.
Her body was inherently very weak from birth…!
It was no wonder her body couldn't hold up when she was starving herself to lose weight in that condition.
The moment money came in, I desperately needed to sign up for personal training.
What kind of debut was she planning with a body that had no muscle? Was she crazy?
Mental strength and skill come from physical stamina.
I vowed that if I ever met Yun Cheong in person, I would grab her by the collar and tell her that first.
“How do our seniors perform like this every time…?”
You get used to it.
“Even if music shows only require enduring one or two stages, how on earth do they manage concerts…?”
IV drips and personal training.
“When I stood on stage, my vision just went white. I was worried I’d faint if I saw the audience, but I didn’t need to worry about that. I couldn’t see anything because I was trying to recall the next choreography.”
“Agreed. I messed up the lyrics, that’s why.”
“Who stole my four minutes? I closed my eyes and when I opened them, the stage was over.”
Hearing these conversations, it really hit home that these were just kids who had just stepped into the world.
They might act tough in interviews, but in reality, they were just high schoolers and kids who had just become adults.
If only PD O Baek-gyeong hadn’t used so much ‘evil editing’, seriously. The kids wouldn’t have gotten so much hate.
Some trainees’ interviews were being stitched together and circulated online.
If you only watched those videos, they looked like truly malicious kids, but in reality, they were just ordinary kids.
“I hope we get less hate for today’s performance.”
“Is it because of the last interim evaluation stage? I told you, Ju-hong, you didn’t do badly.”
“You did really well today. Why are you so scared? Straighten your shoulders.”
Kim Geum and Seo Baek-yeong were comforting Yeon Ju-hong.
Yeon Ju-hong had been receiving a lot of hate lately.
Her unique cheerful yet direct way of speaking came across differently when broadcast.
“I just… I kind of gave up.”
“No, why would you give up?”
“Even if I debut by some miracle… I feel like everyone will hate me so much.”
“Don’t even say that.”
Kim Geum, who had been listening silently next to her, cut her off sharply.
“No one would hate someone who worked hard enough to debut.”
“Right. Just think about debuting. Don’t think about what comes after.”
All the trainees offered words of comfort, but Yeon Ju-hong’s reddened nose showed no signs of clearing up.
It looked like she was the type to monitor reactions very diligently.
Seeing her always looking at her phone alone with tears welling up… I figured she must be going through a lot.
I wanted to tell her not to look at such things, but there was no way she’d listen if I said it.
“…The votes must all be tallied by now, right?”
“Probably.”
As soon as the topic of votes came up, the innocent atmosphere immediately grew heavy.
By now, the audience votes would have been fully tallied, and the rankings decided.
Fortunately, since there was no elimination system, no one would be leaving…
But being in the lower ranks would mean not being in the safe zone for debut, which wouldn't feel good.
Just then, the door opened and a staff member poked their head in.
“We’re starting the mission ranking announcement filming. Please move.”
Speak of the devil.
***
The mission ranking announcement was filmed in another studio.
Everyone remained silent in the car while moving.
And even now, as the recording officially began, only silence hung in the air.
“Hello, everyone.”
Do Hui-yeong, the judge and host, greeted them from the center of the studio.
“Hello!”
The trainees also greeted her with booming voices.
“Did everyone do well on their first performance?”
“No!”
Hmm.
Only then were they of one mind.
“Haha, you all did well, though?”
“Thank you!”
“However, even if everyone did well, rankings are bound to be determined. From now on, we will begin the ranking announcement.”
Do Hui-yeong solemnly turned a cue card.
“Today, our Colorists, who will color you, have ranked your performances from 1st to 12th place. A total of 300 Colorists participated today.”
Make a New Color referred to its viewers as Colorists.
It was a nickname very faithful to the concept.
“First place receives 12 points, second place receives 11 points, and the last, 12th place, receives 1 point. If all 300 Colorists designated one trainee as 1st place, they would receive a total of 3,600 points. Conversely, if they all designated them as 12th place, it would be 300 points.”
3,600 points and 300 points.
The large difference between the two numbers made everyone feel even more nervous.
The sound of deep breaths could be heard from everywhere.
“We will announce 12th place and 1st place last. First, we will announce the score for 11th place. For ‘Make a New Color’, first mission. The score for the trainee who ranked 11th in the ‘Colors Idol Cover’ mission is…”
Do Hui-yeong paused for a moment before opening her mouth.
“1,250 points.”
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