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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Chapter 19
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Was it high or low? The trainees were all busy calculating in their heads.
But I had roughly calculated before coming, so I knew the approximate value of that score.
If this is the case… the score difference with 1st place will be quite significant.
It wasn't a good sign.
“Trainee Lee Gyeong-a, please come forward.”
A sob burst forth.
It was, of course, Lee Gyeong-a’s cry.
However, it wasn't a cry of pure sadness.
Rather, it was a cry mixed with relief.
Relief that she had escaped 12th place.
…Right, she was 12th in the last interim evaluation.
On the large screen behind the set, Lee Gyeong-a’s face appeared along with her interim evaluation rank.
Lee Gyeong-a (11th ▲1), 1,250 votes
Conversely, clouds began to gather on the faces of the other lower-ranked trainees.
Do Hui-yeong then announced the rankings of the other trainees.
Bang Su-in (10th ▼2), 1,307 votes
Park Ha-eun (9th ▲2), 1,505 votes
Shin Yu-hyeon (8th ▼1), 1,629 votes
Jo Hui-on (7th ▼1), 1,731 votes
With this, the announcements for the lower-middle ranks were all finished.
Those whose ranks had risen, and those whose ranks had fallen, all had grim expressions.
What stood out, of course, was Yeon Ju-hong's expression.
Yeon Ju-hong was 9th in the interim evaluation, but her name hadn't been called yet.
Thinking she might be 12th, her eyes were already filled with tears.
The same went for Lee Ju-seon, who was 10th in the last interim evaluation.
One of them was almost certainly in the middle or upper ranks, while the other was almost certainly in the lowest rank.
Because now, only the trainees most likely to debut remained.
It was a cruel system.
“Next, I will announce 6th place. This trainee received 1,950 votes.”
Do Hui-yeong looked at each trainee for a moment before speaking.
“Trainee Yeon Ju-hong, please come up.”
Ack.
A silent scream echoed.
Yeon Ju-hong seemed utterly bewildered, her mouth agape, unable to move.
Then, tears burst forth.
Other trainees, especially Seo Baek-yeong and Kim Geum, hugged Yeon Ju-hong and patted her back.
I also stood behind Yeon Ju-hong and patted her shoulder.
“Trainee Yeon Ju-hong. Please come up to the podium now and share your thoughts.”
Only then did Yeon Ju-hong wipe her tears and step onto the podium.
Of course, even as she wiped her tears, they kept flowing.
“I, I….”
Yeon Ju-hong kept sniffling.
“I don’t, sniff, know if I… if I should be here.”
She cried so profusely that both her sleeves were soaked, making wiping her tears pointless.
“Oh, Unnies… Unnies did so well, but. I, the one who’s worst…. I felt like I shouldn’t be here.”
Yeon Ju-hong continued to speak, hiccuping and sniffling.
A born entertainer, indeed.
Right, she had to get screen time.
“I, really… I wanted to go home so, so badly…. But now I don’t want to go, sniff. Oh, today’s 6th place… For me, it’s a 6th place more precious, hiccup, and valuable than 1st place. From now on… I’ll follow my Unnies and work hard… H-eung.”
In the end, Yeon Ju-hong gave up trying to hold back her tears and began to sob loudly.
Oh dear.
The other trainees also felt their noses tingle.
Seventeen years old, the youngest among us young trainees.
Everyone knew that such a child practiced every day, blaming herself.
And no one failed to understand her feelings.
Finally, Do Hui-yeong hugged Yeon Ju-hong and led her to the 6th-place seat.
Even as she sat on the chair, sniffling, Do Hui-yeong handed her a handkerchief to comfort her.
“Alright, next, I will announce 5th place.”
As Yeon Ju-hong seemed to calm down a little, PD O Baek-gyeong mercilessly continued the recording.
It meant he'd gotten all the reactions he needed, so it was time to move on.
A heartless, tearless human….
“From now on, these are the debut ranks. Congratulations to all trainees who have made it this far.”
Do Hui-yeong smiled warmly at us.
“This trainee covered WhiteNoise and received a total of 2,017 votes.”
Among the remaining people, there were three trainees who covered WhiteNoise.
Kim Ryeo-yu, Ryu Bo-ra, and Lee Ju-seon.
It seemed unlikely that Lee Ju-seon would rise to 5th place… so it was practically a battle between Kim Ryeo-yu and Ryu Bo-ra.
Unlike Ryu Bo-ra, who showed no particular change in expression, a shadow fell across Kim Ryeo-yu's face.
She must have thought she shouldn't be called here.
She was probably aiming for at least top 3.
But conversely, Ryu Bo-ra maintained a detached demeanor from the beginning, as if her rank didn't matter much.
Even I, watching from the side, was confused whether she truly didn’t care or if it was an act.
Kim Ryeo-yu, clutching her clothes tightly, and Ryu Bo-ra, with her large eyes cast down.
The two of them were captured together on screen—
“The first mission, the first trainee in the debut ranks is—”
Subtitle: Please check again in 1 minute!
***
“….”
“….”
In a family’s living room.
A harmonious family, diligently watching ‘Make a New Color’, flung the remote control.
“Are you crazy, M-ten?”
***
After a short but infuriating commercial break.
The trainees reappeared on screen.
“Thank you for waiting. Without further delay, I will announce it immediately. The first mission of ‘Make a New Color’, the first trainee in the debut ranks is—”
Do Hui-yeong paused for a moment, then announced immediately.
“Ryu Bo-ra.”
…A lower rank than expected.
I thought her fandom would be solid, given she was a very successful child actress.
It was unexpected.
However, Ryu Bo-ra didn't seem to think so, as she calmly walked onto the podium.
“Thank you to the Colorists who have brought my 부족한 self this far. As you have given me such an undeserved rank, I will become Ryu Bo-ra who can show you a good side of myself.”
A bright, radiant smile accompanied a perfectly standard speech.
There wasn't a single flaw to be found. But that, ironically, was the flaw.
Her strangely soulless speech left others bewildered.
This wasn't anger or sadness over a lower rank than expected.
Rather, it was….
“Does she not want to debut…?”
I heard a staff member mutter.
Yes, she was truly the embodiment of a trainee who didn't want to debut.
That’s strange. If she doesn’t want to debut, why does she practice so hard?
Why is she still a trainee?
With everyone’s subtle questions behind her, Ryu Bo-ra sat in the 5th-place seat.
Do Hui-yeong composed her expression and called the next rank.
“Next, I will announce the next rank. This trainee captured the Colorists’ attention with a groundbreaking concept.”
A groundbreaking concept.
I recalled the stages of the remaining trainees.
First, Kim Geum, who took on an intense street concept while covering a male idol.
Kim Ryeo-yu, who chose a bold, sexy concept, unlike the original song.
…And me, who just slapped on an eye patch.
A strong intuition hit me.
The one being called now—
“Congratulations, Trainee Yun Cheong. Please come up.”
It's me.
***
??? What just happened?
? Yun Cheong 4th place?
????
Seriously, this is ridiculous lol. Is M-ten crazy?
No, based on skill, she should be 1st place, no question, but they gave her 4th?
They're already trying to keep her in check lol.
This is why standing out early is dangerous ㅠ Cheong-ah, let's just debut, it's okay.
└What nonsense; their positions don't even overlap, why bring up an innocent person?
└└ Yeah, next up, the nepotism pick.
The first mission rank announcements were all finished.
My final rank was 4th.
It was a debut rank, so it wasn't a bad rank, but it wasn't a completely reassuring one either.
Fortunately, viewer reactions were very divided.
The so-called 'muggles', people closer to general viewers than idol fans, harbored much doubt about my rank.
Because based purely on skill, I should have overwhelmingly been 1st place.
However, I know.
That the most skilled trainee isn't necessarily the one who debuts.
It's no exaggeration to say that for an idol, charm is everything, not just skill.
Skill is merely one element of charm; it can't encompass all of it.
And this time, I lost in terms of charm.
Of course, I can't say I completely lost.
As the SNS reactions suggest, it's also true that I received 'strategic low votes'.
Some fans of other trainees intentionally gave me low scores because I seemed likely to debut.
Because of this situation, my supporting fans were very angry.
★
No, I'm genuinely fuming! Baby Beast Squad, let's promise not to let our guard down anymore.
Everyone, wake up and apply for the live audience diligently. Pre-emptive action is really important.
Our Baby Beast Cheong-cheong, PRO.TECT.HER.AT.ALL.COSTS.
It's all good… I'm so grateful….
…Why… why did I become a Baby Beast…?
I found it impossible to adapt to the rather unfamiliar nickname 'Baby'.
At 30, hearing myself called 'Baby' makes my skin crawl.
Of course, Yun Cheong is now 20, so it's not strange… but.
Since I was a solo idol in my past life, I wasn't particularly given a 'Baby' nickname.
I had many cute nicknames, but 'Baby' feels a bit hard to get used to.
Still, it was given by people who like me, so I should just shut up and accept it.
Anyway, for me, 4th place wasn't that bad.
It was better to establish myself as a target of 'checking' early on.
Rather than getting pushed down in the rankings later due to complacency, it's better to secure a stable rank from the start.
I turned on Yun Cheong's phone.
Every time I turned it on, I saw Yun Cheong's first wish.
[Debut as 1st place in the agency debut survival program 'Make a New Color']
If I was aiming for final 1st place, it was better to be 4th now.
I turned on the screen and looked at the updated ranks of the other trainees.
Yun Cheong (4th ▼3), 2,201 votes
…
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