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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Chapter 41
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Make a New Color Group Chat
PD O Baek-gyeong
Cameras in the kitchen and living room are now ON.
Seeing PD O Baek-gyeong's message first thing in the morning made my stomach churn.
It was basically a group text telling us to be careful since the cameras were rolling.
Just in case someone started stripping, it would be awkward for both parties.
“Haaaah.”
Morning arrived like clockwork, but my energy certainly didn't.
Yun Cheong's body had no muscle, so her stamina was far worse than my 30-year-old self's.
Oh boy. As soon as this program is over, I definitely need to start personal training…
Idols can't last without muscles, you know.
Out of habit, I took out some chicken breast and ate it.
Colors didn't specifically manage our diets.
They didn't force us to lose weight or get plastic surgery.
But… the trainees managed their diets on their own.
Not too strictly, of course. We had so much practice that even eating normally, we'd shed weight easily.
It was more like not being able to eat tteokbokki… and eating a lot of chicken and vegetables.
“Unnie, what are you eating?”
Yeon Ju-hong subtly came up behind me, peeking.
The most annoying kid.
She eats the most, but never gains weight.
Says it's her metabolism.
What's truly annoying is that all that food she eats comes from me.
“I'm eating chicken breast.”
Still, the cameras are on, so let's speak nicely.
“Ugh.”
Yeon Ju-hong immediately changed targets.
“Geum-Kim Unnie~ Geum-Kim Unnie~ What are you eating?”
“Stop with that weird nickname… you brat.”
Kim Geum, looking utterly disgusted, nudged Yeon Ju-hong with her foot.
I met Kim Geum's gaze and subtly gestured towards the camera.
Too much violence would get us criticized.
As soon as Kim Geum saw my signal, she gritted her teeth and smiled, saying:
“I'm just drinking a protein shake.”
“Can a person really live just eating that?”
“Possible.”
“Impossible.”
“Who are you to allow or disallow anything?”
“Because we are bound by fate…”
“No.”
…Why do young people speak in such short sentences?
Extreme efficiency?
“Anyone want ramen with me?!”
Surprisingly, no one showed any interest.
Even if the kids weren't on extreme diets, eating ramen first thing in the morning was a bit…
“Oh, Bora-Bora Unnie!”
“…What.”
Just then, Ryu Bo-ra ambled out of her room.
“Eat ramen with me. My mother certified me as a ramen master.”
“I have recording today.”
“Ah, okay…. Bye.”
After being thoroughly rejected, Yeon Ju-hong sniffled and cooked ramen by herself.
That ramen smell is driving me crazy.
Tears welled up inside me.
As I pondered why ramen-flavored chicken breast hadn't been invented amidst the aroma of ramen and the blandness of chicken breast, Ryu Bo-ra poked me.
“Yun Cheong Unnie.”
Adding my surname makes it feel so distant.
“Why?”
“Do you have anything planned for the morning?”
“No, not today. I was just planning to hole up in the practice room.”
“If you have nothing to do, do you want to come to the recording with me?”
At Ryu Bo-ra's words, Kim Geum and Yeon Ju-hong's gazes converged on us.
Both of them looked quite surprised.
…Is this really that surprising? Huh?
“Uh… why?”
“You can refuse if you're busy.”
“Oh, no. It's not that I'm busy, it's just…”
I was just curious why…
I've thought this before, but why am I particularly weak when it comes to her?
Her way of speaking was subtly similar to Kim Geum's, but their vibes were completely different.
Both were blunt, but if Kim Geum's bluntness was approachable, Ryu Bo-ra's was difficult.
It was strange.
Especially since Kim Geum was expressionless, while Ryu Bo-ra spoke with a bright smile.
“I was originally supposed to go with Lee Gyeong-a Unnie, but she has a separate recording schedule tomorrow, so.”
“Oh, why?”
Ryu Bo-ra shrugged instead of answering.
It meant she didn't know.
She's had a lot of solo activities lately.
Could it be…
“Anyway, are you coming?”
“Yeah, I'll go.”
I don't know why she wants me to go, but I might as well get some screen time out of it.
It's definitely not because I'm worried about Ryu Bo-ra.
I'm just going because being filmed with someone popular increases my screen time.
Right.
“Are you two done with recording?”
“Yep.”
Surprisingly, Yeon Ju-hong nodded immediately.
“The song isn't easy, so I guess you got the 'okay' sign in one go?”
“Hmm…”
Yeon Ju-hong had an ambiguous expression.
“Well, I guess it's a relief that the recording is over, at least…”
What was that about?
It felt unsettling, but Yeon Ju-hong didn't seem inclined to say more.
It probably had something to do with the cameras rolling.
“What about you, Geum?”
“Not yet. The arrangement is taking a while.”
“Right… it wouldn't be easy. There'd be a lot of parts since there are only two of you.”
“It's practically on the level of remaking the song, so it's taking quite a bit of time. Danha Sunbaenim is also having a tough time because of us. We're truly sorry.”
“Then let's repay him with a great performance.”
“That goes without saying.”
That straightforward personality of hers…
I could see why she had so many fans.
Even before appearing on Make a New Color, Kim Geum was well-known on social media and online communities.
It wasn't just because she had a lot of fans.
It was because her personality generated a ton of catchphrases and memes.
In particular, she left behind many famous lines on the hip-hop survival program 'Unpretty Money,' which she appeared on before Make a New Color.
Prime examples include—
[Geum: Not everything that comes out of your mouth is language…]
[Geum: Oh… creative nonsense…!]
…things like these.
Because of this, people either loved or hated Kim Geum.
This was because Kim Geum wasn't one to be particularly careful with her words just because someone was a senior.
Of course, she spoke more boldly because they had a good relationship, but to the public, it might seem a bit overly cynical.
That's why I know the company had warned Kim Geum a few times.
Something about idols needing to watch their mouths.
But Kim Geum didn't seem to be particularly careful.
“Hey, Yeon Ju-hong.”
“Yes.”
“Get your body parts off me.”
“Hmph.”
“Let's not touch more than one square centimeter, okay? It's summer, and the discomfort index is rising.”
“Hmph.”
Seeing her act like that.
But then again, if you think about it, Kim Geum was the only one who got along well with all the trainees.
She was also the only one Ryu Bo-ra, that fortress, truly opened up to.
“Yun Cheong Unnie.”
“Huh?”
“We're leaving in an hour. Are you going without showering?”
…Right.
That fortress, I tell you.
***
Back in Han Jae-yi and Danha's recording studio.
The two producers, who were also idols, didn't seem to care why I was there.
No, it seemed like they had no interest in us at all.
“Trainee Ryu Bo-ra, we'll start right away. Warm up your voice.”
“Yes.”
The same went for Ryu Bo-ra.
Feeling like a forgotten sack of barley, I looked around the studio.
Just in case I could find more hints about the song's interpretation.
But there was nothing of the sort to be seen.
Instead—
‘The Pendulum - Final Final Final Final Final’
It was a sheet of music and lyrics for 'The Pendulum'.
…Just how many revisions did this go through?
'The Pendulum' was the song for Dance Position A.
Yeon Ju-hong, Seo Baek-yeong, Kim Ryeo-yu's team.
With so many revisions, the recording was already finished?
Curious, I subtly shifted to a spot where I could clearly see the sheet music.
And the moment the sheet music came into full view—
“Let's go again. That part.”
I couldn't help but be surprised.
Because it was very different from the 'The Pendulum' I knew.
Originally, 'The Pendulum' was a song with a strong cult following.
It was even occasionally listed among 'hidden idol masterpieces'.
Fast beat, tense melody, grand accompaniment.
In many ways, it was optimized for performance, but it had a drawback.
It was a very difficult song.
Its fast, breathless progression and insane octave-spanning vocal range.
It was quite tricky to sing while dancing.
Since it was a position evaluation, using AR for dance position stages was somewhat allowed, but Colors, in particular, was an agency obsessed with 'live' performances.
Even for dance evaluations, it was a basic rule that you had to sing live.
Therefore, the dance position was, in fact, one of the most difficult positions.
Even if expectations for vocals were relatively lower, you couldn't completely abandon vocals, after all.
Thus, 'The Pendulum' was a huge gamble.
If done well, it would be a legendary stage in survival show history.
If done poorly, it would be an utter disaster and a huge embarrassment.
However, in my previous life, Seo Baek-yeong unexpectedly performed incredibly well, making it possible.
In my previous life, Seo Baek-yeong, Lee Ju-seon, and Shin Yu-hyeon were a team.
Seo Baek-yeong, who had immense ambition for vocals despite being in the dance position, took all the parts her teammates struggled with and perfectly executed them.
Of course, as a result, Seo Baek-yeong's ranking skyrocketed, and she was safely chosen as a debut member.
But this song wasn't the one I knew.
The song… had become far too easy.
Why on earth were there so many revisions…?
I'll have to ask Seo Baek-yeong later.
As I racked my brain over this incomprehensible situation,
“Let's go again.”
Ryu Bo-ra was struggling.
To the point where I felt sorry for her.
Even after I gave her hints for interpretation before, she was still lost.
I quietly listened to Ryu Bo-ra's singing.
Her pitch and rhythm were still perfect.
It was so solid, it was hard to believe she was originally an actress.
But.
“…Trainee Ryu Bo-ra.”
“Yes.”
“I can't quite put my finger on it, but the feeling isn't there. Trainee Ryu Bo-ra, since you're the one singing it, you'd know even better.”
“…Yes.”
It was lacking.
Just as Han Jae-yi said.
Something was missing.
If even I, who didn't compose the song, felt a certain blandness, it must have been even more apparent to them.
Ryu Bo-ra's expression was dark, as if she realized it too.
“Hmm.”
The two producers whispered to each other, then suddenly called me.
“Trainee Yun Cheong.”
“Yes?”
“Go on in.”
Huh?
“…Me?”
“Yes. Do you want to try singing it together?”
Hmm.
I agreed immediately.
Because I thought I knew what they were thinking.
Once inside the recording booth, Ryu Bo-ra's state became much clearer.
…She was nervous.
The lyric sheet in Ryu Bo-ra's hand was crumpled.
So tightly crumpled that I wondered how hard she must have gripped it.
She looked like she was born not to get nervous, but she was clearly very nervous.
I put on the headphones and stood next to Ryu Bo-ra.
Ryu Bo-ra unfolded the lyric sheet again.
However, I,
“Let's try it without looking at that.”
And took Ryu Bo-ra's hand.
“Together.”
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