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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: 42
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“….”
Han Jae-yi and Danha were, in fact, at a loss during Ryu Bo-ra’s recording session.
While it was understandable to struggle with a difficult song during the first recording, it became problematic if she struggled just as much during the second.
That’s why they had deliberately pushed her harder, more coldly.
There would be many more difficult songs ahead.
She couldn’t crumble here. She had to endure. That was the idea.
However, as the recording still wasn’t working out, it was Danha who came up with an idea.
There had been a similar case at Banash, actually.
At that time, a member named Seung-min was struggling.
While they were having a hard time, CEO Hong, who happened to be passing by the studio, casually tossed out a remark.
“The member closest to Seung-min, go in and sing with him.”
At the time, it seemed like a sudden, out-of-the-blue command.
But once the recording began—
*Stretch out fate,*
*Reaching for your fingertips.*
*Stretch out destiny,*
*If only our fingertips could entwine.*
An unbelievable result came out, just like that.
At Ryu Bo-ra’s cautious start, Yun Cheong silently took Ryu Bo-ra’s hand.
*I will hold you,*
*Through any delusion.*
*I will hold you,*
And then, as if answering, she continued the song.
The two continued to sing the rest of the song together.
At first, Ryu Bo-ra’s breathing, which had been shaky as she struggled to adapt, gradually began to stabilize.
It was because Yun Cheong was holding Ryu Bo-ra’s hand and tapping out the rhythm with her.
“They’re doing well.”
“….”
“At first, they couldn’t even make eye contact, but now it seems they don’t even see us? They’re only looking at each other.”
Even at Han Jae-yi’s words, Danha didn’t reply.
What more was there to say?
This was exactly what he had wanted.
Danha merely smiled broadly.
“Back then… when you sang with Seung-min.”
“….”
“It was you, wasn’t it?”
Danha still didn’t respond, only gazing at the two people inside the recording booth.
Han Jae-yi looked at Danha and smiled in a peculiar way.
“You useless jerk… Look at him, not even answering.”
“The song’s over.”
“Oh!”
Han Jae-yi turned on the microphone that connected the outside and inside of the recording booth.
“You two, good work.”
“You worked hard.”
Danha added a brief remark.
“You both did great. You exceeded our expectations by far.”
At Han Jae-yi’s praise, Yun Cheong and Ryu Bo-ra immediately let go of each other’s hands.
“You did well. If you’re ready, let’s go one more time.”
“?!”
“Yun Cheong trainee, this time we’ll only do the chorus.”
“Yes.”
“Ryu Bo-ra trainee, that’s not your maximum vocal volume, is it?”
“…I’ll try harder.”
“Okay, let’s go right away.”
At Danha’s words, the other three narrowed their eyes. *Give them some time to rest, man.*
However, the corners of their lips, at least, curved upward honestly.
Especially Ryu Bo-ra’s lips.
***
“You worked hard!”
“Thank you!”
“Alright, go on in. You did great.”
After the recording ended, simple pleasantries were exchanged.
When we came out, the sun had already set.
“Wow, the whole day just vanished.”
“…You worked so hard because of me.”
Ryu Bo-ra seemed… somehow awkward.
*You know how to be awkward too?*
“Nonsense. It’s done, now that we’ve finally finished all the recording.”
“…Still, I’m sorry. If I had done better…”
“You did well.”
“?”
“It’s just that those guys are too picky.”
I gnashed my teeth.
*What kind of kids are such perfectionists?*
*They should take it easy sometimes.*
Somehow, I felt indignant.
From the middle onwards, Ryu Bo-ra had done perfectly fine, but their standards were excessively high.
“You did well. Anyway, those Colors idols… their standards are just too high… What, uh, they should at least give you some balloon flower root juice or something before making you work…”
With no cameras around, I grumbled to my heart’s content.
What are they trying to do, expecting a twenty-year veteran’s level from a kid who hasn’t even debuted yet?
Are they going to take responsibility if her vocal cords get damaged?
As I was huffing and puffing in annoyance, Ryu Bo-ra stared at me.
…Did I huff too much by myself?
“What?”
“Nothing. Is there anything you want to eat?”
“I am hungry.”
I’d been standing for so long.
I was completely drained and hungry.
“I’ll buy it for you.”
“No, it’s fine. You don’t have any money—”
I was about to wave my hand, indicating it was okay, but I stopped short.
But wait, if she’s been a child actor for so long, isn’t she rich?
“No, wait, you’re rich, aren’t you?”
“….”
Ryu Bo-ra looked dumbfounded.
“Hey, let’s get some tuna sashimi for old times’ sake.”
“…I’m not rich, you know?”
“Why? You worked for a long time.”
“I spent it all ages ago.”
“All that money?”
*Where on earth?*
I thought of my own bank balance, which remained untouched because I never had time to spend money.
*I miss those Baek Nok-ha days.*
“Can’t you tell why I’m deliberately living as a trainee?”
“Oh, so you became an idol because you’re broke?”
“What other reason could there possibly be?”
“There are plenty of reasons. That’s just *your* reason.”
“….”
Having no real rebuttal, Ryu Bo-ra just shrugged her shoulders.
“I see. Then let’s eat something simple.”
“What do you want to eat?”
“Tuna gimbap.”
“….”
*What, you brat.*
*I like tuna.*
“Okay, I can buy you that. Let’s go.”
“Yay!”
I grinned and followed Ryu Bo-ra.
I’m sorry, but Yun Cheong really doesn’t have money…
So much so that I’d hesitate to even buy tuna gimbap…
The company supports money for diet food, but not for things like this.
We entered a snack bar.
“One tuna gimbap, please.”
Ryu Bo-ra just ordered one tuna gimbap.
*Is she crazy…?*
“You’re not eating?”
“I am.”
“Then why only order one?”
“…Because one roll is enough for two people?”
“Are you out of your mind?”
Only then did I notice Ryu Bo-ra’s slender body.
*Skinny people always have different standards than me, different standards.*
“Ma’am, one more roll of tuna gimbap, please.”
I immediately added to the order.
If I had my way, I’d also order tteokbokki, a ramyeon, and a kimchi fried rice, but I was holding back.
*I’m holding back because we have filming tomorrow.*
“Here’s your tuna gimbap.”
“Thank you.”
“But young ladies.”
“Yes?”
“You’re… aren’t you those young ladies who appeared on TV?”
*Gasp.*
To think someone already recognized us.
I had become too used to Yun Cheong’s body.
The moment I desperately tried to deny it,
“You’re the young lady from that drama, aren’t you?”
The owner preempted me, looking at Ryu Bo-ra.
*Ah.*
It wasn’t me, it was Ryu Bo-ra.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Wow, I really liked your drama, that one, what was the title? The one that was on KDC.”
“Ah, ‘One Roof, Three Families.’ Are you talking about…”
“Yes, that one! I really liked the young lady in that. Bong-sim!”
*Pfft.*
Bong-sim.
It was an innocent and cute name that really didn’t suit Ryu Bo-ra.
“Why aren’t you acting these days?”
“Ah…”
Ryu Bo-ra stammered.
“Oh, she’s preparing to be an idol, ma’am. She’s good at acting, but she’s also incredibly good at singing.”
Unable to bear the silence, I finally interjected.
“Oh my! Really? I didn’t know that.”
“She’s good at dancing too, you know. You should really see her.”
“Oh my, that’s amazing. Actors these days really can do everything.”
“Right? She’ll do well as an idol, won’t she?”
“Of course. She’s so pretty. She can do anything with a face like that. But you’re pretty too, young lady?”
“I’m going to be an idol with her too. Please cheer us on. We’re on a show that airs on M-Ten, Friday nights at 10 PM…”
The brief but too-much-information conversation with the owner ended.
I even diligently told her how to vote for us.
…This is the problem. This is the problem.
My mouth automatically starts flapping when I see an adult around my mother’s age.
“Unnie, you’re really friendly, aren’t you?”
“Be quiet.”
“You weren’t like this originally, I thought. Like Hui-on Unnie said.”
“People change.”
I tried to brush it off with a vague remark, but Ryu Bo-ra’s expression turned melancholic.
“That’s right. People change.”
“No, I didn’t mean for you to take my words like that.”
“My family changed too. Once they got a taste of money.”
Ryu Bo-ra put a piece of tuna gimbap in her mouth.
“When you earn money, you want more. When you earn more, you want even more.”
“….”
“My younger brother, at first he said he was going to China for a month or two for studying abroad, then suddenly it became ten years of studying in America. Dad got a business bug. Mom suddenly got greedy for real estate.”
Ryu Bo-ra continued to stuff tuna gimbap into her mouth.
“Well, isn’t that just how it is? Kim Geum told me I’m a typical eldest daughter in a Korean family. It was ridiculous.”
She chuckled, but the laugh wasn’t really a laugh.
“As my heart became so stifled, I developed dyslexia. I couldn’t focus on words when I read. So of course, I couldn’t read scripts.”
*So that’s what it was.*
Only then did Ryu Bo-ra’s actions begin to make sense one by one.
“How could I act if I couldn’t read scripts? Of course, I couldn’t. But my family’s spending had already grown. I had to keep earning money. That’s when Colors asked if I wanted to try being an idol. Of course, my parents welcomed it with open arms. I thought I was a lost cause, but at least there was hope.”
“A lost cause? That’s impossible.”
“….”
“You’re our winning card.”
I quietly raised my hand.
“Ma’am, please give us some ramyeon too.”
She can eat so well, why was she talking about just one roll of tuna gimbap?
I twitched an eyebrow, looking at the now-empty plate.
“Your dyslexia seems to have gotten a lot better, though. Looking at the lyric sheets.”
“The company gave me a lot of treatment support. I’m doing better now. It was something that suddenly appeared due to stress in the first place. They say it can get better if I keep getting treatment and reduce stress.”
“Reducing stress is the key, then.”
“…That’s right.”
Ramyeon came out in an instant.
I dished out some ramyeon onto a small plate and handed it to Ryu Bo-ra.
“First of all, it’s a very scientific fact that carbohydrates help reduce stress.”
“…Are you sure?”
“Look at Yeon Ju-hong. She eats carbs all the time, and she’s always cheerful.”
Somehow, Ryu Bo-ra seemed convinced.
Considering she immediately put ramyeon into her mouth.
“To make a living, I guess I have to become an idol.”
“That’s right.”
“Then just do it.”
“…Unnie, you’re really… a person who…”
Ryu Bo-ra had a confused look on her face.
“Am I not very pitiful to you?”
“Why should you be pitiful?”
I was genuinely puzzled.
“Everyone works to earn money. You’re also working to earn money, so what’s pitiful about that?”
“…Because I’m earning money for my family?”
“Ah, that.”
I took a spoonful of ramyeon broth.
*This place makes good ramyeon.*
*I should bring Ju-hong here.*
*I need to tell her this is what you call a ramyeon master.*
“You’ll be an adult soon. You can cut ties then.”
“That’s easier said than—”
“It’s not easy. But you can do it.”
I spooned some broth onto Ryu Bo-ra’s small plate as well.
“Anything, you can do it. If you don’t do it, you can’t. But you can do it.”
“….”
“There’s no right answer. I can’t tell you what’s right. You do what your heart tells you.”
I placed a piece of kimchi on Ryu Bo-ra’s spoon, as she was spacing out.
“But one thing is certain: you can do it. Whatever you decide.”
And I lifted Ryu Bo-ra’s hand and put the spoon into Ryu Bo-ra’s mouth.
*A person needs to eat to regain their strength, after all.*
“It might not work out at first. But if you keep doing it, it will eventually. Don’t you know the official rule of the entertainment industry? ‘Endurance leads to success.’”
“…Oh, for goodness sake.”
Ryu Bo-ra finished the kimchi, then glared at the ramyeon.
…Does she want more?
I scooped another spoonful of ramyeon onto Ryu Bo-ra’s plate.
*Then just eat it, why glare at the food?*
“Just try being an idol… If you do it, it might be okay, or it might not. And if it’s not, so what?”
“Then what if I debut and then decide to leave?”
“Then I’d have to buy you ramyeon again.”
“….”
“I’d have to endure in front of you too. ‘No, you brat. Quitting is absolutely not allowed,’ I’d say.”
“Huh.”
Ryu Bo-ra chuckled.
“Just debut first, Unnie.”
“You too, debut first before talking about quitting. Your ranking is lower than mine.”
*Humph.*
We didn’t speak any more.
We just ate ramyeon.
Of course, Ryu Bo-ra paid for everything.
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