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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Mid-Evaluation Feedback
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Producers: How was the mid-evaluation?
[Seo Baek-yeong: ...]
Caption: Seo Baek-yeong lets out a hollow laugh.
[Yeon Ju-hong: We totally botched it! So badly, it was like we were serving *gukbap*.]
[Kim Ryeo-yu: I felt like the direction we intended didn't quite resonate with the judges. We need to work on our shortcomings.]
Producers: Why did that happen?
[Yeon Ju-hong: At first, we just recorded the original song as is. Then we choreographed it, but the song was just so incredibly difficult. I thought, 'Wow, can we really showcase the charm of a dance position while singing this song?' But I also figured, if we practiced really hard, anything was possible, right?]
[Seo Baek-yeong: We all felt quite a bit of pressure. Especially...]
[Kim Ryeo-yu: It was incredibly tough mentally. I was the highest-ranked among us, you see. So, there was immense pressure that I absolutely had to become the MVP of MVPs.]
[Seo Baek-yeong: Because Kim Ryeo-yu was struggling so much and losing confidence, we discussed it among ourselves and spoke to the producers.]
[Yeon Ju-hong: At first, we just thought of it as slightly simplifying it. We thought that much would be fine.]
Caption: But it wasn't fine...
[Danha: It was baffling. They chose the song themselves, so why?]
[Han Jae-yi: Well, they're still trainees, not even debuted yet, and the pressure must be immense... Normally, we wouldn't have listened.]
[Danha: But once we made one revision, they just kept asking for more.]
[Han Jae-yi: Hey, hey. Go easy.]
Caption: Danha (22, Burn Ash) dumbfounded.
[Danha: I thought, 'Let's see how far they'll go,' so I just gave them everything they asked for.]
[Han Jae-yi: We knew anyway. There was no way the company would approve that quality.]
[Danha: Even if by some luck the company approved it, the public never would. How nice would it be if the world were that easy?]
Producers: You could have refused from the start, so why did you accept? Didn't you know it would become troublesome?
[Han Jae-yi: Haha.]
Caption: Utter embarrassment.
Caption: The world star breaking out in a sweat!
[Han Jae-yi: Because we've all been through it ourselves. We knew they wouldn't realize it unless they experienced it firsthand.]
[Danha: I just gave them whatever they asked for so they wouldn't blame me later.]
[Han Jae-yi: Danha, please, go easy...]
Producers: How was the mid-evaluation?
[Kang Sun-hwa: Lee Ju-seon's team was truly a huge turnaround. I was proud.]
[Jo Won-ho: Agreed.]
[Jo Won-ho: It was kind of like, a rebellion of the lower ranks, you know? The higher-ranked kids should probably be a bit nervous.]
Caption: Dance Team B's main stage is highly anticipated!
[Kang Sun-hwa: Seo Baek-yeong's team was a bit disappointing.]
[Jo Won-ho: I didn't train Seo Baek-yeong that way. I hope she gets her act together now.]
Producers: How was the rap position team?
[Kang Sun-hwa: Kim Geum... she's a real gem.]
[Jo Won-ho: Agreed. That's absolutely true.]
[Kang Sun-hwa: Ha-eun needs to learn a lot from Kim Geum. Their balance is just so off... It's not like they're having a diss battle. Since they're on the same team, they need to harmonize with each other. If Ha-eun can't keep up with Kim Geum, then Kim Geum needs to tone down her own style a bit. She needs to know how to adjust to make the team shine even more. I wonder if Kim Geum will truly accept that.]
[Jo Won-ho: Nobody can beat Kim Geum's stubbornness and pride. Ugh.]
[Kang Sun-hwa: Even we can't beat her. Kim Geum thinks she's better than us.]
Caption: The two trainers burst out laughing.
Caption: Their laughter isn't really laughter~
[Kim Geum: I actually did pretty well?]
Caption: As expected.
[Kim Geum: ? Is there a problem or something?]
Caption: Make a New Color's 'Golden Child'.
Producers: How was the vocal position stage?
[Ha-eun: Ryu Bo-ra... she really is. So beautiful. I felt like I was watching a drama.]
BGM: My hidden~
[Yeon Ju-hong: Ryu Bo-ra Unnie... she's just... legendary.]
[Su-in: It wasn't quite the vocal position stage I had imagined. There was more choreography than I expected.]
[Shin Yu-hyeon: The atmosphere was really bad, though. Jo Hui-on Unnie's mistake...]
[Kim Geum: Three vocal cracks. And that’s not easy to do.]
[Seo Baek-yeong: I thought that team would struggle if Jo Hui-on didn't fix her mistakes. Overall, it was too unstable.]
Producers: What did the trainers think?
[Kang Sun-hwa: A rediscovery of Ryu Bo-ra. Who knew she could sing so well?]
[Jo Won-ho: Since it was a vocal position, I thought there wouldn't be any choreography at all. But they incorporated it at just the right level. All the kids handled the choreography and concept well. The stage itself was really good, but the problem was...]
***
“Jo Hui-on.”
Trainer Kang Sun-hwa just sighed deeply.
That gaze that made people nervous.
“Did you even practice?”
“…I’m sorry.”
“You don’t need to apologize to me. This is something you should apologize to your teammates for.”
Since it was a vocal position stage, naturally, the vocal trainer’s evaluation was bound to be even more merciless.
“You’re standing out too much right now. And not in a good way. You weren’t like this originally. I thought Jo Hui-on’s biggest strength was her solid fundamentals?”
At the two trainers’ scolding, Jo Hui-on finally began to cry.
Standing beside her as if being punished, we honestly felt like crying too.
It had been touch-and-go during practice, and in the end, it happened.
She ended up making all the mistakes we had warned her about, all on one stage.
Lee Gyeong-a looked like she wanted to die.
Even though she herself had performed her best ever.
“What exactly is the problem?”
And those words were the cause of all trouble.
“The song… I think it just doesn’t suit me at all.”
“?!”
The eyes of the trainees, excluding us, widened.
Wow, that.
We’re screwed.
—was the look on their faces.
“From the very beginning, it was truly… so difficult.”
Once Jo Hui-on started talking, she didn’t stop.
It seemed she had a lot to say.
“The concept was actually too much for me, and the part distribution… I felt like my intentions weren’t fully reflected.”
The atmosphere turned chilling, as if cold water had been thrown over them, at Jo Hui-on’s words.
The trainers’ atmosphere grew especially cold.
Jo Hui-on blinked, sensing the strange atmosphere.
“Jo Hui-on.”
“Yes…”
“Do you think that once you debut, you’ll only get to do the concepts you want, the parts you want, and the songs you want?”
Kang Sun-hwa said.
In a much colder tone than usual.
“Maybe it could be possible.”
Jo Won-ho chimed in from beside her.
“If you’re more popular and recognized than any other idol.”
“But from the start, if someone were truly like that, they wouldn’t be complaining like you are.”
We quietly exchanged glances.
The trainers’ mood had changed.
The atmosphere, where they used to at least pretend to listen to Kim Ryeo-yu or Jo Hui-on’s words, had shifted.
Kim Ryeo-yu seemed to feel it too, judging by the subtle chill in her expression.
…It seems the atmosphere within Colors has changed a bit.
I recalled the notification Cotton Lump had sent me a while ago.
[Hong Yeon-seo, making a comeback to Colors? Breaks long hiatus with meaningful SNS mention.]
Could CEO Hong have done something?
Cotton Lump wouldn’t have sent such a notification for no reason.
“Can you really debut with an attitude like that? The public isn’t foolish. No one will love someone who can’t even fulfill the role they’ve been given. Especially if that role was agreed upon with your teammates and you took it on yourself.”
Jo Hui-on stopped crying.
However, her fear didn’t subside.
It was clear she was thinking, 'This isn't right.'
“If you have complaints with your teammates, you need to learn how to resolve them with your teammates, you too. If you want to become a professional.”
Whew.
There are too many mountains to climb.
***
Producers: So, who is the most likely candidate for MVP of MVP?
[Ha-eun: That’s tough. For me, it’s Kim Geum. If she doesn’t get it, I’ll feel so pathetic. I’d rather have an honorable death….]
[Kim Geum: Ha-eun picked me?]
Caption: A relaxed smile.
[Kim Geum: Well, I am a bit.]
Caption: Oh, 'Golden Child'...
[Kim Geum: Actually, this time it’s Ryu Bo-ra, not me. This concept is perfect for Ryu Bo-ra. And that team is quite strong. Yun Cheong Unnie and she, as a pair, were just too good.]
[Shin Yu-hyeon: Our team received a lot of praise this time… Don’t you think Lee Ju-seon could at least aim for it once?]
[Lee Ju-seon: It would be great if I got it. But realistically, I think it’ll come from the vocal position. Yun Cheong Unnie did well.]
[Seo Baek-yeong: Yun Cheong has the kind of skill that can cover other people’s mistakes, you could say. She subtly inspires confidence.]
Producers: Didn’t you just talk about Ryu Bo-ra, the trainee?
[Seo Baek-yeong: Ryu Bo-ra exceeded expectations by dozens of times. As for Yun Cheong… she was simply the song itself.]
[Lee Gyeong-a: Can I pick someone from our team?]
Producers: Of course.
[Lee Gyeong-a: I’ll choose Yun Cheong.]
Producers: Reason?
[Lee Gyeong-a: Honestly, I thought Ryu Bo-ra had the biggest advantage with this concept. But the more I practiced, the more I felt it. Yun Cheong truly… Everyone who watches the main stage will absolutely not be disappointed.]
[Su-in: Yun Cheong Unnie is really scary. I’ve never seen her make a mistake.]
[Ryu Bo-ra: Yun Cheong Unnie.]
Producers: Reason?
[Ryu Bo-ra: Just, well. It’s obvious she’s good.]
Producers: How do you feel about being nominated the most?
[Yun Cheong: Haha.]
[Yun Cheong: It would be nice if I got it, but I actually think Ryu Bo-ra will get it over me. I even want her to.]
Producers: Why is that?
[Yun Cheong: I wondered if someone could really work that hard. I’m always impressed watching Ryu Bo-ra. So, I hope everyone recognizes Ryu Bo-ra. I want to see that the world is fair. That hope, that blessings come to those who work hard.]
Producers: She says that, what do you think?
[Ryu Bo-ra: ...]
[Ryu Bo-ra: That Unnie, really...]
[Ryu Bo-ra: I need to work hard.]
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