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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: Guerrilla Concert Team Formation
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The guerrilla concert was planned to have one full group stage and one stage per room.
Our full group stage would be our first group song, "Make a New Color."
For the other stage, our room had to prepare it ourselves.
“But what about Ju-hong’s room, then?”
“Right…? Are they going to do it with just two of them?”
Yeon Ju-hong’s room originally had three members: Jo Hui-on, Kim Ryeo-yu, and herself.
But since Jo Hui-on gave up and left, their room automatically became two people.
I tilted my head, wondering if it would even be possible, when—
*Knock, knock.*
“Come in.”
There was a knock at the door.
It was Writer Kang.
“I came to set up the cameras and to deliver some news.”
“News?”
We looked at each other.
What could it be?
“Well… as you all know. Currently, trainee Kim Ryeo-yu and trainee Yeon Ju-hong’s room only has two members.”
“Yes, yes.”
“So trainee Yeon Ju-hong said… it might be a bit difficult for just two of them to perform….”
No way.
A chilling premonition flashed through all three of our minds.
“So she suggested, what if they combined with another room to perform as five?”
“No.”
Kim Geum immediately refused.
What a merciless girl.
“…Please, just hear me out first….”
“I’ll listen, but I’m very against it.”
Kim Geum showed a very firm attitude.
It wasn’t that I didn’t understand her feelings.
Kim Geum was completely fed up with Kim Ryeo-yu because of the Lee Ju-seon incident.
Though we didn’t know the full details, it was clear that Kim Ryeo-yu had driven a wedge between Lee Ju-seon and us.
“However, we also think it would be better for you to perform as five or six rather than three. That would reduce the burden on you all. The guerrilla concert is in just two days, after all.”
“I’d rather just bear the burden! Or put us with another room! I’ll do it with Baek-yeong Unnie’s room!”
As Kim Geum showed no willingness to negotiate, Writer Kang looked at me.
Why are you looking at me and not Ryu Bo-ra?
“Trainee Yeon Ju-hong specifically said she wanted to work with *this* room, which is why I came personally.”
“…Ju-hong did?”
This was news to me.
Why so much…?
“As you know, trainee Yeon Ju-hong is quite young… and also very tender-hearted.”
That’s true.
She was probably the most mentally fragile among all the trainees.
She laughed easily and cried easily.
Though she sometimes acted sharp-tongued to hide her vulnerabilities, she was also the most affectionate.
She was also the first one to approach me so casually.
Could her harsh demeanor in my previous life have been due to a change of heart after failing to debut? Looking at the current Yeon Ju-hong, I couldn’t even recall the Yeon Ju-hong I knew.
“Trainee Yeon Ju-hong is quite exhausted right now… and she said she would feel much more at ease if she worked with this room.”
I looked at Writer Kang anew.
She didn’t seem like the type to care about the trainees’ feelings.
Especially since she was practically PD O Baek-gyeong’s right-hand man.
Perhaps sensing the meaning of my gaze, Writer Kang cleared her throat.
“PD Oh can’t handle these things, so I have to.”
“…Right.”
Someone had to take care of things to prevent incidents.
I nodded in understanding.
This was a dilemma.
I would rather die than be on the same team as Kim Ryeo-yu, but I didn’t want to ignore Yeon Ju-hong’s situation.
Kim Geum seemed to be thinking something similar, judging by her sour expression.
After all, Yeon Ju-hong had endured in that room alone for quite a while.
“Bora, what do you think?”
“I don’t think anything. Do whatever you want.”
Ryu Bo-ra looked like she couldn’t care less about anything in the world.
…What *do* you care about?
She didn't care about debuting, and she didn't care about being on a team.
I thought we had gotten closer while performing "Fingertips" together, but was that my imagination?
“Geum-ah, what do you think? Don’t you think we should take care of Ju-hong…?”
“…Ugh.”
As Kim Geum was making her final decision, the door opened again.
And peeking in, a pink head appeared.
“Unnie…….”
She must have been listening outside.
“I’ll really do well…….”
…She looked like a wilted rabbit.
I deliberately avoided her gaze.
I’m innocent. The blame lies with Kim Geum.
“Ugh, why are you sitting there eavesdropping!”
Embarrassed, Kim Geum just snapped.
At that, tears started welling up in Yeon Ju-hong’s large eyes.
“Unnieee…….”
“Stop crying already?!”
“I had such a hard time during the last performance…. Can’t we do it together? I really missed you Unnies!”
Was she always like this?
Seeing Yeon Ju-hong, who had completely transformed into the maknae, we were speechless.
“Fine, fine. Let’s do it together. *Sigh*.”
In the end, Kim Geum, who couldn’t stand such situations, threw up her hands.
“Just you whine during practice.”
“When did I ever whine during practice?!”
“Always.”
“Geum Kim, you’re really amazing at spreading rumors.”
“What rumors? You whiner. You’re always saying, ‘What if I can’t debut? What if I hit a wrong note?’ Aren’t you?!”
“That’s because I’m anxious!”
“That’s why you don’t believe me when I say you’re good enough not to be anxious!”
“Then stop nagging me, Geum Kim!”
“So what, Pink Head,”
…Do they… know how they look right now?
A safari would probably be more peaceful than this.
“Anyway, it’s settled.”
I gave a strained smile to Writer Kang, who looked a little tired.
But Writer Kang, instead, patted my shoulder with a pitying look.
This just makes me unnecessarily annoyed.
“Where’s Ryeo-yu, by the way?”
“Trainee Kim Ryeo-yu… is absent from today’s filming due to personal reasons. For now, the four of you can discuss the stage. Trainee Kim Ryeo-yu will join tomorrow and start practicing with you then.”
She’s probably off goofing around somewhere again because things aren’t going her way.
“So, we decide the parts, the concept, and the song among ourselves, without Ryeo-yu Unnie?”
“Yes. I’ll relay that to trainee Kim Ryeo-yu.”
Kim Geum looked skeptical.
And for good reason.
“Will she… accept that?”
“…I’ll… try to relay it.”
Ugh.
***
In the end, we decided to choose a song without Kim Ryeo-yu.
Writer Kang expressed her gratitude for our cooperation, set up the cameras, and left.
“We don’t have much practice time, so let’s skip the dance and keep it simple.”
“Sounds good.”
Everyone nodded at my suggestion.
“The place we’re performing… is Han River Park.”
Han River Park, no less….
There must be a lot of people.
“Since it’s a guerrilla concert, there will probably be more people who don’t know us than those who do, right?”
“Yeah. Our recognition is still just a handful.”
“*Sniff*.”
Yeon Ju-hong looked downcast at Kim Geum’s blunt remark.
But it was true.
Of course, Make a New Color was popular for an idol survival program, but its highest viewership rating was 2.1%.
It was true that we were gaining a core fanbase, but we couldn’t say we were mainstream yet.
“We should be grateful we’re this popular without even debuting.”
“Won’t Bora Unnie be recognized?”
At Yeon Ju-hong’s words, our gazes all turned to Ryu Bo-ra.
Ryu Bo-ra turned her head away, as if the sudden attention wasn’t welcome.
“Anyway, let’s choose a song everyone can relate to.”
“Right. We can make up for our lack of public recognition with the song.”
“A song everyone can sing along to!”
We seemed to be reaching a consensus.
“It would be even better if it’s a song liked by all ages and genders.”
“Exactly. Something bright that even people out for a stroll can enjoy.”
“Since it’s summer, a refreshing song that suits a summer night!”
Even without me adding anything, opinions gathered smoothly.
Had things ever gone so smoothly before?
“How about ‘Blue Starlight Night’?!”
“That’s too recent. More people probably won’t know it.”
“What about ‘Bye Bye Dream’?”
“If you sing that without dancing, the atmosphere could really drop…. You haven’t sung that at karaoke, have you? It’s surprisingly not an easy song to pull off.”
“Then how about this?”
“That’s….”
I recalled the difficult days of the past.
As expected, you really need good group members for group projects….
At the same time, it felt strange how close the trainees had become.
When Make a New Color first started, everyone was awkward with each other.
When did everyone get so close?
Thinking that the end of Make a New Color was near, I felt a strange mix of emotions.
“Cheong Unnie suddenly got nostalgic.”
“Why are you suddenly getting sentimental like an old person?”
Ryu Bo-ra, you surprisingly see the essence accurately, huh…?
I pinched Ryu Bo-ra’s cheek.
At that, Kim Geum and Yeon Ju-hong looked even more surprised.
Is this really that surprising…?
“How about this song?”
To change the subject, I turned on my phone and played a song.
“Oh, this song…!”
“You’re all familiar with it, right?”
It wasn’t a recent song.
It came out around the time I was born, so about 20 years ago from now.
However, it was still a song no one didn't know.
“How is it?”
When about half of the song had played, I asked.
“Well, it’s a song no one doesn't know, for sure.”
“But isn’t it too… too old? It’s been out for almost….”
“That might actually make it better.”
I left the choice to the other three.
Deliberately not interfering.
“It definitely has a summer night vibe…. Should we try to rearrange it a bit? To suit us better?”
“Unnie, can you really arrange it in one day?!”
“Don’t underestimate me. Of course, it’s possible.”
“Kim Geum, stop bluffing….”
So this is what a team feels like.
Whenever I had a one-off performance, like an end-of-year stage, I had to plan the stage all by myself.
Of course, the agency helped, and there were producers, but….
It wasn’t this feeling.
It was more like camaraderie with the people you’re performing with directly.
“This part, Yeon Ju-hong, you can do it. Your voice color would be perfect.”
“Really?! Really?! I can do this?”
“Why are you being so dramatic? Of course you can.”
“But this song doesn’t have rap, Kim Geum, are you okay with that?”
That point bothered me too.
At Ryu Bo-ra’s refreshingly direct question, we all looked at Kim Geum simultaneously.
“I’m good at rap, but I’m not *only* good at rap. I’m truly a five-star stat human.”
“….”
“…”
The problem was solved, but….
Then again, Kim Geum wasn't bad at singing.
Because whenever she hummed, changing the lyrics as she pleased, she’d surprisingly sing well, which always startled me.
But I don’t think I’ve ever heard her sing seriously.
“Then Geum-ah, can you sing this part?”
“This, this. You don’t trust me, Unnie.”
Kim Geum snatched the phone, looking offended, and read the lyrics.
*Let’s go*
*Without any worries or anxieties*
Just one line.
But.
We all thought the same thing.
‘We have to do this song, if only for Kim Geum.’
If there was just one problem left—
“But will Ryeo-yu Unnie be okay with this song?”
It was this.
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