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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: 59
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“Unnie, all your killing parts are gone... Are you okay with that? The rest are pretty dull... parts..."
Hmm?
I couldn't believe my ears.
Wasn't it the other way around?
Kim Ryeo-yu wasn't taking Yeon Ju-hong's parts; she was giving her own parts away?
Why?
“I'm fine. I just want you, Ju-hong, to stand out more this time.”
Yeon Ju-hong seemed utterly bewildered, as if she truly couldn't adapt.
It was understandable.
Even I couldn't adapt right away.
“I've been very selfish until now. This time, I genuinely want to yield to others.”
"...Oh... In that case... I'll gratefully... accept it!"
In the end, Yeon Ju-hong took Kim Ryeo-yu's killing parts, giving her more unexciting parts in return.
It was a deal where only Kim Ryeo-yu took a loss.
“However, there's a condition.”
“Yes?”
This must be the main point.
Let's hear it.
“Ah, you want the part change... to be something I requested?! Why?”
She was just trying to pass it off as goodwill because she wasn't confident in those parts.
She was the type who struggled even with singing over an AR track, often chopping up the song.
She could only sing well within her vocal range; if she deviated even slightly, her live performance fell apart.
But she probably didn't want to carry the image of being a bad singer.
And it would also put a burden on Yeon Ju-hong.
If it were me, I wouldn't have accepted the offer.
From the start, the fact that this conversation wasn't happening in the practice room, where there were cameras, but in the hallway, felt suspicious.
There were no cameras in the hallway.
Why would she make such an offer specifically where there were no cameras?
It was far too suspicious. Her intentions were obvious.
But Yeon Ju-hong wasn't Baek Nok-ha; she was Yeon Ju-hong.
It was her decision to make.
“I'm worried it might look like I'm showing favoritism only to you, Ju-hong, and not the other girls. There's already a rumor of discord between Cheong and me, and I don't want to fuel it further.”
"...That's a valid point... Okay. So, we'll say we agreed on it amicably?"
“Exactly! Let's say you cautiously requested it, and I happily accepted.”
“I think that much will be fine!”
...Will it be fine?
I sighed inwardly.
No matter how sharp and capable Yeon Ju-hong was, that was only by 17-year-old standards.
She was still just a kid.
I couldn't let my guard down.
Just as I was about to interject into their conversation—
“But can’t you share some good parts with the other Unnies too?”
"...Why?"
“Well, it feels a bit unfair if only I get to share them.”
“Ju-hong.”
“Yes?”
Kim Ryeo-yu spoke, her voice tightly suppressing anger.
“The other kids have high ranks and are stable. You know that, right?”
“...”
For the first time, Yeon Ju-hong fell silent.
“In this team, you’re the only one who’s ambiguously outside the debut zone. The others are strong contenders for debut. Why are you looking out for those stronger than you? Because you're like that—"
Kim Ryeo-yu paused, then sighed.
“You're still young, so you don't understand. In times like these, you just need to seize the opportunity. Got it?”
"...But."
“Then, don’t take the parts I'm offering. Just don't?”
“!”
Yeon Ju-hong's face was truly conflicted.
It was understandable.
She was desperate to debut.
How much impact must Kim Ryeo-yu's words have had on her?
She must have thought they were poking at her vulnerable situation.
I decided not to intervene.
...Even if I did, Yeon Ju-hong wouldn't listen to me here.
Yeon Ju-hong must have been so desperate for those parts—
“No... Let's do it that way, then.”
She was just a 17-year-old trainee.
In the end, all I could do was...
Pray that I could catch her if she stumbled.
Of course, I'd have to make some preparations on my own.
I fiddled with my phone.
It was still a phone, after all, and all its functions were still working.
***
“You changed parts?”
Kim Geum frowned, while Ryu Bo-ra remained calm. I said nothing.
Kim Geum couldn't accept the atmosphere.
Kim Geum questioned me with her eyes.
'Am I the only one who thinks this is strange?'
I answered with my eyes.
'No. I think it's strange too. But what can we do?'
However, Kim Geum soon accepted it.
There was no particular reason to object.
“I asked for it! It's a song I really wanted to sing... Ryeo-yu Unnie said she'd switch with me, so we did.”
Yeon Ju-hong had said as much.
“Oh... Okay. Well. If the two of you agreed... it's not for us to say anything!”
Kim Geum reluctantly agreed, her voice sounding uneasy.
“But, Yeon Ju-hong.”
“Yes.”
“Can you even sing all of that? You've taken all the tricky parts.”
“I can do it?!”
Yeon Ju-hong flared up, and Kim Geum merely smiled ambiguously.
...It was my turn to step in.
“First, let's sing it. All together.”
“Okay, okay.”
So, the five of us each sat down in a chair.
I began playing the accompaniment on my acoustic guitar.
The feel of the pick brushing the strings was pleasant.
Yes. This feeling was why I learned guitar.
*Let's leave, us*
*Without any worries or troubles*
The lyrics were truly about being carefree.
But this team was full of worries.
Kim Geum was good when singing alone, but still struggled with building harmony with the other members.
Her vocal color was so distinct that even when everyone sang together, only her voice seemed to stand out.
Ryu Bo-ra couldn't convey warm emotions, remaining stiff.
She did well when singing with others, but when she sang alone, her nervousness was apparent.
She focused so much on pitch and rhythm that it felt like her soul wasn't in it.
Yeon Ju-hong's pitch was constantly unstable in the challenging vocal ranges.
Kim Ryeo-yu was the best among them. From the start, she took only the easy parts that wouldn't stand out.
Her only drawback was singing so softly in the group parts that her voice was barely audible.
...What am I going to do with this team?
How can I explain this nicely?
“Girls.”
“...Yes.”
“If we go out like this?”
I couldn't think of a nice way to explain it.
In the end, I decided to be blunt.
“We won't debut.”
“!”
“Everyone, let's practice like crazy today.”
***
The next day.
We ended up staying up all night.
It wasn't just we had to practice; we also had to practice .
Since it had been a while, everyone had forgotten bits of the choreography.
Moreover, with Jo Hui-on absent, formations and movement paths needed to be revised.
Even with just one person missing, extensive revisions were required.
Practicing two songs simultaneously naturally took a lot of time.
In the end, that's why we had to stay up all night.
"...You stayed up all night?"
At 6 AM.
We ran into Seo Baek-yeong's team on our way out.
It was the first time seeing them since practicing yesterday morning.
But their clothes were the same, so it seemed they hadn't left either.
It looked like they had also stayed up all night.
...They must be working hard.
“What song are you guys doing?”
“. What about you, Unnie?”
“I get the vibe. We're doing .”
...
It was a super exciting summer idol song. A huge hit about five years ago.
“I guess we get your vibe too.”
“It's obvious, isn't it?”
“Can you manage?”
Seo Baek-yeong looked energetic.
No, only Seo Baek-yeong looked energetic.
The other five looked on the verge of death...
"...We tried. What about you guys?”
“Haha. I... tried too.”
You too?
Me too.
The two of us nodded, feeling a sense of camaraderie.
It seemed the kids on their team were also struggling quite a bit.
“Next time...”
“Let's be on a team together, just the two of us.”
“Just us two.”
“Agreed.”
We reached a dramatic agreement and headed back to the dorm.
To get even one more hour of sleep.
***
Ding!
★
Announcement │ Surprise! Meet your Colors! #Surprise_Gift #Hint_Han_River_Park #Meet_Us_Now #MenuCol's_Time_From_9:30_AM
OMG what is this?????
OMG, looks like a guerrilla performance!
Awesome, a busking event...?
LOL look at 'MenuCol Guerrilla' trending in real-time! It's up to 11th on the trending list.
Seriously, they should tell us which Han River Park it is! Do I have to turn over every stone from the source of the Han River?
└The solution? Fill in the Han River.
LOL, these Col-bal-nom-deul, what's with this thoughtful act for once...? Just for today, I won't call them Col-bal-nom-deul.
With the sudden announcement on MenuCol's official SNS account, fans were abuzz.
MenuCol, at its hottest right now, was coming out in public?
While it was so chaotic outside?
Some fans were excited, but others were worried.
★
Seriously, if anyone hurts our Yoon-blue, they're getting smacked with a cool stick.
Ugh, akgaes, please just shut up for today #Akgaes_Read_The_Room
Or, there were completely negative reactions.
LOL, they're totally using our kids to bury the negative public opinion around Yun Cheong.
ㅠㅠ Ryeo-yu... If you're having a hard time because of those Colors bastards, please wave a carrot.
Isn't it a bit much to make the kids do a guerrilla stage when they're already struggling with the final mission?
Are they trying to completely destroy the kids' stamina?
However, all these reactions were soon buried by two photos.
★
Team │ Hello♬ Colorists! Today is the day we take a direct step, running towards you to paint blue onto your hearts! Please wait just a little longer ♥ See you later!
Team │ Ta-da! Today is finally the day we directly plunge ☆ into your hearts, Colorists! Plunging into the Han River, plunging into all of you! We'll approach you with a song that will melt your hearts like an early summer night >< So excited! See you later~
Group selfies of the two teams.
Seeing the trainees looking so happy and excited, the fans finally fell silent.
Everyone, read the room today ^^
I'm going to endure this crappy current life with our kids.
They don't even need to tell us where it is. If it trends, I'll go anywhere. I'll pedal my Ttareungi bike there.
After all, no fan could resist their idols.
Because the hearts of fans who loved idols were all the same, in the end.
And so, the time for MenuCol's guerrilla stage approached.
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