I Tried to Debut My Kid, But Ended Up Debuting Myself [Novel] Chapter 38

It was a skill that allowed her to read others' minds.

Unlike , which could be used automatically, this one required manual control. However, like any skill tied to Delusional Power, it consumed mental energy.

*Focus!*

Hye-sung entrusted the dance to her well-trained body and gathered all her mental energy, as if she were about to open her third eye.

Soon, she felt a tingling between her brows, and a jumble of murmuring voices began to filter into her mind.

*Is this working? Focus on Rurika!*

*Ah... I want sweet and sour pork. When are they gonna feed us?*

*I shouldn't get my hopes up for the first performance. At least I'll probably pass the first elimination round. That's a relief.*

*I don't think Hye-sung eonni is really 165 cm. I should try to measure her secretly later.*

*I have to perfect this today, no matter what.*

Her teammates' inner thoughts echoed randomly through her head.

*Why are so many people thinking about other things during practice! I can't tell who's thinking what. Again, again.*

It was her first time using the skill, so she had no knack for it and found it difficult to control.

*Don't lose heart...! Rurika, your rank was higher than Hye-sung's! They said that as long as I get popular, a little trouble will be romanticized later. They told me to stand out no matter what. That's right, if my skills are lacking, I'll win them over with my charm! You can do it, self! You've got this, Rurika!*

Amidst the murmuring noise, she heard Japanese.

She was clearly hearing Japanese, but strangely, the meaning was conveyed to her in Korean.

*Gotcha, you little...! So you still haven't learned your lesson. This won't do. I'll just have to raise hell and take my part back.*

Just as Hye-sung, having heard the shameless Rurika's inner thoughts, was about to stop the practice, Lee Ju-ha stopped the music and stood before the mirror.

"None of you have forgotten the performance is tomorrow, right?"

Her expression was solemn. She seemed completely different from how she'd been at the dorms.

*From the looks of it, she's going to say something on my behalf.*

In yesterday's real-time rankings, Lee Ju-ha had placed first.

She'd been exhausted from her inability to control Rurika, the member she herself had chosen, but seeing her first-place rank seemed to have snapped her out of it. Today, she looked remarkably motivated.

Just a moment ago, as soon as the team had gathered, she'd handed out a practice schedule planned down to the minute. Her determination to perfect the routine and win was palpable even on the A4 sheet.

"I'll be blunt. Rurika, how about you switch parts with Hye-sung again? Today is your last chance."

"Wh-Why are you saying this now?"

"You said you could do it, so we trusted you with it, but you're still making mistakes the day before the performance."

Faced with a newly resolute Lee Ju-ha, Rurika was at a loss for words.

*She should've shut Rurika down like this from the start, instead of playing it safe when she was making a fuss about being center...*

"That's impossible! How can I learn a whole new formation with only a few hours left...!"

"You're not learning it from scratch; it's the part you were doing until a few days ago. Honestly, if you can't even do that, you should probably just give up on your dream of being an idol."

Shin Hyun-ah, who had been watching the situation quietly, spoke up.

Rurika looked at the other team members with a wronged expression. From her posture alone, it was clear she was preparing to smooth things over with tears.

*If she starts crying again, it'll just waste time and become a hassle. It's probably better if I, the adult here, calmly talk her down...*

[First time with a Sudden Quest? Are you hesitating to act?]

*What is this all of a sudden?*

[You cannot complete the quest by standing idly by! As a special one-time offer, I will provide assistance.]

*No, no. It's fine. Just stay out of it.*

The atmosphere was already shifting in the direction Hye-sung wanted, yet the status window, which had never been of any real help before, suddenly intervened.

[A special gift to ensure the success of the Sudden Quest!]

*No, I don't want it. I'll handle it myself.*

[Random Trait Acquired!]

[Trait ]

[Your ditzy appearance makes the opponent lose their will to fight!]

*What... is this?*

What on earth had the status window been watching to come up with a trait like this?

Horrified, Hye-sung desperately tried to ignore the notification. But, as per the rule that randomly acquired traits must activate at least once, this one was already revving its ditzy engine.

[Activating Trait !]

"Hoeh?"

Without realizing it, Hye-sung brought a finger to her lips.

She tilted her head slightly, looked at her teammates with innocent eyes, and said.

"Does everyone... maybe want to change the parts back...?"

*This isn't a ditzy character, this is just a moron.*

Even though she was the one doing it, she felt like she was going to be sick.

Hye-sung just wanted this situation to be over with as quickly as possible.

"Yeah. Let's just switch back. Honestly, Hye-sung's even better than me, so making her Sub-Vocal 5 is kind of ridiculous."

Seong-bin, who was usually in charge of spouting nonsense, offered a rare, sensible opinion.

"If we don't switch, I think we'll come off looking really bad on the broadcast."

Seong-bin said "we" in a roundabout way, sending a look of pressure toward Rurika.

"It wasn't a forced switch, Hye-sung agreed to it. Why would we look bad...?"

Rurika retorted, sounding wronged.

The mood in the practice room grew even heavier.

"Stop! Please don't fight because of me!"

Hye-sung cast her teary eyes downward like a tragic, ditzy heroine, creating a pitiful atmosphere.

"If Rurika is happy taking my part, then that's all that matters. I don't mind..."

[Protective Instincts Stimulated x2! Your teammates now feel sorry for you.]

As if they were all channeling the perspective of a possessive male lead, the team members—excluding Rurika—gazed at the pathetically trailing-off Hye-sung with deep affection.

"Rurika. Hye-sung is going this far, and you still don't feel anything?"

Shin Hyun-ah continued in a rather sharp tone.

"Honestly, I was a bit iffy about you two sorting it out yourselves. But the mood wasn't right to bring it up that day, and you seemed to be working hard, Rurika, so I let it slide... but seeing you still making mistakes today, I really don't think this is right."

"I agree with Hyun-ah eonni. It would be one thing if Rurika eonni could handle the part well... I think Hye-sung eonni should do it again."

Na Yeon-woo stared at Rurika, her face stiff. She clearly believed that Hye-sung had lost her part because she hadn't given up the center position.

"Rurika eonni, how about you switch with me instead? Just give Sub-Vocal 2 back to Hye-sung eonni."

said Cha Ju-yeon, who had been fidgeting anxiously throughout the discussion about parts.

"No, Ju-yeon. If you do that, we'll really have to learn the formation all over again. Rurika, do you hate the idea of being Sub-Vocal 5 that much?"

Lee Ju-ha asked Rurika.

"It's not that I hate it, but switching now is a bit... I'm not sure if Hye-sung can manage Sub-Vocal 2 with just one day..."

She did hate it. At first, she'd accepted that she had to take a smaller part because she wasn't skilled enough, but on the day of the evaluation, a thought had suddenly struck Rurika.

*Watching today, I think I can do it too.*

*Why do I have to take the smallest part?*

*Is it because I'm not Korean?*

*Isn't this unfair?*

Blinded by the delusion that she hadn't been given a fair chance, Rurika was stubbornly holding her ground.

"You don't have to force yourself to do a part you can't handle just because you're worried about me...! When you asked to talk where there were no cameras and so confidently demanded the part, I thought you must be really sure of yourself, not that you'd mess it up this badly... If you're okay with it, Rurika, I'm fine with switching back!"

"Hye-Hye-sung! When did Rurika ever demand the part...?! Your tone and expression have been weird this whole time. You're just kidding around, right?"

[The opponent's innate self-centered nature has defended against the Ditzy Character attack.]

*Yeah. I had a feeling it wouldn't work on her. In that case, I'll just have to murder her with question marks.*

Since she was going to look weird anyway, she decided to make full use of the trait.

"Hmm? I'm not kidding, though? You told me to hand over my part willingly for the sake of the team, right? Maybe that scene will be aired, too?"

"Hye-sung, what are you doing, telling lies like that. Everyone will misunderstand. And how can a scene that wasn't even filmed be aired...?"

"Hwuuung? It's not a lie. The audio was probably recorded. I was wearing a mic then! To get us even a little bit of screen time! I think they'll just dub the audio over the scene of me leaving the practice room. I did good, right? Huh? I did good, right?"

In truth, she hadn't been wearing a mic. But at Hye-sung's cheerful lie, Rurika, feeling the sting of her own guilty conscience, looked as if she'd been hit by a bomb.

"The audio was recorded?"

"Why, why? Did I do something wrong? Is there some reason it shouldn't be on the broadcast? Why? Isn't it good to get even one more shot on camera?"

Hye-sung, having launched her bombardment of question marks, looked at Rurika with an expression of genuine curiosity.

[Clueless Question Mark Critical Hit! The opponent has lost their will to fight.]

"Rurika, we know you've been trying. That's why everyone stayed quiet until today. What do you want to do? You really can't switch back?"

Lee Ju-ha spoke as if she were reasoning with her, but her words carried a subtle weight. It was as if she were giving Rurika one last chance to choose for herself.

"...Okay. Then I'll go with everyone's opinion. For the team's sake, it would be better for Hye-sung to be Sub-Vocal 2 again."

[Sudden Quest Cleared!]

[With the help of the status window, you have successfully completed the quest!]

It seemed less like the trait had worked and more like Rurika was giving the part back to create an escape route in case the editing turned out badly for her.

*I probably could have just said it normally. I ended up acting like an idiot because of another weird trait.*

[Quest Success Reward: Lucky Roulette 5-Use Ticket (Rare Guaranteed)]

*What kind of system gives out gacha rewards?*

Hye-sung, who had secretly been hoping for stat points, was not satisfied with the reward, even if it was a guaranteed pull.

***

"Um, isn't anyone hungry? I didn't eat breakfast, so I'm getting a little famished..."

Breaking the intense practice atmosphere, Hye-sung timidly raised her hand. She had used up all her energy in the strenuous practice, and her face had already grown pale.

*Ju-ha's practice schedule didn't have a lunch break. I raised my hand because I was afraid we'd all starve to death.*

"Are you hungry, Hye-sung? Hmm, it's already well past lunchtime."

Lee Ju-ha checked the clock.

Three hours had already flown by since the parts had been restored to normal.

"Should we go out and get something to eat, then?"

"Isn't there a cafeteria in the company building, Ju-ha eonni?"

Cha Ju-yeon grabbed Lee Ju-ha's shoulders with expectant eyes and bounced up and down.

"There is, but it's under renovation right now... so I think we'll have to go out."

"Aw, that's too bad. It was my dream to eat at another company's cafeteria."

"Haha, really? I'll invite you next time, then."

Everyone was tired and hungry, and just as they were about to head out for a meal, the practice room door creaked open.

"Hey, girls. Just stopped by for a moment."

"Wow! It's Ms. Minty!"

"Hello!"

Through the half-open door, Minty appeared, wearing glasses and no makeup.