Chapter 56
The guerrilla concert was planned to have one main stage for all of us and one stage for each room.
The main stage would be our first group performance.
Each room had to prepare their own separate stage.
“But what about Juhong’s room then?”
“Right… what will they do? Just the two of them?”
Originally, Jo Hee-on, Kim Ryeo-yu, and Yeon Juhong were in the same room.
However, with Jo Hee-on having given up and left, it left only two of them.
I tilted my head in doubt, wondering if it was possible.
Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
There was a knock at the door.
It was Writer Kang.
“I’m here to set up the cameras and convey some information.”
“Information?”
We looked at each other.
What could it be?
“As you all know, trainee Kim Ryeo-yu and trainee Yeon Juhong’s room currently has only two people.”
“Yes, yes.”
“So, trainee Yeon Juhong thought it might be difficult for just the two of them to perform…”
No way.
A cold intuition brushed across our minds.
“She suggested merging with another room to make a group of five.”
“No way.”
Kim Geum rejected it immediately.
How ruthless.
“…Well, at least listen first…”
“I will listen, but I strongly dislike it.”
Kim Geum showed a very firm stance.
I could understand her feelings.
Due to the incident with Lee Juseon, Kim Geum held a strong aversion to Kim Ryeo-yu.
I didn’t know the full details, but it was clear that Kim Ryeo-yu had caused discord between Lee Juseon and us.
“However, I think it would be better for us to perform with five or six members rather than three. It would be less burdensome for you all, considering the guerrilla concert is in two days.”
“It’s better to feel the burden! Or pair us with another room! I’d rather join Baek-young’s room!”
As Kim Geum showed no intention of negotiating, Writer Kang looked towards me.
Why are you looking at me instead of Ryu Bo-ra?
“Yeon Juhong specifically requested to join your room, which is why I came personally.”
“…Juhong did?”
I didn’t know that.
Why to this extent…?
“As you know, trainee Yeon Juhong is very young and sensitive…”
That was true.
She was probably the most mentally fragile among the trainees.
She laughed easily and cried easily.
She sometimes acted prickly to hide her weaknesses, but she was also the most affectionate one.
She was also the one who first approached me without hesitation.
Perhaps the harsh persona she had in my past life came from the changes in her mindset after failing to debut. The current Yeon Juhong didn’t remind me at all of the one I knew.
“Trainee Yeon Juhong is very tired and feels that she would be more comfortable if she could join your room.”
I looked at Writer Kang anew.
She didn’t seem like someone who would care about the trainees’ feelings.
She was practically PD Oh’s right-hand.
Sensing the meaning behind my gaze, Writer Kang cleared his throat.
“PD Oh can’t handle such things, so I have to.”
“…That makes sense.”
Someone had to care, or problems would arise.
I found her reasoning acceptable.
This was a dilemma.
I disliked being on the same team as Kim Ryeo-yu more than anything, but I also didn’t want to ignore Yeon Juhong’s situation.
Kim Geum seemed to share similar thoughts, looking frustrated.
After all, Yeon Juhong had been holding on alone in that room for quite a while.
“Bo-ra, what do you think?”
“I don’t care. Do as you please.”
Ryu Bo-ra looked completely uninterested.
What are you interested in, then?
She didn’t care about debuting, nor about being in the same team.
I thought we had become closer after performing the “<Fingertips>” stage together, but perhaps that was just my misunderstanding.
“Geum, what do you think? Wouldn’t it be better if we took care of Juhong?”
“…Ugh.”
As Kim Geum was making her final decision, the door opened again.
A pink head peeked in.
“Unnie…”
She must have heard everything outside.
“I will do well…”
She looked like a dejected rabbit.
I averted my gaze.
I was innocent. The blame was on Kim Geum.
“Hey, why are you eavesdropping?”
Kim Geum, embarrassed, scolded her.
Tears welled up in Yeon Juhong’s big eyes.
“Unnie…”
“Stop crying!”
“It was hard during the last stage too… Can’t we do it together? I really missed you all!”
Was she always like this?
We were at a loss for words, watching Yeon Juhong transform into the youngest member.
“Fine, fine. We’ll do it together.”
In the end, unable to stand the situation, Kim Geum gave in.
“But if you whine during practice…”
“When did I whine during practice!”
“Always.”
“Geum, you’re really spreading false rumors.”
“What’s false? You always say, ‘What if I don’t debut? What if my voice cracks?'”
“I’m anxious, that’s why!”
“Even when we tell you that your skills are fine, you don’t believe it!”
“Then stop nagging, Geum!”
“Who cares, Pink Brainless Leader,”
…Do they… even realize how they look right now?
Even a safari might seem more peaceful than this.
“Anyway, it’s settled.”
I awkwardly smiled at Kang, who looked a bit tired.
But Kang gave me a sympathetic pat on the shoulder instead, with eyes that seemed to say, “Poor thing.”
This is getting frustrating.
“Where’s Ryeo-yu, though?”
“Kim Ryeo-yu, our trainee… had to skip today’s shoot due to personal reasons. For now, the four of you can rehearse together on stage. And Kim Ryeo-yu will join us tomorrow to practice together.”
She’s probably off doing her own thing again, not caring about any of this.
“Then, shall we decide on our parts, concept, and song together without Ryeo-yu unnie?”
“Yes. I’ll relay that to Kim Ryeo-yu.”
Kim Geum seemed skeptical.
Understandably so.
“Will she… accept that?”
“…I’ll try to convey it… for now.”
This is frustrating.
***
In the end, we decided on the song without Kim Ryeo-yu.
Writer Kang thanked us for our cooperation, set up the cameras, and left.
“Since we don’t have much rehearsal time, let’s skip the dance and keep it simple.”
“Sounds good.”
Everyone nodded in agreement to my suggestion.
“The venue for our performance is… Han River.”
Han River Park, to be exact…
There’ll probably 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 quite low.”
“Ugh.”
Ryu Bo-ra’s decisive words made Yeon Juhong frown.
But she’s right.
Although our musical is quite popular for an idol survival program, the highest viewership rating was only 2.1%.
We’re gaining a core fanbase, but we can’t say we’re mainstream yet.
“We should be grateful for this much even before our debut.”
“Do you think Bo-ra unnie will recognize us?”
Our attention turned to Ryu Bo-ra at Yeon Juhong’s words.
Ryu Bo-ra, perhaps not appreciating the sudden attention, turned away.
“Anyway, let’s choose a song that everyone can relate to.”
“Yes. Let’s fill the gap in popularity with a song.”
“A song that everyone, young and old, will enjoy.”
“Right. Something bright that even people out for a walk will enjoy.”
“Since it’s summer, a refreshing song for summer nights!”
Without me saying anything, opinions were flowing smoothly.
Has it ever been this easy to work things out?
“What about ‘Blue Starlit Night’?”
“That’s too recent. There might be more people who don’t know it?”
“How about ‘Bye Bye Dream’?”
“That might feel a bit lacking without dance if we sing it. You haven’t sung that in karaoke, have you? It’s not an easy song to pull off.”
“What about this one?”
“That… might work.”
I remembered the struggles from the past.
Finding the right group members for a project like this is crucial…
At the same time, I found it surprising how close we’ve become without realizing it.
At the beginning of the Make a New Color, everyone was so distant.
When did we all become this close?
As the end of the program approached, I couldn’t help but feel a bit sentimental.
“Cheong unnie suddenly looks sentimental.”
“Why are you suddenly lost in thought like an old man?”
Ryu Bo-ra, you surprisingly see things clearly, don’t you…?
I pinched Ryu Bo-ra’s cheek.
Kim Geum and Yeon Juhong looked more surprised than they should have been.
Is this really that surprising?
“How about this song?”
To change the topic, I turned on my phone and played a song.
“Oh, this song…!”
“Everyone knows it?”
It wasn’t a recent song.
It came out around when I was born, about 20 years ago.
But it was still a song everyone knew.
“How is it?”
Halfway through the song, I asked.
“Well, pretty much everyone knows this song.”
“But isn’t it too… old? It’s been almost…”
“That’s why it might work even better.”
I left the decision to the other three.
Without interfering.
“Indeed, it has the atmosphere of a summer night… Should we rearrange it a bit to suit us better?”
“Can you rearrange it in a day?”
“Don’t underestimate me. Of course, I can.”
“Stop showing off, Kim Geum…”
This is what being a team is about.
Every time we have a one-time performance like this year-end stage, I had to come up with the stage alone.
Of course, the agency and producers helped, but…
It didn’t feel like this.
It’s like camaraderie with the people I’m sharing the stage with.
“This part suits you, Yeon Juhong. Your voice would be perfect.”
“Really?! Can I really do this?”
“Why are you acting so surprised? Of course, you can.”
“But this song doesn’t have rap. Are you okay with that, Kim Geum?”
I was also concerned about that.
Ryu Bo-ra’s straightforward question made us all look at Kim Geum.
“I’m good at rapping, but that doesn’t mean I can only rap. I’m the true all-around talent.”
“…”
“…”
The issue was resolved, but…
Well, Kim Geum isn’t bad at singing.
Sometimes, she surprises us by humming and changing lyrics on her own, singing surprisingly well.
But it feels like no one has really heard her sing properly.
“Then, Geum, want to give it a try here?”
“Oh, come on. You don’t trust me? Me?”
Kim Geum took out her phone with a wounded pride and looked up the lyrics.
Let’s go, us
Without any worries or concerns
Just one verse.
But.
We all had the same thought.
“We should do this song, even if it’s for Kim Geum.”
But there’s one problem left.
“But would Ryeo-yu unnie approve of this song?”
That was it.