Episode 8
The very first scene of Episode 1 was, without a doubt, their debut stage.
Fitting for an agency named “COLORS,” the debut song was titled “Rainbow.”
The song was composed by Danha, an idol from COLORS’ boy group BurnAsh.
Lyrics were written by Doi, an idol from COLORS’ White Noise.
It was a stage made by COLORS, for COLORS, and of COLORS—their official slogan.
“Writer Kang.”
“Yes?”
“What do you think of the song?”
Producer Oh bit her nails as she watched the twelve trainees go up on stage.
“The song has to be good if we want this to take off. But I don’t have an ear for music, so I can’t tell if it’s good or bad. And I don’t like that it was all made by COLORS idols.”
Producer Oh, following CEO Hong’s orders, wasn’t happy about using only COLORS idols for the entire stage.
Even the choreography was made by Jin Hwa from COLORS’ Grayish—truly wringing every drop of value from their own people.
“Say what you will about CEO Hong, but he’s definitely obsessed with his own talents. He babies them way too much. What is he, some kind of self-sufficiency extremist? Why does everything have to be in-house?”
“Well, it’s annoying, but… If I had raised them to that level, I’d want to use them too.”
That was a fair point. Producer Oh brushed her fingers over her lips.
“True, he poured so much money into raising them. Might as well use them.”
“Exactly.”
“Is it true he barely leaves the studio now? Obsessed with producing and composing?”
“Everyone knows it. CEO Hong doesn’t really care about management. That’s how Director Kim gets away with everything.”
“Yeah, Hong’s great at a lot of things, but that part sucks. If he had just gotten rid of Director Kim, COLORS could’ve been number one in the country by now.”
“No doubt about it. But he’s so into the music…”
“That’s probably why they’re successful, but still—it’s frustrating.”
Writer Kang nodded calmly.
From the very beginning of planning “Make a New Color,” the production staff and Director Kim had clashed often.
Director Kim was so focused on debuting her niece, Kim Ryeoyu, that she was willing to sabotage the entire group to make it happen.
If Producer Oh hadn’t been keeping her in check, it would’ve already become a lineup entirely built around Kim Ryeoyu and her close friends.
“I don’t get how a big agency could let this happen.”
“They’re a major agency, not a conglomerate. And even conglomerates don’t always function properly.”
“True. Look at our own broadcasting station…”
Producer Oh clicked her tongue, thinking of the station director completely under Director Kim’s thumb.
Who knows how much money she fed him.
“But still, the song is good.”
At Writer Kang’s words, Producer Oh’s eyes lit up.
“Really? Are you sure?”
“Yes. You know how it is—even if the higher-ups are problematic…”
She glanced over the trainees on the monitor and continued,
“The kids themselves are actually pretty solid.”
The stage went dark. Twelve trainees stood in a V-formation.
At the center stood Kim Ryeoyu.
To her sides were Seo Baekyeong and Ryu Bora.
Behind them stood the other nine trainees in a line.
They all wore white shirts and black school-style skirts.
The styling was clearly going for a preppy look.
The only variation in their otherwise uniform outfits was their accessories.
Yoon Cheong wore a necklace, Seo Baekyeong an anklet, Ryu Bora a hairpin, Kim Ryeoyu earrings, Yeon Juhong a brooch, and Kim Geum a ring.
Each trainee had a unique accessory, but they all had one thing in common—a gold wing pendant.
Just as the sharp-eyed viewers might’ve noticed that detail, the instrumental began to play.
A bright pop sound kicked in, leading with center Kim Ryeoyu.
🎵 I’m your new color
Color me in, draw me out
I’ll paint you, I’ll fill you in
Right from the start, the chorus hit.
All twelve maintained a relatively simple formation while performing easy-to-follow choreography.
But then—
🎵 But then suddenly, the rainbow disappears
The only thing eternal is the blue sky
With Yoon Cheong’s vocals, the mood of the song shifted completely.
What had started off as a catchy hook-song became—
🎵 Over the rainbow
We’re waiting for you
I’ll steal all your colors
I’ll layer mine over yours
—grand and somber.
Even the light choreography began to intensify.
As the song reached its climax, the twelve trainees formed a circle and pointed to the center with their hands.
🎵 Over the rainbow
We’re still here
We’re still blue
With Ryu Bora’s final line, all the trainees turned around, sat down, and hugged their knees as the song ended.
“…..”
As expected, the atmosphere was tense.
I looked around.
Even though it was an hour before the scheduled meeting time, everyone had already gathered.
But no one was saying a word.
And for good reason.
Just yesterday, the performance video of Rainbow—our first official stage and unofficial debut—had been released.
“It’s up!”
▶ [First Reveal! ‘Make a New Color’s’ Debut Stage. Twelve Girls Here to Paint a Rainbow in Your Heart]
Not even 24 hours had passed, and the view count was blowing up.
But attention wasn’t always a good thing.
Is this really a big agency? The kids look rough—thought it was some no-name company.
Even small agencies do better than this, lol.
COLORS has totally fallen off.
The center’s kinda meh.
Should’ve made Ryu Bora the center instead.
Nah, next Ryu Bora stan.
Seo Baekyeong’s dance lines are the best though.
Honestly, the unknown girl during the chorus was better. Who is she? Powerful voice.
Probably the main vocal.
Her name’s Yoon Cheong 😭 please support our Cheongie!
Ryu Bora’s amazing. She used to be an actress and it shows.
Who’s the pink twin-tails girl? I’m in love 😭
Yeon Juhong.
Even her name is Yeon Juhong, wow.
The teaser had already stirred up attention, and the intro videos locked people in.
Now with the stage released—it was chaos.
Some trainees received glowing praise. Others didn’t fare so well.
The more publicly known a trainee was, the harsher the scrutiny.
‘…I expected this.’
Famous trainees carry higher expectations.
Meanwhile, unknown ones start from zero—making their first impressions stronger by comparison.
‘Trainees with high visibility… it’s a double-edged sword.’
Do well and you blow up. Slip even slightly, and you crash.
That’s just the fate of a trainee.
Everyone looked tense, but the most anxious person was clearly Kim Ryeoyu.
Why?
Because the production team had just interviewed people saying—
“We noticed some tension between Kim Ryeoyu and the others over the center position?”
“Was there some dissatisfaction with how the center was chosen?”
If you think becoming center is the endgame—you’re wrong.
This is just the beginning.
Production Crew: “We noticed some tension between Kim Ryeoyu and the others over the center position?”
Kyungah: “Haha… (awkward laugh)”
Kyungah: “I probably shouldn’t say.”
Crew: “Why not?”
Kyungah: “I’ll get blacklisted.”
Crew: “By who?”
Caption: Kyungah points upward… what does it mean?
Haeun: “Well… she’s the director’s niece.”
Soo-in: “Why is everyone acting like it’s a secret? Everyone knows Kim Ryeoyu is Director Kim’s niece.”
Geum: “Honestly… everyone’s probably a little bitter. Just can’t say it.”
Juhong: “I thought there’d be a proper center selection round.”
Yuhyun: “But on the first day of choreo, Director Kim and Trainer Wonho came and said—”
Juseon: “They just flat-out told us. The formation’s already set. Memorize it as-is.”
Kyungah: “So we were like, then who’s the center? Baekyeong?”
Juhong: “But it turned out to be Ryeoyu unnie. We were all surprised.”
Caption: Kim Ryeoyu instantly became center
Soo-in: “I really thought Baekyeong or Bora would get it.”
Baekyeong: “I didn’t expect to be center. But I also didn’t think it’d be Ryeoyu.”
Cheong: “Everyone deserves a shot at center. Everyone has a right to compete. But we didn’t even get that chance, so yeah—it’s disappointing.”
Crew: “It’s not Ryeoyu’s first time being center, right?”
Soo-in: “Exactly, which is what makes it so weird. She was center in the teaser too.”
Juhong: “Back then we just figured—someone’s gotta do it. Maybe it’s her.”
Haeun: “But for her to be center again? Kinda too much.”
Crew: “Are you disappointed not being center?”
Baekyeong: “Of course. How could I not be? I’m this much disappointed.”
Bora: “I’m not really upset.”
Crew: “So you don’t want to be center?”
Bora: “Of course I do.”
Crew: “Then why?”
Bora: “Because I’ll be center after we debut. It doesn’t matter now.”
Crew: “How did it feel to become center?”
Ryeoyu: “I was so happy. I felt like all my hard work was finally being recognized.”
Ryeoyu: “It felt like—‘Ah, finally! My time has come.’ Like I was being rewarded.”
Crew: “There’s a lot of talk about the center controversy.”
Ryeoyu: “…..”
Caption: Ryeoyu can’t find the words…
Ryeoyu: “There are a lot of misunderstandings, so it’s upsetting.”
Crew: “Why do you think you were chosen as center?”
Ryeoyu: “At the time, the director and trainer explained everything. They said I fit this concept. That someone else would be center for the next concept.”
Caption: Ryeoyu wiping her tears
Ryeoyu: “Sorry, I shouldn’t be crying…”
Ryeoyu: “Everyone understands, of course. It’s not like I’ll be center forever. The concept will change, and so will the center…”
Caption: She couldn’t say it, but her heart was heavy…
Ryeoyu: “I just have to prove myself.”
Will trainee Kim Ryeoyu be able to prove herself?
Find out next week!
Don’t miss it!
[Paint COLORS’ new colors for us!]
[Which new color will our Colorists choose?]
[See you next week, bye~!]
“…This is more fun than I expected.”
Viewers who had tuned in with no expectations tilted their heads as Episode 1 ended.
This is… actually pretty good…!
