Episode 14
Break time… or at least it’s supposed to be. But the cameras are still rolling.
Because of the pressure from the cameras never turning off, none of the trainees could properly relax.
Yeah. This is the exhausting part of a so-called “reality” show.
Even your breaks are being recorded.
“Chung unnie.”
Sure enough, a trainee approached me immediately.
Who is it this time?
“Um… Could you take a look at something for me?”
Ah.
I nodded right away.
“Of course. What do you need help with?”
Yeon Juhong.
Surprising, but not really. She’s always been the type to get along with everyone, so it wasn’t that strange.
“I just… it’s the pitch… I still can’t quite get what the trainer meant….”
“Alright, let’s try singing it together once.”
I focused on listening to Juhong’s voice.
I really wanted to help her.
Because—
“Okay, now relax your throat here—”
She’s my pick for debut.
There’s no way I’m planning to go with the original Steel Blue lineup as it was.
I did that in my past life and it flopped. Why would I make the same mistake twice?
Especially since the group failed because of member scandals. All the more reason to switch members.
Kim Ryeoyu had to be removed, and as for the others… if needed, they had to go too.
So the question became: who do I replace them with?
And the most promising candidate I had in mind was—
“Oh! I can actually hit the note when I do it the way you said!”
—Yeon Juhong.
“I’m glad it helped.”
Not because she was popular in my past life.
Juhong has a very specific position.
She once said she hated that her position was ambiguous, but that just means—
“Chung-unnie, how do you know all this stuff so well?”
—she can blend into any role.
…But seriously, where did “Chung-unnie” even come from?
I’m Baek Nokha.
30 years old.
10 years in the idol industry.
I’ve heard every nickname in the book, but hearing a non-fan call me that made me feel strangely… young.
“I don’t know, I guess I just picked it up from being a trainee for so long.”
Juhong is the kind of member who can hold the center among all the extremely unique personalities.
The COLORS trainees… they’re talented and unique, which is good, but…
There’s not much of a sense of chemistry between them.
And Juhong was perfect for creating that kind of chemistry.
“Unnie, you’re seriously amazing. I need to stick close to you.”
It’s not just because she’s friendly.
Being able to get along with everyone is a plus, but—
“If we end up living in a dorm, let’s share a room!”
“I’d love that.”
There’s just something about her that’s uniquely Juhong.
“What’s this? You two are already close?”
The trainee cutting in out of nowhere was Jo Heeon.
She was one of the original members meant to debut.
Not especially notable, except—
“Oh, Chung-unnie was helping me with vocals!”
—she’s Kim Ryeoyu’s best friend.
Which explains a lot. The two are pretty similar.
“Chung improved, and you’re already lining up? Juhong’s smart.”
Like, how they say things that are just irritating enough to get under your skin—subtly.
I was about to respond when—
“Come on, unnie’s way smarter than me. You lined up with Ryeoyu-unnie first, right?”
Juhong cut in, fast.
“…What?”
“Seriously, I should be learning from you! I’m not good at reading the room or sucking up to people. I had no idea she was the director’s niece or anything! Haa… really, I need to learn how to survive in the industry….”
…Whoa.
“What are you—”
“Oh no, did I say something wrong?”
Beaming.
Juhong gave her a bright, innocent smile.
Heeon looked like she was about to explode but glanced at the camera.
She clenched her jaw and forced a smile.
“No, Juhong. But you shouldn’t say things like that~ I wasn’t… I mean, I didn’t…”
“Eh? I was just joking?”
“Huh?”
“Weren’t you joking too? Or were you serious? I mean, who even lines up behind another trainee?”
Juhong’s expression hadn’t changed, but her eyes had—just slightly unhinged.
“No, no, of course not…”
“Come on, let’s not get petty about stuff like this. Let’s all smile and get along!”
“Hahahaha…”
…I misjudged her.
She’s not just a friendly girl.
She’s scary.
Jo Heeon didn’t say another word and quietly went back to her spot.
And as soon as she was gone, Juhong turned back to me with her usual bright smile.
“Can I ask you another question?”
“Uh-huh…”
…Am I really sure I want to debut with this girl?
“Alright, everyone! Time to meet your mentors. The staff will guide you to the meeting rooms one by one~”
Finally.
The long-awaited mentor meeting.
The staff started calling the trainees one at a time to lead them out.
And… I was the last one.
Why do I feel uneasy about this?
Why does it feel like they’re deliberately saving me for last?
As expected, my gut feeling was right.
After everyone had left, I was alone in the empty practice room when PD Oh called me.
“Alright, trainee Yoon Chung.”
“Yes.”
“Originally, you were supposed to be assigned a PURPLEAPPLE member as your mentor, right?”
Bad vibes.
PD Oh looked neutral—neither pleased nor disappointed.
What is with that face?
“But the CEO’s apparently overseas right now.”
…That’s a lie. I saw the CEO in Korea earlier today.
“And getting another PURPLEAPPLE member at the last minute was a bit difficult. You understand, right?”
“Yes, of course. I was the one being unreasonable. I’m sorry…”
“Oh no, nothing to be sorry about.”
He waved it off like it was nothing.
“Anyway!”
And then he grinned.
That smile is never a good sign.
“I thought, since you won first place in the mid-assessment, we could give you a nice benefit.”
“…Excuse me?”
“I’ll give you a choice.”
…Of course.
“We’re calling it… Mentor Steal!”
“…Steal?”
“Yep. I’ll show you the list of mentors assigned to the other trainees. Pick one, and they’ll be your mentor instead.”
Damn it.
“But that means… the other trainee…?”
“Goes on without a mentor, of course!”
This manipulative little—
I clenched my jaw.
“Here’s the list of mentor-mentee pairings. You’ve got ten minutes to choose who you’re stealing from!”
PD Oh left, leaving just me, the list, and the camera.
Now I was stuck in the empty room, staring holes into the paper.
Most of the pairings were what you’d expect.
The one that stood out—
Kim Ryeoyu – Do Heeyoung (Gracii)
That’s blatant favoritism, giving someone one of the judges as their mentor.
Doesn’t seem like that’ll help her much, though.
…No.
I changed my mind.
This was bait.
It was a message, loud and clear.
Telling me to steal Do Heeyoung from Kim Ryeoyu.
I could see what PD Oh was up to.
He was trying to build up a rivalry between me and Ryeoyu.
Interesting.
He’s officially framing Ryeoyu as a villain now.
I thought he was on Director Kim’s side, but maybe not?
I needed to read PD Oh’s intentions.
But that didn’t mean I was going to play along with his plans.
“All decided?”
PD Oh came back precisely ten minutes later, grinning like a fox.
Smug bastard.
“Yes. I’ve decided.”
“Oh, really?”
He didn’t expect me to choose so quickly. He looked surprised.
But pleased.
“Alright then, Yoon Chung trainee.”
“Yes.”
“Whose mentor are you stealing?”
“I choose…”
Production: Do you like your mentor?
[Suin: Of course! I really respect them. Always have.]
[Bora: That’s the best part of being a COLORS trainee.]
[Baekyoung: I’m just grateful, honestly.]
Production: But you might lose them.
[Ryeoyu: …What?]
[Juhong: Huh?!]
[Geum: Oh.]
Production: Since we couldn’t secure the CEO’s mentor, we gave the top scorer—Yoon Chung—the right to steal another trainee’s mentor.
[Juhong: Chung-unnie can take our mentor?!]
[Juseon: Whoa.]
[Heeon: That’s kinda messed up….]
[Kyeongah: …Did I do something to piss Chung off?]
[Yuhyeon: No way!!]
Production: Who do you think she chose?
[Baekyoung: …Ryeoyu?]
[Geum: I mean, getting a judge as a mentor is pretty tempting…]
[Suin: It is appealing.]
[Ryeoyu: Of course it’s me. I’m screwed.]
[Juhong: Who’d you pick, unnie??]
Production: Yoon Chung’s choice is…
Subtitle: Revealed in 1 minute!
[Who did Yoon Chung choose?!]
