NOVEL WEB Chapter 10
Staff: How did you like the other trainees’ songs?
[Bora: I think they all chose well?]
[Juhong: Like, everyone is smart except me. How can everyone choose so quickly? Everyone planned it except for me, right?]
[Geum: …it’s not easy?]
Staff: Who do you think picked the best?
[Ryeoyu: Baekyoung unnie? It felt like she knew exactly what her charm was. She’s really good at it.]
[Heeyon: Everyone chose well, but… I guess it’s…]
[Kyungah: Cheong-ie.]
[Suin: Trainee Yun Cheong.]
[Baekyoung: Of course, It’s Cheong.]
[Juhong: No, I was really surprised. Was her IQ 200? How could she think of that?]
Staff: Why did you think Yun Cheong made the best choice?
[Yuhyeon: I obviously only thought of sunbaes who are active right now.]
Staff: What kind of sunbae is Purple Apple? Why didn’t you think of it?
[Heeyon: No, technically, Purple Apple sunbae
-nim
[1]
-nim is used to refer the person politely/ showing that the person has a higher position than the speaker
is not from our agency. So I didn’t think about it.]
[Baekyoung: Thoughts of covering the CEO’s song……]
Was there.
‘Purple Apple’ chosen by Cheong-ie’s does not actually belong to Colors.
To be exact, ‘Hong Yeonseo’, the CEO of Colors, is only a member of Purple Apple.
CEO Hong, like many entertainment bosses, was an idol.
The production team agonized whether it should be recognized or not, but eventually admitted it.
Why was it recognized?
“Isn’t it interesting? I think it’ll be a hot topic.”
It was passed because of PD Oh’s words.
[Bora: And it’s not like you can say that she just came up with it out of nowhere. It’s hard if you don’t have confidence since they are a respected sunbae. It’s nice that she’s showing her confidence.]
[Juhong: It’s a song from 25 years ago! It’s amazing.]
[Ryeoyu: Is it that exaggerated? Well, honestly, I’m sure everyone thought about it. they just didn’t choose it.]
Staff: Then, did you think about it, trainee Ryeoyu?
[Ryeoyu: It did came into mind, but since I personally like White Noise sunbae-nim]
[Juseon: If they gave us more time, everyone would have thought of it. But I couldn’t think of it because I was running out of time.]
Production team: …Is what they said?
[Geum: Another trainee said that? That they would have thought of it themselves if they had more time?]
[Geum: (bursts to laughter)]
[Geum: Is this
the egg of Columbus
[2]
It refers to all those things that look impossible to achieve until somebody proves that they are not. According to the RAE (Real Spanish Academy dictionary), the egg of Columbus is defined as something that apparently entails big difficulty, but which ends up being easy as one gets to know the trick behind it. (inmsol.com)
or what?]
[Geum: Well… You should have thought of it earlier. You have to admit what you have to admit. Cheong unnie’s choice was good. For me.]
[Juhong: No, I didn’t see her as that before, but she’s a dark horse! The same goes for the song she wrote last time!]
***
Staff: Why did you choose Purple Apple’s <forbidden>?
[Cheong: Ah, I….]
Subtitle: Trainee Yun Cheong’s shocking answer is…?
[Cheong: First of all, I respect Purple Apple sunbae-nim a lot]
[Cheong: (Smiles shyly)]
[Cheong: And how should I say it, I thought of them as soon as I heard the word mentor.]
Staff: Why?
[Cheong: If you’re going to choose a mentor… wouldn’t it be great to choose a respected senior? Especially if it’s the CEO….]
Subtitle: Burning Ambition…!
[Cheong: Ay, I’m kidding. I just respect my boss. But well, would they even come as a mentor? She’s so busy. I don’t expect much.]
Subtitle: Yun Cheong is touching the production team’s pride
[Cheong: Well to me, it’s an honor to cover the song. I don’t expect the CEO to be my mentor!]
Of course I expected it.
Hong Yeonseo, also known as President Hong, what kind of person is she?
First of all, She’s basically an attention seeker.
She really likes getting attention. It’s not because CEO Hong used to work in the entertainment industry… It’s just that the person was originally like that.
She’s good at pretending to be cool, but in my eyes, she’s just an attention seeker.
She probably wants to do something because she hasn’t been on broadcasts much lately. Her hands must be itching.
But it’s not appropriate to appear again right away.
I’m throwing her a bait. Giving her a reason to come out.
There’s a reason why Hong Yeonseo was targeted while interpreting the rules freely.
“Cheong-ah. That was a good idea.”
Kim Ryeoyu.
It was because of her.
I glanced at the camera. I was flashing a red light.
You’re talking to me because I’m in front of the camera.
“Ah, thanks. You chose a great song, too.”
A relative of Director Kim, one of the judges.
Kim Ryeoyu revealed from the beginning that she was a relative of director Kim.
To prevent any controversy from developing.
Anyway, the debut group is decided by voting, and Even if she is not a relative trainee of Director Kim, Kim Ryeoyu is confident enough.
Interestingly, she was rather popular because of that attitude.
Is that kind of confidence attractive?
…it’s certainly a rare character.
“This time, we couldn’t do it together since it’s a solo mission, but let’s do well together next time.”
Kim Ryeoyu reached out to me
“That’s great.”
and then I reached out and held onto that hand.
I can’t do anything in front of the camera.
“Are you going to practice now?”
“Yeah. I’m going to try singing it alone, in the vocal room.”
“Let’s go together. I’ll practice next door, too.”
“…alright, let’s do that.”
If it wasn’t for the camera, I would have turned it down right away.
There is nothing I can do.
…But why is she pretending to be close to me?
I headed to the vocal room side by side with Kim Ryeoyu.
To keep Director Kim in check, CEO Hong should come out.
There’s an epiphany I’ve learned while rolling in the entertainment industry.
If there’s a side, you have to pick well.
If I had to pick, I had to pick the strongest.
The person that screws up last.
***
D-3.
It’s three days before the mission evaluation-
the long-awaited mid-term inspection day.
And it is also the first day I meet my mentor.
In MNC, the existence of a mentor occupies a considerable proportion.
Since mentors are seniors directly under the management of the agency, active mentoring activities were encouraged at the agency level.
At a smaller scale, they provide advice on vocals and dance, and on a larger scale, they collaborate to create concepts together.
Therefore, the existence of a mentor was very important.
So everyone should be nervous..
“Now, now.”
Producer Oh started to get down to business when all the trainees came.
“First of all, only the three judges will see the performance. Mentors will receive the video.”
Figured, since not all 12 mentors can come.
I nodded.
“Are there any questions?”
As soon as PD Oh’s words fell, someone’s hand came up.
Ah, the person is…
“Yes, trainee Yeon Juhong?”
“When can we find out who our mentors are?”
Yeon Juhong.
Among the trainees, she stands out with distinct differences in evaluations.
Some,
‘Um, isn’t she a little vague…? She doesn’t have the best skills, and she’s not as beautiful as anyone else.’
gives such evaluations.
Some others,
‘She might be in a difficult position to debut.’
Even though they evaluate her like this-
‘But she’ll probably be the most popular when she debuts.’
In the end, that was the conclusion.
And I also agree,
because
“Oh, you’ll find that out after the mid-term evaluations are over. You’re going to meet your mentor with your evaluation results and videos.”
In fact, Yeon Juhong made her debut and was extremely popular.
More than anyone else here.
“Wow, that’s awesome.”
Of course, she didn’t debut as Still Blue.
“Then, I’ll start drawing lots for the mid-term evaluation order. Trainee Kim Ryeoyu! Come forward, pick one and go in.”
Starting with Kim Ryeoyu, the trainees drew lots one by one.
I also drew lots, in the middle order.
Let’s see, my turn is….
Number 12.
It was the last one.
That’s good. The last one is good to get good impressions.
…Though It depends in how they edit the order.
Other than me, all the other trainees seemed to be satisfied with the order.
Except the one who got number 1- Yeon Juhong.
“I’m doomed…”
Yeon Juhong was in despair to the point of tearing her hair out.
Why are you so frustrated?
Are you not confident in your skills?
Well, at the beginning of her debut, her live performance was a bit unstable.
Since she was a character with growth potential
And because her achieved growth stands out more than anyone else, she also gained a lot of popularity.
People like hard-working geniuses.
And Yeon Juhong may not be a genius, but she has become a hard-working talent.
She practiced harder than anyone else and definitely developed her skills.
“Uwaaaaaaaahhh….”
Although she doesn’t seem that way.
…her way of speaking also doesn’t seem that way.
You’re saying that she is that strong Yeon Juhong?
I also encountered Yeon Juhong several times during my activities.
Whether it’s variety shows or stages, she exudes tremendous charisma and performs with such intensity, which made me think she’s truly remarkable.
…but before her debut, it seems that she’s a bit clumsy.
“Judges, please come in!”
At a word from the staff, a long desk was placed in front of the practice room in an instant.
And four chairs are all set up.
It wasn’t long before the judges came in.
It was the first time we met since filming began.
Although all the other judges had a lot of momentum- he’s probably the one who stands out the most.
The company’s director and producer, Kim Mokyeong
A relative of Kim Ryeoyu, and in fact a powerful figure in the current Colors.
“Long time no see, everyone.”
And someone I’ll have to get rid of one day.
An illustration of Yeon Juhong:
The illustrations I insert in chapters weren't originally there in the raws as it'll only appear in latter chapters. Though at the end I decided to insert it when the mood seems right and to the point that I (think) won't actually give spoilers (I haven't read the whole novel). If you do want to see more illustrations and are okay with spoilers, you can check the author's twitter.