Chapter 3

Even in a different body, the day still dawned without fail.

7:00 AM.

I was heading to the practice room.

In Cheong's memories, Cheong always went to the practice room at this time.

She would open the door to the practice room as if it were a matter of course, clean, and practice.

Most of the trainees would arrive not long after.

And today was no different.

Only the atmosphere was different.

Because today was the start of the filming for "Make a New Color."

Currently, there are 50 female trainees under Colors.

However, only twelve of them were selected as candidates for the debut group.

Out of these twelve, only five will debut.

The other seven will have to start over and challenge for a debut again.

And I knew seven of these twelve.

Only seven debuted, which is why I knew.

The five who debuted as "Still Blue" and the two who debuted after them.

The remaining five never debuted and took different paths.

And out of the seven who debuted, only two managed to last for ten years.

The three from Still Blue disappeared after a year, and the other one vanished from the entertainment industry within five years.

That's how it was in this industry.

So many people disappeared that it was hard to keep track of who was gone.

The biggest problem was that such cases were so common that everyone thought it was normal.

Even though it wasn't really normal.

Well, that's beside the point.

"The atmosphere is really intense."

Maybe because today was the start of filming, everyone was stiff.

It's understandable.

It feels similar to the day of the college entrance exam for high school seniors.

By the way, no one is greeting me.

Cheong was actually a trainee from another agency until a few months ago.

But after failing to debut from that agency, she transferred to Colors, which was looking for a main vocalist trainee.

So, she didn't know the other trainees here very well.

Just because we're from the same agency doesn't mean we have to be close.

I sat down in front of the mirror and started stretching.

I need to loosen up... huh?

...Why is everyone looking at me?

"Hey."

Then, someone called me.

Not by name, just "hey." Either they don't know my name or they really dislike me.

Neither is a good thing.

"That's Baek-yeong's seat."

...Do we even have assigned seats in the practice room?

I moved to the side without much resistance.

No need to create conflict from the start.

Especially not with Seo Baek-yeong.

Click.

"Baek-yeong!"

"You're here, Baek-yeong?"

"Hello!"

As they say, if you talk about the tiger, it will come.

It was Seo Baek-yeong.

Seo Baek-yeong was the trainee who had been practicing the longest at Colors and was the so-called "leader" that everyone looked up to.

She had been here for nine years.

Everyone believed she would debut.

That's why, unlike Yoon Cheong, Seo Baek-yeong received greetings from everyone.

Seo Baek-yeong, after casually acknowledging each greeting, came over to me.

Since it was her seat, of course.

Seo Baek-yeong stared at me for a moment.

"Surprised."

"…About what?"

"You always sit in the corner."

Seo Baek-yeong plopped down next to me and started stretching like I was.

"Trying to act more proactive because of the filming?"

Ah, I could tell.

"Everything's fine, just don't trip others up. Like last time."

She doesn't like me.

Actually, everyone in this practice room...

doesn't like Yoon Cheong.

This is bad.

***

Actually, even though I saw Yoon Cheong's memories, they were only rough recollections.

To summarize Yoon Cheong's life—she was a complete loner.

For some reason, Yoon Cheong chose to live alone without any friends or colleagues.

I guess she was afraid of people.

It was a vicious cycle.

Because she was afraid of people, she kept her distance, and because she kept her distance, she became even more afraid.

Being afraid of people made her afraid of the stage and the camera.

Yoon Cheong practiced alone.

In places where no one else was around.

So, no one knew how hard she worked.

They only saw the results.

...The results of her freezing up whenever the camera was on.

This was somewhat manageable during individual evaluations.

But during group evaluations, it became a big problem.

"Are you joking with us? Just because you sing well alone, does that mean you're good? Your choreography is completely off!"

For group evaluations, everyone had to practice together.

They had to synchronize their choreography and harmonize their vocals.

But Yoon Cheong only practiced with others when it was absolutely necessary.

Because she was afraid of people, of course, but this didn't look good to the other trainees.

"She's so selfish. She just wants to debut as the main vocalist."

At least if her practice paid off, it would be fine... but the results were terrible.

"Everything's fine, just don't trip others up. Like last time."

So, Seo Baek-yeong's reaction wasn't too harsh.

Especially since Seo Baek-yeong had just been evaluated with Yoon Cheong on the same team.

The problem is,

"It won't happen again."

"!"

I'm going to change from now on.

"That's good to hear."

Seo Baek-yeong seemed quite surprised but quickly responded calmly.

She wasn't the only one surprised.

The trainees around us who could hear my answer all looked shocked.

"Did she take some kind of drug for the broadcast?"

"Leave her alone. Quiet kids like her become even scarier when they open up."

I can hear you, you know.

Anyway,

This is where the real start begins.

***

"Make a New Color."

A debut survival program for a new girl group from Colors, one of the Big Five agencies and a well-known producer of girl groups.

Out of twelve trainees, only five will debut.

Four will be chosen by 100% audience votes, and one by the judges.

Votes are held every two weeks, but only the final vote counts for the debut.

In other words, even if you're first in the first vote, it won't matter if you're not in the top four in the final vote.

However, there is a way to debut even if you're not in the top four.

By catching the judges' attention.

There are four judges in total.

Kim Mok-kyung, the CEO and producer of the agency.

Do Hee-young, the leader of Colors' flagship girl group "Grace" and a 12-year veteran.

Kang Soon-hwa, the head vocal trainer of Colors.

Jo Won-ho, the head dance trainer and choreographer of Colors.

I knew all of them from my past life.

...Of course, I didn't know them well.

There are no eliminations, but the popularity rankings are announced every two weeks.

The MVP of each mission, chosen by the judges, is also announced.

The top-ranked trainee and the MVP receive benefits in the next mission.

The trainee in last place, 12th, receives a handicap.

Yoon Cheong was in 12th place for the entire 12 episodes and only debuted because of the judges' choice.

That's how it was supposed to be.

But not anymore.

***

Soon, cameras and various broadcasting equipment lined up on one side of the practice room.

A man who looked like a PD stood at the front of the practice room.

"Okay, just do what you usually do today. Just do what you normally do."

...But usually, twelve trainees don't use one practice room.

I looked up at the PD.

I recognized him.

PD Oh Baek-kyung.

The problem is, I didn't know him well.

"Just have normal conversations, okay? Be natural."

This PD is dangerous if he's directing the show.

"Don't be fake and boring."

He was famous for his devil's editing.

...He's also famous for something else, but that's not important now.

Of course, the more provocative the scenes, the better for the broadcasting company.

In a competition survival program like this, if the participants fight, it's a goldmine.

A five-minute fight could fill three episodes.

The problem is the participants' image.

The trainees have no fans and no established image.

So, the image created early on lasts a long time.

Therefore, it's best to stay low-key at first.

"Cheong."

Why is he so clueless?

"Did we finish the first group choreography practice?"

Seo Baek-yeong, who had already warmed up, asked me loudly.

She's probably trying to get some screen time.

"Our group choreography isn't easy. I'm worried."

The first stage of this program is a "group dance performance."

It's not a mission but a stage to introduce the trainees.

A first impression stage that lasts about four minutes.

The problem is that the choreography is quite difficult.

The original Yoon Cheong couldn't handle it.

And I only saw the choreography for the first time 12 hours ago.

"Ah, we're still practicing, but it's not easy."

Always be humble. Be humble.

"Really? What part is difficult? I can help."

...I see what role you want to play.

The cool older sister, the caring leader.

"Ah, can you just watch for a bit? Just the chorus part."

At least let me set the terms.

"Of course, I can watch."

Seo Baek-yeong readily agreed and stood up.

"Can you show me once? I'll point out the parts that need improvement."

Look at this.

The trainees' attention immediately focused on us.

"I'll play the music. Just dance the chorus part."

Yoon Cheong is a good singer but a complete disaster at dancing.

If this continues, she'll embarrass herself in front of the camera.

In the preview, there will probably be a subtitle like "Wobbly trainee from the first appearance...?"

In other words, she'll start with a "black hole" image.

"Ah, everyone is practicing, so I'm worried about being a bother..."

"No!"

"Absolutely not. We're fine, so don't worry."

The other trainees waved their hands.

You'll be fine, but Yoon Cheong won't.

Most of the trainees looked at Yoon Cheong with a hint of pity.

Seo Baek-yeong looked at her coldly.

And finally, PD Oh—

"Ah, good, good. Let's see it."

He looked thrilled.

PD Oh probably knew about the trainees' profiles in advance.

Their strengths, weaknesses, positions, personalities, and characteristics.

That means he knows Yoon Cheong is weak at dancing.

So, asking her to do this... of course, it's beneficial for the show to see Yoon Cheong struggle.

"Ah... I'm still not good enough..."

"It's okay. We're all not good enough."

"Then, Unnie."

I smiled at Seo Baek-yeong.

"Can you dance with me?"

"Huh?"

"Since you're so good, dancing with you will help me find the rhythm and feel more confident."

Seo Baek-yeong's eyes widened slightly, surprised by my response.

But she quickly nodded.

"Sure, why not."

She probably thought it wouldn't harm her.

"Since we're dancing, why don't we start from the beginning instead of just the chorus?"

Damn PD Oh.