Chapter 9

After the first episode of "Make a New Color" ended, it didn't exactly go viral on the internet, but there were quite a few reactions.

"Is the musical really that fun?"

└ Is the menu board fun? Your pig skills... I respect...

└ No, it's a shortened term for a survival show on M-ten.

└ It's a new girl group being formed by Colors.

└ Not your group, but the big one.

└ Making another one? Why not focus on the ones you already have? Haha.

└ Seriously, give the White Noise kids a regular release, you color kids.

What is this, and how are we supposed to eat it? Can someone do some promotion?

└ Now it's the first episode; calm down.

Are the color kids obsessed with money? Are they coming out again?

Ryu Bo-ra, but now you're an idol? Did you give up acting?

└ Yeah, when did she join Colors?

└ In the beginning, there was light...

└ This meme is truly legendary...

└ Grandma, you sure know how to make jokes...

Is the musical fun? If you keep pulling in so much attention, I won't watch it.

└ But you still love Colors, right?

└ The kids are innocent.

└ What do you mean innocent? They make money from it.

└ The logic that making money is a sin... oh my.

Kim Geum appeared, but I won't buy an idol rapper.

└ Isn't she from Unpretty Rapstar? She's an idol now, huh.

└ So obvious, what? Haha. She was kicked out for not having the skills there too.

└ Not true, not false. If you want to criticize others, fix your grammar first...

└ You've been nitpicking about grammar... Go on your way.

Don't let M-ten use the kids as mentors again.

#StopExploitingNewIdols

#ProtectColorsArtists

└ 22

└ 33

└ Seriously, just promoting for the 10,000 retweets.

Ah, Colors... Ah... (opening wallet) A new girl group is coming out? (waving panties) Ah... I know you'll sell more if I do this... Ah... (opening bank account)

Analysis of the opening song concept for the Colors audition program.

Let's look at Yun Cheong's necklace and Yeon Joo Hong's brooch.

You can see they have golden wings.

In Greek and Roman mythology, Iris, the goddess of the rainbow, has golden wings.

From this, we can infer that the concept is the goddesses of the rainbow.

... (omitted) ...

Therefore, the name of the new girl group might be Steel Blue.

Everyone noticed it, but I'm just pretending to be sharp.

└ Haha, really.

... With these various small reactions, the first episode came to a close.

The ratings were 1.23%.

It was a decent start, better than expected.

Of course, the internet reactions were much hotter.

But isn't Kim Ryeo Yu a judge's niece? That's a bit unfair, isn't it?

└ Honestly, they should have chosen a different judge.

└ Kim Mo Kyung is the head producer of Colors, so it wouldn't work.

└ But it's a big company; do they only have one producer?

Putting her in the center from the start is too obvious.

└ Haha.

The kids' reactions are really intense; there must be some favoritism.

└ You can feel it from the broadcast, but it's probably even more in real life.

└ Gong-ye, calm down, haha.

I borrowed a laptop from the second floor of the agency to monitor the reactions, but I stopped.

Why would I keep looking at this stuff?

Right now, the mission is more important.

I took out my phone and checked the notification.

"... Cover a song by a senior group from Colors."

A notification revealing the next mission.

***

Currently, there are four active groups under Colors.

The 12-year-old girl group Gracce.

The 8-year-old boy group All Colors.

The 6-year-old girl group White Noise.

The 2-year-old boy group Fanatic.

All are strong groups, but they have one thing in common—

"... They are all very successful idol groups."

No matter which song you choose, if you can't perform it well, you'll get a lot of criticism.

Colors is proud of producing highly skilled idol groups.

That's why all the groups are quite balanced in their skills.

"I thought the first mission would be a group mission. It's a solo mission."

Cover songs are a classic theme in audition and survival programs.

The question is how to pull it off.

I read through the articles, hoping to find more clues.

Then I stopped at one sentence.

"Ah."

It was a sentence that made my spine chill.

"If this happens, the choices will be very limited."

First, I'll definitely avoid All Colors and Fanatic.

It's not good to be associated with boy groups before debut, especially in a 1:1 situation.

It's a problem if there's chemistry, and it's a problem if there isn't.

"Then the choices are... Gracce or White Noise, right?"

Hmm.

I looked through the songs of both groups.

Gracce has more R&B vocal-oriented songs, while White Noise has more hip-hop-based performance songs.

"Hmm."

Which one should I choose to make a good impression?

In such a mission, the song choice is half the battle.

Choosing a very famous song is risky because it's often already covered by senior idols, making comparisons inevitable.

On the other hand, choosing a very obscure song might not get a good response.

It needs to be fresh enough for everyone to hum along to, yet powerful enough to make an impact.

"Not easy."

I was scanning through the songs when I paused at one.

"Wait, what?"

There was a song I hadn't thought of.

Why didn't I think of this earlier?

"... This is it."

This should work!

***

The day of the shoot came again.

It was the day of the big mission announcement.

Everyone was gathered in the practice room from last time.

The twelve trainees were all tense, looking at PD Oh.

PD Oh liked this setup, feeling like a powerful figure.

You can tell he's enjoying it. Annoying.

I already knew, but the other trainees had no idea.

"Alright, since everyone is here, let's announce the first mission!"

PD Oh suddenly brought out a large whiteboard.

There was a piece of paper on the whiteboard.

It seemed like the mission would be revealed when the sticker on the paper was removed.

Why not just tell us directly?

"Alright, who will remove the mission paper?"

PD Oh scanned the trainees.

Then he pointed to one.

"Trainee Ryu Bo-ra!"

Well, not a surprising choice.

Ryu Bo-ra.

A trainee I knew well. Yun Cheong and Baek Nok Ha also knew her.

She was that famous.

... More accurately, she was a famous child actor.

"Please remove the mission paper!"

PD Oh said with a big smile.

"Sure, I'll remove it!"

Ryu Bo-ra didn't show any particular joy or tension.

She stood in front of the mission paper in a very broadcast-appropriate tone.

Indeed, her broadcast experience shows.

I observed Ryu Bo-ra subtly.

If Seo Baek Young is Colors' ace trainee, Ryu Bo-ra is a strong candidate for the center.

In other words, both are very likely to debut.

Ryu Bo-ra, first of all,

"First mission is...!"

She was beautiful.

Very.

As a child actor, her features were very striking and clear, and her overall proportions were just like a celebrity.

She stood out among the trainees here.

"To cover a song by a senior group from Colors!"

As soon as Ryu Bo-ra finished reading the mission, a short sigh escaped from the trainees.

Some nodded, as if they had expected it, but most looked fearful.

Of course, Ryu Bo-ra remained very calm.

One of the reasons she's famous.

"Wow, I'm already looking forward to it!"

Strong mental fortitude.

Always smiling firmly and maintaining composure.

Her experience in broadcasting since the age of five was showing.

Since she was a child, Ryu Bo-ra was famous for never crying and completing all her schedules.

The public loved the clever and deep child.

So, Ryu Bo-ra was a promising child actor loved by the previous generation.

But when she suddenly joined Colors to become an idol, everyone was surprised.

PD Oh enjoyed the trainees' reactions and interjected.

Then he started explaining the mission.

1. Any song by a Colors idol is possible.

2. The mentor will be a member of the group whose song you choose to cover. However, the member is chosen randomly.

3. You must cover the entire song solo.

4. It's okay if different trainees choose the same song. You can also discuss to avoid overlap.

5. You must choose a song within the next hour.

The other rules were fine.

The problem was the last rule.

"Choose a song within an hour?!"

Of course, the trainees were in a panic. Except for a few.

I noticed the trainees who weren't surprised.

Seo Baek Young,

Ryu Bo-ra,

And surprisingly, Kim Ryeo Yu.

She has a stronger mental fortitude than I thought?

"Sure, sure~ It's exactly one hour from now. Start!"

Annoying!

After sending a boo, the trainees immediately started searching for songs.

I pretended to search too, so I wouldn't stand out.

After about 20 minutes,

"Yun Cheong."

Kim Ryeo Yu called me.

What is it?

"Yeah?"

"What song are you going to do?"

Oh, the reconnaissance has begun.

Other trainees, curious, perked up their ears.

"I don't know yet. I haven't found the right one. What about you, Ryeo Yu?"

"I've decided."

Surprisingly, Kim Ryeo Yu went straight to the point without hesitation.

"White Noise's [Make Big Noise]."

Admittedly, it's a fitting choice.

It's White Noise's debut song, known for its boldness and confidence.

And Kim Ryeo Yu—

"Well, if you want to do it too, go ahead. I don't care."

You think I can't do it better than you, don't you?

Her baseless confidence was really impressive.

"[Make Big Noise] is a good song. Good luck."

I replied and turned away.

Don't fall for such shallow tactics.

Kim Ryeo Yu, who seemed to dislike being ignored, had a cold look in her eyes.

Everyone could feel it, even though she was hiding it from the camera.

"... Baek Young, what about you?"

But Kim Ryeo Yu, being rational, changed her target.

"I'll do Gracce's [White Night]."

As expected, Seo Baek Young was already prepared.

I nodded. It was a good choice, fitting her well.

The other trainees were still struggling to find a song.

Of course, as time passed, they gradually decided on their songs.

Most chose songs by White Noise or Gracce.

Naturally, it's easier to cover songs from the same girl group.

"... I'll do All Colors' [Solid]."

The rapper, Kim Geum, and—

"I'll do Fanatic's [Midnight Red]."

The sub-vocalist, Hee On, except for them.

Hmm. Fanatic.

While Kim Geum's choice is understandable, Fanatic is a bit risky.

Fanatic is a relatively new boy group.

They are also one of the most promising rising stars right now.

Well, not my problem.

"Since everyone has decided... "

PD Oh glanced at me, as I was the only one who hadn't spoken.

But I stubbornly waited.

Because my idea was a bit—

"I'll do Purple Apple's [Forbidden]."

Unexpected.