“Are you saying our Rookies will be forgotten by the public before even half of our activity period is up?”
…What the heck does that even mean?
While I was lost in confusion from Oh Ah-ra’s words, she stood up.
“This conversation is over. Let’s just cheer each other on from now on.”
“Wait a minute…!”
It seemed Oh Ah-ra had finished her business, but I hadn’t.
How could I just sit still after hearing that the Rookies were going to fail?
“Why exactly are the Rookies going to fail…? Please, just give me a reason…!”
“The reason… well, that’s something you should ask your fellow members.”
“…Members?”
When I asked with a serious expression, Oh Ah-ra smirked, looking like she had a hard time explaining something.
“The lineup of the Rookies in this life is a bit different from the previous Rookies. But sadly, we couldn’t take care of the bombs.”
“Bombs…?”
“You should manage the members well. Although, as I mentioned earlier, it’s probably too late for that.”
After finishing that sentence, Oh Ah-ra turned her head away.
Whoosh.
Bam.
I grabbed her wrist.
“…I’m not done talking yet.”
“…Why are you so strong?”
“Tell me who among our Rookies might cause problems… I won’t let you go until you do.”
“…….”
After that, Oh Ah-ra tried to get away from me, squirming left and right, but soon realized she couldn’t outmatch me in strength and sighed.
Then she pointed to her watch and said, “I’m sorry, but time’s already up. The people outside are waiting, so I can’t answer your questions.”
“…….”
“Or do you want to create a scene here? Two rookie girl group leaders fighting would be pretty good for publicity, right?”
Sure enough, the 10 minutes my manager had given me had long passed.
Also, if I caused a stir here, it would surely backfire on our Rookies.
Slide.
Reluctantly, I let go of her wrist.
At this, Oh Ah-ra smiled, appearing pleased, and grabbed the doorknob.
“Alright, good thinking. Let’s meet like this again. It was very enlightening.”
“…….”
Enlightening time…
Honestly, I did gain quite a lot from our conversation.
I learned that Oh Ah-ra was a reincarnate, that she could also see the status window, and what her trait was.
Most importantly…
I had gained a slight insight into the future of the idol industry, of which I had no previous knowledge.
However… that content made me feel quite uneasy.
‘The Rookies will fail… What does that even mean…’
It left me feeling rather apprehensive.
So unlike Oh Ah-ra, who walked out with a bright smile, I followed her with a grim expression.
Squeak.
As we both exited the waiting room…
“Ah, you’re out!”
The members waiting at the door greeted us with bright smiles.
Oh Ah-ra faced them, beaming brightly, and said, “Well, the conversation has concluded nicely. So let’s head back!”
She urged her manager and the members of Python to return.
Just then…
“Hold on a second.”
A cold voice suddenly cut into the warm atmosphere.
It was none other than Yoo Seol.
She shot a quick glance at my dark expression and asked coldly, “What did you do to our kid?”
“…Huh?”
She immediately directed a frosty glare at Oh Ah-ra.
And as if she wouldn’t let her go until she received an answer, Yoo Seol continued to stare daggers at her.
“…What did you do to make her look like that?”
“O, unnie.”
As Yoo Seol’s cold demeanor made the atmosphere sink like a bitter winter, I approached her, wrapping my arm around her lightly to stop her.
But at that moment…
‘…Hmm?’
I noticed that while Oh Ah-ra had displayed a strong persona during our conversation, she froze in front of Yoo Seol like a frog in front of a snake.
‘Is this person scared of angry Seol unnie too?’
Intrigued, I watched the frozen Oh Ah-ra when…
“I’m asking you now. What did you do to our kid?”
“Uh, unnie, it’s not like that.”
As Yoo Seol snapped again, Oh Ah-ra finally gathered her wits and interjected.
“I was just having a very ordinary conversation with the leader of Python. The reason my face was dark was that I was tired from today’s schedule.”
“…….”
With my continued persuasion, Yoo Seol stopped pressing Oh Ah-ra further.
However, it didn’t look like she was convinced by my words either.
Yoo Seol, perceptive as always, had the expression of someone who was certain that something had happened between Oh Ah-ra and me.
She slightly bowed her head toward Oh Ah-ra but still maintained her sharp gaze.
“…If I’ve misunderstood, I apologize.”
While still keeping her piercing look focused on Oh Ah-ra, she delivered a warning.
“However, I’d prefer it if you wouldn’t have conversations like this alone again. If you want to talk to our leader in the future, you should get my permission first.”
“…….”
With Yoo Seol’s deadly warning, which indicated she wouldn’t remain quiet next time, Oh Ah-ra eased her rigid expression and nodded with a small smile.
“Alright, I’ll do that.”
Then she looked meaningfully at all the members of Rookies, especially…
“…….”
“……?”
She stared at Lee Hye-jeong with a gaze that was hard to interpret before she turned around.
Once the leader turned her back, the other members of Python and the manager each bowed their heads to Rookies and turned away.
“…….”
We watched the departing figures of Python.
And as soon as they disappeared down the hallway…
“Ye-rin.”
“…Yes, unnie.”
Yoo Seol asked me with a serious tone.
“Did really nothing happen?”
“…….”
After my brief silence in response to Yoo Seol’s question, the other members also chimed in, asking me.
“Really, unnie! What happened?!”
“You looked really down when you came out.”
“Did that person say something bad? If so, I’ll just…!”
“If you’re having a hard time, it’s alright to share with us.”
All the members of Rookies seemed a bit agitated, but the common emotion they conveyed was one.
It was concern for me.
“No, really nothing happened. …Thank you all.”
I felt my heart swell with gratitude towards the members…
But still…
‘Rookies are going to fail anyway soon.’
Oh Ah-ra’s earlier words kept echoing coldly in my ears.
Especially that one.
‘The lineup of the Rookies in this life is a bit different from the previous Rookies. But sadly, we couldn’t take care of the bombs.’
Oh Ah-ra had clearly mentioned “bombs.”
That would mean at least two members among the current roster were contributing to the downfall of the group, just like Oh Ah-ra said.
‘Among these people, two…?’
Of course, I didn’t wholeheartedly believe Oh Ah-ra’s words.
But as they kept swirling in my mind, I couldn’t help but glance at the members with a more troubling gaze.
Was it because of my anxiety over the possibility of Rookies failing?
My mind soon became filled with complex emotions.
This week, our Rookies’ schedule was quite simple.
We were set to appear on a series of broadcasts continuously until the weekend for music promotion.
Moreover, all of them were pre-recorded, so we lived a hamster-wheel life, doing performances from dawn to morning and then waiting endlessly until the evening music show.
Of course, during the waiting times, there were minor activities like shooting promotional videos or challenge clips, but nothing major.
We gradually got used to the waiting, spending most of that time sleeping.
However, unlike the other members, I struggled to fall asleep during the waiting times.
‘Rookies are gonna fail soon anyway.’
‘The lineup of the Rookies in this life is a bit different from the previous Rookies. But sadly, we couldn’t take care of the bombs.’
Those were the words Oh Ah-ra spoke a few days earlier.
“Haah…”
As I sat on the couch in the waiting room, sighing repeatedly, the only member who was still awake, Park Yoo-jung, approached me.
“Unnie!”
“…Yoo-jung.”
“Hehe.”
Park Yoo-jung plopped down beside me and wrapped her arms snugly around mine.
Then she smiled brightly and said, “Doesn’t it remind you of the first day we met?”
“…The day we first met. Yeah, I guess it does.”
Park Yoo-jung and I first met during the initial corner selection for Na Ah Ah.
I had sat in the predicted 99th spot, while Park Yoo-jung was in the predicted 100th.
‘Back then, I had no idea we would debut together like this…’
No, maybe I secretly thought she might debut back then.
Park Yoo-jung was the only contestant whose name I vaguely remembered aside from Yoo Seol.
She probably debuted as Rookies in the previous life and that name unintentionally stuck in my mind.
Most importantly, despite her somewhat goofy impression, Park Yoo-jung was actually quite smart.
Subtly the intelligent type, I guess.
So I contemplated for a moment before casually asking her.
“Yoo-jung.”
“Yeah?”
“If a group that was loved by the public suddenly fails, what could be the reason?”
“…Huh?”
Park Yoo-jung blinked her eyes at my question, then laughed heartily.
“Are you worried about what would happen if our Rookies fails?”
As expected, she immediately picked up on my true intent.
“Come on~ Why worry like that? We’re doing so well right now~”
What Park Yoo-jung said was true.
Aside from our first music show, ‘Music Boom Boom,’ we had also topped two more music shows in a row.
Achieving first place in all music shows during our debut week was no longer a far-fetched dream.
Rookies’ popularity was skyrocketing, truly enjoying their prime right after debut.
…In fact, that was precisely why I was more worried.
Because falling from a high place would hurt even more.
“Just tell me. You know the idol industry way better than I do, Yoo-jung. If a successful idol suddenly fails, what could be the reason?”
“A successful idol suddenly fails…?”
After confirming that I was serious, Park Yoo-jung wiped the smile off her face.
She paused for a moment, then slowly began to speak.
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