Chapter 4

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 004

Chapter Title: Go Fix That Pathetic Mindset and Come Back

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I clicked my tongue at the sight of Shin Ye-rin's face.

"Looks like you still haven't grasped the situation. What the hell? Your ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠idol career's riding on me, and that's your attitude? You're totally screwed."

"Ugh...! I did it!"

Shin Ye-rin shot back indignantly when I snapped at her.

Even though she'd botched it big time, I'd been willing to let it slide since things had heated up pretty good. But seeing her flip the whole table after the fact and whimper that she'd done it? Hilarious.

I snorted and got up from the sofa, pulling up my underwear and pants.

Shin Ye-rin's gaze followed me up from where she sat on the bare floor, and I said to her,

"Go fix that pathetic mindset and come back."

"What...?"

"I'm giving you three days. If you don't make up your mind by then, I'll quit the company. No matter what bullshit you pull, I won't see you ever again. What're you gonna do, Ye-rin? Your idol career's over."

"...!"

At those death-sentence words, it felt like I could hear her heart plummeting with a thud.

But I ignored Shin Ye-rin and headed straight out of the break room, back to the recording studio.

And it wasn't until ten more minutes had passed that Shin Ye-rin finally entered the studio. With a much more improved mindset.

The recording session that day was completely scrapped.

Because Shin Ye-rin threw a massive fit, insisting she couldn't do it.

The engineer stormed out pissed off, and the LUNIQUE members looked utterly bewildered. But that wasn't the problem.

The real issue was the schedules that followed.

"Do it with lip-sync."

"What?"

"I said, let's do lip-sync."

Shin Ye-rin started stubbornly insisting on doing lip-sync—AR—at another university festival event.

'This is all because she's not desperate enough.'

She'd rather become a lip-sync idol than suck off the manager. Got it loud and clear.

But the LUNIQUE members' reactions weren't great.

Chae-rin, who'd been quiet, tried to carefully persuade her.

"Unnie, we've been doing so much lip-sync lately that if we do it again this time, it'll go mega-viral in the worst way... "

"No choice. My throat's in this state."

Her face was thick as a goddamn steel plate.

I'd dropped her vocal ability to the lowest B-grade, sure, but that shamelessness was innate.

The members, unable to break Shin Ye-rin's stubbornness, exchanged troubled glances. Then suddenly, Lee Ha-neul's dazed eyes turned to me.

The petite Japanese-mixed member Ha-neul had a cold aura when she wasn't smiling. Just like right now.

"Isn't there something wrong with the tea Manager gave us? Effects kicking in right after drinking it? No matter how I think about it, it's suspicious... "

Once Ha-neul voiced her suspicions, the other three members tilted their heads like 'maybe?' and shot expectant looks my way.

I explained in an aggrieved tone.

"No, it's fine. I get why you're worried since the herbal clinic recommended it, but it's more like tea than medicine."

"...Really?"

"Yes, Ha-neul-ssi. And if there was really something wrong with what I gave her, Ye-rin-ssi would've noticed first, right?"

With that, I looked at Shin Ye-rin.

Come on, Shin Ye-rin. What'll you say?

As the ball passed to her, the other members turned to Shin Ye-rin too.

Caught in all those stares, Shin Ye-rin looked flustered, but when her eyes met mine, her shoulders flinched.

That was the signal she'd realized what she had to say.

"I just overdid it from the start. My condition improved thanks to the tea, so I pushed too hard with practice. That's all."

"... "

Even with Shin Ye-rin's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠claim, Ha-neul trailed off, still seeming uneasy.

The others exchanged uneasy glances too, and with every look, Shin Ye-rin's noose tightened.

The maknae Cookie, looking sullen with puffed cheeks, was about to add something when,

"Still, unnie... "

"Sorry, I'm just really sensitive right now. Can't we just do it this once?"

Shin Ye-rin spat out words thick with anxiety. More plea than request.

At her display, Ha-neul, Cookie, and the others hesitated, glancing around.

The awkward silence made Yoon Chae-rin twirl her long black hair down to her chest as she alternated looks between Shin Ye-rin and the rest.

Then, a moment later,

"Fine. Let's do it."

"...Thanks."

Leader Park Ji-woo agreed, and Shin Ye-rin's decision was accepted.

Park Ji-woo patted the back of the whiny Shin Ye-rin, blinked her almond-shaped eyes, and said to me,

"Manager oppa. Get our lip-sync ready."

"Got it."

I obediently grabbed the USB with the lip-sync track, and only then could we head to the university festival venue.

While driving the van, I kept checking Shin Ye-rin's state through the rearview mirror. Every time our eyes met, hers quivered pitifully.

And before long, all the LUNIQUE members ended up with the same sunken, dark look as Shin Ye-rin.

Because their lip-sync stage at the university festival had bombed spectacularly.

I dropped LUNIQUE off at the dorm after the university festival.

"Good work, everyone."

As I parked, the members who'd been glum the whole ride started getting out one by one, some unable to hide their emotions.

"This sucks... "

Maknae Cookie, the first out, burst into frustrated tears the moment she stepped down.

Maybe because she's so small, her sad crying was kinda cute.

"Cookie, don't cry."

Leader Park Ji-woo hurriedly followed Cookie, but even she had a face suppressing gloom.

Ha-neul, expressionless since the event, usually gave at least an eye-smile when leaving, but today she didn't even glance my way as she headed inside.

Still, Yoon Chae-rin, the Canadian-mixed member with the best personality among them, bowed her black hair politely and greeted me. It had a refined air, like a well-bred young lady.

"Good work today, Sung-woo oppa."

"You too, Chae-rin-ssi."

Good work putting up with that trash in the group.

I hid my thoughts and saw Yoon Chae-rin off to the dorm.

Last one left in the van: Shin Ye-rin.

Having seen the others' reactions, she seemed to guess the dorm atmosphere and hesitated to get out.

But,

"Good work, Ye-rin-ssi."

I flashed a smile and spoke, startling her. She looked like she was about to say something but ended up bowing meekly and stepping out.

"...Yes, good work, Manager."

Finally showing some respect, you little shit.

I watched her retreating back and recalled today's lip-sync stage.

'No cheers.'

Total disaster.

That phrase fit perfectly. For today's stage.

Even though LUNIQUE, the epitome of innocence, took the stage, the college kids showed zero enthusiasm. Disappointed by nearly three months of lip-sync shows.

Can't blame 'em—no fun cheering for expensive hires just miming.

The LUNIQUE members must feel wronged.

They didn't want to lip-sync either, but Shin Ye-rin's condition forced them into it, tears and all. And they had to endure the expected dead crowd.

'Fan cams are already up.'

I pulled out my smartphone, logged into the community, and there it was: LUNIQUE's fan cam from today's uni fest.

'Comment reactions... oof.'

Scrolling down, I couldn't hold back the grin slipping through my teeth at the responses.

'Ye-rin's mental's gonna shatter.'

Right now, back at the dorm, Shin Ye-rin must be drowning in guilt seeing the members get trashed online for lip-sync because of her.

I opened her status window with bated anticipation.

Just as expected. Shin Ye-rin's mental state was fraying more each day. Exactly the picture I wanted.

The fan cams blew up even hotter the next day.

They were circulating in communities under titles like "Lip-sync Masters," and seeing them first thing at work had me choking back laughs all morning.

Still cracking up at the comments even now.

'Gotta hold it in.'

This wasn't a private spot, and not exactly somewhere without company eyes.

This was the set for SBC's variety show Basement Karaoke.

In the corner of the set, Na Hoon-seok PD was fuming at Novia Entertainment's Lee Jae-won Team Leader, who was there apologizing.

"Team Leader Lee, you messing with me? Coming to a shoot and no-showing? What, because you're a big agency, you can just screw us over?"

"No way, sir. Sorry, PD Na. One of our girls isn't feeling well... "

"You call that an excuse? What about the others? Our losses!!"

Na Hoon-seok PD yelled loud enough for everyone to hear.

SBC's variety show Basement Karaoke was a music program featuring active idols and singers.

One corner involved competing for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠scores in coin karaoke, and talks had wrapped up to push Shin Ye-rin as the main for that with Na PD and Novia.

That's right.

Shin Ye-rin again.

Thanks to my stat tweaks, she couldn't even mimic singing right now.

A song from B-grade vocals? Sound like a pig squealing at slaughter.

So we had no choice but to cancel the corner, and Na Hoon-seok PD was blowing up, demanding our team leader come apologize in person.

"What? Main Vocal can't make a sound? You kidding?! If she can't, make her able to! Handle your kids properly if you wanna air on TV, damn...! "

"Sorry, PD. I don't even know how to apologize... "

Lee Jae-won Team Leader bowed repeatedly under Na Hoon-seok PD's tirade.

In the cooled atmosphere, Shin Ye-rin—the cause—was frozen stiff in the waiting area, head bowed.

Lips bitten under her long wavy blonde hair. To anyone else, she might look pissed that Na PD was indirectly ripping into her via the team leader. But I see it clear.

Shin Ye-rin was slowly sinking into dread: 'If I can never sing again, as long as I'm in this industry, problems like this will keep happening.'