I Became An Idol To Pay Off My Debt

The next morning.

Our team had to decide what song to use for the competition.

So, we voted on a song from the candidates that had been suggested from yesterday until this morning.

And the chosen song was…

“Yes, it has been decided as [Cheer up my friends] with 5 votes.”

…It was the cheerleader concept [Cheer up my friends] that Park Yoo-jung had advocated.

This song was originally by Tail Rose, the group we had showcased during the First Team Competition for [Where is my first love!].

The cheerful and girly nature of the song matched the cheerleader concept and Tail Rose’s distinctive atmosphere perfectly.

The song’s difficulty wasn’t too hard, and it had a great past performance record, so its recognition was undeniable.

[Cheer up my friends] was indeed one of the best choices we could make, but…

“……Hmm.”

…In fact, not everyone was in favor.

And included among the dissenters was me.

When I made my face stern at the idea of deciding on [Cheer up my friends], Park Yoo-jung hesitated and asked me.

“Sis, if you don’t like it…”

“…Ah.”

I believe that the most annoying type of person is the one who opposes others’ opinions without providing reasons or alternatives.

But that was exactly my case right now.

‘…I don’t really like this song, but I don’t know why.’

In fact, I had already stated that I would support the song that received the most votes.

There was no way I could oppose this song now that it had the most votes.

So, I tried to put on a face that showed I didn’t care and said,

“…No? I like it. I was just lost in thought for a moment.”

“…Is that so?”

Just as I knew Park Yoo-jung well, she clearly knew me just as well.

The perceptive Park Yoo-jung must have caught on that I wasn’t fond of this song.

To deflect the atmosphere, I asked Seo Yoo-jin, who was sitting next to me.

“Yoo-jin, do you like this song too?”

“If you think it’s good, then I’m fine with it.”

“…….”

Just as a reference, Seo Yoo-jin had her arms wrapped around my waist right now.

‘Did the Sky Demon Enchantment from yesterday work too well…’

Last night, when we were just holding hands to sleep, I found myself fully embraced by her upon waking up this morning.

Since then, she kept trying to cling to me like a baby kangaroo.

It seemed that the Sky Demon Enchantment I had cast yesterday had intensified her attachment.

Thankfully…

[Status Abnormality: Depression, Anxiety Disorder, Separation Anxiety]

Her status abnormality, which had severe depression, severe anxiety disorder, and even a nervous breakdown yesterday, had improved significantly.

Of course, even so…, there was still depression, anxiety disorder, and even a new symptom of separation anxiety, so I patted her head while trying to care for her mental health and said,

“Yeah, if Yoo-jin likes it, then I like it too.”

“Hehe.”

After Yoo-jin and I expressed our support, Park Yoo-jung, who was watching us, took the reins.

“…Then I’ll take it that everyone agrees, and our competition song will be [Cheer up my friends].”

Thus, our third team competition song was decided.

Once we selected the song, the next task was to decide on the concept and work on choreography.

However, since deciding on a concept requires inspiration, we initially decided to stick to the original concept and work on the choreography.

In fact, despite having high dance stats, I lacked the talent to teach choreography to team members, but thanks to Yoo-jin and Yoo-jung’s almost machine-like abilities in picking up dance moves, our team was able to quickly learn the choreography.

But….

“…….”

The more we practiced the choreography, the more I felt that this song didn’t fit our team.

And I had an inkling of why. It was for similar reasons as during the First Team Competition.

The overly bright and cheerful song by Tail Rose just didn’t resonate with me.

We had successfully finished the stage during the First Team Competition with a nerd concept and a twist, but now there were no groundbreaking ideas.

So, I decided to use the same method as in the first round to come up with concept ideas for this competition.

That method was to repeatedly watch the music video through my tablet after all the practice sessions were over at midnight.

The only difference this time was that, unlike last time when I was alone…

“…Yoo-jin, how is it? I’ve watched the music video about three times; do you have any good ideas?”

“…I’m sorry, I don’t have any thoughts yet.”

Seo Yoo-jin and….

“…Excuse me…”

“Yeah?”

“…Why are we here? Our teams are different, you know?”

…It was Na Han-na and Lee Hye-jeong.

After our team’s official practice was over… I had intended to stay alone in the practice room to watch the music video.

However….

‘…Oh, then I’ll stay too.’

Hearing my words, Yoo-jin insisted on staying with me.

And Na Han-na and Lee Hye-jeong said….

‘But, sis. It seems like there are others who stayed too?’

‘Seeing as the lights are on, someone must still be here. I wonder who it is.’

When I checked because someone was still there late at night, I found that two people were also staying in the practice room, watching their competition song’s music video on the tablet.

‘Ye-rin?’

‘…Ye-rin unni?’

‘Hye-jeong unni? And… am I dreaming? Why is Han-na up this late in the practice room…?’

I heard that Na Han-na wasn’t satisfied with her team’s song concept and was helping Hye-jeong brainstorm ideas.

Considering that it was Na Han-na who was up this late, it was really unbelievable.

“…Hey, Han-na, let’s stay with Ye-rin and the others. It’s more fun to be together as four than just two, right?”

“…But we’re rivals; what would be the point of getting along?”

“But….”

“Haah…, I get that, but you’re being too soft.”

It seemed like Na Han-na and Lee Hye-jeong had gotten pretty close since they started working as a team today, already bickering.

“Yoo-jin, I think Hye-jeong and Han-na are alright; what about you?”

“I’m also… if you’re okay with it, I’m okay too.”

There was no sign of Lee Hye-jeong and Na Han-na being wary of Yoo-jin, so we decided to share a practice room together as a group of four.

Thus, we began brainstorming ideas for our respective teams in the same space.

Of course…, that process wasn’t easy.

“Hmm…”

During the First Team Competition, I’d found inspiration by repeatedly watching the music video for [Where is my first love!].

But this time, no matter how many times I watched the music video, I couldn’t come up with any ideas.

So, after watching the music video a couple more times….

“…Han-na.”

…I called out to Na Han-na, who was focused on her team’s competition song.

“What is it, unni?”

“Our team decided to go with [Cheer up my friends] this time.”

“…Unni!”

As soon as I revealed our team’s competition song, Yoo-jin looked at me in surprise.

But I remained indifferent.

‘There’s no reason to keep it a secret….’

Anyway, given time, news would surely spread among the participants by tomorrow or the day after anyway.

“Oh, is that so? Yes, good luck. But why?”

Na Han-na looked indifferent as if it weren’t a big deal at all.

I asked her with a somewhat shameless attitude.

“Our team is planning to stick with the original concept. But something feels off, you know? Do you have a good idea?”

“…Why would you ask me that?”

“Because your ideas are brilliant.”

The reinterpretation of the magical girl during the Second Team Competition was Na Han-na’s idea. It received significant praise, after all.

So I thought, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained,” and asked her for ideas.

Of course, Na Han-na looked at me with an incredulous expression upon hearing my words.

“…Even if you say I have good ideas, I wouldn’t share them for your team.”

“Temporary alliance. If an idea pops into your head right now, let’s share it with each other.”

“…Well, let’s say that’s reasonable, but right now, I have no special ideas for your team. I’m not coming up with ideas for my team either, so why would I come up with ideas for your team?”

“Yeah, I’m not expecting a big idea from you. Just something intuitive and simple would do; if anything comes to mind, let me know. …I’m that desperate.”

“…Hmm, intuitive and simple…”

After hearing that, Na Han-na propped her chin, gazing at me and Yoo-jin before she spoke.

“When I see you and Yoo-jin, I think of Hyun-seo and Hyun-joo.”

“Hyun-seo and Hyun-joo?”

I tilted my head, confused by the unfamiliar names.

“I don’t think there are idols by that name… are they your friends? Or maybe cousins?”

“No, they’re dogs that we keep at my grandmother’s house.”

…What?

For a moment, I wondered if she was joking, but Na Han-na continued seriously.

“Hyun-seo is the mom, and Hyun-joo is her daughter. But the daughter loves her mom so much that she won’t leave her side for a moment. Just like now.”

Swish-.

As she spoke, I caught sight of Seo Yoo-jin, who was wrapped around my waist.

So… she thought of her dogs’ relationship when looking at us.

That was understandable.

But….

“…Is that the idea?”

…Is that it?

“No, you asked for something intuitive and simple, so…”

“Thanks, Han-na. I’ll keep the Hyun-seo and Hyun-joo tale in mind.”

I said that, but I tossed the story of the dog mother and daughter into the trash bin of my mind.

But then.

“…Unni, about the Hyun-seo and Hyun-joo story…”

“Hmm…?”

Seo Yoo-jin suddenly spoke with a more serious expression, resting her chin on her hand.

Seeing her like that made me momentarily hopeful.

Sometimes, geniuses find inspiration from everyday conversations.

But…

“Our comparisons to Hyun-seo and Hyun-joo are a bit incorrect.”

“…Incorrect?”

“You and I have cat-like appearances. Especially you seem to be the embodiment of a cat-like persona, and I’m pretty close to being cat-like too… so comparing us to a dog mother and daughter doesn’t fit. If we want to nitpick, we’d be more like cat mother and daughter…”

“…….”

…So Yoo-jin wasn’t a genius after all.

Considering the sudden irrelevant talk about our appearances, I thought she was just being silly.

Even so, I decided to cheer for Yoo-jin’s mental health and went along with her.

“Yeah, you and I are cat-like indeed.”

What she said wasn’t wrong either.

With fierce eyes and a charming vibe, I had been cat-like since birth.

And while a little gentler than me, Yoo-jin was also cat-like.

If we had to differentiate between us, I’d be more of a ferocious black cat, and Yoo-jin would be reminiscent of a sophisticated, adorable Persian cat.

“Dog-like would be Yoo-jung.”

“Oh, that’s right.”

I nodded immediately at Lee Hye-jeong’s statement.

If Yoo-jin and I were cat-like, Yoo-jung was definitely the epitome of a dog-like appearance.

With her big eyes, gentle demeanor, and lively vibe, she reminded me of a golden retriever every time I saw her.

‘This is more fun than I thought!’

Comparing someone’s appearance to an animal turned out to be surprisingly entertaining.

Thus, I began to compare the faces of others to animals.

“Hye-jeong unni is like a golden hamster. She has that slightly wronged-looking expression.”

“Ha, a hamster?”

Ihey-jeong blushed but also smiled bashfully at being compared to a golden hamster.

“Han-na is a sloth. I mean, that’s obvious.”

“…A sloth?”

When Na Han-na heard she was being compared to a sloth, she protested, somewhat flustered.

“My fans say I look like a fox…”

“…No, that’s absolutely not.”

There was no way Na Han-na looked like a fox.

If anyone looked like a fox, it would be…

‘…Yoo Seol.’

You might think she has a rabbit-like appearance at first glance, but knowing her inner self, Yoo Seol was the very embodiment of a fox.

“That’s right, Han-na. Honestly, you don’t look like a fox.”

“No, my fans definitely say I look like a fox…”

“Maybe a Tibetan fox?”

“What? Hahaha!”

And so, we unexpectedly burst into laughter while discussing animal appearances late into the night.

And in that moment….

‘…Huh? Maybe we can incorporate animals into our song…’

…A good idea popped into my head.

Currently, our team was simply aiming to stick to the cheerleading concept of [Cheer up my friends], which was undeniably stale.

However, if we combined it with the idea that just came to me….

‘…That might actually work!’

“Yoo-jin, we….”

Just as I was about to share my thoughts with Yoo-jin, it happened.

“Hey!”

“……!”

“……!”

Suddenly, a loud voice from outside the practice room froze the four of us inside.

But the shout didn’t seem directed at us.

“Hey! Seo writer! Are you in here?”

“Oh! Yeah! What’s up?”

“Shin PD has called an emergency meeting; what are you doing here?!”

“I was too sleepy, so I was just about to change the camera battery and take a nap! I just got here to replace it in Room 1! But suddenly an emergency meeting? Why?!”

From the voices and context, it seemed to be the production team.

And the two who had just entered the building seemed to be unaware of our presence.

Since they had not anticipated participants would still be practicing this late on the first day, and we were in the corner practice room with only one dim light on.

So, they openly began a conversation that participants couldn’t have.

“It’s because of Seo Yoo-jin that there’s a meeting!”

“What? Didn’t we decide to push her already?”

“That’s….”

At that moment, I made eye contact with Lee Hye-jeong, and, for some odd reason, I felt a strange déjà vu.

‘Hey, did Hye-jeong just say they are casting her for B? What does that mean?’

‘Shin PD looked at the A rank members and thought it would be better for Hye-jeong to drop out. So, they decided on that.’

‘It seems they didn’t like the fact that she was a bit chubby.’

…The memories of the past resurfaced.

The feeling of helplessness I had back then.

“Seo Yoo-jin’s popularity is really down! Seriously… It’s a level that is impossible to manage. Shin PD thinks we’ll catch the backlash if we try to sweep it under the rug.”

“What? Really?!”

“Yoo-jin’s real-time buzz is higher than Ha Ye-rin and Yoo Seol combined. That says it all.”

“Wow, that’s insane… So, what should we do now?”

“I think they’re going to drop her this week and then completely remove her next week. I don’t know, but we’re about to head into a detailed meeting, so hurry up and come over.”

“Okay, got it.”

With that, the two members of the production team left without coming to our practice room.

And then….

“…….”

“…….”

“…….”

“…….”

The atmosphere quickly chilled as we inadvertently overheard the production team’s secret conversation.

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