Became The Leader of a Girl Group Destined To Fail – Chapter 156

Chapter 156

“…You said a threatening letter arrived?”

Early morning, right after we barely finished our comeback stage.

At the urgent words of the manager, I was immediately summoned to the company.

I had put the members to sleep first to avoid worrying them and sneaked out alone.

“Yes. One arrived in front of the company yesterday, and another in your dorm mailbox.”

“What kind of threatening letter is it?”

To be honest, even at the mention of a threatening letter from CEO Hong, I wasn’t particularly surprised.

Back in the days of Baek Nokha, I received about 100 threatening letters a day.

The types and contents were quite varied.

One threat said they’d stab me if I stayed next to a male idol I barely remembered appearing on a variety show with.

Another threatened to kill me if I didn’t meet them.

There was even a threat from someone who seemed rich, saying they would kill themselves if I didn’t give them a hundred million won.

Frankly, it’s very common for any celebrity with even a bit of recognition.

Sending threats via SNS DM was the norm, and those who were more earnest or liked analog methods sent letters.

And the truly malicious ones sent packages.

I won’t even mention what was inside those packages.

Isn’t it enough for me to know such horrific things?

Having experienced all of that, honestly… it didn’t really affect me much even after becoming part of Steel Blue.

But since the members hadn’t been exposed to such things much, both the company and I were thoroughly protecting them from seeing those kinds of threats.

So, why inform me about a single threatening letter now?

In the first week of our comeback, during this busy period, in the middle of the night?

Something was definitely wrong.

“This threatening letter is quite specific. The target is clear.”

“Who is the target?”

The word ‘target’ made my chest feel cold and heavy.

Were the members in danger?

“Ryu Bo-ra.”

“…Why her?”

Why on earth her?

While she had a mischievous and wild image to us, externally, Ryu Bo-ra’s image was flawless.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say she had the best image among the five of us.

With an angelic face and an angelic steel mentality.

She was the nation’s little sister, the nation’s baby princess, beloved by the entire country since she was young.

That’s the Ryu Bo-ra the public knew.

And they targeted such a person?

If they had targeted me, I could understand.

“Do you remember the TerraByte incident a while ago?”

“…Don’t tell me this was sent by a TerraByte fan?”

“It’s more serious than that.”

CEO Hong hesitated for a moment, then gestured to his secretary.

The secretary handed me a piece of paper.

It was a black paper, with red typed letters.

Youruinedus.

Youruinedthelivesandlivelihoodsofmanyandlivewell.

I’lldefinitelygetrevenge.

IfIruinyourprettyfaceyouwillunderstandmyfeelings.

Iwon’tkillyou.

Youhavetolivefeelingmyresentmentandregretforyourwholelife.

A letter with no proper spacing, clearly written by a madman.

Just looking at it made me feel disgusted and repulsed, filled with nothing but malice.

Could this even be called a letter?

It seemed more accurate to call it evil excrement left by some trash.

“The content seems more like… not a fan.”

“We suspect it’s someone related to Midbless.”

Based on the content, I thought the same.

Of course, nothing could be certain.

But weren’t they currently under police investigation?

Would they really have the leisure to send us such a letter in the midst of their chaos?

“Although the CEO of Midbless is under police investigation, we suspect he’s just a figurehead. We believe the real power is someone else.”

That made sense.

Someone that malicious wouldn’t be in such an obvious position.

They would surely use a proxy and keep themselves out of sight.

“We think this person might have ordered it. Even if it wasn’t the mastermind, it could be someone around them.”

“Did you report this to the police?”

“We did.”

CEO Hong still had a dark expression.

“But honestly, it doesn’t feel like they’re taking it seriously. As you know, threatening letters are very common in the entertainment industry.”

“…That’s true.”

“They said they would try to catch the perpetrator… but frankly, it’s hard to expect severe punishment with just a letter.”

I already knew that.

In my past life, I had researched the legal consequences of threatening letters.

The consensus was that it was difficult for a threatening letter alone to receive severe legal punishment.

It would be different if the threat was carried out…

But from the victim’s perspective, that would be an even more dreadful situation.

“So, in the end, we have no choice but to continuously protect Bo-ra.”

“Yes. The company will double the security personnel. We will have a permanent presence at your dorm and increase the number of bodyguards who follow you daily. However…”

CEO Hong sighed deeply.

“I hate having to say this to you all, but there’s no choice.”

“…You mean we have to be cautious.”

“Yes. Don’t act rashly, and always stay with the bodyguards. Understand?”

“I will.”

“Tell the members… not to scare them, but they need to be aware of the current situation. It’s dangerous.”

“I’ll inform the other members besides Bo-ra.”

CEO Hong nodded.

This incident didn’t only put Ryu Bo-ra in danger.

All the members were at risk.

“I really hope they catch the perpetrator soon.”

“We’re going to appeal to the police as much as we can.”

That was the best we could do.

The reality was bitterly harsh.

But we couldn’t just sit around.

I quietly left the meeting room and, on my way back to the dorm, looked around Som’s shop.

I wondered if there was anything that could help in this situation.

But there was nothing particularly useful.

‘…What should I do?’

I couldn’t just sit back and watch Ryu Bo-ra be in danger.

‘…In that case.’

I had no choice but to whip Som to make something new, even if it didn’t exist.

***

Today was the day of the video call fan signing event.

A fan who had Ryu Bo-ra as their ultimate bias was waiting in a reverent manner, having taken a bath and placed their phone carefully.

The day to meet their ultimate bias had finally arrived!

Even if it was through a screen…

Didn’t Steel Blue’s new song say it all?

Even if we are beyond the screen, we want to make your dreams come true.

That was exactly how this fan felt.

Oh, you ask who this fan is?

Do you remember the Ryu Bo-ra fan who came with Prism Homma to the <Make a New Color> audience?

The so-called PeF.

Ding ding, ding ding.

‘It’s here!’

The phone rang.

PeF straightened their hair, pressed the record button, and took a deep breath before answering the video call.

Ryu Bo-ra’s face filled the small phone screen.

‘My God… How can such big eyes and such a high nose exist on this small face?’

Even though I fell for Bo-ra’s charm rather than her looks… I’m not denying Bo-ra’s beautiful face.

Yeah, yeah. Good looks are one of the great charm points of an idol.

[Hello~]

“Ah, hi. Bo-ra…! How have you been?!”

[Ah, unnie! It’s been a while. Didn’t we see each other once on the way home from a public broadcast during our last activity?]

“Yeah, yeah! You remember me…? I’m touched.”

As expected of Steel Blue’s dedicated affectionate baby deer…

Even if she had only briefly seen someone, Ryu Bo-ra remembered most of her fans.

Ryu Bo-ra’s love for her fans was famous even among fans.

“Bo-ra, can you do one challenge for me?”

[Sure, I’ll do anything. What do you want me to do?]

“It’s called the small animal challenge…! You just need to mimic the animal I show you in the picture!”

[Oh. It seems like the latest trend? Alright. Show me.]

And so the challenge began.

From deer to rabbit, cat, bear, and dog, it continued in various forms.

‘If I post this on SNS, it’s sure to get a hundred thousand retweets….’

After capturing these legendary videos to their heart’s content.

[Is there anything difficult you’re dealing with lately? Anything you want to talk about? Are you okay?]

Is this what they call a reverse fan sign?

PeF was caught off guard by this unfamiliar situation but soon teared up.

“Actually, I recently moved to a new company… It’s been hard to adjust. I haven’t gotten used to the tasks yet… So I’ve been feeling quite discouraged lately.”

[It’s always hard at the beginning. It’s not that you’re not good at it, everyone finds it tough at first. It was really hard for me to learn this choreography too, Baek-young unnie and I stayed up a lot of nights.]

“Really? Even you, Bo-ra? Our genius deer had a hard time.”

Is there anything that our naturally talented idol deer finds difficult?

PeF found it hard to believe and asked again.

[Even a genius deer finds the beginning hard. This is just between us… When I first joined Make a New Color, I really thought… should I give up…]

“Really?!”

[Yeah. But I didn’t give up because I had my unnies with me.]

Ryu Bo-ra smiled her usual angelic smile.

“Oh my. Am I one of those unnies…?”

[Yes. You’re that unnie.]

Bo-ra…

I’m crying…

[So, even though it’s tough now, just like your genius deer Bo-ra, you’ll do well eventually!]

“…Yes. Because I have Bo-ra… I think I can do well…!”

After finishing their goodbyes.

PeF thought.

I…

I’ll be PeF for life.

PeF quietly vowed as they turned on the internet.

They were almost possessed as they clicked on the thumbnail of Music Day (subject: Ryu Bo-ra)

Ryu Bo-ra’s thumbnail is crazy lol

Ryu Bo-ra’s Music Day thumbnail that went viral.jpg

On the internet, the reaction to the Music Day stage video from yesterday was explosive.

The response to the stage itself was amazing, but…

The personal fancam thumbnail of Ryu Bo-ra uploaded by Music Day had gone viral.

‘If I were the Music Day PD, I would have chosen this photo too.’

This must be what it feels like to be full without eating.

★

Ha Ryu PeF, I should have given birth to you, really.

Bo-ra… I’m really struggling… because… you’re so… beautiful… I’m really struggling…

2X0312 Ryu PeF is a legend.. Beauty is unmatched

What should I do with this woman, baby deer Ryu PeF? What should I do with you?

Every time PeF opened SNS, they couldn’t help but nod at Ryu Bo-ra’s thumbnail photos.

Yes.

Acknowledged.

‘This concept for Ryu Bo-ra is really… really…’

Ryu Bo-ra had always been pretty, but…

Dressing her up so openly pretty made her seem like something from another dimension.

People often called her a 2D idol, but in this album, Ryu Bo-ra’s potential was truly at its peak.

Maybe it suited her better because of the doll concept.

Putting aside their fan bias, Ryu Bo-ra was truly the embodiment of a ‘doll’ or an ‘idol’ itself.