22: Let me be the captain, don't make trouble

“OK! I’m leaving, I can’t stand your nagging.”

She wasn’t worried that Yang Hyun-suk would scold her; at worst, she’d just leave! It wasn’t like she absolutely needed this company, and she had never actively bullied anyone.

Everyone else had provoked her, and if she was going to be lectured for that, then she might as well go back to the domestic entertainment industry, which was closer to home.

She slowly made her way to the President Nim’s office. “President Nim, did you need me for something?”

“Take a look at this first.” He casually handed her a document.

She found a random seat and sat down to read it. Yang Hyun-suk didn’t mind; accustomed to everyone’s fear, he found it quite refreshing to occasionally encounter someone so casual.

Showcasing the diversity and strength of women, as well as music and visual expression that transcends cultural boundaries, integrating modern pop music elements and strong individual style...

After reading it, she had only one thought: could this be the BLACKPINK project?

“President Nim, is this the company’s new girl group?”

“The company plans to build a creative girl group around you, with you as the leader. Currently, the members are tentatively four, with Kim Jennie and Lisa already confirmed. You have the choice for the remaining spot.”

“Does it have to be four people?”

“Yes!”

“Why?”

“Kim Jennie and Lisa both have very strong personalities, and their skills are the best besides yours. Originally, the two of them could competently fill the roles of your teammates, but a three-person group isn’t secure, so we’ll add one more.”

Putting everything else aside, in the time they had spent together, they knew she might take their spot, yet they were still very kind to her.

She couldn’t do such a thing. Besides, she was just here to have fun. If this fun required sacrificing Park Chaeyoung or Kim Ji-soo’s future, she would feel intense guilt.

Forget it, this dance wasn’t absolutely necessary. She had many choices, but Kim Ji-soo and Park Chaeyoung did not.

“Have you thought about it?”

“I have. Let the four of them form the group! I’ll debut solo.”

Seeing Yang Hyun-suk about to say something, she quickly added, “President Nim, please hear me out first.”

“Go on!”

Yang Hyun-suk was quite curious. Aren’t trainees all ‘plastic sisters’? He had seen too much of this; where could true feelings come from in a competitive environment?

“I won’t talk about skill. The success of a group absolutely requires skill, but beyond skill, many factors need to be considered. I’ll just talk to you about why I think they are suitable for a team.”

“Kim Ji-soo, as the eldest, has a gentle and meticulous personality. She can take care of every member of the team, a natural unifier.”

Yang Hyun-suk thought for a moment before saying, “Continue.”

Every group needs a unifier, and Kim Ji-soo happens to be the best one.

“Next is Kim Jennie. She has a bit of a tsundere personality, loves to act cute, and is extremely individualistic. Kim Ji-soo’s easygoing nature can perfectly balance this.”

“I didn’t know that. It seems you’ve truly been observing them carefully.”

“Caiying has a very unique vocal tone, a sensitive and gentle personality, yet also a bit stubborn. She has a deep love for music and forms a buffer between Kim Ji-soo and Kim Jennie.”

He suddenly looked at Xu Zhiyou with new respect. At such a young age, she analyzed things so thoroughly. He wanted to see if she had any more unique insights. “Continue!”

“Lisa has a lively and thoughtful personality. She can liven up the atmosphere and also has a cool, edgy vibe. This creates a contrast with Caiying’s directness and sincerity. Together, the two of them can spark different chemistry.”

“In short, the four of them are four distinct colors. I can replace them with my skill, but I can’t make up for their personalities, because I’m relatively blunt and tend to act impulsively without much consideration when things happen.”

Yang Hyun-suk seriously considered what she said. Previously, he only focused on evaluation scores; temper and personality were completely outside his scope of consideration.

“I need to think about this carefully. I’ll notify you after I’ve made a decision. For now, go back to practice!”

“Okay! President Nim.”

Yang Hyun-suk became even more convinced of his idea for her to be the leader. With such meticulous observation skills, even though she thought herself blunt, Yang Hyun-suk understood very well the things she did.

Xu Zhiyou had never actively provoked or bullied anyone; on the contrary, she was very kind-hearted and had good relationships with most trainees.

From this, it could be seen that she was not blunt at all, but rather very rational. She just lived a very open-minded life, not taking many things to heart and acting on impulse.

Such a person is a natural pioneer. Yang Hyun-suk had great ambitions; the next group was aiming to be an international girl group and needed someone who could carry the banner.

Coincidentally, Xu Zhiyou had connections in the European and American circles, was proficient in multiple languages, and was strong in vocals, composition, and dance. She had only signed a five-year contract, so using her in a group would maximize benefits.

If she debuted solo, it would be difficult to control her schedule of activities. She would completely disregard everything, mainly acting on her mood, and would need members to restrain her.

An incredibly strong ACE leader like Xu Zhiyou was indispensable, so her opinion must be considered, and she would be observed for a while longer.

On her way back, Xu Zhiyou thought about just debuting solo. She definitely wouldn’t break up BLACKPINK; the facts proved they were truly a great match.

How high a girl group could go depended on skill as a weapon, and unity and trust as the core. Having only weapons but uncooperative teammates would be useless; it would be better to debut solo from the start.

“Ugh! So annoying.”

When Xu Zhiyou returned to the practice room, seeing the four of them looking at her with concern, she became even more determined not to take their spot.

She also had her pride; that wasn't hers to begin with. What wasn't hers, she wouldn't take, and what was hers, no one could snatch away.

“What did President Nim call you for? You were gone so long!”

“Nothing! Kim Ji-soo Unnie, President Nim asked me about the new girl group.”

“Huh???” Four pairs of eyes stared at her.

“What are you looking at? He said he wanted me to be the leader of the new girl group. How can I, someone who can’t even fully grasp a performance, be a girl group leader? He can’t just be so reckless just because I’m pretty!”

“Do you think we believe you? You didn’t mention your dancing skills at all?” Park Chaeyoung pouted.

For some reason, none of the four of them felt there was anything wrong with their President Nim’s decision. Putting aside Xu Zhiyou’s ‘violence,’

In other aspects, she was indeed an excellent choice for a leader. The strange thing was that they even found her ‘violence’ satisfying.

Her personality too; she had her own principles, exceptionally strong dancing skills, was calm in situations, had strong decision-making abilities, and a quick mind. Wow, thinking about it like that, she was quite perfect.

“A new girl group, the company has a new girl group again?” Kim Jennie was the longest-serving among the five and had strong hopes for debut.

“I don’t know! Do you think President Nim would tell me about this?”

“Well, that’s true! I must be crazy to even ask you.”

“Kim Jennie-oni, would it kill you to be a little more subtle?”

“No need!”

“Huh???”

She had just praised her to President Nim, and now she was treating her like this, huh? What a jerk!

“What are you looking at? I don’t have a thick skin like you; people looking at me makes me shy.” Kim Jennie pretended to be shy.

“Have you noticed? Her cheeks are round.” Walking to Kim Jennie’s side, she looked at her while Kim Jennie stared blankly, then continued, “From the side, she looks like Crayon Shin-chan.”

“She really does look like him?” Kim Ji-soo, observing closely, nodded silently.