Chapter 11
Chapter 11
Translator: Penny
Chapter 11
With the final fansign event, the Come to My Universe promotions had finally come to an end.
But I couldn't just relax and feel relieved. Who would have thought that the fansign event, which I'd approached with such confidence due to my experience, would turn out to be a hidden trap?
"I'm doomed! Utterly doomed!"
I tore at my hair and rolled around on the mattress. Seo Yehyeon entered the room and gave me a pitying look. "What's wrong? Did you slip up at the fansign?"
"No."
"Then why are you acting like you've been publicly shamed online for bad attitude, branded as a hopeless rookie who sang a 'Dead Eyes' medley of 'Oh, really?' from your very first fansign?"
What do you know? It's worse than that! My Original Intent Score plummeted by over 20 points in a single day!
If I don't hold on tight to my sanity, the day I regress back to my debut date is fast approaching.
I buried my face in the pillow and replayed the fansign event in my mind.
For someone like me, whose memories of fansigns consisted solely of mechanically repeating "Oh, really?" over and over, playing the role of a "rookie idol with still-sparkling eyes" was truly a daunting task.
I tried my best to give sincere answers, but it seems starting every response with "Oh, really?" was a fatal flaw.
What could I do? It had become an automatic reflex. Still, I added longer sentences after "Oh, really?" Shouldn't that count for something? No updates?
Considering I interacted with over fifty people, should I be grateful that my Original Intent Score only dropped by about twenty points?
If I complete all the Weekly Quests, I think I can recover most of the lost Original Intent Score this time...
As I mentally calculated, Seo Yehyeon, still misunderstanding my digging into the ground as a sign of distress, offered awkward words of comfort.
"Forget about it. Not many fans showed up anyway."
The fan signing event barely exceeded 50 attendees, likely due to the lottery being held before our song's sudden surge in popularity.
It seems my past self was truly insane to have missed this kind of scene.
To make matters worse, two of them were hommas.
It's obvious who their massive camera lenses were pointed at, isn't it?
Ah, is this nightmare of pre-regression fan favoritism repeating itself?
Original Intent Score: 64
※ The Original Intent Score decreases based on the severity of actions or words deemed inappropriate for an idol.
※ If the Original Intent Score reaches 0, you start over!
Seeing my Original Intent Score drop below 70 for the first time gave me a splitting headache. Even if I completed all the Weekly Quests updating tomorrow, I'd barely manage to restore it above 70.
Damn it, I don't even have a schedule next week.
He rubbed his throbbing temples. Without a schedule, the number of Weekly Quests would inevitably decrease.
First, he needed to find a substitute for "Ah, really?" He couldn't keep losing 20 Original Intent Score points at every fansign.
"How about 'Ah, for real'?"
"Hyung, are you trying to pull off some foreign exchange student act?" Ryu Jaehee, who was sitting on the sofa eating potato chips, shook his head and asked. He even added, "That's a forced concept," practically begging for a beating.
"What about 'Ah, legit'?"
"Sounds like a middle schooler spamming trendy slang."
He rubbed the top of his head, which the youngest member had just pressed down on, and snapped irritably, "Ah, seriously!"
Prohibited word detected.
Original Intent Score -1
"Ah, it stings! I didn't mean it literally, ugh, I really did!"
Forbidden word detected.
Original Intent Score -2
"I didn't say anything to you, Hyung!"
Ryu Jaehee, mistaking my outburst at the System for anger at him, scurried back to his room.
Seeing my Original Intent Score plummet by three points in an instant filled me with despair.
Do I have to regress again and sing that awful song "Come to My Universe" all over again?
"This is driving me insane."
Doesn't the System have a customer service center? I'm filing a 1:1 inquiry. Fix this! How can 'Ah, really' be a forbidden word?!
Scratching my head vigorously, I slumped back against the sofa. Seo Yehyeon, flipping through TV channels with the remote, casually remarked, "Why don't you just say 'Ah, really' instead?"
"Ah, really?"
I whispered the phrase to myself, and to my astonishment, my Original Intent Score remained unchanged!
Fuck, so that's it! There's a perfectly good alternative to "A, really?"
Seo Yehyeon clicked his tongue, watching me writhe with joy. I'm letting it slide because I'm in such a good mood right now.
With the "A, really?" ban resolved, let's move on to the next item on the agenda.
From. Eden
Daydream, I hope you're doing well. Today was finally Reve's first fansign event, and it was wonderful to meet our Daydream fans up close like this.
I was quite nervous for our first fansign and felt a bit awkward, unsure of what to say. I feel sorry and embarrassed for showing such a clumsy side to our Daydream fans.
I'll prepare even harder for the next fansign and show you an even more improved version of myself. Thank you always, and I love you all.
(Photo)
Worried about getting criticized for my fansign attitude, I even attached my best selfie to the post on the Fan Cafe and Official Social Media.
I've already laid the groundwork by acting clumsy, so please just smoothly overlook today's flinching from the stinging pain and my habitual "Oh, really?"
[ No way! Eden did so, so, so well today!!! He was so skilled, I thought he was a 7-year veteran idol, not a rookie who just debuted! ] 😊😊
Reading the comments on the post sent a chill down my spine.
O-oh... He's actually right about the 7 years... It must be a coincidence, right...?
"What if we bend the waist more here?"
"It would look good, but it'd make the move even harder."
"Come on, looking good is always the top priority. Difficulty comes second."
In the musty, poorly ventilated basement practice room, mold blooming in patches across the walls, we were in the thick of overhauling the choreography.
The routine we'd bought for a fortune was utterly hopeless.
At this point, I was starting to suspect our CEO Kim Nodap had a hobby of getting ripped off.
Gyeon Hajun and I tossed around ideas, completely rewriting the dance. Our goal was to make it stage-worthy—at least not embarrassing.
I'd always been a decent dancer, and my seven years of idol experience hadn't gone to waste, so it wasn't too difficult.
It would have been easier with Kim Dobin, the main dancer, but the youngest members, still minors, had to attend school to meet their attendance requirements.
As Gyeon Hajun and I practiced some moves in front of the mirror, Seo Yehyeon, who was sitting on the practice room floor watching us, said with a bored expression, "Just make it simple. I don't want to mess up on stage."
If you're going to act like that, I might as well throw in a full group dance break into the choreography, I thought, grinning mischievously. Seeing my smile reflected in the mirror, Seo Yehyeon retorted, "Just a word of advice: you're the one who has to teach me this."
I immediately scrapped my plan to create a high-difficulty stage routine. I might end up collapsing from frustration, coughing up blood while teaching him.
"We're here!"
I was struggling with a particularly difficult part when the youngest members happened to arrive home from school at just the right moment.
Gyeon Hajun glanced at Kim Dobin, who was still in his school uniform and swinging his backpack, and Ryu Jaehee, who had come to school without even bringing his backpack.
"Go back to the dorm and change first," Hajun said.
"I knew you'd say that, so I brought my training clothes!" Kim Dobin replied, pulling out a tracksuit from his bag with a triumphant grin.
Ryu Jaehee, who had been eyeing Kim Dobin's clothes, tugged at his sleeve. "Hyung, can I borrow your tracksuit pants?"
"Ah, no way. Go back to the dorm and change yourself," Kim Dobin refused flatly.
Ryu Jaehee pouted and trudged toward the practice room entrance.
Hajun snapped his fingers at Kim Dobin, who had already changed into his tracksuit. As Dobin approached obediently, Hajun gave him a mission.
"Hey, Dobi. Come up with a key dance move for the 'One Chance' part—you know, the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity part. Make it memorable and easy to follow."
"How about a shooting gesture? Bang, bang!"
"You watched the cover video, didn't you?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. Kim Dobin flinched and avoided my gaze.
Anyway, with Kim Dobin and Ryu Jaehee, who had changed into workout clothes, joining in, the choreography process sped up dramatically.
They really lived up to their reputations as students from a performing arts high school and former trainees from a major entertainment agency.
While it was annoying to see someone just sitting there watching us sweat and struggle, we knew they wouldn't be much help, so we just kept them busy with errands.
"At this pace, we might be able to finish reworking the choreography by today!"
Wiping away the sweat streaming down his face, Ryu Jaehee fussed nervously.
Though Ryu Jaehee, a former trainee from one of the top three entertainment agencies in Korea, often modestly claimed he was recruited for his singing ability, his dancing skills were far from clumsy, unlike certain other awkward dancers.
I once asked him why he'd left such a prestigious agency for this fledgling small company. He simply said the internal politics had been too stifling.
He liked it here because, while there were some old-fashioned types, there was no toxic hierarchy.
Seo Yehyeon and Gyeon Hajun do have some old-fashioned tendencies, I nodded in agreement. I remember the youngest member giving me a subtle, knowing look at that moment.
"Choreographing the dance isn't the problem," I replied nonchalantly, gulping down water. "It's Yehyeon Hyung learning it that's the real challenge."
"I'll learn it by today, so you don't have to be so openly critical, okay?" Seo Yehyeon said through gritted teeth.
Smiling smugly, I draped an arm casually over his shoulder. "Sure, I'll be looking forward to it. Let's work hard and nail the choreography by today."
"Ugh, you're being clingy. Get off me."
Thirty minutes later.
Fuck, what glory did I think I'd gain by volunteering to be this guy's personal tutor? I'm going to die of stress before I even make it to the A-list.
If my Original Intent Score drops any further, I might actually regress. I swallowed the sarcasm rising in my throat and carefully chose words that wouldn't spark conflict.
"Oh, you can't do this? Are you brain-dead?"
Instead of his usual scowl, Seo Yehyeon grinned brightly and raised his phone.
He's disgustingly handsome.
What's the point of being handsome, you fucking idiot? It's not your looks that will get you immortalized online, but your godawful performance on stage.
Seo Yehyeon opened the recording file, still smiling brightly, and tapped the play button.
I, Yoon Eden, promise to immediately transfer 100,000 won to Seo Yehyeon on the spot if I swear.
The voice coming from Seo Yehyeon's phone was unmistakably mine.
Right, that bastard recorded me back then.
I clutched my head as the memory of that drunken night flooded back.
"Transfer 100,000 won now."
"Wait, this isn't even a harsh word! I've toned down my emotions as much as possible!"
"If it makes me feel like shit, it's a harsh word."
I should have clarified the exact criteria for "harsh words" back then. I belatedly cursed my alcohol-fogged brain for not thinking that far ahead.
"Hyung called me a 'dumbass' too!"
"Are you seriously comparing that to this?"
"What's the difference? What!"
"You were acting like a dumbass back then!"
"Not being able to learn the choreography isn't acting like a dumbass?"
Detected: Statement promoting discord among members.
Original Intent Score -1
My Original Intent Score dropped again today.
📝 Translator’s Note:
You may notice that certain lines or phrases in this novel appear both in their original Korean (or Hanja) form and in English translation.
This is intentional — these phrases are classical idioms, divine titles, or poetic expressions that carry layered meanings.
To preserve their original tone and authenticity, the raw text has been kept for reference, while the English interpretation is provided right before or after it. This helps convey both the literal and cultural nuance of the original work.
but if you guys dont want tha raw for future chapters or my future other novels u can just text me on discord and say so discord name Mr.Penny