Chapter 114
Chapter 114
Translator: Penny
Chapter 114
The music video's release sparked an even more explosive reaction than their previous High Teen MV, "One Chance."
Music Video Full of Twists and Turns ㄷㄷ
I've seen plenty of Phantom Thief vs. Detective setups, but this ending is a first!
Reve's Phantom Thief vs. Detective concept is insane!
Reve came back with sharpened blades and knife-like choreography!
The MV went viral thanks to its reputation for double-crossing twists and turns.
Wow, the visuals are insane ᄋ3 What happened?
Yehyeon's coat is legendary. Seriously, he looks insane!
Everyone's proportions are perfect, making the coats fit them like a glove.
So, Eden and Dobin weren't allies after all? It was Yehyeon and Dobin working together?
Wow, that explains why Yehyeon kept his guard up around Eden, even though they were both detectives...
I thought Yehyeon knew Eden and Dobin were working together.
- So, is Eden a real detective or a third party trying to get their hands on the jewel?
└Hajun and Yuje are definitely detectives, but Eden's motives are a bit ambiguous.
- Eden is indeed a detective. https://blog.naxxr.com/alslk25/565264615 This blog post connects the recurring objects in the music video with the Bible verses on the page Eden was holding, providing a detailed interpretation of the MV.
Thanks to its stunning visuals and the clues scattered throughout the music video, the views skyrocketed.
The MV's powerful, synchronized choreography—a departure from Reve's usual lighter routines—also drew attention, with many noting, "Reve finally attempted a sharp, synchronized dance!" This further boosted the view count.
20th - NEW 'Reve - Escape' ♥48,121
One Chance entered the top 20 charts just one day after its release. At this rate, reaching number one seemed inevitable.
25th - New 'Reve - Off the Record' ♥40,726
"Wow, Off the Record is charting pretty high too! It definitely shows why we considered it for the title track," someone remarked.
Despite these words, Ryu Jaehee, who had pushed for One Chance as the title track, couldn't hide his relief that One Chance was ranking higher.
Looking at the charts, it seemed that even if Off the Record had been chosen as the title track, the results wouldn't have been bad.
Our first music show performance was on W Countdown.
The performance of Off the Record, a B-side track, was pre-recorded.
My short rap verse, delivered in a deliberately lowered voice, flashed by. Then, Gyeon Hajun's falsetto voice soared as he gripped the stand microphone on the circular stage, marking the start of the song.
As soon as Gyeon Hajun finished his part, I immediately took over with my rap.
After brief parts from Kim Dobin and Seo Yehyeon, I swayed to the rhythm, tapping my foot against the prop chair during the brass-heavy chorus that showcased Gyeon Hajun's falsetto.
Unlike our usual arrangement where Ryu Jaehee sang the chorus and Gyeon Hajun handled the killing part, this song reversed the roles. Gyeon Hajun took the chorus, while Ryu Jaehee delivered the killing part.
This arrangement suited our strengths: Gyeon Hajun excelled at maintaining the sustained high notes of the falsetto chorus, while Ryu Jaehee's powerful, belted high notes were perfect for the killing part.
Moreover, since the vocals for this song—excluding Ryu Jaehee's killing part and Kim Dobin's section—were entirely falsetto, Seo Yehyeon's part flowed smoothly without strain.
If this had been the title track, it would have included choreography. But as a B-side, our performance was limited to sitting on props or standing and singing.
The closest thing to choreography was Gyeon Hajun slowly circling the circular stage where he stood.
After the pre-recording of "Off the Record" was finished, Seo Yehyeon muttered anxiously while replaying the performance video in the waiting room, "I won't mess up, right...?"
Seo Yehyeon had kept his word about mastering the choreography, even if it meant staying up all night. I'd known he was a truly tenacious person ever since he'd chosen to chew on leafy greens instead of chicken.
He pushed himself so hard that everyone worried he'd collapse and had to forcibly drag him from the practice room to the dorm.
As Seo Yehyeon stubbornly refused to leave, I nodded beside him and explained, "This guy has A-level stamina. He won't collapse that easily." Yet I was the one treated like a heartless monster.
Seeing Seo Yehyeon's anxiety, I willingly transferred the "Lucid Dream" item to him, allowing him to practice even in his dreams.
Judging by his restless tossing and turning that night, he must have been practicing diligently in his sleep.
Thanks to his efforts, all five members were able to master the revised choreography within a week.
As the live broadcast approached, we changed into our stage costumes.
These weren't the outfits from the music video, but rather costumes that stayed true to the Phantom Thief and Detective concept. However, neither the Phantom Thief nor the Detective stood out excessively or faded into the background.
Instead, subtle differences in detail allowed viewers to distinguish between the two roles.
Finally, our turn to perform live arrived.
We took our positions on stage and arranged ourselves into formation. The props we would use for our performance were already in place.
Let's Escape
With my brief whisper, the song began.
The chorus wasn't particularly high-pitched either; the song relied solely on the vocal tones of Reve's vocal line and my rap. This meant we could perform the intense choreography and sing live without any issues.
The relentless, high-energy choreography only allowed for a brief respite during Kim Dobin's solo dance break.
Considering the relentless pace, Kim Dobin's performance was truly remarkable.
He flawlessly executed the most challenging sequence—a routine involving chairs and desks—before seamlessly rejoining the group choreography.
The perfectly synchronized, knife-sharp movements of the group dance sent the audience into an even louder frenzy.
The song was now reaching its final climax.
No one will believe me, will they?
Even if you're wary, you're already in my grasp.
Catch me if you can.
Aren't you tired of this predictable chase?
As I listened to Gyeon Hajun and Ryu Jaehee's parts, their vocals trading off like a competition of vocal power, I coordinated my movements with Seo Yehyeon.
Kim Dobin struck a final pose, appearing completely surrounded by the other four members as the stage concluded.
The intense choreography had left beads of sweat glistening on everyone's foreheads.
The satisfaction of a flawless performance brought smiles to our faces, an added bonus to the accomplishment.
Seo Yehyeon extended his hand first, and I grinned as I lightly high-fived him.
"Wow, I guess I can't call you 'Mistake Machine' anymore."
Seo Yehyeon chuckled at my half-joking, half-serious remark and retorted, "What? You're not getting fleeced by me anymore either."
True. During this practice session, I hadn't lost a single won to Seo Yehyeon. It was practically a miracle.
Seo Yehyeon was keeping up remarkably well, so I didn't need to raise my voice. I'd also learned that a calm, direct approach was far more effective than sarcasm.
"Sniff... sniff..."
The sudden sound of sobbing from beside us made Seo Yehyeon and me, who had been enjoying a rare moment of warmth, turn our heads simultaneously.
Kim Dobin was wiping his teary face and sniffling.
"Our group... actually having a day like this... Practicing in such a good mood and performing such synchronized choreography on stage..."
"Aish, Hyung, if you cry... I'm gonna start crying too...! Getting to this point... it was really..."
Even Ryu Jaehee, who was standing beside me, started tearing up, his eyes reddening as tears streamed down his face.
We hadn't even won first place; it was just the end of our first stage performance. Yet the Maknae Line was sobbing uncontrollably. Seo Yehyeon and I exchanged awkward glances.
"Why are they acting like this...?"
"I don't know. Maybe they were just really moved by Hyung's perfect synchronized dance. Hey, youngest members, Yehyeon Hyung will keep nailing the synchronized dances from now on."
"Yeah, from now on, don't worry about me, Dobin. You can choreograph whatever you want."
"That's not it! Waaah...!"
"Hyungs are so clueless, seriously!"
Our attempts to comfort them only made the Maknae Line cry even harder. Seo Yehyeon and I awkwardly shut our mouths, exchanging embarrassed looks.
In the end, it fell to Gyeon Hajun to soothe the two youngest members.
Five days into Reve's comeback, Altair's pre-release track was unveiled.
It was the same song I'd seen on the September charts. Considering there were only six days left until October, it was quite eerie.
To achieve such monthly chart performance with just six days of release...
Their momentum was undeniably strong.
Starting with the pre-release track, teasers began dropping one by one, counting down to their comeback.
Each teaser featured a single member in a short, still-cut format, and their views skyrocketed at an astonishing rate.
I tried to recall if this had happened before my regression, but back then, I hadn't paid any attention to how A-list senior male idols made their comebacks. I was too busy floundering on the flop idol path to remember such details.
For Reve, the ideal scenario was to maintain this momentum throughout October.
But with such explosive hype from just the teaser, it was hard to make a quick judgment.
On the final seventh day, Altair's music video was released.
"Wow, they really splurged. This music video is dripping with luxury."
"Holy crap, they actually filmed in Hong Kong and Macau! I'm so jealous. We were stuck filming domestically."
"Wait, so is this just a rip-off of 'The Thieves'?"
I couldn't help but snark, remembering our past near-scandal as "Interstellar Plagiarism Idols."
"It's more of an homage than a rip-off," Ryu Jaehee corrected my snide remark. "If we're going that far, we're basically rip-offs of Detective Conan's Phantom Thief Kid too."
The song's performance was equally impressive, debuting at a high rank befitting a Grand Prize-winning track.
#18 - NEW 'Altair - Steal Cut' ♥57,032
"Were we at #20?"
Deciding it would be better for my peace of mind, I closed the music chart app. I ruffled Ryu Jaehee's hair lightly and added some unsolicited advice:
"You should take it easy too. Staring at the charts won't change Altair's ranking anyway."
Despite my words, Ryu Jaehee remained glued to his phone, his gaze fixed on the charts. Without looking up, he asked, "Hyung, remember when you said there's no such thing as 'losing well'?"
"Yeah, I said that."
"So, does that mean a song that gets pushed down the charts after fierce competition is meaningless?"
His words struck me suddenly. I blinked, and Ryu Jaehee glanced up, meeting my eyes with a serious expression.
"It's not like music is judged solely on its artistic merit. Doesn't it make you a little sad, Hyung, that a song you worked so hard on can be considered a 'failure' or 'meaningless' just because it got pushed down the charts?"
After listening, I realized he wasn't wrong. While musicality certainly played a significant role in the evaluation, this ranking wasn't solely determined by musical merit.
Could the value of music truly be measured by a numerical ranking?
"Hey, you're better than me," I admitted with a hollow laugh.
"Alright, I'll rephrase. You might have lost, but you fought well. But hearing you say that already makes this Hyung feel like his defeat is sealed, which is kind of sad."
I ruffled Ryu Jaehee's hair roughly.
"So, save those words for October, when the final results are out and this Hyung is wallowing in defeat. Then buy me a coffee and say it. Got it?"
I grinned at Ryu Jaehee, who nodded, and added playfully, "Of course, you won't need to say it because I'm definitely going to win."
📝 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