Chapter 115
Chapter 115
Translator: Penny
Chapter 115
"And the number one song on Popular Music for the first week of October is... Congratulations, Reve!"
We secured our final music show win of the week. I bowed deeply and accepted the trophy and bouquet from the MC.
Beside us, Altair, who had made their comeback this week, applauded with bright smiles.
While our youngest member rambled on with his acceptance speech, I waved the trophy at our fans.
In just two weeks of promotions, Reve had swept the top spots on both terrestrial and cable music shows.
First-week sales for Reve's debut full-length album, CHASE, reached 89,2** copies, surpassing HI-Light.
And Altair's first-week sales?
101,0** copies.
Clearly, album sales were still heavily influenced by fan loyalty.
The key now was to see how the total sales would stack up. Historically, Reve's album sales had consistently increased until the end of their promotional period.
This was likely due to their efforts to appeal to a wider audience.
1st Place - Reve - Escape
2nd Place - Altair - Steal Cut
I stared at Altair's song, which had climbed to just below the Top 100 charts, with mixed feelings.
On the daily charts, "Come to My Universe" and "Off the Record" still held the top two spots, but Altair's title track was rapidly closing in on the Top 100.
Half of me wanted that song to blow up so I could watch it rise and fall spectacularly. The other half was disgusted that such a track was right below mine.
I pressed my thumb firmly on the song title, as if trying to crush it, and checked the name in the composer's field. My eyes blinked at the unfamiliar name listed next to the familiar one.
What the fuck?
If this is true, it won't be a weakness anymore, will it?
Suddenly regaining a conscience he didn't even have after ten years before my regression?
That patchwork quilt-making master who used to glare and shout, "Everyone else does it too! Why are you only picking on me?" even when I sarcastically called him a name tag-swapping expert?
Could it be...?
A butterfly effect caused by my regression?
The headache-inducing situation made me rub my throbbing temples.
Or maybe some normal person's soul possessed KJ's body...?
No, what am I thinking? Kim Dobin-level nonsense! I shook my head violently to shake off the otaku-like thoughts.
Just in case, I meticulously checked all of Altair's previously released songs.
"Wow, interesting," I muttered, the exclamation dripping with sarcasm despite the loss of a crucial piece of my plan.
Slowly retracing my steps, I finally found the uniquely misaligned puzzle piece:
Cha Yeonho's insistence on treating Reve's songs as if they were new to him.
Cha Yeonho's peculiar wariness and constant attempts to undermine me.
Cha Yeonho's transparently pathetic schemes to bury me.
I covered my mouth to stifle a bitter laugh.
"Ah, so that's why?"
I was living proof that regression was real. And there was no reason to assume I was the only one who had regressed.
For now, let's treat the fact that I've traveled back in time with that damn Senior of mine as a highly probable hypothesis, rather than a confirmed truth.
Thanks to Cha Yeonho's schemes, I lost my most valuable card. Given his animosity toward my pre-regression self, he'll undoubtedly try to undermine me. After all, he already has a history of such tactics.
Things are certainly taking an interesting turn, I thought, sighing and leaning back comfortably against the sofa.
Even if I fail here, as long as my Original Intent Score remains intact, there's no need to regress. But if I want to win, regression remains an option.
Yet, after countless regressions, I have no desire whatsoever to devise a strategy for dealing with Cha Yeonho.
First, I need to bulk up Reve.
Enough to withstand whatever tricks Cha Yeonho throws my way.
Week 3 of Reve's "CHASE" promotions.
This was also the week our full-fledged rivalry with Altair began.
With only two weeks of promotions remaining, we needed to achieve meaningful results against Altair during this time.
We weren't delusional enough to think we could sweep all the music shows. Instead, we aimed to create the impression that we were sharing the spotlight to some extent.
"Hello, Sunbae!"
"We only briefly showed our faces during the live broadcast last time, so we didn't get a chance to properly greet you. Congratulations on being nominated for 1st place again this week, juniors."
"Exactly! Your song is really good."
Altair, whom we met in the broadcast station hallway, greeted us with an unhurried smile.
With their album sales being so high, why would they care about a slight dip in digital charts?
Cha Yeonho's eyes met mine.
When I smiled at him with a composed expression, his face briefly scrunched up before he quickly plastered on his usual mask-like smile.
"I'm not really into mind games," he muttered, stretching out the last syllable as he clasped his hands behind his head and watched Altair walk away.
"Why are you suddenly talking about your gaming preferences?" Seo Yehyeon asked, looking genuinely confused.
I chuckled and replied, "There are things you don't need to know, Hyung."
I'll handle Reve's scheming myself, since I'm the one who regressed after seven years as an idol. Our beloved members just need to stay out of trouble and follow my lead.
Reve's performance slot was three spots ahead of Altair, who was scheduled to close the show.
"Oh, those are the music video outfits!"
The stage outfits were the most popular from the music video. They'd clearly sharpened their knives to avoid being outdone.
"Reve's 1st place pledge is Phantom Thief Eden! We'll have Eden Hyung wear this cape and perform a solo dance!"
The 1st place pledge revealed during the nominee interview was truly unprecedented. Or rather, judging by everyone's laughter, it seemed only I was hearing it for the first time.
Kim Dobin's cape? I'm supposed to wear Kim Dobin's cape, dance his part, and rap?
Now I can't even sincerely wish for Reve to win, you bastards.
I wanted to rub my forehead at this ridiculously troublesome 1st place pledge (troublesome only for me), but since we were on camera, I forced a smile and flashed a "2" with my fingers, waving it at the camera.
"What exactly is this pledge?"
"We decided it yesterday! Yehyeon Hyung and Hajun Hyung immediately agreed."
"Then why didn't you get my approval, the most important one?"
"No comment..."
I resisted the urge to press down on the heads of the Maknae Line, who were clapping and saying the cape looked good on me. I reminded myself that it was almost our turn to perform.
Even though it had only been three weeks, the stage felt more familiar than grueling now. As we walked back to the waiting room after our performance, Ryu Jaehee rubbed his eyes and sighed deeply.
"I think I messed up the choreography around the two-minute mark. My hand direction... ugh... I panicked and my pitch wavered a bit too... Ah, why today of all days..."
I gently pried Ryu Jaehee's hand from his meticulously styled hair as he muttered gloomily.
We have to go back on stage later for the 1st place announcement. The stylist will scold us if his hair gets messed up.
Perhaps because he rarely made mistakes, Jaehee seemed particularly self-critical about this one. Seo Yehyeon patted him lightly on the back.
"It's okay. It's not like you mess up every day like me. It was just a one-time thing."
"Wow, that's spicy. So spicy."
I exclaimed in admiration at Yehyeon's self-deprecating joke—the kind that would tank my Original Intent Score and ruin my image if I made it, but somehow only he could pull off.
Still looking dejected, Jaehee let me drape an arm over his shoulder as I dragged him back to the waiting room.
"Hey, it's okay, it's okay. I messed up once too."
"Really? Today?"
"No, before. During our promotions."
"That doesn't comfort me at all, Hyung..."
"Why not? Isn't it better that only two of us made mistakes? And the fact that even our seemingly perfect leader makes mistakes is the comforting part, you dummy."
"Hyung, your points of comfort are weird."
As Ryu Jaehee retorted, his voice gradually returned to its usual tone. Feeling relieved, I instinctively ruffled his hair.
"Hey, youngest member. Even if we don't get first place, it's not your fault. Don't go digging yourself into a hole."
Then I got a lecture from the stylist noona for messing up the kid's hair.
While Ryu Jaehee fixed his hair, I sat in the waiting room and watched Altair's performance on the monitor.
"Wow, they really splurged on the stage."
"They're huge. Nothing like our LnL."
"Their main vocalist's vocal power is insane."
I rested my chin in my hand, listening to Kim Dobin's straightforward observations. Cha Yeonho was, in a sense, Gyeon Hajun's vocal tone combined with Ryu Jaehee's vocal skill. While his tone didn't surpass Gyeon Hajun's, it was definitely to my liking.
Considering that my primary criterion for choosing songs before my regression was "vocal tones I liked," it was quite regrettable that I hadn't been able to add Cha Yeonho to my collection of vocalists.
I wonder if I'll be able to this time.
Setting aside personal biases, Altair was undeniably impressive. Comparing them to KICKS felt almost unfair.
The dazzling performance and flawless vocals were beyond reproach. But if they were going to do the rap like that, they might as well have left it out. That's not how you rap, ugh.
Ryu Jaehee, having regained his energy, burst into laughter when he saw me staring at the screen, my brow furrowed.
"What's so funny?"
"It's just... every time the rap part comes on, your eyebrows twitch so hilariously. But thanks to Eden Hyung, my standards for rap have definitely been raised."
I instinctively reached out to pat Ryu Jaehee's head, but froze when I felt a sharp glare boring into my back. I awkwardly lowered my hand.
Before I knew it, the moment we'd all been waiting for—the announcement of the week's number one—was finally here.
"This week's number one on W Countdown is—"
"Congratulations, Altair!"
Standing beside Altair, I clapped enthusiastically, carefully maintaining an expression of genuine congratulations for my senior's first-place win.
If I frowned or showed any displeasure now, I'd regress to the day before we performed "Come to My Universe" again.
I knew I had to concede first place this week anyway, as it was Altair's first week with his scores tallied.
At least the music stream for "Come to My Universe" was still holding onto the top spot, offering some consolation...
"Ah, it's been overturned..."
Ryu Jaehee's sigh prompted me to check the charts.
1st - Altair - Steal Cut ▲1
2nd - Reve - Escape ▼1
Whether it was a music show boost or not, the music stream rankings had flipped after the broadcast. I gritted my teeth.
📝 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