Chapter 116
Chapter 116
Translator: Penny
Chapter 116
- As expected, Altair is still unbeatable.
- Honestly, it's just the advantage of being the first mover. If Altair had made their comeback first, the rivalry wouldn't have even formed, and Reve would have been buried.
- I don't care about anything else, but now I understand why Aquila beat 2E to a pulp during that recording manipulation incident.
└ First KICKS, now Reve? LOL
- Why do they keep comparing our KJ to their leader? It's annoying because they're not even in the same league.
└ NMA, your KJ is a collaboration, while our 2E works solo. How are they even comparable?
└ Didn't Eden work with others too?
└ You can't even tell the difference between arrangement and collaboration? Go away, moron.
- Reve making their comeback first was incredibly lucky. If they had come later, I can only imagine how much they would have been trashed for having similar concepts.
- Just because your idol is my idol's sunbae doesn't make you or your idol my sunbae. Aquila, get a grip!
On the drive back from a radio panel appearance, having completed the Weekly Quest, "Search Quest," I shifted my gaze out the window.
So Reve still isn't Grand Prize material, huh?
I sank into thought, watching the cars whizz by on the highway and the nightscape of Seoul unfold.
Reve was an idol group that had debuted just over a year ago, gradually shedding their rookie status. And they had debuted under a mid-sized agency, not one of the industry giants.
Considering that before my regression, Reve had been such a flop idol group that they couldn't even secure music show schedules, their current level of success was already an extraordinary achievement.
If my past self saw this, wouldn't he be rolling on the floor in envy, clutching his stomach in pain?
In the third week, Reve once again conceded the top spot to Altair.
So this is how KICKS must have felt when we went head-to-head with them, I thought.
Suddenly, my mood lifted slightly. After all, they had experienced this same wretched feeling, hadn't they?
Even though we weren't completely pushed aside in the fourth week, the undeniable fact that we had fallen behind Altair left us feeling uneasy.
The incident occurred during the final week of promotions.
"Dobin Hyung!"
"Dobin! What's wrong? Are you okay?"
Kim Dobin, who had been practicing his part in the practice room, suddenly collapsed with a sharp cry, clutching his ankle.
"Ugh... I think I really twisted it badly..."
"Are you okay? Can you stand?"
Kim Dobin was immediately helped up by Manager Hyung, who had rushed over, and taken to the hospital.
Everyone waited anxiously. When Kim Dobin returned to the dorm wearing a brace, they swarmed him with questions.
"What did the hospital say? Is anything broken?"
"It's not a ligament tear, just a sprain. They said I need to wear the brace for a few days, but no cast needed..."
Kim Dobin was the center for this comeback, and they had four music show performances scheduled for the week.
"There's no choice. We'll have to take turns covering Dobin's parts."
Seo Yehyeon's face paled, likely remembering the insane difficulty of the choreography. With a serious expression, he firmly gripped Seo Yehyeon's shoulder.
"Hyung, we'll use the modified version of the choreography, so don't worry. Would I ever let you struggle on stage?"
I knew that Kim Dobin's high-level choreography would be far too difficult for Seo Yehyeon, who was only just transitioning from a C+ to a B- dance level.
No matter how much his skills had improved, mastering Kim Dobin's solo part wasn't something that could be achieved with just a few days of practice. At best, he'd end up flailing around.
Seo Yehyeon's expression turned subtly conflicted as he tilted his head.
"I don't know if I should be grateful for this or feel insulted."
"Just do what feels right, Hyung."
Even after my response, Seo Yehyeon maintained that ambiguous expression as he played the choreography video. After watching Kim Dobin's solo part for a while, he nodded.
"I'll be grateful."
With the choreography video available, there was no need for Kim Dobin to drag his injured leg to teach us.
Instead, he leaned against the mirror, watching our dance practice and pointing out mistakes.
"Wow, this choreography is seriously insane," Ryu Jaehee exclaimed, collapsing onto the practice room floor as always, wiping away the sweat.
"Eden Hyung, your foot needs to move half a beat faster during the 'just out of reach' part," Kim Dobin pointed out.
Eden nodded and restarted the music. Gyeon Hajun and I had managed to grasp the choreography reasonably well, leaving Seo Yehyeon as the last one struggling, as usual.
Watching Seo Yehyeon perform his slightly simplified, personalized routine with surprising competence, I muttered, "To think he achieved this in just one day... It almost makes me tear up remembering the old days."
"Your eyes look suspiciously dry for someone who's about to cry," Dobin retorted.
"Now we have to win the Grand Prize to see Eden Hyung's tears again."
"I didn't even cry back then!" Hyung protested for the tenth time.
Grumbling, I turned off the song that had been playing on repeat. It was time to decide who would take the center position for the music show performance.
"Yehyeon Hyung will be center for Popular Music. We need to get more votes, even if it's just because of his face."
"And we'll have extra practice time until Sunday!" Kim Dobin chimed in, his cheerful spirit undeterred by his injury.
We successfully learned the choreography and completed the final week's performance, which was ostensibly a farewell but secretly a way to fill Kim Dobin's absence.
Fortunately, the fans' reaction was quite positive.
And we ended our first full album promotion by winning first place on Popular Music with Seo Yehyeon as the center.
Was this truly the "Seo Yehyeon's face buff" at work, or just a coincidence?
Dream♥Daydream @revedream
Phantom Thief Swap to commemorate this week's final broadcast!
(Cape + SuitEden.jpg) (CoatHajun.jpg)
(Mask + SuitYuje.jpg) (Cape + UniformYehyeon.jpg)
7,001 Shares 362 Quotes 9,652 Likes
Dream♥Daydream @revedream
Eden looks like he has the highest success rate at Phantom Thief-ing (?)
Reve's first full-length album, CHASE, had finished its promotional cycle.
In October, the monthly charts were topped by Altair's One Chance, not Reve's Come to My Universe.
The Underground Hyungs, trying to console me for being beaten by an idol, called me out.
I protested that I was an idol too, but all I got back was some nonsense like, "Oh, so you're an idol who got beaten by another idol."
Well, would an idol get beaten by a pansori master instead?
Because there was one celebrity among us, we met at a barbecue restaurant instead of our usual bar.
"Seong-a, hurry up and comfort Yoon Eden."
"Yeah, man! At times like this, your girlfriend should be right there to cheer you up!"
Juseong Hyung, his face contorted in a scowl at their teasing, snapped, "Are you out of your mind? Why would I be Yoon Eden's girlfriend?!"
"Ugh, I don't want Hyung as my girlfriend either!" I retorted, bristling at his excessive disgust. Wait, shouldn't I be the one who's offended here?!
The scandal rumor between Juseong Hyung and me had been swiftly suppressed, almost as if it had never existed. Yet among the Underground Hyungs, it remained a lively topic of gossip.
"Hey, they're wearing matching rings again! Pfft, hahahaha!"
"Look, they're wearing the same rings again!"
The sudden burst of laughter made Juseong Hyung and I glance down at our hands. We glared at each other, shouting in unison.
"Hey, take that ring off right now!"
"Ah, Hyung, you take it off first! Why are you picking on me?"
"Don't buy anything with a design that overlaps with mine anymore."
"Then you should send me pictures before you buy stuff too. What am I supposed to do if we have similar tastes?"
Grumbling, I took off the ring and shoved it into my pocket.
It was clear these hyungs hadn't gathered to comfort me, but rather to piss me off and make me forget the shock of my defeat.
As I tilted my glass, I listened to the hyung who had been eliminated in the first round of the main competition of the disastrous season of Drop The Beat, patting my shoulder while recounting his own spectacular failure.
Through my experiments, I'd learned that the System's alcohol tolerance limit was one bottle of soju.
Considering my tolerance for four bottles of soju, I figured I should suggest increasing the limit to three.
If I kept submitting inquiries, they'd probably update it eventually.
"So, I'm debating whether to join Season 3 next year."
"They're even doing a Season 3? Seasons 1 and 2 were total flops!"
"Hey, it wasn't that bad. It did better than the previous survival shows, at least."
"That's like saying shit is better than total shit."
The conversation had drifted to Drop The Beat (DTB).
"Hey, Eden, what do you think? Does Season 3 look promising?"
I swirled the soju in my glass, then met Yongcheol Hyung's gaze directly. "Join Season 3, Hyung."
The future where my beloved younger brother, drowning in inferiority complexes, self-loathing, and frustration, foolishly severed ties with his hyung, unable to distinguish between malicious rumors and truth, would vanish.
Because I wanted to protect this one future—the one that would pave the way for my hyung's bright future—at all costs.
"If we fail, we'll blame it all on you!" my hyungs teased, their threats playful. I chuckled and retorted, "Go ahead and blame me all you want," as I subtly exceeded the System's alcohol limit and drained my glass.
Normally, the System would have immediately pounced, slashing my Original Intent Score. But for some reason, it remained silent. I smirked and finished the soju in one gulp.
Now I'm even getting sympathy from the System? Unbelievable.
"Hey, make sure you win next time! Don't embarrass us!"
"So that's what you really think! Are you guys ashamed of me? Huh?!"
After the drinking session ended, I arrived back at the dorm, the alcohol hitting me hard. I headed to the balcony to sober up a bit.
Sitting on the balcony floor, leaning against the door, I stared blankly up at the night sky.
Ryu Jaehee plopped down beside me, offering a toffee nut latte in a takeout cup covered in condensation.
"I didn't know when you'd be back, so I put it in the fridge. The ice might have melted a bit, making it a little bland."
"Why did you buy something so expensive? You could have just gotten a cheap Americano."
"This is supposed to be the best. The cafe owner recommended it."
Ryu Jaehee pouted slightly at my mild teasing.
I took a sip through the straw and gave my honest opinion.
"It's too sweet."
"Huh? It didn't taste that sweet when I tried a sip earlier."
"Hey, you're giving me something you've already taken a sip of?"
"I was just taste-testing it."
If only he'd keep his mouth shut. I chuckled softly and put the straw back in my mouth.
"You said it was sweet."
"So what? I'm not going to throw it away after you went to the trouble of buying it."
The meaningless conversation ended, and a quiet silence settled between us, just like when I was comforting Ryu Jaehee before. This time, Ryu Jaehee broke the silence first.
"We lost."
"...Yeah."
"But to me, our song is still the best."
"Me too."
I replied, finishing the rest of my drink.
"I wanted to be famous, but I never really cared about being recognized for my music. I joined this group with a 'whatever happens, happens' attitude anyway..."
Ryu Jaehee chuckled bitterly to himself. No wonder I was content with those awful songs before my regression, focusing only on pleasing the fans.
"But thanks to you, Hyung, I've developed ambition."
His sparkling eyes met mine directly.
I recognized the surging emotion in his gaze: pure passion.
"I want to reach the top with the songs you write for us. I genuinely believe your compositions are the best."
Hearing his heartfelt words, I grinned and ruffled his hair roughly.
"I'll make it happen."
After all, that was my goal too. So—
"Is that really too much to ask?"
At my confident declaration, Ryu Jaehee patted my back lightly, exclaiming, "You're still Eden Hyung!"
It was far more comforting than a hundred empty words.
📝 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