Chapter 118
Chapter 118
Translator: Penny
Chapter 118
After the immediate family members finished their bows, followed by the nieces and nephews, the long-awaited congratulatory performances finally began.
I heard they had invited trot and ballad singers that Grandmother particularly liked.
I had already asked the MC to squeeze my performance into the lineup. When he learned I was an idol, he immediately adjusted the schedule, saying, "Wow, that'll look fantastic!"
As soon as the first act finished, the MC announced my name for the next performance. Under the spotlight, I calmly rose to my feet.
"Alright, since we're all here, let's sing a song together before we leave," I said, my 171cm frame sweeping in Ryu Jaehee and Seo Yehyeon as well.
"Why bother? I'm enough on my own."
He chuckled and strode forward, cupping the microphone's head grille in his palm and gripping it lightly.
Ah, ah. After testing the mic a couple of times, he flashed a sly grin at his grandfather.
"It's Grandfather's 80th birthday, so this grandson has to sing another song for you. What's the point of having an a-a-a-rtist grandson if not for this?"
He deliberately emphasized and stretched out the word "artist," causing his grandfather's expression to sour again.
As if challenging him to prove his worth, his grandfather sat with his arms crossed, waiting expectantly. To meet his grandfather's expectations, he connected his phone, dropped a beat, and started rapping.
Hip-hop was perfect for setting the mood—but equally perfect for killing it.
This was especially true in places with a high proportion of elderly people.
It was the first time I had ever spoken aloud the diss track lyrics I had mentally composed whenever the elders of my family criticized me.
Why did I run off such a great stage before the regression?
If I was going to run off anyway, I should have given them a grand middle finger like this first.
The looks of shock on the elders' faces after each verse were priceless. After all, it was a diss track aimed squarely at them. I didn't spare even my cousins who had looked down on me.
Of course, since the 80th Birthday Celebration was for my grandfather, he received the lion's share of the diss.
As the freestyle diss track disguised as a congratulatory song ended, the atmosphere became as solemn as I had hoped. I calmly spoke into the microphone:
"Seriously? No applause after that performance?"
A stage of this quality deserves a performance fee.
Grandmother was already clutching her forehead, while Grandfather glared at me, his face even redder than when I bowed.
Considering the special circumstances—the Original Intent Score and the 80th Birthday Celebration—I'd deliberately avoided any profanity. It felt truly unfair.
"Get out now!"
At the thunderous command, I gave an exaggerated stage bow.
"Yes, then this filial grandchild will start eating first. Everyone, take your time with the cake cutting and join me later."
In the frosty atmosphere, the emcee hurriedly tried to smooth things over. Humming the melody of the next performance, I approached my father, who wore an expression of detached resignation.
"Dad, just three meal tickets for me."
My father sighed deeply and handed me three meal tickets. The deep furrow between his brows told me I wouldn't be able to show my face near the main house for a while.
Looks like I'll be stuck in the dorm with the Maknae Line guys for the entire vacation.
Before I could get caught and scolded, I quickly grabbed Ryu Jaehee and Seo Yehyeon, who were sitting awkwardly at a table, and dragged them out of the banquet hall.
As soon as we stepped outside, Ryu Jaehee, his face finally relaxing, grumbled, "I thought Hyung brought us here to sing a congratulatory song."
"No? I really just brought you here to eat. It's okay to freeload off this family."
"I feel like I'm going to choke..."
"You would have gotten indigestion if you ate inside the banquet hall. But you're out now, right?"
My stomach felt incredibly refreshed, like I'd downed a hundred bottles of soda, finally settling a long-held grudge.
"Seriously, I've seen all sorts of things today... Coming to someone else's 80th birthday celebration just to eat, being called a showman, hearing a diss track about someone else's family..." Seo Yehyeon muttered, his eyes glazed over.
Ignoring his grumbling, I dragged them both to the buffet, handed over our meal tickets, and was led to our assigned room.
After draping our coats over the chairs, we immediately headed for the buffet spread.
"Youngest member, eat plenty. Hyung, don't just stick to the salad."
Ryu Jaehee, his plate piled high with food, turned to Seo Yehyeon, who was picking at olives, and said earnestly, "You're right, Yehyeon Hyung. Dinner here costs 100,000 won per person."
When did he even look that up? At Ryu Jaehee's words, Seo Yehyeon stared down at the greens on his plate with a look that suggested he might actually choke.
"But I've been wondering," Seo Yehyeon asked, chewing thoughtfully on his salmon salad. He seemed genuinely curious. "If we'd filmed and uploaded his congratulatory performance today, would it have gone viral in a positive or negative way?"
Hearing that, I found myself wondering the same thing. Even I had to admit, his performance today had been absolutely electrifying.
"The community post will probably be titled something like 'Legendary Fiery Filial Grandchild Disses Grandfather in Rap at 80th Birthday Celebration ㄷㄷ'."
As expected of Ryu Jaehee, the master of community trends and monitoring, his knack for crafting attention-grabbing titles was truly remarkable.
"But in our Confucian-centric society, even with family issues, being labeled an 'unfilial grandchild' carries a negative stigma. Over time, the details fade, leaving only the label behind."
Ryu Jaehee stabbed a piece of meat with his fork and shrugged.
"So, while it'll generate buzz initially, it's not a good thing in the long run—that's what I mean."
Ryu Jaehee quickly finished his plate and left to refill it. Seo Yehyeon also got up to grab some drinks.
While I was eating alone in the room, a familiar face peeked in from outside and then darted inside.
"Oppa, I've been looking for you everywhere!"
"You're here?"
It was Yoon Jeonga, my cousin, three years younger than me. We'd bonded over our shared lack of academic talent, forming a united front against this messed-up family.
Ever since I'd embraced my hip-hop soul, I'd been mentally spitting freestyle diss raps at the elders, no matter what they said. But Yoon Jeonga, with her fragile spirit, could never shake off their words.
As a result, I became her personal tank, and she clung to me more than any other cousin.
In my last memory, she had already graduated from university. Seeing her back as a high school student now, I truly felt how long seven years had been.
It feels like just yesterday I sent her a million won as a graduation gift.
Whether I was lost in nostalgia or not, Yoon Jeonga plopped down next to me and demanded, "Yeonho Oppa, can I get your autograph?"
Ah, right. This girl was an Altair fan.
I'd heard this request before, back before the regression.
Back then, I'd retorted, "Your precious Yeonho Oppa only associates with people he deems worthy. He wouldn't waste his time on some flop idol group from a dirt-poor agency." That earned me a shout of "Our Yeonho Oppa isn't like that!" and a punch.
Considering her cousin was me, not Cha Yeonho, her reaction was truly ironic.
Hey, Cha Yeonho never even distracted your mom when she was nagging you about your middle school grades by flaunting his mock exam scores, did he?
Of course, she eventually stopped being a fan and switched to other idols I was producing. I even got signed albums for her from them.
"Did you get the autograph? And their activities overlap is over, so we won't be seeing them for a while."
I crossed my arms and replied firmly, but Yoon Jeonga didn't give up, persistently suggesting alternatives.
If she studied this hard, she could have gotten the grades Grandfather wanted.
"Oppa, you're close to Yeonho Oppa, right? Could we maybe video call him from here?"
As if that would work. I'm not close to him at all.
Why did that bastard have to go around blabbing on social media that we're "close"? We're just senior-junior acquaintances, for fuck's sake! Now he's making my life so damn annoying.
Furious, I mentally unleashed a torrent of curses on Cha Yeonho before calming down. Well, how could he possibly know my cousin is a fan?
I wanted to tell her the truth—that we weren't close—but I knew that would only spread and cause more trouble. Instead of offering a lengthy explanation, I simply changed the contact name on my second phone to "Cha Yeonho" and called the number.
Of course, no one answered the second phone, which was safely tucked away in my desk drawer at the dorm.
"See? He's not answering."
"My Oppa's group is super famous, so they must be really busy..."
"You're not seriously targeting this Hyung who's just here for his grandfather's 80th birthday celebration, are you?"
"No, there are still plenty of fans of Oppa's Group at our school. During lunch, they play song requests, and your group's new song gets played at least once a week."
"You didn't request it, did you?"
"What are you talking about? Why would I request your group's song when I could request Altair's? I streamed so hard this time to make sure they didn't get pushed to number two again!"
I smirked and lightly poked Yoon Jeonga's head with my fingertip.
"You ungrateful little brat! You don't even appreciate my kindness and you're helping push my song down the charts? Huh?!"
"Aaaah! A celebrity is attacking a civilian!"
I didn't even use a tenth of the force I'd use on Ryu Jaehee or Kim Dobin, just because she's a girl. What a drama queen.
As I pulled my hand away from her head, Yoon Jeonga rummaged through her bag and pulled out Reve's first full-length album and a pen, handing them to me.
"Oh, right! My friend is a huge Reve fan. Can you sign this for her, Oppa?"
"What's her name?" I asked, uncapping the pen.
"Kim Seoyeon," Yoon Jeonga replied immediately. "But just so you know, her ultimate bias isn't you. It's that super handsome guy in your group—you know, the one with the killer visuals."
"Oh, so..."
I gestured with my chin toward Seo Yehyeon, who was approaching with a bowl filled with crab legs and salad. "You're saying that guy is your friend's ultimate bias?"
Yoon Jeonga followed my gesture with her eyes and froze stiffly when she saw Seo Yehyeon's face, now that he had just removed his mask.
Seo Yehyeon, looking flustered, glanced back and forth between me and Yoon Jeonga. I handed him the album and a pen, saying, "Hyung, her friend's a big fan of yours. Could you sign it? Oh, and she's my cousin."
Seo Yehyeon bowed slightly in greeting and signed the album, meticulously adding a personalized message. Ryu Jaehee, standing beside him, also took the album and pen, signing it with a lengthy message.
"Um, could I get an autograph too...?" Yoon Jeonga shyly offered her notebook. I'd never seen her act like this before in my life—it was almost creepy.
Seo Yehyeon smiled and readily signed the autograph.
"Can I take a photo with you too...?"
Yoon Jeonga, having secured a selfie with Seo Yehyeon, nudged my side and whispered, "Oppa, do you have any fan club kits left? You can keep your photo."
"Keep that up, and I might just fill it with nothing but my pictures."
As Yoon Jeonga carried her plate out, Ryu Jaehee turned to Seo Yehyeon, marveling, "Wow, you're truly Reve's 'entrance fairy'! You've successfully recruited another fan."
📝 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