Chapter 12
Chapter 12
Translator: Penny
Chapter 12
Our only chance is right now, one chance.
"Okay, break time!"
As the final lyrics faded, my shout prompted the members to collapse onto the practice room floor. Drenched in sweat, they frantically gulped down water from their bottles.
"Wow... it's... it's actually working..."
Seo Yehyeon, sprawled out in a starfish pose, repeated the words in a daze. Thanks to intensive dance tutoring from me and Kim Dobin, he had finally managed to execute the choreography without awkwardness after a week of relentless practice.
While it was still a stretch to call him a good dancer, he was a vast improvement from the stiff, out-of-sync mess he'd been when we first rehearsed the formation.
If someone already stands out with their looks, what's the point of making their dancing stand out too?
I was worried Seo Yehyeon wouldn't be able to keep up with the intense choreography I'd packed into the routine. But as they say, hard work never betrays you. By pushing her as relentlessly as the choreography demanded, she actually managed to pull it off.
The only problem was that refining and refining my words to soften the blow nearly made my head explode.
Despite my desperate efforts, Seo Yehyeon, who had achieved the double whammy of a glass-fragile mentality and a glass-fragile heart, still ended up wounded by my words. As a result, she extorted 500,000 won from me over the course of a week.
Kim Dobin, who was wiping sweat from his hair with a towel beside me, muttered something that sounded like both admiration and lament.
"It's actually possible to prepare for activities in just a week... though it probably shaved about ten years off my lifespan..."
"You're one to talk, you only choreographed the dance! And even then, every member except one pitched in to help, you idiot."
Seo Yehyeon, who had been lying on the couch, lifted his head at my jab.
"I think someone's taking potshots at me right now."
"Can't you just let this slide? It's the truth, after all."
While Gyeon Hajun swiftly moved to separate Seo Yehyeon and me—who looked ready for another round—Kim Dobin, who had been watching me with a peculiar look, casually asked, "Thanks to you, I collapse as soon as I get back to the dorm, too exhausted to move. But you still have the energy to go out. Wait, where are you even going?"
Does he think I'm going out because I'm bursting with energy? It's all a matter of mental fortitude.
But I couldn't be bothered to explain in detail, so I curtly replied, "I'm working on what's most crucial for our team's future. Why do you ask?"
I was currently fine-tuning our next song, the most critical task at hand.
The music track suddenly appeared, but upon listening to it, I noticed awkward parts here and there. It was a song I'd written early in my career as a composer, and my standards had risen since then.
It wasn't that the song was bad, but it just didn't meet my current expectations.
The other tracks for the album needed revisions too, but I still had two weeks left.
Thanks to the Random Ticket the System had given me, I could practice the follow-up song without pushing myself too hard. If I hadn't had that song, I might have collapsed from working through the night.
And all because of someone who made me cough up blood. Wait a minute... this System bastard just gave me the disease and the cure, didn't he?
[Hemoptysis is a penalty that does not harm your physical health!]
Now it's even adding exclamation points to the end of its sentences?
As I was mentally sparring with the System, Kim Dobin hesitantly asked,
"Is it important?"
"Yeah, it's so hard to please people, ugh."
I can't even count how many times I had to butter up Sangeol Hyung, who would later become a hit song machine, just to get his opinion. I even bought him meals.
It's ironic how someone who used to dismiss idol songs as fake music and claim they were beneath his interest ended up becoming an idol song producer four years later. That's just how unpredictable life can be.
Anyway, getting fleeced here, getting fleeced there... Poor wallet.
Kim Dobin's face suddenly crumpled into a pout before he turned away abruptly, his lips pressed into a tight line.
So, you finally understand the struggles of a young breadwinner like me, huh? I don't ask for much—just listen to me.
A quick glance at my watch showed that ten minutes had flown by. I stood up, clapped my hands sharply, and shouted:
"Break's over! Let's run through the choreography twice more and then head back to the dorm!"
REVEofficial @LnLreve
[Eden's Dream]
Finally starting promotions for "One Chance" today! ^^
See you at 6 PM, Daydream!
#Reve #레브 #Eden #Daydream #OneChance #원찬스 #W카운트다운
(Image)
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꿈♥백일몽 @revedream
Replying to @LnL_reve
OMG, a follow-up track, "One Chance"!
Jnl finally came to their senses, it seems.
꿈♥백일몽 @revedream
Wait, they didn't even release the schedule in advance? Those bastards still haven't learned their lesson!
뵤uj @hamzziUJ
Replying to @LnL_reve
Finally! ㅋㅋ
Eden, you must have hated having to sing "Come to My Universe" too, huh? ㅋㅋ
Whose Dog @whosdog
Honestly, I bet he hated the stage outfits from the start. That sponge lab coat jumpsuit was seriously over the top.
뵤uj @hamzziUJ
Replying to @whosdog
Ah, shit. Thinking about "My Universe" suddenly makes me super worried about the hair, makeup, and styling.
I'd even be grateful for just a white shirt and black slacks combo. Please, just keep it simple!
As soon as the official SNS account subtly hinted at follow-up promotions, mentions flooded in immediately.
They haven't even posted the schedule yet...?
Damn it, agency! What do you even do besides rip us off?
Remembering how they only started getting their act together after three email and fax campaigns from fans before my regression, I guess it's time to organize another fax campaign soon.
Today, Reve was broadcasting live without pre-recording.
The groups gathered in the joint waiting room were all either rookie groups or those with low public recognition.
After about a week's break, I noticed some faces I hadn't seen last week.
Still, today's schedule was a bit better since we weren't stuck in partitioned makeshift waiting areas.
Some groups were mingling and socializing, while others kept strictly to themselves, as if deliberately avoiding interaction.
If we had to categorize ourselves, we'd fall into the latter group.
"I'm so glad to be out of that damn jumpsuit..." Ryu Jaehee murmured, gazing down at his stage outfit with teary-eyed relief. The stylist scolded him, warning him not to cry and ruin his makeup.
Our stage outfits were sleek, black suits—the kind jokingly referred to as "funeral attire."
It was obvious they hadn't wanted to spend much on stage outfits and had chosen the most basic ones. But after enduring that horrific white jumpsuit, this was a welcome improvement.
Since earlier, we'd been feeling a prickly gaze stabbing into us.
As our eyes met, a blatant backhanded compliment, delivered as if meant to be overheard, rang out:
"Fucking jealous. One lucky song and they get pushed back in the lineup. Shit, life's all about luck, man."
"Could it be... a sponsor?"
At the word "sponsor," Kim Dobin flinched more noticeably than Seo Yehyeon.
Why is he so startled? Did the company actually suggest a sponsor to him? Even our hopeless CEO wouldn't stoop to that, would he?
I resolved to have a serious talk with Kim Dobin later, then cross-checked the group names on our name tags with the music show's lineup.
The order showed we were at the very front.
Until two weeks ago, we had always been first. It seemed our slot had been pushed back, allowing that group to take the lead.
Who were they again?
If I didn't recognize them, they must have been just another flop idol group that eventually disbanded before my regression.
Well, that was common in this industry. Our viral success through fancams was just dumb luck.
Anyway, I left the Underground tired of the power struggles and backstabbing, but it's no different here.
Before my regression, we only started facing rivalry and harassment in our third year after finally gaining some traction. Now, less than a month after our debut, we're already dealing with this nonsense. It's surreal.
Back then, we were just a guaranteed flop group, so no one even bothered to acknowledge us, let alone pick fights. This harassment is actually a good sign—a clear indication that we're escaping flop status.
But omens were omens, and feeling disgusted was feeling disgusted.
Silently, I stood up and approached the sofa where the guys were sitting.
Wow, that bastard actually came over, they snickered among themselves. I smirked crookedly.
"Jealous?"
Before they could answer, my foot slammed down right next to the face of the guy who had been bragging about being jealous.
The chatter stopped instantly. All eyes turned toward me.
The guy who had been talking glanced sideways at my leg, which was inches from his face, then stiffened and looked up at me.
"Hey! Yoon Eden!"
The other members rushed toward me, but I ignored them, leaning in close to the guy's face and sneering.
"If you're so jealous, why don't you write your own songs, engage with your fans, and promote yourselves properly? Isn't wasting your time seething like this just pathetic?"
A hand tugged me back, and I willingly lowered my legs and stepped away. Facing that jerk up close had been a chore in itself.
"You got lucky with a mediocre song and now you're bragging about writing your own music? Fucking bullshit."
I returned his sneer with a mocking laugh, watching him stiffen his neck in a pathetic attempt to salvage his pride.
"Oh, really? Let's hear how great your songs are then."
I ostentatiously pulled out my phone, searched for his group's music, and hit play.
A crude, heavily autotuned track blared from the speaker. It was just as awful as "Come to My Universe."
Well, at least we didn't slather our song in autotune. That makes us better, right?
I scowled as soon as the one-minute preview ended.
"You guys need to ditch the autotune first. It's unlistenable. With skills like this, you could get a song from a top-tier composer and still flop. Wake up and smell the reality."
The entire group's faces froze at my sarcastic remark, but I couldn't care less.
If you didn't want to hear this, you should have shut up that member who was spewing shit from his mouth earlier.
I whipped my head around and shifted my focus to the guy next to him who had been spouting nonsense about sponsors.
"And you, you fucking idiot, are you going on about sponsors so much because you want one but don't have the face for it?"
"What?"
"If you want a sponsor, why don't you fix that ambiguous face of yours first? Sponsors have eyes too, you know. Who'd even want to drink with you, you loser?"
[Profanity detected.]
[Original Intent Score -2]
As my Original Intent Score decreased, a sharp pain pierced through me, gradually cooling my feverish head.
Reviewing the words I had spat out, I felt a sense of relief.
Phew, at least I didn't say anything too harsh.
I scoffed at the sight of him trembling, his fists clenched tightly on his knees, clearly lacking the courage to even grab my collar.
"Kennish, get ready!"
At the staff's call, the group rose in unison and left the waiting room without a backward glance.
Returning to the sofa assigned to Reve, I plopped down. Gyeon Hajun, his face creased in a frown, chided me.
"You couldn't hold back a little?"
A quick search revealed that Kennish had debuted exactly one week before us. Their agency was just as obscure as ours.
Even though rumors spread like wildfire in the entertainment industry, a feud between two newly debuted rookie groups wasn't exactly headline material.
Especially not for mid-sized flop idol groups, far from being the next big thing from a major agency.
Besides, they started the fight, so we had nothing to lose.
If we gained some traction and they tried to stir things up online, a simple clarification from us would turn the tables on them. At least I kept my side of the line.
Leaning back against the sofa, I chuckled.
"You're telling me to hold back after hearing that crap? For a fight this small? You've got some nerve, Jun."
"You're really..."
Gyeon Hajun's mouth twitched as if he wanted to say something, but he eventually gave up with a sigh.
What? Did I do something wrong again? I took the lead to protect our group as the leader, and this is the reaction I get?
Ugh, this is my life, seriously.
📝 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