Chapter 122
Chapter 122
Translator: Penny
Chapter 122
"Those jerks on the project team are driving me crazy. If it were just one of them, I'd brush it off—Hey, the world's a big place, there's bound to be someone like that, and they might even end up on my team. But it's not just one or two of them!"
Ryu Jaehee roughly swept his bangs back. The gesture gave me a strange sense of déjà vu. I racked my brain, trying to remember where I'd seen it before, and then it hit me:
That's my habit.
So this is why they say you can't even drink water carelessly in front of kids.
"They have no consideration for others, they only care about making themselves look good, they never practice because they're 'too busy,' and they keep messing up their parts because they're too greedy for lines despite having no talent! And because they're the youngest and least experienced, I can't even call them out on it. It's infuriating!"
Ryu Jaehee's rant continued unabated, oblivious to my growing unease.
Listening to her huff and puff, it sounded like she was filming a horror movie about group projects.
Our project team, composed solely of leaders, was running relatively smoothly, despite some occasional friction as we coordinated our opinions.
Thanks to this, I was gradually learning what it meant to be a leader. I realized that leadership wasn't just about issuing orders and taking charge.
Initially, G1 had divided the parts based on the members' skills rather than their popularity, so no one was dissatisfied with their assigned roles.
However, Ryu Jaehee's project team producer had prioritized group recognition and the size of their agencies when assigning parts.
Still, Jaehee had once mentioned that Reve had received a decent share of parts due to their rising popularity, so I was aware of this fact.
"With the parts assigned so competitively, how could they possibly cooperate? Getting their face on camera even once more became the top priority."
"And why does that Choi Hyeonmin keep subtly picking fights? His smirking while digging under people's skin is so infuriating. I don't even understand why a rapper is so obsessed with vocals."
Come to think of it, Choi Hyeonmin was also on Ryu Jaehee's team.
Since he'd crossed paths with me today, I'd already anticipated him picking a fight with Ryu Jaehee.
Unable to contain his anger, Ryu Jaehee was now pounding his fist into the sofa.
"It's like all the hyungs baby them just because they're the youngest in their teams. Ugh, we should gather them all and make them experience being the youngest member in Reve for a day."
Annoyed by the remark, he raised an eyebrow and asked, "Weren't you spoiled rotten as the youngest member of Reve?"
Ryu Jaehee scoffed in response. "Hyung, put your hand over your heart and think about it. Have your hyungs ever spoiled me?"
Following Ryu Jaehee's words, he placed his hand over his chest and pondered. Isn't this level of doting exactly what it means to be the youngest member?
"I was such a good hyung after all."
"Where did you leave your conscience?"
"Hey, when I was the youngest member of the Underground Crew, I had to do all sorts of menial tasks, you know. Being cursed at was the norm. Even now, when we get together, I'm still treated like the youngest and get bossed around constantly. You should consider yourself lucky."
As I grumbled, Ryu Jaehee shook his head.
"Hyung, you're such a boomer."
"Wow, times have really changed. If I'd said 'boomer' back then, I'd have gotten a smack upside the head. The world's gotten so soft."
Jaehee retorted without missing a beat, "Oh, classic boomer line number 18."
That jerk needs a taste of being the youngest member of the Underground Crew before he starts talking about being the youngest member of Reve. Then he'd realize how pampered he's been.
Detected: Remarks promoting discord among members.
Original Intent Score -1
Isn't Jaehee, who called me a boomer despite my open-mindedness, the one causing the discord? Why is he picking on me?
What's needed now isn't your war stories, but comfort.
Usually, hearing about someone else's grueling experiences makes you think, "Ah, I've had it easy," and that's comforting, right?
Clicking my tongue at this incomprehensible standard of comfort, I lightly patted Ryu Jaehee on the back.
"What's the big deal? Two-month project teams are all like this, you know? Just think of it as you're suffering on behalf of Reve."
"Ugh, now that I think about it, Hyung's been working hard too, and I've just been complaining."
"Huh? I haven't been working particularly hard."
Except for one jerk, everyone else was pretty reasonable. Apart from practicing with the KICKS Leader, there wasn't really anything I'd call "suffering."
I shrugged, and Ryu Jaehee glared at me with a sulky expression.
"But no matter how much I think about it, I don't think I was ever spoiled just for being the youngest member of Reve."
"Hey, ask your teammates at the next practice. Do your team hyungs spoon-feed you and sing you lullabies just because you're the youngest?"
"That's not just being spoiled—that's being treated like a baby! I don't want to be treated like a baby either."
I had tried to treat him better than I had been treated as the youngest, precisely because of my own bitter memories.
As Ryu Jaehee and I were seriously debating what constituted "spoiling," my phone buzzed briefly.
It was a text from Seo Yehyeon.
Though we were on the same team, we rarely texted each other, so I wondered what was up.
Seo Yehyeon:Are you at the dorm? 10:22 PM
Seo Yehyeon:If you're at the dorm, could you come pick me up from the convenience store nearby? 10:23 PM
I thought he was in his room, but apparently not.
The text messages seemed calm enough, but the fact that Seo Yehyeon had specifically asked me to come get him meant the situation was serious.
No need to tell Ryu Jaehee about this.
I ushered Ryu Jaehee, who was still rapping like a machine gun, into his room. He would definitely insist on coming along if he knew.
I put on my mask, grabbed my jacket, and headed out of the dorm. The convenience store was only a five-minute walk away.
"Yehyeon-ah, just take off your mask for a second! Can't you hear me?"
Seeing Seo Yehyeon surrounded by three or four people, unable to move, I quickly grasped the situation.
Sasaengs.
I immediately started recording on my phone and strode toward Yehyeon.
"Yehyeon-ah, did you get starstruck just because you're getting popular? Have you lost your Original Intent?"
Yehyeon's eyes widened when he saw me. I signaled him to stay still, then positioned myself behind the sasaengs. Reaching out, I closed the camera app on the sasaeng's phone, which was actively recording.
"Ah, fuck! Who the hell is this?!"
"If you keep acting like this in the middle of the night, even someone with the best Original Intent Score would lose it."
The sasaeng whipped around, glaring at me, his chest heaving with anger.
"And what's it to you, old man?"
"Wow, 'uncle'? I'm only twenty-one. That stings."
I casually pulled down my mask and retorted indifferently. The sasaeng, finally seeing my face, blinked in surprise.
"Holy shit, Yoon Eden...?"
I didn't reply, taking a step back to avoid any accidental contact.
Thanks to my agency's stubborn refusal to move our dorm before the regression, despite being swarmed by a dozen or more sasaengs at a time, I had become an expert at handling them.
Before the regression, rumors had spread that I absolutely hated sasaengs, which kept them away from me. Seo Yehyeon, however, had suffered quite a bit.
"Let's go, Hyung."
I grabbed Seo Yehyeon's arm and tried to lead him away, but we were blocked again.
When I glared down at them with a serious expression, the sasaengs flinched and slowly retreated.
The sasaengs I could handle on my own weren't the kind that required calling Manager Hyung.
If they still clung to me after seeing my serious expression, that meant they were truly fearless, and then I'd have to call Manager Hyung immediately.
"Ah, fuck, what's his problem? Does he think he's Yehyeon's bodyguard or something?"
I heard the complaint from behind and gave a quick "OK" sign with my thumb and forefinger to acknowledge it.
If you thought I'd abandon Seo Yehyeon out of spite after hearing that, you'd be mistaken.
Fortunately, the sasaengs didn't follow us into the apartment complex.
Still, just in case, I took the stairs instead of the elevator. What a pain in the ass to be doing this in the middle of the night.
From Seo Yehyeon's perspective, I was likely the only member he could call, so I decided to let it slide.
We reached our dorm floor safely, and only then did the usually taciturn Seo Yehyeon finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Now I can't even go to the convenience store without worrying..." he muttered, rubbing his forehead. He clutched the batteries he'd bought from the store in one hand.
"How did they recognize me? I was completely covered with a mask and hat! And I wasn't the only customer there."
"Look in the mirror. Can't you see why?"
I pointed to the mirror by the dorm entrance. Seo Yehyeon glanced at his reflection.
"I really can't tell it's me," he said, sounding genuinely surprised.
At his awkward tone, I shook my head. Even from 300 meters away, it was unmistakably Seo Yehyeon.
"Thanks for helping me out," Seo Yehyeon said awkwardly before entering his room.
"What's the big deal? We're on the same team. Can't even pick you up?" I replied.
Seo Yehyeon chuckled softly and muttered, "You're right. It really feels like we're a team now."
I wanted to ask if he hadn't considered us a team before, but I knew I hadn't either. Instead, I just smiled back, tugging up the corners of my lips.
And then we both forgot again that we shared a room.
Fuck, this is so damn awkward...
The price for creating that unnecessarily warm atmosphere was heavy. The awkward air filling the room was followed by me shoving earbuds into my ears and pulling the blanket over my head.
Ten days until the Special Stage.
Excluding rehearsals, today was the last day Project Team "On Top" would practice together separately.
Since our conversation that day, the KICKS Leader hadn't even made eye contact with me. His intentions were so obvious that everyone else noticed too.
I was doing the same, but unfortunately, our choreography included a shoulder-to-shoulder move—specifically, a part where I draped my arm over his shoulder.
"Did you two have a fight?"
As soon as the song ended, the leader of the four-year-old group asked us.
We'd already had our fight. Now... we both knew we could never go back to how things used to be.
"Mr. Eden, you look so awkward when you're facing Yunseong during your rap part. We can't change the choreography now, so even if you have personal feelings toward each other, please try to hide them on stage."
I scratched my cheek and nodded in response to the sharp criticism.
"Let's try again."
The AR track started playing again.
As I listened to my part, I casually draped my arm over his shoulder. He flinched.
"Do it right. Do it right," I hissed into his ear.
Business is business, personal is personal. If our team loses to Choi Hyeonmin's team because of you, will you take responsibility?
📝 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