Chapter 124
Chapter 124
Translator: Penny
Chapter 124
Annoying carols blaring from every street corner
I'm the only solo amidst all the couples
Just flipping through TV channels, home alone
Eden's rap kicked off the first verse.
- As expected, Yoon Eden is the top Korean rapper
- He tore it up from the intro!
The members gathered around Eden, arranging themselves into formation.
Among the aligned members, Kanghan stepped forward, delivering his part.
Flipping through my phonebook
Calling random numbers
Everyone's busy, stumbling
Diving back into bed
Before turning away, he winked lightly at the camera.
- Our adorable leader ㅋㅋ
- Kanghan, wink again!
Sion seamlessly took over, raising his non-mic hand and waving it up and down.
I don't need pity
Spare me your empty sympathy
The soaring high note was flawlessly executed.
- Sion's high notes are insane! ㅠㅠ
- Our main vocalist is still the best, even here!
Solo Solo Bell
Solo Solo Bell
A Merry Solo Christmas
I'm spending alone
As the first chorus ended, it was Eden's turn again.
Rapping his verse, Eden strode across the stage toward Yunseong and casually draped an arm over his shoulder.
The two exchanged grins, locking eyes.
Yunseong continued his part with Eden's arm still slung over his shoulder, his high notes as crisp and clean as Sion's vocals.
- Wow, Yunseong and Eden have great chemistry!
- So they really are close!
- I'm rooting for this duo!
After the highlight of Sion and Yunseong's high-note showdown, the second chorus returned.
The members of On Top executed their synchronized choreography with sharp precision. The song was rapidly approaching its conclusion.
You and I, a Solo Christmas
As the final bars rang out, the members struck a concept-appropriate ending pose, then smiled at the camera and waved.
It was a flawless performance.
I casually draped my arm over Kwon Yunseong's shoulder and smiled at him.
It was more of a performance for the cameras than a genuine smile.
Once, I had firmly believed we would stand on the same stage, sharing the same view. If I hadn't left Newborn, we might have performed together.
Now, it was just a pointless hypothetical.
His eyes flickered slightly. Without hesitation, I withdrew my arm and resumed my position.
The stage performance concluded flawlessly, exactly as rehearsed.
After the performance, we returned to the waiting room for final commemorative photos and interviews. Once the staff had cleared out, we could finally exchange proper farewells.
"Good work, everyone!"
"You've all worked so hard for the past month."
The moment the cameras started rolling, we acted like the best of friends. In reality, we'd only met occasionally for practice over the past month, and a lingering awkwardness still hung in the air.
Everyone was incredibly skilled at putting on a warm, friendly act for the cameras, and after eight years of idol life, I knew how to play along perfectly.
Why risk damaging our public image in a project aimed at boosting our recognition?
Besides, these guys weren't like KICKS or Altair.
To end this damned endless regression, we had to become A-list stars. It was an unavoidable choice.
[Ryu Jaehee - Wow, I didn't recognize Hyung in the making-of video! ㄷㄷ]
[Ryu Jaehee - Yehyeon Hyung kept rubbing his eyes while watching the video and got scolded by the stylist unnie, lol. He thought something was wrong with his eyes! ㅋㅋㅋ]
I chuckled at the text from Ryu Jaehee. If I acted in front of the camera the way I do with you guys, I'd obviously regress.
I could feel Kwon Yunseong's gaze on me, but I casually ignored it. Just as I finished my greetings and turned to leave the waiting room, a furious shout erupted from behind me.
"Hey, Yoon Eden, you fucking bastard!"
The curse after my name made me freeze. Before I could react, a hand grabbed my collar and roughly spun me around.
Being subjected to a barrage of insults and having my collar grabbed, I calmly checked my Original Intent Score.
Original Intent Score: 91
Thanks to my recent diligent efforts, a score of 91 was well within the safe zone.
Still, I envy him. He can just freely hurl insults like that.
I sighed and immediately grabbed Kwon Yunseong's collar in return. His rough tug on my collar choked me, and he coughed hoarsely.
Forbidden action detected.
Original Intent Score -1
Cut it the fuck out.
We were in the waiting room anyway, so there was no need to worry about anyone seeing us besides the Project team members.
Besides, it would only become a scandal if I grabbed Altair Cha Yeonho or a ten-year senior by the collar and started a fight. Fighting KICKS like this wouldn't even make headlines.
The only result would be rumors about the bad blood between us, and our respective fanbases turning against each other.
The four-year group leader clicked his tongue and glared at us. Sion (real name Lee Chaemin) and Kanghan rushed over to pull Kwon Yunseong and me apart.
Kwon Yunseong, panting and glaring at me, spoke in a voice that kept breaking.
"Weren't I... weren't I your friend? Fucking hell, is Gyeon Hajun the only friend you have? You made the rest of us look like utter trash, then ran off playing the loyal hero! Did that make you feel good?"
Tears streamed down the jerk's cheeks.
His face overlapped with the one from before the regression. The one who had answered my furious question—"Why did you do that?"—with a short, mocking laugh: "Well, why did you leave?"
The only difference between then and now was whether Reve had been buried or had risen.
I let out a short, bitter laugh and roughly swept my bangs back.
"Hey, did I call you guys trash when I left? Why are you projecting your guilt onto me and acting like this, huh?"
As I spat out the sarcasm, the person holding me tightened their grip.
"If you felt so trashy for staying with Newborn, why didn't you apologize to Gyeon Hajun when you saw him later? What makes you so great that you can talk shit behind his back and then act like the victim?"
[Profanity detected.]
[Original Intent Score -2]
To my surprise, the System had combined the profanities I'd spat out in two separate instances into a single deduction. It seemed that after the update, it had gained at least a sliver of flexibility.
Or maybe it secretly hated those KICKS jerks too.
The fourth-year group leader shook his head at our continued standoff.
"Aigoo, so young, so young."
Hearing someone call me "young" at twenty-six felt... off. Even though I'd already turned twenty-seven before returning.
"Since you've already answered the second part of the sentence, why not answer the first part too? It seems like the speaker's real point was in the first part."
After speaking calmly to me, the fourth-year group leader turned his gaze to Kwon Yunseong and added,
"And one piece of advice: when you're apologizing, don't let your pride get in the way."
With a sigh, he straightened up.
"Well, I should go get ready for the stage now."
"Ah, me too. Everyone, good luck!"
Sion quietly slipped his hand from mine and followed the fourth-year group leader out of the waiting room.
Kanghan, who remained behind, glanced nervously between us before cautiously speaking up.
"Should I stay in case you need a mediator? Our team has already finished our performance..."
"It's fine," I replied firmly.
Kanghan hesitated, then left the waiting room. He seemed genuinely worried about leaving us alone, glancing back every two steps as he walked away.
The waiting room door closed firmly, leaving us truly alone. I slowly opened my mouth.
"Weren't you my friend?" Kwon Yunseong muttered, repeating the first sentence he had blurted out earlier as if emptying his heart. Suddenly, he craved a cigarette, something he had quit long ago.
"Yeah, we were friends," he said, the words now tinged with the past tense.
"Even if you hadn't left Newborn, I never would have cut ties with you. Back then, loyalty just meant more to me, while a stable future meant more to you."
The chaotic state of Newborn, where unqualified people were parachuted into positions of power, had also played a part. But regardless...
"You asked me why we ended up like this, didn't you?"
Kwon Yunseong's question, posed behind the Newborn building.
My answer remained the same, then and now.
"It's simple, Seong-a. You betrayed my trust first. That's the only reason."
It had been so long since I'd used that term of endearment. To emphasize that we could never return to our past friendship, I deliberately called him by the name we used when we were close. Tears welled up in Kwon Yunseong's eyes again.
"And you guys are the type to gossip behind people's backs even without feeling guilty. Don't try to justify it with that bullshit."
I knew Choi Hyeonmin well from before the regression—he was a notorious gossip. What kind of sleight of hand was this? I even heard things from Parachute.
And even if you didn't feel guilty about me or Gyeon Hajun, did you really have nothing to feel guilty about toward the rest of our members?
Kwon Yunseong, his head bowed low, muttered, "...Tell Gyeon Hajun I'm sorry."
"If you had any decency, you'd naturally feel sorry. Gossiping about someone who was unjustly kicked out? That's crossing the line."
At my sarcastic remark, Kwon Yunseong snapped his head up. He straightened his posture, his tear-streaked eyes meeting mine directly.
"I'm not sorry to you, you bastard. Cherish that fucking friendship you threw your future away for, for the rest of your life. And don't you dare break up with Gyeon Hajun after all that drama."
Tears streamed down Kwon Yunseong's face as he smiled through his scrunched-up eyes.
"Yeah, thanks for the blessing," he retorted with a snort. Not like we haven't already broken up once in that timeline that's now gone.
Yunseong still seemed to have more to say, pouring out his remaining words.
"Don't fail at that Dirt-Poor Agency, and don't you dare come back with another song like that shitty debut track of yours. I'm only saying this now, but you looked like a fucking joke. You shouldn't be doing that. Make sure no one ever asks if you threw everything away just to sing that kind of garbage, you fucking idiot."
"Ugh, who the hell sings that kind of song because they want to?"
I snarled, raking my fingers through my hair in frustration.
I stood up and tossed a tissue from the table next to Kwon Yunseong.
"Wipe off your smudged makeup and leave when you're done crying."
With those words, I cleanly shed the last remnants of lingering emotions and regret, turning away with a sense of relief. It had taken far too long to hear this answer.
"Live well, you fucking bastard."
Without turning around, I flipped him the middle finger and replied with a hollow laugh, "Fuck you too, you piece of shit. Still cursing till the end."
Vulgar language detected.
Original Intent Score -2
Prohibited action detected.
Original Intent Score -1
Yeah, deduct away. It's still in the 80s anyway.
📝 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