Chapter 128
Chapter 128
Translator: Penny
Chapter 128
"The Yunseong-Eden team popped a staggering 26 balloons! Yunseong-Eden team wins!"
No one could match my balloon-popping frenzy, as if I'd been possessed by a hydraulic press. Of course, we were the last team to go.
We received our Hanwoo beef prize and proudly held up the gift set for the camera, our faces beaming with triumph.
"Alright, let's hear a word for the members waiting back at the dorm!"
"Guys, your Leader's bringing home the Hanwoo!"
"Somehow, we ended up with Hanwoo... yeah..."
I clicked my tongue inwardly at Kwon Yunseong, who was still dazed and rambling incoherently.
KICKS, you should be thanking me, not your Leader, while you feast on this Hanwoo. I'm the one who did all the work.
After the balloons were cleared from the floor, we sat back down and resumed the discussion.
Seo Yehyeon bet his rap skills that if the story of my fight with Kwon Yunseong were revealed, it would easily garner over 5 million views when uploaded as a YouTube clip later.
Fortunately, no one on the project team was foolish enough to divulge such personal details here.
"So Eden is the youngest member here."
"Mr. Eden, did you know that at Idol Showcase, the youngest member has to go through a special rite of passage?"
"Ah, don't tell me..."
Though he already knew about it and had come fully prepared, Eden trailed off, wearing a look of having been caught off guard.
"They say the unexpected can really get you."
"Alright, let's see some aegyo! Time for our youngest member to show off his cuteness!"
"The Gwiyomi Song is trending these days, Mr. Eden. Do you know it?"
"Yes, I do."
He nodded with a resigned expression. Of all the things I'd do in my life, I never thought I'd end up doing the Gwiyomi Song. Since my regression, I've really experienced all sorts of things.
"Then let's start the music!"
1 plus 1 is Gwiyomi!
The song began to play in a cute, high-pitched voice. He poked his cheeks with his fingers in time with the music.
He desperately hid his expression, which kept threatening to slip into a state of enlightenment, beneath a forced smile, mindlessly continuing the motions.
I could ignore Sion and Kanghan clutching their sides with laughter, but Kwon Yunseong's desperate attempts to suppress his own amusement, his body trembling intermittently, hit me with a crushing wave of reality.
The "3 plus 3" section was the worst. That cursed part emphasized the "Gwiyomi" phrase twice, making it unbearable.
During the "5 plus 5" section, I made a finger heart and took a deep breath, bracing myself for the most challenging move that was about to come.
"-6 plus 6 is!"
I pressed my fingers to my lips one by one, matching the creepy kissing sounds.
"-Gwiyomi, I'm Gwiyomi!"
After finishing the final pose, I bowed my head. That one minute felt like an eternity.
From the game where I had to make close contact with Kwon Yunseong to the Gwiyomi Song, my sanity was being relentlessly stripped bare and beaten down in real-time.
"Wow, Eden's so affectionate! That's quite the contrast to his fierce image!"
"That was the fiercest yet cutest Gwiyomi Song I've ever seen. Are you the most affectionate member in Reve too?"
"No, our youngest member is much more affectionate than me."
"Ah, so you're affectionate, but the youngest member is even more so?"
"No, I'm a strict, textbook-style leader. There's no room for affection in the team."
Eden waved his hands frantically, and MC 2 nodded in understanding.
"A strict leader type, then. Now, let's hear from the others about what kind of leaders they are in their teams, one by one."
The transition was as smooth as flowing water. Kwon Yunseong, the next to be called on, hesitated for a moment before answering.
"I'm a moderately comfortable leader?"
"I'm a mother-like leader. All the members agree."
After Kanghan finished speaking, Sion confidently declared, "I'm a respected, charismatic leader!"
"You can't just claim whatever leadership style you want when the members aren't here, Mr. Sion."
"Actually, the younger members of Syndrome seemed more mature. Wasn't Sion the one who needed looking after?"
It seemed this group had appeared on Idol Showcase before, as the MCs pounced on Sion as if they'd been waiting for this moment.
"I'm a charismatic leader," he insisted, stubbornly sticking to his claim despite the grilling.
"I'm a very authoritarian leader—"
Before Junhyeok, the last speaker, could even finish his sentence, MC 1 cut him off with a smug expression, as if he'd just landed another gotcha moment.
"Hold on, hold on, hold on! Junhyeok, you saw firsthand how the Revolution members treat their leader! I witnessed the Leader-bashing myself!"
"For someone nicknamed 'Pathetic Leader' to call others authoritarian... hmm..."
Leader-bashing? Pathetic Leader? This was insubordination beyond imagination in Reve.
The final segment was the Random Play Dance. It was time for Junhyeok's special training with Kim Dobin to shine.
"On Top only has one active song, right? So we've added each group's representative tracks to the Random Play Dance playlist."
"If you're a real team, you should know your members' group choreographies."
"If you complete all the moves without a single mistake and finish the entire song, you'll receive an enormous prize!"
Kid, thanks for making sure I don't get roasted!
Since the Music Daejeon had just ended and I'd practiced the choreography with Kim Dobin a few times, I was able to perform Come to My Universe flawlessly and naturally.
Because we were all together, coordinating our formations was also manageable.
As the highlight section of Come to My Universe ended, we transitioned into KICKS' Time's Up.
It seemed everyone had practiced as much as I had, because even though the moves weren't perfectly synchronized like a military drill, they were remarkably precise.
Next up was Intro-Gene's Come to Me. Since this was Intro-Gene's only major hit, predicting their representative song wasn't difficult. The choreography wasn't particularly challenging either, so everyone danced with relaxed smiles.
Even though we couldn't quite synchronize our formations, the movements were so precisely timed that it almost looked like a proper group dance.
Next up was Syndrome's "Let's Party." During the chorus, there was a circular formation, and Sion confidently stepped into the center to perform a solo dance.
Of course, this was part of the original choreography, so his solo act wasn't out of place.
The Revolution's signature song we hadn't chosen was "One Chance." The choreography was quite intense, and the relaxed smiles that had been on our faces during Syndrome's song vanished as we focused intently.
Finally, Reve's "Come to My Universe" came on. Sion reflexively glanced at me, his expression one of dismay. It seemed he had been practicing "Come to Me" instead.
Sion, nervously watching Junhyeok's movements, stumbled and ultimately made a mistake.
Beep! The whistle signaled the failure of the Random Play Dance challenge.
"Ah, what a shame! Right at the very end!"
"We were so close! Why at the last moment?!"
The MCs lamented the failure even more. Kanghan gripped Sion's shoulder and shook him, as if he were a tragic heroine collapsing to the floor.
"Hyung, why did you do that?!"
"I thought 'Come to My Universe' was next..." Sion muttered blankly. Junhyeok showed no sign of regret, and Kwon Yunseong, unwilling to look in that direction, was best left unmentioned.
"Wait! I object!"
Sion, who had been stuck as the "criminal" in the Random Play Dance, suddenly shot his hand up and stood up.
"What's the criteria for a group's representative song?"
"The most well-known song. The one that immediately comes to mind when you hear the group's name."
Despite MC 2's explanation, Sion shook his head firmly, his arms crossed.
"No, I agree that Let's Party comes to mind when you think of Syndrome. But I can't accept that Come to My Universe is Reve's representative song. It's only because it's their most recent release. To me, Reve is One Chance. Everyone agrees, right?"
At Sion's signal, Kanghan and Kwon Yunseong vehemently nodded in agreement. However, Junhyeok, who was standing beside them with his arms crossed, seemed to have a different opinion.
"I think it's 'Come to My Universe'," I said. "The music video is more intense, making it more memorable."
"Ah, the opinions are split! This won't be accepted!"
MC 2, delighted by the conflicting views, slapped his knee and laughed. MC 1 approached me, who hadn't yet voiced my opinion.
"Then let's ask the person involved! Eden, what do you think is Reve's signature song? 'Come to My Universe' or 'One Chance'? One, two!"
"Come to My Universe," I answered without hesitation.
"Aaaah, Eden, why?!" Sion wailed, clutching his head. Beside him, Kanghan buried his forehead in Sion's shoulder, groaning, "Ugh..."
"It's a song that holds deep personal meaning for me," I explained. "I couldn't bring myself to deny it."
This song was born from overcoming a slump, and it had surpassed Come to My Universe in the charts, a song that had been a tremendous burden. So, even if it was just lip service, I couldn't say it didn't deserve the praise.
In the end, the prize money slipped through our fingers. But Sion's mistake was far greater than my stubbornness, so I didn't feel too disappointed.
It was time for the broadcast to wrap up.
"This was truly enjoyable. It's not often you get the chance to reunite with a team that was only temporarily formed."
And playing a balloon-popping game with a friend you've cut ties with isn't exactly an everyday experience either, I thought, swallowing my true feelings as I gave my closing remarks.
"We're deeply grateful to the Idol Showcase team for giving us this wonderful opportunity to reunite. Next time, I'll return as Syndrome's Sion!"
"Sion's subtly making plans, isn't he?"
After the broadcast concluded, the On Top members exchanged greetings with the MCs and staff before turning to each other.
"I was worried, but we pulled it off," Kanghan said, patting my back with a sigh of relief while glancing repeatedly at Kwon Yunseong.
After a brief moment of eye contact with Kwon Yunseong, I turned away and left the room first.
Even before the regression, I'd felt that severing human relationships left a bitter taste in the mouth, even for the one doing the cutting.
"I got Hanwoo!"
I returned to the dorm triumphantly, carrying the premium Korean beef. Kim Dobin and Ryu Jaehee were the first to rush out of their rooms at the mention of Hanwoo.
"Wow, real Hanwoo!"
"Yehyeon Hyung! Can we eat the Hanwoo?"
"Hey, I'm the one who brought it. Why are you asking Yehyeon Hyung for permission?"
"Well, it's past 6 PM now, isn't it?"
Seo Yehyeon emerged from his room, glanced at the Hanwoo gift set in my hand and my smug expression, sighed, and waved his hand dismissively.
"Fine, let's eat it."
Soon, newspaper was spread across the living room table, and a portable stove was set up. The aroma of grilling beef and the smoke filled the room.
Ryu Jaehee, who was diligently grilling the meat, asked me as I eagerly devoured the beef:
"How did you even get this?"
"I won it in a balloon-popping game. Man, I had to hug Kwon Yunseong, that KICKS Leader jerk, like a dozen times to get this."
No sooner had I finished speaking than Gyeon Hajun let out a short sigh and put down his chopsticks.
📝 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