Chapter 146
Chapter 146
Translator: Penny
Chapter 146
Last week!
The team, led by next-generation Ace Eden, secured victory in the assault-style Trench Fighting competition.
A highlight reel flashed across the screen, showing Yoon Eden, his red headband tightly secured, pushing through the opposing team to seize their trench flag.
"You should have just cut your hair," Ryu Jaehee remarked, clicking his tongue at Yoon Eden's awkward sports-cut wig.
Gyeon Hajun countered casually, "Then the length would have been too awkward. At least with the wig, his hair ended up at the perfect length for styling."
"Ah, I guess so," Ryu Jaehee nodded in agreement.
Yoon Eden growled, "Haircut or not, are you guys going to untie me?"
Ryu Jaehee had wrapped a pink blanket around Yoon Eden's upper body, purchased for the recording studio's "Everyone Be Happy Project" Pink Therapy, to restrict his movements.
The "Bell the Cat" Project—a task as daunting as trying to bell a cat—to wrap Leader Yoon Eden in a blanket was successfully completed thanks to the participation of all Reve members except the target himself, Yoon Eden, and especially Gyeon Hajun's active cooperation.
"But Hyung keeps trying to grab the remote," Ryu Jaehee retorted, clutching the remote tightly from the far end of the sofa, away from Yoon Eden.
With his hands bound tightly to his torso, Yoon Eden couldn't even sweep his bangs back out of habit. He sighed and glared down at Seo Yehyeon's upper body, which was pressing heavily against his thigh.
"Hey, Hyung, get off! You're always leaning against the sofa or sitting on the floor. Why are you suddenly sprawled across my lap like this?" Yoon Eden hissed through gritted teeth.
Seo Yehyeon snorted derisively.
"You keep reaching for the TV to turn it off. And can you just pick one—either call me 'ya' or 'hyung'?"
"Hey, move."
Seo Yehyeon instinctively tried to sit up, but when he realized Yoon Eden was deliberately provoking him to get him to rise, he glared and sank back down.
"Hey? Heyyy?"
"Oh, I'm so scared."
Yoon Eden grinned crookedly, his face showing no fear whatsoever, and leaned back against the sofa.
"Seriously, a coup against the Leader just to watch this? Fine, watch. I won't bother you."
"Don't take off the blanket. He'll pretend to be cool, but the moment you do, he'll snatch the remote and unplug the TV."
Seo Yehyeon's warning exposed Yoon Eden's true intentions, and he clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Round 2: Round Trench Fighting!
Five representatives from each team will be selected.
Yoon Eden was the first to enter the trench, followed by four other panelists.
Assistant Instructor: The goal is to push as many opponents out of the trench as possible. Understand?
Kim Dobin shuddered as he watched Yoon Eden dive fearlessly into the muddy trench on screen.
"Ugh, look at that murky brown water! Didn't it feel gross?"
"It was pretty gross," Yoon Eden replied, watching himself on screen. He was shown immediately charging at an opponent, wrapping his arms around the man's waist, lifting him up, and throwing him out of the trench.
As expected, the undisputed next-generation Ace!
When Yoon Eden joined the Original Ace, who was struggling against a larger soldier, the combined assault overwhelmed the opposing team. Unable to withstand the relentless attacks from both sides, they were eventually eliminated.
Currently, Eden and the Original Ace were left against three opponents, putting them at a disadvantage in a 2-on-3 situation.
After high-fiving the Original Ace, Yoon Eden sprinted toward his next target, only to be immediately engaged by another opponent.
The Original Ace couldn't assist him, as he was pinned down by his own opponent.
Locked in a 2-on-1 struggle at the trench's edge, Eden fought desperately to avoid being pushed out. In a decisive move, he grabbed the leg of the opponent gripping his waist, lifted him bodily, and hurled him out of the trench.
Without a moment to catch his breath, Eden resumed grappling with the remaining opponent. Just as he managed to force the opponent out of the trench, a sharp whistle signaled the end of the match.
The final score was 2-1, securing the team's victory.
"At this point, Eden Hyung could easily take down Yehyeon Hyung and get back up. Maybe he's just letting him win..." Ryu Jaehee muttered, watching the screen as Yoon Eden splashed muddy water and exchanged greetings with his opponent in the round trench.
Seo Yehyeon, lying sideways with his back pressing against Eden's thigh, glanced sideways at Yoon Eden. Eden grinned and asked, "Oh, should I try it?"
"Don't. Yehyeon Hyung might get hurt if he falls off the sofa."
"Alright, I won't."
Despite clicking his tongue in annoyance, Yoon Eden readily agreed to Gyeon Hajun's warning.
Q. You could have skipped the Trench Fighting. Why did you participate?
Private Yoon Eden: Everyone else was joining in. It would have been weird if I was the only one sitting out, right?
On the screen, Yoon Eden smiled awkwardly during his personal interview, prompting everyone to turn and look at the real-life Yoon Eden.
"Is that really him? The Eden Hyung I know would never act like that. Our Hyung isn't the type to be bothered by something so trivial, is he?"
"If he skipped it, he wouldn't get the Ranger King title, you idiot. And he'd lose out on screen time."
"Exactly. But why is he so obsessed with the Ranger King title...?"
"He doesn't want to be remembered as the jerk who quit Ranger Training after just one session because it was too hard."
As Yoon Eden ate heartily, Seo Yehyeon, who was lying with his head on Yoon Eden's lap, glanced up at him and remarked, "I heard army food is disgusting."
"When you're that exhausted, anything tastes good."
Yoon Eden shook his head, as if vividly recalling the grueling ordeal.
After the grueling wooden pole exercises that made shoulders and arms ache just from watching, the next phase of training began: rappelling.
The Reve members exchanged remarks as Assistant Instructor Kim Woochan reappeared after a long absence.
"Oh, Eden Hyung's friend!"
"Hyung, did you write him a letter?"
"Yeah, I told him to brace himself when he gets leave. That bastard kept me on my toes under the guise of making me 'Ranger King.' Just wait till he gets out."
Yoon Eden gritted his teeth. He still hadn't forgotten Kim Woochan's "atrocities" committed under the pretense of strict adherence to regulations.
Yoon Eden casually climbed the ladder and stood atop the 11-meter mock tower, where humans experience their greatest fear. He gazed down indifferently at his own reflection before suddenly thrashing wildly.
"Ah, damn it! Hey, turn it off! Turn off the TV!"
"Oh, this must be it! The juicy part!"
"What on earth did he do to make him react like that?"
"Eden Hyung, I've told you countless times, the more you react like this, the more curious and intrigued we become."
"I'm getting curious too."
Assistant Instructor Kim Woochan: Do you have a girlfriend?!
Private Yoon Eden: No!
Immediate Response
"If he'd said yes here, all hell would have broken loose."
"But he really doesn't have one. Why would he lie and say he does?"
"No, Hyung. You should have said yes. Say yes, shout what you want to say to your girlfriend, and then yell 'Daydream, I love you!' as you descend."
Ryu Jaehee delivered this textbook idol response with unwavering clarity. As Yoon Eden's expression darkened, Seo Yehyeon narrowed his eyes and asked, "What exactly did you say as you descended to make him react like that?"
On the TV screen, the scene that would finally answer Seo Yehyeon's question was about to play.
Assistant Instructor Kim Woochan: Shout what you want to say and begin your descent!
Private Yoon Eden: Why did I ever agree to come here?!
Private Yoon Eden, the Next-Generation Ace, Reveals His True Feelings... ★
Yoon Eden's face on the screen suddenly registered the enormity of what he had just blurted out, and he frantically tried to recover.
Private Yoon Eden: Ah, wait, that's not it! Daydream, I love you! Aaaah! Descending!
Belatedly Activated Idol Persona
Whether Yoon Eden stuck the landing perfectly or not, the members erupted in laughter, slapping the sofas and the floor as they howled.
"Ah, that expression! The 'I'm doomed' look is absolutely priceless!"
"Why did I ever... sniff... agree to come here?! Pwahaha! You're being way too honest, Hyung!"
"No, what's even funnier is that after saying that, Yoon Eden immediately shouted 'Daydream, I love you!'"
"Still, you put in some effort. You tried to show some fan service, right?"
"Jun-a, please just say nothing... Trying to sugarcoat it like that makes it even more pathetic..." Yoon Eden muttered, banging his head against the sofa back.
Q: Weren't you being a bit too honest?
Private Yoon Eden: ...
Private Yoon Eden: I have a habit of saving my true feelings for last. Anyway, that's how it is.
The members burst into laughter again, seeing Yoon Eden's resigned expression in the personal interview footage perfectly mirroring his actual expression in the room.
Only Yoon Eden couldn't bring himself to laugh.
And finally, the last stage of Ranger Training—CBRN Training—was upon them.
Assistant Instructor: Recreate a mother's heart! Commence!
All: They say the sky is high, but I know something even higher. Ah, thank you, Teacher's Love.
Huh?
Did they change the song from "A Mother's Heart" to "Teacher's Grace"?
The camera zoomed in on Yoon Eden's face as he recited the lyrics to "Teacher's Love," his eyes widening and his mouth snapping shut.
Private Yoon Eden: Come to think of it, I've only ever sung "Teacher's Grace." I don't even remember ever singing "A Mother's Heart"... Suddenly, I miss my mother.
In the military, the name that haunts your thoughts most is "Mother."
The personal interview footage cut back to the CBRN training ground, where the assistant instructor, veins bulging in his neck, was shouting furiously.
Assistant Instructor: I told you to sing "A Mother's Heart," not "Teacher's Grace"! Again! "Real Man," sing it again!
Yoon Eden's expression, his eyes darting around, filled the screen in a close-up.
It was clear to anyone watching that he didn't know the military song. After glancing around nervously, he caught a snippet of the melody, his face lighting up with recognition as he joined in with gusto. The Reve members burst into laughter for what felt like the hundredth time.
"Ah, my stomach hurts from laughing so much! Seriously, it really hurts!"
"Hey, you don't know this? 'Born a man, so much to do!' You don't know this? Even I know it!"
"Wow, he really can't sing."
Yoon Eden peppered Seo Yehyeon's rendition of the military song with tiny exclamations of admiration. Of course, Yoon Eden's own singing, as he gasped for air while belting out the song on screen, was just as terrible as Seo Yehyeon's.
The fact that Yoon Eden was enduring the gas while Seo Yehyeon breathed fresh air only earned Yoon Eden extra points.
As soon as the CBRN training ended, Yoon Eden sprinted outside, ripped off his gas mask, and collapsed onto the ground.
"Why is he so desperately turning his back to the camera?"
"Look at the others. Can't you see why?"
"Whoa, Hyung, did you really cry and snot all over yourself too?"
"What do you think? Am I a human or some emotionless robot?"
As Yoon Eden retorted with the obvious, he sank into deep thought.
What do these guys really think of me?
📝 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