Chapter 157
Chapter 157
Translator: Penny
Chapter 157
"How is the situation exactly the same as two years ago?"
"You mean when Dobin Hyung's rehearsal substitute 직캠 went viral? Yeah, he was a last-minute replacement back then too."
"Who knows? Maybe another 직캠 will blow up this time too."
Kim Dobin, who was sitting next to me and slurping down an iced Americano, was being his usual cheeky self.
Apparently, the 직캠 that would go viral wouldn't be from this event, but from another festival stage three weeks or a month later.
But Reve's profile has risen quite a bit, so I'm not sure if they'll even invite us to that festival.
The only consolation in being a last-minute replacement is that this is a fairly large event, so we're seeing quite a few other Second Tier idols here too.
It had been a while since I'd seen the KICKS jerks. Our schedules rarely overlapped, so we hardly ever ran into each other at the broadcasting stations. Seeing them now didn't exactly fill me with joy.
Kwon Yunseong immediately averted his gaze when he met mine. His reaction stood in stark contrast to Parachute, who was standing beside him and waving enthusiastically at me.
Though we kept in touch regularly, I still couldn't bring myself to warm up to Parachute. I nodded curtly in greeting.
As always, someone couldn't resist butting in.
"Wow, Eden Hyung! You're not greeting Yunseong Hyung, but you're greeting Iseo Hyung? Didn't you leave because you hated Iseo Hyung? You said you couldn't stand sharing a meal with that Parachute bastard."
Choi Hyeonmin mimed covering his mouth with his hand, glancing back and forth between me and the "Parachute."
I remembered him saying he couldn't pretend to be all smiles and laughter while sharing meals with me, but did he really use the word "disgusting"?
"Even if your mouth is crooked, speak straight. Is this how you turn people into human trash?"
"What, Hyung? It's true you hated Iseo Hyung, right? I remember everything."
Choi Hyeonmin smirked, deliberately dragging out the last syllable.
"But look at this—you're showing me firsthand how unpredictable human relationships can be. Thanks to you, I've learned a lesson: I need to watch my mouth."
Kwon Yunseong frowned and reached for Choi Hyeonmin. Before his hand could grab Choi Hyeonmin's collar, I strode forward and stood in front of him.
"Hyeonmin-ah."
I deliberately dropped the honorifics and called him by his given name, just like I used to, as I looked down at Choi Hyeonmin.
"Do you think you can push me around now?"
Choi Hyeonmin flinched at my expressionless question.
"The reason I coddled you before was because you were going to debut with me. But now you're nothing to me. So why do you keep crossing the line? Do I really have to spell this out for you? To a grown-ass adult?"
I sighed pointedly, and Choi Hyeonmin bit his lip hard. Resentment welled up in his eyes as he glared up at me.
If you don't want to get chewed out, then stop acting like a fucking show-off.
I tapped his forehead a couple of times with my fingers, delivering my warning.
"Let's not cross the line, okay?"
"Eden Hyung, I think they've gotten the message. Let's go before we attract any more attention," Ryu Jaehee urged, trying to dissuade me. While Choi Hyeonmin was still pinned down in front of me, Kwon Yunseong, who had already passed us, gestured impatiently.
"Stop acting tough and hurry up, Choi Hyeonmin."
Choi Hyeonmin, still seething with anger, glared at Ryu Jaehee before shoving past him with a violent shoulder check. Or rather, he tried to shove past him.
Choi Hyeonmin had probably envisioned Ryu Jaehee staggering from the impact, but the reality was quite different. Ryu Jaehee didn't budge an inch, while Choi Hyeonmin himself stumbled backward.
Having thoroughly humiliated himself by initiating the confrontation only to be pushed back, Choi Hyeonmin hastily rejoined the KICKS members.
"What's his problem?"
Ryu Jaehee muttered the sarcastic question loud enough for Choi Hyeonmin to hear as he walked away. As soon as Choi Hyeonmin and KICKS were out of sight, Jaehee started jumping up and down.
"I'm so glad I started working out with Yehyeon Hyung and Eden Hyung! This feels even more rewarding than when I first gained muscle."
"See? I told you working out would come in handy someday," Seo Yehyeon said, patting Jaehee on the back with a proud smile.
"But seriously, what's with that jerk? Why did he shoulder-check you instead of me? Did something happen between you two during the Music Daejeon youngest members special?"
Confused as to why Choi Hyeonmin had targeted Jaehee instead of me—the one who had actually provoked him—I asked the question. Jaehee smirked.
"Jealousy. Pure jealousy."
Even after hearing the explanation, I still didn't understand, but I didn't particularly want to delve into Choi Hyeonmin's mind, so I decided to drop it.
Seo Yehyeon kept alternating between looking up at the cloudless, clear sky and checking the weather forecast website.
"Are you performing a rain ritual?"
"You know a rain ritual is to pray for rain, right?"
"Who do you think I am, an idiot? I know that much. I just thought you were performing some kind of ritual to make it rain faster since you keep staring at the sky."
Reve's performance order was quite late. The rehearsal finished quickly, but the waiting was incredibly tedious.
Finally, Reve's turn approached. Until the previous act, there had been no sign of rain, which had been a relief. The sky remained clear, free of dark clouds.
But as soon as Gyeon Hajun began singing the opening lines, the sky suddenly darkened with ominous clouds, and rain began to pour down as if by magic.
Am I going to get electrocuted...?
I subtly loosened my grip on the microphone. Glancing around, I saw everyone focused intently on the stage, and I felt foolish for panicking about electrocution alone.
The only saving grace in this disastrous situation was that our stage outfits were waterproof and hooded, keeping my hair dry for now.
But there was a move in the choreography that required us to remove our hoods, meaning my hair and face would soon be drenched.
When that part of the dance arrived, I hesitated briefly before pulling off my hood. I had hoped to blend in by keeping mine on if everyone else did, but the other members all removed theirs.
Brushing back his rain-soaked, matted bangs, he spat out a rap. His in-ear monitors had long been yanked from his ears.
This floor is dangerously slippery.
The thought had barely formed when Ryu Jaehee lost his footing on the wet floor and slid backward.
Fortunately, I was standing to Ryu Jaehee's left, so I lightly supported his waist to prevent him from falling.
Kim Dobin, who was unusually quick-witted when it came to dance, reached out from the right to steady Ryu Jaehee's waist as well.
Supported by us, Ryu Jaehee completed his part without incident and straightened up. Thanks to our intervention, the moment flowed seamlessly, as if it were part of the original choreography.
The choreography for Verse 1 wasn't too intense, but it became grueling from the chorus onward. It was clear that continuing the performance like this would only lead to more slips and falls.
Between the first hook and the second verse, there was a section where the members gathered. We exchanged hand signals and simultaneously kicked off our shoes, a true display of barefoot determination.
Raindrops splattered in all directions as we performed the intense choreography.
The stage floor and soaking water against our bare feet, the ever-present threat of electrocution from the microphones.
Still, performing on a rain-soaked stage was an experience worth having—just once. I doubt I'd do it again.
As if the weather was mocking us for filling in, the sky cleared miraculously the moment Reve's performance ended.
We grabbed towels the instant we stepped offstage, completely drenched from the downpour.
While shaking the water from my hair, I saw Kim Dobin beside me vigorously shaking his head to dry his hair, letting out a sigh of relief.
"What are you, a wet dog? Don't you know how to dry yourself with a towel? You're splashing water everywhere, you idiot!"
Kim Dobin flinched as a large towel was roughly draped over his head.
"Wow, I thought I was going to get electrocuted! My heart was pounding like crazy. How could you guys stay so calm? I thought I was the only one freaking out, but when I looked at your faces, you all seemed so unfazed that I started to think I was the weird one."
"Actually, I was scared too, but everyone else acted so nonchalant that I..."
"So I wasn't the only one worried about getting electrocuted."
"Oh, me too! To be honest, I wanted to run offstage before it happened."
As Kim Dobin started the conversation, the other members chimed in one by one, reassuring him. I thought you guys were all dangerously nonchalant about safety.
And for some reason, the fancam recorded that day went viral, racking up 5 million views and sending "Come to My Universe" back up the charts.
2nd Place: Reve - Reverse ♥63,127
"What the hell?"
I stared in disbelief at the music charts, my jaw dropping. In just five days, Reverse had surged upward, now trailing the top spot by a hair.
The event where Seo Yehyeon's viral 직캠 had been filmed before the regression was still weeks away. How was this 역주행 miracle happening already?
"Why is a 직캠 of someone performing in the rain so popular...?" I muttered, scratching my head. "It's not even Seo Yehyeon's face."
Ryu Jaehee, standing beside me, chimed in, "Yehyeon Hyung's parts are definitely the most popular. It's good that the video timestamps his appearances—the comments are flooded with praise for him."
"So it's all because of Yehyeon Hyung?"
"The part where Hyung sweeps his wet hair back is also a hit. You should have more confidence, Hyung."
"Who are you calling a jealous jerk just because they're insecure about their fancam contributions, huh?" Jaehee grumbled, ruffling his hair roughly.
Altair was ending their music show promotions this week.
"Damn it! We could have finally surpassed Altair for good this time!" Jaehee slammed his fist on the living room table, his frustration palpable.
He remembered the taste of the toffee nut latte from last time—cloyingly sweet yet strangely bitter.
"The number one song on Popular Music for the fourth week of May is... Reve's One Chance! Congratulations!"
Still, they had managed to surpass Altair once and claim the top spot, just as they'd hoped.
It was a bittersweet victory, but they decided to find meaning in the fact that they had achieved it despite the unfavorable circumstances.
After accepting the trophy and successfully performing their encore stage to fulfill their number one promise, they returned to the waiting room.
"Where's Jun?"
"Don't you know? I didn't see him leave. Maybe he went to the bathroom?"
"The CP is about to start. Where could he have gone?"
Manager Hyung called me over to find Gyeon Hajun. I got up and wandered down the hallway, eventually spotting two figures facing each other.
Why is he over there? And who's that in front of him...?
Cha Yeonho?
Instinctively, I ducked behind the hallway wall.
"Don't trust your memories too much," Cha Yeonho's voice drifted faintly. "Nothing is easier to manipulate than memory."
"Thanks to you, I've shed a lot of blood."
I peeked out again to check on them. Cha Yeonho patted Gyeon Hajun's shoulder a couple of times and started walking closer in my direction.
Deciding it was better to confront him naturally than be caught hiding, I stepped out from behind the wall.
"Hello, Senior."
"Another meeting, Mr. Eden. What brings you here?"
"I'm looking for a missing member."
Gyeon Hajun strode over after spotting me. Cha Yeonho glanced at me, offered his congratulations on my first-place win, and then walked away.
"Jun-a, what did Cha Yeonho... Senior... say to you?"
I nearly slipped and called him by his full name, but remembering we were in a broadcasting station, I hastily added the "Senior" title. Even as I said it, my teeth ground together.
"He was spouting some incomprehensible nonsense. It was a bit strange..." Gyeon Hajun shook his head.
Could it be that Cha Yeonho suspects Hajun is a Regressor?
Jackpot! Keep making these wild guesses. Just leave me out of it.
📝 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