Chapter 167
Chapter 167
Translator: Penny
Chapter 167
"Hey, Yehyeon Hyung. You don't have to push yourself because of Dobin Hyung's pointless remarks."
Ryu Jaehee's words were like a double slap in the face to both Kim Dobin and Seo Yehyeon.
"Hey, Ryu Jaehee! Aren't you going too far? Pointless remarks, you say?!"
"It's not pushing myself at all. I can totally handle it, kid."
Kim Dobin and Seo Yehyeon bristled, confronting Ryu Jaehee before storming off to the practice room.
As the two headed to their rooms to change, Ryu Jaehee muttered in admiration, "Wow, I thought they'd jump at the chance to say no since I gave them an out."
"Yehyeon Hyung has a strong sense of pride, so subtly poking at it is the most effective approach," Ryu Jaehee said with a grin, shrugging his shoulders. "If you scratch him directly like you used to, it'll just start a fight."
"I can't tell the difference between 'subtle' and 'direct'," I muttered, leaning back with my hands clasped behind my head, drawing out the last syllable.
Ryu Jaehee advised, "Just tone down about 90% of what you want to say."
Then it'll just be bland water, I thought. I'm not even sure if I'm being direct. I just take Jaehee's word for it and think, 'Oh, I guess I am.'
Anyway, when we gathered in the Practice Room for our special final performance rehearsal, we clearly split into two groups: the highly motivated and the lukewarm.
The former, of course, consisted of Kim Dobin and Seo Yehyeon, while the latter included Gyeon Hajun and me.
Ryu Jaehee, who had seemed indifferent back at the dorm, suddenly became the most vocal member once they arrived at the practice room.
"As Eden Hyung suggested, we should split into two Government Forces and three Liberation Group members—"
"No, Dobin Hyung! If the Liberation Group outnumbers the Government Forces, it'll look like the Government Forces are getting pitifully ganged up on. We absolutely need fewer Liberation Group members!"
"Whether it's 3 vs 2 or 2 vs 3... it won't work. With a large group, you need a balanced match, and this just doesn't look right no matter how we arrange it. If you want the style you're aiming for, Dobin, we'd need to bring in backup dancers. But we're not using them for this comeback."
Seo Yehyeon, arms crossed, coldly analyzed the situation.
"Then how about 4 vs 1?"
"That's too similar to our last comeback."
Ryu Jaehee had proposed a solution, but it didn't seem to satisfy Kim Dobin.
"Then what should we do?"
"Just go with 2 Liberation Group members against 3 Government Forces members, like I said."
As Jaehee spoke, picking at his ear, Kim Dobin suddenly jumped up as if struck by a new idea.
"Or! What about going with the music video concept? Jaehee was originally with the Government Forces before defecting! So, he could start in his uniform and switch to Liberation Group attire after the second chorus."
"You're telling me to change clothes onstage...?" Ryu Jaehee asked, turning to Kim Dobin with a deeply skeptical expression.
"The uniform pants and Liberation Group pants are practically identical anyway. No one will notice! Just wear the uniform top and quickly swap it out. Easy, right?"
"If it's so easy, you do it, Hyung," Ryu Jaehee said dismissively, trying to pass the task off.
Kim Dobin, insisting they follow the music video's choreography exactly, clung to Ryu Jaehee and wouldn't let go.
Eventually, Ryu Jaehee relented, unable to withstand the pressure any longer.
The choreography changes were minimal for the other four members, requiring only slight adjustments to the original routine. It was remarkably easy to learn.
Seo Yehyeon's face bloomed with smiles, and she made only one mistake during practice. Ryu Jaehee, however, wore a perpetual frown.
Technically, the decision had been Seo Yehyeon's, but Ryu Jaehee was the only one who suffered any real consequences.
After a day of intense preparation for their final performance special stage, they finally stood on the Popular Music stage.
The first verse went smoothly, just as they had practiced. But as the second verse approached, Ryu Jaehee's stripping section loomed closer.
Ryu Jaehee flung off his uniform cap, then struggled with his uniform jacket, repeatedly fumbling with a stuck button.
Meanwhile, the chorus—his part—was rapidly approaching.
Finally, Jaehee ripped the button off with a decisive tug.
Why is he acting so violently? Who did he take after? Tsk, tsk.
Having successfully shed his uniform, Jaehee donned the Liberation Group hoodie with help from me and Seo Yehyeon and began his part.
We're in reverse
Turning the world upside down
With the final line, he struck the ending pose, wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. He glanced up at the ceiling, listening to the fans' cheers.
It was truly the end of an eventful promotional period.
On Monday, the start of a new week, Ryu Jaehee's statement was posted on LnL's official Instagram account.
Hello, this is Reve Yuje. For this statement only, I'd like to greet you again under my real name, Ryu Jaehee.
Some of you may have heard that I was expelled from TK due to assault. While it's true that assault was the reason for my expulsion, I was not the perpetrator.
(...)
Ryu Jaehee's statement contained a lengthy and detailed account of his time as a TK trainee.
While his age and seniority allowed him to dominate the other trainees, establishing a hierarchy and exerting his influence, the most damaging aspect was how he was framed for assault in a fight he had nothing to do with.
In fact, Ryu Jaehee had been trying to break up the fight when he was falsely accused and expelled.
- Our poor youngest must have been so tormented, having to swallow this story every time it resurfaced because of those trolls ㅠㅠㅠ
- Those trolls all use TK artists' profile pictures. Do they feel any better now that the truth is out?
"You guys kept whining, 'If only Yuje hadn't committed assault, he would have debuted with TK ㅠㅠ,' but wasn't it your TK that kicked out an innocent kid? It's obvious you're dying of envy because TK doesn't have a main vocalist on Yuje's level."
Daydream was the most furious when they learned the full story behind Yuje's expulsion from TK due to the alleged assault, which had been constantly used as bait for drama.
Even people who weren't particularly interested in the entertainment industry chimed in, saying things like, "These kids are already learning all the wrong things," and "Those with flawed character don't deserve to be public figures."
HOT! [SMI Kim Jiun's Creepy Moments Compilation.avi] [999]
HOT! [SMI Lee Jeyeong's Habitual Hand-Raising: Now That I See It] [471]
HOT! [SMI Kim Jiun's Autocratic Tendencies Hidden Beneath the Facade of Leadership.jpg] [999]
HOT! [SMI The Trainees Seemed to Know the Full Story Behind Yuje's Ouster] [712]
HOT! [SMI Moments When the Trainees Seemed Particularly Wary of Kim Jiun & Lee Jeyeong] [654]
Fans dissected every nanosecond, capturing and compiling clips of the two trainees' tense moments, and rushed to post their analyses.
After all, articles on this topic were guaranteed high views and comments.
The screenshots of congratulatory messages from TK trainees on Ryu Jaehee's Facebook post on Reve's debut day added fuel to the fire.
Of course, TK Ent. and the fans of Kim Jiun and Lee Jeyeong immediately denied everything, adopting a "no evidence, no problem" stance.
As punishment for their insolence, we released the full recording of the jerks' apology from the broadcast station.
Having admitted their guilt with their own words, TK couldn't deny the truth any longer.
Our agency swiftly issued a notice about filing lawsuits against malicious comments and defamation.
Thanks to this, the torrent of hateful comments and slander targeting Ryu Jaehee vanished almost instantly.
Lee Jeyeong (Brown Hair), who had consistently ranked lower, was all but confirmed for elimination. Kim Jiun (Red Hair), despite the controversy, clung on by the skin of his teeth, buoyed by his fiercely loyal fanbase.
Just as he was barely managing to hang on, the final, fatal blow struck.
[Entertainment Gossip] SMI's Battle Song Sounds Like Plagiarism?
ㅇㅇ[ 20xx.06.18 18:25 ]
Views: 692,471 | Upvotes: 714
(audiovideolink)
Am I the only one who hears the chorus of this song sounding exactly like Team B's original track? I checked, and there's no sampling credit listed anywhere.
1:01~1:30
Comments: 671
- This is so blatantly identical, even Jiun's stans can't defend it.
└ ??? What are you talking about? They sound nothing alike!
└ Are you deaf? If you asked a hundred random people, all hundred would say they sound the same.
└ Jiun stans rushing in to defend him, lololol.
- Wow, an 80s German pop song... This is so obscure, it's almost impossible to find. OP, you're kind of creepy... ᄒ
└ The creepy one is your Jiun, who went out of his way to plagiarize an 80s German pop song.
└ Plagiarism apologists vs. whistleblowers—who's creepier here?
- Who composed Team B's song again?
└ Kim Jiun
└He really needs to drop out. Every time we dig, more dirt keeps coming up.
└Resign before you get eliminated, Jiun!
-Wow, KJW stans were all over RJH after his statement came out, just relentlessly attacking RJH while insisting our boy was the victim and that RJH was just as much a victim as him. Finally, we don't have to see that nonsense anymore.
-If he won with a plagiarized song, shouldn't this battle be declared void? Did Team A and Team C not plagiarize because they didn't know how?
-The level of Jiun stans who were praising him as a songwriting genius for a plagiarized song is truly pathetic, isn't it?
-I was already furious every time Jiun stans tried to make YJR the second KJ, but this just makes me even angrier. Our KJ never plagiarized! Stop comparing them!
-Ugh, please stop comparing our Eden and Viviz to these trashy Producing Members. Our Eden never plagiarized and never bullied Jaehee.
(View more comments)
There seems to be a trap related to KJ hidden in the middle, but I'm in a good mood today, so I'll let it slide.
"Wow, I was worried I'd get ignored, but the reaction is insane!"
"See, Hyung? I told you this much was enough. If you post too detailed an analysis, it'll be obvious you're in the same industry."
Ryu Jaehee flashed a V-sign and smirked.
It was Ryu Jaehee who had drastically simplified my plagiarism exposé, which had meticulously documented the overlapping chords, beats, and timing of two songs, into just two lines.
So, if I had entrusted the exposé to Ryu Jaehee before the regression instead of posting it myself, how much worse would KJ have been taken down?
A week later, the article Ryu Jaehee had been waiting for finally dropped.
Entertainment News: 'Select My Idol' Controversy—Lee Jeyeong and Kim Jiun Eliminated
The article's photo showed Lee Jeyeong and Kim Jiun, heads bowed, sobbing uncontrollably.
Clicking his tongue at their tears, Ryu Jaehee let out a tearful laugh.
"Hyung, that sounds so old-fashioned."
His eyes were already brimming with tears, making it impossible to press down on the crown of his head. Instead, he roughly ruffled Jaehee's hair and asked, "Feeling any better now?"
"Yeah, completely."
Finally having shed his past, Ryu Jaehee smiled brightly through his tears. It was a relief that at least the youngest member wouldn't have to hide his tears this time.
📝 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