Chapter 17
Chapter 17
Translator: Penny
Chapter 17
After completing the unexpectedly challenging guide recording, I safely finished two demo tracks and played them back one after the other.
Since I couldn't play both versions at the meeting, I had to choose one.
Leaning my chin on my hand, I tapped my fingers on the desk in time with the beat.
Gyeon Hajun's vocal tone was undeniably better, but Ryu Jaehee's singing ability was a step above.
He wasn't the main vocalist from a trainee group at a major agency for nothing.
"I still think Hajun Hyung's version sounds better," Jaehee said.
"Really? I think your guide sounds better, Jaehee," Hajun replied.
The two who had recorded the tracks were humbly praising each other's work.
But no matter how much you two flatter each other, I'm the one who makes the final decision.
"Do we get to choose this too?"
"No, I've already decided."
I answered Kim Dobin's question immediately and sent Gyeon Hajun's demo track to his phone.
"...Then why did you play both for us?"
"When did I ever say I was playing them for you? Your ears were hurting from wearing the headset for so long, so I just disconnected it and played the tracks out loud."
Besides, even if we ignored vocal tone and singing ability, Ryu Jaehee's lyrics were a disaster—"Right Night" and all that nonsense. How could I possibly use his version?
As a result, the chorus automatically fell into Gyeon Hajun's part in my mind.
I'll make sure Ryu Jaehee never has to sing in English during this promotion.
"Hyung, did you really work on this for two days straight? Pulling all-nighters?"
Kim Dobin, who had been humming the chorus of "Come to My Universe"—"So answer me now, all right or night?"—suddenly asked, "Hyung, can you actually do that?"
I was about to scold him, my brow twitching, "Are you serious? Use your brain before asking such a stupid question!"
But before I could say a word, Ryu Jaehee exclaimed, "Wow, this is amazing! A song of this quality in just two days...!"
"Wow, is this even possible? Our Hyung is a genius, a true genius!"
Kim Dobin stared up at me with the awe of someone witnessing a musical prodigy like Mozart, while Ryu Jaehee clapped enthusiastically, his eyes sparkling. I quietly swallowed my words and scratched my cheek.
If they're this excited... I guess I'll just play the part of the talented genius who churned out a masterpiece in two days.
The demo track was successfully completed before the next internal activity meeting.
I crossed out "Demo track completed" in my notebook with a satisfying zhik. Then, my gaze shifted to the sentence written below:
"Have a serious consultation with Kim Dobin."
Reflecting on Reve's three years as a flop idol group before my regression, the rumor about Kim Dobin having a sponsor seemed absurd.
If that were true, Reve should have gained fame through something else of Kim Dobin's, not Seo Yehyeon's fancam.
However, that logic only holds if Kim Dobin had accepted the sponsor's offer. If he had rejected the agency's proposal, the situation from before my regression would roughly align.
Even though Kim Dobin is currently a minor, the world is full of crazy people who defy common sense.
Having been in the entertainment industry for seven years, I'd heard my fair share of dirty rumors.
"You probably have a rough idea why I called you here alone, right?"
Kim Dobin's eyes flickered nervously at my blunt question.
The tightly closed door was locked, ensuring no one could enter or overhear.
"Did it show...?"
"You flinch every time that word comes up. Only an idiot—no, a moron—ugh!—a fool wouldn't notice."
Vulgar language detected.
Original Intent Score -4
Seeing my Original Intent Score plummet by four points in an instant made me sigh involuntarily.
What a mess, all because I tried to act like a leader.
"Since when?"
"Since the Come to My Universe promotions..."
That's been a while.
At the time, I was too disoriented by the sudden regression and too busy plotting our escape from being a flop idol group to pay attention to my surroundings.
So it was only natural that I didn't notice Kim Dobin's strange behavior sooner.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier? We could have shared the burden."
As I clicked my tongue, Kim Dobin blinked.
"Share the burden...?"
"Yeah, together."
Problems become lighter when shared, you know? I raised an eyebrow at the increasingly frantic trembling in his eyes.
"Hyung, are we... talking about different things?"
Seeing the desperate emotion in his eyes, I let out a frustrated sigh and nervously swept my bangs back.
"What exactly are you talking about?"
"Hyung, could you... could you tell me first?"
Kim Dobin grabbed my arm urgently, stammering, and I looked down at his hand with a complicated mix of emotions.
Of course, you were the one who got the offer...
"Spon-"
"Ugh! I'm sorry, but I don't think that's right, Hyung!"
Before I could finish speaking, Kim Dobin covered his ears, jumped up, and bolted for the door. Sorry? For what? For burdening me with his worries? My heart was in turmoil.
As he fumbled with the lock and burst outside, I called after him earnestly, "If you change your mind, tell me anytime. I'll accept it."
I couldn't exactly confront the CEO about whether he'd offered Dobin a sponsorship. Haa... I guess I'll just have to wait until he tells me honestly.
The day of the final showdown had finally arrived.
After checking the demo track saved on my phone, I rose from the sofa at Manager Hyung's call to pick us up.
"Are you guys going to war or something?" Manager Hyung asked, his expression awkward as he took in our solemn faces.
In a way, it was war. Our group's future hinged on today's internal meeting.
Would we remain a flop idol group for the next three years, or would we succeed and secure a foothold on the path to becoming A-list artists?
It was one or the other.
"Manager Hyung, have you heard the song the CEO supposedly secured?" Kim Dobin asked innocently.
Manager Hyung forced an awkward smile and avoided eye contact.
"Guys, don't... don't get your hopes up too much..."
The manager trailed off, mumbling the last part, and the members exchanged knowing glances.
No matter what terrible song the CEO brought us, we had Come to My Universe, composed by the genius producer Yoon Eden. Before the regression, it had even charted and guaranteed our success.
So, what he meant was, we shouldn't expect anything at all.
As we opened the door to the small conference room, the CEO and the agency's few staff members greeted us.
"You're here! The proud faces of LnL!"
Of course. Reve was LnL's only artist. Anyone listening would think we had five or six more.
I met his kindly smiling face with mixed feelings.
Embezzling settlement funds was standard practice. Rumors even circulated that the ruthless CEO of A Certain Entertainment Company had beaten his idols with a bat. Yet, compared to that monster, our CEO was a far better person...
Why is it that people in the entertainment industry have such warped senses...?
I sat down and immediately practiced the breathing technique I'd learned from YouTube, said to calm the mind and body. Knowing my blood pressure would likely spike again soon, I needed to stay as relaxed as possible.
"Now that the debut song promotions are over, it's time to start preparing for the next activity, right?"
The CEO's reassuring smile made my heart pound.
As the saying goes, even a dog at a village school can recite poetry after three years. After enduring seven years at LnL, I could already predict the infuriating situations that would follow that smile.
"Alright, I've got the demo tracks. There are about three candidates for the title track. Since you guys are the ones who'll be performing, let's listen to them together and pick the title track."
Three songs in such a short time? That composer bastard must have just dumped some old tracks he'd been working on, hoping something would stick. 100% guaranteed.
"We played them for the staff first, and everyone unanimously agreed they were all pretty good. Haha."
The staff members subtly avoided our gazes, clearly feeling awkward. I clicked my tongue.
I understand. Social life is tough. But shouldn't at least one person tell the CEO the truth?
Was he so proud of getting ripped off for three whole songs?
The CEO, his face beaming with pride, connected a USB drive to his laptop and played the tracks.
Wow, they're actually selling this garbage for money?
No matter how many times I listened, it sounded like a two-minute demo forcibly stretched to three minutes and one second.
Guess we're living in an era where even trash gets bought and sold for profit. Man, the world's really gone to hell, hasn't it?
I mentally applauded the composer who was truly realizing the creative economy.
And the CEO's praise for pulling off this legendary waste of money by buying such garbage was just icing on the cake.
After enduring two headache-inducing, incomprehensibly chaotic tracks, the final song finally began to play.
At least the familiar house-style melody caught my ear. Before my regression, it had been the title track of our 1st Mini Album.
Even before the regression, both the members and the fans treated the 1st Mini Album as "that album whose name must not be spoken" and "that song." It existed, yet it didn't.
But it deserved its fate. Singing that song on stage while sober was a dark chapter in our history.
My heart, stained by darkness, is darkness. My wounded soul is a black soul.
I pressed my forehead, listening to the lyrics, which were so garbled it sounded like the composer had recorded them himself. I felt like I was about to suffer a qi deviation.
Did they really hire a middle schooler to write these lyrics?
The lyrics were this awful, yet the concept was space. The multiverse, no less.
The moment I heard the lyrics—so cheesy they could have featured Blood Flower and Black Flame Dragon without sounding out of place—long-forgotten memories flooded back with startling clarity.
From the music video we'd frantically worried might be accused of plagiarizing Interstellar, to the memory of tearfully choosing this song—the least terrible of the three the CEO had shoved at us today—like swallowing bitter medicine.
If you were offered a buffet of nuclear waste and food scraps, wouldn't you at least choose the food scraps?
The CEO had clearly saved this song for last, hoping for a halo effect.
As the song ended, the CEO closed his laptop, propped his chin on his hand, and turned to us with a smug smile.
"So, what do you think? Pretty good, right? Personally, I think the third one has title track potential. What does our leader think?"
"Since you're asking for my opinion, I'll be blunt: all three are terrible. The third one you're pushing, CEO, is just the least awful piece of garbage."
My blunt answer made the CEO's eyes widen.
In contrast, the staff and members wore expressions of cathartic relief, as if they'd just downed a refreshing soda.
"We'd be better off buying the rights to Mingky Magic and doing a remake. At least the latter would generate buzz, even if it damages our image. As for the former... well, what's even the point?"
I shook my head, mentioning a song famous for its comical trot style.
Seo Yehyeon, who was sitting next to me, nudged my side and glared at me as if I were crazy.
He seemed to have imagined himself performing "Mingky Magic" on stage.
I waved my hand dismissively, as if to reassure him.
Even our clueless CEO wouldn't seriously consider such a ridiculous idea, right?
But the CEO proved to be a far more formidable opponent than I'd anticipated—a hopeless case of cluelessness that defied all predictions.
"Mingky Magic... Mingky Magic... Not bad! Should we make that the title track for the third album?"
I'm going to lose my mind, seriously.
📝 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