Chapter 197
Chapter 197
Translator: Penny
Chapter 197
"Hyung, if you keep spacing out like this during meals, Yehyeon Hyung might end up getting the first spoonful."
Gyeon Hajun's nudge and Ryu Jaehee's voice from across the table snapped me out of my daze.
"No way, I'll pass. It's too much pressure. Just keep letting Yoon Eden take the first bite," Seo Yehyeon said, recoiling in disgust.
"Is something up with Eden Hyung lately?"
"He's been like this ever since the Drop The Beat concert. I guess the thrill of performing on his dream stage is still lingering. After all, Drop The Beat was always Eden's real dream, not this."
Gyeon Hajun's words, as if reading my mind, made me nod. I scooped up a spoonful of rice, signaling everyone to start eating.
"Yeah, the stage was really cool. It felt totally different from when Reve performs together at concerts."
"We've never even had a concert before," Ryu Jaehee pointed out sharply.
I inwardly cursed myself for not realizing he was talking about WAWA or the Music Festival, forcing a smile as I wiped away the cold sweat trickling down my back.
Damn, this kid's sharp. I'd carelessly mentioned something from before the regression, and he immediately latched onto it.
"My friends said your performance was amazing, Hyung. I mean, I saw Eden Hyung's stage from below. Seriously, wow... Even standing alone, the stage didn't feel empty at all."
Kim Dobin kept gushing with admiration. I was pleased to see his respect for me seemed to have grown even more.
Even though he was the one who gave me the nickname "Princess" because of the Labyrinth of Hell scene in Part 3 of Reve Time Human Theater.
Thanks to Part 3, Gyeon Hajun gained a "born badass" image for completing the Labyrinth of Hell mission alone without breaking a sweat.
But I was stuck with Kim Dobin, so I wasn't even alone. And to top it off, I was carried through the Labyrinth of Hell in a "princess carry" by Dobin, earning me nothing but the "Princess" nickname. It was utterly infuriating.
I'd rather have Dobin's nickname, "Rice Sack," than "Princess"! What the hell is "Princess"? Princess!
"You're not thinking of switching to rapping or anything... are you...?"
Ryu Jaehee asked cautiously, and I shrugged, a spoon still in my mouth.
"Not really? Why bother when I have my beloved members right here?"
All eyes turned to me, and I blinked. Several members looked like they were about to vomit, which stung my pride, if only slightly.
I didn't want to say it out loud either, but there was a reason.
The quest deadline was fast approaching, and I hadn't reached 100% Affinity Score with any of the members.
Affinity Score with Members
- Seo Yehyeon (95%)
- Gyeon Hajun (95%)
- Kim Dobin (95%)
- Ryu Jaehee (95%)
No matter how many times I asked what the criteria were, that damn System just kept repeating that the Affinity Score wasn't about favorability or the quality of our relationships.
"Improving relationships with the members? We've already done that to death! Just think back to before the regression and our early debut days. What more could you possibly want?"
Moreover, the penalty for this quest was regression, so I couldn't just ignore it like other quests.
Ryu Jaehee, who had been watching me eat the stir-fried potatoes, suddenly covered his mouth with a look of realization and hurriedly apologized.
"Oh, shit! I'm so sorry, Hyungs. The potatoes had sprouted, but I didn't want to waste them, so I just cut off the sprouts and stir-fried them. I had no idea this kind of side effect would happen."
"My mind is perfectly fine. Who are you trying to make out to be some crazy person hallucinating from eating bad food?"
Instead of apologizing, why don't you just raise that damn Affinity Score by the remaining 5%?
Finally, the second Thursday of November arrived—the day of the university entrance exam.
The camera crew arrived at the dorm early in the morning. The youngest member's exam was perfect material for a reality show.
For example, what to wear to the exam venue, what to pack in his lunchbox, or the sight of his older brothers seeing him off.
"Hyung, which coat looks better on me—this padded one or this wool coat?"
Ryu Jaehee, dressed in his school uniform, showed no signs of nervousness as he alternated between holding up the two coats against himself.
"Just wear whatever. You're going to take the exam, not walk a fashion show," I replied dismissively.
Ryu Jaehee shook his head. "We're going to be photographed in front of the exam hall. Should I wear my uniform, or just go in casual clothes? Dobin Hyung! What did you wear last year?"
"I'm going in my school uniform with a duffle coat! But the uniform is surprisingly uncomfortable. Just wear something casual and comfy."
Ryu Jaehee, who had seemed to hesitate for a moment at Kim Dobin's suggestion, reappeared wearing a plain sweatshirt and slacks.
He then spent another long stretch agonizing over which outerwear to choose. Dobin clicked his tongue and said, "You could've memorized another English word in the time you've wasted worrying about this."
"But there's no guarantee that word will even be on the college entrance exam! Ah, Eden Hyung, can I borrow your shearling jacket just once? Please?"
"Didn't you just buy a whole new winter wardrobe because you said nothing fit? Why are you trying to borrow my clothes when you have all those new ones?"
"But Hyung, your clothes look way cooler. And they're not too big on me anymore. You always wear them a bit loose, so they fit me perfectly—just right."
"Are you bragging about being taller than me now? Just borrow Yehyeon Hyung's clothes instead. My math score on the college entrance exam was in the bottom 80%! Do you want to end up like that?"
"Don't worry, I'll take off your clothes when I take the exam. I already borrowed Yehyeon Hyung's varsity jacket for the test."
"Wear it, wear it. Don't blame me when you bomb the exam."
It's his life, not mine.
With my permission, Ryu Jaehee immediately dashed to my room and grabbed my shearling biker jacket.
While Ryu Jaehee was busy putting on his fashion show, the college entrance exam lunchboxes were being finished in the kitchen.
Gyeon Hajun placed the insulated lunchbox filled with side dishes, rice, and soup on the table. As I reached for the lid, he said, "Don't close it yet. Let it cool down first. If you seal it while it's still hot, the lid won't open later."
"Oh, really? I closed Dobin's lunchbox without cooling it down, and it somehow opened. Probably because he didn't eat it himself."
Ryu Jaehee's college entrance exam lunchbox menu consisted of beef bulgogi, egg rolls stuffed with vegetables, braised potatoes, kimchi, and beef radish soup.
"Wow, Hajun Hyung's lunchbox? I'm so jealous. Back then, I..." Kim Dobin, who had been admiring the lunchbox beside me, trailed off with a deep sigh.
The memory of that day, when I had woken up at the crack of dawn to cook—something completely out of character for me—flashed through my mind. I glared at Kim Dobin.
"What's your problem, you brat? I woke up before dawn to pack you a lunch, and you bring it back untouched, claiming you couldn't open the lid? What's with all the complaining?"
It wasn't quite a feast, but stir-fried pork, rolled omelets, and bone broth were a pretty decent spread.
"Honestly, Hyung, you couldn't even eat it yourself! I saw you spit out the stir-fried pork you made! And you stopped Hajun Hyung from eating it right away!"
"Ooh, our Dobin's getting sassy with his Hyung?"
"Of course not."
Kim Dobin immediately plastered a fake smile on his face and bowed his head.
Everyone piled into the van to see Ryu Jaehee off to the university entrance exam, cheering him on before returning to the dorm.
If the cameras weren't rolling, I'd be in the studio working on songs for our February comeback. But since we were filming a reality show, I had no choice but to stay at the dorm.
"Since we have nothing to do, why don't we do 108 prostrations here to wish our youngest member good luck on the exam?"
"Is it okay to do that now? Shouldn't we have done it earlier?" Seo Yehyeon asked, tilting his head.
I nodded in agreement, my expression resolute. "It's never too late to start."
Since there were no yoga mats in the dorm, we brought Kim Dobin's blanket and spread it on the floor.
"Let's do relay 108 prostrations. If each person does 27, it'll add up perfectly."
Since doing all 108 prostrations at once could strain the knee joints, I suggested breaking them up.
But Seo Yehyeon immediately objected. That guy is so rigid, it's infuriating.
"Can we really break them up like that? Will it still be effective?"
"If you're so worried, why don't you do all 108 yourself, Hyung?"
Seo Yehyeon shook his head firmly. See? He'd never do it alone.
"Hyung... were you really doing 108 prostrations with Jaehee in the dorm even when I was taking the college entrance exam? And I was just complaining about my lunchbox, not knowing any of this..."
Kim Dobin gazed at me with teary eyes, his eyes shining with emotion. I had to tell him the truth.
"No? We weren't."
"Why?"
"What do you mean, 'Why?' You didn't study anyway. Why are you acting so wronged?"
What a baffling jerk.
Kim Dobin, the youngest and most energetic member, started the 108-bow relay. He began briskly, but suddenly stopped.
"Dobin, how can you be tired after just five bows? You still have twenty-two left!" Gyeon Hajun exclaimed.
Instead of getting up, Dobin remained prostrate and suddenly proposed a deal: "Can we count one full prostration as ten regular bows?"
I noticed the camera director's hand shaking slightly, as if struggling to suppress laughter.
"Is that even allowed...?" Seo Yehyeon asked, her face full of skepticism.
Dobin gave her a confident thumbs-up.
"What matters is the intention," I said. "Our sincere wish for Jaehee to do well on his exam."
Everyone, secretly reluctant to do the full ritual, quickly agreed to the deal.
We condensed the twenty-seven required bows into two deep bows and seven regular bows, and the final runner, Seo Yehyeon, completed the relay of 108 bows.
When I checked the time, it wasn't even the end of the first period—language arts.
Ah, is it called Korean, English, and Math now instead of Language, Math, and Foreign Language?
"Let's just tell Jaehee we did the full 108 bows," Seo Yehyeon suggested.
Kim Dobin protested with an indignant expression. "Wait, Yehyeon Hyung! Does that mean what we did so far was a fake 108 bows?"
"Wouldn't calling this the 'real' 108 bows be a bit of a stretch? Honestly, it was only 36 bows if you count properly. Right, Hajun-a?"
"Anything done with sincerity becomes genuine," Hajun replied.
"Even you, Hajun!"
This guy clearly doesn't know Gyeon Hajun well. While Hajun is generally reasonable, he's not the type to downplay his own efforts or reject the recognition he deserves.
Unlike Seo Yehyeon, who speaks bluntly and without compromise.
After enduring the long wait, Ryu Jaehee returned to the dorm, proudly holding his exam ticket with the answer sheet.
"Woo-hoo! The college entrance exam is finally over!"
"Jaehee, how did the exam go? Think you can get into S University through regular admission?"
"Kid, we were doing 108 prostrations at the dorm to wish you good luck on the exam. Do you know how hard that was? Aish, my whole body aches. My knees are completely shot now."
"You're exaggerating, right?"
"Hey, I'm not exaggerating! We really did it."
"If I know Eden Hyung, if your knees were really shot, you'd have already gone to the hospital and come back with knee braces."
Damn it, do I need a doctor's note just to fake an illness now?
📝 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