Chapter 21
Chapter 21
Translator: Penny
Chapter 21
"Ugh... Good work, everyone..."
"Eden Hyung, Yehyeon Hyung's completely spaced out."
"Leave him be. I feel like I'm about to lose it because of that guy too."
The recording session finally ended smoothly after I repeated "Again" over a hundred times.
Before my regression, I had experience producing for various idol groups, so I expected our members, who already possessed some skill, to find the process much less stressful. Unfortunately, Seo Yehyeon alone was worth a hundred men.
Still wearing his headphones, he slumped back in his chair and played the final recording.
A lively, dance-style melody flowed through the headphones.
Meet me in your dreams? Sorry, I have plans tonight.
Too bad, tonight's concept is all night.
The song, which I had once only heard through the voices of others, was now being performed exactly as I had envisioned it from the moment I wrote it.
Overwhelmed by this dreamlike feeling, I burst into joyful laughter.
"Yehyeon Hyung, what do we do? I think Eden Hyung's finally lost it."
"Is this because of me?"
The whispers cut through the music in my headphones, instantly silencing my laughter. I clenched my jaw.
Shouldn't we show them the pain of having their Original Intent Score slashed for "fostering discord"? They're the ones causing the discord right now, aren't they?
Sigh, this is how I live.
Lamenting my miserable circumstances, I immersed myself in the music once more.
Seo Yehyeon's part, which had been a source of anxiety, blended in surprisingly naturally, likely due to the relentless practice until it met my standards.
The overall quality of the final product was, to use a Harry Potter-style grading system, "Exceeds Expectations" (E). Considering my usual ruthless grading—even for songs I produced myself, I rarely gave higher than "Acceptable" (A)—this meant it was exceptionally well-executed.
For reference, before my regression, every single song by Reve had been graded "Poor" (P). Ah, wait, wasn't the title track of their 2nd Mini Album "Dreadful" (D)?
Feeling satisfied, I returned to the dorm, collapsed onto the worn mattress in my room, and closed my eyes.
Now that the title track was a masterpiece, all that remained was to find a concept that perfectly complemented the song...
A multiverse where souls are split in two by the power of darkness... It makes sense... Well, it makes sense, but...
No, an homage is only an homage if it's done in moderation! This is blatant plagiarism, plain and simple! They just lifted Interstellar wholesale! We're doomed! We'll be branded as Plagiarism Idols now!
Ugh, I'd rather wear the outfits from "Come to My Universe." At least those were simple. This shit... fuck.
My mom's so embarrassed... Should I just quit...?
As memories of the past—around this time before the regression—flashed before his eyes like a dying man's life flashing before him, he sat bolt upright, drenched in a cold sweat.
"Damn it!"
Lost in the euphoria of completing the song, I'd forgotten about the massive hurdle still looming before us: the concept meeting.
With the title track already finalized, brainstorming a concept to match the song seemed straightforward. But our opponent was the CEO, who had once insisted on a multiverse concept even for a song screaming "Darkness Black Soul."
The Planning Director, a spineless yes-man to the CEO, would be no help at all.
This was the downside of the Shoddy Company's cronyism.
After mentally cursing the damn agency, I abruptly stood up, grabbed a notebook and pen from my desk, flipped past the page marked "1st Reve Meeting," and scrawled with a marker:
"2nd Reve Meeting"
Subtitle: 2nd Mini Album Concept
"Guys, let's have a meeting!"
BANG!
I kicked open the door to Kim Dobin and Ryu Jaehee's room, shouting as I did.
Ryu Jaehee, who was lying on the mattress scrolling through his phone, didn't even look up as he grumbled, "Aren't we having meetings too often?"
"If you had eyes, you'd see it says '2nd Meeting' right there. Is twice 'too often' for you? Or can't you read numbers?"
Detected: Statement fostering discord among members.
Original Intent Score -1
Alright, alright, I get it. I'll put it nicely.
"My beloved youngest member, do you see this number 2? Don't you think calling twice 'too often' is a bit of a stretch?"
"Why are you acting like this, Hyung? It's scary."
Ryu Jaehee shuddered violently at my overly gentle tone, his face contorted in disgust.
If he acts like this even when I'm being nice, why should I bother being gentle?
Seo Yehyeon, who had been leaning casually against the doorframe outside Ryu Jaehee and Kim Dobin's room, chimed in with a nonchalant remark:
"Just hold the Reve Meeting. It's better than Yoon Eden's dictatorship, right?"
"Hey, this Hyung, why do you always have to say things that sting? When did I ever act like a dictator?"
"Have you completely erased from your memory all those times we fought and raised our voices at each other?"
"Ha, Hyung, you're being ridiculous. Once isn't often... My beloved Eldest Member, wouldn't you agree that once hardly counts as 'often'?"
"...Did you eat something weird?" Seo Yehyeon asked cautiously, his eyes narrowed.
As I watched him, I mentally etched the character for "patience" (忍) into my mind.
Be patient. Three instances of "patience" will save your Original Intent Score from dropping below -1.
Gyeon Hajun, fearing another argument, rushed over and physically pushed Seo Yehyeon and me into the room.
The five of us huddled together on the narrow mattress in the cramped room, a sketchbook placed between us, making it feel like we were on some kind of retreat.
Kim Dobin read the words written in the sketchbook, a question mark forming on his face.
"But isn't the concept meeting soon? Why do we need to do this now?"
"Yeah, it'd be better to hear the staff and CEO's opinions first and decide then," Gyeon Hajun added, nodding in agreement. I understood their point—it was the logical procedure.
Unfortunately, logic and reality rarely align.
"Do you guys want to shoot an Interstellar-style music video with a multiverse concept?"
The anxiety I had desperately buried deep within me—the fear of being branded a "Plagiarism Idol"—resurfaced from the depths.
Whether by misfortune or luck, no one cared about a flop idol group's music video. It passed quietly, garnering only 921 views on YouTube without ever becoming a topic of discussion.
After Reve's breakthrough success, even the fans treated the 2nd Mini Album as if it never existed, with no songs or music videos, allowing it to be safely buried.
Though the song had changed, the music video's content might also need adjustments. However, the CEO's obsession with the cosmic worldview remained highly likely to persist.
Looking back years later, when the cosmic worldview became a standard concept in the idol industry, it seemed he had a visionary eye.
Yet, considering how consistently awful his pet concepts were, he was clearly a clueless and unpredictable individual.
"Why are you so certain? A better concept might emerge during the meeting."
"Jun-a, the world isn't as optimistic as you think. And if you consider all our past concept meetings—"
I trailed off mid-sentence.
During those meetings, we'd throw out any idea just to block the truly awful concepts, but we couldn't even agree among ourselves.
Ultimately, all those failed defenses had happened before the regression, so the other members had no way of knowing.
The fact that these memories were mine alone felt bitterly ironic.
The frustration of needing to stop a terrible concept immediately but being unable to unite.
The days spent on stage wearing those hideous costumes and singing cringeworthy, edgy lyrics.
The anxiety over being branded "Plagiarism Idols," which eventually led to a stomach ulcer—all these painful memories.
Now I had to carry all this shit alone. It was fucking infuriating, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth that made me want to die!
Barely suppressing the rising tide of resentment and irritation, I opened my mouth.
"Can you all handle a concept and costumes even more horrifying than what we had for 'Come to My Universe'?"
"Could it possibly be worse than that?"
"We've already been toughened up by those sponge lab coat jumpsuits. We're confident we can handle any costume without being shocked."
I knew they'd say that. Until they actually saw the stage outfits.
"If you can pull off a combination of black feathered outerwear, a tacky black shirt dripping with chains, gothic pants covered in studs and straps, and a dog collar choker, then we'll go with the concept from the Reve Meeting."
If "Come to My Universe" was the epitome of minimalism, our next comeback was the epitome of overkill.
It wasn't a dark chapter the fans had buried for no reason.
"That's awfully specific for a guess, isn't it? You're talking like you've actually seen it."
"In my dream, my great-grandmother couldn't bear to see her great-grandson fail, so she spoiled the ending for me."
Seo Yehyeon couldn't dismiss a dream involving someone else's great-grandmother as mere nonsense, so he shut his mouth and stopped pressing for details.
Great-grandmother, I'm sorry for selling you out. I'll definitely visit your grave this year.
"Since we don't know what opinions will come up during the meeting, it wouldn't hurt to decide on a unified stance beforehand. We all saw the CEO's 'vision' during the follow-up promotions for 'Come to My Universe,' right?"
The members' faces darkened, likely recalling the CEO's insistence on pushing "Come to My Universe."
"But it's not like my beloved members will automatically agree with me at the meeting. If I try to push my own agenda, they'll accuse me of being a dictator again. So let's just have a proper discussion, okay?"
I shrugged, and Seo Yehyeon, his expression sour, asked,
"Everything's fine, but why do you keep adding 'beloved' to everything?"
"Why else? It makes the words sound a bit softer, doesn't it?"
Yehyeon Hyung stared back with a skeptical expression, but didn't exactly deny it, so it seemed to be working.
And so, the second Reve Meeting began.
Ryu Jaehee immediately raised his hand and suggested, "What about a club concept?"
"Our youngest member, have you even been to a club?"
"No. I'm still a minor."
A club concept... not bad. The lyrics were all about partying all night, and the song genre was dance.
Before my regression, the group that took the song had also promoted with a club concept.
However, filming a music video with a club concept was problematic, given that two members of the group were minors.
Moreover, the club concept had been overused in the K-pop scene, making it a low-risk, low-return option.
"Or how about gathering people for a street performance abroad instead of a club? Something like this?"
Gyeon Hajun, who had been diligently searching on his laptop, opened a YouTube video.
It was a music video from a senior idol group that had promoted rap/hip-hop tracks.
The video featured vibrant graffiti murals on walls and exotic street scenes.
The seniors, dressed in street fashion, performed on a makeshift stage while foreigners gathered to enjoy the performance.
The song's vibe matched our style perfectly, and the visuals were pretty good too. But the problem was...
"We already cut corners on the debut music video. How can we afford to shoot abroad for this one?" Seo Yehyeon asked skeptically, nodding in agreement with her own doubt.
Even before my regression, our music videos had always been low-budget domestic shoots until we broke into the second tier. There was no way we could afford an overseas shoot now.
Overseas? We'd be lucky to book the English Village in Paju.
And capturing this kind of atmosphere domestically would be nearly impossible.
"Let's hear the producer's thoughts. Yoon Eden, did you have any concept ideas while working on the song?"
With the floor back to me, I stroked my chin and began, "Well, I..."
📝 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