Chapter 34
Chapter 34
Translator: Penny
Chapter 34
Even though Seo Yehyeon was using my shoulder as an armrest, he didn't snap at me to move it or knock my arm away. Instead, he stared blankly at the phone screen I held out.
"Is this some shady, no-name poll?"
"Wow, your eyesight must be terrible if you can't even see the 'WAMA' logo."
Well, the results were pretty similar everywhere else too.
"...Are we really losing to these guys?"
Seo Yehyeon whipped his head around, his shock palpable. I met his gaze with feigned surprise and shrugged.
"Still, the vote difference isn't as big as I expected. Guess we really have made it."
"Hey, who are you? You're not Yoon Eden, are you?"
"...Why are you suddenly jumping to that conclusion?"
It was a logical leap that defied all common sense.
"You're the guy who glared at me with those beady eyes during the stage performance, desperate not to lose to those KICKS bastards. Now you're suddenly admitting defeat so easily? Is this really Yoon Eden?"
"Whoa, now that you mention it, you're right! Eden Hyung would never act like this!"
Ryu Jaehee, who had finished washing dishes and joined them in the living room, clapped a hand over his mouth in mock surprise.
Watching the three of them hold a "strategy meeting" to find a way to restore me to normal—consulting shamans, performing rituals, and now even dragging the Rosicrucian Order into this mess—I was starting to lose my patience.
Am I possessed by a demon or Satan? Enough. Just looking at this mess makes me furious.
Leaning back against Gyeon Hajun's arm—the only one not participating in this foolishness—I stretched my legs out and glanced down at my phone screen, where I'd just finished voting for Reve.
"Jun-a, did you vote?"
"No. I'm too lazy to sign up..."
"Ah, why not? We need to cut down their votes by even one more."
As I grumbled, Gyeon Hajun chuckled and turned on his phone, starting the registration process.
"Come to think of it, in most idol reincarnation stories, the possession usually happens to the member with the worst temper—the one who causes the most trouble within the group. Then, that hot-tempered member genuinely becomes a new person, transforming the team's atmosphere and leading them to success after success—"
"Ah, so what you're saying is you want our Dobi to die and have a new person possess his body?"
With a vein throbbing at his temple, Yoon Eden chuckled and firmly gripped Kim Dobin's head in his palm. Kim Dobin trembled like an aspen leaf as he stammered, "I think it's definitely Eden Hyung."
Instead of resorting to violence, Yoon Eden gave Kim Dobin's scalp a firm massage, then patted his shoulder and warned softly, "Enough is enough, okay?"
"Yes, Hyung! I was planning to stop with the brain-melting stuff here anyway!" Kim Dobin replied, snapping to attention.
Hearing his disciplined response, Yoon Eden leaned back comfortably against Gyeon Hajun.
"Still, we've gotten pretty popular, right?" Seo Yehyeon asked weakly.
Yoon Eden replied indifferently, "Yeah, we've gotten popular."
"But why...!"
"One Chance got a single opportunity. Just one follow-up track with no music video or anything."
Seo Yehyeon pressed his lips into a tight line at the sarcastic remark.
The atmosphere in the dorm instantly turned heavy, but he continued speaking without acknowledging it.
"We debuted in August, and our only meaningful activity was that one week with One Chance."
"..."
"Meanwhile, KICKS debuted earlier this year and has already had two comebacks. They've got proper music videos and title tracks for both comebacks, and even though they weren't massive hits, they did well enough. Plus, their agency is a mid-sized company known for its aggressive PR."
He paused mid-sentence.
Wait, haven't I been in a similar situation before?
In my memory, I think I said something similar back then, which lowered my Original Intent Score and earned me a lecture from Gyeon Hajun.
Panicked at the thought of losing more Original Intent Score, I quickly added, "Don't misunderstand. I'm just objectively comparing the situations. It pisses me off too that these kids beat us."
Gyeon Hajun's stifled laughter vibrated through my back.
Even though it seemed pointless, I had no choice but to maintain my Original Intent Score.
Seo Yehyeon frowned, then let out a hollow laugh. "Why are you acting so uncharacteristically calm? Since when have you been the type to hold back your anger?"
"What's the point of getting mad? It won't change the vote count, will it?"
There was only one reason I could remain composed about the Rookie Award: the current situation was far better than before the regression.
Even before my regression, KICKS had won the Rookie Award.
And Reve hadn't even been nominated, let alone come in second.
"Of course, it would be a shame not to win. It's a once-in-a-lifetime award for a rookie."
But it's not like failing to win the Rookie Award would kill us, or that the System had issued a quest threatening to deduct 99 points from our Original Intent Score if we failed.
So why get so hung up on it? The Rookie Award isn't some guaranteed formula for A-list success.
There are countless idols who won the Rookie Award only to fade into obscurity afterward.
"I'm not telling you to give up on the Rookie Award. We still have one more promotional cycle before the year ends."
Not that I particularly expect a miraculous comeback in those few weeks.
Life wasn't like the web novels or webtoons Dobi loved to read; it was a far harsher reality.
"Anyway, what I wanted to say was..."
I paused, my gaze sweeping slowly across the members with a serious expression.
These damn rookies, whether I liked it or not, we were all in the same boat now. If we wanted to end the Original Intent Score deductions and Infinite Regression, we had to somehow drag them along.
"Even if we lose the Rookie Award to KICKS, don't think we're inferior to them. The only reason is that our circumstances were slightly more challenging, that's all."
As I met their gazes, I scratched my head.
Why are they looking at me with such surprise?
I idly fiddled with a strand of hair caught between my fingers. Thankfully, even after bleaching, my hair hadn't deteriorated to the point of being like dog fur.
"And wouldn't it be even more infuriating if the guys we pushed aside for the Rookie Award ended up snatching the Grand Prize?"
Seo Yehyeon let out a sigh, his lips curling into a crooked smirk.
"That's more like it."
"Just the usual Eden Hyung," Ryu Jaehee agreed.
Those guys seemed more relieved when I showed my bad side as leader than when I actually tried to lead.
"Still, I won't give up! It's not over until it's over!" Kim Dobin declared with the determined look of a shonen manga protagonist. I shot him a disdainful glance and retorted,
"Who said you should give up? Who told you to give up?"
Kim Dobin rolled his eyes and muttered timidly, "They're not even accepting it... In clichés, they'd all be mildly moved by my display of unwavering resolve, then clasp their hands together and shout 'Fighting!' like it's a scene from a youth drama."
"Shut up, Dobi. I told you to stop reading so many web novels."
"This is an anime, though. It's just a sports genre cliché."
"You're really something else, you know?"
He frowned as he retorted, then turned his attention back to his phone screen, where the Weekly Quest "Search" was underway.
- I really want our kids to win the Rookie Award ㅠㅠ
- Everyone, don't forget to vote every day! And make sure to bypass the IP restrictions!
- Should I laugh or cry that "Best Music Video" didn't even get nominated? ㅋㅋㅋ
- If only the JNL bastards had properly produced the title track and music video for the kids' debut album... If they'd just moved the debut up a few months and let them promote twice before November...
- Still, as Ilmong, a fan since "My Universe," I'm so proud that our Reve reached second place. Back then, I never even imagined they'd be nominated for the Rookie Award.
- The Rookie Award means nothing. Our Reve will win the Grand Prize later.
- I'm so sick of hearing the KICKS fans whining about "strategic votes" for YJR. How many fans from other fandoms actually voted for Reve as a strategic pick? Why do they keep harping on about it?
└ Exactly. A few days ago, some anonymous troll on Twitter posted a "confession" claiming to be a fan of another group who voted for Reve as a strategic pick. It was clearly just bait, but they screenshotted it and keep spamming "strategic votes" while constantly stirring up trouble in our fandom. It's so pathetic and downright thuggish.
└Seriously... do they even understand what a "check vote" means? Have you ever seen a check vote actually win second place? Everyone just throws those votes away on lower-ranked groups. Honestly, among the Rookie Award nominees, who else could even compete with KICKS besides Reve? Check vote my ass. Who are you trying to check KICKS for? Tell me! Slap another group's face on your profile picture and stir up some drama if you want.
└Reve isn't the check vote—they're the ones being checked! Last month's festival video proves it. Reve's fancam views were way higher than KICKS's.
└You wanted to write a success story about a non-large agency boy group, but Reve's debut from Truly Shoddy Company ruined your plans, didn't it? Let's be real: KICKS's high vote count is just because their agency's sunbae fandoms are mass-voting for them.
I hope our kids aren't too upset about losing to KICKS right now ㅠㅠㅠ Eden and Jaehee monitor the results so closely, they probably saw how we got targeted with "strategic votes." I feel so bad for them ㅠㅠ
Strategic votes? What a joke.
Strategic votes.
These are votes cast for less threatening candidates to undermine rivals who threaten one's favored artist's chances of reaching first place.
Strategic picks refer to the candidates receiving these strategic votes.
Reve should be considered a genuine threat to the top spot, not a strategic pick. The other three groups nominated alongside us aren't even in the same league as Reve or KICKS.
I scratched my head vigorously as I stared at the last post, then logged into the Fan Cafe and clicked "Write a FROM post."
From. Eden
Daydream, may your health be well! The day we can see each other again is drawing near. As the D-Day approaches, I'm getting more and more excited about reuniting with our fans.
By the way, please don't feel sorry about the voting results, no matter how they turn out. Each vote you cast for Daydream is more precious than the outcome itself. If anything, Reve should be the one feeling more sorry toward Daydream.
Have a wonderful day today. Thank you always.
Comments: 578
- Eden, I'll make sure Reve wins the Rookie Award!
- I voted like crazy today using my mom's, dad's, grandma's, grandpa's, and sibling's phones!
Oppa, promise me you won't dwell on the negative reactions and only focus on the good comments.
Why are you guys apologizing? ㅠㅠ Wait, Eden-ah! I'm going to ask my ex to vote for you so you don't have to feel sorry!
"Whoa, Eden Hyung! Why are you posting something like this all of a sudden? What you say to the members is so different from what you say to the fans. You really are Reve's second-biggest fan-lover after Yuje."
I blankly responded to Ryu Jaehee's exaggerated reaction.
"...Yeah, I guess."
"Huh?"
"Why did I even write this post?"
Was it because I was worried the fans might get tired and leave?
Was it because I was worried we wouldn't meet the mandatory requirement of pleasing 30 million fans in time?
Or was it... because I genuinely didn't want them to feel sorry for us?
I stared down at the impulsive words I had written, my gaze complex.
Given the sensitive topic, comments flooded in at several times the usual rate.
Amidst the chaos, seeing the beautiful words prioritizing me made my stomach churn. I instinctively covered my mouth and doubled over.
My phone slipped from my hand and landed with a thud on Seo Yehyeon's thigh.
"Aish, why'd you drop it on my leg...? Hey, what's wrong with you?"
"Hyung, are you okay? Eden Hyung!"
"Eden, are you sick?"
"Ah, fuck..."
Profanity detected.
Original Intent Score -2
The reason felt so close, yet remained elusive, leaving my chest tight with frustration.
📝 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