Chapter 49
Chapter 49
Translator: Penny
Chapter 49
A brief silence hung in the air before a pop! rang out, and confetti rained down from above, swirling around us.
"Congratulations, Reve!"
Come to think of it, it's been a while since we last took first place.
We'd occasionally snagged number one spots on music shows thanks to our dedicated fanbase, but during our final activities before regression, all three consecutive title tracks had been disastrous. We hadn't even made it into the top candidate pool, forced to cede our position to rookie and mid-tier girl groups.
This time, though... taking first place was practically a given. The charts and music shows were practically empty, and our opponent was KICKS, whose song was an upgraded version of the track that had dominated the charts for three consecutive weeks even before my regression.
After my regression, and Reve's official first number one, I felt neither excitement nor emotion.
I was only slightly anxious before the announcement, worried we might lose to KICKS.
Still, as a seasoned veteran, I remained calm and indifferent. But the other members clearly didn't share my composure.
I was momentarily startled by Gyeon Hajun's teary-eyed expression, but when I saw the Maknae Line hugging each other and sobbing loudly, a soft chuckle escaped my lips like air leaking from a balloon.
Seo Yehyeon, who had been staring at the ceiling, finally bowed his head and buried his face in his hands, tears streaming down his cheeks.
Gyeon Hajun, patting Seo Yehyeon's back, already had tears welling in his own eyes.
I flashed a genuine smile at KICKS, who were clapping for us with forced smiles, and returned their applause.
For a moment, the leader couldn't hide his expression and wore a face like he'd bitten into a bitter bug. But as soon as the camera turned toward them, he quickly plastered on a smile again.
The thought of seeing that sour expression again suddenly ignited my determination to work on the arrangement.
Amidst the sea of tears at Reve, I stood alone, dry-eyed, as the trophy and microphone were handed to me.
"First, I want to thank our Reve members for following along so well, and our parents for their unwavering belief and support. I also want to express my gratitude to the entire LnL family for their tireless efforts."
Having given acceptance speeches for first place countless times, I delivered the words smoothly and confidently.
Besides, everyone was crying too hard to take the microphone from me anyway.
"And finally, I dedicate this honor to our fans who have always cheered us on and shown us so much love. I promise to keep working hard to show you even better performances in the future. Thank you!"
Ryu Jaehee, who had calmed down somewhat, wiped tears from his eyes with the back of his hand and approached me. As I held the microphone to his lips, he drew a large heart above his head with his hands and shouted through sobs, "I love you, Daydream!"
While the MCs delivered their closing remarks, I gently patted Ryu Jaehee's back, intending to comfort him. But when he turned to look at me, his teary eyes suddenly overflowed again, and he burst into fresh sobs, leaving me flustered.
It was as if he was crying even more bitterly than when he had finally achieved his first number one after years of struggling as a flop idol group before our regression.
Was it because I was younger than before, or because my face still looked particularly youthful since I hadn't hit puberty yet?
As the encore interlude began, I cleared my throat and immediately launched into Gyeon Hajun's opening verse.
As expected, my rendition lacked the emotional depth of Gyeon Hajun's.
According to our original plan, the main rapper (me) and Seo Yehyeon, who was both a sub-rapper and sub-vocalist, should have handled the vocals. But considering Seo Yehyeon's tear-soaked state and her usual vocal performance, it seemed I'd have to carry the entire song myself.
I wasn't a particularly strong singer, but I was definitely better than Seo Yehyeon. That much was certain.
However, as the chorus approached, cold sweat began to bead on my back.
There was no way a mere rapper like me could handle the notes tailored for our group's two vocalists.
I shot Gyeon Hajun a pleading look. He wiped his tears and brought the microphone to his lips.
As Gyeon Hajun effortlessly nailed the chorus that felt impossibly difficult for me, I laid down a low harmony to match his voice.
It feels like we're doing a duet.
Our eyes met, and I chuckled softly.
Gyeon Hajun pressed his free hand against his flushed, tear-stained cheeks and smiled brightly back at me.
Watching that radiant, shadowless smile—so different from his usual calm one—I thought:
I hope this completely clears the pointless debt he feels he owes me.
Because our present is nothing like the past before the regression.
While Gyeon Hajun sang well, this chorus still suited Ryu Jaehee better.
It was fortunate that Ryu Jaehee's English pronunciation had improved so dramatically in just one day.
The Maknae Line, their faces still streaked with tears, were desperately trying to pass off my upcoming rap part to each other.
I'd clearly seen both of them secretly practicing my rap part, so why were they backing down now that I'd finally given them the stage?
Kim Dobin, looking utterly defeated, finally started rapping, having been pushed into it by Ryu Jaehee.
Of course, it was a complete mess, capturing none of the original energy. But at least it seemed better than Seo Yehyeon's attempt.
I considered replacing the sub-rapper, but then remembered that doing so would drastically reduce Seo Yehyeon's already minimal parts, and abandoned the idea.
As I sang my vocal part again, the realization hit me like a punch to the gut:
I really should just stick to rapping for the rest of my life. Let's keep outsourcing the vocals as we've always done.
Dream♥Daydream @revedream
I'm gonna die.
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Dream♥Daydream @revedream
This isn't a dream, right?
Our kids got first place!
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Gonggang @rytnslarhdrkdwhady
Everyone else is crying, but our leader is just standing there, not crying, and giving a perfect acceptance speech. That's so like him.
BabyKitten @edenkitt
Replying to @rytnslarhdrkdwhady
I need to completely rewrite my character analysis of Eden... He's not just outwardly strong but inwardly soft—he's just strong all around...
YHs @dPgustkfkdgo
Yehyun can't sing the encore song because he's crying too much ㅠㅠ
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YHs @dPgustkfkdgo
Stop dragging my baby's talent with these quotes! We can all see it! ㅋㅋㅋ
Seriously, why are you quote-tweeting posts about someone else's struggles just to trash their skills and imply they're being deliberately left out?
☆★☆★ 축 레브 1위 ☆★☆★ @dreamday100
Wow, Yoon Leader can really sing! I thought, and then Hajun's chorus hit me like a truck.
Thanks to that, I finally understood why a vocalist is a vocalist.
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Dangbong @kjs2255
Hearing Kim Dobin cover Yoon Eden's part made me realize how Yoon Eden had crafted his sections to be uniquely his own.
Dangbong @kjs2255
I had this weird sense of déjà vu, and then it hit me: it was exactly how I looked trying to rap Yoon Eden's part when we sang "All Right Or Night" at karaoke. OMG...
(Locked) ByoUje @ujaemom
What can't Our Hamster do? ㅠㅠ How can he rap so well too? ㅠㅠ
(Locked) HalfAndHalf @reveadora
Replying to @ujaemom
Isn't it because it's Yehyeon's part? ㅋㅋㅋ If it had been 2E's part, he would've ended up like Dobin.
(Locked) ByoUje @ujaemom
Replying to @reveadora
Even so, he sang it better than Yehyeon, though. ᄒ
Reph @Perfect11
Where did all the KICKS fans go, the ones who kept screeching about "Rival Pick"? ㅋㅋㅋ Come out already! Which Rival Pick is going to surpass everyone else and take first place? ㅋㅋㅋ
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Siis @SDAF1FA5S
KICKS fans, stop whining about "empty houses."
If Reve won first place because it was an "empty house," then what does that make KICKS, who couldn't even raid that "empty house"?
Share: 1,120 Retweet: 3,341 Likes: 5,325
"Heh, this isn't a dream, right?" Kim Dobin asked, sniffling as he tightly hugged the first-place trophy he'd passed off earlier because it was too heavy to carry.
I chuckled, snapping a photo of his face with its red-tipped nose—making him look even more disheveled than usual. Kim Dobin immediately raised the trophy to cover his face.
"Hyung, is that the rear camera? At least use a filter camera, sniff."
"You're so demanding," I grumbled, switching from the rear camera to a filter camera.
It's not like this photo is for social media anyway. We already took proper group shots in the waiting room. This is just for my personal collection because it's funny. Why is he being so picky?
Back at the dorm, we huddled together to select photos for social media.
"How about this group shot?"
"No, let's use the previous one. The composition is better."
"Hey, youngest member! Stop picking only the ones where you look good. Dobin was the only one who blinked in that last one."
"Hey, Ryu Jaehee!"
"Sorry, sorry! I thought he closed his eyes on purpose. Ever since Eden Hyung started posting selfies with his eyes closed, Dobin Hyung's been doing it too sometimes."
"Ugh, why did you have to mention that?!"
Gyeon Hajun and I didn't really care how we looked in the photos, and Seo Yehyeon never took a bad picture, so the real battle was between the Maknae Line.
After a fierce debate, we finally settled on a group shot where all five of us looked decent, plus one selfie each. Only then could we finally draft the social media post.
"I'll write it and upload it."
"Whoa, classic Leader move!"
That's how we complete a Weekly Quest, right?
Since I wrote it and uploaded it myself, it should count as completing the quest, right?
REVEofficial @LnLreve
Reve Dream
First #1 on a major broadcast!
We're always grateful and love you, Daydream♥
#Reve #레브 #Daydream #AllRightOrNight #올라잇올나잇 #MusicCamp #1stPlace
(GroupTrophyShot.jpg) (SeoYehyeonTrophySelfie.jpg)
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REVEofficial @LnLreve
#Reve #레브
(YoonEdenTrophyVSelfie.jpg) (GyeonHajunTrophyCheekSelfie.jpg) (KimDobinTrophyKissSelfie.jpg) (YujeTrophyKissSelfie.jpg)
After uploading individual selfies with "From" posts to both the official SNS accounts and the fan cafe, they tore open the packaging of the freshly delivered, piping-hot chicken.
Fortunately, the group post I uploaded counted toward my Weekly Quest.
"Hey, does our agency not do company dinners? We got first place, shouldn't we celebrate with some Korean beef?"
"Actually, the CEO just called to congratulate us and said we'll have a big celebration after we wrap up promotions."
I replied casually while responding to the flood of congratulatory texts from friends.
With a packed schedule tomorrow, even our first-place win only earned us chicken at the dorm.
Still, at least they let us have beer.
"We have schedules tomorrow, so let's take it easy... Forget it. We can't be like that on a day like today."
Seo Yehyeon said, picking up a piece of pickled radish before waving his hand dismissively.
I was about to tell him to ignore his own advice and eat as much as he wanted anyway.
Kim Dobin subtly reached for a can of beer, but I quickly handed him a can of cola instead. He pouted.
"One can won't hurt on a day like today," he argued.
"Did you even get your ID yet?" I retorted, popping open the beer can. I lightly clinked it against Gyeon Hajun's can before bringing it to my lips, adding, "You're such a kid."
His shoulders slumped as he shook his head. "Why are you so desperate to drink that tasteless stuff?"
"Then why are you drinking it, Hyung?"
"I don't know, you brat."
Instead, I willingly gave up the chicken drumsticks to the Maknae Line.
Kim Dobin picked up a drumstick with an expression of exaggerated gratitude, as if he'd been handed an entire building. Turning to me, he asked, "But why didn't Eden Hyung cry?"
📝 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