Chapter 58
Chapter 58
Translator: Penny
Chapter 58
Damn this System! It's not like it's trying to screw anyone over, but dropping a quest on the same day, just an hour and a half before Yehyeon's birthday ends, is just ridiculous.
Is this some kind of penalty for forgetting a member's birthday?
The real problem was that today was the only day of the week I skipped the Search Quest. If I'd just done one Search, I would have known it was Seo Yehyeon's birthday.
HyunnyHyunny @Yeah1217
It's Yehyeon's birthday, and only the youngest member and Hajun posted birthday messages? Seriously?
What are Kim Dobin and Yoon Eden even doing? LOL
36 shares, 7 quotes, 55 likes
Reveim @reveim
Dobin's absence could be excused—he's the youngest and probably finds it hard to approach the eldest member. But Yoon Eden not showing up? Honestly, I don't get it. Weren't they supposed to be close?
턍 @Jlk001
Remember when I said those two didn't seem that close? The Eden stans who went ballistic, claiming they were "besties" and defending him to the death? They've all vanished now. That tells you everything, right? ㅋ
A quick search confirmed it: today really is Seo Yehyeon's birthday.
I opened my phone's gallery and frantically swiped through selfies, searching for a photo of just the two of us. There was nothing.
I considered cropping us out of a group photo, but there wasn't a single one where Seo Yehyeon and I were standing close enough to make it work.
My thoughts spiraled: Should I commission a friend who's good with Photoshop to seamlessly merge us together?
Just as that idea took root...
Why can't we just take a photo together right now?
It's not like one of us is on the other side of the world. We're barely a pillow's width apart. What's the excuse?
"Hyung, let's just take one selfie together."
"No."
Ah, there it was. He didn't want to take a photo because he was barefaced. Talk about professional dedication.
But I have my pride too. Even though I'm the one who wants this, I'm not going to beg.
"If you don't take a photo with me now, the rumors of a feud will explode tomorrow."
"...Are you threatening me?"
"Threatening? No, just stating public opinion."
Seo Yehyeon sighed heavily and told me to wait a moment. He then spent a full thirty minutes getting ready before returning—all for a thirty-second selfie.
Every time I see him, I'm struck by his legendary intensity.
When I shook my head, looking utterly bored, Seo Yehyeon chased me off the mattress, telling me to go wash my face.
Even with him fully styled and me just having splashed some water on my face, the two-shot didn't look too bad.
After all, the birthday boy should always outshine the one celebrating him, right?
"I'm posting this."
"Let me see."
The silence meant there was nothing to nitpick.
Instead of posting immediately, I waited until exactly 11:59 PM before uploading the post to the official account.
REVEofficial @LnLreve
[Eden Dream]
Happy birthday to our Reve's eldest member!
I claimed the final birthday celebration spot✌
#happybirthday
(Yoon Eden and Seo Yehyeon selfie.jpg)
Shares: 5,124 Quotes: 472 Likes: 9,712
Watching the shares and likes climb rapidly shortly after posting, I breathed a sigh of relief.
Better to end his birthday with a bang than to belatedly scramble to post something after forgetting.
▶ Let's celebrate the members' birthdays! ✓
▶ 'Seo Yehyeon's Birthday Celebration' for 20xx completed.
▶ Reward: Original Intent Score 5 and Random Ticket.
It's Yehyeon's birthday, but I'm getting the gifts? This is a total win!
I grinned in satisfaction, watching my Original Intent Score increase and the Random Ticket appear.
Insho @SLFl25f4
I just wanted to celebrate Eden in a special way, but everyone's jumping to all sorts of conclusions.
Shares: 102Quotes: 9Likes: 378
Rave @luvvv
If you're going to start drama threads over something like this, at least wait a day or so before posting, okay? ^^
Shares: 23Quotes: 4Likes: 84
As midnight passed, I naturally completed my daily Search Quest.
I couldn't deny feeling a bit like I'd gone from being a leader who didn't even acknowledge members' birthdays to an attention-seeking leader trying to stand out. But since the latter was an improvement over the former, I humbly accepted it.
"Oh, right. Happy birthday."
Seo Yehyeon, who had calmly delivered the birthday greeting, checked his phone screen and then buried his face in the pillow, muttering, "Who congratulates someone after their birthday is already over?"
"Well, apparently someone does."
He chuckled, recalling the congratulations he had received along with the whipped cream cake in a now-vanished moment.
Seo Yehyeon clicked his tongue. "The fact that another lunatic like you exists in this world... it's the end times, the end times..."
Does this guy even realize he's just insulting himself?
The Wnet ASIAN MUSIC AWARD, commonly known as WAMA, was hosted by the parent company of Wnet.
The awards ceremony, held at the Hong Kong Expo, featured a stage and audience far grander than any music show stage we had ever performed on.
"Wow, this is huge," Ryu Jaehee exclaimed as he stepped onto the stage for rehearsal.
Having performed on stages like this several times before, I felt quite at home. But the other members, for whom this was a first, couldn't hide their nervousness.
"We should probably widen our formations a bit," Kim Dobin suggested.
I nodded in agreement.
I nudged Seo Yehyeon, who was standing on stage, staring blankly at the empty audience seats.
Blinking a few times like a child just waking from a dream, Seo Yehyeon quickly adjusted his position to align with the group's formation.
After finishing rehearsals to the AR that reverberated through the venue, and enduring a tedious wait, the awards ceremony finally began.
Seated in the singers' section, we were essentially just... clapping machines.
Since the voting had taken place before our official debut, we had no hope of winning the Music Video Award, let alone any other awards.
"Now, we will announce the Rookie Award for this year."
Sssip. The distinct sound of Ryu Jaehee inhaling sharply came from beside me.
Seo Yehyeon swallowed nervously, his foot tapping anxiously.
If we're not going to win anyway, why is he so tense?
"The winner is... Congratulations, KICKS!"
Forced smiles plastered on our faces as we clapped for the cameras.
If I let my true feelings show here, I'd be facing another regression.
With the Silver Disc Awards and the Nouchart Music Awards still ahead, it was too early to declare defeat. Not that I had high hopes for either.
Still, seeing those KICKS bastards grinning like idiots made my stomach churn.
So happy, huh? Fucking hell. Even seeing them bawling their eyes out only made me think, What a joke.
Before the regression, I would have at least sent a congratulatory text to Choi Hyeonmin when he bragged about winning the Rookie Award. I had that much loyalty.
But they were the ones who kicked that loyalty to the curb first, so I genuinely didn't care anymore.
Before the regression, I'd only managed to attend these awards in my third year, after finally hitting it big.
Even though I wanted to be satisfied with having reached this point less than a year after our debut, seeing the KICKS guys strut around, puffed up with pride after winning the Rookie Award, made me realize that satisfaction was the last thing I felt.
Still, there's nothing I can do about the fan votes or the judges' decisions.
I forced a smile at the KICKS members, who were turning to look at us with smug grins, barely suppressing the urge to flip them the middle finger.
Soon, it was our turn to perform.
Glancing at Seo Yehyeon, who seemed to have paled visibly, perhaps from seeing the massive audience filling the venue from the artist seating, I made a final check of my in-ear monitors backstage.
Ryu Jaehee and Kim Dobin, born entertainers, were brimming with anticipation rather than nerves. Gyeon Hajun, as always, remained calm and composed.
So, the problem was still Seo Yehyeon.
"It's okay to make mistakes," I said, patting Seo Yehyeon's shoulder lightly. He, who had been breathing shallowly, turned to look at me.
"As long as it's not a major blunder, it's fine to mess up. After all, Hyung is famous as the creator of the New Choreography. Even if you misstep here, it won't even make headlines. Well, unless you trip over a member during the performance and both of you fall—then it might become a story."
"That's... genuinely comforting," Seo Yehyeon muttered, glancing at my ambiguous expression before adding, "I'm not being sarcastic. I mean it. So, say something more."
"...Are you a masochist?"
"Not that kind of talk. Something to help me relax."
"Isn't this enough? Just don't trip on stage or freeze up because you forgot the moves."
A satisfied smile spread across my face as I watched his tense, rigid expression crumble. Looks like he's finally relaxed a bit.
"Hyungs! Let's do this! This!" Ryu Jaehee waved his hand wildly, palm facing outward.
"Ugh, what a pain..." I muttered, shuffling over and raising my hand. As the five palms converged, Ryu Jaehee shouted with gusto, "Two, three, fighting!"
Will we ever get this synchronized? I clicked my tongue at the slightly off timing and withdrew my hand.
The Maknae Line members were already exchanging enthusiastic high-fives, vowing to tear up the stage.
As the screen opened and the backing track began to play, I strode confidently onto the stage without hesitation.
Savoring the long-missed heat of the concert hall against my skin, I adjusted my grip on the microphone.
Yeah, time to tear up this stage.
"He raps disgustingly well. It's so irritating."
Choi Hyeonmin of KICKS, who was sitting rigidly and clapping as if genuinely enjoying the performance, ground his teeth and muttered under his breath, his ears ringing with the rapper's crisp diction and effortless flow.
Beside him, another KICKS member, swaying to the rhythm and genuinely enjoying the stage, lamented, "Honestly, the song's good too. Ah, if I'd known it would turn out like this, I would have stopped Eden Hyung from leaving back then. Who knew that bastard was a songwriting genius?"
"Ugh, then we should have stopped Gyeon Hajun from leaving first. Enduring that sanctimonious prick—"
"Shh! The cameras are rolling, guys."
At the leader's warning, the KICKS members lowered their voices to a whisper and fell silent, refocusing their attention on the stage.
A man standing nearby, who had overheard their whispers, chuckled at their sudden shift in attitude.
As Ryu Jaehee's clear, high-pitched vocals soared through the venue, the man murmured, "How fascinating."
"What's fascinating? The high notes? You can hit those too, what's so special about it?"
He brushed off his group leader's comment with a laugh, slowly stroking his chin with a half-gloved hand.
"There's just something about it."
His gaze remained fixed on the figure dominating the stage, drawing all eyes.
A gentle tap on his thigh prompted him to smile softly at the camera. The crowd's cheers intensified.
The song was rapidly building to its climax.
Alternating his gaze between Reve's empty seat in the singer's section and the stage, he murmured, "It's surprising how much better this version is."
📝 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