Chapter 59
Chapter 59
Translator: Penny
Chapter 59
After stepping off the stage, we wiped away the sweat and glanced at each other.
Seo Yehyeon grinned, his eyes still shimmering with the lingering heat of the performance. "I didn't make any mistakes this time."
Seriously? You're acting like you accomplished something extraordinary just by not screwing up on stage. Not making mistakes is the bare minimum, you know?
But for the sake of my precious Original Intent Score, I swallowed those words and forced out a compliment.
"Yeah, you did well."
You've really mellowed out, Yoon Eden.
I even suggested giving this guy the System's curse—or blessing—but the damn thing only shows up when it feels like it, remaining stubbornly silent.
No, some people get a whopping 7 points deducted from their Original Intent Score for a single mistake on stage, but others get away with being called the "Creator of New Choreography"?
Isn't lack of skill and stage mistakes a more serious disqualification for an idol than Dead Eyes and habitual "Oh, really?"?
All I wanted was to live making real music. Was that such a capital crime?
Oblivious to my turmoil, Kim Dobin chattered excitedly, his voice brimming with anticipation.
"Do you think we'll ever get to hold our own solo concert in a big venue like this?"
"Yeah, sure."
"Hyung, put a little more sincerity into your answer."
"Yeah, probably."
"Where's the sincerity in that reply?"
"I added two extra syllables, didn't I?"
If that day doesn't come, I'll have to regress again, you bastard. Regress and start this whole damn thing all over from the beginning.
I replied casually and returned to the Artist Seats. As I sat down in an empty seat, a bottle of water was suddenly thrust out from beside me.
"I enjoyed your performance."
The voice, tinged with amusement, was familiar. Facing a face that looked younger than my last memory of it, I forced my crumpled expression to smooth out into a smile.
"Thank you, Sunbae-nim."
Fuck, why is he acting so friendly? I thought, accepting the water bottle from Cha Yeonho, who was grinning brightly, and subtly grinding my teeth.
Perhaps because Altair, a group known for keeping to themselves, had initiated the greeting, the other members stared at me with undisguised interest in their eyes.
Altair. A senior boy group that debuted two years before Reve.
Before my regression, they had firmly held their A-list status, only to plummet spectacularly in an instant. I couldn't deny my role in their downfall.
In any case, my relationship with Altair before my regression could be described as a bitter one.
Among them, Cha Yeonho was Altair's main vocalist and... well...
"What, if your tone suits my taste and you ask politely, I might even give you a song."
"You think you can look down on me now?"
"Want some advice, Sunbae? Instead of clinging to your pride, try understanding your place and the situation. Do you still see me as beneath you?"
That's how it was.
His tone was truly second only to Gyeon Hajun's in my preferences. How did things end up like this?
Of course, this was entirely Altair's fault.
"Hyung, do you know Cha Yeonho Sunbae?" Ryu Jaehee whispered in my ear.
"No?" I immediately denied it.
Even if we had known each other before the regression, in this timeline, we were strangers.
But why was he still staring?
If he wanted to build rapport with Rising, shouldn't he be doing the same with KICKS, the Rookie Award winner next to them?
When our eyes met, Cha Yeonho smiled—a smile that was anything but friendly.
I returned his smile calmly, thinking, Is this bastard trying to intimidate us?
Reve's influence has grown significantly. To be targeted by Altair after just four months...
Back before the regression, even when we were a breakout success in our third year, we were more likely to be ignored than challenged.
The day after WAMA ended, the first episode of Reve's reality show, My Idol Observation Camera - Reve Edition, aired.
Curious about how he'd been selected, we huddled around the TV to watch the show.
On the phone screen, Ryu Jaehee's link to a grill or something he'd sent was displayed.
Today's wake-up alarm duty: Yuje!
Alright, let's go wake up the Hyungs.
Seo Yehyeon's feigned sleep appeared on screen.
Yehyeon still half-asleep
The caption accompanied a shot of him blinking slowly.
Rather than the dreamy, half-awake concept they were going for at the time, he just looked like he was sitting there blankly.
It served as another reminder that this guy should never attempt acting.
Insane! He's like a real-life Sleeping Beauty prince.
Wow, amazing! How can he wake up without any puffiness? He must be a different species.
- Did you just wake up? ㅋㅋㅋ There's no trace of sleep on your face at all ㅋㅋㅋ
Of course, that guy had woken up early and done a full makeover.
Next, the focus shifted to me.
A finger pressed firmly between my eyebrows, and my reflexively furrowed face appeared on the screen.
Even though I was just pretending to be asleep, seeing myself from a third-person perspective felt strangely surreal.
...He's awake.
Doesn't look like it to me.
The subtitles appeared alongside footage of me burying my face in the pillow.
Eden's not a morning person, huh? ㅋㅋ
Closing your eyes again after saying you're awake? Classic move.
Look at him pulling up his hood ㅋㅋ
Oh, Hajun Hyung. You woke up on your own without me having to wake you?
Reve's ultimate early bird.
Gyeon Hajun, who had woken up before anyone else, earned the title of "Reve's ultimate early bird."
- That's the Imjin War, right? Isn't it? ㅋㅋㅋ
- I bet Hajun's the most diligent member of Reve. Honestly, I think he's the first one up every morning, even off-camera.
- Sorry to burst your bubble, but Seo Yehyeon is actually the first one up.
- I thought beauties were supposed to be lazy sleepers, but he's surprisingly the earliest riser.
- Jaehee, did you sleep well too? What's with you waking up so early today?
- What do you mean "what's with me"? I'm the most diligent morning person in Reve!
- If we don't wake you up, you'd sleep till 10 AM. What kind of "morning person" are you, maknae? Do you even know what that means?
- The Leader couldn't let the youngest member's bluff go unchallenged.
- Maknae's sleeping in late again. Typical student behavior.
- Eden, how can you expose our staged broadcast like that? ㅋㅋㅋ
- Hyung, say good morning to the fans!
Good morning.
Eden, wake up.
Kitty, still half-asleep, desperately wants more sleep.
Fortunately, my appearance turned out exactly as planned. The grand finale of this ridiculous morning wake-up skit was delivered by Kim Dobin.
Dobin, the last one to wake up.
"Aaaah! What's that?!"
Kim Dobin screamed, burying his face in his hands as his puffy, pancake-like face appeared on screen with subtitles.
Seeing his face on camera made him look even more swollen and unattractive, so instead of comforting him, everyone burst into laughter.
"I told you to wake up earlier," I said.
"Wow, it turned out great! Our Dobi sacrificed himself to give us the best reality TV moment ever?"
ㅋㅋ
Look at him yawning ㅋㅋ The others seem to have woken up earlier, but Dobin is the real deal ㅋㅋ
Our puppy's face is so swollen ㅋㅋ
Eden couldn't bear to watch any longer and covered Dobin with a blanket, ㅋㅋㅋ. As expected, the leader's love for his members is real.
The scene showing the members waking up transitioned to a meeting where the Reve members were deciding what they wanted to do for the reality show.
[Comprehensive health check at a university hospital]
[Ah, Hyung, please no.]
[Why? What could be more beneficial content than that?]
[Health comes first! The leader strongly insists, while Dobin trembles in fear.]
"Why did I look like a crazy person from Line 1?"
"It's not the editing. You really were acting like a crazy person from Line 1 back then."
-No, Eden, health checks aren't fun content; they're boring content. Unless you guys start rapping or talking nonsense while still groggy from the endoscopy anesthesia.
- Why are you so obsessed with health checkups?
- Considering he was rushed to the emergency room before, I can understand Eden's concern...
└ Ah...
- It's hilarious how the members completely ignore their leader's advice, lol.
Still, thanks to the editing, he came across as just a bit overly health-conscious rather than a total nuisance.
- They've milked the rural experience content dry. It's getting boring. They should do weekend farming content instead.
└ Ah, I can already picture them in baggy pants and straw hats.
- Honestly, winter beach content is pretty dull, right? Is there anything interesting besides running around on the sand?
- Is Hajun really that dominant in cooking, lol? Is he just exceptionally good, or are the others just disastrously bad?
└Eden revealed on a live broadcast that, apart from Hajun, the other members can only cook Tornado Omelets, ramen, and diet-friendly meals...
└They're better than me!
-Yuje must be scared of horror movies, lol. Just like a little hamster!
-Songwriting, composing, and producing experience, lololol. Dobin, do you want to be a Produce member?
-Too bad, I wanted to see them try out a rock band.
└Yehyeon, start practicing the keyboard now!
└What about vocals?
└That's a lost cause.
The process of deciding on the themes of "sea" and "cooking" flashed by quickly, followed by:
Next week! A chaotic Christmas commotion!
Reve's surprise gift revealed!
The first episode of the reality show ended with a preview for the Christmas-themed next episode.
-It's a bit boring, but it's only the first episode. Let's see what the next one brings.
- Who knew Dobin was a silver spooner? He's unintentionally hilarious!
- Just seeing the kids' faces was entertaining enough!
- They all seem so close, haha.
- Christmas as a cheat code from episode 2? Even if episode 1 was a total bore, I have to watch episode 2 now!
- What's the Christmas gift? Did they record a fan song or something?
- Next week's episode...
└ Can't wait! Hurry up and come!
As I scrolled through the flood of comments about this week's broadcast and the anticipation for next week's episode, a notification popped up on my phone: a message had arrived.
The sender was KICKS Parachute.
[Jeong Iseo (KICKS Parachute) - They're laughing at your group, saying no matter how hard you try, you'll never be Rookie Award material. 8:32 PM]
Parachute was diligently playing the role of whistleblower.
Of course, knowing how foolish it was to fully trust anyone in the entertainment industry, I took everything with a grain of salt.
[ Wow, they're relentless. When did they even have time to unite through gossip again? ] 8:39 PM
It was almost admirable how they could go from mutual suspicion to complete unity in the blink of an eye, especially after I'd hoped they'd fracture.
It's not like we're united by gossip either. What the hell...?
[ Will the song swap special stage remain unchanged? Or will it be rearranged? ] 8:40 PM
I casually floated the question, not expecting much, but surprisingly, I received a detailed reply.
Jeong Iseo (KICKS Parachute): We're just lowering the key. Everything else remains the same.
[ Jeong Iseo (KICKS Parachute): We've revised the choreography to include synchronized group dances and acrobatics. ] 8:42 PM
Jeong Iseo (KICKS Parachute) - What about you? 8:43 PM
I didn't care whether KICKS rearranged our song or kept it as is.
Either way, comparison was inevitable.
Even if the choreography became more intense than the original, the music would ultimately matter more than the dance.
Remix 8:47 PM
I didn't feel obligated to explain in detail, so I sent a brief reply.
Still better than no comment, right?
📝 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