Chapter 60
Chapter 60
Translator: Penny
Chapter 60
"Alright, everyone! We're almost there! Let's push through just a little longer until the end of the year!"
I clapped my hands, urging the members sprawled across the practice room floor to get up.
With the year-end music festivals of the Big Three broadcasting stations just around the corner, we were practically living in the practice room.
Thankfully, we had managed to secure enough reality show footage through behind-the-scenes videos of our Christmas special music video shoot and snippets of our daily lives.
Thanks to Gyeon Hajun's one-on-one tutoring for the special stage choreography, Seo Yehyeon had at least reached a point where he could somewhat keep up with the group dances.
Though perfecting the angles was still a long way off.
We absolutely had to achieve that synchronized, knife-sharp choreography, and the pressure was suffocating.
"Can't we just... stop for today?" Ryu Jaehee suggested, still sprawled on the practice room floor.
It was obvious he was trying to avoid moving more than necessary.
"Right, so now we'll be known as the guys who not only lost the WAMA Rookie Award to KICKS but are also less talented. This Hyung is so proud of our group."
"You say you're proud, but your eyes look like they're about to pop out..."
"Why don't you look at Gyeon Hajun instead of me?"
Ryu Jaehee glanced at Gyeon Hajun, who was leaning against the mirror with a quiet smile. He sprang up and dragged Kim Dobin, who was sprawled nearby, to his feet.
"Hyung, get up now if you don't want to die... Hajun Hyung's eyes are about to pop out..."
Kim Dobin peeked at Gyeon Hajun's eyes and shot to his feet with lightning speed.
Only then did Gyeon Hajun's eyes return to normal. He grabbed Seo Yehyeon and began rattling off instructions.
"Focus on matching your timing with the person in front of you. Adjusting the angle might be a bit tricky right now, but try to get it roughly right by checking the mirror."
The remixed version of "Come to My Universe" began to play. After hearing it so many times, the original song had become a distant memory.
After several hours of practice, we successfully finished for the day and left the practice room.
Seo Yehyeon stayed behind alone to practice more.
Adjusting his snapback backward, he sighed heavily.
"If you just looked at how much time that hyung spends practicing, you'd think winning a world-class competition would be a piece of cake for him. So why isn't his skill improving?"
"There are people like that. People who are just naturally clumsy. They can practice like crazy and still only catch up to about a fifth of what others can do, which drives them insane. It'd be easier if they were just stiff, but since they can make some progress with practice, they can't bring themselves to give up."
Kim Dobin, who had dedicated over half his short life to dance as both a hobby and a major, shrugged and said, "I've seen plenty of people like that. Yehyeon Hyung is probably under immense stress too. I've only ever seen one person overcome it and perfect their dance skills."
Is there truly no chance for Seo Yehyeon to become that one miracle?
Remembering Seo Yehyeon, who still took days to memorize choreography even after seven years and whose stage mistakes were practically a given, I could only sigh.
Interpreting my reaction in his own way, Kim Dobin quietly added, "People with average talent like you will never understand."
"So you do?"
"I don't know either. I'm just saying what I've seen from similar cases. How could someone far more naturally gifted than Hyung possibly understand?"
"Are you messing with me?"
I shot back before turning to Gyeon Hajun, who was walking beside me.
"Jun-a, if it gets too tough, just hand it over to me. I've been through this before, and I know the stress is no joke."
"No, it's okay. Yehyeon Hyung is really putting in the effort and keeping up better than I expected."
I couldn't tell if Gyeon Hajun's calm expression was genuine or just an act, leaving me puzzled.
Having a genius actor as a friend can be really awkward sometimes.
We're close enough that I usually know what he's feeling just by looking at his face, but when Gyeon Hajun really wants to hide something, even I struggle to read him.
"By the way, Hyung, why aren't you wearing the snapback I gave you?"
"It's just not my style, man. That's why I don't wear it."
But saying that would probably make him burst into tears, so I softened my words.
"What if the System docks my Original Intent Score for making a member cry?"
"How could I use a gift from our youngest member just to hide my messy hair?"
"But you never wear it, even on normal days."
"Let's not dig too deep into this. It'll just tire us both out."
I ruffled Ryu Jaehee's hair lightly, and Kim Dobin chimed in from the side, being his usual cheeky self.
"Come on, Hyung, you can be honest. You don't like that snapback, do you? I told the youngest member it wasn't your style, but he insisted on buying it because he liked it."
"Shut up, Dobi."
As I retorted, I reached into my pocket and suddenly remembered I'd left my phone in the practice room.
No wonder I felt like I was forgetting something when I left earlier.
"Ah, I left my phone behind."
"Should I text Yehyeon Hyung to bring it later?"
"No, I'll go get it now. You guys go ahead."
Being a typical 21st-century human with phone separation anxiety, I immediately changed course and headed back to the practice room.
Who knows when Seo Yehyeon will arrive? I'm not waiting around without my phone.
I cautiously opened the practice room door, and music seeped through the crack.
I leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching the movements inside. What had once been clumsy flailing now resembled something almost like dancing.
Sensing my presence, Seo Yehyeon abruptly stopped moving and turned to face me.
"What is it? Why are you here?" he asked, pausing the music. Without a word, I strode over to the phone lying next to the speaker, picked it up, and shook it.
"I came to get this."
I nodded toward the phone and stopped Seo Yehyeon from resuming the music.
"Why don't you call it a day?"
Seo Yehyeon frowned, shaking his head stubbornly. "No way. I haven't perfected the moves yet. We need to have all the angles down by today to nail the group choreography."
"Pushing yourself this hard will strain your body. At least take a break first."
I slumped against the mirror and patted the spot next to me.
After a moment of conflicted hesitation, Seo Yehyeon sat down a short distance away from me.
As the boisterous music faded, a heavy silence settled over the practice room.
It was Seo Yehyeon who broke the silence first, addressing me.
"Hey."
"What?"
"Even you must think I'm pathetic, right?"
A sudden chill ran down my spine. Why is he acting like this? Is he suddenly feeling self-loathing and about to quit?
I frantically searched my memories for similar incidents from before my regression, but then I recalled that I'd never even had the chance to practice such intense choreography back then.
This situation was definitely fucked.
Even though that guy's skills are hopeless, a five-member formation is way better than a four-member one.
My thoughts, which had drifted to the four-member Reve formation, were cut short by a dry, weary voice.
"Why did I even say I wanted to be an idol?"
"Yeah, I'm curious too. It's not like being an idol is the only path in the entertainment industry."
Though the fact that you can't act is probably the problem.
At my mutter, Seo Yehyeon turned his head and stared intently at me.
"I'm not trying to be mean. I'm genuinely curious."
Seo Yehyeon, who had been moving his lips as if about to speak, let out a long sigh.
"I had no future. No talent, mediocre grades, no social skills, and nothing I particularly wanted to do. I even chose my college major based on my grades, so it wasn't even interesting."
The candid confessions she was sharing were clearly the first time I'd ever heard them.
After seven years together, I'd never shown any interest in her, nor had I ever heard her speak like this.
"And since I got cast anyway, I figured I'd just join. I knew a major agency would never dream of signing someone like me based on my skills alone. Plus, they promised me a guaranteed debut within six months."
There was no desperation in Seo Yehyeon's reasons for debuting. The fact that I wasn't annoyed by her indifference was because my own reasons were similar.
"I thought looks were the most important thing, but it turns out they're not. Even my only real strength is just a bonus here."
"You always seemed so obsessed with your appearance, I assumed you thought it was the most important thing."
"What else do I have going for me? Dobin handles the dancing, Jaehee and Hajun take care of the singing, and you're in charge of rapping and producing. I'm the one who's lacking, the one without any outstanding qualities."
Before the regression, Seo Yehyeon had struggled the most among the five of us during our time as a flop idol group.
Back then, I found it laughable.
Four members with talent who couldn't catch a break, and one who'd gotten into the group solely based on his looks.
He had the second-shortest trainee period and nothing else to offer besides his face.
He's the last one who should be whining about being depressed and struggling to death, I thought. Not you.
His mental fortitude is pathetically weak, I thought, annoyed.
Imagine how I felt when the guy I'd dismissed as weak became the reason our group was saved.
I couldn't fully rejoice or even feel grateful. I was awkwardly basking in the sudden surge of popularity when I realized even the one thing I could contribute to the group had been blocked.
The endless schedules and interviews all focused on you, the overwhelming popularity that swarmed around you.
That's when I realized I'd fallen to a position lower than yours, someone I'd secretly looked down on.
I told you not to use that condescending tone to crush people's self-esteem.
The pre-regression you, who single-handedly turned our group's fortunes around and smiled so brightly and confidently, might not have intended it, but you succeeded in trampling my pride and self-esteem.
Now that our path to becoming a flop idol group has been somewhat blocked, and barring any unforeseen variables, our place in the Second Tier seems secure.
I've stolen the chance for your self-esteem to truly blossom.
You might still bloom, but the dramatic revival of the group—the kind that would have allowed your low self-esteem to finally flourish—will never come to pass.
Is this an equivalent exchange? Or is it revenge?
"So, answer me. Do you think I'm pathetic too?"
I watched a bead of sweat drip from Seo Yehyeon's hair and chuckled dryly.
"Would you quit if I said you were pathetic?"
No answer came. Afraid he might actually quit, I added, "I don't want to criticize your efforts as pathetic."
At least that much was sincere.
No matter how much I believe results are paramount, and even though my own values lean toward results over process, no one has the right to mock another's efforts.
"What's truly pathetic is clinging to a path to ruin when the road to success is right in front of you, just because it seems too hard to try. Take Seo Yehyeon and Kim Dobin, for example, who insisted on performing in Come to My Universe instead of seizing their One Chance..."
I meant to sting them with those words. I wonder if they felt it.
Seo Yehyeon, who had buried his face in his knees, mumbled weakly, "It's... it's because I was afraid of holding you back. I was terrified of ruining the stage and costing you your chance to shine..."
"You were just scared," I said.
Still, knowing how hard he had practiced under my guidance, I didn't press further. What good would it do to dwell on the past?
"It's not just my efforts that are pathetic. The very reason I chose this path is utterly pathetic too..."
His voice trembled. I propped my chin on my hand and turned to look at him.
"Seriously? What's so bad about that? If your reason is pathetic, then what does that make me—the most pathetic guy in the world?"
📝 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