Chapter 80
Chapter 80
Translator: Penny
Chapter 80
Kim Dobin, who had been glancing nervously at the tightly closed door, soon confessed readily, "Dance practice."
The unexpected reason, given their usual dynamic, made me tilt my head in surprise. I'd assumed they only worked out together at the gym—dance?
Whether before or after his regression, Seo Yehyeon had always disliked practicing choreography unless he absolutely had to perform on stage. It was a vicious cycle: he hated dancing because he was bad at it, and his skills never improved because he avoided practice.
So why was he now voluntarily practicing with Kim Dobin? What had gotten into him? Could it be that Seo Yehyeon had also received the System's... no, blessing?
"Yehyeon Hyung really nailed the synchronized dance for the year-end music festival stage this time, didn't he? Even though the learning process was a bit rough?"
"Ah, that's right."
I recalled Seo Yehyeon's flawless performance of the highly complex, synchronized dance routine. Perhaps it was the fierce determination fueled by the rivalry with KICKS that drove him to execute the entire stage without a single mistake.
The radiant smile he wore as we high-fived backstage also came to mind.
"Anyway, it seems like he's gained a lot of confidence since then."
"Really?"
Kim Dobin scratched his head and showed me a few dance practice videos he'd filmed on his phone. "So, Yehyeon Hyung asked me to help him with his dance practice. Well, I'm free during the break anyway."
Dobin glanced around the room Seo Yehyeon and I shared before lowering his voice to add,
"Still, don't get your hopes up too high, Hyung. Dramatic skill improvements only happen in manga."
I could tell what Kim Dobin was worried about: the team discord that would arise if my skills remained stagnant despite practice, and I started harassing Seo Yehyeon.
I shook my head and chuckled.
"I'll definitely improve."
Of course I would. Seo Yehyeon's dance potential was B—a solid B.
If he could progress from D- to B, there was no way he wouldn't improve.
"Even though he doesn't look like it, this Hyung has plenty of room to grow."
His potential was B—a freaking B!
If that guy could just reach that level, Reve would become a perfect multi-talented group, excelling in vocals, rap, and performance!
The question of why Seo Yehyeon's potential hadn't blossomed during his first seven years nagged at me. But then I realized it was inevitable.
With his popularity and packed schedule, Seo Yehyeon had no time to practice. That bastard choreographer had deliberately kept the routines simple enough for him to learn with minimal effort.
In my previous life, Seo Yehyeon's lack of will had prevented his talent from blooming. But this time, I'll make sure it blossoms, no matter what.
And with that, we'll climb straight to the A-list and finally end this goddamn Infinite Regression!
Barely suppressing the urge to cheer, I glanced absently toward our room.
My eyes met Seo Yehyeon's, who stood silently in the doorway, staring blankly at me. I wondered how long he'd been listening.
"So work him to death. Don't go easy on him just because he's your hyung."
I said, smirking, never taking my eyes off Seo Yehyeon.
Seo Yehyeon darted to the living room sofa, grabbed Kim Dobin by the shoulders, and shook him violently.
"Dobin, I told you not to tell him, didn't I?"
"Ugh, ugh, what kind of disciple shakes their Master so roughly? Ugh! The principles of the martial world have fallen to the ground! Ugh! This is Betrayal of the Master!"
Kim Dobin flailed weakly like a paper doll as Seo Yehyeon shook him, spouting more nonsense.
"There he goes again, spouting incomprehensible otaku gibberish."
"Hyung, are you disrespecting wuxia by calling it a 'weeb genre'? You're saying things that would enrage the boomer macho uncles!"
"I didn't go that far, you little brat."
I scolded him for watching anime and reading manga, and now he's obsessed with wuxia?
I just wish he wouldn't watch weird stuff and let his imagination run wild.
Kim Dobin's face turned pale with dizziness, and Seo Yehyeon stopped shaking him, snapping, "Anyway! I told you not to say that! Why did you say it?!"
"But Eden Hyung is way scarier! What am I supposed to do?! He just choked me!"
"Anyone hearing this would think I'm abusing the members. Don't twist a massage meant to relieve neck stiffness like that."
"Who calls a headlock a massage?"
The System didn't deduct any Original Intent Score for violence, so it was a massage, right?
I gestured for the timidly protesting Kim Dobin to go back to his room.
"I need to talk to Yehyeon Hyung, so keep the door closed. Don't eavesdrop."
I watched Kim Dobin slip out of Seo Yehyeon's grasp and dash toward his room. As soon as the door clicked shut, I spoke up.
"Why did you tell him not to tell me? Oh, just so you know, I'm not picking a fight. I'm genuinely curious."
"Well, I was worried you'd give me a hard time if my skills didn't improve..."
Back in our trainee days, I had relentlessly pushed him for six months, trying to get him stage-ready. I never imagined he still saw me that way.
After my regression, I'd been trying to be more lenient, partly out of consideration for his Original Intent Score.
Seeing Seo Yehyeon trail off, I decided to set the record straight.
"What can I say? Hyung was born with a natural talent for dancing. It's the same as me not being able to hit high notes."
Seo Yehyeon choked back a laugh, hastily covering his mouth. He was probably remembering the fragile falsetto high notes in my demo track.
I considered bringing up all the countless failed dance attempts and off-key notes Seo Yehyeon had made over the years, but decided against it.
"But Hyung, you were so ashamed and hated it that you never even tried. You just avoided it all this time."
At my words, Seo Yehyeon slowly lowered his hand from his mouth. Stung by my words, he avoided my gaze and stared at the floor.
"That's what pissed me off."
Whether Seo Yehyeon continued staring at the floor or not, I continued speaking.
"Honestly, even during our previous conversations, I held back from hitting you with the facts because I was afraid you'd threaten to leave the team. It wasn't so much about worrying you'd hold us back as it was about your stubborn need to argue with me, right? Isn't that true?"
Silence answered him.
Realizing this conversation couldn't be had in a rational state of mind, he silently got up, grabbed two cans of beer from the refrigerator, and offered one to Seo Yehyeon.
Normally, Seo Yehyeon would have thrown a fit about the beer's calorie count, but for some reason, he accepted the can without protest.
Despite his efforts to soften his tone, the bitterness of the topic made a sarcastic edge creep into his voice.
"If Hyung had truly worried about his lack of skill holding us back, he would have practiced until he dropped, even if it meant sacrificing sleep. Instead, he stubbornly insisted on continuing with that damn 'Come to My Universe' concept."
I still can't forget the utter despair I felt back then.
Kim Dobin had the talent and quickly backed down, but Seo Yehyeon wasn't the type to be intimidated by my harsh words. He was someone who needed to work twice as hard as others, and he had just shown that he lacked even the will to do so.
After a long silence, Seo Yehyeon, who had been chugging his beer like he was about to down the whole can in one gulp, finally opened his heavy mouth.
"...You're right."
Surprisingly, it wasn't an excuse but a clear affirmation.
"Back then, everything you said just sounded like harsh words. But looking back now, you were right about everything."
I paused, the beer halfway to my lips, wondering if I had unknowingly slipped some truth serum into his drink. The sudden confession was so unexpected that I froze.
"Maybe I just didn't want to admit I was the weak link on the team. Arguing with you, denying your words, made me feel like a better person. Pathetic, right?"
Finally, I understood the algorithm behind Seo Yehyeon's actions, though I still couldn't quite grasp it.
If I say "pathetic" here, how much will my Original Intent Score drop?
But honestly, Seo Yehyeon was right—it was pathetic. Did he really think covering his eyes would stop the tsunami from crashing over him?
"Instead of clinging to my pride, I should have listened to you and practiced one more time. We could have created a much better performance."
Seo Yehyeon chuckled weakly, muttering to himself.
Suddenly, I remembered Kim Dobin's earlier talk about the "laws of idol possession stories."
Wasn't it something about possessing the body of the member with the worst temper, the one who causes all the team's conflicts?
And then, that hot-tempered member genuinely becomes a new person, transforming the team's atmosphere and leading them to unprecedented success—
A chill ran down my spine. Isn't this exactly what's happening right now...?
"Sorry," he said briefly, his apology the final piece of evidence confirming my suspicions.
"Hyung."
"Huh?"
Seo Yehyeon, who had been sipping his beer, turned to look at me at my serious call.
"Hyung, how much money did you take from me while practicing the choreography for One Chance's follow-up track?"
"500,000 won. Come to think of it, you said you'd pay it back in 70 interest-free installments, but you haven't paid a single penny yet, have you?"
Huh, if you remember even this, you must be the real deal.
"Let's just gloss over such trivial matters," I said, smoothly sidestepping the financial issue and staring intently at Seo Yehyeon.
Before my regression, our relationship had completely collapsed to the point where we wouldn't even speak to each other in private.
Back then, I'd hear about the constant rumors of discord from our youngest member, and I'd snap at him, "So what if it's true? Am I supposed to pretend to be friendly with that bastard?"
Seo Yehyeon and I had only inflicted wounds and stress on each other. Eventually, despite being in the same group, the gap in our status widened so much that any chance of understanding each other vanished forever.
Could my past self have ever imagined this?
Seo Yehyeon and I sitting side-by-side, drinking beer, having a genuine conversation—not one filled with vulgarity, sarcasm, or raised voices, but one where we laid our hearts bare.
"I know you try to soften your words when you talk to me," Seo Yehyeon said, shaking his beer can with a wry smile. "Though sometimes I wonder just how harsh your unfiltered words would be."
This guy was truly an accidental beneficiary of the System.
Even when I tried to be diplomatic for the System's sake, my Original Intent Score still got docked for "inciting discord" at times. If I'd spoken without any filter, his fragile mental state would have shattered completely.
"So, I need to try harder too," I said.
Seeing Seo Yehyeon's relaxed, unguarded expression made me realize anew just how stunning his S+ looks were.
You have met the condition for accessing the 'HIDDEN QUEST': 'Engage in a sincere conversation with the member with the lowest Relationship Improvement Score.'
[HIDDEN QUEST]
▶ Improve Relationships with Members
- Objective: Achieve 100% relationship improvement with each member through sincere conversations and considerate actions.
- Reward: 20 Original Intent Score, Item Selection Ticket
- Time Limit: 2 years
※ Failure to achieve 100% will result in a 'Regression' penalty!
▶ Relationship Improvement Progress
- Seo Yehyeon (60%)
- Gyeon Hajun (91%)
- Kim Dobin (47%)
- Ryu Jaehee (72%)
If I can't even get Gyeon Hajun to 100% in his current state, how am I supposed to reach that with the others?
And why is Kim Dobin's score so low? Could it be because of the headlock? If so, what must Seo Yehyeon's score have been before, considering it was even lower than 47%?
My initial panic at the sudden appearance of this hidden quest, burdened with the Regression penalty, quickly subsided.
※ System Update Notice ※
The System has been updated to incorporate some of the Grand Prize Project participant's ongoing suggestions.
▷ View Details
📝 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