Chapter 89
Chapter 89
Translator: Penny
Chapter 89
Still avoiding eye contact, Kim Dobin mumbled, staring down at the blanket, "Hyung... you remind me of Lee Jeyun."
Lee Jeyun? If it's Lee Jeyun...
"Are you saying I look like a school bully?"
This confession hit me like a ton of bricks.
I frantically searched for the bully's face online, wondering if it was just a resemblance.
But there was none. This only made me angrier. If we don't look alike, then it must mean our personalities are similar.
As someone who had lived a model life, far removed from school violence, this accusation was utterly shocking.
Especially after reading the exposé detailing the bully's heinous acts.
I stared at Kim Dobin, speechless. He frantically waved his hands.
"It's not that you're completely identical, but some aspects are... similar."
"What is it?! Tell me quickly so I can fix it!"
I grabbed Kim Dobin by the shoulders and urged him urgently. His eyes darted around again before he reluctantly parted his tightly pressed lips.
"That arrogant attitude of always thinking you're right..."
"Hey, but my words were actually correct...!"
"And this attitude right now..."
Despite trailing off, he stubbornly continued, his forehead furrowing. I rubbed my throbbing temples and nodded for him to continue.
"The way you tease me about being an otaku and give me those judgmental looks..."
"When did I ever give you judgmental looks?"
"Even asking 'manga or anime?' is judgmental. Usually, manga gets adapted into anime. And One Piece isn't some niche otaku manga, Hyung. You know about the Summit War and Ace, right?"
"...Yeah, I get it."
Actually, I didn't. My memory ended at Alabasta. Was Ace the protagonist's older brother or younger brother?
But I didn't have the energy to point that out right now.
"The way you carelessly toss out dismissive remarks about people..."
"Me?"
"Put your hand on your chest and think about everything you've said so far, Hyung. The answer will come to you."
Why does this kid seem to be getting his spirit back?
The dejected mumbling had vanished, replaced by an increasingly triumphant expression. My eyes twitched, and I finally let out a deflated laugh.
Yeah, this spirited version is much better than the moping one.
"And calling me 'Dobi' as a nickname."
"Ha... I feel ashamed that I share the same brain with that guy."
"Don't take it too hard. Even in middle school, my nickname was Dobi."
"Then let's just exclude that one."
"But you and Hyung were the only ones who kept calling me that, even after I asked you not to."
"Yeah, I'm sorry about that."
So that's why you always clammed up when I called you Dobi.
"And how you'd get serious and kill the mood whenever you were in a bad mood."
"Do I really do that?"
"You used to be worse, but you've gotten better lately."
The Potion of Truth was working overtime.
It had made Kim Dobin spill the beans on why our Affinity Score was only in the 40s.
Before my regression, Kim Dobin had cut ties with me second only to Seo Yehyeon—making him the second member to abandon me.
Back then, when I was cut off without knowing why, I felt terrible. But after learning the truth, I understood.
How could anyone like someone who kept showing traits similar to someone they hated? Especially when that person was a difficult hyung two years older than me, and the group leader.
Moreover, at that time, I was incredibly sensitive and sharp-edged due to a combination of factors: my flop idol group days, my agency's trolling, and more. He probably thought it would be better to quietly end our relationship rather than try to change me.
I roughly ruffled my bangs, which were falling over my eyes and tinting my vision pink, and let out a deep sigh.
"Okay. I'll try to fix it."
Kim Dobin blinked his wide eyes a few times and asked cautiously, "You're really Eden Hyung, right...? You're not possessed by someone else, are you?"
Less than a minute after resolving to make an effort, I was already breaking my resolution. It was almost a talent, a talent.
The urge to retort with another otaku-like remark rose to my throat, but I clenched my teeth and barely managed to suppress it.
As if they were master and disciple, Seo Yehyeon had said the exact same thing earlier.
My brow twitched, and Kim Dobin, who had been about to speak, snapped his mouth shut. He gave me an awkward smile and said, "I'll contact the victim right away and ask if they're willing to clarify things."
"Good. Contact them first. If they refuse, tell Hyung immediately. We'll need to find another way."
Kim Dobin shook his head with a confident expression.
"Come on, I've already got Plan B covered. I can ask my friends for help. It won't completely bury the story, and the credibility might be a bit shaky, but they all know the basics of what happened when I was a freshman."
"That should be enough to clear things up."
"I even have screenshots of the KakaoTalk messages I exchanged with my friends when Lee Jeyun's debut news broke. I can attach those too."
Only then could I finally breathe a sigh of relief.
No matter how many times the System had triggered regressions as a penalty for failed quests, I'd always scoffed. But this was the first time the threat of Infinite Regression had felt so real.
You must be shaken up too. You should rest. I gently patted Kim Dobin's back and started to get up from the bed. But before I could even stand, Dobin grabbed my sleeve.
I turned to look back and saw him smiling awkwardly, his gratitude sincere.
"And... thank you, Hyung. For believing me and listening to my story."
"What's there to thank me for? It's only natural for a leader to do that for his team members."
I'm so damn grateful you weren't a bully or a bystander, you little punk.
As repayment for helping me escape the Infinite Regression crisis, I'll finally clear up that awful misunderstanding about the sponsorship.
After all this, our Affinity Score should have improved, right? If it's still the same, I might have to resort to the Suspension Bridge Effect to raise it. Thank goodness Kim Dobin is such a scaredy-cat.
Affinity Scores with Members:
- Seo Yehyeon (69%)
- Gyeon Hajun (95%)
- Kim Dobin (68%)
- Ryu Jaehee (80%)
Finally, Kim Dobin's Affinity Score had increased by 20%.
Now I was already dreading what kind of hell I'd have to go through to raise it to the 80% range.
Looks like the Suspension Bridge Effect is still the answer.
The day after a serious conversation with Kim Dobin about the recent incident, a post appeared on the community forum.
Jinyx Lee Jeyun: Victim of School Bullying
20xx.04.06 21:30 Views: 181,872
I'm writing this clarification after receiving reports that the arrows of blame are being misdirected. Reve Kim Dobin, currently being falsely accused of being a bully and bystander, is neither.
In fact, when the harassment against me was still just petty bullying, Dobin was the only one in the group who tried to stop Lee Jeyun or apologized on his behalf when Jeyun started trouble...
The victim detailed how Kim Dobin had been treated poorly even within Lee Jeyun's group, a fact that was publicly visible. They also clarified that Dobin had left the group before the bullying escalated to the level of outright harassment.
The post concluded with a message of support for Kim Dobin, acknowledging his courage during a difficult period in his life, even if it wasn't the absolute hardest time.
- He was a classmate. In Lee Jeyun's group, Dobin was the easy target, always getting bullied. That's why he left the group and switched his major from Breaking to Urban Dance.
- Seriously? The victim themselves said Dobin wasn't a bystander, yet these armchair judges keep acting like they know better.
- But isn't it still a fact that he was friends with a bully?
└ Can you even read? Dobin was a victim too!
- Yeah, it was wrong to immediately label him as a perpetrator or bystander based on just one photo, without considering the full context.
I knew it! Our Dobin is such a sweetheart!
Thanks to the victim's clarification post, the sharp public criticism directed at Kim Dobin vanished, and the arrows of blame shifted entirely back to Jinyx Jeyun.
The agency's firm response, announcing legal action against the rumor spreaders, also played a significant role.
In the end, Jeyun, the perpetrator of school bullying, withdrew from Jinyx, bringing the controversy surrounding Kim Dobin's alleged bystander status to a heartwarming conclusion.
"I was so worried Reve would become a four-member group," Ryu Jaehee lamented, running his palm along his newly sharpened jawline. "Look how much weight I lost from all the stress!"
It was impossible for us not to notice the Maknae Line exchanging pointed glances.
"So, for Dobin Hyung and me, who've been through so much, and to add some happiness to our daily lives, let's treat ourselves to 치- tonight!"
Ryu Jaehee was cut off mid-sentence by a nudge from Gyeon Hajun, who gestured with his chin toward Seo Yehyeon.
Seo Yehyeon crossed his arms, a smug smile playing on his lips, as if daring Jaehee to continue. Jaehee quietly shut his mouth.
Gyeon Hajun casually sided with Seo Yehyeon.
"Come on, maknae. Who cares about chicken during our promotion period? Why provoke Yehyeon Hyung like that?"
"I guess I was wrong. Can you two just go back to growling at each other?" the youngest member lamented.
Seo Yehyeon and Gyeon Hajun exchanged glances and shrugged simultaneously. Why bother? We're comfortable enough as we are.
Gyeon Hajun surveyed the members with a calm gaze, then adopted a serious tone.
"Aside from Dobin, no one else has any bullying issues, right? As you all know, we've mostly avoided discussing our pasts with each other..."
The five of us had been together in LnL's Debut Team for a mere five months of trainee life.
Gyeon Hajun had been there for eight months, I for seven, Seo Yehyeon and Ryu Jaehee for six, and Kim Dobin for five.
Three trainees with prior experience and two newcomers—that's how they assembled us and debuted us in just five months.
It really drove home how haphazardly this agency was run.
We were so focused on preparing for our debut that we barely knew each other's detailed pasts.
I only knew that I came from the underground scene, Ryu Jaehee had been a trainee at a major agency, and things like that.
"I definitely don't have any," I answered quickly. As far as I knew, none of us had any bullying issues before the regression either.
Seo Yehyeon had always been described as a quiet and reserved friend during her school days.
I still couldn't figure out why that quiet and reserved friend barked at me like a chihuahua.
Ryu Jaehee's problem wasn't school bullying, but rather issues with his former agency.
"I don't have one either. I had to keep my actions quiet to minimize my presence."
Looking at Seo Yehyeon's face, I could understand perfectly. If that face had gone to Ryu Jaehee, he would have lived his life using it to its full potential, probably 1000%.
"...I don't have one. At school, I mean."
Normally, Ryu Jaehee would have been his usual cocky self, bragging about being a student or sharing stories from middle school. But now, his face was dark and hesitant as he awkwardly added the word "school."
As the only one who knew why Ryu Jaehee was reacting this way, I clicked my tongue inwardly.
It was definitely a troublesome situation, but...
Having resolved it once before in my previous regression, I should be able to handle it much more easily this time.
I was actually looking forward to that day.
📝 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