Chapter 93
Chapter 93
Translator: Penny
Chapter 93
The members of Reve were ranked by birthday: Seo Yehyeon, Gyeon Hajun, I, Kim Dobin, and Ryu Jaehee.
While I was technically part of the older members, when considering exact birthdays, I fell right in the middle.
If Gyeon Hajun had started school early as a "fast-track" student, he would have been grouped with Seo Yehyeon as part of the Peer Group, and I would have had to call him "Hyung."
But as it stood, Gyeon Hajun and I were the same age, and I was already speaking informally with Seo Yehyeon, making Informal Speech Time meaningless for me.
What was the point of Informal Speech Time? It was supposed to be a chance to freely engage in insubordination, something usually forbidden, under the condition of "no hard feelings."
But in Reve, there was no one I could really be insubordinate to.
All I get from Informal Speech Time is the patience and frustration of listening to the Maknae Line spew out casual, disrespectful language.
The moment Informal Speech Time starts, the Yoon Eden's "utter loss" universe is established.
Even Seo Yehyeon, who should be the youngest member, didn't seem particularly enthusiastic.
Gyeon Hajun, the second-youngest in the team, who could always rely on Seo Yehyeon being below him, didn't seem to care much either.
The only ones actively pushing for Informal Speech Time were the Maknae Line, practically screaming with their entire bodies how desperately they wanted to commit insubordination.
But the PD seemed to think it was fine and signaled us to proceed.
"Yes, Informal Speech Time sounds good... Let's use this opportunity to uncover each other's true feelings, which have been hidden behind age-based formalities."
As a slave to capitalism, I had no choice but to do as I was told.
"Ten minutes. Even during Informal Speech Time, remember to respect boundaries. No holding grudges afterward."
"Hey, ten minutes is way too short! An hour!"
"Alright, I'm being generous. Twenty minutes."
"Not even thirty minutes? Just twenty?"
"Informal Speech Time hasn't started yet, Dobin."
"Twenty minutes? Seriously?"
"Consider yourself lucky it's not five, you brat."
Determined to allow not a single second over the limit, I set a precise twenty-minute timer on my phone.
"Start!"
The moment the announcement dropped, Ryu Jaehee immediately called out to me.
"Eden."
The guy who called me didn't seem fazed at all, but Kim Dobin beside him looked utterly terrified.
"Our Eden isn't even answering his Hyung?"
Fuck, Jaehee. After all the pampering I've given you, you're starting like this?
Seo Yehyeon was already covering his mouth, desperately trying to suppress his laughter.
"Yes, Hyung," he replied obediently.
At this, Seo Yehyeon burst into tears, pounding the floor in his sobs.
"Yehyeon-ah, is this funny?" I asked through gritted teeth.
Barely managing to stop laughing, Seo Yehyeon wiped the tears from his eyes and answered immediately, "No."
"Eden-ah, why are you being so hard on Yehyeon? Even if he's the youngest member, he deserves the freedom to laugh."
The way the informal speech flowed so naturally, as if he had been waiting for this moment, left me speechless.
Anyone watching would think he had rehearsed this beforehand.
So that's why he immediately called for Informal Speech Time. He'd been planning this all along.
"Eden, you've been going to the studio every day and coming back in the early hours."
"Ah, yes. I'll try to come home earlier."
"No, I'm not blaming you. It's good to come in early. Yeah, that's right. I know you're always working hard for the team, so don't push yourself too hard."
At least he's keeping his distance with the camera around. I'm glad my concept is the leader who lets the younger members win sometimes.
Ryu Jaehee grinned playfully and continued, "Dobin's been showing interest in songwriting and composing lately. He keeps eyeing Eden's Producing Member spot. If it gets too tough, Eden could train Dobin and use him as an assistant."
"Jaehee Hyung? Why would you suggest I be an assistant instead of the main?"
"Eden should obviously be the main."
"But what if I have hidden talents?"
I clapped enthusiastically at his confident words, exclaiming, "Wow, Dobin! I never saw you as ambitious!"
"Oh, ambition? It's not that grand," Kim Dobin said with a modest smile, waving his hand dismissively.
Ryu Jaehee, who had patted me on the back, spoke to me again. He must have had more to say. I wished he'd hurry up and move on to the next target.
"And Eden, you're great and all, but try smiling more. Walking around expressionless makes people jumpy."
"It's a bit unfair to blame me for my natural resting face, isn't it?"
"Of course, I know you're not deliberately being unfriendly—it's just your natural expression. But people should smile; it brings good fortune. Try it—just once."
At Ryu Jaehee's insistence, I forced a smile, checking the timer on my phone.
What the hell? It hasn't even been five minutes?
If I'd known it would be like this, I should have insisted on ten minutes instead of twenty. No, even ten minutes is too long. Five minutes.
"Next up, Hajun-ah."
Having finished addressing me, the target smoothly shifted to Gyeon Hajun.
"You called for me, Hyung?"
"I'm always grateful for how much you care about and look after the team. Hajun is truly like the mother of our Reve."
I thought he was being unusually sentimental, but it was just a setup for his next remark.
"But sometimes, I wish you'd refrain from putting beans in the rice. I hate bean rice."
"As the eldest member, you shouldn't be picky about food."
"Being the eldest member has nothing to do with being picky. Right, Yehyeon-ah?"
As the quick-witted guy he was, Ryu Jaehee skillfully mixed praise with complaints, hitting all the emotional and humorous notes.
"And when Eden refuses to eat bean rice and heats up instant rice instead, you don't say anything. But when I do the same, you lecture me about how picky eating is bad and force bean rice on me. It's so unfair!"
"It's so you'll grow taller, Jaehee Hyung."
"Tell Eden to eat it too and hit 190cm!"
That little brat is trying to drag me into bean rice hell with him. I glanced at him, and Ryu Jaehee grinned shamelessly.
"Yehyeon-ah."
Seo Yehyeon responded to the call with a subtle expression, still not quite used to the youngest member, four years his junior, speaking informally to him.
"You've always worked hard, but lately you've been practicing even more intensely. Eden looked really proud."
"It feels a bit embarrassing to call this 'working incredibly hard'," Seo Yehyeon replied with a bashful smile to Ryu Jaehee's compliment.
"Seeing our Yehyeon, who even earned the nickname 'Creator of New Choreography,' grow like this makes this Hyung so proud. For our next comeback, let's aim to showcase Reve's synchronized dance skills at their peak."
Seo Yehyeon nodded awkwardly, smiling at the warm words of praise and encouragement.
"By the way, when you're in a rush in the morning, try to finish your showers in under 30 minutes. It's manageable now that we have two bathrooms, but back when we only had one in the old dorm, I seriously just wanted to kick down the door and barge in."
The other three members nodded vigorously in agreement.
"I'll try to finish as quickly as possible," Seo Yehyeon replied, awkwardly scratching the back of his head.
"Yeah, let's keep showers under 15 minutes. I won't even ask for 10," I added casually.
"And finally, our Dobin!"
Since we're a group that's always been open about communicating, I didn't expect any dramatic confrontations.
"Ooh, Jaehee Hyung. I'm ready to humbly listen to whatever you have to say."
"Really? You sure you won't get sulky?"
At that, Kim Dobin confidently thumped his chest.
"Of course. What do you take me for, someone petty?"
Ryu Jaehee immediately launched his attack.
"Our Dobin's jokes are so lame."
"Yeah, I hear that from you all the time, Hyung. Zero impact."
"Hyung wishes our Dobin would develop some social awareness."
"That's not something I hear every day, more like once a week. This time, you only landed a basic attack, right? Now hurry up and praise me."
Meeting Kim Dobin's sparkling eyes, Ryu Jaehee ruffled his hair wildly, just like I do to him.
"But aside from his lack of social awareness and terrible jokes, our Dobin is the best main dancer Reve could ever have. Absolutely indispensable."
"That's it?"
"Yeah, that's it."
Ryu Jaehee, having ended Informal Speech Time with appropriate tact, passed the baton to Kim Dobin.
"Hey, Yoon Eden!"
Despite his bold shout, Kim Dobin quickly wilted under my casual glance.
"Uh, I just wanted to call you..."
"If you do that, people will think I'm pressuring you, Hyung. Just say what you want to say."
I said this with a gentle smile, and Dobin replied in a barely audible voice, "No, it's just... I'm always grateful..."
Yet he had no trouble pouring out his thoughts to Gyeon Hajun and Seo Yehyeon.
"Our disciple! I'm so proud these days! I used to only like overpowered characters like Eden, but seeing Yehyeon, I'm starting to understand why people are obsessed with growth characters."
Seeing Seo Yehyeon's awkward smile, unsure how to react, I barely managed to suppress my laughter.
The three of us—Gyeon Hajun, Seo Yehyeon, and I—had always been open with each other, so even during Informal Speech Time, there wasn't much left to say.
"Yehyeon-ah...?"
"Yes, Hajun Hyung?"
"Hey, Yehyeon-ah. Seo Yehyeon."
"Yes, Eden Hyung? You called?"
We simply enjoyed watching Seo Yehyeon call us "Hyung."
"Yehyeon-ah, why do you always argue when we say we're the same height? We are the same height, aren't we?"
"180.2 cm and 180.3 cm aren't exactly the same, are they?"
"But I'm 180.3 cm now!"
"What? Really? When did you measure?"
"Oh, Yehyeon. Are you dropping the honorifics with your Hyung now?"
"Really? Wait a minute. Now that I think about it, Hyung speaks informally to me, so why should I use formal speech with him?"
The timer blared loudly, signaling the end of Informal Speech Time.
"Time's up! Time's up!"
Seo Yehyeon beat me to it, waving his arms wildly to declare the end.
The Maknae Line wore expressions of deep regret as their legally sanctioned insubordination time ended. But the three of us in the Hyung Line, including me, finally relaxed, relief washing over our faces.
"Let's treat this Informal Speech Time like a fleeting midsummer night's dream, with no lingering grudges."
"Still, I don't want to eat bean rice, Hajun Hyung."
"You need to eat it if you want to grow taller."
Despite Ryu Jaehee's whining, Gyeon Hajun remained firm.
Before they could even set up the Monopoly board for a game to fill the broadcast time, the camera briefly cut off. Ryu Jaehee immediately burst into giggles.
"What's so funny?"
"The hyungs! They were nodding so politely with forced smiles, their lips twitching the whole time. It was hilarious!"
He roughly ruffled Jaehee's hair before settling down at the fully laid-out Monopoly board.
"Ah, I landed on the desert island!"
"Yes! Pay your toll!"
"How am I already bankrupt...?"
"If all this land were really mine, I'd be a global tycoon."
"Hyungs, let's play Soju Monopoly when I turn twenty! Soju Monopoly!"
"Remind us in two years when we've forgotten."
And so, the night on Jeju Island drew to a close.
📝 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