A Blank Slate Regression for the Idol That Lost His Original Mindset - Chapter 115

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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A Regression Guide for Idols Who Lost Their Initial Intentions Episode 115

“The first place winner for the first week of October Inkigayo is… Congratulations! Rev!”

This week’s last music show was also first place. I bowed and received the trophy and bouquet from the MC.

Next to us, Altair, who made their comeback this week, was clapping with smiling faces.

I don’t know what he had so much to say, but beside the youngest member who was rattling off his first place acceptance speech, I waved the trophy toward the fans.

Rev achieved the feat of sweeping first place on both terrestrial and cable music shows in the second week of activities.

Rev’s first full album [CHASE] had initial sales of 89,2** copies, surpassing [HI-Light].

And Altair’s initial sales were…

101,0** copies.

Certainly, when it came to albums, you couldn’t ignore the fanbase.

Now the key was how much the total sales would be. Until now, Rev’s album sales figures had steadily increased until the end of activities.

It was probably because we tried to capture public appeal.

[1st place – ‘Reve – Escape’]

[2nd place – ‘Altair – steal cut’]

I looked with mixed feelings at Altair’s song that had chased us right up to the chart TOP100 rankings.

The daily chart still had and occupying 1st and 2nd place side by side, but on the TOP100 chart, Altair’s title track was in hot pursuit.

Half of me wanted that song to blow up so I could watch it pile up higher before crashing down, and half was disgusted that such a song was right below mine.

I pressed down on the song with my thumb as if crushing it and checked the name in the composition credits, blinking at the unfamiliar name written next to the familiar one.

‘What the hell?’

This means this won’t be a weakness anymore?

He suddenly regained his conscience in his 3rd year that he didn’t even have in his 10th year before regression?

That patchwork quilt-making master who used to glare and shout about why everyone was picking on him when everyone else did the same thing, even when I mocked him for being a master at swapping name tags?

Could it be…

‘Is this a butterfly effect caused by my regression?’

I rubbed my throbbing temples at the troublesome situation.

‘Or maybe a normal person’s soul possessed KJ’s body…’

No, what am I thinking like Kim Dobin…! I quickly shook my head to dispel such otaku-like thoughts.

Just in case, I checked all of Altair’s other songs released so far one by one.

“Wow, interesting.”

A completely unpleasant exclamation flowed from my mouth after losing one of my cards.

I slowly traced back through the past to figure out where things went wrong and finally found the particularly misaligned puzzle piece.

Cha Yeonho, who kept emphasizing that Rev’s songs were songs he was hearing for the first time.

Cha Yeonho, who was particularly wary and competitive toward me.

Cha Yeonho, who tried to bury me with petty and obvious schemes.

I covered my mouth as a hollow laugh escaped.

“Ah, so that was it?”

To say regression didn’t make sense would be hypocritical since I was living proof of it. Right, there’s no law saying I’m the only regressor.

Let’s say it’s still premature to treat it as a given fact that our damn senior came back through time with me, so let’s treat it as a very likely hypothesis.

I was robbed of my biggest card due to Cha Yeonho’s preemptive move, and Cha Yeonho, who would have ill feelings toward the pre-regression me, would try to bring me down. He already had a history of scheming, didn’t he?

Things are turning out quite interestingly. I sighed and leaned back comfortably against the sofa.

Even if I collapsed here, as long as my initial intentions score didn’t decrease, there would be no regression. If I wanted to win, the means of regression existed.

But after experiencing countless regressions, I had absolutely no desire to find a strategy to deal with Cha Yeonho.

‘Let’s build up Rev’s weight class first.’

Enough to withstand whatever schemes Cha Yeonho might pull.

* * *

Rev [CHASE] activities, 3rd week.

This was also the week when the full-scale confrontation structure with Altair would begin.

Two weeks of activities remained. During these two weeks, we had to achieve meaningful results against Altair.

Of course, we didn’t think we could take first place on all music shows against Altair, but we needed to create an image that we had somewhat shared the wins.

“Hello, seniors!”

“Last time we only briefly showed our faces during the live broadcast, so we couldn’t greet you properly. Congratulations on being nominated for first place again this week, juniors.”

“That’s right, the song is really good.”

Altair, whom we met in the broadcasting station corridor, received our greetings with extremely relaxed faces.

Well, with album sales at that level, would they even care about music chart rankings dropping a bit?

Cha Yeonho’s and my eyes met.

When I smiled at him with a strange expression, Cha Yeonho’s face slightly frowned, then he put on a mask-like smile again as if nothing had happened.

“Mind games aren’t really my style-.”

As Altair moved away, I put my clasped hands behind my head and deliberately drawled my words as I muttered.

“Why are you suddenly talking about your gaming preferences?”

I chuckled and replied to Seo Yehyeon, who asked with a puzzled face.

“There are such things. Hyung doesn’t need to know.”

Since I, who regressed after 8 years as an idol, will handle Rev’s behind-the-scenes schemes, our beloved members just need to avoid causing trouble and follow along well.

Rev’s turn was three spots before Altair, who would close the show.

“Oh, it’s the music video outfit?”

The stage costume was the outfit that received the best response in the music video. They came sharpened to not be pushed back.

“Rev’s first place promise is Phantom Thief Eden! Eden Hyung will wear this cape and perform a solo dance!”

The first place promise that came up in the first place candidate interview was truly news to me. No, seeing everyone laughing, it seemed I was the only one who didn’t know.

Wear Kim Dobin’s cape and dance to Kim Dobin’s part while rapping?

‘This way I can’t genuinely wish for Rev’s first place, you bastards.’

I wanted to hold my forehead at the (only to me) damn troublesome first place promise, but since we were in front of cameras, I smiled and made a 2 with my fingers, waving it in front of the camera.

“What the hell is that promise about?”

“We decided it yesterday in advance! Yehyeon Hyung and Hajun Hyung said it was fine and immediately gave the okay.”

“But why didn’t you get the most important okay from me?”

“No, no comment…”

I suppressed the urge to press down on the heads of the youngest line members who were putting the cape on me and clapping beside me saying it suited me well, remembering that our stage turn was coming up soon.

Still, after 3 weeks, the stage had become familiar rather than intense, and on the way back to the waiting room after finishing, Ryu Jaehee rubbed his eyes and let out a deep sigh.

“I think I made a choreography mistake around 2 minutes. The hand direction, ugh… I was flustered so I think my pitch wavered a bit too… Ah, why today of all days…”

I gently removed Ryu Jaehee’s hands from his styled hair as he muttered gloomily while grabbing it.

We had to go back on stage for the first place announcement later, and the stylist noona would scold us.

Since he was someone who usually didn’t make mistakes, he seemed to feel even more self-reproach about his error. Seo Yehyeon scratched his head and lightly patted Ryu Jaehee’s back.

“It’s okay. It’s not like you make mistakes all the time like me, it was just once.”

“Wow, harsh. So harsh.”

I exclaimed in admiration at the self-deprecating joke that only Seo Yehyeon could make – if I did it, my initial intentions score would decrease and my character would be ruined.

Still, I put my arm around the shoulders of Ryu Jaehee, who still looked dejected, and dragged him into the waiting room.

“Hey, it’s okay, it’s okay. I made a mistake once too.”

“Really? Today?”

“No, before. During activities.”

“That’s not comforting at all, hyung…”

“Why not? Isn’t it more fortunate that two people on the team didn’t make mistakes? And the fact that this seemingly perfect leader also makes mistakes is the comforting point, man.”

“The point you caught is weird, hyung.”

I felt much more relieved as Ryu Jaehee’s voice tone gradually returned to normal while responding to my words, and I habitually ruffled Ryu Jaehee’s hair.

“Hey, youngest. Even if we don’t get first place, it’s not because of your mistake, so don’t go digging a tunnel to hide in.”

And then I got bombarded with scolding from the stylist noona asking why I messed up the kid’s hair.

While Ryu Jaehee was getting his hair reset, I sat in the waiting room and watched Altair’s stage on the screen.

“Wow, they really threw some money at that stage.”

“They’re from a major company. There’s no comparison to our LnL.”

“Their main vocalist’s vocal power is no joke either.”

I rested my chin on my hand while listening to Kim Dobin’s plain commentary. Cha Yeonho was, so to speak, someone who had Gyeon Hajun’s vocal tone with Ryu Jaehee’s vocal skills. Of course, his tone didn’t surpass Gyeon Hajun’s, but it was to my taste.

Considering that my first criterion for giving songs before regression was ‘vocal tone to my taste,’ it was quite regrettable that I couldn’t add Cha Yeonho to my vocal collection.

I wonder if I’ll be able to add him this time or not.

Setting aside personal feelings and evaluating objectively, Altair definitely performed well. To a level where it felt unfair to compare them with KICKS.

Both their flashy performance and vocals were flawless. But if they were going to do rap like that, I wished they’d just leave it out. That’s not how you do rap, damn it.

Ryu Jaehee, who had regained his energy, saw me staring fixedly at the screen and burst out laughing.

“What?”

“No, it’s just so funny how Hyung’s brow twitches every time the rap part comes on. But because of Eden Hyung, the rap parts have definitely been leveled up in my ears too.”

I habitually moved my hand toward Ryu Jaehee’s head, but stopped when I felt a sharp gaze piercing my back and quietly lowered my hand.

Before we knew it, the long-awaited first place announcement time had arrived.

“This week’s W Countdown first place goes to-“

“Congratulations, Altair!”

I clapped beside Altair and focused on expression management to appear as a junior sincerely congratulating their senior’s first place win.

If I frowned or showed any signs of displeasure here, I’d regress back to the day before performing again.

Anyway, I knew that this week, being Altair’s first week with tallied scores, we’d have to give up first place to them.

At least was still holding strong without giving up first place on the music charts, so that was some consolation…

“Ah, it flipped…”

At Ryu Jaehee’s sigh, I checked the charts.

[1st place- ‘Altair – steal cut’ ▲1]

[2nd place- ‘Reve – Escape’ ▼1]

I gritted my teeth at the flipped music source rankings after the music show, wondering if they had received a music show buff.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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