A Blank Slate Regression for the Idol That Lost His Original Mindset - Chapter 121

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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 121

When I arrived at the practice room where cameras were set up for filming the making video, the other members of the project team were already gathered.

I deliberately arrived right on time because I didn’t want to create a situation where I’d be alone with that KICKS leader bastard.

The cameras were already rolling. They probably filmed me opening the door and entering too.

As I approached where the ‘On Top’ members were, I had to force myself to smooth out my naturally scowling expression at the familiar face I saw among them and put on a smile.

“Eden hyung, long time no see! This place is totally familiar! We used to practice here often. Remember?”

I had to grit my teeth and shake hands with Choi Hyeonmin who was acting friendly with me, unable to tell him to get lost since we were in front of cameras.

Of course, even without the cameras, I couldn’t have told him to get lost because of the Initial Intentions system.

“Oh, are you two close?”

Whether it was because he was conscious of the rolling cameras or genuinely curious, one of the ‘On Top’ members asked me and Choi Hyeonmin a question. Before I could deny it, Choi Hyeonmin nodded and quickly said,

“Eden hyung and I almost debuted together before.”

Ah, so you’re going to reveal here that I was part of New Born’s debut group?

Try spreading the parachute story and see who gets hurt, huh?

As I smiled crookedly and was about to open my mouth, that KICKS leader bastard urgently pushed Choi Hyeonmin.

“Hey, hurry up and go. Don’t you guys have practice today too?”

“Then I’ll be off to practice the youngest members’ cute project, bye-bye!”

Ugh, making bye-bye sounds.

Actually, by my standards having regressed, it had been almost 10 years since I was at New Born, so I didn’t feel much emotion.

I only realized this was the practice room where we used to practice together after Choi Hyeonmin mentioned it.

Well, he probably wanted to see me regret leaving a mid-to-large agency like New Born for a shitty small company like LnL, but unfortunately, as I told Gyeon Hajun, I didn’t particularly regret it.

Now that all the members had gathered, choreography practice began.

Since even the person who hadn’t learned the choreography last time came perfectly prepared today, practice proceeded smoothly.

“But did Eden and Yunseong practice together separately?”

“Huh?”

“No?”

When me and that KICKS leader bastard both whipped around and responded simultaneously, the flustered project group member waved his hands.

“No, it’s just that you two have particularly good chemistry. Well, rather than good chemistry, it’s more like Yunseong matches well with Eden?”

“Ah, this guy used to be lacking in dance, so I got into the habit of practicing by matching his level…”

That KICKS leader bastard stopped mid-sentence and looked at me. His clearly flustered expression soon turned blank.

After taking a few breaths, as if he couldn’t bear it anymore, he burst out of the practice room door and ran off. The rest of us could only stare at the empty spot with bewildered eyes.

At least it was fortunate that the cameras were off.

“Huh, but there’s less than 5 minutes left of break time…”

“The remaining time is tight to finish practice here today, you know? It’s hard to schedule another date since everyone has their own schedules. I think we need to bring Yunseong back, does anyone have his number?”

The 4th year senior group leader, who was the oldest and most experienced, took charge and asked.

Perhaps because he’d been playing the leader role the longest, he was the best at coordinating this creaky project team.

While everyone was checking their phone contacts, I lightly raised one hand and spoke up.

“I’ll bring him back. I think I know where he went.”

My intuition told me he’d probably be there. If not, well… I could just call and threaten him to hurry back. I hadn’t deleted his number yet.

I thought I’d forgotten, but walking through New Born’s hallway and going down the stairs brought back memories one by one.

Looking back, there weren’t any particular incidents, problems, or unpleasant events when I was at this agency.

The guys I did trainee life with at New Born were all pretty close with me.

There was no one who clashed with me like Seo Yehyeon, and no one who was particularly mindful of me like Kim Dobin.

The debut group didn’t have a visual like Seo Yehyeon, but it also didn’t have skill gaps like him, the debut song wasn’t a bizarre track like , and New Born was a fairly systematic agency with well-established training and lessons.

The debut group members had all been practicing together for over a year, so there was no reason for conflict.

The biggest regret and New Born’s biggest problem was just pushing Gyeon Hajun out of the debut group because of the parachute.

According to what I heard from Gyeon Hajun later, the trainees’ political maneuvering was also quite problematic, but since I didn’t notice it at the time, I won’t count that as a problem for now.

Actually, if you think about it, LnL was much more hopeless than New Born and made my life more difficult.

I strode familiarly toward the back of the building.

The smoking spot for underage Choi Hyeonmin, and the place where we’d come to fool around whenever we got scolded by trainer teachers or wanted to skip practice.

Our own memory spot.

As expected, that KICKS leader bastard, Kwon Yunseong, was crouched against the wall.

Like before, I approached his side and similarly leaned against the wall and plopped down.

That KICKS leader bastard, noticing my presence and looking over, rubbed his face dry and hung his head low, muttering in a choked voice.

“How did we end up like this…”

I chuckled and looked up at the evening sky that was starting to darken.

“How is any of this our fault?”

At my response, that KICKS leader bastard slowly raised his head and looked at me.

I deliberately met his gaze and gave him the most gentle smile I could manage.

“It’s all your fault. Where’s my fault in this? If you guys hadn’t talked behind mine and Gyeon Hajun’s backs, and hadn’t talked behind my group’s back, our relationship wouldn’t have fallen apart.”

At my continued words, that KICKS leader bastard stared at me with stunned eyes.

“What, want to argue? Did I throw the first punch at you guys? Try establishing a timeline of whether your backstabbing came first or my harsh words came first?”

Playing victim isn’t enough, now you’re shifting blame? My fault is 0, your fault is 100. I’m the victim, you’re the perpetrator, okay?

“And you really should… be grateful.”

Be grateful that the Initial Intentions system exists for me right now, you bastard. Because of this damn Initial Intentions, I can’t even hit you.

I let out a short bitter laugh, recalling the past before regression when we grabbed each other by the collar and fought. Of course, it wasn’t me but him who got one-sidedly beaten up.

I might have had 0.0001% intention to forgive if he’d apologized, but seeing him try to pin blame on me too made me throw away any thought of forgiveness.

“Don’t half-heartedly hold onto guilt or lingering feelings, just keep ignoring and badmouthing me and Rev.”

A rather gentle voice, unlike me, flowed from my mouth. I stared straight at the flinching bastard and added,

“That way I won’t feel bad when I bring you guys down.”

Pat pat, I patted his shoulder and stood up.

“Right now we’re grouped as a team, so let’s go practice for now. What’s the point of wasting other people’s time?”

At my words, the guy who had kept his mouth shut followed me and slowly got up.

“I’m sorry.”

Seeing him bow and apologize in front of the project group members made me feel even more disgusted.

I thought this bastard didn’t know the words “sorry” or “I’m sorry.” Since he never apologized.

“It’s fine, only 2 minutes passed from break time. This much is nothing.”

The project team members, who looked much more relieved seeing that KICKS leader bastard return, all prepared for practice again.

I hadn’t noticed until I heard it mentioned, but realizing the particularly natural movement when me and that bastard were together made me feel strange.

Not knowing whether I felt disgusted or annoyed, I continued practice without even understanding my own state.

* * *

After finishing special stage practice.

The road manager from New Born who drove me to the dormitory left work, and while waiting in front of the elevator, I ran right into Ryu Jaehee.

Unusually, Ryu Jaehee was striding over with his foul mood clearly written all over his face, but upon spotting me, he quickly returned to his usual expression as if nothing had happened.

“Hyung, why do you look like that? Did something happen?”

“What about your expression? What happened to you?”

At my counter-question, Ryu Jaehee silently pointed upward with his finger.

“What, man. Use words.”

“I’ll tell you when we get to the dorm. Shouldn’t you just automatically know this kind of thing without me having to say it?”

“Am I a mind reader? You want me to read your mind from one pointing gesture?”

When I scolded him, Ryu Jaehee pursed his lips in a way that wasn’t annoying.

“But why my expression?”

Curious about what my expression was like that made him ask if something had happened, when I asked, Ryu Jaehee scratched his cheek and hesitantly answered.

“You looked like you’d just cut ties with an old friend. So I wondered if hyung had fought with Hajun hyung. But then I thought about it and realized hyung wouldn’t have had time to fight since you went to practice.”

At those words, I unconsciously rubbed my face with my palm.

Old friend? Me, with that bastard?

If you asked whether we were close, we were close. Second closest after Gyeon Hajun at New Born.

Although I was disappointed when no one took Gyeon Hajun’s side and everyone agreed with the higher-ups’ decision, I still continued to maintain our friendship.

That is, until I found out about the backstabbing.

So when I heard about the backstabbing from Parachute before my regression, I was even more furious.

We grabbed each other by the collar and even threw punches, but the resentment remained unresolved as I returned to the past and faced you again, you who tried to deceive us once more.

When I faced you all, not with the shameless attitude from before my regression, but flustered by the words I was pouring out.

What I felt at that moment—was it satisfaction, or relief?

Or was it disappointment toward you who couldn’t even offer a single rebuttal?

No expectations, no disappointments.

The fact that I think the day the CEO finds his senses will never come, and that I lightly brush off whatever the CEO says in meetings while asserting my own opinions.

The fact that I know Seo Yehyeon’s rap growth potential is C-, so I don’t expect rap parts from him and only make them sound tolerable enough not to be grating—that was part of it too.

Then the reason I was disappointed in those guys was…

“Hah…”

A hollow laugh escaped at this belated realization.

It was a very late, complete severance of ties that even I hadn’t recognized.

As I let out that hollow laugh, I roughly ruffled Ryu Jaehee’s hair as he started glancing at me pretending not to, and said a word.

“This isn’t because of you, so don’t worry about reading the mood, man.”

As soon as we entered the dormitory, I roughly took off my outer clothing and threw it in a corner of the sofa, then sat down comfortably and patted the seat next to me.

I looked at Ryu Jaehee as he quietly sat down next to me and asked.

“By the way, what on earth happened to make your expression look like that?”

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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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