A Blank Slate Regression for the Idol That Lost His Original Mindset - Chapter 129

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

A Regression Guide for Idols Who Lost Their Initial Intentions Episode 129

 

 

 

 

 

“Huh? You’re not eating more?”

 

As I chewed on the slightly undercooked beef that still showed traces of blood and asked, Gyeon Hajun rubbed his forehead and let out another sigh.

 

“Why do you keep bringing up Kwon Yunseong’s story in front of me again?”

 

“Was the rift between your emotions that deep…?”

 

To the point where just hearing Kwon Yunseong’s three-syllable name makes you irritated? Come to think of it, this inexplicable cold war started right after I relayed Kwon Yunseong’s apology.

 

“I told you, it wasn’t meaningful enough to receive an apology for. Are you doing this on purpose?”

 

At his cryptic words, I blinked my eyes blankly while flipping the beef I was grilling with my chopsticks.

 

“No, what?”

 

I don’t understand why you’re reacting so sensitively to Kwon Yunseong’s story when you say it wasn’t meaningful. He’s a guy who has no meaning to me anymore either.

 

“Never mind. I misspoke.”

 

Seeing my reaction, Gyeon Hajun got up. No, I won this as a prize for you to eat, so why are you going in after barely eating a few pieces? Do you know how much this costs?

 

“Why are you suddenly acting like this when you were eating the Korean beef so well?”

 

“Just, because it’s pathetic.”

 

At those words, I also lost my appetite and put down my chopsticks with a clack. Ryu Jaehee quietly turned down the heat on the grill plate.

 

“Hey, Hajun. Even so, aren’t your words too harsh?”

 

When I asked with a serious expression, Gyeon Hajun rubbed his face dry and corrected his words.

 

“I forgot to mention the subject. I’m pathetic – I myself am pathetic.”

 

Leaving only those words behind, I watched Gyeon Hajun’s retreating figure as he entered the room and furrowed my brow.

 

What the hell does that even mean.

 

At least the system didn’t deduct initial intention points for encouraging discord or whatever, so there’s no fault of mine in this conversation. That much is certain.

 

“Let’s just set aside Hajun hyung’s portion and eat. I’m used to the hyungs fighting now, so whatever…”

 

In the midst of all this, Kim Dobin, who had been calmly picking up and eating beef, suggested. Ryu Jaehee, who had been frozen while holding the tongs, belatedly came to his senses and scolded him.

 

“Hyung, can you even swallow beef right now?”

 

“Korean beef is innocent.”

 

“Right, hyung has no tact.”

 

“Like Dobin said, Korean beef is innocent. But at least cook it before eating, Dobin.”

 

At my words, Ryu Jaehee sighed and turned up the grill plate temperature again. The beef party resumed. However, the eating pace was significantly slower than at first.

 

“Come to think of it, didn’t I tell you that I settled things clearly with that guy?”

 

“Did you? I don’t think you did…”

 

“You didn’t.”

 

“You cut ties? From today’s story alone, it seemed like you made up again.”

 

Kim Dobin, Ryu Jaehee, and Seo Yehyeon answered in turn. Hearing Seo Yehyeon’s words, I raised my eyebrows.

 

“Where exactly in what I said?”

 

“Can you hug a friend you’ve cut ties with tight enough to win at a balloon popping game?”

 

“Of course, when Korean beef is at stake. Did you think I hugged him for my own pleasure?”

 

When I grumbled, Seo Yehyeon shook his head back and forth.

 

“Capitalist society is truly scary, really.”

 

Far from receiving praise, after the ruined atmosphere I was now being treated like a maniac obsessed with Korean beef, so I irritably swept up my bangs.

 

“Damn, I sacrificed my body to get Korean beef to feed the members.”

 

“Nobody forced you to hug a friend you cut ties with to get Korean beef.”

 

“Then don’t eat it, hyung.”

 

“I was going to stop eating anyway.”

 

At our conversation, Ryu Jaehee made a groaning sound and shoved beef into my mouth with the tongs.

 

“Why are the hyungs trying to fight too?”

 

After forcibly swallowing the beef that was shoved into my mouth, I shook my head back and forth.

 

“What are we fighting about? This is just conversation.”

 

“Right, youngest. We’re not fighting.”

 

“Couldn’t you resolve things with Hajun hyung like that too?”

 

“I need to know why he’s acting like that before I can resolve it or not.”

 

Grumbling, I quickly moved the bowl containing Gyeon Hajun’s portion of meat to the side before Kim Dobin could eye it.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Two days since the Korean beef incident.

 

And the seventh day of the cold war between Yoon Eden and Gyeon Hajun.

 

“Hyung, please make some effort.”

 

Ryu Jaehee, who judged that the team atmosphere couldn’t be left like this, made a decision.

 

“Neither Hajun hyung nor Eden hyung are the type to open their hearts to a younger guy. Eden hyung goes without saying, but Hajun hyung is also secretly prideful… So hyung’s role is extremely important. You need to draw out both of their true feelings.”

 

Grabbing onto Seo Yehyeon, Ryu Jaehee earnestly pleaded.

 

“The future of our group depends on hyung.”

 

“Youngest, please don’t burden me unnecessarily…”

 

At Ryu Jaehee’s solemn words, Seo Yehyeon replied weakly. Having been assigned a weighty mission simply for being the eldest, he was quite skeptical about this reconciliation project.

 

Can’t we just push the two of them into one room and block them from coming out? If we leave them like that, won’t they resolve things on their own whether they throw punches or have a conversation inside?

 

Sighing deeply, he opened the door to the room that Gyeon Hajun and Kim Dobin shared and entered.

 

“Yehyeon hyung?”

 

At that call which implied ‘why did you come?’, Seo Yehyeon awkwardly scratched his cheek and trailed off.

 

“Ah, Dobin asked me to switch rooms just once…”

 

“Dobin said he wants to share a room with Eden?”

 

Of course, it wasn’t Kim Dobin’s voluntary opinion. It was a tearful sacrifice for the team.

 

Even though it was an excuse that didn’t make sense even to himself, Seo Yehyeon brazenly nodded. Gyeon Hajun, who chuckled with a face that said he knew everything, asked.

 

“It’s because of Eden and me, right?”

 

Having his true intentions seen through immediately, Seo Yehyeon flopped down on Kim Dobin’s bed and nodded his head.

 

“And I’m personally curious too. There must have been a reason you reacted like that.”

 

“There is. The problem is it’s an embarrassing reason to tell Eden directly.”

 

“Is it something you can’t tell me either?”

 

“Are you curious? It’ll be quite boring since I’ll have to dig up past events.”

 

When he nodded at the words tinged with laughter, Gyeon Hajun brought up the past in a quiet voice.

 

“I don’t have good memories of New Born. Politics, hazing, guys with poor character, guys who would check anyone with talent – it was crawling with them.”

 

 

 

[Dobin, ask Yoon Eden what New Born was like] 11:47 PM

 

 

 

Hearing those words, Seo Yehyeon quickly sent a text to Kim Dobin, who would be in the same room as Yoon Eden.

 

During the heavy silence, a short vibration sound rang out. Seo Yehyeon smiled awkwardly and immediately switched his cell phone to silent mode.

 

 

 

[Dobin- He says it was okay? He says it was pretty good] 11:49 PM

 

[No politics, hazing, or checking?] 11:49 PM

 

[Dobin- He heard about it from Hajun hyung, but he says he didn’t feel it himself] 11:51 PM

 

 

 

Same agency, different evaluations.

 

But given who the speaker was, trust inevitably leaned toward Gyeon Hajun’s side.

 

“Yoon Eden says he didn’t feel it.”

 

“He wouldn’t have noticed. Unlike me, Eden wasn’t a target for politics, hazing, or checking.”

 

Seeing Seo Yehyeon’s expression that showed he didn’t understand at all, he added an explanation.

 

“You know those kids, right? The ones who always become the center of any group. Eden was exactly like that.”

 

Is Yoon Eden that type of guy?

 

When he recalled the demon-possessed Yoon Eden from trainee days to early debut that remained most vividly in Seo Yehyeon’s memory, he couldn’t relate at all.

 

But the current Yoon Eden, who had gained some leisure, was indeed that type of guy, though he hated to admit it.

 

“In New Born, it was Kwon Yunseong who got along well with Eden and became close with him because of their compatible personalities. Not me.”

 

For Seo Yehyeon, who had only seen them growling at each other, being sarcastic, and trying to devour one another whenever they met face to face, this was quite unexpected. To think those two had such a past.

 

“They were really close. The relationship between Kwon Yunseong and him was probably closer than the one between me and him.”

 

 

 

[Doby, ask him if he was closer with the Kicks leader or with Hajun in New Born] 12:07 AM

 

[Doby- He says it was similar?]

 

[Doby- But apparently Hajun Hyung was closer since they did guide recordings for self-composed songs together and stuff] 12:10 AM

 

[Dobin- Damn bro, it seems like Eden hyung noticed and looks uncomfortable, so I can’t ask anymore ㅠ] 12:11 AM

 

 

 

‘Hajun, Yoon Eden was closer to you.’

 

Swallowing words he couldn’t say right now, Seo Yehyeon turned off his cell phone.

 

“So I ended up reacting sensitively. No matter how much Kwon Yunseong participated in the backstabbing, there’s no way he could shake off all the accumulated affection in such a short time.”

 

Gyeon Hajun let out a bitter laugh into the air and added with a mutter.

 

“I wondered if he was expressing in a roundabout way that he resented me for causing their relationship to grow distant…”

 

Seo Yehyeon hurriedly grabbed hold of Gyeon Hajun who was trying to dig a tunnel and hide.

 

“Yoon Eden isn’t the type to speak in such sophisticated roundabout ways. He can’t do that. From what I’ve seen, he’s got a disease where he’ll die if he doesn’t speak directly.”

 

“That’s why I said he misspoke. I also got emotional and said something thoughtless, which isn’t like me.”

 

Gyeon Hajun awkwardly ran his palm over his face.

 

“And according to Yoon Eden, he settled things clearly with the Kicks leader, right? Knowing Yoon Eden’s personality, he would have dealt with it cleanly.”

 

“No, surprisingly Eden is quite sentimental. That’s why he’s not spreading those disgusting Choi Hyeonmin smoking photos and just using them for blackmail. If I had them, I would have spread them long ago. Damn, they live like shit and call someone else a pretentious scholar?”

 

Setting aside the sentimental Yoon Eden, Seo Yehyeon was a bit surprised by Gyeon Hajun’s unexpectedly fiery side.

 

“Then what made you two become close?”

 

“I don’t really know either. He said he liked my vocal tone.”

 

“Don’t tell me that’s it…?”

 

Gyeon Hajun nodded.

 

“That’s why I understand it even less. Why on earth did he leave Kwon Yunseong behind and follow someone like me, even kicking away the New Born debut group?”

 

Realizing this was the root of the conflict, Seo Yehyeon reflexively pressed his forehead.

 

Yoon Eden, you crazy bastard. You left out too much of the reason.

 

“Why does he do that and then feel confident that I’ll be the first to cut him off? We haven’t failed, and the only debt I feel toward him now is the existence of that damn CEO.”

 

Even though he said he never resented him… Gyeon Hajun spoke self-deprecatingly, recalling a conversation they’d had before.

 

“Didn’t he just ask you to tell him before cutting ties? Looking at it closely, it doesn’t seem like he’s confident.”

 

“The fact that he said that itself shows his confidence. He already reached a conclusion in his head before saying it.”

 

Perhaps knowing each other too well had become poison just this once.

 

Having poured out all the words in his heart, Gyeon Hajun calmly offered an apology.

 

“I’m sorry for dampening the mood. Even if there were reasons, what I did at a group dinner can’t be rationalized.”

 

“It’s fine. In the same situation, there are people who wouldn’t even apologize but would shamelessly ask what they did wrong.”

 

His head was already throbbing at the thought of having to talk with that ‘shameless person’ too.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“What is Gyeon Hajun to me?”

 

After thinking briefly about Seo Yehyeon’s sudden question, I tossed out an answer.

 

“He’s special.”

 

“So why.”

 

“Because he’s a friend I approached first to befriend.”

 

Even though I answered when asked for a reason, Seo Yehyeon still looked like he didn’t understand.

 

“Why is that special?”

 

“Because I’d never approached someone first to make friends before.”

 

“Just what kind of life has this guy been living…”

 

Ignoring his disgruntled muttering, I lay down spread-eagle.

 

“Kim Dobin too, and you hyung, and now Jun this time… Was human relationships always this difficult?”

 

As I muttered while looking up at the room ceiling, Seo Yehyeon replied in an exasperated tone.

 

“Human relationships are originally difficult, you idiot.”

 

“I wonder…”

 

Since my school days, people always gathered around me without me having to make any effort. I just had to pick the ones who suited me from among them. It was comfortable.

 

Even in the underground, Yongcheol Hyung approached me first, and I easily became close with the crew hyungs and continued to expand my network by getting introduced to acquaintances through connections.

 

It wasn’t much different at New Born either. The only difficult thing there was Gyeon Hajun, who I wanted to become close with but who showed no particular interest in me.

 

“I’d never found it difficult even once before debuting.”

 

Even before regression, things started getting tangled after debut.

 

As I spoke slowly, Seo Yehyeon sighed and tapped his bed.

 

“Of course, since only people who liked you gathered around you until now.”

 

When I turned to look at him, Seo Yehyeon met my gaze with serious eyes and spoke firmly.

 

“But we’re not people who gathered because we like you. Our beginning was business. You need to clearly understand that.”

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