A Blank Slate Regression for the Idol That Lost His Original Mindset - Chapter 18

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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 18

The CEO was humming the Minky Magic Melody while scribbling on the notepad in front of him, even drawing multiple circles around it.

If we got swept up in this, I had an uneasy feeling that our next comeback would be a remake version of .

Since I was unfortunately sitting directly across from the CEO, I had no choice but to witness this behavior firsthand, so before I collapsed from high blood pressure, I barely managed to perform the mind-body stabilizing breathing technique I’d seen on YouTube.

‘What are you going to do?’

I casually waved my hand at Seo Yehyeon, who was sending out silent screams, to tell him not to worry.

This time, I absolutely would not give in.

Saying “yes sir” to our agency’s opinions that seemed designed to make us fail was enough in my pre-regression life.

The CEO asked again, as if seeking confirmation that choosing the third song as the title track was final.

” is decent too, but since we bought these songs anyway, let’s go with these songs for this album. So you’re saying the third song is the best?”

“I brought a fourth option knowing you’d say that.”

I lifted up my cell phone while making my own sound effect with my mouth – “ta-da.”

Before the CEO could open his mouth to say anything, I quickly turned my phone volume to maximum and played the demo song: Lyrics & Composition by Yoon Eden, Vocal by Gyeon Hajun ver.

was an upbeat dance song that combined a slightly fast tempo beat with electronic melodies.

It had an easy-to-follow, addictive hook as a bonus.

The lyrics were also lighthearted content like “Let’s party together all night long, do you agree?” – like a high teen prom party.

It was incomparably better than those darkness black soul lyrics – it wasn’t even fair to compare them.

Before my regression, when another idol group that bought this song from me performed it, critics had praised it highly.

In short, it was an already proven successful song. An ultimate form with upgrades added to it.

Looking around the conference room, I could already see several people humming along to the chorus.

Judging by everyone’s bright expressions, the song seemed objectively good.

Well, whose song was it anyway.

The 3 minute 31 second song ended with the final verse that sounded like asking a question.

I grinned at the CEO, who had a complicated expression as if remembering his investment, and held up four fingers.

“As the leader, if I were to answer on behalf of the group about which song suits best as the title track, it’s definitely number 4?”

The reason the agency put me in the leader position instead of Gyeon Hajun, who was good at coordination and had a calm personality, was because I was ‘the most proactive with the loudest voice in the team.’

Although I later became powerless and uncooperative with the agency due to conflicts over songs, until then I was the leader image the agency wanted.

So I should enthusiastically voice all the opinions I couldn’t express before my regression.

“It’s decent. How about using it for follow-up activities like One Chance?”

As soon as the CEO finished speaking, Seo Yehyeon suddenly raised his hand and spoke with a calm expression.

“I’ll pay the penalty fee, so can I terminate my contract now? If we really have to promote with the third song, I just want to leave Reve.”

“Haha, now I see Yehyeon has variety show sense.”

The CEO tried to package it nicely, but at Seo Yehyeon’s expression that had not a trace of joking, the CEO’s mouth corners began to tremble.

It made sense since Seo Yehyeon currently held the largest share in fan influx.

Honestly, even if Seo Yehyeon left Reve now, re-entering the entertainment industry would be easy for him.

If he just found a good agency, he’d likely do even better than during his Reve days.

Looking at the assembled members, the CEO had definitely put all his stats into luck rather than intuition.

It was quite a talent to mess up so spectacularly with these members.

‘By the way, that guy is even threatening the CEO now.’

Even though he said that, he probably had no real intention of leaving.

If he really intended to leave, he would have fled right after the Mini Album 2 title track was decided in my pre-regression life.

Was he still keeping in mind what I said about speaking up at least once instead of staying quietly silent after the previous One Chance follow-up activity meeting?

At least the guy has some shame.

Not to be outdone, I joined in with supporting fire.

“Ah, if you’re not planning to make this the title track, I’ll go sell the song. Singing Black Soul might really make our idol lives turn to darkness, so I should at least earn some copyright fees to find my own way to survive.”

Before my regression, it was sell first, notify later. It was probably shortly after we got popular through the fancam reverse run.

The CEO showed the same rejection as today, suggesting my as a follow-up song, and rather than let my blood, sweat and tears go to waste, I chose to sell it as another idol’s title track.

I can’t describe how satisfying the CEO’s face was when I answered that I’d already sold the song when asked later if it wouldn’t be included in the album.

After that happened five or six times, all my expectations toward the agency disappeared.

Later, LnL wanted me to handle producing when they launched a new rookie idol group, but having already lost all affection for the agency, I spitefully sold songs to major agencies instead.

‘But the difference from then is that composer hasn’t had a hit with his songs yet.’

If the pre-regression CEO stubbornly insisted on that composer’s songs because he had too strong a will to stick to a successful formula he’d tasted once, the current CEO just doesn’t want to admit he wasted 3.5 million won.

The CEO, not giving up his last hope, looked around at the staff and remaining members and suggested.

“Then let’s be fair! Let’s decide by majority vote.”

At minimum, if people have ears, they should know which is better between a song treated as non-existent in the future and a song that was a candidate for music show first place.

The result was as expected. received almost all the votes.

Ah, why “almost”? Because someone cast one vote for the third song.

Although I couldn’t change our terrible debut song, I succeeded in changing the even more terrible Mini Album 2 title track.

This alone was very satisfying. Enough that about 1% of the ill feelings I’d built up toward the agency subsided.

“Then it’s unfortunate, but let’s put the songs I brought as B-side tracks.”

I blocked the CEO’s attempt to forcibly include them as B-side tracks.

“I want to fill Mini Album 2 with only good songs. If we put those in, it feels like we’ll get cursed, so no thanks…”

“When will we get all the songs again, Eden?”

“I’ve already completed 3 out of 5 tracks.”

The CEO, blocked by my defense at every turn, must have felt a sense of crisis as he pulled out the price card as his final blow.

“Isn’t it a waste to throw them away like this? They’re worth 3.5 million won after all.”

To the CEO who still couldn’t let go of his attachment to the 3.5 million won worth of trash, I recommended the most fitting use for those songs.

“You could use those three songs as your morning alarm, rotating them. Every time you hear the songs, you’ll remember the 3.5 million won that flew away and wake right up.”

And so the meeting concluded.

Ding-

A cheerful system notification sound rang out and a status window appeared before my eyes.

[☺You have successfully avoided a flop idol branching point!]

[Reward: Initial Intentions +10, Random Ticket, Penalty Nullification Ticket]

[※But the danger of downfall always exists, so don’t let your guard down!]

It felt strange to have the system officially confirm that I’d escaped the flop route.

All I had done was promote while fulfilling the Communication Quest, and change the Mini Album 2 title track to my song.

Yes, that was all, yet it was amusing that the worst period of my life from before my regression would disappear into non-existence, never to exist again in the future either.

Suddenly, I had this thought.

What if I had started seriously working on lyric writing and composition a bit earlier, when I was just dabbling with beats and scribbling lyrics during my underground days?

What if I had communicated with fans, even briefly?

What if I had expressed my opinions to the agency more forcefully and never backed down?

Would those difficult 3 years of obscurity not have existed?

Could I have enjoyed our songs and stages like during One Chance, instead of finding them tiresome?

I stared intently at the sparkling status window while repeating these hypothetical scenarios that were nothing but past regrets.

By the way, a Penalty Nullification Ticket. I could skip one Weekly Quest with this.

This is awesome.

* * *

After our next activity song was safely decided.

[☑Weekly Quest!]

[▶Post selcas and text on official SNS 5+ times per week (Initial Intentions +2)

▶Search fan reactions 6+ times per week (Initial Intentions +2)

▶Post selcas and text on fan cafe FROM board 4+ times per week (Initial Intentions +2)

▶Communicate through OA app fan live 2+ times per week (Initial Intentions +2)]

I opened the Weekly Quest list to check how many quests I had completed and discovered a newly added quest.

Only twice a week! I was humming contentedly at the lowest frequency when I checked the quest details and let out a cold breath.

The frequency of twice a week was sweet, but the quest content wasn’t.

It seemed Reve had finally received approval from the OA app and been registered as an OA Star.

OA is short for On Air, a video platform where fans and singers can communicate.

True to its name On Air, communication mainly happened through live broadcasts.

Right now, since the app hadn’t been around long, it lacked universality and popularity, but later the OA app would establish itself as an essential platform for idols.

Not only birthdays, debut anniversary special lives, comeback countdowns, and variety shows, but even showcases and concert live streams would become viewable on the OA app.

However, OA app lives were a double-edged sword.

If you captured an interesting scene or a video that would become a hot topic in communities, it would leave an impression on the public and become a stepping stone to huge success, but if you made a verbal mistake or an uncontrollable unexpected situation was broadcast, it would be a direct path to hell.

[ON AIR] Test

I roughly entered a title and turned on the OA live. Still, with 8 years of experience under my belt, being careful with my words wasn’t difficult.

“Is this right…?”

I fumbled around a bit since I could count on one hand the times I’d turned on a fan live alone before my regression.

Of course, I had participated in comeback countdown lives and members’ birthday special lives.

Solo fan lives were just briefly showing my face on other members’ streams, or the youngest member occasionally filming me while I was holed up in the studio.

I looked at myself reflected on the horizontally placed cell phone screen and waved at the rapidly scrolling chat.

“Hello, Daydream.”

[It’s Eden!]

[As expected, our filial piety member ㅠㅠ Running over as soon as the OA app was registeredㅠㅠㅠㅠ]

[He’s greeting normally instead of starting with some weird robot greeting lol]

[Holy shit his voice is insane]

“Uh… what should I do?”

[What are we supposed to do if you ask us that, Eden]

[It’s fine even if you don’t do anything, just looking at your face is fun hehehehe]

[EDEN!]

There was a problem. I had turned it on but didn’t know what to do.

Group fan lives had scripts so I could just do what I was told or follow along with the members, but now I was alone.

As the silence continued, the mood in the chat also changed.

[I take back what I said about just looking at your face being fun, do something]

[Is this perhaps a silent broadcast?]

[You didn’t look like someone who talks a lot, but I didn’t know you’d be completely speechless]

[so boring☹]

[Why did you even turn it on? Was it really just a test like the title?]

[Show us Yehyeon oppa]

What I was confident in was producing, not this kind of communication.

Was I really an 8-year veteran idol if I couldn’t even handle a solo fan live?

Just as doubts about the years I’d let slip by were washing over me, the door burst open with a clatter.

[Huh? Who is it?]

[I don’t know who it is but thank you so much for ending this awkward time]

[Whoever’s coming in, I’m definitely a fan from today]

[Is it Yehyeon? Is it Yehyeon?]

[Our hamster!]

A savior had appeared.

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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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