A Blank Slate Regression for the Idol That Lost His Original Mindset - Chapter 2
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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 2
I blinked at the ridiculous words that came out of the youngest member’s mouth. My blurry vision focused and I could properly see the youngest’s face.
“Jaehee, did you get younger?”
“Why is this hyung acting like this? He must have really lost his mind.”
When I asked while staring blankly at his face that was fresh to the point of being childlike, the youngest shook his head and clicked his tongue. Then he urgently called for Gyeon Hajun and rushed out of my room.
Without even having time to question the youngest’s attitude toward me, which was quite friendly considering he had been sulking and not talking to me yesterday, I hurriedly looked around.
First of all, the hard mattress touching my butt was not the soft mattress of the double king size bed I had bought as furniture for the new house. The bed size was also cut down to a third.
And the room was narrow with old, peeling wallpaper plastered all over. The floor vinyl was literally yellow vinyl.
I finally realized where this was.
It was that damn semi-basement dorm we lived in during our debut days when we were flop idols.
‘This can’t be happening.’
Wondering if I was dreaming, I slapped my cheek hard. It stung like hell. That meant it wasn’t a dream.
When I stood in front of the mirror with urgent steps, the mirror reflected my appearance that looked at most in my early twenties. My eyes in the mirror trembled finely.
Semi-basement, getting younger, debut day.
‘This isn’t a dream…?’
I’ve returned to the period when we were flop idols, which wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call the worst dark period of my life? No, since we haven’t debuted yet, should I say it’s the period when we’re about to walk the path of flop idols?
First, setting everything else aside, I needed to find out the identity of that blue window from earlier. What exactly “Initial Intentions Level” was. And why I had returned to the past.
But how do I bring that up again?
“Hey, I don’t know which bastard is playing pranks, but bring it up again, quickly.”
[Profanity detected.]
[Initial Intentions Level –2]
[Try saying ‘Status Window’.]
Ah, damn… that stings like hell.
“Sta… Status Window.”
When I muttered as quietly as possible so no one could hear, the blue translucent window I had seen earlier spread out before my eyes.
[Project to Regain Initial Intentions for Idols Who Lost Them!]
[Subject: Yoon Eden]
[Information]
[Age: 20
Position: Main Rapper, Leader
Traits: Rap, Lyric Writing, Composition, Producing]
[Initial Intentions Level: 94]
[※Initial Intentions Level decreases according to the severity when you act or speak in ways unbecoming of an idol.]
[※When Initial Intentions Level reaches 0, you start over!]
[※Essential conditions must be met to complete the project.]
[Essential Condition- You who disappointed 30,000 fans, make 30,000,000 fans happy!(0/30,000,000)]
What is this… Did they really regress me to the beginning of my debut to find my initial intentions?
And I disappointed 30,000 people, so why do I suddenly have to make 30 million people happy? How many times has that been inflated?
“Fuck, my Cheongdam-dong house! My hundred-million-won copyright fees! My savings account! My Ferrari!”
I grabbed my curly hair and rolled around on the floor from the overwhelming sense of injustice.
My entire fortune disappeared overnight like this! I had just moved into the Cheongdam-dong house less than a day ago! I couldn’t even spend one night in a 3 billion won house!
[Profanity detected.]
[Initial Intentions Level –2]
Even in the midst of this, my Initial Intentions Level was steadily being deducted. I frowned as I felt the stinging pain completely.
Can’t you cut me some slack on this? How can I not curse in this situation!
“Wow, did you have an amazing prophetic dream? We became that successful? Can I take this as a sign that we’re going to hit it big?”
The eldest hyung, Seo Yehyeon, who had a face pack on since morning, poked me as I writhed and rolled around on the floor and asked.
Hit it big my ass, we’re going to flop. Because of the clueless company, we need at least 3 more years to hit it big. And…
“Why are you suddenly acting friendly… Well, you could, sure.”
I frowned and reflexively made a sarcastic remark, then scratched my cheek and changed my words.
Ah, right now it’s before debut, so that drinking incident hasn’t happened yet.
“Can’t even act friendly with fellow members. Really, what a rotten personality.”
Seo Yehyeon shook his head and clicked his tongue as he left the room.
How ridiculous. Who has the rotten personality here.
How much I suffered trying to make that guy, who’s mediocre at singing, dancing, and rapping, not be jarring in music and on stage!
In the first place, the problem was that guy getting completely drunk at a drinking session with all the members and talking rudely to me, telling me not to cut down people’s self-esteem like that.
I have to speak directly for people to be shocked and fix themselves, what did I do so wrong, tsk. Do I have to consider other people’s tender feelings too?
But of all times, the debut stage is in just a few hours.
Since I had performed the debut song a few times at concerts and self-content, I roughly remembered the choreography formations and movements, but there were quite a few choreography moves that had been omitted over time, so it would be problematic to go on the broadcast stage like this.
Since we’re rookies from a small-medium enterprise that just stepped into the entertainment business, we can’t even dream of pre-recorded music shows, so if I make a mistake, it’ll be preserved on public broadcast as is. As someone who messed up from the debut stage.
“Hey, Doby! Do you have the choreography video on your phone?”
When I came out to the living room and called the fourth member who’s the main dancer, he immediately ran over and handed me his cell phone with a video screen up while grumbling.
“Ah, it’s not Doby, it’s Kim Dobin. Why do you keep changing the name my grandfather gave me to a house elf’s name, hyung.”
Wow, I really can’t get used to this. Kim Dobin who talks back and grumbles instead of keeping his mouth shut and turning his head when called Doby.
Seeing the members’ attitudes toward me, I’ve definitely returned to the past.
I scratched my head and turned up the volume to play the video. Probably because I have experience, I easily learned the choreography just by watching the video a few times.
“Should we sync up one last time here before we go?”
Since the music show was in just a few hours and there wasn’t enough time to go to the practice room, I roughly synced movements with the members in the living room, wiped the sweat dripping down, and plopped down on the floor.
“Wow, why doesn’t it feel real that the debut stage is in just a few hours.”
“Thanks to Yehyeon hyung’s face, won’t our music show video get a million views on YouTube?”
Unlike the members’ faces full of excitement and nervousness about debut, I, who was the only one who knew this group’s future, couldn’t help but be indifferent.
Crappy songs and crappy hair and makeup bury even that face.
I remember the cheap-looking music video also recorded dismal view counts.
Since the song is the same and the styling is the same anyway, there’s no way a miracle like hitting it big unlike the past could happen, right?
‘But what does it mean that when Initial Intentions Level reaches 0, you start over? Does it mean the Initial Intentions Level fills back up to 100? Then this Initial Intentions Level deduction would be meaningless.’
As I looked into space with an indifferent gaze, lost in thought, a blue status window appeared before my eyes with a notification sound.
[Dead fish eyes detected.]
[Initial Intentions Level -1]
As I looked ahead with hollow eyes, truly dumbfounded, my Initial Intentions Level kept getting deducted.
I panicked at the status windows being infinitely generated like a loading error. The pain of being stabbed dozens of times with a needle continued to be felt.
It seemed that when this Initial Intentions Level was deducted, I also felt pain.
When I blinked my eyes that had tears welling up and barely managed to focus, the endlessly appearing status windows disappeared.
10 points of Initial Intentions Level were cut in an instant.
This is too much even for too much. They deduct Initial Intentions Level for spacing out, calling it dead fish eyes.
As the music show schedule time approached, following the instructions of the manager who was in charge of us during our early debut days, we left the dormitory and squeezed our bodies into the narrow car.
During this period, we were in such poor conditions that we couldn’t even dream of a celebrity van, let alone a Carnival.
That’s how it is with Jjotso companies that just jumped into the entertainment business without ever managing actors, what do you expect.
“Ah, seriously, it’s so cramped I’m dying.”
[Forbidden phrase ‘Ah, seriously’ detected.]
[Initial Intentions -1]
[Profanity detected.]
[Initial Intentions –2]
Come on, isn’t this really too much? It’s not even “Oh, really?” but if “Oh, really” is a forbidden word, then what am I supposed to do? Are you telling me to live without speaking?
* * *
The debut stage ended safely without any mistakes. Of course, just like before the regression, there was no reaction. We earned the title of ‘failed idols’ once again.
And the Initial Intentions score of 100 was depleted much faster than I thought.
They deducted points for looking blankly into space when tired, calling it dead fish eyes, deducted points just for detecting the words “Oh, really,” and deducted points for casually using profanity like “bastard” or “damn it” in daily life – there was no way I could maintain this.
In just three days of appearing on only three music shows, I managed to reach 0 Initial Intentions.
Even the seniors’ gossip about how I lacked the energetic spirit of a rookie became a deduction factor. What could I do when inside I was an 8-year veteran idol?
I couldn’t get used to the stinging pain I felt every time Initial Intentions was deducted.
‘Oh, nothing’s happening?’
So this damn Initial Intentions system could be ignored.
I kicked off my shoes at the entrance and was crossing the living room to enter my room when I suddenly grabbed my throat as my breathing was cut off and collapsed onto the floor with a thud.
I absolutely couldn’t breathe. Rough breathing sounds came from my open mouth along with drool dripping down.
Gyeon Hajun hurriedly supported me and slapped my cheeks.
“Eden! Yoon Eden! Snap out of it!”
“Why is he suddenly like this? Quick, call an ambulance!”
My consciousness gradually faded. With the last sight of the members frantically shaking me, my vision turned black.
How much time had passed?
“…hyung. Eden hyung!”
I slowly opened my eyes to the voice calling me. I saw the same ceiling I had seen just before collapsing.
The only difference was that I had collapsed in the living room, but now I was lying in a room?
Just as I was relieved thinking the members had moved me after I collapsed, the cheerful voice of the youngest member pierced my ears.
“How can hyung oversleep even on debut day? I really have to acknowledge hyung’s mental strength.”
“…What?”
My voice trembled without me realizing it. I hurriedly picked up my phone to check the date.
August 8th. Reve’s debut day.
Don’t tell me it’s starting over again…
“Fuck, this is impossible!”
[Profanity detected.]
[Initial Intentions –2]
As soon as I grabbed my head and spat out profanity, the system pounced on me like a hawk, deducting Initial Intentions along with pain.
I stared blankly at the Initial Intentions score that had been refilled to 100, then screamed as if having a seizure.
“Get lost! Please just disappear from my sight!”
“Hyung…? What’s wrong? Are you so nervous about debuting today that you’ve lost it?”
Ryu Jaehee called out to me cautiously, but I wasn’t in the right mind to care about the youngest member.
A terrible fear washed over me at the feeling of being trapped alone in endlessly repeating time. What if I’m trapped in this time forever and go insane?
I felt like I was going crazy with frustration.
Did I do drugs like those other seniors and juniors, did I gamble, did I drink and drive, did I go to room salons?
Why are you only doing this to me! Why, why! Why on earth!
Is wanting to make the music I want to do such a big sin?
I couldn’t even remember how I ended up standing on the debut stage. My whole body ached from the constant stabbing pain.
Wearing stage costumes and holding a microphone, a warning status window flashed bright red before my eyes.
Whether it was because I couldn’t pull myself together and just stared blankly into space, or because I was mindlessly muttering profanity constantly, my current Initial Intentions couldn’t even maintain 10.
Gyeon Hajun’s part ended and my turn approached, but instead of rap lyrics, only rough breathing sounds flowed from my mouth.
The members’ faces, glancing at me in my unusual state, were colored with panic.
[Stage mistake detected.]
[Initial Intentions –7]
[⚠Initial Intentions has reached 0!⚠]
As the song headed toward the highlight, pain more severe than before suddenly overwhelmed me. The microphone dropped from my hand with a thud.
Thoom-
A sharp noise echoed across the stage along with the loud collision sound. I felt my body slowly tilting.
My vision gradually blurred. I could feel the MR and noise piercing my ears, and the urgent hands shaking me, but I couldn’t open my eyes.
Feeling the pain that gouged at my heart completely, my consciousness fell completely into the abyss.
It was the second regression.
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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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