A Blank Slate Regression for the Idol That Lost His Original Mindset - Chapter 216

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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 216

“How can you say that now? No matter how much I’ve mellowed out, I’m still not quite ready to face Gyeon Hajun.”

Yoon Eden sighed while rubbing his face with his palm.

They hadn’t even talked face to face, and he had poured out everything he wanted to say to thirty-year-old Gyeon Hajun onto the innocent twenty-three-year-old Gyeon Hajun, which made things awkward.

“Eh, I thought you’d obviously be okay with it, so I already texted Hajun hyung that you called for him.”

Kim Dobin scratched his head.

“What? Didn’t you see that I was uncomfortable around Gyeon Hajun?”

“During practice today, you both seemed fine, so I naturally thought you two had made up.”

Yoon Eden rubbed his throbbing temples and waved his hand dismissively.

“Quickly text him not to come. Call Ryu Jaehee instead.”

“That’s like training a person like a dog, hyung! There’s nothing we can do about the text I already sent! Just accept your fate!”

“What kind of sophistry is that? Do you think I’m a pushover now? You’re getting too comfortable and climbing all over me!”

At the return of Demon Eden’s demeanor, which they thought had been exorcised, Kim Dobin trembled and desperately begged.

“I’m sorry! But Hajun hyung is scary too! I don’t want to face Hajun hyung’s serious expression again! Please spare me just this once, hyung!”

“But it’s okay when I get serious?”

“I’m used to seeing you serious, so it’s fine thanks to all the exposure!”

When Gyeon Hajun entered naturally after inputting the passcode, Yoon Eden held his forehead and grumbled.

“You came quickly.”

Gyeon Hajun chuckled and replied.

“You weren’t waiting, were you?”

“As if.”

After listening to the AR a few times, Gyeon Hajun took the sheet music with lyrics and entered the recording booth.

Though he hated to admit it, the song with Gyeon Hajun’s guide vocal was much easier on the ears.

Without time to get lost in sentiment over hearing that voice after so long, he began making corrections.

“Ah, this part is off. Let’s change this chord like this…”

Listening to Gyeon Hajun’s guide vocal, Yoon Eden clicked his mouse. The changed melody echoed through the studio.

“Try singing it again with this melody.”

Listening to Gyeon Hajun’s voice that seemed to have finally found its place, Yoon Eden exhaled like someone who had just emerged from underwater.

Even though all he did was adjust and modify a few chords, it felt like he had escaped somewhat from the slump that had tormented him for so long.

Of course, if asked to compose something right now, he’d still find it suffocatingly impossible.

Yoon Eden looked down at his hands for no reason, repeatedly clenching and unclenching them.

“Success without failure is poison.”

Looking back, Yoon Eden had never experienced failure until now. Even was due to external factors; musically, it was good enough to claim the number one spot on the charts. But his current songs…

“Especially when you’re relying on just that one success.”

Yoon Eden knew himself well. All the more because it was something he had experienced.

“So…”

Yoon Eden turned to look at Gyeon Hajun and started to speak, then hesitated. He remembered his old friend who sometimes looked tired.

This would be a burden for Gyeon Hajun too.

“No. You have to overcome it yourself, what else can you do? When that situation comes, no matter what comfort people offer from the side, it won’t reach your ears anyway.”

As he shook his head, Gyeon Hajun, who had noticed what he wanted to say, spoke calmly.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be there for you. Sometimes there are things you can’t overcome by yourself.”

Without answering, Yoon Eden leaned back in his chair and looked up at the studio ceiling he was finally getting used to, thinking.

If this kind of future was waiting, even that shitty life wouldn’t be so bad.

* * *

[System Stabilization 97%]

Now it was really time to face the last lingering attachment he had kept postponing.

The dial tone rang long and continuously. Trying to calm his churning heart, Yoon Eden recalled the changed past he had encountered through his search.

Lee Yongcheol, who had definitely been the runner-up of DTB Season 3 in his memory, had become the winner.

The semifinal stage that had remained as a lingering regret in both Yoon Eden’s and Lee Yongcheol’s hearts now showed Yoon Eden and D.I’s names listed side by side.

He had the courage to face him, but not the time. This was the price of constantly putting it off.

Finally, the dial tone stopped and the call connected.

-Hello?

As soon as Lee Yongcheol’s voice came through the receiver, Yoon Eden fidgeted with the cigarette pack he was gripping tightly.

-Hello, Yoon Eden, are you drunk? Why are you calling in the middle of the night and keeping your mouth shut?

At the grumbling voice, Yoon Eden looked down and let out a bitter laugh.

What should he say? Was it refreshing to cut ties with this bastard? Or congratulations on winning DTB? Or maybe…

Since he had made the call impulsively without deciding what to say, he was even more lost.

-Hey, if you’re not going to say anything, I’m hanging up?

“Hyung, I smoke cigarettes.”

-Huh, what?

At the unexpected words, Lee Yongcheol seemed flustered as stuttering sounds came through the receiver.

Yoon Eden, who had spoken like making a confession, pressed his palm against his eyes and continued muttering.

“So, fuck… scold me a bit. You used to point at those bastards smoking in front of me and say that if I ever smoked like those bastards, now or later, I’d be in big trouble…”

[Profanity detected.]

[Initial Intentions -2]

When Yoon Eden was clearly the youngest member of the crew.

Bringing up stories from when they were close hyung and dongsaeng who couldn’t even imagine a future of cutting ties with each other, Yoon Eden buried his face in his palms.

-Quit before you get addicted, you brat. What’s so good about cigarettes that you smoke them, young punk.

Thirty-year-old Lee Yongcheol scolded thirty-year-old Yoon Eden. Yoon Eden laughed emptily at those words.

“Right. I tried never to smoke again, but before I knew it, I had one in my mouth again, haha…”

-If you’re having a hard time, I’ll buy you drinks instead, so don’t smoke cigarettes, man. You’re an idol – do you think it’s okay for you to smoke?

Lee Yongcheol, who noticed that Yoon Eden was in a precarious state, deliberately lightened his voice to comfort him.

-What happened to make someone who wasn’t like this suddenly act spoiled?

“You’re still the same, really…”

Yoon Eden looked up at the night sky visible through the veranda window and smiled bitterly. The relationship he had let go with his own hands felt particularly painful today.

“Thank you, hyung.”

He finally spoke the greeting he hadn’t been able to say for so long. Relieved by his much more stable voice, Lee Yongcheol also responded with a playful tone.

-Alright.

After finishing the call with Lee Yongcheol and returning to his room, Yoon Eden placed the crumpled cigarette pack on his desk.

Taking two sleeping pills and heading to bed, Yoon Eden spoke to Kim Dobin, who was busy reading webtoons on his phone.

“Oh, I don’t know when it’ll be, but if the original comes back and causes a fuss, tell him to check the memo on his phone.”

“Our Eden hyung will come back to normal, right?”

“Yeah.”

Perhaps because they were the same person, Yoon Eden replied in exactly the same tone as the original Yoon Eden, wearing a crooked smile as he asked.

“Why, do you want him to come back quickly?”

Kim Dobin tried to deflect the question with a desperate smile. No matter how much gentler he had become, the current Yoon Eden was still the unpredictable Demon Eden.

“I think I’ll miss you sometimes too though.”

Kim Dobin muttered. He must have grown attached after spending just a few days together.

Since Kim Dobin was the one who had spent the most time close to this Yoon Eden over the past few days, that could be why. The other members probably wouldn’t feel this way.

At Kim Dobin’s response, Yoon Eden chuckled and unhesitatingly popped the sleeping pills he was holding into his mouth.

The sight of Yoon Eden chewing two sleeping pills without water was strange, even though he’d been watching it for days.

Apparently this way the effects kick in faster. For Kim Dobin, who absolutely hated bitter things, it was unimaginable.

“Hyung, you said you were thirty years old.”

“Uh, yeah, that’s right.”

“Then you’ve completed your military service?”

To the question I threw out of sudden curiosity, a reproachful answer immediately flew back.

“Hey, I’m thirty years old, of course I have.”

“Where did you go? The Marines?”

“No, the front line.”

Recalling Yoon Eden who had shown tremendous talent at digging through piled snow, Kim Dobin nodded. How fortunate that he was assigned to a place where he could make good use of his talents.

Though he usually never exchanged goodnight greetings before sleep, suddenly today felt like a day he should, so Kim Dobin greeted him in a small voice.

“Good night.”

Yoon Eden, who had been silent for a moment after hearing that greeting, replied back in a drowsy voice.

“Yeah, sleep well.”

Yoon Eden took one last look at the ceiling that still felt unfamiliar even after several days, then slowly closed his eyes.

[System stabilization 100%]

[System stabilization in progress.]

[Deleting memories classified as errors.]

[Abnormally recovered memories are being re-locked.]

* * *

Maybe it was just my imagination.

Kim Dobin scratched his cheek as he discovered Yoon Eden sleeping soundly without waking up until he got up.

Unlike the original Yoon Eden who would wake up early in the morning and wake him up, the parallel world Yoon Eden habitually slept in until he woke up.

So the Yoon Eden who was still wandering in dreamland like that must be Demon Eden.

“Hyung, wake up. It’s morning.”

“Uh, yeah…”

Yoon Eden replied in a deeply sunken voice and tossed and turned while pulling up his blanket.

Kim Dobin’s eyes lit up at this good opportunity as he returned exactly what Yoon Eden had done to him before.

He swiftly snatched away the blanket he was covered with. Yoon Eden’s brow furrowed as he faced the cold winter air after being in the comfortable blanket.

His eyelids must have been quite heavy as Yoon Eden barely opened his eyes and stared blankly at the room ceiling, then belatedly saw Kim Dobin’s face in front of him and frowned.

“Am I still not fully awake… Why does my mouth taste so bitter?”

Yoon Eden muttered while rubbing his eyes, then sat up while smacking his lips.

Worried that he might catch some flak, Kim Dobin quickly threw the blanket he was holding back onto Yoon Eden’s bed and hurriedly brought him water.

Yoon Eden downed the glass of water Kim Dobin handed him in one shot and walked into the bathroom with a half-asleep face.

And shortly after.

“Aaaaah! What the hell! What is this! Damn it, why won’t this come off!”

A resounding scream echoed from the bathroom.

It was undoubtedly a spectacular comeback.

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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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