A Blank Slate Regression for the Idol That Lost His Original Mindset - Chapter 25

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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 25

“How about a sensitive genius producer concept?”

“That could generate a hundred thousand antis and hate fans.”

“Then what about a quiet and reliable leader role?”

“It’s impossible since I already earned the title of hierarchy breaker.”

“Ugh, should I really just go with baby kitten?”

“Put your hand on your conscience and think about whether that concept really suits you, hyung.”

[Forbidden phrase ‘Ugh, really’ has been detected.]

[Initial Intentions –1]

Damn it.

As every opinion I suggested hit a wall of opposition, I felt overwhelmed with doubt about whether I could complete the Quest before our next activities.

I couldn’t give up since I didn’t know what penalty would be imposed. What if I cough up blood again?

“What image should I really push forward with? What do people see when they look at me? Is it okay to have a gap between how I appear externally and reality? What is the meaning of my existence?”

As I was lost in self-reflection, Ryu Jaehee waved his hand in front of my eyes and offered advice.

“Hyung, you already said the answer yourself. Show the fans what they want to see. Not what you want to do. It all comes out when you monitor.”

“Right, baby kitten.”

“Don’t miss the mainstream taste while trying to catch niche preferences.”

Engraving ‘major’ in my heart, I dove back into monitoring.

-Damn, Yoon Eden with that face acting all tough and strong, the gap moe is insane

-Expressionless vs eye smile, I’m all for eye smiles winning, but the gap between normal and smiling is good, so only smile occasionally, Eden

-Kids like Eden have a 90% chance of liking cute things and being scared of horror movies

└What do you call this? Tough outside, soft inside?

└Tough on the outside, soft on the inside lol why is day and night coming out lolololol

When I searched my name, the most frequently mentioned thing was ‘gap.’

Expressionless face versus smiling face, the preferences fans expected me to have, etc.

The last part wasn’t really accurate for either, but should I at least pretend to like cute things and be scared of horror genres?

While pondering and continuing to scroll, an incoming call screen appeared on my cell phone.

Looking at the unfamiliar, unsaved number on the screen, I debated whether to answer or ignore it, then decided to take the call.

“Hello-“

-Hey, you bastard! If you changed your number, you should have contacted me right away! Just because you made it big doesn’t mean you ignore people, got it?

Before I could even finish my greeting, he skipped self-introductions and started pouring out words, making me furrow my brows.

The number was as unfamiliar as the voice that somehow grated on my nerves, and the content that painted an innocent person as trash made me ask directly.

“Who is this?”

-What? Who is this? Who-is-this? You punk, can’t you even recognize your hyung’s voice? It’s Junbeom hyung, you punk!

Ah, Kim Junbeom. Hearing the name, I remembered who he was.

He was one of the connections I knew during my Under days.

He was someone who took pleasure in bragging about his connections, so I wasn’t particularly fond of him.

He looked down on people and ranked them based on their success, so when I debuted and changed my number, I cut him off.

I belatedly remembered that before regression, his first contact came about three years later.

Someone who ignored people for not making it big didn’t seem like the right person to say such things.

Noticing Ryu Jaehee glancing at me while pretending not to, I got up from the sofa and went outside the dormitory, responding casually.

“Yes, hyung. It’s been a while. Have you been well?”

-I’ve been doing great. Except for the hell I went through finding your new number, you young punk. You can’t live like that, kid. How much did I take care of you when you were Under, and now you’re acting like it never happened.

Kim Junbeom continued pouring out various unnecessary complaints (80% of which were scolding me for not contacting him first, making him have to ask Yongcheol hyung for my number) before finally getting to the point.

-Are you interested in featuring work?

I was about to politely decline any collaboration with that side, whether Under or Over, but Kim Junbeom continued his story without waiting for my answer.

-You know Seo Raon, right? Seo Raon. She’s making a comeback next month, but the featuring for her title track fell through.

Seo Raon was a top female solo artist celebrating her 10th debut anniversary this year.

Next month would be October this year. If it’s a song released to commemorate her 10th anniversary…

‘Crazy, I absolutely have to get this!’

. A hit song that firmly held the number 1 spot on the charts for three weeks.

After that, it became a steady seller that was frequently heard and considered a masterpiece.

I remember the featuring was done by an idol rapper, and although the rap received criticism for being disappointing compared to the song, it still helped make both the group’s name and his own name known.

Appearing together on music show stages several times to show his face was a bonus.

The guy who was supposed to do the featuring probably backed out saying he couldn’t appear on broadcasts.

So whether before regression or now, they’re looking for an idol rapper just the same.

-The producer there is a close hyung of mine, you know? That hyung was urgently looking for a substitute, so I recommended you. Your group’s song, what was it, One Chance? He listened to that and a few of your Under-era works and immediately said okay. Pretty grateful, right? This isn’t a common opportunity, you brat.

Yeah, you brat. I acknowledge you as a good old-timer.

Because took off and I somewhat escaped being a failed idol, this opportunity came to me.

Even though it was a substitute position, remembering that the Yoon Eden from my failed idol days couldn’t have received such a proposal made me feel proud and a bit bitter at the same time.

“Oh wow, that’s great for me. I’m incredibly grateful. Thanks to you, hyung, I get to participate in Seo Raon’s featuring.”

When I threw him some enthusiastic flattery, frivolous laughter came through the receiver.

Still laughing frivolously as always.

-So should I tell them you said okay?

“But I don’t have the final decision-making authority. For now, don’t say I agreed, but please tell them to contact our agency. I’d be grateful.”

-Alright. If this works out, it’s all thanks to me, so treat me to a meal. Got it? Don’t act like you don’t know me later, or this hyung will be hurt, okay?

“Yes, take care!”

I was bowing 90 degrees to thin air when, with terrible timing, I ran right into Seo Yehyeon who was coming out of the dormitory front door.

“…What are you doing?”

At his dubious question, I slowly straightened my back and put my cell phone in my hoodie pocket as the call ended, humming.

“Now I’m Reve’s young breadwinner.”

“Why is he acting like that?”

I’m also the bus driver.

Until the day Reve gets called Yoon Eden’s group, fighting, myself.

Like a proper breadwinner, I magnanimously overlooked Yehyeon’s not-quite-picking-a-fight and went back into the dormitory.

And two hours later.

I was summoned by the CEO and was in the CEO office.

“A featuring offer came in for you, Eden, from YDC Entertainment. It’s for Seo Raon’s title track that’ll be released in a month. I put it on hold saying I’d get your opinion first before answering.”

The voice telling me about the featuring proposal was so utterly calm that I became anxious.

Given the CEO’s personality, if he was attracted to that proposal, he should already be making a huge fuss about the Seo Raon featuring offer.

And sure enough, that anxiety was spot on.

“Do you really have to do it? I mean, we’re already busy preparing for Reve’s comeback, do we have time to do featuring for someone else’s song?”

Wow, he’s trying to kick away this opportunity. I knew he lacked sense, but to think he’d kick away a gourd that rolled right to him.

“CEO, please don’t do stocks if you can help it, and absolutely never touch gambling.”

“Suddenly?”

The CEO looked puzzled at my heartfelt, sincere advice.

Seriously, to have this little sense and still not go bankrupt, he must have put all his stats into luck.

“Well, we’ll be busy preparing for our comeback too, so there needs to be some angle before we put our name on it. Have you heard the title track?”

I nodded without any hesitation.

Even though I hadn’t received anything from Seo Raon’s side, hearing the completed version with someone else’s featuring before regression should count as hearing it, right?

“Do you think that song will definitely hit?”

“99.9% it will hit. Don’t you trust my eye that pushed for One Chance as the follow-up song?”

I left 0.1% due to the variable of me going in instead of the original featuring artist.

At my confident answer and subtle mention of past events, the CEO fell into contemplation.

I spoke up to ease the CEO’s concerns, even if just a little.

“It’s not even a collaboration, and featuring won’t take much time anyway. This is a good chance to promote my name and Reve’s. The song title will have ‘Feat. Yoon Eden of Reve’ stamped on it.”

“Alright, give it a try then.”

Finally, I got his approval. Still, the CEO added one more thing with a troubled expression.

“Just don’t overdo it and end up in the hospital again.”

I scratched the back of my head awkwardly at those words. That wasn’t from overdoing it, but because of the penalty.

* * *

“The choreography draft is here.”

I waved the tablet I’d received from the manager as I entered the practice room, and the members who had been sprawled on the floor got up and shuffled over.

We sat in a circle around the tablet, and just as I was about to play the video, Kim Dobin suddenly took a deep breath.

“Ah, wait a minute. Let me prepare myself mentally.”

“You didn’t bring us another choreography like Come to My Universe, did you…?”

“I don’t care about anything else, I just hope it’s at a level where I can follow along as soon as I see it.”

“If it’s that level, wouldn’t it be more like rhythmic movements than dance?”

What did I say wrong? I avoided Seo Yehyeon’s sharp glare and played the video.

The overall mood of the choreography was powerful yet upbeat, fitting the fast beat of the dance genre.

The verse parts had more of a free-spirited feel rather than group choreography, while the hook parts were matched with unified choreography.

Compared to the choreography of the junior group that promoted with this song before my regression, it wasn’t inferior at all.

I thought you wouldn’t spend money after wasting 3.5 million won on that trash song, so what’s this about?

“It’s not bad?”

“I agree. I think it would be more natural if we just tweaked a few parts.”

Kim Dobin, whose expression had brightened, kept replaying the video while adding his opinion.

He was the main contributor to overhauling the terrible choreography, so this reaction made sense.

“Oh, and they said they couldn’t hire a performance director because they were busy getting a famous MV director. So the choreography direction is being left to you, Doby.”

Since the members had shown an excellent example of creating and learning choreography themselves during activities, he seemed relatively at ease about the performance side.

Jjotso agency entrusting choreography direction to an 18-year-old. Even though it’s my agency, it’s really hopeless.

“Aaaah! This is so annoying, I’m going to quit!”

Kim Dobin rolled around on the practice room floor, pulling at his hair.

Gyeon Hajun rolled some ice water to cool his head, then muttered with a very surprised expression.

“What’s gotten into the person who used to save budget on music videos, saying we should compete with songs rather than music videos?”

“Someone must have sent a threatening letter to the CEO saying they’d come after him with a baseball bat if he made another budget music video.”

I replied indifferently while smiling proudly to myself.

Phew, it was worth printing out all those posts criticizing the music video and anonymously sending them to the CEO’s office!

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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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