A Blank Slate Regression for the Idol That Lost His Original Mindset - Chapter 266

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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 266

How long had it been since I sang a complete song alone on stage?

I hadn’t had a solo stage even once since being invited to the DTB concert to perform .

Even at Rev’s solo concert, I gave the solo stage to Ryu Jaehee and performed a solo song as a unit with Seo Yehyeon.

A small concert hall, an audience that wasn’t few but not as many as our solo concert, a stage close to the audience, heat that grew more intense as the song reached its climax.

A stage different from music broadcasts and concert stages.

As I stood alone on stage instead of with the usual five, stirring up this small stage, a memory suddenly flashed by.

Fifteen-year-old me had yearned to fill this stage alone, and even after turning my back on it, I occasionally missed it.

That’s why I was afraid to appear on DTB. I feared that fulfilling my unsatisfied desires would make me crave even more. That it would make me neglect my main job.

But when I actually stepped onto the stage I had so yearned for in the past…

‘Is this… closure?’

Only the lingering attachment to what I couldn’t achieve disappeared, but I didn’t become more greedy for solo stages. Not yet, anyway.

Instead of greed, confidence welled up. Thanks to the enthusiastic response from all these people toward this unfamiliar song they were hearing for the first time.

Ah, Yoon Eden isn’t dead yet. I vaguely understood what Jiwon hyung meant when he advised me to break free from pressure and do whatever I wanted.

Skoen’s words about inviting rappers who were eliminated from DTB as audience members weren’t empty talk – I could see several familiar faces in the audience seats swaying their hands up and down to the rhythm.

They cheered even more enthusiastically every time I dissed DTB.

Yeah, I scratched that itch for you, so cast a vote for me on your way out.

As I finished the last verse and lowered the microphone while catching my breath, applause and cheers poured out.

That continuous cheering that lasted until I turned around and came down to backstage brought an unconscious smile to my lips.

My yellow t-shirt was soaked with sweat, whether from the hot concert hall atmosphere or from stirring up the stage alone.

When I took off my beanie, sweat dripped from my hair. I received the towel handed to me and lightly shook out my wet hair.

My still-blonde hair scattered messily.

As soon as I entered the waiting room, Skoen burst into laughter and patted my back.

“Wow, I told you to do hip-hop and you really brought killer hip-hop! You and I should really go to the finals together.”

“That would be an honor for me.”

I replied lightly and watched Seven Kick and Yupi’s subsequent stages on the screen in the waiting room.

Seven Kick and Yupi also finished their stages and entered the waiting room drenched in sweat.

After all five group leader stages ended, audience voting began.

The voting method was to drop a ball into the box with the name of the rapper whose stage impressed them most as they left the concert hall.

Transparent acrylic boxes were prepared to prevent manipulation controversies.

While voting proceeded, all five group leaders sat in chairs in the waiting room with towels around their necks, completely soaked in sweat.

We had to film until we heard the results and the person who got the producer mid-check privilege designated a producer.

Skoen, sitting right next to me, poked me and asked.

“But why did you wear an eyepatch on stage? Seeing your uncovered eye is fine now, it’s not an eye infection, so is it a pirate concept? Or what, is it that? The Black Flame Dragon of the right eye? But why did you wear it on your left eye?”

Why does everyone think it’s either an eye patient or a pirate? It wasn’t just Seo Yehyeon and Kim Dobin’s problem.

“No, it’s Gung Ye.”

“Ah, so that’s why the clothes are yellow… Hey, if you’re going to do it, do it properly with a gold eyepatch too. And shave your head bald.”

But I’m still nominally an idol, so shaving my head for a Gung Ye concept is a bit much.

So I substituted baldness by covering my hair with Kim Dobin’s beanie. The beanie color was navy blue, so the colors were a bit mismatched.

“No, how did you think to diss DTB’s future on DTB itself…”

Seven Kick still looked dazed as he stared at me and muttered.

Swoosh swoosh, conscious of the lit camera filming us in the waiting room, Seven Kick lowered his voice considerably and whispered.

“Is your agency DubNet’s largest shareholder by any chance?”

“No? Our agency is GoodSo with no backing whatsoever.”

I clearly said ‘GoodSo’, System. It’s short for ‘Good Company’ so don’t misunderstand and deduct my initial intentions.

“But you still did that? This isn’t just crazy guts. This guy is crazy.”

Seven Kick spun his finger in circles at his temple. Being called crazy to my face wasn’t exactly pleasant.

“What’s with all the fuss over that level of content? From what I heard, there weren’t any particularly line-crossing lyrics.”

But perhaps taking this as a put-down directed at me, IJM spoke bluntly.

“Huh, so hyung thinks you can pour out curses about DTB’s downfall on DTB itself?”

“…”

At Seven Kick’s question, IJM glanced at me with a somehow distant expression and closed his mouth.

Curses, he says. As IJM said, it was pleasant dissing that stayed strictly within bounds.

Listening to Seven Kick and IJM’s banter and bursting into laughter, Skoen suddenly pulled my shoulder and said playfully.

“If Eden doesn’t get first place, won’t this all get edited out? This guy absolutely has to get first place, right?”

Would that happen? Surely DubNet wouldn’t be that petty? Though they probably would, surely they wouldn’t after all the broadcast material I’ve provided so far?

“How nice that you have enough leisure to worry about others’ screen time.”

At Yupi’s sarcastic words, the atmosphere instantly turned cold.

I could see why rumors openly circulated before my regression that Skoen and Yupi’s relationship wasn’t good after DTB 4 ended.

The public said it was because Skoen was jealous of Yupi, who stepped on him to rise from obscurity to popular star status in one go, but from what I could see, Skoen hyung wasn’t that type of personality.

Yupi was just rude and kept throwing cold water on the atmosphere, so he disliked him? But with DTB involved, it got spun as jealousy from second place toward first place.

As expected, circulating rumors can’t be trusted.

At the production crew’s announcement that voting had ended, we left the waiting room with its frozen atmosphere.

[IJM: 10]

[Skoen: 34]

[Yoon Eden: 41]

[Seven Kick: 7]

[Yupi: 25]

Standing in a row on stage, the results were announced. I desperately tried not to laugh seeing Seven Kick’s vote count in last place.

Of all things, why did he get exactly seven votes to match his name… He should have named himself One Hundred Kick instead.

My votes were exactly seven votes ahead of second-place Skoen. Not a complete landslide victory, but not a margin where you could say I barely won either.

Yupi was surprising if anything.

Since the current broadcast was ahead of today’s episode 3, Yupi hadn’t properly registered with the public yet.

Despite not seeming to have enemies in the hip-hop underground/overground scene, he took third place.

The vote gap with second-place Skoen was smaller than with fourth-place IJM.

Indeed, he was worthy of winning before my regression. Unfortunately, it would be a bit difficult now with me here.

If it had been after episode 3 aired, which contained the third preliminary round with 1-on-1 matches, Yupi might have had a chance to surge ahead.

“Congratulations, Eden. With a total of 41 votes, you’ve won first place in the guerrilla mission. As the first-place prize, you receive the producer mid-check privilege.”

I finally got it…! The very important key to minimizing our team’s conflict narrative…!

“Now, please designate one producer of your choice.”

Photos of all eight producers appeared on the stage screen. I received the microphone and designated someone without hesitation.

“I choose G1 Producer.”

What I wanted wasn’t collaborative song work with laughter and fun, but professional advice, so G1, who made a name as a producer in the music industry, was the most suitable choice.

It was worth pushing the team members to produce even a first recording.

What I needed wasn’t checking the hook part or the team members’ lyric parts, but a word from a professional who heard the intermediate completed version.

Of course, I knew well that wouldn’t be enough alone.

The weight of being a group leader is heavy. It would have been so light without these damn cameras. Without cameras, I wouldn’t care about conflicts or team atmosphere.

It’s not like we’re going for life like our Rev anyway, it’s just one-time, so wouldn’t it be fine as long as the song turns out well?

After filming ended, I got in the van the road manager brought and checked the time.

It looked like I’d arrive at the dormitory just in time for DTB episode 3.

Should I buy a chicken on the way today? Since Seo Yehyeon would probably make a fuss, grilled chicken instead of fried.

* * *

[DROP THE BEAT SEASON 4 Ep.3]

[54 rappers total who advanced from the 2nd preliminary round]

[Half of them must be eliminated!]

As names written in ranking order appeared on the screen, sighs and complaints poured out from all directions.

[MC: The rankings you’re seeing now are your 2nd preliminary evaluation rankings.]

After scenes of several rappers frowning or stomping their feet, individual interviews with the rappers followed.

[Skoen: Since I’m ALL PASS, I thought I’d obviously be 1st place, but there’s one more person above me? I guess I need to start getting nervous now, haha.]

[G-TE: What? What exactly are the criteria? I’m 22nd? Even though I’m 7PASS?]

[Toohyeok: It was pretty ridiculous. If they said they’d evaluate based only on the 2nd preliminary round, then they should evaluate based only on what was shown in the 2nd preliminary round, not look at growth potential or that kind of stuff. What are they trying to do.]

-What exactly are the evaluation criteria? Isn’t it just whatever the production team and producers feel like?

-First of all, the fact that 1st place isn’t even Scoeon but Yoon Edeun ㅋㅋㅋㅋ seems like there were aggro points too ㅋㅋㅋ

[MC: This season, lower-ranked rappers will be given nomination priority and turn selection rights.]

[The contestants’ expressions freeze at the MC’s words]

-Isn’t Dubnet pushing it too far? Do they really believe the lower-ranked kids will create broadcast moments?

-The lower-ranked kids will probably feel burdened by the choice too, isn’t this like choosing their own grave site with their own hands

[The rules have changed!?]

[Until now, the matching method was random]

[But from now on, it’s a nomination battle!]

[The participants’ sharp gazes immediately scanning each other]

[MC: 54th place, Yupi. Please nominate your 1-on-1 battle opponent.]

When my name was called, Yupi rose from his chair. Yupi, who received the microphone, scanned the tournament bracket.

[Yupi: I will….]

[What will his choice be?]

-Just try choosing 53rd place

-Who was this guy again? He had zero impact during the 2nd round fire pit so I have no expectations…

-Boldly choose 1st place and die gloriously

The camera captured the participants’ gazes focused on Yupi once, then finally close-upped on Yupi’s face as he opened his mouth again.

[Yupi: I nominate 1st place, Yoon Eden.]

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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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