A Blank Slate Regression for the Idol That Lost His Original Mindset - Chapter 403

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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 Original Intent Episode 403

Wait, my song is playing right now and you’re not focusing, instead arguing about whose voice is on the guide recording?

I glared at them, meaning they should stop chatting and focus on listening to the song.

Although our members knew well the pride I had in my music and its meaning, I also knew they wouldn’t unconditionally vote for my song just because it was my work.

Even if not to my extent, all the members were sincere about Rev’s music too. If they mindlessly chose mine just for my sake, I’d probably be even more upset.

Instead of giving me the shock and stimulation I need to grit my teeth and work harder, you’re trying to make me complacent?

Kim Dobin kept glancing at Gyeon Hajun worriedly, as if afraid of Rev’s second friendship fight, but Gyeon Hajun had already known that Ryu Jaehee handled the guide recording for this demo.

Of course I told him. Gyeon Hajun naturally thought that guide vocals for my demo tracks, especially title track candidates, were his territory.

On that day when we achieved 100% improvement in our relationship through fistfights and drinking, feeling the desperate need for communication, I’d been discussing with Gyeon Hajun right away about anything that might cause misunderstandings.

‘Really? Do you need re-recording?’

‘Not really? The Youngest Member followed along pretty well? Of course, not as well as you. The Youngest Member himself said he was so envious of you doing guide recordings, so I should let him handle it sometimes.’

‘It’s good that you have more options. I’ll be busy too once drama filming starts in earnest. I’m glad Jaehee is following along well.’

Contrary to Kim Dobin’s worries, Gyeon Hajun calmly accepted the work distribution.

But wait, isn’t it strange to fight just because the Youngest Member handled the guide recording? It’s not like we pay 1 million won per hour for guide recordings, and even if we did, Gyeon Hajun isn’t struggling financially enough to be desperate for that money.

A normal person wouldn’t imagine Gyeon Hajun reacting like ‘That guide recording you got was originally mine! How dare you give it to someone else, I can’t forgive you!’, Doby.

Look at Seo Yehyeon. Whether the guide recording was done by Gyeon Hajun or Ryu Jaehee, he’s only concerned about having a member do the guide recording again, half-invalidating the blind test with just the voice.

If Seo Yehyeon doesn’t seem particularly worried, then there’s no real problem. Now, if Seo Yehyeon’s expression becomes serious while looking back and forth between me and Gyeon Hajun, that means there’s trouble.

The other candidate songs were also strong, but honestly, my song made the best use of the song lead.

Of course. I participated most actively in creating the song lead.

After listening to all four title track candidates and hearing the candidates play from number 1 again, I checked my song on the ballot without a moment’s hesitation.

Even excluding the bias of it being my song, my song was the one that the members could perform best, fit this regular album’s concept, and was catchy enough to stick in your ears.

Unlike me voting without much deliberation, there were still quite a few people in the conference room contemplating with their ballots in front of them.

Except for Ryu Jaehee, who had already finished voting and folded his ballot, the other members also couldn’t cast their votes immediately and were seriously considering.

Kim Dobin was practically holding his head and groaning. Certainly, performance-wise, songs 1 and 2 were better, and in terms of musicality, songs 3 and 4 were somewhat better, so it was understandable for the team’s main dancer to be conflicted.

While I watched Seo Yehyeon, who had written 3 and 4 on his ballot and was wavering his pen back and forth between those two numbers, resting my chin on my hand, Seo Yehyeon quickly covered the paper with his hand and glared at me.

What are you looking at.

When I alternately held up my fingers showing 3 and 4 toward Seo Yehyeon who was mouthing those words to me, I could see Seo Yehyeon’s middle finger twitching. Seo Yehyeon, slightly conscious of the camera, quickly lowered his hand.

I burst into a quiet laugh at the raised middle finger visible under the desk and stuck out my tongue. If I raised my middle finger back, that damn system would definitely dock my original intent points again for prohibited hand gestures.

The voting was gradually finishing up and all the ballots were collected.

Since this round of title track candidates was so good, I decided to humbly accept whatever result came out.

Setting aside Sangyeol Hyung, who’s currently making a name as a hit song composer, Jiwon Hyung had been a top producer long before I seriously jumped into composing.

Perhaps because it was a song made with the determination of a regular album, even I felt threatened that I might lose first place in the blind vote.

After voting finished, the final results combining all the ballot votes came out.

“Number 4 is first place.”

“Wow, it’s only a three-vote difference from second place number 3. That was close.”

Hmm, I would have secured first place even without casting my vote. I felt relieved by the voting results that showed a two-vote lead even excluding my vote.

As expected, song 1 was Sangyeol Hyung’s song, song 2 was from an in-house composer collected through leads, and song 3 was Jiwon Hyung’s song.

“Then we’ll go with song number 4 as the title track, and we’ll finalize the track list the day after tomorrow. We’ll set the release date after discussing with the distributor and share it as soon as we have the date.”

“Can the artists finish recording within a week after sending you on New Year holiday vacation? Once we have the recordings, let’s list up the choreography team and collect proposals, then proceed with selection from the MV team list.”

“A week is plenty to finish both recording and post-production work.”

The meeting concluded with the final schedule report, and we stayed briefly for a meeting with the CEO.

“I heard it’s trendy these days to introduce worldviews that connect between albums? Let’s slip it in as a spoiler for this activity and start introducing our own worldview in earnest from the next activity. How about it?”

It seemed he got greedy again after seeing the pretty good response to the idol who made a comeback with a non-human-test subject connected worldview concept and supernatural worldview. Haven’t you given up on that damn concept obsession yet?

I heard he’s also preparing to launch a new girl group, so I just hoped there would be at least one member with a loud voice in that group too.

“Should I tell you nicely or meanly?”

“Hmm, let me prepare my heart first – tell me nicely.”

“Before changing your taste, please give up that worldview obsession for now. In this SF wasteland, your taste can’t possibly appeal to fans or the public as an attractive and compelling worldview.”

“That’s not nice at all… And how do you know what my taste is?”

“Space, right? Multiverse, parallel universe, whatever universe, space wars.”

The CEO, mouth agape, looked at me like I was some amazing shaman and asked with admiration.

“Was our Eden this interested in me?”

Shit, it’s not that I’m interested, it’s because I got so burned by that damn concept before regression. Being called the CEO’s fanboy was the most horrible misunderstanding I’d ever heard. Worse than the sponsor misunderstanding.

“What about telling me meanly…?”

I reflexively glanced once toward where the cameras had been collected, confirmed, then spoke.

“Fans won’t welcome it saying it’s too obscure and conceptual, and for the general public it’ll be some kind of ship. You’ve got good public appeal going, so why are you trying to ruin it with your own hands, CEO?”

This ship means spaceship. It would be troublesome to think of it as profanity and dock my original intent points.

“CEO, rather aim for Billboard! Why are you obsessing over such a weird worldview! I barely erased 【Come to My Universe】 from my memory and you just revived it!”

Seo Yehyeon grabbed the CEO and desperately shouted.

All five of us wore those spacesuit-like experimental outfits, but only his photos kept getting bumped up, so it was understandable that Seo Yehyeon would be sick of the space concept.

Inside the car returning to the dormitory after successfully stamping out the spark of the CEO’s passion for space worldview.

Kim Dobin was the first to speak to Ryu Jaehee, breaking the ice.

“But seriously, this album’s composer lineup is amazing. Honestly, this was really the hardest to choose ever, right? Way harder than 【Ride or Die】 and 【Start Again】 times, incomparably so.”

“Right. G1, Baek Sangyeol, and Eden Hyung. It feels like a past life when I was trembling, worried we’d have to pick a title track from those three terrible songs brought by the CEO’s corrupt network composer.”

With no cameras or CEO around, Ryu Jaehee’s sharp disses poured out.

Even I had momentarily forgotten those songs, but suddenly became curious. Is the CEO perhaps using those songs as morning alarm tones as I recommended?

“Right. Compared to back then, this time was really a happy dilemma.”

Gyeon Hajun nodded with a relieved face. Since Gyeon Hajun even came in through the CEO’s connections, even if he didn’t like it, his personality wouldn’t let him argue considering the relative elder who introduced him.

Only I, Gyeon Hajun, and the CEO knew the truth, but it was taboo to even jokingly call Gyeon Hajun a parachute.

Honestly, parachute means someone placed through secret support or power from above, but did Gyeon Hajun get placed? He’s clearly a pioneer no matter how you look at it. In this case, wouldn’t it be fair to call him a bulldozer rather than a parachute?

“Still, that was honestly nothing compared to the 【Minky Magic】 remake. I was more scared of the CEO seriously considering making the next album a 【Minky Magic】 remake than having to choose a title track from those three songs.”

Seo Yehyeon wiped his face with his palm and shuddered, spitting out disgusted words as if remembering that time.

“Well, how much must he have hated it for Yehyeon Hyung to threaten the CEO with quitting.”

“…I was serious.”

He hated Minky Magic more than Black Soul. Anyway, whatever he hated more, I was the one who saved Seo Yehyeon from the swamp of Black Soul and Minky Magic, so I grinned and poked Seo Yehyeon.

“You should thank me, hyung.”

“Yeah, I’m really grateful. You’re truly the savior of my entertainment industry life.”

“Ahhhhh! Possession! There’s no way Seo Yehyeon would thank me with such a gentle face!”

“Hey! You call me hyung hyung on the outside but call me Seo Yehyeon inside, so there’s no sincerity in calling me hyung!”

“Both of you lower your voices, I’m driving.”

Only after hearing Gyeon Hajun’s scolding did Seo Yehyeon and I shut our mouths.

* * *

After selecting even the B-side tracks for the tracklist, the New Year holiday finally approached.

Seo Yehyeon received word that Caesar was sick and left for his family home early on the first morning of vacation, and Gyeon Hajun and Kim Dobin also headed to their respective family homes after finishing breakfast.

Ryu Jaehee and I also had no intention of staying only at the dormitory during this New Year holiday.

“Is that suitcase enough? Will all your stuff fit?”

“I don’t have much stuff anyway. You can tell just from how I barely went in during vacations.”

After loading the suitcase into the car trunk, Ryu Jaehee got in the passenger seat and entered his family home address into the navigation with a slightly nervous voice.

“Then let’s go too, Eden Hyung.”

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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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