A Blank Slate Regression for the Idol That Lost His Original Mindset - Chapter 415

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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 415

Since it was better for two people to leave rather than four people making space, I left the recording studio with Gyeon Hajun and entered an empty conference room to sit down.

Gyeon Hajun, holding a cup of warm water with both hands, let out a deep sigh.

“Now I kind of understand why Doby and Yehyeon Hyung always looked like death whenever recording schedules came up. I thought it was something I’d never understand in my lifetime.”

It was quite ironic that those two he mentioned actually finished today’s recording without being discouraged, more smoothly than when I was producing.

“Today Jiwon hyung was particularly focused on marking you. As you know, that hyung is just as picky about music as I am. He only accepts opinions and styles from someone at Seo Raon Sunbae’s level.”

“But Doby, Yehyeon Hyung, and Jaehee all finished without any problems. So there must have been something wrong with me.”

Gyeon Hajun let out another long sigh and sipped the warm water from his cup.

Gyeon Hajun, who had been staring down at the water surface in the cup he was holding for a while, muttered with a face like he had suddenly realized something.

“So not treating it as something special and letting it go included music too.”

I didn’t bother to affirm or deny that statement. Gyeon Hajun, who was facing a wall where the stairs of specialness had disappeared for the first time in recording, seemed to need time to organize his thoughts.

Gyeon Hajun, who had maintained silence for a moment, put his cup down on the table and rubbed his forehead, as if he had made some decision alone.

“Then just point it out to me directly. Don’t go through someone else.”

He seemed to think I didn’t want to tell him directly so I brought Jiwon hyung into it.

Hmm, that wasn’t the original intention. Gyeon Hajun was a big catch I accidentally landed while starting with Seo Yehyeon.

Or not? Since this flow happened after I experienced Gyeon Hajun’s rap skills once, did it actually start with Gyeon Hajun after all?

As my thoughts flowed with the stream of consciousness, Gyeon Hajun’s tone seemed somewhat resentful, so I shook my head briefly to clear up the misunderstanding quickly.

“Regarding this, I’m not in a position to point out anyone.”

“…You didn’t know either?”

At his bitter question as if he hadn’t expected it at all, I awkwardly ran my hand through the back of my hair. Since I hadn’t styled it yet, the fairly long hair at the back flowed down between my fingers.

“It’s just that what started as me thinking I could bring out your tone or vocals much better somehow became a habit.”

I didn’t know that not only relationships but also music had chains from before the regression binding them.

That was quite a shock.

Even music, which I thought was a sacred territory that even those memories from before regression couldn’t reach, had traces of the past that I hadn’t been able to clear away.

“Me more? Have we ever given our songs to another producer?”

At Gyeon Hajun’s puzzled question, I chuckled and replied. I’m not the past me who would flinch at every little thing like this anymore.

I can handle this much flexibly.

“Why, there’s ‘My Universe.’ Don’t you remember that time? Well, it was already several years ago.”

I didn’t really remember how it was back then either, but since that song was the beginning even before regression, it wasn’t exactly wrong.

“As you know very well, you’re the one who implements my music first. So I guess I got too comfortable with that and became complacent.”

I tapped the table with my finger. I noticed the water surface in the cup on the table rippling finely.

“If you think about it, you got dragged into this because of me. Honestly, it’s not your fault. It was my problem.”

I honestly admitted my fault. If I had to find Gyeon Hajun’s fault, it would be that he became complacent with me instead of pushing me?

“There you go again. Our music isn’t just your responsibility.”

“What, worried I’ll hit another slump? You worry about everything. This much won’t cause one. This level of responsibility is a weight I always feel.”

I understood Gyeon Hajun’s intention to lighten my burden, but if he said there was no responsibility or that it was light, wouldn’t that cause more of a slump?

I placed my palm on top of Gyeon Hajun’s head and messed up his hair roughly.

“I just want to use you more diversely in my music than I do now. I don’t want to break your pride.”

I grumbled lightly at Gyeon Hajun who was looking back at me while avoiding my hand that was messing up his hair.

“Hey, my pride is hurt too, honestly. I had opportunities for several years to use you better in my music, to expand the scope of my music, but I wasted all that precious time.”

If I hadn’t called Jiwon hyung today, I couldn’t even imagine how many more years I would have lost. I would have fallen into a terrible slump again due to music that had fallen into mannerism and stagnation, and only then would I have spent a long time searching for the cause.

And if I discovered that Gyeon Hajun was at the end of that… I couldn’t even imagine how much both my mental state and Gyeon Hajun’s would have been shattered.

The time that slipped away is regrettable, but I can just work him harder to make up for it! Let’s think of it as reducing the time that would have been wasted with conflict in the future.

“Wouldn’t it be better to hurt our feelings once and move forward together rather than falling into mannerism and stagnating side by side?”

Since I’ve decided to aim for higher places than before regression, I shouldn’t enter a narrower world than back then at least.

Both my music and Gyeon Hajun’s music and acting.

Gyeon Hajun, who let out a long sigh, covered his eyes with his hand and spoke in a quite tired voice.

“Then first tell me how I should handle today’s recording. I thought I was following the direction, but apparently G1 Producer doesn’t think so.”

“How to handle it? You just have to kill your ego as much as possible.”

Since I can’t demonstrate vocals like I do for Seo Yehyeon, rather than me providing guidelines to Gyeon Hajun with my vocal skills, it was much faster for Gyeon Hajun to realize it himself.

“The problem now is that you’re too insistent on your style. This is also an issue that Jiwon hyung picked up on. You’re thinking your style is the correct answer right now. There’s no correct answer here. Just follow the directing.”

“Insistence… Since you always passed it without much comment, I guess I thought I was always right when it came to recording. So this is how it eventually shows up.”

“I’ve been basing things on your style until now, but that’s not the case in this recording. Your foundation is so solid that you probably can’t abandon it right away, but still try. You’ve always done well.”

Gyeon Hajun, who had been listening to my advice with a serious face, nodded slowly.

Before going back into recording, I threw out a joke to relieve tension on his still troubled-looking face.

“Ah, you’ll never have to let go of your tone for life, so don’t worry. Honestly, hearing Jiwon hyung compare it to Cha Yeonho’s tone, it seems it’s still special to me. Anyone can see you’re better.”

“Who said I was worried?”

This guy, getting embarrassed.

I patted Gyeon Hajun’s back lightly as he shook his head in denial and grinned.

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s try going harder from now on. Starting today.”

When I opened the recording studio door wide, everyone’s gazes poured out at once. I patted his shoulder a couple of times as encouragement to finish recording well, then removed my arm from Gyeon Hajun’s shoulder.

Gyeon Hajun, who entered the recording booth again, stood in front of the microphone with a slightly tense face. When I plopped down in the seat next to Jiwon hyung, he looked at me with subtle eyes and played the INST.

Jiwon hyung’s expression after hearing Gyeon Hajun’s vocals echoing through the recording studio was much more relaxed than before.

“Much better than before. Just that last part again. The ‘yo’ sound when you sing ‘jeogiyo.'”

Still, fixing flaws and becoming perfect in one go only happens in novels, so after several trials and errors, Gyeon Hajun’s part recording ended safely.

“Okay, I have nothing to nitpick about here.”

With my part last, the recording with Jiwon hyung was completed.

“Good work!”

“This group really, ugh. I think I’ll remember them every time I produce other groups. This is really my first time with this kind of recording.”

Jiwon hyung, who had expressed his amazement dozens of times, put his arm on my shoulder again.

“Call me when you work on your solo album too. Let me put my name on it. The solo album will naturally be a full album, right?”

“Hey, hyung. Don’t put that pressure on me already. If it’s a solo full album, I need to plan for 2 years.”

“Should I give you a few songs? I have a few songs I made to dump on you.”

“I’ll take them right away once it’s confirmed.”

“Won’t you buy me a drink as thanks for the hard work?”

“I need to comfort our lead vocalist who must be shocked by his first experience of recording studio exploitation.”

“Looks like he’s already getting comforted well?”

Following Jiwon hyung’s finger diagonally, I saw Seo Yehyeon and Kim Dobin next to Gyeon Hajun, rattling off the saga of recording hell with me and their psychological states.

Come to think of it, I said everything I needed to say in the empty conference room. Getting comfort from experienced people is the best.

I headed outside with Jiwon hyung with peace of mind.

* * *

After sending the three songs with post-production roughly finished to the A&R team, I was given a very brief moment to catch my breath.

Of course, that didn’t apply to me. I was still being ground down by song work.

“Even after completing three songs, there are still eight left. Full albums really are different… Recording two songs for ‘Cheongryuga’ and ‘Yeonha’ feels like a past life.”

Kim Dobin sprawled on the desk next to me and muttered. He was an assistant I brought along because it felt unfair to be ground down alone.

Gyeon Hajun started drama filming, Ryu Jaehee had to be ground down with guide recording instead of Gyeon Hajun, and Seo Yehyeon would definitely make me work twice as hard if he stayed, so Kim Dobin became the last person standing.

“Doby, you check this and this too. If there are any parts where the sound jumps out, time-check and tell me.”

“Hyuuung, I have to go check the choreography drafts later too-.”

“Ugh, keep stretching your words. Is that how a twenty-two-year-old talks?”

“Hyung, I need to go for preliminary confirmation of choreography drafts later, so I believe a brief rest period is necessary.”

“Why don’t you have a middle ground? You’re using extreme honorifics on purpose now. To piss me off.”

“I’m just copying what you do to Yehyeon hyung. Are you doing that to piss off Yehyeon hyung too?”

“Wow, you catch on fast. Everyone knows except you. Even passing pigeons would know, man.”

I ended up handing over just one audio file while lamenting.

“Ugh, I raised them all as backup, but they do this when I need them most. Can’t I just make another member to check choreography? Do I have to lose such a useful assistant to choreography?”

“I’m not a Produce Member, I’m Medan.”

“Be an honorary Produce Member. I’ll make it happen for you.”

While fooling around with Kim Dobin, my cell phone briefly rang.

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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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