A Blank Slate Regression for the Idol That Lost His Original Mindset - Chapter 495

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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 495

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Coming all the way to America for a tour concert, we didn’t just simply wander around travel destinations for self-content.

The busking freestyle featuring video that currently recorded 190 million views.

We also had a meeting with the busking group 7Second, who provided that opportunity that was, in a way, the first step of our overseas expansion. I even specially dyed my hair red to recreate that time.

Over the year, K-pop’s influence had grown considerably, and our group had made it onto the Billboard main chart and even achieved sold-out stadium concerts, so Rev wasn’t as much of an unknown minor group in America as we were a year ago. Of course, we’re still not quite mainstream even now.

Since we met when 7Second hit 10.1 million YouTube subscribers and was in their prime stagnation period, they were incredibly happy to see us too.

“Wow, how surprised we were when we saw you on the Billboard chart!”

“And we were surprised again when we saw you were doing stadium concerts. Thanks to that, we realized that being busy last year wasn’t just an excuse but the literal truth.”

“That’s really fortunate. How could we ignore the colleagues from our first 190 million view video?”

And so the 【On Summer Day】 track was officially released with my featuring.

The YouTube video documenting that official release process achieved 10 million views in just three days, and 【On Summer Day (Feat. Eden Yoon)】 made it onto the Billboard charts.

Of course, not the Hot 100. The song isn’t insanely good and I’m not a top-tier American rapper, so if a song I featured on with a busking group immediately made it to Hot 100, that would be a movie, not reality.

This was purely a song that succeeded thanks to the behind-the-scenes story of that 190 million view video and the narrative of a K-pop boy group that became more famous than a year ago when only those in the know recognized them.

“The song is average but seeing it climb the rankings like this, narratives definitely work well. Should we try crafting some narratives for an attack strategy? Whether Billboard or domestic charts?”

“Rather than racking my brain to craft such narratives, I’d rather put that effort into creating killer melodies and beats.”

I shook my head at the idea Ryu Jaehee suggested after coming to hang out in my hotel room, and continued today’s search quest. I can’t do that kind of thing because it gives me headaches.

I could probably manage it somehow using future knowledge, but it feels uncomfortable stealing other people’s narratives. Competing purely with songs is the most honorable method for both others and myself.

-Holy shit Eden red hair season 2!!!!!! Now I just need to wait for silver hair season 2

-Brings back memories of the reverse run, the group that chart-entered Billboard’s peripheral charts through a reverse run has now become a group that chart-enters Hot 100 and sells out stadiums

-7Second also gained 200,000 subscribers after Eden appeared lol

-Honest opinion: the song isn’t that great but Eden’s voice tone dropping a note when rapping in English is so good I keep replaying it

-Seoul concert is now D-9! Finally single digits!

-Ticketing was almost a month ago, it feels like just yesterday we were all swept up in the Kim No-dap photocard group buying madness

-I never thought there wouldn’t be a seat for me even at Gocheok concert…

-Kim No-dap photocard seems to have lost its effect now, I used it for ticketing but barely got nosebleed seats

-No matter how you look at it, since there are so many totems, the luck seems distributed, we should probably go small-scale now?

-Overseas concert advantage: you can see members giving comments in English, so fucking sexy…

-Rev won’t be active next year and will just tour like crazy, right? After tasting money, they’ll probably make them cash cows and run world tours;; O3 is also debuting a new girl group next year

-Still, our Rev level should be enough to have a voice at the agency, right? It’s almost like our kids grabbed O3 by the collar and raised them

-Huh I saw KICKS Leader at Rev’s first New York concert, this wasn’t the VIP section though

My hand stopped scrolling when I saw an unexpected term in our group’s search quest. I gave up calculating time zones and just sent a text.

Even if it’s dawn now, they’ll reply in the morning anyway. This isn’t business, so it doesn’t really matter what time I send it, right?

[Are you in New York now?]

The reply arrived quite quickly.

[Kwon Yunseong- No, Korea]

Since our second concert just ended, he must have taken a flight to Korea right after watching the first concert. I grumbled while unnecessarily messing with the back of my head.

“That bastard, if your travel destination overlaps with where we are, at least contact us. Just watching the concert and leaving? I didn’t even give him invitation tickets, how did he get tickets anyway.”

“Who? Don’t tell me G-TE?”

“Why would Choi Hyeongjin come up?”

“Well, you called them ‘that bastard,’ and the only fan I can think of who would follow overseas concerts to that extent is G-TE hyung, so I just guessed.”

At that level, that’s not just a pure fan but a stan, isn’t it?

And Choi Hyeongjin is busy working on an album to raise his recognition even a little for next year’s DTB Season 6, so he wouldn’t have time to chase overseas concerts.

When I sent him VIP tickets for the Seoul concert, he threw a fit asking why he’d go to Rev’s group concert when it’s not even my solo concert and there’s not a single new solo song of mine, so I told him to give it to anyone around him and hung up. I wonder if he’ll come.

“If not G-TE hyung, then who? Your friend?”

“Friend, well… he’s a friend.”

We can probably call each other friends again now, right? Although we can’t narrow the distance back to what it used to be, still.

My answer with a slight pause seemed to stimulate his curiosity, and Ryu Jaehee managed to see the text sender on my phone.

“Ah, KICKS Leader. I saw sightings that he came to the New York concert. You must have seen that too, hyung.”

Right, there’s no way he wouldn’t find what I found.

[Kwon Yunseong- Choi Hyeonmin suddenly started spouting nonsense about going into the restaurant business, so I finished my trip and came back to Korea]

I could almost hear the sigh through the text.

I already knew this fact from hearing it from Choi Hyeonmin, but Kwon Yunseong seems not to have heard about it.

Seeing that he even told Kwon Yunseong, it seems he ignored my advice to stop talking nonsense and either get a computer license or think of a YouTube concept. I even gave him future spoilers out of old friendship.

“I thought it was bullshit but he was serious? Jung Iseo’s fans are no joke, thinking of opening a store…? Does he want to get health department reports once a day and get 1-star reviews on the map saying it’s the main bully’s store…?”

Ryu Jaehee, who stretched his neck to read the reply, muttered with a disgusted expression. I only thought of raw egg attacks on doors and walls, but that’s quite specific.

[I told him but he didn’t tell you?]

[Kwon Yunseong- A bastard who can’t even cook rice properly in a rice cooker wants to do restaurant business, fuck]

[Make him work part-time at a guesthouse with a restaurant]

[He’ll shut up about the restaurant business]

I gave Kwon Yunseong a very direct solution. With Choi Hyeonmin’s personality, once he experiences this, he’ll never say anything about self-employment again.

“When Jung Iseo makes a comeback, these guys could also make a comeback as a counter-strategy.”

“A fight between Parachute and bullying perpetrators… that would be worth watching. But would you really give them a song?”

“Hajun should get a chance for revenge too. I’m going to let Hajun deliver the final blow.”

“What does Hajun hyung’s revenge have to do with songs? I’m not being sarcastic, I’m genuinely asking because I don’t know.”

At Ryu Jaehee’s question, I raised one corner of my mouth and tapped the table with my fingers.

“There’s the method of including Hajun in lyrics and composition and adjusting copyright distribution conditions so he gets a higher percentage than the performers for financial therapy, or finding out comeback schedules through producing and having Hajun make a simultaneous comeback with a solo song of similar melody, or making Jung Iseo’s solo song with a song that suits Hajun well and having Hajun crush it with a cover video.”

“Oh…”

“There are many ways to get revenge with that song. That stupid guy should have given up on the solo song when I told him to, why did he make me get involved in revenge.”

While grumbling, I noticed Ryu Jaehee staring at me blankly and raised an eyebrow.

“What, what is it.”

“It’s been a while since you looked smartly vicious, hyung. You really look coolest and smartest when it’s related to music.”

“So you’re saying I looked stupidly vicious before?”

A lie detector briefly flashed through my mind, but I deliberately erased it. Right, this was a very wise strategy of amplifying Cha Yeonho’s anxiety and pressuring him to extract information.

“Or maybe your brain works better because it’s about Hajun hyung, not because of music? After all, Bi-Gyeon-Hajun discrimination does exist.”

“But aren’t I a bit less like that these days?”

“I can tell that the cautiousness in how you treat Hajun hyung has decreased, but whether the Bi-Gyeon-Hajun discrimination has decreased, that’s… nope.”

“Hey, I still care about all our members evenly. I just take care of Hajun a little more. Didn’t you hear Altair’s member’s phone call about being intimidated by senior Cha Yeonho? Are you intimidated by me? No, right? You’re comfortable, that’s why you’re in my hotel room sprawled out like this.”

“Come to think of it, their narrative is similar to yours and Hajun hyung’s narrative. Shinwol’s longest trainees who’ve been together since childhood, same age, one rapper-producer member, one vocalist.”

“Ah, Cha Yeonho and KJ were trainees together since childhood?”

“From what I know, they’ve been trainees together since they were 13? 14? That’s why they say ‘closer than real brothers, they’re brothers.’ And when broadcasting, get into the habit of using senior titles instead of blurting out names because you’re used to those titles, or you’ll get criticized.”

“Got it, got it.”

I responded half-heartedly to Ryu Jaehee’s words and fell into thought.

Just looking at the time Cha Yeonho and KJ spent together, it was several times the narrative Gyeon Hajun and I had built up. Hearing this, I understood Cha Yeonho’s desperate attitude just a little bit.

Of course, dragging me into it was beyond the realm of understanding.

If Gyeon Hajun had done something wrong and Gyeon Hajun eventually committed suicide due to Cha Yeonho’s exposure, would I be confident I wouldn’t resent Cha Yeonho?

I would have resented him.

No matter how idealistic a person might be, your arms can only bend inward.

But at least I wouldn’t do something like throwing the innocent Cha Yeonho as a host to that unidentified system that ruins people’s lives just to save Gyeon Hajun, who committed wrongdoings.

That was the difference between Cha Yeonho and me.

Those thoughts were interrupted when Ryu Jaehee poked me from the side.

“But hyung, there are four days left—have you finished writing the lyrics for the 50-second WAMA verse?”

“Of course.”

There was no need to write new lyrics.

Following the DTB concert, we’re going into season 2 of the new song promotion that Dub Net is setting up for us.

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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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