A Blank Slate Regression for the Idol That Lost His Original Mindset - Chapter 500

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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 500

“Don’t speak so wistfully as if someone passed away. Anyone listening would think we became a four-member group due to unavoidable circumstances.”

Seo Yehyeon reached for the water bottle next to the iPad and scolded him.

“Right, man. Why are you sending Hajun to his grave when he’s sitting right there clapping perfectly fine?”

He gestured toward Gyeon Hajun who appeared on the iPad screen, adding to Seo Yehyeon’s scolding. The iPad was currently broadcasting K Company’s Acting Awards.

Today, Gyeon Hajun’s name was nominated for the Rookie Award at K Company’s Acting Awards, so since our Music Big Match stage order would be last anyway, we all pushed him to go receive the award.

Since the Rookie Award was presented at the end of Part 1, even if he received it and returned, there was plenty of time before the New Year countdown.

Everyone wasn’t particularly interested in the Acting Awards categories before the Rookie Award ceremony. They only glanced at the iPad to check if it was time for the Rookie Award, otherwise they were absorbed in their phones.

Come to think of it, Seo Yehyeon avoided creating another bad acting meme this time.

Along with voice cracks, unbearable rap, and meaningless choreography, it decorated Seo Yehyeon’s Four Heavenly Kings of embarrassing memes. Hmm, thinking about it, since Seo Yehyeon’s skills improved, the other three heavenly kings probably won’t appear this time either.

Surprisingly, those three heavenly kings weren’t from his debut days but from his 3rd-5th year when Seo Yehyeon was at the height of his popularity.

Comparing pre-regression and current Seo Yehyeon’s abilities was almost evolutionary level. Except for acting.

I understand now. Now that the group has made it, the agency schedules individual activities reasonably without overworking, but back then, Seo Yehyeon as the breadwinner supporting LnL had a schedule so packed that rest was impossible, let alone time for practice and lessons.

So currently, it was a Win-Win situation for both Seo Yehyeon and me.

“Hyungs, it’s time for the Rookie Award!”

At Ryu Jaehee’s shout, everyone looked up from their phones to the iPad.

-The 20XX KSB Acting Awards Male Rookie Acting Award winner is…

Six nominees appeared in split screens on the right. Gyeon Hajun was naturally included.

“He definitely looks like an actor dressed up in that suit.”

“Hmm, would I look like an actor if I dressed up in a suit too?”

“No, you’d look like a gangster, not an actor.”

“Hyung already proved it once with that three-piece suit. Not an actor look, but a Kingsman look.”

While everyone chatted trivially, their eyes were fixed on Gyeon Hajun, who was looking up at the stage with a slightly nervous expression before breaking into a small smile.

-Lee Gyeongwon, Gyeon Hajun, congratulations!

When his name was called, Gyeon Hajun smiled and stood up.

-Winner Gyeon Hajun, who played Kim Yuhwan, the third-generation chaebol who shared the same name as the male protagonist in Project Blind Date and was originally the protagonist of the blind date, showed a wide acting spectrum from romance to comedy.

While the character description from the drama played, Gyeon Hajun exchanged light hugs with the actor sitting next to him, then went up on stage to receive the trophy and bouquet.

We also clapped enthusiastically following the screen.

“Wow! Hajun hyung won an award!”

Watching the youngest line’s more exaggerated reaction than usual, I looked at Gyeon Hajun receiving his award through the screen with fresh eyes.

Gyeon Hajun’s acceptance speech began by mentioning the broadcasting station, director and writer, and fellow actors.

-Taking on acting for the first time was a big challenge for me, and I had many burdens and shortcomings, but thanks to everyone who believed in and supported me, and all those who helped me grow one step further, I was able to stand here today. Thank you so much.

Gyeon Hajun, who had been continuing his acceptance speech in a calm voice, added at the end.

-And I want to share the glory of this award with our Rev members who gave me unwavering support from the beginning to the end of the drama.

“Oh, Hajun hyung mentioned us too!”

He even mentioned us in his acting rookie award acceptance speech, which was quite touching.

As soon as the Rookie Award ended, Part 1 of the Acting Awards also concluded. There was still plenty of time before the New Year countdown.

When Gyeon Hajun arrived at the waiting room in his suit, whistles and applause poured out.

“Whoo! This year’s Rookie Award winner, Actor Gyeon, has arrived!”

“Our Gyeon Hajun actor who showed a wide acting spectrum from romance to comedy!”

“Thanks for the congratulations, but could you all lower your voices a bit…?”

“Hey, Jun! This is the kind of thing you should brag about to the whole neighborhood! Hey? Our group produced an Acting Awards Rookie Award winner!”

Gyeon Hajun gave up on everything and listened to our enthusiastic cheers while changing directly into his stage outfit.

“Honestly, you received the Rookie Award thanks to Eden. If you hadn’t pushed for 【Project Blind Date】 so enthusiastically back then, I definitely would have chosen 【Love Line Design】.”

“See, man. If you listen well to this hyung, you’ll find rice cakes even in your sleep.”

I patted Gyeon Hajun’s back as he credited me and laughed heartily.

Gyeon Hajun’s statement that he received the Rookie Award thanks to me was true, as Writer Kim Jeongseo’s drama 【Love Line Design】, which was alongside 【Project Blind Date】 as a candidate for Gyeon Hajun’s acting debut, was almost completely shut out at S Company’s awards ceremony.

So about half of it was indeed thanks to me.

Even though Gyeon Hajun, who became my younger brother despite being born seven months earlier, stayed quiet, poor Seo Yehyeon kept pointing out my words.

“Hajun’s birthday is earlier than yours, so why are you the hyung?”

“Let’s just skip over that, hyung. Even though my mental age is higher than yours, I still call you hyung properly, so what’s wrong with me being called hyung just because my birthday is a bit earlier?”

“Hey! What kind of terrible thing to say! Why would your mental age be higher than mine?”

Well, my mental age is twenty-seven from my last memory? I scratched my ear in front of Seo Yehyeon, who kept chattering without acknowledging the obvious fact.

Finally, the biggest event of Music Big Match approached – the group New Year celebration time.

It feels like just yesterday we were standing in that back corner with idol groups of similar experience to ours, but now we’re at a level where we receive greetings from juniors more often than greeting seniors.

Most of the groups that stood with us back then were nowhere to be seen. Either they disappeared without making it, or they were one-hit wonders.

I turned my head away from our past spot without regret. At that moment, the New Year countdown that everyone chanted together began.

“3, 2, 1!”

“Happy New Year! Have a blessed new year!”

Bang! Pop pop!

Colorful fireworks spread across the dark night sky.

“Everyone have a blessed new year.”

Learning from last year’s experience of being misunderstood as discriminating against Gyeon Hajun when I greeted the person next to me first, this year I went with a group greeting.

“Everyone have a blessed new year!”

“Everyone have a blessed new year.”

“Why is everyone copying my greeting?”

I chuckled watching the members who kept copying and only doing group greetings, then looked up at the night sky once.

Another year passed and a new year arrived.

* * *

Two days after New Year’s Day was Gyeon Hajun’s birthday.

“Rev’s first double Rookie Award winner!”

“Why double?”

“Singer award and actor award, two like that.”

“Ah.”

“Today’s birthday star!”

“Gyeon Hajun, please come out!”

“Guys, please…”

According to our plan, Gyeon Hajun appeared in the studio walking the red carpet and once again expressed his gratitude to Daydream for winning the Acting Awards Rookie Award during his birthday commemorative live.

As a commemoration, he also passionately performed a live version of 【Merry-go round】, the OST from Project Blind Date and his solo song.

This year, the Silver Disk Awards was held before the Seoul Music Awards.

Thanks to 【Nightmare】 and achieving triple crown and setting double records for long-term #1 positions on music charts, we had good reason to expect the grand prize.

“The CEO said if we win the grand prize today, after all the year-end award shows are over, we’ll have a company dinner together at a hotel buffet?”

“Didn’t he just throw that out thinking we wouldn’t win the grand prize?”

“No way. That probably means he’s expecting it that much.”

“Did he make a reservation? If he didn’t make a reservation, he just threw it out there, but if he did, then the CEO was really expecting it too.”

They were visibly more excited than at last year’s award show when we were also nominated.

Compared to the pre-regression award record that ended with just one song 【Temptation】, we had now set incomparably more award records, but we still didn’t have a grand prize in our record.

We weren’t at the level of monster rookies who swept all kinds of awards and grand prizes from our early years since debut, but as a group that had grown steadily, this grand prize was tempting.

Ten songs total were nominated for the grand prize, including our 【Nightmare】 and Altair’s . They were all songs that were such hits that just hearing the song names would make the melodies flow naturally.

After the grand prize nominee song introductions ended, the actor who was the grand prize presenter walked to the center of the stage.

“This year’s Silver Disk Digital Music grand prize goes to…”

A brief silence that drew out tension and anticipation.

Drum sounds that heightened the atmosphere even more.

The sound of Ryu Jaehee swallowing dry saliva from the seat next to me was particularly clear.

“Congratulations. Rev’s 【Nightmare】!”

The big screen clearly reflected our faces as our expressions changed moment by moment while grasping the situation. Even while standing up and heading to the stage, even while receiving the trophy from the presenter, my head was blank from the surreal current situation.

Did we really, with my song, win the grand prize?

Not someone else’s group, but us?

The reality of a dreamed moment coming true felt more dreamlike than the dream itself.

“We’re truly honored to receive such a great award, and it’s been a really long yet short journey to stand here today. Our families who have always been our strong support during difficult times, our LnL Entertainment family who supported us in every way possible, and Daydream who loves our music and always cheers for us from the same place—thank you so much.”

Seo Yehyeon, standing in front of the microphone, was reciting a standard award speech when his voice seemed to catch, and he turned his head away from the microphone.

Seo Yehyeon tried to pass the microphone to Ryu Jaehee, but Jaehee, who was already crying tears, shook his head and pushed me toward the microphone instead.

I couldn’t think about award speech penalties or anything else.

I was simply happy that I could finally give the award speech I couldn’t give before regression, even though it was my song but we weren’t the ones who performed it.

I took a deep breath and opened my mouth to the microphone.

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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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