A Blank Slate Regression for the Idol That Lost His Original Mindset - Chapter 502

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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 502

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“Wow, they’re really having the company dinner at a hotel buffet?”

“Really? It’s not some business hotel breakfast buffet, right?”

“What company has a company dinner starting in the morning.”

Perhaps because he was happy that we won two grand prizes, the CEO kept his promise of a hotel buffet company dinner.

When we had company dinners at the pork belly restaurant before regression, and at the cheap beef place that was our first company dinner location after regression, did I know such a day would come?

I secretly hoped it would be the hotel buffet where Grandfather’s 80th birthday was held, but unfortunately it wasn’t that place. Still, it was a hotel buffet famous for having decent taste for the price.

That made sense, considering not only the staff but also the trainees were attending the company dinner, that hotel buffet would be tough on the budget.

I exchanged light greetings with a few familiar male trainees who had stood as backup dancers on our year-end awards ceremony stage this time.

When I glanced at the plates of the girl group debut team trainees who were about to debut, they were exactly the same as Seo Yehyeon’s plate. All greens, quail eggs, or smoked salmon without sauce.

However, the difference from Seo Yehyeon was the amount of food on the plate, and the manager strictly monitoring from behind whether they were picking up fattening foods or not. Still, Seo Yehyeon ate a bit more than the girl group.

“Yeongjin Hyung, you should hurry up and monitor like that too.”

I thought it would serve as a cautionary mirror therapy, but that scene of human rights restrictions seemed quite impressive to Seo Yehyeon, as he kept poking our Manager Hyung.

“Do you guys even listen to what I say.”

Of course, our manager, Yeongjin Hyung, gave up early without even trying.

Yeongjin Hyung, who had been our one and only manager handling everything since our semi-basement days, was now at manager level, but since we’d been eating together since the company had nothing, our relationship was quite horizontal.

Therefore, even if Yeongjin Hyung monitored what we put on our plates and nagged like that girl group debut team manager, we could just snort and ignore him.

“And Yehyeon, on a day like today, let the younger members eat comfortably. If you act like that, how well do you think the food will go down for the kids.”

Everyone cheered for Yeongjin Hyung with one heart and mind. Of course, whether Seo Yehyeon acted like that or not, the food went down very well.

“I thought Rev would win the grand prize with , but I never expected 【Nightmare】 to win the grand prize.”

“Really? I was sure 【Nightmare】 would win. The public reaction was better for which was a lighter song, but the records were definitely more solid for 【Nightmare】.”

“Honestly, I expected the main prize and best digital song award, but I really never thought about the grand prize. When you guys cried, I cried too while watching on TV. But Eden really didn’t cry.”

“Still, Eden Hyung, you got drunk and slept on the living room sofa hugging the grand prize trophy.”

I dryly corrected Ryu Jaehee’s words as he smiled brightly and told the A&R team what he firmly believed was my dark history.

“I’m telling you for the thirtieth time, I wasn’t drunk.”

If I had really been drunk, I would have gone to my family home. I was in my right mind. I just wanted to sleep holding the grand prize trophy. So it wasn’t really a dark history either.

Ryu Jaehee looked at me with a face that said he didn’t understand and asked.

“Wouldn’t it be better to say you did it because you were drunk? If you did it because you were drunk, it would be mitigating circumstances since your true feelings that you had hidden with tears came out due to alcohol, but if you did it sober, you just look like a guy crazy about the grand prize trophy.”

“Yeah, I’m a guy crazy about the grand prize trophy.”

[Profanity within an ambiguous range has been detected.]

[Reviewing whether to deduct Original Intent points.]

[No Original Intent point deduction since it was said about oneself]

LnL had developed a lot, but our Original Intent system had also developed a lot. In the past, it would cut Original Intent points and torment people with Original Intent pain at the slightest profanity-like words, but now it even conducts reviews.

It was really fortunate that the system had been upgraded in a flexible direction.

“Eden, if you have time, could you help this friend here study composition and producing once in a while?”

The Rookie Development Team Leader, who had come to greet the A&R team, happened to spot us and gestured to call Lee Haewon, who was eating at the table where the trainees were gathered, then spoke to me in a subtle tone.

Before regression, they just let him rot, but now they’re actively developing his talent. But why me specifically when there are LnL’s exclusive composers and producers?

Since I knew well that Lee Haewon wasn’t the type to directly point me out and express his desire to learn from me to the Rookie Development Team Leader, I had unnecessary doubts.

“I heard that the A&R team mentioned Eden once before, but this is actually the first time seeing him in person, right?”

Lee Haewon, who had been called over with a bewildered expression and was bowing, stiffened at the Team Leader’s question about whether this was their first meeting. I chuckled at the unmistakable anxiety on his young face and nodded.

“Yes, I heard there was a trainee who auditioned with self-composed songs, but this is the first time I’m actually seeing him.”

As soon as I confirmed it was our first meeting, his openly relieved expression was a bit funny. Good thing the Team Leader right next to him didn’t see that expression change.

It’s not like he stole something, surely they wouldn’t kick him out just for picking the lock and entering an empty practice room.

“But if you’re trying to make them similar to Rev’s group style, I don’t particularly recommend it. They’re not a girl group, they’re a boy group like us, so rather than being called a Rev copycat group, it’s much better to go through trial and error and clearly establish their own group color. In this industry, you never know what concept or genre will work even just a year from now.”

Setting aside the uncomfortable feelings I had whenever I saw Lee Haewon, I gave sincere advice.

No matter how much they’re groups from the same agency, having styles overlap to the point of being called a copycat is poison for both Rev and the junior group.

If similar concepts and styles continue, eventually people will feel fatigue even toward the original. Fresh concepts don’t get spotlight for no reason.

“It’s not like we don’t know Eden is busy, and of course we’ll handle the studying. I just thought it would be nice if Eden could check on him once in a while and build up some senior-junior narrative from now on.”

“I wonder if we’d be doing someone else a favor if this kid changes agencies.”

I was startled by the words that flowed out unconsciously and stopped. But the Rookie Development Team Leader, who didn’t notice my strange reaction, smiled good-naturedly and patted my shoulder.

“Hey, we should debut him at LnL if possible. Produce members with this level of ability are precious these days. If we launch a boy group, Haewon is definitely a confirmed member.”

The kid who wasn’t noticed until he was eighteen before regression had now become a main trainee like this, the world was truly unpredictable.

Is this the butterfly effect? Can so many things change just from one person returning to the past? Then why couldn’t the me from previous cycles, whom I saw as bugs, achieve the same success as now?

“Of course, Eden’s opinion is most important.”

At the Rookie Development Team Leader’s words giving me the choice, I pondered for a moment and was about to refuse.

[You have reached a branching point.]

The system brought up a status window.

A branching point?

Before regression, I taught Lee Haewon composition and producing. It wasn’t full-scale teaching, but still a little. That was the biggest connection between me and Lee Haewon.

If I choose not to teach Lee Haewon here, does that mean a different route will unfold?

Then to obtain memory fragments, to raise even slightly the probability of bugs occurring like at the guesthouse…

“Then I’ll teach him casually when I have time.”

[Memory Fragment (28) is given based on your choice.]

[Memory Fragment (28): Related memories will be unlocked when conditions are met.]

Memories from when I was twenty-eight, that’s the time.

The year when I exposed the suicide of the Shin-wol trainee who had his song stolen and KJ died.

I don’t know how I got involved with that kid, but I must access this memory to prevent the wrongful death of an innocent life.

Of course, I’m not talking about KJ but the Shin-wol trainee. Let Cha Yeonho handle saving KJ. Saving KJ seems like Cha Yeonho’s life goal, so it would be wrong for me to steal someone’s life purpose.

The conditions, like when I saw the memory of my falling out with Gyeon Hajun, definitely wouldn’t tell me what the unlock conditions were until I achieved them.

So I had to step by step follow the past steps and find out.

Why the kid I could say I somewhat cared for felt so uncomfortable, the reason for that.

The system gave me this memory fragment because it judged I could handle this memory.

The system had now formed something like a trust relationship with me. Rather than the danger level that turns one’s vision blood red and interferes with daily life, it seems much better to just get cleanly zapped once in a while.

“It feels like yesterday when we started on the 3rd floor of Yeongun Shopping Center… We ran around on foot to procure stage costumes, brought coffee and lunch boxes to the studio director who filmed My Universe begging him to film our kids’ music video well, and bowed and scraped to broadcast officials asking them to let our kids show their faces on music shows…”

Amazing. That shitty lab coat was procured by running around on foot. I thought it was picked up from some used clothing collection bin.

And the studio director who handled the My Universe music video apparently wasn’t pleased with the coffee and lunch boxes. Even considering the hair, makeup, and styling played a part, remembering that low-quality, poor color grading music video quality that even buried Seo Yehyeon’s face, well…

I listened with one ear and let out the other to the CEO’s tearful LnL growth chronicle with Rev at our table, while making future plans.

Alright, Plan A from now on. Recalling the past with Lee Haewon by following the same steps.

I hit a wall from the first step of Plan A. I only remember bits and pieces.

My past memories have been quite hazy lately, isn’t there a system somewhere that could throw me a memory recovery item?

[No]

Flexibility installation my ass.

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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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