A Blank Slate Regression for the Idol That Lost His Original Mindset - Chapter 53

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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 Initial Intentions Episode 53

Seo Yehyeon came out of the recording booth and approached me. He tapped the sheet music with his parts marked and opened his mouth.

“The problem with hyung right now is that the beat keeps getting pushed back. I kept saying it should be on the beat, but you keep finishing the end with syncopation.”

A calmer voice than expected flowed from my mouth.

I even sang that part directly for him, but he still seemed unable to grasp it.

Eventually, I tapped the desk with my finger to reproduce the rhythm of the part where Seo Yehyeon was struggling.

“Match this beat. Got it?”

Seo Yehyeon’s finger tapped the desk following the rhythm I had reproduced for him.

“The vocal part was fine, so let’s just redo the rap section. Pay attention to the beat. If you get confused about the downbeat, try tapping your palm with your finger to match the rhythm.”

Seo Yehyeon, with a subtle expression, went back into the recording booth.

I played the MR again and proceeded with the recording.

I blinked my stiff eyes while watching Seo Yehyeon handle the rap part, tapping his palm to match the beat as I had advised.

‘Wait, this is much more efficient than when I just scolded him before…’

When I only got irritated, my initial intentions decreased, my mental fatigue decreased, that guy’s mental state decreased, and everything else got worn down, only extending the work time.

Now he improved a lot with just one piece of feedback.

So the carrot was the answer in the carrot and stick approach after all.

Moreover, since I consumed less energy on irritation, my mind and body felt more comfortable than before.

The finger that had been tapping the desk to match Seo Yehyeon’s rap went slightly off from his voice in the last part.

Seeing that he also felt much better than before, I smiled and said to Seo Yehyeon who was looking at me with a very proud expression.

“Again. Pay attention to the beat until the end. You’re dragging at the end.”

Still, he needs to achieve the baseline of 80.

Although he made me say “again” several times and repeated just one part multiple times, Seo Yehyeon’s recording ended safely.

Finally, it was Kim Dobin’s turn to record.

As soon as Kim Dobin, who had confidently entered the recording booth, uttered one verse, I immediately stopped the MR.

“Doby.”

At my call, suppressing my anger, Kim Dobin looked down and answered.

“…Yes.”

“Are you playing around with me right now? Is this song’s genre R&B? Do you seriously think that cattle-herding vocal style you’re doing suits this part?”

As I pressed my throbbing forehead, Kim Dobin said in a shrinking voice.

“No. I’m sorry…”

“Let’s do this properly. Starting from the beginning again.”

Ryu Jaehee, who was sitting in the chair to my right watching, shook his head.

“Dobin hyung failed to lighten the mood. He knows Eden hyung is sensitive about music, yet he deliberately played around during recording, tsk tsk.”

Then he glanced at the camera filming nearby and added a comment.

“But he’s a kind hyung, even if he’s clueless.”

Only after shouting “again” about two-thirds as much as with Seo Yehyeon did Kim Dobin’s recording also end safely.

“Your standards are too strict, hyung. Rather than being a vocal line, if I had to categorize myself, I have more of a main dancer identity…”

“When you listen to music with your ears, can you also see your dance skills? Since when has music been a synesthetic domain encompassing both hearing and sight?”

I snorted and entered the recording booth. Last was my turn.

The two youngest line guys wearing headsets in the control room sat side by side with their arms crossed, looking at me through the glass wall of the booth.

Those guys trying to look stern were so funny that I let out a chuckle.

I had two parts in total.

One in the middle of the first verse, one right before the second verse hook.

As soon as I finished the rap in the middle of the first verse, Ryu Jaehee, who had cut the MR, lifted his chin.

“Again.”

“Are you messing with me?”

“Wow, I’m Eden hyung’s fan! It was so cool that I want to hear it one more time!”

“Sigh, fine. Play the MR again.”

Only after repeating my parts a couple of times to play along with the youngest guys was my part recording and directing completely finished.

While the members were resting, I completed the mixing work and transferred the file converted to mp3 format to a USB.

When I told Manager Hyung that the recording work was finished, the reality program staff came in to retrieve the cameras.

“We’ll do individual interviews with each of you.”

Being the leader, I was the first to conduct the interview.

The other members left the recording studio, leaving only me. As I sat in the chair facing the camera, a question was thrown at me.

“Were there any difficult or challenging aspects while working on the recording?”

I pondered for a moment at the question within the expected range, then answered slowly.

“Well, the result can’t always come out exactly as I envisioned, so that’s a bit frustrating. My ideals, that is… there are times when the members can’t keep up with my expectations.”

Even knowing I had to compromise appropriately with reality, I couldn’t help but feel lingering attachment and regret about the completeness.

If only I had enough time, I could have achieved 90 even if 100 was difficult.

“If you have anything you’d like to say to the members using this interview opportunity?”

“First, Hajun and Jaehee, thank you for always delivering results beyond expectations. Doby, if you want to joke around, do it when you’re confident you can pass with one okay sign. Hyung is tired. Lastly, Yehyeon hyung, it must have been hard because my expectations were high, but thank you for following along well. And everyone, please continue to work well together.”

Ahem, I felt embarrassed for no reason after saying that and cleared my throat.

After finishing the interview and coming out, Seo Yehyeon, the next batter, entered the recording studio.

Seeing the closing door, I suddenly felt anxious.

“That guy isn’t going to badmouth me in the interview saying I caught him like catching a mouse…”

“No way. Yehyeon hyung probably doesn’t want our group to be caught up in discord rumors either, probably. And you spoke gently to Yehyeon hyung today, so what are you worried about.”

“I’m anxious, so please remove the ‘probably,’ Jun.”

Only after even the youngest, Ryu Jaehee, finished his interview could we finally go home.

In the car returning to the dormitory, Seo Yehyeon, who was slumped powerlessly, grumbled.

“From the next activity, let’s film the recording work process and release it as some kind of behind-the-scenes content, or upload it to our YouTube account. How does a person change 360 degrees just because there’s one camera?”

“It would be 180 degrees. 360 degrees means going full circle back to the original position.”

After correcting that blockheaded comment, I added one more thing.

“And if hyung just improves his skills, I can treat you like today until we retire.”

“Oh, did my skills improve from before?”

“I understand what delusion you’re having, but it’s not that hyung’s skills improved, but that I lowered my expectations just for this work. Hyung’s skills are still hopeless.”

[Words promoting discord with members have been detected.]

[Initial Intentions -1]

It was somehow nice to see that after a long time.

Of course, the pain when initial intentions decreased wasn’t welcome at all.

Ugh, how frustrating. Because of someone with a weak mentality, I can’t even call hopeless skills hopeless.

* * *

Now that the song was completed, it was time to start music video filming.

We gathered closely in the narrow living room of the semi-basement dormitory. A camera was filming us like that. I read the text written on the cue sheet I received.

“Please decide on a Christmas gift you want to give to the member written on the paper slip you draw. The Christmas gifts will be revealed during music video filming.”

A box containing five paper slips appeared in front of us.

While Ryu Jaehee picked up the small box and shook it, I continued reading the sentences on the cue sheet.

“The paper slips have the names of Rev members written on them. After drawing one each, please decide on a gift you want to give to the member you drew and prepare it before music video filming. The budget is 50,000 won, and personal spending is possible if the budget is exceeded. Yes, that’s what it says.”

It’s like a secret Santa, I suppose. If it’s going to be revealed during music video filming, then insincere gifts or cheap gifts would be absolutely forbidden.

Before the members who had taken one slip each unfolded them, Ryu Jaehee, who had been rolling the still-folded slip in his hand with a serious face, suddenly asked.

“But what happens if you draw yourself?”

“You’d have to buy something you need and give it to yourself as a self-gift. What else could you do.”

At my indifferent response, Ryu Jaehee made a disgusted face and buried his head in the cushion he was holding.

“Ugh, I really hate that. Please let it not be myself.”

Seo Yehyeon, who looked at such Ryu Jaehee with surprised eyes, scratched his cheek and opened his mouth.

“It’s not bad, right? Rather than receiving gifts I don’t really need, it’s much better to buy what I actually need.”

“No way, hyung. The excitement of imagining who might give me what and eagerly waiting for gift day! The heart-fluttering anticipation! That’s the whole point. But if I pick myself, there’s no fun in it.”

“Honestly… I’d rather they just gave me money.”

Next to Seo Yehyeon, who was spouting words like a worldly adult, Ryu Jaehee wore an expression of complete incomprehension.

“Eh, money is too thoughtless, isn’t it?”

“I can use that money to buy what I need.”

“But there’s no sincerity in it. If I got money, I’d feel bad thinking they didn’t put any thought into me at all. Wait, is it just me? What do you hyungs think?”

Ryu Jaehee turned to look at us with a sweeping glance. Gyeon Hajun nodded and raised his hand in support of Jaehee’s opinion.

“Gifts are about sincerity.”

Kim Dobin shook his head back and forth.

“What nonsense. No matter what anyone says, money is the best. Whoever picks me, please make it a thick envelope of cash.”

Ryu Jaehee looked at Kim Dobin, who was boldly demanding a money envelope while wiggling his fingers, and shook his head.

“You and Yehyeon hyung have no romance.”

“Hey, does romance put food on the table?”

I lightly ruffled Kim Dobin’s hair as he made an especially cheeky expression and spoke up.

“Well, it would be efficient to receive money like Yehyeon hyung or Doby said, but I also think gifts should contain the giver’s heart. So I’m voting for the youngest member too.”

“As expected, Eden hyung has romance.”

Jaehee made a pleased sound and clapped beside me.

When my eyes met with Seo Yehyeon, who was staring blankly at me, he asked indifferently.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No, it’s just unexpected. I thought you’d say money too.”

So many things are unexpected. Just what kind of image of me exists in that guy’s head that everything I do is unexpected?

“I’m still a creator, you know…”

How could I write songs with such dried-up sensibilities?

At the hand signal to wrap up the conversation, we spread out enough distance so we couldn’t see each other’s slips and unfolded our notes to check the written names.

‘…Is this for real.’

Looking at the three characters neatly written on the slip, I forcibly swallowed the sigh that was about to escape.

[Seo Yehyeon]

Can I exchange this?

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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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