A Blank Slate Regression for the Idol That Lost His Original Mindset - Chapter 595

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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 595

As soon as the camera turned off, Jiwon hyung patted my back while laughing, telling them to make sure to include the final comment without editing it out.

Still, since he had broadcasting experience, I was thinking to myself that he definitely understood the concept of fake documentaries unlike Yongcheol hyung who completely missed it, but that experience was the problem. He had too much of it, which was troublesome.

To think he’d push away meta commentary like that at the end while pretending to encourage me.

As soon as the fake documentary filming crew finished shooting and withdrew, I plopped down in a chair and leaned back comfortably as if it were my own studio, then asked Jiwon hyung.

“Hyung, since I’m already here, can I work on some stuff here before I go?”

This place was quite far from my studio, so going all the way to my studio would be very bothersome, and this place was overflowing with composing equipment similar in quality to my studio. And it wasn’t just once or twice that I’d come here to lay down beats.

“Hmm, wait a minute… What time is it now? I have recording directing at 3 o’clock.”

Jiwon hyung looked troubled as he checked his wristwatch for the time.

Since I was a member of another idol group, it would be problematic if I were there during recording directing as it could lead to external leaks.

“Wow, DTB finals overlapping with producing must be pretty intense. Who is it? When are they making a comeback that you’re scheduling things so awkwardly?”

“We’re in the final stages now, so it should be finished before the second round of finals. Anyway, it’s outsourced from Shinwol, so they’ll handle mixing and mastering. I just need to finish directing and then I can step back.”

The name of the agency that’s been making my head complicated lately came out of Jiwon hyung’s mouth.

“Altair? BADIA? Enkar?”

Pretending not to know, I randomly threw out the names of currently active Shinwol Entertainment idol groups. Actually, I really didn’t know.

“Enkar.”

Enkar was a boy group that debuted from Shinwol last year. I remember they weren’t exactly breakthrough rookie level in terms of performance.

“Usually for Shinwol’s level, they’d leave it to their internal producer team.”

“Ah, their internal producer team is currently preparing BADIA’s full album, so they outsourced it to me.”

It seems they were pushed down in internal priority because their performance wasn’t as good as Altair and Shinwol’s girl group BADIA.

“Looking at it, Shinwol consistently gives you outsourced work, right? You’ve handled Altair a few times too. Members’ solos and such.”

I subtly probed about Jiwon hyung receiving outsourced work from Shinwol.

I need to destroy Shinwol, but it would be very troublesome if Jiwon hyung was on Shinwol’s side. Jiwon hyung had a very carefree expression as he bit on a vitamin stick and shrugged his shoulders.

“In the past, after the crew disbanded and life got tough, I submitted a few songs to Shinwol Entertainment and received an exclusive composer offer, but Jongseok, Park Jongseok strongly advised me that someone like me should never go to Shinwol, so I refused.”

Jiwon hyung’s expression became bitter as he habitually called his old acquaintance familiarly, then hesitated and added the surname.

“So I didn’t go exclusive, and since then Shinwol has been assigning me work whenever needed like a fixed external contractor.”

From my memory, Park Jongseok was Riburn.

That guy unfortunately went to prison because of smoking marijuana at Jiwon hyung’s birthday party, and after he got out, he and Jiwon hyung became worse than strangers.

“Then do you remember why Riburn tried to stop you?”

“I don’t know. That bastard didn’t tell me the detailed reason either. He just kept saying I’d regret it if I went there, so I thought it was some hardcore black company that exploits people and didn’t go.”

Jiwon hyung replied, taking off his glasses and setting them down roughly in front of the keyboard while rubbing his eyes.

Since he said Riburn tried to stop him, it seems like Riburn also knew something about Shinwol Entertainment, but it means I can’t get Jiwon hyung to arrange a meeting with that guy.

Even when I racked my brain trying to find connections through connections, no one particular came to mind.

Junbeom hyung? That guy probably quickly cut ties as soon as Riburn went to prison.

Should I at least ask the crew hyungs? Or Yongcheol hyung, whose rapper connections expanded greatly after DTB?

“That bastard knew from back then…”

From that muttering, I could be certain. Jiwon hyung also roughly knew about Shinwol’s shady dealings. Well, if you’re directing those fake guys, you can’t help but see it.

For now, I continued the conversation probing Jiwon hyung.

“Doesn’t Enkar also have a composer member like KJ senior? I saw their name credited on quite a few B-side tracks. They even participated in working on the debut title track.”

“Ah, they do.”

After a producer member from a group before Altair made the group successful, Shinwol Entertainment always made sure to include a produce member or composer member in their groups.

When I looked it up, the newly debuted Enkar was the same.

“You directed them. Don’t you get a rough sense of whether it’s real skill or not?”

At those words, Jiwon hyung stopped opening his canned coffee and stared straight at me.

“Cha Yeonho?”

I barely suppressed my body from flinching at Cha Yeonho’s name suddenly popping out of Jiwon hyung’s mouth.

“Why are you suddenly bringing up Cha Yeonho… senior?”

I almost habitually called him Cha Yeonho, but barely managed to hold onto my sanity and successfully added the senior honorific.

That wasn’t obvious, right?

“No, Yeonho asked me the exact same question.”

Even with KJ right next to him as evidence, the fact that he still bothered to probe Jiwon hyung means he hasn’t yet tasted the budding sincere friendship within their exchanged punches.

At this point, I was wondering if I should meet KJ and encourage him to throw the first punch at Cha Yeonho.

“You’re close with Yeonho. So I wondered if he couldn’t get an answer from me and sent you to ask me instead.”

“Are you seeing me as Cha Yeonho senior’s lackey?”

If so, you’ve got the wrong person. Me, Cha Yeonho’s lackey! As if I’m the lowest in Rev’s hierarchy! At my genuinely disgusted expression, Jiwon hyung gently appeased me.

“Of course I know he’s not the type to do something just because you tell him to, but with your personality, you’d be more than willing to bite into something like this.”

“Huh? ‘Something like this’?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know after probing so much. I can tell you and Yeonho didn’t coordinate your stories either.”

It was too obvious. I’m not very good at this kind of thing. I admit it, I admit it.

“Can I trust you, hyung?”

At my half-joking, half-serious question, Jiwon hyung also chuckled and shot back.

“Would ‘Shinwol Entertainment bastards’ be enough?”

I could feel the sincerity in him immediately starting with curses.

“Stay out of it, Eden. Even if it’s Yeonho’s agency, you have no reason to clash with them. It’s like throwing eggs at rocks. Those guys aren’t ordinary.”

“I’ve come too far to stay out of it.”

Damn Shinwol played a huge part in turning me into a wreck, and you want me to back down here? Most importantly, now that I know about that injustice?

Damn it, I’m not the type who can live with my eyes closed, head turned away, pretending not to see injustice I know about. I don’t know about justice, but this is fucking bullshit.

I raised one corner of my mouth crookedly and met Jiwon hyung’s gaze directly.

“And who throws eggs at rocks anyway? If a hammer is too much, you should at least throw stones.”

Even eggs evolve into stones after seven regressions. Though my memories are spotty?

Jiwon hyung listened to my words and held back his words for a while, then quietly spoke.

“Right. That’s you. If you’re going to… mess with that, do it properly.”

I just nodded silently.

“If you’re going to move, don’t draw attention, and stay quiet until the moment you’re ready to blow it up with solid evidence that Shinwol can’t deny and all escape routes blocked. Don’t go around poking here and there making Shinwol suspicious.”

That was a lesson I felt deeply too.

Probably before the regression, from when I first exposed the ghost composer issue at twenty-six, they continuously planned to cleanly cut off only KJ as a tail and slip away without taking responsibility.

It felt awkward to meet his bare eyes without glasses. Jiwon hyung’s voice lowered.

“That’s all the advice I can give you. You’re probably thinking of just throwing it out there and digging into it first. But if you do that, they’ll dig into you in return. That’s how this industry works.”

At those words, for the first time I realized that what I’m doing now has not only the lives of unknown trainees and KJ at stake, but my life too.

And, unless I leave again… even Rev.

“Tell Yeonho too.”

Jiwon hyung’s hand heavily patted my shoulder. The weight was different from when he patted me while filming the fake documentary.

“Ah, and tell him to get Jeongjun’s cooperation first.”

“Hyung, how much do you know?”

At my question, Jiwon hyung put his glasses back on and asked.

“You said it yourself. Don’t you get a rough sense of whether it’s real skill or not when directing? When I work with someone like you, wouldn’t I be able to filter out one fake producer genius composer idol?”

As expected, I need to bring about a punching demonstration course between Cha Yeonho and KJ in the near future.

* * *

After hearing such heavy talk, I should lie on the bed in a private room and seriously organize my thoughts, but it wasn’t easy to fall into serious thought while lying side by side with three people on a mattress.

Especially if it wasn’t sleep time yet.

During the day, after leaving Jiwon hyung’s studio, I had no time to organize my thoughts because we were filming harmonious Rev propaganda of all of us choreographing 【One Chance】 together.

“I’m starting to miss our dorm now…”

“Just hang in there a bit more, hyung. We only have two more days of filming and then we’re done.”

“I miss Hajun’s informal speech too…”

Was Seo Yehyeon always this talkative? I grumbled internally while still checking for a reply from Cha Yeonho that hadn’t come.

I accessed SNS to do some Search Quest until Seo Yehyeon and Gyeon Hajun fell asleep, and was scrolling down the screen when I stopped, catching sight of one post that grabbed my attention.

‘Hmm…?’

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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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