A Blank Slate Regression for the Idol That Lost His Original Mindset - Chapter 602

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

A Regression Guide for Idols Who Lost Their Original Intent Episode 602

“When did you find out?”

Rolling—

I picked up the basketball that bounced a few times on the floor before rolling to my feet and asked.

“From the very beginning after you came back.”

The answer that came back was quite different from what I expected.

I hadn’t expected him to notice this quickly. When I raised my eyebrows, wondering what he could have seen to be so certain of such an absurd situation, Ryu Jaehee added as if reading my mind.

“How could I not notice when hyung calls Hajun hyung by his name?”

“You’re right.”

I chuckled and threw the basketball toward the hoop.

The ball flew in an arc and passed cleanly through the net.

I had been calling him Jun since before debut, so it would have been noticeable when the way I addressed him suddenly changed. No wonder Kim Dobin had caught on early too.

The filming staff crowded toward us, temporarily interrupting our conversation.

Even afterward, there were constantly filming staff or members around, so our conversation at the filming location couldn’t continue.

I didn’t particularly mind not talking, but Ryu Jaehee seemed to feel differently. Seeing how he kept glancing at me, I thought he had endured it quite well until now.

This damn semi-basement dorm was cramped and not soundproof, making it an unsuitable space for such surreal conversations, so we chose the outdoor table at a convenience store near the dorm as our conversation spot.

It was a place with few people around, perfect for having nonsensical conversations. Anyway, we were currently unknown failed idols with no recognition, so we didn’t have to worry about anyone recognizing us.

Without hesitation, I grabbed a couple of imported beer cans from the convenience store refrigerator. I could feel Ryu Jaehee’s piercing gaze, as if he knew how I had died, but I brazenly put on a poker face and urged him to hurry up and choose something too. What I drank that day was soju, and this is beer.

I died from taking alcohol and sleeping pills together, but still, alcohol went down well.

I’m not crazy, am I.

But my subconscious seemed to have identified sleeping pills as the culprit of death, because I would throw up every time I took sleeping pills.

I wasn’t suffering from chronic insomnia that required dependence on medication like before the regression, but the sleepless nights due to insomnia became quite bothersome. Insomnia comes whenever I’m stressed.

Ryu Jaehee, who had become a minor again, chose the green grape ade he used to love so much instead of alcohol. I watched him carefully pour the green grape ade pack into an ice cup while resting my chin on my hand, then blurted out.

“Then why did you pretend not to know so well until now and suddenly show your cards first?”

Ryu Jaehee hesitated for a moment before answering carefully.

“Because hyung… looked too lonely.”

It was close to unnecessary sympathy, but I didn’t feel too bad about it.

“Life is originally lonely, youngest. Even if there are people bustling around you, you go into the coffin alone when it’s time.”

Ryu Jaehee crumpled up the receipt I had forcibly handed over to him and threw it at me with all his might while making a disgruntled face. Of course, the crumpled receipt, which was nothing more or less than paper trash, was caught very lightly in my grasp before it could even reach me.

“Don’t talk about going into coffins.”

“Who said when anyone was going in?”

Our youngest couldn’t possibly not understand metaphors, so he just didn’t like hearing my coffin jokes.

“And did you know I would die like that?”

I shrugged and sipped my beer. Jaehee poured out nagging about how that attitude was the problem, and if alcohol caused that to happen, shouldn’t I have some sense of alarm.

Of course, I even put on a performance of downing a can of beer in one shot while picking my ear with my pinky.

Honestly, if we’re being precise about the cause, I ended up that way because of Shinwol Entertainment.

“After hyung died, Yehyeon hyung regretted it a lot. He said if he had known it would turn out like this, he should have looked into it more. Made you quit drinking too…”

What Ryu Jaehee is talking about now isn’t about Ryu Jaehee himself but about Seo Yehyeon? I put down my beer can on the table with a sour face and asked back.

“I reconciled with that bastard?”

Right, damn it! I should have forced him to eat Audi! Then he would have remembered! No, back then it was the danger system, so even if he had eaten a whole bowl of Audi, it probably wouldn’t have worked.

“Yehyeon hyung said you reconciled, but maybe from hyung’s perspective it wasn’t reconciliation?”

“Far from reconciliation, I don’t even remember meeting separately.”

At my indifferent response, Ryu Jaehee’s expression became subtle.

“And Hajun hyung…”

“I don’t particularly want to hear it.”

Even though I coldly cut off his words, Ryu Jaehee continued regardless.

“A few months before hyung ended up that way, Yehyeon hyung tried to arrange a meeting, but hyung wouldn’t even listen to news about Hajun hyung, so he couldn’t even bring it up.”

“I said I’m not curious. And Gyeon Hajun ignored my calls for a whole 4 years, so would he come out just because someone arranged a meeting?”

At my words that came out naturally mixed with sarcasm and bitter laughter, Ryu Jaehee replied with a confident tone.

“He would have come.”

Bullshit, as if.

“When the four of us did the 11th anniversary live and had the after-party, Hajun hyung said that. That he had been thinking of his relationship with hyung as too special. So he was more disappointed and felt deceived.”

Gyeon Hajun, were you also disappointed in me for being the guy who arbitrarily left at the 7th anniversary, the guy who caused a senior’s suicide? And I was the one who was deceived, so why are you thinking like that.

That’s not it, you idiot. Parachute, parachute!

When my expression crumpled, Ryu Jaehee added.

“It’s not the reason hyung is thinking of.”

“You know what reason I’m thinking of.”

“It’s obvious. You’re thinking he misunderstood and was disappointed, calling you the guy who caused a senior’s suicide, right? Do you think Hajun hyung would have believed what even Doby hyung didn’t believe?”

“I don’t know. I’m not even curious about the reason anymore. It’s not important either.”

So you’re saying that as long as it’s not special this time, it won’t fall apart in that way again. That’s one less thing for me to worry about too.

“This time I can help hyung. This time I’ll help hyung in every way so you won’t cut ties with Hajun hyung, and so you won’t be falsely accused. So hyung, first that sys—”

Ironically, the emotion I felt at those incredibly confident words was not relief but anxiety.

“Youngest.”

I held the top of the beer can with my fingertips and gently shook it while quietly calling Ryu Jaehee.

“What can you do?”

Unlike before, a dry tone without a trace of mockery flowed from my mouth. Without knowing from where or how fucked up everything is entangled.

“What do you know to say you’ll help me?”

At Ryu Jaehee’s still determined gaze, I rubbed my face with my palm.

If I let you get involved too, if I make you end up like me, how the hell am I supposed to endure that. I’m already struggling just to take care of myself right now.

“After hyung died, I got proper revenge on Cha Yeonho. The evidence destruction, Cha Yeonho was behind it, right?”

“See, you don’t know.”

It was quite unexpected that he had caught Cha Yeonho’s tail, but it would be problematic to take it lightly and jump in with just this much information.

“The main body isn’t Cha Yeonho, it’s Shinwol.”

So in the end, Shinwol cleanly cut off even Cha Yeonho, whom they had been manipulating, as a tail-cutting operation at the very end.

That idiot will probably never know for the rest of his life that he made his friend’s death meaningless with his own hands.

As expected, he didn’t know even that much, so I casually asked Ryu Jaehee, who had a pale face.

“By the way, did he debut?”

I deliberately didn’t mention the name, but Ryu Jaehee immediately caught on to who I was asking about.

“…Yes.”

Tragedies that can’t be severed repeat endlessly. As long as Shinwol doesn’t collapse, second and third KJs would continue to appear.

So it might have been fortunate that time went back.

I downed the remaining beer and got up from my chair.

“Don’t help me, just do what you wanted to do. What’s the point of wasting such a good opportunity helping someone like me.”

I lightly ruffled the hair of Ryu Jaehee, who hurriedly got up following me. At this height that had become comfortable to pat again, I just suddenly laughed. I don’t know how long it’s been since I laughed carelessly like this.

I sent Ryu Jaehee into the dorm first, planning to smoke a cigarette before going in.

As I put a cigarette in my mouth and skillfully lit it, when I saw the face coming out of the dorm door, I unconsciously threw the cigarette on the ground out of habit and crushed it with the back of my shoe.

Even though this was someone I no longer needed to be considerate of.

“We have second filming tomorrow, aren’t you going to sleep?”

“I should sleep. I was going to smoke one and then sleep. Don’t worry about it.”

“You’ve been weird lately. And when did you start smoking again?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

I looked down at the cigarette that was as good as new and thus regrettably wasted, then gave a half-hearted response to Gyeon Hajun’s question as I headed toward the entrance.

“Let’s go in. The night air is cold.”

I waved my hand toward Gyeon Hajun, who was still standing there looking at me with some unfamiliarity, and added.

“Jun.”

[Danger Level: 78]

Gyeon Hajun’s bewilderment and wariness had softened, but the danger level had risen.

See, I knew that being special was poison.

* * *

My consciousness gradually began to return as my body shook violently.

My body, being supported on both sides after losing its center of gravity, jolted with each step down the stairs.

Though the metallic smell still lingered around my nose, the unpleasant sensation flowing from my nose had disappeared, so fortunately the nosebleed seemed to have stopped.

“Be careful on the stairs, and tell me right away if he’s too heavy. I’ll switch with you. This guy’s a muscle pig, so he’s damn heavy.”

Seo Yehyeon’s voice gradually became clearer.

“Or should Doby and I each carry one leg from the front? Would that be better? Yoon Eden, your nosebleed stopped, right?”

Unable to tolerate being treated like luggage following the pig comment, or maybe like barbecued pig, I snapped my eyes open.

Kim Dobin, whose eyes met mine directly, screamed in shock.

“Eek, Eden Hyung has revived!”

I looked over the bloodstained hands, shirt, pants, and the four pairs of eyes focused on me in turn, then scrunched up my face and spoke.

“Hey, you bastards. We should be going up the stairs, so why the hell are you going down?”

Is this some new concept of abandoning the elderly? Huh?

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————