A Blank Slate Regression for the Idol That Lost His Original Mindset - Chapter 619

—————
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 Initial Intentions Episode 619

I expected him to have an annoyed expression for being ignored to his face, but Cha Yeonho was surprisingly waiting obediently.

Was it because of the cameras?

A featuring guest acknowledging another featuring guest wouldn’t be content that would make it to broadcast, but these two fighting could potentially make it on air, even briefly.

When I nodded toward Cha Yeonho, he finally made a relieved expression and approached Crazy No who was waiting for him.

After briefly watching the backs of the two heading to the waiting room, I also turned back toward the stage and timed my featuring part.

Just before Choi Hyeongjin finished his verse, I took a short breath and shouted a brief preview.

“Guess who’s back!”

The lights burst simultaneously, and I strode up from backstage onto the stage.

Waaaaah-

Receiving the audience’s cheers that seemed to shake the venue, I poured out my prepared rap. Since my previous featuring partner was who he was, and thinking that Cha Yeonho would be watching from the waiting room, my rap naturally became more intense.

How should I put it. I didn’t want to give Cha Yeonho any sense of victory.

The moment I finished my part and slightly lowered the mic, my eyes met directly with Choi Hyeongjin standing in front.

Choi Hyeongjin’s face as he briefly caught his breath had various emotions mixed in it. Joy, overwhelming emotion, realization, and- satisfaction.

Seeing that most clearly visible emotion, I realized.

That damn persistent guy had finally achieved more than the encouragement I gave him when I beat him in Season 4. That he had beaten me by showing something that exceeded my expectations.

“Hey, congratulations.”

After finishing the perfect stage and coming down, I lightly patted Choi Hyeongjin’s back, which was soaked with sweat.

“For what? Congratulating me on advancing to the finals in advance?”

Instead of answering Choi Hyeongjin who looked at me with a puzzled face, I just chuckled.

I was curious if the day would come when Choi Hyeongjin would understand the meaning of this congratulation.

Leaving Choi Hyeongjin behind for the result announcement, I returned alone and sat on the waiting room sofa with Yongcheol Hyung and Yupi, humbly waiting for the results.

Even if I didn’t know about the music chart performance, how many Altair fans and Daydream would be among those who came here to vote.

This was a pride battle between Cha Yeonho and me, based on skill.

I didn’t know if Cha Yeonho thought the same way, but at least I did.

After a short wait, the results were finally announced.

[Crazy No]

₩7,600,000

LOSE

[G-TE]

₩7,800,000

WIN

“That’s amazing, hey. We won by a 200,000 won difference. The prize money difference is even smaller than the HYEQ vs Yupi battle?”

“Jiwon Hyung definitely did well with the hook. Cha Yeonho’s vocals supported it too. On the music charts, their song might rank higher than ours, probably.”

I let out a short sigh of relief and replied to Yongcheol Hyung’s exclamation.

Next, the battle between Yupi and SYRA immediately followed.

Wonbaek Hyung gladly took on Yupi’s featuring. Saying that even if he left, once a team, always a team, so he naturally had to help him win.

Of course, Yupi, who had handled Seo Raon Sunbae’s featuring in Season 4, wasn’t shaken at all by the Wonbaek card.

I thought only T.no was called for SYRA’s stage, but REZZA also made a surprise appearance as a feature. Although her part was short, the impact was tremendous due to the narrative the two had built together.

I was slightly worried about them loading up on narrative at the last minute, but since I trusted Yupi and Wonbaek Hyung’s skills, I wasn’t as anxious as when I heard Cha Yeonho’s hook.

[Yupi]

₩8,100,000

WIN

[SYRA]

₩7,600,000

LOSE

“Is that team cursed with 7.6 million won or something?”

Choi Hyeongjin said what I had been thinking but couldn’t bring myself to say out loud.

Thus, Yupi and G-TE from Team Yoon Eden & D.I advanced to the finals.

Having only one team make it to the finals was a first in DTB history.

We all went up on stage together for greetings between participants.

Seeing SYRA hugging REZZA and crying loudly, saying she was sorry and that she wanted to make it to the finals in her place but lost, and REZZA comforting such SYRA, I felt slightly sorry as if we had become the villain team that interfered with their narrative.

Jiwon Hyung, who had brought the ultimate weapon of a main vocal from a first-tier boy group to beat us, graciously acknowledged defeat and offered congratulations.

“Well, congratulations on becoming the busiest team producer in DTB history.”

Yongcheol Hyung, hearing Jiwon Hyung’s congratulations, shook hands with him with a face that didn’t know whether to be happy or look grim.

I also lightly grasped and shook Jiwon Hyung’s extended hand, replying with an appropriately happy smile.

“Well, I got a good excuse to step down next season.”

Jiwon Hyung blinked as if he had heard something very unexpected.

“You’re not coming out next year?”

“I can’t manage both activity preparations and this. I feel bad about delaying activity preparations because of me.”

When I said this while awkwardly running my hand through the back of my hair, Jiwon Hyung nodded with an understanding expression.

I really didn’t like how situations were being created that went against my plans. When I first accepted the producer offer, I thought it would be manageable alongside my main job.

Usually, you’d cover two people in the second round of the main competition, one person in the semi-finals, and either rest or cover one person in the finals – that was the route.

It was my miscalculation not predicting that even Yupi, let alone Choi Hyeongjin, would choose my team.

“Hey, G-TE is going to be disappointed.”

Jiwon Hyung grinned and looked back at Choi Hyeongjin, who had ultimately advanced to the finals by crushing the ultimate weapon he had summoned. Choi Hyeongjin was now recognized as my fan not just by DTB fans but also by fellow rappers.

“I’m not particularly disappointed. It’s not like I’m going to appear on DTB again anyway, so there’s no need…”

Jiwon Hyung was flustered by Choi Hyeongjin’s indifferent rebuttal.

“G-TE, weren’t you Eden’s fan? Don’t you want to see more of him on broadcasts?”

“He appears a lot already. I’m only interested in his solo album.”

Then Choi Hyeongjin would have no interest in me for a long time to come.

Seeing Jiwon Hyung at a loss for words, it seemed like this was his first time encountering such a principled stan.

“Hyung, but did you originally plan to bring Cha Yeonho Sunbaenim as a feature? Or did you change after hearing who our team’s featuring was?”

To rescue such Jiwon Hyung and also ask something I was curious about, I casually inquired.

“Ah, I was originally going to use an Altair member. I was going to use Taehyeok, but suddenly Yeonho said he’d do it.”

Jiwon Hyung answered indifferently, then glanced around and whispered in a lowered voice.

“He was probing me too. Are you two plotting together, or are you doing this separately? That time you tried to contact Yeonho, was it because of this?”

“Why would I plot with Cha Yeonho Sunbaenim? I really don’t match with that style of person.”

When I showed distaste, Jiwon Hyung nodded as if he expected as much. Leaving advice not to scatter our efforts but to cooperate or coordinate among ourselves.

First, I need to stop Cha Yeonho from probing around like this.

* * *

After the broadcast filming ended, the place Cha Yeonho and I chose as our meeting spot was Cha Yeonho’s house.

“It’s so cold it’s practically an empty house level?”

“I’m living in the dormitory now. Anyway, I need to reconcile with Jeongjun.”

Cha Yeonho replied, setting down a water glass in front of me with a thud.

As soon as we sat facing each other at Cha Yeonho’s house table, Cha Yeonho suddenly opened his mouth.

“Tell me everything you know, in detail.”

I thought Cha Yeonho had extended a helping hand asking me to help with reconciliation, but the words that came out of Cha Yeonho’s mouth were far removed from that prediction.

Had he given up on reconciling with KJ entirely? Was he trying to investigate matters related to his agency alone? – I wondered, but Cha Yeonho continued with a face that was strangely irritated because he was being so brazen.

“Jeongjun told me this. To not dig around unnecessarily and just stay still.”

I could vaguely understand KJ’s distrustful feelings toward Cha Yeonho, but knowing that his friend’s life was at stake, there was no way Cha Yeonho would stay still.

Cha Yeonho had also come too far to give up with just that one word from KJ.

“I know Jeongjun is doing this because he’s worried about me. But how can I just stay still when D-day is approaching.”

Whether he didn’t notice my sour expression or was pretending not to know, Cha Yeonho continued speaking shamelessly.

“Jeongjun doesn’t know at all that I have a vague idea of what kind of bullshit our agency has been pulling, right?”

Cha Yeonho’s eyes glinted ominously.

“So, if I knew the whole story very accurately and in detail, wouldn’t Jeongjun rely on me too?”

But what actually came out of Cha Yeonho’s mouth was an incredibly one-dimensional statement that didn’t match at all with his eyes that seemed to be plotting some grand scheme.

No matter how much my perception might be at idiot level, I could tell that from the moment Cha Yeonho let slip to KJ that he knew the whole story, things would fall apart to an irreparable degree, almost to the level of me and Gyeon Hajun before regression.

No, not even our level. At this rate, KJ might even write in his suicide note asking Cha Yeonho not to come to his funeral.

Even if I somehow managed to persuade KJ and coax him into becoming a whistleblower, I could tell that any cooperative play with Cha Yeonho would be impossible.

How can a person be so tone-deaf? This is why even after regressing six times, he doesn’t know anything and couldn’t save a single KJ. And this is something that happened in his own agency too.

“No, absolutely not.”

“Why?”

“…Are you really asking because you don’t know?”

Even in this situation, Cha Yeonho was looking at me with suspicious eyes, thinking I was being uncooperative because I didn’t want to help him. He was definitely a blockhead.

Seo Yehyeon, who calls me a blockhead, should see Cha Yeonho like this. Then he’d realize that I’m not quite a blockhead but more like a thick-head level, and he’d be grateful to me.

I felt like bringing a lie detector to prove my sincerity to that blockhead. I’m sure I bought the lie detector to catch Cha Yeonho’s lies, but I don’t know why it’s becoming a tool to prove my sincerity to Cha Yeonho.

“Living your life making only these kinds of plans, why exactly did you get the nickname ‘mastermind’? Did the fans catch you money laundering through borrowed-name accounts or something?”

Was it a nickname achieved only through that mysterious smile and gaze? When I asked out of genuine curiosity, Cha Yeonho hesitated before answering.

“You know those games they usually make you play on variety shows? Since I regressed, I have experience and know all the rules. So when I manipulate the games to get the results I want…”

Is there really a regressor who can only use regression knowledge like that?

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