A Blank Slate Regression for the Idol That Lost His Original Mindset - Chapter 80

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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 80

Kim Dobin, who had been constantly glancing at the tightly closed room door, soon confessed honestly.

“Dance practice.”

The combination of those two was one thing, but I tilted my head at the unexpected reason.

I thought the most they’d do together would be working out, but dance?

Before regression and even now, Seo Yehyeon hated practicing choreography unless he had to perform on stage.

He hated dancing because he couldn’t dance well, so his skills never improved – a vicious cycle.

But now he’s taking the initiative to practice with Kim Dobin? What wind blew his way? Don’t tell me Seo Yehyeon also received the system’s ble… I mean, blessing?

“Yehyeon Hyung did well with the knife-sharp choreography at the year-end music festival stage this time. Though the learning process was a bit rough?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Maybe because his fighting spirit was fired up due to the confrontation with KICKS, I recalled Seo Yehyeon who unusually finished the stage composed entirely of high-difficulty knife-sharp choreography moves without a single mistake.

I also naturally remembered that bright smile he wore while high-fiving after coming down from the stage.

“Anyway, so it seems he gained some confidence.”

“Really?”

Kim Dobin scratched his head and showed me several dance choreography videos he had filmed on his cell phone while continuing.

“So I’ve been helping with dance practice at Yehyeon Hyung’s request. Well, I have plenty of time since it’s vacation too.”

Kim Dobin glanced at the room Seo Yehyeon and I shared and added in a lowered voice.

“But don’t get your hopes up too much, Hyung. Dramatic skill improvement only happens in comics.”

I could guess what Kim Dobin was worried about. When practice doesn’t improve skills, he’s concerned about team discord that would arise from me going off on Seo Yehyeon.

I shook my head and burst into laughter.

“He’ll improve, for sure.”

Of course he will, since Seo Yehyeon’s dance potential is B, B.

With the possibility of developing from D- to B, how could he not improve?

“That guy may not look it, but he has plenty of growth potential.”

His potential is B, B!

If that bastard just reaches that level, damn it, Rev will become a perfect multi-type group that can handle vocals, rap, and performance!

Then I wondered why Seo Yehyeon’s skills with that level of potential remained the same during the 8 years before regression, but thinking about it, it was inevitable.

Since popularity and schedules were concentrated on Seo Yehyeon and he had no time to practice, we choreographed at a level that guy could follow with just a little practice.

Before regression, it seems his potential couldn’t bloom because Seo Yehyeon lacked the will, but this time I’ll make it bloom somehow.

And we’ll keep going straight to the first tier like this and end this damn infinite regression!

I barely suppressed the cheering I wanted to do inside and casually turned my gaze toward our room.

I don’t know when he came out to listen, but I made eye contact with Seo Yehyeon who was standing in front of the door with his mouth tightly shut, staring at me blankly.

“So work him to death. Don’t go easy on him just because he’s your hyung.”

I said with a smirk while not taking my eyes off Seo Yehyeon.

Seo Yehyeon immediately ran to the living room sofa, grabbed Kim Dobin’s shoulders and shook him violently.

“Dobin, I told you, not to tell, that guy.”

“Ugh, ugh, where in the world is there a disciple who shakes his master so roughly, ugh! The principles of the martial world have fallen to the ground, ugh! This is treason!”

Kim Dobin flailed helplessly like a paper doll being shaken and spouted more strange words.

“There you go again with those otaku words I can’t understand.”

“Hyung, are you dissing martial arts as a nerdy genre right now? You’re saying something that would enrage macho middle-aged martial arts fans.”

“I didn’t go that far, man.”

I criticized him a bit for watching anime and comics, and now he’s obsessed with martial arts?

I just wished he’d stop picking up weird stuff from somewhere and exercising his strange imagination.

When Kim Dobin’s face turned pale from dizziness, Seo Yehyeon stopped shaking him and exploded.

“Anyway! I begged you not to say that, so why did you tell him!”

“But Eden Hyung is scarier, what am I supposed to do…! He just choked me!”

“Anyone listening would think I assaulted a member. Don’t misinterpret the massage I gave you because I was worried your neck might be stiff.”

“Who calls a headlock a massage?”

Since the system didn’t even deduct initial intentions for violence, it’s a massage.

I gestured toward the timidly responding Kim Dobin to go into the room.

“I have something to say with Yehyeon Hyung, so close the door and stay inside. Don’t eavesdrop.”

I watched Kim Dobin’s back as he slipped away from Seo Yehyeon’s grasp and ran toward the room, then spoke when the door closed.

“Why did you tell me not to say anything? Oh, by the way, this isn’t picking a fight, I’m just asking because I’m curious.”

“Well, I was worried about what you’d say if my skills didn’t improve…”

During our trainee days, I did constantly grill that guy for 6 months saying I’d get him to a level where he could perform on stage, but I didn’t know he still thought of me that way.

After regression, I treated him relatively gently because of the initial intentions.

I told Seo Yehyeon, who trailed off, the truth.

“What would I say about you being born clumsy? It’s the same as me not being able to hit high notes.”

At those words, Seo Yehyeon made a “pfft” sound and hurriedly covered his mouth. He probably remembered my delicate falsetto high notes from the demo song.

I considered bringing up all the countless flailing attempts at choreography and off-pitch notes Seo Yehyeon had made until now, but gave up.

“But you avoided it and didn’t make an effort because you found it embarrassing and unpleasant, all this time.”

At my words, Seo Yehyeon, who had been covering his mouth, removed his hand, and perhaps feeling called out, couldn’t meet my eyes and just stared at the floor.

“That’s what annoyed me.”

Whether Seo Yehyeon kept looking at the floor or not, I continued with what I had to say.

“Honestly, about our previous conversation too, I couldn’t say it then because I was worried you’d quit the team if I hit you with facts. Rather than being worried you’d drag us down, you just wanted to argue back at me, right? Isn’t that right?”

Silence returned instead of an answer.

Judging that this conversation couldn’t be had while sober, I silently got up, took two beer cans from the refrigerator, and offered one.

Seo Yehyeon, who would normally go off about how many calories are in beer, unusually accepted the beer can obediently.

I tried to soften my words, but given the content, a cynical voice naturally came out.

“If you were really worried about dragging us down because of your lacking skills, you would have said you’d practice even if it meant cutting back on sleep. Not stubbornly insisting we keep promoting with that damn My Universe.”

I still haven’t forgotten that hopeless feeling from back then.

Kim Dobin had skills and quickly backed down, but Seo Yehyeon wasn’t the type to be intimidated by my scolding, and it was as if he showed that someone who needed twice the effort of others had no will at all.

After a long silence, Seo Yehyeon, who had poured beer down his throat as if to chug it, finally opened his heavy mouth.

“…You’re right.”

Surprisingly, it was a clean affirmation rather than an excuse.

“Back then, all your words sounded like harsh words to me. Looking back now, they were all correct.”

I paused bringing the beer to my lips, wondering if I had unknowingly put truth serum in the beer, at this sudden confession time.

“Maybe I wanted to avoid the fact that I was the weak link in this team. When I argued back at you and denied your words, I felt like I was a somewhat better person. Ridiculous, right?”

I could finally understand Seo Yehyeon’s behavioral algorithm that I couldn’t comprehend before. Though I still didn’t understand it.

If I answered that it was ridiculous here, how much would my initial intentions be deducted?

But honestly, it was a bit ridiculous as Seo Yehyeon said. Does covering your eyes prevent the waves from hitting when a tsunami is coming?

“I should have practiced one more time during the time I spent being prideful like that, as you said. Then we could have created better stages.”

Seo Yehyeon muttered weakly with a laugh.

Suddenly I remembered what Kim Dobin had said before about the laws of idol possession stories.

He said you possess the body of the member with the worst temper who causes discord within the team.

‘Then that really nasty member becomes a new person and the team atmosphere changes and they go from success to success-‘

My spine went cold. Isn’t this exactly the current situation…?

“Sorry.”

The brief apology was the finishing touch to that suspicion.

“Hyung.”

“Huh?”

At my serious call, Seo Yehyeon, who had been sipping beer, looked at me.

“How much money did you extort from me when you were practicing choreography during One Chance follow-up song activities?”

“500,000 won. Come to think of it, you said you’d pay it back in 70 monthly installments with no interest, but you haven’t paid back a single penny until now?”

Huh, seeing that he remembers even this, he’s not a different person.

“Let’s just let such trivial things slide.”

I naturally brushed off the money-related issue and stared directly at Seo Yehyeon.

Before regression, the relationship between us two was completely ruined to the point where we wouldn’t even talk to each other in private.

The days when I would hear from the Youngest Member about constant discord rumors being posted, and I’d snap at the innocent Youngest Member, saying it was true but so what, asking if I was supposed to pretend to be friendly with that bastard.

Seo Yehyeon and I from those days when we only brought each other pain and stress, eventually growing so far apart in status despite being in the same group that we lost any chance to understand each other.

Could the me from the first round have ever imagined it?

That Yehyeon and I would be sitting side by side like this, drinking beer and having a heart-to-heart conversation instead of one filled with profanity, sarcasm, and raised voices.

“I know you’re trying to tone things down when you talk to me.”

Yehyeon chuckled as he shook his beer can.

“Though sometimes I do get curious about what level of harsh words it would have been if you hadn’t toned it down.”

This guy really was someone who unintentionally benefited from the system.

Even when I speak nicely thinking about the system, my Initial Intention points sometimes get deducted for inciting discord, so how much would that sunfish mentality of his have been shattered if I spoke without filtering?

“So, I should make an effort too.”

Facing his relaxed expression without any edge, I suddenly became aware that Yehyeon’s appearance was indeed S+ grade.

[You have achieved the condition for viewing ‘HIDDEN QUEST’: ‘Sincere conversation with the member with the lowest relationship improvement level’.]

[HIDDEN QUEST]

[▶Improving relationships with members

-Content: Fill the relationship improvement level to 100% through serious conversations and considerate actions with the members.

-Reward: 20 Initial Intention points, Item Selection Ticket

-Deadline: 2 years

※If you fail to achieve 100%, there is a ‘Regression’ penalty!]

[▶Relationship improvement level with members

-Seo Yehyeon (60%)

-Gyeon Hajun (91%)

-Kim Dobin (47%)

-Ryu Jaehee (72%)]

Even Hajun in his current state couldn’t fill 100%, so how am I supposed to fill it with the other guys?

And in the midst of all this, why is Kim Dobin’s so low? Don’t tell me it’s because of the headlock? Then what level was Yehyeon at if he was even lower than that 47%?

My panic at the sudden appearance of a Hidden Quest with the penalty of regression was brief.

[※System Update Notice※]

[The system update has been completed by partially accepting the Project Subject’s continuous suggestions.]

[▷Check Content]

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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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