A Blank Slate Regression for the Idol That Lost His Original Mindset - Chapter 9

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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 9

Thinking I might have misheard, I dug into my ear with my pinky finger, but the CEO was kind enough to add more details.

“Getting a new song right now would be pretty tight on time, don’t you think? And do you know how much that song cost? 3 million won. 3 million won.”

The first sentence was just talk, but the second sentence was sincere.

At the CEO’s emphasis on the 3 million won, I couldn’t help but make a disgusted expression.

Ah, yes. You bought that trash for that money. A song so low quality that I wouldn’t buy it even if someone begged me to take it for 700,000 won?

How truly proud you must be of getting scammed by that composer bastard.

And right now is buried at the very bottom of the charts while barely made it onto the charts, yet instead of rowing when the tide comes in, you want to completely smash the oars.

I irritably swept up my bangs and threw out my words.

“There’s that charted, beating out the title track this time. The current song trend isn’t bad for follow-up song activities either.”

Seven years later, which was before my regression, follow-up song activities had mostly died out, but now the concept of follow-up song activities wasn’t awkward yet and was still active.

There were definitely cases where groups didn’t get attention with their title track but then exploded with their follow-up song, and I was aiming for exactly that scenario right now.

Thanks to charting, that probability had increased even more.

“The third week is in just three days. Can you manage it?”

“We can shorten activities to two weeks and do follow-up song activities after skipping a week.”

“Hmm, wouldn’t a week be tight for creating choreography and stage practice?”

Ah, fuck, here it comes. The passive question attack until he gets the answer he wants. Having suffered through that speech pattern to death before my regression, my teeth automatically ground together.

Should I hit that bastard once, make my initial intentions 0, regress, and choreograph the stage from week 1?

Why did God give such a clueless person just enough luck not to fail? He’d only come to his senses and reflect on his choices after failing once.

Ah, but then we’d fail together too. I take that back.

“Isn’t it a bit much to throw away an opportunity to earn several times more just because you’re stingy about a mere 3 million won?”

“No, but still. I saw how hard you guys prepared for the debut stage, and all that effort would be a waste. If you only prepare for ten days, who knows how the quality will turn out—”

“I’ll somehow grind the members and create a stage even better than our debut stage.”

Getting gradually annoyed by the conversation going in circles, I cut him off and replied firmly.

The CEO looked surprised when I, who always used to say “yes yes” during our debut period, went strong without backing down.

[Speech encouraging discord among members has been detected.]

[Initial Intentions –1]

Fuck, why again? What? What the hell is causing this now?

I forced my naturally scrunching expression to relax and gestured toward Seo Yehyeon with my chin.

“I already have one excellent case where I succeeded, don’t I?”

When I mentioned how I had made Seo Yehyeon, who was really just a handsome wooden doll when the team was first formed before debut, function as an idol on stage, the CEO furrowed his brow intently.

[Speech encouraging discord among members has been detected.]

[Initial Intentions –1]

Geez, all the initial intentions I barely earned are getting shaved off because of that petty bastard.

I glanced down at Seo Yehyeon’s hand, clenched so tight his nails were digging in, and clicked my tongue.

By now, I wasn’t even upset about the initial intentions getting deducted because of that bastard.

“Alright, give it a try.”

At the finally dropped positive answer, I let out a sigh of relief and relaxed my scrunched expression. I’ve contributed to saving our team once again.

After the internal meeting, neither short nor long, ended safely and we returned to the dormitory, a heavy atmosphere settled over us.

I was the first to break the silence.

“What exactly are you dissatisfied with?”

I’m trying to pull our team up to the first tier and end this damn regression, so why won’t you cooperate? If you can’t help, at least don’t drag me down.

At my fed-up voice, Seo Yehyeon confronted me with an indignant expression.

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

“Yeah, I’m asking because I genuinely don’t know, so tell me. I’m the one who pulled your skills up that far, and I’m the one who fought the CEO just now to get follow-up song activities. You just sat there and took it all, so why do you have complaints?”

At my sarcasm, Seo Yehyeon looked at me with a dazed expression.

“You really… think I’m acting like this toward you because of that?”

“If not that, then what?”

[Speech encouraging discord among members has been detected.]

[Initial Intentions –1]

Damn it. I muttered curses internally while watching my initial intentions get deducted again. At this rate, I’m going to regress again.

“Fuck, and you call yourself a leader? If you’re going to act like this, why did you even say you’d be leader? Do you even know what role a leader plays, what responsibilities they have?”

“Ah, are you coveting the leader position? Then you should have tried talking back even once to the CEO who was practically holding a ritual for our failure today. Instead of just keeping your mouth shut! Who was the one who took charge for our team!”

“Both of you, stop it!”

Before the atmosphere could heat up further, Gyeon Hajun stepped between us and separated me and Seo Yehyeon.

“Yehyeon hyung, calm down. Eden, you cool your head too.”

I roughly tousled my bangs and stepped back a couple paces following the pushing hands.

There was a fight of this level with Seo Yehyeon in the first round too. The timing was just moved up.

When I glanced over, I met eyes with the two younger members who were looking at us with anxiously trembling pupils.

“What, do you guys have complaints too? If you have complaints, say them right now.”

“Eden.”

I turned my gaze away from the two guys clinging close to Gyeon Hajun, who called my name as if to stop me, and roughly dry-washed my face.

I was aware that what I was doing to the two younger ones was just venting my anger.

Ding—.

The text message sound rang out cheerfully alone in the heavily frozen atmosphere.

[Yongcheol Hyung— Eden, the crew guys gathered at my studio, want to come?]

[Yongcheol Hyung— Hyeongbeom and Semin said they want to see you after a long time too]

Perfect timing since I wanted to escape this shitty atmosphere in the dormitory anyway. If I stay here longer, my initial intentions will just keep getting deducted.

I sent a brief positive reply and strode toward the entrance.

“Where are you going?”

“You told me to cool my head. I’m going out to cool it and come back.”

“Hey, Yoon Eden…!”

Bang!

The front door, which would close roughly if the control mechanism wasn’t working to hold it back, slammed shut with a loud noise.

* * *

“Yo, top 100!”

“You treating us big today?”

“What’s so big about chart position 100…”

When I arrived at Yongcheol hyung’s studio, the hip-hop crew hyungs I was close with in the underground scene warmly welcomed me with canned beer.

After a few cans went down, I must have been quite upset because the recent incident came spilling out of my mouth.

“Wow, there’s an idol group facing disbandment crisis due to discord just one week after debut?”

“Ah, stop teasing me!”

I snapped irritably at the teasing pouring out instead of comfort and leaned back in my chair. Yongcheol hyung chuckled at the sight of me.

“I knew our Eden lived without reading the room, but this is pretty serious?”

“Right, man. No matter what, it’s group life, so show some consideration.”

“What did I do wrong! They should be grateful I prevented them from continuing activities with that shitty song!”

“This kid really doesn’t know.”

One of the crew hyungs stopped the can he was bringing to his lips and clicked his tongue. Yongcheol hyung, who had been resting his chin on his hand and seemingly pondering something, began to speak.

“Oh right, our crew is going to release a music source this time.”

When I blinked my eyes, wondering what this sudden random topic was about in the middle of our conversation, Yongcheol hyung added.

“I put your name down as participating too.”

“Huh, me too?”

“Why? You don’t like it?”

Whether it was because of the alcohol or because it was hard to follow the conversation flowing in such an unexpected direction, I rubbed my throbbing brow and answered bluntly.

“No, it’s not that I don’t like it, but shouldn’t you ask for my opinion before including me? This puts me in a difficult position.”

“Yes, man! That’s exactly it!”

Yongcheol hyung snapped his fingers right in front of my face and shouted.

As I just stared at his face blankly, unable to follow the flow of conversation, Yongcheol hyung sighed and asked.

“Did you ask your members for their opinions?”

“….”

“Now you understand since you’re putting yourself in their shoes, right?”

By the way, I didn’t actually put your name down, Yongcheol hyung said with a chuckle as he handed me another can of beer.

“…So they threw that shi… tantrum just because I didn’t ask for one opinion?”

“Who was it that just got serious asking shouldn’t they ask for your opinion?”

Having nothing to say, I shut my mouth.

“If it’s like this just with us, what would it be like with people you have to share hardships with for several more years? Even if you’re the youngest member here, you’re the leader over there. So you need to be more considerate.”

Yongcheol hyung added while roughly ruffling my hair.

But wasn’t it right to transfer them from a ship that would definitely sink to a perfectly fine ship without asking for opinions?

Seeing that I still didn’t understand, Semin hyung clicked his tongue once and spoke up.

“Yongcheol, your method is a bit lacking for putting yourself in their shoes. Eden, have you ever done a group project?”

“During school days?”

“Yeah, that’s right. If you were working hard on a project with other group members and the group leader said this way would get better grades and announced that starting today they’d scrap everything without consulting you guys and told you to remake the project, how would you feel?”

“…Like shit.”

I roughly fixed my disheveled hair, gulped down the beer can, and set it down with a thud.

Hearing this explanation, I seemed to understand a little bit.

But since I didn’t want to continue this conversation topic any further, I subtly changed the subject.

“Hyungs, listen to this song and give me an honest evaluation. It’s our group’s next song with our fate hanging on it. I need your objective assessment. Harsh criticism is fine too.”

“What do you mean one song has your fate hanging on it?”

“If this flops, we’ll really be failed idols for 3 years.”

With a few double-clicks of the mouse, music spread loudly throughout the studio.

“How is it?”

When I asked, breaking the silence that came after the song ended, the hyungs each voiced their impressions of the song I played for them.

“The verse is fucking ambiguous?”

“Yeah, it’s ambiguous. It doesn’t stick in your ears.”

“How should I put it, it feels like lyrics forcibly fitted to a melody that’s not fully formed?”

Oh, that’s sharp. I was internally impressed by that last comment which accurately pinpointed the current state of this verse.

Seeing everyone unanimously evaluate it as ambiguous, it was clear it would flop if released to the commercial market as is.

I turned my back on the hyungs who were giggling while drinking beer among themselves and leaned back in my chair, staring blankly at the monitor.

[Dead fish eyes detected.]

[Initial Intentions –1]

Can’t this be updated to only detect in front of fans? Do you have to deduct initial intentions even when I’m alone lost in thought?

I slapped my cheeks to maintain bright, alert eyes and fell into thought.

There wasn’t enough time to compose just the verse part anew. Because this wasn’t the only song I had to compose.

‘Shouldn’t the system help at times like this? For example, memory extraction or something.’

Then, as if responding to my grumbling, the status window spread before my eyes sparkled brightly.

[Would you like to use a Random Ticket? Yes/No]

Wasn’t the Random Ticket the item I received as a reward for reaching 1,000 fans this time?

Oh, presenting this right before my eyes when I’m looking for something helpful must mean you’re confident, right?

Whether it becomes porridge or rice, let me try using it first. I should trust a beginner’s luck.

[Item ‘USB from Someday’ has appeared!]

Thunk, an old USB fell into my hand.

What’s this? I squinted my eyes and rolled the USB in my palm, then connected it to my laptop to check its contents.

The folder inside the USB contained several mp3 files. As I clicked on them one by one to check their names, I stopped at one file.

All Right or Night (MR)_mp3 (Really_Truly_For Real_Final)

It was the exact title of the song I was currently racking my brains trying to implement.

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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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