Top Girl Group Scenario Rewritten with My Own Hands - Chapter 48

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 48
[The IF Project has no intention of voiding the contract.]
The information echoed through my mind again.
Stay calm. I panicked too much. Nothing registered properly, but I could tell my heart was racing far too fast.
I tried to breathe slowly. It didn’t help much, though…….
Maybe I wasn’t expecting there to be missing memories in the first place, which is why this news is so utterly unsettling.
The fact that I suddenly went back in time doesn’t make sense anyway! Fantasy still doesn’t feel real…….
But I can’t just sit here. Think. Think clearly.
[The IF Project has no intention of voiding the contract.]
[It is recommended that the project proceed as planned.]
I need to find out what’s happening or negotiate.
Whatever it is, I have to steer this toward my advantage. I need to find the best move in this situation.
……Wow, this is really screwed up.
“Fine, I won’t break the contract. There’s a contract anyway, so what more can I do? But instead.”
I can’t let an opportunity like this slip through my fingers.
“Let me ask a few questions. I need to know something, after all.”
I’ll extract what I can.
At least the things I’ve been wondering about all along.
***
When I woke and checked my watch, barely twenty minutes had passed in reality.
“…Damn, my head feels like it’s going to split…….”
Subjectively it felt like I’d just dozed off and woken up, but why does my head hurt so much? I couldn’t tell if it was from sleeping in an awkward position or from being dragged into that strange space and coming back out.
But there’s no time to waste anyway.
I pulled out my regular notebook, opened a random page, and started organizing my conversation with the system by writing down whatever came to mind.
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– Daylight Regression User exists
The overlap is a simple error? Won’t explain what kind of error.
Can’t identify who it is on this end?? (Seems like there’s something else going on?)
– Mission cannot be adjusted. Failure doesn’t mean instant death.
Failure doesn’t immediately harm my life? That’s what it said
Current penalties for failure cannot be disclosed?
– Why must I be an idol specifically? → Won’t answer. System set it up this way, so I have to follow it? What kind of nonsense is this
– System messes with my memories on its own (should I doubt my memories too?)
Memory of contracting with the system is missing → causes trauma? What’s the problem???
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It’s been over a year and two months since my entire life became a fantasy. I feel like it’s about time to adapt, but writing it all out like this makes me feel even less adapted and drives me crazy.
Why are there so many things I can’t understand with my own head, so many things outside common sense……. I stared hard at the question-mark-filled page and let out a long sigh.
I tore out the page with problems I couldn’t solve right now or that were unsolvable in the immediate term, shredded it fine, and tossed it in the trash. Anyone seeing this would think I was writing a novel…….
One thing became clear: I absolutely must win the VMA Rookie of the Year.
I can’t change the mission or refuse it, and if I don’t even know what the penalty is, I have to move toward clearing it as much as possible. That’s obvious.
Ugh……, damn it all.
I really want to quit everything. All of it. Everything. The whole thing.
But I can’t.
Because that’s what contracts are…….
I want to yell at the version of me from my forgotten past.
What exactly did you contract for?
***
According to data released last year, the VMA determines the Rookie of the Year winner based on digital streaming scores (40%), album scores (30%), fan voting (10%), and their own judging scores (20%), combining both domestic and international metrics.
Only one album with the best performance is reflected in the standings. In our case, that would currently be the “Summer Signal” album for both digital and physical sales.
To be more honest, when scores are similar, the winner is decided by the judging score. And V.net, which hosts the VMA, is quite famous for its friendly relationship with P.N.
Music award shows are already like this, but awards aren’t as fair as you’d think. V.net puts out press releases boasting about how they’ve made criteria public for fair awarding, but in certain categories they change the winners at their discretion.
‘In the end, popular music award shows don’t hold much meaning or authority.’
The public thinks that way, I think that way, and even the award show host itself thinks that way and arbitrarily changes the winners.
“Still, it’s the award show that claims to be the biggest K-pop awards show, so I’d like to aim for the VMA Rookie of the Year.”
But what can I do?
The system specifically designated VMA and told me to win Rookie of the Year there…….
After the vacation ended, in mid-August, I brushed aside the bitterness with a social smile and finished speaking. It was a small meeting to organize future activity plans, and I needed to set my goals properly here.
Only Kim Yoon-ju representing Management Team 3 and I were in the small conference room. The team leader was out for other business, so Kim Yoon-ju came in his place.
“Releasing another album would be difficult, wouldn’t it?”
“Yes. Preparing a physical album before the VMA calculation deadline is definitely a bit……. And we already pushed Ji-on’s work schedule hard to release the Summer Signal album as early as possible.”
I’m sorry…….
My head bowed automatically under Kim Yoon-ju’s gaze.
I’d already heard a long scolding about how I pushed the work schedule too short for the July comeback, and somehow it feels like I’ve been getting scolded more ever since I collapsed once due to the penalty…….
“We’ve received a lot of complaint emails about Ji-on being overworked. Artist health management is one of our major responsibilities, so we can’t push album schedules too hard.”
I just nodded silently. You’re right—if I fall sick, these people take the brunt of the criticism…….
“Instead……, what if we hit up some university festivals?”
“University festivals?”
“Yes. The ‘Right Now’ digital track is getting really good responses, so we figure we can aim for digital streaming points by hitting festivals and university events. Since you’re already known as a good rookie artist, we want to push those streaming points higher and take our shot that way.”
There she goes again—Kim Yoon-ju’s always ten steps ahead.
This is exactly the Plan B I’d thought of when additional album releases seemed impossible.
“But!”
“……?”
“The entire Management Team 3 has already agreed on this: we will absolutely not schedule anything overworked!”
“Um……. Yes?”
“No crazy back-to-back schedules! In this day and age, we’re absolutely avoiding any overwork controversy! That’s what I’m telling you!!!”
There seems to be a hint of grievance in her voice……. Kim Yoon-ju placed her hands on her hips and raised her voice almost like a reprimand.
“Honestly, I want to tell the company that if we just had the money, we could do some self-producing properly! Doing show promotions and album work simultaneously, then coming back every four or five months is basically exploiting the producing member. Isn’t it?!”
“Well, I suppose……?”
“Doesn’t Ji-on find it hard?! It’s only because we can’t outsource the self-produced content shoots right now, but if we add self-produced shoots on top of everything else, it’s basically abuse! You’ve made all four songs we’ve released so far with just you and Producer Shim Yu-jeong.”
“……Would that be a problem?”
“No, it’s not so much a problem as……!”
Kim Yoon-ju spilled words at an alarming pace, then suddenly stopped and stared straight at me.
…Watching her sigh, I felt like I should just apologize.
“The problem is that you just endure it whenever you end up overworking your body, like last time at the Gayo Daejun.”
“…Oh.”
“Go Hyun-seo told me. You’re practically a workaholic, and you don’t seem to know how to rest, and on top of that you don’t even notice when you’re in pain.”
“That……, I don’t think it’s quite that severe…….”
“Either way, the hospital diagnosed it as overwork. The fact that you stayed quiet about it until then is a problem, and the fact that you almost got hospitalized and then came back out once you felt a bit better is also a problem.”
Is that really a problem……? What was I supposed to do without enough staff……?!
I was genuinely curious, but if I opened my mouth to say it, I felt like I’d get lectured for another ten minutes, so I just swallowed it. She must have brought it up because it’s a problem…….
“That’s why our management team is going to pay more attention. We won’t schedule overwork, we’ll plan album schedules so you can work without burning out, but we’ll focus on promotion and content work to make sure we don’t lose the fanbase.”
When I nodded as if I understood, Kim Yoon-ju smiled and continued.
“It’s unfortunate that an additional album won’t come out quickly with a growing fanbase, but there’s not much difference between releasing in the first week of November and the first or second week of January. There are so many year-end award shows during that time.”
“I understand what you’re saying.”
“I understand wanting to win Rookie of the Year, and I understand you want to win at the VMA, but you don’t need to do it at the cost of your health. It’s okay if you don’t win the VMA Rookie of the Year.”
And so our next comeback was decided: January, with a mini-album. (This seemed to have already been decided internally by the team.)
I’d already thought a new album release before the VMA would be difficult…….
Kim Yoon-ju said it was okay if I didn’t win Rookie of the Year, but it’s not.
I have a reason I must win Rookie of the Year…….
Genuinely difficult.
The hardest part about fantasy bleeding into real life is that there’s no plausible explanation to give to anyone else.
I’m really feeling that keenly these days…….
***
“So you got scolded by Kim Yoon-ju?”
“Scolded……, no, not like that…….”
“Whatever, you definitely got scolded.”
“Kang Su-a, be quiet.”
Go Hyun-seo spoke, and Kang Su-a giggled and dodged my foot kick, rolling across the practice room floor to escape beside me. And she keeps laughing from her escape route…….
“Think what you want……. New album’s in January, and right now we’re going to hit up university festivals for the events we get offers for, but only the ones that don’t overwork us. We’ll have few songs anyway so the setlist will be pretty similar regardless, but if it comes to it we might even have to do the No Cap-up cover, so let’s practice that too. Got it?”
“Yes…….”
The members sitting in a corner of the practice room nodded at my explanation.
“So we’re doing just Lack It, Awesome, Right Now? And that No Cap-up cover too.”
“Hmm……. Well, let me think about this. Personally, I think Blue could work for festivals too.”
“Oh, I’m in favor of Blue! The song is so refreshing and fantastical. Don’t you feel like it really opens you up?”
“Yeah, that’s why I think it could work. At schools where we can perform more songs, I think we could do it.”
Hyun Jae-yi raised her hand enthusiastically in agreement.
This girl has really liked Blue since the first recording session—the song just suits her taste.
“But if you guys do Blue, you need to really practice the live version. You sure about that?”
“Oh no.”
“You don’t even remember getting scolded during recording? The 6/8 rhythm you couldn’t keep up with, and how stiff you sounded.”
I deliberately looked at Hyun Jae-yi and smirked slightly.
This girl got scolded the most during recording even though she loves Blue. Since I wanted a different feel from our existing sound, Lee Han-byul and Joo Hye-rin, who originally learned the song from me, had an easier time than Hyun Jae-yi.
“So what, there’s nothing I can’t do!”
“Cheeky.”
“Why, I didn’t just get forced approval from you! I got genuinely satisfied approval!”
“Haha, that’s true. You’ll be able to do it live?”
“There’s nothing I can’t do!”
I laughed heartily with sincerity.
Really, as long as Hyun Jae-yi’s okay, everyone else will be fine too.
So we spent the summer night in the practice room preparing schedules and events for the fall.

Rewriting the Top Girl Group Scenario With My Own Hands
Author
: Nam Seo-rang
Created
: January 20, 2026
Publisher
: Aces Media
Editor
: Aces Media Editorial Team
Address
: 4F Urban Bench Building, 325 Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Email
: [email protected]
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No part of this content may be used in any form or by any means without permission from the company and author.
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UCI
: G720:N+A129-20260102083.0048

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