“Wow, this is insane!”
Is this for real? I jumped up and shouted.
As I hastily played the file, the melody from my memory flowed through my headset. It felt like a blocked dam had burst open.
“What’s going on? Did the track get lost? Remember to save your work regularly, okay?”
“But if it’s that track from earlier, it’s no big deal… maybe it’d be better to think of it as a reset and compose it again?”
Ignoring the chuckling crew members who were making fun of my situation, I sat back down and played the track from the beginning.
‘System, you’re actually helpful sometimes. I apologize for always calling you a useless system that never benefits my life.’
Feeling deeply grateful, I tapped the desk in rhythm to the music. Since it was a song I composed early on, I could now hear parts that needed tweaking with my more experienced ears.
As I checked other songs in the folder, I found four tracks that could easily make it into the album.
Having braced myself for sleepless nights preparing for our follow-up activities, the drastically reduced workload felt like receiving a gift. I drank my beer with exhilaration.
[Excessive drinking detected.]
[Initial Intention -1]
Hey, it’s only three cans of beer! I take back what I said about you being helpful, damn system. Don’t you know moderate drinking can aid creativity?
Already teetering on the edge of losing my Initial Intention due to the earlier confrontation with the members, I wished the system wouldn’t deduct points for every little thing.
Taking off the headset, I played the music again. As the melody filled the studio, I hummed along and stopped the track after the first verse.
Turning my chair around, I saw my crew members nodding their heads to the rhythm. They all looked at me expectantly.
“How about this time?”
“Did you channel something? How did you manage to make such adjustments in under 10 minutes?”
“Hey, it’s way better, way better than before.”
Divine intervention, or rather the blessing of the system? Though it didn’t write the song for me, it brought back something I’d composed in the past. But still, it’s something.
I pocketed the USB and stood up from my chair. Since I couldn’t drink more and wouldn’t get any work done with these guys hanging around, there was no reason to stay.
“Leaving already?”
“Yeah, you guys have fun.”
I walked out of the studio amid Yongchul hyung’s exasperated laugh, suggesting it was his studio I was casually leaving from.
I wasn’t drunk, but the light buzz combined with the relief of solving the verse problem and the joy of reuniting with friends I hadn’t fallen out with, completely lifted the foul mood I had when I left the dorm. I even felt magnanimous enough to forgive Seo Ye-hyun for any provocations.
“I’m back.”
I called out as I entered the dorm, but no one greeted me. Why did it remind me of the last time before the regression when everyone ignored me?
I threw open the door and shouted.
“Hey, let’s talk! We have schedules tomorrow, and we can’t keep going on like this!”
“Who ruined the mood and stormed out in the first place?”
I barely held back the anger that surged up at Seo Ye-hyun’s comment, muttering pointedly from his bed.
Okay, treat this guy like a newborn fawn.
Be extremely careful. Don’t scratch his glass heart or glass ego.
Everyone shuffled out of their rooms into the cramped living room, and we sat down together. Clearing my throat, I started speaking, breaking the still heavy atmosphere from before I left.
“So, shall we try to talk?”
“Who ruined the mood and stormed out in the first place?”
Suppressing the rising anger at Seo Ye-hyun’s pointed comment, I barely managed to hold it in.
“Both of you, stop fighting. We need to talk.”
“We’re not fighting yet.”
I retorted with an aggrieved expression as Ha-jun moved me and Seo Ye-hyun further apart. I then plopped down the bag containing the soju I bought at the convenience store before coming back.
“Maknae, bring the cups.”
Conversations like this always needed a bit of alcohol. Ryu Jae-hee looked back and forth between me and Ha-jun.
Before I could tell him not to look at anyone’s face for approval, Ken Ha-jun sighed and motioned for him to bring the cups.
Soon, the table was set with snacks hidden from the manager and non-alcoholic drinks for the underaged maknae line to enjoy.
It was the dullest drinking party ever, with no toasts or conversations, just drinking. The cheerful drinking session in the studio felt even more stark in comparison. Seo Ye-hyun, in particular, displayed a fierce determination by drinking straight soju without touching any snacks.
As soon as I took a sip from my cup, the system immediately deducted a point for excessive drinking.
[Excessive drinking detected.]
[Initial Intention -1]
This drinking is necessary for team bonding and relationship building, you know?
Let’s be flexible here, system. You were so responsive when I used the random ticket.
Maybe my argument got through, as I took another sip, and my Initial intention didn’t drop. Finally able to relax, I drank more freely.
Once we all had a bit of a buzz, I glanced at Ha-jun and Seo Ye-hyun’s flushed faces and spoke up.
“First, anyone here upset because of me today?”
I expected only Seo Ye-hyun to raise his hand, but surprisingly, everyone did.
Hmm, so it’s the action itself that causes the deduction in Initial Intention, not the number of people upset. That’s actually good to know.
Without that, I’d have regressed countless times by now.
Seo Ye-hyun frowned and muttered sarcastically.
“Do you even know why we’re upset with you?”
“Who do you take me for? Of course, I do.”
Leaning back against the sofa with a relaxed smile, I knew I had the answer already.
“You’re upset because I pushed for the follow-up song without asking for your opinions, right?”
As soon as I finished speaking, an even deeper silence fell over the dorm.
What, did I get it wrong…? Come on, our members wouldn’t get upset over something so trivial, would they?
“You knew…?”
Ha-jun muttered, looking very surprised. I choked on my drink and coughed.
I got the answer right, but I didn’t feel happy about it.
How am I supposed to lead these glass-hearted guys to the top?
I rubbed my face, thinking hard about how to respond.
Should I be seen as someone who’s aware but still wrecks the dorm mood and storms out, or should I be a clueless but earnest leader who realizes his mistakes and tries to make amends?
[We recommend the latter.]
The system intervened, seemingly unable to watch me lean toward the former, much like a cheat saving a player from bad ending routes in a dating sim.
“Well, I didn’t realize it at the time, but after cooling off outside, I realized I was being too autocratic. I should have asked for your opinions.”
Even if I had asked, we would have gone with “One Chance” anyway. No one in their right mind would want to continue with that doomed song “Come to My Universe.”
Kim Do-bin, who had raised his hand earlier, spoke up.
“I actually wanted to continue with ‘Come to My Universe.’”
There was actually someone who wanted to stick with a doomed song.
You’re serious? Your part is “Stars twinkle, eyes twinkle.” You really want to keep singing that?
Stunned, I stared at Kim Do-bin as he sighed and spoke, clunking his cup down on the floor.
“Honestly, learning a new choreography in just a week is too much.”
“What’s too much?”
“I have to choreograph it all! I redid the debut song’s choreography myself! I want a famous choreographer!”
This kid. So you want to stay on a sinking ship just to avoid choreographing? And when did you drink?
Watching him roll on the floor in protest, I seriously spoke in a low tone.
“If we push this song just for convenience, you’ll keep doing the choreography. There won’t be any famous choreographers.”
Despite my spoiler-laden advice about the future, he kept flailing in protest.
“Let’s just suffer this one time. I’ll help with the choreo.”
Seeing him stop flailing, I thought I got through to him.
“…Just now, you looked like a real leader for the first time.”
“What did you say?”
That sounded like an insult. I glared at him, making Kim Do-bin shrink back.
“So, what’s your answer?”
“Sorry, I was just whining. I like ‘One Chance’ better.”
Yeah, that protest seemed pretty genuine to me.
Rubbing my temples, I turned to the maknae, who was still eyeing the drinks.
“Ryu Jae-hee, any thoughts?”
“I’m okay with any song as long as it’s not ‘Come to My Universe.’”
“Jun, you okay with ‘One Chance’ as the follow-up?”
“Well, it’s definitely better than our debut song.”
Seeing them nod, I turned to Seo Ye-hyun. He set his cup down and crossed his arms, sneering.
“Too bad, I’m not okay with it.”
Damn it, two idiots on the team. The road ahead is tough.
Seeing my desperate expression, Seo Ye-hyun’s sneer disappeared, and he frowned.
“You know, don’t you? I barely managed to memorize the choreography for ‘Come to My Universe.'”
Did he? Considering it’s been seven years since debut, my memory isn’t clear.
However, recalling his dismal skills, it was entirely plausible.
“I’ll help you practice. How about that?”
“You want me to practice while listening to you say that even a marionette moves better than I do?”
Grabbing Seo Ye-hyun urgently, who was adamantly against my suggestion, I shook him.
“Okay, fine! I won’t say anything harsh! I’ll only give you compliments while we practice!”
“Really?”
“Yeah, really! If I say anything harsh, I’ll give you 100,000 won each time.”
Only after he meticulously recorded our agreement did Seo Ye-hyun nod, agreeing to promote the follow-up song with us.
Gathering everyone’s consent is truly challenging.
Barely managing to get everyone on board, I decided to leverage the alcohol-induced courage to say something essential.
“As you all know, I tend to be a bit indifferent, right?”
“Is that what you call indifference? It’s more like you live without giving a damn.”
I forced a smile at Seo Ye-hyun’s slurred interruption.
Endure. If you endure three times, you can avoid losing 1 point in your intention.
Looking at the members who were now, whether I liked it or not, sharing the same fate, I grinned broadly.
“So, if any of you feel upset because of me, tell me right away. I’ll try my best to fix it.”
This way, my determination won’t drop further. I definitely don’t want to reset while barely charting.
