ABSRFITLHOI Chapter 100

◎yh_chaaa

(photo)

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yh_chaaa: Hello, this is Yeonho.

I’m posting this because it seems there’s been a misunderstanding regarding my close junior and younger brother, Eden.

The audio clip currently being circulated is a manipulated recording, and we have never had a conversation with such nuances.

The part about “someone being different” was a conversation about an incident when we were both panelists on Dating Handbook. The “musical novice” comment was something I brought up first… see more.

—

With Cha Yeonho posting a statement on his social media, the character controversy was safely resolved.

No wonder the dialogue was so fragmented and made no sense.

I knew it! I believed all along that our Eden isn’t the type to recklessly disrespect others or behave rudely to seniors. I hope everyone who falsely accused him based on one fake audio recording gets sued to oblivion~

Wow, that’s next-level creepy. Not only secretly recording but also editing the audio and impersonating a staff member to post it online? That’s the pinnacle of creepiness.

Honestly, it’s too suspicious, isn’t it? The manipulated audio just happens to surface hours after rumors of Cha Yeonho’s depression spread? It’s almost too convenient.
└ As expected, their nickname of “the hidden mastermind” suits them perfectly! What a calculated move to hinder a rising star.

Did Eden threaten Yeonho to post this clarification?
└ No, Yeonho himself said it wasn’t Eden. Are you seriously so delusional that you don’t even believe what Yeonho says anymore?
└ You call Yeonho the “hidden mastermind,” yet you think he’d just roll over and get threatened by someone like that? If anything, he’d do the threatening himself.

As always, the rule of the internet: when suspicious “sommelier” types and armchair psychologists show up, just stay neutral.

Altair’s fandom, Aquila, kept trying to find the “junior who disrespected Cha Yeonho,” but they never could because that junior was a fictional creation of Cha Yeonho himself.

[▷ Let’s extinguish the character controversy! ✓

▶ ‘Extinguish the character controversy’ completed.

▶ You’ve earned 5 points as a reward.]

“They probably won’t dare mess with me for a while now.”

The way they kept bringing up songs made it clear—it had to be insecurity.

Even they must’ve realized that their so-called “song” pieced together from scraps and polished off by some friend of theirs couldn’t hold a candle to our music.

“So, did that bastard know and still cover for them?”

Any remaining trace of goodwill, already in the negatives, plummeted to the Earth’s core. Damn it, do they think music is a joke?

-Satisfied now?

“After showing your true colors, why act all polite now? You might as well speak your mind, comfortably—very comfortably.”

-I am speaking comfortably enough.

“Oh, is it because of the call recording feature? I guess I’ll have to get a second phone, an iPhone just for you, senior. Haha.”

The call abruptly ended. Glancing at the date on my phone’s screen, I idly tapped the couch and muttered to myself.

“Come to think of it, Dobin’s birthday is coming up.”

May 26th—Kim Dobin’s birthday.

Looks like I’m not sleeping early this time, either. A day meant for celebrating someone else’s birthday had turned into a day I’d resent for keeping me up late.

And it was all because this damn system only informed me of Seo Yehyun’s birthday at 10 p.m. on the day itself. If I’d known earlier, I could’ve posted in the morning.

Dobin’s eyes filled with emotion as he dramatically covered his mouth.

“Oh my gosh, Hyung, the same Eden who forgot Hajun Hyung’s birthday actually remembered my birthday?”

To be fair, I had completely forgotten until I checked the calendar app for my schedule just hours ago, but I wasn’t about to tell him that. Why waste the chance to instill some respect for me in the kid?

“Alright, what do you want?”

“Throw me a surprise. A surprise party.”

“The moment you ask for it, it’s no longer a surprise, isn’t it?”

“Eden Hyung, no matter how clueless you think Dobin Hyung is, why do you treat him like he’s stupid? He’s obviously talking about a surprise party concept with fans during a live broadcast.”

“Huh? No? I literally meant I want an actual surprise party,” Dobin replied, blinking innocently.

Ryu Jaehee stared at him, speechless, as if unable to believe her ears.

“Dream interpretation beats the dream itself, huh? Dream interpretation wins,” I laughed, messing up Jaehee’s hair lightly before getting up.

As they say, you give a piece of rice cake to the brat you hate. If the kid wants a surprise that bad, I might as well give him one.

—

“So… you’re saying we should do a hidden-camera prank for Dobin’s birthday?”

“What else can we do? The youngest wants a surprise. Let’s make it truly surprising.”

“Wait, by ‘surprise,’ you mean we’re going to surprise him, not throw a party? Well, if you want to add surprises to everyday life, I guess hidden cameras are the way to go.”

“Jaehee, please… isn’t it time to forget about that ad already?”

The four of us, minus the birthday boy Kim Dobin, convened for the 92nd REVE meeting.

“Having Eden Hyung and Yehyun Hyung fake a fight so no one dares to mention birthdays is just too predictable. Besides, Dobin Hyung’s probably used to them fighting by now—he wouldn’t even be scared.”

Ryu Jaehee rattled off my exact idea before I could even voice it, leaving me grumbling under my breath as I scratched the back of my head.

“We don’t fight anymore.”

“I know that. But you two used to fight a lot.”

“Did we really fight that much? I don’t think we fought that often.” I tilted my head and offered an alternative suggestion.

“Then what about Jun and me pretending to fight?”

“I’m telling you, the whole storyline of teammates fighting to create a heavy atmosphere is overdone. Plus, if you and Jun fight, Dobin might actually cry. That’s not just an ordinary crisis—that’s a team-breakup-level crisis.”

Ryu Jaehee shook his head with a look that said the thought alone was horrific.

“And if that fight really happened in real life, you’d just have to kneel and apologize to Jun, begging for forgiveness.”

“Why would I be the only one kneeling?”

“Because there’s no way Jun did anything wrong to you—”

“Jaehee.”

Gyeon Hajun cut off Ryu Jaehee’s words in a slightly uncomfortable tone.

Knowing exactly why Hajun reacted that way, I also gave Jaehee a light scolding.

Looking between Hajun and me, Jaehee nodded as if he finally understood.

“So, what you’re saying, Maknae, is that the scenario of someone fighting and ruining the mood isn’t a good idea, right?”

“Yup.”

“Then what kind of scenario should we go with?”

“Whoever brings it up first should decide.”

“Ugh, this is annoying. Should we just skip celebrating altogether?”

“Dobin will definitely sulk if you do that. You already got his hopes up. If you weren’t going to do anything, you shouldn’t have brought it up in the first place.”

“Why is that kid so sensitive?”

He’s as sensitive as Seo Yehyun, if not more. Actually, considering Yehyun doesn’t sulk over not celebrating his birthday, maybe Dobin is even more sensitive than him.

“Alright, what about this?”

As I continued talking, the expressions on the members’ faces became increasingly intrigued.

“But isn’t there a real chance Dobin might actually cry? I feel like he’d seriously break down.”

“That’s the beauty of a surprise prank, isn’t it?”

“You know, Hajun, you kind of resemble Yoon Eden in some ways. Well, I guess that’s why you two are friends.”

Raising an eyebrow, I asked Seo Yehyun, “Is that an insult?”

“For you, is being told you’re similar to someone an insult?”

…Is it?

—

But before we could get to Dobin’s birthday, we had one big obstacle to overcome: deciding the title track for our first full-length album.

The meeting room, now upgraded thanks to the new office building, was incredibly spacious and comfortable compared to the old days.

With the increased number of staff, a lot of the self-sufficient work the group used to do had also been offloaded.

Before my regression, the company’s success and growth had been thanks to Seo Yehyun. But now, let’s be honest—it was 91% because of me.

“Are you asleep, Eden-hyung?”

“No.”

“Then why do you have your eyes closed?”

“I’m meditating to stabilize my mind and body before the CEO says something to raise my blood pressure.”

I casually replied to Ryu Jaehee’s question while practicing the diaphragmatic breathing I’d seen on YouTube.

The CEO and the staff entered the meeting room, and the session began.

As expected, the two songs the CEO had brought in were ridiculously experimental, just as I had predicted.

One of them seemed to have captured the CEO’s heart, and after playing a two-minute snippet, he confidently asked us, “What do you think? This could work as the title track, right?”

“Are you serious, sir?”

When I asked earnestly, he scratched his head, asking if it was really that bad. As expected, his sense of musical trends was nonexistent.

“Here are the two songs I’ve shortlisted for the title track.”

The first was an electro-pop track with a “detective vs. thief” concept, <Phantom Thief & Detective>.
The second was a dance track with a musical vibe featuring brass sections in the chorus, <Off the Record>.

Two demo versions, with Gyeon Hajun’s guide vocals, were played in sequence.

“The melody and structure of <Off the Record> are solid. Definitely has its impactful moments.”

“Personally, though, I find the hook and beat of <Phantom Thief & Detective> more compelling.”

“<Off the Record> feels a bit experimental. It’s a good song, but it might be risky as a title track…”

Listening to the divided opinions of the staff, I tapped my fingers lightly on the table.

Even within our group, opinions had been split. Hajun and Dobin supported <Off the Record>, while Jaehee and Yehyun leaned toward <Phantom Thief & Detective>.

Me? I had resolved to follow the majority opinion this time, so I didn’t choose. Or rather, to be precise, I couldn’t. I liked both songs equally. Normally, I would’ve pushed forward with my own pick regardless of others’ opinions, but this time I was stuck.

Dobin leaned over to me and whispered, “Hyung, are you really not going to share your opinion? As the original composer, your input probably matters the most.”

“Both songs have distinct pros and cons. That’s why we need an objective perspective.”

After much back-and-forth, the title track was finally decided as <Phantom Thief & Detective>. While my opinion hadn’t influenced the decision, I wasn’t dissatisfied. Both songs were mine, after all.

“Alright, let’s schedule concept and styling meetings soon and aim to start recording by next week.”

Oh right, there’s still the concept meeting. Just thinking about the CEO probably pushing for his out-of-this-world detective concept again made my neck stiffen.

“By the way, we’ll arrange vocal lessons for the vocal line. If needed, take advantage of them.”

I blinked in surprise. Considering how the company had neglected vocal training post-debut and left Seo Yehyun’s skills unchecked, this was unexpected.

What’s going on? Did someone anonymously leave feedback again?

“What about choreography?”

“This time, we’ll assign a director. Dobin, you can relax a bit.”

The five of us exchanged quick, startled glances.

Kim Dobin scribbled something furiously on his phone and nudged me to look. Tilting his screen towards me, I read his message:

[Hyung, do you think the CEO got possessed by a normal person?]

***

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