Despite using his shoulder as a rest, Seo Yehyun didn’t get irritated or push my arm away, only staring blankly at the phone screen I showed him.
“Isn’t this from some obscure voting site?”
“Your eyes must be really dim not to see the WAMA logo.”
Well, the results are similar everywhere else too.
“…Are we really losing to those guys?”
Seo Yehyun urgently turned his head, his face clearly showing his shock. I shrugged, finding his reaction a bit over the top.
“Still, the gap isn’t as big as I expected. I guess we’re actually gaining some traction.”
“Hey, who are you? You’re not the real Yoon Eden.”
“…Why would you suddenly think that?”
It was a logic jump that defied common sense.
“The guy who glared at me like that during event stages because he couldn’t stand being outdone by KICKS is suddenly calmly acknowledging we’re losing? Could this really be Yoon Eden?”
“Whoa, now that you mention it? Eden hyung wouldn’t usually act like this.”
Ryu Jae-hee, who had just finished washing the dishes and joined the living room, made a gesture as if to cover his mouth in shock.
Watching them hold a meeting to “find a way to bring the real me back,” with talks of shamans, exorcisms, and even the Rosicrucian Order, was getting on my nerves.
Do they think I’m possessed by an evil spirit or something? Forget it. Just watching this nonsense is making me angry.
Leaning back against Gyeon Ha-jun, the only one not participating in this foolishness, I stretched out my legs and looked at my phone screen, where I had just cast a vote for Reve.
“Jun, did you vote?”
“No. The registration process seemed like a hassle…”
“Aw, come on. We need every vote we can get.”
As I grumbled, Gyeon Ha-jun chuckled and started the membership registration process on his phone.
“Come to think of it, in idol stories, it’s usually the most troublesome member causing internal strife that gets replaced. That member changes for the better, the team atmosphere improves, and they go on to succeed—”
“Ah, so what you’re saying, Dobby, is that you wish I’d die and someone new would possess my body?”
I clenched my fist, veins bulging at my temple as I laughed while gripping Kim Do-bin’s scalp. He trembled like a leaf and said,
“I think it really is Eden hyung.”
I firmly pressed his scalp in what I insisted was not violence but a scalp massage, and gave him a light pat on the shoulder as I warned him quietly.
“Let’s keep things in moderation.”
“Yes, I was just about to stop before it went too far!”
With Kim Do-bin looking thoroughly intimidated, I leaned comfortably against Gyeon Ha-jun again.
“Still, haven’t we gained quite a bit of popularity?”
Seo Yehyun asked, his voice lacking energy, and I responded nonchalantly.
“We have.”
“Then why…!”
“We had one chance that succeeded. A single week of meaningful activity with no proper music video or anything else.”
With a cynical tone, I pointed out the situation, making Seo Yehyun shut his mouth.
The mood in the dorm suddenly turned heavy, but I continued speaking without much concern.
“We debuted in August, and our only significant activity was a one-week run with ‘One Chance.'”
“……”
“Meanwhile, KICKS debuted earlier this year, had two rounds of activities with well-produced music videos and title tracks, and both rounds were at least moderately successful. Plus, they belong to a mid-sized agency strong in media play.”
I paused, struck by a sense of déjà vu.
Wait, when had I experienced something similar? In my memory, I think I made a similar comment, got a points deduction, and a scolding from Gyeon Ha-jun.
Fearing another points deduction, I hastily added,
“Don’t get me wrong. I’m just objectively comparing the situations. I also find it very annoying that we’re losing to these guys.”
Gyeon Ha-jun’s quiet laughter vibrated through his back.
Even if it seemed pathetic, I had to do whatever it took to maintain my points.
Seo Yehyun squinted, then smirked and asked,
“Why are you so calm all of a sudden? Since when did you start holding back even when you were mad?”
“Getting angry and throwing a fit won’t change the vote counts, right?”
The reason I could be indifferent about the Rookie of the Year award was simple: the situation was much better than before I went back in time.
Before my return, KICKS had also won the Rookie of the Year award.
And Reve wasn’t even a contender, let alone second place.
“Of course, it’ll be a shame if we don’t win. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime award.”
But it’s not like missing out on the Rookie of the Year award is a death sentence, nor did the system issue a quest threatening to deduct 99 points for not winning it.
So why should I get hung up on it? The Rookie of the Year award isn’t a guaranteed path to top-tier success.
Many idols have received the Rookie of the Year award only to fade away.
“Anyway, what I’m trying to say is…”
I paused, looked around at my members with serious eyes.
Whether we liked it or not, we were all in the same boat. These guys, who I had to drag along to escape this endless time loop and points deductions.
“Even if we end up losing the Rookie of the Year to KICKS, don’t think it’s because we’re less than them. It’s just that our circumstances were a bit more challenging.”
Watching their reactions, I scratched my head.
Why were they looking at me with such surprised expressions?
I fiddled with the strands of hair that caught on my fingers. Thankfully, despite the bleaching, my hair hadn’t turned into a complete mess.
“And if they lose the grand prize to the ones they beat for the Rookie of the Year, wouldn’t that sting more?”
I grinned crookedly, and Seo Yehyun sighed.
“There you go.”
“Yeah, this is the Eden hyung we know.”
Ryu Jae-hee agreed.
These guys seemed more reassured when I showed my more irritable side than when I acted as the leader.
“But I’m not giving up. It’s not over until it’s over, right?”
I looked at Kim Do-bin, who was making a determined face like the protagonist of a shonen manga, with a scornful look.
“I told you not to give up. Who said anything about giving up?”
Kim Do-bin rolled his eyes and mumbled,
“I guess he’s not playing along… Usually, at times like this, everyone would get inspired by my strong will, join hands, and shout ‘fighting’ together, like in a slice-of-life drama.”
“Shut up, Do-bin. Didn’t I tell you to cut back on the web novels?”
“This isn’t a web novel, it’s an anime. It’s a sports cliché.”
“You really are something else.”
Frowning, I turned my gaze back to the phone screen, where the weekly quest’s search results were displayed.
– I really want our boys to win the Rookie of the Year awardㅠㅠㅠㅠ
– Everyone, don’t forget to vote every day! And use IP masking!
– Should I laugh or cry that we didn’t even get nominated for Best Music Videoㅎㅎ
– Damn JnL should’ve just given them a proper debut title track and music video… If they had debuted just a few months earlier and had two rounds of activities before November…
– Still, as a fan since My Universe, I’m so proud of our Reve for getting to second placeㅜㅜ Back then, I couldn’t even imagine them being nominated for Rookie of the Year.
– Rookie of the Year doesn’t matter. Our Reve will get a grand prize someday.
– The KICKS fans are so annoying, always talking about ‘strategic voting’ ㅋㅋ As if that would ever get you to second place.
└ㄱㄴㄲ Recently, someone on Twitter claimed to be a fan of another group and said they strategically voted for Reve to sabotage KICKS. That was obviously bait, but they’ve been using it to keep throwing shade on our fandom.
└Ugh, seriously… Do they not know what strategic voting means? You don’t strategically vote for a group that’s a real threat. Who else in the Rookie of the Year nominees could possibly compete with KICKS besides Reve? Come on, tell me which other group was strategically voting for KICKS.
└Reve isn’t a strategic pick; they’re just trying to downplay Reve’s achievementsㅋㅋ Remember when Reve’s fan cam from that festival last month got way more views than KICKS’?
└They’re just mad that they couldn’t make their big debut success story because of Reve. Let’s be honest, KICKS’ high vote count is mostly because their agency’s senior group fans are boosting them up.
-I hope our boys aren’t too upset about losing to KICKSㅠㅠㅠ Eden and Jae-hee monitor stuff often, so they probably saw the ‘strategic voting’ talk. I feel so bad for themㅠ
‘Strategic votes, my ass.’
Strategic votes.
They refer to votes cast for a candidate who isn’t seen as a real threat to keep another more threatening candidate from winning.
A strategic pick is the candidate who receives these votes.
In reality, if anything, Reve is more of a competitive threat than a strategic pick.
No one strategically votes for a group that actually has a chance of winning, do they?
Our group is the only one among the five nominees that can compete with KICKS.
After reading the last message, I scratched my head and logged into the fan cafe to write a FROM post.
—
[From. Eden]
Hello, Daydream. Have you all been doing well? The day we can see each other again is getting closer, and as the days pass, I’m getting more excited at the thought of meeting our fans again.
Also, please don’t feel bad no matter the voting results. Every single vote you all send us is more precious to us than the results. If anything, it’s us who should feel sorry to you, Daydream.
I hope you have a great day today as well. Thank you always.
—
578 comments
– Eden, we’ll make sure REVE wins the rookie award in this world.
– Completed today’s voting using my mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, and sibling’s phones.
– Eden, don’t dwell on negative comments too much; promise?
– Why should you feel sorryㅠㅠㅠㅠ Wait, Eden, I’m going to ask my ex to vote for you.
—
“Wow, Eden Hyung. You actually posted something like this? What you say to the members and what you say to the fans is so different. Truly, you’re a fan-loving idol, second only to me.”
Responding absentmindedly to Ryu Jaehee’s excitement, I muttered,
“…Right.”
“Huh?”
“Why did I write this?”
Was it because I was worried fans would get tired and leave?
And that would delay the fulfillment of the quest to make 30 million fans happy?
Or, was it because I genuinely didn’t want them to feel sorry for us?
Looking down at the impulsive words I had written, I felt a sense of unease.
Given the topic, the comments were piling up much faster than usual, filled with sweet words from fans prioritizing me above all else.
The sudden rush of emotion made my chest tighten, and I covered my mouth involuntarily, leaning forward.
My phone slipped from my hand and landed on Seo Ye-Hyun’s lap.
“Hey, why is your phone on my leg… Are you okay?”
“Hyung, are you alright? Eden hyung!”
“Eden, are you feeling sick?”
“Oh, damn…”
[Profanity detected.]
[Initial Intention -2]
I felt stifled, unable to pinpoint the reason, as if something was just out of reach.
***
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That’s called getting overwhelmed. 😂 I also get that and it’s just getting a drawing of my oc. It’s a nice feeling.
I had this thought that maybe, Eden’s last fan was the maknae, Jaehee. Eden mentioned Jaehee being the last to cut ties with him.
Ohh nice theory! Yeah being overwhelmed can sometimes be both a good and bad feeling