As we stepped down from the stage, wiping away the sweat that was pouring down, we looked at each other.
With eyes still glimmering from the lingering heat of the stage, Seo Ye-hyun grinned widely.
“I didn’t make any mistakes during this performance.”
Seriously, why is he acting like that’s such a big accomplishment? Not making mistakes on stage is supposed to be the norm, you know, the norm.
But for the sake of my precious points, I held back and gave him a compliment instead.
“Yeah, you did well.”
You’ve really mellowed out, Yoon Eden.
I’ve even considered asking the system to bestow its curse—or rather, its blessing—on that guy too, but this damn system only pops out when it wants to, and it remained silent.
I mean, when I make a mistake on stage, my initial intention points gets docked a whole 7 points, but when someone is dubbed the creator of a new choreography, why do they just leave them be?
Aren’t a lack of skill and on-stage mistakes more serious disqualifications for an idol than dead eyes and a habit of saying “ah, really”?
I just wanted to live my life making real music; was that such a crime?
Without knowing the turmoil in my heart, Kim Do-bin started chattering in an excited voice.
“Do you think there will be a day when we have our own solo concert in such a big venue?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Hyung, can’t you answer with a bit more sincerity?”
“Yeah, yeah, I guess so.”
“Where’s the sincerity in that answer?”
“I added two more syllables for you.”
If that day doesn’t come, I’ll have to reset again, man. Reset and start this crap all over from the beginning.
I gave half-hearted responses as I made my way back to the dressing area. As I took a seat, a bottle of water was suddenly thrust in front of me.
“I really enjoyed your performance.”
The voice, tinged with a smile, wasn’t unfamiliar. I forced myself to smile as I looked at a face that seemed younger than in my last memory.
“Thank you, sunbae.”
Damn, why’s he acting all chummy? As I accepted the water bottle from Cha Yeon-ho, who was smiling brightly, I clenched my teeth without letting it show.
Since it was unusual for someone so distant from socializing to initiate a greeting, the members of Altair watched us with interest.
Altair. The senior boy group that debuted two years before REVE.
And the group that, before my reset, had maintained their top-tier position only to crash spectacularly. I can’t deny that I played a part in that fall.
Anyway, before the reset, Altair and I had a strained relationship, to say the least.
Among them, Cha Yeon-ho was Altair’s main vocalist, and, well…
[Well, your tone is my style, so if you ask nicely, I might give you a song or two.]
[Do you think you can talk down to me now?]
[Want some advice, sunbae? Instead of clinging to your pride, try figuring out where you stand and what’s going on. Do you still see me beneath you?]
That’s how it went.
His tone was really second only to Gyeon Ha-jun for my taste, but somehow, things turned out like that.
Of course, that was entirely Altair’s fault.
“Hyung, do you know Cha Yeon-ho sunbae?”
Ryu Jae-hee whispered in my ear.
“Nope.”
I denied it immediately.
Before the reset, maybe, but as of now, it’s true that we don’t know each other.
Then why does he keep staring at me?
If he’s trying to build ties with Rising, shouldn’t he be doing the same with KICKS, who just won the Rookie of the Year Award, standing next to him?
When our eyes met, Cha Yeon-ho smiled. It wasn’t a particularly friendly smile.
I returned the smile calmly while thinking
‘Is this bastard trying to keep us in check?’
REVE’s status sure has grown. It’s only been four months, and we’re already getting checked by Altair.
Before the reset, even in our third year when we were making waves, we were treated with more indifference than competition.
* * *
The day after WAMA, REVE’s reality show, *Mydol Observation Camera – REVE Edition*, aired its first episode.
Curious about how it would turn out, we gathered in front of the TV to watch the reality show.
On my phone screen was some kind of message board or something that Ryu Jae-hee had sent a link to.
[Today’s wake-up call duty, Jae-hee!]
[Well then, let’s go wake up the members.]
The screen showed Seo Ye-hyun pretending to be asleep.
[A still sleepy Ye-hyun]
The caption appeared along with a slow blink from Ye-hyun.
At the time, the concept was supposed to be a groggy, just-woke-up look, but he just looked like he was sitting there, staring blankly.
It just reminded me again that this guy really shouldn’t be acting.
-Oh my god, he’s literally the prince from Sleeping Beauty.
-Wow, how can someone wake up without any puffiness… He’s definitely a different species.
-Did he really just wake up? Haha, there’s no sign of sleep on his face, lol.
That’s because the guy woke up early and did a full prep routine.
Then the focus shifted to me.
When I pressed a finger between my eyebrows, my face reflexively scrunched up, and that was caught on camera.
Of course, I was just pretending to sleep, but seeing myself from a third-person perspective felt a bit strange.
[…I’m awake.]
[Doesn’t look like it to me.]
The caption appeared along with an image of me burying my face in the pillow.
-Eden is not a morning person, haha.
-Saying you’re awake and then closing your eyes again is definitely the norm.
-Look at him pulling the hood over his head, so cute.
[Oh, Ha-jun hyung. You got up by yourself without me having to wake you?]
[REVE’s number one early riser]
Gyeon Ha-jun, who got up before being woken, earned the title of “early riser.”
-That’s like something from the Imjin War, ㅋㅋ.
-I bet Ha-jun is actually the earliest riser in REVE, not just on TV, but in real life too.
Sorry to disappoint, but Seo Ye-hyun is the real earliest riser.
You’d think a pretty boy like him would sleep in, but surprisingly, he’s the one who gets up the earliest.
[Did you sleep well, Jae-hee? How come you’re up so early today?]
[What do you mean, “how come”? I’m the most diligent morning person in REVE.]
[What kind of morning person sleeps until 10 if we don’t wake him up? Do you even know what “morning person” means, maknae?]
[The leader couldn’t let the maknae’s bluff slide]
-The maknae sleeps in, huh? Well, that’s how it is with students.
-How can you expose a fake broadcast like this, Eden, ㅋㅋ.
[Hyung, say good morning to the fans too.]
[Good morning.]
-Eden, open your eyes!
-Really, a sleepy little cat.
Fortunately, my image came out the way I intended. The one who capped off this ridiculous morning wake-up act was Kim Do-bin.
[Last to wake up, Do-bin]
“Ahhh! What is that!”
As the subtitles appeared on screen, Kim Dobin, burying his face in his hands, cried out in despair at his bread-like swollen face.
Seeing himself on the screen, he looked even more puffy and unattractive than usual, which only made everyone laugh instead of comforting him.
“I told you to wake up earlier.”
“Wow, this came out great. Our Dobin sacrificed himself to give us the best moment in this reality show, huh?”
– ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– Look at him yawning ㅋㅋㅋㅋ The others seemed to have woken up earlier, but Do-bin is for real ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– His face is so swollen ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– Eden covering him with a blanket because he couldn’t bear to watch ㅋㅋㅋ As expected, the leader’s love for his members is unmatched.
After showing everyone’s wake-up scenes, the reality show moved on to a meeting where the REVE members discussed what they wanted to do next.
[A thorough medical examination at a university hospital]
[Ah, hyung, please no.]
[Why not? What could be more beneficial than that?]
[Health is the priority! The leader strongly insists while Do-bin trembles in fear.]
“Why do I look like a madman on Line 1?”
“It’s not the editing that’s weird. You actually looked like that on Line 1 back then.”
– No, Eden, medical checkups aren’t fun content. It’s boring unless you guys start rapping or talking nonsense while half-awake from anesthesia.
– Why are they so obsessed with medical checkups?
– Considering that he ended up in the ER, Eden’s concern is understandable…
└ Ah…
– The members ignoring the leader’s words is hilarious ㅋㅋ
Thanks to the editor cutting the scene at the right time, Do-bin appeared more like someone overly concerned about health rather than a total weirdo.
– Rural experiences have been done to death, it’s boring now. They should do weekend farm content instead.
└ I can already picture them in work pants and sun hats.
– The winter beach episode is honestly boring too. Is there anything interesting to show other than them running around on the sand?
– Is Ha-jun that dominant in cooking? Is he just really good, or are the other members just terrible?
└ In a previous live stream, Eden revealed that besides Ha-jun, the other members can only make swirl omelets, ramen, and diet food…
└ They’re better than me.
– Looks like Jae-hee can’t watch horror movies ㅋㅋ His hamster side shows.
– Songwriting, composing, and producing experience? Do-bin, are you trying to become a producer?
– Too bad, I wanted to see a rock band experience.
└ Ye-hyun, let’s start practicing the keyboard now.
└ What about vocals?
└ That’s too much.
After quickly deciding on the two themes of the sea and cooking, the scene transitioned to the preview for next week.
[Next week! A chaotic Christmas extravaganza!]
[REVE’S surprise gifts revealed!]
The first episode of the reality show ended with a preview of the next episode, featuring Christmas.
– It’s a bit boring, but it’s only the first episode, so I’ll look forward to the next one.
– I didn’t know Do-bin was such a hidden gem of humor… He’s unintentionally great at comedy.
– Just seeing the members’ faces was entertaining enough!
– At least they all seem close ㅎㅎ
– With the Christmas theme as a cheat code, I have no choice but to watch the next episode, even if the first was boring.
– What’s the Christmas gift? Did they record a fan song or something?
– Can’t wait for next week.
└ I’m excited, hurry up and come!
As I was reading through this week’s feedback and the anticipation for next week’s episode, a notification popped up at the top of my phone.
The sender was “KICKS Parachute.”
[Jeong I-seo (KICKS Parachute) – No matter how hard you try, your group isn’t Rookie Award material, they’re laughing at you.] 8:32 PM
The “Parachute” was doing a good job as an informant.
Of course, I knew better than to fully trust anyone in this entertainment industry, so I took their words with a grain of salt.
[Wow, that’s persistent. When did they bond over badmouthing us again?] 8:39 PM
I was almost impressed by how they managed to unite again after all the suspicion and division.
It’s not like we have some special bond of unity through badmouthing…
[Is the special stage for the song change staying the same, or is it a rearrangement?] 8:40 PM
I casually tried to probe for information, and unexpectedly got a detailed reply.
[Jeong I-seo (KICKS Parachute) – They’re just lowering the key; everything else is the same.]
[Jeong I-seo (KICKS Parachute) – The choreography has been revised to include group dances and acrobatics.] 8:42 PM
[Jeong I-seo (KICKS Parachute) – What about your group?] 8:43 PM
I didn’t care whether the KICKS guys rearranged our song or kept it the same.
No matter what they chose, they couldn’t avoid the inevitable comparison.
Even if the choreography became more intense than the original, in the end, it’s the music that matters most.
[We revamped it.] 8:47 PM
I replied briefly, not feeling the need or obligation to give a detailed explanation.
But hey, it’s better than no comment, right?
***
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