A Blank Slate Regression For The Idol That Lost His Original Intention

Finally…! Finally, this damned system is working!

I covered my mouth, overwhelmed by the surge of emotion, thinking about the countless complaints I had submitted.

The word “Some” bothered me, but still, the fact that they updated anything at all was progress.

“Is what I’m saying that moving…?”

I almost reflexively snapped back at Seo Yehyun, who asked in a hesitant voice, but managed to hold my tongue.

‘Oh, right. Relationship improvement.’

I silently nodded while still covering my mouth. 

The relationship improvement percentage increased by 1%.

Luckily, Seo Yehyun was someone with a sensitive mentality who could be moved by such gestures.

The downside of sincere conversations was the awkwardness that followed.

We were so used to tearing each other apart with words that it didn’t matter afterward, but we were completely unprepared for the awkwardness that came after such sentimental talks.

Unfortunately, we were roommates, so even after entering our room, we still had to see each other.

An awkward game of eye contact ensued. 

We exchanged side glances, gauging who would enter the room first, when Seo Yehyun cautiously spoke up.

“Are you… planning to go into the room?”

“No, I’ll stay in the living room. You go ahead.”

His face brightened as he quickly entered our room.

Left alone in the living room, I leaned back comfortably on the sofa and immediately checked the update details.

[※ Update List ※]

[▶ Penalty condition for ‘Lifeless(Fish) Eyes’ now limited to schedules and fan interactions]

[▶ Prohibited words ‘Ah, really’ and related words limited to schedules and fan interactions]

[▶ Added validity period to random tickets]

[▶ Changed recognition time for Weekly Quest ‘Search’ from 10 minutes to 20 minutes]

The first two were things I had desperately wanted, but I hadn’t even thought about the last two, let alone requested them.

Is this system giving and taking at the same time?

No, I had been gaslighted by this damned system for so long that the first two weren’t even a favor. They were common sense!

‘But still, the first two are something.’

I relaxed my eyes, which were always wide open. 

Yeah, no one can live with alert eyes for 365 days a year.

Kim Dobin, with whom I had only 47% relationship improvement, suddenly opened his door and was startled to see me sitting on the sofa with relaxed eyes.

“Hyung, why are you looking like that…? It’s scary….”

“Ah, really?”

“I thought you had another fight with Yehyun hyung.”

“Ah, really?”

The initial intention didn’t decrease. I was so moved.

However, the relationship improvement with Kim Dobin dropped to 46%. 

Just after overcoming the mountain of Seo Yehyun, there was another mountain, Kim Dobin.

“Come and sit here.”

I patted the seat next to me, calling out to Kim Dobin, who was trying to sneak back into his room.

Kim Dobin, looking like a scolded puppy, hesitated and then sat down.

“Tell me what’s bothering you.”

“There’s nothing!!”

Sighing at Kim Dobin’s overly tense response, I waved my hand.

“No, there is a problem. I’m not blaming you. I really want to hear what’s on your mind.”

“Really, you won’t get mad if I’m honest?”

I’ve said it many times, but when you talk like that, people will think I’m always scolding you.

I massaged my throbbing forehead as he mumbled a response.

“So, you thought I was annoyed because I replied half-heartedly?”

Kim Dobin nodded with a sorrowful expression.

“What kind of answer is ‘Ah, really’? It’s like a disinterested idol’s reply during a fan meeting.”

“That’s ‘Ah, really?’”

Kim Dobin, I’m more annoyed by your attitude.

He was pulling his weight, even taking charge of choreography, but his fragile mentality was only overshadowed by Seo Yehyun’s overwhelming presence.

My preferred type was someone like Ryu Jaehee, who knew boundaries but was also affectionate. 

Kim Dobin, with his otaku outbursts and constant anxiety, was not my type.

But that was my problem. 

Somehow, I had to reach 100% relationship improvement with him within two years. Otherwise, it would be a regression again.

I didn’t want to repeat the exhausting battle over the title track with that damned agency, singing Come to My Universe again.

“So, what’s the problem?”

I barged into Ryu Jaehee’s room, pushed him aside, and lay down on his bed, sighing. Ryu Jaehee replied indifferently.

“Your current behavior is the problem.”

Ignoring him, I continued to complain.

“Look, he’s friendly with Jun, but why does he act so uncomfortable around me?”

“It’s like this. It’s like having a mom who’s always taking care of you and a dad who’s never home because he’s always working.”

“Anyone would think we’re talking about a 19-month-old baby instead of a 19-year-old.”

I let out a hollow laugh, shaking my head.

“And you’re not like that.”

“I’m not like Dobin hyung. He’s pretty shy. He’s also overly imaginative.”

“I know that well.”

I was the biggest victim of the ‘Kim Dobin Fantasy Theater.’

It became a habit for me to always report my whereabouts because of him. 

I thought it was just a passing episode, but it must have affected me more than I realized.

“And hyung lacks sensitivity. Honestly, you and Dobin hyung are the worst match.”

“Worse than me and Seo Yehyun?”

“From my perspective, you and Yehyun hyung just needed to put aside your pride and be considerate of each other. But you and Dobin hyung are incompatible from the start. If you took an MBTI test, you’d be total opposites.”

Even MBTI existed back then. Though it wasn’t the massive trend it is in the future, it was still around.

The very fact that I was worrying about this was surprising. It was an issue I never even cared about before regressing.

‘Maybe that’s why the relationships with the members were so terrible.’

I couldn’t help but smile bitterly as I recalled the time just before I regressed, when we hardly spoke to each other.

“So, how should I treat him to improve our relationship?”

“Isn’t it fine to leave things as they are? It’s not like you’re on terrible terms or anything. I bet if you suddenly started being kind, Do-bin hyung would freak out and wonder what’s wrong with you.”

The problem was that I could perfectly imagine it happening. 

I could only run a hand through my hair, unable to either agree or disagree.

“Still, I should at least try. I can’t keep living like this forever.”

I had to get our relationship score to 100% within the next two years so I wouldn’t have to regress again.

Jae-hee, who had been looking at me, then offered his advice.

“For starters, stop calling him Dobby and just use his real name.”

When I checked the hidden quest window, my relationship score with Jae-hee had gone up by 1%.

Some people lose points for a casual response, while others gain points just from talking.

Hey, system. Can you give me a guideline for each member?

—

It was already decided that the [HI-TN] repackage album would include one new title track and one new B-side track.

Thanks to the moderate success of both the previous album and [HI-TN], my voice carried a lot more weight now.

The last album’s title track was a street-style song with a touch of freshness. This time, the repackage album’s title track would be a full-on refreshing concept.

The title track, Be With You, was a lively dance song that had a strong high-teen vibe.

Since we had been working on it bit by bit since January, there was no disagreement when we set the comeback date for late March.

“I’m telling you, this one is going to be a huge hit! I can feel it!”

“You said the same thing about All Night or Right.”

“This one’s going to be even bigger.”

I was sprawled out on a sunbed, draped in a large towel, chatting with Jae-hee on the music video set.

There were scenes in the pool and scenes playing around the swimming pool, so we were all obligated to get in the water.

At least it was early March, and the weather was starting to warm up. 

My eyes felt dry after keeping them wide open in the water.

“Why am I the only one with such flashy hair colors since the last comeback?”

I sighed as I fiddled with my ash-pink hair.

After dyeing it this color, I was on the verge of developing an aversion to strawberry milk and cotton candy.

“Hyung, your natural look is too intense, so to pull off a refreshing concept, you need a cute hair color like this to soften your image.”

Jae-hee, who had dyed his hair a red-brown color, replied as he sipped hot barley tea.

I was heading over to the stylists to get a new towel when I ran into Do-bin, who was running toward us, calling out Jae-hee’s name.

Just as I thought, ‘Isn’t he running too fast on a slippery floor?’ he slipped and lost his balance. I quickly grabbed the back of his shirt.

“Are you trying to crack your head open? It’s slippery, so if you don’t want to end up in the hospital, don’t run.”

Do-bin, wide-eyed and seemingly startled, looked at me as I warned him and then continued on my way.

I had predicted that my relationship score would have increased by about 5 to 10%, but it remained the same.

This kid is worse than Seo Ye-hyun. Wait, not “this kid”—he’s worse than Seo Ye-hyun ever was.

I sighed deeply and slumped down beside Gyeon Ha-jun, who had taken over my sunbed.

“Jun-ah, what’s the problem here? Usually, saving someone from cracking their head open should earn some points, right?”

“Well, I’m sure you didn’t, but did you brag about it afterward or something?”

“No, not at all. I just said, ‘Are you trying to crack your head open? If you don’t want to go to the hospital, don’t run.’ That’s it.”

“Hmm, you should drop the ‘Are you trying to crack your head open?’ part. It kind of cancels out the concern that follows.”

“But that was meant to show concern, too.”

“It only counts as concern if the person you’re talking to perceives it that way.”

After living with people who would trade insults without a care in the world, dealing with these sensitive jellyfish types was exhausting.

I ended up reluctantly taking on Jun’s suggestion to improve my relationship score by handing the youngest members some warm water.

As I slowly made my way back to the sunbeds with two cups of warm water, their conversation became clearer as I got closer.

“Seriously, Eden hyung has been acting weird lately! He’s so much more mellow these days. He doesn’t even call me Dobby anymore! His eyes seem less intense when we’re not on schedule, too. Anyway.”

“So, I was wondering… Do you think Eden hyung might have gotten a terminal diagnosis…?”

“Wow, worst theory ever. Whatever you do, don’t say that in front of him. He’ll immediately revert to Demon Eden.”

“No, listen. He’s coughed up blood twice! And no matter how much he’s mellowed out, he’s still Demon Eden—”

“Demon what?”

Do-bin stiffened, turning his head creakily, and Jae-hee, who was trying to sneak away, received a thorough scalp massage from me as I grabbed their heads.

So they’ve been calling me that behind my back?

Come on, cooperate and help me raise my relationship score, you little brat. I really don’t want to regress again!

***

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