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

I found out the nickname the youngest line calls me behind my back, but I couldn’t vent about it to anyone since just mentioning it would lower my initial intention.

This damned system doesn’t even send messages, yet it lowered my initial intention just because I typed the word “crap” on my phone.

I thought about treating them in a way that matched the nickname they gave me, but that would just stir up trouble with the members, lowering my points and leaving me at a loss.

“So why are you guys bowing your heads in front of me? If anyone saw this, they’d think I’m a drill sergeant in the team.”

I paused the album description I was typing on my phone while lounging on the couch and asked. Kim Dobin quickly answered first.

“We’re atoning.”

Next, Ryu Jaehee responded seriously and at length.

“Though it was only for a brief moment, it’s a punishment for daring to attach such a vile, devilish word to the sacred name of our leader.”

“Did you hear Jaehee, Dobin? I don’t plan to blame you, but three syllables? Really?”

At my reprimand, Seo Yehyun, who was grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge, chimed in.

“Yeah, guys. Even if people talk behind their boss’s back when they’re not looking, calling him a demon is a bit much, isn’t it?”

It felt strange to have him on my side. It was clear that our relationship improvement score had really shot up.

Or maybe he was just concerned about maintaining the hierarchy as the eldest in the team.

But the team hierarchy had already been broken by me, the lineage-breaker of REVE.

Of course, it’s fine for me to rebel against Seo Yehyun, but there’s no way I could tolerate the youngest line doing the same to me.

Ryu Jaehee quietly asked.

“Should we call you by a cute nickname from now on? How about Strawberry Milk, hyung?”

“If I dye my hair brown, will my nickname change to Chocolate Milk? Huh?”

“Snrk! Sorry…”

Ryu Jaehee gave a gentle nudge to Kim Dobin’s leg after he burst out laughing, failing to read the room.

Our Dobin needs to understand just how much I’m holding back right now.

If he did, he’d feel boundless gratitude and respect for me, and we would’ve already hit 100% in relationship improvement.

I gave a stern warning not to think it’d be fun to get caught calling me “Strawberry Milk” and got the youngest line back on their feet.

“I’ve really become so soft.”

I sighed dramatically, making sure they could hear as they headed back to their rooms, and resumed writing the album description to send to the agency.

It’s not like I can trust these guys at the agency.

They’re the type to write one line of explanation for a song and nod in satisfaction.

 

***

 

[Album Description]

REVE The 2nd Mini Album Repackage [HI-Light]

Last winter, REVE showed off their distinctive musicality through their 2nd mini album [HI-TN], and now, with their repackaged album [HI-Light], they are set to showcase a fresh and youthful image.

This album is a repackage of their second mini album [HI-TN] and includes a new title track as well as a new song, <Highlight Film>, enhancing the album’s overall completeness.

The title track is a bright and upbeat boy-pop song with an energetic rock beat and catchy electronic sound, featuring lyrics that capture the excitement of a new romantic relationship. Its addictive chorus is especially striking.

Like the title track, <Highlight Film> was also written and composed by leader Yoon Eden. Unlike previous REVE songs, which featured a strong rap line, this song emphasizes the vocal parts, with a calm and sentimental modern rock melody.

The song’s emotional lyrics are beautifully complemented by soft singing rap.

 

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On March 28, REVE made a comeback with the repackaged album [HI-Light], bringing the title track, a new song brimming with a high-teen vibe, from [HI-TN].

The pre-released concept photos only heightened the anticipation for a proper high-teen concept.

Eden, in a black hoodie with a basketball tucked under his arm, gazed nonchalantly at the camera with his pink hair.

Yehyun, wearing a checkered shirt over a white tee, held a single rose and smiled shyly.

Jaehee, in an oversized sweatshirt paired with shorts, sported a band-aid on his face while clutching a skateboard and grinning mischievously.

Dobin, with a snapback worn backward, in a short-sleeved shirt and track pants, had a scarf tied around his wrist, holding a large radio in one hand and standing crookedly with a smirk.

Finally, Hajun, in a white tee with patterns, draped a denim jacket over his shoulders, biting a rainbow-colored lollipop with one eye playfully squinting.

-It’s a bit disappointing that the concept overlaps with the last one. I was hoping for something different.

-Agreed, last time we had two concepts, but if it’s just high-teen this time, it feels kinda lazy…

└ Have you forgotten about my universe?

-It’s not like they’re mixing street style like last time, it’s full-on refreshing. I’m really looking forward to REVE’s fresh vibe.

-REVE suits a more intense concept like One Chance, so why do they keep pushing this high-teen freshness? ㅠ

-They’re at the perfect age for a youthful concept right now. Later on, “fresh” won’t even feel fresh anymore.

Fans who were disappointed that the last concept wasn’t purely refreshing welcomed this, while others who wanted REVE to try something different from the high-teen style voiced their dissatisfaction.

The music video released as scheduled also exuded a vibrant high-teen feel.

Unlike , which had a detailed story and a separate female lead, this video was about the REVE members competing among themselves to see who best suited the role of the male lead in a high-teen movie, playfully scoring each other on their “male lead energy.”

After Eden made a basketball shot, turning to grin and flash a V-sign, the REVE members each awarded him 10 points for his male lead energy, but when he failed a dunk and tumbled onto the court, they deducted 10 points from him.

Hajun, leaning against a bike and running his hand through his hair, earned 10 points from Eden, 8 points from Yehyun, and 9 points from Dobin and Jaehee.

(A : That’s so funny, I feel like if Jun does anything, Eden will clap and give him 10 out of 10…Jun makes me remember JunHui from SEVENTEEN)

Dobin performed an impressive breakdance move next to his radio, but only received 3 points from everyone.

When he protested, Eden simply pointed to the whiteboard where “male lead energy” was written.

Jaehee, who smoothly turned his skateboard mid-air while jumping over cups, earned 8 points from Yehyun, Hajun, and Eden, and 7 points from Dobin, but he knocked over all the cups, earning back –8 and –7 points, respectively.

Finally, Yehyun showcased a transformation from nerd to prom king. He started with thick-rimmed glasses and a checkered shirt, earning him an immediate –10 points, but by taking off the glasses and shirt and subtly lifting his tee to reveal his abs, he garnered unanimous 10 points from everyone.

The video featured underwater shots of the members in a swimming pool, dramatic slow-motion scenes of them emerging from the water, and a playful scene where the youngest line attempted a “princess carry” in the pool — though the one being carried was Dobin.

After a scene of the five of them sitting by the pool, dipping their feet in and splashing water while eating popsicles, the video ended with a shot of REVE sprawled together on the gym floor, basketballs rolling around them — a fitting high-teen group shot for the final scene.

-Is this a different universe from All Night All Right?

└ This time, everyone seems to have found their role perfectly.

└ Agreed. Last time, except for Hajun, it was all ironic contrasts.

-So, who’s the real male lead among these five?

└ My pick is the pink-haired basketball player, lol.

└ First off, Hajun totally looks like the second lead with that hair.

└ How could anything top Yehyun’s transformation from nerd to prom king?

└ Dobin feels less like the male lead and more like the guy who’s playing music and dancing with his friends in the background while the female lead is chatting with her friends.

-Jaehee feels like the younger boy-next-door who’s not your boyfriend but comes to you for relationship advice.

(A : BOYNEXTDOOR Mentioned Yaaa)

As a result, the initial concerns about concept fatigue or overlap with previous activities subsided.

Instead, fans became invested in rating REVE members on their “male lead energy,” as REVE intended.

HIT! [Choose Your Ultimate High-Teen Movie Lead.jpg] [534]

Anonymous 1: It has to be #1. It’s the rule that high-teen male leads are the ace of the sports team.

Anonymous 2: #2 for sure. I’m already imagining 38,142 scenes of him hugging someone’s waist and speeding down the coastline on a bike.

Anonymous 3: #5. With that face, there’s no way he’s not the male lead.

Anonymous 4: #4 is adorable. I like this kind of younger male lead.

As posts with music video screenshots and GIFs flooded various online communities, REVE’s music video views steadily climbed. Kim Mo Yang, who had enthusiastically posted several voting threads, smiled proudly as the posts gained unexpected popularity.

“Let’s win a triple crown this time, REVE!”

 

***

 

[27th place – new ‘REVE – Love You’ ♥42,425]

Focused more on easy listening than a conceptual approach, REVE achieved a notable feat by entering the charts within the top 30 right off the bat.

After all, we’d done the conceptual stuff to death with that space universe, so now we were just doing whatever we wanted.

Seeing the results of , a song that didn’t exist before my regression, I once again confirmed that my skills were still intact.

[58th place – new ‘REVE – Highlight Film’ ♥17,029]

The B-side track <Highlight Film> also charted decently high.

While lying in bed watching the choreography video on his phone, Seo Yehyun asked me, who was in the middle of a search quest.

“I’m suddenly curious. Why do you think we made it big? Luck? Or your skills?”

After some thought, I answered bluntly.

“Before, it was 100% luck.”

“One Chance?”

I didn’t respond to that. When I said 100% luck, I meant before my regression, when it was Seo Yehyun’s fancam that brought us success.

It was someone else’s song and someone else’s face that achieved success, with none of my own skill involved.

“Now… 20% luck, 50% my skill, 30% REVE’s skill.”

Since the system was also something I had, finding chart vacancies and restoring pre-regression songs were all counted as my own skill.

“You’re still giving the group 30%, huh.”

Seo Yehyun chuckled, as if deflated. Considering his share of that 30% was 1%, I didn’t see why he was reacting that way.

Well, if we include looks along with skill, I could give him 8%.

 

(A : Okay… Let me yap a little. I was translating the chapter during a lecture when the professor kept looking at me. I nearly got a heart attack because of her stare. Then, out of nowhere, she asked me something related to the topic she was discussing…..and I’ll leave the rest to your imagination.)

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