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

The idol’s mukbang was, after all, an excellent tool for measuring one’s level of fandom.

If their eating appeared cute or hearty, it meant one’s affection for their idol was still intact.

If their eating seemed more like “shoving food down,” it was a sign that affection had waned, and it might be time to consider leaving the fandom.

Of course, this also depended on the idol doing the mukbang.

If they appeared overly greedy, messy, or ate too quickly—out.

If they nibbled too sparingly or unappetizingly—out.

If they talked with food in their mouth or failed to observe basic table manners—also out.

Thankfully, the members of REVE were all decent eaters, consuming their food at a reasonable pace and looking pleasant while doing so.

Even Ye-hyun, who Kim Mo-young had been slightly worried about, avoided the criticism of being too picky by eating not just salad but also chicken (though only the breast meat, of course).

“That moment in the behind-the-scenes footage where Eden fell over backward while dunking—there was actually a bit of acting added there.”

“That’s right. In the first take, he didn’t even reach the hoop and ended up falling forward instead. He almost hit his head on the hoop post.”

[Lol let’s just release that version!]

[Protect Eden’s dignity, please.]

[Eden’s face already looks resigned lol.]

[I thought they made it into a comedic scene because he was too cool and nailed it perfectly lol.]

Thus began the battle of exposing each other’s embarrassing moments.

“Dobin jumped into the pool enthusiastically and—his clothes came off—”

“AAAHHH! I CAN’T HEAR YOU!”

[Wait, top or bottom?]

“Jaehee fell while skateboarding and caused 10 takes to be ruined!”

“Why are you suddenly team-killing? Besides, my falls were all shown in the behind-the-scenes footage, so I have nothing to hide!”

“Yeah, but they cut it down to just three takes for time.”

“Well, Dobin, you—! You—!”

“Eden already talked about me, didn’t he? Unlike certain people, I didn’t make mistakes during my breakdancing!”

Even though 70% of the audio was dominated by the younger members, Kim Mo-young’s favorite, Eden, and the other members chimed in enough to keep her satisfied.

“Wow, the kids are really eating well.”

The seemingly endless amount of food was disappearing fast. She could now understand why Ye-hyun had issued the “no eating after 6 PM” rule.

“The hardest part of the 1st place pledge? For me, it was today’s pledge. Jaehee, you were heavy.”

“Huh? I thought today’s pledge was the easiest.”

“Of course you would. You were the one being carried, not the one doing the carrying.”

“I had to perform a solo dance…”

“Why? Ye-hyun’s dance skills have improved so much! Right, Daydream?”

“Oh, look at how proud Dobin is.”

[Despite how heavy it was, Eden’s expression looked calm lol.]

[Look at Dobin’s proud teacher smile after teaching him how to dance lol.]

[Someone should give Dobin a carnation on Teacher’s Day, Ye-hyun.]

[Just hire a trainer already. Stop dumping this on the members.]

“Would you consider filming a haunted maze content piece? The haunted maze in Japan, the super scary haunted house? Hmm, I’d be fine, but the other members, except for Jun…”

“I saw the reviews, too. I’m curious, but it seems terrifying… though I still want to try it at least once…”

[No, Dobin, you’ll faint! The hyungs will have to carry you out!]

[I can already hear the screaming, and it’s giving me a headache lol.]

[Just talking about it is already hilarious lol.]

Perhaps because they were eating forbidden foods they hadn’t had in a while, the REVE members were buzzing with heightened energy.

They even began reenacting the process of taking commemorative photos with the 1st place trophy they’d received earlier.

“Dobin, you’re not the type to finish photoshoots in one go. Quickly strike ten poses like you did earlier today.”

“What are you saying, hyung? I’m a pro idol who always finishes shoots in one go.”

“Wow, with four witnesses here, look at Dobin lying with a straight face. This guy should go into acting.”

“We’re actually reenacting this photo shoot to expose the truth behind it. To show how much effort went into creating this one natural and cheerful picture of Dobin.”

[Is this a drunk broadcast?]

[Just how much did Eden suffer lol.]

[Heard Eden handles most of the photoshoots. Must’ve been rough dealing with Dobin lol.]

The long live broadcast, seemingly attempting to make up for the impending hiatus, finally began wrapping up.

[Wait, you’re not ending already, are you? You still owe us six more hours.]

[Overnight content, let’s go!]

Regret-filled messages streamed through the chat.

Even Kim Mo-young, knowing it was time to let them go, left a reluctant “Don’t leave yet” message in the chat.

Standing in front of the now-empty food boxes, the members of REVE waved goodbye.

“We’ll visit you often so you don’t feel lonely, Daydreams.”

“Should we come again tomorrow? Raise your hand if you want to see us tomorrow!”

“Dream of me, Daydream!”

“See you again. Bye.”

“Have sweet dreams, Daydreams.”

—OA Live Broadcast Ended—

***

Was it because the [HI-Light] promotions had ended far more successfully than I had expected? The slump was still ongoing.

If it had flopped, I might have steeled myself with a resolve to bounce back and forced myself to create tracks somehow. But the pressure of having to surpass an already successful track was crushing, making it even harder to escape the slump.

“Are you really not thinking of joining DTB? If you show up, the show would get insanely interesting.”

I’d been called to G1’s studio to help with beat-making.

The last time I visited was a month ago, but in that time, a few pieces of equipment had already been upgraded to the latest models.

Lee Ji-won, leaning comfortably back in his chair, tossed the comment casually while wearing his signature yellow-tinted sunglasses.

The doomed season of Drop The Beat 2 was approaching its filming schedule. The audition notice had already been posted online.

The first round involved uploading videos through the website, and contestants were filtered out in the on-site second round.

Even our naive youngest members had urged me to try it after seeing the announcement.

They didn’t seem to understand even when I explained that winning this wouldn’t gain me anything.

“Wow, I can already guess how the response will go. For starters, you’d unanimously get picked for diss battles.”

Starting with “he’s doing hip-hop with his looks,” I could already think of a few lines for the diss tracks.

“I hear you’re good at freestyle. If you dominate the diss battle, the second round would be a breeze.”

“Is the situation so dire that you’d need to throw in an idol rapper?”

“This bastard, who’s an idol rapper himself, subtly looks down on idol rappers.”

At his light jab, I scratched my now black-dyed hair.

“It’s not disdain, it’s just predictable. Pre-dic-ta-ble.”

I deliberately stretched the word as I responded.

An idol rapper thrown into the mix of prideful hip-hop artists—perfect for creating buzz and media play.

“I didn’t think you were like this, hyung. You’re trying to sacrifice me as fodder for ratings.”

I grumbled playfully, and Lee Ji-won chuckled.

“Let me know if you change your mind. There’s still time until filming. I’ll use my discretion to get you through the first round.”

“Isn’t that just submitting a rap video online? You should at least get me through the second round on-site.”

“From there, it’s on you.”

With that, the conversation ended, and we went back to work. Fortunately, beat-making wasn’t affected by my slump.

“Hyung, have you ever had a slump?”

Lee Ji-won, who had been resting his chin on his hand while clicking the mouse, spun his chair around to look at me.

“Why, are you in a slump?”

“More like an overblown slump?”

“A slump is a slump. What’s an overblown slump supposed to mean?”

After taking a sip from the vitamin drink next to him, Lee Ji-won shook his head slightly.

“I don’t know. I’ve had days where I couldn’t write songs, but I don’t think I’ve ever had a period I’d call a slump.”

Damn, what a solid mentality.

“Don’t you feel pressured to surpass your own hit tracks?”

“Not really. It’s not like I started doing this to make money. As long as I make the music I want, who cares about hit tracks?”

Well, that’s just like him. Even before my regression, he had always stuck firmly to his musical identity.

That was something I had been contemplating as well.

Should I temporarily set aside my style and cater to public appeal, or should I make the music I want to make?

Before my regression, when I was working as a producer, the tracks I created in my own style all performed decently at the very least.

Since they weren’t for my group but for other groups, the lack of pressure about failure probably played a role.

But the tracks I made back then were promised to their original performers, so their moderate success meant nothing now.

Well… blame Kim No-hope, dear juniors. I’ll repay you with good songs instead.

Of course, whatever I do will perform decently at least. The accumulated big data proves it.

The problem is whether the next promotion can surpass this one. And even if it does, can I handle the pressure of that success?

I had to be cautious, given the penalty of regression.

“Do what you want. When you’re stuck, the best thing is to pour all the things you want into it.”

Lee Ji-won gave me advice as he noticed my complicated expression.

Do what I want… I nodded, reflecting on his advice.

“Or, go on a trip and clear your head.”

“Actually, I’m going on a trip tomorrow.”

“Oh, where to?”

“Jeju Island. But I probably won’t be able to relax. It’s for filming. They call it a healing trip, but how relaxed can you be in front of a camera?”

“Man, I envy celebrities. Getting sent to Jeju Island for free to ‘heal.’”

Lee Ji-won chuckled. Since there was no malice in his tone, I jokingly responded in kind.

“It’s not too late. Why don’t you debut? You’re still not in your 30s, so there’s hope.”

“You little punk, are you teasing me?”

He ruffled my hair roughly, and as he suggested grabbing a meal, I got up.

“What do you want to eat? Got anything in mind?”

“Let’s have gukbap (rice soup).”

“Goddamn it, you’re one of those gukbap fanatics too…”

***

When I returned to the dorm, preparations for tomorrow’s Jeju trip were in full swing.

“Hyung, do we need a passport to go to Jeju Island?”

“Google it.”

“You don’t need a passport, but you do need an ID card or driver’s license. But I don’t have an ID yet since I’m still 18.”

“Pfft! You don’t even have an ID? I got mine back in January!”

“Then the youngest should bring a passport.”

“They want to film us going around without the manager this time. If there’s no one who can drive, we’re out of luck. Anyone with a driver’s license?”

“Me.”

I raised my hand confidently. It was worth getting my license as soon as I turned 20.

Currently, the only REVE members with a driver’s license were me and Gyeon Ha-jun. Naturally, Ha-jun’s license was gathering dust in a drawer.

“You’re not just holding a license for show, right? You can drive well, right?”

“Man, you worry too much.”

At Seo Ye-hyun’s worried question, I nodded confidently.

Before my regression, I’d even bought a car and drove it around just fine.

I’ll show you my seven years of accident-free driving experience.

***

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