Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56"Sigh"
A tall body crashes onto a seat barely wide enough to contain him.
Resting his arms on the wheel of the car, his chestnut hazel eyes stare at the worn-out floormat as signs of the difficult times are ever present.
'Where did it all go wrong?'
The radio in the background blasts as he the anchor presents the latest gossip about a former famous boy group, ACES.
ACES, debuted eight years ago, led by its leader, Park Soo-Ha.
At one point in time, he would take pride in that title, but now.... now he hated them.
What started as small scandals and news about members inappropriate attitude quickly snowballed out of control and turned Soo-Ha's daily life from a ferry ride on the Han River into the titanic in the North Atlantic Ocean.
In this day of internet detectives and viral media, the public opinion and media was filled with ACE hate.
Even more so, after the incident on that particular day, which had been the cause of the press conference today.
Turning to face the sound, his face distorts.
"Jang Il-hyeon, I should never have trusted that bastard...."
All Soo-Ha had done since the age of 18 was train to be an Idol, every single day for the past 10 years he had diligently worked in order to make it in this shark infested industry.
Every time his members had made a mistake or a wrong-doing, it was him who cleaned up after them, apologising to fans, staff, strangers.
All in the hopes of better days to come.
Well it never did, instead he was dragged down into the abyss.
After the drug incident, even the honest, hardworking Park Soo-Ha was labelled as a slow fox for pretending to be a goody two-shoes leader for a failing boy group.
Feeling a head-ache coming on, and not wanting to drag himself further into the depths of despair, he rolls down his visor as he looks at the image nestled in-between the folds.
"Maybe I should head there, I haven't been in quite a while" he says to himself, as he hopes to conjure sweet memories of the past.
Soo-Ha felt strange as he drove without a manager, for the first time in a while, as he turns on Aces debut song "Poker".
Their first song, their first music show, their first-time meeting fans....
Remembering those days always made Soo-Ha's heart race.
But of course, he would never get that feeling again.
"If only I can turn back time," he laments, as bright lights begin flashing into his eyes, drawing his attention back onto the road.
*A/N who can guess what happens next wink wink*
A truck that had been speeding, seemed to suddenly swerve before it crashes its bumper into the guardrail.
It rotates 180 degrees right in the middle of the road.
Frantically steeping on the brakes, to no use, Soo-Ha's car doesn't stand a chance to avoid the impact.
Schreech!
BANG!
The sound of metal and metal vibrates.
Blood begins dripping down his forehead and into his eyes, clouding his vision. As his last moments of consciousness, is looking at the picture previously nestled in his visor.
Incheon beach, with the girl who he loved and let down.
Seeing her smile one last time.
"..... I really miss the ocean"
On this day November 13th, 2022.
ACES Leader, Park Soo-Ha, dies in a vehicle collision.
****
"Ugh..."
Feeling begins to return to his fingertips.
The stiff unmoving body slowly comes to life as Soo-Ha opens his eyes gasping for air.
"What, I.... No!!!!"
Feeling every part of his body for damage, he forces himself to stand, nearly tripping over the hem of the oversized black suit.
Although, when he glanced at it again, the suit reminded him of a funeral.
More on that thought – the room he had opened his eyes in looked eerily like a funeral home.
"The car crash... Yeah. I had an accident, right? Am I dead, then?"
Unable to grasp the situation, Shi-Yoon slid open the door and stepped out of the room.
"Why must you take him?!! What will happen to us if he leaves like this...!"
"Mom, its okay...."
It was only the back of the figures, but he could recognise their voices anyway.
His mother and his little brother Shi-yoon.
'So I'm dead huh.... This is what happens when you die.."
If he had known that there was a sort of afterlife roaming around as a ghost, perhaps he should have prayed more.
At those thoughts, Soo-Ha felt abrupt chills as he received a pat on the back.
"Soo-Ha, are you okay. Go get some rest"
"I'm fine uncle.." He answers before turning back, "Wait! Uncle you can see me.... I'm alive?"
"Goodness gracious, you must really be tired. Go take a nap.... Poor kid"
From that moment Soo-ha opened his eyes, everything about him felt off.
Scrutinizing the memorial portrait carefully again.
Although it the relation to himself can vaguely be seen, he knows for certain, that isn't him.
"Oh.... its Dad."
Looking around at the familiar faces, and how his body no longer harboured any aches or pains.
Right now, only one thought came to mind …..
'So I suffered a car crash'
'And instead of dying, my future consciousness somehow ended up in my 17 year old body, the exact week my dad died?'
'If this is not a dream... am I crazy> or did I enter into a world of one of those poorly written webnovels?'
Previous Chapter
Related Chapters
The Loser Idol's Rebirth Chapter 2丨He Dreamt
It had been three days since Soo-Ha had opened his eyes. Things were strange. But.... It wasn't so bad. It took some time for Soo-Ha to adjust and if what was happening to him wasn't an illusion, Soo-Ha could do it all over again. This time he could make his dreams come true. Although Soo-Ha felt pain for having to send his father for a second time. For him, it had already been ten years. Like a scar, the wound had long stopped hurting. Unlike in his previous life , where the death of his father, caused Soo-Ha to panic about his future. While there were support funds from the country as well as death insurance, they weren't poor by any stretch of the imagination, they surely weren't wealthy either. In his panic, he hurriedly picked up a bunch of part-time jobs. The desire to relieve his mom and brother of their worries, caused him to quickly neglect his idol training. Every day, he was drowned in fatigue and his exhaustion caused him to be quickly kicked out of the debuti
The Loser Idol's Rebirth Chapter 3丨Fix
HR DIRECTOR KWON BO-AH The large clear glass spells out on the mahogany door. Facing the personal assistant, who sits outside the door. Soo-Ha nervously approaches, "Excuse me, I'm Park Soo-Ha, a third year trainee, I'd like to speak to Director Bo-ah please." The secretory doesn't look at him just yet as she continues to type on her keyboard seemingly ignoring his entire existence as he stands still, idly playing with his thumbs. Unsure if he should repeat himself or whether to wait for a response. After what seems like an eternity, she finally scratches the top of her head before telling him to take a seat, which he does. Picking up the phone, she dials a number as she waits for the person to respond. As the dial tone echoes in the room. It takes three rings before a feminine voice answers. "Yes?" "Director, there is someone here to meet you" The personal assistant says with all the enthusiasm of a euthanize patient as she beckons Soo-ha to come over and speak into the re
The Loser Idol's Rebirth Chapter 4丨Limitless
Soo-Ha walks quietly to where his mother was sitting besides her. And for the first time, in a long time, both this life and the last, he held her hand. "Everything will be alright, Mom." He says softly and sincerely. Why had these simple and small gestures of comfort been so hard for him in the past? Facing her deep eyes, she stares at him, "Thank you, Soo-Ha..... your mother will try and grow stronger now..." "It's okay... Take all the time you need, you don't have to change, Mom." "Mmm" "I'll always be by your side." Soo-ha says as he clasped his mother's hands tighter, as a glimmer of life and warmth seemed to return to her features. He wanted his family to be happy in this life. They deserved it. **** At the age of 5, Soo-Ha had learned to play the piano. At the age of 12, he listened to his first rap album. At the age of 16, he become an idle trainee. Although his family wasn't rich, while his father was alive, they had a satisfactory amount of money with some fre
The Loser Idol's Rebirth Chapter 5丨Debut or Die
[Urgent Quest issued! Debut or Die If you don't debut as an idol within the time limit, you will die. Remaining period: D –365 Reward: 5 skill points Failure: Death] "What?" The content was as ridiculous as it was ominous. It's already crazy that a system showed up out of nowhere but now there's this crazy task too. As soon as he finishes reading the pop-up disappears. "Fuck---" He spits out as a cold sweat breaks out. Soo-Ha had already confirmed the existence of the status window, so it was impossible to doubt that the failure was true. 'Why the hell did this show up?' 'Because I thought of debuting'?' Soo-Ha can't help but laugh at this crazy turn of events. 'Let's stay calm' Soo-Ha reassures himself, as he begins thinking of the quickest way to debut. He still doesn't plan on joining a new agency, which means …... he had to enter an Idol Survival program. Soo-Ha grins with a sour smile, wasn't it around this time that the Produce series was a huge hit? *** Idol
The Loser Idol's Rebirth Chapter 6丨A Pond, A Ocean, A Sea
Grabbing the microphone, without hesitation, Soo-Ha chose ten songs at random before glancing back at the door to the karaoke room he just came in. The door is made of glass, allowing onlookers to not only hear the sound from within but also see the performer. It was perfectly efficient scouting area for anyone who worked at a broadcasting station. *** [Achievement Accomplished! Level 2 -> 3 You have obtained 1 skill point] It was not long before Soo-Ha had completed another accomplishment. Investing the points saved in Vocal once more, The D+ rating quickly changed into C. The basics seemed even better this time, and when Soo-Ha song once more time to test it. The tone colour was deeper, the volume increased and the control was better. He once more couldn't believe the incredible growth he experienced. While Soo-Ha was still immersed in his progress, a sudden knock on the glass door causes his focus to shift. Facing the woman, who looks
The Loser Idol's Rebirth Chapter 7丨Impress Me
10 days had soon passed and the first day of filming had begun. Although the show is structured in the sense of a survival program, it begins with an evaluation of each participant. Much like any audition program, besides the finale the biggest stage to make an impression is the 1st round. It is not rare for a bad impression to last until the end of the program. It is said that two things remain irretrievable: time and a first impression. The worst thing to do is give an average performance. Instead, even if it's a complete mess and becomes a joke, it can still help you in the future. There is no worse fate, than being cut for time and being left on the editing table. Of course, Soo-ha had no intention of being a comedy character. "Does everyone know their number? You will only be called once. Please proceed to enter this corridor after you've received your instructions." The filming began by taking a picture of the participants walking though the hall of the set, one by one
The Loser Idol's Rebirth Chapter 8丨King of Rock n Roll
Park Soo-Ha who makes his way up to the stage, listens to the male MC. "Participant Park. Please introduce yourself." "... My name is Park Soo-ha. Please take good care of me." He proceeds to bow, as there is a small laugh and snort for the judge's seat. "Is that all?" An older male judge, who is holding the microphone asked in a voice mixed with laughter. Although jokingly, there was a slight negative tone, which made answering tricky. Soo-Ha knows that it was his attempt to get him to speak more, but decides to just nod his head seriously. This causes laughter to break out among the judge's seats "What a unique kid!" "He's fun-." A few of them whispered. Of course, the microphone captured their voices well. "Ah! It says here that you are a former M.S trainee" "That's right" This is usually when remarks like, 'why are you participating?' or 'why did you leave' would be asked. However, the judges all seemed to come to an agreement that it would be more impressive to do
The Loser Idol's Rebirth Chapter 9丨Experience
"Whoa, Soo-Ha-ssi! I wasn't expecting you to be that good!" The male judge who previously held a bit of contempt for him now looks at him eagerly. ".... I practiced hard to sing it well" Another judge intercedes as he comments; "No, this is something you're born with, you have talent." The man who is one of the main mentors looks at Soo-Ha with expectation, 'His got potential to be the main vocalist …. we were actually lacking vocalists this year.' He is a famous lyricist who was popular for his blunt critique. He smiles all the way up to his eyes, indicating just how much of a liking he has taken to the contestant. Soo-Ha smiles softly as he thanks him for the praise. The judges continue with their rain of compliments. Especially the female singer, who appeared as the vocal coach. The formal idol, Hyo begins her evaluation. "Firstly, your vocal colour is very refreshing. Your vocalisation and enunciation are good too, so that it sounds pleasant to the listener." "Right,
Latest Chapter
- The Loser Idol's Rebirth
Chapter 38 丨Two Hour Special
Knet Headquarters. The editing room located on the 9th floor is full of office workers who had stayed up all night toiling diligently. Bang Geul-yi, the head of the production was one of them. "Smiley, your eyes are red. Go grab some sleep" "I don't have time. Just bring me a coffee" It was her 7th cup already. The faces of all those who were currently looking at various video feeds were the same. All filled with exhaustion. "The first episode is important. We have to catch the flow of the story and the characters of the kids." What to show and what to cut. 12 hours of video multiplied by 101 cameras. All to be made into a digestible 1hr45 minute – 2-hour episode. Building a narrative that was fun, engaging and easy to follow would be the biggest challenge. "But still... You should still get some rest smiley." "Sujin-ah, you
- The Loser Idol's Rebirth
Chapter 37丨Promo
At a promotional event held before the 1st episode aired.101 participants were given individual promotions.Of course, all that was required was the participant to sing <Pick Me> and get some pictures taken of themselves.This was because it has already been proven that the photos taken at these early production events could play a huge role in early ratings.The number of people was more than even the organisers had expected as they could barely contain the horde at the rails.'As expected, the face is the trend....'As Soo-ha was able to enjoy the attention that was paid to him, it seemed that it was a bit more than usual."We'll start after the reporters enter!"The production team announces as they lined up in the formation which was rehearsed at dawn.As the boys began warming up, someone unexpectedly came up and spoke to him."I saw your performanc
- The Loser Idol's Rebirth
Chapter 36丨Performance Review
lthough the audience signed non-disclosure agreements. It was not rare for the spoiler bans to be broken. So, reviews of today’s recording could be found on various anonymous websites where personal information was hidden. *** [Review from Produce Season 3] The ‘Come Back Home’ group killed it *** Who the hell are these kids? They are popping up everywhere Kim Seungwoo Oppa is so hot! ∟ Noona above, he is young enough to be your son. ∟ He is my Oppa of my soul! Confirmed. They were really awesome! ∟ For Real? ∟ Did they also wear dresses? ∟ How can you make ‘Come back home’ cool? It was expected. No matter how much Soo-Ha thought about it, this was normal when the team consisted of Kim Seungwoo- the person who would later be called the inevitable number 1- however it appeared that the team was overwhelmingly mentioned. So much so that it would be hard to find any comments related to any other teams. In terms of the competition for atte
- The Loser Idol's Rebirth
Chapter 35丨Overwhelming Victory
While the opposing team wasn't bad.In fact, they were above average when compared to the other teams.Amongst Micky, they had 2 or 3 other members who also had the potential to debut.However, the audience could not help but compare them not only with the original.This was the main problem that came with covering the latest hit songs.The original performance would still be imprinted in the minds of the audience.Even if their performance had somehow exceeded that of Big Bang, it wouldn't easily be recognised.The fans of Big Bang were all over the internet.In most cases, it would be buried under the netizen's opinions such as 'it cannot be compared with Big Bang'Of course, putting all that aside …. Park Soo-Ha and his team still did a better job.The team members around Soo-Ha seemed to have known that as well since their faces were as bright as before as they went back up to the stage before the votin
- The Loser Idol's Rebirth
Chapter 34丨Shounen Manga
Those who were able to come to their senses cheered enthusiastically. It was a stage that stimulated the hearts of the viewer, from innocence, desire, shock and to the solemn ending. It was a stage which could not be replicated. 'Crazy! Crazy!' Among those screaming, many felt that while this group was not nearly as cohesive as previous groups the individual skills of the members were exhibited to their utmost. Notwithstanding that the overall visuals that could be found were at the top of not only this competition but the nation. The voices of the excited audience can be heard here and there as they begin jumping in a frenzy. The group proceed to fist bump and pat the back of each other, as they wipe the sweat off their brows before bowing to the audience. "Thank you!" The member whose name has been known since before the competition wraps his arms around a cold looking senior who is struggling for breath in joy much to the older trainee's annoyance. As a shyer trainee makes
- The Loser Idol's Rebirth
Chapter 33丨A Dark and Eerie Night
Why was it suddenly ‘come back home'? It was only after a few moments, that the bewildered crowd realised that this stage wasn’t covering big bang but its sister group! “What the...” The song wasn’t even a particularly popular one. It might have been better if it was a hit song like ‘I am the best’ because for most they only remembered the chorus of this song. It was the same for the mini paparazzo in the audience who was busy adjusting her camera settings. ‘Should I just take a picture of the audience?’ She thought as the faces made for interesting viewing. By the time, she had once more successfully hidden the camera away from the securities eyes, the stage darkened as the prelude began to flow out. The melancholy melody of the altered synthesizer filled the stage. Originally, this was where a neat female idol-style orchestra prelude of the 2010s would flow with various instruments and piano. The audience is shocked to silence as their eyes roll back.
- The Loser Idol's Rebirth
Chapter 32丨Day of Shooting
Season 3 of <Produce> was currently burning on the internet.At this point, only the contestants' profiles and auditions were revealed to much fanfare.Although the production had not yet aired, the open call to recruit audiences for the first team match which was posted on the broadcasters' website had gotten nearly fifty thousand applications within the first 24 hours.The competition was for a seat was a ratio of (100:1) by the time selection for audience members came around.And here there was a person who had successfully been chosen currently standing in line.'I won't get caught, right?'Now that she thought about it, she didn't seem confident to get away with her devious plan.Swallowing her saliva, her grasp tightens.In her backpack, she had an even smaller bag, which concealed a camera, all hidden under a cardigan, which acts as a smokescreen.Although cell phones were
- The Loser Idol's Rebirth
Chapter 31丨Determined
Checking if there have been changes, Soo-Ha turns on Go Yoojun’s status window. [Name: Go Yoojun] Vocal: B- (A) Dance: A (Ex) Visual: A+ (S+) Charm: B (A+
- The Loser Idol's Rebirth
Chapter 30丨Skill Activated
Judging from the fact that the cameramen and women were focused on capturing the scene. It seemed that it would be edited well. However, there were two guys who didn't fit in this heart-warming environment. One was wearing a fake smile, while the other looked to be suffering from clinical depression. The one wearing the fake smile is none other than …. Lee Soobin. When he came to his senses, he must have realised that his actions were hasty. He couldn't help but be worried about how his words would be edited. Would he come across as petty and jealous? He tried his best to blend into the atmosphere somehow, but he also tried his best not to make any eye contact with Soo-Ha. He had too much pride to apologise. He was unable to follow Jinsang's actions. His pride didn't allow it. If it were Soo-Ha, he would have already caught the atmosphere and ended any negative feelings, saying that he was too harsh. Soobin was too short-sighted to realise that the atmosphere