Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 108

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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108. What’s Going to Burst Will Burst (8)
After chattering away for quite some time, the recording time had arrived before we knew it.
The three of us arrived a little earlier than the announced time, right after our meal, and thanks to Mal-lang-gom’s help distributing slogans, we joined the waiting line without any trouble.
“Um… who are you a fan of, if I may ask?”
“We’re fans of Do-ha and Si-woo.”
“Oh! Would you like to receive Eun-chan’s slogan?”
“Ah, yes, yes. Please.”
The three of us received slogans from other trainees along the way and examined the merchandise distributed by the Miro Maze Production Team before entering the Studio sequentially. It was still mid-May, so it wasn’t particularly hot outside, but stepping into the Studio with the air conditioning blasting at full power made my skin prickle with cold.
“Hey, but the entry inspection really isn’t strict.”
“Right? Still, we should be careful just in case.”
“I’ll take the heat for it. Gom-i, keep watch for us later, okay?”
“Roger, roger.”
Professor Task managed to bring the camera in more smoothly than expected. Since the audience seating area was quite dark, if we hid it well, it wouldn’t be detected throughout the entire Stage.
“Hello, everyone~.”
Once the audience had finished entering, a PD dressed in casual clothes took the Stage. Wearing large glasses, the PD grabbed the microphone and communicated skillfully with the audience.
“So, let me briefly explain today’s recording order and voting method~ and now we need to see our trainee friends perform! Let’s practice reactions and cheers and things like that~!”
The PD on the Stage proceeded to guide the audience through precautions during viewing and voting methods, and finally induced reactions from the spectators.
“So, if a trainee comes up! Cheers! Applause!”
For about ten minutes, the preliminary instruction continued—applause, cheers, calling out the names of trainees we liked. Though it was called practice, judging by the jimmy jib and cameras rolling, it seemed they intended to film reactions in advance and mix them in appropriately during editing.
“Yes, you did well. We’ll start recording now~.”
The PD stepped down, and another, younger-looking PD came up on the Stage holding a slate.
“Rolling the slate~! One, two, three!”
With a crisp, resonant voice, the slate in hand made a cheerful sound.
‘Ah, that reminds me of Ha-jin’s slate moment.’
Soda recalled Ha-jin’s slate scene from episode 2 and chuckled softly. Professor Task seemed to have similar thoughts, wearing a pleased smile when our eyes met.
‘You too?’
‘Yeah, me too.’
After a brief contemplation on whether ‘accumulated fandom power could lead to telepathy,’ the Studio went dark, leaving only minimal lighting. Though it was dark, Soda, having positioned herself fairly close to the front of the Stage, could make out that someone was ascending onto it.
Thump—.
A single spotlight blazed brightly from behind the dark Stage. Bathed entirely in that spotlight, a silhouette slowly walked toward the center of the Stage against the backlighting.
“Wow, what are those proportions?”
“Those legs must be like 2 meters long?”
Murmurs rippled through the audience. A silhouette that looked like it belonged in a 3D cartoon. Though the man’s face wasn’t clearly visible due to the backlighting, everyone in the audience knew his identity.
He was Seo Tae-il of Upia, the MC of Miro Maze—the one who had recently driven viewers to make ridiculous comments like “Is the MC re-debuting too?”
“That oppa really doesn’t age…”
“Look at that suit fit. Who would mistake him for a military-discharged man in his thirties?”
“If that’s an old man, then from today on, old men are my ideal type…”
As the murmurs subsided somewhat, Tae-il delivered his opening remarks. His delivery was impeccably stable—clean and refined, without a single unnecessary element.
“Those who reach for the sun, soar to greater heights. The third journey to become Miro’s Icarus.”
Thump, thump, thump—!
With that announcement, rhythmic lighting illuminated the studio once more.
“Seventeen trainees challenging to become Miro’s third idol group. And you, Destiny, who are both their ultimate goal and the direction and destination of this journey. Welcome!”
“Wooooow!”
Thunderous applause and cheers erupted as the darkened stage blazed to life in an instant. LED screens unfurled rapidly from where Seo Tae-il stood at the center, all lights igniting in a dazzling display of moving lights that set the atmosphere ablaze.
Seo Tae-il’s presence, now properly revealed to the audience, was commanding. Despite wearing nothing more than a basic suit, those around him couldn’t help but gasp in admiration.
“Today, you’ll witness three stages prepared by our seventeen trainees. Are you excited?”
“Yesssss!”
“Of course!!!!”
“Ahhhhh~~!”
“Ha, well, we’d better get started then.”
Seo Tae-il played it cool at the enthusiastic response. Professor Task, standing beside Soda, was attempting a test recording of him. Soda discreetly shielded Professor Task while keeping watch on the security personnel visible in the distance.
“Today, you’ll experience three stages prepared by our trainees. Since this is the first time you’re seeing these performances before Destiny, the sole destination of this journey, the order of today’s stages is entirely up to you.”
It’s up to us?
As confusion rippled through the audience, Seo Tae-il gestured lightly and the LED screens positioned behind him shifted once more.
On the right, left, and center screens, different keywords appeared with matching graphics as backdrops.
【Confession】
【Liberation】
【Festival】
“Each keyword represents the central theme of each team’s stage. From now on, simply press the button corresponding to the keyword you’d ‘most like to see first.’ The team receiving the most votes will perform their stage first for you.”
This competition’s voting system had two main components.
After watching a team’s stage, you’d vote once on whether it was good, then vote again for the trainee you thought performed best from that team. If all stages were excellent, you could vote all three times, but you could only select one trainee per team.
Since this wasn’t a relative evaluation against the next team, the stage order didn’t matter much, making it feel like a simple event-style segment.
“By the way, there will be no introductions before the stages today. After you’ve enjoyed these surprise performances to your heart’s content, we’ll have time for the trainees to greet you and chat. So don’t be too startled.”
“Your beauty right now is the most startling thing~!”
While Seo Tae-il was still speaking, someone couldn’t help but shout out a personal comment. Since everyone was thinking the same thing, they exchanged glances and struggled to suppress their laughter.
Seo Tae-il glanced toward the audience member who’d called out, offered a wry smile, then nodded slightly with an arrogant expression as if to say he already knew.
“I know.”
His shameless reply drew another burst of laughter from the audience. Yet Seo Tae-il, showing not a trace of embarrassment, continued steadfastly with his next line.
“Now then, Destiny. Please choose the keyword for the stage you’d most like to see first!”
The audience members murmured among themselves, clutching their voting necklaces. Soda frantically racked her brain while consulting with Mal-lang-gom.
Confession, Liberation, Festival.
Only three options, yet that made the decision all the harder.
“What should we do? Gom-i, what are you going to choose?”
“Um… since it’s the first one, Confession!”
“What about you, Professor Task?”
“Oh, vote for me instead. I’m a bit scattered right now.”
“Ah, okay, okay. So we’re all voting Confession?”
Soda took Professor Task’s necklace and pressed button number one. Voting sounds echoed from various spots around the venue.
“Oh, but I have a feeling Do-ha’s is Liberation.”
“Then press Liberation!”
“No, I’m not ready to face Do-ha yet.”
Soda answered firmly. That’s why she had deliberately chosen a confession stage that kept her distance from Do-ha for her first performance. Even though she saw his face on the monitor almost every day—perhaps more than Do-ha himself—seeing him in person was an entirely different matter.
“Alright! We’re closing the voting.”
The LED screen switched back to its default background. Seo Tae-il accepted the results sheet the assistant director handed him, his expression curious.
“Ah, this team it is. Oh, this seems perfect for a first stage. So, which trainees did your votes call up to the stage? Let’s begin the first performance of Miro Maze!”
With a deafening roar from the audience, the stage plunged into darkness once more.
Soda felt her heart racing, unable to still the trembling anticipation. Who would come out? What kind of performance would it be? She was mindlessly waving Do-ha’s slogan banner when she sensed someone ascending the stage.
Soon, the LED screen above the stage revealed that same keyword and background image from before.
【Confession】
Against a yellow backdrop, candies and chocolates danced across the screen. It seemed everyone had chosen a lighthearted confession theme for their first stage. As excited cheers erupted, the music began.
Hwii― hwieeee―
‘A whistle?’
A clean, crystalline whistle sounded. Simultaneously, light gradually illuminated the stage, revealing trainees standing with their backs turned, and the cheers grew even louder.
1, 2, 3, 4!
With someone’s count, a synth-pop introduction layered over a New Jack Swing rhythm burst forth cheerfully. At the same moment, the trainee on the far left turned forward, followed by the others in sequence.
“Ahhhhh! Seo Tae-hyun!!!!!!!!”
Colorful hair clips glimmered like jewels atop his coterie-beige baby perm.
Seo Tae-hyun wore a light pink knit layered over a white shirt, black shorts, white socks, and black loafers. Turning around and dropping to one knee in a confessing pose, he extended a bouquet overflowing with pink roses toward the audience with both hands.
“Are you insane, are you insane!”
“So damn beautiful, Seo Tae-hyun!!!!!!!!”
The moment the audience recognized him as Seo Tae-hyun, tremendous cheers erupted. But as each subsequent teammate turned around, those cheers only intensified.
“What are these guys, what’s this combination!”
Park Jae-young, who turned next after Tae-hyun, wore a pink sailor uniform with a red ribbon and held a single red rose between his teeth. His ostentatious pose and affected expression as he tilted his chin looked remarkably confident, like a charming younger man.
Umm, umm―
Similarly dressed in preppy pink and white, Pa-rang and Yuki each wore a blue corsage and yellow flower crown respectively, linking arms while drawing a large heart with their free hands.
Finally, Dan Ha-ru, wearing a beret and pink cardigan, gazed toward the audience and confidently pulled out another bouquet he’d hidden behind his back.
But the bouquet Dan Ha-ru held was filled not with flowers, but with strawberry milk-flavored lollipops.
Everyone gasped in surprise, looking at Ha-ru, and it was impossibly adorable!
“The maknae!!!!!!!”
“Noona loves lollipops, baby!”
Whether groans of delight echoed throughout or not, the trainees stepped in time with the syncopated beat. Moving their formations from a straight line to a W-shape in an instant, they began their choreography to match the introduction. The main melody repeated with that same whistling sound from before.
“Huh? I know this song! This is, uh, that. That one, right! What, what’s the title?”
“Ah! I’m Going to Tell You!”
“This is frustrating, just tell me already!”
“Huh? No, the song title is ‘I’m Going to Tell You’!”
When Mal-lang-gom said the title, Soda immediately recalled what kind of song this was.
And she thought to herself:
“Wow, these guys really committed to being cute.”
It was truly admirable song selection!

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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