Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 110

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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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110. What’s Going to Burst, Bursts (10)
Candy Crush had left the stage, but the heat among the audience showed no signs of cooling.
‘A leash.’
‘A leash?’
‘What’s with the leash?’
Dan Ha-ru had scattered flower petals, and Seo Tae-hyun wore cat ear headbands in that insane performance—I couldn’t fathom how anyone could top that.
A leash? And on Lee Yu-gun of all people?
Not everyone in the audience necessarily favored Yoo Gun, but the sheer visual impact of the phrase “leash” combined with “Lee Yu-gun” triggered an instinctive reaction in everyone present.
“Wait, what kind of concept involves a leash…?”
Soda, too (though she hadn’t seen it yet), clamped her hand over her mouth at the shocking visual assault.
But what truly alarmed her was what Professor Task said next, as she pondered something beside her.
“Hey, listen. Remember how I said I split up the members’ arrival times earlier…?”
“Huh? Yeah, yeah.”
“But now that I think about it, all the kids in that first car were just those Candy Crush team members, right? But, no, I mean, so if that’s the case…. So….”
Professor Task’s words trailed off there. She lacked the confidence to bear the implications of what she was about to say.
But in the minds of Soda and Mal-lang-gom, who were listening, a certain logic was taking shape.
【Lee Yu-gun wore a leash on stage today.】
【Members who rode in the same car on the way to work are on the same team.】
【Lee Yu-gun, Kang Ha-jin, and Lee Do-ha rode in the same car.】
What was the single proposition this logic proved?
“Oh my god. So then Do-ha and Ha-jin too…!?”
“Unnie, my hands are shaking right now.”
“No, wait. They might not be. Let’s calm down first.”
Professor Task barely managed to settle the increasingly frantic Mal-lang-gom and Soda. Though Mal-lang-gom lamented “Oh, then what about our Si-woo…?” it was quickly overshadowed.
“Huh…?”
When stage preparations finished and Seo Tae-il stood alone at center once more, the audience was now burning with a certain sense of purpose (madness).
‘…What’s this?’
Seo Tae-il sensed something unusual, but quickly judged that this fervor wasn’t particularly strange or detrimental to the recording, so he composed himself again. Following the PD’s signal through the intercom from beyond the audience seating, he delivered the next line with the right tone and the right cadence.
“And so, the moment of choice returns once again!”
A cheer erupted—about an octave higher than before. Seo Tae-il looked slightly surprised, his eyes widening like a rabbit’s as he smiled gently. And then, as if he’d finally grasped the situation, he shrugged his shoulders.
“Wow, the leash really has incredible impact, doesn’t it?”
“Ahhhhh!!!”
“The remaining two performances will both be enjoyable enough not to disappoint you. So you’ll all give us fair consideration, right?”
“Yes~!”
“Perfect. Then, let me reveal the next choice right away!”
The second choice appeared to display a different option than the keywords shown initially. New selections lit up on the LED screens flanking Seo Tae-il.
【Blue Flare VS Silver Chain】
“These two keywords are the names of the remaining two teams. So now, please choose which stage you’d like to see next!”
The murmur of the audience grew louder.
Though “Lee Yu-gun’s leash” had certainly created a massive ripple effect, it wasn’t as if they couldn’t see the teams if they didn’t choose now—it was just a matter of deciding whether to watch now or later. Yet the Destiny fans found themselves deliberating quite seriously.
After a moment, everyone had made their selections.
“Excellent. Now, let’s take a look at the second stage that you’ve all chosen!”
‘Who could it be?’
The stage setup continued for a brief moment, and familiar darkness descended.
When the letters 【Silver Chain】 appeared on the LED display above, several people in the audience reacted. It seemed they were thinking of “chain” as synonymous with “leash.”
Drrrrr― Pam, Pam!
Alongside the sweeping drum countdown, brilliant electronic sounds crashed intensely against the ears.
Yeah―!!
With a thrilling high note, the air burst with a sharp pop. Under the bright lighting, the trainees revealed themselves.
However, contrary to the audience’s expectations, Yoo Gun was nowhere among the trainees. Of course, their costumes were far removed from anything resembling a leash.
“Wow, who’s doing the ad-lib?”
“That guy. Him. Gong Seok.”
Gong Seok was a member who hadn’t been prominently featured in episodes one and two. Though he was Team B’s main vocalist, Ha-jin from the same team had monopolized all the attention.
It was from the second mission onward that Gong Seok’s narrative began to stand out on broadcast. However, since episode four—which contained that content—was scheduled to air at nine o’clock tonight, the Destiny fans in attendance had no choice but to be startled by Gong Seok’s sudden high note.
Let’s go! C’mon!
“Gong Seok did well too.”
“This song is pretty upbeat too?”
The second team’s song was a signature track from a male solo artist who had dominated the 1990s. The bright, hopeful melody and lyrics were the key points, and it was still frequently played at sports days and festivals to elevate the atmosphere.
While the original had the strong feel of a musical show number with emphasized brass sounds like trumpets, Silver Chain Team had rearranged it as rock, stimulating a refined sensibility and surging emotion.
‘Not bad.’
True to a team that had chosen a 90s song, the members’ coordination—goggles, padded vests, ski jumpers—matched that era’s style nicely. However….
“…it’s a bit disappointing, right?”
“Yeah. Seok-i’s really struggling.”
At Soda’s assessment, Mal-lang-gom nodded cynically. The song was certainly energetic, but the trainees’ vocal skills didn’t quite capture the raw, scratchy vocal flavor of the original.
The oversized, loose-fitting coordinates were cute, but shouldn’t this kind of song have had a sportier edge? This regret repeated itself. Especially since the previous stage had been perfect in both makeup and the trainees’ attitude, making the difference feel even more pronounced.
For our life! To our life!
‘…? What’s this?’
While thinking such thoughts, Soda kept feeling her eyes meeting with one trainee’s. From the start of the song, he’d been looking in this direction, and it seemed their gazes kept overlapping. Looking again, she realized he wasn’t actually looking at her—he was looking at the person next to her.
‘Ah. Maybe because she’s holding a slogan?’
Looking at the person next to her, who was maintaining eye contact with the trainee the whole time, she seemed quite uncomfortable for someone who’d come to watch. She was wearing a tight black long-sleeved shirt with jeans, a necklace, earrings, and bracelets, and most notably, she was wearing heels.
‘Is she insane, wearing heels to standing-room-only viewing?’
The moment Soda thought this, the woman frowned and made it obvious her legs were uncomfortable. But she didn’t just show it quietly—she made an openly crying expression directed straight at the trainee on stage.
‘…Ah, damn. My instincts are screaming.’
This was either his girlfriend or someone he knew.
Honestly, there was a 99.99999% chance it was his girlfriend, but given what she’d learned from Yoo Gun’s situation last time, she left open the possibility it could be an acquaintance for conscience’s sake.
‘No, I mean. She could be his older sister, or maybe she’s a real fan who’s famous and they’re close… No, Yoon Se-eun, please stop that habit of running happiness circuits.’
But it was too obvious to deny. While another trainee dominated the center part, she watched the problematic trainee slightly shift his movement and give an apologetic eye greeting to the person next to her—presumed girlfriend.
‘Wow…. What’s he thinking, being so bold when there are fans watching him….’
The spot where Soda was standing happened to be a good vantage point for seeing that trainee, but if there had been any fans in the audience who came to see him, they would have noticed something amiss immediately—it was that obvious. It seemed he’d gotten a bit carried away with the excitement and thrill of inviting her to his stage for the first time.
“Hey, Gom-i.”
“Huh?”
“The woman next to me—I think she’s Shin Kyung-ho’s girlfriend.”
“…? For real?”
“They’ve been exchanging looks with each other this whole time.”
The trainee in question was Shin Kyung-ho. He was also the trainee who had participated in the second mission alongside Lee Do-ha back in episode three.
Soda found herself glancing sideways at the seat next to her until the talk segment after the second team’s stage performance ended.
‘Where do all these civilian girlfriends learn their behavioral protocols?’
How did they all act so identically? If they just didn’t make it obvious, the fans would happily keep the secret for them.
With that thought, Soda found herself sympathizing with some nameless fan of Shin Kyung-ho who had probably made the banner that the presumed girlfriend was holding.
* * *
“Wow, that woman actually left.”
“It’s the national rule, what can you do.”
The presumed girlfriend of Shin Kyung-ho had squeezed through the crowded audience seating and left the moment the second team’s turn ended. Shortly after she left, an announcement came down that they would be taking a break, so the three of them were catching their breath in the shade of a tree near the studio.
“Hey, come over here.”
“Why?”
“That’s the smoking area, so people are about to come smoke.”
Professor Task led the two of them to a corner of the parking lot a little distance away. In a moment, the guards would call everyone to gather for filming to resume, so they couldn’t venture too far.
Once they had settled into a spot, Mal-lang-gom grabbed Soda with an excited face and asked.
“Hey, unnie. But are you really sure? My best friend has him as her one-pick.”
“I mean, I only saw it from the side, so I can’t say it’s 100%. But my instincts are telling me something.”
“Then it’s 100%. She’s a sharpshooter when it comes to romance.”
“Why only romance?”
“Because she can’t catch other things like drunk driving, power tripping scandals, and various other illegal activities.”
“Ugh…. Let’s stop talking about that. I’m getting genuinely sad.”
But just as Professor Task said, Soda’s instincts about romance were accurate.
Hadn’t she known about her older brother’s premarital pregnancy and marriage news before the articles even broke?
“Their eyes kept meeting on stage, right? And honestly, who wears heels to a fan meeting?”
“Wow…. But you’re not going to say anything, right?”
“Of course not. He’s not even my one-pick, and he’s not a threat to my rankings, so why would I expose him? Besides, his fans will figure it out soon enough. They’re being way too obvious.”
Since Shin Kyung-ho wasn’t a trainee in any of their top rankings, the topic quickly shifted to ‘celebrity idols and their civilian girlfriends.’ But that wasn’t a topic to discuss in a place full of idol fans, so as they headed back into the studio, all three of them found a common subject they had plenty to talk about.
The most entertaining topic in the world: ‘my kid.’
“So all the remaining ones are on the same team now?”
“Yeah. Si-woo and Do-ha, Yoo Gun, Ha-jin…. Who else is left?”
“Eun-chan and Won-ho. Isn’t this basically like an X-Avengers team?”
“But with Lee Yu-gun’s leash on them…. God, I’m losing it. If Lee Do-ha shows off his abs, what am I supposed to do?”
“What do you mean? You just yell that Lee Do-ha is being unfair doing K-pop and open your eyes wide.”
All the audience members had returned to their seats. Usually, after a break like this, quite a few people would leave, but the number of people seemed relatively unchanged from the beginning. It was probably because all the remaining members were in the top popularity rankings, and there was also the anticipation brought by ‘Lee Yu-gun’s leash.’
“Wow. Ha-jin really has a lot of banners.”
“But they’re all pretty similar, right? Won-ho has quite a few too. I was worried the difference would be too big.”
From the audience seating, the ratio of slogans the spectators were holding showed Ha-jin overwhelmingly in the lead. Next were Si-woo and Eun-chan appearing frequently. Do-ha and Won-ho had their names scattered in between.
Surprisingly, Yoo Gun’s name appeared quite frequently on the signs as well. Though it wasn’t so much that his dedicated fans had come in large numbers, it seemed like everyone had brought their own favorite’s slogan alongside his out of loyalty, given everything that had happened.
After a process similar to before, Seo Tae-il took the stage.
“Those who reach for the sun, soar to greater heights. The third journey to become Miro’s Icarus.”
The silence that fell was incomparably deeper than before. Tae-il opened his mouth with a languid smile, as if he understood perfectly what that silence was yearning for.
“At last, we stand on the eve of my final stage.”
‘Ah. I’m getting dizzy.’
Five minutes until the fan meeting with my favorite!

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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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