Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 126

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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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126. My Best
More teams appear on music broadcasts than one might expect.
After all, they need to fill over an hour of airtime by collecting mere four-minute performances.
So occasionally, even stagnant veterans find unknowns opening the show with a “Who are they?” moment,
and when high-profile teams flood the schedule, the amusing “Aren’t they already on?” incident occurs.
Because of this, recently the dedicated viewers who watch music broadcasts from beginning to end have largely disappeared.
Why?
It’s simply too boring!
“The clips go up on AiTube anyway, so I’ll just watch those… or tune in briefly when our kids perform and call it a day.”
And there were those who had to endure that tedium through love alone.
The fandoms of the performing artists who participated in the live audience.
They’d already seen their idols’ stages through pre-recorded tapings, screamed themselves hoarse with cheering chants until their voices gave out. Exhausted from arriving before dawn, desperate to go home, yet they held their ground until the very end—driven solely by the desire to see their beloved ones’ faces just once more.
Kang Ha-jin’s target today was precisely them.
Bye, Oh Bye!
Bye, Oh Good Bye!
Yes, our ending that barely arrived
Dan Ha-ru’s crystalline high notes rang out purely through the studio.
While the broadcast aired pre-recorded footage, Sad Ending Team executed everything flawlessly from start to finish.
The costume change transitioning from verse one to verse two,
the intense dance break,
not a single chorus, ad-lib, or ad-lib was wasted.
At the end of all that special day, we,
at the end of all this time already passed, we,
sang in a vocal range we could deliver while standing still, but Ha-jin deliberately bent slightly forward to add action. It needed to look more “real” that way.
Like this, we,
truly like this we’re parting ways
the end of our love
After Ha-jin’s signature “emotion” exploded outward, Tae-hyun’s smooth and fluid dance lines recaptured the audience’s gaze.
Bye, Oh Bye!
Bye, Oh Good Bye!
Completely loose now, Seo Tae-hyun brought his fingertips to his lips with a tender expression—a motion slightly different from the original choreography of kissing the tie’s end.
Yes, our ending that barely arrived
As if sending a greeting, Tae-hyun blew a brief kiss toward the audience seating, then smiled brightly and waved his hand gently at the camera. It was the ending Ha-jin had proposed just before taking the stage.
-Who knows if there’s another person like me among those who came today?
-Another person like you, hyung?
-Someone who picked me during Boy’s Supremacy.
Hello? I’m happy to see you again.
With that sentiment, Tae-hyun smiled softly. Watching him, Ha-jin also smiled secretly, as if impressed.
Hmm― hmmm―
The song ended with Ha-ru’s humming.
While Ha-ru’s pre-recorded closing scene played, the Sad Ending Team quickly rose and aligned themselves into formation. Then, following Kang Ha-jin’s cue, they called out in unison.
“Thank you! This was Miro Maze!”
The audience members in the seating area felt as though they were awakening from a dream.
Oh, right. This is pre-recorded, isn’t it?
These guys aren’t going live on air, are they?
Watching the boys rush down from the stage, someone found themselves thinking.
‘…Now I understand why they’re so popular lately.’
What was that guy’s name again? He looked pretty decent.
They certainly sing well. Idols definitely need to have real talent first.
The ripple of that fleeting thought refused to settle, spreading wider and deeper with each passing moment.
“Alright, the next team will be taking the stage~”
The following team, who had likewise been pre-recording, ascended to the stage.
While their fans cheered enthusiastically and waved their light sticks, the intense performance of Miro Maze from moments before lingered persistently in a corner of their hearts.
‘Since there’s nothing to watch on the way home anyway, should I check out their survival content?’
And everyone present knew that this was merely the beginning.
* * *
[System Alert: The world of idols is quite merciless, isn’t it.]
[System Alert: The system is pushing up its glasses with great interest….]
‘What’s with the sudden commentary?’
On the way back to the waiting room after successfully completing the stage.
I regarded Thirteen with an exasperated expression as he appeared wearing glasses that didn’t suit him at all.
[System Alert: The hearts of fans are truly like reeds, aren’t they.]
[System Alert: They support one team today, grow interested in another tomorrow, and the day after that they’re cursing the very team they adored yesterday….]
Having experienced various incidents alongside me, Thirteen seemed to have gained some profound insights of his own.
I silently observed as Thirteen rambled on with his thoughts.
[System Alert: What exactly is a ‘fan’?]
[System Alert: An existence capable of boundless affection, yet simultaneously boundless indifference.]
[System Alert: Humans truly are multidimensional beings, it seems.]
‘Why the sudden philosophical musings?’
[System Alert: I was curious, so I listened to what the audience members were saying.]
He’d been quiet until now, so it seemed he’d taken a little trip through the audience seating. In any case, I was curious about people’s reactions, so I prompted him eagerly.
‘And?’
[System Alert: They shared quite diverse opinions.]
[System Alert: What was peculiar was that some people were criticizing the idols they support.]
[System Alert: Well… they were saying things like our kids are already getting complacent and phoning it in….]
At Thirteen’s words, I picked up my water bottle and fell into contemplation.
‘I suppose. As you said, humans are multidimensional beings.’
The hearts of fans.
Who could possibly define such a thing?
Some offer harsh truths rooted in deep affection, while others hurl insults over trivial matters.
Even affection-born discipline could transform into mere violence the moment it crossed a line,
and those who had driven forward most fiercely sometimes became the thickest, most unshakeable shield for others.
‘The important thing is, no one understands our best effort like our fans do.’
So if the B-liver members came to their senses right now and gave their all on today’s stage, the fandom exodus I anticipated might not happen after all.
Conversely, those who had taken interest in Miro Maze because of today’s performance would be ready to turn away at any moment if the trainees’ subsequent efforts fell short of their expectations.
‘So what choice do I have? I just… have to do my absolute best.’
And today.
My best was far from over.
“Everyone, you’ve all memorized the lyrics, right?”
“We’re still memorizing them!”
“I’ve been listening to this constantly lately, so I already know it all!”
“Yeah, yeah. Let’s give it everything we’ve got today and head home. Once we get back, that brutal survival program is waiting for us again.”
“Ugh, seriously….”
“I was just trying to forget about it….”
After gently consoling the dejected Ha-ru, Jae-young, and even Jayden, I turned my head to look at Yoo Gun and Tae-hyun sitting on the sofa.
“Yoo Gun, are you some kind of cutting machine or something?”
“You try helping younger siblings with their performance evaluations for years. Then we’ll see if your cutting is fast or slow.”
“…that’s cheating.”
“…? What’s wrong?”
Whether Tae-hyun was choked up by Yoo Gun’s sudden personal attack or not, I approached the two of them and asked, looking at the scissors and paper in Yoo Gun’s hands.
“Can you help me a bit too?”
“No way. You’re terrible at cutting, hyung.”
“Not *that* terrible.”
“You’re seriously, incredibly, absolutely awful at it.”
“….”
“Take Tae-hyun and go paste these together.”
Yoo Gun pointed to the neatly cut letter stickers. I had already picked up scissors once before, only to have Yoo Gun redo the cutting twice because of my incompetence.
Fully aware of my pathetic craft skills, I silently crouched down on the floor next to Tae-hyun.
“You guys, you really don’t have to go this far.”
Seo Tae-il watched the scene unfold, his expression caught between wanting to laugh and wanting to stop them. But the trainees, already absorbed in their own world, heard nothing.
Instead of stopping them, Seo Tae-il picked up his phone and captured the moment in a photograph. Then he sent it directly to Tae-il, who was filming overseas.
【Tae-il. The kids are saying they’ll celebrate if you guys get first place. What do we do? You guys really have to get first today.】
Soon after, Tae-il’s reply arrived.
Tae-il ‖ lololololololol ah, so cute
【Tae-il ‖ Of course we’re getting first, hyung】
【Tae-il ‖ Don’t you trust our Idea?】
“…honestly, whether it’s this guy or that guy.”
How did Miro end up gathering only these kinds of people?
This relentless idol fate.
With that thought, Seo Tae-il put his phone away again to search for a restaurant where he could take the kids for dinner after filming.
* * *
“Who will be the champion of the trophy in the fourth week of May?”
“Today’s final results, please reveal them!”
At last, the moment to announce the top candidate had arrived.
All of today’s performers gathered on stage, with B-liver and the Sad Ending Team standing on either side of the MC.
A broadcast screen comparing each group’s scores appeared. On one side was B-liver’s image currently on stage, and on the other was Upia’s “I’ll be there” music video.
‘There’s no need to plaster our faces on screen before we even win first place.’
As the MC delivered his opening remarks, the evaluation scores were revealed one by one.
“First, we’re revealing the digital sales score.”
“Next is the physical album score.”
The spinning numbers made my palms sweat considerably.
Upia’s digital score was overwhelmingly high, but B-liver had the advantage in physical albums, so it seemed we’d need to watch until the very end.
“Hyung, who do you think will win first place?”
Ha-ru beside me covered his mouth with his hand and asked quietly. I, who had been calmly watching the scores, paused to think for a moment.
“Hmm… I’m not sure.”
Before long, the pre-voting scores and broadcast scores were also revealed. Surprisingly, Upia’s broadcast score was quite high, likely due to the influence of Seo Tae-il, the MC of Miro Maze, and Chung Han-sol, who had appeared from episode three onward.
I, likewise covering my mouth with my hand, whispered to Ha-ru.
“Maybe it’ll be the Upia seniors?”
Finally, the final score combining real-time voting was revealed.
“Yes, Upia! Congratulations!”
“This trophy will be presented on behalf of the Sad Ending Team from Miro Maze who are here with us today.”
“Gasp!”
At the perfectly timed announcement of first place, Ha-ru covered his mouth with both hands in surprise. I applauded loudly with a delighted expression, as if I had anticipated it.
The MC handed the trophy and microphone to Seo Tae-hyun, whom we had deliberately positioned at the very center. The expressions on those B-liver seniors’ faces watching from the opposite side were worth seeing.
‘Would Seo Tae-hyun’s fans really have stayed quiet today?’
This was a fandom that harbored resentment over not debuting him in Boy Heaven.
There was no way they would simply let Tae-hyun clap quietly from the back during a music broadcast stage like this and leave empty-handed.
Moreover, with the challenge against B-liver reigniting subtle competition once more, this was no longer just a B-liver versus Upia battle—it had become a B-liver versus Miro Maze fight.
‘Perhaps some Destiny fans voted for Upia in case we could receive the award as a proxy.’
There was no way B-liver’s fandom, whose firepower from Boy Heaven was nearly exhausted, could overcome the now-ignited Upia and Destiny, the greatest force in recent releases.
If we had lost the top candidate spot to Shin Tae-pal due to neglecting pre-voting, that would be one thing, but once we were nominated, first place was already a foregone conclusion.
I quickly averted my gaze from those B-liver guys who couldn’t even manage their expressions properly, and grabbed the microphone that had come to me.
At the same time, the other trainees also unfolded the papers they had carefully hidden on the ground since earlier.
【The love between Upia and Idea… perhaps it will last forever☆】
【Celebrating Upia’s 13th anniversary fan song #1】
【We respect you, seniors, we love you, teachers】
【I’ll be there…I…DEA…♥】
These were the banners that Yoo Gun had been cutting ever since the challenge, and Tae-hyun and I had been gluing together until our hands were raw.
With that insane glow-in-the-dark banner as the backdrop, I opened my mouth.
“Yes, hello. I’m Kang Ha-jin, appearing on Miro Maze. I’m truly honored to be able to celebrate Upia’s first-place win like this today, and I’m deeply moved.”
My speech skills—which no one would ever believe came from a trainee—shone brilliantly.
I maintained eye contact with the camera without a hint of nervousness, flowing seamlessly into my next words.
“Since we’re short on time, I’ll read this quickly for you. I was asked to do this.”
With that, I pulled out the phone I’d prepared before taking the stage, and in that warm voice of mine, I began reading something aloud.
“For thirteen years, you’ve remained unchanged in creating our utopia—Idea. Hello? You’ve done it again, gifting us with another miracle.”
It was a fresh message from Seo Tae-il, delivered across a staggering thirteen-hour time difference!

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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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