Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 146

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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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146
. Cheongchun Bulpae (5)
By this point, even the members of Loving You standing on stage had begun to sense that the audience here wasn’t particularly welcoming them. And that was a weight of malice far too heavy for boys barely into their teens to bear.
“…Oh dear. Yes, Jayden trainee. You’ve ultimately failed the Destiny mission. That’s truly unfortunate.”
With Shin Kyung-ho and Jayden’s failure in the Destiny mission, not only did acquiring all the items become impossible, but the acquisition of the remaining stage lighting also became uncertain.
Among the Destiny members, sighs of regret escaped as if asking what they could do now. Yoo Gun felt a slight chill at their contradictory reactions, but since he’d already experienced something similar before, his mental state wasn’t shaken too severely.
“Well then, whether you can obtain the stage lighting now depends entirely on the mission results of Lee Yu-gun trainee and Lee Do-ha trainee. If even one of you fails, you won’t obtain the item, so I imagine the pressure must be considerable. Lee Yu-gun trainee, could you share your resolve?”
At the question directed at him, Yoo Gun quickly grabbed the microphone. Then a small scream came from one side. Yoo Gun turned his gaze toward the source of the sound.
Right in front of the stage on the right side, a fan who looked youthful at first glance was covering her mouth while holding a slogan with his face drawn on it. She seemed startled, having screamed without realizing it.
‘…She looks about the same age as my tigers.’
When their eyes met, the fan’s eyes sparkled as she waved the slogan so Yoo Gun could see it. Watching her, Yoo Gun found himself smiling without thinking.
This too was something he’d already experienced before.
The power of purely supporting someone without any conditions.
Ironically, it was that very power that had brought him to this place.
Yoo Gun, holding the microphone, answered while maintaining his smile.
“I’m honestly the worst at rapping among us. So I received a lot of help from my teammates while preparing for this stage, you know? Now it feels like it’s time to repay that kindness.”
When Yoo Gun, famous for giving short answers—or in other words, showing little enthusiasm—displayed an unusually proactive attitude, slogans with his name written on them fluttered from here and there, and cheers erupted.
As if he’d anticipated such a reaction, Yoo Gun nodded and made a gesture urging them to cheer louder.
“Turning crisis into opportunity is also an essential ability for idols, isn’t it? Then, Lee Do-ha trainee, leader of Loving You. If you fail the Destiny mission and don’t obtain the stage lighting, what do you plan to do?”
Choi Yeon-woo, who had been watching Yoo Gun’s reaction with interest, naturally shifted focus to Do-ha. Yoo Gun looked at the leader of Loving You standing beside him.
Although considerable time had elapsed from the team mission until now, Do-ha stood with perfect posture without a single movement, like a tree with roots deeply planted—or rather, like a massive building pillar constructed with meticulous precision.
‘This hyung is kind of… scary.’
I’d felt it since the Special Class, but I couldn’t figure out what he was thinking, which made him frightening.
He was a type of person I’d never encountered before, and thus always an enigmatic human specimen whose reactions I couldn’t predict.
‘At least with Jeong Si-u hyung, I can understand why he acts that way, but this hyung… I really have no idea.’
From what I could tell, even Kang Ha-jin hyung—who seemed to have maxed-out perceptiveness and people-handling skills—appeared somewhat uncomfortable around this guy. Since even he couldn’t handle this type of person, I’d long since given up trying to figure out how to deal with Do-ha.
‘But this hyung really prepared hard this time. If I can’t even get the stage lighting, won’t I get absolutely roasted?’
Since the start of Miro Maze, Yoo Gun and Do-ha had been on the same team without fail every single time.
Though Do-ha was uncomfortable for me, separately from that, I knew better than anyone how sincere he was about the stage.
What would he say, after all?
Yoo Gun looked at Do-ha with a hint of curiosity. Do-ha answered without even seeming to notice Yoo Gun’s gaze, not sparing him a single glance.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It doesn’t matter? You mean it doesn’t matter if you don’t get the stage lighting?”
“Yes, I think it doesn’t matter.”
Lee Do-ha, just as he’d once thrown a curveball at Yoo Gun with “I understand your situation, so what are you going to do about it?”—leaving him flustered—this time caught Choi Yeon-woo off guard with an unexpected answer.
Do-ha steadfastly nodded even at Yeon-woo’s follow-up question, adding matter-of-factly.
“Because the most important thing in our performance is us, after all.”
It was an answer that came with the expression: ‘We do the rapping, not the lighting.’
At that audacious answer, Park Woong, Endway’s main rapper in the audience seating below the stage, clapped loudly and bellowed “This is hip-hop!” Even producing a slight screech, he shouted with genuine pride, and laughter erupted among the Destiny members around him.
“If Yoo Gun repays the kindness with stage lighting, I won’t refuse it, but I believe it’s enough if you simply pour out 100% of what you’ve prepared on that stage.”
Me? Why are you suddenly bringing me up?
Yoo Gun stared at Do-ha again, startled by the unexpected mention. Do-ha shifted his gaze slightly, meeting Yoo Gun’s eyes before turning back to face forward. Then, in a tone so calm it was as if he were discussing what to have for dinner that evening, he spoke.
“We’ve all prepared very diligently, and we’re confident. About this stage.”
Though Lee Do-ha still felt difficult and uncomfortable to Yoo Gun, the moment those words left his lips, Yoo Gun could instinctively sense it.
That was a threat.
It was Do-ha’s way of saying: forget about winning the stage lighting—just pour out 200% of everything you’ve prepared on that stage, no matter what.
If it had been Kang Ha-jin, those words would have been meant to boost the team’s morale,
and if it had been Seo Tae-hyun, they would have been added to appeal his confidence in his teammates to the broadcast,
and if it had been Jeong Si-u, he would have chosen the safest answer that couldn’t be criticized.
But the one speaking was Lee Do-ha.
“So, even if we don’t win the stage lighting, I don’t mind at all.”
That would be 100% sincere, with no hidden agenda whatsoever.
‘Damn, that’s so cool.’
Yoo Gun marveled silently to himself, biting the inside of his cheek with his molars to keep it from showing on his face.
Whether Do-ha’s words had loosened the shoulders that had been hunched in intimidation, Jayden and Shin Kyung-ho’s expressions had noticeably improved compared to before.
“Such overflowing confidence—truly wonderful to see. Then, let me now reveal the Destiny mission that you two must challenge!”
At last, the dice of fate had been cast.
* * *
A few hours later.
After the guerrilla concert ended, the Miro Maze trainees went through several additional shoots and schedules before finally arriving at the Dormitory just past dawn.
The moment they arrived, Kang Ha-jin finished cleansing and showering, changed into comfortable pajamas, and lacking the energy to walk to his room, collapsed onto the Lounge sofa with a towel draped around his neck.
“Wow, I feel like I’m dying.”
I could feel in my body how tense I’d been from morning until evening. I hadn’t noticed it before, but now that I was lying down at the Dormitory, my body ached all over. During my PD days, I’d end up sprawled out like this after recording days or after screening edited versions.
‘If I’m not careful, I might catch a cold.’
As I closed my eyes, wondering if I should order some ginseng soup, something cold suddenly plopped onto my face.
“Ugh! What the—!”
“Stay still. It’s expensive.”
Startled, I tried to remove the mysterious object, but someone smacked the back of my hand. Unable to open my eyes properly because of the cold object, I recognized from the voice and presence that it was Seo Tae-hyun. And the moment I realized it was him, I could roughly guess what ‘this’ on my face was.
“Why are you lying here dying instead of going to your room? The sofa’s cold. If you’re going to sleep, go to your room. You’ll catch a cold.”
“Our grandson… is worried about Grandpa?”
“Grandfather, if you want to live long, you shouldn’t lie around like this. Your mouth’s getting crooked.”
Tae-hyun naturally played along with my joke while slowly spreading the cold object he’d thrown on my face across it gently.
It was a sheet mask—slightly slippery yet refreshingly adhering to my face. Tae-hyun always took care of his skin with these masks on recording days when he had to be under hot lights for long periods, or on outdoor shooting days when he was frequently exposed to sunlight.
“How much better does Grandpa’s skin need to get for you to be donating sheet masks like this….”
While playing dumb, I relaxed my body and closed my eyes, enjoying the cool, supple sensation spreading across my face. Tae-hyun let out a scoff as if exasperated by my reaction, then scraped up the last of the remaining essence and dripped it onto my face.
Only after finishing with the sheet mask did I open my eyes slightly. I could see Tae-hyun, with an identical mask applied just like mine, leaning his back against the sofa and sitting on the floor.
“Why are you sitting on the floor? Come up on the sofa.”
“No. Your head’s heavy.”
“Ouch, that hurts… I won’t step on your legs. Come sit up here.”
“It’s cramped there. You’re too tall.”
At those words, Kang Ha-jin opened his eyes again and peeked his head up, glancing above and below the sofa where I was lying. At 182 centimeters, lying on a three-person sofa that was only about two meters long, there wasn’t quite enough space for Tae-hyun to sit comfortably. Ha-jin acknowledged Tae-hyun’s comment about the cramped seating, then closed his eyes again and pressed his head back against the sofa.
Whether they were heading off to shower or had other business to attend to, the sounds of trainees passing through the Lounge felt like pleasant white noise. Ha-jin, breathing steadily as if he might fall asleep at any moment, opened his mouth in a drowsy voice once the trainees had passed through the Lounge and silence returned.
“Grandson.”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
“If you have something to say, say it quickly. Grandpa’s about to fall asleep like this.”
Tae-hyun had often stopped by Ha-jin and Eun-chan’s room before to hand out skincare products or face masks like this. But usually, after taking care of his business, he’d head straight back to his room. When they’d ask him to stay and chat for a bit, he’d quickly sit down and bring up topics for conversation.
The fact that this Tae-hyun had carefully applied the face mask to me himself and, instead of returning to his room, was now sitting quietly beside me meant there was definitely something he wanted to say.
Tae-hyun took longer than most people to voice what was on his mind, and it always took time. Perhaps it was because he’d been involved in the entertainment industry in various ways since childhood, and his official broadcast debut had been through a Survival Program.
After all, this industry was a place where a single word could easily change someone’s entire life.
Tae-hyun fell silent for a bit longer even at Ha-jin’s words. Ha-won, his younger brother by one year, similarly took quite a long time organizing his thoughts in his head before saying something, and then organized them again before speaking. When they were younger, Ha-jin had found it frustrating and would press him to speak faster, but now Ha-jin understood well that he needed to wait for that moment.
Ha-jin suppressed the drowsiness threatening to overtake him and waited for Tae-hyun to speak. And soon, Tae-hyun carefully asked Ha-jin.
“Hyung.”
“Yeah.”
“You know earlier? Your stage and what you said at the end about your feelings.”
“Yeah.”
“…Aren’t you scared? Saying things like that, just… putting it out there….”
Ha-jin, who had vaguely anticipated this topic would come up, made a small, contemplative sound. How should he put this? After pausing to choose his words, Ha-jin answered.
“No, I’m terrified.”
….
Looking at how hyung is just lying here without even turning on Bluebird, you wouldn’t know it.
At Ha-jin’s candid remark, Tae-hyun lost his words in a slightly different sense than before.

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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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