Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 149

—————

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

—————

149
. 78%
In truth, I had some grounds for confidence despite my reckless gambit.
‘At least the regression warning didn’t sound, right?’
Back when Lee Yu-gun was involved, sudden missions had popped up well before his departure, triggering alerts about increased regression probability.
But this time, even though considerable time had passed since I made that statement, nothing unusual had occurred—which suggested that perhaps this situation wouldn’t spiral into something threatening enough to undermine my position.
[System Alert: So you were just bluffing, then.]
[System Alert: (ʘ言ʘ╬)]
“….”
Faced with Thirteen’s piercing glare, I silently averted my gaze and played dumb.
But when that insufferable system window kept expanding in that garish cyan color, flaunting an angry emoticon at me, I found myself cornered at the edge of the sofa, forced to ramble out excuses.
“Look, I can’t take back words I’ve already spoken. And it’s not like I can manipulate how fans feel one way or another, so what am I supposed to do? Besides, the fact that the Destiny people are staying quiet suggests this might not be as serious as Round 3, so I was just thinking….”
[System Alert: (ʘ言ʘ╬)]
“So what! What else! What was I supposed to do there! Did I say something I shouldn’t have? I could’ve said something far worse, but I went out of my way to soften it….”
[System Alert: (ʘ言ʘ╬╬)]
“Bottom line, things are working out fine right now, aren’t they? It’s turning in a good direction, so we should be grateful!”
I clung to the sofa armrest like a lifeline, desperately defending myself. Since I was inside the Unconscious Space anyway, shouting like this posed no problems.
Once the identity of the ‘villain’ who had spearheaded the atrocities at the guerrilla concert was exposed, the situation shifted rapidly once more.
With the account already revealed, people showed no hesitation in punishing the ‘villain’.
Another cyberbullying campaign began, this time under the banner of ‘justice’. Though the person who posted the accusation eventually took down the video, people had already screenshotted it and begun identifying and condemning the individuals within.
In the process, innocent bystanders unrelated to the group fell victim to unjust witch hunts.
But that’s kind of funny right now lol
It wasn’t just those five people in that plaza, and you all shouted “failure” together saying it was fun, and now you’re covering it all up on them and pretending you don’t know lol lol lol lol lol hey, you all did the same thing, so where’s this excuse coming from?
– There probably aren’t many real Destiny fans here…? Seems like only people who want to curse are left
The public grew weary of the overheated situation that had crossed the line, and the Destiny members grew exhausted.
If things continued this way, even after debut, the individual fandoms would develop irreparable animosity, and in the worst case, newcomers and casual fans who had grown tired of the toxic initial atmosphere might abandon the fandom entirely.
When that happened, the fandom’s influence would inevitably be halved, and with the all-fans gone, only the toxic regulars would remain, bickering endlessly.
For a newly debuting group, it would be a fatal outcome.
At this critical moment, something to refresh the atmosphere was absolutely essential.
It was precisely then that my statement came back into the spotlight.
【HOT! ‖ Kang Ha-jin’s Statement from Miro Maze Being Re-evaluated.jpg (1,748)】
(Full video of Ha-jin’s remarks)
(Full text of Ha-jin’s remarks)
He was accused of making anti-fan comments for this
But now that the core group who personally cursed and mocked
other trainees at the guerrilla concert
has been revealed to be Ha-jin’s own fans
people are reinterpreting it as Ha-jin warning them
Getting reinterpreted right now lol
But even after he said this
causing trouble for the Loving You Team
and slapping negative descriptors onto Ha-jin lol
– Aren’t we lucky they didn’t resort to curses?
Wow… if my fan had directly heard my slogan being used to insult my friend, I think I would’ve felt absolutely devastated. I can tell he’s holding back and choosing his words carefully even now.
– And even after saying all that, they’re still going at each other’s throats
– I wouldn’t be proud of them either lol
– Honestly, I wish all the obsessive fans attached to Ha-jin would just drop out. There are way too many people here who dig superficially and just run their mouths
└ 222 To those who were whining about Hajin being a bitch this time, please go away~~~~ You guys aren’t really selling Hajin anyway.
After some time passed and I monitored fan reactions again, Ha-jin’s statement had somehow transformed from a “fan squabble” into “a principled statement where he respectfully disciplined thoughtless fans.”
Shifting stances depending on circumstances was something I’d experienced frequently, not just in the idol industry, so it wasn’t particularly problematic.
What concerned me more was which target this endless game of Russian roulette would aim at next. Based on how things were unfolding, it seemed highly likely that my fanbase would be next.
[Real name verification for fandoms is so exhausting]
Not all Kang-preu members are like that—it’s just that those idiots happened to be Kang-preu, but now everyone’s lumping the entire fandom together and cursing them lol
And as I watched all the arrows rain down on my fanbase exactly as I’d predicted, I just wished this entire situation would end somehow.
What frustrated and angered me most was this aspect.
The helplessness of being unable to do anything, unable to change anything about how this was all unfolding.
All I could do was wait for another incident to bury this whole mess, or hope the situation would resolve safely without innocent fans getting seriously hurt.
【HOT! ‖ Kang Ha-jin Fandom Alliance Statement Released (2,001)】
However, my fans proved far more resilient than I’d worried.
“…How did they even think to conduct self-regulation like this?”
The statement released by my fan cafe, fan communities, and even the named users on Bluebird combined was more readable and logically coherent than most entertainment agencies’ official statements.
Was the person who organized and wrote the representative post actually a lawyer?
Anyway, since they resembled their favorite so well with their eloquence, praise poured in from the moment the statement dropped, saying they spoke incredibly well.
The statement was divided into three major components.
First. Apologies written directly by the fans who made the problematic comments.
Second. A detailed position statement regarding the incident.
Third. Fanbase self-regulation movement and voting verification for other trainees.
Simply obtaining direct apologies from the fans themselves could have ended part of the controversy, but my fanbase went further, leading the #BeAProudFan movement and staking their lives on internal fanbase purification.
…Of course, we cannot agree with the speculation that all malice surrounding Miro Maze originated from a specific trainee’s fanbase.
However, there is no doubt that our fanbase was at the center of this incident, and we deeply acknowledge our responsibility for the current situation where the trainee we support felt compelled to make a statement about this matter.
Therefore, the Kang Ha-jin Fandom Alliance will conduct fanbase self-regulation and launch a “Miro Maze Trainee Support Campaign” from today until the finals conclude.
Specific details regarding this have been organized in the table below.
….
We voted for the affected trainees and left verification screenshots,
tracked down accounts making thoughtless comments, reported them, and either had the posts deleted or issued warnings through mentions.
We also found clips of Miro Maze that had been uploaded so far, left supportive comments, liked them, and actively led the charge in uploading encouraging posts for the trainees.
Beyond just Miro Maze content, we also conducted campaigns with the hashtag #I’llBeYourPride, verifying donations and volunteer work.
My existing fanbase had weak core support, wore the mask of “general public appeal,” casually picked up voting interests or drifted without a main bias, and the prevailing atmosphere was just consuming tidbits. The most telling example was the lack of results in paid voting, which was most crucial.
While clip views and community mentions were high, the fatal structural flaw was that relatively few people actually voted for Ha-jin, genuinely supported him, or claimed him as their one-pick.
[Ha-jin’s fanbase is seriously amazing?]
They personally tracked down the problematic accounts, extracted handwritten apologies from them,
and while doing so, issued warnings against excessive criticism directed at those accounts.
Even the voting verification from other trainees could be seen as risky since it connects to Kang Ha-jin’s debut, but I can’t think of a more convincing apology than this.
It actually seems like all the fair-weather fans dropped off this time, and I hope this becomes an opportunity for the fandom to establish a proper atmosphere. I’ve been supporting him even as a fan of other artists because I have a good impression of Kang Ha-jin.
– First of all, the fact that the leader is a lawyer…
└ This is so cool lol
└ All those kids who were mindlessly hurling insults finally shut up, it’s so satisfying. That statement was truly legendary.
– I became interested in Kang Ha-jin after reading that statement. Both the members and fans have principles and conviction—that’s so cool.
– It’s rare for a fandom to move with such unity… it seems like they maintain discipline well while the group is still small.
Yet it was precisely because of this structure that such action became possible—a reflection of the fandom’s duality.
“…Since the number of core fans isn’t that large, it’s actually easier to unite their position. And because he’s well-known to the public, if the intention is righteous, we can gain the agreement of an overwhelming majority.”
Ha-jin sprawled across the sofa once more, lost in contemplation as if experiencing something entirely new.
Once the floodgates opened, other fandoms gradually joined in the self-correction movement initiated by Ha-jin’s fandom. The first to express such intent was none other than Lee Yu-gun’s fandom, who had shuddered more than anyone at such a crisis.
Reason Gun
@2uuu_gunn2
#I’ll be your pride
Sometimes a pen is mightier than a sword,
And formless words
Trample the goodwill of one person
Beneath the malice of many.
We’ve witnessed this for far too long.
May this vicious cycle finally end.
(Donation receipt made in Lee Yu-gun’s name)
Beginning with Lee Yu-gun’s fandom, the flames spread gradually to other fandoms.
Home masters freely released footage they’d recorded of trainees other than their favorites, multiple trainee fan pages united to launch hashtag campaigns and fan community purification efforts. Support cafes and promotional advertisements for the trainees were posted, and alongside PDF collections of malicious commenters, a full-scale fandom crackdown began in earnest.
Miro seized this momentum and, to ensure the positive flow never ceased, provided endless group content including unreleased teasers and behind-the-scenes photos. Four-cut photos taken together by the trainees were released, along with making films showing them celebrating each other’s birthdays and watching one another’s practice sessions.
The time it took for all of this to unfold was three days.
Merely three days.
Kang Ha-jin remained sprawled across the sofa, tracing a smile with those beautiful lips.
“…Man, this is why I became an idol.”
Had I ever seen fans this proud and magnificent?
Ha-jin finally broke into a genuine, unburdened smile.

—————

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

—————