Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 157

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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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157. The Finals (1)
“Unnie! Over here!”
At a stadium in Seoul where the Miro Maze live broadcast finals were being held.
Professor Task, who had gotten off at the train station and was walking while surveying the surroundings, turned toward the voice calling out to her. She spotted Mal-lang-gom waving from a pavilion beneath the cool shade of trees, so she adjusted the bag slung over her shoulder and made her way over.
“Wow, there are so many people today.”
“Right? If my dad hadn’t driven me, I seriously wouldn’t have made it.”
Today the two of them had planned to watch the finals together. Soda, who was part of their group, had also successfully applied for audience seating, but it seemed she would be watching separately with her older sister, who was a Ha-jin fan. Instead, once the finals ended today, all four of them had planned to gather at a nearby hotel they’d reserved in advance for an after-party.
“Do we still have some time before we’re let in?”
“Yeah. Unnie, are you getting anything from the giveaways? I already did my first round.”
“Not giveaways exactly, just planning to meet a few friends from Bluebird.”
“Oh really? Then should we go to a nearby cafe or something? It’s actually not that hot, so I don’t mind staying here either.”
“We don’t have much time before entry anyway. Let’s just stay here. Hold on a sec.”
Professor Task set down her luggage beside Mal-lang-gom and pulled out her phone.
When she opened the Bluebird app, her timeline was already filled with posts from her Bluebird friends—arrival verification posts, giveaway confirmations, and more scattered throughout.
After Professor Task took a photo of one side of the pavilion where she was waiting and posted that she’d be here, a DM soon arrived from someone.
“Kang Ha-di is arriving now.”
“What? That Kang Ha-di? Unnie, you’re mutuals with her?”
“Yeah. It just happened that way somehow.”
“No way. So we can actually see Kang Ha-di right now? Oh my gosh, that’s insane.”
When Professor Task mentioned that she was mutuals with Kang Ha-di, who was famous as a named Ha-jin fan, Mal-lang-gom grew even more excited and thrilled. Professor Task simply found her cute and waited for Kang Ha-di, whom she’d also genuinely liked, to arrive.
Shortly after, a woman who looked mature in a sophisticated suit setup with luxurious waves in her hair approached them alongside another woman with striking bleached hair and hip clothing that revealed her tall, slender frame.
“Excuse me… are you perhaps Sunset?”
At the mention of her fan account nickname, Professor Task stood up and nodded. Then she asked hesitantly with a questioning look.
“Oh, yes, that’s me. Could you be… Kang Ha-di?”
“Yes, hello. I’m really happy to meet you.”
The woman in the suit greeted her warmly while brushing back her hair. She then introduced the casually dressed woman beside her.
“This is Kang Dae-jang. She loves your photos so much that I brought her along to introduce you.”
“Hello, Sunset. I reopened my account after seeing your Ha-jin photo from round three.”
“Oh wow. Dae-jang! I really loved your work. Nice to meet you.”
Professor Task greeted them with a surprised expression, having unexpectedly met two named Kang-preu fans at once. In fact, the new home she’d created called “Sunset University” had gained quite a few followers after Kang Dae-jang had retweeted her photos and expressed her enthusiasm in quoted posts.
“Sunset, you really need to make that photo into merchandise. When you said you didn’t have plans, I was so disappointed because I’d been saving up money for it.”
“I actually wanted to, but various circumstances came up this time and I couldn’t manage it. Instead, I brought some mini photocard sets to give to Bluebird friends I meet. Please take these.”
“Oh, we prepared something too. Just a moment.”
A warm exchange of gifts followed. Sensing that the three of them would be talking for a while, Mal-lang-gom tactfully excused herself to visit the convenience store. The three ended up settling into the pavilion and starting their fan talk. Naturally, the topic was Ha-jin.
“Honestly, I wasn’t even satisfied with him placing seventh this time. But I thought there was potential. A lot of event votes were concentrated on other contestants this round.”
“Right, if you just look at Ha-jin’s vote count, his share actually increased compared to before. And in the finals, public votes can’t be ignored, so I think Ha-jin can debut. What matters is what rank he gets.”
“You think so? I really hope Ha-jin debuts. His rankings have been so low each time. Even when he placed seventh last time, he was so happy about it, but somehow that made me feel… really sad?”
Though they hadn’t talked for that long, time seemed to flow smoothly as they chatted. Before they knew it, the three had settled on calling each other “unnie” and “Sunset,” becoming as close as if they’d made a sworn oath of sisterhood.
Only after Mal-lang-gom returned from the convenience store with bottled water, snacks, and batteries, and even completed a second round of giveaways, did the three’s conversation finally seem to be winding down.
“This won’t do. We absolutely have to make Ha-jin debut today, and then let’s do another meetup next time.”
“Alright, alright. Sunset owes me a meal.”
Is this what they call ‘the composure of a working professional’?
Kang Dae-jang and Kang Ha-di laughed, exchanged farewells with Professor Task, and departed coolly. Though Professor Task usually played the role of leader when with Mal-lang-gom and Soda, being treated as the youngest didn’t sit poorly with him. He verified that the two phone numbers he’d saved earlier were stored correctly, then gathered his belongings.
“Did the conversation go well? You two looked like you were having so much fun—I didn’t want to intrude.”
“Yeah. There’s definitely something special about talking with fellow Kang-preu members.”
“I suppose genuine Kang-preu members share a certain camaraderie with each other. Should we head in now?”
“Yeah, let’s go. It’s about time. Has Soda arrived?”
“Not yet. I contacted her earlier, and she said she’d arrive right on time because of work at her company. Let’s go ahead and wait for her. She brought her camera today too, right?”
“Of course. I’ll take some shots of Si-woo and Do-ha for you.”
“Thanks so much. Oh my, I’m so nervous!”
The two picked up their bags and made their way toward the entrance of the Concert Hall.
The afternoon sun in Seoul was gradually cooling its heat.
Yet the fervor in this place burned hotter than ever before.
At last, it was the Finals.
* * *
The opening remarks of the Miro Maze Finals—the momentous first words—were, naturally, these:
“Those who reach for the sun, soar to greater heights. A journey to become Miro’s Icarus!”
Though he’d heard this line tediously for three months, today it carried a different weight.
Gazing at the brilliant lighting, the massive LED screens, and the sculptural installations, Professor Task finally realized that today was the last day of Miro Maze.
“Today, at last, the group that will become Miro’s future is born.”
An explanation of the final scoring method, judging criteria, and judges followed.
Today’s judging panel included Han Se-won, Miro’s representative, along with Miro’s artist development team led by Ji Su-ho, guest judge Sarin, and senior label mate Park Woong, among various others.
“So, who are the seven boys who will become Miro’s tomorrow? The long three-month journey finally comes to an end. Destiny, we ask that you continue to watch over their challenge until the very last moment.”
As Seo Tae-il’s remarks concluded, a brief VCR began playing.
A highlight reel documenting everything from the first episode to now. Despite being only three months ago, it felt fresh and innocent. The title track of Miro Maze, “Daylight,” was arranged for piano and played softly as the BGM. Though it was a survival show cliché, Professor Task found himself moved by its emotional resonance, tensing his eyes to hold back tears as he watched the VCR in silence.
“Oh no, I think I’m going to cry.”
“These kids really lived so hard….”
Glancing to the side, Professor Task saw Mal-lang-gom already half in tears, so he pulled tissues from his bag and handed them over, sniffling himself. Meanwhile, the VCR ended with an emotional message.
♩♬♬― ♩♩♪♬,
The melody that had just played as a piano line was now replayed with the familiar sound of a guitar.
At that familiar intro that everyone here knew, screams of excitement erupted from all directions.
As the intro of the song they’d heard so tediously it haunted their dreams continued, a circular lift stage rose slowly in the center. When blue lighting filled the darkened Concert Hall, ten boys in navy uniforms were already standing on that stage.
Apparently arranged by height based on the rankings from the second evaluation ceremony, Jeong Si-u stood at center with his hair neatly swept back. His facial features were so harmoniously arranged without a single flaw that they seemed to radiate an almost sacred beauty.
“The uniforms are insane!?”
“Sister, Si-woo…. Si-woo is so handsome…. What do I do….”
As Mal-lang-gom, a devoted Si-woo fan, practically gasped for breath, Si-woo slowly lifted his gaze and made eye contact with the center camera. Like drawing a precise semicircle with a compass, his lips curved into a steady, uniform arc.
Tilting his head slightly, Jeong Si-u sang.
Hello, it’s me.
With the first verse delivered with genuine warmth and a subtle smile, the Concert Hall erupted in cheers once more.
From that opening verse, the formation shifted rapidly and the choreography began.
For such a long time, we
looked in different directions
Jeong Si-u sang while performing the pair choreography with his partner Seo Tae-hyun.
The original choreography was structured for nine people in an odd formation, but since the final number of participants was ten, the production team approved changes to the choreography composition.
They decided to reuse the even formation of Team B that Ha-jin had created during the first round.
Beginning this long journey, right now
The One and Only I desired
I’ll run toward the dream of you, so radiant
Never stopping, only this voyage that is you
Finally setting down the rap position, Eun-chan handled the sub-vocal part alongside Jae-young. While Jae-young still looked youthful even in the uniform, Eun-chan wore it as if it were tailored for him, the fabric clinging perfectly to his frame.
The belt emphasizing his waistline, the shoulder boards draped across his shoulders, and the buttons fastened all the way to his neck didn’t make him look constricted—instead, they accentuated his long, toned physique.
Moonlight filling the sky
Pouring Starry Night
When all that journey ends
Finally, we’ll meet our Highlight
Tae-hyun, with his beautiful and distinctive vocal tone that made people instinctively rewind and listen again whenever they heard his voice while casually listening to music, stepped forward as the center.
Silver chains and brooches sparkled under the stage lights. Tae-hyun’s striking features and expressive acting reflected on the massive screen were more than enough to captivate the audience.
“Oh, this is insane. This is absolutely insane.”
Mal-lang-gom exclaimed with an overwhelmed voice, but everyone in the venue felt the same way, so no one bothered to point it out.
Next, Lee Do-ha, wearing a military cap and a blue sash draped from one broad shoulder down to his firm hip, and Lee Yu-gun, with two wide leather straps crossed over his chest like a belt, exchanged rap verses in their respective tones.
The voices of these two similar yet different people created an unexpected harmony, filling the concert hall with resonant sound.
Now the song moved into the first chorus. The formation shifted once more, and someone from the back adjusted their earpiece microphone and strode forward with confident steps.
“Wow….”
The moment that ‘someone’ appeared properly on the massive screen, Professor Task lowered the camera in his hands and stared blankly at the sight.
Another sun rises, shining on you and me
Above the sharp eyes that had captivated her from the moment the first profile photo appeared, deep burgundy eye makeup.
A refreshing and sweet vocal tone that never grew tiresome no matter how many hundreds of times it was streamed.
A vocal power that filled the entire concert hall, a long uniform coat that showcased his 182cm height, black leather gloves that highlighted his long, beautiful fingers.
“Unnie, Ha-jin, Ha-jin’s hair…!”
….
The moment Professor Task saw Kang Ha-jin singing with a confident smile, his hair glowing red like the sun, his expression more overflowing with emotion than anyone else’s, he sensed he would never forget this moment for the rest of his life.
Let’s hold hands so we don’t lose our way
I’ll go with you so night doesn’t come
Ha-jin’s hand extended toward the camera shone more brilliantly than anyone or anything else.
A radiant sun that would be remembered forever.

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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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