Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 158

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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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158. Finals (2)
The song was rapidly approaching its climax.
Before the shock of Ha-jin’s crimson hair could even fade, Dan Ha-ru with his bleached blonde locks, Jayden with his short sports cut and eye patch covering one eye, and Kim Won-ho draped in a cape over his crisp uniform delivered their parts in succession.
The synchronized blade-like choreography that moved as one cohesive group, combined with uniforms that harmonized beautifully while showcasing each member’s individuality, created a breathtaking spectacle. Even Lee Do-ha, who’d been teased as clumsy during the Miro Maze, executed the choreography flawlessly—a testament to how much they’d practiced.
Daylight, down that path
With Jeong Si-u’s voice, the dance break section began.
In the finals preparation broadcast that aired after the joint evaluation in episode nine, a preliminary audition had been held to select the center for this dance break. To heighten anticipation for the finals, the previous broadcast hadn’t revealed who was chosen—but now that result was about to be unveiled.
“Ah, Kang Ha-jin!!!!!”
Professor Task had completely lowered the camera and was waving a fan with Ha-jin’s name inscribed on it while screaming. Ha-jin had swept through the split stage curtains, his coat tails billowing, to claim center position once again.
It was thrilling enough that he’d been confidently selected as center, surpassing the formidable dancers in the lineup, but Ha-jin even threw a subtle wink toward the camera capturing him!
“Look at him showing off, he’s insane!”
“No, aaah!”
Professor Task was beginning to lose all composure.
Unable to articulate any coherent praise, the only sounds escaping were screams and “he’s insane.” Even after barely maintaining sanity and picking the camera back up, the stage was in the midst of the dance break with Ha-jin leading the charge.
‘…Huh?’
With the mindset that “failing to capture high-definition footage of Kang Ha-jin in uniform with red hair is a crime,” Professor Task kept trembling hands steady and focused on Ha-jin beyond the viewfinder, then noticed something and lowered the camera.
Upon entering the gallery to check the photo just taken, the source of that sense of discord became immediately apparent.
‘Ah, the glove….’
Zooming in on the photo, one of Ha-jin’s gloves was slightly slipped off, barely clinging to his wrist bone. If he pulled it off too much, it fit his fingers too snugly to come off easily, but leaving it as was meant worrying about when it might fly off.
Having discovered the reason for the subtle furrowing of brows while dancing, Professor Task picked up the camera again with a worried expression. Since the dance break was nearly finished, it seemed like he could manage things once the center part passed…
“Wow.”
…or so he thought, when Ha-jin scrunched his face and raised his hand, biting the edge of the glove with his mouth and pulling it back on.
“…That guy really is insane.”
The leather glove settled securely back over Ha-jin’s long fingers that fans adored. The perfect finishing touch was the satisfied smile after confirming the glove was properly fitted.
Professor Task hurriedly lowered the camera to check the gallery. In the process, he was proud of himself for instinctively pressing the shutter and rapid-firing shots. The gallery contained perfectly framed sequential shots from Ha-jin furrowing his brow and biting the glove to smiling with satisfaction.
“This, this, this is a preview, I need to upload a preview.”
Geez, my hands are shaking so much my words are coming out jumbled.
Professor Task pulled out his phone with trembling hands to upload the preview.
‘Ha-jin. Wait, I’ll make sure your star rises brilliantly.’
The miracle of finals.
I’m going to create that myself.
With that firm resolve, Professor Task’s fingers danced busily across the phone screen.
* * *
“Next, Team A’s new song, moving right away!”
“Team B! Team B, get dressed quickly! Hurry!”
The backstage during the live broadcast was nothing short of pandemonium.
The moment I finished the 【Daylight】 stage and came down, the trainees quickly changed costumes and touched up their makeup for the next performance.
I too obediently offered my face to the makeup staff who were reapplying foundation that had smudged from sweat and touching up my lip color, while buttoning up my shirt for the next stage.
“Fifteen minutes until the VCR!”
Of course, in preparation for such situations, the broadcasting station always had ample VCR footage ready for the next stage transition. By now, the VCR filmed by Team A’s new song should be playing. While not as tight a schedule as a concert, moving quickly meant we could still nail one more move.
“Ha-jin, you’re all set.”
“Yes, thank you.”
After a brief bow of gratitude, I steadied my breathing and made my way toward the restroom near the waiting room to wash my hands—the gloves had made them clammy and uncomfortable.
Upon reaching the restroom, I rinsed my hands at the sink, carefully drying them while taking pains not to splash water on my stage costume. The sudden transition from the glittering, bustling venue to this quiet space where only the sound of running water echoed felt oddly disorienting.
[System Alert: Finally, it’s today.]
‘Yeah. It’s here. Today.’
I replied to Thirteen, who seemed even more nervous than I was, and opened the Quest window for the first time in a while to check the remaining quests.
[Basic Quest 01.]
‘Find the Regressor!’
Details: You have been designated as the Chosen Regressor’s mentor. Find the Chosen Regressor and prevent the regression.
Reward: Young and Rich, Tall and Handsome
[Single Quest 02.]
‘I’m the crazy one in this district!’
Details: You, who have entered (or will enter) Miro.
Overcome the suffocating politics and interference that unfold within,
meet allies who will support you, and successfully debut.
(Removing hidden bombs reduces regression trigger probability and increases quest success rate)
Success Reward: Clues for tracking the Regressor
Failure Penalty: Increased probability of 5th cycle regression trigger
If I made it into the final debut group today, I would finally achieve Single Quest 02, and I planned to use whatever reward I received to check on Ha-ru.
[System Alert: Then, just in case, I’ll step away to strengthen our perimeter!]
Thirteen decided to leave his post to reinforce surveillance around us, citing the possibility that Dol-ja might attack again. I asked how he could miss the important ending chapter after going through all that idol training simulation, but he gave a thoroughly Earth-patched answer that we could always rewatch it later.
[System Alert: The system wishes you luck, Fixed Regressor.]
[System Alert: ദ്ദി•̀.̫•́✧]
‘Yeah. Let’s meet again after I debut.’
With a crackling sound, Thirteen vanished, and I turned my steps back toward the stage.
This tedious regressor life was finally coming to an end.
And to reach that end, I had to pour everything into today’s performance, no matter what.
* * *
Meanwhile, at the concert hall, a VCR was being shown briefly regarding the new song Team A selection process and preparations.
In this team composition decided through elimination from lowest to highest rank, the one who garnered the most attention was undoubtedly Seo Tae-hyun.
– I naturally thought Tae-hyun would choose Song B.
– Besides, you can’t ignore the vibe of those Team A kids. Tae-hyun suddenly feels all sparkly and bright.
“Well, we can’t ignore the atmosphere of those Team A guys either. It’s just Tae-hyun who suddenly has this flashy vibe.”
Defying everyone’s expectations that he would choose the bright and energetic Song B, Tae-hyun pushed me out and took the main vocal position for Song A, which I had originally chosen.
Lee Do-ha and the other team members were trainees who stood in stark contrast to the image Tae-hyun had built for himself, both physically and visually, which made the discord feel even more pronounced.
– Sigh… Tae-hyun. You can’t do it like this. You’re the main vocalist.
As a result, even during practice, Tae-hyun struggled to adapt and made mistakes unlike his usual self. The pre-recorded VCR ended with his teammates encouraging and actively helping him, and Seo Tae-hyun’s resolve to perfectly execute the role he had taken on as if making a fresh start.
While no one in this venue knew what kind of reaction that VCR was drawing online, the next VCR began.
– Hello.
-…Um, um. Is it okay if I sit here?

A wooden chair placed in the center of Horizon Studio with its white background (an empty set with no visible boundaries on the walls).
The video that followed began with trainees shuffling in one by one to that chair.
【Q. What made you dream of becoming an idol?】
【Lee Do-ha Trainee: …I made my decision after seeing the Upia seniors.】
【Seo Tae-hyun Trainee: Both my parents worked when I was young, but they always made sure to come watch my performances. I still remember that time. It was really wonderful. Showing my stage to people I love.】
Heartfelt pop music played as the trainees’ sincere answers intercut with other questions.
【Q. Have you ever wanted to give up on your dream?】
【Jayden Trainee: Um. …Every day?】
【Ju Eun-chan Trainee: Sometimes at night, when the dormitory gets really quiet. I think I felt lonely then.】
【Q. If you debut, what’s the first thing you want to do?】
【Kim Won-ho Trainee: Before, I wanted to do a concert most of all. It’s cool, right? Being able to fill over two hours with my own songs and perform.】
【Q. Before?】
【Kim Won-ho Trainee: Ah, these days…. Um, these days. …Just, being able to do team activities with good people?】
The true feelings of Team A trainees poured out sincerely.
After that, an interview explaining the song and stage appeared briefly, and finally a question was posed asking them to say something to the Destiny fans watching this stage.
【Lee Do-ha Trainee: It’s a song with an addictive intense beat. I hope you’ll appreciate the energy we’re expressing.】
【Ju Eun-chan Trainee: I was happy to be able to do this with good hyungs, and through this stage, I’ll show you exactly what kind of person Ju Eun-chan is.】
【Kim Won-ho Trainee: Since this might be our last stage…. I’m going to do everything I can so there are no regrets. I’ll do my best. Please watch us.】
【Jayden Trainee: We seem to be doing well. You can look forward to it.】
The final interview was Seo Tae-hyun once again.
【Seo Tae-hyun Trainee: First, I want to express my gratitude to everyone who waited for me over these three years, and to everyone who’s getting to know me for the first time today.】
As Seo Tae-hyun’s calm voice resonated through the concert hall, many people who seemed to be Tae-hyun’s fans let out tearful sounds of “Um, um~”. Over those sounds, Tae-hyun’s voice covered them once more.
【Seo Tae-hyun Trainee: Through this stage…. I really want to show you how I’ve changed and grown over these past three years.】
With Tae-hyun’s bright smile as the final image, slow motion gradually took effect.
The video faded out, and the dark stage filled with hazy smoke and vibrant colored lighting.
Drop the beat―
Along with Lee Do-ha’s deep voice, a hip-hop beat dropped with a heavy thump.
Park Woong, the main rapper of Endway, participated, and since Lee Do-ha and Jayden, who hold the rapper positions in Miro Maze, chose this song, the intro showed their determination to showcase hip-hop from the very start.
It’s boring, all day
The usually gentle youngest son of a wealthy family was nowhere to be found—Ju Eun-chan, with eyes like a deranged youngest son of a mafia boss, made a yawning gesture. The cat-loving Destiny fans who had been moe-fying Eun-chan as a languid baby kitten could only cover their mouths at the sight of him with smoky makeup and triple eyelids gleaming.
Unlike the uniform buttoned up to his neck in the opening stage, Eun-chan wore a white shirt with a wide collar loosely unbuttoned, and a black jacket without buttons rolled up to his arms.
In an outfit that could convince anyone he was a mafia son, he performed a kick motion in sync with the bass sound, then suddenly leaped off Do-ha’s back where he’d been sitting.
Every day I search for something new
Like a Columbus
I can’t be satisfied easily
By nature, I’m an explorer
Since Eun-chan had handled rap parts before properly taking on vocal parts, he effortlessly delivered the verse that required off-beat rhythm in a singing rap style.
The relaxed mood of someone who had thrown caution to the wind about the burden of being Miro Maze’s first new song, first part.
It was the brilliant opening of “New, You”—a composition by Park Woong of Endway, with Lee Do-ha and Jayden contributing to the lyrics.

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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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