Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 203

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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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203. Kairos (2)
This was the rehearsal site for the Kairos Debut Showcase Venue.
“Kim, go tell the members to start getting ready for standby.”
“Ah, yes! Should I tell the manager?”
“Yeah. They should be in front of the Waiting Room. You know who I mean?”
“Yes!”
Kim—a nickname—who had joined as a staff member for the showcase, quickly slipped out of the Concert Hall at his senior’s instruction. However, when he arrived at the Kairos Waiting Room after pushing through the crowd, there was no one there.
The Waiting Room door was even firmly shut, which left Kim, a fresh-faced newcomer who had only recently started the job, momentarily flustered.
‘Huh? Where did the manager go?’
He could hear voices from inside the Waiting Room, so it seemed like he could just knock on the door and ask them to get ready for standby….
Suddenly, Kim remembered the words his seniors had been hammering into the juniors for the past few days.
-Try not to talk directly to the artists yourselves. Go through the manager.
-Some of these temperamental ones are really difficult, and they can be sensitive about that kind of thing. If what the manager says differs from what you say, they might file a complaint.
-These guys are still rookies, so who knows how they’ll be…. But the Survival Program went really well, so they’re probably getting cocky right now.
-Don’t cause problems by talking to them carelessly. Always relay messages through the artists’ staff. Got it?
In truth, it was just intimidation to prevent newcomers who had just started the job from getting excited about seeing celebrities and acting out of line.
But our fresh-faced Kim had no way of knowing that.
‘If I bring them late, the seniors will scold me though….’
As Kim stood in front of the door, shifting his weight nervously, someone approached with a sound.
“Can I help you?”
“Ah, well….”
Thinking the manager had returned, Kim quickly turned his gaze, but the moment he saw the person before him, his throat tightened.
A tall man with bright red hair, a scratch across one eyebrow, and sharp eyes that emanated an inexplicable intensity stared directly at him.
Kim was a complete muggle who had never even seen Miro Maze, let alone Kairos, but he could instantly tell that this person was a member of the group debuting today.
“Um, that is… Is the manager not here?”
“Oh. Kwon Wook went to the car to get something. What’s the matter?”
Senior, what am I supposed to do when an artist talks to me first?
Kim, who had only ever moved equipment around Backstage, felt his mind go blank at this unexpected encounter with an artist. Unable to speak easily and just rolling his eyes, the other person spoke to him first again.
“Are we going on standby now?”
“Yes? Oh, ah. Yes, yes. You need to move now….”
“Just a moment, I’ll let them know. My hyung told me to follow along if the standby signal comes while he’s away.”
“Oh. Yes. Th-thank you.”
“No, thank you for working hard since early morning.”
What? He’s kind?
Contrary to the anecdotes his seniors had shared, the other person spoke in a warm voice, asking him to wait a moment, and opened the Waiting Room door. Through the gap, Kim could glimpse other members with a similar vibe to the man, scattered throughout the spacious room.
“We got the standby call. Let’s move.”
“Yes!”
“Tae-hyun, wake up Eun-chan next to you.”
“I’m already awake….”
“You should say that after you actually open your eyes.”
Amid the chatter of voices, the members who had finished their preparations began filing out of the Waiting Room one by one. With each person who emerged, Kim felt the tension and pressure mounting exponentially.
‘Damn, they’re really handsome.’
Kim marveled at the beautiful man who came out first, and the boy leaning against his shoulder with half-closed, drowsy eyes.
Following them came a blonde boy who looked unmistakably like the youngest, chattering away to the tallest and most athletic-looking man in the group.
As the silver-haired boy with a delinquent air and the pretty-faced boy—despite being male—exited the Waiting Room, the red-haired man I’d seen earlier finally closed the door.
“We’re all here now. Should we head out right away?”
“…Oh. Yes! Just follow me.”
Kim, tense and fidgeting, guided the Kairos members toward the Performance Venue. Even though they were still in casual clothes before changing into their stage outfits, an unmistakable ‘idol’ aura seemed to radiate from the men behind him.
But work was work, regardless.
Kim simply quickened his pace, worried that arriving late might earn him a scolding from his seniors.
“Senior, Kairos has arrived at Backstage and we’re currently fitting the in-ear monitors.”
-Got it, send them up as soon as they’re ready.
“Yes, sir.”
Having arrived at Backstage with Kairos, Kim turned back at his senior’s radio call. The members were receiving their in-ear monitors and hand microphones on one side of the Stage.
As Kim stepped forward to relay the instruction to take the Stage, he stopped again upon seeing the red-haired member gathering everyone first.
“When you go up, greet them clearly and loudly. You all know, right? When Si-woo calls out the chant, we all greet together. Don’t mess up the changed positions for Eun-chan and Tae-hyun from yesterday, watch for the camera lights coming in. If you’re unsure, just look straight ahead. Looking at the Audience Seating is better than looking at other cameras.”
The red-haired man made eye contact with each member, offering encouragement and advice without hesitation. Though I hadn’t intended to eavesdrop, whether his voice was naturally loud or he was deliberately speaking up, I could hear everything from where I stood a short distance away.
The man’s expression, which I’d found somewhat intimidating, suddenly softened into a bright smile.
“This is really our Stage now, so let’s do twice as well as we did at Miro Maze.”
With those words, the other members’ expressions relaxed and laughter spilled out. Kim seized the moment and quickly approached the red-haired man. He instinctively sensed that this was the person leading the group.
“Once all the Kairos members are ready, you can head straight to the Stage.”
“Yes, we’re going up right now. Kairos, let’s go!”
“Let’s do this~”
“Hyung, I’m so nervous!”
“Me too.”
“Watch your step ahead.”
The members rushed past Kim and climbed the hidden staircase onto the Stage, bathed in brilliant lighting.
Kim watched their retreating figures through the stairwell in a daze for a moment.
As the members lined up on the Stage, the exceptionally handsome man standing in the center position took the microphone.
“We’ll greet you now. Two, three!”
“”KICK US OFF! Hello, we are Kairos! Thank you for having us!””
With a resounding greeting, the members bowed. The Staff Members responded with applause, moved by the rookie spirit evident in their introduction. Kim, watching from Backstage, also clapped enthusiastically for reasons he couldn’t quite explain.
‘…If the song is good, I should listen to it later.’
I hope they do well.
Feeling an inexplicable fondness sprouting within him, Kim returned to his assigned position.
* * *
Kairos’s Debut Showcase was divided into two parts: the first featuring only journalists, and the second with fans, which naturally created differences in atmosphere and showcase structure.
Freshly debuted rookies were already overwhelmed just performing their own Stage, so there was no way they could remember all these details and handle various situations. Typically, a Debut Showcase would hire an experienced MC who could fill such gaps.
And currently.
Upon confirming the identity of the MC who would be hosting their first Showcase, Ha-jin couldn’t hide a certain bewilderment.
“Hey, juniors! Or should I say, the youngest members now?”
Nam Da-down, the MC who had stopped by the Waiting Room to greet everyone before taking the stage for Part One, spoke in an upbeat voice.
Ha-jin bowed respectfully to the senior who had once dealt him an inexplicable sense of defeat—a thirteen-year veteran of the industry.
“Congratulations on your debut, you youngest members! We saw you at the athletic festival, and this is our first time seeing you perform~ Let’s make today’s showcase fun, fighting, fighting!”
“Thank you so much for coming, Senior.”
“Si-woo, you’re looking handsome as always today~”
“You don’t need to be so formal.”
“Then maybe I will? After all, we’re family eating from the same pot now. But seriously, Si-woo, it’s such a cheat that you look like that and sing well too. Our Seo Tae-il hyung was always praising you, you know? I got a little jealous.”
Mom. I think my ears are about to bleed.
As Ha-jin wondered if he looked like that when he got excited and talked a lot, he underwent some inexplicable mirror therapy and managed an awkward smile. Noticing Ha-jin’s expression, Nam Da-down grinned and turned his gaze toward him.
“Oh, Little Seo Tae-il.”
“…Pardon?”
“Our guys were saying it? That you look like our hyung, calling you Little Seo Tae-il?”
“I can’t believe you’re saying something so outrageous at a debut showcase…”
Thinking the nickname was undeserved, Ha-jin flinched, and Nam Da-down chuckled and patted Ha-jin’s shoulder a couple of times. Since it didn’t hurt much, Ha-jin just let it be, and Nam Da-down withdrew his hand on his own, finishing the conversation with a bright smile.
“Alright, later on, just chat and greet your hyung like this—comfortably and naturally.”
“Yes.”
“Journalists sometimes ask weird questions or have you do strange poses. Since it’s best to get good press coverage, try to handle it with a smile as much as possible. If anyone crosses the line, I’ll cut it off myself, so don’t worry~”
What? So all that nonsense was just an act?
Seeing the unexpectedly serious side of Nam Da-down as he offered genuine advice, Ha-jin couldn’t help but admire how he’d managed to survive thirteen years at Upia without just coasting.
After offering a few more words of advice, Nam Da-down waved his hand and left the Waiting Room when his manager told him it was time to take the stage.
“See you later then, you guys. Oh, that’s right, that’s right.”
“…?”
“One of you can’t take photos, right? Who is it?”
As Nam Da-down was about to leave, he seemed to remember something and held the door frame, poking his head back in to ask. Immediately, everyone’s gaze turned toward one person. Ha-jin, bearing the full weight of their stares, raised his hand and confessed.
“…It’s me.”
“Ah, our Little Tae-il. Okie, okie~”
But why suddenly that…?
An ominous feeling crept up the back of Ha-jin’s neck, but he tried to brush it off as nothing and moved to get his makeup retouched.
Little did he know that he would spend the rest of his life regretting the moment he’d voluntarily raised his hand to confess…

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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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