Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 227

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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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227. An Unexpected Outing (3)
In the end, even the PR Marketing Team employee approved of Ha-jin handling this matter directly, and the emergency response meeting concluded anticlimactically.
They were persuaded by Ha-jin’s argument that if he preemptively disclosed his inability to drink alcohol, he wouldn’t be caught up in similar rumors in the future.
-The important thing is… making this look like just a ‘happening’. Rather than giving the impression that Ha-jin reacted because he had something to hide, it’s crucial to make it seem like he’s simply dismissing nonsensical drivel. Keep it as light and pleasant as possible.
-After all, this industry is all about image warfare. Even if similar incidents occur in the future, it would be better to frame it not as Ha-jin having a problem, but as ‘jealous trolls making false accusations’, so to speak.
The PR Marketing Team employee, living up to the reputation she’d earned during her interview as a K-pop veteran, offered quite a solid direction. Ha-jin nodded in agreement with her advice, deciding to devise his approach accordingly.
Additionally, Miro decided to announce a second lawsuit based on evidence they’d accumulated, and to disclose the current status of all lawsuits filed to date. Sometimes a single lawsuit was more terrifying than a hundred words of explanation.
As a company that had dealt with countless controversies and rumors since the Upia days, it was reassuring how swiftly they handled such matters.
“So, what are you planning to do?”
Su-ho asked Ha-jin as they left the conference room.
“The thing about rumors is, they get attention, but clarifications don’t. Starting a live broadcast just to say one thing feels… like I’m being too conscious of the rumor, which isn’t great.”
Ha-jin nodded in agreement with Su-ho’s practical concern.
“Right, so I’m planning to make the main content something else.”
With that, Ha-jin pulled out a receipt he’d grabbed from the table earlier and handed it to Su-ho.
“This is…?”
【K:RUS 1st Mini Album
Su-ho’s expression shifted subtly as he confirmed the receipt showing the same items listed repeatedly.
“…That’s your album, isn’t it?”
Ha-jin nodded lightly and unwrapped a mini chocolate from his pocket, tossing it into his mouth. Tae-hyun had given it to him before leaving the dormitory, insisting he eat it and get his head straight, seeing how out of it Ha-jin was.
The chocolate melted quickly in Ha-jin’s unusually hot mouth, and he deliberately crunched through it before swallowing. Then, looking at Su-ho, he explained his plan in a calm voice.
“I’m going to do an album haul on the live broadcast.”
“…I must have misheard, right?”
“No, you heard correctly. People seemed really curious about what I was doing that day, so I should tell them.”
An album haul.
This was the true purpose behind Ha-jin borrowing Su-ho’s card and going to Hongdae on his day off,
and another alibi that would prove his innocence.
* * *
A few days later.
A live broadcast notification appeared on Destiny’s phones.
【[STI Log] Jeong Si-u Until Kkap Comes Out I’ll Keep Going │ Album Haul·Money Spent·Idol·Hongdae·Miro·Chatter·Health Checkup·Longing Photocard】
‘…?’
While the unusual broadcast title and its considerable length might have caused some confusion, even a dog learns the ways of poetry after three years at a school.
Having experienced Kairos’s SNS activity patterns and live broadcasts up until now, Destiny could naturally and easily identify who this eccentric content provider was.
– Ha-jin’s here?
– Kang Ha hey
– Puppy Ha-jin is heeeere
Ha-jin, wearing a black beanie and purple hoodie, waved toward the phone broadcasting the stream.
His lips curved into a soft smile that carried not a trace of ferocity.
“Hello, Destiny. I’m Kang Ha-jin, Kairos’s leader, class president, commander, captain, real power, and the future.”
– I would’ve been so disappointed if they didn’t make him leader
└ Dan Ha-ru must have picked out the script reader and had Ha-ru do it
└ Jeong Si-u probably assisted from the side
└ Lee Do-ha probably clapped and praised the diction from the side
└ Is our group’s hyung line seriously okay like this?
“Today, there’s no Kissday or Kairos, no Oka either, so… I decided to come on like this for my first personal live broadcast. I borrowed the title from what you all do.”
– At this point, people curious about Kang Ha-jin’s AiTube timeline
– Did this guy watch some incredibly entertaining fandom logs?
– Ha-jin, you’re my Bluebird friend, be honest
The atmosphere of the live broadcast was generally peaceful.
Rather, it seemed everyone was making an effort to create that impression.
Before turning on the live broadcast, Ha-jin recalled the somewhat unsettled Bluebird community on Tamla.
‘They’re probably thinking it’s nice that I’m here now, but they’d rather I didn’t come. And feeling frustrated about it.’
Ha-jin had no intention whatsoever of continuing his first personal live broadcast in such an uncomfortable atmosphere.
After chatting casually with Destiny about everyday things, Ha-jin opened his mouth once he confirmed the viewer count had risen to average.
Very lightly, as if simply sharing his daily life.
“Oh, right. Destiny, I had a health checkup recently.”
Ha-jin tossed out the topic and continued with a smile.
“You know, on the day Music Tree went on hiatus, our schedule got cancelled, right? So I had the health checkup I’d postponed that day, and there’s something really interesting about it, so I brought it to show Destiny. I did well, right?”
Ha-jin brought out his health checkup results that he’d left on the side of his desk, along with an alcohol metabolism enzyme test he’d had done separately not long ago. Then he naturally held up his health checkup results toward the camera first.
“Huh? Should I show you my health checkup results too? If Destiny wants, I can share my blood pressure, fasting blood sugar, and bone density. Oh, but the endoscopy results are a bit much? I have privacy too, you know.”
– There… was…?
– After N years in K-pop… receiving my idol’s fasting blood sugar
– Our Ha-jin loves sweet things so much, but thankfully no diabetes. That’s a relief
– Is it just me who’s shocked that Kang Ha-jin’s height is actually 182.00?
Satisfied with the rapidly scrolling chat, Ha-jin unfolded the next paper.
The paper labeled 【Alcohol Risk Screen Analysis Report】 had quite a bit of text written on it, but the most important sentence was just one.
“See? The activity level of alcohol-metabolizing enzymes in my body is extremely low.”
Ha-jin’s mouth twisted subtly as it stiffened.
“It means I’m the type who can’t even put alcohol to my lips.”
As if finding it absurd that he was saying it himself, a deflating sound escaped Ha-jin’s mouth—psh. Laughing as if exasperated, Ha-jin checked the chat scrolling explosively faster than before, crossed his arms, and leaned forward.
“So if you hear someone spouting nonsense somewhere, don’t believe it and just ignore it, okay everyone? You understand, right? There are so many weird people~ so many.”
A subtle anger emanated from Ha-jin’s expression as he smiled knowingly.
With a sharp sound, Ha-jin set down the results and took a sip of water.
“I was originally just going to ignore it… but I’m telling you because I didn’t want you all to be stressed by such ridiculous rumors.”
Ha-jin shifted his gaze to check the monitoring system window he’d opened in advance.
The new system was supposedly easier to use, and it truly displayed real-time reactions from various communities and chat comments on its own.
[Kang Ha-jin club rumors mentioned in live broadcast]
Said not to believe the nonsense that he can’t drink alcohol at all
– Really? He looks like he’d drink bomb shots
└ Brought the test results, alcohol intolerance? Allergy? Something like that
[So those club photos really were Kang Ha-jin]
Kang Ha-jin is getting hit with facts…
I wonder how absurd he found that controversy
– ???: Hey Kang Ha-jin drank alcohol~ blew into a breathalyzer~
Kang Ha-jin: Me? (holding out an alcohol dehydrogenase test strip)
– Came in ready to fight after seeing the title, but lowered my fists after reading the actual post
– People won’t care about this kind of thing anyway? I’m so sick of this knee-jerk mob mentality
[But Ha-jin really seems angry]
This is the first time I’ve seen him speak so seriously like that…
I was originally a hardcore Kang Strongman fan, but after watching this live broadcast I’m slightly wavering toward being a Kang Gentle fan
– I was surprised too, he looks genuinely terrifying when he’s serious
– He’s like a fairy princess to us…back in the Tummy days, Jae-young even said you shouldn’t mess with Ha-jin
└ Sorry, but could you correct that to princess fairy? (hands together emoji)
Though less intense than when the club rumors first spread, the fact that Ha-jin himself stepped up and even brought out an alcohol dehydrogenase test strip seemed to successfully capture people’s attention.
Since I’d already started this story, I began selecting interesting details to share so it wouldn’t fizzle out anticlimactically.
“Isn’t it unfair not to be able to drink alcohol? But I’ve never really liked alcohol. I hate both alcohol and cigarettes. I get misunderstood a lot because of my face, which makes me hate it even more. …Ah. But how do I play drinking games well?”
At the unexpected comment, Ha-jin’s eyes grew distant, as if lost in memory.
“Well… when you go to church retreats. Everyone there plays games completely sober. At drinking sessions, everyone’s drinking so their judgment gets a bit cloudy, right? But church people are sober, so the more you play games, the more your instincts and intuition come alive. That’s why…”
Ha-jin shuddered lightly, as if the thought still gave him chills.
“You have to play games thinking that if you don’t survive here, you might go to hell…”
Recalling the church youth group leaders who were far more terrifying than the notorious heavy drinker who’d been forced to resign, Ha-jin’s eyes lost focus.
Hahahahaha, you’re crazy!
“Haha you were a Church oppa, weren’t you”
– Our manufactured entertainment director
So what about when you go out drinking with friends or stuff like that? There’ll be a lot of company dinners and things like that too, right?
“My friends don’t really drink either… Isn’t it more fun to go to a cafe and just play games and chat rather than repeat the same stories we told while drinking? And even without alcohol, we’re always loud anyway…”
The chat window immediately began nodding in agreement.
– Ah that’s king-tier
– Yeah if you’d been good at drinking too (staring into the distance)
– Right, bars should stop not selling iced tea… no cake either… makes sense he’d hate it
– God really went overboard with the balance patch
“…It feels weird that everyone suddenly understands here?”
Ha-jin raised one eyebrow slightly as he checked the chat.
‘Well, anyway… I think the explanation is pretty much complete at this point.’
It was time to move on to the main event.
Ha-jin straightened up from leaning forward to read the chat and lifted the shopping bag “dummy” he’d left on the floor onto the desk.
– ???????
– What is that
Though the live broadcast title clearly contained the word “album haul,” Destiny fans who’d assumed it was just non-sale albums distributed by the company filled the chat with question marks.
“Well, everyone.”
Ha-jin dumped a shopping bag containing thirty mini albums—ten of each of three different types—onto the desk with a theatrical flourish. The frame-by-frame animated GIFs were so audacious they’d circulate across Bluebird.
“So, shall we move on to the main content now?”
Ha-jin rummaged through the pocket of his hoodie, producing a carrot cutter, OPP sleeves for photocards, and a collectible binder to hold them.
Comments trickled in—”Is Ha-jin secretly Doraemon?” and “Ha-jin, most people use something called a bag for carrying things like that”—but Kang Ha-jin remained entirely focused on his purpose.
From that bottomless pocket emerged one final bundle: receipts. Ha-jin laid them across the albums and spread his arms like a magician unveiling his grand illusion.
“Now presenting ‘Manager’s Money, My Purchase.’ Kairos’s first mini debut album concept albums bought entirely with my manager’s funds. Let’s begin. …By the way, if I don’t pull a Yearning photocards today, I’m not clocking out.”
Kang Ha-jin’s expression turned solemn as he pressed his hands together in fervent prayer.

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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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