Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 245

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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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245. Why Are You Coming Out of There (3)
“These kids are doing great~”
Nam Da-down spoke while watching the monitor, changing into his Part 2 opening outfit backstage and stretching with his trainer. On stage, Kairos’s second performance was already halfway through.
“But it’s surprising, honestly. I never thought they’d actually perform our songs. …Ugh! Rock! I’m dying here, Down!”
“You need to stretch properly to avoid injury. Cramps happen frequently too.”
Kwon Sang-rok, the youngest member of Yupia, mercilessly pushed Da-down’s upper body forward as he was doing the splits, letting his whining go in one ear and out the other. Then he glanced at the monitor.
Kairos had chosen another Yupia song for their second track. The decision was made to avoid dampening the momentum they’d built up. As Kwon Sang-rok heard the chorus of “Emergency” for the first time in a while, he paused mid-stretch.
“…Rock? Rock. Rock, are you there? Rock, your cute and charming third hyung is dying here, Rock! Rock…!”
“…Ah, sorry.”
Sang-rok, who had been lost in thought while folding Da-down’s upper body(!), released his grip.
Then Seo Tae-il, who had just finished changing into his outfit and was lightly applying patches to his shoulders and waist, grinned mischievously and spoke to Sang-rok.
“What’s our Rock thinking about~?”
“…I’ve told you not to call me that, hyung.”
“What’s our Sang-rok Rock thinking about~?”
“….”
Sang-rok closed his mouth as if giving up. In situations like this, the best approach was to quickly give Tae-il the answer he wanted.
“I was just thinking it probably wasn’t an easy decision for them either.”
Tae-il easily read the deeper meaning buried in Sang-rok’s brief words.
Sang-rok had been the member who opposed Kairos’s guest stage from the beginning. It seemed he had projected the burden and pressure he’d felt as a rookie onto them.
At the same time, just as Sang-rok hated the feeling of falling behind more than anyone else, he must have worried that the Kairos members might get hurt if they rashly took the stage too soon.
Tae-il shrugged his shoulders shyly and made a V-sign with his hand.
“Well…. Is that so? But anyway, I wrote almost all of their songs too, so really there’s not much difference, right?”
“Wow. That’s annoying. Right, Sol? …Huh? Where did Han-sol go?”
When Da-down looked for the fourth member, Han-sol, Yoon Ji-nu, the second member who was doing push-ups shirtless while pumping his muscles, got up and answered instead.
“Han-sol’s gone. He said he was curious about the juniors’ stage earlier and wanted to watch it up close, so he went toward the stage.”
“Ah man. That’s trouble. He’s not about to start locking everyone in the practice room again because the kids are doing so well, is he?”
“He was already asking me whether he sings better or if the lead vocalist does.”
“….”
“I just told him I think his voice is the strongest on earth.”
At Yoon Ji-nu’s matter-of-fact words, Nam Da-down wiped his chest in relief as if grateful. Seo Tae-il chuckled at the familiar conversation even after years of knowing them and cracked open a bottle of water.
“Han-sol’s properly motivated now, so Part 2 is going to be Chung Han-sol’s ad-lib solo show. Perfect.”
“Hyung, you didn’t invite the kids expecting that to happen, did you~? That would be kind of scary if so.”
“It just means the Kairos kids performed well enough to motivate Han-sol. I only invited them as guests, right?”
At Tae-il’s words, Da-down shook his head.
Tae-il drank his water and recalled when Ha-jin had come to find him to discuss the “Bonus Time” stage composition.
-…You’re really going to perform our songs? Will it be okay? It’s awkward for me to say this myself, but performing on our concert stage would be quite significant promotional exposure for you guys. There’ll be a lot of direct camera footage too.
Despite the unexpected song choice and the concern in Tae-il’s words, Ha-jin had nodded with a calm, unbothered expression.
-It’s not like we’re not going to perform our own songs at all. For rookies at our level, just being able to stand on seniors’ concert stage is viral marketing in itself.
-If we perform our songs, our fans will be happy, sure…. But it won’t all be good either, right? The Idea members will be more familiar with the stage and songs we’ve done. Will it be okay? People will compare us to our peak era.
That provocation-tinged remark was 100% sincere for Tae-il.
Both 【Picnic】 and 【Emergency】 that Ha-jin had brought were songs Yupia had performed relentlessly at concerts during their vibrant, youthful heyday.
Seo Tae-il was confident. He wouldn’t let these green newcomers steal their songs.
However, Ha-jin’s response was somewhat unexpected.
-…? You’re still in your prime, aren’t you?
-….
-And the stage is… well, you know better than anyone, senior. You know how our kids are.
-….
-We’ll do well. In our own way.
What radiated from Ha-jin’s bold gaze wasn’t arrogance or conceit—nothing of that presumptuous sort.
Tae-il understood better than anyone what kind of heart Ha-jin spoke with.
It was pride.
Pride in myself, my team, and my stage.
It was an emotion I hadn’t let go of even once since debuting with Yupia.
“…Anyway. What do you mean we’re not alike?”
He’s practically my spitting image. That guy sometimes lacks objectivity about himself.
Tae-il chuckled, recalling Ha-jin from back then. He briefly entertained the thought that when he finally met Kang Ha-jin—that bastard who’d crushed his self-esteem—he’d crush his face in return.
On stage, Ha-jin was already pacing across the main stage, pouring out the final third verse rap with Do-ha like madmen. After this song ended, the next one would be their last.
It was time to start preparing for the second act opening.
“Alright. Let’s gather up. We need to prepare for part two.”
As Tae-il stood, the other members naturally prepared to follow him. Han-sol, who had gone to the stage earlier, returned right on cue. At Tae-il’s gesture, dancers and all staff gathered around the members.
“The juniors have really pumped up the atmosphere, so let’s run through parts two and three properly. Thanks for finishing part one without any incidents. Since this is our final concert today, everyone do it right, without regrets. Got it?”
“Yes!”
A strange emotion stirred within Tae-il’s heart.
It was a feeling he’d vaguely forgotten while steadily leading the team for thirteen years.
“…If the Idea members talk more about the Kairos kids than us after today’s concert, that’s five extra hours of daily practice. Understood? We absolutely have to win?”
I don’t want to lose.
Not with this team, not with these members, not with this song.
At Tae-il’s fierce voice—a rare sight after so long—a pleasant tension rippled across the members’ faces.
‘I never imagined I’d feel competitive spirit against someone three months into their debut when I’m in my thirteenth year.’
As the song had just ended and enthusiastic applause and cheers erupted from the concert hall, Tae-il shouted loudly.
“Let’s go. Wanna be?”
“Let it be!”
At Tae-il’s lead, everyone chanted Yupia’s slogan together.
A reassuring fighting spirit they’d been hearing for thirteen years.
* * *
After finishing their second intense hip-hop stage and returning to the main stage in full formation, the Kairos members were already drenched in sweat.
During the Miro Maze finals, they’d performed several songs in succession, but performing while feeling the intense heat of so many people right before their eyes was a completely different sensation.
While the members caught their breath, drinking water and removing their varsity jackets, Ha-jin, who had volunteered to handle today’s lead ment, finally picked up the microphone.
“Alright. Now…. Phew, we… unfortunately have to present our final stage, and… it seems that time has come.”
“Ahhh~”
“Thank you for not rushing us off stage so we can start Part Two soon….”
At Ha-jin’s playful remark, Idea responded with even louder expressions of regret. Thinking it was already remarkable that they could communicate this well, Ha-jin was about to deliver his next line when—
Si-woo, who had been quietly observing Ha-jin’s hosting all along, grabbed the microphone.
“By the way, Ha-jin.”
“…Huh?”
“I’m curious about something.”
Caught off guard by Si-woo’s sudden interjection, Ha-jin quickly understood the situation after glancing at the prompter message from the Staff Member.
There was a minor issue with the lift equipment used for Part Two’s opening, and they needed him to naturally stretch the time until it was resolved.
Grasping the situation, Ha-jin cleared his throat with a soft hum.
“Yes. What is it, Si-woo?”
“You’ve been calling Idea’s seniors ‘sister-in-law’ this whole time.”
“Oh, that’s right, that’s right. They’re our big sisters-in-law, after all.”
At Ha-jin’s remark about sisters-in-law, another wave of pleased reactions rippled through Idea.
Si-woo asked with pure curiosity in his voice.
“But if Ha-jin is Seo Tae-il’s son, wouldn’t calling them sisters-in-law completely mess up the family tree?”
“…Huh?”
“Yeah, that’s a problem. If an older brother calls someone his sister-in-law, that’s a disaster.”
As Ha-jin floundered at the sudden genealogical correction, Yoo Gun, who had been listening quietly, agreed with Si-woo. Whispered laughter echoed softly from the audience. Yoo Gun pointed to Tae-hyun standing in the middle and added another comment.
“He can’t call them sister-in-law either. In reality, he’s Seo Tae-il’s uncle.”
“Then, what should Tae-hyun call Idea’s seniors…?”
“If Tae-hyun is Seo Tae-il’s uncle, and Idea’s seniors married Yupia’s seniors….”
As the juniors fed them absurdity after absurdity in an endless barrage of genealogical chaos, Idea lost their composure and burst into laughter.
Do-ha, listening quietly from the end, casually threw in a comment.
“…Niece-in-law?”
At that ridiculous remark, the entire concert hall erupted in laughter and cheers. Tae-hyun, who had inadvertently acquired his senior’s fanclub as his niece-in-law, turned bright red and short-circuited once more.
“No! No way! Even so, that’s not it…! What kind of nonsense…!”
“Then what about Kang Ha-jin?”
“If Ha-jin is Seo Tae-il’s son, then….”
As Si-woo trailed off, Ha-jin suddenly realized something.
Then, with an expression of utter shock, he carefully spoke toward the audience.
“…M-Mother…?”
Having suddenly acquired a grown son and a fresh-faced young uncle overnight, Idea burst into uncontrollable laughter. Tae-hyun, who had been fidgeting anxiously at the endless genealogical jokes, urgently grabbed the microphone.
“W-Wait―! He always calls me grandfather anyway! When you think about it, I’m more of a grandfather than he is!”
“Oh, that’s true? In our group, I’m also the grandfather, you know?”
“So this family tree is null and void! Let’s just settle it as senior and junior in an official capacity!”
“Tae-hyun’s really kind. He could just tell them to stop overthinking it, but instead he’s building a whole worldview to organize it.”
“That’s true. Worldview settings are important, after all.”
“Ugh, you guys are seriously no help at all!”
Just as Tae-hyun tried to salvage the situation, Si-woo and Do-ha grumbled from the corner, and Tae-hyun pouted. Watching Tae-hyun’s reaction, Ha-ru smiled with his eyes crinkling warmly. A soft groan escaped from the audience as Ha-ru’s smiling face was caught on the large screen.
【Lift fixed~ Please go ahead and start the stage remarks now!】
Catching the newly appeared message on the prompter, Ha-jin swiftly wiped the playfulness from his face and turned his gaze toward the Audience Seating.
Though these weren’t fans who came to see them, and this wasn’t their own Concert Hall―,
in this very moment, everyone’s eyes were fixed on Kairos.
“Let’s leave the jokes at that, and well, Upia has other senior members besides Senior Tae-il, so if you think of them as their sisters-in-law, that would make sense too, wouldn’t it? Let’s go with something like that. Still, ‘sister-in-law’ sounds better than ‘aunt.'”
With his glib remarks, Ha-jin slipped his varsity jacket down slightly onto his shoulders—a habit that emerged whenever the garment felt heavy or the heat became too much.
“Now then, we’ll show you our final stage, and with that, we’ll take our leave. We’ve just performed two songs by our senior members from Upia. Did you enjoy them~?”
“Yes―!!”
“Still, we’re a debuted group in our own right, so shouldn’t we introduce what kind of music we perform to our sisters-in-law? That’s why we’ve prepared our own song for this final stage.”
Even at the mention of Kairos’s song, the cheers and energy showed no signs of diminishing.
Ha-jin felt a sense of pride at that response as he continued his remarks.
“Thank you so much for welcoming us today. I hope you’ll enjoy and find happiness in the rest of this concert, and with that, we’ll be taking our leave. Until now―!”
“We are Kairos! Thank you!”
Applause erupted alongside the members’ spirited farewell, and the Stage was once again plunged into darkness.
Now, it was time to show ‘our’ stage.

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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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