Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 25

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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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25. Do You Want to Become Special? (3)
What is the most crucial element for an idol survival show participant?
Exceptional vocal prowess?
Dance skills sharp enough to bend joints with every passing second?
Charismatic charm capable of generating countless viral moments?
Or perhaps,
A spotless past that won’t betray the fans’ trust?
An earnest attitude that keeps you from trending negatively even once a day?
A compassionate personality that makes character marketing—the forbidden fruit of idol culture—feel genuine?
There are likely countless answers to this question.
But here’s what I believe to be the correct one.
‘Position.’
In simpler terms, it’s a battle of character archetypes.
Whether you’re a producer crafting idols, a fan trying to claim your bias before the competition heats up, or anyone in the general public watching this survival show,
‘I’ll be taking on this role in the group, my appeal lies in this, so I can create this kind of chemistry with other members and deliver this kind of performance on stage, right?’
That’s what you’re selling. In idol survival shows, this ‘position battle’ essentially dictates everything.
‘I have an excellent example of this theory right here.’
Seo Tae-hyun from Boy Heaven—he dominated the buzz but still lost the character war.
So ‘character’ as an idol is incredibly important. You need to establish a fundamental image that fans will consistently associate with you, yet you can’t become trapped by it.
You have to show unexpected sides that keep people analyzing and reinterpreting you, while still making them think, ‘Yeah, that’s totally them.’
And right now, here,
“Well then, should we pick a leader first?”
“….”
There are these ragtag misfits who are already losing the position battle from the start.
“Anyone want to do it?”
Gong Seok, the oldest among us, asks in a bewildered voice, but everyone just exchanges nervous glances without volunteering.
If this were a survival broadcast, I might’ve aimed for the leader role, but in this situation, it’s basically just getting stuck with group project busywork.
‘And honestly… none of them have the credentials for it anyway.’
I nominated the one person among them who actually qualified to wear the armband.
“Wouldn’t Lee Do-ha be the best choice? He’s from the special training class, after all.”
Lee Do-ha—my age, but already making a name for himself in the underground scene with his own compositions. A producing member with conviction. Since he’s the only one here from the special training class, having him take the leader role seemed like the most natural call.
But the expressions on the other four faces shifted slightly. Even Lee Do-ha himself looked uncomfortable.
“…What? Why’s the mood so weird?”
“Ah, well. You haven’t been here long, so you probably don’t know yet.”
The buildup feels ominous. The three of them glance at Lee Do-ha nervously, their lips twitching, while Lee Do-ha himself wears an awkward, embarrassed expression as he finally speaks.
“I’m not very good at dancing.”
“….”
“And I’m… not great at singing either.”
“…But you’re from the special training class?”
“I scored well in producing and rap.”
I see.
In other words, he’s a one-trick specialist. Put differently, it means his skill is guaranteed enough to secure a spot in the debut group with just that one ability.
But there’s no way the other members’ level would improve just because he raps circles around everyone at the end-of-month evaluation. That’s why leadership was out of the question from the start. Only now did I understand why that special class prodigy ended up in this ragtag combination.
“To begin with, everyone in our group is mid-tier level, so….”
Every single one of them—ambiguous talents.
That’s why they got pushed aside. Whether it’s performance or vocals, they didn’t fit cleanly into other groups with clear positioning.
“….”
Silence followed. Except for Lee Do-ha, whose thoughts remained inscrutable, the rest of them seemed to be struggling against creeping anxiety they’d been holding back.
Deep shadows fell across their faces. They were smiling, but it was unmistakably self-deprecating. The bitter smile of losers who sensed failure in this month-end evaluation. Most people would react the same way in this situation. I understand that much.
“Hey.”
“…?”
“I’ll do it. I’ll be the leader.”
My entire future depends on this month-end evaluation, guys.
“Huh, you, hyung?”
“Ha-jin? Come on, you….”
“Is there anyone else who can do it?”
At my words, everyone exchanged glances in surprise. Yeah, yeah. A trainee just one month in taking charge of such a crucial month-end evaluation—that’s shocking, I get it.
But if you think about it for a moment, it becomes obvious.
Excluding Lee Do-ha from the special class, who has the next highest level?
‘I’ve been taking two advanced classes in just one month here.’
And the one who seemed to have known this from the beginning was the first to raise his hand.
“I’m in favor.”
“…!”
Lee Do-ha. That bear of a guy who’d been staring only at me ever since the talk of choosing a leader came up.
The moment I said I’d be leader, he nodded as if he’d been waiting for it and immediately voiced his support. When the member closest to debut declared his approval, the others, their pride already worn down to nothing, began exchanging glances and nodding along.
“If hyung Do-ha approves, then….”
“Y-yeah. Then we’ll help you out a lot.”
“Please take good care of us, Ha-jin hyung.”
“Yes. We’re counting on you.”
The leadership was decided amid awkward congratulations. Three weeks until the month-end evaluation.
I had to prepare a performance worthy of placing us in the top ten with these guys.
And to do that, the first thing I needed to do was.
“So, should we have a meeting about what we’re going to do now?”
“Ah, before that, there’s something I wanted to say first.”
“Huh? Yeah. Go ahead.”
“I’d really appreciate it if you’d leave everything regarding this month-end evaluation entirely to me.”
Securing actual control as a proper leader.
“What?”
“I’m not saying I’ll do whatever I want without question. Of course I’ll listen to everyone’s opinions, but since you’re making me leader anyway, just trust me this once.”
Just trust your former group project express hyung once, guys. I’m betting my life on this, remember?
* * *
“Hyung, what time are you heading home today?”
After all the meetings concluded and his group’s gathering wrapped up, Seo Tae-hyun approached me casually with the question.
“I’m not sure yet.”
Even if I finished just the practice drills I’d set as targets, I’d barely make the last train home. For the end-of-month evaluation, there was quite a bit of analysis to do and references to hunt down. After all, I’d made a promise I needed to keep.
About thirty minutes ago.
-You know I’m basically Miro’s strategist, right? Of course, it’s incredibly embarrassing to say it myself, so please don’t react.
-…W-well.
-I really want to show that I can actually do this. Honestly, everyone’s in a bad mood right now, aren’t they? It feels like we’ve become the short end of the stick.
-Hey, don’t say things like that!
-Isn’t it true?
At my sharp words, Gong Seok bit his lip as if flustered. I knew all too well how maddening it was to still be in this position at twenty-three as a late-blooming trainee. In my past life, I’d met hundreds of kids like this while working in the entertainment industry.
-In our current situation, too many captains will just sink the ship. I can’t make you a pirate king, but I can get you riding the waves. Just trust me once, hyung.
My confident voice and gaze made the three of them waver. And so I’d managed to extract a promise from those three hopeless brothers (since they still didn’t have a proper name) and Lee Do-ha that I would do exactly that.
Of course, I intended to take full responsibility for every word I’d spoken.
After roughly organizing today’s tasks in my head and giving up, I pointed to Ju Eun-chan, who was trailing behind Seo Tae-hyun.
“Wouldn’t it be better to pull an all-nighter at the company and then crash at his place?”
“Right? Then let’s do late-night practice together and head over. I was planning to go to Eun-chan’s place today anyway.”
Seo Tae-hyun nodded as if he’d expected this and determinedly dragged my arm. As if his escape from idol life had been a past life, Seo Tae-hyun had reverted to his original practice-addicted self.
“We need to go before the others move. We have to secure Practice Room A.”
“What, did you hide money in Practice Room A?”
“People usually say you’ve buttered someone up, right?”
“Money’s worth more than butter though.”
At my words, Seo Tae-hyun made a disgusted expression for a moment, then shook his head.
“Raku’s only in Practice Room A.”
“What about the one in C?”
“Jayden hyung broke that one recently.”
“Why aren’t you running? Speed is everything.”
Late-night practice without Raku? It’s no different from commuting without earbuds. Not essential, but unbearable without it.
Seo Tae-hyun and I moved with the caution and speed of a covert operation, slipping out of the practice room. Ju Eun-chan, who’d been leisurely following Seo Tae-hyun, seemed to have given up chasing our pace and returned to the practice room instead.
“Hello~.”
“Yeah, hey Tae-hyun. Hey Ha-jin.”
As we entered the New Artist Development Team Office where we could request late-night practice, the staff members (still unable to leave work) recognized us and greeted us warmly.
“You two have been hanging out together a lot lately?”
“Ha-jin hyung really likes me.”
“You say the most ridiculous things.”
While Seo Tae-hyun, who’d already switched into social mode, chatted smoothly with the New Artist Development Team staff with a smile, I added my name, Seo Tae-hyun’s, and just in case, Ju Eun-chan’s and Dan Ha-ru’s names to the late-night practice roster on the side. Besides us, only a few other names were already written on today’s list.
[Jeong Si-u]
[Han Sung-woo]
[Lee Do-ha]
….
‘Lee Do-ha?’
I’d run into him again during practice today.
I set down my pen, thinking it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have a conversation with Lee Do-ha, still such an enigmatic figure to me.
“Ah, Tae-hyun, once you finish the application form, come see me for a moment before you go~.”
“Me?”
“Then I’ll head out first. Take care!”
“Yeah, Ha-jin, practice well! Fighting for the end-of-month evaluation~.”
I left the office alone, leaving Seo Tae-hyun behind as the staff member called for him just as I was heading out. I passed through the Hallway leading to the Practice Room, then turned my steps toward the Rooftop Garden, empty due to the freezing weather.
‘There’s something I need to handle right now.’
After confirming no one was around, I sat in a chair tucked away in the corner and opened the system window. I’d been tinkering with various functions and designs, and now it looked like something straight out of a sci-fi film.
‘I’m actually proud of this.’
[System Alert: Persistent one…. (Impressive!)]
The dialogue box changed, you bastard.
I lightly dismissed the system’s unnecessary grumbling and opened the cache window.
[System Alert: Current Cache Status∥7,820 Cache]
I thought I’d accumulated a decent amount, but as they say, even dust becomes earth when gathered. Time for a grand cache spending spree.
‘The Voice might tell me to save carefully for an uncertain future….’
But that’s only for those who live once. For a fixed returner like me who might end up living five times—or more—tomorrow doesn’t exist.
Today, I’m spending everything I can.

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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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