Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 267

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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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267. The Day of Reckoning (5)
The waiting room fell silent except for the sound of my fingers tapping against the sofa armrest. Despite the noise filtering in from outside, I sat with my mouth firmly shut, lost in thought.
I didn’t need to think long about what that “something” was.
‘Why would the Main PD act like that over a survival program that’s already finished? If the scale is big, it’s manipulation. If it’s small, they probably just played around with the editing.’
In my previous timeline, “audition manipulation” had been a major issue.
But that was five years from now, and the Main PD who took responsibility and stepped down was already the Yoon CP who’d been ruined during Miro Maze. The national audition program that became problematic probably hadn’t even entered the planning stage yet.
‘When Yoon CP was there, all sorts of audition programs from the same broadcasting station got exposed one after another, but Boy’s Supremacy never had any particular controversy….’
So was it just simple editing manipulation?
Feeling my blood sugar plummet, I dug through my bag and pulled out a chocolate bar. It was a bit squished from rolling around in my bag, but it was still edible.
Honestly, if I set aside ethical considerations, whatever irregularities happened in Boy’s Supremacy back then weren’t really my concern.
Boy’s Supremacy had already ended three years ago, and despite being a successful survival program, there were no sequels. The group that debuted through Boy’s Supremacy had already finished their contract period, and even their spin-off groups had re-debuted.
Unless the broadcasting station had committed hundreds of millions of won in paid voting fraud against viewers, the revelation of what happened back then wouldn’t be particularly beneficial for Seo Tae-hyun or our group.
But….
‘If Seo Tae-hyun finds out about it….’
And if what happened back then has been subtly influencing things until now.
“….”
Countless thoughts raced through my mind, appearing and disappearing in rapid succession.
That chain of thought came to an abrupt halt when the quiet waiting room door suddenly burst open.
“Hey, Kang Ha-jin―!”
“…And now he just throws around casual language whenever he feels like it…. Did I teach you that!?”
The one who shattered the silence of the waiting room was Seo Tae-hyun, the very source of all this anguish.
Behind Seo Tae-hyun, who was glaring at me while swirling a navy tteokbokki coat, stood Lee Yu-gun with a similar air of fierce determination, his eyes wide and menacing.
Soon both of them approached me with quick, long strides.
“What… what! Why! I packed your lunches and saw you off this morning, and now you’re acting all high and mighty…! Ugh!”
My collar was grabbed in an instant.
Lee Yu-gun and Seo Tae-hyun, who’d cornered me into the sofa, shook my collar roughly while their eyes hurled every curse imaginable.
What? Why? What did I do wrong?
Feeling both wronged and bewildered, I pushed both of them away with all my strength and shouted, “Hey!”
“Why! What did I! What exactly did I do!?”
“Don’t you know your crime?”
“I don’t!”
Then Seo Tae-hyun shot back at me with a voice dripping with murderous intent.
“What kind of crazy bastard calls the CEO to say there’s no one to pick you up!? You could’ve at least given us a heads up!!”
Ah. What was I thinking.
He was talking about the other helper I’d called last night.
For reference, the CEO in question was Han Se-won, our agency’s representative. Last night on the phone, I’d asked him to do nothing more and nothing less than pick up Seo Tae-hyun and Lee Yu-gun from the broadcasting station, and I was surprised when he readily agreed.
Realizing it was a smaller issue than I’d thought, I regained my composure.
“Why? Didn’t you enjoy riding in a foreign car? The CEO’s car is expensive, so the road from school to the broadcasting station must’ve been wide open, right? That’s why you weren’t late.”
“Are you seriously insane, hyung?”
“You’ve gone through all four seasons with this hyung and still haven’t given up hope that he’s not insane?”
At my shameless response, Seo Tae-hyun clutched his head with the expression of someone who’d lost all will to fight.
Leaving Seo Tae-hyun muttering to himself, “I trusted that lunatic again… I actually trusted him again…!”, Lee Yu-gun, who’d hung his coat on the rack, plopped down beside me. I naturally draped my arm across his shoulder and asked.
“So, how’d the exam go? Was the lunch box delicious?”
“I did fine, and Seo Tae-hyun apparently did well too. …The lunch box was delicious.”
“Make sure you thank my mom later. Seo Tae-hyun already did this morning.”
At my words, Lee Yu-gun nodded without much hesitation.
I was about to ask if anything funny happened, when the waiting room door opened again and a cacophony of noise poured in. Among it all, the first and loudest voice I heard was Ji Su-ho’s urgent one.
“Kang Ha-jin! You, you absolute maniac…!”
“E-Executive Director! We’re at the broadcast station! Please calm down!”
“This morning you took the morning show, and this afternoon you sent the CEO to the exam venue―!?”
“Oh my…”
Was the scale of this incident bigger than I thought…?
Watching Ji Su-ho approach with exasperation written all over his face, I instinctively raised my guard. Even so, I didn’t forget to defend myself.
“But the only person at the company with an open schedule was the CEO! They couldn’t exactly take a taxi back and forth… So it’s not like the CEO couldn’t have given them a ride, right…?”
“Don’t you dare come near me!”
“Aaah! The CEO said it was fine! Of course I had to go! That’s what he said…!”
Why! What! What did I do so wrong!?
While I was engaged in an unexpected game of tag with Ji Su-ho, Jeong Si-u and Lee Do-ha, who’d left for the overseas location shoot, entered the waiting room dressed in today’s music broadcast outfits. The staff members who’d gone with them filed in as well, and our waiting room quickly returned to its usual state.
I quickly hid behind Lee Do-ha, whose expression looked oddly hollow, and hurriedly changed the subject.
“W-what about Ha-ru? When’s he coming? Why isn’t he here?”
“…He took a wrong turn on the way and is coming back now. He said he’d be here before the broadcast starts. Don’t scold him, so Ha-jin, stop running. You’re going to sweat before the live broadcast.”
“Oh, right. I need to look good today. Can’t have sweat marks.”
Having quickly regained my composure, I urgently checked the mirror and attended to my appearance. Fortunately, my hair and makeup hadn’t fallen apart too badly, which put my mind at ease.
“Kang Ha-jin, we’ll get you ready~”
“Sure.”
“Ha-jin, let’s go. You guys, hurry up and change clothes and get your makeup done. It’ll be our turn soon.”
Right on cue, at the assistant director’s signal, Ji Su-ho also calmed his excitement and returned to his usual demeanor. Together with the two stylist staff members who’d touch up my hair and makeup, and Ji Su-ho, I moved to the studio for today’s music broadcast.
As I checked the script one more time, Ji Su-ho quietly asked me.
“So, how was today? Anything happen?”
“Isn’t your timing for asking that a bit late?”
“…Well, the CEO got called in, so wouldn’t you be shocked?”
It’s good publicity, and if the CEO himself came to pick them up, people will think the company really cherishes them, so there won’t be any talk about us taking the morning show this morning.”
“…You certainly know how to talk your way out of things.”
Ji Su-ho clicked his tongue and let out a hollow laugh. Then he naturally handed me a water bottle, and after taking a sip, I borrowed a mirror from the makeup staff to check my appearance once more.
“Noona, do I look good today?”
“Our Ha-jin always looks good.”
“When you say it in such a lifeless voice like that, it hurts my feelings. I’m being serious here.”
“No, you really do look good today. How should I put it… you look more mature?”
“I look more composed?”
“Yeah. A suit really does suit a man.”
“Okay.”
After earning recognition from the Stylist—who had once declared during the Touch High shoot that “your good looks are what puts money in my pocket”—I strode confidently into the studio.
Today, I would become the first human man to defeat a Greek god.
* * *
Yoon Jae-hee, Kang Ha-jin’s self-proclaimed number one fan, former Rene New Artist Development Team Staff member, and current unemployed for N days, was just slightly on edge.
Finally, today!
She had won a lottery ticket to the A-Countdown broadcast and come to the station to see Kairos in person. It was her first time seeing them since the Upia Concert, which made her even more nervous.
‘Ha-jin hasn’t posted his commute yet… The others seemed to be on their way too. Have they arrived by now?’
Word had spread quietly among fans that Kairos members were stranded overseas and in the provinces due to the sudden weather change. She had worried the music broadcast appearance might be cancelled, but fortunately there had been no announcement before the live broadcast started.
‘I wonder what Ha-jin is wearing as MC today. That red cape outfit last time was truly legendary…’
As she gazed endlessly toward the MC seat waiting, the signal came that the broadcast was about to begin, and finally Ha-jin appeared. Yoon Jae-hee, instinctively cheering with the people beside her, gazed at Ha-jin taking his place under the lights and gasped with genuine admiration.
“What the—insane, he’s killing it….”
Sleek black hair falling softly, the thin-framed black glasses she’d seen this morning, a crisp white shirt paired with a black tie and black suit that expressed Ha-jin’s cool aura better than ever. The silver pin tucked into the middle of the tie added an even more luxurious touch.
The long coat outfit she’d seen in the article photos this morning was certainly stylish, but the suit fitting perfectly across his squared shoulders, the makeup applied so naturally it seemed effortless yet emphasized only the essentials like an actor’s—
Rather than a flashy, glittering music broadcast, he looked like he should be heading to an acting awards ceremony, and Destiny members including Yoon Jae-hee quickly began murmuring excitedly.
“Kang Ha-jin is insane. So handsome.”
“He’s wearing glasses, glasses. Oh, he’s wearing glasses…!”
“Come on, awards ceremony, hurry up…. I need to see Kairos in suits, seriously.”
With each unfiltered fangirl comment, Yoon Jae-hee nodded in agreement countless times and clasped her hands together.
‘Please let everyone be wearing suits for today’s music broadcast….’
She had completely forgotten that Lanion, Rene’s next rookie whom she had been managing until a few months ago, was making their debut stage on today’s music broadcast.
Yoon Jae-hee once again realized her resignation had been the right choice, savoring the joys of being off the clock at 1000% capacity.
* * *
‘No matter how much you guys are Greek gods, you’re still rookie idols in the end.’
The method I chose to counter those god-like Lanion bastards was “subtraction.”
No matter how handsome their real faces were, there was one fatal black mark that rookie idols couldn’t escape—the tonal colors and bold styling frequently seen in debut stages.
Especially Rene, which insisted on making every idol’s debut concept as unique and flashy as possible. The goal was to make each member’s visuals known to the public—for example, giving all members different hair colors or distinctive hairstyling to capture each member’s characteristics.
When I caught a glimpse of them at the salon earlier, Lanion seemed to be similarly decked out with considerable effort.
So rather than struggling to flaunt the same idol charm next to those guys, I judged that emphasizing a natural senior appeal by toning down the styling like this would have much more impact.
‘Looking at the fan reactions, it seems to be passing at least.’
Fully conscious of the Destiny members watching me from the audience, I maintained the most flattering angle while checking my script. Since there was no pre-recording, I needed to make sure they got a good look at my face to make today’s trip worthwhile.
Standing at the MC seat, quietly reciting today’s lines once more, the female actress who had been the previous music broadcast MC smiled lightly at me and asked.
“Ha-jin, have you prepared your acceptance speech?”
“…Pardon?”
What acceptance speech?
“Oh, the Main PD didn’t tell you? You’re supposedly a candidate for first place today.”
“…Us?”
We’re getting an award today?
At the news of our (presumed) award that I didn’t even know about, the strength nearly drained from my hands holding the script.

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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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