Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 274

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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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274. Results Over Process
We won.
‘This is the best. What a rush. The dopamine hit is insane.’
The long glass display case in the Company Lobby—built solely for the purpose of showing off.
Among the trophies that Upia and Endway had collected over the years, I gazed proudly at our own trophies standing confidently in their midst. If we won the Rookie Award at the year-end awards ceremony this time, it looked like we’d need to buy another display case and install it.
‘First place really is something special.’
Though in the second week, Lanion had pulled off an impressive feat by riding on an astronomical album score and shooting up to become a first-place contender in one fell swoop, in the end, we still won.
The process doesn’t matter.
Results are what’s most important.
Of course, if we hadn’t gotten first place, I would’ve said results meant nothing, but anyway.
“Hyung, why do you… exactly why do you hate Lanion so much? It’s not like it has anything to do with you?”
Seo Tae-hyun, who had come to work with me for practice, asked with genuine curiosity as he watched me grinning like an idiot.
The moment I heard those words, I checked my surroundings and gave Seo Tae-hyun a nudge with my shoulder. I thought I’d pushed him lightly, but Seo Tae-hyun, caught off guard, stumbled backward about five steps with a loud thud.
Seo Tae-hyun’s eyes instantly shifted into glare mode, so I let out a small cough and quietly pulled him to the side.
“Why are you spreading rumors like that out loud in the Company Lobby? When did I ever say I hated Lanion?”
“You’re totally obsessed with them though?”
“…It’s just, you know. They’re in the same industry as us, so I’m keeping tabs on their movements now, but when did I ever care that much about—”
“Hyung, you don’t even care about B-liver, and they’re also a Rookie Award candidate.”
“…”
Why would I care about those guys who spend half the day wandering the Broadcasting Station Corridor with wandering eyes trying to get the phone numbers of female celebrities?
That’s what I was about to say, but I held back.
Because as the saying goes, reporters hear what you say in the day, and stalkers hear what you say at night.
“Ah, forget it, forget it. You go practice already. I need to go meet the Executive Director.”
“I’m going, but… anyway, hyung, you’ve been acting weird lately.”
“When have I ever not been weird?”
“…Well, when you put it that way, I guess I can’t argue.”
Before Seo Tae-hyun, whose instincts were annoyingly sharp, could say anything else strange, I quickly pushed him from behind, and he stumbled along as I pushed. Seo Tae-hyun glanced back at me, tilted his head with a puzzled expression, let out a short sigh, then paused on his way down to the Underground Practice Room and turned back to me once more.
“Oh, hyung.”
“What?”
“Think about what gift you want.”
“A gift?”
A gift all of a sudden?
To my question, Seo Tae-hyun laughed as if bewildered and answered.
“Your birthday gift, hyung.”
“Oh.”
Only then did I remember the last big event remaining this month.
November 30th.
My birthday—the first one I’d celebrate since my debut!
* * *
“Give me a birthday gift!”
“…Ah, no, wait. Someone just came in and…. Yes. I’ll organize it and send it to you via email in a bit. Yes, go ahead.”
I pushed open the Executive Director’s office door with a flourish, only to find Ji Su-ho on a call. He ended it hastily, regarding me with cold, tired eyes before setting his phone down with a half-resigned expression.
“You… weren’t planning to knock, were you?”
“I did. You just didn’t hear it, sir.”
“Right. My ears must be failing me.”
At his gesture to sit, I quickly settled onto the sofa. Since I was here at Ji Su-ho’s summons anyway, I leaned back comfortably, hugging one of the cushions to myself.
The sofa cushions in the Executive Director’s office were something else entirely. When Thirteen gets back, I’m upgrading the Unconscious Space sofa first.
“Anyway, I called you in today because there are a few things I need to convey. Originally, I was planning to gather everyone and discuss it, but looking at your schedules, it would’ve gotten too late, so I just called you as the representative.”
“Yes, is it urgent?”
“Well… not exactly urgent, but….”
Ji Su-ho shrugged, his expression uncertain.
Wondering what he was building up to with all this preamble, I took a long sip of the iced chocolate I’d bought on the way here. Ji Su-ho, crossing his legs and resting a hand lightly on his knee, finally got to the point.
“I have a lot to say, so let me start with the best news. You’ll be getting your settlement starting next month.”
“Cough—”
“Whoa, hey!”
I must have inhaled it badly because even as Ji Su-ho hurriedly handed me wet tissues to wipe my hands and chin, I kept coughing. Anyone watching would think I’d swallowed poison.
After wiping away the sticky residue, I looked at Ji Su-ho with wide, questioning eyes.
“Why would you drop such important news while I’m drinking iced chocolate?”
“What’s so important about it? You didn’t think it would take that long anyway, did you?”
“Well, I suppose not….”
We’d been working like oxen, and the response was clearly visible, so I hadn’t expected the settlement to take very long.
But since we didn’t meticulously track every won coming in and how during our scheduling, it was more of a vague assumption than anything concrete. Still, hearing that money would actually arrive just three months after debut felt somewhat surreal.
“The investment costs have already been fully recovered, and money will start coming in from next month. I explained this when we signed the contract, but settlement cycles are monthly—think of it as the money settled this month arriving at the end of next month. The kids might get confused, so make sure you explain it well to them.”
“What about the settlement statements?”
“The Accounting Team will organize and send them on the 3rd of every month.”
“Got it. I’ll let them know. This will really put Yoo Gun’s mind at ease.”
I nodded, thinking of the young breadboy who lived in the same house and would probably be happiest about this news. Ji Su-ho, apparently thinking along the same lines and wearing a pleased smile, added in a more serious tone.
“You know as well as I do that the amount is larger than expected. When a big sum comes in suddenly, the kids might be shocked, so Ha-jin, you need to manage the mood well. We’re planning to bring in a tax accountant soon to educate everyone about taxes, so don’t let them go wild spending. Got it?”
“…How much did we even make that you’re being so scary about it?”
“….”
Instead of answering, Ji Su-ho tapped the tablet a few times and set it in front of me. Feeling oddly apprehensive, I carefully checked the screen and found a number I was decidedly unfamiliar with.
“…One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand, hundred thousand, million….”
How much is this…?
It was a sum that made my past self—who’d crawled across the production company office floor working 24-hour shifts and received 2.3 million won, celebrating that it was 200,000 won more than my previous job—feel impossibly distant.
‘Is this real?’
No wonder young people are giving up on employment these days….
Even though it was money I’d earned that would be deposited into my own account, I felt oddly wronged and deflated.
Those Time Management Authority bastards had their reasons for betting Young & Rich as compensation and pushing me into idol work when I was on the verge of being sent to the Military three times.
“If you win a rookie award at year-end and your value increases, and you do events next year, you’ll be able to maintain good results. But again, don’t let the kids get too excited. Usually, accidents happen around the time of this first paycheck.”
“I think I’m the one most likely to cause an accident first…?”
“Don’t mess with me.”
“I’m serious….”
I’ve never made this kind of money before.
Even to my own ears, my voice sounded foolish, and Ji Su-ho, who had paused for a moment, stared at me intently before breaking into a grin and patting my shoulder twice.
“I told you to trust me, didn’t I?”
“…You’re right. I’m glad I did.”
I nodded lightly in agreement with his words.
Ji Su-ho didn’t add anything further and shifted the conversation to the next topic.
“So, this is the first piece of good news for today.”
“There are several, but this one comes out first? I’m a bit scared right now, honestly? But since I’m feeling better, just tell me quickly when it’s good news like this.”
“The second thing I wanted to talk about is related to your birthday.”
“Oh.”
Ji Su-ho handed me a file he had prepared in advance. When I opened the folder, I found an A4 sheet organized with my birthday-related promotions and event schedules.
“After all, you’re the first to have a birthday since officially debuting, right? Tae-hyun and Si-woo had theirs in July, and Yoo Gun’s was September 1st, so we couldn’t put much effort into those.”
“That’s true. Honestly, the fans did most of the events anyway.”
“But your group is getting such a great response right now, and starting with your birthday, Ha-ru and Do-ha have theirs coming up too, so I’m planning to organize the events properly for the other members’ birthdays next year as well. These are ideas that came in, so take a look and discuss with the members to see which one appeals to you most, then give me your opinion.”
“Okay…. I’ll read through it carefully when I get back to the dormitory.”
As I flipped through the materials, I could see references on how other idol groups celebrate birthdays, along with ideas the company’s PR Marketing Team had developed in-house.
‘A birthday…. A birthday, huh….’
To be honest, I didn’t have many memories of receiving special birthday events throughout my life.
I was usually the one doing the celebrating.
‘This is the first time I’m having such a grand birthday celebration.’
There was something I’d wanted to try for a while now, so maybe I should give it a shot this time.
As I fell into thought, mentally sketching out various ideas, Ji Su-ho clapped his hands as if to say we had a long way to go, capturing my attention.
“Alright, alright. And next.”
“Wow, there’s so much….”
“You’re the one who created all these projects.”
“….”
…Well, I have nothing to say to that.
Since I was just in the middle of planning new projects, I kept my mouth shut.
“That vacation you mentioned last time? It’s approved. We can’t spare much time, just two nights and three days. Thursday through Saturday.”
“That’s enough.”
“But Tae-hyun will head down separately after his music show appearance on Thursday, and Eun-chan has a family gathering that day too. Joo Eun-seok contacted me about it. So he said he’d personally pick you up Friday morning.”
“I heard about Eun-chan too. It doesn’t matter anyway since we’re going to pick up Dan Ha-ru.”
“You’ve already discussed everything with the members, right? Where you’re going and all that?”
“…I mentioned a two-night, three-day trip, but we haven’t decided where yet. I need to tell them soon.”
“Okay. Then share that once you’ve sorted it out.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Ji Su-ho still seemed suspicious about this mysterious two-night, three-day vacation, but sensing that I had no intention of saying more, he didn’t press further.
I didn’t try to suppress the flood of thoughts gathering in my mind like fluffy clouds.
I simply continued sipping the remaining iced chocolate in silence.
“Alright, let’s set aside the good news for now….”
Ji Su-ho, who had been observing my expression for a moment, exhaled his words like a sigh.
“I have some bad news to tell you.”
“…What is it?”
What could it be that he’s setting the mood like this?
An ominous feeling drifted across the back of my neck like smoke, and Ji Su-ho opened his mouth.
“QBS got in touch.”
“…?”
“For the year-end cover song stage, Lanion is apparently going to perform Yupia’s song.”
Who’s doing what?
Faced with this unimaginable blow delivered by QBS and Rene Entertainment, my brow furrowed pathetically.

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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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