Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 282

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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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282. If Anyone Asks About South Korea’s Fresh-Cute Male Idol (1)
Approximately 30 minutes before Kairos’s entrance onto the Music Festival Red Carpet.
Inside the van where Kairos was waiting in the Underground Parking Lot.
“Yoo Gun.”
“…? What is it?”
Yoo Gun, who had been nervously rubbing his hands together while thinking that while performing on stage was fine, he still wasn’t used to awkwardly greeting in front of countless cameras and flashing that devastatingly handsome smile, turned his head at Ha-jin’s call.
Ha-jin, sitting beside him with his legs crossed and his arm draped over the window frame, lightly traced his sharp jawline with his hand—or as he’d put it, was “striking a pose”—before speaking in a serious tone.
“Your hyung thinks this way.”
“…?”
“What is a man?”
“….”
“A suit.”
Along with that coolly delivered line, Ha-jin gestured to his outfit with his long, elegant fingers. His expensive custom-tailored suit—which the stylists had put considerable effort into for his first red carpet appearance since debut—and the costly shoes they’d procured gleamed under his fingertips.
Ha-jin, wearing an exaggerated expression, raised his right eyebrow and jerked his chin toward Yoo Gun.
“Honestly, even you have to admit the suit fit is killer.”
“…It just looks stupid to me.”
“…I’ve been wondering since that whole Dan Ha-ru incident last time, but do you have that kind of comedy sense?”
“I’ve been studying rap lately because of Lee Do-ha hyung.”
Ha-jin, momentarily at a loss for words at Yoo Gun’s quip, quickly regained his composure and cleared his throat.
“Anyway, that’s not the important part.”
“…What are you trying to do with all this setup?”
“I’ve been thinking, and it seems wrong to enter the red carpet so plainly while wearing such an incredible suit.”
As I looked at Ha-jin with a puzzled expression, wondering what he was getting at, he reached out and casually unbuttoned Yoo Gun’s jacket buttons from the top, which the stylist had fastened tightly.
“What are you doing?”
“Aren’t you worried you’ll look awkward when you go up the photo line later?”
“….”
“You’re going up on the main stage platform first out of all of us. But if you’re nervous on a day like today? Then Kairos’s first red carpet becomes a bunch of scared, frightened rookies one, two, three.”
“…Who said I was scared….”
Struck by Ha-jin’s accurate observation, Yoo Gun averted his gaze and let out an embarrassed cough. But Ha-jin, wearing an expression that said he already knew everything, let out a small laugh and checked Yoo Gun’s appearance once more before simply leaning his arm back against the window frame and resting his chin on his hand.
“Normally, your hyung would be generous enough to understand even if you got photographed looking scared and nervous. But today is a year-end stage with famous idols actively working in the country, so I can’t let that happen.”
“….”
“So today, when you go up there, just do exactly as I say.”
“…How?”
When Yoo Gun asked back, Ha-jin grabbed his shoulder with the hand that wasn’t supporting his chin and spoke.
“Make the most disrespectful expression you possibly can.”
“What?”
“Think of yourself as the most obnoxious person in the world and enter with a serious face.”
“Are you crazy, hyung?”
“I’m not done yet. As you enter with that expression, button up this jacket I just unbuttoned.”
“Why on earth…?”
“There’s something to it, yeah. Listen to your hyung. Everything in this world is a performance. We make our living through performance.”
Ha-jin remained serious even as Yoo Gun threw question marks across his entire body, clearly unable to comprehend.
“Do you know what our group’s concept is today?”
“No, sir.”
“Italian mafia’s innocent little house-playing game. But for this to succeed, what do we need to show first?”
“…You really only say things I don’t want to hear.”
“We have to show the Italian mafia first, that’s what I mean.”
You’re that crucial first button.
As if delivering some monumental secret order, Ha-jin gripped Yoo Gun’s shoulder with solemn and grave intensity.
“If hyung doesn’t get Silt rank 1 today, I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep.”
“…Fat chance of that.”
Yoo Gun exhaled a deep sigh and adjusted the jacket buttons Ha-jin had loosened.
Anyway, this hyung was someone you could trust for barely three minutes.
* * *
– They’re gonna do it
– Notify us when the kids come out
Does anyone know what time it closes today…
– No cue sheet leaks yet, right? Really looking forward to the senior idols’ cover performances
This year’s QBS Music Festival was broadcast simultaneously on TV and AiTube. As people watched today’s lineup entering the Red Carpet, they began critiquing each group’s outfit and concept for the day.
As it happened, the first to enter was Storm Header, who had recently clashed with various fandoms and fallen into disfavor for some time.
– The kids are so cute
– Who is the person on the right who is coming out now? The person wearing a ribbon bow tieㅠㅜㅠ
└ Hui-an, the maknae! So adorable!
Everyone was super nervous lol
While it was impossible to know what some people were spreading beneath the surface, Storm Header hadn’t actually done anything wrong, so the public reactions were predominantly mild on the surface.
However, Storm Header’s members seemed conscious of the criticism directed at them due to the recent cover song spoilers, and despite being rookies, they couldn’t hide faces that were somewhat excessively tense and stiff.
The MC tried to lighten the mood with various jokes, but it wasn’t quite enough.
After that, the lineup of idols who had been actively promoting throughout the year continued. About three girl groups passed in succession, followed by Lanion’s turn.
– Kyaaaaaaaa
– Look at those faces
– This is what it’s all about
– Rene’s flower garden visuals are insane
Lanion, with deep, well-defined features and refined, graceful visuals befitting a Rene Entertainment graduate who embodied idol perfection, appeared equipped with a soft smile and hand wave. The way they greeted and posed in sync with the leader’s chant was so fresh and boyish—more so than any rookie should be—that it warmed the hearts of those watching.
“Ah, by any chance, could you give us a little spoiler about which senior’s cover stage you’ve prepared today?”
Min-seok took the microphone in response to the MC’s question.
“Well… I think our outfit today might be a spoiler in itself. It’s quite different from what we’ve usually shown you—something fresh and bold, I’d say. We should be able to present a stage unlike anything before.”
Lanion, who had been emphasizing the catchphrase “the first love boy you’ve dreamed of at least once,” was dressed in school uniforms that were distinctly different from their usual stage attire.
Details like scratches here and there, or the jumpsuit one member wore, were already known symbols of Yupia’s “Coup d’État,” so the moment people heard that answer, they could deduce that the leaked song spoiler was real.
– Wait, so Lanion is doing the Coup d’État??
Rene X Miro collaboration is going crazy lol
– Oh, if you’re going to do this, let me change the song!! I’m curious about the Spear that Kairos sings tooㅠㅜㅠㅜ
Honestly, at first I thought Lanion was Upia?? but now that I see it, it might actually be okay lol
└ 22 A coup pulled off by the upper class… might not be so bad?
└ 333 lol wait, it actually matches way better than I thought!?
Hey everyone, quiet down. So you’re saying Kairos is being all lovey-dovey right now? Lol…
As the anticipation among the crowd grew even higher, a few more teams took their turn before Kairos was finally called. Kairos had always garnered attention with their impeccable coordination and styling. Because of this, not only Destiny fans but also other fandoms were on edge about Kairos’s appearance today.
“Yes, Kairos! Please come out.”

And as the Kairos members began to emerge one by one from behind the Photo Zone, those who had been reeling from the shock of “Kairos doing ‘More More'” couldn’t help but arrive at the same thought.
– Dude, change the song even now please
Yoo Gun, who revealed his face first, appeared with a slightly tense expression, his chin raised, neatly buttoning his jacket with hands that were among the largest of the members.
The atmosphere had already flipped just from Yoo Gun—who was evaluated as the sharpest and most delinquent-looking among the members—appearing in a suit that fit him perfectly. Then Ha-jin, who followed next, came in with his hair neatly swept back, fiddling with the watch on his wrist.
– Miro is Miro, you know…
– Yeah, I’m sorry guys, I was just… very briefly mistaken thinking you could pull off cute and innocent even though you’re rookies too. I’m sorry guys, I made a mistake
– I thought it might be okay since we have Ha-ru and Tae-hyun… but after seeing Lanion and then our kids, I’m like… yeah… you guys were Miro too, huh, now I realize
After the scariest-looking members (so to speak)—Yoo Gun and Ha-jin—took their places, Ha-ru and Tae-hyun followed in succession, as if to refresh the atmosphere. These two, who had earned the nicknames of “shorts specialist” and “air purifier” within Kairos and had always taken on bright and cute styling, were now wearing formal suit setups and exuding a somewhat dignified aura.
But Kairos’s facial assault didn’t end there.
“Geez… Jeong Si-u oppa is disciplining the Stone Board with his face again.”
Jeong Si-u, the oldest member, had always avoided overly neat hairstyles or mature-looking outfits when styling, but now he appeared with full makeup and full styling, deliberately dressed in a suit. He followed behind the others.
Before fans could even get excited about Jeong Si-u, who most naturally embodied the attitude of an “adult,” Eun-chan—already being predicted as a male idol to look forward to at twenty—and finally Lee Do-ha, the tallest member now dressed in a three-piece suit that fit his frame perfectly, took their place on the stage platform.
– This is that thing… like when the neighbor oppa who always wore hoodies shows up fully styled…
– Yo… what the… Han Se-won, how the hell did you do this…?
– Looking at it like this, Kairos’s faces are seriously amazing
– They’re doing ‘More More’? With these faces?? You’re making me flutter like this???
– Lee Do-ha in that three-piece suit, who are you, thank you TLQKF!!!!!!!1
Miro’s maknae group unleashed a deliberate suit bombardment, leaving fans unable to collect themselves as they tormented the comment section. Whether the members knew of this chaos or not, they were continuing with their interview after finishing their photo time.
“Kairos, you’ve shown us such a wonderful appearance today. We hear you’re planning to show something special and different in this cover stage performance. What kind of stage have you prepared?”
The MC’s question about the stage was the Broadcast Station’s intention.
Since it was already revealed, rather than keeping it secret until the end, it seemed the idea was to drop it on the day itself to build up more buzz.
Ha-jin, who had been given a heads-up beforehand, answered without any hesitation, grabbing the microphone.
“In this cover song stage, we seem to be showing a lot of sides that we normally haven’t been able to show or couldn’t show. We Kairos have prepared ‘More More’ by our senior Chungwol Girls.”
At the shocking song selection spoiler publicly confirmed by the person himself, camera flashes erupted in succession.
The MC asked in a playful tone.
“Considering Kairos’s usual charismatic image, this is truly a bold stage. Could you tell us a bit about what made you choose this song?”
“Ah… well, it wasn’t like I had any grand thoughts about it.”
Ha-jin pretended to think for a moment, choosing his words carefully.
As everyone waited for his answer, Ha-jin smiled and picked up the microphone again.
“The thing is, isn’t cuteness the best thing for guys? That’s the thought that made us choose this song.”
It was an answer that embodied the very essence of extreme capitalism.

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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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