Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 319

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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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319. Project Youth Sniper (4)
Kairos’s Project Youth Sniper.
What was it, exactly?
“Simply put, it’s a project to capture the teenage demographic.”
I pushed up the black-framed glasses I’d been favoring lately with the tip of my finger.
The location was, once again, Eun-chan’s hospital room. (He’d grumbled about why we kept coming here instead of staying at the dormitory, but we’d brushed off his complaints.)
Watching me set up a beam projector with some sleek PowerPoint presentation—heaven knows where I’d procured it from—Yu Gun muttered softly.
“Where does this guy keep pulling this stuff from?”
“Leave him be. He’s having fun.”
Tae-hyun shrugged and speared an apple that Yu Gun had peeled, stabbing it with a fork.
As the crisp sound of apple-chewing filled the room, I advanced the presentation and posed a question.
“When we divide fans by age bracket—from teenagers to those in their sixties—which demographic do you think has the strongest actual purchasing power?”
“The answer! People in their thirties?”
“Correct, Dan Ha-ru. Mostly fans who were teenagers during the Yupia era or earlier, who’ve grown up and established themselves as adult consumers with genuine buying power. In fact, I’ve seen media reports claiming that South Korea’s cultural consumption is dominated by women in their twenties and thirties.”
Though in this life I’d only managed to attend a cyber university and graduated high school, I’d originally been an art school student majoring in South Korean mass media and performance culture.
Biting my lip once, unable to drop such meta commentary in front of members who hadn’t awakened yet, I poured out words with the fluency of a seasoned orator.
“Now then, second question.”
“…Is this a lecture, Professor?”
“If we divide fans by age bracket the same way—from teenagers to those in their sixties—which demographic actually consumes idol culture most actively and abundantly?”
Brushing aside Yu Gun’s jab, I posed the second question, and Eun-chan, who’d been eagerly accepting apple slices that Yu Gun peeled and Tae-hyun offered on his fork, blinked and answered.
“…Teenagers?”
“Correct. Ju Eun-chan, ten bonus points.”
“What about me!?”
“Dan Ha-ru also gets ten points.”
“Do grades come with this?”
“…Just play along a bit, would you?”
Yu Gun’s continued grumbling about Professor Kang Ha-jin’s “Understanding Idol Consumption by Age” lecture finally subsided under Tae-hyun’s sharp gaze.
I pressed a pointer button I’d brought from somewhere, and the PPT slide transitioned with a morphing effect. The screen displayed neatly organized articles and statistical graphs about teenage idol consumption.
“Teenage idol consumption power is formidable. The old notion that teenagers lack purchasing freedom compared to adults is outdated. In an era where teenage luxury haul YouTube content dominates, teenagers have become quite a powerful target demographic.”
“Honestly, you don’t even need statistics for that—just look at our fan meetings. There are quite a few teenage fans, and it’s not like they’re spending pocket change either.”
“Well… truthfully, I have plenty to say about teenagers’ indiscriminate luxury consumption habits and how this industry encourages and fosters them, but that’s not why we gathered today, so I’ll skip it.”
“What exactly does this guy do…?”
“Can’t you tell? He’s an idol.”
Brushing past Yu Gun and Tae-hyun’s banter—which had become almost like a comedic routine—I tilted my head thoughtfully.
“The 20-30 demographic definitely has strong purchasing power, and they’re already accustomed to community and SNS activity, so their online influence is considerable. However, in terms of the speed at which they create trends or generate viral moments, they can’t quite keep pace with teenage fans.”
Earning money means working, and working means having relatively less time and leisure.
Office workers in modern society were creatures who endured their worn and weary bodies through the harsh trials of reality, seeking to recharge their depleted energy through fandom. (Personal experience.)
The power of teenagers, who could pour all their overflowing energy into the dopamine rush of fandom, was fundamentally incomparable to that of such adults.
Both consumer demographics formed important pillars of the idol industry, but what Kairos needed right now wasn’t actual purchasing power itself—it was the word-of-mouth buzz from teenagers.
‘I heard Kairos is the trend these days.’ That kind of solidification as a rising star.
“Of course, if we only shine in name among teenagers and then fade away, this project is a failure. Ultimately, what proves our ‘caliber’ is our performance metrics, and those metrics come mostly from our fans’ money and loyalty.”
Ha-jin’s eyes sharpened.
Two years into their idol debut.
For Kairos, this year was an incredibly crucial period.
Most said that the first golden age—the transition from rising stars to the top—happened in the third year, and right now was precisely the ‘foundation-laying phase’ preparing for that third year.
“So if I explain the final goal of this Project Youth Sniper more precisely, it’s to ‘create a boom among teenagers so that those teenagers settle into being stable consumers of our group’—essentially securing future consumers from the 2020s and 2030s before anyone else does.”
“….”
“I don’t love the word ‘consumer’ either, but… without fans who actually like us, idols are just some pretty ordinary people singing songs, right? In that sense, securing teenage fans is important.”
At Ha-jin’s cynical explanation, most of the members who had been listening to the presentation with somewhat complicated expressions nodded in understanding.
However, noticing Do-ha still standing with arms crossed and a dissatisfied expression, Ha-jin shrugged and added one more thing.
“Of course, whether it’s teenage students or mothers in their sixties, ultimately what settles people into our group depends on the music we make. I have no intention of forgetting what it means to be a singer, so lighten up.”
Picky bunch, all of them.
Even as he thought this, Ha-jin found himself genuinely enjoying this moment of persuading his members and bringing them to his side.
It felt like something hot was igniting in his chest—incomparably different from those days when he’d shouldered the rope alone and charged forward, surrounded by people who either nodded blindly without understanding or reflexively opposed everything.
Si-woo, who had been listening intently to Ha-jin the whole time, began speaking while gently stroking Ha-ru’s fluffy hair as if petting a cat.
“So the conclusion is, we’re approaching teenagers with weaker purchasing power through a busking project to secure accessibility and aim for new fans, right? We throw consumption opportunities at teenage fans while also increasing viral buzz about our group itself.”
“Exactly right. As expected of a college student.”
“I’ve wanted to do a nationwide busking tour at least once anyway, so I’m fine with it, but it’s surprising the company approved this. Considering the money going in, the only return we’d really get is word-of-mouth.”
“Ah, I’m about to explain that part now.”
“…?”
Beep.
The slide advanced with the pointer sound.
The text “【Profitability?】” vanished in a flashy effect.
“Miro is planning to spend almost no money on this project.”
“…How is that even possible?”
At Si-woo’s bewildered question, Ha-jin stretched out those long, straight fingers and pointed at someone.
It was Eun-chan, leaning against the hospital bed and skillfully peeling a banana.
“Most of it comes from his older brother.”
“…Our older brother?”
“Yeah. Your brother.”
“…Why our brother?”
“Well, nothing special. I just shook him down for some cash again this time.”
“…Pardon?”
What is this guy talking about?
Whether or not Eun-chan’s face shifted from bewilderment to shock, Ha-jin wore a comfortable expression and laughed refreshingly.
If Thirteen had been there, he would have clicked his tongue and said, ‘Here goes that gangster again.’
* * *
I went to find Joo Eun-seok after the situation with Ju Eun-chan’s accident and Seo Tae-hyun’s controversy had been somewhat contained, and we confirmed we’d proceed with our comeback plan as scheduled.
-You’re here? Your face has gotten thinner since I last saw you.
-As you know, I’ve been through some emotional turmoil. And you’ve become a director since I last saw you.
-It’s all the same route—CEO’s son getting a cushy position through connections, you know. Want some coffee?
-No, thank you. I can’t have caffeine.
-Ah, right. I think I’ve heard that before.
Given that his only sibling had suffered such an accident, I would have expected Joo Eun-seok to be in turmoil, but he welcomed my visit with surprising composure and clarity of mind.
I nearly had a headache from the start, barely managing to dissuade him from personally asking his secretary to fetch me an iced chocolate takeout since I couldn’t drink coffee. Our actual conversation only began after I’d mentioned at least five times that the orange juice from his mini refrigerator would be perfectly sufficient.
-I read over the proposal you sent.
-…And what did you think?
-Ha-jin, are you seriously not planning to get a job? We offer the standard four major insurances and excellent allowances.
-You’re doing a headhunt on an idol with a new single dropping in just a couple of days? That’s quite presumptuous.
-Would you be interested in starting salary negotiations from 5,000 won? Of course, this is an offer taking into account that you’d be a twenty-year-old new hire.
-…That would have been quite tempting if it were last winter, but I’ll respectfully decline.
-Tch. What a waste.
5,000? 5,000????
A monthly take-home of 3,567,653 won? And that’s without allowances?
Thinking back to my salary in my previous timeline, it was an incredibly tempting offer, but I held firm to my principles.
Unlike our last meeting when I was going through a period of employment instability, this time I had something confident to say.
-I’m making decent money now, too.
Starting with the first settlement last year, the royalties accumulating month after month were almost frightening in their generosity. Thanks to the massive success of “This Isn’t a Carol” with my name credited as composer and lyricist, the copyright fees deposited each month seemed to rival typical corporate holiday bonuses.
…Since I’d never handled such large sums before, I’d been depositing everything into savings accounts as soon as it arrived, but regardless, I had the nerve to confidently turn down a 5,000 won salary.
-If the group were to disband or I were to cause trouble and leave, would it be shameless of me to ask for the same offer then?
-Nah, by then your market value as a person would be completely different. Besides, if you and my brother’s group were to fail or cause a scandal, that’d be a headache for me too.
-Exactly. That’s how I express that something won’t happen.
I could still vividly recall Joo Eun-seok laughing with satisfaction at my quip.
As Joo Eun-seok continued our lighthearted banter, an attractive smile curved across his face—still slightly softer in appearance than Ju Eun-chan’s.
-Good idea, though. “A corporate-level social welfare project for cultural revitalization in underdeveloped areas”….
Joo Eun-seok displayed the proposal for the “Project Youth Sniper” I’d emailed him on his tablet, tapping the screen thoughtfully with his finger as he spoke. I proceeded with the investment pitch presentation I’d prepared, presenting it to him with confidence.
-You’re already running something similar with Studio A anyway, right? Under the guise of a cultural welfare project for corporate image. All we’re doing is adding our name to it. But the promotional effect would be incomparably greater than before.
-….
-Since you’ve already announced you have a successful idol brother, why not see just how much his name is worth?
“Hey, everyone’s here. Time to wake up.”
With Kwon Wook’s familiar voice, I emerged from whatever memory—dream or recollection—I’d been lost in.
The window that had been dark before sunrise now sparkled brilliantly with clear morning light. As I stepped out of the car, our destination for today came into view beyond the riverside—whether it was a reservoir or a lake, I couldn’t quite tell.
【Hae-gae Girls’ High School】
“Well, well.”
Perfect weather for a handsome student teacher to make an entrance, wouldn’t you say?
Anticipation for today’s surprise busking performance began to build within me.

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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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