Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 328

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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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328. The End of Youth 靑春終末 (3)
I knew Miro loved crafting dramas within their worldviews, but this time they seemed to be preparing something genuinely ambitious.
Windy, who had barely managed to calm her excitement after watching the trailer, methodically reviewed the video’s contents once more.
‘So basically, thinking about everything we’ve seen so far… Ha-ru from the Pure Dream Worldview wakes up one day in the School Worldview where there are no older brothers or first loves? Or is it the opposite—Ha-ru from the School Worldview becomes aware of the Pure Dream Worldview one day?’
Judging by all the talk about memories and confusion, the main story seemed to be Ha-ru waking up alone in the School Worldview, bewildered about whether the Pure Dream Worldview was real. It felt like the role Eun-chan had played in the last “Over the Night” music video had now shifted to Ha-ru.
“Ah, but Ha-ru definitely has a different vibe with darker hair, doesn’t he? Is he getting a bigger role this time? Ah, my hands are shaking.”
Though Windy had started as a Dan Ha-ru bias and somehow ended up as a fan of all seven members, a bias was still a bias. Seeing Ha-ru take on a more substantial role made her feel oddly proud, even though he wasn’t her own child.
‘…Those people who used to complain that Dan Ha-ru has nothing besides cuteness, they’ll probably shut up now.’
The “Dan Ha-ru cuteness one-trick” narrative was mainly pushed by Ju Eun-chan antis who wanted to emphasize the “even more maknae-like than the maknae” image, or Jeong Si-u antis who didn’t want to share the main vocal position.
Still, for a group that debuted from a survival show, Kairos had managed to build a relatively healthy fandom. (Kang Ha-jin’s fandom purification movement had played a significant role.) But even so, it was inevitable that individual fandoms would engage in subtle power struggles beneath the surface.
‘I mean, Jeong Si-u’s fans are one thing, but what are Ju Eun-chan’s antis even thinking?’
Jeong Si-u, being the oldest and youngest, didn’t really have much common ground between them, so that was at least (really, at least) understandable. If someone only liked Jeong Si-u, they might feel threatened by Dan Ha-ru who shares the main vocal position.
But Ju Eun-chan was different!
It was public knowledge that Ju Eun-chan referred to himself and Dan Ha-ru as “brother and maknae siblings” even in private, treating them as a set. The members knew it, and the fans knew it.
Moreover, Ju Eun-chan, despite being in the maknae line himself, took great care of Dan Ha-ru as his one-year-older brother. The way he naturally exuded a younger sibling charm while earnestly playing the role of an older brother to Ha-ru was one of Ju Eun-chan’s appeal points.
‘Dan Ha-ru and Ju Eun-chan don’t overlap in position or image at all, so why…?’
If anyone should be wary of Dan Ha-ru, shouldn’t it be Seo Tae-hyun’s fans with a similar image?
Thinking that the mindset of these antis was truly incomprehensible, Windy quietly opened her laptop and launched Photoshop. She felt like making some gifs of Ha-ru.
‘Anyway, I hope this activity helps Ha-ru establish his position properly…’
Unlike Kang Ha-jin, who had been everyone’s second favorite during Miro Maze and rapidly climbed after debut with the leader buff, Ha-ru, who had gained considerable popularity with the “skilled maknae” role, had actually lost momentum after debut.
It was even more frustrating because there was nothing wrong with Ha-ru himself. Still, compared to previous activities where other members received more focus, this album seemed centered on Ha-ru, so his individual fanbase would gain vitality.
The first unit song on the tracklist was cleanly divided into the older brother line and younger brother line, which she liked. The member balance felt just right. The more devices available to weave diverse relationships between members, the easier it was to establish an all-fan sentiment within the fandom.
‘Actually, well… aside from a few Ju Eun-chan antis, there aren’t really any major troublemakers yet…’
Surprisingly, Seo Tae-hyun’s fandom, which had the largest numbers initially, hadn’t really asserted territorial claims. The Kang Ha-jin fandom, which was the loudest among individual fandoms (perhaps taking after their bias), was very decisive in establishing an all-fan sentiment, which helped a lot.
Actually, if we’re being honest, most of Ju Eun-chan’s fandom was naturally gentle and docile like their bias. The problem was these antis who kept stirring up trouble, tearing apart Ju Eun-chan’s image while doing pseudo-fan activities among those gentle fans.
‘Why can’t they just settle for treating him as a cute troublemaker maknae…? It’s already awkward among Dan Ha-ru fans that whenever someone asks “who’s Kairos’s maknae?” Eun-chan always gets dragged in too.’
If Ha-ru had been a cynical, adult-like maknae concept instead, they would’ve gone crazy over him.
Even while thinking these stagnant thoughts, Windy’s hands moved busily across the mouse and keyboard. After mentally cursing everything, she rewatched the concept trailer and carefully selected gif-worthy moments, only to find all seven members equally occupying her monitor.
But what could she do when all seven were beautiful and all in their prime? This wasn’t a matter of intellect—it was instinct.
“…Ugh, really. This all-fan disease.”
Windy clicked her tongue in resignation and reorganized the members’ gifs by age order.
While creating folders from Si-woo to Ha-ru, she’d lost count of how many times she thought things like “he’s pretty too, but wait this one is insane, but then again this one is really, but then this one is actually…”
She’d already gone too far to back out.
With that thought, Windy began editing Si-woo’s gifs in order.
* * *
Kairos’s “The End of Youth” concept trailer received quite a significant response among Stone Board fans.
Part of it was due to heightened attention on their activities following the incident and controversy, but the beautifully shot concept trailer itself was perfectly tailored to Stone Board fans’ tastes.
While there were many diverse evaluations about this, the most common reaction was still this:
– They’re actually pulling this off;;;;;
Kairos had come forward with a pure concept!
Running barefoot through a flower field in white clothes!
And on top of that, they had blush smeared all over both cheeks!
This unbelievable news sparked people’s curiosity.
[Kairos did aegyo makeup?]
Not mouth makeup?
– Ha-C laughed; felt embarrassed
– It was convincing
Actually, Yoon-geon did think Igari makeup was Agari makeup lol
What is this now lol
└ In the content behind-the-scenes, they kept saying that… mouth? aegyo makeup? and Kang Ha-jin got really flustered and corrected them saying it’s aegyo
It’s funny that it’s not a social circle thing but rather something inherent to them. I thought it would be a social circle thing that would correct that kind of image, but it seems like it’s just how they are.
└ Seo Tae-il was laughing so hard he couldn’t speak
└ For him to laugh at that, he really is Kairos’s official laugh Hades
└ ? Why Hades???
└ Because the laugh barrier is in the underworld
└ Ah ㅅㅂ ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
[Confessing honestly, when I first heard Kairos’s concept]
I thought it was a psychiatric hospital
But barefoot + white clothes + flower field
It can only be Kairos, right?
– Comment 1: But why can’t our kids be pure too, our kids are rookies too
└ Tsuni: (Year-end stage 【Over the Night】 (Mad Luv Ver.) gif of Do-ha, Ha-jin, and Yoo Gun staring seriously at the camera)
└ Comment 1: I’m sorry
[I found out who my kids’ first love is!!!!!!!!!!]
Actually it’s me^♥^
The kids secretly filmed it to respect my pride chicken hoho
– dead
– dead
– dead
– dead
What’s going on? Why are we crashing? Weren’t we supposed to avoid this? What does crashing even mean?
└ ㅈㄱ=Sniping means that you will shoot him and make him fall.
└ These concept-obsessed girls really are relentless…
Destiny’s reactions were mostly satisfied. The atmosphere was one of understanding that the title track was Seo Tae-il’s song rather than the members’. It was because Seo Tae-il was currently evaluated as the best at handling this kind of wistful, refreshing sensibility in Korea.
As it seemed the long-awaited comeback would deliver results matching expectations, the fandom’s atmosphere rapidly became cheerful. The kids seemed perfectly prepared, so all that remained was to gather ammunition and slowly savor, rewatch, and replay the feast Kairos had prepared.
Rossy Day
@rossy_1017
Wow but after seeing the content, now it all makes sense
Falling into a world where people you once loved have disappeared
=Sometimes during adolescence, small things like ‘first love’
Everything in the world, and it’s gone missing
=The End of Youth=There is No Spring
Everything that was my spring has disappeared…
Damn, this is sadder than an apocalypse
(Kairos concept analysis gif)
(Kairos concept analysis gif)
Shared 3,049 Quoted 383 Liked 3,991
[Did you see the story spoilers from our tracklist on the platform? Major spoiler warning]
Track 1 There is No Spring < A world where the beloved has gone missing
Tracks 2 wish you're there and 3 Mirage < Stories of members traveling through parallel universes where the missing person exists
Track 4 Spring Again < Kairos finding spring again by reuniting with their first love
So the first love interest appearing in the concept seems to be either Desty or the members themselves… absolutely perfect…
Ah, what song could the title track possibly be? I'm genuinely so hyped
– I saw this too and it seems right.. the placement of There is No Spring ↔ Spring Again doesn't seem like a coincidence
– Huh, so the title sounds like a really sad dance song? I really like the Order or Japlub version. It would be nice to have that feeling ㅜㅡㅡㅡㅜㅠㅠ
"Ha-jin is in the songwriting credits for 'There is No Spring' too, so I'm pretty sure it's 100% him lolol I really love how Kang Ha-di goes round and round with that ring composition structure"
└ Wait, Ha-jin is in the songwriting credits????
└ Yeah, he wasn't on the first release, but his name was added on the copyright society listing! People are guessing it was an omission from the tracklist or got added later
Yet where there is light, darkness must inevitably exist.
With explosive growth in the fanbase due to their recent activities and the fandom pie itself expanding, there were naturally those in Desty's community who couldn't accept this comeback gracefully.
– Is Eun-chan’s story true? lol
They were malicious individual fans of Ju Eun-chan, whose numbers had recently grown considerably and whose voices had become quite loud.

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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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