Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 362

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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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362. Jeju Island’s Blue Night (4)
So to explain all of this—
I need to rewind time and return to the moment when Kang Ha-jin climbed Seongsan Ilchulbong and suddenly called CEO Han Se-won for a video call.
-What’s the matter this time?
“Oh, nothing’s the matter. I just came to such a beautiful place that I wanted to see you, so I called. Do we really need a reason to call each other?”
Though this was only my second call with CEO Han Se-won, I was shameless about it.
For reference, the first time was when I’d asked him to pick up the kids on the day of the college entrance exam.
“I came to Jeju as a punishment, you see~ but looking at these gorgeous views, I’m thinking I really made the right choice debuting~ and I’m so glad I joined Kairos~ and before I knew it, I felt this overwhelming gratitude toward the CEO who made my debut possible~ so that’s why.”
-Haha, is that so? Man, this feels like talking to my grandson. I’m not quite at the age to have grandchildren yet….
“Look at this, look! The scenery is amazing, right?”
Quick-witted as I was, I quickly switched to a voice dripping with aegyo and flattery, turning the camera to show him the view before CEO Han Se-won could raise any questions.
The sunset over Jeju—with its crimson sky, emerald sea, and verdant nature all blending together as the sun dipped toward the horizon—was genuinely breathtaking, so CEO Han Se-won burst into laughter and exclamations of wonder.
Having visited Jeju more than ten times during his tenure as an entertainment company CEO, what truly moved him was likely not the landscape itself, but the touching sincerity of this rookie artist who’d called just to share it with him.
-So you went alone?
“No, Yu Gun came with me, but he went to Hallasan Mountain. I wanted to go too, but I couldn’t, so I’m a bit disappointed.”
-Is that so? Should we shoot the next music video entirely on location in Jeju? Or would overseas still be better for the MV?
-No, CEO! What… what are you talking about right now…!
At that moment, another voice mixed in from the other end of the phone. As CEO Han Se-won turned his gaze, that someone naturally came into view on the screen.
-Ha-jin, you… what are you trying to pull now, calling the CEO out of the blue?
It was Ji Su-ho, who had recently been discharged from the hospital and returned to active duty.
‘Ah, I’m done for.’
The moment I saw Ji Su-ho’s face—clearly on guard with an expression that screamed ‘what are you scheming?’—I felt a slight panic, but I quickly regained my composure.
‘It’s fine. The CEO outranks Ji Su-ho.’
I understood the hierarchy of social power structures better than anyone.
Once I’d set my mind to something, there was little that could stop me. I calmly initiated my plan even as Ji Su-ho moved to end the call.
“Come on, you’re really underestimating me~ I’m serious, there’s nothing. I just called because I was thinking of the CEO.”
-You expect me to believe that?
“I’m telling the truth. They were selling Hallabong chocolates at the airport, so should I buy some for you on the way back?”
I spoke sweetly with a bright smile. Then I even took the initiative to wrap up the conversation before Ji Su-ho could.
“Anyway, I really called to send my regards and express my gratitude to the CEO. I’m so grateful for all the support you gave before this comeback….”
-Haha, that’s right~ I’m always grateful for how hard you work, Ha-jin. While you’re in Jeju, eat lots of delicious food! You should nourish yourself with things like cutlassfish, you know?
I’d caught him.
The moment I heard the words I’d been waiting for, I didn’t miss my chance and put on a disappointed expression.
“I’d really love that… but I have to head to the airport again right now. I’ve only been here for three hours….”
-What? Why? Do you have another schedule lined up?
“No, that’s not it… Coming to Jeju to film Seongsan Ilchulbong and then heading back is the punishment.”
-Oh my… that must be so disappointing.
“Exactly. If we place first again next time, could you send us to Jeju as a reward?”
-What? Hahaha, sure, sure. I can always send you somewhere like that.
The key to this sort of thing was to never show too obvious a sense of disappointment.
I smiled with just a hint of regret lingering at the corner of my mouth, brushing my bangs back. My natural acting was so convincing that only Su-ho, visible in the corner of the screen, wore a bewildered expression.
“Ugh, anyway, I don’t have any schedule until tomorrow evening, so I wanted to stay and play a bit longer… It’s such a shame.”
I muttered to myself.
After gazing wistfully at the sea beyond my phone for a moment, I turned my attention back to the CEO on the screen. With an utterly confident and shameless expression, I spoke.
“CEO. Is there any way I could advance my vacation by just one day?”
-Huh…?
-You, Ha-jin, you bastard…!
“Since I’m here, all these melodies and inspirations just keep flowing, you know? I feel completely refreshed! If I rest for just one day and then head back to Seoul, I’m confident I could create another absolutely amazing album!”
It was a direct, shameless pitch.
While Han Se-won and Su-ho momentarily struggled for words, I shamelessly whined with a voice clearer and more articulate than anyone else’s.
“We’re starting comeback preparations again next week! Three comebacks this year! The responses to ‘No Spring’ and ‘Spring Again’ have been incredible! We’ve been getting a lot of advertisement offers lately and doing events really frequently!”
-Hey, man, what are you doing in front of the CEO right now…!
-Hahaha, Kairos has been pretty busy lately, hasn’t it?
“And my schedule just happens to be free until tomorrow evening! I’m not alone—Yu Gun is with me too, so it’s even safer! If I swim in the sea here on Jeju Island in early June, I feel like I’ll get my energy back…!”
I whined with genuine sincerity, but with just enough charm that I didn’t come across as unreasonable.
Su-ho grabbed the back of his neck at my perfectly calibrated request, while Han Se-won clutched his stomach. Han Se-won, who had been laughing so hard his chair nearly tipped backward, finally composed himself and tapped Su-ho’s shoulder.
-How’s the kids’ schedule looking these days? Can we spare them a day or so of vacation?
-No, CEO! If you keep getting tempted by things like this, what will we do!?
-Why not? They’ve been working hard, that’s a fact. And since Yu Gun will be with them, there shouldn’t be any strange rumors.
-Still, we don’t have a manager with them right now, so the kids going off alone…!
-Hmm, I am a bit worried about safety… There have been so many incidents lately….
Ah… Is this not going to work?
I was thinking that running into Su-ho, that immovable wall, was an unexpected variable, and that next time I’d have to check Su-ho’s location before executing such a strategy….
-What? Who are you talking to?
Another voice came through the screen.
Han Se-won and Su-ho both turned around simultaneously, and another familiar face appeared on the other side of the display.
-Huh?
My reliable ally and supporter.
-It’s the kid?
It was Seo Tae-il, the leader of Upia, who habitually insisted on absolute workplace welfare guarantees for Miro artists.
* * *
“…So you managed to get a vacation from the CEO?”
“Yeah. You saw the message just now, right? Tae-il hyung even sent me spending money? 200,000 won. That’s awesome. From now on, I’m going to treat that hyung as my second father.”
“No, no, no… Wait!”
Before Yu Gun could even protest, I grabbed his shoulder and dragged him back toward the security checkpoint. He tried to speak up but then realized there were still people around, so he lowered his voice and asked pointedly instead.
“So we’re really going back to Jeju Island like this? Suddenly? Without even asking what I want?”
“Do you want to go to Jeju Island with me?”
“This hyung is really….”
“If you don’t want to, forget it. I really didn’t want to go back to Seoul like this, so I already booked the flight… If you’re not going, I can go alone. Should I call Kwon Wook hyung again?”
“….”
Ha-jin held up his phone as if he had no regrets whatsoever, and Yu Gun couldn’t immediately tell him to go ahead.
It was only natural.
Truth be told, he wanted to go—to Jeju Island.
And Ha-jin, as if he understood Yu Gun completely once again, tapped his foot against the ground and grumbled to himself.
“Ugh… I’m an ENFP, so I really hate traveling alone… If I go by myself, I can’t take any candid shots, and if I can’t take candid shots, the Desty gallery will suffer losses… It’s a huge deal, you know? Not leaving behind casual photos in Jeju’s natural light—that’s basically abandoning my idol duties…”
“…”
“And eating alone tastes so bland… Being able to eat six servings of black pork with cold noodles, miso stew, and orange ade for dessert—if I go alone, I can only eat half of it…”
“…”
“If you’d just come with me to Gimpo Airport, it’d be so much fun… The weather’s perfect right now, so swimming in the sea would be incredibly refreshing and feel amazing… The sky looks so beautiful today, so we’d definitely see stars at night… ”
“…”
“The night market should still be open if we go now… Filefish is in season right now, so the raw fish soup would be incredible… Since it’s late, they’re giving away sashimi dirt cheap, and if we dip flounder and sea bream in sauce and eat it while looking at the sea, it’d be absolutely insane…”
“…”
“Sigh, if you won’t come with me, I’ll just eat cup ramen alone in the dormitory, all pathetic…”
“Fine, yes, let’s go! Who said we’re not going?”
“Yes!”
Unable to bear Ha-jin’s grumbling any longer, Yu Gun finally snatched the bag from Ha-jin’s hand, his ears burning bright red. It was his own luggage that Kwon Wook had handed over along with Ha-jin’s bag earlier.
As Yu Gun slung his bag over his shoulder, he grabbed his forehead, wondering what on earth he was doing. Then Ha-jin patted his shoulder encouragingly and spoke calmly.
“But you were supposed to go anyway. I already booked your flight ticket and checked you in mobile. If you don’t board, the plane can’t take off.”
“Man, you’re seriously insane…”
“That’s right. Actually, that’s exactly what my name really means.”
“You’re a total reckless bastard…”
“Yeah, yeah. Your hyung’s always been a bit of a reckless bastard.”
With no more words coming to mind, Yu Gun fell silent and was dragged back toward Ha-jin. Since their luggage was light, they didn’t check any bags and passed through security, arriving back at the boarding gate they’d passed through just hours before.
The plane they were about to board was already in the process of boarding.
This meant that this audacious Kang Ha-jin had secured a flight ticket with barely an hour’s difference from their arrival time at Gimpo Airport.
‘Is this guy seriously insane…?’
But at this point, he had no more capacity to be surprised. He wondered if they could really go with nothing but their bodies, but since Ha-jin was dragging him along, he figured there must be some plan, and it seemed better for his sanity to just turn off his brain for a moment.
Lee Yu Gun, who had somehow ended up taking three flights in a single day, took his seat following Ha-jin’s guidance. Whether by consideration or coincidence, Yu Gun found himself in the window seat and gazed out at the completely darkened sky beyond the window. Then, remembering something, he turned his head back toward Ha-jin.
“But if you got vacation approval starting from Jeju Island, wouldn’t you not have needed to take the return flight?”
If they were going back to Jeju Island anyway, why had they come to Gimpo Airport in the first place?
Even as Yu Gun asked the question, some anticipated answers were already forming in his mind.
Maybe to pick up luggage, or perhaps the production team’s tickets couldn’t be refunded, or maybe they needed to film the arrival itself…
“Oh, that?”
And the answer from the self-proclaimed ‘reliable’ hyung came like this.
“To make you feel like a king.”
“…What?”
“Surprise~”
Should I really trust this hyung and go to Jeju Island?
The moment we arrive, is he going to say ‘Surprise, it was a hidden camera!’ and put me on a return flight…?
As Yu Gun’s pupils trembled wildly, the night flight to Jeju Island took off with powerful thrust.

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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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