Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 368

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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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368. Finding My Runaway Younger Sibling (2)
Q. Do you know the school anthem?
If you asked that question, a passing elementary school student would answer like this:
-On the green hills of OO Mountain~ shines the foundation of learning~
A middle schooler heading to class would say they “know” it,
A high schooler playing badminton would answer “Yeah, we have one,”
And if you asked a university student lying at home after skipping class, they’d respond “We have one?” But―.
If someone were to ask a Hanbit University student about the school anthem, their reaction would invariably be like this:
-Damn… the president, that bastard….
Why, you ask?
The explanation for this can be found in a post on Hanbit University’s anonymous community board.
Anonymous
03/16 21:09
[But seriously, what’s the deal with that song that’s always playing from our outdoor speakers?]
I hear it on the shuttle bus,
and in the campus cafeteria,
and honestly every time I pass through school I hear it and I’m about to lose my mind
It’s not even loud and you can’t tell if it’s playing or not,
it just comes through so subtly that I don’t even know what song it is,
and when I lie down to sleep at night it just loops endlessly in my ears
What the hell is that
– Anonymous1: The school anthem
– Anonymous2: Would you believe me if I said it’s the school anthem
– Anonymous3: That’s the school anthem
└ Anonymous(OP): The school anthem?????????? Why would they play the university anthem like that constantly????
– Anonymous4: Oh wow so I wasn’t the only one hearing it it sounds like mosquito noise so faint I thought I was hallucinating
– Anonymous1: Back when they made a big deal about some school rebranding thing the president gave an outside composer 100 million won or something for a new composition and he keeps playing it over and over because he thinks it’s a waste I even hear it in my dreams
└ Anonymous(OP): 100 million won for a university anthem?? Is he insane???????
└ Anonymous2: There were tons of people saying it was embezzlement or something but the 100 million theory is the most credible so far
└ Anonymous1: There’s also a theory that it came from the president’s personal funds
└ Anonymous(OP): Even from his personal funds…? What on earth is the reason…?
Not a cheer song, not a theme song, with lyrics that are awkwardly difficult and outdated, the school anthem echoes across campus regularly 365 days a year. Thanks to last year’s student council’s burning efforts, the playback frequency did increase from every 30 minutes to every hour, but that was all.
For Hanbit University students, the school anthem had become nothing less than a BGM that inevitably plays in the background of their lives, their daily routines, their campus experience!
Anonymous 5: hahahahahaha
And true to the MZ generation’s nature of elevating every aspect of daily life into memes,
Anonymous5: Just enjoy it lol once you keep listening it’s worth listening to again lol
Hanbit University students quickly adapted to this inescapable school anthem. They had turned the anthem into content itself.
They made it the ultimate penalty in departmental MT drinking games to enter another department’s room and sing the anthem before leaving, or had new students take turns singing it at freshman welcome events, or had everyone sing it together and punished those who forgot the lyrics….
The president’s strategy of not letting the 100-million-won anthem go to waste had succeeded to a certain degree, and as a result, any Hanbit University student could hum the melody of the school anthem.
And because of that―.
“Hanbit University!!! All together―!!!!!”
Hanbit students, let’s move forward~!
…(Presumably) the first metal arrangement version of our school anthem had caused a mass singing incident at the university festival!
Become a single light
And ignite the flame of justice―!
With the school anthem’s characteristic 4/4 time signature that everyone could easily follow, an electrifying guitar melody line crashed down. Powerful drums and bass filled the rhythm without gaps, and metallic sound effects erupted everywhere.
The countless male students who, just moments ago, had been in “What’s Kairos? Who even are they?” mode now swayed back and forth as if possessed, arms linked together.
The female students who had pulled out their phones wondering “How did Kairos end up at our school?” soon exchanged their phones for slogan signs, shouting “Hey! Hey! Hey!”
“I can’t hear you! Hanbit, louder!!!!”
And at the center of it all, spinning a deep green Professor Task jacket in his hand to encourage the crowd, stood Ha-jin—a second-year rookie idol.
“I say ‘Han’! You say ‘Bit’! Han!”
“Bit!”
“Han!”
“Bit!”
I remembered my Younger Sibling’s complaint about how sick he was of the school anthem’s tacky trumpet sound, and the moment an opportunity arose, this generation’s version of my Younger Sibling—an absolute fool—showed up with a full-scale metal arrangement of the anthem….
“Everyone, if the volume doesn’t get any louder than this, I won’t give you this song! Again, louder! Han!”
“Bit!!”
“Han!”
“Bit!!!”
Probably after this day, whenever the keyword “school anthem” appeared at Hanbit University, it would never be forgotten, and that name would forever be on the lips of Hanbit students,
“Oh my, well done!”
…
A completely insane
legendary idol was born.
* * *
Kairos performed four more songs after that.
After heating up the atmosphere with the school anthem, they immediately continued with mass singing of “This Isn’t a Carol”.
Then came a brief talk segment, followed by songs that were a bit difficult for mass singing but perfect for the peak atmosphere—they showcased the flashiest performances with “Over the Night” and “Kick Off” back-to-back.
While it didn’t have the overwhelming mass singing like the school anthem and “This Isn’t a Carol,” the cheering methods of the Destiny members riding the momentum and the excited cheers of the students added to the heat of the night.
-Our last song is one that’s recently been used as the BGM for a popular comedy show segment. This song has a part where you all need to participate. Do you happen to know where it is?
-Even if you’re not sure, once you hear the chorus, you’ll naturally think “Oh, it’s here.” Then at that moment, if you all shout together, that would be perfect.
-So…. We’ll play our Kairos mini second album title track, “There Is No Spring”.
For the finale, we chose “There Is No Spring”—the song that had brought Kairos to this university festival stage due to the sudden short-form video trend.
Even as people expressed regret, thinking “I’ve heard this somewhere, but what song is it?”, the moment the chorus they’d heard endlessly on short-form videos played, they quickly came alive again.
Then, as if trying to blow away the tedium and boredom of university life and the overwhelming sense of dread about the future, they shouted with all their might, united in heart and purpose.
Everything, fall into ruin!
The beautiful sight of neon glow sticks and green slogan signs swaying in unison like waves.
Even as night approached, the outdoor plaza wasn’t emptying—instead, it was packed with far more people than during the first song. Ha-jin gazed at the scene with a satisfied smile.
As the song ended, the audience naturally began shouting for an “encore”.
-Well, this is something.
With a reluctant expression, Ha-jin waved his hand at the audience’s fervent requests, then spoke with genuine sincerity.
-Actually, I was terrified you wouldn’t call for an encore.
In the end, Kairos performed two additional songs for their final encore: “Spring Again,” the pre-release track from this promotional cycle, and “Nostalgic Anime OST Medley,” which they’d showcased at previous university festivals.
But even after that, the energy refused to die down, so only after performing the metal arrangement school anthem—the highlight of tonight—could Kairos finally deliver their true closing remarks.
“Yes, it’s been such an honor to be here with all of you on the final day of the Hanbit University Festival, in the final slot. Your enthusiasm has been incredible, and honestly, it feels like we’re the ones leaving with the greater joy.”
From Ha-jin’s lips flowed remarks as smooth and eloquent as a flowing stream. Sighs of regret echoed from various corners, and people began gradually filtering out through the crowd.
“I hope you all continue to enjoy every last moment of the festival. And we’d be grateful for your continued interest and support for Kairos going forward.”
Just as he was about to give the final farewell, Si-woo, standing on the left, tilted his head forward slightly and gave Ha-jin a signal. When Ha-jin failed to catch it, Tae-hyun, standing at center, tapped Ha-jin’s arm.
“So from now on… huh? What?”
“Hyung, the school anthem. You need to mention the school anthem.”
“Oh? Right, right. The school anthem.”
The moment the word “anthem” left Ha-jin’s mouth, the audience reacted once more. He nodded as if remembering belatedly and continued.
“By the way, the MR for this metal arrangement version of the school anthem that we performed today—we’re planning to gift it to everyone at Hanbit University! We’d be grateful if you’d use it well going forward.”
A free donation of an awesome school anthem arrangement from a successful idol group?
At this absurd surprise announcement, the students erupted with cheers once more.
One might think they were being too generous, but Kairos had their reasons.
Since there was an original composer, they couldn’t claim copyright anyway, and there was nowhere to sell it. It made far more sense to release it as free source material and build the Kairos brand name instead.
Besides, they’d received a generous appearance fee from Hanbit University, so this wasn’t a losing proposition for Kairos.
However, goodwill without reason can sometimes create problems.
Ha-jin had reached an agreement with his members to lay down some strategic smoke screen at an appropriate level.
“Actually, I happen to be from right around here, don’t I, everyone!?”
The so-called “acquaintance card”!
In this world, every implausible coincidence can be explained away with just three reasons.
Blood relations, regional ties, school connections.
And Ha-jin wielded all three of them expertly.
In truth, Ha-jin’s actual hometown was a completely different area requiring another thirty minutes by car, but at this moment, such geographical distinctions were irrelevant.
“I was born and raised in Gyeonggi Province, so I’m a son of Gyeonggi. I actually have friends currently attending Hanbit University, and I have quite a few acquaintances in the area overall.”
Universities weren’t standardized high schools—the idea that you’d attend a local university just because you lived nearby was absurd. Who chooses their university based on hometown? You go where your scores take you.
But when choosing among universities you could afford to attend with similar scores, there were certainly students who’d pick schools closer to their hometowns.
In fact, Ha-won, who served as both “friend” and “acquaintance” in Ha-jin’s remarks, was exactly such a case.
“I remembered something a younger acquaintance of mine, who attends Hanbit University, once said, so we hastily prepared this arrangement. I’m so glad you all loved it, and we’re truly satisfied. Do you all like it~?”
“Yes―!!!!”
“Please keep singing it, use it freely, and whenever you do, we’d be grateful if you’d remember the name Kairos as well.”
Ha-jin concluded his remarks with dignified composure.
One notable fact, contrary to everyone’s concerns, was that he hadn’t directly mentioned the existence of his younger sibling, Ha-won.
There was a reason for that.
-Hyung, what if you mention that your younger sibling goes to school here? It’d feel more relatable.
-Absolutely not.
-Why?
Unlike the clumsy twenty-year-old Ha-jin of a previous timeline, who hadn’t yet fully grasped his younger sibling’s formidable influence.
-If I did that, Ha-won would probably have me removed from the family registry entirely…?
I, Kang Ha-jin—the 99% human version who had spent nearly thirty years living beside Kang Ha-won—was intimately familiar with what my younger sibling despised and exactly how much he was willing to tolerate.
He had been exercising meticulous caution throughout the entire festival, determined not to shout his brother’s name from the stage under any circumstances. If he were to ad-lib something like “Ha-won, are you watching!?” right now, he would be met with nothing but contempt in his younger sibling’s gaze.
“Until now―!”
“It’s been Kairos! Thank you so much!”
Which meant, in other words, that everything had gone smoothly up to this point.
“Thank you, Hanbit University! See you again next year!!!”
…Up to this point.

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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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