Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 389

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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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389. Idol Weight Class Clash (8)
Tribute
: The act of a vassal state presenting gifts to its overlord at appointed times. Or the gifts themselves.
This term, which didn’t originally carry such positive connotations, had accumulated quite a lengthy history of being used as something akin to specialized terminology on Stone Board.
– I really hate the word “tribute”; why should others demean me for spending my own money to give gifts to entertainers I love?
– But honestly, it IS tribute though lol. What’s the difference? Isn’t it basically neo-nobility when entertainers receive stuff like that on their birthdays?
The “tribute” culture had been a subject of heated debate in the idol market for quite some time.
This tribute culture began to take on a slightly different meaning when the direction of gift-giving reversed.
[OMG Sarin handed out gifts to fans at her concert this time]
She prepared them because she thought she wouldn’t even have time to eat dinner due to the performance schedule
They give you a sandwich and juice with a handwritten letter ㅠㅠㅠㅜㅜㅠ
I just went to the event booth, got my ticket verified, and received it.
Mom… our unnie fed me…
Reverse tribute.
This culture—where entertainers provide gifts to their fans in return—carried considerable symbolic weight.
It became the perfect comeback to those who mocked fan devotion with “Does she even feed you?” Now fans could answer, “Yeah, she damn well does!”
This culture spread fastest particularly throughout the idol industry.
Soboro Bread
@SOBORO
This music show: Upia VS Sphere reverse tribute comparison
Quality goes to Rene Entertainment
Quantity seems to go to Miro
What do you all think?
(Upia reverse tribute bento box photo.jpg)
(Sphere reverse tribute bento box photo.jpg)
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Shako
@shakdfl
Ugh seriously
So that’s why they say even a slave in a nobleman’s house is better off
N&2T Gayo Festa reverse tribute is pathetic
Instead of these cheap flowers and scraps of paper
Give us luxury goods too, you guys
Or at least give us something to eat
You all strut around in luxury brands bought with our money
Is it really that painful to spend on your fans? lol
(Box containing flowers, handwritten letters, etc. from reverse tribute.jpg)
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[What’s wrong with people who receive reverse tributes and resell them secondhand?]
What kind of humans are they?? Are they even real fans???
The kids said they prepared hard with their fans in mind,
They’re shamelessly slapping a premium price tag on it lol
– Are these kids insane? Give me the link, I’m going to report them
I saw it too lol, and honestly those kids aren’t even proper fans so it’s super annoying.
– Are they really such bastards… Even when they receive gifts, all they think about is reselling them
Of course, there were certainly numerous inconveniences and negative effects, but despite that, the reverse fan service culture quickly became one of the natural customs in the idol market.
Especially this phenomenon was seen more frequently among larger companies and successful idols, because for them the image of being “a sincere and passionate idol who always repays their fans’ love and never forgets them” was far more valuable than a few quick dollars.
And―.
The Idol Athletic Games, which called audiences from dawn but gave them no water, no food, no proper rest time, or even chairs―.
– Wow, Aceh University’s Doldul reverse tribute class is crazy this time? thief
It was the perfect event to become a true ‘reverse fan service showcase’.
“Eyes! Are you enjoying the food?”
“Thank you for coming. These are our favorite foods, so we picked them because we wanted to eat together with you.”
Storm Header, backed by an entire public broadcasting station, competed through brand power.
From bento boxes from famous restaurant brands to snacks from trendy dessert cafes―every single item was a premium product with a name everyone recognized.
“No, we baked these ourselves for the noona’s, so how could we take them? We’ve already eaten plenty.”
“Eat this and come in first? Ah, yes, yes. You saw our Yi-sae come in first earlier, right? Today at the Idol Athletic Games, we’re tearing it all up, for real.”
Winter Tail, not a large company but steadily building its foundation from the ground up, took a practical approach.
Along with cookies they baked themselves and handwritten cards, they included a well-rounded bento box with diverse menu options and gift certificates usable after filming.
“The pizza is delicious, right? Sarin sent it herself with her own money when she heard our group was participating in the Idol Athletic Games! Isn’t that awesome!”
“Oh, and the coffee and drinks are from the Highland sunbaes….”
“W, we still packaged the snacks ourselves! O, of course Hyeseok Teacher bought them for us…! We’ll earn lots of money soon and buy you delicious things too!”
Phase, led by Sarin, the current greatest female vocalist in South Korea, and with brilliant singer-songwriter sunbaes, took the concept of senior support.
They didn’t use the support themselves. When the company, new to idols, panicked about how to prepare something like this, the worried senior artists each hurriedly prepared and sent items to make sure their youngest members wouldn’t lose confidence.
“Wow…. Rene Entertainment is insane.”
“A conglomerate really is different.”
“No, they’re famous for not spending money usually. This time with Sphere’s military service and Lanion pushing forward, they seem to be feeling a bit of crisis.”
Still, the most lavish composition was from Rene Entertainment, the company with the most group participants at this year’s Idol Athletic Games and probably the largest by scale.
The reverse fan service compositions from sister companies Sphere and Lanion were mostly identical―premium bento boxes containing sandwiches, kimbap, fried chicken, fresh fruit, and waffles, along with cafe vouchers, mini fans, and member autographed photo cards as extras.
Rene Entertainment’s reverse fan service, openly advertising “we have money and we’re doing well,” burned hot on SNS for a while.
Of course, there were also those who captured attention through another kind of ‘boldness’.
Top World
@u_top_world
Hey kids
Nam Da-down called a food truck…
(Photo of food truck banner set up in the empty lot near the gymnasium.jpg)
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Nam Da-down from Upia, who set up an entire food truck for the fans who came to support him as an MC,
Blue Lotus
@blue_lotusx
The kids gave us chicken as a reverse gift—one whole bird per person—
but And With U had already booked or had delivered
every restaurant on the list of hidden gems near the gymnasium that Woong shared yesterday,
The fan is desperately begging the manager to sit down lol
This is a fan club, a restaurant exploration group.
(Idol Athletic Games verification photo.jpg)
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The And With U members, who shared their idol’s hearty appetite and spared no effort when it came to eating, throwing their whole hearts into it, were the true stars of the show.
So what did we do?
-What should we do for our reverse gift? The company looked into a few lunch box brands and posted some options.
-Since it’s hot, it’d be nice to have something refreshing like a slushie. Oh, but we’d have to rent a machine, so is that difficult? Or maybe ice cream instead?
-I found out that a lot of groups are doing something like samgyetang to take care of people’s health.
-This is harder than I thought when we actually try to do it….
-How about we start with the list the company gave us, and then adjust it by adding our own ideas or removing things if we want?
The reverse gift was ultimately a battle of concepts.
Storm Header had branded products connected to their company,
Winter Tail had the effort and sincerity of handmade items,
and Phase had the special advantage of being the youngest idol group at a company with many senior artists.
-Um, I have something I’d like to say.
-…?
-Yeah. What’s up with Eun-chan?
Lanion and Sphere had the seasoned sophistication of having money and powerful affiliated artists,
Upia had the seniority to provide food trucks to staff and fans,
Endway had the intimacy from frequent communication with fans,
-Can I prepare this?
-Huh?
-Since I won’t be able to win a medal anyway, I think I need to do this to my satisfaction so I can feel better about it.
-What, what, what are you trying to do, you.
And we had….
-What do you mean? I’m just going to spend money.
-….
-A lot of it.
…The youngest son of a chaebol family was among us.
* * *
[Kairos Idol Athletic Games Reverse Gift Situation (Live Updates)]
-Chartered buses and rented out entire restaurants nearby
-Dessert buffet catering
-One shaved ice per person as snacks
-Provided cushions, fans, and neck pillows
-Two types of member-specific photocards provided randomly
I’ll add more as the afterword comes in.
+Additional update
+They also distributed shaved ice and cushions to senior group fandoms
+Planning to select a few fans who couldn’t attend today through a live broadcast verification event and send them gifts
+The company didn’t prepare everything—the members pooled their own money to do it (though the company covered some costs)
+Apparently they’re planning to hand out chicken gift certificates as well if people stick around until evening
-Do they really need to go this far for the Idol Athletic Games?
└It’s their first Idol Athletic Games, and since the members are competing in almost every event, they’ll definitely be here late into the night, so they deliberately put in extra effort lol
Hahaha seriously though, I’m jealous lol that’s insane, how much is all that anyway?
-But they’ve always been generous with fans during their activities anyway. There’s practically a snack truck at every music show appearance
Bad Kids
@BaddieKiz
I’m uploading a photo of Eunchan’s handwritten letterㅠ
He thanked fans for worrying about his accident
And expressed gratitude to those who waited for him
He still has some aftereffects from the accident
So he might not perform well in the competitions
But he’s so grateful that fans are waiting until late
He said he discussed it with his hyungs and prepared everything together
This is amazing ㅠㅠㅠㅠ Don’t hurt meㅠㅜㅜㅠㅜ
(Ju Eun-chan Idol Athletic Games photocard and handwritten letter photo.jpg)
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Well, there it is.
The response was explosive.
Nobody seemed surprised that a mere nineteen-year-old had prepared all of this. Since he openly revealed he was from a wealthy family, it was actually convenient that he could openly flaunt his money like this.
Of course, I couldn’t just stand by and watch Ju Eun-chan do everything alone, so I barely managed to convince him to let the company contribute partially….
‘Thank goodness I talked him out of renting massage chairs to bring in.’
Reverse sponsorship was an extremely delicate issue—it couldn’t be too excessive or too insufficient.
If we did too much this time, fans would expect even more next time, and if we prepared less, there would be complaints.
I did think this was a bit excessive, but Ju Eun-chan’s determination to channel his competitive spirit through this since he couldn’t compete athletically was too strong to resist.
“Ha-jin. Let’s go. Part two is starting.”
“Yes, I’ll just go to the restroom and brush my teeth quickly.”
I’d eaten a hearty lunch, so now it was time to seriously compete.
As I headed to the restroom, I mentally ran through what events were coming up next and what we needed to prepare. Swimming against the tide of countless people, I reached the hallway where the restroom was located—it felt like stepping from deafening noise into sudden silence.
“…Oh.”
“Ah….”
As I quickly dried my hands and was leaving, I saw someone pass by me and pause before entering the restroom. It was Shin Yi-sae from Winter Tail, who had run the 60-meter dash with me earlier.
“Going to the restroom?”
“Ah, yeah.”
“I’ll head out first then, hyung. See you in a bit.”
“Mm.”
I brushed past Shin Yi-sae without so much as a flicker of concern crossing my face.
“…Hey, Ha-jin.”
And it was Shin Yi-sae who caught me before I could slip away.
“Wait… Can we talk for just a moment? Just a quick word.”
“…Sure, what is it.”
And perhaps.
I had the distinct premonition that whatever he said next would determine everything—that his words would be the very thing upon which I’d make my final decision.

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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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