Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 398

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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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398. How This Idol Group Maintains Discipline (5)
Let me shift gears for a moment and discuss something different.
Kang Ha-jin harbored no significant grievances about reverting to his youthful years—twenty-nine to twenty-one—at such a promising age.
Youth was inherently valuable, after all. My twenty-nine-year-old self hadn’t particularly appealed to me, and given the nature of idol work, being younger and fresher certainly held advantages. I considered this degree of rejuvenation a genuine windfall.
Yet that didn’t mean I lacked complaints or difficulties about my reduced age. I hadn’t realized it then, but now that I’d grown younger, I understood the tangible benefits of ‘maturity’ and ‘time’ in ways I hadn’t before.
So what exactly felt so inconvenient?
‘For one thing, people underestimate me far too easily.’
Then and now, the entertainment industry overflowed with cunning veterans and seasoned operators who’d spent years in the field, watching hundreds of careers rise and fall in real time. (Or they were simply stubborn old fools.)
As such, power struggles permeated this world regardless of preference, and the moment one revealed even the slightest opening, it became a weakness—a vulnerability. Twenty-one was an ideal age for an idol to solidify upward momentum, yet far too young to conduct business with these cunning, obstinate middle-aged men.
‘And my capabilities remain limited too.’
Never mind that my license count—which had been mere months away from reaching a clean ten-year record—had been reset.
Twenty-one might be an age to begin something, but it fell woefully short for detonating something already built. When planning albums or stages, countless ideas surfaced, yet insufficient experience and expressive range forced me to hesitate inevitably.
Half the members now possessed memories of their late twenties—years lived through hardship—but there was a clear difference between holding all those memories intact like I did and simply recalling them vaguely like Su-ho did.
Moreover, even knowing that difference distinctly, resurrecting my twenty-nine-year-old sensibilities in a twenty-one-year-old body proved far from simple.
Still, what I missed most of all…
‘Was my body. My physicality. My frame. The skeleton and musculature from head to toe.’
My body. That was it.
No amount of effort could make a twenty-one-year-old physique match a twenty-nine-year-old one.
Naturally, my stamina and elasticity far surpassed what they’d been at twenty-nine—incomparably superior—yet there existed a ‘physicality’ at twenty-nine that twenty-one simply couldn’t replicate.
It wasn’t that my twenty-nine-year-old self had been some musclebound gym enthusiast, but rather the maturity and presence that only came with age, the physical level achievable only through years of accumulation, and that adult sophistication felt only when baby fat vanished and bones solidified.
“Hmm… So should we just decline this? It’s a shame, but…”
Time rewound again to late May.
After wrapping up “Youth’s End” activities, “Spring Never Comes” suddenly gained renewed attention through Gag Friends’ BGM, and external activity offers flooded into Kairos. It was precisely during that deluge.
Kang Ha-jin and his Kairos bandmates, along with Ji Su-ho, were seriously deliberating over an offer to perform at a festival.
【20XX Water Gun Festival】
Though criticized for water waste and debated whether it qualified as a festival or merely a water gun battle venue, it remained undeniably the hottest summer festival currently operating domestically.
Regarding that festival’s offer, the members and Su-ho were discussing it earnestly. Most of the contention centered on the inconveniences faced by ‘young male idols’ mentioned earlier.
“Should we organize the merits and risk factors for when we appear? Make it easier for everyone to decide.”
“Merits of appearing… Simply put, performing at a thriving festival. That’s it. Since the public flocks there overwhelmingly, boosting recognition becomes easy, and since it’s a high-profile festival, generating buzz is convenient too.”
“And the risk factors?”
“It’s still too much for us to handle.”
Kang Ha-jin, seated in the center of the conference room, answered with a sullen expression.
Whatever bothered him, he continued grumbling with an unusually discontent face, tapping the water gun festival materials with his finger as he spoke.
“I mean, it’s not like only hot, fit guys go there and show off their bodies. We could go for the experience if we wanted—we could manage it. Our songs are getting good responses anyway, so we could hold our own.”
“But?”
“But it’s like… Going to the water gun festival as we are now feels like cutting an unripe watermelon, or tubing into a surf pool…”
“…What are you even talking about?”
“It just feels too early for us to pull it off.”
Seo Tae-hyun’s perfectly timed explanation followed for Yoo Gun, who’d once again failed to grasp Kang Ha-jin’s analogy. This was why those two always sat next to each other despite their constant bickering.
Kang Ha-jin’s complaints continued.
“Look, we could go and have fun, sure. We’d definitely have fun. But honestly? It feels like a waste, you know? Plus, we still have two minors on the team, and the rest of us aren’t exactly in the shape to pull off the whole ‘getting soaked and showing off our physiques’ thing. The only one with a decent body is Do-ha, but going there just to show off his abs feels a bit… off.”
“So my abs are definitely getting exposed?”
“If we go, you’re not wearing a shirt that day. That’s just how it is.”
Ha-jin had tried to maintain a neutral stance, but it was clear he’d already half-decided against participating. He began persuading the members and Su-ho with an unusually skeptical attitude.
“I’m also bothered by the idea of being a substitute act. From what I hear, they’re putting together a second-string lineup, and the appearance fees are lower than other events. Why should we lower our market value just to appear there? Wouldn’t it be better to build up our track record and the group’s recognition first, then look for another opportunity later?”
Though his logic was sound, Su-ho—who had been quietly listening to Ha-jin’s unusually obstinate attitude—calmly folded his hands and looked at him.
“Yeah, I get that.”
“….”
“Why are you being so difficult today?”
“Honestly, I want to go, but I think it’s better not to participate because of unavoidable physical limitations. My contradictory body and mind are frustrating me.”
“…Please understand, Executive Director. When we were working on the next album concept with the A&R Team today, I got criticized a lot for being too young. I’m a bit sensitive about it.”
Tae-hyun added a perfectly timed explanation to Su-ho’s bewildered expression. Tae-hyun preferred staying on the sidelines anywhere off-stage, which was why they always seated him in the center during meetings.
Ha-jin, struck right where it hurt by Tae-hyun’s accurate assessment, slapped the table lightly in frustration.
“Damn it. And Yu Gun is still only eighteen….”
“…So now it’s my fault?”
“No, just ignore me. I’m rambling.”
“Wait, so should we do this or not? Huh? Should we? Or not? You two—don’t sit next to each other during meetings anymore. Every time you sit together, it turns into a whole comedy routine….”
“Executive Director, you know the term ‘comedy duo’?”
“What, you think I became an entertainment company executive by accident?”
At Ha-jin’s glib remark, Su-ho either rubbed his forehead or didn’t, but either way, the atmosphere gradually shifted toward declining the water gun festival appearance.
Most of the members concluded that their experience level and image weren’t suitable for a water gun event yet, and more importantly, the presence of underage members had a decisive impact on the decision.
“It’s a shame though. Having a refreshing festival like this before the comeback would’ve been good for testing our firepower and all. It’d be tough with the heat, but there’s something special about summer festivals like this.”
Once the final decision was made not to participate, Su-ho sighed with regret and began organizing his tablet and meeting materials. The other lineups for this water gun festival were impressive too, and just having their name alongside them would have doubled the promotional and prestige value.
“…What about this one?”
As the meeting was winding down following the decision to skip the water gun festival, Dan Ha-ru—who had been quietly studying the materials the entire time—finally spoke up. He then slid another festival’s materials across the center of the table.
“Oh, this….”
“I’ve had my eye on this one anyway since it’s a similar summer festival. It must’ve been classified together with the water gun event since they’re both water-based celebrations.”
【Haeundae Summer Wave Festival】
“This one happens later than the water gun festival—mid-August. It was doing really well, but then a couple of years ago, someone in a high position apparently made some questionable decisions and the lineup fell apart spectacularly. This year, though, they seem to have gotten their act together. They’ve secured some solid teams. Bands, hip-hop, K-pop, diverse genres.”
“What about the pay and other conditions?”
“Not bad. Accommodation is provided as standard. The main target demographic is young people in their twenties and thirties, but they’ve got family zones and experience booths, so it’s fundamentally much more family-friendly than the water gun event. And crucially—no water guns.”
“Three months….”
“Among the lineup, we have decent name recognition, so the pay offer was pretty substantial. Since the Busan Tourism Board is backing it, they even offer travel guide services after the festival if you want.”
“Three months….”
“Anyway, they seem determined to really revive this festival in Busan, so there shouldn’t be any issues with capital or facilities…. Ha-jin, what have you been muttering about this whole time?”
Su-ho finally called out Ha-jin, who had been ignoring his explanation and muttering to himself. Ha-jin snapped back to attention, flashed a sly smile, muttered an apology, and then fired a question directly at Do-ha.
“Do-ha. Say we all trained like our lives depended on it for the next three months. How many of us do you think could actually show real improvement?”
“I enjoy working out, but I’m not a personal trainer.”
“Yeah, but you’ve trained the longest out of all of us anyway. So? Three months—how much potential do you think there is?”
At Ha-jin’s question, Do-ha paused thoughtfully and slowly surveyed the members in the conference room. Since Do-ha consistently coached the members on their workout routines and methods, acting as a substitute trainer, he knew their physical condition as well as any team doctor could.
Lee Do-ha surveyed the members slowly before answering.
“You, me, and Yoo Gun—we don’t need a full bulk-up, but we can definitely add more muscle to our current physiques.”
“How much more?”
“How much do we need?”
“Enough that we won’t be embarrassed going out there.”
Ha-jin tapped the Summer Wave Festival poster that Ha-ru had extended toward him with his finger.
Compared to the water gun festival where going shirtless was the norm, this one was supposedly family-friendly, so they’d probably be able to wear shirts. If that was the case, then what Ha-jin meant by “not embarrassed” had to refer to at least the visible parts of their bodies being more muscular.
Lee Do-ha calmly recalled his usual training volume and the target goals before the comeback, then nodded shortly after.
“I’m not entirely sure what picture you’re painting, but it’s possible. We’ve actually been following a bulk-up plan for a while now since there was talk about gradually building up our physiques for the next comeback anyway.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Then let’s do it. Let’s go with this.”
Whatever—he’d just bulldoze through with the audacity of twenty-one against the maturity of twenty-nine.
Kang Ha-jin believed he needed at least one schedule before the comeback that could generate buzz. It was good for checking how the audience would react to them at the summer festival, and at this level of family-friendly event, Kairos had a decent shot at not being outmatched physically.
The promise of accommodation and a tour guide after the performance was also appealing.
For Kang Ha-jin, the Summer Wave Festival was nothing more than a small thrill to heat up the summer before the comeback—nothing more, nothing less.
“Do-ha, are you done? We need to head out soon.”
“Yeah, just a second.”
And back to the present.
Three months that had flown by in an instant, and during that time, Kairos had drawn so much aggro from doing far more than expected that their standing had shifted considerably.
Mid-August, just days after their celebratory stage at the Hwangryong Awards, the heat from that performance still lingering—at Haeundae, where the sound of waves crashed rather fiercely.
“I’ve changed into everything. The pants might be a bit uncomfortable for performing though.”
“Nah, it’s fine, it’s fine. We’re not going to be dancing our hearts out today anyway.”
“Then what are we going to do?”
Watching Lee Do-ha emerge in a white sleeveless shirt and ripped jeans, Kang Ha-jin thought to himself.
“Show off our bodies.”
“Huh?”
“So this is the kind of muscle a twenty-one-year-old can have? Is that it? Come to think of it, it wasn’t for nothing that his athletic wear got stretched at the Idol Athletic Games. Hey, Do-ha. Stand right here. Let me take a photo of you and post it to the Desty fans, spoiling today’s stage.”
“Out of nowhere? Sure, whatever.”
What, a real beauty finder?
Let the Desty fans who’ve left home see this.
‘Go ahead and wander into someone else’s house if you dare.’
Your group has a Michelangelo’s David. Will you still peek into someone else’s home after this?
A sinister smile spread across Kang Ha-jin’s face as he anticipated victory.

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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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