Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 400

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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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400. How This Idol Maintains Discipline (7)
In this moment, Soda found herself in serious contemplation.
‘Should I cause a scene and pay the price for it?’
For someone who had just walked into a cafe to avoid paying taxi fare, it was quite a capitalistic decision, but that’s how Soda’s hastily awakened fandom self tended to be. Besides, the longer someone like Soda endured the denial phase of becoming a fan, the more sensitive they became to this kind of “criticism.”
‘What, Yu Gun doesn’t have any strengths? You don’t know about Blue Flare’s miracle of ranking first? You don’t know about Yu Gun’s solo carry in the Order or Matchup versions? You don’t know the legendary XX1228 gray-eyed Yu Gun? You ignorant people.’
The longer someone tried to deny their fandom by scrutinizing, criticizing, analyzing, and re-examining everything, the more evidence they accumulated to refute any argument against their bias.
There was a reason why turned fans were terrifying, and why newly converted fans had maxed-out attack power.
‘Fine, Yu Gun’s live vocals are a bit lacking compared to the others. I’ll admit that his rap skills are still in the learning stage compared to Do-ha. That’s why he doesn’t get greedy, right? Does he covet Do-ha’s parts? Does he sweep up unnecessary chorus and ad-lib sections? Does he greedily chase screen time despite lacking the skills? Is being an idol just about singing? How important is performance as an element? I know that Yu Gun handles about eighty percent of the high-difficulty moves in Kairos’s choreography—you know that, right? Because Yu Gun balances things out with his dancing, Do-ha can comfortably just focus on rapping, okay?’
The formal “Yu Gun” gradually shifted to “Yu Gun-i,” then “our Yu Gun-i,” then “our Gun-i,” and eventually to “my boy”—a route that veteran fan Soda knew all too well.
But that wasn’t the important thing right now…!
“This won’t do. They’re being too loud—I should go tell them to quiet down…!”
“Where are you going?”
Even as Soda waged this internal struggle, the crowd continued their relentless and scathing evaluations of Kairos’s members. Finally unable to contain herself, Soda shot up from her seat, only to be stopped by Professor Task, the fan friend she’d been waiting for.
“Hey, come with me. I need to have it out with those people right now.”
“What? What are you talking about? Sit down first. What are you going to do with whom? What are you saying?”
Professor Task’s eyes widened in surprise at her friend’s sudden transformation into a maxed-out combat state upon arriving at Busan Station, so she quickly sat Soda back down.
After letting Soda vent her frustrations for a while and feeding her a few slices of cake, Professor Task finally heard the whole story and burst into uncontrollable laughter.
“You’re laughing? You think this is funny right now? Ugh, they left. I should have said something to them when they were here, told them not to spout such nonsense carelessly!”
“Hey, so you’ve finally claimed Yu Gun as yours? That’s the same thing you were saying not long ago. You kept saying that if Yu Gun doesn’t improve his skills, he’ll be phased out within two years—you said it like it was nothing.”
“…That’s different because I was saying it out of concern for his potential! That’s clearly different from those people mindlessly tearing down Yu Gun like he’s hopeless.”
Soda’s expression grew serious as she lowered her voice, worried someone nearby might overhear. Professor Task found her friend’s reaction hilarious and, with a slight smirk, continued while crossing her arms.
“I also find it annoying when people act like they know everything and rank members by tier. But honestly, Yu Gun’s growth rate is disappointing compared to the talent he actually has. Just look at Eun-chan—you can clearly see how much he’s improved since the Miro Maze days. It’s like… he could jump one meter further, but he’s just jumping seventy centimeters and stopping.”
“You think so too? Should we reduce Yu Gun’s parts and give more to Eun-chan?”
“What? No, that’s not it. Hey, a rose surrounded by other flowers is just one flower. But if it’s born among sturdy trees, it becomes a painting.”
Where else could you find a group that utilizes visuals as well as Kairos does?
At her friend’s addition, Soda’s mood finally softened a bit, and she nodded repeatedly in agreement. The end of her denial phase, which had continued steadily since the Miro Maze days, seemed to be drawing near.
Watching her friend, Professor Task, who had been smiling the whole time, shrugged her shoulders and spoke.
“But remember what you mentioned in passing before? That shields built on pity and sympathy are fragile. Ultimately, unless Yu Gun’s skills improve dramatically, this kind of talk will keep following him around. Just look at what the haters are saying—they call Ha-jin a superior version of Yu Gun, and they say that when Eun-chan becomes an adult, Yu Gun will become a borrowed sack of barley he can’t return.”
The words were unpleasant to hear, but Soda knew them better than anyone. After all, she herself had looked at Yu Gun with that same perspective.
But that was then, and once she acknowledged that she’d claimed him as her own, she wanted to refute everything without limit. At Soda’s still-dissatisfied expression, Professor Task chuckled and gathered her things.
“Well, I guess we just have to wait for Yu Gun to slowly break out of his shell. Maybe it’ll happen today?”
“…How does skill develop overnight? Ugh, I’m just frustrated. We worked so hard, grinding our heads and battling trolls online to build a positive fandom atmosphere, and there are still people like that out there.”
“Forget it, forget it. Are there only one or two weird people in the world? Anyway, aren’t you curious about what songs the members will perform today? I’ve been thinking about nothing but that the whole way here.”
“What…. What could it be? Probably ‘Spring Doesn’t Exist,’ or maybe a carol, or ‘Over the Night’ or something. They don’t have that many songs in their repertoire yet anyway.”
To Professor Task’s attempt to change the subject, Soda responded halfheartedly. Having followed most of their off-stage performances over the past year, she could practically picture Kairos’s event setlist in her head without even thinking.
Even if they don’t perform their own songs, would they just do that animation OST medley they used at the university festival again?
Despite Soda’s cynical response, Professor Task shook her head firmly.
“I kind of think so too, but… I have a feeling the members might have brought something new.”
“Come on, stop. They must be so busy just preparing for their comeback that they’re about to throw up. How long has it been since the Hwangryong Awards ended? And you want them to bring new material? …Well, I suppose they might have some new song spoilers.”
“Is that so? Tsk, ah, that’s a shame.”
“Ugh, forget it. Let’s just head back to the dormitory and unpack. If we wait in line, it’ll take half the day anyway. No matter how I think about it, I need to get ahead of those guys from earlier.”
“Yeah, yeah. Let’s go.”
With an unsettled feeling in their hearts, the two of them left the cafe and headed toward the dormitory. Even during the taxi ride, Soda couldn’t shake her discomfort.
‘Please do well, Yoo Gun. If you nail it, I’ll film your fancam so amazingly that we’ll hit a million views on YouTube, I swear.’
The camera that my busy sister had rented for me to film Ha-jin’s fancam while she prepared for her job transfer had instantly transformed into a cannon dedicated to capturing Yoo Gun’s fancam.
Ha-jin, I’m sorry. But you already have plenty of fancams anyway.
Do-ha, I’m sorry. But you’re going to kill it regardless.
With one-sided apologies to my steadfast biases in my heart, I decided that today, at least, I would become an audience member for him with an unwavering Yoo Gun bias. Even if Yoo Gun were to mess up the lyrics and fumble the choreography on stage today.
‘But I really hope that doesn’t happen.’
And of course, quite naturally.
It didn’t happen. Absolutely not.
* * *
“Yoo Gun.”
“…?”
“Are you nervous?”
Yoo Gun, who had been staring intently at his phone in the waiting room tent, instinctively furrowed his brow at Ha-jin’s sudden question.
“What are you talking about? Who’s nervous?”
“Nothing, just… you’ve been studying the lyrics so hard since earlier.”
Ha-jin casually shrugged his shoulders and sat down across from Yoo Gun. In that brief moment, Yoo Gun hid his phone, annoyed that Ha-jin had already figured out what he was doing, and gave him a look that wasn’t quite hostile.
Ha-jin responded to Yoo Gun’s look with a shameless expression, resting his chin in his hand as he continued speaking.
“It’s been a while since you’ve performed this song, so it probably doesn’t roll off your tongue smoothly, right? Just hang in there. For a festival like this, there’s nothing better than this song to set the mood. What can you do? If worst comes to worst, there’s a prompter too….”
“…I’ve memorized it all. Who do you think I am, someone who’s always cutting corners?”
Damn. Sharp words pricked out from between lips that had grown irritable over the past few days from memorizing lyrics.
Yoo Gun, fully aware of his own blunt way of speaking, closed his mouth with an awkward expression. He was already anxious about going on stage and possibly flubbing the lyrics, and now that Ha-jin was casually poking at that very concern, words spilled out before he could help it.
“Cutting corners? Who, you?”
But Ha-jin responded to his sharp remark with complete nonchalance. Then, as if it was utterly ridiculous, he looked bewildered and gave Yoo Gun’s shoulder a couple of firm pats. His punches were surprisingly strong for someone with such a bright smile.
“You still haven’t learned to see yourself objectively. I’ve never met anyone in my life who pulls their weight like you do.”
“….”
“Hey, take it easy. If you forget the lyrics, just mouth them. Lee Do-ha and I will double you from behind.”
“You say that so casually.”
“Like I always say, if we can’t even speak comfortably with each other, what else can we possibly do comfortably in life?”
Ha-jin’s large hand came to rest on Yoo Gun’s shoulders, which had tensed up from nervousness. Ha-jin kneaded his shoulders gently, as if giving a massage, and continued speaking with a smile.
“I have just one request for you today.”
“…?”
“Just have fun out there. You know what you’re good at.”
“….”
“That’s all you need.”
With those words, Ha-jin patted Yoo Gun’s shoulder and left his seat. Looking in the direction he was heading, I could see Seo Tae-hyun with a mirror in his hand, busy fixing his hair—it seemed Ha-jin was going to boost Tae-hyun’s morale next.
“But that’s easier said than done….”
With the recent surge in events and schedules, Yoo Gun had been acutely aware of his own lack of skill, making today’s festival feel like a heavy burden. The songs were ones he hadn’t performed in a long time, and there was even a track he was debuting in a formal performance for the first time today.
Yoo Gun’s leg bounced rhythmically as he mentally rehearsed the dance break choreography and gestures, when another shadow fell beside him. This one was larger and more solid than Ha-jin, who had stood beside him earlier—a wall of presence.
“…Does my brother worry about me too?”
Yoo Gun asked the wall—Lee Do-ha.
The group’s main rapper, who exuded the bearing of an adult man despite wearing nothing but a baseball cap, sleeveless shirt, and jeans, turned his head slowly.
His expression answered as if to say: what kind of nonsense is that?
“Why would I?”
“….”
“You’ll do fine anyway.”
Not a morale boost, not sarcasm, not blind reassurance.
A judgment based purely on what he had seen, heard, and understood.
At that merciless confidence, Lee Yu-gun let out a hollow laugh.
“Honestly, whether it’s this hyung or that hyung….”
They had no idea how to view people with moderation.
With that thought, Yoo Gun set down the phone he’d been clutching like a talisman onto the table.
* * *
Kairos’s stage time was around 4 PM, when the midday heat began to break.
After checking the lineup and time table in the pamphlet, Soda thought 7 PM would have been better with a prettier sunset and brighter lighting, but considering the members would shine beautifully under natural light even while sweating, the current time slot didn’t seem so bad.
Staff members began clearing the stage with push brooms after the solo female artist who performed just before had swept through. A VCR announcing the next act started playing on the large screen. It seemed more Desty fans had shown up than expected—the moment “Kairos” appeared, cheers erupted from all directions.
“Our kids are really super rookies now, huh.”
“I wish they’d do a concert before getting even more famous. Once they blow up, the already limited seats will disappear even faster.”
“With three comebacks this year, they probably have plans for next year, right?”
“A first concert in their third year…. Sometimes it seems like Miro stubbornly follows the orthodox route to a frustrating degree.”
They could easily make a fortune doing fan concerts mixed with cover songs.
Just as Soda shook her head at the entertainment agency’s philosophy she couldn’t understand, the stage setup finished and a full countdown video began. Soda and Professor Task quickly raised their cameras.
Since it was a crowded festival, there was a good atmosphere of not holding cameras unless it obstructed viewing. Of course, the problem was that water spray constantly flew from all directions, so they had to be careful not to get the equipment wet….
【K:RUS】
Kairos’s title logo appeared on the large screen, and the lighting flared brilliantly. Simultaneously, the long-awaited members took the stage.
Today’s styling keyword seemed to be white and blue, as most members wore white tops and jeans that suited their individual characters. What stood out most was Lee Do-ha’s incredible arm muscles and back definition, showcasing his bronze, sculpted physique.
“Lee Do-ha, you crazy bastard…. Crazy bastard….”
Before she could even admire her bias’s ruthless muscles, she saw the members form a formation and turn around.
Kairos starting their performance by turning around was familiar, but this particular formation seemed unfamiliar—she’d never seen it before. There was no time to properly see the members’ outfits or faces.
“Huh, this…?”
Just then, the MR blared through the powerful speakers. Brilliant lighting covered the stage, and the members standing there began moving in unison.
As the instrumental—familiar yet unfamiliar—played, Soda tilted her head trying to identify the song. A single scene flashed hazily through her mind.
“Ah, this…!”
The street lamps flickering on in sync with the rapid-fire rap.
The rap skill and insane beat that seemed to tell those who spoke carelessly about Lee Do-ha’s reason for existence to “shut your mouths.”
“This is… that… from the fourth round mission….”
The backing track of Lee Do-ha’s original composition, which had been showcased only once during the Miro Maze fourth round street busking concert, announced the festival’s beginning with a powerful sound.
At the same time, the one standing at center began popping with a flashy turn, spinning around.
‘How did this song start again?’
As Soda reviewed the camera angles while recalling the fourth round stage, the first person to grip the microphone caught in her frame.
And right then, Soda’s grip loosened so dangerously that she nearly dropped the camera.
“What the—”
Long black hair grown out considerably, wearing orange translucent goggles—that was secondary—but below them, a thick leather chain choker connected to leather bands.
Those leather bands wrapped directly around bare skin, revealed clearly by a short white crop top, paired with ripped jeans that flaunted long legs.
Every time he moved his body slightly, tanned, defined abdominal muscles flashed into view.
“These crazy bastards…”
Soda lowered the camera lens helplessly.
The delinquent’s body, bound within the soul of the well-mannered man, had begun tearing through the stage without restraint.

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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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