Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 411

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————

411. In Praise of Youth (3)
Three hours before Kairos’s third mini album, In Praise of Youth, hit the shelves.
Which meant three hours before Kairos etched their name across every real-time music chart—
Kairos and the staff were deep in preparations for the press conference and fan showcase.
“Read through the question sheet carefully. Assume I, Si-woo, and Lee Do will handle most of the answers. If we look scattered, Tae-hyun, help us out a bit.”
“Got it.”
“Yoo Gun, Eun-chan, Ha-ru—as always, watch your expressions. Especially you two. You don’t need to grin constantly, but try to avoid looking completely blank.”
“Understood.”
“Yes!”
“Sparkle, how’s your body?”
“…I’m fine. The fever’s gone down, and I took medicine.”
As always, I checked the members’ physical condition and mental state, then brought my hand to Ha-ru’s forehead with a skeptical expression. The forehead that had burned hot since last night, refusing to cool, had mercifully returned to normal temperature.
Once I finally relaxed, Ha-ru—suddenly finding himself the object of worried glances from all the members—felt embarrassed and bit his lip, pulling my hand down.
“I’m really fine. …It’s just, I’m a little nervous.”
At Dan Ha-ru’s blunt explanation—officially operating under the premise that he’d hit puberty (?)—the expressions of the older members who’d been watching with concern shifted subtly. Some drooped the corners of their mouths, others barely managed to suppress rising cheeks, and it was absolute chaos, though the overall direction of the expression changes was remarkably consistent.
‘Don’t laugh, don’t laugh, don’t laugh, don’t laugh….’
‘If I laugh now, that’s another hundred days added to the maknae’s puberty phase.’
I and Tae-hyun kept signaling with our eyes to keep the members in line, but Dan Ha-ru, whose perceptiveness was razor-sharp, had already easily caught on that these clueless hyungs were once again patronizing him without consulting anyone. Given how far removed his lived experience was from such thoughtless coddling, his expression naturally began to sour.
“Some nervousness before a performance is good. Still, we can’t have you sick, so tell us if anything feels off at all.”
It was Jeong Si-u, the eldest, who broke the tense standoff between those trying to hide their laughter and one who found the whole thing distasteful.
Though he seemed cold, he was surprisingly generous with his younger members, and since the insomnia-demolition project, he’d become especially lenient with the maknaes.
“…Yes. But I’m really okay.”
“Good, then I’m relieved.”
Dan Ha-ru nodded hesitantly to Jeong Si-u.
For what was supposedly one of the best-selling relationship dynamics on Stone Board—the eldest and youngest line—their conversation seemed remarkably dry, but what mattered was that the two people involved didn’t actually feel any distance between them.
“Guys, let’s get ready now!”
At Manager Kwon Wook’s cue, the members all moved with tense expressions.
As always, I was the last to leave the waiting room, double-checking that the members hadn’t left or forgotten anything, verifying there was nothing else to confirm before finally stepping out.
After checking my reflection in the mirror one more time, I followed the members out of the waiting room, and Ha-ru, who’d been walking ahead with Tae-hyun, subtly slowed his pace to match mine.
“What is it? Why?”
Wondering what was up, I looked down at Ha-ru’s dark crown of hair, and he delivered his message in a barely audible voice.
“…After this activity wraps up, we need to talk.”
“Talk?”
“About Ha-ru.”
“Ah.”
Since I’d already been keeping in mind that there were still unresolved matters regarding Dan Ha-ru’s primary personality, I nodded readily at his words, saying I understood.
Since I hadn’t heard anything definitive about what happened to the Returner, we’d agreed to focus on the activities for now until Thirteen returned.
It had been quite a while since Thirteen left, so I was thinking he’d probably make his comeback around the time this album activity wrapped up. Even if he didn’t, I was prepared to call that headquarters bastard and threaten him into returning.
‘The best outcome would be if the Returner just vanished and Ha-ru and Ha-ru held hands and got along well together in a happy ending….’
But usually, happy endings like that don’t come easy.
A sharp, cold expression flickered across Ha-jin’s face for just a moment. The chill that swept through in that instant was so palpable that Ha-ru, standing beside him, sensed something amiss and turned to look at Ha-jin.
“…?”
“What? Why the sudden look, Sparkle?”
“…No, it’s nothing.”
But by the time Ha-ru looked at Ha-jin, the shadow that had crossed his face was already gone. Ha-jin wore a slick, serpentine smile as if nothing had happened, tilting his head with a questioning expression. Ha-ru had no choice but to turn away without saying anything more.
Watching Ha-ru’s round head of hair, Ha-jin thought for a moment before clicking his tongue. “Tsk.”
“Whatever. I’ll think about it later.”
For now, the comeback showcase took priority.
* * *
The comeback showcase was divided into two parts: a press conference in the first half with journalists, and a fan showcase in the second half with fans.
For a while, comeback shows produced by broadcasting stations with careful planning had become trendy, but when broadcasters got involved, everything ballooned in scale and the focus shifted too heavily toward broadcast appeal. So this time, we decided to follow the classical format.
“Well, is there anything lengthy to say? Our Kairos members always prove themselves through skill, so today we’ll start by enjoying their stage performance.”
Unlike the debut showcase where Nam Da-down had provided support fire using a senior artist connection, this showcase’s MC was Nam Sa-ra—a female comedian and current trendsetter known as the blue-chip of the comedy world.
She was also the one who had orchestrated the reverse-charting success of “Spring Doesn’t Come” as BGM. After our connection through the Hwangryong Series Awards tribute stage last time, Ji Su-ho had quietly put out feelers to the agency, and Nam Sa-ra accepted far more readily than expected, making this appearance happen.
“That was the pre-released track from last week, right? We’ll show you the stage for ‘Black Paradise.’ Don’t worry—we’ll have plenty of time for questions and answers. Our admirable, handsome, fiery, cool, good-natured members? Even better personalities! And even better skills! Please enjoy our Kairos members’ stage beautifully, and we’d be grateful if you’d write lots of positive articles.”
…Seems like she really took a liking to us more than expected.
At Nam Sa-ra’s shameless barrage of praise without taking a single breath, laughter rippled through the press conference hall. The members taking their positions on stage couldn’t hide their embarrassment either, their lips twitching slightly.
“…Phew.”
Ju Eun-chan, who was taking the opening verse of “Black Paradise,” stood at the very front, unable to hide his nervousness as he shook his hands lightly. Unlike the others, this guy wasn’t the type to do this kind of thing on stage, so I glanced back and realized the journalists and camera flashes spread out right in front of him were probably his trigger.
Given that an accident had happened because of those journalists’ pressure before, it made sense. I signaled to Ji Su-ho watching us from below the stage to wait a moment, then grabbed Ju Eun-chan’s frantically clenching and unclenching fist firmly and decisively.
“You can do this, right?”
“…Yes.”
At my quiet question, Ju Eun-chan seemed to regain his senses, his eyes returning to focus as he squeezed my hand tightly in return. I let him hold my hand willingly, then signaled to Ji Su-ho that he could start the music.
Soon, the lyrical intro of “Black Paradise” burst forth from the in-ear monitors and speakers simultaneously.
Echoing cheers
Holding those fluttering flags
With Ju Eun-chan’s voice—a timbre caught somewhere between boyhood and young adulthood, not quite either—the members moved in unison as if advancing into battle.
Solemn but not grandiose. As if announcing the prelude to war, the rhythm of a marching band grew steadily louder between the instrumental sounds.
Next was my turn.
Burn brighter, flames
Endless questions
I held the microphone closer to my mouth with my hand so my voice would come through more vividly. As the song’s tension escalated, the choreography of the members, including myself, grew increasingly intense to match.
That bastard Lee Do-ha had assigned me high notes from the first part, so I’d nearly died warming up my voice earlier.
Toward the crumbled fortress walls, scream!
Still, it was exhilarating.
With my piercing high note, all the members’ movements stopped in unison. Then Lee Yu-gun made an incredibly cool sliding motion, moving in one fluid motion from the back of the stage to where I was standing.
And soon after came my favorite part of “Black Paradise.” Lee Yu-gun, still blessed with the real-eyes-realize-real-lies buff, opened his mouth softly with a possessed wave motion.
Destroy that paradise.
It was the killing part that carried forward the legacy of the venerable Miro universe’s complete destruction worldview.
* * *
“Well then, let’s continue taking questions. Yes, Reporter Hwang from Company A?”
After safely finishing the 【Black Paradise】 stage, we sat at prepared tables and chairs, taking part in a question-and-answer session with the reporters.
Though it was called a Q&A, the anticipated questions had already been shared beforehand, and our answers were largely predetermined—it was essentially no different from a rigged card game.
What I had to be careful about were the occasional curveball questions that popped up here and there. For example….
“This might be a sensitive matter, but there are people curious about the aftermath of the incident, so I’d like to ask. Many are concerned about the assault incident that group member Ju Eun-chan experienced at the fan sign event venue and theme park last time. How is the situation developing following that incident?”
…Things like that.
Despite our explicit request not to mention it—a sensitive incident with an actual victim in Ju Eun-chan—there were always those bastards who exploited the unique nature of live broadcasting to ask whatever they pleased.
I could see that Ji Su-ho and Kwon Wook watching from the side of the stage, along with the members on stage, were struggling to maintain their composure. Especially Ju Eun-chan, the person directly involved in the incident, whose face had visibly stiffened.
“Oh my, wouldn’t it be more accurate to hear about that from the detectives handling the case rather than here~? After all, today is our comeback showcase~”
Nam Sa-ra deflected with a smooth tone that essentially said ‘nice try, buddy,’ but the reporter stood firm with a stubborn expression, clearly wanting an answer. They probably had something specific they wanted to hear, but frankly, I had no intention of obliging.
“May I ask what exactly you’re curious about? If you’re wondering about the circumstances of the incident or the punishment, then as Senior Sa-ra mentioned, it would be more accurate to get answers from the police. If we accidentally misspeak, it could become a problem.”
“Did that incident affect your subsequent schedule? It must have been a significant ordeal for someone so young.”
“Well, if it had, we wouldn’t have made our comeback. Thank you for your concern.”
I bowed politely with a slight smile, but the reporter, apparently not getting the wording they wanted, raised their hand again as if to ask something more. However, Nam Sa-ra was far quicker on the draw.
“Yes, I hope we can create an environment where the safety of all idols and entertainers is guaranteed going forward. Then shall we take the next question? Um…. Reporter Yoon from Company C?”
Nam Sa-ra passed the turn one step ahead of the reporter. The microphone went to the next designated journalist.
‘Please let this be a normal question this time….’
Or at least make the provocation entertaining if you’re going to try it.
While I was spinning my pen endlessly, worrying about whether South Korean journalism was really okay like this, the reporter who’d taken the microphone hesitantly opened their mouth.
“Um, I’d like to ask leader Kang Ha-jin a question.”
“…? Ah, yes.”
“Do you have any knowledge about the breakup rumors with streamer Ju Ppo-a that just surfaced?”
…What?
“Sorry? Who am I supposed to be with?”
“Internet streamer Ju Ppo-a posted something on her SNS a few minutes ago that seems to hint at a breakup with you, Kang Ha-jin. Do you have any knowledge of this….”
A breakup? Me?
“Who is that…?”
We broke up?
Who the hell are you…?

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————