Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 461

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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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461. BOY’S SUPREMACY (3)
In just thirty minutes, Kang Ha-jin had transformed the atmosphere of the Practice Room, and he showed no signs of stopping.
“Then let’s take a ten-minute break and see the next team. The song title is… Fantasy Romance? Where’s the Fantasy Romance team?”
“Oh, that’s us!”
“Yes, rest for a bit and then we’ll go through it together. You’ve all worked hard.”
“You’ve worked hard too!”
The standard routine was to conduct lessons during the evaluation time while cameras rolled, then switch to self-directed practice for participants once the lesson ended.
Occasionally, passionate trainers would dedicate extra off-camera time, but for special guest appearances like Ha-jin—who came out of goodwill without any appearance fee—this rarely applied.
“Um, Tae-hyun.”
“Yes?”
“Is it really okay for Ha-jin to keep practicing with us like this? We’re thrilled because we can see the kids improving right before our eyes, but I’m worried he might be pushing himself too hard….”
Yet even after the cameras stopped rolling, even after the official special teaching session concluded, Ha-jin remained in the Practice Room. It seemed he intended to oversee practice sessions for every individual team scheduled for the day.
The participants, having already witnessed Ha-jin’s directing prowess through the group performance, eagerly embraced his enthusiasm, but the production team found themselves utterly bewildered.
They’d expected him to spend roughly two hours before returning to the Dormitory with Tae-hyun, but Ha-jin appeared ready to conduct an all-night practice session with the participants!
“Ah….”
At the second Writer’s concerned question—though truthfully, she harbored hopes that if he stayed all day, they’d capture great broadcast angles and the kids’ skills would genuinely improve—Tae-hyun wiped sweat from his forehead with a towel and glanced back.
Observing Ha-jin graciously allowing participants who’d been given break time to approach him from various directions seeking advice, Tae-hyun accepted a bottle of water from a Staff Member and smiled peacefully.
“Don’t worry about it. That hyung’s got a habit, you know.”
“What?”
“He does that to cool his head. You don’t need to feel burdened. And you can film freely. That’s actually why he’s staying—to get footage. The Manager hyung knows about it too.”
“Ah….”
As Tae-hyun offered a clean explanation accompanied by a fresh wink, the Staff Members who’d been visibly tense finally exhaled in relief and relaxed their shoulders.
Truth be told, they’d been itching to roll cameras since earlier, but had been hesitant in case there were aspects not yet coordinated with the Company that might cause problems.
Tae-hyun chuckled at the production team and pointed toward Ha-jin, still being held up by participants.
“He’s probably already figured it out. That’s probably why he’s deliberately keeping his microphone on.”
At words delivered almost like a hint, the second Writer’s eyes sparkled.
Tae-hyun, who’d earned the nickname “Lucky Charm” among the main staff for not only memorizing scripts prepared through all-nighters by the writing team without a single mistake—often even refining them—but also consistently extracting broadcast-worthy moments from participants who lacked instinct, always demonstrated such keen sense in these situations!
“Ha, thank you, Tae-hyun. Then should we roll a bit more of today’s footage?”
“Yes, do as you’re comfortable. I feel a bit sorry that the Directors will be working overtime….”
“Come on, it’s a one-night, two-day shoot anyway—what’s the point of just sitting around? We really appreciate this, our lucky charm MC!”
The Writer grasped both of Tae-hyun’s hands with an emotional expression.
Tae-hyun firmly squeezed the Writer’s hands in return and smiled brightly—that smile that made everyone think “this will work” whenever the camera caught it.
“Not at all, I’m the grateful one.”
Right now I’m actually using Boy’s Supremacy to help our leader hyung overcome his slump.
The true feelings Tae-hyun couldn’t voice aloud lingered below his throat before dissipating entirely.
* * *
With Tae-hyun’s permission to continue filming, the production team sprang into action.
After lengthy deliberation during the participants’ break, they ultimately decided to proceed with additional shooting.
-Let’s do it, we have to. Last week’s competition got good reactions, and to capitalize on that momentum, we need to capture this. Let’s ride the Kairos wave!
Despite a decent pool of participants and stages that occasionally delivered impressive moments, the reason Boyhood 2 received lukewarm responses compared to Season 1 was primarily that “the participants’ desperation didn’t come through.”
Large-scale audition survival programs had been pouring out relentlessly, which certainly contributed to diminished viewer appeal, but that wasn’t the core issue.
The real problem was that participants now understood better than anyone that ‘debut’ through a survival program mattered far less than simply appearing on broadcast, gathering a modest fanbase, and having doors open regardless of results.
‘Always strike the right balance, avoid doing anything hateful, gather those who support me, and regardless of the outcome, construct the image of myself that I desire.’
Perhaps because of this mentality, the practice atmosphere at Boyhood 2 was considerably more relaxed compared to other survival programs.
Participants who initially brimmed with enthusiasm and attempted various things eventually became passive after realizing that such earnestness would only create ‘trying too hard’ moments that divided viewer opinions through broadcast.
It was no exaggeration to say that the mentors, led by Tae-hyun, had brought things this far by alternating between carrots and sticks, doing their absolute best.
“The live performance… is this really your best? You haven’t memorized the lyrics at all?”
Within this atmosphere, the tension created by the existence called Kang Ha-jin was truly remarkable.
He overlooked nothing, and despite seeing them for the first time today, he grasped each person’s strengths and weaknesses at a glance, and most importantly, he offered clear solutions.
Everyone present could feel that this wasn’t harsh criticism meant to create dramatic moments before the camera, but genuine coaching designed to help them achieve better performances.
“…Actually, our team composition changed suddenly after the last formation ceremony, so we prioritized choreography practice, which is why our lyric memorization fell short. I apologize.”
And those receiving the coaching directly were the first to respond to that ‘sincerity’.
Though anxiety and desperation still lingered in their hearts, some who had been gradually stained by the passive and lethargic atmosphere began to show different light in their eyes.
As tiny cracks formed in the previously monotonous atmosphere, the remaining participants naturally snapped to attention as if fire had been lit beneath their feet.
“No, it’s not something you need to apologize to me about. …Hmm, I see.”
Ha-jin’s pen tapped against the file folder spread across his half-bent leg.
Having removed the chair entirely and positioned himself with his back against the mirror, Ha-jin occupied a spot where trainees could easily monitor themselves in the reflection while he could observe the entire formation at a glance.
It was the skilled posture of someone accustomed to seeing the bigger picture in practice rooms.
“Hmm….”
After watching the first performance of the Fantasy Romance team, the first individual team song, Ha-jin narrowed his eyes as if something bothered him, then turned his head to look at Tae-hyun sitting beside him.
“Che… no, Hyun-ah.”
“Huh?”
Ha-jin, who had habitually been about to call out ‘Cherry’, hastily changed his form of address.
After all, he held a position that was called ‘homeroom teacher’ or ‘Director’ here, and he couldn’t undermine that authority with a single nickname.
In any case, Tae-hyun naturally lifted his head at Ha-jin’s call. Ha-jin pointed at the file in Tae-hyun’s hands with his chin.
“Let me see that for a second.”
“This? Yeah, here.”
As Tae-hyun handed over the file, Ha-jin quickly located the files for the trainees belonging to the Fantasy Romance team.
The notes were so meticulous and densely packed that Ha-jin was nearly speechless.
“Wow…. You’re really amazing.”
Ha-jin chuckled as if he couldn’t help himself, keeping his gaze fixed on the file while reaching out to gently stroke Tae-hyun’s hair. He refrained from mussing it up as was his usual habit, fully aware that Tae-hyun’s hair was carefully styled to look ‘natural yet impeccably neat’.
“Ha Jun-hyuk? Jun-hyuk?”
“…Ah, yes!”
At Ha-jin’s call, the one standing at the end of the Fantasy Romance team hurriedly raised his hand.
Though Ha-jin had merely called his name, visible tension settled across Jun-hyuk’s expression.
“The overall atmosphere suits this song really well. I noticed you have a great ability to relax your body and create beautiful lines—are you majoring in contemporary dance?”
“Yes, I’m currently studying it as my major at university.”
“The details are alive, which is good, but you’ll need to learn how to control dynamics in a more K-pop style. Your core muscles are already so excellent that every movement flows naturally like water, but in a song like this, it can easily look like you’re dancing carelessly.”
“Ah…. Yes, that’s right. I’ve always had some difficulty creating impact in my movements.”
Jun-hyuk nodded somewhat bewilderedly at Ha-jin’s analysis.
He had already received feedback from several previous stage evaluations saying, “He’s clearly talented, but for some reason he doesn’t stand out visually.”
“The thing is, he’s overflowing with energy, so all his movements are smooth, but the problem is that on the surface it looks like he’s not putting any power into it at all, you see? Pay attention to the punctuation and release of each movement. For example, your part, right here, ‘the night of the sea fading in unison’—you need your arms and body to explode outward with more impact.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Idols don’t furrow their brows when hitting high notes or do dance breaks and then breathe heavily for no reason. After intensity comes fluidity that shines even brighter, so I’d like to see you use your strengths more strategically.”
“…Thank you so much!”
Ha Jun-hyuk nodded brightly and bowed briefly in response to the advice delivered with a personal demonstration.
Starting with him, I provided individual feedback to each team member. Of course, due to time constraints, I didn’t cover everyone—just those who, in my assessment, needed a bit more development.
“And….”
My gaze slowly swept across the members.
Everyone felt the contradictory emotion of hoping to be called out while simultaneously hoping not to be. The Staff Members remaining in the practice room were also watching intently to see who I would call on next.
“Next would be… Chae Yu-hyun?”
“….”
Upon hearing his name called, the participant wearing the name tag “Chae Yu-hyun” squeezed his eyes shut.
The Staff Members and other participants clicked their tongues as if they’d expected this all along.
“…Yes.”
He was a participant who had consistently received the common evaluation from staff and other contestants that he “went through the motions” during practice.
He always executed every movement without enthusiasm during rehearsals, yet when he stepped onto the competition stage, he displayed a completely transformed performance.
-This guy Yu-hyun… I can’t tell if he’s smart or just lazy.
-Well, thanks to him we get plenty of dramatic moments, so that’s nice.
-But because of that, Yu-hyun always steals the focus, so the other team members probably find it annoying, right? I mean, he practices so half-heartedly. If I were them, he’d look pretty sketchy to me too, wouldn’t he?
Showing a good performance on the competition stage, which directly reflected in the voting, was undeniably a positive thing.
However, having already claimed the position of “a participant who grew incomparably compared to practice” through such tactics several times, it was also true that the other contestants practicing alongside him couldn’t shake the impression that he was being underhanded.
“Hmm….”
After I called on him, I rested my chin on my fist in apparent contemplation.
Everyone in the room had the same thought.
‘Ah, he’s definitely going to get chewed out.’
It was both someone’s wish and someone’s prediction.
In the atmosphere where everyone waited for my next words, I slowly opened my mouth.
The baseball cap I’d worn to hide my bare face had already been put away on the practice room floor along with my outer layers.
“I’m not sure if I can express it this way….”
“…?”
For the first time since the lesson began, I showed signs of hesitation in choosing my words as I’d been evaluating without pause.
Tae-hyun looked at me with anxious eyes, wondering what I was about to say, but paying no mind to his gaze, I clasped my hands respectfully and asked.
“Is your HP a bit low?”
“…What?”
“Ah, is that too derogatory an expression? Is it okay to say it like that?”
Realizing I’d misspoken even as the words left my mouth, I hurriedly covered my lips and turned back to Tae-hyun.
“…Is it okay?”
Facing the solid (yet at times utterly pathetic) leader hyung looking back at me with a naive expression, Tae-hyun responded with a cold, stiff face.

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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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