Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 482

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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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482. Boy’s Supremacy 2 (1)
I’d known for some time that something was wrong with Boy’s Supremacy.
I’d been certain of it ever since observing the reaction of Choi Producer—the former Main PD of A-Countdown and current director overseeing both seasons 1 and 2 of Boy’s Supremacy.
‘What was that guy’s name again?’
Leaving the name I couldn’t quite recall behind, I watched the final live broadcast of Boy’s Supremacy playing at double speed on the television. Seo Tae-hyun’s hollow, conflicted expression—a boy who’d sensed his own elimination—was captured by the camera far more frequently than the other trainees around him.
“…So ideally, I’d rather not touch it.”
I’ve said it repeatedly, but honestly, unless the situation became absolutely unavoidable, I had zero desire to poke around in Boy’s Supremacy’s affairs.
It wasn’t as though I possessed some unwavering sense of justice, and there was no benefit for our side in criticizing it either.
Besides, I’d already learned painfully that when individuals go up against broadcasting stations or corporations, it’s the individual who breaks.
‘It’s not like the absurd controversy from before where Seo Tae-hyun was supposedly a beneficiary of manipulation is happening again…. Actually, if anything, we’re in the same boat, so it’s more convenient if things run smoothly.’
Yet the reason I was binge-watching Boy’s Supremacy from season 1 through Ha-ru (not the baby rabbit warrior) was simply an unavoidable instinct, you might say.
The kind of nervous anticipation that comes from having experienced firsthand how Kim Hak-seung PD orchestrates his schemes.
【Won-jun: Now then. We are waiting for the boy who will fill B-light’s final position.】
The former MC of Boy’s Supremacy season 1 delivered the lead-in with a solemn expression. Four trainees, including Seo Tae-hyun, appeared on screen.
I’d watched this broadcast in real-time diligently back then, so honestly, aside from Choi Ha-ram and Seo Tae-hyun who debuted as final members, the other two were just broadcast bait. The fans watching the live broadcast at that time would have known this was a battle between Seo Tae-hyun and Choi Ha-ram.
In fact, Choi Ha-ram went straight into debuting with B-liver even after B-light disbanded and became hugely popular, earning him the reputation of being the member responsible for drawing in new fans.
But if you asked who between the two had the stronger position, it was unquestionably Seo Tae-hyun.
Just looking at the rankings from the previous round, Seo Tae-hyun was ranked three positions higher than Choi Ha-ram, and he had far superior buzz and fandom control.
【Won-jun: The boy who will become B-light’s final member is…!】
Or rather, appeared to be. At least, that is.
【Won-jun: Choi Ha-ram! Congratulations!】
Choi Ha-ram’s expression as he clasped his hands together and let out a cheer contrasted starkly with the disappointment evident on the faces of the two remaining trainees beside him.
“….”
What was strange was that the camera ultimately captured not the two trainees who couldn’t hold back their tears and wept bitterly, but Seo Tae-hyun calmly lowering his head.
Even longer, more extensively, and more persistently than the successful candidate Choi Ha-ram who was roaring with joy.
‘Why?’
Throughout my binge-watch of Boy’s Supremacy, it was easy to discern that the production team was making effective use of Seo Tae-hyun.
When I was younger, I’d watched it thoughtlessly and simply found it entertaining, but after gaining PD experience, Boy’s Supremacy seemed far more strategic than I’d initially thought.
Trainees to push forward, trainees to eliminate, trainees to give decent image boosts before sending off—the production team’s attitude toward the participants was clearly evident.
And most of the trainees who received that push either survived until the live broadcast or succeeded in debuting. It was only natural.
【Won-jun: Well then…. It’s unfortunate, but shall we hear final thoughts from the eliminated boys who are concluding their journey of challenge?】
【Won-jun: First, Seo Tae-hyun?】
As for what type Seo Tae-hyun was, he was none of the three.
He couldn’t be called someone they intended to eliminate—they’d invested too much effort. He couldn’t be called someone they intended to push—they’d exploited him too much. As for giving him a decent image boost before sending him off, by the latter half he was practically being neglected.
【Seo Tae-hyun: Um…. First, I’m grateful to all the teachers who helped me come this far.】
Seo Tae-hyun, who gripped the microphone with a trembling voice, was merely sixteen years old.
The boy, who appeared far more youthful and innocent than he did now, didn’t shed a single tear even in this final moment. Since he was always the one flashing bright smiles with refreshing charm as his catchphrase, such dryness would have struck the viewers’ hearts all the more deeply.
【Seo Tae-hyun: I said I’d do my best, but um…. It seems there was still much I fell short on.】
【Seo Tae-hyun: I don’t know if another opportunity will come my way someday, but still. Still….】
Tears finally welled up in the eyes of the boy who’d been speaking so spiritedly.
As his eyes, nose, and ears all flushed red simultaneously on screen, a wave of sympathetic sighs rippled through the audience seating.
“Still….”
【Seo Tae-hyun: Still…. Uh… Ah, phew.】
I had only seen it once, but the impression was so vivid that Seo Tae-hyun’s final remarks had burned themselves into my memory, and I recited them along with him.
“Someday, I hope to shine before you all again….”
【Seo Tae-hyun: Someday, I truly hope to shine before you all again….】
“I want to shine before you all.”
【Seo Tae-hyun: I want to shine before you all.】
The 【Project Number Five】 that I had produced under Choi CEO of Effect Culture was a straightforward survival program designed to select the strongest influencer.
Unlike an idol debut survival show, it brought together people who were already active on their respective platforms and had them compete, so the reward system and competition format differed somewhat from 【Boy’s Supremacy】.
From the start, it wasn’t about debut—it was a competition for prize money and merchandise, and unlike 【Boy’s Supremacy】 where multiple finalists could pass, it was a death match where only one person who survived to the end would claim victory. Comparing the two in any meaningful way would be difficult.
There was no guarantee that Kim Hak-seung would repeat what he had done back then during 【Boy’s Supremacy】 either.
“….”
The champion of 【Project Number Five】 had been a male AiTube challenge specialist who operated a channel with a million subscribers at the time.
He genuinely had the skills, and he won the competition fair and square, so no one complained or took issue with his victory.
-Hey, Kang. You know about that?
-…? About what?
-You know, among our cast members, there’s this girl. The newest one everyone was saying got in through nepotism.
-…Ah, BJ Melony?
-Yeah, her. There’s some weird rumor about her, you know?
-What kind of rumor?
Kim Hak-seung and Choi Yun-hyung didn’t openly manipulate the competition or anything like that.
Rather….
-Apparently her contract had a clause that she couldn’t win from the start.
-What? What do you mean….
-They planted her from the beginning to draw all the hate, and she’s actually been the biggest draw in ‘Project Number Five’ so far. But we absolutely need one of the YK Entertainment cast members to win.
They had simply brought in a sacrificial lamb to shoulder all the hate instead of the person they needed to push.
-Apparently the higher-ups told Melony she couldn’t win, but they’d compensate her with favorable editing and buzz. Did you hear anything about it, Kang?
-…No, this is the first I’m hearing of it.
No connections, no background, no fanbase, no money—yet desperately in need of the spotlight this program could provide.
【Seo Tae-hyun: …Please don’t forget about me, everyone.】
With Seo Tae-hyun’s earnest plea, the MC prepared his next line.
I rewound the playback bar with the remote.
【Won-jun: The boy who will become B-light’s final member is…!】
Stop.
And unlike before when I had watched it at double speed, I now watched that moment slowly at 0.5x speed, studying it intently.
【Won-jun: Choi Ha-ram! Congratulations!】
Coincidentally, among the four candidate trainees, all except Seo Tae-hyun had ‘ㅊ’ in their last name.
Choi Ha-ram, Choi Ki-won, Chae Ha-jun.
Except for Seo Tae-hyun, who had sensed his elimination first, the other three would have found it difficult to recognize their own names just from hearing their surnames.
“….”
Rewind, pause again. Then play.
My eyes slowly drifted toward one of the four trainees.
【Won-jun: Choi Ha-ram So….】
【Won-jun: Choi Ha-ram….】
【Won-jun: Choi….】
Choi Ha-ram.
The final member of B-light, who immediately re-debuted as B-liver with two others from the same agency after B-light’s contract expired, and is currently in a quiet period of self-reflection due to controversies involving member fan deception.
The one who had particularly disrespected and despised Seo Tae-hyun back during Boy’s Supremacy.
“…This is a headache.”
Was it coincidence, inevitability, or simply a sync error in editing?
On screen, Choi Ha-ram was already clenching his fists and curling his lips upward before his name was even fully called.
* * *
The live broadcast of Boyhood 2 had begun.
Though the program had drawn concerns and worries from the production team with viewership ratings that underperformed expectations throughout the broadcast, the final live broadcast somehow showed real-time viewers exceeding the average.
Kang Ha-di
@kang_HD
Even if you watch while bungee jumping off a KTX train
our Ha-jin’s reverse capsule rights are still locked in;;>
(Capture of blurred Ha-jin from Boyhood 2 Final Preview.JPG)
Shares 3,218 Quotes 1,203 Likes 4,500
Kang Dae-jang
@strongjin
What does this mean
Our Ha-jin is a special teacher for Boyhood 2??
He didn’t just go to cheer on his younger sibling with snacks
but also gave pinpoint teaching that sealed the deal??
And all while bare-faced in a black t-shirt with a baseball cap and round glasses???
Season 2 of leg aesthetics has arrived right before my eyes right now????????
(Boyhood 2 Final Preview Ha-jin Cut.MP4)
Shares 5,132 Quotes 938 Likes 4,000
[Should I check out Boyhood 2??]
It looked fun
but the trainee I was watching for barely appeared, so I didn’t comment much?
But after seeing the preview, after whatever happened with Ha-jin
I think I might be on the awakening route, so I’m kind of looking forward to it now…haha
– Be sure to see it!! I am a teacher who has been running since episode 1, and the kids are all gentle and fun ㅠㅠㅜ
Haha, I watched it from episode 1 too!! But like, how do I put this… I guess I’d say it was kind of boring? So I dropped it halfway through, but now that they’re saying there’s a finale, I’m getting a little interested again.
All this buzz couldn’t be attributed solely to Ha-jin.
A few stages performed right before the final had drawn considerable reactions from the public, and a direct cam of one trainee had gone viral overseas, with scattered buzz gradually converging at this moment in time.
Ha-jin’s appearance in such circumstances was, so to speak, like gasoline on a fire.
After all, among those currently engaged in fandom activities on Stone Board, there were scarcely any who didn’t know that Kang Ha-jin had created legendary stages time and again throughout the Survival Program.
– He’s gonna do it, he’s gonna do it
– Wait is that Seo Tae-hyun??? The Seo Tae-hyun I know???? Damn, he’s so handsome
– Please Boy’s Supremacy production team, make it so we can vote for the homeroom teacher instead of the boys
– But honestly compared to Season 1, the mentors and overall cast are kinda weak lol. Season 1 was actually fun to watch
– ◆■★☆★Text vote #0115 Boy #15 Kang Woo-bin please remember◆■★☆★ ◆■★☆★Text vote #0115 Boy #15 Kang Woo-bin please remember◆■★☆★◆■★☆★Text vote #0115 Boy #15 Kang Woo-bin please remember◆■★☆★
– How many people are we picking?
– Yun-hyung please please please please just don’t mess up your vocals please
– Who’s gonna cheer when Kang Ha-jin comes out
As the camera swept across the concert hall packed with spectators, the live broadcast of Boy’s Supremacy Season 2 officially began.
Atop the stage shrouded in deep fog, a capsule-like set rotated, and from within it emerged someone dressed in a striped semi-formal suit, walking toward center stage.
– Dear teachers across the nation and around the world.
By coincidence, the live broadcast of Boy’s Supremacy Season 2 took place in the exact same venue as Season 1’s broadcast.
Seo Tae-hyun, his hair now bleached white, stood at that very spot where he had once been dealt despair, gripping the microphone and continuing his remarks in a pleasantly low, mellifluous tone.
– Tonight, twenty-two boys who will captivate the world stand before you.
– It seems the world has already been captivated by you, teacher
– Did Seo Tae-hyun’s voice change? His tone sounds different
└ ? You’re leaving hate comments so openly?
└ Oh no no I meant it as a compliment, sorry
– Eliminated in Season 1, triumphant return in Season 2… truly a Cherry Boy’s redemption arc
People delighted in and celebrated Cherry Boy’s growth upon his return.
– Then shall we now meet the boys who will astonish you?
Only Ha-jin watched Tae-hyun with eyes shadowed by profound darkness.
– No two boys are alike under heaven! Boy’s Supremacy Season 2, its final journey begins now.
– I am Seo Tae-hyun of Kairos, your homeroom teacher who will guide you and these boys through this season.
Thunderous applause and cheers resonated vividly through the venue.
The final broadcast that would change the boys’ destinies had begun.

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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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