Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 500

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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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500. Until Then
The title track of Cheongchun Bulpae, “Back Then, Us,” which was surprise-announced on Christmas, was released online along with its music video.
[Kairos, you absolute madmen]
Ha-ru, who destroyed a world where his hyungs had vanished,
And the hyungs who traversed every parallel universe to finally find their youngest member?
Did you really have to make me cry like this on Christmas?
[??: Mom, why is there an ocean in front of our house?]
(Composite of “Back Then, Us” MV causing a storm of tears.JPG)
Oh sweetie, that’s not an ocean—those are the tears your grandmother shed before she passed away after watching the music video for “Back Then, Us,” the title track of Cheongchun Records, the conclusion of Kairos’s Cheongchun trilogy…
– What kind of joke is this
[No, I’m totally overly invested right now]
Somewhere out there, Ha-ru is still closing off the world and drifting through the universe,
And I just keep imagining the members traveling through space trying to find him, and it makes my chest tight and I can’t even swallow my food… (this is just my emotional expression, and as I’m writing this, I’m eating cheese rose-braised chicken with lettuce wraps and flat dumplings, but that’s just how I feel, you know, that’s just how I feel)
– You’re eating well though
– Yeah, thank goodness you’re at least eating well
– Hahahahahahahaha tell me to choose either funny or sad ㅜㅠ
– It’s not like someone installed a CCTV at your house to check if you’re eating or not, so why are you explaining yourself so earnestly, please
[No, the kids’ acting in the MV was absolutely insane]
They look like real people, honestly…
Meanwhile, our kids were just yesterday having a pointless year-end gift exchange, debating which was more useless—expired concert tickets or twelve piggy banks…
– We already knew they had great visuals, but seriously, how are they so good at acting with genuine expressions?
– I still can’t get over that close-up of Ha-jin’s face when he found Ha-ru
└ You too? Me too.
└ (MV scene of Ha-jin smiling wistfully at the camera.gif) But seriously, his eyes are insane
The fact that the most-watched scene is at 3 minutes 28 seconds really shows how transparent Steedle is lol
The music video for “Back Then, Us” was the work that concluded Kairos’s “time traveler” worldview that began with their debut song “Over the Night.”
It was also the music video that best captured the phrase that ran through this entire worldview: [Within “happy lies” and “unhappy truths,” we will ultimately choose ourselves].
[STIs, I’m getting interested in Kairos these days]
Is the music video something you can’t understand at all without knowing the worldview?
I looked it up briefly and it seems like there are a lot of posts analyzing the MV
Do I need to watch something beforehand or is there a specific order I should watch them in?
– Anonymous 1: Nah, it’s not like that, it’s just more fun if you know ～
Anonymous 2: A music video is still just a music video lol, so honestly it doesn’t matter what you watch
– Anonymous 3: Just in case, I’ll bring the link! If you get curious while watching the MV, just read through the thread
bluebird.com/ksksqpql/….
└ Author: Wow, thank you!!!ㅠㅜㅠ
Anonymous 4: Anyway, this is the last album in the current worldview, and the next album will have a completely new concept lolol so like, just think of it as content to enjoy the music video a bit more fun, like the user above said
The worldview, which had been carefully built from their debut song and had become quite solid by now, was boldly concluded by Kairos with this album.
-A worldview is ultimately, when you put it nicely, a story, but when you look at it negatively, it means being trapped within that world.
Backed by the capital of a major entertainment company, the method of “characterizing” idols to build IP was now a classic marketing approach commonly seen in the idol market.
In an era where songs overflow to the point of being buried and forgotten, constructing a narrative around a song or album and launching it as a complete work grants it value beyond mere music.
-‘Worldbuilding’ Kairos versus just idol Kairos—there will come a time when this worldbuilding concept becomes poison. Fans will grow exhausted from their obsessive need to force every plot thread into the worldbuilding framework.
Yet no matter how high one leaps, the feet must eventually touch the ground.
No matter how much the company transforms idols into mysterious beings within a sophisticated sci-fi worldbuilding, they remain fundamentally ordinary humans and entertainers.
In an age where every moment of a person’s twenty-four hours can be shared with the world, an ‘idol worldbuilding’ concept could draw fans in during the early debut phase, but it lacked the vitality to sustain a group’s longevity.
-Let’s make a clean break with this album. No matter how meticulously we design the worldbuilding or direct the music videos, we need to establish clearly that we’re just ‘idol’ Kairos. That way, everything becomes easier moving forward.
Following the ‘Youth Series,’ Ha-jin, now formally recognized as Kairos’s main director, guided the company and members to explore ways of completely removing the group from the worldbuilding framework.
What was ultimately adopted was Tae-hyun’s suggestion: ‘There’s something I’ve always wanted to try.’
Ha-rang
@dohajin_luv
I loved the epilogue of our MV back then so much I’m watching it a million times
(【Back Then, Us】 Music Video Final Epilogue Scene.MP4)
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∥
Ha-rang
@dohajin_luv
When the director calls cut, the camera angle pulls back smoothly
and naturally reveals it’s a filming studio
while the members loudly greet the staff lolol
Ha-jin clapping the slate as the MV ends is so cute too
it feels like they’re saying ‘this is all just a story we’re creating!’
and it really conveyed Kairos’s artistic direction clearly
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Among fans, there were some negative reactions about ‘breaking immersion,’ but it was certainly an effective method for achieving the intended goal of ‘drawing a line in the worldbuilding.’ Now, as Kairos entered their third year, they recognized it was time to gradually accept even the ‘dislike’ directed at them. They decided that to survive, they needed to clarify their artistic direction, and would commit to a definitive path even if it invited criticism.
Now was the time when clarity of purpose was essential for survival, so they chose a firm direction despite potential backlash.
Following Upia, whose main theme was ‘revolution,’ and Endway, whose concept was ‘another world,’ Kairos established their group identity as ‘time travelers.’
It wasn’t a concept aimed at depicting ‘real fantasy’ occurring within the group, but rather—true to the group’s name meaning ‘the moment of opportunity’—a concept decided to showcase the diverse lives and interesting stories unfolding across different timelines in Kairos’s own way.
Kang Ha-jin found the concept quite appealing.
-If the public are readers, then our albums are books, and we’re the people reading those books to them. Sometimes we release songs set within those narratives, and sometimes we just tell our own stories.
-I think that level of intensity would work well.
And so, the first result embodying all of Kairos’s stories and artistic direction prepared to reveal itself to the world.
[K:RUS (Kairos) The 1st Concert ― Macguffin Announcement]
Kairos’s first concert—a step higher as an idol group—was announced.
* * *
“How are you feeling?”
December 31st.
On the last day of the year, with only a single day remaining before the year’s end.
Kang Ha-jin posed the question to Dan Ha-ru, who had stepped outside for a moment to get some air. Ha-ru turned to confirm Ha-jin’s presence, then smiled softly and shrugged.
“Nothing particularly different.”
“Aren’t you scared?”
“Well, like I keep saying, that’s not how it is.”
By this point, Ha-ru seemed tired of repeating the same words, and suddenly shifted into what I could only describe as a dark rabbit mode, his eyes gleaming with mischief. Seeing this, Ha-jin quickly nodded in understanding, and Ha-ru clicked his tongue dismissively before turning back to lean against the railing.
“Hey, Kang Ha-jin.”
“Yeah?”
“Hyung.”
At Ha-ru’s casual address, Ha-jin’s eyebrows twitched, so Ha-ru hastily added the honorific “hyung,” stealing a glance at him. Though Ha-jin’s eyebrows still quirked playfully, he nodded as if to say go ahead, and Ha-ru carefully opened his mouth.
“I wasn’t planning to say anything, but since you started talking to me first, I’m bringing this up.”
“Why are you laying the groundwork so ominously?”
“When next year comes.”
“….”
“Even if I say I don’t want to or I’m scared…. Will you come visit Grandmother with me?”
At the unexpected request, Ha-jin fell silent for a moment.
Feeling that silence, Ha-ru, unusually for him, began rambling on.
“I mean, I don’t really know either. What kind of ‘setting’ I exist as to Grandmother right now. Whether I’m an orphan she used to care for, or her grandchild, or maybe someone she doesn’t know at all…. I’ve been too scared to visit because of that.”
“….”
“But…. I know, don’t I. When Grandmother’s time ends.”
Dan Ha-ru’s twenty-six.
The Orphanage Director’s death—the reason I could never grow beyond that young age.
Remembering that fact cast a shadow across Ha-ru’s expression.
“No matter what I do, that won’t change anyway…. So if that’s the case, I want to visit her more, sooner…. And…. Anyway, that’s what I want to do, but no matter how much I think about it, I can’t find that place alone….”
“I got it.”
“….”
“I said I got it. Even if you cling to my pant leg refusing to go, I’ll carry you on my back and knock you out if I have to.”
“…No, wait. You don’t have to be that violent about it.”
At Ha-jin’s somewhat extreme response, Ha-ru took a step back cautiously, putting up his guard.
Of course, both of them knew it was just Ha-jin’s way of lightening the mood with humor, so Ha-ru soon laughed softly and closed the distance between them.
“Ha-jin! They’re saying you’re going up soon!”
“…Ah, yes! I’m heading up now.”
At the Staff Member’s call, Ha-jin straightened up from where he’d been leaning.
The final year-end stage, ringing in the new year to the sound of the temple bell. Eun-chan and Ha-ru, still minors, couldn’t take the stage and had to greet the new year from the Waiting Room.
Seeing Ha-ru gesture for him to go, Ha-jin turned to leave but suddenly stopped.
“Dan Ha-ru.”
“What. Go on. You’ll be late.”
“….”
When Ha-ru saw Ha-jin lingering in front of him when he should have been rushing to the stage, a question mark appeared on his face.
Ha-jin seemed to be choosing his words for a moment, then waved his hand toward Ha-ru with a relaxed expression.
“See you tomorrow.”
“….”
See you tomorrow.
At that simple greeting, Ha-ru smiled.
“Yeah. See you tomorrow, hyung.”
With that farewell, Ha-jin turned and sprinted toward the stage.
Now it was truly the end of the year.
* * *
“3, 2, 1―”
“Happy New Year!”
The bell tolling the end of the day, fireworks bursting brilliantly in the sky, and music pouring from the speakers.
Everything heralded the joyous beginning of a new year.
Ha-jin welcomed that joy on stage alongside the adult members of Kairos.
“Let’s make a wish together, everyone!”
“What? It’s not a shooting star, and you want to make a wish watching fireworks… Let’s just make one, come on.”
“Do-ha goes first then. What’s your wish, Do-ha?”
“I hope… everyone stays healthy and injury-free until the concert.”
“If the first wish is already this textbook-perfect, what are the rest of us supposed to wish for to get a good reputation?”
The new year began with rowdy chatter among the members.
Ha-jin, now more accustomed to this boisterous atmosphere than to silence, performed the final song on stage (and this time, even without a microphone, his voice was so loud it picked up on all the nearby mics), descended from the stage, and all the way to leaving the venue where he met the fans, he couldn’t hide his good mood.
“Ha-jin, hi! Get home safe!”
“You guys, take care!”
“Happy New Year~”
“Destiny, Happy New Year to you too! See you all at the concert!”
From the stage to leaving the venue, his back was so drenched in sweat from all the running around that it was actually cold.
Ha-jin quickly climbed into the car and, as always, the moment he sat in his usual passenger seat, he wiped himself down with a wet towel and draped a blanket over himself.
Left alone in the warm, quiet car, it was only natural that sleep found him.
“What’s up, is Ha-jin asleep?”
“Yes. He fell asleep the moment he got in the passenger seat.”
“I knew it. He’s been running on full energy since yesterday.”
“You guys want to get some sleep too? I’ll turn off the lights.”
He could hear the members and Kwon Wook talking about him, but once Ha-jin fell asleep, he couldn’t wake easily. Something warm seemed to endlessly pull him deeper into the world of sleep.
“You all worked hard this year. Let’s fight hard next year too, for real.”
“You worked hard too, hyung.”
“Wake us up when we get to the dormitory, hyung.”
“Yeah, yeah. Sleep well. Close your eyes, come on.”
Click.
All the lights in the car went out, and even the radio and music that had been playing faded away.
With the members’ heavy breathing and the soft hum of the car driving down the road as a backdrop, Kang Ha-jin fell into a deep sleep.
That night.
Ha-jin dreamed.
-Everyone, let’s sing together!
In a concert hall awash with colorful lights, Ha-jin sang his first song alongside countless fans.
The very song that had never seen the light of day in the previous timeline.
Though the lyrics and melody eluded me now, even in this dream the sensations felt hazy, I clearly remembered one thing—I was smiling with genuine happiness.
-That’s all from Kairos Kang Ha-jin!
If only I could remain in this dream without waking.
If only I could shed tears of joy witnessing this dream made real.
With such feelings, I opened my eyes as I stirred from the dream.
“…?”
Kang Ha-jin’s eyes snapped open, his body jolting upright at the unfamiliar sensation.
As he looked around, his frame trembled in this space that felt both achingly familiar and utterly foreign.
“This is….”
A small, cramped bed; a phone model completely different from the one he’d used just yesterday; a meaningless AiTube video playing to no purpose.
A dust-covered guitar abandoned in the corner, and this small room in the Apartment he thought he’d never see again.
“What is this?”
Kang Ha-jin opened his eyes, having awakened from the dream.
On the bed of that merciless twenty-nine-year-old self—the very moment of his first regression.

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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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