Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 585

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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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585. Frustrated, So I’ll Do It Myself (6)
In the video, Seo Tae-hyun fell into a prolonged silence.
Whether that silence stemmed simply from airing personal matters before the camera or for some other reason, I couldn’t tell—but Seo Tae-hyun didn’t seem inclined to speak easily.
-I misspoke.
In the heavy atmosphere, it was Lee Yu-gun, casually tossing bibim noodles, who broke the ice.
With vinyl gloves fitted snugly and sesame oil and seeds added with meticulous care, Lee Yu-gun had transformed the ordinary service noodles into a glistening delicacy, and now he scooped a generous portion onto Ju Eun-chan’s plate as he spoke.
-Back then, you acted like you’d die without a dream. Now you’re saying you can live without one?
-….
-Don’t look at me like that—you know what I said was harsh.
Ugh, seriously.
The gazes of Ju Eun-chan and myself visible in the video were quite pointed.
Seo Tae-hyun, who was actually listening to those words, had an ambiguous expression as he carefully cut his wrapped pork into small pieces. He’d said he wasn’t managing his diet anymore, yet old habits died hard.
Lee Yu-gun finished portioning noodles to Ju Eun-chan and transferred the rest to a large bowl, plating it impeccably as he continued matter-of-factly.
-And I just gave him back exactly what he said to me.
-Hey, when did I?
-You did. Before we debuted.
-….
-You asked how I could hesitate when the chance to fulfill my dream was right in front of me. You said I always gave up before even trying.
An outdated marital spat (or rather, not quite) incident had resurfaced.
For me, Ju Eun-chan, and Lee Yu-gun, it was merely something from two years ago, but for Seo Tae-hyun, it was a memory from a full decade past. His expression shifted subtly as he confronted that buried recollection.
This was another moment where I needed to step in.
I took a large bite of bacon potato pizza generously topped with hot sauce and Parmesan cheese.
-So why’d you guys fight back then? (mouth full)
-…I’ll tell you after I finish eating, hyung.
-Sure.
Oh, failed to look cool.
‘But it definitely worked.’
I could see the tension in Lee Yu-gun’s and Seo Tae-hyun’s faces ease slightly from my nonsensical rambling. I cleanly finished the stretched cheese—practically advertising-worthy in its length—without leaving a trace, chewed it thoroughly, and spoke again properly.
The key was maintaining the driest, most nonchalant tone possible.
-So what made you guys fight back then? It’s been so long I can barely remember.
Even as I naturally wove together the past, Seo Tae-hyun still didn’t open his mouth.
Actually, now that I think about it, he seemed to be gauging Lee Yu-gun’s reaction, studying his expression.
‘Why would Seo Tae-hyun be reading Lee Yu-gun’s mood at a point when they weren’t even that close?’
The answer revealed itself in the very next scene.
Once again, the narrator was Lee Yu-gun himself, the person directly involved.
-I don’t have parents.
-Hey…!
-What? Why. It’s not a big deal.
Lee Yu-gun had just dropped another nuclear bomb from his mouth.
Perhaps wanting to protect his (former) friend’s family circumstances, Seo Tae-hyun—who had kept his mouth firmly shut the entire time—called out to Lee Yu-gun in a startled voice. But Lee Yu-gun simply continued gnawing on a chicken leg as if it were nothing.
-My parents aren’t around, and my siblings are still young, so I’m essentially the head of the household. Honestly, there was no guarantee we’d succeed when we debuted back then. I had to earn living expenses right away, so I couldn’t even attend practice properly.
-Yeah, well… things were rough back then.
-From his perspective, he’d barely gotten the chance to debut, but his groupmate was being unreliable and uncooperative when they were supposed to be risking their lives together. That must have made him anxious.
In this worst of timelines.
Yoo Gun desperately concealed his family circumstances.
Without Miro Maze, there was no way for him to reveal his family situation to us, and the character controversy that would have forced him to expose it to the public never erupted.
Since Kairos debuted from a different startup small entertainment agency rather than Miro, Yoo Gun didn’t receive the living expenses and advance payments he should have gotten from the company right away, and with a family to feed, he inevitably began venturing out more.
-I still feel sorry about that to you and the other members.
But the current Yoo Gun was different.
Having passed through countless hours from Miro Maze to Kairos activities, he no longer pitied himself.
Apologizing, bowing his head and asking for forgiveness—he didn’t feel awkward about any of it. He didn’t mind receiving sympathetic looks either.
That wasn’t just because this place would disappear in a few months anyway, a false timeline.
-…I wasn’t the one who was anxious.
Seo Tae-hyun’s lips, which had been silent all along, finally opened.
Seo Tae-hyun, legs together with one hand supporting his chin, sighed and brushed back his disheveled bangs. The way he downed carbonated water like soju with a complicated expression was certainly far removed from the refreshing charm of Cherry Boy from back in the day.
-I was just… desperate.
-….
-I just wanted to succeed together with you. …Well, it’s all ancient history now anyway.
There was no foolishness quite like clinging to regret over time that couldn’t be undone.
It was something the original Seo Tae-hyun carried like a personal motto.
I wasn’t sure how much Seo Tae-hyun, whose body was 80% filled with sentiment and romance, passion and worry, actually lived without clinging to his past, but at least one thing could be said for certain.
-What about now?
-Huh?
-What about now, hyung?
At least our time.
Kairos’s time could be undone.
-If we could challenge again now, would you want to, hyung?
To Ju Eun-chan’s question, who was chewing the noodles Yoo Gun had served him thoroughly, Seo Tae-hyun lost his words again. The wavering pupils in his eyes vividly revealed the conflict within him.
He tapped the water glass in his hand with his fingers, then shook his head with a bitter expression.
-I don’t know….
-I can’t quite remember anymore what I was so desperate for.
* * *
Kang Ha-jin’s AiTube channel surpassed one hundred thousand subscribers overnight.
Some made arrogant comments that one hundred thousand was nothing in today’s world, but what mattered was that he’d created these numbers in just one day. Besides, since he wasn’t planning long-term activity anyway, what was important to Ha-jin wasn’t subscriber count but the viral metrics of the videos.
[Have you seen Kang Ha-jin’s Inderca reaction video?]
Dude it’s seriously hilarious
Yoo Gun? That part where he gets startled and flips backward over the chair had me dying
(Yoo Gun falling backward.jpg)
– Yoo Gun’s whatever, but why is Kang Ha-jin even surprised lol he’s literally one of the cast members
The back-and-forth banter is hilarious—Lee Yu-gun passes out, Ha-jin makes a big fuss, and Seo Tae-hyun just sighs lolololol
└ I’ve never seen Seo Tae-hyun not laughing on broadcast before
Mirak
@alfkr001
The PD’s editing is seriously insane
(Screenshot.jpg of Ha-jin editing videos while wearing horn-rimmed glasses and a black hoodie pulled over his head)
Shared 4,230 Quoted 939 Liked 5,001
[The increasingly brutal standards for self-produced idols these days]
(Screenshot.jpg from Kang Ha-jin’s YouTube channel)
(Screenshot.jpg of Ha-jin in the video)
(Screenshot.jpg of video thumbnails)
Now he’s even producing his own content from scratch;
They say over 8 videos go up in a single day, including shorts
Currently has 200k subscribers and the highest view count is around 500k
– Kang Ha-jin is honestly an unprecedented position in the entertainment industry. Military service completed, college degree, idol career, former variety show PD? How hard have you been working your whole life?
– That recent talk show? The fact that he uploaded both an edited version and the raw version was seriously touching
– The editing’s simple but entertaining haha I usually don’t watch celebrity YouTube because it gets boring, but I just leave this on like a comfort show!
In truth, these days when individual creators are the norm, it wasn’t particularly surprising to see content edited directly by the channel owner.
But when the subject was a “former idol turned variety show PD,” and a rising star who showed impressive performance in the recent pre-broadcast, the story changed entirely.
Moreover, every piece of content he produced contained hooks that captivated the public.
[Honestly, who watches four guys rambling unedited for 6 hours without a single drink?]
??: Hello, this is Nui.
– You=me. When I play it before bed at night, somehow it makes me drowsy
└ I still don’t know why Seo Tae-hyun and Yoo Gun fought because I fell asleep before that part
– What’s even more surprising is that four guys rambling unedited has no controversial attitudes or conversations
[People interested in Kairos, watch this at least]
(Link to the summary of the meal talk uploaded on Ha-jin’s channel)
(Screenshot.jpg of Kairos truth talk episode video)
Stories about when the members fought before, when Ju Eun-chan was active,
It seems to contain substantive discussions about curious topics like album songwriting and composition behind-the-scenes
Personally, they could have left out things like Yoo Gun’s family matters or Ju Eun-chan’s personal life,
But the way they just calmly open up and talk about even those things is so….
So very ‘adult-like’….
– Personally, I related a lot to the story about Ju Eun-chan and Kang Ha-jin. I’m so relieved they seem fine now
– It’s because there’s so much focus on serious topics, but if you strip that away, there are lots of light conversations and funny moments hahahaha I was giggling while listening like it was a radio show
This summary version is hilarious, but the full version is tear-jerking.
Idol House
@doll_zip
Kairos directly clarifies the discord rumors from ten years ago
Most opinions say both sides are understandable
(Video cut.mp4 of the story about when Tae-hyun and Yu-gun fought)
(Video: Yu Gun-i and Ha-jin’s fight.mp4)
(Group members discussing Kairos’s activities.mp4)
12,000 shares | 4,330 quotes | 3,244 likes
What captivated the public’s attention most was the truth behind their “ten-year feud.”
Through the unedited footage, Ha-jin laid bare his reasons for resuming activities and gathering the members. The genuine moments—acknowledging his younger self, understanding each other’s positions as time passed, and reflecting sincerely—went viral exactly as they were.
-…Anyway, that’s how it is for me. I came forward because I wondered if there might still be fans waiting for us…. But now I want to find what I can do and try it. Before it’s too late.
A black night.
On the rooftop of some building where not a breath of wind stirred.
Someone was replaying Tae-hyun’s image on their phone—a scene from Ha-jin’s long-form video endlessly reproduced as shorts. In his other hand, a cigarette smoldered, trailing wisps of smoke.
“…Hah.”
A low, ragged laugh escaped the man’s lips.
-Yeah. Still, if you ever want to sing again, just say so.
-I’ll find a way to make opportunities for you….
The man listening to the members’ conversation irritably turned off his phone.
Ha-jin’s warm voice cut off mid-sentence.
“Opportunities, he says….”
Turning his back to the railing, the man lowered his head away from the bright moon. Whether from recent rain, his reflection rippled in a puddle pooled on the ground.
Si-woo, whose dull eyes held not a trace of joy, met his own gaze in the water and spoke with bitter mockery.
“Playing around, all of them.”
Through Si-woo’s parched lips, acrid cigarette smoke seeped in.

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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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