Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 91

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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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91. Bomb? (2)
Before I could even react, the next comment followed seamlessly.
-Ha-jin is the type who has no choice but to take on the leader role.
-He sees too much. Everything is visible to his eyes.
-Who struggles with what, who excels at what, things like that….
-It’s instinct, pure instinct. He can’t help it.
Over that audio, footage of me was layered in as supporting material.
Probably tiny snippets that some assistant director had painstakingly dug up from the entire timeline.
-That’s why I keep making regretful comments, I think. Because I can see moments from my past where I made mistakes or felt remorse.
-In the end, being an idol means the group matters, but you also need to shine within it, right?
-There are times when the current Ha-jin seems to lack that hunger.
‘…He saw it perfectly.’
Listening to Seo Tae-il’s interview, which perfectly grasped my psychological state that even I hadn’t fully recognized, felt strange.
Back then, my confidence in my stage presence and abilities had indeed plummeted.
Even if I could perform without embarrassment, I couldn’t be certain how far that performance could truly reach or climb.
‘…But not anymore.’
It would take time for the learned sense of defeat, ingrained over so long, to completely disappear.
But once I’d recovered that sensation of ‘being okay,’ everything would be different from before.
“….”
Come to think of it, the one who understood me as accurately as Seo Tae-il was sitting right beside me.
Lee Do-ha, who wouldn’t appear on broadcast, but who had unleashed devastating truth bombs on me ever since then.
Lee Do-ha, whose trust level still hadn’t crossed 70%, who didn’t believe in me.
‘Could his trust level be connected to my attitude back then?’
If that were the case, then now that I’d gained some confidence in myself unlike before… couldn’t I raise it by at least 2%?
‘I should talk to Lee Do-ha about this soon.’
This predecessor-finding business. It makes me far too diligent and sociable.
After finishing those thoughts, I turned my gaze back to the TV.
-Rolling slate now–!
“Oh, please.”
-March 2nd, 8:42 PM. Team B mid-check, one, two, three!
Clap!
An incredibly cheerful burst of applause echoed through the living room of Ju Eun-chan’s House.
I could feel everyone staring at me with bewildered expressions, even without looking around. In that moment when no one could find words, Dan Ha-ru, who alone was casually rolling up two more slices of pizza he’d had delivered, tilted his head curiously.
“Hmm, it seems like you’re shining plenty as yourself….”
I quietly poured garlic sauce over Dan Ha-ru’s pizza slice.
Was my image really okay as is? No matter how I thought about it, Kwon PD had done his job too well.
‘…The editing turned out really well.’
As I recalled the scenes that should come after this, I had a bad premonition.
It seemed I’d have to monitor reactions tonight, even if it meant staying up all night, rather than putting it off until tomorrow.
* * *
“Ugh, Kang Ha-jin’s getting pushed so hard. These crazy bastards.”
If you’re going to push like this, just gather your own kids and debut them already, damn it.
Vicious curses flowed without any filter. I irritably leaned back and accessed SNS on my phone with an emotionless expression.
Kim Ma-kki
@makkiii
This bouncy kid’s concept act makes me want to puke
Seo Tae-il’s getting old, did his eyes turn backwards
Once your sense dulls, you’re done for lol
With that shitty face getting main character syndrome
Forcing in a four-dimensional character
And pushing it as good is so ridiculous lol
There wasn’t even a hint of emotion on Kim Ma-kki’s face as she uploaded blind criticism of someone without hesitation.
To Kim Ma-kki, words like this were nothing more than “Miro Maze is so boring pushing just one person~” level complaints.
If you scrolled down Kim Ma-kki’s timeline a bit, aside from the one she called “bouncy” (Kang Ha-jin + gao-chung) Ha-jin, there were countless evaluations and curses about other celebrities in a row.
– Seoryaungni, please get plastic surgery. What kind of nose did you get from Namsan Mountain?
“Choi Kyung-noo, this bastard just strips off clothes to look good for the fans, that’s all. It’s become a real music-obsessed thing, and that’s the comedy of this era. You bastard, even your own fans don’t listen to your songs.”
– Dating someone else’s fan and both getting dumped you thick-headed fans listen to unnie quit the fandom now unnie’s tried everything and that’s why I’m saying this~
Followers 0. Following 0.
An account that occasionally got retweets from celebrity birds with sharp quote tweets, receiving only fleeting responses at those times.
Of course, sometimes pure fans would find the account through those quote tweets or by chance, report it, or send DM mention spam.
But when that happened, Kim Ma-kki would simply deactivate the account for a while, and after time passed, she’d return. Change the nickname, change the ID, replace the profile picture and header, and then she could resume activity as if nothing had happened.
‘Sometimes crazy bastards follow and watch, but I just block them and that’s it.’
So to Kim Ma-kki, this was just an entertaining sport of daily life.
After all, celebrities appear on TV, laugh for a bit, and make hundreds of millions—so I can throw out some harsh words like this.
That was Kim Ma-kki’s thought process.
“Stop showing that bouncy kid and push the ones worth looking at, you talentless producers.”
And Kim Ma-kki’s target this time was Miro Maze.
All the first-tier male idols went to the Military and couldn’t renew contracts, bursting, and the second-tier and rising stars became empty houses with all sorts of controversies—these trainees were already stirring up communities noisily before even debuting.
With no fandom properly established yet and no group solidarity since it was a Survival Program, now was the most fun time for Kim Ma-kki.
‘Should I add some fuel to the fire?’
Kim Ma-kki stretched her shabby pajamas and accessed the community she frequented.
* * *
If Yoon CP hadn’t been dealt with by Ha-jin, the protagonist of Episode 2 was originally supposed to be Han Sung-woo.
But he shamefully dropped out, and the Broadcasting Station didn’t want to take even the slightest risk.
[ㅁㄹㅁㅇㅈ ㅎㅊ Look at how they treat Yeonsaeng]
You can see the determination to not show him at all, kinda petty lol did he drop out
– That’s why only 8 people show up in the full shot, isn’t that insane
– And if you look at the fancam from before, he’s the first part lol how’d they do that
– Rhythm editing is ruined
I can’t provide a translation for this text because it appears to be consonants only without vowels, making it impossible to determine the actual Korean words or their meaning.
(A rumor post about Han Sung-woo being cut for trying to entertain someone through the back channels)
This is the flyer about the TM actor’s departure that’s being talked about right now.
It’s unverified gossip so filter it yourself
Coming soon
– Where did you see this
└ Just found it while searching
They say it’s called a “gyejabbal.”
– Wait, wasn’t this the same person who used to always roleplay as a rich kid’s child here for money?
└ Nobody knows
The production team’s questionable sense of justice… but it’s charming.
The production team minimized mentions and exposure of Han Sung-woo to the extent that it didn’t damage plausibility.
As a result, Han Sung-woo’s screen time as my opponent disappeared, making it impossible to highlight the narrative of me having a battle.
Unable to avoid it, instead of abandoning the battle narrative with Sung-woo, the production team found a different comparison subject.
It was Jeong Si-u, the leader of Team A.
[Hey humans, if you were the leader, which team would be better?]
Team A—a ragtag group with individually overpowered members
VS
Team B—individually weaker but with strong unity
The survival formula usually has Team A collapsing
and Team B skyrocketing lol
Here, Team A has gathered such strong players that it’s unpredictable
Look at the level of wording, damn it, you bunch of incompetent fools.
– I was gonna ride the Team A bus but seeing Jeong Si-u’s facade melt today, it doesn’t look good lol
└ Si-u fanboys kept insisting their oppa was a schemer and genius but it took only 2 episodes to expose him as a total loser lol I’m embarrassed for them
– Why do they keep pushing those unattractive kids around? Team A is obviously superior;
└ 2
– ?? Why is the comment section like this, did I enter the wrong community
└ They’re all flooding in from somewhere, just report and disable comments
Jeong Si-u’s struggle among teammates with strong individual play tendencies was broadcast as-is.
In particular, the conflict with Lee Yu-gun—who had been subtly walking the line between “lack of sincerity” and “naturally lighthearted personality” throughout practice—was highlighted.
-I don’t expect anything from you. But at least share your opinion.
-That way I can do my job too. (Si-u looking at Yu-gun with a sharp sound effect)
-I mean, that’s why. (Yu-gun’s frustrated expression)
-How many times do I have to say it? I don’t care. Just do whatever makes you hyungs comfortable and give me what’s left.
In fact, Lee Yu-gun received the smallest part yet showed no complaints whatsoever. After that conversation, Jeong Si-u didn’t show any particular discomfort toward Yu-gun during practice either.
True to the phrase “survival without evil editing,” the production team extracted the scene cleanly at precisely that level.
But that didn’t mean the viewers watching simply glossed over the scene.
[Watching survival gave me PTSD]
Reminded me of that yes-man teammate who freeloaded on group projects, made me so upset I turned it off. These kinds of people always whine later about not getting their fair share
– Real talk, first time seeing someone on survival ask for leftovers lol
– If that’s the case, just quit and go home already;
[But yeah, it does seem a bit reckless]
I watched the entire broadcast too, and I understand what he was trying to say. But… it seems like he expresses himself without thinking. Yeah, the reckless attitude was definitely there.
– (Anonymous 1) He’s been intense since episode 1 lol. Physiognomy is a science.
└ (Anonymous 2) Oh, a face-reading sommelier has entered the chat. Very much the expert, aren’t we~?
└ (Anonymous 3) These types always bash physiognomy without even watching the show.
└ (Anonymous 1) I watched the live broadcast from episode 1 lol. He half-assed the mission from the start, so the editing was a mess, right?
└ (Anonymous 3) A half-assed guy dancing 10 girl group cover dances in a row?? You just want to bash him, that’s all.
– Come on, these guys did Survival for like a day or two;;; and they’re rushing in after watching edited footage
[Wait, did people who say he’s reckless actually watch the video???]
If you watch it, Lee Yu-gun said from the beginning several times that he’d pick the other hyungs first and just do whatever’s left; the editing and subtitles were severe, but Lee Yu-gun kept laughing and said it was fine, and then Jeong Si-u suddenly lashed out saying he had no expectations for him;;;;
I can verify I’m a fan of another team, but I’m writing this because I feel so bad for him.
– (Comment 1) You’re a fan, so you’re biased…
└ (Writer) For kids like you, the achievement in life is just belittling others in the corner of your room, right? Just live this life…go outside…ㅠ
└ (Comment 1) Yes, Nina, please stop relying on Yeonsaeng, who has the same eyes even before her debut~ hahaha
– (Comment 2) But I also got so angry all of a sudden, what’s wrong? Well… of course, since it’s a broadcast, there will be some edited parts.
[Current situation: divided opinions on Miro Maze trainee.jpg]
(Screenshot 1 of Jeong Si-u and Lee Yu-gun’s conversation)
(Screenshot 2 of Jeong Si-u and Lee Yu-gun’s conversation)
(Screenshot 3 of Jeong Si-u and Lee Yu-gun’s conversation)
The problem is Jeong Si-u’s sudden outburst
VS
The problem is Lee Yu-gun’s lack of cooperation
Opinions are split into two camps
What do you all think?
The community caught fire in an instant, but fortunately the controversy didn’t spread any further.
Because in Team A’s stage that followed, Lee Yu-gun performed so brilliantly. Though his part was small, the moment the dance break began, he burst to the center like a fish finding water.
And then he executed the high-difficulty choreography with a smile of pure joy, flowing through it effortlessly.
Especially right before entering the dance break.
When he made eye contact with the nervous Kim Won-ho and deliberately made a playful expression, new posts exploded with updates for a completely different reason.
– I’m infinitely obsessed with his charming visual
– Seriously so cool
– Honestly, the other kids seem like they’re doing a survival stage, but Lee Yu-gun just looks like he’s enjoying it, and that’s what makes it good. Just born to be a star.
– What, he said he wasn’t sincere but he did so well
Those already captivated by the infinitely carefree main dancer began to obsess, even fabricating Lee Yu-gun’s weak live vocals and discord with Jeong Si-u.
[Oh so that fight between Jeong Si-u and Lee Yu-gun earlier]
Was the tearful brotherly love of the eldest brother who felt sorry for the talented one who knew his own limits and was fine doing only what remained, and the younger sibling who gave up before even trying?
OK I’m trying Yoon’s brand from today on, the taste is actually insane
– This is seriously fabrication
– This is sick
– Just give him the decision victory. Mental victory counts as victory too.
Both Jeong Si-u’s fans and Lee Yu-gun’s fans ended the situation with a lingering sense of unease.
The two fanbases were extremely cautious, terrified that they might become prey for the malice directed at Miro Maze or the trolls who had attached themselves to stir up trouble against Rising.
‘If only a bigger villain would appear and draw all this aggression away from us.’
Someone living somewhere might have harbored such a thought.
The interest in Miro Maze had reached a fever pitch. In such a volatile climate, the moment any single incident surfaced, there would be no turning back.
And then….
[Isn’t it right to push the maze?? LOL]
In that precarious atmosphere, someone threw a spark into the kindling.

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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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