Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut!

Chapter 366. Back to Daily Life!

That evening, after returning from Jeju Island with Lee Yugeon.

The whole way back to the dorm, riding in the car of Wook-hyung, who had come to pick us up after receiving our call in advance, Lee Yugeon was too busy marveling at the food and souvenirs I had bought him.

He was so concerned that the chocolate might melt in the hot weather, or something might spoil, that even Wook-hyung, who was driving, had to chime in.

“Yugeon, I’ll deliver that to your place as soon as I drop you off, so don’t worry and try to get some rest. Your schedule might extend until early morning today.”

“Oh… Yes, thank you. I’m sorry for the trouble…”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. But, Hajin, why did you buy so much stuff? Are you planning to take it to your parents’ place?”

I felt Wook-hyung’s gaze on me through the rearview mirror. At his words, even Lee Yugeon turned his head to check out the shopping bags piled up in front of me.

Still leaning on my chin, I shook my head.

“I just bought some things for the members, something for the CEO… You know, just ended up with this much while picking things here and there.”

“You even got something for the CEO? Impressive.”

“He gave me advance vacation time, so I figured I should at least bring something. I got something for you too, hyung, so share it with the management team later.”

“For me too? You didn’t have to. Thanks, I’ll enjoy it.”

“It’s really nothing compared to what I’ve received.”

I spoke in an exaggerated tone on purpose, teasing a bit, which made Wook-hyung laugh heartily as he focused back on driving. I thought the car would finally fall into some quiet, but then, suddenly, Lee Yugeon, who had been staring at the shopping bag in his hands, started talking to me.

“Take some of these.”

“Huh? What are you talking about, all of a sudden? Are you trying to give something back after accepting it?”

“You need to bring something to your family too, right?”

I pondered over his words, trying to figure out what he meant.

‘Is he worried that I might have bought so much for others that I didn’t get anything for my own family?’

Typical of him, the boy who has lived with the weight of responsibility on his shoulders for 20 years.

But he’s mistaken. I firmly shook my head.

“I already ordered something for my parents from the market earlier to be delivered by courier. As for Kang Hawon, he prefers crafts over food. I already have something for him in my bag.”

“Oh, well then…”

“And…”

“…?”

As Yugeon turned his head back, seemingly convinced, I showed him the phone screen I had been holding.

The screen displayed my chat with Kang Hawon.

<(Photo)>

…More precisely, it was a one-sided conversation where I was being blatantly ignored.

“What… is this?”

Seeing the cold chat, with not even a single “read” mark, Yugeon stared at me with a confused expression. I responded, pouring all my bitterness and sadness into my words.

“Our Hawon is too pissed right now for something like chocolate to work…”

“…?”

Kang Hawon was mad.

To explain everything, we would need to go back a few weeks, to a sunny day in May.

Kairos’ mini second album, *Youth’s End*, ended its activities with fairly good results.

Although it didn’t hit an absolute jackpot like *This Isn’t a Carol*, it still solidified their rising status and managed to flip the atmosphere, which had nearly fractured into individual fan wars, back to unity.

– You guys fought well.

– Compared to *This Isn’t a Carol*, it’s a bit disappointing… but I’m satisfied with this.

– It’s already impressive that we didn’t fall apart as a fandom this time. Everyone did great, ㅠㅠ.

– Now I can sit back and enjoy some overdue shows with a beer.

Even the Destis (Kairos’ fanbase) were in a celebratory mood, saying it was a decent defense.

Unlike the obvious crowd-pleaser *This Isn’t a Carol*, the title track for this album, *No Spring*, was less mainstream, and that brought them some comfort.

While they failed to capture the general public’s attention, they succeeded in reinforcing their core fandom and solidifying Kairos’ musical identity within the boy group scene.

– Huh?

But then something strange happened.

– Why is *No Spring* climbing up the charts?

Just as they wrapped up their activities and were settling into a relaxed mood, out of nowhere, *No Spring* started climbing up the music charts!

The Destis, sensing something was up, immediately began analyzing the cause. It didn’t take long to figure out the reason behind the sudden rise in ranking.

[Last week, they said the kids’ song was played on *Gag Friends*]

Let it all burn down <- This line was used by a character with a “melancholic” concept.

Apparently, that character’s shorts and reels went viral, so the kids’ song started getting traction too.

It turned out that *No Spring* was used as background music in a skit on a recently revived public broadcast comedy show! Moreover, that particular part of the skit went viral on shorts platforms, which seemed to lead to an increase in listeners for the original song.

Once the trend started to pick up, it quickly gained momentum, and soon multiple creators began making variations of it.

The most popular of these was the ‘Destruction Challenge,’ where people would record scenes of their boring or unsuccessful daily routines and then, accompanied by the song’s “Let it all burn down” lyrics, show everything spiraling into chaos.

[Kairos’ *No Spring*, what’s up with this song? It’s so good!]

So, Destis, you were keeping this amazing song all to yourselves?

I’m addicted as heck;; You should’ve warned us!

– Do you have no conscience?

– My voice is gone.

– I’ve come here after blowing up all the pagers, teacher.

Though it seemed like unfortunate timing to be hearing this after everything, an opportunity was still an opportunity.

To capitalize on this sudden boost, the company hastily planned additional fan signings and special activities. However, these plans were quickly blocked by Ji Suho, who had recently returned to the scene.

– Just because we’re getting a reaction now doesn’t mean adding more fan signs or continuing with follow-up activities will do much good. It’ll only drain the fans and increase fatigue without significantly improving results. We’ve already got two more comebacks planned this year, and no matter how urgent things seem, we can’t kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.

– But… isn’t it a bit too much of a shame to let this chance slip by? What about extra music show appearances, at least?

– With Eunchan’s situation and the members preparing for the comeback, it’s too much to suddenly add activities that weren’t planned. Let’s explore other avenues instead.

– Other avenues, you say…?

It was too good of an opportunity to just let slip through their fingers.

To solidify Kairos’ momentum, Ji Suho’s alternative was simple.

– When it’s summer, it’s all about events. Let’s take a look at the list of external events the kids are lined up for.

Events.

The crown jewel of schedules, the diamond of revenue sheets, and the guillotine where singers can tangibly feel their popularity—or lack thereof.

If concerts are where artists’ self-esteem gets lifted to the roof of Gocheok Dome by fans who paid 100,000 won for tickets just to hear their names chanted, gifts thrown at them, pictures taken, and fan chants shouted in perfect unison, events are the opposite.

In the various categories of festivals and celebrations that fall under “events,” the audience might be there for *me*—or not. They might know *my* song—or have no idea who I am.

Thus, it was up to the singer on stage to elicit a response from the crowd.

Done well, even a no-name singer could reverse their fortunes overnight. But on the flip side, if they fell short, they risked bursting the bubble they had painstakingly built.

– Will it be okay? The kids haven’t had much experience with these kinds of external events yet…

Kairos had only just entered their second year as a rookie boy group.

For a group as new as theirs, unless they had caused a massive sensation, they wouldn’t be prioritized for event bookings.

Even at the festivals and celebrations they did attend, reactions outside their fanbase were often lukewarm, and sometimes friction would arise between fans there for idols and the general public.

Thus, it was internally decided that Kairos would start taking part in full-fledged external events after they had more songs under their belt, around their third year… but…

– Well…

Everyone in the conference room mentally reviewed Kairos’ past performances one by one.

Recalling the members, each of whom had been far from ordinary, Ji Suho spoke calmly.

– I think they’ll be fine, don’t you?

– Yeah, it seems like they’ll be just fine.

Thus, Kairos’ external activities were confirmed!

On a clear, blue day in May.

On stage at a university in Gangwon Province.

“Thank you! We’ve been Kairos!”

With my loud farewell, an even louder cheer echoed back to the stage.

There were calls for an encore from all around, but we had already performed two more songs than initially planned. Since there were no more songs left to perform, we regretfully had to step down from the stage.

“Good job, good job! Wow, today’s live performance was really solid, guys.”

“You’re getting better at your stage banter the more you do it, huh?”

As we headed toward the backstage tent, Wook-hyung and Ji Suho gave us enthusiastic thumbs-ups, not holding back their praise. Honestly, the performance had gone really well, even in our own judgment, so I simply nodded while chugging an electrolyte drink straight from the bottle.

Wook-hyung, handing us cool towels with a smile, said:

“University festivals are definitely the best, aren’t they? The response is quick, and the crowd’s energy is great. It seemed like a lot of Destis came out for you guys too.”

“Right? They were all singing along… Honestly, I was a little surprised.”

“But man, *This Isn’t a Carol* really is a cheat code. Every time we perform it, the audience sing-along just reaches another level.”

“I think adding the anime medley was a good move too. More and more people were singing along with *No Spring* as we went on…”

Overall, the members were all smiles.

While we had done a few “Youth Sniper” projects and performed on various stages before, there was definitely something different about the energy and heat at a university festival with an unpredictable crowd.

As I pressed a makeup remover wipe onto one eye, I asked Wook-hyung, who was packing up the remaining gear.

“Hyung, we have another festival tomorrow, right? Where is it? I want to learn the school song or something ahead of time. After today, I think it might go over well.”

“Oh, wait a sec. Tomorrow is…”

As Wook-hyung checked the schedule, I finished wiping off the makeup from my other eye. Just as I was about to use another tissue to clean off my lips, Wook-hyung spoke up.

“Tomorrow is at Hanbit University. You know Hanbit, right? It’s over in Gyeonggi Province.”

“Oh, Hanbit.”

Hanbit University, huh? That’s a good one. But why did I like it so much?

As I pondered why the name of Hanbit University felt so familiar, it suddenly hit me, and I froze in place.

“Wait, Hanbit? Hanbit???”

“Yeah, Hanbit. Why, do you know someone there?”

“That’s…”

That’s where Hawon goes.