Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut!

Chapter 100. Beautifully, As It Was Beautiful

“Ah… It’s not working.”

Beep, beep, the rhythmic sound of sneakers against the floor suddenly stopped.

In the empty practice room, Wonho, who was choreographing alone, irritably took off his headset and hung it around his neck, a rare display of frustration.

“I feel like I need to add something more here….”

His hand, which brushed through his hair, was rough due to the uncooperative movements. His eyes stung from the sweat that had already drenched him, but there was no time to sit down and rest.

“…….”

No, to be honest, it was more of a mental issue than a matter of time.

Wonho’s movements stopped. In the eerily quiet space, only the sound of Wonho’s breathing could be heard.

As silence fell, the darkness crept in as if it had been waiting.

‘Can I do it?’

Lately, Wonho had been feeling a bit scared.

What scared him was the thought of looking down at his feet.

‘Can I… really do it?’

Kim Wonho was someone who knew his own limits well.

No, to be precise, he didn’t know them well until he joined Miro.

He realized then that the world was vast and filled with many dazzling people.

And unfortunately, his own light wasn’t particularly bright.

But at some point, Wonho began to realize that he was climbing higher than he had ever imagined. Just when he thought, ‘I can stop here,’ there was someone who pushed him to go even higher.

**—Hyung, you know, why did you give me this choreography?**

Wonho still couldn’t forget what Hajin had told him back then.

**—Because you seemed capable.**

**—I watched all your practice videos. You looked like you could handle it.**

**—I don’t bet on things that don’t stand a chance.**

“…Ah. I don’t have time for this.”

Wonho’s gaze shifted to the reflection of himself in the mirror.

There stood Kim Wonho, staring back at him, looking stupid.

Kim Wonho.

Just an ordinary Kim Wonho.

Kim Wonho, who had never once left the general class before meeting Hajin.

Inferior to Doha in physicality,

Plain-looking compared to Siwoo,

Without a voice as beautiful as Eunchan’s,

Not overflowing with talent like Yugeon,

And not as well-rounded as Hajin.

Just Kim Wonho.

Wonho knew the word hidden in the question that kept tormenting him.

Can I… really be as good as those guys?

Meeting the people he had admired, performing on stage with his own choreography, was both a source of pride and a burden. Sometimes, he found it strange that he was thinking this way.

It felt like the reality he had been avoiding was now crashing down on him like a wave.

“Oh? What’s this? You’re here?”

“…Ah. Yeah, I’m working on the choreography.”

“I see.”

The silence in the practice room was broken by Yugeon, who had entered in casual clothing. Carrying a notebook and his phone, Yugeon, upon noticing Wonho standing in front of the mirror, walked into the practice room and settled down in a corner.

“Here to practice rapping?”

“Yeah. Mind if I stay here? If I go to the private practice room, Doha hyung will probably grab me again. Ugh.”

“Doha hyung? Why?”

“I don’t know, that hyung is kinda scary. I just want to practice comfortably, but he keeps watching me. And then he starts nitpicking.”

It seemed Yugeon had escaped from a 1:1 lesson with Doha.

Yugeon seemed dissatisfied with Doha’s strict coaching, but Wonho thought differently.

“That’s because you haven’t experienced a real critique from him yet.”

“Huh? He nitpicks everything, even the way I pronounce words and the angle of my head.”

“…But he doesn’t tell you to stop, right?”

Doha was someone who provided clear feedback. If he saw potential, he generously offered advice, and if he thought someone had no hope, he bluntly told them to quit.

‘He told me not to do it because my breathing was off.’

According to Hajin, Doha had spent an entire evening with Yugeon, recommending various hip-hop tracks like a university professor who had discovered a promising student. Although it wasn’t certain, it seemed that Doha saw potential in Yugeon as a rapper.

“When Doha hyung keeps pushing you, it means he sees talent in you.”

“No, talent or not, this is the first time I’ve ever rapped in my life. I haven’t even memorized the lyrics yet, and he keeps talking about rhyme and flow. I don’t even know what those are.”

“When you’re given a chance, make the most of it. Some people don’t get that opportunity even if they want to.”

Oops, the sharp thoughts that had been hiding inside him slipped out.

As soon as he spoke, Wonho glanced at Yugeon, but Yugeon didn’t seem offended by the remark. Instead, he just rolled his eyes and, with a nonchalant attitude, flopped onto the practice room floor.

“Ah, whatever. It’ll work out somehow. So, what were you doing?”

“…I told you, I was working on the choreography.”

“Right, how far did you get? Show me.”

Yugeon, who had casually tossed his notebook aside, pestered Wonho. His long straight hair, now dyed a bluish-black, fell messily as he looked up at Wonho with a mischievous smile, his gaze free of any complicated thoughts.

Somehow, Wonho found comfort in that simplicity.

“Well… I’ll show you what I’ve done so far.”

Wonho disconnected the Bluetooth from his headset and played the music on his phone. It was a rough track that Doha had put together overnight, telling him to just get a feel for it.

“…….”

Beep, beep.

The sound of sneakers echoed through the practice room again. Knowing that Yugeon was watching, Wonho found himself putting a bit more effort into his movements.

“Hah, phew… How was it?”

Wonho stopped after completing the first chorus and four bars of the song. The rapid sequences of movements left him slightly out of breath.

When Wonho turned his head to look at Yugeon after catching his breath, Yugeon had already sat up straight, no longer lying down as he was moments ago. And when Wonho asked for his opinion, Yugeon, without hesitation, stood up and moved to stand beside him.

“It’s good. I’ve been thinking for a while now, you’re really good at making choreography.”

“Re-really?”

“Yeah. It makes me want to learn.”

“Well… thanks.”

“But how about changing this move in the verse? I don’t think Doha hyung or Siwoo hyung could keep up with such difficult steps.”

Yugeon easily followed the moves that Wonho had spent hours creating, even suggesting better ones.

Watching Yugeon made Wonho feel an inevitable sense of defeat, yet at the same time, it brought a catharsis as the vague ideas in his mind became clear.

“And for this part… I think it might be better if it had a more restrained feel?”

“Oh, right? I was thinking of revising that part too. But it’s Eunchan’s center position, so…”

“How about changing the formation? Move Joo Eunchan to the side, entirely.”

Yugeon’s ideas were far more instinctive and intuitive. Instead of calculating everything in his head, he just acted on what came to mind. It was clear that Yugeon wasn’t doing it intentionally, and after spending some time talking with him, Wonho realized that feeling envious was a luxury.

‘These are the kinds of people who debut and survive in places full of people like them.’

With that thought, even his competitive spirit seemed to disappear.

Only seven people would debut through this program.

In his mind, Wonho started picturing the people who would fit that image, trying to imagine himself among them, but it didn’t come easily.

“Ah, this is fun. I really feel more comfortable moving my body. Dancing is much more enjoyable.”

“…Do you really have no intention of debuting?”

“Nope. But if you debut, I’ll buy one of your albums.”

“Do you really think I could debut?”

“Yeah. You’re good at dancing. You sing better than I do. You’re good at choreographing, and you’ve got a good personality. Even Kang Hajin hyung and Jung Siwoo hyung seem really comfortable around you. I think you could definitely debut. Even my younger sister said she likes you.”

Yugeon’s words, accompanied by a big smile, were sincere. There was no calculation, no inferiority, no anxiety, no worries. For some reason, Wonho felt reassured.

“If you’re not going to practice rapping, do you want to help me with the choreography? It’s a bit hard to figure out the composition on my own.”

“Me? Sure. That sounds fun.”

Could I possibly shine like you someday?

Wonho, who was trying hard to ignore the darkness still lingering in the corner of his heart, smiled back at Yugeon.

* * *

With the anticipation and attention of many people, the airing of the third episode of *Miro Maze* was approaching.

Destis were excited about finally being able to see a new performance. As teasers, previews, and articles about the third episode started appearing, not only Destis but many others also began eagerly awaiting the episode.

**@Boss_rin**

**?
Why is unnie coming out from there

?**

**@NEWS_STAR**

**“The return of OST queen Sarin…”
Special appearance on Ntv’s *Miro Maze***
*m.nst.co.kr/…*

**Shared 548 Quoted 2,001 Likes 712**

**[[Info/News] Sarin to appear on the survival show, fourth in the lineup]]

**
Article released! Seems like they’re performing with our song as the mission track**

* * *

—Holy moly, I need to watch this

—Question. Did Seo Taeil do ‘that’ introduction…?

└ Since it’s Cheong Hansol, he definitely did it. He’d sulk for a week if they didn’t let him.

└ Are they really going to let him do the “Proud Genius Main Vocalist Cheong Hansol” introduction in front of juniors? That would be legendary fan service.

**@NTW_budzz**

**[Yeonwoo] Hi, fans.
Brought you a gift~ ????

(Selfie taken on the *Miro Maze* set)
(Behind-the-scenes photo taken on the *Miro Maze* set)

**Shared 17K Quoted 1,301 Likes 32K**

∥
**@blue_lotusx**
Our Yeonwoo must have gone to support the juniors. He’s so sweet, our little lotus fox. ????

**@bb_bb_bb_b**
Choi Yeonwoo, button up, no, don’t button up, no, button it up, no, undo it all, no, rip it off completely ????

∥
**@tlqkfrytn**
?? Why is this unnie acting like this?

∥
**@malang2**
Leave her be. Choi Yeonwoo is on *Toomino* today.
His outfit is too much for her to handle.

∥
**@tlqkfrytn**
Oh, is that today?
What’s Choi Yeonwoo wearing?

∥
**@malang2**
White shirt and god-tier visuals.

∥
**@tlqkfrytn**
Ah, okay.**

It’s a common practice in agency survival shows for senior idols to appear, and with Sarin returning to broadcast after two years post-childbirth, the anticipation for the third episode continued to grow.

Just like how Ria from *Themis* made a significant impact in the previous episode, more and more viewers were eagerly waiting for this third episode.

Destis, while excited about the buzz and attention, were also on guard, worried that, like in the previous episode, there might be derogatory posts about the trainees.

**[Hey, please report this post]**

*m.penn.cate.com/talk/40091…*

**
I didn’t want to drag Penn posts here, but I got so mad after seeing this. Please go in and report this when you see it. They’ve been building up this narrative that Taehyun was dropped from the Enderway debut lineup, and now that he’s performing their song, they’re framing him as a pitiful dropout…**

* * *

—Reported!

—Reported! That place has been full of haters lately, we need to keep reporting regularly.

—Is it true that Taehyun was supposed to debut with Enderway? I want to leave a fact-check comment when I report it, so I’m asking.

└ No, that’s not true. The timing was a bit off, but he joined after the debut lineup had already been decided. Someone had already organized the timeline before.

**@kang_HD**

**While waiting for the broadcast,
let’s purify our timeline.
Only look at pretty things ♥**

**Kang Hajin love
Kang Hajin handsome
Kang Hajin leader
Kang Hajin puppy
Kang Hajin dance
Kang Hajin song…**

**[But I’m a bit worried about the song choice]
It’s not about the kids… I know they’re talented, but Sarin’s songs are famous for being hard to cover… I’m also worried that since it’s their direct seniors’ song, people might judge them more harshly… I’m just thinking about the possible backlash…**

* * *

—I think they’ll have to cover their seniors’ songs at some point, but Sarin’s songs… I’m a bit concerned too.

—Let’s not worry too much before the performance even airs.

With Destis and viewers’ expectations and concerns all mixed together, the highly anticipated third episode of *Miro Maze* finally aired.