Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut!

Chapter 252. Touch High! (4)

A rookie comes out to promote their new song but doesn’t perform it?

Sanchez, along with everyone else, was taken aback by the absurd concept. Even the production staff, looking dumbfounded, searched for the manager on the Kairos side, but Ji Suho had already resigned himself to the situation, as if he had given up.

It was to be expected.

‘Just how much did Ji Suho have to get squeezed to convince him of this?’

Even if he was squeezed, all I really had to say was, “Just trust me on this,” a sales pitch of sorts. As long as my title as “Zhuge Liang of the Maze” was still valid, this was quite effective.

‘If we just play our song and dance a bit, people will probably find it boring and skip through it anyway.’

The biggest change brought about by OTT platforms was that people could now choose to watch only the parts they were interested in.

Instead of playing 30 seconds of our song and getting skipped over, I planned to turn the opening itself into content.

Sanchez, with a bewildered expression, asked us again.

“No, Doha, what do you mean? You can’t play your song?”

“Since, as of the shooting date, our new song’s release article and teaser haven’t been announced yet, we’ve concluded that we can’t perform the new song here.”

Doha, who had already been convinced by my logic, was now raising his guard without me having to do anything.

However, sometimes, issues with schedules prevent the release of new songs, so this wasn’t a rare occurrence even for us. As a seasoned broadcaster, Sanchez quickly shifted the topic.

“Alright, alright. Then, if the new song isn’t possible, how about showing us one of your previous debut songs?”

“Yeah, that works. Let’s see the debut song.”

“Hajin, then, is the debut song okay?”

At the question I had been waiting for, I put on the most merchant-like expression I could and haughtily responded.

“You want to see our debut song?”

“Uh, well…”

“Do you really want to see it?”

“Y-yes…”

Even though they were reluctant, the variety show hosts nodded as if they were entranced. I shook my head firmly.

“I won’t show you.”

“Why not?”

“We want our seniors to keep wondering about us.”

“Huh?”

“We hope you’ll be so curious that you’ll feel like you’re going crazy. After the shoot ends and you go home, we want you to search for our performance.”

“This guy’s not just your average crazy…”

“Yeah, all three of them look a bit scary.”

I thought to myself as I shrugged my shoulders with the same shameless attitude that had once flustered Seo Taeil.

‘If I go on a public broadcast and don’t perform the new song even once, Seo Taehyun will probably kill me later, right?’

Our dear Taehyun needs to focus on his entrance exams, so I must keep this shoot’s content a secret until it airs….

* * *

The first mission theme was .

Since it had been a while since a bunch of young, strong guys had been gathered together, the plan seemed to be to have them really put their bodies to work.

During a short break, I caught sight of a few members of Winter Tale doing some quick push-ups to pump up their muscles.

“So, Hajin, do you work out?”

The “Father-in-law” for the day, who had naturally ended up on the same team as me, asked. I casually stepped aside and pointed to Doha, who had finally put on a team uniform that fit him perfectly.

“This guy’s good at it.”

“Oh, so you’re not good at it?”

“…I’m kind of picky about the events.”

The memory of being cursed at for my poor foot volleyball skills made my mouth taste bitter.

Meanwhile, the other participants finished changing and gathered at the set. Dan Haru, who returned last among us, stood next to me while checking his outfit.

“……?”

But why does Sparkling look a little down?

His face seemed complicated and subtle. Worried that something might have happened, I nudged his side and whispered.

“What’s with your face? Did something happen?”

“Huh? No? Nothing happened?”

Dan Haru quickly returned to his usual expression and looked puzzled as if he didn’t know what I was talking about.

Seeing him back to his usual self, I could only nod while still feeling a bit uneasy.

And so, the real recording began.

The main PD, sitting in front of numerous cameras, continued the proceedings.

“Today’s theme for ‘Touch High’ is ‘The Ultimate Battle of Boy Groups, Become the Best!’. The first theme to determine the best is a sports festival. Teams will earn victory badges based on the points they earn in this mission, with the most points awarded to the team with the highest score.”

So far, it was a familiar set of rules.

“However, each team also has a ‘Destroyer’ who will work to prevent their team from winning. Destroyers can earn additional individual badges if their team earns fewer points, which will also affect the final results.”

As soon as the word “spy” was mentioned, the participants began to buzz.

Instinctively, I looked down at the head of Sparkling, who was leaning on me with his arm around my shoulder.

‘Is this brat…?’

Considering his strange expression earlier, and given that he had a history of being a spy, I thought it was necessary to keep an eye on him.

‘In any case, it’s not me, and given the nature of this rule, the guest would probably have a significant role….’

Since Doha had an image that made him seem incapable of lying, I concluded that if I were the production team, I would have chosen Dan Haru for the element of surprise.

“After each mission, team members will vote on who they think the destroyer is within their team. The person who receives the most votes will lose their victory badge, regardless of whether they are the destroyer or not, so be careful.”

While I was pondering how to use Dan Haru if he turned out to be the spy, the first game was revealed.

“The first game in the sports theme is the 100-Second Relay. Kairos team, please step forward.”

The set, which had been hidden by lights and fabric, was revealed. There were various tools spread across about six sections. It seemed like there was one task for each person and a group mission as well.

‘There’s probably not much room to be funny with just talking…. Should I try to buy some time with slapstick comedy?’

As I discreetly weighed the variety show possibilities and examined the mission items, the comedian who was playing the role of our team leader began devising a strategy.

“First, I’ll start with the elephant nose spins. Doha, since you’re good at sports, let’s do that balloon popping with the soccer ball.”

“Then I’ll do the knife-throwing game! I’m lucky!”

“Good, good. And you can handle this Post-it removal game… So, what’s left…”

“Oh, I can do anything that’s left.”

“Really? Then Hajin, you can do this one.”

With a relieved expression, the comedian handed something to me.

The moment I realized what it was, my face, along with Doha’s and Dan Haru’s, froze simultaneously.

“You just have to kick this ten times. It’s probably the easiest. Let’s nail it in one go, okay?”

…Kick what?

“Kairos team! Please take your positions!”

“Uh, wait, hold on…!”

“Come on, come on! Let’s go! The person who can’t do this is definitely the destroyer. Got it? I’ll be watching and voting right away.”

“No, Hajin hyung is…!”

Dan Haru looked at me with a desperate expression as he was dragged into position.

“Hajin hyung, he… He’s terrible at it…!”

Before Dan Haru’s shout could reach, the whistle blew to signal the start of the game.

* * *

I thought for a moment.

‘No matter how terrible I am at ball sports, kicking a shuttlecock should be a different story, right?’

It’s not like it bounces around like a ball; it just floats in the air, and all I have to do is kick it a few times, right? With these reflexes?

“Hajin! Noooo!”

…Nope. I was wrong.

What doesn’t work just doesn’t work.

“He kicks the shuttlecock in such a weird way…”

“Looks like his leg just doesn’t go up.”

“Hey, hey. Sungho, switch places with him. Hajin doesn’t seem to be able to do this.”

“No way, he has to be the destroyer. How else could he be this bad?”

“Hajin, be honest. You’re the destroyer, right?”

I avoided the gaze of our team leader, who was clutching my collar and asking desperately, and replied.

“I’m really not the destroyer. I swear… It’s just… Sometimes, no matter how hard a person tries, some things just aren’t possible…”

It wasn’t until I tore a muscle trying to kick the shuttlecock that I admitted defeat.

This just wasn’t going to happen. What doesn’t work just doesn’t work.

“Let’s switch tasks. Hajin really isn’t going to make it.”

“But if Hajin is the destroyer, switching tasks is pointless.”

“Hajin hyung has never been good at… things that involve kicking…”

“Oh, he’s always been bad? Even in your group?”

“Yes…”

A hasty conference was held among the team members, excluding me.

Feeling like a criminal, I stood far away from them and tried kicking the shuttlecock again, but when it accidentally hit the camera director’s hat, it got confiscated.

“Then Hajin, you do this. The knife-stabbing game.”

“Yeah, yeah. There’s no way to mess this up.”

“And Haru, you try the shuttlecock then. You can do it, right?”

“Yes! I’ll do my best!”

After the meeting, Dan Haru and I swapped tasks.

Dan Haru’s mission to stab five knives into the pirate barrel without incident was purely a matter of luck, so I accepted my fate humbly.

“Come on, guys. Let’s do this. Doha hasn’t even had a chance to kick a ball yet.”

“Yep. I’m going to prove my innocence.”

“Let’s go, let’s go!!”

As we cheered each other on, the whistle blew again, signaling the start of the mission.

The first and second players, who were fixed panelists, skillfully completed their tasks, and soon it was my turn.

With a red toy knife in hand, I stabbed it into a random empty slot. The odds were 1 in 50, so it was unlikely anything would happen…

Pop―!

…Or so I thought.

“What was that? Did it go off?”

“Haru stabbed over 25 knives and nothing happened, but it goes off now?”

I stood there, dumbfounded, holding the pirate figure that had just popped out of the barrel.

Dan Haru and Doha were looking at me with faces close to shock.

“Hyung… Were you really the destroyer?”

No… I wasn’t…

While I was still dazed from the sudden comedic timing, our team leader started the mission over from the beginning.

“Hurry, hurry. Let’s try again.”

The first and second players repeated their tasks again, and in the blink of an eye, it was my turn once more.

This time, I firmly grasped a yellow knife and took a deep breath.

‘There’s no way something as crazy as getting hit on the first try twice in a row would happen…’

…or so I thought.

Pop―!

“……?”

“What just happened…?”

Thud.

I blinked as I looked at the pirate figure lying pathetically on the floor.

‘What the hell is going on…?’

Something strange was happening…!