Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut!

Chapter 353. Coming Soon! (1)

In the end, Kairos successfully completed their guerrilla stage at Dreamland that day.

– *Are we really doing this? I mean, I’m not sure about this. A few hours after that incident happened, and you’re going back on stage…*

Some suggested that it might be better to be cautious since, although the attack attempt had been foiled, it could still be risky. However, the strong insistence of the person involved led them to go ahead with the performance.

– *I want to do it.*

– *Eunchan.*

– *The criminal was caught, right? I don’t see why I should back down.*

Whatever conversation had taken place, the youngest members, who emerged hand-in-hand long after I left, were adamant.

To be precise, Joo Eunchan was the one who pushed for it. His eyes were still swollen from crying, and he sniffled as he insisted in a nasal voice that the performance should go on.

– *Eunchan, it’s not that we don’t want you to perform. But safety is important, so we need to be cautious…*

– *I’m not trying to act recklessly. I understand that many people have worked hard today because of me.*

– ……

– *But I don’t want to hide anymore.*

– ……

– *I don’t want to be controlled by someone else’s malice anymore.*

It was clear that this statement wasn’t just about today’s incident. Eunchan, like me, was slowly breaking free from the dark, oppressive space he had been trapped in.

However, Eunchan’s admirable growth and the decision to move forward with the performance were two separate matters.

This wasn’t the first time Eunchan had been in danger, after the gift terror incident and today’s attempted attack. If something went wrong during the performance or if the incidents were reported in the media, it would immediately cause a backlash from the fans, questioning why we hadn’t ensured the artists’ safety.

– *Alright, I get it.*

– *So…*

– *I mean, I understand your desire to perform. That doesn’t mean we’re going ahead no matter what. We still need to discuss this with the production team and Dreamland, and we’ll let you know. For now, go change into your performance outfit. If we do go on, we don’t have much time left.*

Still, Hyung Wook nodded, indicating that he understood. While it wasn’t a definite promise that the performance would happen, Eunchan seemed satisfied with that for now.

And so—

Sunset University @SS_university

*XX0509 Dreamland Guerrilla Concert*

*#Kairos #KangHajin*

*The live show today was insane…*

*(High-quality photo of Kang Hajin squinting with one earphone out.)*

*Shared: 12k Likes: 24k*

As mentioned before, we successfully wrapped up the guerrilla concert at Dreamland.

Honestly, it was the expected outcome.

I don’t want to sound too cynical, but ad contracts aren’t something that can be canceled so easily….

This is why you have to be careful when signing contracts. Dreamland, having spent a large sum on PPL (product placement), wasn’t going to accept “we’re canceling the concert due to security concerns.” What company would willingly waste millions of dollars on negative publicity? While we’re precious to our fans, to them, Kairos was just a paid promotional model.

The production team for *Today’s Kairos* had a similar stance. If the guerrilla concert, the biggest highlight of the day’s filming, was canceled, they’d lose an entire day of production. How much of a financial hit would that be?

‘If we had refused to perform, things would’ve gotten complicated.’

That’s the reality of it.

Even in the harshest situations, capitalism demands you keep going. It’s a cruel fact of life that you still have to eat, even when mourning the loss of a loved one, and that you have to budget for funeral costs while grieving. Fortunately, the criminal was caught, and Eunchan seemed okay, so it all worked out this time.

‘But there will be more situations where we’ll have to smile through worse circumstances, bound by contracts.’

Earning other people’s money is never easy.

I wish I could just wake up one morning and find 90 billion won deposited in my account—tax-free. The lottery takes too much in taxes.

Speaking of which, it’s May now, and I need to file my comprehensive income tax report. How much was the fee for the tax agency I hired? I have no idea how much tax I’ll owe; I’ve never made this much money in my life.

There was a time when I could file my taxes with the simple tax return system and get a refund. It almost feels like those were simpler days.

‘Why is my mind wandering like this…’

I quickly stopped myself from calculating my savings and various accounts in my head. There was still more to monitor.

‘At least not going to college saved me from student loans…. But wouldn’t paying those loans have gotten me a tax deduction? Ugh, never mind.’

No matter how much I tried to stop, my mind kept spiraling with financial thoughts.

After living my whole life on a meager salary, suddenly earning large sums of money was making me overthink everything. Being an idol has a short career lifespan, and the income is unstable, so it’s only natural to have a lot on your mind.

‘You can never guarantee how long you’ll be able to earn like this…’

It felt cruel to be thinking this way only two years into my debut, but life is about preparing for the worst, isn’t it? Now that Dan Haru was getting his act together, it was time to start thinking seriously about the future.

If this is the peak of Kairos’ career, and it’s all downhill from here, earning a few extra million won now doesn’t feel as exciting. It could also mean that the income cliff will come sooner.

‘Which means I’ll have to work even harder to prevent that.’

Looking young and handsome only works for a few years. We’ll get older, and every year, newer, younger, and more good-looking idols will debut.

If we want to survive for a long time under the name “Kairos,” we can’t settle for just being a pretty idol group. I want to keep Kairos going until Yugeon’s tiger cubs can live independently and say they don’t need my help anymore.

‘Luckily, I have some great role models around me.’

I thought of *Utopia*, who had just announced a national tour and were working on a new project. Despite many of the members entering their 30s, they still had a massive fanbase and maintained impressive influence.

Of course, their rigorous self-discipline and individual talents were part of why *Utopia* continued to rise above all challenges.

But more than anything…

“…It’s probably the music.”

That’s why they were still being invited to college festivals and major events like Waterbomb Festival, not as washed-up idols, but as a top-tier lineup.

The power of *Utopia*’s music was undeniable. Their hit songs were known by everyone, and even people unfamiliar with their music would hear it and think, *“This is good.”*

“…Music, huh.”

I glanced at the piano and guitar sitting in one corner of my personal practice room. They were practice instruments I’d brought in to occasionally play for fans during live broadcasts.

“……”

Music. Yeah, music.

It’s not like I wasn’t working on it. I was helping Lee Doha with lyrics and melody development, and I’d been hanging out in Seo Taeil and Yoon Jinu’s studios, learning from them.

But writing *my own song* and presenting it to the world as Kairos’ music? That was still a daunting choice.

“……….”

…Maybe I’ll think about it later, since we still have Doha for now?

Within minutes of contemplating the future, I shoved the dilemma back under the rug. Having a genius composer like Lee Doha in the group was truly a blessing. It reaffirmed my determination to keep Kairos going as long as possible.

Before tackling a grand topic like “Kairos’ music,” there was another issue to deal with.

BaddieKiz @BaddieKiz

*Sharing a video of Eunchan at Dreamland’s guerrilla concert.*

*The baby was stuck to the youngest the whole time today, lol.*

*(Clip of Eunchan with his arm around Haru’s shoulder, singing.)*

*Shared: 8,293 Likes: 10k*

There had been that hot incident involving Joo Eunchan’s obsessive fans and the fanbase conflict.

I scrolled through the system, carefully monitoring the reactions. It seemed that Eunchan’s enthusiastic reconciliation with Dan Haru during the guerrilla concert was a good step. The tense atmosphere among the fans was starting to thaw.

If I dug deeper into the comments, I’d probably find things like “They’re just doing business,” “They were awkward after fighting, but now they’ve made up,” and “They’re just playing it up for the fans.” But I didn’t feel like checking.

There’s no end to those kinds of comments, and I couldn’t control them. Besides, I knew better than to believe that such comments reflected the majority opinion.

Even if you pour positive energy into something, there will always be people who interpret it negatively and drag others down. Like Eunchan said, I didn’t want to be swayed by other people’s malice anymore.

‘Fortunately, the attack hasn’t become widespread news…’

After a long discussion with the company, we decided not to release any statements about Joo

Eunchan’s assault. Both Dreamland and the fan meeting’s cooperating agencies preferred it that way, and our lawyer and the detective agreed it was for the best.

The company was worried that announcing another incident involving Eunchan so soon after the car accident would negatively affect his public image and lead to fan fatigue.

With our summer comeback around the corner, none of us wanted to be labeled as the “assaulted idol group,” so the members agreed to keep quiet about the incident until a verdict was reached.

I’m worried about the reaction from the fans when they eventually find out, but if we’re going to tell them, it’s better to say, *“We were attacked, but we caught the criminal and put him behind bars,”* rather than just springing, *“We were attacked,”* on them.

“Hyung, are you practicing?”

As I wrapped up my thoughts, the practice room door opened slightly, and Seo Taehyun peeked his head in, holding his hair back with a black hairpin.

I quickly closed the system and straightened my back.

“No, just sitting around. Why?”

“Siwoo-hyung ordered chicken, and he’s asking if you want to join.”

“Chicken? Sure, I’ll come.”

“Alright, wrap up and come to the third-floor meeting room.”

“I’ve got nothing to wrap up. Let’s go together.”

There’s no resisting chicken.

As the saying goes, even Mount Geumgang is best after a meal. I’d been thinking too much, so I was getting hungry anyway. Without hesitation, I got up and followed Seo Taehyun, already excited about the chicken.

“Sweet, free chicken. Jackpot.”

“Hyung, you really love chicken, huh?”

“I could survive alone in this world as long as I had chicken.”

“No, you couldn’t. You’d go crazy talking to that chicken every day out of loneliness.”

“…I want to argue, but you’re probably right.”

After wrapping up our successful first-week promotions, Seo Taehyun seemed much more relaxed, and we headed to the third-floor meeting room for chicken. For some reason, my steps felt extra light today.

…Little did we know that 30 minutes later, we were about to experience an unforgettable embarrassing moment…