Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut!

Chapter 55. Various Ways to Drop a Parachute (2)

So, Kang Hajin had an excuse as well.

‘I was always the one taking photos, not the one being photographed.’

After quitting as a trainee, I hadn’t stood in front of a camera properly for over ten years. After becoming a bit chubbier from lounging around during my job-seeking days, I didn’t even like taking selfies.

I had continued dancing and singing, so there was no awkwardness there.

‘But doing a photoshoot where I have to act like I’m good-looking is a different story.’

Moreover, I had a double handicap right now.

[System Alert: Mental Care System is operational.]

[System Alert: Skill use is unavailable due to system updates.]

※Applied Skills: (LV.6), (LV.3)

Because of this damned Mental Care, I couldn’t properly express my emotions, and on top of that, the skill that could have compensated for it was also unusable.

‘What’s the point of leveling up if I can’t use it!’

Thanks to that, I was now plagued by the nightmare of creating an irreversible dark history, as if I was retaking my high school graduation photos six hundred times.

“Wow… This hyung is serious.”

“Be quiet, he can hear you.”

I could hear you, you brats.

I didn’t even have the strength to glare at Kim Wonho and Seo Taehyun, who were astonished in front of the monitor.

“Okay, okay. Hajin, let’s not stress too much. Let’s try to smile comfortably. Naturally.”

A photoshoot is ultimately a battle of stamina and time. But since I was taking up so much time alone, there was no way I could feel at ease.

‘Maybe my mindset from my assistant director days got ingrained in me.’

I tried to smile as naturally as possible at the photographer’s words, who was trying hard to comfort me, but it wasn’t something that could be fixed just by trying. I looked at the trainees who were wandering around, waiting for their turn after me, and eventually shook my head.

“Writer, I’ll just pick from what we’ve got so far.”

“Huh? No, Hajin, you can do it!”

“There are a lot of people waiting, and I think I’m taking too long.”

When I pleaded in an awkward voice, the photographer seemed to be concerned about that too and checked the time and schedule with the staff.

Actually, considering the time allocated, I wasn’t causing a significant delay. It was just that the others had finished quickly due to the simplicity of the shoot, making me look worse by comparison.

So even if I insisted on taking fifty more shots, saying it wasn’t working as it is now, it wouldn’t be a problem in terms of the situation,

‘But it’s not like my face would change even if I took more shots.’

I never liked photos taken by others. Since it was a face being revealed early, of course, it would be nice if I looked handsome, but there were other visuals to grab attention anyway.

“Wow, Siwoo hyung looks like a pictorial even with casual shots.”

“Look at Joo Eunchan, amazing.”

“But you can’t beat the experienced ones. Seo Taehyun, the staff noonas were taking pictures of him earlier.”

Those guys would draw enough attention before the first broadcast, so let’s just gloss over my profile picture.

“Hmm, but it felt like we were close to getting a good one, it’s a pity.”

“Hey, without you, writer, I wouldn’t have gotten this far. You’re my savior.”

“…Tsk. Alright then. Good job!”

After repeatedly thanking the photographer, who had a hard time oiling a broken robot, I finally escaped the prison-like photo zone. As I moved to the monitor area to select photos, more spectators had gathered.

“Kang ha-hyung, really reconsider. Is this the best you can do? This is almost fraud.”

“Hey, how can you say that to someone’s face?”

“Can you both just disappear? Lee Doha, why are you here again?”

“Finished early.”

Lee Doha, who habitually tried to run his hand through his hair, remembered that it was nicely fixed with spray and awkwardly lowered his hand. Doha, who had already finished his profile photo shoot, was dressed in his personal concept outfit. It seemed like he was trying to make the most of his good physique. The guy, dressed in sporty workout clothes from head to toe, was even holding a basketball under his arm.

‘Yeah, this guy seemed to have decent athletic skills.’

But why couldn’t he dance? As I pondered the incomprehensible structure of that guy’s body, I met Doha’s gaze again.

“Ah, what. Why. Why do you keep staring?”

“…I was wondering if you had changed your mind.”

“What?”

“Didn’t you decide to be ambitious?”

Surprisingly, I was at a loss for words at his voice full of genuine curiosity. This guy always spoke right to the point, giving no time to put up a guard.

“What. I can’t make everyone wait just for my perfect photo. It’s just a profile picture, whatever.”

“……”

“I’m not giving up. I’m not half-assing it, seriously.”

“Then it’s fine.”

Doha nodded as if he understood. Why does this guy like me so much?

I shook my head in confusion, and just then, a staff member called the next person in line as the photo zone was ready.

“Next, Seo Taehyun?”

“Yes!”

“Hey, is it really okay for him to go right after me?”

Don’t you have a limit on massacring the innocent? You 82% appealing eye candy in the music industry, Cherry Boy. Who arranged the order like this?

As soon as he entered the photo zone, Seo Taehyun greeted skillfully and lightened the atmosphere. His manner of checking the lighting and props was impressive. He must have done a lot of child modeling in the past, as expected from his experience.

‘Why didn’t he make it big in his past life?’

I couldn’t understand any of these guys. After watching Taehyun’s shoot, which drew cheers from the first cut, a bit more, I turned to leave.

“I’m going in.”

“What, aren’t you choosing your photo?”

“It’s a miss no matter what I choose.”

Out of ten shots, all ten were failures, what’s there to choose….

“Kang Hajin.”

“……?”

“Can we talk for a moment?”

In the hallway where I was heading back to the waiting room, Han Sungwoo stopped me. For him to come to me first, he must have been pretty scared.

I nodded obediently and followed him. Sungwoo, who seemed to have already scouted the location, led me through the familiar set hallway and pushed me into an empty waiting room.

“What do you know?”

“Well, I know a lot. Should I list everything for you?”

“Damn it, don’t mock me before I crush you.”

“Oh wow, you’re so sensitive~ How am I mocking you, hyung?”

I deliberately acted annoyingly. Han Sungwoo exhaled heavily in frustration and crossed his arms. It was a very defensive posture.

I straightened up from leaning against the wall. Sungwoo, who was a head shorter than me, stepped back.

“…What do you want?”

Finally, the main topic. I looked down at Sungwoo with an irritating smile.

“By the way, hyung, do you really have connections?”

“What?”

“I mean, why are you still not debuted with such good connections?”

I shrugged and laughed as if I didn’t understand.

“So, it’s not really that great, huh? I was thinking of asking for a ride if it was that good….”

“……”

“But it doesn’t seem like it.”

“Don’t mess with me. Do you want to get cut like the others?”

“Haha, how can you, hyung? You can’t even cut Joo Eunchan, whom you hate. His family is too powerful.”

“……”

“This isn’t some survival show run by a broadcasting station, what changes with a PD in your pocket? Oh, do you get a better edit? Well, I guess you and I will get the same screen time anyway? We’re rivals, after all.”

How about it, doesn’t it hurt your pride?

“Well, losing the battle was a bit unfair… but we won the team battle anyway. Ah, but hyung, you were really petty.”

Are you getting mad?

“You let us win the team battle because the top-tier kids would stay at the top anyway, and it’s better for you if the lower-ranked kids temporarily rise.”

Doesn’t it make you want to crush me?

“Well….”

You want to beat me no matter what, right?

“That’s the only way you can win. There’s no other way.”

I laughed brightly, looking down at the crumpled Han Sungwoo blocking my path. Then I leisurely passed by him, patting him on the shoulder.

“Do your best, hyung. I’ll pretend not to know.”

I sincerely hoped that Sungwoo’s eyes would turn over with my provocation.

* * *

Han Sungwoo, left alone in the waiting room where Hajin disappeared, couldn’t suppress his rising anger.

“Damn it!”

He kicked the chair next to him, knocking it over, but his anger didn’t subside.

“That damn nobody!”

It was all because of him. Ever since Kang Hajin came in, nothing had gone right!

“It’s already a mess having to do this survival because of Director Son….”

Originally, he was supposed to take a few members of the debut team and leave Miro with the director, then smoothly follow the debut route at a new agency.

‘

Although it was annoying that Joo Eunchan was in that debut team, I was going to use him and then get rid of him later, so it didn’t matter!’

When I asked my father to send me to another agency, he scolded me.

-Do you know how much loss I’ve suffered because of that bastard Son Hyeong-gu!?

-We need to lay low for a while. If you really want to be an idol, produce some results there.

-What’s there to brag about, being worse than others in that useless thing?

Since then, everything had gone wrong. I was just trying to debut appropriately, live comfortably as a popular idol, but nothing was easy. And Han Sungwoo was very displeased with the situation.

Still angry, Han Sungwoo dialed a number.

“PD, are you kidding me?”

-Hey, I told you not to call directly like this!

“Is that the problem right now? You should have dropped that bastard Kang Hajin!”

Yun CP, on the other end of the phone, couldn’t say a word in response to Sungwoo’s outburst. He had received a hefty bribe from Sungwoo’s father in exchange for looking after his son.

-I barely managed to make you win. That was the best I could do! Anyway, you won, didn’t you?

“Whatever, find out what the next mission is.”

-What?

“Can’t you even do that? After making me look like a fool because you couldn’t get the title song?”

-But that’s because Seo Taeil kept it under tight security….

“So you can’t do it again? Then what’s the point of having you as a PD?”

-Fine, fine. They’re having a script meeting this week, so I’ll find out then and let you know.

Faced with the young master’s stern attitude, Yun CP eventually gave in. As soon as Sungwoo got the answer, he hung up the phone. There was no consideration for the other party’s attitude or feelings.

“Kang Hajin, that son of a b****….”

-Do your best, hyung. I’ll pretend not to know.

Hajin’s slyly mocking voice lingered in his mind.

‘Try to beat me?’

Who do you think can’t? Han Sungwoo ground his teeth.