Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut!

Chapter 312: Night in Gangwon-do

The reason why the currently rising idol group Kairos ended up doing unpaid part-time work at a crowded pension in Gangwon-do was due to several circumstances aligning.

—

**First.** They had time.

Whether they left tonight or tomorrow morning, it wouldn’t be difficult to handle their next schedule. Many suggested that they rest for a day, especially for Kwon Wook, who would be driving a long distance.

**Second.** They were extremely busy.

Not only Tae-hyun’s pension, but nearby pensions and restaurants were fully booked. It was said to be an unusual event, so unusual that they wondered why everyone came to cold Gangwon-do instead of the warmer southern regions on such a sunny spring day. With every extra person being valuable, they couldn’t bear to take Tae-hyun back to Seoul, out of pure compassion.

**Third.** Surprisingly, people didn’t recognize them well.

The location of Tae-hyun’s pension was a bit off from the popular spots frequented by the younger generation. Most of today’s guests were in their 40s and 50s or were families. No matter how much of a rising star Kairos was, it was still mostly within the idol world. Without cameras and makeup, there weren’t many who could recognize them, which made them feel more at ease.

—

Thus, at present:

“Tae-hyun hyung! How much should I charge for the BBQ set?”

“There’s a price list next to the register for each size!”

“Okay!”

“Hey, Seo Tae-hyun! I’m going to room 304.”

“Room 304? Why?”

“They said the boiler isn’t working.”

“Oh, then I’ll go. Just finish setting up the sweet potatoes, hyung.”

“Okay.”

**The romance of part-time work?**
There was no such thing in Kairos’ dictionary.

As soon as they arrived during the peak dinner time, every member was immediately thrown into the thick of things without any time to properly learn the ropes. It was so busy that even Siwoo, who had just finished showering in cold water, had to change and rush to help in the restaurant.

There was no time to say, ‘Actually, we’re idols…’ as the work piled up. Since it was their first time doing such tasks, it wouldn’t have been surprising if something had gone wrong amidst all the chaos. But the interesting thing was that everyone adapted surprisingly well to this unexpected situation.

‘Of course, there are a few part-time veterans here.’

Including himself, who had tried everything until he turned twenty-nine, and Lee Yugeon, who was originally a part-time job master. Even Dan Haru, who usually caused trouble, was showing incredible part-time job skills thanks to his current connection with the Chosen Regressor.

Seo Tae-hyun muttered, “What’s up with Haru today…?” about five times.

“Excuse me…”

“……?”

While finishing the roasted sweet potato set for sale to the guests, Hajin heard someone calling him and turned around. Two women, who appeared to be in their early twenties, looked up at him with a startled expression. Hajin, who was sweating from sitting by the fire, wiped his face with the back of his hand and kindly asked,

“Aren’t you from room 201? What seems to be the problem?”

“Uh, we accidentally spilled coffee on the blanket… Can we get a new one?”

“A blanket? Oh, yes. I’ll get one for you. Just a moment.”

Recalling the bedding information he had gotten from Tae-hyun earlier, Hajin took off the work gloves he had on. As he headed inside the management office to get the blanket, Haru, who was manning the counter, burst out laughing when he saw Hajin.

“Hyung, your face is all black.”

“Really? Does it look cool?”

“Yes. Look here, hyung.”

Thirsty, Hajin was about to grab a bottle of water from the fridge when Haru told him to look, so he turned his head. There, he saw Haru playfully holding a familiar camcorder, recording him.

Realizing it was his own camcorder that he had packed in his bag, Hajin chuckled as he drank the water.

“Where did you find that?”

“It was in your bag, so I took it out. Can I film?”

“You’re already filming, so what’s the point of asking?”

“Right. Actually, I’ve been filming since earlier.”

Not sure who Haru was starting to resemble, Hajin placed the half-empty water bottle on the counter and shook his head before heading to the storage room. After picking out the best condition blanket among the neatly stored ones and coming back out, he noticed the guests from room 201 whispering among themselves and glancing at him.

‘Did they recognize me?’

With glasses on and everything, the chances were low that they’d recognize him… but still, if they had recognized him, Hajin was already thinking about how to explain as he handed over the blanket.

“Please use this blanket, and just leave the soiled one in the room. We’ll take care of it after you check out.”

“Yes, thank you…”

“Yes, have a great day~”

“…….”

“……?”

Hajin, who was about to go back to the sweet potatoes, saw the two guests standing still even after receiving the blanket, which made him raise a questioning eyebrow.

Do they need something else? Or did they really recognize me?

Though he could’ve just pretended not to know, Hajin’s deep-rooted service spirit wouldn’t allow it.

“Is there anything else you need?”

“Uh, well…”

As politely as he could, he asked, and the female guests hesitated before speaking.

“Are you… an idol, by any chance?”

Oh, I’ve been found out.

At the sudden identity reveal, Hajin barely stopped himself from saying, “Yes, that’s right.” Still, they hadn’t asked, “Are you from Kairos?” or “Aren’t you Kang Hajin?” so it seemed they weren’t sure yet. Hajin adjusted his glasses and decided to put his acting skills to full use as he calmly replied.

“Oh, do I look like one? Wow, thank you.”

“Ah… you’re not, really? You look so familiar…”

“I get told a lot that I look like that guy, Kang Hajin.”

“Oh! Right, right! Wow, you really do look like him!”

Well, I should hope so, since it’s me.

‘And they bought it.’

With a playful smile, Hajin pointed at the roasted sweet potato drum next to him.

“Then would you like to try a roasted sweet potato made by an idol look-alike? They’re really tasty. I put a lot of effort into roasting them.”

“Uh, but we didn’t bring our wallets… Can we pay by transfer?”

“Of course.”

“Uh, then just three, please.”

“Sure, just a moment~”

Hajin, who had smoothly raised sales using his good looks, put on his best customer service smile as he handed over three perfectly roasted sweet potatoes in a container. One of the guests from room 201, who was holding both the blanket and the sweet potatoes, cautiously asked,

“Could you maybe tell us your OneStar account? We’d love to follow you…”

Wow, they really didn’t recognize me.

Of course, Hajin had said he wasn’t Kang Hajin, but seeing the guests genuinely believing it made him feel a bit conflicted.

After all, I’m a celebrity. An idol! I’ve even been on TV!

But he couldn’t show that, so Hajin just smiled awkwardly and answered firmly.

“Sorry, I don’t have an account.”

“Oh…”

Technically, he didn’t have a personal account, just the official group account…

Hajin briefly struggled with the urge to give them Kairos’ official account and increase the follower count, but he suppressed that impulse and wrapped up the conversation.

“Thanks for the kind words. Have fun during your stay~”

“Uh… yeah, thank you. You’re even better looking than Kang Hajin!”

“Ahaha…”

I beat myself, so why don’t I feel happy about it?

Feeling oddly unsatisfied, Hajin watched the guests walk away, sulking while poking at the roasted sweet potatoes when Haru approached, still holding the camcorder.

“Hello, here for an interview.”

“What are you doing?”

“Kang Hajin look-alike, Kang Hajin. How do you feel about being told you’re better looking than Kang Hajin?”

“I guess I need to work harder. I need to become so famous that even people in North Korea can recognize me.”

For the record, he was being sincere.

At that moment, Tae-hyun returned after fixing the issue in room 304 and called out to the two.

“What are you guys doing?”

“Hyung! Hajin hyung almost got asked for his OneStar account just now!”

“What…?”

“Please relax, Tae-hyun. Do you think I’m crazy…?”

Tae-hyun’s eyes, which had turned fierce at Haru’s out-of-context remark, softened again at Hajin’s exhausted response. Still deeply engrossed in his reporter role, Haru turned the camera towards Tae-hyun.

“Huh? Hyung, what did you bring?”

“……?”

“Oh. The restaurant’s almost done, and they said the others are on their way.”

In Tae-hyun’s hands was a large, mysterious box. He placed it on the ground with Hajin’s help and spoke cheerfully,

“We came all the way to Gangwon-do, so we should do what we couldn’t do during our vacation.”

Inside the box were various BBQ tools and fireworks. It was as if they wanted to commemorate their no-longer-lonely night in Gang

won-do, as Tae-hyun smiled brightly like fresh spring cherry blossoms.

—

“Alright, alright. I’ll lead. Kairos—!”

“Let’s go up—!!”

As the clamor faded, peace settled over the night in Gangwon-do.

In the yard of the staff quarters behind Tae-hyun’s pension, six glasses clinked together in the air. Although the glasses were filled with non-alcoholic drinks, the faces of those who drank were full of refreshing satisfaction.

“Let’s dig in!”

“Eat a lot, maknae.”

“Okay!”

“Doha hyung, want some rice?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

“Looking for someone to pass bibim noodles to cute Hadini~”

“Ah, seriously, why are you like this…?”

Finally reunited, the members began their noisy dinner. What started as a simple BBQ turned into a feast so plentiful that the table seemed about to break. All the side dishes and food were from the neighboring restaurant where Yugeon, Doha, and Siwoo had helped earlier.

For today, Tae-hyun had given up on dieting as he mixed his rice with hot doenjang-jjigae and asked Yugeon next to him,

“Hey, what exactly did you do at the restaurant? My mom kept singing praises about you guys.”

“Nothing special? We just helped out.”

“For just that, she was really happy….”

As Tae-hyun wondered, Doha, who had been watching Haru eat five slices of meat wrapped in a giant lettuce leaf, answered calmly.

“It was like usual.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. It was like our usual team dinners.”

At that, Tae-hyun and Hajin exchanged looks.

Usual? What’s our usual team dinner like?

Suddenly, scenes of Kairos’ usual team dinners flashed through their minds. Hajin even recalled the time Siwoo built a pyramid with over thirty beer glasses and decided to end the memory there.

Sometimes, ignorance is bliss.

“Oh, right.”

“……?”

Then, Siwoo, who had been quietly eating his meat, suddenly remembered something and reached for his back pocket.

“I earned money. Isn’t that great?”

Nonchalantly, Siwoo pulled out a bundle of cash from his pocket. With 10,000-won and 50,000-won bills mixed together, it looked like a few hundred thousand won at a glance. Hajin dropped the king oyster mushroom he was holding with his chopsticks.

Beside him, Yugeon also said, “Oh,” as he reached into the front pocket of his hoodie. Naturally, what he pulled out was a thick white envelope. Where on earth did he get that?

“Do I need to report this income in May? It’s about time to give the Tigers some allowance, so maybe I’ll use this.”

“That’s not allowance; that’s enough to start a savings account, Yugeon.”

Did you guys go perform a circus at the restaurant or something…?

As Hajin and Tae-hyun stared in shock at the income that couldn’t just be explained away as tips, Doha, who had been quietly observing Haru’s lettuce wrap eating skills, suddenly said, “Oh.”

“…What now? Stop it. Oh, please, just stop.”

Ignoring Hajin’s plea, Doha pulled out something from the pocket of the padded jacket he had set aside. The mysterious white bag had the logo of the restaurant where the three had worked earlier.

When Hajin checked the bag, he found it filled with coins and bundles of 1,000-won bills tied with rubber bands.

Doha, with a calm expression, said,

“I earned money, too.”

What on earth did you guys do…?

This time, Hajin’s chopsticks fell from his hand, landing on the ground with a hollow sound.