Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 10

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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10. The Trainee Who Refuses to Debut (1)
Park, a third-year employee of Miro Entertainment’s Content Team 1, spits out his coffee one ordinary morning upon hearing the rumors circulating through the office.
“Zhuge Liang?”
“That’s what they’re saying.”
The veterans light up at the arrival of fresh blood. A new trainee alone would be entertaining, but this one came wrapped in the buzz of countless celebrities.
“Kim Director, Team Leader Ji, and even Seo Tae-il came to persuade him, apparently.”
“Three visits to the cottage.”
Once the rumor gained momentum, it accelerated, spawning all manner of speculation.
“Is he really that impressive?”
“Wasn’t he originally a Rene Entertainment trainee?”
“Jang Seo-yun personally trained him, right?”
“No, Team Leader Ji discovered him.”
“What’s this about him fighting with Tae-il over a Upia guide?”
Jung from the Marketing Team chimed in excitedly.
“You know, that time Tae-il was coaxing some guy.”
“Oh. That’s him?”
“They fought? Or did he get scolded?”
“No, they had a real fight. That’s why he walked out refusing to sign the trainee contract.”
“Wow, he’s got guts.”
Park found himself inadvertently marveling at the heroic tale. Wow, Seo Tae-il really has presence. And he fought him?
“Oh my. There he is, there.”
“Who? Him? Him? Right now?”
“Wow, nice mask.”
The cheerful chatter died down the moment the subject appeared. Everyone pretended not to notice the trainee from the rumors, stealing glances instead.
And Kang Ha-jin, unable to miss those stares, thought to himself.
‘Damn it.’
This is already getting unnecessarily loud.
As an idol trainee, one must grow accustomed to attention and gossip. After all, many who dream of becoming idols are attention-seekers who crave such interest in the first place. Hate comments are better than no comments, and the saying “haters are fans too” exists for a reason.
‘But this is just hype.’
I’m not even in a debut group yet—I’m just a trainee who just arrived. This kind of attention is nothing but poison.
“Really? He seems more ordinary than I expected.”
There it is. They’re already starting to judge.
Human nature is fascinating—even though someone else’s success doesn’t harm me, the moment I hear someone being praised, I can’t help but look at them with resentment. After all, it costs nothing to form an opinion.
The newbie effect will fade with time, and things will settle down eventually, but my problem is that I don’t have time. I must debut within three months, and if I earn the resentment of the staff, everything falls apart.
I immediately changed direction and approached the employees who were still watching me with curious eyes. I made direct eye contact with a few startled staff members and flashed a friendly smile.
“Hello. I’m Kang Ha-jin, and I’m starting as a trainee today.”
“Oh, yes. Hello.”
“Since this is my first time… I was told to go to Practice Room 3, but I’m not sure which way it is.”
With an embarrassed expression and a bashful laugh, I watched as the employee who had been eyeing me with crossed arms turned toward me, his arms uncrossing and relaxing.
“Oh, you go this way.”
“I’ll show you. I was about to head in anyway.”
True to form, the employee who had already let his guard down gestured for me to follow him. Would you like something to drink? His unsolicited kindness was almost suffocating.
I politely declined and followed him, only to hear fresh assessments of my character immediately begin behind my back.
“What? He’s got a good personality.”
“How would you know? We just met.”
“There are so many pretty faces out there these days who are total jerks. This guy’s practically a gentleman.”
The effect of being a “friendly and personable newbie” who shattered inflated expectations and exaggerated rumors was extraordinary!
[System Alert: ‘Multiple people’ are developing curiosity and affection toward you.]
[System Alert: ‘Multiple instances of affection’ are being converted into cache for the skill system. (Converting cache…)]
The satisfying sound of money accumulating was delightful. Seeing the skill I’d created last night take effect so immediately filled me with a sense of accomplishment.
‘That’s right. Real money spending really is the answer.’
This ‘cache skill’ was a new skill I’d painstakingly created after being severely penalized last time—it was called a skill, but it was essentially just another system.
[System Alert: Skill 【How Much Will It Cost?】 is now active.]
[System Alert: ‘Affection’ received from people can be converted into cache and used as payment for skill creation and execution.]
[System Alert: 600 cache has been accumulated. (Current balance: 1,000 cache)]
‘600 is pretty decent.’
Of course, creating this skill came at the cost of another hit to my mental fortitude correction, leaving me acting like a petulant child for half a day….
‘Mom….’
‘Are you missing mom today? What’s wrong?’
‘Mom….’
While my mother might have found her twenty-year-old son’s sudden clinginess endearing, to me it was nothing but the shameful behavior of someone pushing thirty (plus some). Just remembering it made me cringe.
“What’s wrong?”
“Oh, no. I’m just a bit nervous.”
“Ah. Most people feel that way at first.”
I decided to bury that uncomfortable dark history and refocus on the present. As I walked through the hallway to collect my thoughts, I observed the company building, which looked neat and clean. Like Rene Entertainment, which I’d mistaken for a Greek temple, this place seemed to live up to its name—so many hallways and practice rooms that you could easily get lost if you weren’t paying attention.
“The company layout is a bit complicated, isn’t it?”
The employee guiding me laughed awkwardly, as if many others had the same thought. I was about to nod in agreement when—
“I’m going.”
“Ah, he never listens!”
Someone rushed out of an office door and collided with us. Why was his face so small? The moment I saw that expressionless face with jet-black hair—the kind you couldn’t achieve even if you tried to dye it that color intentionally—I couldn’t help but let out an “Oh.” Was this the kind of face Miro had kidnapped from the moment of birth?
“Ah, Eun-chan.”
“…Hello.”
Man, that voice is deceptive.
From the moment of birth—
‘Hello, I was born destined to be an idol at Miro.’
The boy, who seemed to have cried those words upon entering the world, quickly bowed his head and strode away.
With his long legs, he disappeared in just a few steps, and as I watched his retreating figure without thinking, the office door he’d come from opened once more.
“No, if you just leave like that, what am I supposed to do―”
“Oh my, Ha-ru.”
“…Ah, yes. Hello, haha.”
Oh, sparkling.
A hint of moisture glistened in those enormous eyes—the only word that could describe them was “sparkling.” The moment the figure with that unmistakable “something’s wrong” expression plastered across their face spotted us, they flashed an awkward smile.
“Did the Executive Director call for you?”
“Yes, we were practicing and… um, noona, have you seen Eun-chan hyung by any chance?”
“He went that way just now. Nothing’s wrong, is it?”
“No, no! Um, I’ll go look for him then!”
The sparkling one—I had no other way to refer to them—vanished like a rabbit fleeing a hunter. After catching sight of two handsome faces in quick succession, I felt oddly embarrassed that my efforts to avoid Rene’s Greek god seemed to have come to nothing. But that wasn’t what mattered right now.
‘Did they just say Executive Director?’
Peering through the translucent glass door, the unmistakably ugly face visible inside was definitely the Executive Director I’d seen before. A chill ran down my spine, and my instincts flared instantly. Something was definitely going on.
‘I should gather some information.’
“Wow, everyone here is really handsome.”
“Oh, Ha-ru? Cute, right? His name is Dan Ha-ru—pretty unique name too.”
“Ha-ru… Dan Ha-ru.”
A name that unusual from the start was practically begging to be entangled in something. For now, since it was my first day, I’d take my time learning. I mentally etched the location of the Executive Director’s office into my mind once more and followed the employee down the hallway.
* * *
“Everyone heard already, right? We’ll be training together starting today.”
“I’m Kang Ha-jin. Thank you for having me.”
Applause devoid of even a gram of genuine enthusiasm filled the spacious practice room. The dance trainer who introduced me announced a thirty-minute break now that a new trainee had arrived, then left the practice room with the employee who’d brought me here.
It was obvious they were itching to slack off with some coffee. Seriously? Throwing a newbie into the deep end on the first day like this?
“….”
“….”
I was still assessing the atmosphere and hesitated to speak first when one of the trainees—the oldest-looking one, clearly an adult—opened their mouth.
“Come on, what are you doing? Let’s gather around for a bit. We’ll start with introductions. Ha-jin, sit over here.”
The way they naturally commanded the other trainees screamed “squad leader.” The scattered atmosphere instantly focused at their single word.
Was this person the real power here? I quickly gauged the hierarchy in the practice room and obediently took the seat they offered.
“Sorry for being late!”
“Sorry.”
“…ah.”
The fragile atmosphere we’d just established shattered as the practice room door burst open with the sparkling one and the Miro person—I hadn’t gotten their name—rushing in. As the two hurried toward the circle of trainees, the formation broke apart.
The real power’s face, which had been wearing a warm smile, developed the finest, most subtle crack. Huh?
“Oh, Eun-chan and Ha-ru, come sit down quickly. We’re taking a short break because we have a new friend joining us today.”
“Yes.”
“Yes!”
Had I misread it? I tried to examine their expression more carefully, but the real power’s face was already back to its kind and gentle smile. Maybe I was mistaken after all. I was about to turn my gaze back to the sparkling one when—
“Still, let’s keep good time. We’re a group, so we shouldn’t cause trouble for each other.”
That single remark, spoken with a smile, sent the atmosphere plummeting. This was the moment I understood exactly where this person stood in the practice room.
Every eye instantly turned to the sparkling one and the Miro person. Both looked tense and apologized repeatedly. Yet the subtly frigid atmosphere didn’t thaw.
Interesting.
“Sorry, things are hectic on your first day, huh? Let me introduce myself first. I’m Han Sung-woo, twenty-two years old. I’m the oldest here, so I’m the leader of B-group. You can ask me if you have any questions. Nice to meet you.”
Right on cue, the moment the self-proclaimed leader finished speaking, the others erupted in enthusiastic applause. “Wow, Sung-woo hyung is so cool! Our leader is so handsome!” and similar exclamations burst forth.
‘Well, it’s not like I’m the one they’re interested in anyway.’
The sparkly one turned his gaze away with an awkward expression, and our eyes met once more. When I met his gaze as if I knew nothing, he hesitated slightly—it seemed he did recognize me from our encounter in the hallway earlier.
“…I’m Ju Eun-chan, and I’m 18 years old.”
That voice still didn’t feel right no matter how many times I heard it.
When it was the Miro trainee’s turn, he introduced himself in an impressive mid-range baritone. I scrutinized his features carefully, wondering if I’d seen him in my past life, but his face wasn’t familiar. How could someone like him not have debuted? Life truly is unpredictable. The Miro trainee seemed to notice my stare, fixing me with those expressionless eyes.
‘Did I stare too much?’
I quickly equipped my professional smile and laughed warmly, and he averted his gaze first. I felt a strange sense of victory, but since I’m a pro, I didn’t let it show. And soon after, the sparkly one—next in line—spoke up.
“Hello, I’m Dan Ha-ru…. I’m 17 years old.”
“I heard about you from someone at the company. Dan Ha-ru. I remembered because your name is unique.”
“Huh? Ah… yes. That, earlier, we met, didn’t we.”
“Earlier? Where did we meet?”
I spoke to the visibly guarded sparkly one in a friendly tone, beating him to it, and Han Sung-woo asked with curiosity in his eyes. The sparkly one flinched noticeably and glanced at me nervously. Watching his large pupils tremble excessively, I became certain.
See? This guy’s definitely hiding something.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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