Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 105

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

105. What’s Going to Burst Will Burst (5)
Ha-jin decided to be honest.
“I’m… not usually like this.”
“….”
“Normally, I’m really good at talking, confident in persuading people, so there’s rarely anything that doesn’t go my way.”
That’s why I initially thought convincing Yoo Gun would be easy.
I figured a little coaxing, some gentle reasoning, and enough reassurance would do the trick.
But my approach failed at every turn, and the accumulation of those failures stood before me now.
“But this time, no matter how much I think about it, I can’t figure it out. What I need to do to share the stage with you. Or to be honest—I even wondered why I should go to such lengths to perform with you.”
I recalled something Tae-hyun had asked me once.
Why go to such lengths? We’re not even close, we don’t know each other that well—so why push this hard?
What had I answered back then?
Actually, before that—why was I really going to such lengths?
‘I could just abandon everything and regress. Maybe there’s a better opportunity next time.’
Because it’s a Quest?
Because I need to prevent regression?
Because I need to recruit allies to find clues about the Chosen Regressor?
-Do you really think that?
-If it weren’t for regression, you wouldn’t care whether Yoo Gun dropped out or not?
No. Because creating this stage together is so incredibly joyful.
Beyond every cycle I’ve lived through, this ‘today’ is exactly what Kang Ha-jin as a human has yearned for most.
A single stage created by pouring our most passionate youth alongside talented, passionate people.
I didn’t want to miss it.
I didn’t want to lose it.
And I desperately hoped Yoo Gun felt the same way.
“I can’t bear to waste our stage.”
“….”
“Without you, the stage we created together has no meaning.”
With those words, I fell silent. It was the first time I’d spoken from my heart, the last desperate plea I could offer.
For a long while, neither of us spoke. Yoo Gun seemed lost in thought, started to say something, then hesitated again and again.
After an endless silence, Yoo Gun’s answer came.
“…Wow, when you put it like that, I really have nothing to say.”
“….”
“Of course it’s a waste. Honestly, practicing was fun. Fun enough that I quit my part-time job.”
Ha-jin lifted his head. For the first time among countless attempts, he heard a positive note. Yoo Gun gazed at him with a faint smile.
“But… right now, I can’t really imagine myself performing on that stage.”
“….”
“The audience will be coming this time. But what will those people think when they see me? Will some of them be people who cursed me and my family? It’s not even really my position, so getting too attached feels wrong… That’s why. That’s why I’m just going to quit now.”
“….”
“Still, hearing you say that feels good. It makes me feel like I was really on your team.”
“…Of course we’re one team. So, you want me to send you to Seo Tae-hyun’s team instead?”
“Haha! No, I’d rather not. I’m still too embarrassed to do something like that.”
Yoo Gun rose from his seat with a relieved smile.
“Thank you for the meal, hyung. …Buy me dinner again next time.”
Ha-jin could only watch as Yoo Gun, who had been staring blankly at him, grabbed his suitcase from beside him and left the restaurant. All Ha-jin could do was watch his receding figure.
Yoo Gun had left.
But Ha-jin did not regress.
* * *
Yoo Gun had left the Dormitory, but no official withdrawal announcement was made. This was thanks to Ji Su-ho, who had heard the situation from Ha-jin and made one last attempt to persuade Yoo Gun.
This had never happened before.
-If you leave the Company now, we won’t be able to protect you or your family. Even if you want to quit, I’d appreciate it if you could wait just a bit longer until things calm down.
He also added that Yoo Gun should go home first, rest with his surprised family, and think more carefully about withdrawing or resigning. Fortunately, Yoo Gun agreed.
“I told you to think about it, but honestly, we all know the schedule isn’t that flexible. That’s why I think your opinions matter most.”
The Production Team, Ji Su-ho, and the Blue Flare Team all gathered for an emergency meeting. If Yoo Gun withdrew as things stood, Blue Flare would have to revise everything from the pre-recorded VCR to the stage performance.
“What is Lee Yu-gun saying?”
“He says he needs more time to think. His younger siblings seem quite shaken. Apparently someone dug up their personal information and home address. The Company is also taking separate measures.”
“Um, if we say we want to wait for Yoo Gun, is that something you can allow?”
It was Kwon Myung-eun, the PD, and Go Se-hwa, the Writer, who answered Won-ho’s question.
“Three days. We can only give you three days. If Yoo Gun really decides to withdraw, we’ll need to send out a new audience notice. We’ll have to reshoot your footage as well, and with everything being so tight, we can’t offer any more than that.”
“Of course, that’s three days from our perspective, and the Blue Flare Team will need to prepare a five-member version of the stage, so… things are going to be twice as hectic from now on.”
Whether to let Yoo Gun withdraw as things stood, or wait a bit longer.
Even if they waited, if Yoo Gun didn’t return, those three days would be completely wasted.
No one could speak easily. Ha-jin, whose answer was already decided, was simply waiting for his teammates’ decision.
Do-ha was the first to speak.
“Then I’d like to wait and see.”
It was said matter-of-factly. Do-ha added an explanation in a calm tone.
“If Yoo Gun doesn’t come back, there’s nothing we can do, but if he does, our team is already perfect enough to take the stage tomorrow. I don’t want to preemptively close off the possibility of becoming 100% complete.”
Then Won-ho followed suit, raising his hand in agreement.
“Me too. I’d like to wait as well.”
“You too, Won-ho?”
“…I choreographed this routine with Yoo Gun. There are a lot of moves that only he can pull off, and there are many parts that were completed because he was there. If Yoo Gun is okay, I really want to complete that stage together with him.”
“….”
“And…. I’m partly responsible for why Yoo Gun was misunderstood, aren’t I? If the three of us—me, Kang Ha-jin hyung, and Yoo Gun—perform together on that stage brilliantly… wouldn’t that kind of reaction fade away?”
It was an answer that showed Won-ho had really put thought into it. Just as Won-ho seemed to shrink back at the quiet response from the others, Eun-chan also nodded and raised his hand.
“I want to wait too.”
“…Everyone. You need to think carefully about this. This isn’t just like waiting to go on a school trip with a close friend—this is a serious matter.”
Go Writer spoke in a cold voice, but Eun-chan’s resolve remained unchanged.
“I’m confident I can create a great stage even without Yoo Gun hyung.”
“….”
“I just want to give Yoo Gun hyung time. He needs time too. Getting hurt is painful for anyone, whether it’s their own fault or not.”
As Eun-chan spoke, he looked toward Ha-jin. Ha-jin, who had been listening silently to his teammates’ words the entire time, felt that gaze and lifted his head.
“The last memory always lingers the longest. I hope Yoo Gun’s last memory isn’t like this. If Yoo Gun doesn’t come back, I’ll just take his rap part. The rest of you can have all the vocal parts.”
Eun-chan’s ‘last memory’ was fortunately not so bad. Rather than the dampness of rain from his encounter with Han Sung-woo, the savory warmth of potato soup he’d shared with Ha-jin came to mind first.
Eun-chan hoped Yoo Gun would have the same. It was a tenderness he’d learned from someone.
“…Ha-jin already said he’d wait. I’d like to hear Si-woo’s opinion too.”
“To reiterate, this isn’t a situation where you must answer that you’ll unconditionally wait. Si-woo, think about it coldly and decide carefully.”
“Right. How could anyone say no in an atmosphere like this? Not like that. You really need to think carefully.”
Su-ho and the production team emphasized once more to Si-woo, the last one remaining.
Of course, everyone sitting there knew that if it were Si-woo, even if everyone shouted YES, he would unhesitatingly say NO if that’s what he felt. But the pressure the situation created was another matter entirely.
“….”
Everyone waited for Si-woo’s answer.
And at this very moment, only Ha-jin knew what answer Si-woo would give.
“…Then our team’s opinion is unanimous. Should we meet again in three days?”
In every moment of regression Ha-jin had repeated, Si-woo had always held onto Yoo Gun alongside Ha-jin.
That had never changed once.
‘…Ah.’
Ha-jin bit his lip tightly.
Somehow, tears seemed imminent. He couldn’t understand why.
* * *
Since Yoo Gun hadn’t been answering his teammates’ calls, Su-ho said he would separately inform him that they’d decided to wait for three days. Ha-jin nodded when Su-ho mentioned they planned to visit his home directly anyway since there were things to discuss regarding the current situation.
“…Still not yet?”
“Yes. Not yet.”
“Alright.”
Ever since learning that Ha-jin had repeated regression countless times, Su-ho occasionally asked him ‘Still not yet?’ Since Su-ho couldn’t perceive the regressions, it seemed he was asking to confirm. Su-ho patted Ha-jin’s shoulder.
“Let’s wait and see, Ha-jin. I really want to see your stage this time.”
With those words, Su-ho left the Company to meet Yoo Gun. Ha-jin returned to the Practice Room. Whether Yoo Gun returned or not, he couldn’t neglect his preparation for the competition.
Even if it were a future that would never come.
One day passed.
Yoo Gun did not return.
But Ha-jin decided to be grateful that one day had passed.
Clarification posts about Yoo Gun began appearing in earnest on the Internet.
There were posts written by the Company’s PR Team, but those who knew Yoo Gun well also wrote positively about him.
Another day passed.
SNS erupted in heat once more.
Lee Yu-rang, Yoo Gun’s younger sibling, had reactivated his SNS and posted directly.
(Family photo taken together: Yoo Gun, Yoo-ho, Lee Yu-rang, and Grandfather)
♥ 2,109 Likes
u_luv_u
Hello.
I am Lee Yu-rang, the younger sibling of trainee Lee Yu-gun, who is currently appearing on NTV Miro Maze.
I can no longer bear the malicious rumors surrounding my brother and our family, so I’m writing this post.
I don’t know what our parents look like. I don’t even remember them—from childhood, my family has only ever been my grandfather, my brother, my twin younger sibling, and me. That’s all we’ve ever been.
They say my brother spent every night drinking and smoking with girls?
The same brother who looked after me and my sibling the moment school ended, helped at Grandfather’s Store all evening, then worked the night shift at the Convenience Store, and even cleaned the Public Bathhouse at dawn—the brother who collapsed into bed the moment he came home because he was so exhausted?
The same brother who loved dancing so much but couldn’t afford the Dance Academy, so he worked filming videos there instead, and came home every single day to watch those videos over and over again—is that who you’re talking about?
…Read more
Every line of Yoo-rang’s post burned with fury at those who had condemned his brother.
Those who learned the truth about Yoo Gun swiftly changed their stance. When Miro announced formal ‘legal action’, the shift accelerated dramatically.
– This is why I stayed neutral the whole time… where are all those kids who mindlessly hurled insults back then? They should come out and apologize
– Honestly, I thought it was way too much. It was obviously a malicious edit, but the fact that they made a 19-year-old kid look like a criminal was genuinely grotesque
– The fake controversy post has over a thousand comments, but look at the view count on the clarification post lol
The words that had piled up as everyone took their turn condemning Yoo Gun vanished without a trace. Even though those who had written those posts surely still occupied the same digital space, every comment on the clarification post claimed they’d stayed neutral or had supported Yoo Gun from the start.
Still, Yoo Gun hadn’t returned.
Yet I no longer wavered, simply waiting quietly for tomorrow. Desperately.

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