Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 163

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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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163. The Finals (7)
“First and foremost, the trainee who has secured their debut as the final rank 1 contestant.”
Ha-jin felt as though even the sound of breathing had vanished from the concert hall.
In truth, since this was an Entertainment Agency survival program, the debut ranking wouldn’t significantly impact subsequent group activities. The Broadcasting Station had mentioned offering various benefits, but those were tied to individual promotions anyway—still a distant concern.
‘But why am I trembling? It won’t be me anyway.’
Yet the authority and pressure that came with the title of “rank 1” couldn’t be easily dismissed.
A heavy silence so profound that even the faint sound of swallowing seemed audible.
Seo Tae-il broke through that silence and called out the name of glory.
“Miro Maze final rank 1!”
“….”
“The first trainee to become Kairos’s new wing is… Seo Tae-hyun!”
The moment his name was called, Tae-hyun simply collapsed into his seat.
An enormous roar engulfed the concert hall. An old pop song that Tae-hyun frequently mentioned as his favorite played as the BGM.
Ha-jin watched as Tae-hyun, supported by Si-woo and Eun-chan, barely managed to stand and make his way to the central stage where the debut podium awaited. Applause filled with congratulations accompanied him.
“Trainee Seo Tae-hyun. Three years ago, you stood on this very stage with debut within reach, only to turn away. Now, three years later, you’ve finally claimed that dream. Congratulations.”
To Seo Tae-il’s congratulations, Tae-hyun—his face already swollen from crying—could only nod in response.
Still, the acceptance speech from rank 1 couldn’t be skipped, so Seo Tae-hyun did his best to compose himself and took the microphone.
“…Um, first, I want to thank my parents, my uncle, and all of Destiny for believing in me and bringing me to this moment. I’m truly… truly grateful.”
On the large screen, fans holding placards with Tae-hyun’s name were displayed.
Seeing the screen, Tae-hyun’s eyes turned red again as tears streamed down, but he managed to regain his composure and continue his speech.
“During these three years, there were many moments when I wanted to give up…. There were times I genuinely tried to quit.”
Tae-hyun’s voice grew thick with emotion as he turned his gaze toward the stage where the other trainees remained.
“But because I had friends who were with me through all of it, I was able to truly endure. Especially….”
Despite the considerable distance between the central stage where Tae-hyun stood and the stage where Ha-jin was positioned, Ha-jin felt their eyes meet with perfect clarity.
The moment Ha-jin flinched, his name came from Tae-hyun’s lips.
“Ha-jin hyung, who brought me to this stage when I was ready to abandon everything and run away. And Ha-ru, who told me every time things got hard that you wanted to debut together with me. Finally, Eun-chan, who gave me strength whenever I felt alone. I’m truly grateful. I really… really hope we can all debut together.”
By the end, Tae-hyun had nearly broken down into sobs as he finished his speech and took his place at rank 1. Even in that emotional chaos, he was careful to mention only those three names before stepping aside, as if worried others might feel hurt, and he made sure to acknowledge the other trainees as well before leaving.
“Next is the rank 5 trainee. This trainee’s position is rap.”
The faces of Lee Do-ha, Jayden, and Lee Yu-gun—the three trainees handling the rap position among the ten—were displayed in a three-way split on the screen.
And soon, one face filled the entire screen.
“Miro Maze final rank 5! Trainee Lee Do-ha!”
Unlike Tae-hyun before him, Do-ha showed little change in expression even after his name was called.
‘Wow, seriously. Is he a Buddha or something?’
Ha-jin genuinely marveled at Do-ha’s composure and clicked his tongue.
But the truly shocking moment came next.
“…Um. Well. So….”
‘Is Lee Do-ha stuttering?’
Lee Do-ha, who had shown no emotional change whatsoever, began trembling the moment he took the microphone at the central stage. He was supposed to give his debut speech, but even after more than a minute passed, he couldn’t easily open his mouth. It was so bad that Seo Tae-il, watching from the side, had to step in with a comment to break the silence.
Finally regaining his composure, Lee Do-ha carefully delivered his speech.
“…Thank you.”
“….”
“From the moment I began dreaming of music, my dream has always been to be part of an Idol Group.”
“….”
“Thank you for making my dream come true, for giving me the chance to achieve it.”
Lee Do-ha’s closing remarks sounded like a declaration to those who had mocked him for choosing to be an idol instead of a rapper. Do-ha lowered the microphone, then bowed ninety degrees toward the audience seating and cameras.
And with just the slightest hesitation, he added one more brief phrase.
“Father.”
Do-ha’s lips opened and closed several times.
Just before those lips could seal shut completely, Lee Do-ha’s heavy, low voice rang out with quiet composure.
“…I did it.”
That was where Lee Do-ha’s closing remarks ended.
Yet Ha-jin could sense that those few words carried an inexplicable depth of emotion.
Watching Do-ha finish his piece and calmly return to his seat, Ha-jin bit the inside of his cheek slightly.
‘…Man, I’m jealous.’
I want to be called out like that too, want to say Mom and Dad and Kang Ha-won’s name. Seriously.
Only then did Ha-jin realize just how tense he had become.
Like seventeen seconds before the announcement of early admission acceptance to his first-choice university.
Or three seconds before military assignment results were finalized.
Or right before clicking to check broadcasting station entry-level PD recruitment interview results.
Or maybe two minutes and ten seconds before the ticket sale for that legendary singer’s concert his mother wanted to see….
[System Alert: …Why so detailed?]
‘Ah, damn! You scared me!’
Just as Ha-jin was retracing every moment of nerve-wracking tension he’d ever experienced in his life, Thirteen suddenly materialized before his eyes. Ha-jin was so startled by the unexpected appearance that he nearly forgot this was a live broadcast and almost screamed, but he barely managed to hold it back by biting hard on the inside of his cheek.
Of course, the sharp pain that followed was an added bonus.
‘…Are you trying to ruin my personality?’
[System Notification: Could anything get worse… . (๑•̌.•̑๑)ˀ̣ˀ̣ (Sorry ㅠㅁㅠ)]
Ah, so the speech bubble changed.
Ha-jin grumbled while thinking about whoever was responsible for the grid work—it was pathetic.
‘Why’d you suddenly show up? Where’s the Returner?’
[System Alert: Yes. No sign of him. And….]
[System Alert: Still, we should watch the results announcement together.]
[System Alert: After all this time we’ve rushed through.]
‘After all this time we’ve rushed through?’
[System Alert: The Chosen Regressor’s intermittent procrastination and habitual threats and extortion, the dilemmas and anguish I’ve endured as Time Management Authority wondering each time ‘is this really okay’….]
‘Yeah, I got it. Stop. That’s enough, enough.’
At the litany of past karma that Thirteen rattled off without hesitation, Ha-jin waved his hand dismissively like shooing away a bug.
[System Alert: …I too hope the Chosen Regressor debuts. Separate from the Quest.]
Thirteen, who had been dodging Ha-jin’s gesture by darting around, let slip a genuine sentiment. Then, as if embarrassed, he reduced his own opacity by half and faded away, which made Ha-jin laugh despite himself—but his mood was good.
‘Yeah. That debut—let’s make it happen.’
* * *
After that, the announcement proceeded swiftly.
“The trainee in 4th place is… Ju Eun-chan.”
As expected, Eun-chan secured a respectable ranking and made his debut. However, Ha-jin was actually startled that he wasn’t in 3rd place.
‘I naturally assumed Goguryeo, Silla, and Baekje would take first, second, and third.’
Here, Goguryeo, Silla, and Baekje referred to Ju Eun-chan, Seo Tae-hyun, and Jeong Si-u respectively.
With steady demand and a solid core fanbase built without any missteps, Eun-chan’s 4th place ranking caused quite a stir.
“I will never disappoint you, Destiny. Thank you for this opportunity!”
Despite his consistently high rankings, Eun-chan didn’t seem particularly bothered by the lower position.
Ju Eun-chan, who delivered his debut remarks far more composedly than his two older members, calmly walked up to the podium.
“…Why is he like that?”
Yet his nervousness was impossible to hide.
At some point, Eun-chan’s arms and legs moved out of sync as he walked, and before anyone knew it, he abandoned his own seat and plopped himself directly onto Do-ha’s lap.
“…I-I’m so sorry!”
As Eun-chan jumped up in horror, Do-ha barely managed to calm him down, and the situation was resolved.
It was technically a broadcast accident given how sudden it was, but thanks to it, the tense and frightening atmosphere of the concert hall eased considerably.
Ha-jin focused intently on mentally calculating the rankings alongside the remaining trainees.
‘There are too many variables. The middle ranks dropped faster than I expected.’
Considering that he and Ha-ru had been ranked 7th and 8th respectively in the previous round, the moment trainees who should have received higher rankings filled the middle positions, the calculations became far more complex.
‘The safest and most likely scenario is Dan Ha-ru taking 6th and me taking 7th…. Among the remaining trainees, the ones with a solid shot at debut are Jeong Si-u, Lee Yu-gun, and possibly Kim Won-ho if things go well. Jeong Si-u will obviously take 2nd anyway, so he’s out of the equation….’
So someone among the remaining candidates made a massive jump all the way to 3rd place—but who?
‘…Could it be me?’
Given that this final vote was a one-pick vote, he was the only one among the remaining trainees with favorable conditions for a rank increase.
But even so, could a development like ‘I was on the borderline of debut in the last evaluation, and now I’m 3rd in the finals!?’ actually happen?
Just before Ha-jin’s mind filled with every possible scenario, Seo Tae-il called the next trainee.
“We will now announce the trainee in 6th place.”
‘Please, please. At least let it be a surprise. Then my mind could rest easier, please….’
“Barely crossing the threshold of Miro Maze and stepping into Kairos, the 6th place trainee is…!”
A sharp intake of breath was heard for a moment, and as Seo Tae-il’s eyes darted back and forth between the script and monitors, they finally fixed on one point.
“The trainee in 6th place is… Dan Ha-ru!”
Done.
At least I’d escaped the fear that the Chosen Regressor (presumed) might fail to debut and experience a regression on finals day.
As Ha-jin’s heart settled, Ha-ru slowly walked to the podium and took the microphone to deliver his remarks.
“…Um.”
Dan Ha-ru seemed unable to grasp the reality, his lips trembling with a bewildered expression.
As he fumbled for words, his fingers fidgeting, Dan Ha-ru spoke of something different—not the typical gratitude toward parents or fans that people usually express.
“…Lately, honestly, every single day has been a little frightening.”
Because I’m so happy.
His added words carried genuine sincerity.
“I have nightmares often. In those dreams, there are no wonderful hyungs like you, no Destiny who love me, no beautiful and glamorous stage like this—I’m always alone.”
If Dan Ha-ru really were the Chosen Regressor.
I found myself wondering if the dreams he was speaking of might be those timelines that child had unconsciously remembered. Ha-jin, too, frequently—very frequently—dreamed of worn memories.
“Sometimes, honestly, I’d think: what if that’s reality and this is the dream? I’d get so caught up in those thoughts that there were days when everything felt so, so overwhelming. But what I’m trying to say is….”
Dan Ha-ru struggled to organize his words, eventually rubbing his forehead with his hand and wearing a pained expression.
“These days, I’m so excited about tomorrow. It makes me so happy!”
In that moment, Ha-jin felt a powerful sense of déjà vu and lifted his head.
“My grandmother told me that. She said if you just live through today, then someday you’ll reach a moment where you look forward to tomorrow.”
—If you just live through today, someday you’ll reach a moment where you look forward to tomorrow, even for you.
Where had I heard that before…? Where exactly? I definitely heard it….
[Then would you like to go back? To a moment when you were happy.]
“…Ah, I remember now.”
Right after the first round ended.
In the Chosen Regressor’s first timeline that I accessed after meeting that bastard Dol-ja.
Those were the words the Orphanage Director had spoken—the one who had passed away in an accident.

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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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