Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 164

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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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164. Finals (8)
Dan Ha-ru is the Chosen Regressor.
I’d suspected it for a while now, but finally catching definitive proof made my eyes gleam with excitement.
‘Hey. Can you pull up Dan Ha-ru’s traits or anything right now? Use your authority. I’m pretty sure it’s him.’
[System Alert: G-go, Fixed Regressor…!]
‘Yeah. Why? Ah, just throw out some surprise Quest or something. I’m certain about this.’
[System Alert: N-no, well, that’s not it! O-of course it’s important, but…!]
‘Nothing’s more important than catching a Chosen Regressor. Ah, don’t you have any hidden rewards stashed away? Dig around, you bastard. Am I the only one serious about catching a Chosen Regressor? Typical—the Headquarters guys just outsource and pretend they don’t know anything…’
[System Alert: W-we’re announcing 3rd place right now!]
Lost in the joy of finally discovering the truth, I’d momentarily forgotten we were in the middle of the results announcement. Thirteen’s words snapped me back to reality.
1st, 4th, 5th, and 6th place had already been announced.
If 2nd place was Jeong Si-u as expected, then 3rd would likely be either Lee Yu-gun or myself.
Or rather, it had to be.
‘Damn, what if I actually place 3rd? My heart’s pounding like crazy right now.’
[System Alert: A-aaah, I can’t bear to watch…!]
‘Hey. Can’t we just do that thing the Returner did last time? Fast-forward?’
[System Alert: Are you serious?]
[System Alert: (ʘ言ʘ╬) ?]
…That’s how nervous I am, damn it.
Thirteen came rushing at me eagerly, so I quickly averted my gaze.
And finally, the fateful 3rd place was announced.
“3rd place trainee is…! Trainee Jeong Si-u!”
What? Who?
The completely unexpected result made me forget all about Dan Ha-ru being a Chosen Regressor who’d gone insane in his corrupted dark warrior mode, and my eyes widened in shock.
‘Jeong Si-u? Jeong Si-u is 3rd place? That’s insane?’
Then what place am I in?
From that moment on, my lips began to dry up completely.
An inexplicable sense of dread crept up the back of my neck.
‘No, damn it, please, don’t tell me.’
There are countless factors that determine the Finals results.
First, since Miro Maze is an internal survival program, the opinions of the New Artist Development Team and the company can’t be easily ignored,
The switch to one-pick voting after the second elimination round would have some impact too,
“Now, Kairos has only two remaining wings. Just 2nd and 7th place.”
The complacency of fans supporting trainees in the upper ranks,
The awakening of fans supporting trainees in the lower ranks,
“Now then, let’s announce Kairos’s second wing. The 2nd place trainee.”
There are casual viewers who stopped watching because they hated the survival show’s energy drain, but decided to check the Finals results anyway,
And there are cases where trainees unleash their potential on the live broadcast stage and snatch votes from viewers in real-time…
And, and… what else was there.
“A trainee who has always amazed Destiny with fresh, innovative stage concepts, exceptional execution, and versatile talents.”
Or perhaps….
Something significant enough to leave a deep impression on the public right before the Finals could certainly serve as a catalyst for a comeback.
For instance, making a principled statement at an official event despite the risk of backlash, which then sparks an enormous wave of self-reflection within the fanbase, ultimately increasing the overall volume of viral content.
Or perhaps pulling off an image transformation during the Finals itself, becoming a hot topic thanks to a massive visual shock at the final moment on stage.
Or maybe an eliminated trainee posting words of encouragement for a specific trainee alongside heartwarming anecdotes on their personal SNS.
Or even a surprise event where someone accepted a senior artist’s number-one award on their behalf—news of who orchestrated it reaching the senior artist’s fanbase belatedly—could certainly become a game-changing variable.
After all, that fanbase might then conduct a sort of reciprocal voting campaign.
Ah, and there’s another similar possibility too.
Though they never became a direct junior due to their agency’s different color, a solo artist who rose from a girl group and regretted missing out on them might post a voting encouragement message to their fanbase, urging them to vote for that clever trainee who performed their song during the audition.
‘No way. This can’t be real.’
Kang Ha-jin found himself facing the butterfly effect that had descended upon him without his knowing.
“The trainee who will become Kairos’s new wings as our final second-place finisher is!”
In that singular moment.
My heart pounded as if it might burst.
“…Trainee Kang Ha-jin!”
A roar of cheers erupted.
And before my eyes, a blue window appeared as welcome as tears of joy.
[Single Quest 02.]
‘I’m the crazy one in this district!’
Content: You, who will enter (or have entered) Miro.
Overcome the suffocating politics and interference that unfold within,
meet allies who will help you, and achieve a successful debut.
(Removing hidden bombs may lower regression trigger probability and increase Quest success rate)
Remaining time limit: 6 months.
Success reward: Clues for tracking the Regressor
[System Notification: Congratulations. Fixed Regressor!]
[System Notification: (*≧∀≦*)]
Kang Ha-jin gazed at the audience seating with an expression of disbelief.
Among all those people, my vision focused only on those holding merchandise with my name and calling out to me.
Someone in the closest spot to the stage was already crying, shining their phone’s LED app displaying “★My Star Ha-jin, Congratulations on Your Debut★”.
“…Ah.”
After passing through countless timelines.
In this timeline where I’ve struggled desperately to protect this life alone.
“…Ah, this really can’t be real.”
Kang Ha-jin grasped the radiant dream I had dreamed for the first time in my life.
* * *
“When I… stand in this place, there’s really so much I wanted to say.”
I’m done for.
I can’t think of anything to say.
My mind isn’t even blank—it’s like a blank Word document with the cursor blinking, as if I hadn’t written a single word until the night before the deadline.
‘How on earth did those guys ahead of me manage to speak?’
Lee Do-ha. I’m sorry for being surprised when you said you weren’t ready for your debut remarks. You were incredibly composed.
Unable to hide my bewilderment at a reality that still didn’t feel quite real, I gripped the microphone tightly with both hands. My hands were trembling so badly I feared I might drop it.
“Uh, well… honestly, I never thought I’d be able to debut with such a high ranking.”
At best, I’d hoped for third place.
I’d figured I’d land somewhere around seventh at most.
And even if that had happened, I wouldn’t have been too disappointed.
For me, the fact of debuting itself held tremendous meaning.
“But now that I’m standing here like this… so many thoughts are flooding my mind that I don’t know where to start. Though I’m really not usually someone who gets tongue-tied like this, you know? You know what I mean?”
My habit of spouting nonsense whenever I got nervous showed up right on cue.
I didn’t even know what I was saying, just blurting things out, when from somewhere in the audience came a response that was almost a scream—”We know!!!!!” Both the crowd and I burst into laughter.
Only then did my shoulders, which had been rigid and tense, finally relax, and my senses returned to normal.
I held the microphone and thought of the people I needed to thank first.
“…First and foremost, to my mom and dad, who believed in my ‘potential’ for the longest time.”
Kang Ha-jin recalled a very distant day.
For my parents listening to these words now, it was a day that didn’t feel so long ago.
-Can we stop talking about that potential?
-Why are you like that, Ha-jin? Mom believes in you. You can definitely do this.
-Mom, sometimes I…
-….
-I’m scared of my unremarkable future. I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed.
-Ha-jin.
-When you believe in me this much, if I can’t accomplish something, that’s completely my fault, isn’t it?
-….
-So I’ll just do something else instead. Something I’m actually good at, not something with potential.
There were certainly moments when that unconditional trust felt like shackles.
I feared every moment of failure.
I wanted to rationalize my increasingly unremarkable self and live a modest life, but as my parents’ expectations and faith in me grew, I found myself increasingly pathetic for not being able to do so.
“Thank you for raising me to become a son worthy of your trust.”
But looking back,
it was none other than my parents’ belief that always allowed me to rise again from that abyss of failure and fear.
“…I’m finally able to prove that Mom and Dad were right, and that makes me happiest.”
Kang Ha-jin knew well what people said about his parents.
I knew the unsolicited advice and interference disguised as concern—how could they raise their children on such meager means—and the worries my parents carried every night because of it.
“So now, feel free to brag about your son.”
I’m grateful I can be your pride.
Those words alone I barely managed to swallow back down.
I had no intention of stopping this achievement at mere debut.
Those words would be saved for later,
for when I’d climbed even higher.
“My most precious friend, Kang Ha-won. Are you watching?”
The next message was directed at my younger sibling, whose HP was surely hitting rock bottom by now.
“I told you, didn’t I? That in this life, I’d give being an idol a shot.”
My lips curved into a broad, refreshing smile.
“…I did it. Now it’s your turn. Hang in there with your entrance exams, you bastard.”
Recalling how Ha-won had struggled so much with entrance exam stress around this time in my previous life, I sent my heartfelt words of encouragement. Then a perceptive camera director captured Ha-won sitting in the family seating area. The moment Ha-won appeared on the large screen—with his natural hair unstyled and wearing a neat shirt—the audience erupted in cheers once more.
Watching Ha-won on the screen holding his slogan with a face that looked ready to cry at any moment, I felt my own throat tighten. If I cried here, I’d truly become a hopeless crybaby.
“And finally….”
Finally, I needed to express my gratitude to Destiny for choosing me….
“Finally….”
But….
“…Ugh, ah, seriously!”
[System Alert: Just give up…. It’ll be easier if you give up….]
[System Alert: The system shakes its head, remarking that by this point, it seems I was always a faucet of tears to begin with.]
I couldn’t hold back the tears welling up any longer and covered my eyes with my arm as I broke down.
Ironically, my tears only filled the concert hall with an even louder roar of cheers.
Seo Tae-il, who had been at the MC booth in the distance, rushed over to me with tissues in hand. I accepted the tissues he offered and wiped away my tears, managing to continue with my closing remarks.
“Finally, ah, thank you to all of Destiny for choosing me and supporting me!”
I had wanted to say this so badly.
Thinking this to myself alone, I delivered my final remarks with a satisfied smile.
“I am proud of you.”
I really wanted to say this.
“Not simply because you chose me, but because I’m proud of and grateful for the miracles and love you’ve shown me on this journey.”
At every crossroads of regression I’ve faced, I know that without these people, I could have changed nothing.
“…Thank you for becoming my pride.”
I bowed deeply with sincerity.
It was my final greeting as ‘trainee Kang Ha-jin’ and my first greeting as ‘Kairos Kang Ha-jin’.

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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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