Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 165

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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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165. The Finals (9)
“Now, we have one final spot remaining in Kairos.”
Seo Tae-il read from his script in his usual tone, tinged with a hint of melancholy.
“First, I will announce the trainee who must leave this stage, ranked 10th in the final standings.”
“….”
“Final rank 10th. The trainee who must bid us a regrettable farewell is…. Jayden.”
Jayden nodded slightly, as if he had already known it would be him, and embraced the remaining trainees with a wistful expression.
Finding it difficult to convey his complex emotions entirely in Korean, he shared his final thoughts in English, his native language. He spoke of how much joy it had been to spend this time together, and pledged that though he would now return to his homeland, he would continue to pursue the music that they had loved and supported.
“Please remember me and my music.”
With his final remarks complete, Jayden moved to the elimination seating area prepared to the side.
“Next, we will reveal the candidates for 7th and 8th place, whose fates will diverge from here. The final trainee not selected as a candidate will naturally leave this stage as the 9th place finisher.”
The faces of Lee Yu-gun, Kim Won-ho, and Park Jae-young appeared on the screen, divided into three sections.
Seo Tae-il, pausing briefly to build tension in sync with the production team’s cue, slightly furrowed his brow as if he too found this difficult, gestured, and turned away from the camera.
But it was only momentary.
After exhaling several times, Seo Tae-il barely managed to compose himself and opened his mouth.
In what could be the final moment for these trainees, he could not allow himself to steal the spotlight for any reason.
“For Miro Maze, the candidates for final 7th place are…. Lee Yu-gun and Kim Won-ho.”
So it came down to this.
I watched as Yoo Gun and Won-ho stepped forward with expressions I couldn’t quite read.
Jae-young, who had been keeping his eyes tightly shut, relaxed his shoulders upon hearing the result and offered a bittersweet smile.
“…Therefore, Park Jae-young’s journey with Miro Maze has come to an end, with a final rank of 9th place.”
Since the final debut was the highlight, the production team asked Jae-young for his thoughts first. He embraced Won-ho and Yoo Gun respectively, then walked out with confident, spirited steps.
“I’m truly, truly disappointed that I won’t be debuting with my seniors…. But I believe that simply making it this far has been an incredible stroke of luck in my life that will never come again! I’m still young, and I have a long road ahead of me. Please don’t forget me and keep remembering me!”
I looked at Jae-young with admiration, impressed by how much grit he had developed through Miro Maze.
As Jae-young walked toward me to move to the elimination seating area, all the trainees who had been standing on the platform came down to greet him, just as they had done for Jayden.
After exchanging warm yet regretful farewells with the other trainees, Jae-young spotted me and slowed his pace.
“Buddy Jay.”
“…Brother Ha-jin.”
I nodded knowingly and opened my arms, and Jae-young’s face crumpled as he fell into my embrace. As if pouring out all his disappointment and sorrow, he wept against my chest, and I held him silently, patting his back.
“You did well, you did so well…. What you’ve accomplished is truly remarkable.”
If I hadn’t conceived the Miro Maze survival program, Park Jae-young would have already quit being a trainee long ago and moved on to a different life. I recalled the memory that Thirteen had shared with me—that this had been the case in every timeline I had experienced.
“Just as you said, you’re still young. This is only the beginning.”
But now, Park Jae-young had not left Miro, and that choice would set off yet another butterfly effect in his life.
I gently stroked Jae-young’s hair, hoping that butterfly effect would be one of kindness and warmth.
After exchanging several more regretful farewells with the sniffling Jae-young, and after he moved to the elimination seating area.
Now, only two people remained on stage.
“So now, we stand on the threshold of the final 7th place announcement.”
Tense background music looped endlessly throughout the venue.
I gazed at Yoo Gun and Won-ho standing on stage with a heavy heart.
No matter which of them was eliminated and which advanced, my heart would not find peace.
“And now, the trainee who will bear the name of the final member of Kairos is….”
Looking back on it now, Kang Ha-jin had always possessed an uncanny intuition.
He hadn’t easily believed his own ranking, but the very fact that he’d predicted—in a single moment—that he might be second rather than Yoo Gun was proof of his sixth sense.
What that meant was….
“The final trainee to debut as the 7th member is… Yoo Gun.”
Perhaps he had known all along that things would unfold this way.
Ha-jin, finally confronting the farewell he’d long denied, closed his eyes.
* * *
“…Ah.”
When his name was never called, Won-ho felt something inside him snap cleanly in two.
‘Finally.’
Most people would call that feeling ‘reason,’ but Won-ho was different.
If he had to put this sensation into words, it would be….
Liberation? Relief? Freedom?
‘I knew it would be like this.’
Yes, that was it.
It felt like hearing the final bell of a test he’d been preparing for all this time.
He probably wouldn’t have gotten a perfect score anyway,
and he could already recall several answers he’d gotten wrong,
and he did regret not preparing properly in the days before,
but regardless, the test was over now, and he’d poured everything he had into it, so there was nothing more he could do or change.
Yet the provisional answer sheet had turned out far better than expected, leaving him both bewildered and wistful—wishing he’d pushed himself just a little harder.
“…Um, well, I mean, I really didn’t think it would turn out like this…. Ah, what should I even say.”
In the distance, Yoo Gun was rambling through his remarks, his words tumbling over each other.
On the broadcast screen, Yoo Gun’s twin younger siblings and his grandfather were wiping away tears.
And beyond them, the six who had secured their debut appeared in Won-ho’s vision like a single frozen photograph.
‘I really… wasn’t confident.’
Until the very end, he’d harbored that faint hope of ‘what if?’—but ultimately, Won-ho couldn’t envision himself standing in that place, grouped with them. Even if he’d been fortunate enough to debut, wouldn’t he have constantly felt his own inadequacy, tormented by inferiority among them?
Thinking about it that way… Won-ho came to believe once more that this was the right result.
‘Who am I to blame? I didn’t prepare myself.’
Blaming himself now for neglecting his practice wouldn’t change the outcome anyway.
It took reaching the finals, and then being eliminated in 8th place in those finals,
for Won-ho to finally break free from everything and reclaim his natural cheerfulness.
‘Still… it’s a shame. I was just starting to get a real sense of direction.’
Nineteen years old was such an ambiguous, nebulous boundary in the idol world.
Young enough to debut immediately, yet simultaneously too old to start fresh training.
Knowing he had to leave Miro like everyone else, he felt a creeping dread and uncertainty. Most of all, what stung was the possibility that he might never get another chance to challenge himself like this.
‘Seok-i said he’d go back to school.’
And me…. I only have one semester left, and I obviously didn’t prepare for college entrance exams either—what do I do now?
As practical worries and thoughts overwhelmed Won-ho, Yoo Gun had finished his remarks, and the microphone was being passed to him.
Won-ho accepted the microphone and stepped before the camera.
And in the moment he faced the countless spectators watching him, something deep within his heart finally crumbled.
“…I…”
The dam of emotion burst, and a tidal wave swept through his consciousness.
In the wake of that deluge, the true feelings Won-ho had long denied came to the surface.
“I wanted to climb higher.”
I wanted to do more.
I wanted to rise further.
Like them, I wanted to perform on a stage that set someone’s heart ablaze with passion.
Even knowing I was woefully inadequate for such a place.
“I knew I was lacking…”
And yet, Won-ho only wanted to shine.
“I know coming this far is overwhelming, truly an honor. But…still.”
I wanted to prove that my limits extended to somewhere higher.
“Still, I wanted so badly to debut together with all of you.”
Won-ho did not cry.
If he wept now, it would feel like admitting his limitations ended here.
With eyes wide open to hold back any tears, Won-ho maintained a steadfast smile and offered what might be his final farewell to his fans somewhere in the audience.
“…Thank you for loving me, even when I couldn’t love myself. For letting me dream. For supporting and cherishing me until the very end…. I’m truly grateful.”
At Won-ho’s final words, the Destiny members became unified in their applause.
They all knew he was one of the trainees who had suffered the most throughout Miro Maze.
After finishing his remarks, Won-ho and Yoo Gun stood together to move toward center stage.
The moment Yoo Gun saw Won-ho, his expression became indescribable, and Won-ho offered him a smile devoid of any selfishness.
“What’s with that face? Anyone would think you got eliminated and I debuted.”
“….”
“…Congratulations on your debut, Yoo Gun. I guess I’ll have to buy the album myself?”
-…You really don’t plan to debut?
-I said no. When you debut, I’ll buy you an album.
Won-ho repeated the words he’d spoken in the practice room long ago, and Yoo Gun let out a helpless laugh. Yet his face looked ready to break into tears at any moment. Won-ho deliberately smiled wider and teased him further.
“When you have a concert, make sure to reserve my ticket. If you need choreography ideas, call me. You know I’m good at choreography—you admitted it yourself. Your younger sibling likes me too.”
“…Yeah. So when I get home, I’m going to get beaten to death by Rang for debuting instead of you.”
“That’s a bit unfair, so just take about five hits and call it even.”
At that, Yoo Gun finally let out a quiet laugh and nodded.
The two embraced once before walking toward the central stage where the other trainees waited.
Now one would ascend the podium, and one would take the elimination seat.
“Kim Won-ho.”
After walking that long yet brief path and reaching the stage with the trainees, the one who came forward to greet Won-ho was none other than Ha-jin.
“…Kang Ha-jin.”
In truth, Won-ho had envied Ha-jin.
Won-ho actually envied Ha-jin.
Despite starting from the same starting line as him—or perhaps even further behind—we both began together.
Even though we were often paired together as “Monthly Evaluation Group” and received love as a combination.
The moment the gap between him and Ha-jin became visibly real before my eyes, I could no longer look at Ha-jin with the ease I once had. It was purely because of my own inferiority.
“…We ended up not being able to debut together and be roommates after all. What a shame. If I’d known it would turn out like this, I should’ve spent the last week playing hard with you instead.”
To someone like me whose limits seemed so clear, Ha-jin kept telling me I could do more. Sometimes I wanted to avoid him. When I heard his words, I’d feel a strange swelling of hope, as if I could become something—and it felt a bit overwhelming.
Yet now, with everything having passed, Won-ho realized how futile such thoughts had been.
Because Ha-jin was approaching him with a more sorrowful expression than anyone else could bear.
“Congratulations on your debut, hyung. I thought you’d do well.”
“…Me too.”
Ha-jin stood there with an expression impossible to read—whether angry or sad—and suddenly spoke to Won-ho.
Then, clenching his teeth to keep from crying, he looked at Won-ho with reddened eyes.
“…I wanted to debut with you too.”
Just. Stats and all that—none of it mattered.
Just. My beloved younger sibling.
The one I’ve been with since the monthly evaluation—I wanted to debut with you.
The words Ha-jin swallowed, Won-ho would never be able to hear for the rest of his life.
Yet in this moment, Won-ho could sense that Ha-jin’s heart was sincere.
Won-ho smiled brightly and answered Ha-jin’s words with genuine sincerity.
“…Yeah. Me too.”
[System Alert: ‘Kim Won-ho’ is responding to you. (Response Rate: 92.3%)
‘Kim Won-ho’ can now be recruited.]
[Will you recruit? (Y/N)]
Ha-jin pulled Won-ho into an embrace, his face on the verge of tears as he held them back with all his might.
Won-ho embraced him in return, smiling brightly with genuine joy.
* * *
The Finals ended like that.
As day faded, stars began to shine in the sky.
Yet our time had not come to an end.
[System Alert: Sudden Quest!]
Content: The foundation of an Idol Group is teamwork!
Clear away any uncomfortable feelings between team members,
and share a moment to hear each other’s true hearts.
Perhaps it will become an opportunity to reflect on my own heart?
Success Reward:
– Unexpected Fortune (Butterfly Effect)
Rewards will be received.
A tender breeze blew gently toward us all.

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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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