Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 179

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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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179. The Earth Is Round (3)
Whether fortunate or unfortunate, when Lee Do-ha reached out to meet, Lee Hyun-il replied that he would visit the Company before lunch. Since Lee Do-ha, who had woken earlier than me, had already taken care of contacting the Company, all I needed to do was wash up and get ready the moment I opened my eyes.
I washed immediately upon waking, changed clothes, unpacked my luggage that I’d brought in the carrier the night before, and then sat on the living room sofa, thinking seriously.
‘…Being carried by the team members is pretty damn sweet, isn’t it?’
I mean, in all my life, I’d never experienced such hard carrying before.
It was rare to just sit back and let others solve everything for me, so the feeling was unfamiliar, but my body certainly felt comfortable. Thinking about how my group project teammates in school must have enjoyed school with this kind of treatment made me feel inexplicably frustrated and bitter.
As I was pressing the sofa cushions repeatedly while thinking about my future group members—probably bright-eyed high school students preparing for college entrance exams right now—Yoo Gun emerged from the kitchen wearing a yellow checkered apron, carrying a tray.
“Stop taking out your frustration on the cushion and eat.”
“Is that informal or formal speech?”
“Ah. It’s just a habit.”
“So now you’ve decided to treat me like a grandfather outright.”
As Yoo Gun and I transferred the breakfast spread from the tray to the living room table, the meal was more elaborate than I expected.
Braised short ribs, various pancakes…
Seaweed soup with mussels, plus all sorts of kimchi and seasoned vegetables—at first, I wondered if today was Chuseok.
Even though it was still early August, summer, and autumn hadn’t even arrived yet.
“…Did you have some kind of celebration yesterday?”
“I was going to, but since you collapsed, it fell through.”
“Ah.”
I accepted that explanation and popped a meatball into my mouth to stop talking. I didn’t know which household had made it, but the seasoning was impeccable.
“Wow. These meatballs are seriously delicious. Who made them? I should thank them.”
“I bought them from the supermarket.”
“Hmm. From now on, every time I go to the supermarket, I’ll have to bow and say thank you to the store.”
Really, nothing was going right today.
I’d never been particularly warm to begin with, but today Yoo Gun seemed more distant than usual, so I shoved a second meatball into my mouth.
The other members hadn’t woken up yet, so I was waiting for Lee Do-ha to come out so we could eat together. I thought Yoo Gun would just head to his room, but instead he plopped down across from me, still holding the tray.
“…?”
“….”
“…What. Why.”
Yoo Gun raised one leg, rested his arm on his knee, propped his chin on his hand, and stared at me intently. When I asked why, he didn’t answer, just fixed me with a gaze like a sulking wolf, then shook his head slowly and stood up.
“Hey. Stop. What was that head shaking about?”
“Never mind.”
“No, I haven’t done anything yet, so why are you acting like something’s already settled?”
“…Since you’re not the type to give up and run away like me anyway, there’s nothing I can say.”
Have a good day. Wash the dishes when you’re done eating.
With those words, Yoo Gun dragged his long legs toward his room and disappeared inside.
I stared blankly at his retreating figure, wondering what he meant, when a memory flashed through my mind like déjà vu.
-This stage we created together has no meaning without you.
As the scene came back to me—when I’d sat Yoo Gun down during the Infinite Yoo Gun crisis and fed him pork belly rice while coaxing him—I finally understood what he meant, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
Had he wanted to do something similar to what I’d done back then?
Thinking such thoughts, I picked up a third meatball to eat, and that’s when Lee Do-ha walked out of the bathroom.
“Why are you smiling like that?”
“I didn’t know Yoo Gun had such a generous heart. He’s paying back the pork with short ribs. What a good kid.”
“…?”
As Lee Do-ha looked bewildered, I heaped a generous spoonful of braised short ribs onto a bowl of white rice.
As the saying goes, Koreans run on rice. Even Diamond Mountain pales after a good meal. And a ghost who dies on a full stomach looks better for it.
Before heading out to face old grudges, at least my stomach should be full so I can shout or grab someone by the collar if needed.
Burning with resolve, I devoured every last grain of the breakfast Yoo Gun had prepared. As a bonus, instead of brushing my teeth in anger, I scrubbed the dishes in anger until they gleamed.
* * *
When I arrived at the Company in the manager’s car, Lee Hyun-il was already there waiting.
‘Was his place in Seoul?’
Trying to recall Lee Hyun-il’s trivial details that I’d forgotten, we headed toward the Conference Room where he was waiting. As we walked down the Hallway, I felt the gazes of passing employees lingering on me.
“If possible, try not to make eye contact with people and walk quickly. There are many outsiders around, so it’s best to avoid them altogether.”
Under normal circumstances, I would have greeted them with a pleasant smile, but given the situation, even the manager felt compelled to add his two cents. I continued walking, feeling the manager’s shadow as he deliberately positioned himself between me and Lee Do-ha, his large frame shielding us from view.
And soon after, we finally arrived at our destination.
“First, to facilitate smooth conversation, we’ve arranged for Company staff not to enter the Conference Room. However, since we need to monitor the contents of your discussion, we’ll connect a call through the phone inside the Conference Room and listen in real-time while recording. Please keep this in mind. This arrangement has already been agreed upon with Lee Hyun-il.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
With a brisk explanation, the manager entered the adjacent Conference Room first.
I took a breath to steady myself, exchanged a meaningful glance with Lee Do-ha, and then opened the door.
“…H-Ha-jin hyung.”
Lee Hyun-il, who had been sitting with an anxious expression, jumped up in surprise when he saw me, then flinched slightly at the sight of Lee Do-ha following behind. Even I had to admit that the two of us entering together was an intimidating visual, so I sat down without further comment.
“Hey. It’s been a while.”
“Yeah. It really has.”
The initial greeting was more subdued than I expected.
The Lee Hyun-il I remembered was a bit rounder back then and had a lisp. Because of that, he was looked down upon and teased among the trainees, and it pained me to see it. Even though I couldn’t do much openly because of the other guys’ attitudes, I tried to look out for him whenever I got the chance.
Though I had no idea what Lee Hyun-il himself thought about it.
I glanced sideways at the phone on the desk to confirm the call was going through properly, then clasped my hands together and got down to business.
“You said you wanted to talk to me, so you reached out. And you know who wrote the exposé post.”
“Hyung. It’s Park Shin-wook. Do you remember Park Shin-wook? The kid who was close with Yu Gwang-chae hyung.”
Park Shin-wook and Yu Gwang-chae.
Even though it had been a long time since I’d heard those names, their faces flashed before my eyes the moment I heard them. Especially Yu Gwang-chae—his name was so distinctive that I could never forget it. Perhaps it was because I’d seen his face in my nightmares so many times.
-Hey, Kang Ha-jin! Let’s go practice together.
-From now on, we’re not practicing with you.
The person who one day naturally pulled me into his group, and then the next day suddenly cut me off from everyone.
As I recalled the existence of Park Shin-wook, who was always tagging along beside him, Lee Hyun-il continued urgently.
“After you left, our company went under pretty soon after. His auditions all fell through, and he struggled adapting to school, so he’s been complaining a lot recently. Then he saw you on Miro Maze and I guess he lost it.”
Lee Hyun-il grew animated as he showed me the private SNS and messenger screenshots he’d captured from Park Shin-wook.
“Even before you left, he just listened to what Yu Gwang-chae hyung said and insisted you were a bad person. But you wouldn’t know since you left the company, but after you did, he and Yu Gwang-chae hyung subtly turned public opinion and got people to ostracize others. I was a victim too.”
“….”
“And now he comes out of nowhere writing posts like this about you. It’s ridiculous, and at least I know you’re not that kind of person, so I thought I’d reach out to see if there’s anything I can help with.”
Lee Hyun-il seemed genuinely eager to help me. Or perhaps more accurately, he seemed more motivated to get back at Park Shin-wook for ostracizing him.
What followed was an endless stream of complaints about how subtly Park Shin-wook and Yu Gwang-chae’s group had ostracized him, and how unfair the whole ordeal had been.
I listened to Lee Hyun-il’s words patiently until the very end. Only after he finished did I open my mouth.
While listening to Lee Hyun-il’s story, I couldn’t help myself—I had to speak.
“But Hyun-il.”
“Huh?”
“You did the same thing.”
How hollow it felt to hear him say this right in front of me now.
“You guys did that to me too. One day out of nowhere, you called me out to the practice room and said you wouldn’t practice with me. After that, you mocked me behind my back, ridiculed me, made fun of me. Don’t you remember?”
“….”
“Honestly, I don’t know what to say right now. You did that to me, and then after I left the company, you even deleted my contact information. So why are you bringing this up now?”
I hadn’t changed my phone number once since middle school.
So if Lee Hyun-il had wanted to, he could have easily found my number as someone who trained alongside me back then. But Lee Hyun-il found Lee Do-ha’s contact information first, before mine.
I wasn’t stupid enough not to understand what that meant.
“Fine. Since we’re on the subject, let me ask you. Why did you guys do that to me back then? We were getting along fine, and then suddenly one day you just did it. Did my words and actions really hurt you that much?”
“Hyung, that’s….”
“I know my personality wasn’t great back then. But honestly, it wasn’t enough to warrant turning your backs on me like that in an instant, let alone mocking and ridiculing me constantly afterward.”
“….”
“You guys didn’t just cut ties with me because we fought. You ostracized me as a group. Since it’s come to this anyway, let’s just know the reason. Why did you do that back then?”
As I spoke, emotions surged up and my voice grew heated.
As my voice began to rise, Lee Do-ha gently grabbed my shoulder to stop me. I barely managed to lower my voice and suppress my anger. Lee Hyun-il looked flustered, his eyes darting nervously as he fidgeted with his hands.
It was Lee Do-ha, watching us both, who mediated the suddenly tense situation.
“…I don’t know the details of your situation.”
“….”
“But if you really want to help Ha-jin, I think it’s important that you tell us everything honestly. Unless you’re trying to use us because of your desire for revenge.”
Lee Do-ha looked intimidating at first glance, and dressed entirely in black with a heavy voice to match, his words made Lee Hyun-il inhale sharply. Then, as if pondering his answer, he chewed his lips and lowered his head.
“….”
“….”
And how much time passed after that.
Lee Hyun-il finally opened his mouth about “the truth of that day.”
“Actually….”
“….”
“If I’m being completely honest, there was no reason.”
“What?”
“You just happened to rub us the wrong way. That’s all.”
And that “truth” was far too light compared to my past ten years.

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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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