Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 18

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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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18. The Most Effective Way to Defuse a Bomb (3)
“Seven years. A full seven years I’ve been doing this.”
Like a man who had finally broken free from his chains, Seo Tae-hyun began pouring out his grievances.
“They called me a ‘cherry boy’ and made me do the same saccharine aegyo over and over. Even when I asked to try different songs, they kept forcing me into these bright, bubbly concepts. I endured it all. I had no complaints because just being on stage was a blessing.”
“….”
“But at the finals, they eliminated me for being too refreshing. Too youthful, they said. Too childish. They never even gave me a chance to show them anything different.”
He was talking about his time at Boy Heaven. I recalled the complex feelings I’d had watching Seo Tae-hyun during that show in my previous life, and for now, I simply listened to what he had to say.
“I endured being dragged to event after event because of the Executive Director. I endured being locked away in the Practice Room with nothing to do because of the Executive Director. I did it all because I wanted to debut. Because I desperately wanted to stand on that stage.”
“If you could endure all that, you could’ve endured a bit longer.”
“Enduring won’t change anything—I’m not going to debut anyway!”
Seo Tae-hyun’s voice cracked with frustration as he shouted. But the moment the words left his mouth, he seemed startled by his own outburst, his breath catching. Just as he was about to bite his lip again, perhaps remembering my words, he hesitated and lowered his head, his voice dropping to barely a whisper.
“…I’m sorry. For yelling.”
“….”
“I’m just going to quit. I’m sick of smiling and watching everyone’s faces all the time.”
“No, hyung. What are you saying? You can’t just quit.”
Seo Tae-hyun spoke while swallowing back tears, his resolve already hardened. Only Dan Ha-ru, who had stumbled upon his senior’s sudden resignation announcement, whimpered like a puppy trying to console him.
And I found myself thinking.
‘What exactly is this guy?’
There had been a brief moment when I’d suspected he might be a regressor himself. Among the trainees at Miro, he was the one who most clearly wanted to regress frequently and quickly.
‘But if he were a regressor, he would’ve already regressed and debuted by now instead of talking about seven years. Seo Tae-hyun isn’t one.’
Then came the second consideration.
As a fellow member necessary for a successful debut, was Seo Tae-hyun suitable? I’d calculated this too while watching him sleep at the Animal Hospital last time. After all, he was guaranteed to bring attention to the group.
‘But I know. I know his future.’
He won’t make it. He didn’t make it. I’m someone who genuinely sympathizes with his failure, but the data from my previous life was clear.
Then only one possibility remained.
‘A bomb that needs to be defused. …The problem is, this one has potential.’
An idol trainee who, before even debuting, lost control of his emotions, joined a different agency, and got into a fistfight with that agency’s next male idol—and a key member at that.
Some might say it was just boys roughhousing, nothing serious since no one got badly hurt. But with idols, the rules change entirely. If this incident spiraled out of control, if rumors spread after debut, he’d instantly become labeled as a brawler, fair game for the wolves.
[Maple] Idols really do have it easy
Fans shield them even when they assault people
– Right? No shame at all
– Honestly if she were a female idol she’d be done for. The double standard is real
└ Why are you turning this into a gender issue
└ He’s already getting plenty of hate
Honestly, I relate to that…lol If he were a female idol, it would be even worse.
“He was like, ‘What’s the big deal? Boys can fight with each other sometimes’ lol lol his defense was crazy”
‘I’m already dreading the community’s reaction.’
I have to achieve a ‘successful’ debut. If Seo Tae-hyun is a bomb, then I don’t need to go out of my way to stop him from leaving.
Yet the only reason he continues to weigh on my mind is one simple fact.
“Seo Tae-hyun.”
“….”
“Why did you hit Cha Min-seok?”
The face of the guy saying he couldn’t debut looked so much like my past self—the one who’d given up on everything and buried myself in bed.
“Answer me. Why would a trainee who should be practicing at Miro come all the way here and beat up Cha Min-seok?”
“….”
“Not going to answer?”
“He didn’t hit him, sir.”
I was about to decide whether to let Seo Tae-hyun be ‘eliminated’ or not, depending on his answer.
“They were just having a conversation that got a bit loud. A passing staff member misunderstood and blew it out of proportion.”
What was this sculpture?
A white statue—looking like it was saying this golden building was erected for me—stood before the conference room door with an indignant expression. Devastatingly handsome, yet somehow I felt like I’d seen that face before.
“…Min-seok hyung.”
Ah, Cha Min-seok.
Only after hearing Dan Ha-ru’s voice did the Cha Min-seok from my past life click into place. The next sculpture of Rene Entertainment—neater and more subdued than I remembered—walked into the conference room with a considerably twisted expression.
Cha Min-seok’s face, with his black coat and gray turtleneck pulled up to his chin, was in better condition than expected. Actually, there wasn’t a single scratch on it.
“What, so he beat you up?”
“Don’t waste time interrogating a kid who doesn’t even have the guts to throw a punch.”
“….”
“Stop making a scene and leave.”
His tone was equally sharp. Seo Tae-hyun glared coldly at Cha Min-seok’s irritable demeanor, then deliberately looked away as if he couldn’t stand the sight of him.
“If this gets any louder, it won’t do me any good, so just go.”
Wait, this bastard has been—
“Excuse me.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t you see I’m disciplining the kid? Keep it down.”
“You’re talking to the victim—”
“You just said it wasn’t one-sided, that they were just talking. Which is it?”
“This is our company!”
“So what?”
At my irritated retort, Cha Min-seok’s eyes merely blinked. He looked like some imperial prince, so his personality clearly didn’t match his appearance. A strange tension hung between us as Cha Min-seok stood firm against my words.
Just as the atmosphere was growing increasingly hostile without either of us saying another word—
“Let’s go now. Come on, get out. Tae-hyun, you go prepare yourself for a scolding.”
With perfect timing, as if everything had been settled, Ji Su-ho opened the conference room door and called us out.
With Ji Su-ho—practically a guardian to the trainees—saying that, I couldn’t keep pushing back, and besides, we were the ones who’d barged in here in the first place.
We had to move to a different location amid the uncomfortable atmosphere.
“Seo Tae-hyun.”
Cha Min-seok suddenly called out to Seo Tae-hyun as he was leaving with Dan Ha-ru. Seo Tae-hyun deliberately ignored him, walking past without acknowledging him, but Cha Min-seok didn’t stop there.
“I’m confirmed to debut in June.”
“…So what?”
“If you don’t want to call me senior, you should spend this time doing vocal practice instead of coming here.”
“…What?”
“Of course, just practicing won’t solve everything.”
Is this lunatic serious?
[System Alert: The system marvels at Cha Min-seok’s astounding lack of common sense….]
Are you sure that’s something to marvel at?
I barely suppressed the urge to punch him myself. Fortunately, Seo Tae-hyun had regained his composure entirely, and he silently stared down Cha Min-seok before turning on his heel and walking out of the Conference Room with unwavering resolve.
I could see his lips trembling as if about to burst when he turned away, but this time I couldn’t stop him.
* * *
“….”
The path to the Parking Lot where Ji Su-ho had parked was filled with nothing but silence.
Now that Seo Tae-hyun’s rationality had recovered to one hundred percent, he seemed to be calculating the fallout from what he’d done. His sunken expression was practically that of a man who’d lost his kingdom. Ji Su-ho looked troubled, wrestling with how to report this to the Company.
And Dan Ha-ru, who’d only wanted to eat tteokbokki with his older brother, was now on the verge of tears. Even so, he kept his grip tight on Seo Tae-hyun’s arm, terrified he might actually quit being a trainee and leave.
“Dan Ha-ru. If you cry, I’m letting go.”
“…I’m not crying.”
“Don’t whimper either.”
When I sandwiched Seo Tae-hyun between Dan Ha-ru and myself and sat in the back seat as if escorting him, Seo Tae-hyun grimaced.
“The front passenger seat is empty!”
“You’re invoking your right to remain silent from now on.”
“Why are you invoking my right to remain silent?”
“Look at the criminal talking so much. Go ahead, Team Leader, let’s go.”
The car slowly pulled out of the Parking Lot while Dan Ha-ru and Seo Tae-hyun bickered behind us. We all had plenty on our minds, but no one spoke.
The car stopped at a red light. While Ji Su-ho was distracted reporting to the Company, Dan Ha-ru asked quietly.
“Are you really going to quit?”
“…Why? Are you going to miss me?”
“Yes.”
“….”
“I want to debut with someone like you.”
Seo Tae-hyun faltered at those words. After a brief silence, he finally spoke as the car began moving again.
“…I just said it in a fit of anger.”
Only then did Dan Ha-ru relax his defensive posture and lean back comfortably. It remained a mystery why he’d gone all the way to Rene Entertainment and caused such a scene, but today didn’t feel like the right time to press further.
‘I’ll let it slide for now and grill him over coffee tomorrow.’
And I would soon discover just how naive that plan was—barely twenty-four hours later.
* * *
“So no one’s heard from Tae-hyun? Got it. If you hear anything, let me know right away.”
Seo Tae-hyun had vanished.
The bastard had actually packed his things and left the Dormitory entirely. His phone remained off, and when I called his family home in the Provinces just in case, his parents didn’t even know he’d disappeared.
‘Wait. Isn’t this actually more convenient?’
Cha Min-seok denied it, but the fact remained that Seo Tae-hyun had caused a scene at another agency. And my earlier assessment that it would be difficult to debut with such a time bomb was correct too.
‘He packed his bags and left on his own—what can I do about it?’
Once I’d calculated that far, my mind felt lighter. It seemed Seo Tae-hyun’s fixed destiny was indeed to drift between debut lineups before disappearing from the entertainment industry altogether.
‘So this is how I was destined to leave in this life. Live well, Seo Tae-hyun. Perhaps quitting early would be better for the future anyway….’
“Let’s go find him!”
“But… we don’t even know where he went?”
“I have a hunch about where he might be.”
But why was I doing this right now?
“Remember that place we all went to together before? When Cha Min-seok was there too?”
“Oh, you mean…?”
“That pension his uncle runs, right? He definitely went there. Since Seo Tae-hyun is close with his uncle.”
“Wait, wait. Stop. Everyone be quiet.”
I hastily waved my hands to cut them off before Dan Ha-ru and Ju Eun-chan could launch what looked like a full-scale operation to bring Seo Tae-hyun back, starting with arranging transportation.
This place—Ju Eun-chan’s Officetel—had become familiar after visiting a few times. I’d been dragged here like a kidnapping victim right after practice, just as I was about to head home with a light step.
“I’m telling you now—I’m not going. I’m not going. Don’t drag me into this.”
At my resolute words, the faces of these two lambs filled with shock.
“What? Why are you looking at me like that? Why would I go looking for Seo Tae-hyun in the first place?”
“How could you say something like that!”
Dan Ha-ru cried out, his expression now bordering on betrayal as he stared at me.
What did I even do…?

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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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