Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 182

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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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182. The Earth Is Round (6)
On the very day I decided to release a statement.
The moment I hung up with Ji Su-ho, I immediately called someone else.
-Hello…?
“Lee Hyun-il.”
The person on the other end was Lee Hyun-il, whom I’d parted ways with just hours ago.
I cut straight to the point without preamble.
“Do you really mean it when you say you’ll help me?”
-Huh?
“I’m asking if you’ll actually help me. Answer quickly—I don’t have much time.”
-…Oh, yeah. I told you I came to find you because I wanted to help.
As Hyun-il answered hurriedly, I nodded and replied concisely.
“Then just do one interview. That’s all I need. I’ll guarantee anonymity in return.”
-An interview?
“Yeah. I have all the recordings anyway, so just tell me what was said. I’ll contact you through the Company with the details.”
-….
“If you can’t do it, tell me now. I’ll call someone else.”
Lee Hyun-il hesitated for a moment before agreeing. Satisfied with his answer, I jotted something down in my notebook and made one more request of him.
“And if you have contact information for the other kids who were bullied with you back then, send it to me. Even if they weren’t bullied, just the ones who were around at that time.”
-Ah. Yeah, I got it. I’ll send it by text.
“Alright.”
After hearing his response, I hung up.
Or rather, I intended to. And I truly meant to sever all ties with Hyun-il after this.
But a tiny nail driven deep into my heart kept nagging at me. In the end, just before hanging up, I called out to Hyun-il in a quiet voice.
“Hey.”
-Huh?
“…I understand you.”
-Understand what…?
“I understand you. I don’t know about forgiveness, but I understand.”
This was me speaking as the twenty-nine-year-old Kang Ha-jin, not the twenty-year-old version.
Lee Hyun-il had been both a perpetrator and a bystander to me, but he was also another victim of Park Shin-wook.
The actual perpetrator, Park Shin-wook, was probably sleeping soundly somewhere right now, and I didn’t want to take out my frustrations on another victim like Hyun-il or burden him with guilt that wasn’t entirely his to bear.
“So don’t do it anymore.”
-….
“If you’re truly sorry to me, and if what Park Shin-wook did to you was difficult—then don’t hide behind other victims out of fear of being bullied yourself.”
-….
“Let’s not do that anymore. …I’m hanging up.”
I hung up without waiting for Hyun-il’s response.
From now on, what kind of life Lee Hyun-il would lead was up to him.
He could learn from this experience and become a better person,
Or perhaps he would remain trapped in fear, choosing to become the perpetrator himself and live that way.
Just as Kang Ha-jin had desperately tried to become a good person ever since that incident.
“Maybe… there should still be a few of my hyungs’ KakaoTalk profiles left.”
From middle school until now, Ha-jin had never changed his phone number.
He’d changed his phone once when entering high school, but he’d kept all his contacts and accounts the same. So unless someone like Lee Hyun-il had blocked or deleted Ha-jin’s number, there should still be a few contacts in Ha-jin’s messenger from those who had trained together at KD Entertainment.
Ha-jin found the name of a hyung in his messenger list—someone who had left the company before “that incident” happened and with whom he’d stayed in occasional contact even after leaving—and immediately sent a message to the chat window.
【Hyung】
【Long time no see lol】
Fortunately, a reply came back quickly.
【Seo Gureum ‖ wtf】
【Seo Gureum ‖ It’s Kang Ha-jin】
【Seo Gureum ‖ Yo yo yo】
【Seo Gureum ‖ (silly emoticon)】
“This hyung never changes.”
At reconnecting with someone he’d known for what felt like a decade longer, Ha-jin let out a small laugh. Then, with a slightly trembling heart, he continued the conversation.
【Hyung I’m really sorry for suddenly reaching out after so long】
【Can I ask you for one favor?】
Kang Ha-jin had tried to become a good person, but whether he truly was one wasn’t something he could decide for himself.
And the same would be true for Park Shin-wook and Yu Gwang-chae.
【Seo Gureum ‖ Is this about Yu Gwang-chae?】
【Seo Gureum ‖ I knew that bastard would pull something like this eventually】
【Seo Gureum ‖ What do you need me to do】
【Seo Gureum ‖ I can do anything except guaranteeing loans or long-term commitments】
Let’s see who’s really lived better.
Who actually walked the right path.
Ha-jin’s eyes gleamed brighter than ever.
* * *
The E-Spatch article caused an enormous uproar.
◎Tangled Timeline, Reversed Cause and Effect
‘Among the hyungs who trained with us, there was actually someone who quit trainee life and gave up their idol dreams because of conflicts with Kang Ha-jin hyung.’
This was the claim made by Whistleblower B.
However, according to the timeline compiled by this publication, the factual accuracy of this statement is unclear.
Kang Ha-jin’s relationship with the trainees began to seriously deteriorate in September.
And in December of that same year, Kang Ha-jin terminated his trainee contract with KD Entertainment.
The trainee hyung (hereafter referred to as Trainee C) left KD Entertainment in February of the following year.
And in July, KD Entertainment announced its closure.
Kang Ha-jin and Trainee C had no contact whatsoever from September onward, and if the testimonies of other trainees are true, it’s difficult to say that Kang Ha-jin posed any other threat to Trainee C.
Furthermore, according to our investigation, even after leaving KD Entertainment, Trainee C applied for auditions at several entertainment companies and was actually accepted by smaller entertainment agencies, continuing his trainee career.
In contrast, Kang Ha-jin didn’t set foot near the idol industry for nearly three years after leaving KD Entertainment.
It wasn’t until last year’s Rene public audition—which became his stepping stone to appearing on ‘Miro Maze’—that he showed any ambition for entertainment activities. In fact, some of his high school classmates only learned through his appearance on ‘Miro Maze’ that he had been a trainee and aspiring idol.
(Interview with Ha-jin’s high school classmate)
….
So then, who was the “older trainee who quit due to conflict and abandoned his idol dreams”—Trainee C or Kang Ha-jin?
The article proceeded with a blend of facts and narrative flourishes, unfolding like a hidden “twist” in a mystery film. People began to take notice, captivated by this “shocking revelation.”
[Summary of Kang Ha-jin E-Spatch Article (Fact-checked ✓)]
1. Kang Ha-jin’s verbal abuse > Partially true. (He was apparently rough while acting as a training captain. Ha-jin himself acknowledged this.)
2. Kang Ha-jin beat and ordered around the trainees > False.
3. A trainee quit because of Kang Ha-jin > False.
4. The debut group disbanded because of Kang Ha-jin > False.
★Additionally revealed in the E-Spatch article:
1. The senior who was known to have quit because of Ha-jin, along with the whistleblower, orchestrated all trainees to ostracize Ha-jin.
2. They deliberately excluded Ha-jin from practice and withheld announcements so he’d get in trouble.
3. There was a group chat excluding Ha-jin (screenshots included).
4. Whenever new trainees joined, they made sure they couldn’t get along with Ha-jin. (Testimony confirms the whistleblower led this.)
5. The whistleblower and his group of senior trainees targeted another trainee after Ha-jin left and bullied them too. (Victim’s own testimony.)
6. Fifty million testimonies from people around Ha-jin saying he’s not that kind of person.
Once I saw the original post contained lies, I shifted to neutral, and after learning the whistleblower deliberately bullied Ha-jin, I completely switched sides in Ha-jin’s favor.
With the situation blown this wide open, the fact that there’s been no additional whistleblower besides the original post, and that everyone around Ha-jin has stepped up saying he’s not like that and offering to testify themselves—doesn’t that make the answer obvious? lol
– Anonymous1: TL;DR “So who’s the actual victim?”
– Anonymous2: But doesn’t that mean the verbal abuse was real though? If someone talked to me like that and harassed me, I’d probably cut ties too.
└ Anonymous3: You call cutting ties bullying? That’s pathetic lol
└ Anonymous2: But if every single remaining trainee except Ha-jin participated in bullying him, doesn’t that mean Ha-jin was the problem??? Honestly, if his personality was that bad, I’d be even less favorable toward him, but people are being lenient.
└ Anonymous3: Go read the article. And then they targeted another kid after Ha-jin left and bullied them too. Is that cutting ties? They just picked someone they didn’t like and messed with them.
– Anonymous4: Wait, so Ha-jin’s the victim?
[Do you guys believe everything in the Ha-jin E-Spatch article?]
It’s E-Spatch and all, but Miro’s media play feels so obvious that I just can’t trust it, you know?
– These types of people’s specialty: they won’t believe even if Ha-jin writes feedback in his own handwriting and shows evidence.
– So then, who released the rebuttal article—Miro or Rene Entertainment?
[Wow, Ha-jin’s exposé post got deleted]
Ending like this with a whimper lol
– This is crazy
– I was so pissed watching the whistleblower and that senior guy pretend they weren’t connected on OneStagram while subtly hinting at it, and now OneStagram’s gone too lmaooo
└ But I’m curious—how do people know stuff like that? That person’s OneStagram account and all?
└ When the original exposé first came out, someone posted a guess saying it was this person, and after that, the guy kept slipping hints in OneStagram comments and DMs. Then when Ha-jin’s rebuttal article dropped, he deleted his account.
└ Thanks so much!
Internet public opinion had completely reversed.
Park Shin-wook, the original whistleblower, posted clarifications and a second exposé, but they contradicted his earlier posts, leading to refutations, or worse—he only ended up admitting that he ostracized Ha-jin because he disliked him, which backfired spectacularly.
Before long, all the exposé posts were taken down, and those who had been subtly enjoying attention through their OneStagram accounts couldn’t withstand the DM and comment attacks from Destiny fans, forcing them to delete their entire SNS accounts.
Sunset University
@SS_university
Overcoming the darkness of night,
Thank you for coming to us.
#My_Proud_Kang_Ha-jin
#Bullying_Is_Violence
#you_are_not_alone
(Final Kang Ha-jin unreleased cut)
(Round 3 Kang Ha-jin unreleased cut)
Shared 7,104 Quoted 492 Likes 8,542
Kang Ha-di
@kang_HD
I had a similar experience to Ha-jin during my school days,
and now through Ha-jin’s actions,
as a member of Destiny, I’ve received much comfort and inspiration,
so for the youth who may be experiencing similar pain,
#My_Proud_Kang_Ha-jin
#Bullying_Is_Violence
#you_are_not_alone
(Youth School Violence Prevention Foundation donation details)
After days of silence and locking their accounts, Kang-preu and Destiny members began raising their voices. They focused on the keyword of “bullying,” and while conducting the movement, they used youth violence prevention catchphrases together, which prompted viewers to add various opinions.
Kang Ha-jin isn’t exactly a flawless victim either… isn’t that kind of missing the point…
“Why are they throwing in school violence rumors on top of some idol controversy; it’s totally overkill lolol it’s so ridiculous honestly I hate it so much”
– Huh? School violence means ‘violence that happens at school,’ so it has nothing to do with Kang Ha-jin’s situation, so why school violence?
“No, it’s not like they’re bullying Kang Ha-jin or anything, so why are you guys twisting it like that? Come on, take a break from the community and go live your real lives lol”
└ For real, they probably haven’t donated a single penny to the violence prevention foundation but complain every day
[Kang-preu fans are seriously extreme]
Some fans were doing a fandom purification movement because a few fans were acting inconsiderate, but now that Kang Ha-jin apparently got into a fight with someone, they’re launching a school violence prevention campaign lolololololol
– They’re like professional activists; that’s how they do independence movements and student movements
– You shouldn’t carelessly… provoke Kang-preu…☆
“Lol, you didn’t even experience school violence, but you’re trying to steal the image of a victim. That’s disgusting.”
What was she lacking that she had to steal the image of a school violence victim… Did you think before speaking?
└ He didn’t steal it, he’s an actual victim of violence. Bullying is violence too, you fool
– Yeah, the school violence prevention foundation actually thanked them in an interview for their interest^^ It’s more pathetic how people who never cared before suddenly act like violence prevention ambassadors only at times like this~
As always, the online community burned hot with debate.
Destiny members, just like during the previous fandom purification campaign, responded to the controversy and fought back against the provocations as “Destiny of Kairos,” regardless of which member’s fans they were. On one hand, this helped strengthen internal unity within the fandom, but on the other hand, it came with considerable exhaustion.
‘They haven’t even debuted yet… and there are already this many controversies?’
Some Destiny members were beginning to wonder if they should switch their bias while remaining Kairos fans.
A notification appeared that a new post had been uploaded to Kairos’s official fan cafe, which had been opened right after the Final.
[Kang Ha-jin] Hello. I’m Kang Ha-jin of Kairos.
It was the greeting from “Kairos Kang Ha-jin” that they had been waiting for, waiting and waiting.

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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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