Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 196

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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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196. The Happiness the Boy Desires (1)
Rookie of the Year.
A privilege exclusive to newcomers—an award that can only be won once after debuting as a singer.
‘It was what I was aiming for from the start anyway.’
Failing to win Rookie of the Year wouldn’t end a singer’s career, but for a newcomer starting from nothing, that single line—”Rookie of the Year Award”—carried considerable weight.
It was perfect for establishing a rising star image, and it served as a compelling justification for raising one’s market value in event bookings and broadcast appearances.
[Single Quest 03.]
‘The Happiness the Boy Desires’
Content: Congratulations on your successful debut ahead.
To protect everyone’s dreams and happiness,
this group requires a solid foundation and a path to success.
Fill in the gaps of past timelines, and change them once more.
Survive the avalanche of idol competition and win the Rookie of the Year Award.
Success Reward: Block The One Who Returns’s possibility of interfering with timelines
Failure Penalty: Increase The One Who Returns’s possibility of interfering with timelines
“It’s not like I need to sweep every awards ceremony for rookies… I just have to win at least once, right? That’s definitely doable.”
I nodded and adjusted my posture. Since I was meeting Thirteen after so long, there was indeed plenty to discuss, just as he’d said.
Amid the countless questions flooding my mind, I decided to ask about the Quest first.
“First, this ‘boy’ mentioned here—that refers to the Chosen Regressor, right?”
[System Notification: That’s correct!]
“And that Chosen Regressor is Dan Ha-ru.”
This was a fact the Returner himself had confirmed directly, so there was no need to verify it further.
Dan Ha-ru’s profile materialized above the empty System window. Thirteen, now displaying a pair of dark sunglasses as an emoticon above the System window, began his report smoothly.
[System Notification: During the time my connection with Kang Ha-jin was severed, I continued investigating The One Who Returns and Dan Ha-ru.]
[System Notification: Since Dan Ha-ru’s basic personality recorded in the current timeline is completely separated from the Chosen Regressor, it wasn’t easy, but…]
[System Notification: I still made quite a significant discovery!]
The new information Thirteen had uncovered appeared with a pop on the large screen before me.
【Past Timelines】
[System Notification: Do you remember when The One Who Returns attacked Kang Ha-jin last time?]
“You mean when he trapped me in the Playground time loop?”
[System Notification: Correct. As you know, that place operates on a concept similar to this Unconscious Space.]
“Similar? So it wasn’t the Unconscious Space?”
[System Notification: If it had been the Unconscious Space, you would have experienced side effects immediately after escaping.]
I recalled that time—a memory I’d rather not revisit.
True enough, right after escaping, I’d called Kim Won-ho, pinched Dan Ha-ru’s cheek, bought a ton of snacks at the Convenience Store, and walked all the way home—no side effects at all.
So where exactly had I been?
Then suddenly, the text 【Past Timelines】 that Thirteen had prominently displayed caught my eye.
“…So it was a past timeline?”
[System Notification: To be precise, it’s more like the residue of a timeline, but in simple terms, yes.]
[System Notification: It appears he used Dan Ha-ru to repeat timelines, and hid within the past timelines created through him, waiting for his opportunity.]
“When exactly?”
[System Notification: The moment when Dan Ha-ru’s personality as the Chosen Regressor disappears, and you can take that personality for yourself.]
“So possession was still an option after all.”
[System Notification: …Kang Ha-jin, you really are like an otaku.]
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
I raised an eyebrow at Thirteen, who was only now getting spooked by something as simple as “possession,” and quickly moved on to my next question.
“Back then, the Returner definitely told me something. That he’d made a deal with Dan Ha-ru. Could that be connected to taking over his body?”
[System Notification: As I mentioned before, a Time Management Authority cannot take on a physical form under any circumstances.]
[System Notification: So the deal with Dan Ha-ru probably wasn’t directly about “taking over his body.”]
[System Notification: But I believe that deal was definitely the beginning of it all.]
I’d already guessed as much, so I nodded and crossed my arms.
“But why specifically a rookie award? What does our group winning a rookie award have to do with the Returner?”
[System Notification: It’s exactly as it sounds.]
[System Notification: It’s what Dan Ha-ru wants.]
“A rookie award?”
[System Notification: Yes. And right now, we need to make the Chosen Regressor care even more about this timeline than anything else.]
I stared at Dan Ha-ru’s profile photo still displayed on the system window.
What in the world was going through that small head of his? I needed to figure out a way to access the Chosen Regressor’s personality faster.
Just then, Thirteen added something belatedly.
[System Notification: The story is too complicated to explain everything today, but…]
[System Notification: There’s only one way for Dan Ha-ru to avoid having his body stolen by the One Who Returns.]
“What is it?”
[System Notification: Make him want to live as ‘Dan Ha-ru.’]
For some reason, my heart sank at that single sentence.
[System Notification: The biggest problem is that the Chosen Regressor’s personality and the original personality have split into separate entities.]
[System Notification: The Chosen Regressor doesn’t see the current ‘Dan Ha-ru’ as himself.]
[System Notification: The more that’s the case, the less influence ‘Dan Ha-ru’ will have over his own timeline, and that will only create more openings for the One Who Returns to steal that timeline and personality.]
The Chosen Regressor Dan Ha-ru, who must have repeated regression more times than there are stars in the Milky Way just to find happiness, seemed to have reached the conclusion that he didn’t want to live after all.
[System Notification: But just because the personality has been divided doesn’t mean Dan Ha-ru isn’t Dan Ha-ru anymore.]
[System Notification: Just as you aren’t any less Kang Ha-jin for being a Fixed Regressor.]
I rose from my seat, lost in thought.
It was time to wake up soon.
[System Notification: I’ll share more detailed information whenever I have the chance!]
“Got it. I’ll ask if I remember anything.”
[System Notification: I…]
“…?”
Standing at the exit, Thirteen hesitated for a moment before carefully adding one more thing.
[System Notification: I think you can do it, Kang Ha-jin.]
“What, the rookie award? Of course we’ll do it. It’s the maknae’s wish, after all.”
[System Notification: No, that’s not what I meant.]
[System Notification: It’s about making the Chosen Regressor develop attachment to life again.]
“….”
As I fell silent once more, Thirteen brightened the system window with unwavering confidence.
[System Notification: You’ve already experienced this once, Kang Ha-jin.]
“…Me?”
[System Notification: The experience of accepting the life you returned to after regression as your own life.]
[System Notification: You came to accept this timeline as yours and learned to love it, Kang Ha-jin….]
[System Notification: I believe you would be more than capable of persuading Dan Ha-ru as well.]
[System Notification: Perhaps only you could do it!]
Watching Thirteen glow with such brilliant encouragement, I couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.
It was because I remembered that moment when I sat collapsed on a street somewhere, admitting how desperately I wanted to love this life.
“Yeah. Thanks for the support.”
And yet, I had endured.
I never forgot that it was because of the warmth extended to me.
Now, it seemed my turn had come to reach out my hand to someone else.
“Let’s go. Time to grant the youngest’s wish.”
* * *
Kairos’s debut preparations were progressing steadily.
Fans were frantically capturing every frame from the dual-concept teaser, desperate to uncover the hidden meanings and worldbuilding within.
[Why it seems connected to our debut song Daylight]
Miro Maze title track Daylight = sunlight
In this teaser, the Hideout scenes particularly emphasized ‘sunlight’
But the debut song title is Over the Night
A concept opposite to Day when sunlight is present.
And looking at the Daylight lyrics
There’s a line “Hello, it’s me”
This also seems to have some deeper meaning.
Most importantly, both songs are written and composed by Seo Tae-il sbn…
The person who created Yupia’s coup d’état
There’s no way they wouldn’t have touched this fun concept
Ha-rang
@dohajin_luv
Kairos Over the Night
I analyzed the teaser…
The burning card tower
Feels like such a symbolic metaphor
The first thing I thought of
Was House of Cards
Details in the thread below
(Teaser screenshots)
(Teaser Capture)
Kang Dae-jang
@strongjin
I honestly don’t know much about that
I just wish they’d release the music video already
Healing content and dystopian apocalypse coexisting?
I’m already getting dizzy
Dae-jang, Dae-jang
Among all the theories about this teaser
Is Ha-jin falling like Silver? That kind of vibe?
What do you think about that
How would you interpret it
[Are you serious??? These kids are insane]
Now that I look at it, all the information from Inmashep
Everything’s in the teaser anyway lol
Si-woo’s hobby being guitar or Do-ha working out
Ha-ru writing a diary and Tae-hyun contemplating
This is all from InMass ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
What’s up?
– What is this what is this how am I supposed to interpret this what
– Ugh they’re driving people crazy again Miro you perverts
– Wait so Inmashep is connected to the worldbuilding??? But isn’t this too much of a stretch
It seems like they just reflected the actual kids’ hobbies and stuff for our over-investment, you know? They intentionally put that into the in-game content.
└ Oh my god I’m losing it what do I need to rewatch first are they hiding something else again?
The response wasn’t just decent—it was nearly overwhelming, bordering on phenomenal success.
With each new interpretation that emerged, the view counts for the teaser and all of Kairos’s various content climbed steeply.
And shortly after, Kairos’s debut album concept photos were released.
KIRUS Official
@kirus official
K:RUS Debut Album ‘K:ONCEPT’
Concept photo OVER VER.
#KangHa-jin
(A photo of Ha-jin in a mustang jacket standing among falling leaves)
– Wow it dropped
– Wait so the concept photo for the debut album concept dropped
– I mean if Kang Ha-jin stands there looking that sharp in that outfit under the falling leaves I’d have no choice but to kidnap him
└ You’ve fallen
└ Fallen
└ Fallen
Reason Gun
@2uuu_gunn2
I’m losing it, guys
The Over Compo kids shot concept photos with their birth flowers
Yoo Gun’s birth flower is a tiger lily, right?
You know what the flower language means?
“Please love me”
(Concept photo of Yoo Gun with the tiger lily)
The concept photos shot with each member’s birth flower sparked another massive wave of response.
These concept photos, shot in the outfits from the teaser that had been worn at the Hideout, captured what seemed like an ordinary, refreshing day in the lives of ordinary teenage and twenty-something boys.
The Destiny fans busily spread the concept photos everywhere, promoting them relentlessly.
Just as everyone was flooding the communities and social media with talk of Kairos.
– Wait, guys
Someone brought up new information.
Rene Entertainment’s next debut is crazy.
A new rival had emerged.

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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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