Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 223

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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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223. The Boy (2)
Once again, the memory ended there.
“Ha….”
Something scalding churned inside me, threatening to overflow.
I barely suppressed the curses clawing up my throat, managing only the shortest of remarks.
“Dan Ha-ru, you absolute lunatic….”
What?
The happiest day of your life?
Embracing death with joy?
“You’re spouting nonsense like a ghost choking on rice, dying twice over.”
I wanted nothing more than to snap back to reality and pinch those chubby cheeks until it hurt—anything to ease this burning fury.
After meeting those eyes head-on, the ones that had gleamed so peculiarly from that very first moment,
I wanted to rage at him: Did you think idols remain idols even in their graves?
Did you sign that contract not knowing seven years was really seventy? I wanted to demand answers.
I wanted to grab him by the collar and ask how it felt—after rewinding time countless times just to stay trapped in that beautiful, radiant moment, finally becoming an idol.
“…You absolute madman.”
…And then, I thought I should just hold that small, innocent creature close.
-I’ve been looking forward to tomorrow so much lately. It makes me so happy!
-Grandmother told me: if you just live through today, then someday you’ll find a moment when tomorrow excites you.
What tomorrow were you hoping for?
Happiness?
Death?
What made your world so cold and bitter that you had to throw yourself into that light that would burn you alive?
When the warmth you sought was nothing more than the lukewarm drink from a cheap Vending Machine.
[As I mentioned before, your timeline and Dan Ha-ru’s are separating. From now on, you’ll experience more regressions you don’t feel than ones you do.]
[The more Dan Ha-ru’s regression repeats, the more false and abandoned timelines accumulate, the greater The One Who Returns’s influence becomes, and the more isolated Dan Ha-ru’s timeline grows.]
[So if you want to stop it, what you need to do is simple.]
As The Entity trailed off, the pale violet sky darkened in an instant, swallowed by pitch black.
Above the sky, now so dark it resembled black paper, fireworks suddenly burst forth.
With a whistling sound and a bang, colorful sparks painted letters across the midnight sky.
【☆SUPER STAR☆! ☆～（ゝ。∂）】
“…?”
What’s with this sudden superstar vibe…?
Unable to hide my bewilderment, I watched the sparks fade before The Entity spoke again.
[From now on, you have only one goal.]
[Become a superstar.]
“Are you some kind of cult leader?”
The heat that had been boiling inside me cooled and settled into numbness.
I had no idea what hashtag to attach to this anymore, damn it.
* * *
The Entity elaborated on this absurd objective only after I’d thrown about five punches and kicks at empty air.
[We need events that will intensely interweave Dan Ha-ru’s timeline with as many people’s timelines as possible.]
[It’s like driving a nail through tangled threads. Even if someone pulls on one thread, it won’t come loose—it’ll stay bound with the others.]
[So Dan Ha-ru’s timeline won’t veer off course and become isolated.]
At those words, the Quest I’d received through Thirteen before came to mind.
I hadn’t fully understood the concrete connection between our group winning a rookie award and reducing that bastard the Returner’s influence, but it seemed this Quest had come from that context.
“Question. But you said Dan Ha-ru dies if he becomes perfectly happy. Winning a rookie award is what he wants most—if we make that happen, isn’t that a problem?”
[Right. But if Dan Ha-ru doesn’t win the rookie award, he’ll regress again and again to create a future where he can win it.]
“So preventing regression itself is the top priority?”
[It means making sure that kid survives is what comes first.]
The surroundings, darkened by the midnight fireworks, grew bright again, and the setting sun revealed itself once more above the water’s surface.
The Entity spoke.
[Give that kid tomorrow as a gift.]
[Show him there’s a better tomorrow ahead.]
[Make him realize the happiest day hasn’t come yet.]
[Make him curious and eager about what comes next, so he’ll wonder if he should live a little longer.]
[For now, that’s enough.]
The surroundings began to blur gradually. It seemed time to wake was approaching.
Before my eyes fully opened, I sat up and screamed at the sky, desperate to extract as much information as possible.
“Hey! You can’t just leave like this! You bastards at Headquarters! What are you doing while dumping everything on me!?”
[We merely manage time; we cannot directly intervene in human lives.]
[God granted humans free will, and therefore human lives are determined solely by humans themselves.]
“Free will, my ass. You won’t give me a single skill, just keep slapping penalties on me, and every time I come and go from here you patch me with side effects, and now you’re just leaving? Do you have a conscience or not? Give me something before you go, you bastard! And you already took Thirteen away…!”
At my accusatory pointing, as if I might gouge out eyes, the Entity seemed to ponder for a moment, then vibrated with a voice tinged with slight amusement.
[Fine. For the time being, I’ll attach a ‘real’ system to replace Manager 13. You won’t be able to exchange banter like before, but it’ll be more convenient for handling Quests and functions.]
[But I can’t do anything about the skill penalties—that’s the karmic retribution for your thuggish behavior.]
“What about the side effects? If I wake up now, do I have to grab the restroom and throw up again? Lee Do-ha’s hearing is disgustingly sharp—he’ll definitely catch me.”
[Hmm… Want to pick one yourself? Choose your preferred side effect.]
Thirteen was terrified when I shut down his system, but this bastard treats side effects like optional features.
Well, as long as it wasn’t that dizziness where the world flips and spins, I figured it’d be fine, so I checked the options the Entity gave me.
[1. Coughing up blood (helps restore vitality by unblocking meridians trapped in the body)]
[2. Temporary cardiac arrest (no harm to life or health)]
[3. Emotional amplification (temporarily maintain all emotions at 400% excess OR deficiency)]
[4. Dizziness]
[Pick one. Which will it be?]
“…Number 4, you charlatan bastard.”
I flipped off the Headquarters bastard who’d decided to add #sickly character to my already flamboyant life genre keywords, and I awoke from deep sleep.
* * *
“Ah, please….”
The moment I opened my eyes, I closed them again.
Yet even as I felt the blood draining from my entire body, my vision was already spinning wildly of its own accord. An overwhelming thirst consumed me, but I couldn’t muster the strength to even sit up.
‘This Headquarters bastard couldn’t even reduce the side effects, and now they’re adding more?’
If it weren’t for that rule about the Time Management Authority not being able to manifest, I would’ve grabbed them by the collar and thrown them over my shoulder at least five more times by now.
Pressing my throbbing temples with my palms, I descended from the bed with the utmost quiet movements. If I didn’t drink at least a glass of water right now, my throat felt like it would literally burn up or dry out and crack.
‘Quietly…. Quietly….’
I carefully climbed down from the bed, making sure not to wake Lee Do-ha, who was a light sleeper, and slipped out of the room.
On the way out, I bumped my thigh against the nightstand beside the bed,
and when I opened the door, the hinges creaked rather loudly,
but other than closing the door a bit too firmly due to air pressure, I’d managed to be fairly quiet overall.
Well, I was satisfied with that.
“God, I’m really dying….”
After confirming that everyone else was asleep in the dark living room, I staggered my way toward the kitchen where the refrigerator was.
The world spun several times even on that short walk.
Despite it being only a few steps, by the time I reached the refrigerator, cold sweat was already streaming down my entire body. I pressed my forehead against the cold refrigerator door and finally managed to steady my breathing, and only then did I feel like I might survive.
However, it was in the very next moment that my spine truly went cold.
“Want some water?”
“Ah, yes…. Just one glass would be appreciated….”
…Huh?
“Here. Drink.”
A cold, chilling, and sinister voice—one that seemed to drip with frost more than the cool air from the refrigerator itself—was masked in a gentle tone as it pierced the back of my head.
In my peripheral vision, I saw someone’s unusually pale hand with long, thick knuckles extending a glass cup filled with clear, sloshing water toward me.
As I slowly lifted my gaze along that hand, I saw Jeong Si-u standing there in comfortable pajamas with a cardigan draped over them and square glasses on his face.
“…Ah, you didn’t sleep?”
“Woke up early. Couldn’t fall back asleep, so I was reading in the living room.”
Jeong Si-u, who was staring at me with eyes that seemed slightly more stern than usual, perhaps due to the early morning atmosphere, offered me the water cup once more and smiled faintly.
“What are you doing? I said drink.”
“Ah, yes.”
What’s this? Why am I scared?
I haven’t done anything wrong, so why am I freaking out?
Why is our house’s piece of trash god suddenly pissed? What’s the trigger point?
Confused by this utterly incomprehensible point, I simply downed the water Jeong Si-u had given me in one shot. The ice-cold water was sharp enough to make my barely-settling head go numb again, and I felt my mind clearing slightly.
Then, in a voice even colder than the water I’d just drunk, Jeong Si-u called my name softly.
“Ha-jin.”
“…Yes↗?”
Oh, please don’t let my voice crack.
Without giving me time to clear my throat, Jeong Si-u took the empty cup from my hands and placed it on the sink with a soft clink, then looked at me.
“Didn’t I tell you to go to the hospital if you’re in pain?”
He saw everything….
There wasn’t a shred of playfulness in Jeong Si-u’s eyes as he looked at me calmly.
Since arguing that I wasn’t hurt at a time like this would be the stupidest thing I could do, I respectfully pressed my palms together and bowed my head. Then, drawing on my long career as a web novel reader, I spat out the textbook answer almost like a spinal reflex.
“It seems my condition deteriorated somewhat overnight due to recent sleep deprivation from a packed schedule and the sudden climate shifts of the changing seasons. As soon as dawn breaks tomorrow, I’ll contact my manager and visit the hospital for a checkup. Following the doctor’s prescription, I’ll ensure complete rest if there’s even the slightest abnormality in my body.”
Jeong Si-u, who seemed ready to say more, simply exhaled a short sigh upon seeing me. Then he removed his glasses, pressed his eye sockets with a slightly irritated expression, and passed by my side.
“…Fine. Go inside and get some sleep.”
“Yes.”
Huh? He’s not scolding me?
‘Yes! I didn’t get in trouble. Total win.’
I should hurry to my room in this window of opportunity, check the new system and Quest, and think about what to do going forward…
“Go straight to bed without opening that door to check anything. Before I call a taxi right now and take you to the Emergency Room.”
“…I’m already sleeping, hyung. I actually sleep with my eyes open. I’m almost done with immigration to dreamland, seriously. Wow, I’m so sleepy. This is insane, for real.”
How much does a health checkup cost these days anyway?
Does Miro’s employee benefits include hospital checkups?
Phew, thank goodness tomorrow’s broadcast is cancelled. I can finally get some proper sleep.
With the thought of sending an SOS to Ji Su-ho the moment dawn broke, I obediently entered my room and lay down on the bed, closing my eyes.
‘If I just lie here with my eyes closed, he’ll think I’m asleep. I should check the changed system before actually falling asleep.’
Thinking that, I cracked my eyes open slightly.
When ‘The Entity’ brought up the temporary system window that Thirteen had gifted in its place, the familiar system interface with my customized UI appeared exactly as I’d set it.
The only change was the absence of that one frivolous entity that kept shouting ‘Fixed Regressor!’ while spamming special characters,
and the newly updated and reorganized Quest list.
[NEW! The Quest list has been reorganized. Would you like to view it? (Y/N)]
Just as I was about to press Y with a slight sense of emptiness, my phone on the pillow flashed with a notification.
【Miro_Kairos_Jeong Si-u hyung ‖ Sleep.】
【Miro_Kairos_Jeong Si-u hyung ‖ I mean it.】
【Hyung, did you perhaps install a CCTV in our room?】
【Miro_Kairos_Jeong Si-u hyung ‖ Want me to?】
【Sorry, I’m sleeping right now so I can’t reply.】
【Sleep well~】
Our house’s resident deadpan deity has now even manifested clairvoyant powers.
No matter how I think about it, this guy is definitely a more surreal existence than that ‘Entity’ from earlier.
“Right, sleep. Sleep. They say sleep is the best medicine, after all.”
Before Jeong Si-u could actually install a CCTV in our room, I quickly curled up my body and closed my eyes.
Perhaps because my body was genuinely exhausted, I managed to fall back asleep quickly despite having just woken.
And the next day.
The news that greeted me after I woke up early and called Ji Su-ho was….
“…A CT scan? Not an MRI, not an X-ray, but what’s with a CT scan all of a sudden?”
-Si-u mentioned it. He said you sometimes wake up in the middle of the night vomiting, feeling dizzy. Sometimes you sleep so deeply that you won’t even wake up when he tries. Ha-jin, you should tell me about these things. Come out right now. I’ve already made a hospital appointment. Let’s do a full checkup while we’re at it.
…No, that’s…
It’s not that, it’s….
How am I supposed to explain this anyway…?

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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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