Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 257

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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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257. Touch High! (9)
“Touch High! The ultimate champion of this three-way idol showdown is…!”
Sanchez lifted the winner’s hand high into the air beside him.
“It’s Kang Ha-jin from Kairos! Congratulations!”
Kang Ha-jin, savoring the applause from the cast, spoke with shameless audacity and a composed expression.
“I believe it was a foregone conclusion.”
“That guy’s got a pretty unique character too….”
I heard the comedian who had been the Team Leader mutter under his breath, but Ha-jin smiled as if he hadn’t heard and accepted the ceremonial trophy handed to the winner.
‘I got lucky.’
Ten minutes earlier.
-I got it…!
After an intense struggle, it was Kang Ha-jin who ended up holding the flag in his hand.
Honestly, I’d already gotten as much footage as I wanted, and I’d even considered letting them win….
No matter how much I tried to be gracious, I couldn’t accept losing in a physical brawl to these unenlisted punks who hadn’t even served in the Military—especially given that I might have to go three times as an unofficial discharge holder (this part irritated me the most).
‘Damn. I didn’t think about what to wish for.’
Ha-jin shook the trophy with a brazen expression while his mind spun rapidly.
‘Should I ask them to put our song on broadcast for the next three weeks? At least rack up some broadcast points.’
It wasn’t a bad deal, but it felt a bit underwhelming as a prize earned after such a grueling battle.
Besides, when idols appeared on shows like this, it was standard practice for the mixing team to use the participating group’s song as background music anyway.
‘The production team squeezes their budget dry, the producers get to show off, we get massive benefits, Destiny fans are satisfied, and viewers find it easy to understand—what kind of clever wish could accomplish all that….’
No one had ever asked him to make a wish this seriously, but Ha-jin was already dead serious.
He racked his brain quickly, thinking back over his years of production experience to recall the most plausible prize he’d ever offered.
The spinning data roulette in his mind came to a stop with a soft ping at one particular point.
“Well then, Ha-jin. Please tell us what victory prize you’d like.”
“My wish is….”
Enjoying the anticipation of everyone present waiting for his answer, Ha-jin spoke his wish.
* * *
“Thank you for your hard work~!”
“You all did great!”
By the time we finished filming all of 【Touch High】, the evening had already passed.
Do-ha and I bowed deeply to the production team and cast members. As rookies for whom building recognition was the top priority, it was the natural thing to do.
“Ah, Kairos was so good today. Thanks for your hard work.”
“We were more honored to film with you. You handled all the reckless stunts we threw at you so well today—we’re truly grateful.”
“No, no. You guys are really good at variety shows. Everyone from Miro is good at this stuff. You’re Down’s juniors, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Sanchez personally grasped my hand and patted my back.
I’d never met him during my PD days, and even if I had, I wouldn’t have dared to speak to him properly. The fact that he was viewing me favorably now felt surreal in a way.
Though I was saying this now, far too late.
“Let’s see each other again at the next Kairos special. It’d be fun to film together at other places too.”
“Wherever you call, we’ll come running. You saw how well we performed today, right?”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll reach out if a good opportunity comes up. Thanks for your hard work today.”
Sanchez, offering a gentlemanly smile, departed with a brief farewell.
Having already exchanged greetings with the other cast members and production staff, we made our way back toward Ji Su-ho, who was waiting for us to the side.
“All done with your goodbyes? Let’s head out. Everyone worked hard today. You haven’t eaten dinner yet—you must be hungry, right? There are bento boxes in the car if you want to eat now, or we can wait and have a proper meal at home.”
“I’ll eat the bento box and then have beef when we get home….”
“Sure. Ha-ru worked hard today, so let’s get plenty. The Main PD was thrilled—apparently he landed a young merchant character.”
“―Ha-jin, junior!”
“…?”
As we chatted casually among ourselves while heading toward the parking lot, I heard someone calling my name from behind. Reflexively turning around, I saw Winter Tail’s leader, now changed into casual clothes, rushing toward us.
“Did you call for me?”
“Yeah. Oh, let’s exchange numbers. With the other junior friends too.”
“Ah.”
He didn’t seem like a bad person, but as a newcomer, I first checked Ji Su-ho’s reaction. It appeared he’d already finished his assessment the moment we arrived at the filming studio, because Ji Su-ho gave me a knowing look—a signal that I could do as I pleased.
“…Sure. If you give me your phone, I’ll leave my number.”
“Great. We should exchange challenges too.”
“If you’re talking about that bet from earlier, I won since I placed first, right?”
“Right. I bet on you, Ha-jin junior. Watch the broadcast later.”
“You bet on me?”
“You spoke with such confidence. But since you actually won, people who were on the same show can exchange challenges, right? I’m close with Yeon-woo too.”
I suspected the senior was probably closer to Choi Yeon-woo than to me.
But I decided not to say that out loud.
“Here’s my number. Should we film the challenge separately or together next time?”
“It’d be nice to film it while we’re here, but we have another schedule coming up. Let’s just do it next time we meet. If both our groups keep doing well, we’ll run into each other again.”
There was a subtle edge to his words.
I vaguely recalled how Winter Tail had operated in the previous timeline, and I responded with a carefree smile and a shrug.
“Sure. See you next time.”
“…Yeah. Take care. Today was fun. I learned a lot.”
Winter Tail’s leader hesitated for a moment, then extended his hand for a handshake with a slightly awkward expression.
I grasped his hand without hesitation and shook it lightly. After releasing, he quickly turned back toward his members with a brisk stride.
“Hyung, did you get close with Tae-ha senior?”
“In this industry, one shoot together and everyone becomes best friends, right? He seems like a good person though.”
I was about to naturally drape my arm over Dan Ha-ru’s shoulder as he showed curiosity, but the memory of being suddenly hoisted onto his shoulder in this exact posture earlier made me timidly lower my arm.
I’d almost been caught off guard, but fortunately Dan Ha-ru didn’t seem to notice.
“…Is it really that hard? Huh? I’m not asking for much, guys.”
“…?”
“Guys. Don’t look over there—just walk quickly and get in the car. Won-ho will open the door for you.”
As we approached the car parked deeper in the parking lot, a harsh voice leaked out from a dimly lit smoking area tucked away in the corner.
Like a herbivore reacting to a sound, Dan Ha-ru started to turn his head, but Ji Su-ho stopped him. Having a rough idea of what was happening, I quickly stood beside Dan Ha-ru to block his view, and Lee Do-ha, catching on as well, hurriedly climbed into the open car door.
Just before I closed the car door after getting in last, I caught a glimpse of the Storm Header Maknae standing with his hands clasped behind his back between the parked cars, apparently being scolded by someone.
Though it was pitiful, all I could do was quietly close the car’s curtain to ensure we didn’t reveal that we’d seen him.
As the car pulled away, Ji Su-ho spoke quietly in a low voice.
“…The Storm Header manager’s personality is just… like that. Today’s schedule was originally supposed to be just you guys, but they pulled some strings and Storm Header ended up joining last minute. So the production team hurriedly brought in Winter Tail to balance things out.”
So there was such a clichéd behind-the-scenes story.
No wonder it felt so chaotic and amateurish for a last-minute arrangement.
They’d had to blow up a concept designed for 2-3 guest appearances into a three-team production in just two days….
‘The production team probably went through quite a bit of soju these past two days.’
As I sighed at the situation I could easily imagine, Kwon Wook, our team’s road manager, added his own comment.
“But those guys really do grip their members like catching rats, you know? It’s embarrassing to watch…. They kept coaching them even during breaks.”
“That company has a certain atmosphere about it. …Anyway, it’s not your fault, so if you happen to run into Storm Header again next time, just pretend you don’t know anything.”
There was probably a part we played in why Storm Header was getting scolded like this.
It was an undeniable fact that we’d overwhelmingly captured the most screen time in this shoot.
However, saying that Storm Header was being scolded because of us was also clearly misleading.
In the same situation, Winter Tail had built their own position and character differently from ours, and they’d clearly secured their own share of screen time.
‘Really…. It’s like a job as fleeting as a lamp before the wind.’
That said, it would be foolish for us to pity or sympathize with Storm Header.
While our atmosphere had been the best on set, the actual viewer reaction could explode from a single reaction cut of Storm Header, making them the ultimate beneficiaries in this industry.
I vaguely recalled Storm Header’s timeline from the past as well.
Neither Winter Tail nor Storm Header seemed to have left particularly vivid impressions of their performances in my memory.
‘…But then again, who knows.’
I was someone who knew better than anyone that timelines could be rewritten again and again.
Just as Sarin and Kim Won-ho had been in this timeline, their timeline might also change because of this Touch High appearance.
I gazed absently out the window as light rain began to fall, and called out to Dan Ha-ru, who was leaning against the window lost in thought just like me.
“Dan Ha-ru.”
“…Yes?”
“Did something happen between you and the Storm Header Maknae?”
“Ah….”
At my words, Dan Ha-ru rubbed the back of his neck in surprise.
Dan Ha-ru, his bright eyes cast downward, answered hesitantly.
“Nothing really happened….”
“Yeah.”
“We just had a brief conversation while changing clothes after the opening this morning. That’s all.”
“What conversation was it that made you pay attention to him all day long.”
At my tone suggesting I already knew everything, Dan Ha-ru laughed with a surprised expression.
Dan Ha-ru turned his head with an expression mixing slight fatigue, complicated emotions, and countless thoughts, and answered while pressing his finger against the window that had grown faintly frosted from the rain.
“We didn’t really talk about much, honestly.”
“So what did you talk about then.”
“Just…. He said he envies me.”
“Envies you?”
Dan Ha-ru’s voice, which usually only spoke cheerfully, carried some weight to it.
“He said he envies me.”
“….”
“That was a bit…. It felt strange.”
The rain began to fall harder and harder.
After that remark, the car fell silent—no further conversation ensued.
Do-ha had plugged in his earbuds and fallen asleep long ago, while Su-ho seemed preoccupied with catching up on work.
Ha-ru, after that response, appeared to have sunk into his own thoughts.
‘Envious….’
I too buried that single phrase—one that stirred so many thoughts—deep within my chest, and I closed my eyes, pretending not to notice Ha-ru’s contemplation.
Whether the child brooding now was the Chosen Regressor Ha-ru or our maknae Ha-ru, I knew better than anyone that he would ultimately have to find the answer to that question mark alone.

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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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