Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 264

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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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264. The Day of Reckoning (2)
I slowly began to trace back the beginning, middle, and end of this entire situation.
Beginning.
A few days ago.
Jeong Si-u and Lee Do-ha departed for an overseas location shoot for a unit photo shoot, while Ju Eun-chan and Dan Ha-ru left for a provincial location to film for 【LET US】.
Development.
The weather forecast—so remarkably accurate it had even earned the nickname “College Entrance Exam Cold Snap”—lived up to its reputation once again as the third week of November rolled around, bringing with it a brutal cold wave accompanied by wind and rain.
Turning Point.
All the members, staff, and managers who were originally supposed to arrive in Seoul today—the day before the college entrance exam, or at the very latest, the morning of the exam itself—found themselves completely stranded. With the year-end season approaching, both Yupia and Endway were running full schedules, leaving no one available at the company.
Conclusion.
“We’re done for.”
The Infinite Content Supply Incident—a True Story?
The Kang Ha-jin Anti-fan Universe Still Ongoing?
I gripped my phone like a lifeline, my hands practically tearing at my hair.
“So, when are you arriving? Or can you even arrive? We have a music show broadcast tomorrow.”
-I got the earliest available ticket, and from my rough calculations, I should arrive just before the live broadcast. As for Eun-chan’s group, they’re planning to depart at dawn once the weather clears, so they should arrive by afternoon. We just need to figure out the morning. The college entrance exam for the third-year students and your music show appearance.
As if that’s easy to say.
I was baffled by the way Ji Su-ho was talking about it so casually, as if he were just asking me to pick up some groceries in the morning, but I couldn’t exactly complain to someone who couldn’t come. I quickly accepted the situation and lifted my head.
“Understood. It’s fine—I have a license anyway. I’ll just take a car and drive.”
-…You’re sure you drove in your past life too, right? If it looks like you might cause an accident, maybe a taxi would be….
“Do you know what a military-service-completed male assistant director does first when entering an outsourced production company for the first time? Memorize the CEO’s car number. Because you have to swap out cars.”
-Ugh, I’m still worried…. Anyway, I’m really asking for your help. I’m sorry.
“Don’t worry about it. Just let me know which car to use tomorrow.”
-Yeah. Hold on.
I could hear Ji Su-ho asking someone something on the other end of the phone.
Seo Tae-hyun, who had just finished getting ready and came out, noticed the unusual nature of my conversation and asked with a questioning look while drying his hair with a towel.
I waved my hand dismissively to indicate it was nothing to worry about, and then Ji Su-ho’s hesitant voice returned to the line.
-Um. Ha-jin.
“Yes? Do I need to go to the company and pick up the car?”
-No, it’s not that….
“…?”
-There’s no car.
“…What did you just say?”
-Originally, you were supposed to use the car that Eun-chan and Ha-ru were taking, but since they can’t depart…. This is driving me crazy, seriously. What do we do? A taxi… that won’t work, right?
Just how far does this chaotic, tumultuous, haphazard sitcom universe of mine intend to go?
The raging weather outside—rumbling, crashing, flashing—mirrored my own turbulent heart perfectly.
* * *
In the end, I made a decision.
-H-Ha-jin?
“…I’ll figure it out myself tomorrow. Executive Director, don’t worry about this—just make sure to pick up Si-woo and Do-ha on time and bring them to the broadcast station.”
-Will you be okay? What are you going to do?
Since I’d confidently said I’d handle it myself, Ji Su-ho’s words were tinged with worry again, and I answered cynically.
“It’s not like the Executive Director can do anything from there anyway. It’s an international call, so it’ll cost a lot. Let me just hang up and figure something out—whether I take a taxi or the subway.”
-Hey, hey. You realize you’re a hot idol who’s doing really well right now, right? If you ride the subway with your bare face, it’ll be a disaster.
“A taxi won’t be a disaster either, will it? We’ve had a lot of paparazzi lately, and if word gets out that the company’s sending taxis for the kids’ schedules, it’ll cause an uproar anyway, won’t it? I’ll handle it myself, so trust me.”
-Yeah, well… I’m really sorry. We never imagined things would turn out like this.
“Whose fault is it? It’s just the weather being like this. Just be careful getting here.”
-Okay. See you tomorrow. Tell Tae-hyun and Yoo Gun to be safe on their way.
“Yep.”
The call ended with a light goodbye. My phone was flooded with backed-up messages. When I clicked on the one from Jeong Si-u, a long cooking recipe had arrived via text.
【?】
【What is this?】
【Miro_Kairos_Jeong Si-u ‖ Lunchbox recipes for the kids.】
【Miro_Kairos_Jeong Si-u ‖ I had the ingredients ordered for delivery online this afternoon—did you get them?】
So those were the ingredients that had arrived in the afternoon.
Scanning through the recipes—beef bulgogi, beef soup, braised beef, fried anchovies, beef ribs, all sorts of vegetable side dishes—I let out a satisfied sound and sent a reply.
【I got them】
【But I’m not the one making them】
【Miro_Kairos_Jeong Si-u ‖ Then who is?】
【There’s someone who cooks well】
【Hyung, I need to figure things out now so I can’t reply】
【Later】
【Be careful coming tomorrow】
I sent the messages quickly and was about to move on to the next step when Seo Tae-hyun, who’d come back with his hair already dried, sat down next to me while slathering on a sheet mask.
“Everyone really can’t come?”
“Yeah. That’s why I’m really busy right now, so go to bed, test-taker.”
“…I’m fine. I can just go to a porridge place and get some to go. I’ll just take a taxi in the morning. But what about Yoo Gun? He’s at his hometown right now. Does he know?”
“The younger guys are texting the group chat about missing their hyungs every second, so he probably knows. Tomorrow, I’ll pack lunchboxes for you and Yoo Gun and drop you off on time, so don’t worry and just sleep, test-taker.”
“But hyung has a schedule tomorrow too. How are you going to manage?”
“Hey.”
I stopped my hand, which had been about to search for someone’s phone number and call them. Looking directly at Seo Tae-hyun, who was crouching down with a timid expression, I answered firmly.
“I’ll handle it myself.”
“….”
“Your mother and uncle can’t come up tomorrow anyway. Are you really going to ruin the college entrance exam you worked so hard to prepare for because you’re distracted and can’t manage your condition and emotions?”
“…Why do you always talk like that, hyung?”
“…That’s T 49% Ha-jin speaking as your hyung.”
“….”
“I’m not going to make you anxious from the start of the day worrying about other things when you’ve worked so hard to prepare for this test. You have people to help, so don’t worry and go to sleep. Double-check that you’ve packed everything you need.”
“….”
“This is what F 51% Ha-jin is saying as your hyung. Pretty affectionate, right? So go on, hurry.”
Seo Tae-hyun scrunched his face in annoyance and grumbled something under his breath before shuffling into his room.
Now that I was finally trying to come up with a real plan, my phone rang—Lee Yu-gun calling.
Ugh, these third-year high school kids were seriously killing me.
-Hello? Hyung, all the managers are stuck, so tomorrow how are we supposed to―
“You’ll grab your own lunch box, and I’ll drive over and pick you up at the scheduled time, so please, please, PLEASE! Go to sleep! Sleep, you exam students!”
-…Hyung, are you insane?
“Perfectly sane. So just get some sleep. See you tomorrow. Bye. Love you. Mwah.”
-What? This crazy―
Click.
Without waiting for him to finish, I hung up and immediately called my lifeline—someone who could actually help with this mess. It was already pushing 11 PM, so I had to call before everyone went to bed.
Fortunately, after a few rings, a familiar voice answered.
-Yeah, what’s up, son?
“Mom!”
When things get desperate, there’s nothing like the mom card.
“Mom, help me out. Save me. Help me.”
-Calling me this late out of the blue? What’s going on?
“Tomorrow Ha-won isn’t taking the college entrance exam, right? So you’re off work, yeah? Nothing special planned? Mom, can I borrow your car?”
-Your car? Well, you can use it if you need it… But what’s this about? You need to explain properly for me to help.
Hearing Mom’s bewildered voice, I hurriedly explained the whole situation. I whined about how I was swamped picking up the kids, going to work, filling in as an MC, and everything else, and once Mom grasped what was happening, she quickly agreed to help.
-So all I need to do is bring the car tomorrow and pack a lunch box?
“Yeah. I was thinking about handling the lunch box myself, but honestly, if I make something and one of them gets sick from it, I don’t think I’ll be able to face them for the rest of my contract, Mom.”
-Hmm… Okay, I got it. I’ll head to the dormitory early tomorrow morning, so send me the access code.
“Yes! Love you, Mom.”
-I thought I’d never get to play the role of a parent on college entrance exam day since neither of my sons took it, but now in my twilight years, I’ve somehow gained six more sons.
I could hear a subtle excitement in Mom’s voice.
Of course.
She’d always wanted to experience packing a lunch box for exam day.
‘But Mom… you have packed exam day lunches before… in a previous timeline… twice, actually…’
I smiled bittersweet, remembering the original timeline when I’d retaken my senior year, and the first regression where I’d taken the exam as a regular student. After securing Mom’s promise to arrive on time tomorrow, I quickly called someone else.
-…Hello?
The voice on the other end sounded both familiar and unfamiliar, and I felt a slight flutter of nervousness.
But that was brief—with a schedule crisis looming right before me, I’d lost all sense of composure and brazenly greeted them.
“Hello, CEO. This is Kang Ha-jin from Kairos. I sincerely apologize for calling so late at night, but there’s something I desperately need to ask of you, so I’m taking the liberty of contacting you now.”
Since the situation had already spiraled out of control, I might as well take full control of it.
I was going to win decisively in this unfair, twisted world.
* * *
The next morning.
True to her word, Mom arrived at the dormitory at dawn.
I was a bit worried she hadn’t slept because of me, but the moment she got there, she started looking around the dormitory and asking questions with such vibrant energy that it was clear she was thoroughly enjoying the situation.
“Are you eating well? Though I heard Yoo Gun and Si-woo are pretty good at cooking.”
“That’s true, but these days I’m always at the company or busy with schedules. I don’t get many chances to eat well at home.”
“Still, you need to eat properly. Ha-ru and Eun-chan looked so skinny?”
“…Those two eat the best. The absolute best. Really.”
“Is that so? That’s normal when they’re growing up~”
After finishing the tour of the dormitory, Mother naturally tied on an apron and pulled out the ingredients Si-woo had ordered yesterday from the refrigerator. Then she methodically laid out the ingredients she’d brought along on the kitchen counter.
“What is it? What did you do? Yesterday? That night?”
“Nothing. I just brought some things from home. You don’t have anything to do anyway, right? Come help your mother.”
“I’m actually amazing at being an assistant. But Mom, wait a second.”
Just as Mother was about to start preparing the lunchboxes in earnest, I mounted my GoPro for vlogging on a mini tripod and set it up in the corner of the kitchen. There was no way I could let such incredibly entertaining content go to waste.
After giving a simple opening line to the camera, I was helping Mother prepare the lunchboxes when Tae-hyun woke up, his hair disheveled, and emerged from his room. He blinked his eyes blankly at my Mother standing in the kitchen.
“…Auntie?”
“Tae-hyun’s awake? Go wash up and come back. You need to eat breakfast before you go.”
“No, Auntie, why are you, here, when did…?”
“Yes. She’s my mother, I called her yesterday, and she’s making lunchboxes for you guys right now, and we’re filming a vlog at the moment. Say cheese, Tae-hyun~”
“Whoa. No, don’t film me!”
As I turned the GoPro toward Tae-hyun, he realized what was happening, covered his face, and hurried into the restroom.
Tae-hyun rarely showed his natural side to fans, and the thought of his sleepy, bare face being revealed made me chuckle—the fans would go crazy. I hurried to help Mother with the lunchboxes.
“By the way, after you go to the broadcast station, what about Tae-hyun and Yoo Gun? Should I just be the driver for today?”
“Well, your driving skills are better than most professional drivers, but today this will be enough. I’ve already arranged everything.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Are you going straight home after making these lunchboxes?”
“No, since I’m in Seoul, I should at least see your grandmother’s face. The car keys are over there, so take them.”
“Take a taxi. I have a company car. The Executive Director said I could use it.”
“Forget it, a taxi? You be careful driving. Will you be okay? Seoul driving isn’t easy, you know? The car’s small too.”
“Well, a car’s a car, and Seoul driving is….”
As I popped a piece of the rolled egg that Mother made into my mouth and shrugged, I suddenly realized I’d forgotten something very important.
A sudden realization struck me, and I swallowed the half-chewed rolled egg and asked Mother.
“…Mom.”
“Yeah?”
“What was our car again? What model?”
Mother then looked at me with an expression that said I was asking the strangest questions and answered.
“It’s a Morning. I’ve been driving a white Morning for ten years now. Why are you suddenly asking?”
The car….
We still haven’t changed it, have we….
The thought of Tae-hyun and Yoo Gun confidently arriving in front of a swarm of reporters in an old, tiny white Morning—not just small, but cramped—suddenly sent a sharp pain shooting up the back of my head.

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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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