Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 266

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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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266. The Day of Reckoning (4)
My answer was concise and precise.
“Yes. Seo Tae-hyun is doing well.”
“…?”
“Our senior is currently…. diligently working through the Korean language section of the exam, I’m sure?”
“No, wait—,”
“It seems our newly debuted junior Cha Min-seok didn’t take the college entrance exam this time. Congratulations on the hot debut, and wishing you all the best. Well then, I’ll be going.”
Regardless of why Cha Min-seok had approached me, I had absolutely no intention of prolonging a conversation with this bastard in such a crowded place.
‘What does it matter if Seo Tae-hyun is doing well or not?’
All the effort I’d put into my appearance this morning had paid off. I hadn’t dressed up so nicely for Cha Min-seok’s benefit, but delivering such a cool response while bundled in an oversized hoodie and cap would have definitely lacked the same impact.
Even though I was freezing to death, I was grateful to myself for sticking with the long coat, and I deliberately let its hem flutter as I followed the salon staff inside, making sure Cha Min-seok saw. Fortunately, I was (just slightly) taller than him.
“Ah, Manager.”
“Hmm?”
“That time when I came for the Miro audition before.”
I had paused mid-step after offering a polite nod to Manager Jang, struck by a memory that suddenly surfaced.
The incident that had branded me as a crybaby in Seo Tae-il’s eyes, and the very reason the entire Miro company had spread rumors about me being a trainee who’d fought with Seo Tae-il.
“I was just wondering if that person who gave me a gift back then is still doing well. I never got to thank them properly at the time.”
“A gift…? Oh, yes. Jae-hee. Jae-hee quit the company. But she’s still a fan of Ha-jin, you know? We used to joke that she quit because she felt awkward being a fan while working at the company.”
“Is that so?”
My very first fan, whom I was meeting for the first time in this timeline, had actually quit.
It wasn’t unusual in the entertainment industry—job-hopping and resignations were common. Actually, it was strange that Su-ho had stuck with Miro for several years.
Still, knowing that she remained a fan of Kairos and of me somehow put my mind at ease. Even if what she’d said back then was just words, the comfort and encouragement she’d given me were still precious.
“Thank you. I should head in now.”
“Go ahead. Ha-jin, you’ve been doing so well lately that I’m genuinely proud and happy for you.”
“That’s thanks to you, Manager. I’ll see you again at the broadcast station later.”
They say you should never make enemies with renowned managers in the entertainment industry.
After offering Manager Jang every courtesy I could muster, I finally hurried forward. I could still feel Cha Min-seok’s gaze boring into the back of my head, but it wasn’t as if he’d grab my wrist like some romance drama cliché….
‘Stop it. Stop it. Don’t plant any more flags, Kang Ha-jin.’
The thought of Cha Min-seok seizing my wrist to stop me, like some romance trope, suddenly made my stomach churn.
Grateful that I was filling in as MC for the music show today, I slipped into the salon gown and took my seat.
With my glasses off and eyes closed, my hair stylist gently examined my hair before speaking first.
“By the way, Ha-jin, did you really come in alone today?”
“Yes. Impressive, right?”
“Your hair looks neat and well-maintained despite the busy schedule. Should I just tidy it up a bit here? Any particular style you’re going for?”
“No, well….”
I swallowed back a vague response asking her to do whatever she thought best.
The reason was that I’d just remembered I’d be conducting interviews next to those stunningly handsome Rene guys, including that original sculpture of a man. While I didn’t have any particular vanity about my face, I absolutely didn’t want to hear that I looked inferior in appearance.
I downed the orange juice the staff member had brought in one shot and spoke with solemn determination.
“Noona.”
“Yeah?”
“I really need to look good today. What should I do?”
“Huh…?”
“I really need to look handsome, but today….”
As I pondered seriously, the staff members around me burst into laughter.
Here I was, facing a critical moment where I could end up preserved on TV as just some ordinary guy among Greek gods, and they were laughing?
When I shot them a look demanding to know why they found it funny, the Hair Stylist examined my face in the mirror from every angle. Then she glanced briefly at the black sunglasses I’d set down on the vanity before nodding knowingly.
“Hmm…. Alright. Let’s go for something a bit more sophisticated today.”
“I trust you stylists completely. I’m being serious here.”
“Sure, sure.”
Sigh….
Should I just cry my eyes out during the morning broadcast and use another skill?
This was the moment I envied all those protagonist characters from those system-based novels who could boost their appearance stats with a single click.
* * *
After finishing the styling, I stepped into the parking lot with a banana milk the salon had given me as a gift, straw already inserted, when I felt someone following behind me.
I had a rough idea of who might show up at this timing, but since I was busy and had no desire to humor them anyway, I deliberately pretended not to notice and headed toward my beloved Morning. Then I felt the person behind me calling out urgently.
“Hey, you there.”
“….”
“Hey, you.”
“…Oh, where did I put my car keys.”
“D-don’t you hear me?”
“The Morning doesn’t have that beeping thing—it’s so uncool. I need to make more money and get a new car first.”
“…Excuse me! Senior Kang Ha-jin!”
When Cha Min-seok finally called me senior, I stopped in my tracks and turned around.
What the hell did this rude bastard want from me anyway?
I was starting to get genuinely curious.
“What is it? Why are you so curious about how our Tae-hyun is doing? Why are you so curious about that?”
“….”
“If you have something to say, say it with some manners and be quick about it. We’re not exactly close enough to exchange pleasantries like that.”
I found myself speaking aggressively without meaning to, but Cha Min-seok didn’t seem to mind much.
Or rather, there seemed to be something else bothering him more, making this level of rudeness seem acceptable.
Dressed in what looked like debut stage attire—autumn-toned clothes—Cha Min-seok hesitated for a moment before finally opening his mouth.
“…Seo Tae-hyun—,”
“Senior.”
“….”
“I’m being a bit old-fashioned.”
At my correction, Cha Min-seok let out a short, uncomfortable sigh and rephrased himself.
“Did Senior Seo Tae-hyun… say anything about me?”
Is this guy insane?
Unable to discern his intentions, my brow furrowed involuntarily, but I couldn’t carelessly reveal my suspicions in a situation where anyone could be watching from anywhere.
I glanced around before checking the time on my wristwatch and answered.
“I don’t have one.”
“….”
“Even if I did, I don’t. That’s all I have to say? My first impression must’ve been pretty good then. We’ve only met twice and you’re asking about everything under the sun.”
My deliberately lighthearted remark caused Cha Min-seok’s expression to harden in an unreadable way. He seemed like he’d followed me out because he wanted to pick a fight about something, but he clearly didn’t know exactly what to say.
I leaned slightly against the car body, crossed my arms, and turned the question back on him.
“Did you have some lingering resentment toward our Tae-hyun? Doesn’t seem like you’re in a position to.”
“….”
“Don’t go making weird rumors. Let’s just both work hard in our own lanes, yeah? Try not to get tangled up with each other. …Though that’s probably impossible, we should still do our best.”
I clenched my fist in a fighting spirit gesture and climbed into the car, passing Cha Min-seok.
It was slightly awkward that I’d delivered that with such charisma only to climb into an adorable, compact morning car, but whatever.
Seeing Cha Min-seok standing there alone with a frustrated, contemplative expression, it still seemed like a pretty decent response on my part.
“…Is he trying to make peace? Surely not with such a brazen attitude like that?”
I analyzed Cha Min-seok’s still-incomprehensible psychology in my own way as I stepped on the accelerator.
First priority was getting to work.
* * *
“Oh~! Our Jjini! Looking forward to working with you today~”
“Ah, hello.”
After frantically finishing script readings and movement rehearsals, I was practicing alone in the waiting room when the door opened. Entering with a warm greeting were the Main PD and Main Writer of A-Countdown.
The two of them looked around the sparse MC waiting room, which only had me in it, and burst into laughter.
“Wait, you really came alone? I heard about it from the Executive Director though.”
“Thanks to that, I’m getting a day-in-the-life experience of being a solo entertainment agency. It’s not easy.”
“The other members will arrive on time, right? We did push Kairos’s slot back a bit….”
“Ah, yes. Tae-hyun and Yoo Gun should be on their way now that they’ve finished their exams. The other members should all arrive before the live broadcast starts too. Thank you for being considerate, Writer.”
I answered with a gentle smile, and the writer joked that I never looked twenty whenever they saw me.
I swallowed the response ‘Because I’m not twenty’ and was offering polite pleasantries like ‘Haha, thank you for thinking so kindly of me,’ when the Main PD, who’d been unusually quiet until now, gently patted my shoulder with a subtle smile.
“Still, it’s really fortunate that Tae-hyun has such a cool leader hyung. You back him up so willingly.”
“I’m working hard to make an impression so I can push Tae-hyun out of his spot.”
“Haha, people have been asking for you a lot lately anyway.”
The Main PD laughed along with my half-joking remark, but their expression seemed to grow quiet, lost in thought.
Noticing the strange atmosphere I’d felt before, I caught the Main PD taking a sip of their mix coffee and speaking in a low voice.
“…It’s really fortunate that Tae-hyun’s doing well. Really. Anyway, I’m happy about it.”
Didn’t they say something similar before?
At first, I thought the PD genuinely cared for Seo Tae-hyun as a producer, but at this point, it seemed like there was definitely something more. I ran through every possible scenario I could imagine in my head and casually threw out a question.
“You said you’ve been watching Tae-hyun since Boy’s Supremacy, right? Can I ask what he was like back then?”
“…Back then? Well… He did well back then too. I genuinely thought Tae-hyun could debut back then.”
“True, he made it to the finals as an independent trainee. Even though we’re in the same group now, I’m always amazed whenever I see Tae-hyun. Oh, but… if he’d debuted there, he wouldn’t be in the same group as me now, so should I say it’s fortunate he didn’t make it?”
The Main PD didn’t laugh at my lighthearted remark.
Instead, their eyes grew heavier, and they just kept wetting their dry lips with coffee.
The Main PD answered my joke after a slight pause.
“…Yeah. It does seem like things turned out better this way.”
From that reaction, I was certain.
There was definitely something between Boy Heaven and Seo Tae-hyun.
And I was certain it wouldn’t be anything good for Seo Tae-hyun.

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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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