Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 322

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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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322. The Moment Everyday Life Is Etched (3)
“…So you absolutely can’t fall for traps like this. Just because three correct answers in a row appeared at the beginning doesn’t mean you should lose your nerve.”
Let me think about this for a moment….
“…In my case, first of all, first! Whenever I spot a conjunction, I mark it immediately. Honestly, these days even Korean text becomes a blur after three lines, so how am I supposed to read through an entire alphabet string the size of my palm? So I break it up first. Look, among these answer paragraphs right now, what conjunction stands out the most to you?”
“….”
“Doesn’t ‘For example’ jump right out at you, guys? What else is there? ‘In addition’ and ‘Therefore’, right? So if we list these in Korean, that’s ‘for example, furthermore, therefore’, isn’t it? Come on, let’s look at the flow first, the flow. Got it?”
“….”
“Usually when we have an essay structured as introduction-body-conclusion, we start by explaining ‘for example, there’s something like this~’ first, and then we can add supplementary details with ‘furthermore~’ or follow the flow with ‘so in conclusion~’, right?”
“….”
“So what does that mean? The moment we spot this, we should think ‘Oh? Then maybe I’ll start reading comprehension from option C which has For example?’ That would be perfect, wouldn’t it? After all, English is a language too, a language. When you approach reading comprehension structurally like this first, during the actual exam you’ll save so much time….”
What time was it again?
Student J, who had been blankly listening to the brilliant lecture unfolding at the blackboard, suddenly felt a question about the true nature of this moment and jerked upright from where she’d been resting her chin.
‘Wait, I was concentrating without even realizing it….’
The blackboard that had only displayed ‘Self-study’ was now packed with traces of Ha-jin’s passionate teaching. From common expressions and conjunctions that frequently appeared on the college entrance exam, to helpful TOEIC tips tucked in the corner (why was that even there?) everything was neatly organized.
“Anyway, the most important thing is vocabulary, vocabulary. You really need to study words a lot. I know everything, I’ve memorized everything, my interpretation is flawless, and then I get it wrong because there’s a word I don’t know in the options? That’s so ridiculous I can’t even cry.”
…Was that personal experience?
No, that couldn’t possibly be the case, right?
No matter how much they listened, the way he spoke about it sounded so vivid, as if he’d taken the college entrance exam three times, that the third-year Class 9 students could no longer tell whether the person before them was a freshly debuted idol or a top-tier hagwon instructor in Gangnam Daechi-dong.
Student J, who had been deeply immersed in some inexplicable negative emotions, was so caught in this cognitive dissonance that she even momentarily forgot her own melancholy.
“And I think your March scores are everything for you, right? Just wait until June. Your real competitors aren’t your classmates next to you—they’re repeat test-takers, N-time test-takers….”
“Hyung, hyung…! Hyung, stop. Please stop…!”
Ha-jin’s runaway passion, as he vented his frustrations about his own grueling exam preparation days, only stopped when Ha-ru urgently snatched the chalk from his hand. Only then did Ha-jin realize how absorbed he’d become, and he cleared his throat awkwardly before gripping the podium again.
“…I’m sorry. I think I got a bit carried away trying to make a good impression.”
For someone who had just been speaking in casual tone with his sleeves rolled up all the way, spouting passionate words, his sudden shyness was even more exasperating. Whether embarrassed or not, his slightly smiling face was the very embodiment of April when cherry blossoms were falling—the student teacher himself—and a few friends nearby could be heard letting out small sighs of admiration.
Ha-jin checked his wristwatch and spoke.
“Well, anyway, so the answer is number one~ You all understand, right? …Looks like we have about ten minutes left? Does anyone else want to try another problem?”
The atmosphere in the classroom shifted in an instant.
Student J quietly bit her lip as she watched her classmates eagerly raise their hands again. No matter how much she might be the most pitiful and struggling test-taker in the world, she knew full well that what she’d just done was clearly picking a fight.
The fact that Ha-jin had smoothly handled it well, preventing her from becoming completely unpopular with her classmates.
“….”
Her grades, her friends, the situation.
Everything was a mess.
The moment Student J spotted Ha-ru and Ha-jin trying to turn their gaze toward where she was, she quickly lowered her head. And she didn’t raise it again until the class bell rang.
* * *
“…Yes, Ha-jin, Ha-ru. We’ll be moving out now.”
“Ah, okay~”
With just two or three minutes left before the class bell would ring, it was a precarious moment.
When the Production Director, who had been capturing what was happening inside on camera, gave the signal to wrap up and leave, disappointed groans erupted from the students. I would have liked to keep them entertained until the bell rang, but if we moved during break time, it could create safety issues, so we had to leave the classroom.
I patted Dan Ha-ru’s shoulder, who was wearing the same disappointed expression, and gave a final greeting to the Class 9 students.
“Unfortunately, we have to head out now. Um…. Today was really fun, and solving mock exam problems again after so long made me realize I’m still not dead yet. It was a good time. Thank you so much for welcoming us. I know you all experience a lot of stress during your exam preparation, and I hope that today, through us, you had at least a little bit of enjoyable time.”
No matter how much I’d come here for group promotion, I genuinely meant every word when I said I hoped we could be a source of strength for these students.
There was more I wanted to say, but lingering any longer would transform my words into presumptuous moralizing. I swallowed the comfort and encouragement that filled my mouth and passed the turn to Dan Ha-ru beside me.
“….”
“…?”
But why wasn’t he saying anything?
I’d held back what I wanted to say and stepped aside, yet Dan Ha-ru stood before the podium, merely pressing his hands together repeatedly.
‘Is he thinking about what to say?’
I was about to give him a subtle signal, worried the moment would grow awkward if it dragged on, when Dan Ha-ru—who’d been wearing an unusually thoughtful expression—suddenly lifted his head and spoke.
“I…!”
“Oh my, you startled me.”
“I’ve never experienced the college entrance exam or the admissions process, but…”
“…?”
“I do know how overwhelming it feels to live through time that can never be reclaimed.”
Suddenly?
I’d told him to just offer some encouragement and wrap it up, yet this sparkling kid suddenly seemed to be reminiscing about his regression days—my eyes widened involuntarily.
Deciding to listen and see where this was going, I watched as Dan Ha-ru conveyed his heart to the students with all the sincerity he could muster.
“Um, so what I’m trying to say is….”
“….”
“Just that the fact you’re enduring this moment is truly remarkable.”
“….”
“Among yesterday, today, and tomorrow, the only one we can change is tomorrow, right? Even if today was the worst, tomorrow could be okay again, so….”
The boy who’d once tried to flee eternally into yesterday because he feared the future ahead spoke with eloquent fluency.
Or was it precisely because he was that kind of person that he could say such things?
I was smiling warmly at how much he’d grown, when I noticed Dan Ha-ru’s gaze directed elsewhere. Following his line of sight naturally, I spotted the student who’d asked me earlier to help with practice exam solutions.
Dan Ha-ru, who’d kept his head down the entire time, looked toward that student and delivered his final words.
“So I hope you’ll stay strong. You’ve got this.”
As if lamenting that all he could offer was mere words,
Dan Ha-ru clenched his small fists tightly and offered his parting greeting.
Polite applause echoed through the classroom, and that student never lifted their head until we left the room. From what I glimpsed when closing the door, they seemed to be lying down and crying.
I waited for the members gradually emerging from other classrooms in the distance, then leaned my arm against Dan Ha-ru’s head—who still seemed lost in thought—and asked.
“Sparkle.”
“…Yes?”
“That student from earlier? The one with the practice exam solutions?”
“Oh.”
At my casual question, Dan Ha-ru gave a small nod in response.

“Earlier at the Auditorium, he was on stage crying by himself. I happened to notice since I was sitting in the front row.”
“Seeing him cry bothered you?”
“No, it’s not that… I’m not sure.”
Watching Dan Ha-ru laugh awkwardly and shrug his shoulders, I didn’t press him further. He seemed to be experiencing something similar to what the Storm Header Maknae had expressed when he’d told me he envied me.
It was actually Dan Ha-ru who changed the subject.
“Ha-jin.”
“Yeah?”
“That assignment you gave us this morning.”
“Mm.”
“To find the answer, I should do everything I can on my part, right?”
“Sure, do what you think is best. There’s no deadline anyway.”
I nodded coolly, and Dan Ha-ru nodded as if he’d made some kind of resolution, pressing his lips together firmly.
Wait, that’s the face of a young rabbit warrior making a secret decision without telling his comrades.
A wave of unease washed over me, and I was about to ask ‘What exactly can you do?’ but the other members had already arrived, and I missed my chance while hurrying to leave school.
“Everyone here? We decided to skip the ending and head straight to Seoul, so get in the van.”
The moment we stepped outside the School with the members, a bell rang to signal break time. Simultaneously, students opened classroom windows from here and there, calling out to us. We exchanged waves and nods before quickly boarding the van to avoid any potential safety incidents.
“If anyone left something behind or dropped anything, the Staff Members will take care of it, so just let me know. Ha-jin, you get in the passenger seat quickly.”
“Wait, I was going to sit in the back with Dan Ha-ru….”
“No time for that, we need to get to Seoul quickly.”
“Do we have another schedule? Isn’t today supposed to end with this?”
I’d been planning to interrogate Dan Ha-ru more once we were in the van, but I was forced into the passenger seat by Kwon Wook’s insistence.
This hyung isn’t usually like this—why is he suddenly so flustered?
Once all the members, including myself, were seated and had fastened our seatbelts, Kwon Wook carefully checked that everyone was in and properly buckled before quickly starting the van.
“Hyung, why are you in such a rush today? Are you worried about an accident? That the students might follow us?”
It wasn’t really an environment where we’d need to worry about safety incidents.
Confused, I grabbed the handle above the window with one hand and asked. Kwon Wook, wearing an expression that was hard to read—whether happy or urgent—sniffled as he answered.
“It’s dangerous, so don’t move when you hear this and get shocked.”
“…? What is it? Your driving looks the most dangerous right now.”
“The Executive Director woke up.”
“…What?”
“The hospital called. The Executive Director woke up, and he’s currently undergoing tests to check his physical condition.”
Ji Su-ho had awakened.
At this very moment, I couldn’t help but lament that I didn’t have a teleportation skill.

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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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