Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 333

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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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333. Role Model
Let me pause here to examine the relationship between Ju Eun-chan and Dan Ha-ru.
First, from Ju Eun-chan’s perspective.
To Ju Eun-chan, Dan Ha-ru was the first true ‘younger sibling’ he had ever known.
While there had been younger people in his life before, none had ever shared such an intimate bond with him.
‘A younger sibling.’
What is a younger sibling?
No, let me rephrase the question.
‘What is an older brother?’
For Ju Eun-chan, who had overcome his parents’ cruel indifference through the affection and care of his only older brother, an older brother was nothing short of heaven itself.
Not merely something lofty and distant, but one who provides rain when needed, a cool shelter for rest, a warm night for peaceful sleep—someone who creates the very foundation upon which to build a life.
His reverence for what an ‘older brother’ represented only solidified further after he joined Miro and met another remarkable older brother.
—I am proud of you all.
—Thank you for being my pride.
Kang Ha-jin.
He was the second ‘true adult’ Eun-chan had ever met after Eun-seok—not some pompous fossil who acted superior merely because of age despite lacking any real skill, but a genuine adult with something to teach and someone worth following.
Eun-chan believed he had recovered his peer relationships at Miro, which he’d thought were ruined, entirely thanks to Ha-jin.
The awkwardness that had somehow developed with Tae-hyun, the distance from the younger members of Miro Maze who had split into factions—even growing this close to Yoo Gun, Do-ha, and Si-woo, whom he hadn’t properly bonded with even when they were in the same advanced class.
It was all because Ha-jin had properly served as a bridge between them.
So it was only natural that Kang Ha-jin became Ju Eun-chan’s second greatest role model after Joo Eun-seok.
‘I need to become an ‘older brother’ like them too.’
Ju Eun-chan genuinely believed this.
And Dan Ha-ru was the only person through whom he could put this resolve into practice.
Which meant….
“Hey, is Ha-ru sick? You look down.”
“…!”
This was the moment when Ju Eun-chan’s notoriously poor perception—so bad he’d earned the nickname “Eun-chan Knows Nothing”—suddenly skyrocketed when it came to Dan Ha-ru!
‘This is bad.’
Kang Ha-jin thought sincerely.
Normally, even if Lee Yu-gun and Seo Tae-hyun were waltzing hand-in-hand and Lee Do-ha slapped Jeong Si-u across the face, causing him to scream, Ju Eun-chan wouldn’t realize what happened until much later—but his perception, which had been absent before leaving the house, had returned with startling speed.
If it had been Seo Tae-hyun or Jeong Si-u, they might have brushed off the injury casually or made some joke about “this kid being Ha-ru,” but Ju Eun-chan, who had stuck to Ha-ru like glue every single day until the accident, couldn’t possibly miss any abnormality in him.
But what truly shocked Kang Ha-jin came in the very next moment.
“Eun-chan! When did you get here?”
Dan Ha-ru, who had just moments ago been in such a foul mood he looked ready to tear someone apart, suddenly bounded toward Ju Eun-chan with a bright, cheerful voice as if nothing had happened…! Kang Ha-jin nearly screamed, wondering if their little sparkle had returned.
“Your shoulder and arm are okay, right? Weren’t you supposed to rest longer at your hometown?”
“I was planning to, but they said there’s a meeting tonight anyway, so I came back early. My shoulder and arm are almost healed. I’m getting the cast off tomorrow at the hospital, and the shoulder should be fine as long as I don’t overdo it.”
“Wow, I’m so glad. I missed you, hyung….”
“Me too. There’s a gaming console in the room—want to play now? I brought it from my hometown this time because you said you wanted to play it last time.”
“Seriously?! Yes! And Ha-jin hyung said he’d buy us snacks too!”
Who is this person…?
Ha-jin’s face went completely blank as he stared at Dan Ha-ru pointing at me. It wasn’t just Ha-jin—Yoo Gun and Do-ha, who witnessed the scene beside him, had similar reactions. While I pondered whether this was method acting with Sparkle’s spirit possessing him, or if Sparkle’s personality had genuinely returned, the sound of a password being entered accompanied the entrance door opening again.
“…? Why is everyone standing here instead of going inside?”
Tae-hyun and Si-woo had returned from their personal errands.
Yoo Gun, who had been momentarily dazed, asked Tae-hyun with a startled expression.
“What? Didn’t you say you’d be late?”
“It finished earlier than expected. Si-woo also finished around the same time, so we met just outside. But why is everyone standing in the entrance like this? It’s cramped, so hurry up and come in.”
With Tae-hyun’s efficient push, Ha-jin, Yoo Gun, and Do-ha were shoved aside in turn. Nam Da-down was like that too, and so was Seo Tae-hyun. At this point, I couldn’t tell if these small animals were just strong, or if the three of them simply weren’t living up to their size.
“Tae-hyun! Eun-chan’s here!”
“Yeah? Did Eun-chan get good rest?”
“Yes, we’re going to the hospital tomorrow to remove the cast.”
“Good thing you’re in better condition before we start activities. I would’ve really regretted not being able to do it together.”
Dan Ha-ru, who seemed to be possessed by Sparkle (though it was really him), cheerfully delivered the news to Seo Tae-hyun as he entered the living room. With that usual demeanor, neither Seo Tae-hyun nor Jeong Si-woo, who followed in and removed his coat, seemed to notice anything amiss.
Everyone except Ha-jin and the Lee brothers appeared normal. In fact, it was only those three who couldn’t adapt to that ordinary scene. Ha-jin, coming to his senses belatedly, quietly removed his shoes and stepped into the dormitory.
Dan Ha-ru, ignoring Ha-jin entirely, was busy connecting a gaming console that Joo Eun-chan had brought from his room to the living room TV.
‘Well… this should be fine, right?’
At any rate, it seemed like the other members wouldn’t find out at this rate.
Just as Ha-jin was about to feel relieved and head to his room to change clothes.
“Ah, Ha-ru. You just plug that in like this….”
Smack—!
“…?”
“…Oh.”
At the sound of friction rarely heard in the dormitory, I turned around to find a shocked Eun-chan and an even more shocked Ha-ru facing each other in a standoff. It seemed Dan Ha-ru had reflexively pushed away Joo Eun-chan’s hand, which had been trying to help him insert the cable into the correct port.
Ha-ru, who regained his composure slightly faster than the still-flustered Eun-chan, quickly opened his mouth.
“Ah, that’s…. Since hyung’s shoulder still hurts, I was just trying to do it myself, so I moved my hand like this, but I guess I did it too hard. …Sorry.”
It was obviously an excuse no matter how you looked at it. Kang Ha-jin moved closer between the two, ready to intervene if necessary. It was about time for Eun-chan to say something like ‘Ha-ru, is something wrong?’….
“Ah, yeah. No, it’s fine.”
…or so I thought.
Joo Eun-chan nodded his head more easily than expected and accepted Dan Ha-ru’s explanation. Dan Ha-ru, whose pupils had been trembling as if disaster had struck, made a subtle expression at Eun-chan’s response. Ha-jin simply watched the standoff between the two youngest members. Joo Eun-chan smiled as if nothing was wrong and spoke.
“I was just trying to tell you that you plug it in here. I always used to plug it in the wrong way too, so hyung taught me.”
“…Yeah. But I’m gonna go change into more comfortable clothes. Let’s do it together after I change.”
“Oh, you want to? Okay, then I’ll finish plugging this in.”
Eun-chan nodded at Ha-ru’s words again. Even though it was clearly an escape this time too. And Ha-jin knew that it wasn’t because Eun-chan’s perceptiveness had returned and then left again.
Confirming that Dan Ha-ru, who had stood up, entered his room with a completely broken expression, Ha-jin approached Eun-chan while scratching his cheek.
“Um, Ha-ru seems…. not feeling well. His condition has been off since this morning.”
Ha-jin felt a bit embarrassed that this was the only excuse he could come up with, even though he’d said he’d cover for him.
But this time too, Eun-chan simply nodded without asking further.
“I guess so. Did I make a mistake suggesting games…? I brought it thinking Ha-ru would like it.”
“Your dongsaeng hit your hand and you’re not even upset? How are you going to survive in this world being this dense?”
“I’d hate it if someone else did that, but Ha-ru is fine.”
This was quite the unfair favoritism. Ha-jin recalled that Eun-chan was the person in the group, after Seo Tae-hyun, on whom Dan Ha-ru’s “I’m the youngest” attacks worked best, and let out a small sigh. He was beginning to understand why Dan Ha-ru A, who had been acting as Dan Ha-ru B, couldn’t hold back and fled into his room.
“Do you want me to help you set it up? It’ll be hard doing it one-handed.”
“Leave it. I’ll do it.”
The one who swiftly inserted himself between them was Lee Yu-gun, who had just changed clothes in the room. The way he naturally sat beside Eun-chan and began assembling the gaming console was so practiced that Ha-jin asked in a bewildered tone.
“You know how to do this?”
“I did it a few times when I worked part-time at a Kids Cafe before. They had one there too.”
“…I knew you were a part-time job guy, but seriously, don’t you have way too many part-time jobs under your belt? When did you even work at a Kids Cafe?”
If Thirteen or Ji Su-ho had been there, they would have responded with ‘That’s not something you should be saying,’ but unfortunately, both were absent. Regardless of Ha-jin’s comment, Lee Yu-gun simply sat beside Eun-chan and skillfully connected the cables and configured the settings.
Within minutes, the game’s initial screen appeared on the 60-inch TV monitor that the CEO had gifted to commemorate the rookie award. After testing the console a few times to confirm the installation was proper, Lee Yu-gun lifted his head from where he sat and gave Ha-jin a belated answer.
“In my previous life.”
“What?”
“I did it in my previous life. The Kids Cafe part-time job.”
Ha-jin immediately recognized that this seemingly random comment wasn’t a joke but a half-concealed truth. ‘Previous life’ was the keyword he himself used when referring to past timelines to Ji Su-ho.
“Ah….”
“You go get Ha-ru. In the meantime, let me play one round of this. I’ve only ever watched the kids play it, so I’ve got some pent-up frustration.”
“I’ll teach you how to use the controls. Let’s play together.”
“Sure.”
Lee Yu-gun naturally picked up the controller and gave Ha-jin a knowing look. It was typical behavior for Lee Yu-gun, who handled everything from guardian to babysitter to childcare teacher to bodyguard at Kairos.
Dan Ha-ru, who had gone in saying he’d just change clothes, still hadn’t come out of the room.
“…Alright. Get good at the controls, and when Ha-ru comes out, I’ll play with you too.”
“Are you good at this? You don’t look like it.”
“Ha, seriously. This guy’s poking at a former gaming addict’s competitive spirit. Just you wait.”
Ha-jin responded lightly to Lee Yu-gun’s provocation and slowly entered the room where Ha-ru and the Gunjodan (Lee Yu-gun, Eun-chan, and Ha-ru) would be. He briefly considered knocking but decided to just open the door instead. After all, he never knocked before entering the members’ rooms.
“….”
The moment Ha-jin stepped into the room, he understood why Lee Yu-gun had told him to come in and check.
Dan Ha-ru, who claimed he was going to change clothes, stood motionless in the middle of the lit room without even removing his coat, as if nailed in place.
His eyes, darkened like those of the dead, were fixed on something hanging on the wall.
It was a framed photograph that Dan Ha-ru had received as a gift from a fan early in the year and had hung on the wall himself with unbridled joy. In the A3-sized photo was a beautiful image of Dan Ha-ru receiving birthday wishes from the members on the year-end stage on December 31st of last year.
“You said you were going to change clothes. What are you doing over there?”
Ha-jin asked lightly in an unconcerned voice.
But Dan Ha-ru still didn’t answer. Unlike the sparkling Ha-ru, this Ha-ru was difficult to read—Ha-jin couldn’t immediately tell what he was thinking from his expression.
Dan Ha-ru’s gaze slowly shifted. At the end of that gaze was Joo Eun-chan in the photograph, holding a birthday cake and smiling brightly as if it were his own birthday.
Now, then. Let’s start again.
Let’s examine the relationship between Joo Eun-chan and Dan Ha-ru.
This time, from Dan Ha-ru’s perspective.
“Dan Ha-ru.”
“…Don’t call me that.”
“Then how else should I call you? Am I Hong Gildong? Can’t I call Dan Ha-ru by his name?”
To ‘Dan Ha-ru,’ Joo Eun-chan was, in the simplest terms, a good older brother.
Going into more detail, he was the close older brother he desperately wanted to debut with.
Digging even deeper, he was the only older brother that the lonely Dan Ha-ru could call a ‘friend.’
“Don’t call me that.”
“Then what should I call you? Dan Ha-ru?”
“I’m not that Dan Ha-ru!”
But this was Dan Ha-ru A’s perspective, not Dan Ha-ru B’s.
Raised in wealth, unblemished and pristine, nurtured with abundant love—someone who naturally knew how to express affection with genuine brightness.
No matter how much Dan Ha-ru A performed or mimicked, he could never fully replicate what came so naturally to him.
The cherished older brother of ‘Dan Ha-ru B’.
Then what of Dan Ha-ru A’s position?
“I’m not him.”
“….”
“I’m not, I’m telling you.”
Now, let’s shift perspectives again.
Ju Eun-chan.
The cherished and close older brother of Dan Ha-ru B.
Raised in wealth, confident enough to never worry about anyone’s judgment,
nurtured with abundant love—someone who naturally knew how to give and receive affection without hesitation.
No matter how much Dan Ha-ru A ‘configured’ or ‘set up’ his persona, he could never fully replicate what came so naturally to him.
“I’m not him….”
Ju Eun-chan.
Dan Ha-ru A’s very, very old role model.
In the gaze Dan Ha-ru cast upon the photograph of himself and Ju Eun-chan, a deeply complex and tangled emotion swirled.

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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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