Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 334

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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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334. Strike First, Strike Hard (1)
I understood it then.
What I understood was Dan Ha-ru’s inferiority complex.
‘…Yeah, he must be troubled too.’
If I were to split Dan Ha-ru’s entire life in half—one side hope, the other despair—the Dan Ha-ru standing before me had lived experiencing only that despair side, hoping only that the Dan Ha-ru on the opposite side would be happy.
But the hopeful version of Dan Ha-ru that he’d sacrificed everything to complete had evaporated, and the version of himself who thought he’d disappear or be absorbed without resistance had suddenly been dropped into the middle of that hopeful life, and now they were asking him to even mimic it?
Yeah, yeah. He must be very confused and scared.
‘Ju Eun-chan probably has similarly complicated and difficult feelings about this too.’
I could tell what kind of emotions Dan Ha-ru harbored toward Ju Eun-chan without needing to hear it directly.
Why? Because I’d felt the same way.
‘It’s probably similar to what I feel toward Jeong Si-u and Seo Tae-il.’
The admiration of wanting to become like them,
The disappointment in myself for wanting to become like them but failing,
The envy and jealousy of them having what I don’t,
Even the self-reproach of wondering what made us different.
If this were a hiatus after all activities had ended, I might have given that Dan Ha-ru time to adapt to his current situation and slowly find himself before moving forward.
‘…If the activities had ended, that is.’
The problem was that we were in the ultra-ultra-ultra-ultra-ultra-active period right before a comeback.
Moreover, when I checked on the way here, the fan war that had started with the troublemakers’ chaos and nearly led to fandom division had evolved into quite a complex situation. Most sharp-eyed fans had quickly cleaned it up, and on the surface it seemed resolved, but in reality everything had just been forcibly pushed underwater. The conflict between fandoms was deepening even at this very moment.
In these cases, even if things seem smooth at first, eventually when something similar erupts again, everything buried becomes an anti-personnel mine that explodes the moment you step on it—the probability was 56891%.
How did I know? I didn’t want to know either.
‘And right now the biggest anti-personnel mines are laid under Dan Ha-ru and Ju Eun-chan’s side, so the moment those two show even the slightest sign of discord, it’s just you die and I explode.’
When you forcibly mediate and bury a one-sided beating, naturally the side that got beaten becomes furious.
In this fandom war, the ‘side that got beaten’ was Dan Ha-ru’s fanbase. Right now they’re holding back only for the sake of group harmony and because the two are touchingly close.
The moment they notice the two aren’t the same as before, the scales of peace collapse.
That’s not all? If Dan Ha-ru’s existing position as the ‘cute maknae who monopolizes the hyungs’ love’ disappears, then Dan Ha-ru becomes prey for those vicious troublemakers with poison in their eyes.
And I had no intention of ever witnessing that Dan Ha-ru before my eyes—whether sparkling or covered in dust—in such a state.
“…I’ll act perfectly fine in front of other people. You saw me earlier, didn’t you.”
“….”
“Of course there’ll be differences from the real Dan Ha-ru, but making sure there’s no problem when the real one comes back is also my job, so I’ll cooperate properly. So please just let me go clear my head alone….”
“Seriously, from the beginning, ‘real,’ ‘real.'”
“….”
“Hey, don’t wallow in self-pity too much. It gets boring after the second verse.”
I cut off Dan Ha-ru’s rambling in one go. I wanted to believe it was my T-personality activating, but honestly it felt like the crude, unfiltered version of my past self had burst out. I felt the same way I did when I’d gone at it with Jeong Si-u back then.
“Hey, Sparkle.”
“…Didn’t I tell you not to call me that?”
“Then what, pick one. Ha-ru, Rabbit Warrior, or Maknae—which should I call you? I only call our maknae like this.”
Sorry, but whether you’re Ju Eun-chan or Lee Do-ha or not, you’re just Dan Ha-ru with that face. Even if the baby rabbit warrior got tired from saving the world and spun around dizzy, he’s still a baby rabbit—that’s it. Does a rhino become a rhino just because you stick a horn on its nose?
I folded my arms and stood at an angle, openly mocking Dan Ha-ru. So he’d get even more irritated looking at me.
“So basically, you’re dying because you’re trying to act like a beloved darling when it’s not your fate. So just keep slapping our Eun-chan’s hand like before.”
“….”
“But who told you that?”
“What?”
Dan Ha-ru’s brow furrowed deeply, as if my words made no sense to him. Of course they wouldn’t—I was cutting straight to the point, speaking entirely on impulse without preamble or logic.
In moments like these, actions spoke louder than words. I strode toward Dan Ha-ru with purpose, seized his wrist just as he instinctively raised his guard, and dragged him out of the room. His monstrous strength proved to be no mere character trait but terrifyingly real—I nearly lost my grip on him several times mid-drag, my pride taking a hit, but fortunately I managed to hold on until the end.
This was the moment all my strength training finally paid off.
“Everyone, pay attention! Gather around, I have something to say.”
As I hauled Dan Ha-ru into the living room, Lee Yu-gun, Ju Eun-chan, and Lee Do-ha looked up from their PlayStation game, controllers still in hand. Jeong Si-u, who had been mixing barley tea in the kitchen, and Seo Tae-hyun, who had been in his room, both shuffled out at the sound of my voice.
It struck me as oddly heartwarming that all seven of us were gathering in the dormitory living room like this—it had been ages since that last happened.
“What’s going on?”
Seo Tae-hyun asked with a puzzled expression. Lee Yu-gun, who had paused the game, slowly set down his controller with a look that seemed to say, “Oh no, what now?”
He had every right to be concerned. My face probably screamed, “I’m about to cause trouble.”
I yanked Dan Ha-ru forward again, using the momentum to pull him closer even as he struggled to break free from my grip. All eyes suddenly fixed on him, and I watched as he bit down on his lower lip.
In that moment, I struck first.
“Dan Ha-ru’s going through adolescence.”
“…What?”
Jeong Si-u, who had been leaning against the wall and stirring his barley tea with a spoon, stumbled at my words and repeated them in disbelief. Normally such clumsiness would look ridiculous, but with his handsome face, it somehow resembled a scene from a film.
‘How enviable.’
With that thought, I detonated the landmine beneath our feet once more, loudly and deliberately.
“Our youngest is going through adolescence. He hates everything about the world, his emotions are all over the place, he questions why he even exists, wonders who he really is, and sometimes feels like he’s not even himself anymore.”
Now that I thought about it, that was true.
How fast do kids grow? Close your eyes for a moment and they’ve shot up five centimeters; sleep and wake up and they’ve grown ten. In the midst of such rapid growth and all the changes that come with it, a shift in personality was hardly surprising—it could happen overnight, couldn’t it?
Besides, after verification through Nam Da-down and Han Se-won, it seemed nearly impossible for ordinary people to reach the conclusion that “his personality has changed” without dying in the attempt.
So rather than creating a situation where Dan Ha-ru A would unknowingly lay mines while mimicking Dan Ha-ru B, it was better to lay everything bare from the start and let everyone navigate around it themselves.
Sure enough, Seo Tae-hyun, the member with the most empathy, was already gazing at Dan Ha-ru with misty eyes and a warm smile.
“That makes sense. So that’s why you’ve been spending more time alone in thought lately? I was pretty sensitive last year and the year before too. Looks like Ha-ru’s reached that stage now.”
At Seo Tae-hyun’s heartfelt comment, I subtly jabbed Lee Do-ha in the ribs. He, who had been wearing a blank expression while trying to process the situation, belatedly caught my signal and hastily nodded along in agreement.
“Ah… well, self-exploration during adolescence is certainly a necessary narrative—or rather, growing pains, so to speak. Going through such a process might actually help when expressing various emotions as a singer. It could be beneficial in that way, perhaps.”
It was suspicious that someone who had never stumbled over even the most densely packed lyrics was suddenly stammering, but most of the members seemed more shocked by the revelation that our sunny youngest was going through intense adolescence.
Well, Lee Yu-gun, who knew the truth, seemed more shocked by how brazenly I’d just blurted it out, but that wasn’t my concern. After all, the decision to push the “Dan Ha-ru’s adolescence” theory had been made collectively by all of us.
I continued with shameless confidence.
“So going forward, even if our Ha-ru seems a bit prickly and not quite himself, let’s all understand with open hearts. We’re his hyungs, after all. Everyone’s okay with that, right?”
I deliberately emphasized the word “hyung” while looking at Ju Eun-chan.
It was entirely predictable that Ju Eun-chan, despite being only a year older, would light up at the word and nod eagerly—he was desperate to play the role of older brother to Dan Ha-ru.
“He’s seemed off since earlier, and I was worried I’d done something wrong. But that wasn’t it, I guess. I’m relieved.”
Ju Eun-chan, his worries eased, offered Dan Ha-ru the controller with a boyish smile. Dan Ha-ru stared at the Joy-Con being extended toward him for a moment, then, as if he couldn’t help himself, took it and spoke.
“…You didn’t make any mistakes with me. There’s nothing like that.”
His tone, delivered like a sigh, was different from the bright and cheerful Dan Ha-ru from before—but it felt far more natural.
‘That should ease the members’ worries for now.’
But this alone wasn’t enough.
Even now, in this very moment, fissures were spreading through the fandom in real time, and special measures were needed to resolve them.
“…What are you thinking about now?”
Yu Gun, who had handed the remaining controller to Eun-chan, approached me and whispered quietly. He’d noticed that scheming expression still lingering on my face, hadn’t he?
But it was already too late. Having made my decision, I was already scrolling through my phone to find Kwon Wook’s number and dial it.
“Are you going to keep pulling spontaneous stunts on your own? Please, at least give us a heads-up before you do something crazy.”
“If you give a heads-up before doing something crazy, is it still crazy? That’s just being polite. …Hello? Hyung, it’s Ha-jin.”
I used the phone call as an excuse to silence Yu Gun, who seemed about to protest. Deliberately pretending not to hear well, I naturally turned my back to him and answered Kwon Wook’s question about what was going on with a composed voice.
“Oh, it’s nothing major. You know that meeting today? The Today’s Kairos Team pre-production item meeting? The one where we’re gathering everyone’s ideas on what we want to do.”
-Huh? Yeah. Kwon PD and Go Writer are coming. Why? Do you have a good idea?
“Yes. I just thought of something absolutely brilliant.”
“…Wow. You really are someone I don’t want to be on the same team with.”
Watching my wicked smile, Yu Gun shook his head in disapproval. Regardless, I continued the call while observing Eun-chan and Ha-ru awkwardly playing together in the living room.
“We’ve been way too wholesome for idols all this time.”
-What? Hey, Ha-jin. What are you trying to say….
“It’s time we got thoroughly entangled for once.”
Strike first, strike hard.
I was about to launch a massive missile—one that would end this enormous scandal war once and for all.

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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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