Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 355

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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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355. Coming Soon! (3)
Kang Ha-jin’s expression shifted subtly as he examined the message card.
With his scarred right eyebrow slightly raised and one eye half-open, Ha-jin fell silent for a long moment, as if deciphering the message’s meaning, before finally speaking.
【Ha-jin: So… what you’re saying is, I might not actually be ‘Kang Ha-jin’—someone who’s lost both their name and identity in this place?】
【Si-woo: There’s no evidence anywhere that you’re Kang Ha-jin. Here, you’re just that strawberry milk guy.】
【Ha-jin: …Pfft, this is actually really interesting?】
【Si-woo: I told you already. It’s interesting.】
As the two of them laughed, their expressions brimming with excitement while their minds raced to process the situation, the live comment section erupted into chaos.
– So it’s a missing person case? Because his first love doesn’t even remember his own name or identity?
– I thought this was just a friendship story mixing the Inso worldview, but when you really dig into it, it’s actually a thriller about collective amnesia and finding identities
– The way the dark forces bicker with each other is seriously so hot please just let OCA do one proper detective mystery I’m literally begging this is my wish
└ This is it
└ Pl-pl-pl-pl-please
└ Starting today I’m going to poke the administration
– Ah so that’s why the subtitles kept referring to them by nicknames—everything except the opening was nicknames
└ Wait
└ Wai-wai-wait-wait
Yeah, that’s right lol
As speculation and exclamations flew around them, the two seemed to realize that hiding information from each other would no longer serve any purpose, and that sharing what each had discovered would be the wisest course of action.
Five minutes was far shorter than it seemed, so Ha-jin spoke first with a somewhat urgent tone.
【Ha-jin: Did you get any other hints besides this one? Have you talked to everyone else?】
【Si-woo: Nothing besides this. But I traded this for hints from the kids who won the minigame. What about you?】
【Ha-jin: …I actually have one more. Should we exchange?】
【Si-woo: Can you trust me?】
【Ha-jin: I guess I have to try.】
The two decided to exchange the information they each possessed.
【Si-woo: (thinking)】
【Si-woo: Alright. It seems like we’re getting close to the end anyway.】
Jeong Si-u nodded and, crossing his arms, shared the hint he’d extracted from Do-ha.
<Si-woo: "The male protagonist's lover is the female protagonist, but they may not be partners."
【Ha-jin: What? That's a completely different hint?】
【Si-woo: It looks like the minigame winners get hints about the worldview settings, while the people who had one-on-one conversations get personal information.】
【Si-woo: So Do-ha's theory was that we probably each have our own roles, and there's probably another hint that tells us how those roles connect to which capsule worldview. What did you get?】
Kang Ha-jin, who had been listening intently to Jeong Si-u's words, unhesitatingly pulled out another hint card he'd kept in his pocket.
【"Jeong Si-u's" role is connected to "first love."】
【Ha-jin: I thought you were the male protagonist because of this. But now that I hear your theory, I think I need to recalculate everything from the beginning. Ugh, my head hurts.】
【Si-woo: Still, it's not without value. Either way, among the members, the people with the roles of "Kang Ha-jin" and "Jeong Si-u" are likely partners. If we assume the two are partners, which capsule worldview do you think it would lean toward?】
【Ha-jin: …Well, first love is pretty much a universal rule regardless of genre. I think the key is understanding exactly how "Jeong Si-u" is connected… But if I had to choose, I'd say the limited lifespan one? It has that bittersweet feeling to it.】
After that, the two began analyzing the worldviews in earnest, flipping over the mission cards and even drawing lines through them with a pen. It was a scene where Ha-jin's remarkable deductive skills shone as he extracted key roles connected to the three capsule worldviews, and Si-woo's reasoning prowess gleamed as he drew the bigger picture and predicted today's rules by considering the balance.
【Ha-jin: But there's one thing that's bothering me.】
【Si-woo: What is it?】
【Ha-jin: If there are three capsules but only one person is eliminated, then in one capsule….】
Zzzziiiiiii―!
– What's going on?
– Oh my, that startled me
– Where did that noise come from all of a sudden?
Just as Ha-jin was about to say something more, a sudden crackling noise erupted across the entire broadcast.
The screen split, and the images of other pairs conversing in different rooms appeared on the display as well.
-Everyone.
The same guidance announcement voice from the opening played in each room.
-We will now begin the final partner matching to help you reclaim your identities.
-This partner matching will proceed over three rounds total, with twenty minutes allocated per round.
-During this time, you may search for clues about your identity and your partner, or board a capsule with someone you believe to be your destined partner.
-However, the number of times you can board a capsule per round and the times the capsules open are limited, so please choose carefully.
The Production Team, anticipating that the rules wouldn't be fully conveyed through audio alone, had summarized this round's regulations on a small monitor in each room.
【Partner matching proceeds over three rounds—20 minutes per round】
【During the 20 minutes: Finding hints allowed, boarding capsules allowed】
【Capsule opportunities: Round 1 – 3 times, Round 2 – 2 times, Round 3 – 1 time (final)】
【Capsule opening times will be announced via broadcast】
【Upon boarding a capsule, you must state your exact name and role to learn the matching result】
【Items scattered throughout the venue may help with matching or hinder others】
【If either person's name or role is incorrect? – No response】
【If both are true destined partners and you board the correct capsule? – Green light】
【If either the partner or the capsule is wrong? – Yellow light】
【If both the partner and capsule are wrong? – Red light】
【Successfully find your true partner and board the correct capsule within three rounds to be exempt from punishment】
【Should you fail to escape by the end, a lonely ticket to Jeju Island awaits you】
Close-ups of the tense expressions on the faces of the remaining Group Members in each room appeared.
Soon, a countdown began on the monitor screens.
【5】
【4】
【3】
【2】
【1】
【START!】
【Good luck :)】
At that moment, the doors to each room automatically opened.
As the Group Members burst out without hesitation, the genuine second act began in earnest.
* * *
From that point on, the self-cam content unfolded at an accelerated pace. The editing was ruthless in cutting away any dragging moments, compressing only the essential content tightly together.
-Tae-hyun: What is it, what is it? Can't we just get in the capsule and check? Let's just try it. (bewildered)
-Yoo Gun: (exasperated)
-Yoo Gun: Don't make my heart explode. Get down here, now.
-Tae-hyun: Why, why? What's there…?
It was rather entertaining to watch Tae-hyun, who was almost the only member without any hints, poking around like a world-breaking force, inadvertently playing the villain everywhere.
Normally, Tae-hyun would have grasped the ecosystem fastest and created his share with keen intuition, but now a rare spectacle unfolded—his clueless face spouting nonsense while unintentionally committing villainous acts all over the place.
-Si-woo: Ha-jin, want to ride the capsule with me once? It's also a good method to confirm what isn't by ruling it out.
-Ha-jin: Sure. Then should we go to that Hospital Ceiling Capsule? Even if something comes up, it's a gain.
Si-woo and Ha-jin's group, who appeared to possess the most information so far, were certainly decisive.
The moment the gate opened and the capsule unlocked, the two rushed toward it together and immediately checked their pairing results.
【Q. Please tell us the passenger's information (Name / Role)】
【Ha-jin: Kang Ha-jin, the male protagonist's first love.】
【Si-woo: Jeong Si-u. The role is…. Well, the male protagonist?】
【The pairing results for both of them are….】
【(No Result)】
The two's matching result was, as expected, unresponsive.
A brief interview was inserted where the two, confirming that their names and roles didn't match from the start, were almost 100% certain of the hypothesis that Ha-jin's name in this world wasn't Kang Ha-jin.
Next came the figure of Do-ha, who had secured the most minigame hints among the members.
【The world's number one, listing out all the hints he received】
【The male protagonist's lover is the female protagonist, but she may not be his partner.】
【If you gather everyone's roles, you can complete one novel, but not everyone necessarily exists in the same story.】
【Traces of 'my' name and role may remain in memories closer than you think.】
Do-ha seemed to think that interpreting these enigmatic hints came first, so he entered a room with a whiteboard and began creating a large table. Writing three capsule names on the horizontal axis and the members' names on the vertical axis, Do-ha began listing roles commonly seen in dramas and variety shows right next to that table.
【Male Protagonist】
【Female Protagonist】
【Supporting Male Lead】
【Supporting Female Lead】
【Antagonist】
….
【Do-ha: (thoughtful)】
As Do-ha's intellectual figure, endlessly writing something down, passed by with the famous quiz variety show BGM, next came―.
– Huh?
– What?
Haha, oh my god.
What are you guys doing? hahahaha
The atmosphere made a sharp reversal with an adorable BGM that sounded like chirping could burst out at any moment, and a full shot of another space was captured.
In a room decorated particularly cutely, those buried in adorable toys were close-upped, unlike the older members who were seriously racking their brains.
【Eun-chan: Hey! Hey↗? Ha-ru, Ha-ru! That piece from before!】
【Ha-ru: …This one?】
【Eun-chan: Doesn't this seem to fit here?】
【Ha-ru: Yeah, that's right.】
The youngest duo was so delighted that even their carefully dressed school uniform shirt looked like kindergarten attire as they assembled puzzles.
As Eun-chan cheerfully worked on the puzzle, a close-up shot of him was shown, followed by his interview.
【Q. Why did you start solving puzzles right away instead of doing something else as soon as the final matching began?】
【Eun-chan: Ah, well…】
Ju Eun-chan answered with a troubled expression, thinking hard.
【Eun-chan: When I went outside, the older members were all scary, rummaging through everything, and I didn't really understand the rules. But then there was a puzzle in the room I entered with Ha-ru, so I thought maybe something would come up if I solved it. That's why I was trying.】
【Q. Really? (skeptical)】
【Eun-chan: …I was only going to solve a little bit, but then I got competitive about it, so…】
【Eun-chan: (avoiding the Production Team's gaze)】
【↑↑The person who cared more about solving puzzles than partner matching or anything else↑↑】
Oh my god, Eun-chan lolololololololololololololololol
Haha, kids! (or "That's hilarious!")
– Our baby kitty found something interesting…
– Ju Eun-chan was obsessed for 6 hours and untangled all 30 tangled necklaces or something
└ Where did this story come from?
└ From the stylist's Instagram story
Even for just a day, it'd be worth going out lol
└ Eun-chan enjoys what he enjoys and Ha-ru does it with him, and Ha-ru enjoys what he enjoys and Eun-chan does it with him. They have a mutual support relationship
Ha-ru doesn't really have a competitive spirit except when it comes to physical contact, so he probably would've preferred just peacefully putting together puzzles and playing with Eun-chan lol.
Though small within the group, on average, the sight of two high school boys of considerable build lying on the floor solving puzzles was edited to look quite adorable.
Beyond the window of the room where these two were, the older members could be glimpsed running around frantically, shouting to find clues, or ruthlessly obstructing each other. The two teams, separated by a single door, were shooting completely different genres, and the footage cut back and forth between them.
【Tae-hyun: …?】
【Tae-hyun: Is this that hint room?】
Ten minutes before the end of the first turn.
Tae-hyun, who had been rummaging through the set indiscriminately, discovered an unfamiliar room while passing through the hallway and let out a puzzled sound.
"…No, Tae-hyun. Don't go in, please…"
Watching his past self on the conference room TV, Tae-hyun clutched his head in despair. The other members also confirmed the familiar interior of the room and visibly became quieter.
【Tae-hyun cautiously entering the mysterious room】
【Tae-hyun: What is this place?】
"Please, no…"
Confirming that his desperate telepathy to his past self had been completely ignored, Tae-hyun turned his head away as if he couldn't bear to watch.
On screen now, Tae-hyun was shown reading the notice written plainly in the middle of the room.
【Tae-hyun: 'Welcome to the Room of Reenactment'…?】
With Tae-hyun's narration, an insert shot of the notice was captured in close-up.
【Welcome to the Room of Reenactment】
【Here you can receive hints about which world you have come from.】
"Seo Tae-hyun, don't do it! Don't read it!"
【The verification method is simple.】
【Choose a card of the world you wish to confirm from among these…】
Tae-hyun: "All you need to do is reenact the scene written on the card in front of the camera with high immersion (important☆) and convincing realism (very important★)?"
"Noooooo! Let's stop this, please…!"
"Why? This is getting fun now. Should we record this, Si-woo?"
"I'm already filming. Do-ha, can you capture that for me?"
"Would it be higher quality if we capture it on the tablet?"
"Are you guys my seniors or what, you bastards!??!?"
And so began the dark history of Kairos itself—something everyone had feared, yet the older members had already conquered with their natural shamelessness!

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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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