Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 378

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————

378. The Insomnia Annihilation Project (5)
‘Why is he acting like that?’
‘I have no idea.’
I glanced over at Bear next door, wondering if I was the only one who couldn’t make sense of this situation, but he looked just as confused as I felt, which was oddly reassuring.
Right, so I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t understand what he was doing.
My nearly 29+@-year-old intuition radar hadn’t completely shattered—a small mercy indeed.
“Thanks for worrying about me.”
After bombarding me and Do-ha with question marks, Si-woo laughed so hard he seemed almost relieved, then offered nothing but a simple thank you.
I mean, I was grateful he thanked us, and I was grateful he didn’t take my words seriously and twist my intentions like last time, but…!
Wasn’t this the moment for a more plausible explanation?
But Si-woo, difficult as always, had completely regained his composure, crossed his legs, and offered an answer that was nothing like what I wanted to hear.
“But it’s fine. It’s temporary anyway, and I’m always like this around this time of year. It’s not something worth worrying about this much.”
It was a gentle yet firm refusal.
But I could sense it instinctively. This rejection felt different from the incident with “Yourneeds Me.”
“You probably heard from Seok-i, but my father’s death anniversary is coming up soon. I think my body remembers it because there were so many complicated things happening during that period. Sometimes I get body aches for days, but honestly, this is pretty mild in comparison.”
Si-woo explained his physical condition without any hesitation. He didn’t seem to be deflecting with lies like before, and he didn’t seem uncomfortable with Do-ha or me bringing it up.
I still didn’t know what aspect of my attitude had been the deciding factor, but this approach had been reasonably successful.
“Once the rainy season passes and we make our comeback, I’ll probably be fine again, so don’t worry too much.”
And yet—
And yet Si-woo’s answer was still ‘no.’
And that irritated me greatly.
‘I mean, it’s not like we got on each other’s nerves and left it at that like last time… He says he’s fine, so there’s no need to keep pushing the issue…’
He’s a smart hyung, so he must have his reasons.
Even as I thought that, the words that actually came out of my mouth were the complete opposite.
“Why not?”
“…Huh?”
“Why can’t we worry about you?”
“….”
“You collapsed last time too, hyung. A fever of 39 degrees.”
Even I thought it was a rude comeback, but my intuition radar, still clinging to life, insisted this was safe territory. True to that instinct, Si-woo only looked slightly surprised and didn’t react further.
He simply let out a small, resigned sigh and spoke with self-deprecation.
“…But that doesn’t mean you guys can do anything about it, does it? It’s already happened.”
Only after hearing that answer did I finally understand what had been bothering me all along.
‘That attitude.’
That attitude was the problem.
Regardless of what cards I held, it was as if he’d already decided “this is enough” and arbitrarily ended the game satisfied.
‘This is the line he drew for himself from the start.’
He was certain that others couldn’t solve his problems, that they couldn’t help him.
All he wanted from friends his own age was this much comfort and concern, nothing more—he didn’t hope for it or expect it.
‘…Now I finally understand why I found both this hyung and Yu-gun so difficult.’
I knew both of them were the type to maintain clear boundaries and defensive walls against others.
Unlike Seo Tae-hyun or Ju Eun-chan, who might appear guarded but would pull people close once they took a liking to them, these two fundamentally operated with a dependence on others that hovered near absolute zero.
But this was the first time I’d witnessed that reality so starkly before my eyes.
‘Fine, whatever. This mindset probably stems from how they’ve lived their lives. I get it, I understand.’
I understood.
That there was no point throwing a tantrum demanding they make room for me.
That this distance between us was actually quite intimate and close from his perspective.
That if I answered with something like “Sure then, go ahead and handle it yourself,” Jeong Si-u would probably nod in satisfaction.
But—.
“Want to make a bet?”
If he was going to draw a line here and tell me to back off, that would piss me off.
“A bet?”
“Let’s bet on whether we can solve your insomnia or not.”
He’d made such a show of wanting to be treated comfortably and closely, and now that I’d taken just one step across that line, he wanted me to retreat again?
Was that something to say to someone who’d frantically scraped together every coin they had—real or imaginary—to prevent his panic?
To someone who’d made up his mind to cure his older brother’s insomnia and actually called a senior he barely knew to demand sleep tips?
‘Sorry, but I can’t do that.’
I hadn’t agonized this much just to become someone who casually exchanged pleasantries with Jeong Si-u.
“Besides, you’ve got nothing to lose from this bet. If your insomnia gets better, that’s amazing. If it doesn’t, things stay the same. If you win, I won’t say anything more about your condition.”
“….”
“But if we win….”
“…?”
Jeong Si-u and Lee Do-ha’s gazes turned toward me simultaneously. I seized the moment and laid out my terms.
“If we win, tell us why you quit piano. Why you’ve cut ties with your mother.”
This was a declaration of war.
A bold proclamation that from now on, I’d be jumping rope across that line he’d drawn.
And there was no way someone as sharp as Jeong Si-u hadn’t understood this declaration.
“…Fine. Let’s try it then.”
The sight of Jeong Si-u’s usually flawless, statue-like poker face wavering and losing its footing was quite something to behold.
* * *
“So, what’s your plan?”
In Gun Ju-dan’s room—where most of their belongings had been removed or organized for the dormitory move, leaving only the bare essentials—the members gathered for an emergency strategy meeting, excluding Jeong Si-u, who was the subject of the bet, and Seo Tae-hyun, who was out for a music show MC schedule.
Lee Do-ha, leaning against the empty wall, asked with a rather serious expression.
“Curing insomnia isn’t easy to begin with, and since Si-u has psychological trauma involved, it’s going to be even harder. Do you have some kind of plan?”
At Lee Do-ha’s question, Gun Ju-dan, sprawled carelessly across the mattress, turned to look at me.
I found it slightly irritating that all but one of them had ‘no way’ written across their faces, but it didn’t really matter.
“Nope, I got nothing.”
Because I genuinely hadn’t thought about it at all.
At my brutally innocent answer, sighs erupted simultaneously from Lee Yu-gun and Dan Ha-ru. Lee Yu-gun, as if he’d expected this, washed his face with his hands and poked Dan Ha-ru, who wore a similar expression beside him.
“Hey, what can’t you do?”
“What am I supposed to do?”
“You can turn back time, right? Can’t you go back to the past and do something about it when that hyung’s father was passing away?”
“…How would that even work? And I can’t do that anymore anyway.”
Dan Ha-ru, who had switched into his delinquent mode in an instant, answered curtly with an expression that screamed ‘are you serious?’
Lee Yu-gun, who thought he’d adapted somewhat to Dan Ha-ru’s rebellious phase over the past few months, found himself at a loss when the rabbit-like youngest member made such an expression—the shock was simply too much.
Ju Eun-chan, who had been sitting in the center of the room pondering various things, offered his opinion.
“Anyway… bad memories fade away when you create new ones to replace them, right? Si-woo hyung’s birthday is coming up soon, so why don’t we create some good memories for him?”
At that, everyone except Dan Ha-ru’s eyes sparkled instantly as they descended upon Ju Eun-chan with teasing.
“Ooh~ Ju Eun-chan~ you’re better than me~”
“Oh, Ju Eun-chan. You’re better than Kang Ha-jin hyung.”
“Eun-chan always seemed to be better than his hyungs anyway.”
“…Are you all making fun of me right now?”
“Ooh~ look at him awakening, and now his perception is sharp too~”
As we chuckled, praising Ju Eun-chan’s noticeably improved perception over the past two years, he pressed his bright red ears down indignantly.
Whether it was because he wasn’t greatly affected by the past timeline, or because he’d simply lived that way originally, Ju Eun-chan was actually one of those who hadn’t changed much even after awakening.
Still, since teasing him was fun, I kept letting out strange exclamations like ‘whoa~’ and ‘kyaa~’, until Dan Ha-ru, unable to bear it any longer, kicked the chair I was sitting on away with his foot.
“Aaaah―!”
“Take it easy, will you.”
“Hey, Sparkles! That’s attempted murder!”
“Go ahead and report me then.”
“Tch, that delinquent bastard….”
“So what’s the plan? You didn’t just say that without thinking it through, did you?”
It was a contradictory tone that mixed distrust with baseless faith, but it didn’t matter either way.
I lowered the phone I’d been fidgeting with and answered brightly.
“Seriously? I really have no plan. I’m just going to try it, you know.”
“What, are you going to lay that hyung down and sing him a lullaby?”
“What’s impossible about that?”
“Are you serious…?”
“Winning or losing the bet isn’t really what matters.”
“…?”
“What matters is showing that hyung ‘this kind of thing exists too.'”
I turned my gaze to Lee Yu-gun.
Just like Lee Yu-gun, who didn’t even have the option of “going on a trip” in his life until we went to Jeju Island together, the purpose of this bet was to create new possibilities for Jeong Si-u as well.
To storm through Jeong Si-u’s boundary—something he’d never dared to cross, and perhaps no one else had either—with a battering ram in hand.
“Even if we fail at curing his insomnia, I bet that hyung won’t think much of it. He won’t be disappointed thinking ‘well, of course,’ or regret it thinking ‘I wonder if this time would be different.’ That’s just how he is.”
“….”
“But still, at least he’ll realize it.”
“….”
“That there are about six people in this world who will worry about him together with him.”
I told Jeong Si-u that the bet was break-even whether we won or lost, but really, from the moment we accepted this bet, we were the ones playing break-even.
I fixed Dan Ha-ru with a look that demanded understanding, but he averted his gaze and answered flatly.
“You set up the bet, hyung, and now you’re naturally dragging us into it.”
“So, you’re not going to do it with us?”
“….”
“You’re going to do it.”
Like the other members, Dan Ha-ru carried a certain weight of debt regarding Jeong Si-u’s trauma, so he nodded helplessly in agreement. None of the remaining guys had any real objection, and I’d already discussed it with Seo Tae-hyun beforehand, so I essentially had everyone’s approval.
I tossed the phone I’d set down earlier onto the mattress in the center where the members were huddled together.
“Alright, from now on, look at this and pick what you’re going to do.”
“…? What is this?”
Lee Yu-gun, sitting closest, picked up my phone. Then he began reading aloud the post I’d just uploaded to Aibus.
“We’re accepting ideas. Jeong Si-u Sleep Challenge Pro Tips Mega Collection…?”
[HAJIN]
※We’re Accepting Ideas※
【Jeong Si-u Sleep Challenge Pro Tips Mega Collection】
We’re collecting direct sleep tips to help Si-u hyung, who’s been losing sleep due to the recent heat wave, fall soundly asleep.
Please share the sleep methods that worked best from your personal experience.
The members will personally select and test each one.
For those who submit the most effective method,
we’ll be giving away a Kairos 【End of Youth】 album signed by hand and
Si-u hyung’s pajama Polaroid (handmade).
For more details, please check the Miro Content Team announcement (wink)
“Originally, if you just throw enough manpower at anything, you win. Let’s borrow the power of fifty million Desty fans.”
“You’re going head-to-head with insomnia? And when did Desty grow to fifty million people!?”
“No, no, no…! More importantly, you cleared this with the company, right? Does Jeong Si-u hyung know about the pajama Polaroid thing? It seems like you didn’t consult him at all?”
“Oh, there’s ASMR here too. Should Eun-chan, who has a nice voice, give this a try? I prefer listening to it rather than doing it.”
“Wow. I’ve wanted to try that.”
“Hey, Kang Ha-jin!!!!!! Are you listening!?!?”
In place of the absent Seo Tae-hyun, the overlapping protests from Lee Yu-gun and Dan Ha-ru erupted in real time, but I paid them no mind.
“Ah, really.”
Trust me, guys. Your hyung has thought this through.

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————