Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 388

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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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388. Idol Athletic Games (7)
Should I win and give my absolute best,
Or lose and preserve his?
This wasn’t some Hamlet dilemma. I’d come to film the Idol Athletic Games, yet here I was, wrestling with thoughts that felt like they’d split my skull open—and by the time I’d finished brooding, the match was already decided.
-The champion of the 8th Idol Athletic Games Men’s 60-meter Sprint is!
In an ultra-short race where victory was decided by a mere 0.1 seconds, that brief moment of hesitation I’d just experienced could sometimes prove catastrophic.
-Shin Yi-sae! Winter Tail’s Shin Yi-sae!
-As you can see, the difference between Ha-jin and Shin Yi-sae was incredibly marginal. Ha-jin’s starting reaction was just slightly slower than in the preliminaries, while Shin Yi-sae’s explosive finishing kick was the deciding factor.
-Ah, the Winter Tail members are all rushing out onto the track. The athletes’ speed today has been remarkable, so I’m really looking forward to the 400-meter relay that comes next.
I lost.
The camera crew, which had been positioned to capture first place, quickly pivoted toward Shin Yi-sae, who was breathing heavily. The Winter Tail members who’d been sitting on the ground bolted up with lightning speed, grabbed Shin Yi-sae as he wiped sweat with a towel, and tossed him into the air without hesitation.
“Aaah! Why are you doing this!”
“Yi-sae!! I knew you could do it!!!”
-Ah, the Winter Tail members are giving him a celebratory toss. How heartwarming.
I slowly caught my breath and pushed myself up from the wall I’d been leaning against.
Even after Winter Tail finished their celebration, the camera remained fixed on Shin Yi-sae. With a trembling voice, he offered his gratitude to the fans who’d come to cheer and the viewers watching at home, then boldly declared his determination to give his all for the rest of the day before finally lowering the microphone.
“….”
“What are you doing over there? Come back quickly.”
A distinctly clear voice cut through the ambient noise.
I turned to see Jeong Si-u, sporting an LED headband that glowed with lights and wearing a placard around his neck that read “Source: The Louvre ※Handle with Care※”—a nonsensical fan sign that came from nowhere.
“…You didn’t actually prepare that at home, did you?”
“Sometimes ‘surely not’ catches people off guard.”
“Are you serious?”
“Of course I’m joking. Desty gave it to me earlier.”
“You really do love your jokes, hyung.”
“Why?”
“Because your face is so sincere, I can never tell if you’re lying or not.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Jeong Si-u, now accustomed to such effortless absurdity, nodded calmly. With our match being the last before lunch break, the staff members were bustling about again, tidying up the venue.
The moment the interview ended, I glanced at Winter Tail, who were rushing toward their fan section to celebrate their victory, then moved with Jeong Si-u toward where our members were gathered.
“Ha-jin.”
“Yes?”
“What did Park Tae-ha say to you?”
Jeong Si-u’s sharp voice cut through the commotion. He must have either overheard my conversation with Park Tae-ha before the race or seen us talking.
I reflexively shook my head to deny it, but Jeong Si-u opened his mouth again with a cold demeanor.
“Think carefully before you answer.”
“….”
“My attitude toward that person will change depending on what you say.”
“…What?”
“I don’t mind if your close hyung gets closer to us. Judging by how Yeon-u seems fine with it, he’s probably not the type to be stupid either.”
“….”
“But if someone uses your goodwill to line their own pockets, that’s a different story.”
Only then did I understand where that brief wariness I’d felt toward Jeong Si-u earlier had come from.
He’d been suspicious of Park Tae-ha’s intentions from the start. Some might call it cold, but for Jeong Si-u, it was simply second nature.
After all, he’d spent his entire life suffering more than anyone from “friendships with ulterior motives.”
Apparently, after my conversation with Park Tae-ha, my mood had visibly deteriorated, and the fact that I’d lost a race I could have easily won seemed to have kindled his suspicions.
Still, I shook my head.
“…That’s not it.”
“No?”
“Right. I just got a late start because I was distracted.”
“Park Tae-ha didn’t distract you?”
Well, technically he did….
But it felt wrong to call that a calculated move on his part. Still, Jeong Si-u had already half-raised his guard, and that cold atmosphere showed no signs of melting. I had no idea how to explain myself further to him.
After all, I didn’t know exactly what kind of person Park Tae-ha was either.
“No, really, it’s not like that, I just….”
“Ha-jin!”
“…?”
Before I could add anything more—unwilling to admit Jeong Si-u’s suspicions—someone called my name urgently from behind. I didn’t even need to turn around to know it was Park Tae-ha.
Park Tae-ha came rushing over as if to ask me something, but the moment he saw me standing with Jeong Si-u, he hesitated and took a small step back.
“Oh…. Si-u’s here too.”
“Congratulations on the gold medal. What brings you to Ha-jin?”
Just moments ago, we’d been playing games together, laughing freely, speaking casually.
Now Jeong Si-u stepped forward slightly, putting distance between himself and Park Tae-ha, as if none of that had happened. Park Tae-ha, sharp as he was, sensed something in Jeong Si-u’s reaction. He bit the inside of his lip, hesitated, then spoke calmly.
“…I wanted to talk to Ha-jin about something.”
“Go ahead.”
“….”
He could have offered to step away, but Jeong Si-u simply tilted his head, telling him to speak. I, too, didn’t want to be alone with Park Tae-ha in this complicated state of mind, so I stayed silent.
Park Tae-ha looked between me and Jeong Si-u for a moment, seeming to weigh something, then lifted his head and met my eyes directly.
“Alright, then let me ask you one thing.”
“Yes. Go ahead, hyung.”
“Did you throw the race?”
“…What?”
“Did you throw it? This result right now.”
“….”
“Is this outcome because of what I said earlier?”
I lost.
But I didn’t throw it.
I never reached a conclusion about my doubts before crossing the finish line.
But if you ask whether Park Tae-ha played no role in my defeat, I honestly can’t say.
After all, I had been lost in thought ever since hearing what he had to say.
And I couldn’t be certain whether Park Tae-ha had intended it or not.
I believe he didn’t, but the entertainment industry attracts such a diverse array of people.
However….
‘If he’s acting even that expression right now, he’d probably win Best Actor this year.’
Anger, defeat, disappointment, bewilderment, hurt, inferiority, regret, frustration….
With all these emotions tangled together, Park Tae-ha was barely managing his expression as he asked me, unable to cry or get angry.
That was only natural, in a way.
If there had been no intention behind everything Park Tae-ha did, if it wasn’t an act, then deliberately losing to him would be just as humiliating and pride-wounding for him as it was for me.
And to reiterate, I absolutely did not deliberately lose to Shin Yi-sae.
“No, I didn’t.”
“….”
“Whether it’s this hyung or that hyung. No, really, I’m telling you it’s not. I just had a slow start, and Yi-sae hyung had strong finishing power. I lost because I entered just a toe’s width too late. Who manipulates a 60-meter dash that ends in a blink? Do I really look that capable?”
“But….”
“My start was late because I was distracted. There’s a cause for getting lost in thought, but that’s just the spark, really. I’ve always had a lot of random thoughts. Back in elementary school, I’d go to competitions all prepared like this, then suddenly start wondering whether people running away from a zombie virus would be faster or people trying to catch it, and I’d miss the starting signal more than once.”
Park Tae-ha’s words were merely a spark to light the candle of my thoughts.
Whether he intended it or not, I had only reflected on my past attitude toward myself—I had never harbored even a shred of hollow sympathy for Winter Tail.
Therefore, I was confident.
“So everyone, stop thinking strange things and let’s go eat, yeah?”
At least for this moment, I had to be confident. That was the only way to avoid hurting anyone.
“…Yeah. Sorry for asking weird stuff. I guess I couldn’t stop thinking about what I said earlier.”
“You don’t look like the type, hyung, but you’re really the clingy kind. You’re not planning to confess your feelings in a long text message later, are you?”
“How did you know? Damn, I was just wondering how to start the letter….”
“Ha, I’m blocking Park Tae-ha while we eat.”
“Wow, Ha-jin junior, that’s too much. Blocking? Do you know how much that hurts someone like me, an ENFP?”
“Huh? You’re an ENFP, hyung? Geez. I keep running into the whole ENFP clan here?”
Fortunately, Park Tae-ha quickly accepted my peace offering with his sharp instincts and led the conversation toward banter. Whether Jeong Si-u felt sincerity in Park Tae-ha’s attitude or stepped back to trust my words, he no longer showed any aggressive momentum.
For now, that was enough.
“Well then, hyung, we’ll head in now.”
“Yeah. I should get back to the guys too. Enjoy your meal.”
“Yes, hyung, you enjoy yours too.”
With a handshake that looked friendly to anyone watching, we scattered in our own directions. The members must have already gone ahead into the waiting room where the managers were.
Following the staff member’s guidance, Jeong Si-u and I headed to the waiting room for lunch. It was only when the people around us had stepped back a bit that Jeong Si-u, who hadn’t said a word the whole time, opened his mouth.
“I get that he’s not a bad person. I know you’re already thinking about a thousand things until your head’s about to explode, and it feels like he handed you some kind of bomb, but I also understand it wasn’t intentional.”
“…Really?”
“If it were, he wouldn’t have come asking you with that frustrated expression. If I told you that was acting, just believe me. And stay on good terms with him. He’s probably going to Cannes someday and win Best Actor.”
Jeong Si-u, who had made the exact same assessment of Park Tae-ha as I had, suddenly stopped in his tracks.
When I turned around, Jeong Si-u put his hand in his pocket and swept back his noble silver bangs with one hand. From observing him these past few days, I knew that was a gesture he did often when he was in a bad mood.
“But why are you still not in a good mood?”
This guy was good at everything (mainly his face), but he had this bad habit of worrying about people so intensely.
If it were Seo Tae-hyun, he’d just casually ask, “What happened? Why are you like that?” but this person constantly tried to identify causes, analyze them, and derive solutions—a way of thinking so different from mine that it made me realize he was truly a different kind of person.
And I found myself thinking.
‘I’ve never actually sought advice from him before….’
Perhaps Jeong Si-u, who had lived in a completely different world from me, might be able to offer a solution to the dilemma I was facing now.
I quickly opened my mouth while confirming that people were crowding in from behind.
“…I haven’t decided yet.”
“Decided what?”
“Whether to lose or not.”
“….”
“Will you help me out, hyung?”
The leader’s first official SOS to his eldest member.
* * *
And now, let’s shift the mood―.
-Yes, then we’ll go on standby for recording again after our two-hour lunch break. Everyone, enjoy your meal~
The first official break time of the Idol Athletic Games filming schedule that had started before dawn had finally arrived.
The long-awaited lunch time!
But….
“Alright, everyone! Our Sphere members have prepared reverse fan service lunch boxes for you all!”
“Wintersnow, focus~ The staff will hand out lunch boxes one by one, so please stay in your seats! Sit! Please sit down!”
“Sorry, but those of you without verified fan club membership, we’re removing you now. Those who switched seats or snuck in, rival fans, please move to your assigned areas. We’re organizing this!”
“No! And With U! Sit down! Sit down! No, put away the lunch boxes you brought! No, we prepared them, we prepared them. The kids are already eating the delicious food we made! Ugh, you troublemakers! Since Woong is eating the delicious lunch boxes, please grab your portions! No, stop clapping because a handsome person appeared, just…!”
Another (unofficial) content of the Idol Athletic Games!
The idol reverse fan service showcase battle had begun…!

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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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