Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 480

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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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480. I’m Not That Kind of Person (1)
Yeah, I figured it would end like this eventually.
“Everything is normal.”
“…Really?”
“Yes. You’re in very good health.”
Well, so they say.
My unfocused eyes turned toward Kwon Wook, who was listening to the Doctor’s results with an expression of disbelief.
Beside him stood Jeong Si-u in bare-faced makeup, draped carelessly in an oversized white short-sleeved shirt and a gray zip-up hoodie, yet somehow radiating an air of nobility that defied belief in an entirely different way—his expression equally skeptical as he fixed a sharp gaze upward at the Doctor.
Looking at his expression alone, it was practically a congressional hearing.
“I had a severe fever all night, and after actually waking up, I had hyperventilation symptoms and even coughed up blood. Isn’t it strange that there’s nothing wrong at all?”
Wow, look at that attitude.
If that guy had been born in a romance novel AU, he’d definitely be the crown prince of Grand Royal Blood—a legitimate heir who had maintained strong royal authority from his grandfather’s grandfather’s grandfather’s time.
It was genuinely admirable how Jeong Si-u never lost his position of superiority, even before the Doctor—someone who was undoubtedly his senior both in age and social standing.
“I’d like to hear your medical opinion itself, not just the results that appear on the test sheet.”
Normally he at least wore a social mask to some degree (which was why rumors of Jeong Si-u having a bad personality had never spread), but today he was openly radiating an oppressive attitude without even a chance to put it on, which made it clear that he was definitely on edge right now.
And the cause of that was entirely me. Damn it.
‘If only I hadn’t coughed up blood back then….’
The situation from that day, dizzying even now in retrospect, came vividly back before my eyes.
Hemoptysis—the effect was so good. My vision, which couldn’t even distinguish the faces of the members right in front of me, became crystal clear in 8K UHD quality the moment I coughed and spat out the blood that surged up from my throat.
So after opening my eyes in reality, my first memory was my hands stained with dark red blood and the shocked faces of the members.
-Ha-jin hyung!!!!! An ambulance, an, an ambulance…!
-Uh, who do we call? What’s the number for 119!?
-No, guys. I’m really fine, I’m… *cough*, *hack*….
-Just don’t talk for now and cover your mouth with this. Since you’ve been coughing for a while, it could be that a blood vessel burst in your mouth or somewhere. Can you breathe? Is breathing okay? If it’s okay, blink your eyes twice.
-The Executive Director has been contacted. He’s already nearby, so it’ll be faster to go in his car than to wait for an ambulance.
-Then I’ll get Ha-jin hyung’s coat and ID ready. Do-ha hyung and Yoo Gun hyung, please take Ha-jin hyung down to the parking lot.
-…Kang Ha-jin, get it together. You absolutely cannot pass out.
Yeah, even that was fine.
The real problem came after that.
[(Fixed) The Returner’s body is still being affected by 【Memory Flood】.]
[(Fixed) The remaining 【Memory Flood】 in the Returner may cause minor side effects.]
[(Fixed) The Returner is being affected by the Timeline that has passed.]
A completely useless blue window kept making a ding-ding sound, loudly warning me.
Wondering if it meant I’d get tinnitus or dizziness like when I entered and exited the Unconscious Space, I had to desperately grab the headboard of the bed and try not to lose my balance in the midst of all that chaos.
‘If I get dizzy and stumble around here, it won’t be a hospital checkup—it’ll just be idol retirement…!’
But the side effects came from a completely different direction first.
-Uh…?
Something hot suddenly streamed down from my eyes, running down my cheeks.
I only realized they were tears, like drops of bird droppings, after I had already wiped my heated eyes with my blood-stained hands without even thinking.
-….
A few seconds of silence.
What followed was chaos itself.
-Hyung!!?!?!?!?!?
-Kang Ha-jin!!!!!
I’ll leave it to your imagination how the group members reacted upon seeing their leader—bleeding from the mouth, tears streaming down his face as if he carried a million stories.
Whatever you imagined, reality was ten times worse.
‘If only that hadn’t happened, I could’ve passed it off as a simple high fever and cold…!’
Contrary to my expectation that I might have slept for quite a while, I awoke in the early morning of the next day—less than twenty-four hours after collapsing at the wedding.
The moment I collapsed, Kwon Wook carried me on his back straight to the Emergency Room, but the tests showed nothing more than mild exhaustion and cold symptoms.
‘Of course. It was exhaustion and a cold, after all.’
Anyway, since the condition wasn’t serious enough for hospitalization, and reporters and SNS trolls were already swarming around the Emergency Room bed, I had no choice but to be discharged and receive care at the Dormitory.
But the moment that person woke up at dawn, he coughed as if dying and coughed up blood, then burst into tears.
…This would definitely leave a lifelong trauma, and there was nothing to say in protest.
“Well… even if you say that, we can only speak based on the results. Actually, your condition is much better than when you came in for a checkup before.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. Even your eyesight has improved. Look at this.”
So the description about seeing things in 8K UHD quality wasn’t just flowery language—it was literally accurate?
I was beginning to understand why protagonists in fantasy novels never die and just rely on their protagonist passive to tank damage carelessly.
Cough up blood once and get a full body reset? The cost-effectiveness is insane.
“…So then, you’re saying it was simply exhaustion with cold symptoms? Just as diagnosed before.”
“Yes. The blood you coughed up was likely… a temporary hemoptysis caused by blood vessels rupturing inside your throat due to the pressure of coughing. Actually, there have been no such symptoms since you came to the hospital, and we see no signs of pneumonia or tuberculosis.”
“….”
“I understand you’re shocked, but your current condition shows no major health abnormalities. You mentioned your bronchial tubes were originally weak, and you’ve recently had experiences of staying up late or being exposed to cold wind for extended periods. So it would be best to think of it as simply having a severe cold, as I mentioned earlier.”
At the Doctor’s reassuring words to Kwon Wook and Jeong Si-u, both of them turned to look at me simultaneously.
If I looked even slightly frail at this point, they seemed ready to force me into hospitalization, so I mustered the healthiest and most relaxed smile I could manage. Only then did they seem relieved, and Kwon Wook let out a deep sigh, repeatedly wiping his face with his hand.
‘Finally, I can escape from this tedious #sickly character trope wagon!’
My lips, which had been curling with inner delight and relief, froze in surprise at that very next moment.
“…Thank you, Doctor.”
Jeong Si-u, who had been acting somewhat threatening and high-handed just moments before, now bowed deeply to the Doctor with a polite and respectful attitude.
The Doctor seemed slightly surprised by the sudden greeting as well, and opened his mouth while looking between me and Jeong Si-u with an awkward breath.
“No, no. Hemoptysis is not something you see every day, so it’s understandable that guardians would be shocked and flustered. But if you think about it differently, how fortunate that we couldn’t find any cause at all.”
“….”
“It would certainly be easier and more convenient for me to tell guardians ‘this is because of that disease!’ But seeing your reactions, I’m actually grateful that I could tell you there’s nothing wrong and no cause to worry about.”
Then, with a subtle wink toward the Nurse behind him, the Doctor finished speaking with a pleased smile.
“Your older brother seems to care deeply for his younger sibling. I’m more grateful that I could give you the answer ‘no abnormal findings’ rather than a disease name. Still, colds are scary in weather like this, so please take good care of your condition going forward.”
“Yes, yes. Thank you, Doctor.”
While Kwon Wook nodded again, Jeong Si-u simply lowered his gaze without a particular response.
He didn’t look at me, nor did he rush the Doctor or signal Kwon Wook to handle the rest.
He simply steadied his breathing, lightly clenched his fist as if releasing tension, then quietly placed it back on his lap.
“….”
In that moment.
I made a firm decision never to attempt something like “coughing up blood for a body reset” again, not even as a joke.
Of course, none of the #misunderstandings that had occurred so far had happened because I wanted them to, but still.
Still, I reaffirmed to myself that I would never do such a thing again.
“…Yes, thank goodness.”
Jeong Si-u, who was so adept at controlling and managing himself, was wound so tightly that veins stood out along his neck. His jaw was clenched with such force that the muscles in his neck writhed visibly without even trying to look closely.
Not only Jeong Si-u, but Kwon Wook beside him, who kept thanking the Nurse and asking what precautions should still be taken,
and the Group Members who, unable to all come to the hospital, remained at the Dormitory yet kept sending messages one after another to check on my condition—only then did they come into my view.
“….”
My parents, whom I had deliberately not informed so they wouldn’t worry, yet somehow found out and I had to stop them multiple times from rushing to Seoul,
and Ha-won, who called immediately after hearing the news once school ended, demanding to know what happened and scolding me for not taking care of my condition around this time of year—their faces came to mind as well.
Those who had dropped everything and rushed over because of the commotion caused by just me were not few.
“…Si-woo, Ha-jin. Wait here for a moment. The Executive Director is on his way up, so we’ll head to the Company together afterward.”
“Yes.”
“Goodness, really…. Everyone was so startled. But since there’s nothing seriously wrong, I’m truly, truly relieved.”
Ji Su-ho, who had come to Korea on vacation due to Endway’s return, had rushed to Seoul the moment he heard I had collapsed at the Wedding Venue.
Choi Yeon-woo and Park Woong from Endway, who heard the news secondhand, also left messages asking if I was alright, and Seo Tae-il from Upia had apparently called Kwon Wook to ask at length whether it might be a mental issue like panic disorder.
The Groom and Bride themselves, the principals of the wedding who belatedly received word from their honeymoon destination, also reached out with messages full of concern.
Though they could have felt awkward, as if a stranger had caused a disturbance at their wedding, instead they apologized, worried that perhaps I had overexerted myself because of them, and I felt mortified by their consideration.
“Ah, and…. Somehow the news has spread to the fans. There were many witnesses, so the Company will release an official statement today, but still, what you say directly and what the Company says carry different weight….”
“…Yes. I’ll write something this evening or post a photo or something.”
“Yes, yes.”
Even though it was a private wedding with only a select few invited, and most of them were people with unusual professions like celebrities or athletes. There’s no way a photo wasn’t taken of the most popular Idol Group member right now collapsing in front of so many people and being carried out by his Manager.
“….”
During my hospital examination, when I searched the Internet, all the witness photos taken of me had disappeared, leaving only traces behind.
Though the Company had intervened, it was largely thanks to Destiny sharing links with each other one by one, tracking them down, and urging the deletion of photos and videos.
“…What are you thinking about?”
In the Hospital Corridor, both of us wearing deep hats and masks covering the remaining half of our faces so thoroughly that our faces were invisible.
Jeong Si-u posed a dry question while keeping his gaze fixed straight ahead.
Though his gaze was not directed at me, and even if he had turned to look at me, my expression would have been completely hidden anyway.
Yet he carried himself as if he already knew exactly what thoughts I was lost in.
“Nothing much.”
“….”
“…Thinking about the old days?”
I was no longer sad about being twenty-nine.
No, to be precise, I had been sad, had felt pity, had felt pathetic. But now it was alright.
Because it was ultimately a past that had passed, a future that would never come, and now merely a scribble from a day that had vanished.
“Now that I have so many people who would worry if I got sick, I realize I can’t afford to get sick carelessly.”
Just as the System had said I was being affected by 【Memory Flood】, I could still see that version of myself from back then flickering before my eyes.
That memory—so desperately lonely, so painfully agonizing—still seemed to be lurking somewhere around my ankles, ready to drag me down.
“…Okay.”
Still,
still.
“So please take care of yourself. Don’t worry people.”
“…Yes.”
After that, until Kwon Wook and Ji Su-ho came up together, the two of us didn’t speak anymore.
But I no longer found it uncomfortable or awkward to be sitting alone with Jeong Si-u in the Hospital Corridor.
‘A dream is… just a dream.’
Now, this was my reality.
That newfound truth had finally reached me and become my solace.

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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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