Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 487

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

487. And Yet We (1)
We returned to our everyday lives far faster than I’d anticipated.
-…Back when I debuted, there was that incident where my character was exposed.
All I could do for Seo Tae-hyun right now was to hold him steady so he wouldn’t collapse under the shock.
So I did what I did best.
-When Lee Hyun-il told me back then that the reason he’d ostracized me was ‘just because’.
Not exacting some novel-like revenge, not offering some transcendent solution that could undo all the wounds inflicted—just a few words.
But sometimes, even just words alone can make it possible to breathe again.
-It felt hollow, absurd, infuriating, and I wondered what everything I’d done up until now had meant….
-…But on the other hand, I was relieved. It felt like not everything was my fault.
-It felt like I could be a good person too.
I couldn’t tell whether my pathetic consolation had reached Seo Tae-hyun or not.
-…I see.
Seo Tae-hyun simply spent three days locked in his room doing nothing, crying until exhaustion pulled him into sleep, repeating the cycle. It was thanks to Ji Su-ho, who’d said he’d handle the backlog of domestic work, canceling every single schedule under the excuse of poor conditioning.
The fact that I’d collapsed from overwork a few days prior turned out to be a convenient justification.
-Still, there’s one thing I’m grateful for.
Once the Group Members learned what happened, they left Seo Tae-hyun alone so he could pour out and process his emotions freely.
I’d deliberated heavily about whether to tell them the truth. Many of them were still young, and I worried they might be negatively influenced by hearing something like this.
Yet after much consideration, the reason I told the Group Members and Kwon Wook everything came down to one thing.
-I understand.
I wanted Seo Tae-hyun to not have to worry about anyone’s gaze while he was settling his heart.
Whenever, whoever he grabbed, if he needed to vent about what happened back then, I wanted them to understand immediately and affirm him without hesitation.
I just… wanted it to be that way.
“Is Seo Tae-hyun not going to practice today either?”
“He was drying his hair in his room a moment ago….”
“Tae-hyun’s the type who maintains himself meticulously even if he just sleeps at home for a week. …Let him rest more for now. The Executive Director approved it anyway.”
“Still…. If he stays alone in the Dormitory and cries again….”
And very fortunately.
“What’s this? Why is everyone huddled together at the Entrance?”
“…Hyung, what about Tae-hyun? Is he resting today too?”
“Yeah.”
Very, very fortunately.
“…He said he’s coming back starting today. He’s changing clothes inside right now.”
“Tell him to rest more. After crying for three days, his body won’t have any strength.”
“I told him that too, but he gave me this fierce glare and said if he rests too long and gets stiff and messes up the choreography for the year-end Stage, would I take responsibility for it. Seeing him look like he could chop down trees with his eyes, I think he’ll be fine.”
Seo Tae-hyun spent exactly three days wallowing in despair, then walked out of his bed on his own.
Along with a spirited sentiment that those bastards were the bad ones, so why should he be trembling in a corner.
The doorknob turned with a click, and the door opened.
Seo Tae-hyun, dressed in outdoor clothes instead of pajamas, emerged from the room with a bag slung over his shoulder. Spotting us gathered in front of his door, he opened his mouth with a puzzled expression.
“…What’s this? Why aren’t you guys getting in the car? Hurry up and go downstairs, Kwon Wook hyung will be waiting. Eun-chan, wear different shoes. You said last time those ones hurt every time you walked because the sole had a hole, and you still haven’t thrown them away?”
“Oh, right.”
“…You couldn’t even thank the members who waited for you, and yet you’re bombarding them with nagging the moment the door barely closes?”
“Oh, they waited for me? Really? Wow, if I’d known that, I would’ve gotten ready faster.”
Seo Tae-hyun’s appearance—meticulously groomed from head to toe just to go to the Practice Room—was perfectly consistent with his usual self.
Of course, just because his outward appearance seemed unchanged didn’t mean everything was the same as before, but at least his words and actions didn’t seem forced or artificial, which was reassuring.
“Let’s go. I want to get there quickly and warm up. I’m worried I might’ve forgotten all the choreography by now.”
“You forgot the choreography? You might as well say Do-ha forgot how to hold a microphone.”
“…If he forgot that, I’d seriously start questioning whether there’s something wrong with my brain.”
“Tae-hyun. Take it slow, you’ll trip.”
“Tae-hyun, your shoes are here!”
“Your bag’s zipper is open. Should I close it for you?”
“Oh, yeah. Thanks, Ha-ru! Kang Ha-jin! Come on! Let’s go already!”
Still, someone could have a different ending than I did.
It felt like it was telling me that perhaps even I, at twenty-nine, might have had a different ending too.
“…This guy’s just casually calling me by my name now. Let’s go, come on.”
I was truly grateful for that.
* * *
If I did nothing simply because there was nothing I could do, then nothing would change.
“Hyung.”
“Yeah?”
“I have a favor to ask.”
After resting for just three days and returning to his routine, the first thing Seo Tae-hyun did—aside from his schedule—was to seek out someone who had suffered the same wound as him.
“I want to see Ga-ram.”
“…Will you be okay?”
“Even if I’m not, I have to see him.”
“…”
“I need to apologize, listen to what he has to say, and tell him that I… that I was just like you too.”
As he spoke calmly about how confused he’d been on the day of the live broadcast and hadn’t been able to properly take care of things, and how Ga-ram was probably suffering the most right now, Seo Tae-hyun’s hands had turned as pale as if not a drop of blood flowed through them.
Seeing him like that, I could guess what he was about to ask me, so I nodded before he could even finish speaking.
“Yeah, I’ll go with you.”
“…I haven’t even asked you to come with me yet?”
“That’s what you were about to say, right? If not, never mind.”
I shrugged and spoke brazenly, and Seo Tae-hyun looked at me with curious eyes for a moment before quickly shaking his head.
“No, you’re right. …I was about to ask you to come with me.”
“Yeah, I’ll tell Kwon Wook about it.”
And so, during the busy end of year, we decided to carve out a day to visit Yoon Ga-ram.
Since Yoon Ga-ram’s house was in the Provinces, we had to dedicate half the day to travel, and it took quite a while to arrange the meeting since Yoon Ga-ram himself didn’t seem eager to see us, but Seo Tae-hyun refused to back down from his desire to meet him.
“Traffic doesn’t seem too bad, but it’ll still take about two hours, so get some rest. I’ll wake you when we arrive.”
“Yes. Thank you, Executive Director.”
“No. I wanted to see that friend Ga-ram too.”
Since Kwon Wook couldn’t possibly leave the other members behind to drive us all the way to the Provinces, Ji Su-ho had volunteered to handle the pickup himself that day.
Seeing how Ji Su-ho nodded with a thoughtful expression when Seo Tae-hyun mentioned wanting to see Yoon Ga-ram, it was clear that Ji Su-ho cared quite a bit about Yoon Ga-ram as well, not just Seo Tae-hyun.
“…Hyung.”
“Yeah.”
Inside the moving car, Seo Tae-hyun—who had been repeatedly turning his phone on and off for a while—called out to me quietly. When I answered without turning my gaze away from the window, Seo Tae-hyun clutched his phone and exhaled like a sigh.
“Hyung…”
“Yeah.”
“Back then, when you came to pick me up. What were you thinking?”
“When?”
I immediately understood what “back then” Seo Tae-hyun was referring to, but I played dumb and turned to look at him with a straight face. His eyes, filled with obvious anxiety, tugged at my heartstrings.
“I’ve come to get you more than once or twice, so I’m not sure which time you mean. When—Gangwon Province? And there were two trips there anyway.”
“…The first one.”
Seo Tae-hyun, clearly annoyed by my playful attitude, reluctantly answered. I deliberately responded with an exaggerated “Ohhh, that time~” and laughed.
“Back then, there was only one thing.”
“…”
“‘Just you wait until I catch you.'”
And it was Gangwon Province, no less—Gangwon Province.
As I joked around, Seo Tae-hyun’s face twisted comically, his tension finally breaking. His expression screamed, ‘I can’t believe I fell for this guy’s act again.’
How does someone whose thoughts are written all over his face like that manage to completely transform the moment the camera starts rolling?
“No, I don’t mean that… You know what I’m trying to say.”
“What, you don’t know how to bring it up with Yoon Ga-ram?”
“…Yeah. So give me some tips. Come on, you must have thought about how to persuade me back then too, right?”
“Didn’t I tell you then? Did you want to hear ‘junior’ from Cha Min-seok, or would you rather keep your image from the second Survival Program and lean on me as a peer instead… Ow!”
Ah, did I push it too far?
‘I should’ve held back a bit, but this guy’s mischievous nature always gets him into trouble!’
Unable to contain himself, Seo Tae-hyun smacked me with a soft neck pillow he’d received as a gift from a fan. Ji Su-ho, who was driving, sighed the moment the fight—or rather, Seo Tae-hyun’s one-sided assault—began, as if he’d expected it, and turned up the radio volume.
Seo Tae-hyun relentlessly threw neck pillow punches with a genuinely furious expression. Despite being nothing more than a soft bundle of cotton, the force behind each blow actually hurt.
“Ow! Ow! It hurts! Owww!”
“You devil! How do you remember every single word I said back then without changing a thing!? That wasn’t a joke, was it!?? You seriously meant to say that to me back then, didn’t you!?!?? You psychopath…!!!”
“Psychopath? Devil? You go to church, and I’ve told you several times… Owww!”
“Is that what matters right now!? Come here, I’m sending you to meet the Lord today, I swear!”
“Owww! Executive Director! Executive Director!! Seo Tae-hyun is trying to kill me! Owww!”
“…Tae-hyun, avoid his face. People might get the wrong idea.”
“Wrong idea my ass, it’s the truth! Owww! Hey, hey! Where does a guy like you get all this strength!?”
Seo Tae-hyun’s rage finally subsided around the time we entered the neighborhood where Yoon Ga-ram lived. From my perspective, this bastard was definitely taking out all the stress he’d accumulated from Kim Hak-seung—the Main PD—on me.
My carefully dressed shirt and jacket were completely wrinkled, and my tie had gotten so twisted it was practically backward. I barely managed to fix it, but there was nothing I could do about my hair, which Seo Tae-hyun had messed up by pulling at it, so I just hastily swept it all back.
“…Phew, that felt good.”
See, see? I told you—he definitely vented his stress on me!
“What.”
“…Never mind. I’m glad you feel better.”
But since it was true that I was the one who’d been punished, I couldn’t bring myself to resist.
I, Kang Ha-jin, was a man who constantly got into trouble and received beatings, yet I was capable of at least some self-reflection about deserving the punishment.
“Everyone, let’s get out here. The car won’t be able to go any further up this road.”
“Yes. Thank you, Executive Director.”
“I’ll head up first and talk with Ga-ram’s grandfather, so take your time coming up. Grab the juice and gifts from the trunk on your way.”
“…Okay.”
Ji Su-ho, who’d parked the car in a nearby lot, got out first.
Seo Tae-hyun, who’d been grumbling just moments before, grew tense again at the thought of meeting Yoon Ga-ram, and out of habit, he bit his lip and didn’t readily pull himself up from his seat.
‘Honestly, even when I go to all this trouble for him….’
Watching Seo Tae-hyun like that, I let out a short breath, then nudged his leg with mine. When he looked at me in surprise, I tapped my own lips with my finger and gave him a meaningful look. Only then did Seo Tae-hyun realize he’d been biting his lip, and he quickly relaxed his mouth.
“I told you to break that bad habit. Seriously, if it shows up ugly in photos, are you going to be the one doing the Photoshop?”
“…What can I do? It’s a habit. If habits could be fixed that easily, they wouldn’t be habits.”
“Habits are exactly why you need to fix them quickly.”
When I didn’t back down and spoke firmly, Seo Tae-hyun flinched but nodded in agreement. Then he turned his body and opened the door to get out of the car.
“Tae-hyun.”
“Hm?”
Seo Tae-hyun, with his body halfway out the door, turned his head at my call.
Once he’d completely stepped out of the car and planted his feet on the ground, I gave him a belated answer to the question he’d asked earlier.
“I didn’t worry about it.”
“…About what?”
“I didn’t worry about how to convince you, or what I’d do if you said you weren’t going to be an idol anymore.”
To be honest, back then, your return wasn’t something I desperately wanted. I already had my own problems to deal with.
If it hadn’t been for the evidence against that bomb of a former Executive Director, if it hadn’t been for the situation where I absolutely had to bring you back as a colleague—maybe I wouldn’t have cared much whether you quit as a trainee and lived your life or not.
That’s what I was like back then.
“But I knew.”
Still, for whatever reason, when I boarded that train heading to Gangwon Province to bring you back to the company.
I never doubted for a moment that you would return.
“Because I knew how much you love the stage.”
“….”
“So whenever an opportunity came, whenever there was a chance, I knew you’d want to shine on that stage again, no matter what form it took.”
“….”
“That’s why I wasn’t worried.”
My answer seemed to catch him off guard, or perhaps it resonated with him in an unexpected way.
Seo Tae-hyun’s eyes widened in surprise, and his pupils trembled slightly. It looked like a hint of moisture was gathering in them, but I pretended not to notice.
Following him out of the car, I carefully straightened the scarf around his neck that had gotten disheveled from my teasing, and continued speaking.
“Ga-ram will be the same way.”
“…Do you think so?”
“You said it yourself. He’s similar to you, and that’s what worries you.”
“….”
“So don’t be scared. If the teacher is trembling like this, how can the student trust you? You need to shine first, so they’ll want to shine following your light.”
I adjusted his scarf one more time and smoothed out the details of his carefully chosen outfit before heading straight to the trunk, pulling out gifts with both hands full.
I didn’t think material things would truly comfort his heart, but having something was better than nothing.
“Come on in, you guys. Over here.”
After closing the trunk and locking the car door with the key Ji Su-ho had given me, Su-ho, who had already gone ahead to Yoon Ga-ram’s place, called out to us from a distance.
“Do you understand what I’m saying?”
As I approached Seo Tae-hyun and handed him one of the shopping bags, his expression finally brightened as his thoughts seemed to settle into place, and he accepted the gift.
When I looked up again, the tension had completely vanished from Seo Tae-hyun’s face.
“…Yeah.”
“Good. Let’s go then.”
We moved forward together.
Now it was Seo Tae-hyun’s turn to extend his hand to someone else.

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