Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 506

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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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506. A Butterfly’s Dream (5)
We’re running,
Running Over the Moonlight
“That song’s pretty good, isn’t it?”
“Hey, search for the original on AiTube. We can listen to it on the way back.”
Unlike the previous performances, the audience’s reception to this unfamiliar song was surprisingly positive. While it wasn’t the type of melody that invited sing-alongs, the tune itself was accessible, and the lyrical melody and lyrics blended naturally with the late-night seascape.
Everyone was lavishing praise on the song they’d never heard before, but Seo Tae-il, sitting at the center of it all, couldn’t accept those compliments at face value.
‘The song’s good? Of course it is—who do you think wrote it!’
Just an hour ago, I’d been cursing the hapless company employees in my mind, but now I wanted to drown myself in the waters off Haeundae.
When I searched, the debut was ten years ago. That meant I’d discovered that coveted gem a full decade ago, even composed their debut track myself, and now I couldn’t even remember it!
‘I vaguely remember composing songs for someone through the company….’
After much deliberation, I recalled that I’d clashed with the Executive Director (who held real power at Miro—though now he’d apparently fled abroad with embezzled investment funds, so I had no idea what became of him), and eventually left the company. The group that Manager Su-ho had debuted was none other than Kairos.
The Executive Director had been so difficult during the process that we never became close, but I’d taken a genuine liking to Su-ho himself, so I’d readily accepted the request to compose songs for them.
‘I should have held onto Manager Su-ho instead of that old fool….’
Well, there was no point in regretting it now. Besides, Manager Su-ho’s track record hadn’t been particularly outstanding back then.
We running,
Running Over the Moonlight
Regardless, that wasn’t what mattered now.
The manager who’d been pushed out as a loser in the internal politics I’d ignored had taken those precious gems (perhaps multiple gems) to some nameless company and debuted them with songs I’d written, but they couldn’t withstand the harsh reality of a small enterprise and ultimately collapsed.
How badly did they fail? So badly that even though it was a song written by ‘that Seo Tae-il’ himself, no one remembered it. So badly that even the composer himself had forgotten!
“…Ah, this is a bit much.”
My pride was wounded.
As I watched Ha-jin singing my debut composition with that composed expression, my fist clenched involuntarily. Then I pulled out the phone I’d kept in my pocket the entire time.
Grateful that I’d set it to silent mode, I lightly skipped through the pile of messages from Da-woon and clicked on one of the few chat windows I actually responded to.
【Yeon-woo】
Among the people around me, this was the one who’d maintained contact with Manager Su-ho the longest.
A reply came back quickly from Choi Yeon-woo, the leader of Endway.
【Endway Choi Yeon-woo ‖ Yes, hyung】
【Endway Choi Yeon-woo ‖ What’s the matter?】
Since Endway had unofficially disbanded and he’d been staying in the United States ever since, it should be early morning there, yet his reply was quick. I continued the conversation rapidly while keeping my eyes on Ha-jin’s performance.
【Isn’t it morning in the US right now?】
【Why are you up so early】
【Endway Choi Yeon-woo ‖ Ah, I haven’t slept yet】
【Endway Choi Yeon-woo ‖ Woong came to visit after a long time】
Ah, okay.
【I wanted to ask you something】
【Endway Choi Yeon-woo ‖ Ask me something?】
【Do you still keep in touch with Manager Su-ho? Do you remember the kids who debuted there?】
【The group’s name is Kairos】
The usually quick respondent fell silent the moment the keywords ‘Su-ho’ and ‘Kairos’ appeared. I waited patiently for his reply.
Choi Yeon-woo’s reply came back just as Da-woon sent his thirty-second message and Ha-jin successfully wrapped up the first verse of the song.
【Endway Choi Yeon-woo ‖ After leaving the company, we kept in touch for a few more years, but I don’t know what happened to them lately】
【Endway Choi Yeon-woo ‖ They were active for maybe two years? They shut down pretty quickly】
【Endway Choi Yeon-woo ‖ Why are you suddenly asking about Kairos?】
【Do you know why they failed? I looked into it and the members seemed decent enough】
Another brief silence followed.
After a moment’s wait, the response that came back carried a rather bitter truth.
【Endway Choi Yeon-woo ‖ Well… it’s complicated】
【Endway Choi Yeon-woo ‖ The company had no money, the members had no talent】
【Endway Choi Yeon-woo ‖ The staff had no experience, the Manager had no connections】
【Endway Choi Yeon-woo ‖ And Son Hyung-gu, that bastard, even pulled strings behind the scenes to completely bury Su-ho】
【Endway Choi Yeon-woo ‖ Anyway, basically everything went wrong as far as I remember】
Well, it wasn’t surprising.
About ninety-nine percent of those who debut in the entertainment industry experience something like that.
Even Seo Tae-il himself, who had been fortunate enough to survive and consistently active for about twenty years, had chosen to disappear rather than continue enduring that fierce competition.
Meeting the achingly blue morning
Tae-il’s gaze shifted back to Ha-jin, who was singing at the top of his lungs. The way he subtly kept rhythm while playing guitar suggested something extraordinary—I could sense that this guy would probably dance well too.
【Yeah, thanks for letting me know】
【I’ll come visit sometime. Let’s see each other’s faces at least once】
After wrapping up the conversation with a casual farewell, Tae-il (still without reading Da-woon’s messages) chose to grip his phone tightly in his hand rather than putting it back in his pocket.
A dreamlike memory, letting me breathe
Tae-il paused for a moment.
He wasn’t typically a romantic who believed in fate, yet somehow all of this felt remarkably like destiny.
-After all, the reason I came here today was… because I wanted to go back to being Kairos’s Kang Ha-jin, right? -For that to happen, I needed a few miracles.
-Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like today was the day.
What Tae-il was about to do (?) was utterly impulsive and extraordinarily bold.
The kind of thing he would never have done under normal circumstances.
Wait for me
I’m coming to you now
The song was drawing to a close.
Ha-jin, singing alone a song that was originally meant to be performed by seven members, was pouring his heart into every single word, his throat trembling and veins bulging with sincerity. As the song climbed toward its crescendo, the accompaniment grew increasingly passionate, and beads of sweat began trickling down Ha-jin’s forehead.
Seo Tae-il turned on his phone.
And opened the camera app.
“…A miracle is needed, huh?”
Fine, let me try being that miracle.
That miracle.
A premonition struck him that he might need to recover the password to the OneStagram account he’d forgotten about for so long.
* * *
“…Until now, I’ve been Kairos’s Kang Ha-jin. Thank you.”
It opened.
[ ■■■■■■■■■□ ]
The song had ended, but the final square of the system window remained unfilled.
A clock blinked on the electronic billboard hanging from the rooftop of the building across the street.
【9/15 22:05:14】
‘One hour and fifty-four minutes left….’
Thanks to my boldly one-way train ticket, I had nowhere left to go.
Anyway, once 11:59 passed, I’d respawn(?) back home automatically, so I just needed to kill time until then.
I wondered how much money was left on my card. The weather was warm enough that if things got desperate, I could probably just sleep rough at the beach.
“Oppa, could you tell us your OneStagram account? We’ll follow you!”
“We liked your music video too!”
“Don’t you do AiTube or anything? If you did, we’d totally promote you everywhere!”
As I was packing up my equipment, a swarm of kids who looked unmistakably like students came rushing over, chattering away. Since I’d never see them again in two hours anyway, it would be faster to respond politely and send them off safely rather than be too cold about it.
I slipped the guitar from my shoulder into its case as I replied.
“No OneStagram account, don’t do AiTube, and thanks for liking the music video. Now, friends, let’s all head home safely. It’s already past ten at night—your parents must be worried. Thanks for coming to the show.”
“Could you just take one photo with us? Please?”
“Oppa, you’re seriously so handsome!”
“If you say ‘seriously handsome’ instead of ‘ridiculously handsome,’ I’ll take a photo.”
“You’re seriously freaking handsome!!”
“Well, alright then.”
Kids these days are something else.
Eventually, after being cornered into taking about fifteen photos with them, I finally found myself alone. Even knowing that everything would be undone in two hours, I struck poses with surprising enthusiasm.
I just wanted there to be some trace—however small, however brief—that I had existed in this place.
“You’re leaving?”
“…?”
I had slung the guitar case over my shoulder and was about to leave this beautiful night sea when someone called out to me.
The voice seemed oddly familiar, so I turned around to find my first audience member—who bore a striking resemblance to Seo Tae-il—now without the sunglasses I’d been wearing, hands in his pockets, watching me. I hadn’t noticed when he was sitting down, but now I could see he was quite tall. Good proportions too.
“So… you’re heading out? I suppose you’ve seen what you came to see. Did you enjoy the performance?”
“…Yes. I would have definitely regretted missing it.”
“I’m glad. Thank you for watching.”
Wow, he really does look like Seo Tae-il.
I hadn’t gotten a good look at his face earlier, but now without the sunglasses, his eyes really did bear a striking resemblance to Seo Tae-il.
‘If the Seo Tae-il I knew had just aged about ten more years, he’d probably look like this….’
…Wait?
Wouldn’t this be exactly what the Seo Tae-il I knew would look like if he’d aged ten more years?
“You said you needed a miracle, didn’t you?”
While my brain was still processing the input, the man spoke first. I thought it was an oddly cultish way of speaking, but then I realized—those were words I’d spoken during the performance.
As if entranced, I nodded, and the man quietly removed his mask. In that moment, it felt as though the world itself slowed to a crawl.
“I don’t usually say things like this because it feels self-indulgent….”
This can’t be real.
The thought of ‘Could it be…?’ flooded my mind.
There’s no way that person could meet me here, of all places, at this particular moment.
Such an impossible coincidence could never have been granted to me.
“I hope I can become that miracle for you today.”
It was Seo Tae-il.
It was really Seo Tae-il.
-Kang Ha-jin? Are you crying right now?
-Ha-jin, you got a little greedy there, didn’t you?
-Son!
-You did well, you know that?
Seo Tae-il—the one I knew but who didn’t know me—gazed at me with that same smile from some distant memory. Then, after tapping his phone screen several times, he held it out toward me.
On the phone Seo Tae-il showed me was his OneStagram account, dormant for several years now.
@u.tae1pia
Met Kairos Ha-jin, who wrote my debut song,
completely by chance at Busan Sea.
Whoever made this song, it’s so good lol
P.S Hello Idea fans. I’m back.
#Kairos #KangHajin
An enormous flood of hearts and comment notifications erupted at the top of Seo Tae-il’s phone in real time. Even as I watched it unfold before my eyes, I couldn’t quite believe what was happening.
More than anything else, the fact that I was meeting Seo Tae-il here like this, having a conversation with him, felt the most unreal.
“Do you have any other schedules after this? If not, I’d like to buy you a drink. …Oh, you know me, right? You do know me, don’t you? That would be embarrassing if you didn’t….”
Of course I knew him.
Yet contrary to my thoughts, the words wouldn’t come easily from my lips. I desperately wanted to deny that it was because of the sob rising forcefully from deep within my chest.
Just as I barely managed to nod in response—
[ ■■■■■■■■■■ ]
The gauge filled completely.
[System Recovery Complete]
[System Recovery Complete]
[System Notification: Timeline coordinates of ‘Fixed Returner’ confirmed.]
[WARNING! System connection unstable due to incomplete timeline.]
[System Notification: Would you like to access the Unconscious Space with administrator privileges?]
[System Notification: If you wish to access, please enter the temporary code! (Temporary Code: The universe’s strongest system Kim Thirteen I missed you so much♥)]
[System Notification: ദ്ദി(˵ •̀ ᴗ – ˵ ) ✧]
“…Ah, come on. Really.”
The cutest system in the world had returned.

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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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