Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 507

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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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507. How to Awaken from the Butterfly’s Dream (1)
“Kang Ha-jin?”
“Ah.”
I’d momentarily forgotten about the person standing right in front of me while confirming that Thirteen had returned.
Snapping back to attention, I was about to respond to Seo Tae-il when a sharp crack echoed through the air—the System window I’d barely managed to open shattered, and new text materialized before my eyes.
[WARNING! System connection is unstable due to an incomplete timeline.]
[System Notification: Entry time to the ‘Unconscious Space’ is now limited! ( ˃̣̣̥᷄⌓˂̣̣̥᷅ )]
[10]
’10?’
[09]
[08]
[07]
….
‘Damn it, these crazy bastards…!’
By the time shock had registered, two more seconds had already elapsed. Only five seconds remained.
With Seo Tae-il still staring blankly at me, my mind raced faster than light itself.
‘But if I access the Unconscious Space right now, what about me? My body? Will I collapse here again? Then what about Seo Tae-il? And more importantly, am I supposed to scream something like “I want to see the strongest system in the universe, Kim Thirteen!” right in front of him!?’
[System Notification: Temporary code has been changed. (New temporary code: See you again!)]
[System Notification: Regarding the situation after accessing the ‘Unconscious Space,’ special ‘temporary measures’ different from usual will be implemented.]
Look at that response time.
[04!!!]
Another second slipped away while I marveled at it.
Without further deliberation, I bolted toward Seo Tae-il. Seizing both his hands as his eyes widened in shock at my sudden action, I spoke urgently.
“You don’t know me? That can’t be right. Even if everyone in South Korea except Upia members didn’t recognize you, I do! I recognize you. I absolutely do. I absolutely will.”
“Oh, yes. Thank you…?”
[03!! ヾ( •́д•̀ ;;;;;)ﾉ]
“I’m truly grateful for the offer to buy me a drink, and the fact that we met so unexpectedly here in Busan feels completely unreal, and everything is so overwhelming, but I genuinely have urgent matters to attend to right now, so I’m unable to accept at this moment. Might I humbly ask if there’s any chance this precious opportunity might present itself again through another miraculous encounter in the future?”
“Oh, yes, of course. You know my OneStarr account, right? Just DM me there. I’ll really buy you a meal.”
[02!!!!! －(゜Д゜;;;;;;;;;)-ン!!]
“Yes, thank you so much, senior. I really need to leave now, truly. But I should mention—I have a tendency to faint suddenly, so if I collapse while talking like this, please don’t be alarmed. Just call 119 for me, okay? I’m genuinely grateful in advance.”
“1, 119? Yes, yes, I understand. But are you really sure you’re―.”
[01!!!!!!!!!!! (;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;´Д`)]
“Definitely.”
“…?”
“I’ll definitely see you again. I really will.”
I could confidently say I’d never spoken so rapidly or at such length in my entire life. Locking eyes with Seo Tae-il, I emphasized those words with absolute conviction. As for the aftermath and consequences—well, if I failed to escape the loop right now, Seo Tae-il wouldn’t even remember today’s encounter anyway, so there was little point in worrying about it.
Seo Tae-il gazed at me for a moment, then awkwardly nodded his head.
“…Yes. Let’s do that.”
[00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (You really have to do it now!!!! ヽ(●ﾟ´Д｀ﾟ●)ﾉﾟ)]
I got it, damn it.
The moment Seo Tae-il gave his definitive answer, I nodded and opened my mouth. The joy I’d been holding back burst forth, and a radiant smile spread across my face.
“See you again, hyung.”
Next time, I’ll call you Father.
Along with that bold, private vow that no one else would know, my vision was engulfed by an endless cascade of brilliant light. A familiar sensation of sinking into the depths of sleep enveloped my entire body.
At last, I saw the sun leading toward tomorrow.
* * *
[System Notification: Kang Ha-jin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ｡ﾟヽ(ﾟ´Д｀)ﾉﾟ｡]
Geez, you scared me.
The moment my eyes opened, what greeted me was my self-made studio that I’d missed so acutely, and a massive screen. The entire blue screen was filled with Thirteen’s fervent greeting rendered in white text.
[System Notification: Finally!! Finally, we’ve succeeded in reconnecting!!!!]
[System Notification: I did everything in my power to reconnect as quickly as possible, but I must offer my sincerest apologies for how delayed this has become! Usually in situations like this, one would bang their head against the wall to take responsibility, but honestly, as a Time Management Authority with no head to bang, I find myself truly mortified and apologetic every single time…!]
[System Notification: You’ve been through so much hardship all this time, haven’t you? Still, I’m relieved to see that you’ve become a proper fixed regressor—not doing particularly dangerous things anymore, or rather, doing them less, staying safe, and taking care of your mental health. And the fact that you never gave up and tried various approaches to even locate your own coordinates was an enormous help. From now on, I’ll do my very best to be of assistance to you, Kang Ha-jin! I really can’t stress enough how much I missed you, Kang Ha-jin!!!!]
[System Notification: 。：゜(；´∩｀；)゜：]
“Yeah, yeah. I get it, so calm down a bit. Is this kid starting to become more like me? Does he keep talking more and more?”
No matter how I look at it, this guy seems to be preempting my anger before I can even get mad. Must be my imagination, right?
Before I could even say anything, he’s already churned out this elaborate apology, leaving me with nothing to say on my end. Rather than bother responding to that heartfelt reflection, I decided to simply walk slowly around the studio and appreciate this home sweet home I hadn’t seen in so long.
From the interior I’d personally conjured up to the purple sunset fading beyond the window.
The memory of grabbing Dan Ha-ru by the collar at that very window came back so vividly that nothing seemed to have changed at all. Despite having clearly stayed indoors for an incredibly long time, it finally felt like I’d truly returned home.
“Nothing’s changed here.”
[System Notification: It’s your space alone, after all!]
“You’re still the same too. …Good to see you, really?”
Raising my eyebrows, I settled onto the sofa I’d missed so dearly. The texture alone was so much my style, and the plushness of this navy sofa was more welcome than I could express.
As I ran my hand over the sofa a few times and got comfortable, Thirteen, who’d been sprinkling sparkles everywhere to express the joy of reunion, gradually drifted toward me.
‘Can a system window really get away with showing emotions so openly like that?’
Didn’t someone say that if it kept going like this, it would end up becoming human?
But such concerns were fleeting.
“So, then….”
There was a lot I needed to hear right now.
“Can you explain how exactly this entire situation came to be?”
[System Notification: …. ₍ᐡ〣•̅_•̅ ᐡ₎]
“Can you~?”
With my eyes wide open and piercing, Thirteen, who’d been dripping sweat drop effects, let out a sigh—though of course, not a real sigh, but rather a sighing effect (=3).
Soon, an empty system window materialized before me like a white screen. Beside it, Thirteen positioned itself in a small chat window format and continued the explanation.
[System Notification: Very well. I’ve also given considerable thought to how to explain this….]
[System Notification: After all, you, Kang Ha-jin, are the one who must hear this explanation before anyone else.]
[System Notification: Then, starting now! I shall explain the current situation to you.]
Along with Thirteen’s words—complete with a sparkling glasses emoticon despite having no face—a single phrase appeared on the screen.
【The Butterfly’s Dream 胡蝶之夢】
[System Notification: Do you know what the butterfly’s dream means?]
“How could I not?”
The Butterfly’s Dream.
It was Zhuangzi’s famous anecdote—when the dream of becoming a butterfly felt so vivid and real, one could no longer distinguish whether I, a human, had dreamed of becoming a butterfly, or whether I, once a butterfly, had dreamed of becoming human.
It was also a story I had recalled when I first opened my eyes in this place.
[System Notification: The current world is, so to speak, inside that ‘butterfly’s’ dream.]
The butterfly’s dream?
The thought that all of this was nothing but a dream made my eyebrows twitch once more. Noticing my displeasure, Thirteen quickly pulled up the next screen.
“That is….”
[System Notification: The last appearance of Kang Ha-jin before crossing over to ‘this timeline’.]
What appeared anew above the transparent system window was none other than my own image.
Me, finishing the year-end stage performance in high spirits, only to succumb to overwhelming drowsiness the moment I got into the car and fell asleep.
Though it was technically just yesterday in physical time, having been trapped in the infinite loop for so long, it felt like something from about three months ago, which gave me an odd sensation.
“So, you’re saying all of this is inside my dream? Everything happening right now?”
[System Notification: The precise answer to that is….]
[System Notification: ‘It could be, or it might not be.’]
“What kind of answer is that?”
[System Notification: Well, you see…! This is truly a difficult concept to explain!;;;]
[System Notification: What I can say for certain right now is that this place is definitely a real world!]
[System Notification: However, depending on circumstances, it could also become a time that never existed at all.]
“Are you really going to exit right after making an appearance after so long with nothing but infuriating riddles?”
This thing really knows how to get under my skin.
As my frustration began to mount and I crossed my arms, tapping my foot, Thirteen fluttered urgently and continued the explanation.
[System Notification: Th, that’s why! I’m about to explain that right now…!]
“If you don’t get to the point within the next ten lines of text, I’m seriously going to materialize you and give you a knuckle sandwich, I swear.”
[System Notification: The System feels both sorrow and joy upon tasting the temperament of the True Regressor after so long.]
[System Notification: (´；ω；`)]
“One line.”
[System Notification: ∑(;°Д°)!!!]
“Are you counting those expressions as 0.5 lines each? Make it one and a half.”
[System Notification: I, I will! I really will!]
Now that Thirteen had grasped just how irritated the True Regressor was, it quickly refreshed the system window.
[System Notification: This place is the dream of ‘The One Who Returns’!]
“That bastard dreams too?”
He really does everything.
Because of our house’s villain who does every conceivable thing, I’ve somehow ended up as an NPC, damn it.

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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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