Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 51

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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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51. Want to Go Back (1)
“Don’t even….”
The moment the words threatened to spill from my lips, I caught myself and reflexively clamped my mouth shut. Get it together, Kang Ha-jin. You’re wearing a microphone.
‘But does this even make sense?’
If we’d lost as a team, I could accept it. But losing on individual scores? That was something I couldn’t easily swallow. I could feel the other trainees around me struggling to hide their shock, whispering among themselves. And that wasn’t the only strange thing.
‘Han Sung-woo scored higher than Lee Yu-gun or Kim Won-ho?’
Han Sung-woo? That guy who was just grinning mischievously among all those talented, refreshing types? Unless the mentors had collectively lost their minds, this shouldn’t be possible.
Sparkle—
And in that instant, with that damned annihilation once more, I found myself back inside the Men’s Restroom. The sudden shift made my stomach churn so violently I couldn’t hold back, and I grabbed the nearest toilet, retching.
And as if mocking me in that state, the system window—still stained crimson—materialized with a crackling sound.
[You said you could stop The One?]
The One—that must be referring to the Regressor, the center of this damned fantasy.
[Then you need to try harder.]
[A failed life like yours needs to put in more effort to earn a chance at reversal.]
“What the hell?”
[What?]
The world flips again in an instant. My vision spins as if I’m on a roller coaster spinning 360 degrees. Blood rushes to my head as nausea overwhelms me.
“This keeps happening since earlier—!”
[Should I send you back again?]
And I was back.
“…Here.”
A phone in my hand.
My body buried under blankets.
A dark room with the lights off.
[Want to go back?]
Where no one searched for me,
Where I could do nothing,
Twenty-nine-year-old Kang Ha-jin.
* * *
[See? You don’t even want to go back.]
Red text materialized in the empty air. The ‘thing’ that no longer resembled a system mocked Ha-jin as he examined himself in confusion, inscribing each letter slowly and deliberately.
[Ha-jin. You know it too.]
[It’s all meaningless.]
[You’ll fail again anyway. That’s your fixed future.]
Fixed future. At those words, Ha-jin’s expression visibly hardened.
[I’m helping you, Ha-jin.]
[I really want you to be happy.]
“How grand of you to wish for my happiness, Red.”
[I’ll give you another choice.]
The world inverts once more. A void—a nothingness that defies even the word darkness—unfolds before me. Countless stars shimmer and drift across it.
No, it wasn’t a star—it was a memory.
Every moment I remembered.
[I’ll give you the ability to do it too, Regressor.]
“What?”
[I’m quite close with The One. I can just borrow a bit of that child’s timeline.]
“So I can regress infinitely like The One?”
[Want a hint?]
“No, never mind. I don’t like anything you offer.”
[Do you know why The One keeps regressing?]
Hmm. That’s actually intriguing. I muttered to myself.
[Because they’re unhappy.]
[That child’s life has always been miserable.]
The scattered memory stars instantly rearranged themselves, swirling around me. Happy moments replayed in unison—cherished memories of times I’d thought I would treasure if I could go back again.
[You never really wanted to be an idol anyway, did you?]
[Even if you lived again, you won’t debut.]
[Even if you do, you won’t succeed.]
[So you can just go back!]
[To the moment you desire.]
[Live an endless happy life.]
The memory stars gleamed. They shone beautifully, as if calling out to me. I simply gazed at all of them.
Countless moments gathered there—the footsteps of my life that I had forgotten for quite some time.
“…What do you gain from doing this?”
[I told you. I want you to be happy.]
“….”
[Why are you hesitating? This is your only chance.]
“What do I need to do?”
[Simple. Just say you understand. I’ll handle the rest.]
[You’ve always been like this. YES without thinking!]
[Just do that this time too!]
I stared intently at the red text. Despite being nothing but formless text, I felt as though these letters were pulling me toward them. And after gazing at those words endlessly, again and again, I finally answered.
“You want me to regress?”
[That’s right!]
“No, it’s different. You need me to regress, specifically.”
All movement in the world stopped.
“Whether it’s regression or whatever—you want me to abandon that idol trainee life.”
I stepped forward. The memory stars that had surrounded me vanished like bubbles, and darkness filled the space once more.
I spoke.
“You.”
[….]
“You’re afraid, aren’t you? Afraid that I’ll actually stop that child.”
[….]
“That’s why I’m afraid regression will stop.”
As if finally understanding everything, I laughed.
* * *
So something was off from the beginning.
What was off? This bastard’s attitude.
‘I can’t tell if he’s on my side or the enemy’s.’
He claims to help me with words, but his actions are always the opposite. Spewing words like defeat, failure, pathetic—gaslighting me—was something I’d experienced plenty at my previous company, so it was easy to recognize. Regardless of what he is, that bastard isn’t on my side.
That bastard is not my ally.
“So he keeps trying to scare me. Because I need to run away.”
“Why? Why is that? It’s been a month since I jumped into this game to stop that bastard, so why are you showing up now?”
I slowly approached the floating letters. He’d been chattering away, but once I struck a nerve, no new typing appeared.
Slowly, I began reviewing my actions since my regression. There was one common penalty attached to every Quest.
‘Increased regression possibility.’
Fortunately, I’d been completing the Quests quite smoothly so far, and for over a month, my fifth-loop life had been running without incident. If that’s the case, then that means—
“He didn’t regress? Because of me.”
The changes I’d created were clearly affecting that fixed regressor.
“Idiot, when you hit a nerve, you’re supposed to deny it first.”
“If you stay this quiet, I’ll figure it out.”
“You’re scared of me, aren’t you?”
That’s when it happened. The space where everything had frozen tore like paper, and suddenly, cracks spread across all dimensions.
[System Recovery Complete]
[WARNING]
[WARNING]
[System Alert: ‘Intruder’ detected. Security protocol activated….]
[System Alert: Timeline deviation of ‘Fixed Regressor’ confirmed. Normalizing operations….]
“Hey, you bastard, I’m so glad to see you. Damn it!”
Familiar system windows appeared in rapid succession, filling the dark space. It had only been a few hours, but it felt like days had passed—I was incredibly relieved.
[System Alert: Correcting timeline of ‘Fixed Regressor’….]
The timeline twisted, and I felt the space collapsing. I lost my balance and fell, but not enough to tumble away, so I curled up and shielded my head. Whatever, as long as my skull doesn’t crack.
Screeeech—
After the space shook for a while, it finally stopped, and a door appeared through the collapsed gap. It was glowing with blue light, flickering—clearly telling me to open it and go through. I glanced at the system, confirmed there was no major restriction, and without hesitation, grabbed the doorknob.
[You’ll fail even if you go back. That’s your future.]
[Don’t you want to live in happy memories?]
As a last-ditch effort, Red typed before my eyes once more. Living eternally in happy memories. Enjoying eternal happiness in eternal youth. Who could easily reject such an offer?
But I’d already made my decision, and I had no time to hesitate.
“My mom told me to at least come in first place if I was going to do it.”
“But thinking about it, my mom would be fine even if I came in last.”
“…So it’s okay.”
-Mom knows you’re doing well.
And your mother… it’s okay even if you don’t do well.
You said that The One repeats regression because of ‘misfortune’, right?
I’ve experienced regression a few times myself, and I know that what’s meant to happen will happen anyway.
So rather than facing another failure like yesterday, living through tomorrow after that failure has passed is far better for your mental health.
“So just disappear. I need to go see my mother.”
I waved away the chaotic red text carelessly and pushed the door open without hesitation. Just like before, my head spun and my vision twisted sickeningly.
Bang—! Bang bang!
When I came to my senses, it felt exactly like waking from a dream. Scorching lights blazed without pause, and tension-filled BGM flooded the set. A sight I’d already witnessed once.
“Those who reach for the sun, soar to greater heights. The journey to become Miro’s Icarus!”
I stood once again at the center of the studio where recording was in full swing.
* * *
“Ha-jin, what’s wrong since earlier? Are you hurt somewhere?”
“…No, I’m just nervous.”
How did this modern fantasy end up in my life like this? I didn’t even have the energy to react freshly to such vivid déjà vu. Come on, give me a moment to breathe.
[System Notification: …I was tidying up the timeline. My apologies.]
‘That’s fine, you bastard. I survived because of you.’
I let out a small laugh at the system’s unexpectedly welcome words. You, this bastard. I’ll do well from now on.
“Now then. The first mission of Miro Maze, Daylight! I will announce the results of both teams!”
The future I already knew unfolds. Apparently I’m not cut out to be a regressor—seeing something I’ve already witnessed again makes it feel a bit tedious and dull.
‘But I can’t just sleep through this either.’
I shifted my gaze diagonally across to Han Sung-woo, who stood waiting for the results. With his hands clasped in a prayer gesture and his nervous demeanor on full display, he looked every bit the dependable eldest brother hoping for his team’s victory.
【TEAM B Win!】
“Yes, with a score of 472 out of 500 points versus 486 points, Team B has won! Congratulations!”
“This can’t be real!”
“What do we do, we won! We actually won!”
Among those shrieking in surprise, I covered my mouth and wore an expression of disbelief. The first time I was too shocked to react properly, but knowing the result already, there’s nothing more to be surprised about. Might as well milk this for all it’s worth.
‘Either way, since we won, getting even one more shot on camera is a gain.’
Rather than squeeze into the midst of Team B members who were overheated and hugging each other in chaos, I quietly composed my surprised emotions alone, pretended to relax from tension, and gripped the railing while lowering my head.
‘Going overboard won’t help anything.’
“Ha-jin.”
At the sound of my name, I turned to see Gong Seok standing beside me with a face already flushed with emotion.
“You worked hard. Thank you, it’s all because of you.”
“…When you think about it, it’s because of you, hyung.”
He must have gone through considerable emotional turmoil. In that moment, I approached him genuinely, without camera consciousness, and patted his shoulder. I’m sorry for calling you hopeless at first, hyung.
“Now, but the match isn’t over yet. Before we announce the Wings Rank determined by your final rankings, let’s first check the results of the battlers.”
I heard Seo Tae-il’s lead comment, which had been forcibly skipped before (though I’m not sure if calling it “before” is even accurate). Lee Yu-gun and Kim Won-ho’s results passed, and now it was my turn.
“Next, trainee Han Sung-woo in 7th place and trainee Kang Ha-jin in 10th place. I will announce the results!”
The scoreboard I already knew rotates. I covered my face with both hands as if I couldn’t bear to look. And through the slight gap between my fingers, I observed someone.
【Han Sung-woo (93.15) WIN! VS Kang Ha-jin (92.99)】
“…Trainee Han Sung-woo won the battle with 93.15 points, surpassing trainee Kang Ha-jin by 0.16 points. Congratulations.”
And I saw it.
Before the scoreboard could even register the points, Han Sung-woo was already smiling.

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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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