Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 515

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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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515. The Third and Fourth Days
The morning of the third day.
“…Wow, it’s hot.”
I opened my eyes to unbearable stuffiness and heat. In mid-September, no less—what was this all about? But the moment my eyes opened, the source of that heat was pressed right against my side.
“Ugh, Ha-won…. Aren’t you going to work?”
“I took a personal day. Not going….”
“Why do you keep taking personal days…. How haven’t you gotten fired yet?”
“Because of you, hyung….”
“….”
At Ha-won’s words, I clamped my mouth shut. Though unintentional, it was true that I’d thrown the usually composed Ha-won into a panic, and that was entirely my fault.
-You were worried!
After yesterday’s incident—Ha-won’s breakdown, to be precise.
It took me quite some time before I could finally console Ha-won and get him back home. When word spread that I’d gone missing (or more accurately, that I wasn’t answering calls), our parents, who had been anxiously burning away at work, rushed straight home the moment they clocked out.
Upon arriving, they were rendered speechless by the sight before them.
-Oh my….
-They’re not even teenagers anymore….
Like when we were very young, soft blankets were spread across the living room floor, and the two of us lay sleeping with tear-stained faces.
Our heads rested on the same pillow, and it seemed we’d drifted off while chatting softly together just before sleep took us.
Because of this, our parents—who had so many questions and worries—quietly turned off the living room lights and ended their day a bit earlier than usual.
“Both of you, get up and eat. I made kimchi stew.”
“Oh, kimchi stew. With tuna?”
“Pork.”
“Whoa, that’s amazing. I’ll ladle the broth.”
The family’s morning began more ordinarily than expected.
At Mother’s words, my brother and I—who had been sprawled across the living room—bolted upright and made our way to the kitchen without hesitation. Before even washing our faces, we washed our hands at the sink and cheerfully carried rice and side dishes to the table.
Father, who had already taken his seat at the table, was placing spoons at each of our spots.
“Did you sleep well, son?”
“Good morning, Father.”
“Looks like you two really cried your eyes out yesterday, huh?”
“Ah, Dad, come on….”
Father Jung-wook teased Ha-won with a chuckle, and Ha-won narrowed his eyes in response while respectfully placing the soup bowl in front of him. Once the table was set, the whole family gathered around.
Of course, before that, Ha-won and I had quickly gone to the restroom to wash up lightly.
“We gratefully receive this meal!”
“Eat plenty.”
Though it was an ordinary moment, I found it all somewhat welcome.
Apart from that time I’d been trapped on September 15th, having a family breakfast like this together felt like it had been ages. Ever since debuting as an idol, I’d mostly eaten with the group members at the dormitory or grabbed something in the car while traveling.
“Wow, the steamed egg is incredible.”
“I opened some new pickled vegetables too.”
“Wow, this kimchi has real flavor. Ha-won, try this, try this.”
“Mother, would you like a glass of water?”
No one—absolutely no one—had asked Ha-jin if he was alright.
Because they already knew he wasn’t.
They didn’t ask why yesterday had happened, what had occurred, or what this entire situation even was.
Because they knew that Ha-jin would cheerfully volunteer the story himself once he felt better.
“….”
So Ha-jin had finally decided to accept it.
That even these moments—fleeting as they were, destined to vanish someday as mere illusions—held value beyond measure.
“Mom, Dad.”
“Hmm?”
“Ha-won.”
“….”
“I have something to say.”
Even if this were all an illusion, perhaps this was the only moment I could convey these words to my family, who were living through this time with me.
“I’m alright.”
So Kang Ha-jin spoke.
He finally said it.
“I think I’m alright now.”
Reaching back across all this time to that twenty-nine-year-old version of myself I’d left behind.
I was finally saying goodbye.
“Of course, I can’t say I’ve completely overcome everything yet…. But still, I’m alright.”
I still hated that twenty-nine-year-old version of myself.
I hated that my life had been nothing but defeat and failure, hated that I’d returned home having lost everything, hated that all that remained ahead was worry and anxiety about how to even survive.
I’d overcome so much, but only because I knew that twenty-one-year-old Kang Ha-jin of Kairos existed.
Because I knew I could return to that time when I’d reclaimed everything that was lost.
“So you don’t need to worry so much anymore. Really.”
Yes, I would return.
Because I would return, I wanted to tell them all the more.
Once I returned, once I simply returned, all these painful times would cease to have ever existed.
In the twenty-one-year-old timeline, Kang Ha-jin would be a shining star on stage, captivating all of South Korea, a proud older brother and son.
Once I returned, everything would be fine.
“I’m alright now.”
At Ha-jin’s words, his family fell silent for a moment. Then they looked at him intently before quietly nodding. Mother gently took Ha-jin’s hand beneath the table, then let it go.
Father, who had been eating stew, set down his spoon on its rest and spoke softly.
“…Yes, that’s all that matters.”
Finish your rice. The soup will get cold.
At his father’s simple words, the family resumed eating. A noticeably more comfortable atmosphere settled over the dining table. Conversation flowed naturally, peppered with gentle laughter as it always did.
Ha-jin’s heart warmed at the sight.
-Are you staying in contact with the Group Members?
But truly, was everything really alright now?
After the dam of his thoughts had completely shattered, a small question mark remained, still pricking at the corner of Ha-jin’s chest.
And Ha-jin continued to turn a deaf ear to that persistent whisper in his heart, with all the strength he could muster.
* * *
The fourth day.
Since the fourth day fell on a weekend, Ha-jin spent the entire day with Ha-won.
They blazed through the backlog of games, showed off their duet skills at the Karaoke Room, expertly fried up some fluffy fried rice at the Tteokbokki Restaurant they frequented, and devoured cake after cake at the Cafe known for its desserts.
The “Seo Tae-il’s Man” scandal that had been raging by the day gradually fizzled out once Ha-jin himself didn’t make an appearance. Thanks to that, Ha-jin was able to turn his phone back on not long after keeping it off the entire time.
“Ah, after eating… Comic Book Cafe?”
“Yeah.”
The Comic Book Cafe was the two of them’s final destination.
There was no need to rush through so many activities in a single day as if completing homework, but Ha-jin was eager, and Ha-won treasured his time with his older brother.
Moreover, Ha-jin found this ordinary daily life—where no one recognized him no matter where he went—genuinely enjoyable.
‘No need to worry about being photographed unnecessarily, no need to worry about stalkers following and things getting dangerous….’
It was a peace he rarely got to enjoy.
Ha-jin savored that peace lazily. There were often cases where manga that hadn’t been released yet in the world of twenty-one had already concluded years ago in the world of twenty-nine.
To soothe the regret of being unable to binge-read back then, Ha-jin stacked up ten books at a time beside him and read through them relentlessly. Ha-won simply watched his older brother in silence, saying nothing.
Ha-jin read like that for quite some time.
In the middle, he ordered a skewered rice cake and ate it, then boiled up some instant noodles. Since there was no need to manage his weight, eating snacks of various kinds brought no pangs of conscience. Occasionally, middle school kids wandering around seemed to glance at Ha-jin now and then, but he simply pulled his cap down deeper without much concern.
Looking out the window, the sun was already setting. As Ha-jin selected a book, he wondered what he should do over the remaining three days ahead.
“Hyung.”
Ha-won called out to Ha-jin just as he was opening a new overpowered apocalypse web novel graphic novel he’d picked up.
Ha-jin turned to look at Ha-won. Then Ha-won, who had been watching Ha-jin with a slightly troubled expression, closed the book he’d been reading, set it down beside him, and continued speaking.
“Is something bothering you?”
“Huh?”
“If something’s bothering you, tell me. Don’t keep it bottled up alone again.”
Out of nowhere?
At the sudden topic, Ha-jin shook his head with a blank expression.
“No? I don’t have anything bothering me.”
“Games, Karaoke Room, tteokbokki, desserts, comic books.”
“…?”
“That’s all stuff you do when your head’s about to explode. When you want to stop thinking.”
“….”
Ha-won’s attitude wasn’t a guess—it was certainty. As Ha-jin still couldn’t respond, only blinking, Ha-won let out a short sigh and added one more thing.
“Have I only known you for a day or two?”
“Ah.”
Only then did Ha-jin realize anew that the Ha-won standing before him was Kang Ha-won, twenty-eight years old, who had spent nearly thirty years with him.
Unlike the twenty-year-old Kang Ha-won who was still a bit clumsy with people and busy taking care of himself, this version had accumulated considerable inner strength—an evolved, fortified version of Ha-won.
And from experience, clumsy lies and tricks didn’t work well in front of this fortified, evolved version of Ha-won. He was also the type who worried more about such things.
“….”
Ha-jin thought for a moment.
The question mark he’d been pushing to the back of his mind all this time was now screaming from below his throat, demanding to be let out.
“What if….”
I finally opened my mouth. Each word I spoke felt careful, deliberate, as if my lips were stiff from disuse.
“What if you fell into a world like this—an apocalyptic setting, you know?”
“What?”
“The world has ended. But then you find out that this ruined world is actually temporary, and if you just hold on a little longer, the protagonist will solve everything and everyone can return to the peaceful original world.”
“…Are you talking about a manga?”
“But here’s the thing—you’re not the protagonist. You’re not even an extra. You just happened to get swept up in this destructive world by pure chance.”
“That’s rough.”
As my tone grew serious, Ha-won—who had been frowning as if confused—suddenly became absorbed in the story. With his arms crossed, listening intently to my words, I continued haltingly.
“So the protagonist tells you that you just need to stay put. Don’t do anything, just remain here quietly. He says he’ll hurry and save this world and come back. Then you won’t get hurt, and you won’t suffer.”
“….”
“If a situation like that came up…. What do you think you’d do?”
“What do I think I’d do?”
“…Yeah.”
Ha-won made a small contemplative sound.
I wasn’t sure why he brought up something that sounded like a sidekick’s pre-awakening monologue from a hero story, but for someone as thoughtful as my brother, even these things often carried their own meaning.
“When you say ‘do nothing,’ do you mean literally ‘nothing’? Or do you mean just living a normal everyday life?”
“I mean literally nothing.”
“Nothing at all?”
“Nothing at all.”
“Hmm….”
Ha-won groaned again at the specificity of the premise.
With an imagination as sharp as mine, Ha-won pictured the apocalyptic ruins swirling in his mind, then answered quietly.
“That’s pathetic.”
“…Pathetic?”
“Yeah.”
Ha-won nodded. He dipped a nacho chip beside him into the cheese sauce, shrugged his shoulders, and offered his answer.
“It’s the world you have to live in, and you’re supposed to protect it, but if you just lie in bed doing nothing, how is that any different from being a corpse? Rather than waiting eighty years to become a grandfather and barely step outside the house, it’d be better to live carrying supplies next to the protagonist.”
With that, Ha-won crunched the nacho loudly between his teeth. I said nothing in response.
The fourth day came to an end.

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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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