Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 521

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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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521. In Search of a Lost Comrade (1)
At this point, we needed to carefully reexamine the conversation between Kang Ha-jin and Kim Thirteen once more.
[System Alert: Moreover, this current ‘fake timeline’ is in an extremely unstable state.]
[System Alert: All the timelines that have passed are completely jumbled together, and The One Who Returns has deliberately set ‘the absolute worst time’ for the fixed returner and everyone around them.]
This place was fake.
A patchwork timeline of The One Who Returns’ own making—selecting only each member’s ‘worst timeline’ and mixing them all together haphazardly.
-Question Two. Even if other people were caught up in this timeline, they would have virtually zero probability of gaining ‘awareness’ like I did, and even if they somehow did, you, the cosmic genius system, could quickly resolve it.
Thirteen couldn’t answer this question with a ‘yes’.
Why? Because it wasn’t true.
Just as Seo Tae-il unconsciously recalled information about Kang Ha-jin, the members scattered across their own timelines were also taking damage from the repeating day.
“Hmm… For now, it seems fine.”
“Is that so?”
However, repeated damage sometimes becomes a certain kind of stimulus.
Just as Ha-jin suddenly became aware one day that he was trapped in a loop, there was someone here who had suddenly recalled all the timelines that had passed like a bolt from the blue.
“I also find it difficult to explain ‘what’ from a medical standpoint… In any case, there are no signs of panic attacks, and symptoms of social withdrawal or depression are barely observable. For now, the patient himself is actively appealing to his condition quite enthusiastically…”
“Ah… In any case, you’re saying the child’s condition is fine, correct?”
“Well, I can’t say it’s completely gone, but for now, yes. He seems much improved. Still, please make sure he continues to come in regularly for counseling for the time being.”
While reassured by the doctor’s words, Eun-seok, unable to shake off a lingering unease, bit his lip and gazed at his younger sibling sitting on the living room sofa. It was both such a relief and so terrifying that his younger sibling, who had suddenly burst out of that small room, appeared to be completely normal.
Eun-seok hesitantly pulled the open door slightly closed, worried that Eun-chan—who seemed curious about the conversation he was having with the doctor and was peeking over—might overhear, and asked one more thing.
“Um… And my younger sibling keeps wanting to meet someone.”
“Who?”
“Someone from back then… a friend who was on the same team during his idol activities. It seems he happened to see a recent update video of that friend. He says it was because of that friend that he found the courage to leave his room, but anyway, since that person could trigger his trauma, I’m not sure if it’s a good idea to let them meet…”
The first thing my younger sibling asked when he suddenly grabbed me after bursting out of his room was about the whereabouts of ‘Ha-jin hyung’.
Soon after recalling that it was the name of that rude leader who had been active with his younger sibling, Eun-seok found himself in a serious dilemma. If his younger sibling wanted it, he would compress not just the stars in the sky but the entire universe and hand it to him, but whether Ha-jin would have a positive influence on his younger sibling, who had stepped outside his room for the first time in ten years, remained uncertain.
The doctor, who had observed Eun-chan’s condition for a long time, let out a small breath with a contemplative ‘hmm’ at Eun-seok’s words. Then, glancing back and forth between the chart recording Eun-chan’s condition and Eun-chan in the living room a couple of times, he carefully nodded.
“I think that would be fine.”
“…Is that so?”
“What matters is that this person is the one who drew Eun-chan out of his room. It seems Eun-chan has achieved considerable inner growth over these ten years… Perhaps now is precisely the time when he can face that trauma head-on.”
At the doctor’s words that his younger sibling, who seemed like he might wither away at any moment, had actually been growing little by little inside that narrow room without water or sunlight (though really he’d just awakened, not grown), Eun-seok nearly burst into tears.
Eun-seok turned his head and looked at his younger sibling visible through the gap in the door. Having apparently been watching this way the whole time, Eun-chan was startled when their eyes met, but he gave an awkward thumbs up with a dignified expression, as if to say he was really fine.
“I see…”
Kang Ha-jin.
The leader of Kairos.
Recalling his image from ten years ago, which hadn’t left much of an impression, Eun-seok thought he should immediately instruct his secretary to locate his whereabouts.
While curious about what kind of person he was to have drawn his younger sibling out of his room, alongside a sinister plan that if he turned out to be someone unworthy of his younger sibling’s expectations, he would quietly dispose of him so that news of him never reached his younger sibling’s ears again…
* * *
Kang Ha-jin was in an unusually good mood today.
Though this place was still a fake timeline,
and he was still a jobless loser who failed at everything he did and came home unemployed,
and the only money left in his account was from a fixed deposit he’d recently terminated—a twenty-nine-year-old with no money, no dreams, and no future!
Yet despite this, he was in good spirits.
‘Nice weather today.’
I wasn’t particularly one to trust “plans,” but there was something genuinely pleasant about watching everything I’d been thinking about unfold exactly as intended.
‘The Studio A meeting date is set, weight management is going smoothly, and I should be able to get my body in decent enough shape for filming….’
So what’s left is just contacting Seo Tae-il and tracking down the scattered Group Members?
After checking my to-do list, which I’d pinned to one side using the system window, I moved forward at a leisurely pace. Thirteen, who used to grumble about every little system customization, didn’t seem surprised by this level of tinkering anymore.
“Yes, I’ll help you with the payment over here.”
“Ah, okay.”
In any case, I’d come to the Hair Shop today.
Since the Production Company meeting was the day after tomorrow, I needed to get my appearance in order as quickly as possible. If I really did pass that survival program thanks to Kwon PD’s connections, eighty percent of the reason would be my visuals.
“Are you happy with the style? Personally, I think it turned out so well that I don’t even want to charge you!”
The skilled and tasteful Hair Designer clasped her hands together eagerly, flattering me.
I couldn’t tell if she was just saying something nice or if it came from genuine sincerity. Either way, when someone gave you a compliment, it was only natural to respond graciously.
I carefully touched the hair she’d just finished setting and offered a faint smile. It was that smile that used to make photographers absolutely melt when I did photo shoots.
“Oh, so it’s free today? That’s such a great deal!”
“Ah~ I really wish I could do that, but… I’m just an employee, after all….”
“Come on, I’m just joking. With how great it turned out, I couldn’t sleep tonight if you didn’t charge me.”
I smiled smoothly and handed over my card. The employee laughed awkwardly while processing the payment. Seeming a bit embarrassed that she’d said something flattering but couldn’t follow through, she returned my card along with the receipt and added a comment.
“Next time you come in for coloring, I’ll throw in some good care products for free. That red dye really would have suited you so well, and I’m so disappointed you decided against it.”
“Ah….”
At the designer’s words, my smile became subtle.
My gaze naturally drifted toward the mirror beside the entrance. The hair reflected there was still black.
“….”
Truth be told, I’d considered dyeing it several times. Setting aside any sentimental nostalgia, it was already proven fact that my red hair made me shine brightest in front of the camera.
“…Yes, next time.”
But in the end, I decided against the coloring.
It wasn’t purely for sentimental reasons, and after thinking it through from various angles, black hair seemed like the better choice for now….
‘Black hair would help with character appeal too.’
After giving permission for the styling photos taken earlier to be posted on the shop’s SNS, I stepped outside into the fresh air and left the Hair Shop. My next destination was the neighborhood cafe I frequented.
“I should probably start dealing with the money situation soon….”
Sitting by the cafe window, I checked my bank balance, which had become as light as my newly styled hair, and scratched my forehead with a troubled expression.
Still, I’d lived diligently enough that I had some savings, but if I was going to seriously pursue this, I needed to secure a certain amount of capital. Just getting a broadcast appearance confirmed would require a significant initial investment.
‘Honestly, like Seo Tae-il said, if I just went back to Miro, everything would be solved….’
The moment I told him I’d received a survival program appearance offer from Kwon Myung-eun, Seo Tae-il immediately presented a short-term contract with Miro. His argument that it would be more convenient to prepare for my comeback under him had some merit, but I rejected the offer without hesitation.
‘Pure coincidence is something only Seo Tae-il can get away with. The moment a major company like Miro gets involved, I won’t be a comeback story—I’ll be a viral scandal.’
Even if I eventually did sign with Miro, it would have to be after I’d built up my presence considerably.
By then, I’d inevitably need a manager to help coordinate my schedule, so there’d be nothing strange about joining Seo Tae-il’s company—the one that gave me the chance to return to entertainment.
“…A manager.”
The moment I said the word “manager,” someone came to mind, but I decided to keep his name tucked away in my heart for now.
We’d all meet soon enough anyway, so there was no rush to think about the details.
“Ah, what should I wear to the meeting? If I show up looking shabby, they won’t even let me set foot near the office, let alone consider the nepotism angle.”
Since my appearance on the show wasn’t confirmed yet, I needed to make a killer first impression—the kind that screams “this person can work.” Unfortunately, my entire wardrobe consisted of clothes I’d picked up during my PD days, all of which embodied the pinnacle of “not pretty, but incredibly practical.”
Every time situations like this arose, I found myself lamenting why I wasn’t like other web novel protagonists who casually struck it rich through lotteries or stocks. Life truly is about real-world experience.
‘God, I wish a suspiciously sleek black foreign car would suddenly pull up in front of me right now, and some creepy guy in a black suit would just hand me fifty million won as a reward for living a good life and drive off. Of course, it would all be clean money with every legal issue regarding taxes, inheritance, and gifts already resolved.’
But something like that would never happen, even if I died and came back to life, right?
Though… for some reason, it really does seem like a suspiciously sleek black foreign car just appeared out of nowhere in front of the cafe…
“…?”
I blinked slowly at the strange sight reflected in the window as I stared blankly outside.
On a weekday morning, during that awkward midday hour when office workers still had about an hour before lunch break.
A luxury sedan—the kind rarely seen in this modest neighborhood—had claimed the small cafe’s parking space. And then, a man in a genuinely black suit, unmistakably suspicious-looking, stepped out of the car and slowly entered the cafe…
“Are you Kang Ha-jin?”
“I… what?”
He actually walked straight toward me and called out my name in the most formal, respectful tone possible!?
Caught off guard, I froze and dropped the straw I’d been holding. Meanwhile, the man in the black suit—who looked absolutely terrifying—politely issued what amounted to a threat(?).
“There is someone who wishes to meet you, Kang Ha-jin.”
“Me…?”
“Would you be willing to accompany me?”
And if I refuse? Are you going to drag me along?
Too intimidated to voice that thought aloud, I broke into a cold sweat and downed my iced chocolate in one gulp.
I missed my mother.

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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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