Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 541

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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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541. Eye of the Typhoon (8)
It took Yu Gun quite some time to calm down after witnessing the world turn upside down not once, but twice in a single morning.
“Waaaah! What? What is this!?!? What the hell is this!??!?”
“Yeah, yeah, just calm down for a moment….”
Quite a while passed.
“What is this, what is it! Damn, is this that thing from back then!? At Ju Eun-chan’s villa, like, like! That thing?”
“Yeah, it’s similar to that, but listen, just calm down for a bit….”
Quite….
“So, so, no wait! What is this, what’s real then!? Damn, what is this!?”
“Want me to hit you once so you’ll calm down, or should I just force you into silence?”
“Wow, I’m losing it, I’m really losing it….”
Quite, a long time.
“You calmed down?”
“….”
“Then listen carefully—I’m going to summarize the current situation as simply as possible.”
Unable to stop his screams without covering his mouth, Yu Gun forcibly clamped both hands over his lips and could only nod reluctantly at Ha-jin’s words, tears streaming down his face.
Kang Ha-jin paused to think for a moment.
‘How the hell do I explain this insane fantasy world to this pure Muggle born in the NN era who can’t even understand Harry Potter?’
He turned it over in his mind, but finding an appropriate analogy wasn’t easy.
After much deliberation, Kang Ha-jin finally spoke with difficulty.
“Some unscrupulous jerk who hated seeing our shop do well stole our shop’s name and spread lies that we completely went under. So to reclaim our shop’s name, we have to open under the same name again and make it a massive success.”
“…I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Yeah, that didn’t work either.
Ha-jin nodded, acknowledging that even he didn’t think it was a perfect analogy, and tried again with a different approach.
“That villain bastard who turned Dan Ha-ru into a thug made one last desperate move—he threw us all into a fictional world where we supposedly went completely broke and disappeared. To get back to the original world, we have to make a comeback with Kairos here and hit it big. Does that make sense?”
“God, I’m going to lose my mind….”
For Yu Gun to dismiss this as absurd would have been impossible—he’d already seen and heard far too much with his own eyes and ears.
The twenty-year-old Yu Gun, having recovered his original personality, didn’t just dry-wash his face with both hands—he clutched his head and groaned in anguish. For Lee Yu-gun, who’d spent his entire twenty years worrying about rent and electricity bills, this massive #fantasy tag that had descended upon him was simply too overwhelming.
“…So, what do we do now?”
However, the responsibility of being a household head was not something anyone could bear lightly.
Rather than deny reality and tear his hair out over this absurd situation that had befallen his life (for the nth time now), Yu Gun chose to accept everything quickly and search for solutions.
Of course, as always, his motivation was hardly noble.
“I’ll explain gradually. You’re probably overwhelmed just accepting this situation, so first just calm down a bit….”
“The house.”
“…Huh?”
“I worked so hard to earn that money, and I got the kids moved into that clean, secure, beautiful house in a great location…. I researched the school district your brother recommended and the reputation of nearby academies to find that place…! And now, before the new house smell even fades, the Tigers are back in that shithole semi-basement. And I’m working three jobs, four jobs to pay the rent on that house…! If I’d never had it, fine, but I have absolutely no intention of staying in this damn world and losing that house!?”
“Well, I… so…?”
“So tell me right now what I need to do to get back to the original world.”
This modern-day young household head, who’d secured a spacious, clean new house (and economic stability) with money earned while wearing a collar, burned with rare fury.
Reading the uncommon madness in Yu Gun’s eyes, Ha-jin quietly closed his mouth.
As expected. His prediction that Yu Gun would become an incredible asset once awakened had proven correct.
“Then first….”
“…?”
Satisfied with Yu Gun’s successful awakening, Ha-jin smiled warmly and placed a hand on Yu Gun’s shoulder.
In that brief moment, Yu Gun found himself thinking.
‘If I have to succeed again with Kairos anyway… are we thinking of starting something like AiTube right away? But with this body, dancing like before seems difficult. Should I start with a diet again? Or vocal training first?’
Having engaged in activities for about two years now, Yu Gun’s thought patterns had become quite idol-like, and Ha-jin delivered his next order.
“Then first, go home and pack your things.”
“…Pardon?”
“Call the Tigers too. Ask if they want to come along on a trip to Jeju Island that you’re taking for a while starting now.”
“…What am I supposed to do?”
A sudden trip to Jeju Island?
Bewildered by the unexpected suggestion, Yu Gun blinked. Then Ha-jin pressed a familiar white envelope into Yu Gun’s hand.
It was the same five-hundred envelope he’d used to tempt Yu Gun earlier.
“Ju Eun-chan said that if you successfully awakened today, I should send you to Jeju Island first to rest thoroughly. Of course, I’m not planning to just let you rest. But since you’ve succeeded, you need to go to Jeju Island now.”
“What? Jeju Island? Just like that?”
“Yeah, that Jeju Island. Go there and rest intensively for about a month or two. While you’re at it, handle some things I’ll ask of you.”
“No… no, why are you suddenly telling me to go to Jeju Island…!?”
It was still an absurd proposal, but Ha-jin showed no intention of explaining further.
Though Yu Gun was initially flustered, he soon found himself nodding. Even though Ha-jin seemed to do absurd things recklessly every time, Yu Gun knew all too well that there was always thought and purpose behind his actions.
“…Is that really all I need to do? Just go on a trip with Ju Eun-chan’s money?”
“No, you’ll also need to handle the things I’ll ask of you from now on. It’s more of a business trip than a vacation, really.”
“….”
“I’m not saying this lightly. You need to stop everything you’re doing right now, and obviously you’ll need to start managing your weight and physical condition. From what I saw of your dancing, it’ll take time to get your body back in shape. And on top of all that, you need to handle the things I ask of you.”
“….”
“Can you do it?”
Ha-jin asked with genuine sincerity in his voice.
Faced with so many sudden changes, Yu Gun licked his dry lips.
But now that he knew all of this was ‘fake,’ making a decision wasn’t difficult.
“…I have to, don’t I? To go back.”
Yu Gun nodded. Satisfied with that clear answer, Ha-jin broke into a refreshing smile.
“Good then. Before you go, let’s the three of us visit Lee Do-ha.”
“…A visit? Do-ha hyung? Where is he?”
“We usually use the word ‘visit’ for either prison or the military. Where else would it be?”
“Hyung went to the military…?”
At the shocking news of yet another hyung, Yu Gun covered his mouth again. He didn’t know whether to cry or laugh at this kind of news—it was simply bewildering.
A few minutes later, after finally lowering his hand, Yu Gun asked about the other members’ situations.
“Then… what about Seo Tae-hyun? What are Dan Ha-ru and Jeong Si-u doing?”
“Seo Tae-hyun went to Gangwon Province, I don’t know about Dan Ha-ru. I know where Jeong Si-u is, but it’s not the right time to meet him yet.”
“Then shouldn’t we go find Seo Tae-hyun first?”
“…The situation over there is complicated too. Since he doesn’t have memories of the original timeline like you do, it’s better to finish all the preparations first before calling him over.”
Watching Ha-jin speak with a slight frown as if his head ached, Yu Gun could sense just how much thought and planning he was putting into reassembling the group members.
Well, in any case, compared to me who knows nothing about this sort of field, Ha-jin with his extensive background knowledge and practical experience would certainly make far more accurate judgments.
Nodding at that thought, Ha-jin quietly added one more thing.
“And when you go to pick up Seo Tae-hyun, you should go without him.”
“Why? Wouldn’t it be better if I was there too?”
“Seo Tae-hyun has no memories of the original timeline at all, remember?”
“…?”
“Don’t you remember what you said to me earlier about you and Seo Tae-hyun?”
Only then did Yu Gun recall what he had answered when Ha-jin asked about his relationship with Tae-hyun.
-Don’t you remember how we had a massive blowout fight right after debut and nearly destroyed the entire group? Seo Tae-hyun kept spouting nonsense about passion and reaching for the clouds, which pissed me off. That’s why I didn’t say a single word to him except when the cameras were rolling. So how were we ever close?
-…Yeah, I see. So that’s the setting.
Ah, right. That was the setting, wasn’t it….
True to form as a fellow group member, Yu Gun reacted exactly like Ha-jin and quietly pulled at his hair in frustration.
It wasn’t as though he and Seo Tae-hyun had ever been the type to play at being cheerful best friends, but still, this setting where he’d been cutting ties with that delicate guy for a whole ten years didn’t sit well with him at all.
“Ugh, fine. Yeah, okay. Anyway, if we’re going to return to how things were, I just have to do what you say, right? Give me some time. It’ll take at least a week to wrap up the things I’m currently working on.”
“Yeah, you handle that yourself.”
“But what exactly am I supposed to do once we get to Jeju Island? I need to know what I’m supposed to do, even if I’m going.”
Ha-jin’s expression grew noticeably darker at Yu Gun’s curious question.
Recalling something, he spoke to Yu Gun in a low voice.
“The Executive Director.”
“What?”
“Ji Su-ho, the Executive Director, seems to be there. Go find him and bring him back for me.”
It was the last trace of Ji Su-ho they had miraculously discovered through Eun-chan before coming to this place.

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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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