Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 551

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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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551. In the Chaos (4)
A hair’s breadth from disaster, trapped between impossible choices.
A moment of absolute crisis.
‘I didn’t miscalculate the escape route… did I?’
As I keep saying, on a broadcast like this, something going wrong is actually a better sign than nothing happening at all.
Convinced something had to be there, I darted my eyes around frantically, and beyond the gun barrel aimed at me, my gaze locked with the people being held captive on the other side.
More precisely, with Ha Tae-jin, who was standing at the very front.
“…?”
The moment our eyes met, Ha Tae-jin urgently began mouthing something, his expression frantic.
The robot extra with the gun made it hard to see clearly, so I furrowed my brow—and Ha Tae-jin responded by jerking his chin pointedly toward something.
Following his gaze, I spotted a palm-sized monitor glowing faintly among the dust-covered, mysterious devices scattered about.
【↓↓Look below↓↓】
“…!”
On that monitor, the same ridiculous message I’d seen before was blinking, accompanied by an emoticon that was unmistakably Void’s trademark.
Dropping my eyes as instructed, I found a bright red button beneath the monitor—one that practically screamed “press me”—emblazoned with the word 【Emergency】.
-Intruders will be eliminated.
Damn, I’d stalled too long.
The gun barrel loomed threateningly before me again. At first, I’d caught the metallic scent and thought ‘no way?’, but fortunately it seemed to be some kind of laser gun that took time to charge.
‘Right, they wouldn’t fire live rounds on a broadcast.’
With an escape route now clear, my decision came instantly.
Without hesitation, I grabbed the barrel thrust toward my face with one hand, wrenched it outward, and dropped my stance simultaneously.
-…!
The extra actor hidden behind the “robot” setting startled at my sudden move and instinctively stumbled backward, his grip on the weapon faltering in an instant.
I seized that opening and swiftly disarmed the robot guard. Surprise attacks were always the answer in situations like this.
The moment I turned the gun on the robot guard instead, the attention of those holding Ha Tae-jin’s group scattered in an instant.
“Now, hyung!”
“…!”
Ha Tae-jin, seizing the opportunity, wrenched free from his captor and used his long limbs to slam the red button in a single fluid motion.
Immediately, white smoke erupted from the ceiling like a smoke grenade, and a deafening siren wailed throughout the entire Research Facility.
“Run!”
At my thunderous shout, everyone scattered into the haze.
I continued to suppress the robot guards with the stolen gun and bolted forward, running in whatever direction looked clear. Footsteps echoed behind us as they gave chase, but we were far faster than actors burdened by awkward robot costumes—our lives depended on it.
“Ha-jin, this way!”
“…!”
As I sprinted down the Hallway, I spotted Ha Tae-jin and Nam Sa-ra, who’d fled ahead, waving me toward them.
Leaping lightly over obstacles scattered about the abandoned Research Facility, I dashed into the room where they stood. Nam Sa-ra quickly shut the door behind me and didn’t forget to drag a nearby desk in front of it as a barricade.
“Huff… I’m breathless… Wow, I really thought I was done for. Can you see my hands shaking? I just saw my whole life flash before my eyes.”
From the water at the start, to the Secret Passage, to robot guards pointing guns at us.
I set the gun I’d been holding on the desk in front of the door, pretending my hands were trembling, while Ha Tae-jin, who was catching his breath with his hands on his waist, looked at me and let out a helpless chuckle.
The tension seemed to drain away all at once, and Nam Sa-ra, who’d slid down against the wall right after we shut the door, suddenly looked up at me and spoke.
“Hey, Ha-jin, what are you doing? What was that just now? How did you pull that off?”
“Me?”
“That thing with the gun earlier, the way you swept it like that. It was seriously cool.”
“Noona, didn’t you see me pressing the button so coolly right next to you?”
“Oh, of course I saw it, I did see it. But Tae-jin, you’ve seen stuff like that so often in movies and things like that anyway. But Ha-jin, really, wow…. I felt like I was watching an action movie.”
“Tch, Ha-jin was pretty cool back there. I’ll admit it.”
Thinking the situation had settled down somewhat, Nam Sa-ra naturally brought up my earlier actions as the topic for the post-talk segment. Ha Tae-jin also playfully picked up on Nam Sa-ra’s cue and praised me.
Nam Sa-ra’s entertainment style had always been about highlighting others by pointing out their words and actions, so that was expected. But Ha Tae-jin playing along with it was somewhat surprising.
‘Well…. Honestly, I did overdo it back there to look cool on camera, so I can’t really say anything.’
Who would attempt to disarm someone of their gun on a variety show in front of civilian extras?
There were plenty of ways to draw attention if I’d planned it out, but the reason I attempted something so risky was purely the occupational habit of a producer trying to create one perfect shot.
[System Alert: That was quite a bold attempt for something like that!]
[System Alert: Σ(・Д・)!?]
‘That’s why it’s a relief it worked out.’
If it had failed, I would’ve gotten roasted and turned into a meme.
In any case, since it succeeded, that scene would definitely make it onto the broadcast, and there was a high chance this conversation we were having right now wouldn’t be edited out either.
In talk segments like this, the comeback was always more important than the setup. If I responded poorly here, the consideration Nam Sa-ra and Ha Tae-jin had shown by setting up the scene would go to waste.
“Ha.”
And I was someone who knew better than anyone how to respond perfectly in situations like this.
“This is quite the predicament.”
“…? A predicament?”
“Why?”
Both of them looked confused at my sudden response.
I swept my wet hair back, damp from water and gas, and gave them the most charming expression I could muster as I spoke.
“If you fall for me like this, noona, it’s going to be quite problematic….”
“You’re seriously insane.”
Nam Sa-ra, mindful that this was an exclusive OTT broadcast with high content ratings, delivered the curse with perfect timing.
But I didn’t stop there, adding one more layer of shameless comedy with exaggerated gestures and inflection.
“I’m sorry, but I keep a very clear line between public and private life…. So even if your heart raced a bit because of me, you’ll have to hold back.”
“Why is he like this, noona?”
“Ha-jin, sorry, but you’re nowhere near that level yet. You’ll need to try harder to get under noona’s skin.”
“What’s with this noona now?”
Fortunately, they were quick-witted people, so both of them played along with my shamelessness with good humor.
Nam Sa-ra openly mimicking a skit tone with a fatal delivery, and Ha Tae-jin, the actual actor, looking bewildered between Nam Sa-ra and me—the chemistry between the three of us was quite solid. This triangular dynamic could easily be reused as a recurring bit.
“Ha, what a difficult person.”
As I shook my head with obvious disappointment, Nam Sa-ra naturally burst into laughter and ended the skit herself. Returning to her normal tone, Nam Sa-ra stood up and continued.
“But seriously, what was that earlier? How did you do it?”
“Oh, well…. It’s nothing special.”
“How is that nothing special? I saw it before too—your athletic ability is incredible. Did you learn something like that? An action academy or something?”
I paused to think for a moment.
Nam Sa-ra’s relentless questioning was undoubtedly for my sake, and the gun disarming scene from earlier was clearly beyond the scope of ordinary civilian behavior, so the Production Team would naturally need some explanation as well.
‘But if I boast too much at this timing, it might come across as tasteless narcissism….’
In situations like this, the key was to answer as plainly and nonchalantly as possible.
I deliberately averted my gaze from Nam Sa-ra and casually threw out an answer while pretending to survey what was in the Room we were hiding in.
“No, I learned it in the Military.”
“The Military? Where did you serve?”
“Special Forces Unit.”
Twice over, thanks to our beloved Youngest Member, that regression maniac.
And now it looks like I’m headed there a third time.
Leaving the unspoken truth locked behind my teeth, I slowly walked around the Room, examining the objects inside. At first glance, I could see locks and puzzle-type security devices scattered throughout, suggesting there was quite a bit of information to be gleaned from this place.
I reached out and stopped Ha Tae-jin, who was about to turn on the lights in the dark Room, and spoke.
“Let’s not turn on the lights yet since guards might still be patrolling nearby. Let’s search first. Seeing that there’s a PC here, it looks like there’s plenty of information we can get.”
“…Alright. Then you and Sa-ra search around first. I’ll just do a quick sweep of the area to make sure there’s no one else nearby.”
“Oh, Tae-jin. Take the gun with you. You never know.”
“Okay. I’ll close the door again when I leave.”
“Got it. Be careful.”
As Ha Tae-jin took the gun I’d seized and headed out on patrol, only Nam Sa-ra and I remained in the Room.
Fortunately, since it was bright outside and there was a window in here, it was bright enough to solve puzzles without turning on the lights. It was also bright enough for the camera to capture our faces adequately.
“So, then…. What should we start with? There’s so much to solve here.”
The moment Ha Tae-jin left, Nam Sa-ra closed the door again and even moved the desk back in front of it, then came to stand beside me, dusting off her hands.
I looked down at Nam Sa-ra with my arms crossed. She was relatively tall for a female comedian, but apparently my gaze bothered her, so she raised her eyebrows and met my eyes.
I arrogantly tilted my chin up and spoke to Nam Sa-ra.
“Unnie.”
“What.”
“You said earlier that my heart doesn’t race at that level, right?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you know what my nickname was when I worked as a PD?”
“A nickname? …Oh, I saw an article about it. Genie, right? Because you pull off everything you attempt.”
“That’s one of them, but there’s another one too.”
“What is it?”
Toward Nam Sa-ra, who looked up at me with curiosity, I quietly drew a V-shape with one hand and answered.
“Problem Bank.”
“…?”
“I specialize in stuff like this, unnie. Trust me.”
I’m really going to make unnie say today that she’s fallen for me.
At my confident (broadcast-ready) remark, Nam Sa-ra let out a scoff and nodded.

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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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