Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 570

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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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570. The Worst Timeline (5)
A pension in Goseong, Gangwon Province.
Inside the dilapidated pension that still retained its appearance from ten years ago sat a young man whose exotic features clashed entirely with the building’s worn exterior.
‘Ah, enough, enough. Skip the stuff I already know, just move on.’
[System Alert: The System is in despair wondering how you could possibly skip the narration…!]
[System Alert: ｡ﾟヽ(ﾟ´Д｀)ﾉﾟ｡]
‘Shut it, I don’t have time.’
It’s only natural that even X-ket groups by season three just breeze through introductions.
And yet here I was, about to repeat this wretched Gangwon Province manhunt story that started from the very beginning of my regression for the third time—I’d already memorized the opening pattern without even looking.
‘Seo Tae-hyun holed up in the Gangwon Province pension, thinking “I guess I’ll never become a star today” while digging at the ground, and then I suddenly pop up out of nowhere, smack him on the head once, and restore his mental state. That’s the flow, right?’
Seriously, this is already my third time doing this. I’m a pro.
Moreover, Seo Tae-hyun’s worst timeline? I’ve seen it so many times now that I probably understand it better than he does. To the point where I can even do a perfect impression of that voice he makes when he gives up on all his dreams and comes home, calling out “Mom—” to his mother.
‘It’s a shame that when I erased time, the tears and cake incident disappeared along with it….’
But that only happened in the first place because Seo Tae-hyun and I didn’t know each other back then, and in this timeline’s setting, I’d already been active with Kairos.
Whether I erased time or didn’t, that event might have become something that never happened anyway.
And besides, without even needing such an incident, getting Seo Tae-hyun back on stage is easier than telling Jeong Si-u to become better-looking, so it doesn’t matter.
That guy has always dreamed of nothing but the chance to return to the stage, no matter what moment it was.
“No matter how much I think about it, I think it’d be better if you went alone without me….”
After coming so often that I’d half-memorized the route, I parked the car in the public parking lot in front of Seo Tae-hyun’s pension, and Yoo Gun let out a heavy sigh, dragging his hand across his face. The way things were going in this timeline, he’d probably spend the whole day doing nothing but dry-washing his face until it was completely raw.
With his face all scrunched up, he was gripping the seatbelt like it was a lifeline, so I mercilessly unbuckled it for him, got out of the car, and opened the passenger door myself—his expression was priceless.
“You already know that everything you fought about is fake, so why are you so scared?”
“Even if I know, he doesn’t. I fought with him thinking I’d never see him again in this timeline.”
“Yeah, I know that’s the setting. I know, but that’s exactly why you need to come.”
“How does that make sense?”
“You need to go apologize and maybe even kneel, so that sensitive guy will at least pretend to forgive you.”
“Kneel? Me? Kneel? Right now? Going there?”
Only now did Yoo Gun realize that the purpose of coming here was “reconciling with a friend he’d been estranged from for ten years,” and he stared up at me in shock.
Regardless, I grabbed his shoulder, pulled him out of the car, and dragged his still-dazed self toward the pension, making sure not to forget the various gifts we’d bought on the way here.
‘It’s strange—even after ten years, nothing’s changed here….’
In the original timeline, they said remodeling and expansion work would’ve started by now. Anyway, that Returner bastard caused us so much trouble.
With the determination to reclaim our wealth and honor that had been stolen from us, I explained our strategy to Yoo Gun.
“Once we get inside, Seo Tae-hyun will probably be at the counter. He’ll be surprised to see us, right? When he asks how we got here, just say at first that we came to stay the night.”
“We came to stay the night here?”
“Yeah, I made a reservation yesterday. Anyway, then he’ll either chase us out with a displeased face, or reluctantly show us to a room.”
“You don’t happen to have some kind of foresight ability or something, do you? Why are you so detailed about this?”
“Seo Tae-hyun’s reaction is something I can predict in 8K without even seeing it. Anyway, don’t interrupt me. After that, we rest for a bit and gauge his reaction, then around dinner time, we try to start a conversation by suggesting we eat together, okay?”
Seo Tae-hyun was meticulous and particular, but among the group members, he also had the softest heart.
He’d even agonized over whether he should give Cha Min-seok a chance at reconciliation, and even after the former Executive Director who’d tried to block his path fell from grace, he harbored no particular desire for revenge.
With the Believer and B-light guys who’d used him and subtly tormented him since the Boy Heaven days, he simply kept his distance and chose not to maintain those connections.
“If we have an honest conversation with each other and you and I apologize, maybe it’ll resolve quickly.”
Hmm. A perfect plan.
Sure, it relied entirely on Yoo Gun’s light footsteps and my even lighter snout, but what can I say? There’s no operation with better odds than this.
Yoo Gun, who had been listening quietly to my explanation, seemed to ponder something for a moment before adding a sigh-like remark.
“…If things go south, you can always talk to his parents. Tae-hyun’s actually quite the filial son—he can’t stand the thought of worrying them.”
“Oh, really?”
“He was raised as an only son, and his parents have supported all his entertainment activities since childhood. Anyway, if you can’t seem to get through to him, we should try approaching his parents first.”
“Okay, that’s my specialty.”
I laughed heartily and nodded, then Yoo Gun and I slowly stepped into the Pension. The familiar grassy grounds and stone paths came into view, along with the nearby Outdoor Swimming Pool and Barbecue Area.
The wooden platform beneath the large tree where Tae-hyun used to lie around was still there, unchanged.
I wanted nothing more than to lie on that platform right now, feel the cool autumn breeze, and take a nap, but check-in came first. As Yoo Gun and I headed toward the Management Office building where the desk was located without any particular urgency between us.
“…Ha-jin?”
Oh, this familiar development.
A husky voice unmistakably belonging to Tae-hyun came from behind us. Yoo Gun and I turned around simultaneously.
There stood an unfamiliar man with shaggy hair, wearing a training suit with stretched sleeves and frayed hems…
‘What?’
Excuse me? Wait a moment.
I examined my narration again… no, my vision again.
It wasn’t just me who couldn’t believe what I was seeing—Yoo Gun beside me also had the expression of someone who’d just seen a ghost, his lips trembling.
I rubbed my warm eyes vigorously and opened them again.
“Yoo Gun?”
Sparkling eyes hidden behind magnifying-glass-like spectacles,
Cherry-colored lips that had been selected as a lip gloss model—a rare achievement for a male celebrity—were now cracked and parched,
And that hair, which had never tolerated a single strand out of place and always displayed brilliant control during live broadcasts, now looked disheveled as if carelessly blow-dried.
The fair skin that had been slathered with sunscreen even for a trip to the mart near home now appeared deeply tanned from Gangwon Province’s warm sunlight.
“What are you two doing here?”
Yet that husky voice—neither high-pitched nor mid-range—definitely belonged to our household’s national treasure idol, Seo Che-ri.
Yoo Gun’s and my eyes met emptily in the air.
‘God, I’m going to kill that bastard Dol-ja and go to hell for it.’
Wait, but in this case, wouldn’t catching and destroying a satanic creature who defies divine providence actually be praiseworthy?
My brain froze and my tongue stiffened at this utterly unexpected sight of Tae-hyun. I had no time to even set down the gift boxes I was holding before I had to process this shocking situation.
Noticing that I’d lost my words, Yoo Gun spoke up faster than I did.
“It’s been a while, Tae-hyun.”
“Oh, yeah… What brings you here? How did you even know about this place?”
Tae-hyun, who apparently hadn’t awakened yet, answered in a gentle manner while setting down the barbecue tool box he’d been holding.
If this were the old days, he would have thrown a fit the moment he saw Yoo Gun and acted prickly, but he didn’t—which felt strange. Of course, since this was Tae-hyun aged about eight years older than the one we knew, it made sense…
“I came to see you. I’m taking you to Seoul.”
“…?”
What is this, stepping on the accelerator at 200 km/h on a national highway?
Our plan had been to casually bring it up in the evening after assessing the situation, but Yoo Gun’s words incinerated it all on the barbecue charcoal fire, and without thinking, I dropped the gifts to the ground and grabbed Yoo Gun’s arm.
“Hey, what are you doing?”
“Just wait and see.”
Yoo Gun, who seemed to have caught onto something and kept his gaze fixed on Tae-hyun, spoke once more to the surprised Tae-hyun.
“You know how your brother recently made his comeback in the entertainment industry thanks to Tae-il, right? He’s going on some huge variety show this time, and apparently there are lots of other projects coming his way.”
“Oh… really? I didn’t know.”
“Since your brother’s doing so well, the broadcasting station came to him with a proposal about doing a Kairos reunion project. You know how common those are these days. Pointless nostalgia plays that romanticize the past.”
Our Yoo Gun’s gotten older and now he lies so smoothly….
I was amazed at Yoo Gun’s ability to fabricate broadcast offers that didn’t exist, but seeing him go this far meant there had to be a reason. I decided to just nod along from the sidelines.
Well, honestly, the Kairos reunion project was actually in progress, so it wasn’t exactly fraud.
…The only difference was that the organizer was the damned System instead of the broadcasting station.
“If you do it, they’ll release an album under our name, film a documentary, and give full support for a year of activities. The appearance fee is generous too. That’s why I decided to do it.”
“….”
“You can stand on stage again. They’ll let you do concerts, appear on music shows, hold fan meetings—everything.”
Yoo Gun’s persuasion continued.
Except for the fact that none of it would actually happen, it was a perfect proposal that Tae-hyun had absolutely no reason to refuse. Yoo Gun’s own credibility was even bolstered by the fact that he was only in it for the money.
“….”
But it was only then that I understood why Yoo Gun had abandoned all our plans and thrown out this ridiculous bait.
The expression on Tae-hyun’s face, hidden behind thick glasses, said everything.
“Will you do it with me? If you say yes, we can start right away.”
Tae-hyun was unmoved.
Not sad, not afraid, not trembling, not hopeful, not excited.
Like a former classmate hearing news that some time capsule buried in the ground ages ago had somehow been opened.
“Um… no, sorry.”
“….”
“I can’t do it.”
The greatest barrier in this place—something that must never be forgotten.
“I don’t think I can stand on stage anymore.”
This place was, for everyone, the worst timeline that would never come again.
No matter how many times I thought about it, it was an absurd setup by that bastard the Returner.

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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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