Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 573

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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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573. Even in the Worst Timeline, I’ll Do What Needs to Be Done (3)
Do you know what the most desperate dream in the world is?
It’s the dream that was never realized.
I knew better than anyone in this world just how maddening it was to watch that dream from a single step behind.
-…Is this also that? Some Soul Stone collection project or something?
Seo Tae-il, having heard my proposal, asked in a subdued voice while gauging the atmosphere.
I didn’t know why he was pinpointing the joke I’d casually thrown out instead of using the perfectly good name “Kairos Reunion Project,” but since I’d already openly declared that I’d accept Seo Tae-il’s help, there was no reason to lie.
“Yes.”
I answered concisely.
And Seo Tae-il’s response that followed was equally brief.
-Sure, whatever. One more project won’t bankrupt the company.
“Thank you. Though… I won’t be working for long.”
-You’ll need to be worth at least three months of probationary salary for Tae-hyun. You confident about that?
Don’t forget this.
Seo Tae-hyun had failed.
He’d failed his entire life.
For over a decade, he’d been trapped by the Cherry Boy image and eventually sank, fleeing to Gangwon Province. I understood why Seo Tae-il would evaluate Seo Tae-hyun’s worth so harshly.
But―.
“I’ll make sure he earns five thousand times that salary.”
That’s only true in Seo Tae-hyun’s timeline without me.
My eyes, reflected in the window, flashed with a sharp gleam.
* * *
Operation: Turn Seo Tae-hyun into a Manager.
The first step was―.
“Seo Tae-hyun.”
“…Lee Yu-gun?”
“I’m sorry.”
“What, what? Why are you suddenly kneeling…!?”
Lee Yu-gun’s insincere
apology
(with knees lighter than cotton candy).
The sight of Lee Yu-gun bursting in without warning and suddenly dropping to his knees to apologize without any context was like watching a loose screw in a puppet or a missing block in a Jenga tower.
“I was wrong back then. I was harsh to you, ruined the group activities—I apologize for all of it.”
“No, why are you bringing up something from ten years ago now…? No, wait, just get up first and talk!”
“I genuinely didn’t have the face to look at you for ten years.”
“You shamelessly kept seeing me for over a year of activities, so what the hell are you even saying…? Come on, just get up already!?”
For reference, that was a five hundred fifty thousand won apology (including VAT and the kneeling option). The incarnation of capitalism, Lee Yu-gun, even sold his own knees for money.
Normally he’d refuse even with a million won, but our Yu-gun was the type who’d do a full repentance if you threw a million at him. I even gave him a 50% discount.
“I was too young back then…!”
“No, what are you even….”
“Time passed, and I finally understood. How hard you worked to protect the group.”
“….”
“I was too busy managing my own affairs to notice what was happening around me.”
[System Alert: Now that’s money well spent, isn’t it? (b˙◁˙ )b]
‘I’m thinking I might just have him do some acting later.’
If he’s already this good, once he gets proper appearance fees, he might even go to Cannes and outshine Ha Tae-jin.
In Korean drama conventions, he wouldn’t be the main lead, but there’s definitely demand for the secondary male lead who takes care of the female protagonist before ultimately not ending up with her, right?
“Oh. He’s getting up, getting up.”
From a distance, I was watching Yoo Gun’s five-hundred-thousand-won apology with great interest when I noticed Seo Tae-hyun, who had been staring down at him with a troubled expression for a while, finally gesture for him to get up.
Yoo Gun got to his feet without hesitation, and as he awkwardly fidgeted while gauging Seo Tae-hyun’s mood, Seo Tae-hyun let out a long sigh and seemed to say something to him.
“Ah, what…. His voice is too quiet, I can’t hear it well.”
[System Alert: Should I go eavesdrop for you? (?・・)σ]
“No, never mind. I can just ask Yoo Gun about it later.”
No need to eavesdrop.
Honestly, given Seo Tae-hyun’s temperament (though he really doesn’t look like the type), I thought he might even throw a punch or two….
But watching him compose himself with a melancholic expression and calmly regain his senses to attempt conversation, there was clearly a difference between twenty and twenty-eight. Perhaps there were things he couldn’t understand back then but could comprehend now.
‘Just like how pre-awakening Yoo Gun didn’t immediately kick me out either.’
In any case, the mission entrusted to Yoo Gun was to reconcile with Seo Tae-hyun and invite him to dinner.
From the atmosphere, the reconciliation seemed to be proceeding smoothly, and since the pension appeared to have only us as guests, getting him to attend dinner shouldn’t be too difficult.
‘I should go prepare the barbecue.’
Watching the two same-aged guys share an honest conversation for the first time in a while with satisfaction, I turned my steps back toward the Dormitory where the barbecue area was located.
Now, if I could just hook Seo Tae-hyun with delicious meat and a reasonable amount of alcohol, half the battle would be won.
* * *
But thirty minutes later.
Yoo Gun appeared out of nowhere looking like a beggar, his hair and clothes disheveled, and reported Seo Tae-hyun’s answer while fuming.
“He said he’s not coming.”
“Did you two fight?”
“He threw the first punch.”
Wait, wasn’t the atmosphere good just a moment ago?
Weren’t they just letting out all those emotions they’d been holding in, sharing all the disappointments they couldn’t voice back when they were young, and reconfirming their friendship?
Wasn’t it that kind of vibe where they’d end up laughing awkwardly, patting each other’s shoulders once or twice, burying the past, and talking about what comes next?
I couldn’t fathom how things had spiraled into him returning with his hair torn out and his eyes blackened like plums. I had so many questions, but I was so flabbergasted that words wouldn’t come out. After gaping silently for a while, all I managed to say was this.
“Did you win?”
“…Win? What do you mean win? Do you know the weight difference between us? We just exchanged a punch each and called it even.”
“Yeah, that’s something to brag about.”
I sent him to reconcile and he came back from a brawl…?
Those two did bicker often enough in the original timeline, but they weren’t on bad enough terms to actually throw punches. Even though Seo Tae-hyun had quick hands and a volatile temper, he wasn’t hot-blooded enough to beat someone up.
‘Even that Cha Min-seok only got his collar grabbed at most….’
Unable to make sense of the situation, I stared at Yoo Gun, and he pulled out a wet tissue to wipe his split lip, then added curtly as if telling me not to ask further.
“It just happened that way. Don’t ask me any more questions.”
“What now?”
How was a twenty-eight-year-old fighting more childishly than a nineteen-year-old?
I could excuse Yoo Gun—his maturity was only skin-deep at twenty-eight—but Seo Tae-hyun? I couldn’t fathom what he was thinking. Had he truly abandoned all lingering attachments to the entertainment industry, deciding to fight about everything without restraint?
The asparagus and mushrooms I’d grilled in anticipation of Seo Tae-hyun’s arrival had lost their intended recipient. I swept all the meat sizzling on the grill into a bowl, then grabbed a cold beer can from the refrigerator and tossed it to Yoo Gun.
“…?”
“Press that against your face for a bit. You’re not in your early twenties anymore—if you leave it alone, it’ll swell up like a balloon. I’ve got all the meat grilled, so eat if you’re hungry.”
“What about you? Aren’t you eating?”
Despite his tough act, he was clearly in pain. Yoo Gun obediently held the beer can to his jaw, rubbing it as instructed. I pressed another can into his other hand, then removed my apron as I answered.
“I need to go find Seo Tae-hyun. What the hell did you two even talk about to end up like this?”
“….”
“Never mind. I don’t want to know. You two had reason to fight, so you fought. You’re fine, so just eat. I’ll be back.”
“Ah, well….”
“…?”
I grabbed just my phone and hurried toward the door to find Seo Tae-hyun, but Yoo Gun—his face half-hidden behind the two beer cans—called out to me in a sheepish voice. Curious, I turned back to see him murmur something in a small, creeping tone.
“If you go now, he won’t see you. He’s really mad.”
“…So what exactly did you do?”
“…There’s that.”
This was driving me crazy.
I glanced at Yoo Gun, who was quietly avoiding my gaze, then looked around. If he wouldn’t see me, I just needed to find a reason to make him. My eyes landed on something nearby.
The air conditioner remote for the dormitory caught my attention.
-If the AC in this room doesn’t work properly sometimes, contact me through the dormitory intercom. I’ll fix it.
Right.
I immediately grabbed the remote and flipped one of the batteries inside upside down.
Then I ruffled Yoo Gun’s hair—still hidden between the beer cans—and spoke.
“Yoo Gun.”
“…What?”
“Stop switching to formal speech every time you mess up, got it?”
“…Okay.”
“Eat your meal. I’ll go see Tae-hyun and be back.”
So this is how it always ends up.
I stepped out of the barbecue area, gripping the air conditioner remote like a warrior’s sword.
The night wind of Gangwon Province—now so familiar it felt like a third hometown—blew fiercely across my face.

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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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