Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 64

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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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64. Screaming at You (6)
Sarin wept as profusely as Dan Ha-ru’s target, but she quickly composed herself and grasped the microphone once more.
“This song is my signature piece, but… at some point, it became a song I was terrified to sing.”
Sarin was well aware of the nickname she’d earned—one known not just throughout the music industry, but among the general public as well.
The Cafe Owner.
During her prime, she’d worn that nickname with such pride. To uphold it, she’d given her absolute best on every stage, delivering nothing but her finest performances.
– Ah… even Sarin can’t overcome the passage of time
Yet she’d never imagined that very effort would become a cage, trapping her within its walls.
[4K] XX0712 Sarin SARIN – Screaming at You @Neon Park Festival
– Wow the live performance was insane lol
– Noona please release an album
– But it’s a shame her old voice didn’t come through, was her throat condition not good?
└ She did so many events during her young single mother days… she should’ve rested after the 3rd album
– I still can’t forget her performance of Screaming at You at that awards ceremony 4 years ago, it was truly perfect—the Hermès bag, the outdoor wind, Sarin’s emotional immersion, even the tears welling up during the final ad-lib at 2:17, the female idol’s reaction of being moved—it’s just a legendary moment that’ll never happen again
└ Where can I watch this
└ Search “XX1230 Sarin Screaming at You” and it’ll come up
└ Got the link itube.com/watch?
Her song—the one that supposedly “defeated” all who sang it—had become, at some point, a barrier she herself could no longer surpass.
“The song had already become too famous among the public, and I’d sung it too well… so honestly, every time I performed it, the pressure was especially intense. It became a song I couldn’t even sing easily, despite it being my own.”
From the moment she’d become pregnant until now, her absence from the stage—excused by childbirth and childcare—stemmed from the same reason. Sarin had lost confidence in her ability to sing on stage.
She couldn’t recreate the voice of her younger self from ten years ago. After giving birth, as her physical condition deteriorated, it became even worse.
“But… watching the stage you prepared today, I momentarily forgot this was my song.”
The relentless high notes, passionate emotional expression, elaborate ad-libs and technique.
Hearing “Screaming at You” stripped of all the conditions that had become like a formula—it was still beautiful. And it felt entirely new.
I realized these lyrics could carry such emotions.
“For the first time in so long, I felt like I was meeting this song ‘Screaming at You’ again. So I thought… ah, I want to sing this with these emotions too, express this part this way…. That’s what I felt.”
“Wow, that’s high praise, senior.”
At Sarin’s lavish evaluation, Choi Yeon-woo from Endway beamed and applauded. The boys on stage remained bewildered, exchanging glances and scratching the backs of their heads.
And at the center of them all stood Kang Ha-jin, leader of Sad Ending Team, thinking to himself.
‘Hmm, looks like I really hit the emotional trigger.’
Whatever it was, we nailed it. I hadn’t expected to do this well, so I’m wondering if I should adjust the plan a bit….
Ha-jin relaxed his body as he thought of Kwon PD, who was monitoring this situation from somewhere in the studio.
‘Raising my market value won’t hurt.’
Ha-jin nodded simply, thinking straightforwardly.
But the influence their performance had brought seemed far from simple.
[System Notification: ‘Sarin’ has gained enlightenment!]
[System Notification: A turning point occurs from ‘Sarin’s’ enlightenment.]
[System Notification: ‘Sarin’s’ timeline is shifting….]
‘…Huh? What’s shifting?’
Before Ha-jin could finish reading and comprehending all the system messages flooding his vision, Sarin delivered her final remarks with a relieved smile.
“Thank you so much for letting me experience my song in a whole new way.”
[System Notification: Sarin’s fixed event (disappearance after retirement) has been deleted.]
‘Well, well, well?’
I’d just accomplished something genuinely momentous.
* * *
“Yes, we’ll take a break from filming and grab dinner before heading out―!”
“Sad Ending Team! We’re moving to the Waiting Room! Everyone gather here!”
“Mentors, you can head back to the Waiting Room! I’ll organize the call times and let you know!”
After hearing the evaluations from the remaining mentors besides Sarin, we made our way down to the Backstage.
“D-did we do well?”
“Sarin’s evaluation was just so good that….”
It seemed the production staff didn’t bother collecting reactions at the Backstage—normally they’d have us hang around and chat, but this time the staff member guided us directly to the Waiting Room.
As we walked through the long Hallway back to the Waiting Room, my teammates still wore dazed expressions. For people whose original artist had torn up the stage—and literally torn up her own timeline—their reaction was disappointingly subdued.
The reason was simple.
“The thing is, the other judges’ evaluations were a bit underwhelming, so I’m not sure about the results.”
Everyone except Sarin had given us rather ambiguous feedback.
-The fresh approach was good. But it felt a bit bland for a competition like this, you know?
-Your energy! That energy alone is really commendable.
-I wish you’d shown a bit more vocal ability… that’s just my take.
If I had to choose between criticism and praise, it was definitely praise. But compared to the glowing compliments Sarin had received through her tears, the evaluations didn’t quite land the same way.
Still, I smiled at ease and patted my teammates’ shoulders.
“It’s fine, guys.”
“Huh?”
Besides, only Sarin crying would make it onto the broadcast anyway.
“We did our best, so whatever the results are, it’s okay.”
“Right! We really worked hard!”
“Yeah! Getting recognized by the original artist is enough!”
The two Feather Class members, whose strength lay in their bright outlook, nodded vigorously at my words.
Right, right. Maybe because their expectations had been low to begin with, they seemed quite satisfied with what we’d accomplished.
We each grabbed a bento box being handed out at the Waiting Room entrance and sat down. I’d felt this since my previous life, but this Production Company at least knew how to take care of meals properly.
“Hyung, here are the chopsticks.”
“Much obliged, thoughtful lad.”
“Is your speech pattern really like our grandfather’s?”
“Want some New Year’s money?”
“I’ll show you respect, grandfather.”
After exchanging a quick banter with Seo Tae-hyun, everyone instinctively buried their faces in their bento boxes. Since we’d skipped breakfast to avoid facial swelling, we were determined to eat now and ask questions later.
‘I don’t have to worry about swelling thanks to my skill, so I ate well beforehand.’
I slowly opened a bottle of water and reviewed the System notification window that had popped up earlier.
[System Notification: Sarin has achieved enlightenment!]
[System Notification: A turning point occurs from Sarin’s enlightenment.]
[System Alert: Sarin’s timeline is fluctuating….]
[System Alert: Sarin’s fixed event (retirement and disappearance) is being deleted.]
Sarin had always stopped her activities around this time and left the music industry.
I don’t know what happened in my first regression—the only life where I didn’t make it past twenty because I regressed during the college entrance exam—but in every other life, it was always the same. Yet now it’s changing.
‘And this fixed event… I could delete it?’
I thought it was some kind of absolute rule the way the System talked about it, something that had to happen. But thinking about how Park Jae-young’s situation was modified, maybe these aren’t completely immutable conditions after all?
[System Alert: The authority of (Fixed) Returners has been updated with the latest patch.]
[System Alert: You can now access more information regarding human ‘timelines’.]
[System Alert: Would you like to enter the Unconscious Space to view this information? (Entry condition: unconscious sleep)]
‘Looks like I brought back quite a lot more than I thought.’
But I can’t exactly fall asleep now when filming still isn’t finished.
I starred the last alert and cleanly dismissed the notification window.
[System Alert: W-wait, this is really important information!]
‘Yeah. I’m sure it is.’
With an update patch, of course it would extract all the important stuff. Still, what matters to me right now isn’t some grand epic of human destiny—it’s the fried chicken and braised pork belly right in front of me.
[System Alert: Something really, really incredible is happening right now… This is truly momentous…!]
I’m sorry, but to me right now, the most incredible and momentous thing is that the trainee cast got a two-tier bento box instead of chicken mayo for dinner.
[System Alert: …The System experiences an inexplicable sense of defeat and feels hurt.]
‘That’s just how systems grow—they always complain like this.’
I’ll let the System’s tantrum pass lightly now that I’m used to it.
‘Anyway, what was that youngest assistant director thinking, choosing such an expensive bento? Does the production have a big budget? Come to think of it, even back when I was the youngest, Kwon PD took meals seriously.’
With those thoughts, I dumped the braised pork belly and kimchi onto plain rice and mixed it all together, when my eyes happened to meet Han Sung-woo’s as he passed by.
“Wow, your appetite’s about to—”
—disappear? Not a chance. I didn’t avoid his gaze and instead took a big spoonful of the deliciously mixed bibimbap and shoved it in my mouth. Han Sung-woo turned away with an expression like he’d bitten into sand and returned to his seat.
Apparently witnessing this exchange between me and Han Sung-woo, Seo Tae-hyun, who was sitting beside me, let out a small sigh.
“Grandpa, please eat quickly.”
“These kids these days don’t know how to respect their elders, sheesh.”
“But honestly, I really hate losing to that guy.”
“That’s what they call camaraderie, grandson.”
I stood up with the empty bento box, having polished off every last grain without leaving a trace. This habit of eating as fast and efficiently as possible was one I could never seem to break.
As I was about to toss the empty bento into the recycling bin, someone with bright blonde hair was sitting right in front of it.
“…Lee Yu-gun?”
Lee Yu-gun, with his bleached blonde hair swept back and three piercings in his ears, was crouched down awkwardly in tight leather pants. Despite that suffocating outfit, he was neatly organizing the bentos and utensils that had been haphazardly piled in the box.
“What are you doing?”
“If you recycle like this, there’s a fine.”
“But why are you redoing it?”
“It’s a habit. Just leave it here, hyung. I’ll take care of it.”
Then he carefully peeled off the sticker stuck to the bento lid. I’ve felt it since before—this guy isn’t normal either. Since he’s on the same team as Lee Do-ha, I should casually ask him next time what his deal is.
“I said just leave it.”
“Never mind, let’s do it together.”
Regardless, once I’d already seen that uncomfortable lump of Leza crumpled like that, I couldn’t just walk past it as if nothing happened.
Since it didn’t seem like there was much time left anyway, I figured I might as well clean it up with him and casually probe for information.
‘I’m curious how the Special Class main dancer ended up getting hit with such massive debuffs.’
I pulled up Lee Yu-gun’s stat window that I’d checked before.
[Lee Yu-gun (Affiliation: Miro)]
-Debuff: All attributes reduced by –20% from current achievement rate
Position: Dance
Vocals: 37% (Rap 71%)(-20)
Dance: 33% (-20)
Expression: 45% (-20)
Special: Copy & Paste (64%) (-20)
Appeal Points:
‘Still, twelve ships remain’
-Sense of responsibility, perseverance, strong immersion (Tenacity, grit, performance capacity (51%)
‘How are they all holding their spots in the Special Class with stats like these?’
I wondered if he was in the same category as Lee Do-ha, but his abilities clearly fell short for that. Of course, when I watched his performance last time, he didn’t seem incapable by any means… but something just felt off about it.
‘Anyway, this stat window is definitely inconvenient.’
It’s nice that I can see potential, but now I’m at a point where I need objective standards. I should negotiate about updating this later when I get the chance…
“Oh, sorry.”
…I was about to think, when an empty lunch container fell onto my arm. The remaining kimchi broth and seasonings splattered across my clothes in several places.
“I didn’t see you had your hands full. Were you throwing away trash?”
I looked up at Han Sung-woo, who’d just hurled the lunch container at me while I was clearly in the middle of organizing the garbage, and forced the corners of my mouth upward.
“Sir, I think you really need to get your glasses adjusted. You keep missing things lately.”
Ah, this unlucky bastard really is something.

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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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