Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 8

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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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08. The Madman of This District is Me (3)
“He comes across as incredibly disrespectful.”
When the Executive Director found no fault with Kang Ha-jin’s abilities, his card became “character.” He claimed the boy’s expressionless, rigid demeanor reeked of arrogance, and that he had the makings of a school violence scandal waiting to happen.
“A kid with pierced ears and styled hair… clearly a character issue. His face screams delinquent. That’s just not my style.”
“Manager Jang, you cast our second member because she had an excess of delinquent charm.”
“That was charm—not actual delinquency.”
Those are completely different things! Seo Tae-il crossed his arms at the blanket criticism. As someone who had himself weathered image controversies surrounding alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs, these weren’t exactly pleasant words to hear.
“Well, when we spoke with him during the waiting period, he was incredibly polite. Very cooperative.”
Kim Director, who had just finished wrapping up his conversation with Manager Jang from Rene Entertainment, countered. The Executive Director waved his hand dismissively, as if Kim knew nothing.
“Did you see his face just now? Not a flicker of emotion. Just ‘yes, yes.’ I’ve been in this industry long enough to spot these types. I can read them at a glance these days.”
Everyone’s expression grew weary at the Executive Director’s stubborn insistence. They all knew his opposition was opposition for opposition’s sake, yet none dared voice their frustration aloud. No matter how much trouble he caused, he remained the CEO’s closest confidant, treated with the respect of a director within the company.
“Could it be he was just nervous?”
“Does he look nervous to you? Kim Director, you’ve got a long way to go. He doesn’t smile, doesn’t flinch. His face screams trouble waiting to happen.”
Watching the Executive Director show no signs of changing his mind, Tae-il exhaled sharply and glanced at Su-ho with irritation etched across his features. Do something about this. Su-ho, reading the silent question, tapped the table lightly to draw everyone’s attention.
“Then perhaps we should conduct an interview first. He might have been nervous from being sent straight to the recording studio upon arrival.”
“That’s a good idea. I’m in favor.”
“Hey, Seo Tae-il, you—”
“You said we’d test him your way, so we changed the audition format. Give me a chance to test him my way as well.”
At Su-ho’s firm voice, the Executive Director’s jaw clenched. This kid was a constant thorn in his side. It felt like Su-ho was implying he’d humor his stubbornness, which irritated him, but the logic was sound—there was no legitimate reason to push back further.
Eventually, the Executive Director, his expression sour, nodded while crossing his arms.
“Then I’ll step out and call Kang Ha-jin in. I have some things to convey to him as well.”
“Ah, yes, yes! Manager Jang, thank you for your hard work today.”
Manager Jang, who had been witnessing the brutal office politics unfold before her eyes, seized the moment to announce her exit with perfect timing. As the Executive Director watched Kim Director follow her out, he added a comment in a tone that made clear his displeasure remained.
“Won’t matter what you see. That kid’s got a stubborn streak written all over his face.”
“Then that’s even better. He’s a junior from Upia and Endway—why would we use someone easy to push around?”
“Ah, come on, Tae-il, you keep—!”
“Executive Director. Let’s calm down.”
“Ahem, hmm.”
Tae-il, whom the Executive Director had expected to oppose Kang Ha-jin, was instead blowing the trumpet for the other side—pushing the Executive Director to the brink of madness. But no matter his position, the Executive Director couldn’t afford to be careless with Tae-il, Miro’s founding member. Knowing this, the Executive Director cleared his throat and redirected his frustration elsewhere.
“Why isn’t he here yet!? It’s been a while since Manager Jang left. Did he run away?”
“…Sigh. I’ll go check. Get some air too.”
Unable to bear the suffocation any longer, Tae-il shot up from his seat. As he opened the office door and stepped out, he muttered a quiet curse.
‘That bastard’s lost his senses to greed.’
Admittedly, Kang Ha-jin in the recording studio had seemed unusually emotionless compared to typical trainees.
Excitement, trembling, nervousness, pressure, fear.
The absence of any of these was certainly peculiar, but wasn’t it absurd to judge someone’s character based solely on that?
‘How can you know everything from one meeting? He just dislikes him because Su-ho brought him in.’
“Ugh… I absolutely despise office politics.”
Yet as Tae-il rounded the corner ahead in the hallway, he couldn’t help but think that if Kang Ha-jin maintained that same emotionless demeanor during the interview, things could truly become difficult.
“…Kang Ha-jin?”
What am I looking at right now?
“Are you crying right now?”
At one end of the hallway, thin sunlight streamed through the window. Kang Ha-jin was crying—desperately trying to muffle the sound, but tears flowed unstoppably. The sight of him sobbing looked like a scene straight out of a drama.
‘Ah. Manager Jang mentioned he had something to give me earlier….’
The moment Seo Tae-il saw what was in his hand, he could quickly piece together the situation. It made sense. The reaction was identical to that of his group’s youngest member when they’d received their first fan letter.
“Ah, that’s…, ugh, no, it’s not like that.”
With his face completely flushed red from crying, Kang Ha-jin finally looked like the nineteen-year-old rookie he truly was.
Seo Tae-il felt oddly reassured by this, and a pang of guilt washed over him for having misunderstood the kid. He simply smiled awkwardly. His own trainee days came flooding back.
“How could I have thought….”
Seo Tae-il approached quietly, murmuring to himself, and patted Kang Ha-jin’s shoulder to comfort him. It’s okay, it’s okay. You can cry all you need before we go in. At those words, Kang Ha-jin wept even more sorrowfully.
“What’s going on over there…?”
“Whoa, it’s Senior Seo Tae-il.”
Thanks to this, all the trainees and staff members passing by witnessed the scene, but Seo Tae-il paid it little mind.
Kim Director, the Executive Director, and Team Leader Ji—who had wondered what was taking so long since he’d gone to fetch the kid but came back without calling anyone—all stepped into the hallway and witnessed the spectacle. Kang Ha-jin had to remain in Seo Tae-il’s arms, shedding tears until the penalty period ended.
And so, Miro Entertainment began to spread yet another unverified, unfortunate rumor: that Seo Tae-il had finally caught himself a trainee.
* * *
This is humiliating.
I held my still-tingling eyes and sighed. In front of me, Seo Tae-il was already gazing at me with affection, as if I were his own younger sibling.
‘Should I really switch entertainment companies?’
The system’s alarmed notification kept ringing incessantly, but since they were all just anxious chatter anyway, I marked them all as read and dismissed them.
[System Alert: When did you even add a read function!?]
Leaving the system window’s astonishment behind, I fixed my gaze on the single sheet of paper before me.
“In any case, this is the standard contract that Miro Entertainment trainees sign. If Ha-jin wishes, you’re welcome to consult with a lawyer or your parents before deciding.”
‘Miro Entertainment Exclusive Trainee’
The large letters written across the contract felt strangely unreal. Originally, more interviews were supposed to follow, but while I was crying, it seemed they’d sorted things out among themselves. From what I could gather, Seo Tae-il had played a significant role. Whether that was good or not… I wasn’t entirely sure.
‘If I sign, I’ll finally become a trainee.’
That meant becoming an idol. More precisely, an idol trainee.
For some, it would be the beginning of a dream, and for others, the opening act of an endless challenge. But for me, it held a different meaning altogether.
It was clinging once more to a dream I’d already abandoned and fled from. And this time, with the weight of absolute success pressing down on both my feet.
“The investment costs for trainees are only settled if and when you debut. Until then, there’s virtually no expense.”
I listened carefully to Kim Director’s supplementary explanation. He mentioned that if commuting from home was difficult, trainees could use the dormitory if they wished.
Even among mid-sized companies, the well-known ones were different. Miro certainly seemed to offer better treatment than other places.
The problem was,
“And regarding classes, you’ll take a level test first, and the curriculum will be adjusted to match Ha-jin’s skill level….”
“I’m sorry, but.”
I was about to strip away all those good conditions starting right now.
“I don’t think I can do this.”
“…Huh?”
“I apologize. I think I need more time to consider.”
At my faint voice, everyone in the office was taken aback.
[System Alarm: The system gives up on understanding the (Fixed) Regressor.]
What the hell. You want me to act like a madman?
* * *
I made up my mind to kick Miro to the curb the moment Seo Tae-il approached to console me as I wept.
‘What kind of thing is this…’
He whispered what he thought was quietly, but I—who was only crying on the surface while maintaining 100% clarity within—heard every word distinctly.
‘There’s definitely someone who doesn’t like me.’
The fact that the interview hadn’t proceeded immediately and the interviewers had spent so long talking amongst themselves meant there was clearly something about me worth discussing.
Here was an applicant singing to perfectly match Seo Tae-il’s tastes, so what was there to deliberate about? If this were an audition program, Seo Tae-il would’ve bought a super pass card just to push me through.
‘I need to know for certain who’s on my side to stay safe.’
There were two reasons I rejected the trainee contract with Miro.
To identify my enemies clearly, and to secure allies I could rely on.
My instincts told me that the manager with the contemptuous expression looking down on me was likely the problem, but I couldn’t just overlook this Team Leader fellow either—there was something unsettling about him that I couldn’t quite place.
‘Actually, the most suspicious one is that Team Leader.’
In any case, I’d confirmed that Kim Director and Seo Tae-il, who had been restless and trying to persuade me that day, genuinely favored me—so I’d already gained something valuable.
[System Alarm: But what if you end up not becoming a Miro Entertainment trainee?! (SQ 01 Remaining Period: 39 days)]
‘That’s exactly why I made sure to get insurance.’
I pulled out a single business card I’d carefully tucked away in my wallet.
It was the business card of Seo Tae-il’s manager, which he’d handed to me that day, telling me to think it over carefully and to contact him without fail if I changed my mind.
‘If they don’t take the bait, I can just contact this number instead.’
For now, all I had to do was wait for whoever was so desperate to have me—whether it was Kim Director or Seo Tae-il—to reach out again on their own. If they valued me that much, then when I eventually entered Miro, I could be certain they were on my side and could leverage them as a source of information or whatever else I might need.
“And if they happen to take care of the guy who hates me, that’d be even better.”
[System Alarm: The system admires the (Fixed) Regressor’s meticulousness…]
“Kim Director didn’t seem to have much influence… so it’s probably Seo Tae-il’s side?”
And three days after I walked out of that audition, someone from Miro came looking for me.
“Kang Ha-jin.”
“…?”
Of all people, it had to be the most suspicious one.
“Hello, I’m Ji Su-ho.”

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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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