Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut - Chapter 98

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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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98. Bomb? (9)
As Ha-ru had said, the Convenience Store was quite a distance from the New Building. Walking would take a while, driving about ten minutes, and taking the bus around fifteen.
Considering Ha-ru’s concern that someone might recognize them, the two decided to take a taxi instead.
“Tae-hyun keeps saying he wants just one spoonful of ice cream. Seriously, I was so scared of getting caught. I had to use all my strength to stop him from going to the refrigerator!”
“What are you going to do if he goes there while you’re out here?”
“…! W-well, it’s fine. I asked Jae-young to text me if Tae-hyun tries to go toward the kitchen, and I haven’t heard anything yet!”
Ha-jin’s judgment had been sound—going out with Ha-ru was a good choice. Listening to Ha-ru chatter away the entire time, unaware of what had happened with Yu-gun, Ha-jin felt the anxious thoughts momentarily fade.
‘My mental state… still seems a bit unstable.’
Even though it was much better than before, if I didn’t maintain a firm grip on my composure, emotions threatened to spill out uncontrollably.
At least it wasn’t like last time, when tears would burst forth beyond my control—that was something to be grateful for.
‘It’s fine. Nothing will happen until the third mission ends.’
There was still time. As I was setting my mind with that thought, the taxi arrived at our destination.
“What if they don’t have any ice cream in stock…?”
“You checked the app, didn’t you? Then they’ll have it.”
“What if they haven’t opened yet…? It’s still pretty early in the morning.”
“All convenience stores are open 24 hours these days.”
I was responding appropriately to Ha-ru’s whining beside me as we approached the Convenience Store entrance when someone suddenly burst through the door in a hurry.
“….”
“…Huh?”
“What? How are you…?”
Yu-gun?
Ha-ru called out in surprise at the person emerging from the Convenience Store. Yu-gun, wearing a gray hoodie pulled low, stood frozen with an expression just as shocked as ours, unable to move.
That was when it happened.
“H-Ha-jin hyung!”
“What are you doing coming out of here? What are you doing right now!”
“No, that’s—”
“Ha-jin hyung, stop!”
The moment I saw Yu-gun’s face in this unexpected place, something I’d been holding back all this time exploded. I strode forward and grabbed Yu-gun by the collar. Caught off guard, Yu-gun couldn’t dodge and could only push back against my shoulders.
Ha-ru rushed over and barely managed to pull me away, but I’d already erupted once and was ready to charge at Yu-gun again at any moment.
“Hyung, calm down first! Please? Yu-gun hyung, say something!”
“….”
“Dan Ha-ru, let go. Right now, Lee Yu-gun, you—!”
Everything is falling apart because of you!
I barely managed to swallow those words rising to my throat. I was only just barely aware of how impulsive and violent my current state had become.
Then, someone else emerged from the Convenience Store.
“Student Yu-gun! Is this your phone…?”
“….”
“…?”
“…Oh my. W-what’s going on?”
♪♩♬♩― ♬♪♩♪―
A middle-aged woman in a Convenience Store uniform examined the three of them in turn, her expression feigning surprise. The old 2G phone in her hand rang incessantly. In the standoff that had gripped everyone, Lee Yu-gun drew a deep breath and moved.
“…Thank you, Store Manager. That’s mine.”
“Hey, didn’t you say you had to leave soon? What do we do? We’re sorry for holding you up….”
Store Manager?
What in the world was happening here? Just as I was about to call Lee Yu-gun again.
I cannot provide a meaningful translation for this text as it appears to be corrupted, garbled, or contains random characters rather than coherent Korean text.
I cannot provide a translation for this text as it appears to be corrupted, contains random characters, special symbols, and does not form coherent Korean words or sentences.
[…]
[…]
“Ugh….”
“Hyung!”
Beeeeeep—
The tinnitus that had tormented me at dawn began again. As I reflexively curled my body inward, the fragmented system windows refreshed anew.
“What’s wrong with him?”
“I’m not sure. It’s been happening since yesterday….”
“Sit him down here for now. Store Manager, just one water, please. I’ll pay.”
“No, never mind payment. I’ll bring it right away.”
Lee Yu-gun rushed over, alarmed at how I appeared ready to collapse at any moment. He swiftly seated me in a chair by the Convenience Store’s display stand, then checked my pupils and pulse with practiced ease, verifying my consciousness.
“Look at me. Can you see clearly?”
“…I’m… I’m fine. After a bit more, it’ll… be okay.”
Lee Yu-gun had me drink the water the Store Manager hastily brought. As the system window refreshed several more times, I felt my vision gradually clearing and my mind sharpening as mental stability was properly restored.
I pressed my still-throbbing head repeatedly, and my eyes met Lee Yu-gun’s as he knelt before me, aligning his gaze with mine.
“….”
“Should I call 119?”
“Your vision seems to be back. How many fingers do you see?”
“…Two.”
“There are three.”
“…There are two.”
“You’re fine.”
It took a bit longer for the tinnitus to fade and for my condition to return to normal. As my emotions settled, the clues I’d carelessly overlooked began recombining anew in my mind.
-Lee Yu-gun didn’t join the company to debut.
-I just happened to find out by chance.
Lee Yu-gun, who showed no interest in idols, let alone debuting.
Seo Tae-hyun, who claimed to have learned of Lee Yu-gun’s circumstances purely by accident.
-That ice cream is limited edition or something, so you have to go past the Major Intersection to find it.
The Convenience Store that sold the ice cream Seo Tae-hyun specially procured for his diet, and Lee Yu-gun’s apparent familiarity with that store’s manager.
The old 2G phone in Lee Yu-gun’s hand that couldn’t even handle messaging.
-My parents are coming to this competition, so I can’t do anything reckless like that.
-That’s a lie. Does that mean I hit the jackpot?
-And I absolutely won’t do any separate weekend practice or anything….
And finally, the last puzzle piece that assembles all these circumstances together.
【Miro provides tuition and living expenses to trainees facing financial hardship.】
“Sigh….”
As my thoughts crystallized around this realization, I gently grasped Lee Yu-gun’s wrist before me.
“…Does it hurt? Should I call 119?”
“Lee Yu-gun. I’m about to ask you an incredibly rude question.”
“….”
“If you find it offensive, just hit me. But I need to confirm this, so don’t misunderstand. If it’s true, just nod.”
I stared directly at Lee Yu-gun and boldly announced my rudeness. Even Lee Yu-gun, who rarely showed surprise, could only nod at the depth and clarity in my gaze and my overwhelming presence.
“You’re the breadwinner of your family, aren’t you?”
“….”
“Is that why you came to Miro? You work part-time every time practice ends?”
It was truly a rude question, but Lee Yu-gun could sense no intention to mock or belittle him from me. Rather….
‘…That’s a strange look in his eyes.’
Not pity, not sympathy, not mockery or contempt—just a strange look.
With that thought, Lee Yu-gun quietly nodded.
* * *
The Blue Flare team rushed to the conference room the moment they received word from me that I’d found Lee Yu-gun and had something to discuss quietly in the conference room.
“Lee Yu-gun!”
“Shh. Kim Won-ho, keep your voice down.”
I’d deliberately called him to the conference room instead of the practice room so no one would hear or see. Remembering that intention, Won-ho covered his mouth and approached Lee Yu-gun.
“Are you okay? What happened? Where did you go?”
“I… I’m sorry.”
As Eun-chan and Do-ha entered, followed by Si-woo, the conference room door closed.
“….”
Unlike usual, Lee Yu-gun was feeling a bit of tension. He was aware that today’s incident was entirely his fault.
‘Of course, I had my reasons.’
Knowing it would only sound like an excuse to these hyungs across from him, Lee Yu-gun stood up first and bowed deeply.
“First, I’m sorry. I made a mistake in this situation.”
I apologized sincerely, but there was no response. It was something I’d somewhat prepared myself for….
“Is that all?”
“…Yes?”
Startled by Si-woo’s unexpectedly calm voice, Lee Yu-gun lifted his head. I’d expected Si-woo to be angry like during the first mission, and Do-ha, whose thoughts I could never quite read but who always looked at me indifferently.
Both of them were watching Lee Yu-gun as usual, without much emotional turbulence. As Lee Yu-gun closed his mouth in surprise, Si-woo finally revealed a subtle fragment of emotion.
“Rather than an apology, I’d like an explanation. Isn’t that why you gathered us all here like this?”
I want to decide whether this is a situation that warrants an apology after hearing it.
Si-woo’s following words weren’t blaming Lee Yu-gun either. So Lee Yu-gun slowly took his seat and began to share his story for the first time.
“I’m not sure where to start….”
In the quiet conference room, only Lee Yu-gun’s voice could be heard.
“My family is four of us living together—my grandfather, me, and my two younger siblings. My parents left when I was young, and I don’t even know where they are now.”
Before joining Miro, Lee Yu-gun’s daily life began and ended with part-time work. Fortunately, he’d been tall and imposing since childhood, so despite being a minor, he could find various jobs.
-Delivery work.
-Ooh. Another hard day, young breadwinner.
-What are you talking about? You guys ran away from home too.
-Hey, don’t call it that. We’re independent, kid.
Dance—the only real source of joy in Lee Yu-gun’s life besides family—he’d discovered through befriending the Dance Academy instructors he’d see during deliveries. Since he couldn’t afford lessons, he’d learned by watching whenever he made deliveries.
-Hey, want to learn some dance? You’ve got a good build for it.
-I don’t have the money for that.
-If you help us film videos at night, we’ll teach you for free. What do you say?
Thanks to the Director who took notice of Lee Yu-gun, he was finally able to learn something without worry.
Finishing evening part-time work, then dancing with the instructors at dawn.
Those were Lee Yu-gun’s happiest moments. Only then could he forget the painful reality.
“Then one of the choreography videos I filmed with the instructors got uploaded to AiTube… and Miro contacted me after seeing it.”
He’d refused at first. He couldn’t sing.
What changed Lee Yu-gun’s mind was Miro’s benefits.
“They said the company would cover tuition, living expenses, meals… and as a trainee, I’d only have to attend four classes. So I agreed. That way I could feed my younger siblings and help Grandfather’s store before coming here….”
“So you never cared about debuting at all?”
“Honestly, with my singing ability, what debut? There’s no guarantee of success anyway. I was just planning to stay until I turned twenty and then leave quietly. …I’m sorry to the staff, though.”
Then suddenly, the Survival Program started.
“I honestly didn’t want to do it, but they said if I didn’t participate, I’d have to leave the company. But then Grandfather injured his leg, and they said I’d get appearance fees if I did the show, so I just went ahead with it.”
So he’d joined the Survival Program, but Lee Yu-gun added that he couldn’t quit his part-time job because of the heavy medical expenses for his grandfather.
Now Si-woo understood why Lee Yu-gun always left immediately after his scheduled practice time ended.
“So you had work today too?”
“Yeah, normally I just work evenings and switch with the Store Manager at dawn. So I could’ve come on time, but a drunk customer suddenly came into the convenience store and caused a scene… We called the police, and with one thing and another….”
“….”
“…Anyway, I’m sorry. I’ve always been sorry to you guys. But since I’m not going to debut anyway, I didn’t want to whine about this stuff, so….”
When Lee Yu-gun finished speaking, silence filled the conference room again. No one could bring themselves to speak.
‘This is exactly why I didn’t say anything.’
Lee Yu-gun hated pity.
He didn’t even want to pity himself, so he always tried to think lightly, easily about things. But people seemed blind to his efforts, casually tossing his life into the garbage as if it were nothing.
‘How hard it must have been, how much he must have suffered….’
He despised that kind of treatment. But this time, I made mistakes too, so I suppose I have to accept it.
Lee Yu-gun, feeling a touch of disillusionment and irritation, lifted his head to observe his teammates.
Just as everyone struggled to speak, someone broke the silence.
“So?”
“…Yes?”
It was Do-ha who’d spoken. He threw a direct question with that expression Lee Yu-gun always found difficult—’completely unreadable.’
“I want to hear what you’re actually planning to do now.”
“Um….”
“Are you saying I should understand that you’ll continue this uncooperative attitude?”
“Huh? Oh, no. That’s not it.”
This kind of reaction… is new to me?

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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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