If I Don’t Earn 1 Trillion Won, My Regression Ends - Chapter 45

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 45

 

Everything was fine when I left for Pangyo.

 

I went with aspirations of becoming the real estate king of the 21st century, but when I returned, all I had in my arms was Min-su’s threatening letter…!

 

Calculate the price of porridge?

 

This regressor protagonist seemed to think that his regression was because of me, after something happened to his head while typing on a computer keyboard.

 

But I’m clearly the one who got dragged into this!

 

Scary. It’s scary! Just how exactly is he planning to calculate it?

 

After worrying myself sick, I made a decision.

 

To lay low for a while.

 

‘I guess I’ve been too conspicuous…!’

 

Fortunately, Bae Seo-nyeok seemed to have gained confidence on his own and convinced our parents to purchase thousands of pyeong in Pangyo.

 

But I quietly restrained myself and never again mentioned or coveted the prime land in Samhyeon-ri where Kakao Headquarters would be located.

 

‘This innocent ordinary extra has absolutely no intention of touching the protagonist’s rice bowl!’

 

This period of reflection lasted a full month.

 

Was it because of the shock of being discovered by the protagonist?

 

During that time, I actually became interested in other directions.

 

For example, ways to ensure Min-su would never appear again…

 

“Why is your stomach caving in! Aren’t you putting strength in your stomach? Your breathing keeps dropping to the floor! I’ve told you countless times that your voice needs to pierce through that wall in front! Seosing-a! Don’t think about other things! Won’t you focus!!!”

 

“Ouch!”

 

My back stung and I snapped out of my thoughts.

 

Tears welled up from the instructor’s sharp touch.

 

Bae Tae-ak, who was standing beside me doing vocal exercises facing the wall, cast a mocking glance in my direction.

 

“Don’t be such a crybaby!”

 

Excuse me, people of the 90s…!

 

Do you realize this is clearly child abuse?!

 

“Take another breath! Deeper, and outward! Ahh!”

 

“Ahhhh!”

 

Breathing and vocal training.

 

That’s right. It was exactly that acting class I had made a deal with Bae Seo-nyeok about.

 

After returning from Pangyo, Bae Seo-nyeok hurriedly pushed this forward as if someone might change their mind.

 

Thanks to that, I’ve been attending here every day after school lately.

 

A large academy in Seoul called 【The Root of Arts】.

 

True to its grandiose name meaning ‘the root of arts,’ it was a comprehensive arts academy that encompassed not only acting but also dance, vocal lessons, and more.

 

It occupied an entire building in Daehak-ro and was large enough to be divided into elementary, middle school, high school, and adult divisions.

 

It had quite a long history in this field, so it could be called prestigious.

 

Both Bae Tae-ak, who was Bae Seo-nyeok’s nephew, and Namihee, who was Sim Hae-ryeon’s daughter, were from this place, and the students’ skills were also impressive.

 

At my age, I should have originally registered for the elementary division, but Bae Seo-nyeok didn’t agree.

 

For some reason, he separately arranged an adult division instructor so that just Bae Tae-ak and I would receive private lessons together.

 

This seemed like special treatment, which made me a bit anxious, but Bae Tae-ak was so nonchalant about this treatment, as if it were natural, that he was almost confident.

 

I decided to follow his example and not think too deeply about it.

 

In other people’s eyes, Bae Tae-ak would be the main student, and I would just be tagging along.

 

Anyway, the instructor was Kim Yeo-yeong.

 

She was supposedly an acquaintance of Bae Seo-nyeok.

 

She was an elite who had gone through arts middle and high school and graduated from the Department of Theater and Film at Chung-Ang University, known as the Seoul National University for actors. True to being an elite who had walked only the most orthodox path, her coaching was very harsh and she never went easy on students just because they were young.

 

“Good work~. Today’s class ends here.”

 

Kim Yeo-yeong tapped my sweat-soaked head with her baton as she passed by.

 

“Sing-a didn’t cry today?”

 

“…”

 

I only cry when crying actually works…!

 

Even crybabies have their own radar.

 

There are people who give in thinking “I guess I have no choice if they cry to the end” and people who think “Even if you cry, you still have to do what needs to be done.” Kim Yeo-yeong was clearly the latter. Why waste energy unnecessarily?

 

I collapsed, completely exhausted.

 

The class was such a forced march that even a regressor would stick out their tongue.

 

There wasn’t even a moment to catch our breath for the entire 2 hours.

 

If we didn’t concentrate, harsh words would pour down, and we used literally every muscle in our body from limbs to face, stomach, neck, inside and out.

 

I didn’t understand why we had to go this far, so I once complained to Bae Seo-nyeok.

 

It was during one of his check-up calls asking how things were going.

 

[“Is it really that hard?”]

 

“It’s not exaggeration, I really can’t sleep well because my whole body aches after going there… Is this how it normally is?”

 

[“Hmm, no. Not everyone goes through this.”]

 

“Right? I thought so-”

 

[“If you learn properly, then yes.”]

 

Bae Seo-nyeok emphasized the word “properly.”

 

His following words were calm and serious.

 

[“Have you heard of Constantin Stanislavski? He’s a famous Russian actor called the father of modern method acting. One of his theories is that ‘just as a musician tunes their instrument and a painter selects their brush, an actor must also know how to tune their own tools of body and mind.’ Both I and Kim Yeo-yeong agree with that opinion. To intentionally express any emotion, you ultimately need to know how to use your body first. Simply put, you’re currently in the process of making your body into a tool. It has to be difficult.”]

 

“…”

 

[“What. Was that too serious?”]

 

“Yeah…”

 

[“Uncle is just letting you know what you’re learning right now, not forcing you to go down that path.”]

 

“You’re really not forcing me?”

 

At my incredulous words, Bae Seo-nyeok burst into helpless laughter from the other end of the phone, as if asking me to give him some credit.

 

[“It’s not bad to learn anything, right? You only live once.”]

 

That’s right. Nothing bad about it. Nothing to lose either.

 

‘Rather…’

 

Sweat dripped onto the smooth floor of the practice room. I watched it in a dazed state, and while I looked miserable, somehow-

 

“Kid. Why are you smiling?”

 

Bae Tae-ak glared at me from the side. Was I smiling?

 

“Just because.”

 

I rubbed my aching stomach and said,

 

“Don’t you feel like you’re living properly somehow?”

 

“What?”

 

“Never mind. Forget it if you don’t know.”

 

Bae Tae-ak looked at me like I was crazy.

 

His expression became quite serious as he asked if I had gone insane from being too tired, but I wasn’t offended and just found it funny.

 

‘What would you know.’

 

I’m only just beginning to understand myself.

 

Although it was something I started half-forcibly, I didn’t know that properly learning something could be such a refreshing experience.

 

Even though my body was tired, my mind was clearer than ever.

 

After regressing, I had changed many parts of my life.

 

I lived in a different neighborhood, handled amounts of money I never could have imagined, even filmed commercials, and was moving along a completely different trajectory… but I don’t think I had ever felt ‘change’ as tangibly as I did now.

 

‘I really am living a different life.’

 

I lay down spread-eagle and let out a long breath.

 

It felt refreshing.

 

♧

 

“Bae Tae-ak. Hey. Prince Bae!”

 

“…Huh?”

 

“What are you thinking about that’s got you so spaced out?”

 

His friends looked at him with puzzled faces.

 

Bae Tae-ak brushed it off vaguely.

 

It felt somehow embarrassing to confess he’d been thinking about some little kid.

 

His friends didn’t pry deeper either. Why would they put Bae Tae-ak in an uncomfortable position? Though they hung out together, Bae Tae-ak came from different origins than them.

 

Wherever people gather, invisible hierarchies form, and just like at school, Yewon was no different.

 

Bae Tae-ak’s family had blue-blood elite lineage with his grandfather having served as Foreign Minister, and his parents each ran businesses in the United States and Japan.

 

Especially since his mother, a Korean-Japanese, was a big shot in Japan’s entertainment industry with considerable influence extending to Korea, and his closest youngest uncle was none other than Bae Seo-nyeok, who had no rivals in Chungmuro.

 

His nickname wasn’t “Prince” for nothing.

 

Even at Yewon, which was selective about accepting students, no one had better connections than Bae Tae-ak.

 

Above all, this was an industry where networking mattered most.

 

Even the instructors were nervous around Bae Tae-ak, and everyone was desperate to get close to him.

 

In this situation, when someone appeared who got to take cozy private lessons with the Prince, naturally all eyes were drawn to it.

 

Whether positive or negative, few at Yewon didn’t have something to say about this topic.

 

“How is she anyway. I’ve asked you several times now.”

 

“She?”

 

“Seosing-a. Who else would I mean besides that little kid?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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