The Regressor Plays the Game Too Well - Chapter 119

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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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Episode 119
Episode 119
When Jae-hyun and Byung-gun first laid eyes on Jin-woo, they were genuinely taken aback.
What, some handsome, well-built guy showed up?
Well, that could happen.
If this blind date didn’t work out, there would be others to try.
That wasn’t the problem.
Just looking at the clothes he wore, he’d clearly spent hundreds of thousands of won on designer brands.
And on top of that, his watch was from an incredibly expensive brand!
The kind of outfit that ordinary university students wouldn’t even dare to aspire toward.
They could have rationalized even this much.
Someone who cared about fashion could dress like this.
But that wasn’t the end of it.
“Gasp!”
“Whoa!?”
When Jin-woo sat down at their table and pulled out his wallet and car keys.
Jae-hyun and Byung-gun could immediately tell.
Those keys definitely belonged to a B-brand car.
And that wallet—was it the famous Hermès wallet?
What kind of person was this guy, anyway….
But even this wasn’t meant as a display of wealth.
He simply seemed uncomfortable with them in his pants pocket, so he’d taken them out.
Then he looked at them both comfortably and spoke.
“Then I’ll place my order and be right back.”
“Ah, yes, hyung. Please take care on your way!”
“Yes! We’ll see you soon!”
Jae-hyun and Byung-gun bowed respectfully, watching Jin-woo as he walked away.
And the two of them looked at each other and spoke quietly.
“That hyung is incredible.”
“Right! Did you hear what he does?”
“No! The senior just said he was a friend of his!?”
“Damn, I want to get close to him.”
“Seriously, it’s so great when you befriend successful people!”
“Let’s really try today.”
It wasn’t that they were trying to scheme anything.
It was simply a pure desire to associate with someone impressive.
The thought of the blind date had long since vanished from both their minds.
All they could think about was somehow becoming close with this impressive hyung!
Both were fourth-year students already thinking about employment.
And so it was only natural that Jin-woo seemed so impressive to them.
They wanted to become like him too.
They wanted to hear his know-how.
They wanted to grow closer to Jin-woo.
Unaware of their intentions, Jin-woo smiled awkwardly as he watched the two of them with sparkling eyes.
“Ahaha, the coffee came out quickly.”
“Oh! That’s fortunate.”
“That’s fortunate, hyung.”
It was nice that they all treated me with such respect.
Though it was a bit burdensome.
Well, it was better than being territorial.
Better than engaging in mind games before the meeting, wasn’t it?
True.
Much better than all that.
They were Young-jin’s juniors, so getting along was better than bickering.
Good is good, right?
So Jin-woo let it slide.
If they saw me favorably, that was good enough.
Then Jae-hyun cautiously asked Jin-woo.
“Um, excuse me, hyung, but what do you do for work?”
“Y-yeah, we only heard from Young-jin sunbae that you were friends!”
Jae-hyun spoke carefully, and Byung-gun added substance to his words.
Jin-woo felt a bit puzzled by their behavior.
Wasn’t that kind of self-introduction usually done when the meeting partners arrived?
That’s what I thought.
Well, you’d only know if you’d been to a meeting before.
I just let it be.
It wasn’t bad to do it now either.
We could do it again when the women arrived later.
Jin-woo thought that way and answered with a subtle smile.
“I’m just doing Pantheon, nothing special.”
“Oh!”
“Wow!”
But their reactions were so good that it made talking worthwhile.
How could I not be excited when they were marveling like that?
Especially with my juniors showing that kind of reaction, I couldn’t help but feel my shoulders rise.
Still, I shouldn’t show it too much and should stay humble.
While Jin-woo was thinking that.
Byung-gun and Jae-hyun were genuinely admiring Jin-woo.
Did he buy such an expensive car from doing Pantheon?
That’s seriously amazing.
‘I’ve heard plenty of people strike it rich with Pantheon!’
‘But actually seeing it happen!’
It was genuinely incredible.
Both Jae-hyun and Byung-gun were playing Pantheon.
Yet they were still stuck in the Beginner Village because it was so difficult.
Making money through Pantheon?
To them, it felt like an impossibly distant realm.
I could only marvel at it.
How skilled at gaming did you have to be to earn serious money from Pantheon?
“Oh, so you stream on PanTube too, hyung?”
“Yeah. PanTube. Tons of people are making money off it these days.”
“Ah, yes. That’s right. Most people do. I do too.”
“Wow! As expected!”
“Man, that’s amazing.”
I couldn’t bring myself to ask for his channel name.
Jin-woo seemed uncomfortable with the attention.
The two of them had enough sense to pick up on that.
He must be famous!
That would explain why he’d feel uncomfortable.
I’d heard that celebrities don’t really like being recognized outright either.
So the two of them silently decided not to ask for his channel name.
Then, at that moment.
“Oh? Hyung, some girls are coming too, they said?”
“Oh really? Should we get up then?”
“Yes yes! Sounds good.”
“Since we’re meeting here at the cafe, let’s move to a bigger table!”
“Ah! You just stay put, hyung! We’ll move everything! This is what the youngest members are supposed to do.”
“Of course, of course.”
As they said this, they transferred Jin-woo’s coffee onto a tray and began moving toward a larger table.
Watching their backs, Jin-woo gathered his things and let out a quiet chuckle.
These kids were quite considerate—pleasant to watch.
Being treated like this, I had no reason to feel uncomfortable.
Besides, their intentions seemed pure.
It was the kind of attitude you’d show toward an older brother you genuinely respected.
Though I wasn’t sure what I’d done to earn such respect.
There was one thing that bothered me, though.
‘The clothes I bought at the Department Store might be the issue.’
I’d at least avoided buying from overly expensive brands.
But the quality was noticeably different.
They probably picked up on it from there.
The girls might not have noticed, but the boys would have recognized the watch immediately.
Well, it wasn’t as if anything bad had come of it.
I decided to be more careful next time and moved on.
It would have been awkward if Jae-hyun and Byung-gun had shown displeasure.
But they hadn’t.
So I let it go and moved to the spacious area where Jae-hyun and Byung-gun had settled.
A long table that could easily seat eight people.
Fortunately, it was empty.
So Jae-hyun and Byung-gun took their seats, and just as I sat down as well.
The girls arrived.
“Oh my, hello.”
“Hi there!”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
The women greeted us and approached the table.
They were all beautiful.
The first woman to greet us had a short bob with a slight wave, dressed in a skirt and blouse.
The second woman who greeted us—how should I put it?—was the very picture of an outgoing girl.
She had dyed hair and wore a vibrant outfit: short pants and a crop top with a simple jacket draped over it.
The last was a woman with long, natural black hair, wearing a blouse and pants.
She looked refined and composed at first glance.
While all three were strikingly beautiful, I personally found the composed woman who came last the most attractive.
Without realizing it, I became self-conscious.
I let out an awkward cough.
“Ahem, please have a seat.”
“Just pick a spot and sit wherever feels comfortable.”
“Yeah, make yourselves at home.”
Jae-hyun and Byung-gun spoke casually to the girls.
Watching them, I saw them in a new light.
I found it difficult to interact with women like this, yet those two handled it so naturally.
They seemed different somehow.
As for me?
I felt like I was dying from awkwardness.
I didn’t even know what to say.
It didn’t help that the woman I found attractive sat down right across from me.
Embarrassed and flustered, I suppose you could say.
Still, I didn’t let it show too much.
I made sure no one would notice.
After all, my acting had always been reliable.
So no one picked up on it.
“So, shall we each introduce ourselves?”
“Then you should introduce yourself first.”
When Jae-hyun spoke up first, Byung-gun chuckled and responded.
Everyone burst into laughter at his playful remark, and the awkward atmosphere eased slightly.
Only Jin-woo maintained a serious expression.
That’s the skill of a true master.
I definitely couldn’t have done something like that.
To lighten the mood so effortlessly.
It seemed like a genuinely advanced technique.
While I was thinking I should take note of that.
Jae-hyun smiled softly and spoke.
“Well, you all probably know, but I’m Jae-hyun Park, 25 years old, a fourth-year student in the Visual Media Department! Nice to meet you all.”
Jae-hyun stood up and gave a brief introduction.
Everyone applauded lightly and let out a small cheer.
That’s how you’re supposed to do it to avoid awkwardness.
Then Byung-gun stood up.
With an equally unburdened expression, he opened his mouth casually.
“I’m Byung-gun Choi. Like this guy, same department, same age! Same year. Hehe.”
When Byung-gun said that, he received light applause and sat back down.
I marveled briefly at how well they all did this, feeling slightly nervous.
Could I do well?
For a moment, that thought crossed my mind.
But it’s not that difficult, is it?
So I stood up just as casually.
It wasn’t as if I couldn’t speak.
Otherwise, how could I have done broadcasts?
As I stood up.
Jae-hyun and Byung-gun applauded enthusiastically and cheered.
“Wooow!”
“Ooooh!”
“Ha, nice to meet you. I’m not a student at this school—I’m Jin-woo, 26 years old, an alumnus. I came today as a substitute for a friend, but I didn’t come without giving it thought, so please don’t worry. I look forward to working with you all.”
After I said that and sat down.
The women’s eyes seemed to change slightly.
Though there’s only a one-year age difference, there’s something about it—how should I put it? A sense of maturity.
The women’s reaction seemed to shift a bit at my gentlemanly manner of speaking.
Well, it couldn’t be helped.
If you count my regression, I’m 36 years old.
Plus, before the regression, I did broadcasts every day, so my conversational skills improved.
I was confident in anything I said.
Even before the regression, I was quite popular with my refined broadcast style.
I had quite a few female viewers too.
But why was it single, you ask?
That’s a trade secret.
Besides, you don’t really want to know anyway.
In any case.
“Then shall we introduce ourselves as well?”
The dyed-haired woman spoke first and rose from her seat just as Jae-hyun had done.
She smiled brightly and bowed her head briefly in greeting.
“Hello, seniors! I’m Jung Da-in, twenty-one years old, a second-year student! It’s a pleasure to meet you all!”
Clap clap clap clap.
As everyone applauded and cheered in response, Da-in took her seat.
The atmosphere had been cheerful before, but during the introductions it shifted to something more spirited and energetic.
Next, the short-haired woman stood up from her seat.
And similarly.
“Ah, I’m Ji Eun-mi. I’m the same year as Da-in and the same age. Twenty-one. I look forward to getting to know you all.”
She gave a light introduction and sat back down.
And finally, the woman who had caught Jin-woo’s eye.
A graceful woman with long natural hair rose from her seat.
She showed no sign of agitation, her face expressionless as she stood.
Then she spoke in a calm, measured tone.
“I’m Yu Ji-a. I’m a second-year student and twenty years old.”
A short and concise introduction.
When all the introductions had finished.
The actual blind date began in earnest.

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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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