Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut!

Chapter 13: The Trainee Who Refuses to Debut (4)

I wanted to hear more details, but as the saying goes, “The guilty overhear conversations in the day, and those involved at night.”

We decided to continue our discussion in a more private space and agreed to head back to the practice room for now. Dan Haru, whose eyes had turned a little red, said he needed to wash his face and quickly ran off to the bathroom. Left alone with Joo Eunchan, I draped my arm over his shoulder and pondered.

“Where should we meet later for dinner? A restaurant would be too crowded.”

When discussing such matters, caution is always the best approach. It was already somewhat risky to have talked as much as we had at the company. After a moment of hesitation, Joo Eunchan finally responded, hesitantly.

“…Would you like to come to my place?”

“Your place? I don’t mind, but won’t your parents be there?”

“I live alone near the company. My parents often travel for work, so they live near the airport.”

Ah, right. You said you were from a wealthy family.

“Okay, that sounds better. But we might miss the last train after practice.”

“You can stay over at my place, and we can go to the practice room together tomorrow. There’s an extra room, and the living room is spacious.”

…Seems like he’s richer than I thought?

I looked at Joo Eunchan with a dubious expression, and he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, avoiding eye contact.

“I didn’t tell the company about it for that reason. Somehow, the Director found out… but please don’t tell anyone else.”

“What, that you’re a rich kid living alone in a fancy place in Seoul with two rooms and a spacious living room?”

“Don’t tease me.”

“He caught on, huh. Not fun anymore.”

“What’s so funny about that?”

Having shared a secret, Joo Eunchan seemed to feel a bit closer to me, as he grumbled, sticking out his lip at my joke. It was better than seeing him all gloomy with a troubled expression.

“Oh, so is that why you’re distant with the B-class guys? Because there’s a rumor you’re the top candidate for a parachute debut?”

“…Is it that obvious?”

“Anyone who didn’t notice would be a fool.”

“…”

“Ah, forget it. It’s childish. So childish, so childish, so childish.”

Here I was, nearly thirty, stuck watching these childish tensions among teenagers. I stopped myself from digging further into the matter involving Han Sung-woo, feeling like I might cross a line I couldn’t return from.

Why wasn’t Dan Haru back yet? Just as I was thinking about heading back to the practice room first, an unfamiliar voice called out to us from the hallway.

“Oh? Eunchan!”

“…Taehyun hyung!”

A boy with a friendly face and pink-dyed hair approached us, wiping his face with a wet towel. While I was trying to figure out why he seemed familiar, Dan Haru ran out of the bathroom, excitedly hugging the boy without hesitation.

‘He looks like a trainee. He’s not in B-class, so is he in A-class?’

“What are you guys doing here?”

“Oh, we were just talking with Hajin hyung for a bit. Hyung, this is your first time seeing him, right? This is Kang Hajin hyung, who just joined. He’s twenty.”

“Oh, I heard about you from the teachers. Hello, I’m Seo Taehyun.”

“Hello, I’m Kang Hajin.”

“Your voice is really nice. Oh, I’m nineteen, so you can speak comfortably, hyung.”

Leaving a good impression right from the first meeting is no small feat. His lively voice, cheerful smile—everything about him felt oddly familiar.

“…Boy’s World?”

At my instinctive remark, Seo Taehyun’s smiling face immediately stiffened. The expression on his face practically screamed, “Please don’t remember that,” which only sharpened my memory of the survival show that once set the idol world on fire. What was that show’s catchphrase again?

— “There’s no boy like any other under the sky. Hello! I’m your boy, Seo Taehyun!”

“Ah. Cherry Boy?”

“Oh my.”

“Hyung, just give up. It’s easier if you do.”

“This is hopeless. When will I ever escape that?”

Boy’s World was a survival show for male idols that aired about three years ago. Seo Taehyun made a strong impression on fans with his clear voice and bright smile. Although he didn’t make it to the final debut group, whose concept was a blend of boyhood and dreamy, fleeting sexiness, he still managed to gain a lot of fans.

‘He continued with solo activities even after the show ended, right?’

In my previous life, he had a company, but it wasn’t Miro. If I remember correctly, he bounced between several agencies, almost debuting with various boy groups before finally going solo as an adult. Did he pass through Miro along the way?

‘Anyway, gathering information is the most urgent task.’

Damn it. When I see other web novel protagonists, they always seem to know the future inside out and are able to do all sorts of things, but why did I end up possessed by an idol survival show that I gave up on?

[System Alert: Possessed? What a lowly metaphor!]

Shut up, you bastard.

“Oh, I saw that. Eunchan’s performance. Your dancing has improved.”

I was about to wrap up the conversation and part ways when Seo Taehyun’s comment caused Joo Eunchan’s expression to stiffen once again. The atmosphere suddenly turned awkward.

And it seemed Seo Taehyun hadn’t intended to cause this, as he quickly tapped Joo Eunchan with that bright smile.

“What? Why are you like this? I’m really fine, Eunchan. I wouldn’t have made it to that stage even if it wasn’t for you. You know that.”

“…But still, I’m sorry, hyung.”

“Oh, stop it. I shouldn’t have brought it up. Don’t worry about me. You must already be struggling with the misunderstandings.”

“Hyung.”

“If you apologize one more time, I’m really going to get mad.”

Despite his words, Seo Taehyun’s face was still full of smiles. From what I could tell, the A-class member whom Joo Eunchan had replaced on stage must have been Seo Taehyun. If he’s reacting this way, it seems they’re quite close.

“It wasn’t even your fault. I’ll just do something else well and get another chance.”

“…”

“If I stay any longer, I’ll probably start crying. Haru, hyung, I’ll get going first. See you next time. Take care.”

As Joo Eunchan’s expression grew stiffer, Seo Taehyun quickly made his exit. Watching Seo Taehyun’s retreating figure, I mentally categorized him as someone to keep an eye on, when I heard another familiar but more troubling sound next to me.

“…Hik.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. If you cry now, what am I supposed to do?”

Despite looking like he could become a delinquent in Miro, he seemed too soft-hearted, making me wonder if Miro got scammed by just looking at his face.

“Eunchan hyung… don’t cry….”

“This is driving me crazy.”

Just as I was about to pat his shoulder, Dan Haru, who had been comforting him, also started sniffling. Suddenly, I found myself in the absurd position of comforting two grown guys, and the absurdity of the situation hit me hard.

‘Right, it’s not your fault.’

It’s that damned Director who needs a beating…

* * *

“Eunchan.”

“Yes.”

“You really are the son of a rich family, huh?”

As I stared, spellbound, at the shiny new luxury villa in front of me, I muttered in awe, causing Joo Eunchan to scratch his cheek with a slightly embarrassed expression. He no longer even tried to deny it, as if it was cooler to just accept it.

“Let’s just go up. I’m too tired to even talk.”

After crying so hard, and with no time to feel awkward about it, the three of us were exhausted from practice to our bones and desperately needed a break. Even the elevator in this nice house had a different shine to it.

‘Young, handsome, tall, and rich. I need this urgently.’

Thinking about my family still living in a semi-basement, starting their day in that place, made me more determined. I have to succeed. I have to succeed and live a life where I can sleep in without worrying about the morning sunlight.

“This is it. Come in.”

“Hello….”

As Joo Eunchan had mentioned, the living room was spacious, and the house was too good for an eighteen-year-old to live in alone. No matter how wealthy the family, this was a bit much, wasn’t it? When I stared at him in surprise, he explained that he used to live with his older brother until recently.

“You have a brother?”

“Yes. But there’s a big age gap. I started living alone after he got married.”

No wonder he treated older people with such respect. That explained a lot. I nodded and set down my bags and other stuff in a corner of the living room.

“Here, have a seat.”

“Okay, let’s sit.”

“…”

“Why are you acting awkward? If you act strange, it’ll feel even weirder, Eunchan.”

“You won’t tease me?”

“Just say it first.”

“…I’ve never invited anyone over before.”

What’s with that answer, like something out of a youthful

romance?

His reply was so out of character that it made me laugh out loud. Joo Eunchan, thinking I was teasing him, glared at me with a resentful look.

“You said you wouldn’t tease me!”

“I just told you to say it first.”

“You’re really mean.”

“Is that the best insult you can come up with?”

“I have other ones too!”

“What are they? Let’s hear them.”

“You… Why would I curse at you, hyung!?”

“Oh. You didn’t fall for it.”

I tilted my head in mock disappointment, making him even more frustrated, and he glared at me, his face full of indignation.

“Eunchan. I heard from Haru that you have a nickname.”

“…A nickname?”

“Yeah. ‘Joo-doe-mol.'”

“What does that even mean?”

If I looked in the mirror right now, my face would probably be full of mischief. Despite the cluelessness written all over his face, Joo Eunchan didn’t seem to realize he was being teased, and instead looked at me with pure curiosity. Ah, those innocent eyes of a Miro boy.

“Right now. All of this. Everything about Joo Eunchan in this moment. The air around you, the humidity, the temperature… it’s all…”

“Hyung, you’re teasing me again, aren’t you?”

“That’s right. The fact that you’re only realizing it now completes the perfect ‘Joo-doe-mol’ universe.”

Joo Eunchan’s face looked like he had been duped, but he wasn’t sure how, and he couldn’t decide whether to be angry or not, which left his expression in a state of awkward frustration. If I kept teasing him now, he might actually get mad, so I desperately held back my laughter. Then Dan Haru, who had gone to wash his hands but seemed to have taken a shower instead, came running over and joined in.

“What’s up, hyungs? What are you talking about?”

“Nothing, Haru. Stay quiet. Eunchan still doesn’t know.”

“What don’t I know now?”

“Did Eunchan hyung miss it again?”

Thanks to Dan Haru’s uppercut of innocence, Joo Eunchan froze for three seconds with a face full of disillusionment. For the first time in a while, I felt like I could catch my breath a little after all the chaos of time travel, just playing silly games with these teenagers.

[System Alert: ‘Friendship Affection’ has stabilized the state of the fixed regressor.]

[System Alert: ‘Wandering and Drifting’ mode has been reduced by 5%… (Loading)]

It seemed something good had happened, as a series of system alerts popped up. I skimmed through them, saw that there wasn’t anything bad, marked them as read, and closed the window. Let’s take a break when we can.

I reached out to shake hands with Joo Eunchan, who still had a complicated look on his face. He looked up at me with wary eyes, trying to guess what I was up to.

“What is it?”

“A handshake for a truce?”

“…”

Even though he hadn’t erased his doubts, he extended his hand anyway. As soon as he did, I switched my hand to scissors, catching his hand between my fingers. It took Joo Eunchan about five seconds to realize that he’d been pranked again, and he was fuming with frustration.

“Ah!”

“You’re really slow to catch on.”

“Why do you even do this!?”

“Because you react like this, that’s why. Because you respond like this.”

“Ah, seriously!”

Sorry, Eunchan.

I’m not scared of your poker face anymore.