Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut!

Chapter 303. Phantom Pain (2)

The word “Gangwon” instantly triggered memories of the Cherry Boy chase incident, causing Hajin to jump to his feet and shout.

“He ran off again!?”

But Doha, seemingly anticipating Hajin’s reaction, spoke calmly to reassure him.

“Relax. He didn’t run away this time; we deliberately had him lay low.”

“…Really?”

“Yeah. I called Taehyun as soon as I checked the news. He seems to be doing fine. The company’s handling things immediately, too.”

“…Is that so?”

“The director instructed us to have him stay low after hearing how chaotic things are on our end.”

“If that’s the case, then…”

Hajin, who had been ready to dash off to Gangwon Province, felt his anger quickly dissipate at Doha’s words, which implied that the situation wasn’t as bad as he had feared. Feeling the tension drain away, Hajin plopped back down onto the sofa, sensing his rage meter steadily dropping.

‘They couldn’t bring him here in this chaos, and leaving him alone at the dorm was out of the question, so they hid him at the closest place—his family’s place in Gangwon Province.’

If Ji Suho was the one who made that decision, it was probably the best option.

Hajin calmed himself down after understanding the situation. The fact that there wouldn’t be a repeat of the Gangwon Province chase was a relief. As much as he cared about Taehyun, a six-hour drive from one end of the peninsula to the other was a different matter entirely.

Hajin placed his hands lightly on his knees as he spoke.

“Then let’s keep Taehyun in hiding for now, and we’ll head back to Seoul as soon as Wook hyung arrives. Our vacation is over anyway.”

“…Go back? Just like this?”

“What are we going to do in an empty pension? We’ve got comeback preparations to worry about, and we’re busy. Besides, we’ve accomplished what we came here to do.”

Hajin was referring to the “purpose” of the trip, which everyone knew meant Dan Haru. Realizing this, Haru awkwardly smiled and turned his gaze away. Finding Haru’s attempt to play innocent a bit annoying, Hajin grabbed Haru’s soft cheeks with one hand, lifting an eyebrow playfully.

“Let’s do well from now on, maknae.”

“Ah! It hurts…!”

“I’m serious, you know. Keep your head on straight.”

“I know…!”

“Good.”

Despite the painful grip on his cheeks, Haru’s firm response was at least somewhat satisfying to Hajin. With a satisfied expression, Hajin let go and stood up again.

It was about time to wake up Siwoo and check on Wook hyung’s arrival. As he mentally organized the tasks ahead, someone grabbed his wrist.

“…?”

“Uh, that’s…”

Hajin turned to see Yugeon awkwardly withdrawing his hand. He seemed to have grabbed Hajin’s wrist reflexively. When Hajin gave him a questioning look, Yugeon hesitated, his eyes darting nervously as he spoke.

“So, we’re just going? Like this? Leaving Seo Taehyun behind?”

It was unusual for Yugeon, who usually observed from a distance, to voice his concerns. Surprised, Hajin raised an eyebrow, his dark eyes slowly scanning Yugeon as if trying to decipher the intent behind his words.

Yugeon, clearly uncomfortable under the focused attention, quickly clammed up, but Hajin had already read the genuine concern behind his clumsy words.

“Why? Even after all that fighting, you still worry about your friend?”

Yugeon grimaced at Hajin’s unexpectedly warm tone, quickly denying it.

“I’m not worried. He may be soft, but he’s not stupid.”

“Then what?”

“…It’s just unfair. They’re insisting on something that isn’t true.”

Yugeon’s expression twisted with anger as memories of his own struggles with false accusations surfaced. His displeasure was evident as he clicked his tongue and turned his head away, as if trying to brush off the thoughts.

Hajin scratched his cheek, lips pursed as he considered how to respond.

“Well… yeah, it is.”

“…?”

“But it’ll be fine this time.”

The tone in Hajin’s voice was far from the seriousness it carried earlier.

Confused, Yugeon and Haru watched as Hajin reopened the laptop and pointed to the problematic summary post.

“Let me ask you something. What was your first thought when you read this?”

“Hmm… that they’re writing fanfiction?”

“Fanfiction? Where’d you learn that word?”

“Come on, that’s standard language, right?”

Haru blinked innocently, as if wondering why it was an issue. The expressions of his three older brothers, who were responsible for his upbringing, were priceless.

Hajin, momentarily at a loss for words, snapped out of it and cleared his throat.

“Anyway… as you’ve probably noticed from *Miro Maze*, conspiracy theories like this have always been around in survival shows. This is just another plague brought on by *Boy’s World* Season 2.”

There was no police investigation yet, and no clear evidence that Seo Taehyun had been involved in any manipulation. It was all circumstantial and speculative, with plenty of false information mixed in to fuel the controversy.

Hajin made a slicing gesture with his hand, indicating how easily the issue could be cut down.

“This is something Taehyun’s fandom will handle quickly. We won’t even need to lift a finger.”

Seo Taehyun. Who is he?

A young, penniless trainee who stepped onto the barren stage of *Boy’s World*, pushed through every unfair obstacle and hardship, made it to the finals, endured a three-year hiatus, and then dominated *Miro Maze* as the undisputed champion—an icon of triumph.

What does that mean?

“Taehyun’s fans are ready to annihilate anyone who tries to ruin his success, no matter who they are.”

People would only fall for something like this if there were actual grounds for it.

Soon, Taehyun’s fandom, which had survived two survival shows, would post fact-checks, and organize a well-coordinated image restoration campaign. Journalists who thrive on scandal might make some noise, but once the company steps in after the fandom’s work, with a bold statement of “unfounded claims” and “legal action against rumor spreaders,” those eager to bash and tear down Taehyun would disappear.

‘Honestly, what I was more worried about was the opposite…’

Hajin briefly considered the worst-case scenario that had been on his mind, but quickly pushed it aside. There was no point in worrying about things that hadn’t happened yet.

“So let’s leave Taehyun’s issue to his fans, and focus on our work.”

There were many things to be done, far more pressing than this.

A multitude of thoughts passed through Hajin’s mind as he smiled, trying to reassure the others.

* * *

“Hyung! Wook hyung said he’ll arrive in about two hours.”

“Got it.”

Haru, who had finished packing and was ready to head back to Seoul, relayed the message to Hajin, who was toweling off his hair. But when Hajin noticed that Haru was still lingering in front of him, he raised an eyebrow.

“…Why? Got something to say?”

“Uh, well, it’s just…”

“What is it? Does something feel off? Are you hurt?”

“No, no! It’s not that! It’s just… you know, the voice friend.”

“The voice friend?”

“The… the one I made the deal with.”

Realizing that Haru’s “voice friend” referred to Dolja, Hajin turned to face him with an understanding nod.

Haru, encouraged to continue, spoke hesitantly.

“Well, it feels like that version of me and I are definitely merging more and more. The memories are confusing because there are so many, but I can still tell which ones are his and which ones are mine.”

“Yeah, and?”

“I remember that in the dream, I made a different choice from usual. So I thought it was finally over. But now I’m wondering… is it really over?”

“…”

“Is it all really over? Does that mean the deal I made is gone too?”

The question carried a hint of nervousness and unease.

Hajin, after a brief pause, responded with a teasing smile.

“Why? Want to go back in time and undo it all? Feeling regretful now?”

“No!? That’s not it at all…!”

“Then it’s fine. I don’t know if it’s all really over or not. We’ll figure it out as we go. But I think it’ll be okay.”

“Oh… okay. Thanks, hyung.”

“Now go help the others pack up. I’ll wake up Siwoo hyung.”

“Wait, should I wake him?”

“No, I’ll do it. Go on.”

Haru, his golden hair bouncing as he ran, hurried off to help Yugeon and Doha with the trash. Hajin smiled as he watched Haru’s retreating figure, but his expression quickly darkened.

He turned and started up the stairs to where Siwoo was still asleep.

With each step, thoughts he had been suppressing swirled chaotically in his mind.

‘Is it really all over? No way.’

Hajin didn’t believe for a second that Dolja would give up so easily. The sudden awakenings of the members and the unexpected *Boy’s World* conspiracy—he saw them as Dolja’s opening moves in a larger counterattack.

‘But I can’t just tell Dan Haru that his friends might still

be in danger because of Dolja.’

If Dolja had one last trick to take over Haru’s body, what would it be?

Hajin’s thoughts led him to a single answer: *people.*

‘As crazy as he seemed, Haru isn’t inherently a bad person.’

Haru’s selfishness was paradoxically altruistic in every situation. The fact that his original motivation for time-traveling was to save the orphanage director was proof of that.

So, what would Dolja, who knew this better than anyone, do to attack Haru?

‘There are two ways to use past timelines against someone: make them relive the past or recreate events from the past.’

For the members who had been recruited and received mental care, triggering past memories wouldn’t work.

Therefore, Taehyun and Eunchan, who had already awakened, wouldn’t be as deeply affected. However, this also meant that they were likely to face some form of their past failures.

‘And on the other hand…’

For Siwoo and Yugeon, who hadn’t been recruited and hadn’t received mental care, the awakening itself was a major shock. Luckily, Yugeon seemed to be managing it, just as he had always managed to handle his past challenges….

‘But what about Siwoo hyung? How will he cope?’

Deep in thought, Hajin reached the top of the stairs and only then noticed someone standing in the darkened hallway.

It took him a moment to realize that the figure, standing still and lost, was Siwoo, who had just woken up.

“…Hyung.”

“Hajin.”

“Why are you standing here? If you’re awake, you should come down. We’re leaving soon.”

“…”

Hajin spoke lightly, but Siwoo, who looked dazed, didn’t respond. His usually calm and composed brown eyes appeared hollow and empty.

“…Hajin.”

“Yes, hyung. I’m right here.”

“I had a dream…. It was just a dream, but…. It was definitely a dream, but…”

Siwoo’s voice trembled as he began to speak, his words uncharacteristically incoherent.

“I kept seeing my father.”

“…”

“I kept seeing my father, Hajin. My father, he kept….”

How much can the remnants of a past long gone hurt us?

How much can the shadows of that past break us?

Even so, can we still hold hands and smile as we move toward tomorrow?

Carrying a hope he couldn’t fully believe in, Hajin silently took a step forward.