Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut!

Chapter 105. Things Will Explode (5)

Hajin decided to be honest.

“I… wasn’t like this originally.”

“……”

“I used to be really good at talking, confident in persuading others, and things almost always went my way.”

So, at first, he thought persuading Yugeon would be easy.

He thought that by soothing him a little, reasoning with him a bit, and offering some comfort, everything would be fine.

But Hajin’s methods failed every time, and the result of those accumulated failures stood before him now.

“But this time, no matter how much I think about it, I don’t know what I should do to get on stage with you. No, to be honest. I even wondered why I had to go through all this just to stand on stage with you.”

He recalled a time when Taehyun had asked him the same thing.

Why go through all this? We’re not even that close, and we don’t know each other that well, so why bother?

What had he answered back then?

No, before that. Why was he really doing all this?

‘Couldn’t I just let everything go and regress? There might be a better opportunity next time.’

Was it because of the quest?

Because he had to prevent regression?

Because he needed to recruit allies and find clues to the Chosen Regressor?

– Do you really think that?

– Would you really not care if Yugeon dropped out, as long as it’s not about regression?

No, it was because he was enjoying the moment of creating a stage together too much.

This was the very ‘today’ that Kang Hajin, the human being, had longed for and wanted more than anything in all the rounds of his life.

The one and only stage, created by passionate and talented people, pouring out their youthful energy.

He didn’t want to miss it.

He didn’t want to lose it.

And Hajin desperately wished that Yugeon felt the same way.

“I think our stage is too precious.”

“……”

“If you’re not there on this stage we’ve created together, it loses its meaning.”

Hajin closed his mouth after saying those words. It was the first time he had spoken his true feelings, and it was the last time he expressed his earnestness.

The two of them stayed silent for a long time. Yugeon seemed to be lost in thought, repeatedly hesitating to say something.

After a long silence, Yugeon finally answered.

“…Wow, when you put it that way, I really have nothing to say.”

“……”

“Of course, it’s a shame. Honestly, practicing was fun. I even quit my part-time job.”

Hajin looked up. It was the first time he had heard such a positive nuance after countless attempts. Yugeon, with a faint smile, looked at Hajin.

“But… right now, I just can’t imagine myself on that stage.”

“……”

“There’s going to be an audience this time, right? But I keep thinking, what will they think when they see me? Could there be people among them who cursed me and my family? And then I think, maybe it’s too much to get attached to a place that isn’t even mine in the first place… So that’s why. That’s why I’m just going to quit now.”

“……”

“Still, hearing you say that makes me feel good. It makes me feel like I was really part of your team.”

“…Of course, you were part of the team. What, should I transfer you to Seo Taehyun’s team?”

“Haha! Ah, no thanks. That’s still too cringey for me.”

With a relieved smile, Yugeon stood up.

“Thanks for the meal, hyung. …Buy me another one next time.”

Yugeon grabbed his suitcase and left the restaurant, while Hajin could only watch his back.

Yugeon had left.

But Hajin did not regress.

* * *

Although Yugeon had left the dorm, there were no official articles about his departure. Thanks to Suho, who had contacted Yugeon after hearing the situation from Hajin and managed to persuade him one last time.

It was something that hadn’t happened before.

– If you leave the company now, we won’t be able to protect you and your family. Even if you quit, I hope you can wait a bit until things calm down.

Suho also suggested that Yugeon return home, take a break with his startled family, and think more carefully about quitting or leaving the company. Fortunately, Yugeon agreed.

“I suggested he think about it, but we all know the schedule isn’t that generous, right? So, I think your opinions are the most important.”

The production crew, Ji Suho, and the Blue Flare team all gathered for an emergency meeting. If Yugeon really left, the Blue Flare team would have to revise everything from the VCR that was supposed to go in beforehand to the stage production.

“What does Yugeon say?”

“He says he needs more time to think. It seems his siblings were really shocked. Someone even dug up their personal information and home address. The company is also taking separate measures.”

“Um, if we say we want to wait for Yugeon, can we really wait?”

It was PD Kwon Myungeun and Writer Go Sehwa who answered Wonho’s question.

“Three days. We can only give you three days. If Yugeon decides to drop out, we’ll have to notify the audience again. You guys would have to reshoot, and with everything so tight, we can’t give you more time.”

“Of course, that’s three days from our side, but the Blue Flare team will also have to prepare for the stage as a five-member team… so you’ll be twice as busy starting now.”

Should they let Yugeon leave, or wait a little longer?

Even if they waited, if Yugeon didn’t come back, those three days would be all for nothing.

No one could easily speak up. Even Hajin, who already knew the answer, waited for the team’s decision.

The first to speak was Doha.

“In that case, I’d like to wait.”

He spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Doha added a calm explanation.

“If Yugeon doesn’t come back, then there’s nothing we can do, but if he does, our team will be ready to go on stage tomorrow. I don’t want to block the possibility of becoming 100% complete.”

Then Wonho raised his hand in agreement.

“Me too. I’d like to wait.”

“You too, Wonho?”

“…This choreography, I worked on it with Yugeon. There are parts that only Yugeon can pull off, and parts that were completed because of Yugeon. If Yugeon is okay with it, I really want to finish that stage with him.”

“……”

“And… I’m partly responsible for the misunderstanding about Yugeon. If Kangha hyung, Yugeon, and I create a great stage together… maybe that reaction will die down a bit?”

It seemed like Wonho had really thought it through. Just as he was about to shrink back at the quiet reaction, Eunchan also nodded and raised his hand.

“I want to wait too.”

“…Everyone, you need to think carefully. This isn’t just about waiting to go on a school trip with a close friend.”

Writer Go said in a cold voice, but Eunchan’s resolve did not waver.

“I’m confident we can create an amazing stage, even if Yugeon hyung doesn’t come.”

“……”

“I just want to give Yugeon hyung some time. He probably needs it too. It’s painful to get hurt, whether it’s your fault or not.”

As he said this, Eunchan looked at Hajin. Hajin, who had been silently listening to the team’s discussion, lifted his head, sensing Eunchan’s gaze.

“Your last memories always last the longest. I hope Yugeon hyung’s last memory isn’t like this. If Yugeon hyung doesn’t come back, I’ll take over his rap part. You guys can take all the vocal parts.”

Eunchan’s ‘last memory’ was thankfully not that bad. More than the sticky dampness he had felt with Han Sungwoo, he remembered the warm and savory taste of the gamjatang he had eaten with Hajin.

Eunchan hoped Yugeon would feel the same. It was a kindness he had learned from someone.

“…Hajin said he’d wait. I’d like to hear Siwoo’s opinion too.”

“As I’ve said before, this isn’t a situation where you have to answer that you’ll wait no matter what. Siwoo, think about it carefully and make your decision.”

“Yeah. It’s not about feeling pressured to say yes in this atmosphere. Think it over seriously.”

Suho and the production crew repeatedly emphasized this to Siwoo, the last one remaining.

Of course, everyone in the room knew that Siwoo would say NO if he really meant it, even if everyone else said YES. But the pressure from the situation was a different matter.

“……”

Everyone waited for Siwoo’s answer.

And at this moment, only Hajin knew what Siwoo’s answer would be.

“…Then it seems our team’s opinion is unanimous. Can we meet again in three days?”

In every repeated regression, Siwoo always stood with Hajin to keep Yugeon.

That had never changed.

‘…Ah.’

Hajin bit his lip hard.

For some reason, he felt like crying. He didn’t know why.

* * *

Since Yugeon wasn’t answering his teammates’ calls, Suho decided to visit him at his home over the next three days and explain that the team had decided to wait for him. Hajin nodded when Suho mentioned that he would be visiting Yugeon to discuss the current situation anyway.

“…Not yet, right?”

“Yes. Not yet.”

“Alright.”

Ever

since Suho had learned that Hajin had repeated regressions, he would occasionally ask, “Not yet, right?” Suho, unable to perceive the regressions, seemed to be asking for confirmation. Suho patted Hajin on the shoulder.

“Let’s wait, Hajin. I really want to see your upcoming stage.”

Leaving those words, Suho set off to meet Yugeon. Hajin returned to the practice room. Whether Yugeon came back or not, he couldn’t slack off in preparing for the competition.

Even if it was a future that might never come.

A day passed.

Yugeon did not return.

But Hajin decided to be grateful that a day had passed.

Explanations about Yugeon began to surface online.

Some of the posts were from the company’s PR team, but many were from people who knew Yugeon well and wrote positively about him.

Another day passed.

Social media heated up again.

Yugeon’s sister, Yurang, reactivated her social media account and posted directly.

(A family photo of Yugeon, Yuho, Yurang, and their grandfather)

♥ 2,109 likes

u_luv_u

Hello.

I am Yurang, the younger sister of trainee Lee Yugeon, currently appearing on Ntv’s *Miro Maze*.

I can no longer tolerate the malicious rumors surrounding my brother and our family, so I am writing this post.

I don’t know my parents’ faces. Since my early childhood, the only family I knew was my grandfather, my brother, me, and my twin younger brother. Just the four of us.

Did my brother hang out at night with women, smoking and drinking?

After school, he would take care of me and my brother, help out at our grandfather’s shop all evening, then go to a night shift at the convenience store, and clean the local bathhouse at dawn. Whenever he came home, he would be too busy sleeping. Are you really talking about my brother?

He loves dancing so much, but he couldn’t afford dance classes, so he did a video recording part-time job at a dance academy, and at home, he would watch those videos over and over again. Are you sure you’re talking about my brother?

…See more

Every line in Yurang’s post expressed her anger towards those who had insulted her brother.

People who learned about Yugeon’s circumstances quickly shifted their stance again. When Miro officially announced their ‘legal action,’ the shift happened even faster.

– This is why I stayed neutral… Where are all those who blindly criticized him? Come out and apologize.

– Honestly, I thought it was too much. It was obviously maliciously edited, and to treat a 19-year-old like a criminal was just bizarre.

– The rumor post had over a thousand comments, but look at how few views the explanation post has, lol.

The words of those who had joined in the chorus of insults quickly disappeared. Even though those who had written those posts were still likely occupying the same cyberspace, all the comments on the clarification post claimed neutrality or support for Yugeon from the beginning.

Yugeon still did not return.

But Hajin no longer wavered; he just quietly waited for tomorrow. Earnestly.