Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut!

Chapter 254. Touch High! (6)

At the audacious attitude of the self-proclaimed Destroyer, Manager Jang was left blinking in a daze, unable to comprehend. I decided to add some explanation.

“Kang Doha, that kid from earlier, punched the calculator and self-destructed, hyung-nim. It’s more advantageous to ensure he ends up last and gets the votes, rather than accidentally landing second and being stuck with it.”

If, by some stroke of luck, our team had ended up second in the previous situation, both Kang Doha and our team would have received six badges each.

In that case, if Kang Doha, for whatever reason, had been voted and lost three badges, his final count would have been three.

But what if we made our team finish third?

“If our team ends up last, he gets nine badges. Even if three are deducted, he still has six. He chose the guaranteed six over a potential three.”

“You, you…! You go on about sincerity…!”

It was indeed a loophole in the rules, but who would have thought, from the start, that someone would openly reveal their identity on a variety show just to ensure they finish last?

As another regular panel member pointed at Kang Doha with a betrayed expression, he shrugged nonchalantly.

“A spy simply pursues practicality.”

“Noona, these guys are really strange. They all seem a little unhinged.”

“Kairos is terrifying, really….”

At that point, I felt wrongly accused.

“No, hyung-nim, why me…? I’m innocent, you know?”

“Innocent at creating blunders… That’s even scarier.”

“Eh↗? No, what do you mean by blunders, that’s so unfair….”

The manager and another regular panel member put on a spectacular reaction, eagerly creating content for the show.

I could tell without even looking that all the participants and production crew had their eyes glued to our drama.

The attention was enough, and the drama had played out adequately.

Now, the important question was, how should we deal with the Destroyer Kang Doha?

I quietly scanned the opposing team members one more time, then proposed to my still-indecisive team.

“Guys, how about we take a gamble?”

“A gamble?”

“Let’s ditch Kang Doha.”

At my words, Kang Doha’s left eyebrow twitched.

I seriously began to persuade my teammates.

“Anyway, if we send Kang Doha out in his current state, he’s a minus. He has no intention of winning right now, doesn’t he? Look at these crazed eyes of his.”

“Well, that’s true… But can we win first place without Doha? Wouldn’t it be better to consider a deal to propose to him?”

“Just trust me this once. We just need to win five matches, right? It doesn’t matter if we have repeat participants?”

“Right.”

“I’ll go out with this guy and win all of them.”

I confidently stated, firmly grabbing the shoulder of the one who would become the gamble’s winning move.

“…Me?”

It was Dan Haru, our baby bunny warrior, who had been attentively listening to my words.

* * *

“Alright, let’s start the match~!”

With the PD’s announcement, a tense atmosphere enveloped the filming set.

Dan Haru, awkwardly poised with a marshmallow-like tube attached to his body by a taut string, waited for the signal.

“Hajin-ah, are you sure this is okay? No matter how you look at it, Haru doesn’t seem the type to have any strength.”

The comedian, who had reluctantly agreed to my plan, asked me with a still-worried face. Kang Doha, who was standing beside me, seemed just as curious about what I was thinking.

I glanced at the opposing team members and then slung an arm over Kang Doha’s shoulder.

“I told you, it’s a gamble. If Haru can’t win, then we have no chance. Kang Doha here has no intention of putting in any effort, and winning five consecutive matches on my own is impossible.”

No matter how I thought about it, the production team had failed in their balance patch.

If the penalty for receiving the Destroyer’s vote was around -5, the Destroyers would be more cautious, but since it hardly mattered either way, someone like Kang Doha, who blows up the game, would appear.

‘Or is there another rule that I’m missing?’

As I pondered, the whistle signaling the start of the match blew.

Sanchez from the Stormheader team, a leader from the Wintertail team, and Dan Haru all dashed forward simultaneously. The balance of power between the three seemed to be fairly even.

“Still, I feel like I would’ve been a better insurance policy than Haru. Or maybe even the manager.”

At those words, I shook my head firmly, gesturing for him to just watch.

In the arena, Dan Haru, who had been maintaining his balance, tilted his head slightly, then clenched his teeth and leaned forward.

“Doha.”

“Yeah?”

“Why do you think our youngest members keep causing trouble?”

Dan Haru, who had bent forward with all his might, suddenly sprang up and stepped back.

The previously balanced tension shattered, and the other two stumbled, losing their balance.

During this time, Dan Haru secured enough distance for a running start and, holding onto the tube tightly, sprinted toward the flag with all his might.

Sensing the first victory, I patted Kang Doha’s back.

“He’s overflowing with strength.”

“…….”

“Remember when he broke Eun-chan’s curtain rod and frying pan handle? That was all Haru.”

“……….”

“Recently, he even broke one of the table legs while folding it…. Oh, and he tore off the shoe cabinet door in the hallway too.”

“………….”

Beeeep―!!!

Just then, the whistle signaling the end of the match echoed.

On the soft mat, Dan Haru waved the flag in his hand, cheerfully shouting.

“Hyungs! I won!!! How did I win!?”

“Look at him, he doesn’t even know how strong he is…. No wonder he keeps breaking things….”

“………….”

Kang Doha, who had just discovered the identity of the culprit responsible for destroying all the household items, remained silent, stunned.

Beaming with pride, I hugged Dan Haru as he ran over, patted his back, and sent him back into the ring.

“Alright, Dan Haru. Just win two more times like this. I’ll handle the rest.”

“Okay! I think I can do it. He’s not heavier than Eun-chan hyung.”

“If you win two more times, we’ll have pork belly for dinner tonight.”

“Awesome! You’re going to grill it, right, hyung?”

“No? I’m going to ask Lee Yugeon to grill it.”

“Sweet. Yugeon hyung grills pork belly really well.”

Dan Haru literally laughed out loud and hopped back into the ring, humming.

No matter how much I thought about it, it was clear that the Chosen Regressor had failed the balance patch.

‘They showered him with all the protagonist settings to make him happy, so he grew up without knowing how scary the world is.’

Still, I should be grateful that one of those settings made him ‘strong.’

As I watched Dan Haru, who was now gearing up again with the tube around his body, I nudged the still-pensive Kang Doha beside me.

“Hey, Destroyer.”

“Yeah?”

“What are you going to do now?”

Beeep―!

The second match began.

Seeing Dan Haru’s confident demeanor again, I grinned like a villain and spoke to Kang Doha.

“If our team gets first place and votes you out, you’re going to end up with zero badges, right?”

At that, Kang Doha chuckled softly and nodded.

“…Yeah. Looks like I’m in trouble.”

He said he was in trouble, but his face didn’t show it at all.

Even though Kairos’s physical powerhouse wasn’t in the game, the focus of the filming set was already on the Kairos team.

The production crew, the opposing teams, everyone was curious to see how far the seemingly fragile Dan Haru could go.

Even without watching the edited version, I could tell that this episode’s main storyline would revolve around the Kairos team.

‘If Kairos doesn’t make it to the trending topics the day this episode airs, I’ll eat my hat.’

Beeep―!

“Kairos Team, victory!”

“Waaahhh! Haru!!!”

“What on earth is Kairos up to?”

It felt like we had already achieved about half of the goal I had set before entering the filming set today.

* * *

The filming continued smoothly without any delays.

In the first theme, the ‘Athletic Competition,’ our team ultimately earned the points.

Dan Haru won four consecutive bullfighting matches and then performed remarkably well in the chicken fight that followed.

After having such a fun day, he’d probably pass out as soon as we got back to the dorm.

‘Seo Taehyun’s going to have it easy.’

The second theme was ‘Intelligence,’ a typical quiz game.

However, since each team member had to write one letter in sequence to form the answer, this time, we genuinely needed the cooperation of the Destroyer, Kang Doha.

-I’ll take the fall.

It was the comedian, who had been our team’s leader, who stepped up.

-Doha, if you cooperate in this match, I’ll take all the Destroyer votes for the rest of the day.

-What? No, hyung-nim, you don’t have to go that far….

-No, I must. I’m going to make sure you guys win today, even if it means I get punished.

-Father-in-law…!

–

That’s not decided yet, you brat!

Moved by the manager’s determination to win for his daughter Jiyu, Dan Haru and I put on our best performance, pretending to be teary-eyed.

We tearfully pleaded with the still-hesitant Kang Doha.

-Doha, are you seriously hesitating? Destiny-in Jiyu is probably watching this broadcast right now.

-…….

-For the honor of Destiny-in Jiyu, shouldn’t your determination to win this three-way battle be burning bright!?

Defeated by the Destiny cheat key, Kang Doha finally accepted our proposal, and we ended up finishing second in the intelligence mission.

Since each team’s score accumulates just like individual badges, the current standings in the team competition were as follows:

****

****

****

We were in the lead so far, but depending on the outcome of the next match, the victory could be decided, or all the teams might end up tied.

The third theme, which would likely be the final mission of the day, was ‘Strategy.’

There was a complex set of rules, but to put it simply, it was a capture-the-flag game.

“Each team will take turns as the seeker for 10 minutes and try to capture the flags of the opposing teams. During this time, the teams that are not the seekers must protect their flags while searching for items that will aid them in the mission.”

In the end, it was a game where we had to protect our team’s flag while capturing all 10 flags from the other teams to win.

But the rules didn’t stop there.

“At this time, the Destroyers will have secret missions that allow them to earn individual badges regardless of the team’s victory. Your team’s future will depend on your choices, so make sure you decide carefully.”

The moment the word “Destroyer” was mentioned, everyone’s gaze instinctively turned toward Kang Doha.

He remained calm, listening to the explanation with a seemingly unreadable expression.

“Now, let’s begin the strategic tag game.”

I mentally ran through various scenarios while strapping on a flag holder that looked like a quiver.

‘Alright. How should I play this out to get some airtime?’

I realized that this concern was the most useless one in the world not long after.