Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut!

Chapter 266. The Day of the Decisive Battle (4)

My answer was concise and to the point.

“Yes. Senior Seo Taehyun is doing well.”

“…?”

“Our senior is currently… working hard on solving Korean language problems, I suppose?”

“No, I mean—,”

“It seems that the recently debuted Cha Minseok didn’t take the college entrance exam this time. Congratulations on your hot debut, and I wish you a long life. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

No matter what reason Cha Minseok had for talking to me, I had no intention of engaging in a long conversation with him in such a crowded place.

‘Well, is Seo Taehyun doing well? If he is, so what? If he isn’t, then what?’

I was glad I put in the effort to dress up sharply this morning. It wasn’t for Cha Minseok, but if I had responded this coolly while wearing a baggy hoodie and cap, it might have lost some impact.

Even though I felt like I might freeze to death, I congratulated myself for sticking with the long coat. I purposely flicked the coat’s hem dramatically as I followed the shop employee inside, making sure Cha Minseok noticed. Fortunately, I was (just a little) taller than him.

“Ah, Manager Jang.”

“Hmm?”

“Um, back when I came for the Miro audition.”

I hadn’t forgotten to give Manager Jang a light nod, but I paused my steps because a memory suddenly surfaced.

It was the event that led to me being branded as a crybaby by Seo Taeil, and the reason rumors spread across Miro about me being the crazy trainee who fought with Seo Taeil.

“That… the person who gave me a gift back then, are they doing well? I never got the chance to thank them.”

“A gift…? Ah, yes. Jaehee. Jaehee has resigned now. But she’s still a fan of yours, Hajin. We used to joke that she quit because it was awkward to be a fan while working at the company.”

“Really?”

My first fan in this timeline had actually resigned.

Given the high turnover in the entertainment industry, it made sense. Honestly, Ji Suho, who had been with Miro for years, was the unusual one.

Still, it was somehow comforting to know that she remained a fan of Kairos and me. Even if it was just words, the comfort and encouragement she gave me back then still held value.

“Thank you. I’ll head inside now.”

“Alright. Hajin, you’ve been doing great lately, so I feel proud and happy.”

“It’s all thanks to you, Manager. I’ll see you later at the broadcast station.”

One should never get on the wrong side of well-known managers in the entertainment industry.

Gathering every bit of courtesy I could muster, I bowed to Manager Jang and quickly moved on. Even though I could still feel Chad Mot’s eyes on me, it wasn’t as if this was a romance drama where he’d suddenly grab my wrist and—

‘Ah, stop. Stop it. Don’t keep raising flags, Kang Hajin.’

The thought of Cha Minseok grabbing my wrist like in some romantic cliché made my stomach churn.

Feeling relieved that I’d be filling in as the music show MC today, I donned the shop’s special gown and took a seat.

I took off my glasses and closed my eyes, and my hairstylist, after checking my hair, started the conversation.

“But Hajin, did you really come to work alone today?”

“Yes. Aren’t I commendable?”

“You managed to keep your hair neat despite your busy schedule. Should I just tidy it up a bit here? Any style you want?”

“Uh, well…”

I swallowed back the words that I didn’t care and they could do whatever.

Thinking about it, I realized I’d be interviewing those perfectly handsome Rene idols later, including that original statue. I didn’t particularly have pride in my looks, but as an idol, I couldn’t stand the thought of people saying I was outshined.

I downed the orange juice handed to me by a staff member and spoke in a determined voice.

“Noona.”

“Hmm?”

“I need to look really handsome today. What should I do?”

“…What?”

“I have to look seriously good today…”

As I earnestly pondered, the staff around me burst into laughter.

Here I was, facing the crucial moment of potentially being broadcast as ‘random human male #1’ amidst Greek gods on TV, and they were laughing?

I shot them a glare, full of the unspoken question of why they were laughing, and my hairstylist examined my face through the mirror. After glancing at the black glasses I’d placed on the vanity, she nodded as if understanding.

“Hmm… Alright. Let’s go with something more sophisticated today.”

“I’m counting on you. I’m really serious about this.”

“Sure, sure.”

Ha…

Should I just cry my heart out once more in the morning and use the skill again?

It was one of those moments where I found myself envying the protagonists of those novels with all sorts of crazy systems that let them raise their appearance stats with a click.

* * *

After finishing my hair and makeup, I stepped out to the parking lot, sipping on the banana milk that the shop had given me. I could feel someone following me.

I had a rough idea of who it might be, but I was busy and still didn’t feel like dealing with them, so I purposely ignored it and headed toward our precious Morning. As I did, the person behind me called out urgently.

“Excuse me.”

“…”

“Hey, excuse me.”

“…Ah, where did I put the car keys?”

“It— Can’t you hear me?”

“It’s such a shame the Morning doesn’t have that beep-beep function. I need to make a lot of money and get a new car first.”

“…Hey! Kang Hajin-sunbae!”

When he finally added “sunbae,” I stopped and turned around.

What on earth could this rude guy want from me now?

I was starting to get genuinely curious.

“Why? Why? Are you so curious about how our Taehyun is doing? Why is that so important to you?”

“…”

“If you have something to say, be polite and say it quickly. We’re not exactly close enough to exchange pleasantries, you know.”

My tone had unintentionally become aggressive, but Cha Minseok didn’t seem to mind.

Actually, it seemed like he was more preoccupied with something else, so he wasn’t too bothered by my rudeness.

Dressed in an appropriately autumn-themed outfit, likely for his debut stage, Cha Minseok hesitated and then finally spoke.

“…Did Seo Taehyun—,”

“Sunbae-nim.”

“…”

“I’m a bit old-fashioned.”

At my interruption, Cha Minseok let out a short, uncomfortable sigh and corrected himself.

“Did Seo Taehyun… sunbae-nim say anything about me?”

Is this guy insane?

His behavior was so baffling that I couldn’t help but frown, but I had to be careful not to let it show. You never know who might be watching or where.

I looked around and then checked the time on my wristwatch before replying.

“No.”

“…”

“Even if he did, no. Is that all you have to say? You must have really liked me at first sight. We only met twice, and you’re asking all sorts of things.”

When I deliberately smiled as I said this, Cha Minseok’s expression grew unreadable. It seemed like he had followed me out with the intention of picking a fight, but now wasn’t sure what exactly to say.

Leaning slightly against the car, I crossed my arms and asked a question in return.

“Do you have some lingering grudge against our Taehyun? You don’t seem to be in a position to hold one.”

“…”

“Don’t go around spreading weird rumors, and let’s just work hard in our own places, okay? Let’s try not to get involved with each other… Though that might be impossible, let’s at least do our best.”

With that, I clenched my fist in a gesture of encouragement, walked past Cha Minseok, and got into the car.

It was a bit of a letdown that after delivering such a charismatic line, I was climbing into a cute little Morning, but whatever.

Looking at Cha Minseok standing there with a frustrated and contemplative expression, I felt like my response had been pretty decent.

“…Does he want to make peace? No way, not with such a rude attitude.”

As I tried to analyze Cha Minseok’s incomprehensible behavior, I pressed down on the accelerator.

First things first, I had to get to work.

* * *

“Oh~! Our Jini! Let’s do our best today too~”

“Ah, hello.”

After frantically finishing the script reading and blocking rehearsal, I was practicing alone in the waiting room when the door opened. Entering with a warm greeting were the main PD and main writer of **A Countdown**.

The two of them looked around the empty MC waiting room and burst into laughter.

“What, you really came alone? I heard about it from the director, but still.”

“Thanks to that, I’m getting a firsthand experience of what it’s like to be a one-man agency. It’s not easy.”

“The other members will make it on time, right? We pushed Kairos’ slot back a bit…”

“Yes. Taehyun and Yugeon just finished their exams, so they should be on their way. The other members should all arrive before the live broadcast starts. Thank you for your consideration, Writer-nim.”

As I answered with a friendly smile,

the writer joked that I didn’t seem like I was only twenty years old.

Swallowing the response, ‘That’s because I’m not twenty,’ I politely replied with something like, ‘Haha, thank you for the compliment.’ Meanwhile, the main PD, who had been unusually quiet, gave me a peculiar smile and patted me on the shoulder.

“Still, it’s great that Taehyun has such an awesome leader hyung. It’s good of you to back him up.”

“I’m working hard to make a name for myself so I can take over Taehyun’s spot.”

“Haha, even now, people are asking about you all over the place.”

The main PD, who had laughed along with my half-joke, suddenly fell into a contemplative silence.

Sensing something strange, I glanced at the main PD, who was sipping on his instant coffee, and spoke in a low voice.

“…I’m really glad Taehyun is doing well. Honestly. I’m really happy about it.”

Didn’t he say something similar last time?

At first, I thought he was just sincerely fond of Seo Taehyun as a PD, but by now, it was clear that there was indeed something more.

Casually, I threw out a question while pondering every possibility I could think of.

“PD-nim, you mentioned you’ve been watching Taehyun since his *Boy’s Kingdom* days, right? Can I ask what he was like back then?”

“…Back then? Well… He was good even then. I really thought Taehyun could debut for sure.”

“Well, he did make it to the final round as an independent trainee. Even as a member, I’m still surprised every time I see Taehyun. But then again… If he had debuted back then, he wouldn’t be in the same group as me now, so maybe it’s a good thing he didn’t make it?”

I tossed out the comment with a smile, but the main PD didn’t laugh.

Instead, his expression grew even heavier, his eyes darkening as he continued to sip on his coffee.

The main PD finally responded to my remark after a brief pause.

“…Yeah. Maybe it’s for the best.”

That response confirmed my suspicion.

There was definitely something between *Boy’s Kingdom* and Seo Taehyun.

And it was undoubtedly not something good for Seo Taehyun.