ALL NOVEL Chapter 75
Chapter 75. Someone’s Night
By the time Hajin arrived home, it was already late in the evening.
‘The sun was still up when I got on the subway.’
Next time I have to meet Ji Suho, I’ll make sure he comes to a place near my home.
With that small resolution, Hajin dragged his exhausted body, worn out from too much crying, through the front door.
“I’m home.”
“Hyung, you’re back?”
“What’s up with Mom and Dad?”
“They went for a walk.”
“Did you eat?”
“Yeah.”
Hawon, who was lying on a blanket in the living room watching iTube on his phone, greeted Hajin with a dry voice. Hajin walked past Hawon and was about to go straight to his room but then turned back, bending over in front of the lying Hawon.
“…? What are you doing?”
“Observing my little brother.”
“…Is something wrong?”
“No? Why suddenly?”
“You always act like this when something’s up.”
Having lived together for about 20 years, there was nothing Hawon didn’t know about Hajin, which made Hajin flustered.
Just as he was about to step back, worried that his tears might have been noticed, Hawon merely glanced up at him from where he lay and soon returned his gaze to his phone screen.
“Never mind then.”
“What, like anything could be wrong. There’s nothing. I’m going to shower, okay?”
“Yeah.”
Sharp little brat…
Hajin quickly stood up. He grabbed his change of clothes and headed to the bathroom, but just as he was about to enter, Hawon, still lying down and browsing iTube, spoke up.
“Oh, hyung.”
“Yeah?”
“…No, nothing.”
“There are two things that can piss someone off. One is starting to say something and then stopping…”
“Oh, seriously, it’s nothing. Just go shower already.”
Hawon, who now completely turned his back to him as if to say, “Don’t bother me anymore,” made Hajin pout in protest before he finally entered the bathroom.
As soon as the sound of water running was heard, Hawon, who had turned over, sneakily peeked over his shoulder. After confirming the bathroom door was closed, he picked up his phone again.
Frozen on the screen was a paused performance video of Hajin on iTube.
“……”
Hawon quietly stared at the image of his brother in the video.
Lately, his brother had seemed a bit more melancholic than usual, but the strong and impressive figure in the video was still there, which gave him some reassurance.
‘…It’s a bit embarrassing to say I watched it, so.’
Hawon quietly pressed the “like” button on the video. He also subscribed to the channel and turned on notifications. Scrolling down, he sorted the comments by popularity and gave “likes” to those praising his brother.
‘I need to work hard too.’
It was his own way of supporting the brother who always forged ahead of him.
* * *
“…What the? Kang Hawon, are you asleep?”
When Hajin came out after showering, he found Hawon asleep on the living room floor without even covering himself properly with a blanket.
“Why’s he sleeping like this?”
With a towel draped over his head, Hajin strode over and adjusted Hawon’s blanket. He also picked up the phone that had been lying on his chest and tossed it aside.
After turning off the lights in the living room, leaving only the front door light on, Hajin finally entered the room he shared with Hawon.
“Alright, then. Time to get back to work.”
Hajin sat on his bed and opened the system window.
The cause of the earlier rush home, which had made him forget that he was crying in the middle of the road, appeared right before his eyes.
[System Alarm: The ‘Wandering and Drifting’ mode is deactivated as it remains below 50%. (Current: 48%)]
“Well, I get this. Pass.”
As he returned home, he noticed that he could breathe easier and that his thoughts were sharper.
It felt as though a heavy stone weighing down one corner of his heart had shattered.
That was probably the cause.
“The real issue is this.”
[System Alarm: ‘Kang Hajin’ is reacting to you. (Reaction Rate: 100%)]
[‘Kang Hajin’ can be recruited.]
[Would you like to recruit? (Y/N)]
“What? So, all this time, it was a Kang Hajin team without Kang Hajin?”
His voice rose in disbelief. Although he quickly shut his mouth, worried that he might wake Hawon, the absurdity of it all didn’t go away.
The guy who should’ve been explaining this with a “This is all due to the authority of~” tone, Thirteen, had remained silent since this notification appeared.
‘I’m a bit wary of asking about it in the unconscious space again…’
What should he do?
At that moment, as if understanding Hajin’s worries, a new system window popped up.
[System Alarm: Sudden Quest!]
[Content: The greatest ally in this world is myself.
Believing in myself starts with knowing myself!
Get to know ‘Kang Hajin.’]
[Rewards for Success: Rewards are given based on achievement level.]
[-Recruiting ‘Kang Hajin’ as a companion: 1 Designated Character Trait Viewing Right]
[-Checking ‘Kang Hajin’s Traits: Free Skill Upgrade Voucher]
[-Checking ‘Kang Hajin’s Stats: Unexpected Fortune]
The absence of a failure penalty and the consecutive nature of the rewards made it clear that this quest was far from finding the Chosen Regressor.
So, probably, this quest was another one created by Thirteen himself, like the previous “Cat’s Gratitude” quest.
“Alright, fine. Let’s do this.”
Hajin now felt like he could handle anything, no matter where his limits lay.
[System Alarm: ‘Kang Hajin’ has been recruited as a companion. (4/??)]
[Recruited companions’ current status and location can be identified, and they can be summoned when needed (for a payment of 10 cash).]
“Well, I doubt I’ll need to summon myself.”
[Sudden Quest Special Reward]
[Content: You can use the Designated Character Trait Viewing Right (excluding yourself).]
[Would you like to view the traits of companion ‘Kang Hajin’? (Y/N)]
Originally, this system wasn’t Hajin’s ability but rather the temporary authority of a time manager. Based on this, the system seemed to recognize him as the ‘Fixed Regressor’ rather than ‘Kang Hajin.’
‘They always refer to me as the Fixed Regressor. So it makes sense that I can use the trait viewing right since I’ve recruited ‘Kang Hajin’ as a companion, but it doesn’t apply to myself.’
As Hajin felt his understanding of the ‘system’ deepen, he inhaled sharply, as if gathering his resolve.
“Okay, I’m ready.”
As he nodded, the familiar blue window he first encountered appeared before his eyes.
[Kang Hajin (Fixed Regressor)]
Descriptor: Undefined (Lacks achievements to obtain a descriptor)
Trait: Fixed Regression
-Follows the timeline of the Chosen Regressor
-Remembers the ‘past timelines’
-Accumulates experience from the ‘past timelines’
Special: ‘Wandering and Drifting’ mode OFF
Contact with the Chosen Regressor influences the ‘past timelines’ (Déjà vu)
※The Mental Care System is temporarily active.※
The long-awaited trait window he finally faced was simpler than expected.
‘I don’t know why I was so scared of this.’
The only notable part was the last sentence, which he had also seen in Ji Suho’s trait window.
“…So that means I did meet the Chosen Regressor.”
Who could it be?
Several candidates floated through his mind, but he quickly dismissed them. Tonight, he would only focus on himself.
Hajin opened the next reward.
[Sudden Quest Special Reward]
[Content: You can upgrade one of your existing skills once without any penalty.]
[Please choose the skill you wish to upgrade.]
-‘As You Speak’ (LV.10)
-‘How Much Is Enough?’
-‘See with the Dragon’s Eyes’ (LV.3)
-‘What Makes Me, Me?’ (LV.4)
“Wow, what naming sense…”
Seeing the names listed like this made him feel the passage of time. Since the skills’ names are set to the easiest ones for him to understand… Well, he couldn’t complain.
Anyway, he had already decided which skill to use this free upgrade voucher on.
“Upgrade the Dragon’s Eye skill. It’s too difficult to know objective abilities right now, so make it more intuitive.”
[System Alarm: All skills are composed based on the user’s database.]
[System Alarm: Do you agree to quantify ‘human abilities’?]
[System Alarm: If you agree, the skill
“What? So, all this time, the reason it’s been annoyingly displayed as a percentage is because of me? Because I don’t like being evaluated?”
[System Alarm: The comprehension of the skill
“Wow, this is ridiculous.”
The unexpected secret of the skill left Hajin rubbing his forehead. It seemed his depression had penetrated deeper into his mind than he had realized.
Although seeing potential in terms of percentages was less off-putting than rating people’s abilities, it was clear that now a more definite indicator was needed.
‘To find the Chosen Regressor, I need a simpler and more intuitive aid.’
Having made up his mind,
Hajin nodded without hesitation.
[System Alarm: The skill
“Hey, by the way, can’t you change the skill name? No matter how I think about it, it’s just…”
[System Alarm: …Skill renaming is available for 100,000 cash, dear customer ^♡^]
“…Oh, look who’s back. The greedy Thirteen.”
Even the exorbitant 100,000 cash didn’t stop Hajin from smiling warmly. Despite his grumbling, he knew that this quest was solely made for him.
[System Alarm: The skill
[System Alarm: The changes are now in effect.]
[System Alarm: Would you like to use the skill
“Phew. Alright, this is the final boss, isn’t it?”
After straightening his back, shaking his wrists, and even doing a quick neck stretch, Hajin nodded.
“Show me my stats.”
The blue window appeared as if it had been waiting for him. Hajin stared at the letters forming on the system window without blinking.
[Kang Hajin (Affiliation: Miro)]
-Debuff: Certain stats are reduced due to the influence of the Mental Care System.
Vocals: A
Rap: A-
Dance: B+
Expression: C+ (S)
Charisma: A-
Special: Stage Prodigy (S)
-During performances, there is a certain chance all stats will temporarily increase.
Appeal Points:
‘Despite Everything’
-Leadership, Positive Thinking, Synergy
More than he expected, or rather, more than he had anticipated….
As he read his stats in a daze, Hajin couldn’t hide his surprise and quickly searched for the stat windows of others.
“The strongest, the strongest one…”
He opened the stat windows of the ‘ideal idol’ and the ‘most talented idol’ by his standards.
[Seo Taeil (Group: Utopia)]
Vocals: S-
Dance: SS
Expression: A-
Charisma: S
Special: Melody (S)
-Significantly increases composing and producing abilities
Appeal Points:
‘Everything is in my hands!’
-Leadership, Charisma, Stage Dominance
[Seo Taehyun (Affiliation: Miro)]
Vocals: B+
Dance: A-
Expression: A
Charisma: A
Special: Charm (A)
-There is a certain chance that Charisma stat will temporarily increase.
Appeal Points:
‘My eyes keep going to him, my eyes keep going!’
-Vocal Tone, Dance Line, Stage Expression
Next, he checked the stats of the ‘least idol-like idol.’
[Lee Doha (Affiliation: Miro)]
Vocals: F
Rap: S
Dance: C
Expression: B
Charisma: B+
Special: Melody (SS)
-Significantly increases composing and producing abilities
Appeal Points:
‘Strong Heart’
-Delivery, On-Stage Crisis Management, Performance Realization (80%)
Lastly, he reviewed the stats of the ‘unbelievable idol.’
[Lee Yugeon (Affiliation: Miro)]
-Debuff: All stats are reduced due to the effect of innate traits.
Vocals: D (C+)
Dance: B+ (S)
Expression: C- (A-)
Charisma: D+ (B+)
Special: Copy & Paste (B)
-There is a certain chance to fully internalize the traits of an immersed target.
Appeal Points:
‘I still have 12 ships left.’
-Responsibility, Perseverance, Strong Immersion
As he reviewed the stats of these comparative targets, Hajin mumbled with a mix of surprise and relief.
“…I’m doing okay.”
With a laugh filled with a sense of release, Hajin collapsed onto his bed and closed his eyes.
“I’m okay.”
That night, Hajin dreamed. As always, the memories of the past were smeared like paint.
But in the dream, Hajin no longer cried.