Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut!

Chapter 90. Bomb? (1)

Days passed filled with doubts about Lee Yugeon.

And today was the day when the much-anticipated second episode of “Miro Maze” would be aired.

“Here comes the chicken~.”

This place, now so familiar that it almost felt like my own home, was Joo Eunchan’s living room.

Bringing in the just-delivered chicken, unlike usual, wasn’t Seo Taehyun but Kim Wonho.

“Thank you for the food!”

“Dan Haru, at times like this, you should clearly specify who you’re thanking.”

“Who am I supposed to thank?”

“The person who bought this chicken.”

At that, both Dan Haru and I simultaneously looked in the same direction.

Sitting on the sofa, leaning back, Joo Eunchan sensed our gazes and had a puzzled look on his face.

“…What, should I make a video call to my brother?”

“That would be impolite, so we’ll thank you as his representative. Thank you, Eunsuk hyung.”

“Thank you, Eunsuk hyung!”

“What is this atmosphere? Then I’ll join in too. Thank you, Eunsuk hyung~.”

Even Kim Wonho, who was setting up the chicken, joined us in bowing politely to Joo Eunchan.

Holding the remote control and tuning the TV to the Ntv channel, Joo Eunchan tightly gripped the remote and spoke.

“Stop it before I kick you all out.”

“Yes.”

“Okay.”

“Let’s eat, let’s eat~.”

So, today’s gathering was for “watching the second episode of Miro Maze while eating delicious food ordered with Joo Eunsuk’s card at Joo Eunchan’s place.”

– My brother sent a card so I could buy delicious food for my friends….

– Don’t people usually send pocket money?

I was briefly amazed by the incomprehensible world of the rich when Joo Eunchan asked for help finding other trainees to join.

– Now that the parachute issue is resolved, I want to get closer to the other hyungs too. But, um…

– …Got it.

Thus, the recruitment for Joo Eunchan’s housewarming party began.

The criteria were ‘those who happened to have free time today and stayed at the dorm instead of going home.’

…And only those whom Joo Eunchan didn’t feel awkward around.

Thanks to that, this was the combination we got.

Me, Kim Wonho, Dan Haru, and…

“Eunchan. There were no towels, so I took one from the closet.”

“Oh, yes. It’s fine, hyung. You can use that one.”

…Even Lee Doha.

I wondered when Joo Eunchan became close with Kim Wonho, but it seemed they got to know each other during the second mission, “Cinderella,” when they were on the same team.

“Seo Taehyun said he was going out for the first time in a while because his mother and uncle were visiting today.”

I didn’t ask about the others because I wasn’t interested.

Come to think of it, I did hear something while leaving the dorm.

– Hey, honey. I got a leave request for today. Oh, it’s fine. I can wear a hat and mask. Yeah, yeah~.

…It seemed that the kids who were getting bold were starting to appear one by one.

‘Though I didn’t see his face, the voice was definitely Shin Kyungho.’

Yeah, it was about time for the kids to start causing trouble.

In a company full of strong individuals, even though they strictly verified trainees’ backgrounds, troublemakers still caused trouble. And even those who wouldn’t normally cause trouble got dragged into it.

‘I just have to hope it’s not me.’

Lost in such thoughts, Kim Wonho, who was chewing on chicken, waved his hand in front of my face.

“Stop zoning out.”

“What are you thinking about in front of chicken? Have you got heatstroke?”

Surprised by his genuinely concerned voice, I threw a more surprising fact at him.

“Shin Kyungho is dating.”

“What!?”

“Who?”

“With whom?”

The reactions were explosive as expected. But the surprise was short-lived, and they soon accepted it as if they’d suspected it all along.

“Actually, he had a girlfriend before too. When you guys were all in the special class, he secretly brought his girlfriend to the company and got caught by Team Leader Yeonggon.”

“Wow, isn’t that a no-no?”

“Of course, it is. He almost got kicked out, but I think Han Sungwoo hyung covered for him.”

Hey, you bastard. Even so, don’t bring up another Voldemort here…

Instinctively, I checked Joo Eunchan’s expression when that name was mentioned.

Contrary to my concern, Joo Eunchan was casually conversing with Kim Wonho, looking unperturbed.

“So that’s why he was trying so hard to get on Han Sungwoo hyung’s good side.”

“Wow, you’re right. Tsk, I should’ve noticed something strange back then. Who’d have thought he was a parachute.”

“True. But we won’t see him anymore, so whatever.”

Joo Eunchan’s face remained calm as he spoke. Just as usual.

Indeed, the best defense against peer violence was separating the perpetrator and the victim.

“…?”

Then I made eye contact with Dan Haru. He seemed to be keeping an eye on Joo Eunchan as well. Probably because he knew the situation better than anyone, he was more concerned.

‘Upon reflection, that guy has quite a good sense of situational awareness…’

Another person added to the list of those I couldn’t fully understand yet.

Though my suspicion leaned heavily towards Lee Yugeon, I couldn’t let my guard down until it was confirmed.

“Oh, speaking of which, I remembered something. I heard something about Han Sungwoo hyung recently.”

‘Stop it, you bastard…!’

In the general class, he used to only dance with Yoon Taehee. It seemed Kim Wonho had no idea that Joo Eunchan was ostracized by Han Sungwoo.

‘Though I was probably too quick to notice.’

Han Sungwoo ostracized so subtly that even Ji Suho and the rookie development team staff didn’t notice until I mentioned it. Kim Wonho casually bringing it up wasn’t really a problem.

Besides, what Kim Wonho heard about Han Sungwoo was too shocking.

“…What’s he doing?”

“He enlisted. His father shaved his head and personally took him to enlist.”

“His fa-father personally?”

“I don’t know what kind of trouble he caused, but even his family completely cut ties with him.”

Joo Eunchan, who had been maintaining his composure, had a subtle change in his expression. It seemed he didn’t know how to react to such an absurd ending.

I handed Joo Eunchan a chicken drumstick and asked Kim Wonho again.

“Where did you hear that? Is it reliable?”

“I overheard Shin Kyungho talking to his gang on Sports Day.”

And at that point, I was the one who got shocked.

“Wait a minute. Shin Kyungho? Not Shin Kyungho?”

The world felt like it was collapsing. Wasn’t his name Shin Kyungho?

“Oh, right? Hyung kept calling him Shin Kyungho, right? I wasn’t hearing things wrong, was I?”

“Isn’t his name Shin Kyungho?”

“It’s not. Why would you change someone’s name? Yeah, I thought so. I wondered if I misheard it earlier.”

“Really, it’s not Shin Kyungho?”

“It’s not. It’s Shin Kyungho.”

Unbelievable.

I felt like I’d just learned that the white sheep I thought I knew was actually a gray goat.

“No, anyway, his name isn’t the important thing right now. Do you know how Shin Kyungho knew about it?”

“How did he know?”

Dan Haru’s eyes sparkled. He looked determined to hear the wretched end of that bastard.

“Han Sungwoo hyung called Shin Kyungho and asked to borrow money. He begged while crying.”

“From the army?”

“Yeah. From the army.”

At those words, everyone sitting down nodded slightly. Even Lee Doha, who had been silently listening, nodded!

‘If he enlisted now… he’ll be twenty-four when he’s discharged? No chance of debuting as an idol.’

These days, even those who want to go can’t go to the army. The fact that he was sent straight to enlist meant… at least he was guaranteed to be at the forefront.

And since he was even cut off by his only backer, his family, it seemed like the perfect ending for someone who tried to thrive on money.

I wanted to hear more because it was so satisfying, but unfortunately, the update talk ended there.

Finally, the second episode started.

“Oh, it’s starting.”

It seemed like it was everyone’s first time monitoring a broadcast together.

I looked at Lee Doha, who ended up joining us because he was Kim Wonho’s roommate.

“Hey. Are you okay? Not uncomfortable?”

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

“I mean, I thought it might have been too sudden. Kim Wonho said you’d be at the dorm today, so I suggested we watch together.”

Even though he was in the special class, Lee Doha didn’t seem particularly close with Joo Eunchan or Dan Haru.

Still, it felt awkward to take only one of the two roommates out.

Lee Doha’s unexpected acceptance of my invitation made me more surprised.

Listening to my words quietly, Lee Doha asked me instead

.

“Am I making you uncomfortable?”

“What? Don’t say such nonsense. Would I have invited you if you made me uncomfortable?”

“If you guys are okay with it, I don’t mind.”

Lee Doha said calmly as he picked up his drink.

Since he was someone who would firmly say no if he really didn’t like it, it seemed he truly didn’t mind being here.

‘Well, that’s good then.’

In any case, I couldn’t tolerate even one person feeling uncomfortable in a gathering.

After confirming that Lee Doha’s expression was fine, I turned my gaze back to the TV, where the story from the first episode was being quickly recapped.

“Today, they’ll show the stage and the results, right?”

“Probably? I think they’ve shown everything from the practice scenes.”

I answered Dan Haru’s question while dipping a french fry in ketchup.

‘Ah. I want to check the reactions, but I can’t use my phone because the guys are here.’

Deciding to monitor the reactions tomorrow, I decided to relax and watch the second episode today.

The practice processes of Team A and Team B continued from the last episode.

If the first episode focused on showing each trainee’s personality and character, the second episode seemed to focus on ‘how they became a team.’

– I keep reminding myself that I must not cause any trouble for the team….

“Wow…. That’s some serious hypocrisy.”

“Haru, you just spoke your inner thoughts out loud.”

During the mid-check, an interview with Shin Kyungho, who had been criticized by Seo Taeil, was shown, revealing his thoroughly hypocritical nature.

I whispered cautiously to Dan Haru, who bluntly said what everyone was thinking, and Dan Haru tore into his squid savagely without blinking.

“I regret not being able to say it to his face.”

“Uh-huh. I see.”

It seemed like Dan Haru could really say such things while looking Shin Kyungho in the eye.

While I was quietly nodding, the evaluation from Seo Taeil continued on screen.

– But Hajin didn’t show any greed again this time?

It showed my close-up as I raised my head in surprise at Seo Taeil’s comment. The next scene was an interview with Seo Taeil.

– Hmm… Hajin.

In the interview room with a black background and the Miro Maze title logo in neon, Seo Taeil, sitting on a high bar stool, crossed his arms and made a thoughtful gesture.

For some reason, I felt a bit nervous. After all, it was an evaluation of me by someone else in a place where I couldn’t see or hear.

– I actually have high expectations for Hajin.

“Wow, an official statement from Seo Taeil, who cherishes a trainee.”

“No, they all say nice things in interviews. What, is he going to say ‘that bastard Kang Hajin’?”

I was about to refute Kim Wonho’s premature excitement when the next comment came.

And that comment was something I couldn’t have imagined.

– Actually, I think Hajin and I have a lot in common.

“Looks like it’s official?”

Me? Resemble someone?

The transcendental leader of a 13-year-old pro idol, Seo Taeil?

…Me?