Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut!

Chapter 96. Bomb? (7)

“Uh?”

What Hajin pointed to was his phone. Specifically, the messenger screen with Yugeon on it, displayed on the phone’s screen.

“Have him do it. His voice doesn’t overlap with Doha’s, and from what I saw while he was working out, his lung capacity looks pretty good too.”

“But Lee Yugeon has never rapped before….”

Hajin glanced at Wonho. Wonho, who had been recording everything with a selfie camera, made eye contact with Hajin on the monitor and, startled, quickly stopped recording. After confirming that it was off the record, Hajin crossed his arms and leaned back.

“What’s the big deal? It’s not like he’s super talented at singing anyway.”

[Lee Yugeon (Affiliated with: Miro)]

– Debuff: Due to the influence of his unique trait, all stats decrease.

Singing: D (C+)

Dancing: B+ (S)

Expressiveness: C- (A-)

Charm: D+ (B+)

Special: Copy & Paste (B)

– Has a certain chance of making a fully immersed target his own.

Appeal Points:

‘There are still twelve ships left.’

– Responsibility, tenacity, strong focus

Yugeon’s stats, which Hajin had checked before, did not include rap. His singing stat, which could be verified, was barely a C+ even without the debuff. Just enough to be considered slightly above average among the general public.

Even that was currently debuffed to the level of being able to keep rhythm with a nursery rhyme.

However, there was another stat that Hajin paid attention to.

“If we create everything for him, from the tone to the rhythm, and make him memorize it thoroughly, he should be able to handle a sub-rapper part.”

Special: Copy & Paste (B)

– Has a certain chance of making a fully immersed target his own.

Yugeon’s ability to copy choreography was abnormally fast. Despite being lax in practice, he always managed to fulfill his role on stage. During breaks, Hajin had analyzed Yugeon’s practice videos and shared his findings with the team.

“This kid may not be great at everything, but he’s really good at memorizing. During the last performance, he even mimicked Han Sung-woo’s pronunciation habits exactly. He must have learned it just by listening to Han Sung-woo sing.”

“No one even taught him the parts separately when he was in Team A….”

“He probably just listened to the guide vocal and imitated it. His endings were exactly like Senior Cheong Hansol’s.”

Of course, the absolute difference in skill meant that the quality of the endings Hanseol produced was far superior to Yugeon’s.

Hajin looked at Doha, who had been listening quietly, and said, “But if we go with this, it’ll be a bit tough for you, Doha. You won’t just be handling your own part; you’ll also have to build Yugeon’s part. So I’ll leave this decision to you.”

“…….”

Doha’s rap stat was S.

Even if Yugeon could mimic only 30% of Doha’s skills, he could probably manage a C or B level performance. Hajin was confident about that.

Doha responded after hearing Hajin’s words, without a moment’s hesitation.

“That’s not difficult.”

“Doha hyung, are you sure? You’ll have to do the work of two people….”

“In terms of dance, I’m the one who owes you and Yugeon. If I can contribute to the team with something I’m good at, then I should do it.”

Doha’s cold, self-assessment seemed to apply to himself as well. Wonho, who was still busy trying to keep up with his own role, looked surprised by Doha’s decision. But Hajin, who had already expected Doha’s response, quickly nodded and wrapped up the discussion.

“Alright. Then, main vocal is Siwoo hyung. I’ll be the lead vocal. Wonho and Eunchan will be the sub-vocals. Main rapper Doha, and sub-rapper Yugeon. I’ll submit it like that.”

“But, do you think Yugeon will want to do it? I’m a bit worried.”

Siwoo, who had been listening quietly, asked cynically. Hajin pocketed his phone and answered firmly.

“Even if he says no, we have to make him do it. He was the one who said he’d do whatever was left.”

“…….”

“And anyway, if someone has to do it, it’s only fair that Yugeon, who skipped practice without a word, should take the responsibility over Eunchan, who always does his work diligently.”

At that, everyone’s eyes turned to Eunchan, who had been quiet until now. Surprised by the sudden attention, Eunchan clenched and unclenched his fists, unable to find the words. Then, he lowered his head slightly.

“Thank you, hyungs.”

Siwoo, who had been watching Eunchan silently, let out a short breath and stood up from his seat.

“That’s true. So, the meeting’s over, right? Let’s all head in and get some rest? I don’t think we’ll be able to sleep properly starting tomorrow.”

“Let’s do that. I’ll talk to Yugeon. Oh, Wonho, stay back for a moment.”

“Huh, me? Why me?”

Wonho, who had been getting ready to leave as the meeting seemed to be wrapping up, sat back down in confusion.

“What is it? Do you need to say something?”

“…? What are you talking about? We need to work on the choreography. Don’t think too much tonight.”

“Me? I’m doing the choreography?”

“You were planning to slack off, weren’t you, our dear Wonho?”

“…No, no. Sure. I’ll do it.”

Wonho, looking bewildered, sat down next to Hajin. Hajin glanced at him briefly with a “what’s up with him today?” look, then quickly started discussing the choreography plan he had in mind. Even if they started right away, they still had a long way to go.

* * *

After finishing the first round of choreography work with Wonho, it was already early morning. Since they had filming the next day, the two decided that pulling an all-nighter would be too much and left the practice room. After parting ways with Wonho halfway down the hallway, Hajin didn’t head to the room he shared with Eunchan but went towards the lounge, which they used like a living room.

He didn’t want to go into the room and wake Eunchan, who was a light sleeper, so he planned to just grab a blanket and sleep on the lounge sofa.

“…….”

As one thought led to another, countless thoughts began to flash through Hajin’s mind.

‘Is it really Lee Yugeon?’

No, he couldn’t be sure yet.

‘Saying his parents won’t be coming to the viewing doesn’t mean they’re not alive.’

Even Hajin was startled by his own morbid thoughts, wondering how he could think such a thing. But the suspicion remained.

‘But if it’s true, what do I say? I know what you did in a past life? And what if I’m wrong? Won’t I be treated like a crazy person?’

Come to think of it, he had only been told to find the Chosen Regressor, but no instructions had been given on what to do next. He really needed that Thirteen guy to come back so he could figure something out….

“Hajin hyung!”

“……? What’s up?”

“Did you just finish practice?”

Startled by a sudden voice, Hajin turned his head to see Dan Haru and Seo Taehyun sitting on a sofa in the lounge, both in their pajamas. Hajin, surprised, approached the two.

“It’s almost 3 a.m. What are you doing?”

“I couldn’t sleep, so I came out for a bit, and then Haru woke up too. We were just talking about our stage.”

Apparently, Dan Haru was unaware that his ice cream had been eaten. Or maybe it had already been replaced.

“Oh, there’s some ice cream in the fridge. Do you mind if I have just a bite before going to bed?”

“……!”

“…You shouldn’t eat at night. Just hold on.”

Judging by Dan Haru’s wide-eyed, trembling reaction behind Seo Taehyun, it was clear that he didn’t know.

Or maybe he hadn’t bought a replacement yet.

After a brief pause, Hajin simply sat down next to Taehyun. As his body sank into the plush sofa (from Judy’s Furniture), the fatigue began to hit him, and his eyes grew heavy.

“What’s up? If you’re sleepy, just go to bed. I thought you came out because you couldn’t sleep either.”

“I was working on choreography with Kim Wonho. I can’t go in anyway since Chan’s sleeping. I was planning to grab a blanket and sleep here.”

“So, Wonho hyung is doing the choreography again?”

“Yeah, how’s your team doing?”

Taehyun and Haru exchanged a glance and then nodded with a mischievous smile. Hajin, curious, propped his chin on the edge of the sofa and asked.

“What is it? What are you guys planning? It sounds ominous.”

“We’re really… let’s just say our team is unbeatable.”

“Who’s on your team? Besides you two and Parang?”

“Me, Haru, Parang, Jaeyoung, and Yuki.”

“…Wow. With flowers and confetti? I can already see the stage in my mind.”

They had managed to sn

atch up all the perfect picks who should have been on the yellow team during the last sports day. Excluding Seo Taehyun and Dan Haru, all the others were Feather-class trainees, so it was surprising that the group had formed purely by chance.

“As soon as Parang joined, we were done. I literally screamed ‘Eureka.’”

“…So that’s why.”

“Hmm? Why what?”

“No, just know that your choice influenced a lot….”

Caught up in the early morning atmosphere, the three of them engaged in lighthearted conversation. Although Dan Haru occasionally dozed off, he stubbornly stayed, clearly enjoying the late-night chat with his close hyungs. (Or maybe he was just anxious that Hajin might bring up the ice cream again….)

As the conversation gradually shifted from casual topics to more serious ones, Hajin asked Taehyun in a low voice.

“But how did you get close to Lee Yugeon?”

“…Hyung, you’ve been really concerned about him since last time.”

“I’m on the same team as him this time, but no matter how I think about it, it’s odd that you’re close.”

Seo Taehyun had been someone who had dreamed of becoming an idol since childhood. He had talent, worked hard, but always had opportunities snatched from him at the last minute. Taehyun didn’t know, but in the timeline Hajin was familiar with, Taehyun had experienced repeated heartbreaks over his idol dream.

Even so, Taehyun never gave up on that dream, no matter how many times it was shattered. He was someone who yearned for it desperately, even in this fifth life he was living now.

Hajin couldn’t understand why someone like Taehyun, who was so earnest in pursuing his dream, would be so lenient toward Yugeon, who didn’t even care despite having the opportunity.

“That guy’s kind of… has a bad attitude, doesn’t he?”

“He doesn’t seem to have any intention of debuting.”

“Hmm….”

“Honestly, I’m just tolerating him because you’re close to him. If this mission goes wrong, I’m screwed. You know that.”

“…Don’t pay too much attention to online reactions. Those people are just looking for someone to bash for a while.”

Taehyun, who was as adept at reading public opinion as Hajin, offered sympathetic advice. He was well aware of Hajin’s situation, having also been a target of online trolls. As he draped a blanket over Haru, who was lying on his lap, Taehyun spoke cautiously.

“To be honest, you’re right. Lee Yugeon, that guy, didn’t join the company to debut.”

Hajin’s head, which had been drooping, snapped up at the unexpected statement. His sleepiness vanished in an instant.

“Do you know something? Then why hasn’t he quit and why is he participating in the survival show?”

“It’s kind of personal, so I don’t feel right talking about it. I don’t know the full story either. I just… happened to find out by chance.”

“…….”

“Anyway, he’s not someone who plans on becoming an idol. I think he’ll probably leave the company once the survival show is over…. But he still fulfills his role, so just bear with him a little. Even if it’s frustrating.”

Taehyun gave a knowing look, his smile tinged with apology as he gauged Hajin’s reaction. However, Hajin’s thoughts only grew more complicated with Taehyun’s words. The fatigue and weariness began to weigh on him, causing his expression to crumple.

And then it happened.

Biiiiii―

“Ugh!”

“Hyung?”

Suddenly, a ringing sound overwhelmed Hajin’s hearing, and his vision began to blur. The unexpected headache made him clutch his head and collapse forward. Alarmed, Taehyun reached out to check on Hajin.

Biiiii―

“Hyung, Hajin hyung!”

A massive headache and dizziness struck Hajin, rendering him unable to respond properly. It felt similar to the aftereffects of emerging from the subconscious space.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

As Hajin began to notice how loudly his heart was pounding, he realized it wasn’t actually his heartbeat.

Something was physically knocking on Hajin’s “world.”

His vision distorted and fragmented as if the RGB channels were separating. Hajin squeezed his eyes shut at the sight.

“Hyung. Are you okay? What’s wrong? Should I call the team leader?”

“…No, I’m fine.”

How much time had passed? The pain that seemed like it would never end suddenly vanished, and Hajin’s condition returned to normal as if nothing had happened.

Haa, haa….

In that brief moment, his breathing had become labored, and he felt cold sweat running down his body.

‘What was that?’

Before Hajin could fully grasp what was happening, a familiar blue screen appeared in front of him.

[S?n_le Q$esSSSㅅㄴt *3.]

Complete the mi55ion with Lㅣㅣe Yㅌgeon! Success 95% complete!

* The systeeeeemmm @924.re..9*! is … being restored

Careful

** Exxpcted to recover soon

If you fail:

– Possibility of returning to 10000000%%%%%% t!@..