Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut! Chapter 13

Chapter 13. The Trainee Who Refuses to Debut (4)

They wanted to hear more details, but as the saying goes, daytime words are overheard by criminals, and nighttime words by the people involved.

So they decided to continue the conversation somewhere more private and returned to the practice room for now.

Dan Haru, whose eyes had grown slightly red, said he would go wash his face and scampered off. Hajin slung an arm around Joo Eunchan’s shoulder and thought aloud.

“Where should we meet tonight? Even restaurant areas are crowded… not ideal.”

When talking about something like this, caution was everything. They had already taken a risk by discussing it inside the company.

After a moment of hesitation, Eunchan spoke.

“…Do you want to come to my place?”

“Your place? I don’t mind, but won’t your parents be home?”

“I live alone near the company. My parents stay closer to the airport because they travel a lot.”

Right. Rich kid.

They agreed it would be safer there. Eunchan even suggested Hajin stay over since it would be too late to catch the last train after practice.

Apparently, it wasn’t just rich—it was very rich.

Eunchan admitted he hadn’t told the company about living alone, but the Director somehow found out. He asked Hajin not to mention it to anyone else.

Hajin teased him lightly, and the tension eased.

Then Hajin asked directly:

“Are you distant from the B-Class trainees because of that rumor? Because you’re a parachute candidate?”

Eunchan hesitated.

“…Is it obvious?”

“Anyone who doesn’t notice is an idiot.”

Petty teenage politics. Hajin almost sighed.

Just then—

“Eunchan!”

A boy with bright pink bleached hair approached, wiping his face with a towel. Dan Haru ran over and hugged him without hesitation.

A-Class trainee, Hajin guessed.

He introduced himself:

“Seo Taehyun. I’m nineteen.”

Hajin instinctively blurted:

“…Boy’s World?”

Taehyun’s face froze.

Right—the survival show from three years ago.

“There is no boy like another under the sky.”

Seo Taehyun had gained a lot of attention back then but didn’t make the final debut lineup.

Hajin remembered him. In another timeline, Taehyun eventually debuted solo after bouncing between agencies.

When Taehyun casually mentioned seeing Eunchan on stage as a backup dancer for Upia’s concert, Eunchan’s expression stiffened.

Taehyun quickly tried to reassure him:

“It’s fine. Even if it wasn’t you, I wouldn’t have gotten that stage.”

But Eunchan still apologized.

The tension in the air was thick.

After Taehyun left, Eunchan’s composure finally cracked.

And then—

Haru started crying.

And then Eunchan almost did too.

Hajin found himself patting two nearly grown teenagers awkwardly.

You guys didn’t do anything wrong…

The one who deserved punishment was the Director.

At Eunchan’s House

They arrived at a newly built luxury villa.

Hajin whistled.

“You really are rich.”

The place was spacious—far too nice for an eighteen-year-old living alone. Eunchan explained he used to live with his older brother, who had recently married.

Inside, things grew more relaxed.

Hajin teased Eunchan mercilessly.

He revealed Eunchan’s nickname among trainees:

“Joo-Doesn’t-Know.”

“Why?”

“Because you never realize when you’re being teased.”

Eunchan was completely bewildered, then mildly offended, then confused again.

Perfect reaction.

Haru joined in.

“Hyung, you didn’t know again?”

Eunchan froze for three seconds, existential dread written all over his face.

Hajin laughed.

For the first time in a while, it felt like he was just messing around with teenagers—no regression, no system alerts, no looming quests.

And right on cue—

< System Alert >

“Friend Affection” stabilizes the Fixed Regressor’s condition.
“Wandering and Drifting” mode reduced by 5%.

Even the system acknowledged it.

Hajin stretched out his hand.

“Truce handshake?”

Suspicious but compliant, Eunchan reached out—

Hajin switched to scissors at the last second, trapping Eunchan’s hand between two fingers.

Five seconds later, realization dawned.

“Ah!”

“Your reaction speed is terrible.”

“Why do you do this!?”

“Because your reaction is like this.”

Eunchan fumed.

Hajin grinned.

Sorry, Eunchan.

I’m not scared of your blank expression anymore.