Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut! Chapter 15

Chapter 15. The Trainee Who Refuses to Debut (6)

To explain how Seo Taehyun ended up getting “shaken down” by Kang Hajin, we need to rewind time a little.

About 3 Hours Earlier

Miro Entertainment – B-Class Practice Room

And right in the middle of the room, sprawled out like a starfish on the floor: Kang Hajin.

Three weeks into trainee life. Current thought?

“Should I just regress again?”

< System Notification: The system no longer reacts to the Fixed Regressor’s bluffing. >

Didn’t work. What a shame.

After finishing “physical conditioning” class (also known as dancing on the edge of hell), Hajin was barely holding onto his sanity.

“Isn’t this basically re-enlistment?”

He quickly corrected himself.
No, this isn’t the military.
(Though technically, he had already re-enlisted once in a previous life.)

A Suspicious Quest Appears

< System Notification: Sudden Quest! >
Content: Bonus tiiiime for the exhausted you☆
Explore your surroundings and help as many people as possible!
Time Limit: 3 hours from your first act of help
Success Reward: ☆★Click to see more★☆
Failure Penalty: 60% increase in sudden event probability

“…Are you serious?”

The reward tab glittered obnoxiously.

When he clicked it:

10–30% help → Post-debut heartwarming anecdote (Low)
31–70% → (Medium)
71–98% → (High)
98–100% → All above + Sudden event negation + Unexpected luck (!)

“That’s it? Just a nice anecdote?”

Still… better than triggering a sudden disaster.

The “Help Everyone” Strategy

The timer starts with the first act of help.

Unfortunately—

“Hyung, hold this for me?”
“Yeah.”

< First help achieved! (1.2%) >

“…You’re counting that?!”

Operation: Steal the Well from the Thirsty

If help is based on gratitude, then you just need to create situations where people feel thankful.

Phase 1 – Toilet Paper Removal

Hajin secretly removed all the toilet paper from the trainee restroom and stored it away.

Then told people:

“Hey, bring tissues. The bathroom’s out.”

They bring tissues.
They see there’s no paper.
They feel saved.

< 6th help achieved – 10% >

“Not bad.”

Escalation

Help staff prepare class materials.

Give ice water to exhausted trainees.

Bring drinks to the cleaning lady.

Take out trash for her.

Hand out umbrellas when it rains.

Percentages climb.

< 43rd help – 91.7% >

“…I might be built for this.”

The system seemed spiritually broken.

Final Stretch

Only about 30 minutes left.

He heads downstairs to throw out trash.

That’s when he sees it.

Director Son Hyeonggu harassing Seo Taehyun in the smoking area.

“You’ll never debut while I’m here.”

Hajin immediately thinks:

Nope. Not getting involved.

Then—

“Meow.”

A soaked kitten with a bleeding leg stared at him from between the trash bins.

“…Why now?”

He tried to walk away.

He failed.

The Setup

So now he was standing in the rain, holding a soaked, injured kitten, in front of Seo Taehyun.

“Hey.”

Taehyun looked up.

“Do you have any money?”

“…What?”

“It’s not extortion. It’s begging. Do you know where a vet is?”

Taehyun immediately softened when he saw the kitten.

“Is it yours?”

“No. Found it in the trash.”

Taehyun pulled out his phone to call a taxi.

Hajin realized—

Oh right. Smartphones exist.

And just as things couldn’t get worse—

Director Son Hyeonggu finished smoking and spotted them.

Eye contact.

He sneered and walked inside.

Now all three elements were tied together:

The Director.
Seo Taehyun.
The injured kitten.

Hajin sighed.

“Of course. That’s why it’s called a cliché. Because you can’t avoid it.”