Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut! Chapter 78
Chapter 78. Unexpected Luck (3)
The reason PD Kwon and the production company weren’t moving was obvious.
“Looks like CP Yoon’s side is pulling tricks under the excuse of ‘editing.’”
“PD Kwon is trying to persuade them that since Miro is the main investor, Miro’s direction matters most… but from the production company CEO’s position, it’s not that simple.”
No matter how common it had become these days for broadcasters to outsource production—
A production company was still just that: a production company. In the end, the broadcaster that fed them work held the power.
And since they’re new and haven’t fully established themselves, if they have to weigh entertainment company vs. broadcaster… they’ll tilt toward the broadcaster.
So Hajin decided to make their calculation easier—by placing one more weight on that scale.
He should be here by now…
Just as Hajin tapped his phone to check the time and glanced toward the café entrance, someone approached.
“Are you Kang Hajin?”
A handsome man with a gentle impression, dressed in a classic suit.
But when Hajin recognized those somehow familiar features, he immediately stood.
“Yes—hello. I’m Kang Hajin.”
With the clean, trustworthy smile anyone would believe, he extended his hand to the man who would become that extra “weight.”
“Thank you for meeting me on such short notice.”
“I was a little surprised, but… when you said it was about my youngest, I couldn’t not come.”
The man clasped Hajin’s hand with a firm, practiced grip.
“My Eun-chan… is something wrong?”
It was strong—ridiculously strong.
“Haha.” Hajin let out a light laugh as he eased his hand back.
***
While Joo Eun-seok—Eun-chan’s older brother—went to order drinks, Hajin examined the business card he’d been given.
<JUDY’S Furniture, Joo Eun-seok, PM>
Judy’s Furniture was easily one of the top three domestic furniture companies.
Their main line consisted of high-end pieces that looked like they belonged in a chairman’s private study.
Recently, though, they had successfully launched a “soft line” targeting single-person households in their 20s and 30s—at least, that’s what the articles said.
And the key figure behind that transformation… is that man.
Hajin had seen the PR pieces too.
They pushed the brand’s “young and bold” renewal—but they weren’t just about the brand.
Dozens of articles, repeating the same keywords, praised Joo Eun-seok himself.
Which meant—very likely image-building for a successor. The future owner.
Eun-chan… you’re not just some regular rich kid. You’re the real deal.
No wonder the department head and Han Seong-woo had been desperate to slap a “nepo trainee” label on him.
While Hajin stood there thinking with his arms folded, Eun-seok returned with a tray holding warm coffee and sticky chocolate cake. Naturally, he angled the fork toward Hajin.
“…?”
“Oh—my youngest told me. Said his roommate hyung likes sweet things.”
“I do, but…”
“I’m grateful you take care of him. Eat.”
In Kang Hajin’s dictionary, the word “refusal” didn’t exist.
“If that’s the case, then I’ll enjoy it.”
He took a big bite of the dense mousse cake. The sweetness softened the sharp edge of his mood.
“So—what’s going on with our youngest?”
They’d said the brothers had a large age gap, and the way Eun-seok smoothly steered the conversation felt like a real guardian.
Eun-chan’s eighteen, and that guy’s in his mid-thirties. No wonder he feels like a son.
Understanding that “my baby is out in the world” feeling, Hajin went straight to the point.
“There are people trying to smear Eun-chan.”
“…Could you say that again?”
Seeing Eun-seok’s startled eyes, Hajin dramatically slapped the table.
“A CP on the broadcaster’s side is teaming up with one trainee to bully Eun-chan, hyungnim! Ah—can I call you hyungnim? I see Eun-chan’s face every day, so I feel this explosive 친밀감 toward you too!”
Then, faster and clearer than anyone alive, Hajin laid out Han Seong-woo and CP Yoon’s actions.
[System Alert: head shake… (Meaning: “I can’t even guess what insane thing he’s about to do.”)]
Ignoring Thirteen’s enlightened resignation, Hajin pulled up screenshots on his cheap smartphone.
“This is…?”
“These are posts from the past few days on anonymous communities.”
[These days even trainees need money…]
“I heard this from a friend who used to be a trainee, then quit…”
“Yeah… it’s bitter. Even dreams are financed now.”
[If a trainee is a gold spoon, will the company push them more?]
“Rich family + elite vibe, so maybe it sells better?”
Comments:
“Not sure about pushing, but it’s definitely a selling point.”
“Yeahㅋㅋ tragic backstory selling is old news.”
“If rich but no skill/no charm, X. If skilled and rich? O.”
“Thisㅋㅋㅋㅋ”
“Teens go crazy for that elite vibe.”
[Honestly if you’re a rich kid…]
“It benefits the agencyㅋㅋㅋ”
“Family supports them, trainee life isn’t a burden”
“Ads are easier, high-price image-making is easy”
“These days agencies push those typesㅋㅋㅋ”
Several screenshots with similar keywords.
Eun-seok scrolled with the focus of someone reviewing a corporate report.
Then his finger stopped on the final image.
mIroWakeUp @alfhapdlwm
“MIRO MAZE Joo Eun-chan got to be a trainee with family backing, got special treatment, and now they’re openly pushing him lol”
The gentle curve of Eun-seok’s eyes sharpened instantly.
Now he understood the pattern.
“That last one—about three hours after it was posted, the account got deleted. It gained no traction.”
“……”
“And similar posts have been appearing and disappearing over the past few days. Like someone wants them to be ‘found.’”
Eun-seok looked up.
“…Does Eun-chan know about this?”
“No. He doesn’t. And you know this too, hyungnim—Eun-chan isn’t the type to care about things like that.”
“But that isn’t true. Eun-chan—”
“You’re against him becoming an idol at home, right?”
Hajin said it like he already knew.
Eun-seok froze.
“Did Eun-chan tell you that?”
“No. Not directly. He talks about you a lot, but barely mentions his parents. And on the company paperwork, the guardian contact isn’t his parents—it’s you.”
“……”
“And that’s probably why he became a target.”
Hajin didn’t mention that, because of Seong-woo’s tricks, Eun-chan had endured something close to long-term ostracism.
If it were something he felt safe sharing, he would’ve told his brother himself.
There were two likely reasons he hadn’t:
Either he couldn’t—or he believed he didn’t need to.
If he admitted he was being isolated while already defying his parents to be a trainee, he’d be told to quit immediately. He probably didn’t think it was serious enough to risk that.
So Hajin carefully framed the situation as an external attack.
He needed Eun-seok to feel two things:
The urge to protect his brother.
That this was also a corporate risk.
“How can you be sure this is the broadcaster’s doing?” Eun-seok asked.
Hajin answered smoothly.
“The CP asked about the investor and set one condition: make the dorm furniture match Judy’s as closely as possible.”
“…!”
That was something Hajin had heard directly from Ji Suho. This meeting had also been arranged after Hajin asked Suho to connect them.
Hajin tapped the table lightly.
“Of course, that dorm will be shown on broadcast. It’s not even official PPL—if they bought and installed it with their own money, you wouldn’t have known.”
“But once it airs, you’ll get plenty of exposure, right? Judy’s?”
He met Eun-seok’s gaze with a sly look that said, I’ve spelled it out clearly.
Eun-seok cleared his throat.
“Kang Hajin… you—”
“Call me Hajin, hyungnim. Speak comfortably too. I’m your little brother’s friend.”
“…Alright. Hajin. How did you find all this out? And why are you telling me?”
There was suspicion in his voice—but Hajin didn’t mind.
Verification meant the report was worth believing.
“I overheard it. A conversation between that trainee and the CP.”
[System Alert: That’s a lie….]
It was. Completely.
If he had truly overheard it, he would’ve recorded it and blasted it publicly.
But what does Joo Eun-seok know about that?
What mattered was one thing:
Hajin is firmly on Eun-chan’s side.
“I haven’t been at Miro long, but I trained elsewhere before. So I know. This industry is dirty, petty, and cruel.”
The sharpness in Hajin’s eyes softened into wet, story-filled sincerity. His voice lowered gently.
[System Alert: Who the hell gave this bastard C for expression? (Speechless…)]
Hey—stop heckling from the sidelines.
Annoyed, Hajin winked and turned the system alerts off. (Since when was that feature available?) Then he continued, wearing a wistful expression.
“When I first joined Miro and felt awkward, Eun-chan was the first person I got close to. Even now, as his roommate, he helps me a lot…”
Of course, Hajin had never once been awkward at Miro. Eun-chan’s most repeated line lately was:
“Hyung, please change rooms. Please.”
But does that matter?
Hajin took a long sip of iced tea and let his eyes shine.
“So when I found out this was happening to Eun-chan, I couldn’t just sit still. That’s why I asked Team Leader Suho to help me meet you.”
Having fully embodied “the kind friend with a painful past who can’t ignore injustice,” Hajin looked up.
Eun-seok seemed genuinely moved.
“…My youngest really found a good roommate.”
Got him.
Inside, Hajin clenched his fist.
“Thank you. It’s hard to admit, but I’ve been overwhelmed with work and family matters lately. I haven’t paid as much attention to Eun-chan as I should have.”
“No, not at all. Oh—by the way, I heard you recently got married? It’s late, but congratulations, hyungnim.”
“Haha. This really does feel like meeting my little brother’s friend. Eun-chan’s never introduced a friend to me before.”
Unlocked: ‘Eun-chan’s Friend #1.’
But then Eun-seok frowned.
“…This is tricky. It’s set up so carefully that an official company response would look ridiculous. And if any of this reaches my father’s ears… that can’t happen.”
He handed Hajin’s phone back.
No matter how you responded, the “nepo” label wouldn’t come off cleanly.
And then—
The “bright, good-natured but secretly wounded” mask vanished.
Hajin leaned forward, eyes sharp.
“So about that, hyungnim.”
“…Y-yes?”
“With things the way they are—why don’t you just spend some money?”
He smiled.
“Boldly.”
[System Alert: That bastard’s eyes rolled back again. (Stop selling drugs….)]
Eun-seok’s pupils trembled.