Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut! Chapter 83

Chapter 83 – MIRO MAZE (1)

Here was a girl.

Ha. Fuck. K-pop is dead.

Don’t be too shocked.

Compared to the fact that the oppa I’d screamed over as “my soulmate for a thousand years,” the one I’d poured both my heart and my bank account into, had just dropped a premarital pregnancy article and a marriage announcement at the same time because he’d apparently found his eternal love—

this was actually a very restrained reaction.

(And two weeks before the fan club anniversary, too!)

Who said he couldn’t find love? Who said he couldn’t get married?

But why now?

Why now, of all times?!

It had only been two months since the fandom nearly exploded over leaked photos of another member at a club.

What, he’s an adult, so what’s wrong with going clubbing?

If you already had underage drinking and smoking photos floating around from the past, shouldn’t you at least have had the brains to cover your face, you idiot?!

Even the fans who had gritted their teeth and said,
“Fine, maybe he was a delinquent, but he wasn’t a school bully, so stop making things up,”

had finally given up after that scandal.

And that was just a few months ago.

Big-name fans fled.
Solo stans turned on each other.
Trolls piled on.
Public opinion collapsed.

The only thing barely holding things together was the excitement for the upcoming fan club anniversary—and even that had only just patched things up.

But marriage?

Marriage?

This bastard hasn’t even finished his military service and he’s getting married?

And it’s a shotgun wedding?!

The girl thought:

At what point should I have left?

When he invited his girlfriend to a concert and introduced her to his parents?
When he kept wearing the watch she gave him during official schedules?
When he started giving that dead-eyed “ah… really?” look whenever fans acted parasocial at fansigns?

Laying it out like that only made it more pathetic.

Honestly, it was impressive she hadn’t unstanned sooner.

That was the problem with getting too deep into idols.

If you were going to enjoy fandom life, there were things you were better off not knowing—

but somehow, you always ended up finding out way more than you ever needed to.

Even this marriage article—

among fans, rumors had already been circulating for a while. Everyone had just been pretending not to see it, running denial at full power.

I loved you, you bastard…

Getting you to Jamsil. To arenas. To Daesangs.

That was my dream. Not yours.

With tears she absolutely was not crying, the girl deleted every photo of her bias from her gallery.

Then she emptied the trash too.

Not a single trace left.

She never wanted to see him again—even as a ghost in her storage.

There is no more K-pop for me.

After years in fandom, they all started to feel the same anyway.

And this time, she’d really thought he’d be her last.

The one before him had gone to prison for drugs.

The one before that had posted a gift wishlist for fans to buy from.

At this point—

Am I the problem?

Was it just her luck?

Or was the entire industry cursed?

Anyway.

This time, she was really quitting.

She’d get her life together.

No more oppas—

she’d save her GPA instead, which was currently hanging off a cliff because she kept skipping class for fan events.

“Baby, you got a text ♥”

“AH—what the—?!”

Startled by the cute voice, she flung her phone across the room.

…Ah.

Right.

She’d downloaded that voice clip from Bluebird recently.

It was from some idol content show—clearly meant to make fans swoon.

And yeah.

Back when she was still delusional, it had made her heart flutter.

Now?

All she could think was:

He probably recorded that thinking about his fiancée.

“Change it. Change everything.”

She changed the notification sound, ringtone, wallpaper—everything.

Then checked the message.

It was from her older sister.

The one who had dragged her into this K-pop hell.

The one so deep into idol culture she’d ended up working in entertainment.

<IfNotForYouI’dBeAnOnlyChild | hey>

<IfNotForYouI’dBeAnOnlyChild | heyㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ>

<IfNotForYouI’dBeAnOnlyChild | I told you that group had bad rumors>

<IfNotForYouI’dBeAnOnlyChild | maybe listen to your older sister next time?>

<Should I tell Dad how you lied about a business trip to go to an event and scratched his car?>

“Ugh, this is so annoying!”

She’d never liked my bias anyway.

And today she was clearly enjoying herself.

Worse—she had no comeback.

So in the end, the girl typed back with actual tears.

<You should’ve stopped me>

<What kind of sister watches me fall into hell>

<And laughs?>

<IfNotForYouI’dBeAnOnlyChild | I DID stop youㅋㅋㅋ>

<IfNotForYouI’dBeAnOnlyChild | you just didn’t listenㅋㅋㅋㅋㅠㅠ>

After teasing her enough, her sister finally softened.

<I’ll buy>

<Order whatever you want>

<I bet you haven’t eatenㅋㅋㅋㅋ>

<I’m on my way home>

(photo)

<I even bought soju>

“…Yoon Jaehee. You know me too well.”

It was 7 PM.

And yeah—she hadn’t eaten all day.

But now hunger hit.

Jackpot.

Time to order something expensive.

<If I order, are you paying?>

<IfNotForYouI’dBeAnOnlyChild | my card is already saved on your phone, idiot>

Ah. Busted.

<But> <You have to watch something with me> <This might be for the best> <Find your next love here>

Then—

iTube links.

Multiple.

<First episode airs at 9>

<Watch this with me>

<I’ll buy dessert too>

<And if you vote>

<I’ll lend you one of my bags>

“…What?”

She checked the links.

“Oh. That one. The Miro survival show.”

The one her former moots had been quietly checking out.

The one stealing leftover fandom scraps.

<He’s in this>

<The one I told you about> <Monolid angel>

<oh fr??>

<yeah so vote>

…Monolid angel?

The resolve she’d made minutes ago—

gone.

<fine I’ll watch>

<let’s get spicy chicken feet>

Mood restored.

She changed her sister’s contact name to:

<Sis♡>

Then—

she clicked the prerelease.

Five minutes later—

ten—

thirty—

“Holy shit… I watched everything.”

She covered her mouth.

She’d followed the official account.

Almost made a stan account.

Barely stopped herself.

Calm down, Yoon Seeun.

This isn’t lightning.

This is divine intervention.

And yet—

she clicked another video.

“Why is there so much content already?!”

Monthly evaluation videos?

Fixed cams?

Raw audio?

“I’m obsessed.”

On screen—

five trainees moved in perfect sync.

“That one’s the monolid angel. 100%.”

Seo Taehyun.

Her sister’s taste was consistent.

But—

her eyes shifted.

Lee Doha.

“…Wait.”

Thirty minutes in—

he went from

“good rapper trainee”

to

“our Doha.”

She immediately searched:

Lee Doha + Kang Hajin

“Oh—there’s something.”

Theory thread.

Ending fairy identity.

“…It’s Hajin.”

She rewatched everything.

0.25x speed.

Screenshots everywhere.

“Damn it, my gallery’s a mess.”

One hour ago—

she deleted everything.

Now—

a new folder existed.

She made a new account.

Posted:

Harang @dohajin_luv

“This is 100% Hajin. Look at the outfit.”

Likes.

Retweets.

Instant.

“…Love really does strike like lightning.”

So these were the guys who would ruin her life next.

…It was summer.

Okay, technically early May.

But emotionally?

It was summer.