Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut!

Chapter 14: The Trainee Who Refuses to Debut (5)

“I… Why am I already so exhausted…?”

“You used up all your energy teasing Eunchan hyung.”

“……”

We didn’t get into the actual “defuse the bomb” meeting until two hours after we arrived home. I hadn’t realized it because we’d been practicing so hard since we first met, but I was getting along surprisingly well with these guys who were ten years younger than me.

‘Is that a good thing?’

From the first time I regressed until now, there hadn’t been many moments where I could laugh so freely. Even though I knew this wasn’t the time for it, my body seemed to instinctively seek out the bright and joyful energy.

“Alright, let’s get to the main point now.”

“Yes.”

“First, we need to establish some criteria.”

“Criteria?”

“Yeah, criteria. Who to target first and who to target last.”

At my sudden comment, Joo Eunchan and Dan Haru, who were picking at the chicken, fell silent as if they had bitten their tongues.

“Do you want the Director and the parachute to be ousted, or do you want a fair debut without any parachutes?”

“……”

“It might not seem like there’s much difference, but it’s actually a big deal. The means and methods change depending on the goal, so think carefully before you answer.”

I watched as the two of them pondered over my question. Of course, regardless of their answers, I had already decided to get rid of the Director from this company. That was the quest, after all.

‘But finding the parachute is a different matter.’

So, I needed to hear what these guys had to say first. They had ended up participating in my project to remove the Director anyway.

“I…”

In the silence, someone finally spoke up. It was Joo Eunchan, who had been fiddling with his cola glass the whole time.

“I just want someone who is qualified to be treated fairly.”

“I’m okay if I don’t debut because I’m not good enough or because I’m not the kind of talent the company is looking for.”

“But, it’s not right for someone’s dream to be crushed for any other reason.”

Wow, that’s a story full of dreams and hopes. But the expression on Joo Eunchan’s face was more sincere and serious than anyone else’s.

“Taehyun hyung too… Taehyun hyung is like that too. He really works hard.”

“Seo Taehyun?”

“Taehyun hyung’s nickname is ‘Switch.’ He’s the one who always turns the lights on and off in the special class practice room. But he’s the only one who never gets any of the benefits from the special class.”

“……”

“The fact that he’s being denied opportunities just because the Director dislikes him—it doesn’t make any sense.”

Once upon a time, Hajin had thought the same way. That the world was one where good triumphs over evil, justice prevails, and karma comes back around. That values could change the world, and effort would be rewarded.

But reality wasn’t always like that, and the 29-year-old Kang Hajin, who knew this, couldn’t easily agree with the idealistic words of Joo Eunchan, who was spouting dreamy nonsense. Hajin actually disliked these kinds of idealists. People who only dreamed and didn’t see reality could sometimes be frustrating and pathetic.

However.

“I just want someone who deserves to debut to actually debut. I want to be evaluated for my abilities alone.”

But even 20-year-old Kang Hajin had a vague understanding that sometimes this world needs such “ideals” in order to function properly.

“…Alright. I understand what you mean.”

“……”

“So, you’re saying that it doesn’t necessarily have to be your debut?”

“Yes. As long as the opportunities are fair, I’m confident.”

After receiving a definitive answer, I roughly finished my calculations in my head and took another bite of the chicken. Maybe it was because this was an expensive neighborhood, but it still tasted good even when it was cold. Dan Haru stared blankly at me with an expression that seemed to ask why this hyung was suddenly eating chicken wings in the middle of an important conversation, but this was about all I had planned to say today.

“…But, how do you plan to do it?”

“Well, I’m still thinking about it. I’ll tell you once I’m more certain. For now, just give me more information.”

“Information?”

“Fights are all about information. In this era of the 4th Industrial Revolution, that’s the most important thing.”

“I get that your jokes are innovative, hyung.”

He was asking me to spill some stories. I didn’t expect these two, who were in a precarious position among the trainees, to know all the gossip within the company. After all, there was a specific story I wanted to hear.

“Why did Cha Minseok go to Renes?”

“Ah.”

For example, the story behind Cha Minseok’s transfer, which was rumored to be due to an injury.

“You guys know we’re all in this together, right? You have to tell me everything you know. I need information to come up with a strategy.”

“…It’s best to ask Taehyun hyung about the details. We only heard bits and pieces.”

Seo Taehyun? That suspicious figure had popped up again. Cha Minseok and Seo Taehyun—a combination I had never heard of in my previous life.

“Taehyun hyung came to Miro because of Minseok hyung. Minseok hyung called him over.”

“They knew each other?”

“They practiced together at the same academy for a long time. Then Taehyun hyung went on ‘Boy’s World,’ and Minseok hyung joined Miro.”

But how did one end up at Renes as the next center while the other stayed at Miro, unable to debut?

“Minseok hyung was originally in the debut team for Enderway. But then he got sidelined because of a back injury… So he called Taehyun hyung to debut with him….”

“Then a parachute came in, the debut team got split up, and Cha Minseok flew to Renes?”

“There’s a rumor that the Director was the one who connected Minseok hyung to Renes, but anyway, Taehyun hyung knows the details.”

“Haru, if you’re going to sleep, brush your teeth first.”

“Okaay.”

Starting to get drowsy, Dan Haru, who was nodding off next to me like a sick chicken, was sent off with a toothbrush. This drama is turning out to be more interesting than I thought.

“After ‘Boy’s World,’ Taehyun hyung did a lot of different things. He went to events, performed on stage….”

“Of course, he did.”

“But after Minseok hyung left for Renes, he’s only been practicing. He’s in the special class, but he doesn’t get any benefits. It seems like something happened with the Director, but he doesn’t talk about it.”

Even Joo Eunchan, who had been rubbing his eyes while giving me information, couldn’t resist the creeping fatigue, and his words began to slow down. Thinking about Seo Taehyun again, his eyebrows furrowed slightly, as if he was feeling a bit down.

“Hey, don’t cry. I don’t have the energy to comfort you. Go wash up and get to bed, you too.”

“…Taehyun hyung has been looking out for me since I first joined Miro.”

“Alright, I get it. You guys have a close bond.”

“But after what happened at the last concert, things have been awkward between us. He says he’s fine, but I just feel too embarrassed and annoyed.”

“Yeah, I get it. Haru, if you’ve brushed your teeth, go lie down. And you, go wash your face with cold water.”

“Okaay.”

After giving Dan Haru a gentle push on his forehead and laying him down on the blanket spread out in the living room, I kicked at Joo Eunchan, who was burrowing into the ground. Joo Eunchan gave me a look as if to say I was being too harsh.

“What? What are you gonna do about it?”

“Hyung, do you really have no feelings?”

“He said he was fine.”

“That’s…”

“Don’t apologize carelessly.”

“……”

“If you keep apologizing, Seo Taehyun will only be able to say ‘I’m fine.’”

That’s what I hated the most. Without saying the words that lingered on my lips, I gave Joo Eunchan another kick and laid Dan Haru down. After hearing my words, Joo Eunchan got up with a thoughtful expression, lips pressed together. Once they were both gone, the large living room, which could still accommodate three men lying down, finally fell into silence.

“…Hyung.”

“What.”

“…Hyung, you really seem like an adult.”

Dan Haru, who I thought was already asleep, mumbled quietly as if he were sleep-talking.

“Are you dissing me for being old?”

“I want to be like you, hyung.”

“What do you mean by like me?”

“…You just seem strong, hyung.”

The young voice, which sounded like it hadn’t even gone through puberty, made my conscience ache a little, as memories from all my past lives resurfaced every time he called me ‘hyung.’

‘If you think about it, this kid could be my nephew. No, wait, it’s not just that I got younger; I went back ten years, so technically, we’re the same age….’

I barely managed

to put the brakes on my wandering thoughts. Remember, Kang Hajin. You’re twenty years old. Not twenty-nine. Not twenty-nine plus a few more. You’re a boiling, youthful twenty.

“It’s the first time I’ve said this… But I’m glad I told you, hyung.”

“Stop talking in your sleep and go to bed.”

“Okaay….”

When Joo Eunchan, dressed in his silk pajamas, returned, the lights in the living room went out. Watching him insist on lying down in the living room instead of his own room, I closed my eyes as well.

Thanks to the exhausting practice, I fell asleep almost instantly, even though the space was unfamiliar.

* * *

‘These idiots….’

One rainy afternoon. Director Son Hyeong-gu swallowed a curse as he headed towards the smoking area.

During today’s planning meeting, they had a session where they anonymously submitted ideas for the next debut team and received feedback. It was a method suggested by the CEO to encourage more horizontal and open brainstorming. Each person would submit a proposal, everyone would read them in the same format, and then give honest opinions.

And today, Director Son’s plan received 13 out of 15 votes against it!

‘What do these people know about idol planning? A&R, my foot. They’ve never even worked on producing an album like I have.’

Lately, nothing had been going Son Hyeong-gu’s way. According to his original plan, he should already have started his own company and been addressed as CEO. But now? He was being treated like this!

‘I need to wrap this up before we move on to the next project. Damn it.’

Unable to contain his frustration, the Director stomped his foot. On days like this, he needed to find someone to vent his anger on.

“…Hello, Director.”

For example, the weak trainee he happened to run into in the empty smoking area.

“Do you smoke?”

“…No, I just came to throw out the trash.”

“Tsk, never mind. You might as well smoke now, right? It doesn’t matter anymore.”

Director Son felt a twisted satisfaction watching Seo Taehyun, who couldn’t even respond, bite his lip in silence. He casually ran his fingers through Taehyun’s sweat-soaked bangs, then smirked maliciously.

“As long as I’m at Miro, you’ll never debut. You know that, right?”

“……”

“You shouldn’t have messed with me. If you’d just listened to me, you wouldn’t have to suffer like this.”

“…I’ll be going now.”

“Cha Minseok found a way out for himself. Too bad you’re too stupid to do the same.”

The moment he mentioned Cha Minseok, Seo Taehyun flared up, and Director Son felt a strange sense of victory. There was a time when he had used every means possible to get a hold of this guy. Now, Seo Taehyun, who had rotted away at Miro for three years without any activity, was nothing more than a one-hit-wonder from a survival show—neither more nor less.

“Well then, keep up the good work.”

Deliberately giving Seo Taehyun’s shoulder a heavy pat, he walked off towards his designated smoking spot with slightly lighter steps. Meanwhile, Taehyun could only endure the humiliation, biting his lip to the point where it almost bled.

In his mind, the worst moments he had experienced replayed themselves over and over.

-Yo, Cha Minseok. What’s going on?

-…….

-I’m asking you, what’s going on? Are you really going to Renes?

-I’ll explain later. We’ll talk about it later.

-Hey!

There are memories that come to mind even more vividly when you close your eyes. Refusing to succumb to them, Taehyun forced his eyes open.

He recalled the first survival show three years ago. The dazzling spotlight that had focused solely on him, and the fans who had gone wild for his performance. Every time he thought that might have been the last time he truly shined, Taehyun felt he couldn’t bear it.

“Ugh, I have to get back to the practice room.”

I don’t want to go in.

I don’t want to go in.

…I want to run away.

As those thoughts gnawed at him and he bit his lips harder, he suddenly heard someone call out.

“Hey.”

“?”

Startled, he looked up to see the newly arrived trainee who had been introduced to him by Eunchan, standing there drenched from the rain.

Why is he here? Did he hear the conversation with the Director? Before he could even register his surprise, Taehyun heard,

“Do you have some money on you?”

“Huh?”

Did… did he just get shaken down?