Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut!

Chapter 167. Butterfly Effect (2)

After the final round ended, about a week later on a weekend morning.

Wonho arrived in front of the old building, which had now become Miro’s former headquarters.

‘This feels unnecessarily awkward.’

Perhaps because he had been commuting to the new headquarters recently, the old office building he hadn’t visited in a while felt somewhat unfamiliar. Even though the time he had spent confined in the basement of this old building was much longer than the time he spent commuting to the shiny new headquarters.

‘I should just quickly grab my stuff and leave.’

The reason Wonho came here today was to collect the belongings he had left at the company. He had cleared out all the things left at the new headquarters the day after the final with his parents, but it seemed that there were still some things left in the locker at the old headquarters that he hadn’t managed to take care of.

Miro had been in the process of moving for the past week since the final ended, and during that process, an employee from the rookie development team who had been in charge of Wonho found his belongings and contacted him. Although Wonho had initially thought about asking them to just throw it away if it wasn’t anything important, he decided to come after realizing that there were some valuable items among them and also because the older employee suggested they grab a meal together.

“…Ah, yes. Hyung, this is Wonho. The door here is locked….”

-Ah, I see. Oh, you’re on the first floor, right? Wait a moment, I’ll have someone open the door for you.

“Yes.”

-Okay, see you upstairs. I’m really busy right now, so just come up!

Wonho habitually reached for his card key at the first-floor entrance but then realized that he had returned his access card last week. With no other choice, he called the older employee. The employee, who seemed to be busy organizing things, quickly hung up after instructing someone to head down to the first floor in the midst of noisy chaos.

Before long, with a buzzing sound, the entrance door opened. The person standing inside was someone Wonho was very familiar with.

“Wonho.”

“Huh? …Seok hyung?”

Why is Seok hyung here?

Surprised by the unexpected person, Wonho couldn’t hide his astonished expression.

Seok smiled as if he had expected Wonho’s reaction, patted him on the shoulder, and stepped back, motioning for him to come inside.

“Let’s go together. Hyung Jin-guk said he put your stuff on his desk. He’s completely swamped right now, so I came instead. The security system here hasn’t been deactivated yet, so you can’t walk around alone.”

“Uh, no… but why are you here, hyung? What are you doing here?”

Still surprised, Wonho asked Seok, but Seok just smiled without answering and started walking ahead. After winding through the crooked stairs, Seok took out a card key from his pocket and opened the door to the rookie development team office.

“Huh? Hyung, that…”

Seeing that the card key was not the temporary access card given to trainees but an actual employee card, Wonho couldn’t hide his surprise once again. Unable to contain his curiosity, he grabbed Seok and asked.

“Hyung, what’s going on?”

“What do you mean, what’s going on? I got a job.”

“A job?”

“I decided to work here as a vocal trainer while continuing my studies. It’s a one-year contract job, but… I’m affiliated with the rookie development team since I’ll be teaching the trainees.”

“While still in school? But… when did you decide this?”

“On the day we had the company dinner after the final round. Team Leader Ji Suho asked me if I was interested. Jin-guk hyung recommended me.”

Seok explained that he had made the decision right away that day, and although his official start date was next month, he had come today just to help out the other employees.

Hearing this, Wonho nodded absentmindedly with a somewhat dazed expression.

“Let’s see… Here it is, right?”

“Oh, yes. That’s right. Thank you, hyung.”

Seok found Wonho’s belongings neatly stored in a box on Jin-guk’s desk and handed them over. As soon as Wonho received the box, he checked its contents and carefully packed them into the bag he had brought with him.

“Can I ask what’s inside?”

“Oh, it’s nothing much. Just some practice logs and sheet music…”

“Those things, they seem trivial, but they’re too precious to just throw away. Good thing Jin-guk hyung kept them safe.”

Seok’s knowing smile caused Wonho’s expression to subtly change.

After packing away the last pen he often used and closing the zipper of his bag, Wonho looked at Seok and said,

“Hyung… You seem much more at ease now.”

“Huh? Me? Why?”

“You look much better than when you were a trainee. You seem more relaxed.”

Especially during the time when they were doing Miro Maze, Wonho knew better than anyone how Seok had always acted like he was being chased by something. He had felt the same way himself.

It had been a week since the final.

Wonho, who still found it strange to have a weekend without practice, felt a bit envious of Seok.

“I still feel lost. I want to study, but I’m already a senior in high school, and school is mostly self-study now.”

Hesitantly revealing his thoughts, Wonho noticed Seok hesitating for a moment before bringing over two chairs from the side. Seok sat down first and invited Wonho to do the same. Though reluctant at first, Wonho eventually took the seat.

Seok spoke first.

“Wonho, I get a salary now. It’s not much since I’m a new hire, but still.”

“Wow, really? That’s pretty amazing.”

“Right? It’s a first for me, too. Earning money under my own name. They asked me to bring my ID and a copy of my bank account, so I prepared those and signed a contract… It felt really strange. It hit me that I’m no longer a trainee but an actual employee here.”

Seok smiled as he slowly ran his hand over the employee card hanging around his neck.

“But the night I signed the contract, I couldn’t sleep. I was too excited.”

“Excited?”

“Yeah, it was exciting. I’m not just doing vocal training here; I’ll also help the other employees manage the trainees, plan lessons, and learn various tasks. And that was exciting.”

“……”

Receiving a fixed salary, working fixed hours, and instead of feeling burdened by being evaluated by others, having a sense of duty to guide someone toward a better path was what excited Seok.

He had thought that everything he had achieved up until now was swept away, but when he actually stood in this new position, he realized that all of his past experiences had become nutrients that he could now use.

His enthusiasm surged as his passion grew, and with that enthusiasm, he became more ambitious.

In the past few days, Seok had come to realize just how proactive he could be.

“…You still find the stage more thrilling, don’t you?”

Now that he was standing firmly on solid ground, he could clearly see where others were directing their gaze.

When Seok, fully aware of Wonho’s lingering attachment to being an idol, asked him, Wonho quietly lowered his gaze and then silently nodded.

“But I’m not sure. If I want to debut with the next group in Miro, I’ll have to wait at least three years, and by then, I’ll already be twenty-two… But it’s not like I can just join another company right away.”

“Why don’t you look into auditions? Should I help you find some information? Parang and Heegun have been auditioning lately.”

“They’re younger than me. I’m thinking maybe I should just get my military service over with next year.”

As Wonho let out a faint, frustrated laugh, Seok felt a pang of regret, knowing he couldn’t offer much help. Sensing this, Wonho quickly changed the subject, not wanting to dwell on his struggles after coming all the way here.

“Hyung, do you know what happened with Jaeyoung? He said he was still deciding whether to stay at Miro or not.”

“Oh, Jaeyoung decided to stay. I think the company sees a lot of potential in him. He improved a lot during Miro Maze. Jaiden left for the States yesterday, according to his OneStar post.”

“Wow, Park Jaeyoung is amazing. How does he plan to keep training for three more years? He’ll be practicing completely alone for a while, right?”

“Oh. He won’t be alone; there’s one more trainee.”

One more trainee?

As far as Wonho knew, apart from Jaeyoung, no other Miro Maze contestant had decided to stay with the company.

Who could it be? Did they recruit someone new?

The name Seok mentioned to the puzzled Wonho was, once again, an unexpected person.

“…Taehee? Yoon Taehee?”

“Yeah. The company couldn’t just have Jaeyoung practicing alone, so they asked if there was someone he wanted to train with. Sometimes auditions happen through friends like that.”

“But Jaeyoung suggested Taehee?”

“He even went to Taehee’s house and asked him in person. Told him to practice with him. I heard this from Jin-guk hyung. Originally, Taehee was supposed to participate in Miro Maze, not Jaeyoung. The company seemed to really regret not using Taehee. They said Taehee didn’t get a bad response in the monthly evaluation video

.”

“Ah, the monthly evaluation….”

“It’s a bit embarrassing to say this, but… the guys who were in our team did really well, right? That might have had a bit of an influence. Anyway, Taehee agreed, so he auditioned again, and recently got the results saying he passed. He’s going to start coming back next week to train with Jaeyoung.”

When Seok explained that he himself would be personally responsible for Jaeyoung and Taehee, Wonho couldn’t help but smile with pride, almost forgetting what he was worried about earlier.

“Wow, that’s really great. I felt bad when Taehee quit, so this is really good news.”

“Right? Taehee is tall, and he dances well… I’m planning to teach him vocals diligently.”

“Hyung, you’re really good at teaching. You taught us everything during the monthly evaluation.”

Before they knew it, their conversation had veered into reminiscing.

From the events that occurred during the monthly evaluations to the mishaps that happened during Miro Maze, the conversation topics seemed endless.

The two, engrossed in their conversation and oblivious to the passing time, were interrupted when Wonho’s phone rang.

“Oh, it’s Jin-guk hyung. We planned to have a meal together today. …Hello, hyung. I’m still at the office.”

-Ah, Wonho. Are you still at the office? Oh, thank goodness.

“…? What’s going on, hyung?”

Wonho, excusing himself from Seok and answering the call from Jin-guk, wore a puzzled expression at Jin-guk’s words. Jin-guk continued speaking over the phone.

-Wonho, do you have any plans after the meal? Anything besides eating with me?

“Uh… I don’t really have anything planned… But why, hyung? Is something wrong? If you’re too busy, we don’t have to eat today.”

-No, no, it’s not that. It’s just that the Director wants to see you.

“…The Director?”

-Ah, Team Leader Ji Suho. He got promoted to Director.

Team Leader Ji Suho… no, the Director wants to see me?

Though the question marks on Wonho’s face increased at the words, he missed the chance to ask as Jin-guk continued speaking with an excited voice.

-He said he’d explain everything when he meets you… He’s on his way to the company now? He said he’ll treat you to a nice meal, so let’s reschedule our meal and meet with the Director today.

“Well, that’s fine with me… Okay, I understand.”

-Yeah, yeah. Let me know how it goes afterward. He’s on his way, so get down to the first floor! Seok is with you, right? Ask him to take you down and come back up afterward.

“Oh, okay. I’ll see you later, hyung. Thanks for keeping my stuff safe.”

-Sure, good job. Don’t forget to contact me after you meet the Director!

Clearly in a hurry, Jin-guk hung up the phone after that.

Not sure what was going on, Wonho thought that he should go down to the first floor and meet Suho. He stood up. Seok, who had been listening to the conversation beside him, also stood up, looking slightly excited.

“Team Leader Ji Suho wants to see you?”

“Yes… But why? I’m still a minor, so I can’t get a job.”

“Whatever it is, I hope it’s something good. You should hurry down.”

“Yes, hyung. Let’s meet up with Jin-guk hyung next time. Or with Jaeyoung and Taehee.”

“Let’s get our entire monthly evaluation group together for a meal! Invite Hajin and Doha too.”

“That sounds great. I’ll be off then. Jin-guk hyung said you should go back up quickly.”

“Yeah, I should get going too. Take care, Wonho!”

Wonho, who had said goodbye to Seok, who was now smiling much more brightly than before, quickly made his way down to the first floor.

Outside the company, there was already a familiar black luxury sedan parked, as if it had arrived before him.

As Wonho approached, the window rolled down, revealing Suho’s familiar, welcoming face.

“Hello, Wonho.”

“Hello, Team Lea… I mean, Director.”

“Haha, what’s with the awkwardness? Just get in. I’ll explain everything on the way.”

Go? Where? Explain what?

Still full of questions, Wonho got into the car, bewildered.

Just in case, he quickly sent texts explaining the situation to his parents and close acquaintances. (It wasn’t like Ji Suho would kidnap him… but in this day and age, it’s better to be safe than sorry.)

‘I… I’ll be fine, right?’

Click.

As the car door locked automatically, Wonho hiccupped involuntarily.