Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut!

Chapter 224. Freezing to Death from Being Sickly

I knew it.

Once I got caught up in a modern fantasy idol world equipped with a system that came with “penalties” and “side effects,” I couldn’t avoid a certain degree of clichés like #Misunderstanding and #SicklyCharacter.

Yeah, but still….

“…Did I catch an incurable disease overnight? I don’t think so. I slept really well. I slept like I was drenched in an all-cure potion.”

“Stop talking and get dressed. I heard colds are going around this season, what if you catch one at the hospital?”

“Then at least get these guys off me. They’re heavy as hell.”

“No way. What if you suddenly trip and hurt yourself? You even bumped into things all over the place yesterday. Doha hyung said he heard all about it.”

“That’s right. We’ll even help you to the car! And at the hospital!”

“Who’s helping who here…? You’re both shorter than me.”

“Then should we call Yugeon hyung and Doha hyung?”

“…Forget it. Hold on tight.”

…Isn’t this a bit overprotective?

Even without seeing myself, I could tell how ridiculous I must look, bundled up in the thick coat, scarf, and mask Seo Taehyun gave me, with Dan Haru and Joo Eunchan holding onto me on either side.

They claimed they were supporting me by holding my arms, but honestly, since they were both shorter than me, it was more like they were just hanging onto my shoulders.

“Director’s almost here? We should head down to the parking lot soon.”

The mastermind behind this overprotectiveness, Jung Siwoo, came out into the living room holding a steaming mug.

With his appearance shining even more brightly in the morning sunlight, one might mistakenly think he was holding a cup of warm drip coffee… but what was actually in that cup was a thick, two-scoop serving of powdered yulmu tea.

As I inhaled the strong, savory scent of the yulmu tea, I addressed the godly visual main vocalist who had successfully dragged me to the hospital.

“…Hyung, are you serious with this?”

“What did I do?”

It wasn’t enough that he reported my health status to Ji Suho as soon as he woke up this morning.

He had quietly gone out, coordinated stories with Ji Suho, and then spread the fake news to the members that “Hajin fainted last night, so he’s going to the hospital today for a check-up.”

And he even rattled off a list of all kinds of diseases related to dizziness at the breakfast table, causing this uproar with Seo Joodan, and now he’s asking, ‘What did I do…?’

No matter how much I glared at him with eyes full of things I wanted to say, Jung Siwoo just stirred his yulmu tea full of nuts with a spoon and smiled cheerfully.

“Haru, Eunchan, make sure to take Hajin to the hospital safely. And while you’re out, get something tasty to eat.”

“Yes!”

“Got it!”

“You guys…! Be honest. The tasty food is what you’re really after, isn’t it!?”

I struggled, feeling deeply betrayed by the two youngest ones who were overly excited about ‘something tasty.’

But with them already holding onto my arms and restraining me, my body was being carried past the dormitory door and into the elevator.

In the end, acknowledging that any further resistance was just a futile power struggle, I quietly allowed myself to be half-draped over the youngest members’ arms as we headed to the underground parking lot. I could see the van our group used approaching us.

‘Well, whatever. Might as well get a free check-up while I’m at it. Let’s go with the flow.’

Thinking this, I was about to board the van that had stopped in front of me….

“Hajin, are you in such bad shape that you need this much support? This is serious. Get in quickly. Guys, lay Hajin down here. This won’t do. What’s your schedule like tomorrow? Only one music show? Just in case, we should prepare to adjust the schedule….”

“Nooo! It’s not like that! It’s really not like that!”

Even Ji Suho, who I had trusted, turned pale as soon as he saw me and hurried out of the car in a panic.

At this rate, I was certain they’d soon issue a “Kang Hajin Halts Activities” notice, so I thrashed about with all the unfairness I could muster. My breathing was full and solid; even I had to admit my vocal projection was spot on.

‘If I cough up blood, they’ll definitely force me into retirement…!’

I vowed to somehow get the headquarters guys to give me a side effect exemption patch next time…!

With that firm resolve, I reluctantly got into the passenger seat and was transported to the hospital.

* * *

Perhaps because it was a weekday morning, the hospital Ji Suho brought me to wasn’t very crowded.

Even though there was a hospital near the dorm that could perform check-ups, Ji Suho insisted on bringing me to this one, farther away. It seemed like, as an idol, I had to use the company-designated hospital to avoid issues like leaking personal information.

‘Ugh. I’m bored, maybe I should’ve brought the youngest ones with me after all?’

I had barely managed to persuade Joo Eunchan and Dan Haru, who had insisted on following me to the hospital, to stay at the dorm.

I had given excuses like people might recognize us or that if we all went together, there might be weird rumors if there were hospital sightings, but the truth was, I wanted to talk to Ji Suho openly about how this was all because of that damned system.

-So… you’re saying all of this is a side effect of the system? With no real harm to your body? It’s not like last time where your condition got worse from repeated regressions?

-I’m telling you, I’m perfectly fine. Seriously. This isn’t some situation where I need a CT scan, MRI, blood tests, or anything like that. Jung Siwoo hyung is just overreacting.

But after hearing my explanation, Ji Suho shook his head firmly.

-But Hajin, how can you be so sure that something like dizziness and actual vomiting isn’t affecting your health? Come on, since we’re here, let’s get all the tests done. And from what I’ve seen, you’re not very sensitive to your own condition. I don’t think I can trust what you say about your body.

…And that’s why I ended up getting all the exams and consultations I could at this hospital, and was now sitting in the hallway, waiting for Ji Suho, who had gone to get the results on my behalf.

“A quest.”

Since I had nothing better to do while waiting, should I check it out now?

I opened the new system UI window that I hadn’t had a chance to properly review last night due to Jung Siwoo’s semi-coercion. As I brought up the revamped quest list, several system windows with different colored indices unfolded before my eyes.

[Basic Quest 01. Find the Regressor! has been completed.]

[Basic Quest 02. Facing the Regressor has been registered.]

[Basic Quest 02. Facing the Regressor is not yet accessible. It will automatically unlock once certain conditions are met.]

[Existing Sudden Quests have been changed to Mini Quests. A variety of content will be provided irregularly to motivate the Fixed Regressor.]

[To ensure safer timeline management, the Fixed Regressor’s skill usage is restricted. (Affected Skills: ‘How Much Do You Want?’ ‘What’s My True Self?’)]

[The Fixed Regressor’s Mental Care System has entered stabilization.]

[The Fixed Regressor’s ‘Wandering and Drifting’ mode has been detected as deactivated for a certain period. If the deactivation lasts for more than three months, the ‘Wandering and Drifting’ mode will be lifted.]

“For real, this system says no to everything, doesn’t it?”

If you weren’t going to allow it, then why give it to me in the first place!

Sure, I did push to get it when it wasn’t originally provided, but still, come on, right?

I can’t use skills, I can’t access the quest, and without Thirteen around, I can’t even have any banter—what’s the point of your existence, huh?

“…Ugh, forget it. What’s the use in complaining?”

I swallowed my anger and leaned back in the chair.

Normally, at this point, our Thirteen would be chattering away about how ‘The Fixed Regressor this, the Fixed Regressor that…,’ but with no one to banter with, it was just boring.

“……?”

It was then that someone called me.

Thinking it might be Ji Suho, I checked my phone, but the name on the screen was unexpected.

Why is this guy calling me so early in the morning…?

If I thought about it, he was practically a benefactor, but since I never ended up in a good situation whenever we got involved (or rather, I didn’t), I couldn’t help but feel a bad premonition the moment I saw his name on the screen.

Of course, that was just how I felt.

My body, already accustomed to social niceties, couldn’t possibly let the phone ring for more than three seconds before quickly pressing the answer button, as if afraid to disrespect the senior who had personally called me.

“Yes, Sunbae-nim. This is Kairos’s Kang Hajin speaking.”

-…Hajin. Does our

company enforce military discipline? I suddenly felt like I’d re-enlisted, and it gave me a bit of a chill.

Ah, crap. That bad habit again.

“I was just trying to maintain polite phone etiquette…. What’s the matter?”

I casually covered it up and asked the reason for the call, to which Seo Taeil replied with a concerned tone.

-Well, they said you’re sick? There was a fuss about you fainting after a schedule and Suho hyung carrying you to the ER, so I called to check on you.

“…Me?”

-Yeah, you.

“…Where did you hear that?”

-Just heard it at the company. They said you had a high fever all night and developed gastric cramps, which Siwoo discovered, so he called Suho hyung.

“………Excuse me, but is Miro not an entertainment agency but a media outlet? It seems like the company has a department dedicated to generating rumors. This would count as false advertising, right? I think I need to consult a lawyer—do you have a law firm you could recommend?”

As I babbled in disbelief, Seo Taeil replied in an unnecessarily refreshing tone.

-Ah. It’s not true?

“Of course it’s not…!”

-I was thinking of sending some beef for your recovery… Don’t need it?

“There’s not a single part of me that isn’t hurting, not a single part. My body aches, I’ve got muscle pain, and I feel like I might be energy-depleted. I probably need some acupuncture at a traditional clinic….”

-Yeah. This is why I like you so much.

I heard a cheerful laugh from the other side of the phone. The laughter continued for quite a while, so it was obvious he had said that just to tease me.

Realizing I’d been caught, I replied as insolently as I could.

“Even though the rumor about my illness was false, if you bestow the grace of beef upon this distant junior, I will use all the media outlets at my disposal to spread your noble deeds and repay you.”

Of course, I only meant that insolence in my heart, as my body still maintained a respectful tone, allowing no rudeness toward my senior.

Seo Taeil seemed to find my response amusing and laughed even harder.

-Ah, you’re too funny…. But you really did go to the hospital, right? I heard it from Suho hyung. You’re okay, right?

“Yes. I just didn’t sleep well, but everyone’s overly worried about my health.”

-I get it. Our company had a kid who nearly died from that.

“…Why are you saying something like that with a laugh? It’s making me serious.”

As I thought about the “kid who nearly died” that Seo Taeil mentioned, I straightened up and shut my mouth.

Then Seo Taeil lightly moved on to another topic, saying, ‘It’s an old story anyway.’

-Anyway, I called because I heard you were sick and wanted to check on you, and I had something to discuss.

“Ah, yes. Please go ahead.”

-Did you get the gift we sent?

“Ah, yes, yes. I wanted to thank you for that… I know it’s late, but thank you, Sunbae-nim.”

I sincerely expressed my gratitude for the gift we received during the music show activities.

Then, Seo Taeil’s tone turned a bit cynical, lowering slightly.

-Yeah. Did you see what was in it? We specifically copied… what’s their name, that group’s gift set, exactly.

“…Believer?”

-Oh, yeah. Believer. That must be it.

“Why are you bringing up Believer’s gift set…?”

Why bring up Believer’s gift set when talking about our group’s gift…?

…As I pondered, I recalled how, after the first gift set Joo Eunseok prepared, there was a minor scuffle between Believer’s fans and our fans in the community.

-Tae-hyun mentioned it. He was really upset because there were comments online comparing Believer’s gift set to Kairos’s and saying ours was lacking in value.

“Tae-hyun said that?”

-Yeah. So, since we were sending a gift anyway, I made sure it had the exact same contents as theirs, plus vouchers for the brand I endorse. Can’t have our youngest members getting looked down on, can I?

…Seo Taehyun, you scary kid.

No, more like the whole Seo family is terrifying…

To remember that and then match the gift set? What a maniac.

Anyway, the fact that our fans enjoyed it during the music show period was true, so I didn’t say anything more and changed the subject smoothly.

“Thanks to you, we wrapped up our music show activities well. Thank you again. Please pass on my thanks to the other seniors as well.”

Then Seo Taeil, as if waiting for this moment, seized my words.

-Ah, yeah. Right. About that. The thanks.

“……?”

-How about giving it in person?

“What…?”

-You guys should come to our concert as guests.

What are we supposed to do…?

Receiving this huge scheduling bomb from my senior, I sat frozen on the sofa in the hospital hallway.