Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut!

Chapter 292. Winter of the Boy (3)

The last schedule of the year was the MBS Music Festival.

“Alright, everyone.”

December 31st.

Today, the last day of the year, was also Dan Haru’s birthday.

“You all remember the plan, right?”

A birthday for the youngest on the year-end stage?

If we let this pass without a hitch, we’d be Minotaur, not Kairos.

While Ji Suho and the staff deliberately took Dan Haru out under the pretext of filming some behind-the-scenes content, I gathered the members and the dance team in a circle in the waiting room and went over today’s plan once more.

“After the dance break, Sparkling will step out to the center, the music stops right on cue, Seunggil hyung and Jaewon will unfurl the banner, Eun-chan will bring out the cake, and the rest will form the pattern as we’ve practiced. Got it?”

The plan was simple.

We just had to sneak in a surprise birthday celebration for Dan Haru in the middle of the stage.

The key points were ‘sneak’ and ‘surprise.’

To make sure we didn’t get caught, we even held a pre-birthday party for Dan Haru yesterday, so he wouldn’t suspect anything if we didn’t do something today.

“If we threw a birthday party to cover for the real one, doesn’t that just mean we ended up throwing two birthday parties?”

Lee Yugeon mumbled in a voice full of confusion, but I ignored it lightly.

Ah, come on. That’s not the point right now.

“Alright, does anyone have any questions about today’s plan?”

“Hyung, I do.”

“Yeah, Chani.”

Joo Eunchan raised his hand enthusiastically and asked with his bright eyes wide open.

“What about the part where it says ‘Destis too’? How are you planning to handle that?”

Joo Eunchan pointed at the section in the ‘Dan Haru’s Surprise Birthday Plan’ group chat (of course, Dan Haru wasn’t included) that I posted on my phone.

Looking at this sentence, I shrugged my shoulders casually.

“Oh, I’ve already taken care of that.”

“How?”

“I arranged for the fans attending the public broadcast today to receive slogans with the event explanation when they check in. They have to pick up their snacks and hot packs anyway.”

“…Hyung, are you an event planner by any chance?”

“If I make a lot of money later, I might start one. I think I’ve got a talent for it. Alright, Sparkling should be back soon, so let’s all disperse.”

As I clapped my hands a couple of times, everyone started to murmur among themselves and return to their spots. I chuckled as I watched Dan Haru returning with Ji Suho, and Jung Siwoo, who was sitting next to me, whispered in a small voice, sounding a bit surprised.

“Is it because he’s the youngest? You seem really concerned about Haru’s birthday. I knew you liked to take care of things like this, but still.”

“Well… It’s not really because he’s the youngest.”

I paused, thinking over my answer, and gazed at Dan Haru, who was sitting in front of the makeup station getting his hair done, his round head in view.

When our eyes met in the mirror, Dan Haru quickly scrunched up his face into a funny expression. The shy and timid boy who had once yelled about eating from a vending machine was no longer there.

I gave Dan Haru, who was still making all sorts of weird faces trying to make me laugh, a look to tell him to tone it down, and answered Jung Siwoo calmly.

“…Isn’t being wished a happy birthday the best feeling among all the ways people show they care? It’s like celebrating your very existence.”

“Is that so? Well, I guess it’s the most primal way of saying, ‘I’m glad you were born.'”

“If you’re going to celebrate, it’s better to do it big, letting everyone know.”

Dan Haru had said his twenty-sixth birthday had been unbearably lonely.

It would be a long time before I could celebrate his twenty-seventh birthday with him, but at least I wanted him to remember his seventeenth birthday as a happy one.

“I’m someone who’s really glad that Haru was born and is living a healthy life.”

No matter how things had turned out, I was someone who was living a new timeline because of Dan Haru’s regression.

So, this was like repaying a debt to Sparkling.

Listening to my answer, Jung Siwoo scoffed incredulously.

“Do you know you sometimes sound like Haru’s dad?”

“Well, I might as well be. I already have two grandkids.”

“This family tree is going to be seriously messed up….”

“What about you, hyung? Why don’t you add to the mess and twist the family tree even more?”

“I’ll think about it.”

Laughter spread through the waiting room along with the light-hearted conversation. I closed my eyes, mentally reviewing today’s event once more.

* * *

‘Something feels… good today.’

Even though the end-of-year performances were exhausting, and both his stamina and condition were at their limits, Dan Haru felt strangely energized.

‘Is it because it’s my birthday?’

But birthdays had never been particularly exciting for him.

In fact, he could barely remember how he used to celebrate his birthdays. He recalled his grandmother occasionally calling to wish him a happy birthday over the phone….

‘Still, yesterday’s birthday party was fun.’

Since it was the busiest of all year-end seasons, yesterday’s birthday party was held not at the dorm, but at the practice room.

While he was practicing hard, the lights suddenly went out, and as if it were the most natural thing in the world, Siwoo had approached him with a cake lit with candles.

The memory of being surrounded by his hyungs, the dance team, and the staff, receiving birthday wishes and a pile of gifts, felt like something he would never forget.

‘Come to think of it, wasn’t that the first time I received a birthday celebration like that?’

Without missing a single move from the choreography engraved into his body, Dan Haru made eye contact with the red-lit camera passing in front of him and flashed a bright smile. Yet, his mind was still filled with thoughts.

Had there ever been another day when so many people sincerely celebrated his birthday?

Dan Haru tried to look back at his short life, but aside from yesterday, no birthdays stood out.

No, it wasn’t just that they didn’t stand out; he couldn’t remember them at all.

‘How did I spend my birthdays before?’

A strange feeling crept over him, but it was fleeting.

Soon enough, Dan Haru forgot what he was thinking about and moved with renewed energy. The newly added dance break required an unusually large amount of movement.

As he moved to his position and showed off retro tecktonik moves with the dancers, Dan Haru’s thoughts continued.

‘Lately… I feel like I’m forgetting things.’

No, it feels like I’m remembering too much.

No, it feels like certain moments keep repeating themselves.

No, honestly, I don’t know.

He felt something was off, but he couldn’t grasp what it was. At some point, he noticed that his memories didn’t quite align with his hyungs’, and sometimes memories of things that had never happened popped into his mind.

Dan Haru knew this was strange, but once he turned away, he would forget about that odd sensation all over again.

Just like his grandmother used to tell him to stop thinking when he was overthinking.

-It’s okay.

This was the strangest part.

This sound of his heart that he didn’t know how to describe.

Whenever Dan Haru sank deep into thought and the swirling emotions in his heart began to create waves, it was as if this resonance appeared just to calm him.

-Nothing can harm you. There’s nothing dangerous here.

Maybe because it was his own inner voice, it always carried a warmth.

And after hearing it, Dan Haru would forget everything all over again and simply focus on the happiness of today.

It was the same now.

“……?”

After hearing the reassuring voice that told him everything was fine, Dan Haru found himself standing alone at the center of the stage. If things had gone according to the rehearsal, the chorus of , half a key higher, should have been playing, but nothing came through his in-ear monitor.

‘What’s going on? Is this a broadcast error?’

Startled, he looked around, only to see the smiling faces of his hyungs and the dancers gathered in a circle around him.

Then, with a fluttering sound, he sensed something huge being erected behind him. Alarmed, Dan Haru removed one of his in-ear monitors to assess the situation, and a flood of loud cheers and the sensation of the scene enveloped him like a rising tide.

“What… is this?”

By the time he quickly scanned the words on the giant banner with his face plastered across it, the music, which had stopped, began to play again. But instead of , the sound that came out was an arrangement of the birthday song in a carol-like style.

Happy Birthday to You

Happy Birthday to You

Then, all his hyungs started singing the birthday song together. The song had been sped up a bit, probably due to time constraints, but even so, Taehyun-hyung stacked the low harmonies while Siwoo-hyung added the high harmonies, making it an exceptionally high-quality birthday song.

Dan Haru could only stare blankly, still in a daze

, at the situation unfolding before him. He was so shocked that he couldn’t even laugh, and instead, a hiccup escaped him.

Afraid that his hiccups would be picked up by the microphone, he covered his mouth and stood there stupidly. Then, from the opposite side, he saw Eun-chan approaching him, carrying a fake cake with sparklers attached.

As Eun-chan reached him, Hajin, who had moved to stand beside him, shouted out to the audience, “One, two!” loud and clear.

Haru, happy birthday―!

A chorus of voices, clear in Dan Haru’s ears, called out.

Dan Haru suddenly lifted his head and looked out over the sea of lights beyond the audience. His fans were probably sitting there, among the white lights and fluttering yellow banners. Fortunately, the indoor venue wasn’t that large, so the audience was visible to the naked eye.

“Blow out the candles already.”

Hajin, who was standing next to him, whispered quietly into his ear, holding the handheld mic a little further away.

It was only then that Dan Haru snapped back to reality.

‘Ah, so this is a surprise birthday celebration for me.’

Had anyone ever been this happy to celebrate his birthday?

Dan Haru still couldn’t remember.

Even in his hazy memories, Dan Haru’s winters had always been cold and lonely. Despite being someone who had been loved and raised without lacking anything, he felt that way.

“Uh….”

So at that moment.

That brief moment.

Just before blowing out the beautiful flames in front of him with a breath.

Dan Haru saw a vision as if time had stopped.

In that frozen time, he once again heard the voice in his heart.

[Haru.]

No, it was something else.

[Are you happy?]

[If so, say ‘now.’]

A voice he felt for the first time, yet one that was not unfamiliar, sweetly whispered to him.

[Then, I will make sure you live in this happiness forever.]

Live in this happiness forever?

Dan Haru couldn’t understand what that meant, but he quietly savored the sight in this frozen time. He had always wondered what kind of moment would make him want to stay in it forever. Maybe it was a moment like this, he thought innocently.

[Say it, Haru.]

[Then I’ll give you this perfect day as a gift.]

The voice was so kind and gentle as it offered the suggestion.

It was indeed a very tempting offer.

Dan Haru had been in an exceptionally good mood today, he was in top condition, and he was so fond of every moment of today that he wanted to remember it when he eventually faced a lonely winter someday.

‘…Um. No, it’s alright.’

However, Dan Haru didn’t hesitate for long before shaking his head.

‘I think I’ll be okay.’

Dan Haru still had many “tomorrows to look forward to.”

He wanted to perform well on the remaining awards show stages, he was excited about the trip with his hyungs at the beginning of the year, and there were already many preparations to be made for next year’s activities, which were already in the planning stages.

[All the more reason to stop here, right?]

[You never know if tomorrow will be unhappy.]

[Why give up this moment where yesterday was happy, today is happy, and tomorrow will be happy?]

The voice kept trying to tempt him.

It reminded him of the witch who handed the poison apple to Snow White and the one who suggested Sleeping Beauty spin the spindle.

In the still-frozen time, Dan Haru hesitated for a moment.

Then he answered.

‘It’s okay.’

[…Why?]

‘Because I’ve learned that even winter can be warm now.’

If he told Doha-hyung this, he might respond, “That’s probably because of global warming.”

Thinking of that, a sly grin spread across Haru’s face. He couldn’t wait to finish this stage and head back to the waiting room to chat with his hyungs.

‘So I’m okay. Thanks for thinking of me.’

[……Alright.]

With that short response, the magic was broken, and the world returned to normal.

Once again, Dan Haru forgot the conversation he had with the “voice” in that brief moment, but his excitement and joy remained.

“Blow them out already.”

With his hands clasped together, Haru blew out the candles as his hyungs urged him on.

Then, the upbeat intro of that should’ve played earlier began to blast through the speakers.

My Day is Everyday Christmas

I’ll live with expectations every day

Haru’s clear and vibrant voice rang out through the entire concert hall.

Right on cue, a rainbow-colored confetti cannon exploded. The falling silver bits looked just like angel wings, he thought.

There’s no such thing as a special day

I’ll just keep waiting for tomorrow

Such a fitting lyric.

With a ‘Today’s Birthday’ headband messily stuck on his head by his hyungs, Dan Haru wore the bright, beaming smile that Destis loved so much.

It was a seventeenth birthday he would never forget.