Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut!

Chapter 293. The Necessary and Sufficient Condition for Happiness (1)

By mid-February, with the conclusion of the HMA, our winter had passed in the blink of an eye.

That winter, which we had faced as clueless rookie idols for the first time, left us with a lot.

“Ah, so dazzling! What’s that? Oh my, oh my. I thought it was the sun, but it’s actually the radiant light reflected from the trophy!”

I pretended to be blinded by covering my face with both hands as I looked at Kairos’ trophy, stylishly displayed in the lobby on the first floor of the Miro building.

Then, Seo Taehyun, who had been pretending to be with a different group and standing a distance away, mumbled with a coffee straw in his mouth.

“…I really feel slightly embarrassed whenever you act like this, hyung.”

“…Slightly?”

When Lee Doha, who had his hands in his coat pockets, asked again, Seo Taehyun sighed and quietly replied, “Actually, a lot. Really a lot. Seriously a lot.”

Their reaction completely deflated my enthusiasm, and I lowered my arms, looking at them with a pout.

“Geez, you guys have no sense of romance. And you still call yourselves the ‘Over-immersers’? If Haru or Eunchan were here, they would’ve jumped in with the next line right away.”

“Then why didn’t you come with the younger ones?”

“It’s too exhausting to keep entertaining them when I ride with them.”

Just the thought of it drained my energy, so I shook my head, and both Lee Doha and Seo Taehyun nodded quietly in agreement, avoiding my gaze.

After glancing at the trophies that proudly filled an entire display case, I turned my body fully towards the two of them.

“But Doha and I came to finish some work, so why did you come to the office, Seo Taehyun?”

“Oh, the Director called me.”

“The Director? Why?”

“Something to discuss about the E-Count MC role. I heard PD Choi is quitting?”

“What? The PD?”

My eyes widened at the news that the main PD of *E-Countdown* was quitting.

But the next news was even more surprising.

“Yeah. He’s moving to a new show. *Boy’s World* Season 2.”

“…There’s going to be a Season 2?”

“I heard it from Wook hyung, so I’m not sure, but it seems almost confirmed. Apparently, my name is being mentioned as a candidate for the MC. That’s how I found out.”

“I do think you’d be good at it, Taehyun, but… Normally, they pick from the debut members of the previous season, don’t they? It’s a bit surprising that you’re a candidate instead of a *Believer* member.”

Despite Lee Doha’s objective analysis, Seo Taehyun nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders and sipped his coffee. Then, with a voice that sounded refreshing just by hearing it, he replied.

“Since it’s just us, I’ll be honest—those hyungs have terrible memories and can’t memorize all their lines. During *Boy’s World*, they couldn’t even sing properly without the teleprompter.”

His expression showed a subtle mix of smugness and the satisfaction of having beaten them. It seemed he was quite pleased that he was being considered as the MC candidate over the *Believer* guys.

But despite the news of Seo Taehyun’s potential new job, I couldn’t just smile.

‘*Boy’s World*, huh….’

Judging by the PD’s reaction last time, something definitely happened during Season 1.

Given that it’s almost certainly a negative issue like vote manipulation, it wasn’t exactly a welcome thought that Seo Taehyun might get tangled up with that program again.

‘Of course, nothing related to *Boy’s World* has ever been revealed or blown up so far….’

I glanced at Seo Taehyun, who was excitedly chatting with Lee Doha. Then, hiding my feelings and thoughts as much as possible, I spoke in a casual tone.

“Hey, isn’t it a bit early for you to be an audition show MC? We’re only in our second year. Usually, more seasoned and experienced people do those.”

“Well… That’s true. If you think about it, during our time, it was Senior Wonjun.”

“But are you going to do it? You seem pretty excited.”

“Whether I do it or not, it’s exciting. It’s like returning in triumph to the audition show where I was eliminated.”

It seemed Seo Taehyun was more thrilled about returning successfully to the place where his dream was once shattered, rather than the fact that he might host a regular audition program.

Seo Taehyun, radiating happiness from every pore, continued speaking.

“For the fans who still support me, *Boy’s World* is a sore spot. Sometimes, when I meet those who have liked me since then at fan meets, they even cry, saying they’re so happy to see how well I’m doing now.”

“……”

“But for me… It was really hard back then, but it was also fun and enjoyable. After all, it was the show that first introduced me to the world, and because of who I was back then, I can be who I am now.”

Seo Taehyun threw away his empty coffee cup in the trash bin next to the lobby and smiled brightly.

His smile now exuded a more mature vibe than the one he had when he was younger and more naive. Acting all grown up at twenty, Seo Taehyun crossed his arms, striking a mature pose.

“I hate it the most when fans pity me. I want to always be a beautifully shining star to them. That’s also why I wanted to become an idol.”

“…So you’re going to accept the *Boy’s World* MC role?”

“Well… Either way, if I do take it, it would be good for the fans, right? They wouldn’t remember *Boy’s World* as my failure anymore, but as a stepping stone to my current success.”

A saying like “born to be an idol” would be fitting for someone like him.

I still couldn’t believe that this guy once tried to run away to the beach in Gangwon-do, refusing to become an idol.

‘I should’ve shaken that former director’s son down even more….’

As I gritted my teeth, thinking that I had let that bastard off too easily, Seo Taehyun suddenly misunderstood my expression and laughed, smacking my arm.

“Ouch! That hurts, you jerk!”

“I’m not doing it, I’m not doing it. So stop making that face. I know, okay? I’m not experienced enough to take on an MC role yet.”

“No, well, that’s not what I meant….”

“Anyway, I’ll ask the Director about it today, hear what he has to say, and I’ll probably turn it down. But you know, it’d be nice if I could at least appear as a special mentor or something instead of just outright refusing.”

“Well….”

“Oh, I’m late. You guys finish up your work. If you get back to the dorm before me, help the kids pack. They’re planning to take everything from the dorm since it’s their first trip. I’m heading up now.”

“Yeah, go on.”

After saying everything he wanted, Seo Taehyun quickly took off.

Left alone in the lobby, Doha and I silently watched Seo Taehyun wave at us from the elevator.

“…Shall we go too?”

It was Doha who broke the silence, snapping me out of my thoughts.

Instead of answering him directly, I quietly began to walk. After pressing the elevator button on the opposite side from where Seo Taehyun had gone up, Doha checked to see if anyone was around and then asked me softly.

“Do you think it’s better if Taehyun doesn’t do the *Boy’s World* MC job?”

“Does it seem that way?”

“Yeah.”

“Well… I do think it would be better if Seo Taehyun didn’t get involved with *Boy’s World* anymore.”

“Why? *Boy’s World* is like a defining program for Taehyun.”

As he asked the question, the elevator doors opened. I nodded slightly to the people getting off and got into the elevator, waiting until it was just Doha and me before I asked him a question in return.

“Doha. If you had to choose between an uncomfortable truth and a comfortable lie, which would you pick?”

“Is this related to Taehyun?”

“No, it just crossed my mind.”

Even though he probably noticed my lie, Doha pretended not to and gave me his answer.

“The uncomfortable truth.”

“Why? Why choose to suffer unnecessarily?”

“If the happiness I have now is actually all a lie, then it’s not really happiness, just a delusion.”

“If you never find out the truth until you die, then it’s not a delusion, it’s reality.”

“That just means someone else is carrying the burden of the hidden truth for me.”

Just as Doha gave his firm and resolute answer, the elevator arrived with a chime.

The doors opened.

As usual, with unwavering and confident steps, Doha moved toward the light and looked back at me.

“If there’s a friend beside me who can willingly carry that truth for my happiness, then that truth wouldn’t be just uncomfortable.”

“……”

“I think being able to know the truth, to feel pain when you need to, and to be sad when you should be sad, are also human rights.”

“…Are you a masochist? If you have the choice, you should take the easier, more comfortable path. Why go out of your way to suffer?”

Even though I half-jokingly teased him, Doha smiled gently and reached out to press the elevator button for me. He held the door open, making sure it didn’t close before I got off.

His unusually dark eyes looked at me warmly. In the expression of the guy I could now

read a little, there was a steadfast trust I couldn’t even understand.

A trust that seemed to say, “Whatever uncomfortable truth you’re hiding, I’m okay with it.”

At that moment, I thought about all the uncomfortable truths surrounding us.

The truth that *Boy’s World*, which crushed Seo Taehyun’s dream, might have had its results manipulated,

The truth that the nightmares Doha and Eunchan remember might have actually happened,

The truth that, as someone who’s gone through multiple regressions, I might be stealing someone else’s achievements,

The truth that all these nightmares might be connected to Dan Haru’s infinite regressions,

And the truth that everything surrounding Dan Haru’s life might have been fabricated.

Even though the climax I had planned was approaching, I kept hesitating to carry it out because I couldn’t even imagine the aftermath once these truths were revealed.

And, as I continued to wrestle with my thoughts….

Doha gave me an answer in a calm voice.

“Getting hurt, breaking down, falling over… But still getting back up.”

“……”

“People say that’s what growth is.”

The first thing you have to do to complete a race is to stand at the starting line.

If you don’t stand at the starting line, no matter how many times the starting gun fires, you can’t run.

So, where is the right starting line for us?

“Doha.”

“Yeah.”

“You’ll have to finish the work alone today. Something came to mind that I need to take care of at the dorm.”

“…Alright. I’ll finish up and come back.”

“Yeah. See you later.”

Having made up my mind, I lightly waved to Doha and quickly pressed the elevator’s close button.

Growth.

Growth, huh….

“…I guess growth comes with growing pains.”

To prepare for that pain, there was something I had to do before leaving for the trip.

* * *

“Huh? Hajin hyung? Weren’t you supposed to be at work?”

“Yeah, I wasn’t feeling well, so I came back early.”

When I returned to the dorm, Joo Eunchan, who was playing a game in the living room, looked at me with surprise. I gave him a vague answer and hurried into my room. Before closing the door, I firmly told him not to wake me up because I was tired and was going to sleep early.

“Hey, come out.”

As I entered the empty room and called out to the system, a long-missed blue window appeared in the air. Since the last system update notification, it was the first time I’d called up this fantasy-like phenomenon, and today it felt strangely unfamiliar.

[System Notice: The system update has been completed.]

[System Notice: Would you like to check the update details? (Accepting will automatically enter the subconscious space.)]

“Yeah. Take me in.”

[System Notice: Please state the entrance code for the subconscious space.]

“I hate mint chocolate.”

As I mumbled the entrance code without any guilt, I felt my body, which had been sitting on the bed, collapse onto it as if I had fainted.

When I opened my eyes again, amidst a sensation I would probably never get used to no matter how many lifetimes I lived, I found myself sitting on the sofa in my subconscious workspace. The sensation of the sofa was softer and more comfortable than ever, and I felt all the tension in my body release.

“Hey.”

But I wasn’t interested in the cozy, comfy sofa.

“Come out. I know you’re here.”

A system update at such a crucial time?

It was obvious what that attention-seeking bastard from the headquarters had updated.

“Kim Thirteen. Come out. I’m busy.”

Then, on the opposite white wall, a screen appeared, so familiar it nearly brought tears to my eyes.

[Geez, really….]

[Don’t you have any sense of mood, Kang Hajin!?]

“Talking about mood? You really are becoming more human.”

[This isn’t how I imagined our reunion to be….]

[System Notice: The system sighs, disappointed by the lack of excitement from the fixed regressor (*´Д｀)=з.]

The return of my long-missed partner.