Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut!

Chapter 294. The Necessary and Sufficient Condition for Happiness (2)

Thirteen had returned.

So, what needed to be done now?

“Let’s get to work.”

[That’s so unfair!]

[｡･ﾟﾟ･(>д<)･ﾟﾟ･｡]

“Your tantrums have gotten worse since we last met, and they’re unnecessary.”

Clicking my tongue, I crossed my legs, and the unusually lively system window flailed around like a live fish, expressing its discontent.

It was both amusing and endearing, so I covered my mouth with my hand and leaned back. The cushion of the upgraded sofa felt extremely satisfying.

“So, how does it feel to be half-human?”

Since it had been a while, I lightly asked out of courtesy, and Thirteen displayed the loading sign (…….), as if contemplating for a moment. I waited silently without prompting, and soon enough, the reply came.

[To be honest, there’s not much to say about it.]

[However….]

After some hesitation, Thirteen cautiously displayed another message.

[I guess I can somewhat understand why No.12 made that choice now?]

“No.12?”

[It’s the manager code for the returning one.]

[While you, Kang Hajin-nim, were diligently pursuing your career as a professional idol, we time managers were also working hard!]

[Thanks to that, we were able to uncover more information, though it’s minor.]

[ヾ( ˘ ⌣˘ )〴]

Manager number 12.

I silently repeated the code that was probably Dolja’s original identity in my mind.

Just as I had been able to gain a more detailed understanding of Dan Haru’s psychological state and situation through my regressions, it seemed that Thirteen, through his own humanization, had come to understand Dolja, who desired to become human, a little better.

“So, what do you think was Dolja’s reason for making that choice?”

[Because he loved humans.]

“……?”

I instinctively crossed my arms in an X shape, raising my guard at the answer that came out without hesitation.

“You… don’t tell me you…?”

I’m not into that kind of thing, you know?

At that, Thirteen freaked out, turning on red lights all over the room.

[Are you seriously out of your mind?]

[(ʘ言ʘ╬)]

“Hey, you’re the one who made it sound misleading!”

[Not romance, love! LOVE! Agape love!]

Thirteen was so agitated that spittle effects were even flying out from the system window. Feeling embarrassed, I just shut my mouth. Then, with a sighing (=3) effect, Thirteen continued.

[To be precise, he came to love the ‘life’ of humans.]

“…Explain that a bit more.”

[It started when I began to admire the energy of life that I felt through you, Kang Hajin-nim.]

[Before that, your timeline was just another ‘task’ for me, but after I became your system, it wasn’t just that anymore.]

As a human, I still couldn’t fully grasp the concepts of the supernatural beings known as time managers, but with my experience of watching various sci-fi and fantasy materials, I could roughly understand the flow.

It was a common theme in the human world, the myth of a god who loved humans so much that they themselves became human.

Thirteen continued speaking.

[The returning one was a time manager who managed Dan Haru-nim’s timeline.]

[For time managers, ‘managing a timeline’ involves more than you might think.]

[To put it simply….]

[I believe the returning one likely had Dan Haru-nim’s best interests at heart when he made that deal.]

[Just as I, at some point, sincerely started supporting your life, Kang Hajin-nim, and created missions to help with your tasks.]

I slowly read through Thirteen’s words.

Then, nodding slightly in agreement, I responded.

“…Yeah. To the Chosen Regressor, Dan Haru, Dolja must have been nothing short of a savior.”

Therefore, in my upcoming plans, the biggest obstacle would be the Chosen Regressor, Dan Haru.

As of now, it meant that the only ally Dolja had was the Chosen Regressor, Dan Haru.

Thirteen changed the lighting in the studio to a more serious mood and displayed a message.

[What are you planning to do?]

[To merge the Chosen Regressor’s personality with the basic personality, you first need to summon the Chosen Regressor’s personality.]

“Yes. The first thing to do is summon the Chosen Regressor’s personality and have a conversation. But before that….”

[……?]

“Why do we need to merge the Chosen Regressor’s personality with the basic personality? Explain that to me first.”

[It’s to keep the Chosen Regressor’s personality, which has the power of regression, anchored in reality.]

[Otherwise, the Chosen Regressor’s personality will continue to escape into the unconsciousness of the basic personality, and the longer this goes on, the more dangerous it will be for Dan Haru-nim. It will make it easier for Dolja to take over the vacant body.]

“So, it’s important that the personalities are unified within Dan Haru’s body, like mine.”

Thirteen blinked a green light in affirmation of my words.

After seeing only a system acting like AI for so long, it was hard to adjust to such a lively reaction.

With my hands clasped together, I asked Thirteen one more question.

“I have one more question.”

[Go ahead.]

“If something goes wrong and a human becomes aware of past timelines without the aid of a mental care program, what happens?”

[…Pardon?]

“It seems Dolja is messing around with the members’ timelines.”

[…….]

“Not just the members, but everyone connected to Dan Haru and me.”

After realizing that Lee Doha and Joo Eunchan had awakened to their timelines last time, I had immediately started probing the colleagues who had been recruited into my system.

The first person I checked was Ji Suho, who was aware of everything.

– Has anything like unfamiliar memories suddenly come to mind?

– Hmm….

After contemplating for a moment, Ji Suho looked up with an “Ah,” as if something had clicked.

– Come to think of it, when you were repeatedly regressing because of Yugeon. There was a moment when your behavior felt like déjà vu when you were telling me not to make him leave.

– …What about recently? Any strange occurrences lately?

– Recently? Recently…. …Ah.

– What? Did something happen?

– Now that I think about it, I haven’t been able to see light in people lately. I thought it might have naturally disappeared as you resolved that fantasy-like stuff.

Awakened Ji Suho’s abilities had vanished.

Next was Kim Wonho.

– Whoa, long time no see.

– You’re about to debut, and you’re still using words like “whoa”?

– Ah, I’m working on fixing it. Sorry.

– …So, everything’s good? Debut preparations going well?

Feigning small talk, I indirectly asked my question, to which Kim Wonho laughed and joked around.

– Lately, I’ve been having nightmares. I guess I’m more stressed than I thought.

– …Nightmares?

– Yeah. In the dream, I quit being a singer and started working as a deliveryman. Then, I ran into Senior Seo Taeil at one of the delivery spots. I recognized him, but he didn’t recognize me. I ended up crying alone in a park before waking up.

– ……Sounds like nonsense. Taeil hyung still talks about you sometimes.

– Seriously? That’s a huge honor.

– …I told you to drop the “huge.”

Even Kim Wonho, who had been the last to be recruited as a colleague, had begun to perceive his timeline.

However, there were also people outside my colleagues who had started to recognize their timelines.

– It’s like you and I share a trait of getting deeply absorbed in something once we focus on it. It must be genetic.

It was my younger brother, Kang Hawon.

– But don’t you think we’re a bit different in temperament?

– You’re much more fiery. Don’t you remember? When you had that big fight with the head of the outsourcing company and went in the next day to submit your resignation. You said you’d rather do manual labor than work with someone like that. Man, at that time, I thought, even though you’re my brother….

– …What? What did you just say?

– What?

– You just said something strange.

– I didn’t say anything just now.

The incident where I fought with the outsourcing company head and quit was something that happened on my 29th timeline.

I had no idea how Kang Hawon, who had nothing to do with this regression, had come to perceive that timeline, but I was clear on one thing: it could be a weapon for Dolja.

I stared at Thirteen with a frozen expression, unable to hide my stiffened face.

“If Dan Haru no longer wants to regress and doesn’t want to give his body to Dolja, what’s the first thing that Dolja would do?”

[…….]

“He’d give Dan Haru a reason to regress.”

Dolja had already failed once at freezing Dan Haru’s day in time.

“On December 31st, Dan Haru’s birthday. Dolja must have approached Dan Haru then. The system sent out an alert.”

[He was trying to freeze that day in time.]

“But he must have failed. Our little bunny warrior is braver than he seems, and the Chosen Regressor would prioritize the will of the basic personality, Dan Haru, above all.”

[Then the returning one….]

“That’s why the Chosen Regress

or Dan Haru is so important. Dolja will now try to forcefully make the Chosen Regressor Dan Haru freeze the basic personality Dan Haru and repeat the regressions.”

Freezing the happiest moment in time had failed.

So, the next option would be the opposite.

To make someone run away from the most miserable moment.

“What if the basic personality Dan Haru learned the whole truth?”

[…….]

“What if he learned that all his past was a lie and that the endless regressions he went through had caused his beloved brothers to repeatedly suffer misfortune?”

[…….]

“What if that repeated misfortune turned into a fixed event that ruined their lives, and Dan Haru found out?”

[……What?]

“Wouldn’t he want to run away again? Back to a happy yesterday when he knew nothing. Or….”

Wouldn’t he want to help him escape?

So that Dan Haru could be forever happy in a false happiness.

With all the truth hidden behind those illusions, carried solely by the Chosen Regressor.

“During the infinite regression incident, Ji Suho said it. Why was Yugeon still intent on quitting even though everything had been resolved? Maybe it’s because the same choices made over and over again create the same outcome.”

[But….]

“You said it back then too, Thirteen. What if I kept breaking my leg or hurting myself and kept repeating the regressions? What if that became a fixed event? How would I deal with it?”

Seo Taehyun, who was incredibly talented, never succeeded as an idol in any timeline.

Joo Eunchan, who had money and connections, never once resolved Han Sungwoo’s issue by himself in any timeline.

Jung Siwoo, who was smart and capable, developed trauma from experiencing his father’s death in countless timelines.

Lee Doha, who was always bold and decisive, never once continued with music in any timeline.

Yoon Yugeon, burdened by responsibility, endured life solely through his self-sacrificing spirit for his family across countless timelines.

And I, too.

“Even though I’ve been given the opportunity to regress and have lived through several lives, I’m still afraid of failure and desperate for recognition.”

If all of that weight of life was created by the timelines Dan Haru had repeated.

If there ever came a day when Dan Haru learned all of that.

“For Dan Haru to truly be happy, he needs to know all of this truth and overcome it. Conversely, to make Dan Haru unhappy, Dolja would need to reveal all of this truth. Dolja won’t want to miss this last chance.”

Clenching my now cold hands tightly, I declared to Thirteen with a firm resolve.

“So, this time, I’m going to make the first move.”

For happiness, shattering the world.

That was the growing pain I had chosen for us.