Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut!

Chapter 364. Jeju Island’s Blue Night (6)

After breakfast, we went to a café.

Despite running for an hour to digest last night’s late meal, we didn’t leave a single grain of rice in our breakfast bowls. Honestly, compared to how much Hajin usually ate, it wasn’t even that much. But claiming he was too full to move, Hajin dragged me to a café as an excuse.

We had to walk another 15 minutes from the restaurant, and for a moment, I thought it would’ve been better just to head back to the lodging.

‘Well… it’s not like we’re on a tight schedule anyway.’

More importantly, the scenery on the way to the café was beautiful, so once again, I followed Hajin without complaint.

“We’ll have one iced Americano, one Hallabong ade… Oh, and a slice of the honey cheesecake, and one of those fresh strawberry croffles—.”

“Let’s be real. You brought me here to eat everything you’ve been craving while Taehyun isn’t around, didn’t you?”

“Hey, if we run back to the lodging, we’ll burn it all off~”

How could I not try the famous stuff here? Hajin responded nonchalantly as he carried the drinks and desserts to the second floor.

The prices were outrageous for just coffee and cake, but the ocean view that unfolded before us made it feel like we were paying for the seats. The view of the beach and sky outside the glass wall was breathtaking.

“Hey, sit down.”

“Why?”

“I’ll take a picture.”

“Why all of a sudden? I’m drenched in sweat and wearing a tracksuit.”

“Exactly why I’m taking it.”

“…What?”

“Just stay still for a couple of shots. It’s for memory’s sake.”

Muttering something to himself, Hajin forced me into a seat and aimed his phone at me. I didn’t think much of it and just made a peace sign for the camera.

I pretended not to hear Hajin’s exaggerated praise about how I looked too cool for my own good.

“Okay, that one came out perfect. Got the A-shot. Let’s eat.”

“Let me see.”

“No need, it’s great. I’ll send it to you later.”

“Let me take one of you too.”

“Oh, me?”

When I held out my hand, Hajin hesitated for a moment but eventually handed over his phone. Using the experience I’d gained from taking countless candid shots for Taehyun during our schedules, I skillfully snapped a few photos of Hajin.

“Uh, this feels a bit awkward…”

The problem was Hajin himself.

When he took photos of others, he was all about the details, but when it came to him being photographed, he visibly didn’t know what to do with himself. It was obvious on camera how awkward and unsure he looked.

Adjusting the phone to find the right angle, I couldn’t help but say in disbelief:

“You’re so good at taking selfies. Why do you get all weird when someone else takes your picture?”

“That’s called gap moe, kid.”

“I have no idea what that means… Just stay still. Turn your head slightly.”

“Like this?”

“Are you doing neck stretches? Just a little to the side.”

With my direction, Hajin finally managed to pull off a picture worthy of social media. As he stared at the photo in the gallery, marveling with disbelief, “Is that… me?” I took a sip of my iced Americano. Despite the ice melting a bit, the coffee tasted great.

“Hey, there’s something I’m curious about.”

“Go ahead.”

“Why do you speak formally to me? You used to speak casually.”

Hajin asked as he took a big bite of cake, and I couldn’t immediately come up with an answer. It was true—I had spoken casually to him, just like Taehyun, back when we were doing *Miro Maze* together.

What should I say to that?

After a brief moment of thought, I shrugged.

“Dunno. Maybe I just wanted to keep some distance.”

“You used to speak casually before debut, so why the sudden change?”

“Back then, I thought we’d only see each other briefly and never again. I guess that’s why.”

“Ha, seriously. Nothing’s ever simple with you guys.”

“So, should I start speaking casually again?”

“Would you?”

“…Depends on you.”

Hajin looked at me for a moment and then chuckled, turning his head.

“Fine, we’ll see.”

With that, the conversation ended, and for a while, we both got lost in our own thoughts.

I gazed out at the beach beyond the window and then closed my eyes.

It was a rare feeling, perhaps the first time in my life—a sense of true relaxation. I felt grateful that a day like this could exist during my twenties.

‘…My siblings would like this too.’

The desserts, both sweet and mild, were perfect for my younger brother Yuho’s taste, and the cozy yet stylish interior was something my little sister Yurang would love.

As I thought about them, I couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty. While I was enjoying this luxury, my family was still stuck in that cramped house, living the same old routine.

“Whoa—! This is amazing!”

The brief moment of gloom was shattered by Hajin’s enthusiastic shout. He was slurping on his Hallabong ade and tapping my arm excitedly.

“Hey, Yugeon. Look over there. Isn’t that crazy?”

“…?”

Following his hand, I saw a boat speeding across the ocean.

No, more accurately, it was the rainbow-colored parachute attached to the boat that caught my eye.

“That’s parasailing. You know paragliding, right? The one you do from a mountain? Parasailing is the ocean version of that. Doesn’t that look insanely fun?”

The people attached to the parachute soared over the water, sometimes flying close to the surface and sometimes so high it looked like they could touch the sky. Occasionally, their legs dipped into the water before they shot back up again.

Even though the boat was far from the café, I could almost hear the faint cheers of the people flying above the sea. The wake from the boat left trails of white spray in the water, and just watching it made me feel refreshed.

I nodded absentmindedly, still sipping my iced Americano.

“Yeah, it looks fun.”

“Great.”

“What’s great about it?”

Hajin’s odd response made me glance at him, and I caught him checking the time on his phone. He smiled brightly.

“Because that’s your future.”

“…What?”

“You’re going to ride that.”

Who’s riding what?

Before I could ask again, the sentence got stuck in my throat, and the cold Americano slid down with it.

—

“Kang Hajiiiin―!!!!!! You―!!!!!!!”

The curse word that almost slipped out was held back by the tiny part of me that still clung to my idol persona.

Not that I could’ve yelled it anyway.

As my parachute plummeted, my long legs skimmed the rough surface of the ocean, and the spray from the water alone was enough to leave me struggling to keep my wits about me.

“Woohoo~! This is amazing! Our Yugeon looks awesome! Sir, can we go even higher?”

“Higher? Sure thing!”

“Yeah! My brother loves a good thrill!”

“Y-You piece of―! Uwaaahhh―!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Before I could protest, the boat sped up, dragging my parachute with it. My body, which had just been skimming the water, shot up into the sky.

My scream echoed across the vast Jeju sea.

“AAAAHHHH!!!! It’s too fast, no, too high, no―! AAAAHHHHH!”

With the sky above me and the deep blue ocean below, I clung to the safety harness, crying out helplessly.

No wonder he made me wake up early and fed me a hearty breakfast with a sweet dessert. It was all part of his plan.

“Yugeon, look this way! Look over here! Say *cheese*~!”

Hajin, the shameless one who left me hanging alone, was waving at me from the boat with his phone camera aimed straight at me. A video of Yugeon screaming while parasailing—this would be a hit whether he sold it to Taehyun or the Destis.

Satisfied with the zoom function on the phone he received as a birthday gift from a fan, Hajin gave the guide controlling the parachute a thumbs-up.

“Make it as thrilling and fun as possible. My brother flew in straight from Seoul just to ride this.”

“Really? Since it’s quiet today, I’ll give you a longer ride.”

“Awesome, thanks! By the way, I noticed you have other water sports here. Do we need to reserve those in advance?”

“No, just head to the info desk after this. It’s off-season, so there’s plenty of availability.”

“Sweet, great deal.”

“By the way, why don’t you join him? Why only your brother?”

“Oh, I’m afraid of heights. I get my thrills just watching him.”

Of course, that was a lie.

Just a few weeks ago, Hajin had enjoyed every bungee jump Dreamland had to offer. But with a perfectly innocent smile, he waved his phone in the air, taking even more pictures of Yugeon as his parachute descended toward the water again.

Once parasailing was finally over and Yugeon’s feet were back on solid ground, he hastily dried off with a towel before stomping over to Hajin, grabbing him by the shoulders, and shaking him violently.

“You said we were just going for a light workout—!? You said just

exercise!!?”

“Hey, do you know how many calories swimming burns? Look at you, all pumped up in your arms and legs. You’ve burned off everything you ate.”

“You didn’t say anything about jumping into the ocean!!”

“Think about it. What did I say this morning? We’re going for some exercise to shake off the late-night bloat. You’ll shower again after, so just wash up quickly. Did I say anything wrong?”

“Who would take that to mean we’d be plunging into the sea! Are you out of your mind?!”

“So… you didn’t like it?”

“Urgh…!”

“But it was fun, right? Admit it.”

Despite my angry protests, Hajin stayed completely unfazed. And honestly… it *was* fun. With a sigh, I couldn’t help but run a hand through my hair in frustration. Hajin, ever smug, patted my back and slipped on a pair of sunglasses he had seemingly conjured out of nowhere.

“Alright, alright. We’re short on time. We’ve got to finish up all the activities here and move on to the next spot. Oh, and by the way, stop shouting my name. If someone recognizes us, we’re in trouble. We’re famous idols, you know.”

“God, I hate this…”

“Today, instead of being the water park staff, you get to be a guest. How about that?”

There was nothing I could do. With a resigned laugh, I shook my head and nodded.

“Yeah, fine. Let’s do everything. But you’re riding too. No excuses.”

“Obviously. That’s the spirit. Let’s go, Yugeon.”

“Stop calling me Yugeon. It’s creepy.”

“If we use our real names here, and someone recognizes us, things will get complicated. So suck it up.”

Even though I’m taller than him by 1cm, Hajin threw his arm over my shoulder as if he were the big brother. Despite the fact that my clothes were soaked, meaning he’d get wet too, he didn’t seem to mind.

As we headed to the information desk, Hajin suddenly stopped and turned to me as if something had just occurred to him.

“Hey, by the way, Yugeon.”

“…?”

“You know you switched back to informal speech just now, right?”

“…”

“I must’ve done something really well.”

With a satisfied grin, Hajin walked on ahead.

Not knowing where we were or where we were going, I could only follow along.

And for the rest of that day, until our trip ended, Hajin never let go of my shoulder.