Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut!

Chapter 320. The Moment Daily Life Is Etched (1)

Due to the production team’s conclusion that there weren’t any suitable hiding spots at the school, our operation base was decided to be a snack bar located near the school.

Since everyone had left early in the morning without having a proper meal and rushed here, we decided to grab a quick bite before the shooting setup was complete. After briefly scanning the menu, I kindly placed the order with the owner who came to take it.

“Sir, we’ll have two orders of tteok-ramyeon, two tuna kimbap rolls, one pork cutlet, one jjolmyeon, one order of pan-fried dumplings, and one stone pot bibimbap. Oh, also one order of galbi mandu and one order of pork stir-fry rice. Anything else?”

“Kimchi udon and omelette rice too.”

“Yes, please include those.”

After neatly finishing the order and taking the water cup that Yugeon had handed me, I noticed Taehyun sitting across from me, arms crossed, looking at me with a resigned expression.

“…Why? What?”

“You said we were going to eat lightly.”

“That’s why I didn’t order rabokki or kimchi fried rice.”

“Yeah, well done….”

Taehyun gave up, as if he didn’t even have the energy to argue anymore. It’s not like it was our first time eating a lot, so he should be getting used to it by now. I sipped my water and generously offered Taehyun some more food.

“What, should I order an extra salad kimbap for you?”

“Why? I’m eating with you guys too.”

“You? Eating this? Since when?”

“…Taehyun, are you sick?”

The guy who only ate exactly ten pieces of meat and followed a strict diet even at the Utopia concert after-party is now eating snack food?

Yugeon, who had just swallowed his water in surprise at the shocking declaration, turned his head to ask. Given that Taehyun was always careful with his diet, especially since he easily gained weight and got bloated, it was even more unexpected.

“I decided to live a bit more comfortably for a while. It’s my cheat season.”

But the one who had made the shocking statement, Taehyun, casually answered as he set the utensils on the table.

‘Come to think of it, didn’t he eat grilled meat that night in Gangwon-do too…?’

In fact, I remember him being the one to suggest we eat together and bringing the barbecue equipment. Maybe something changed in his mindset while we were in Gangwon-do?

Anyway, since his debut, Taehyun had been obsessively managing himself to the point where those around him felt sorry for him, so it was good to hear that he had decided to relax a little.

Not that he would ever eat enough to affect his work.

“Sure. If you gain weight or get bloated, just ask Doha to help you exercise. It works wonders.”

Siwoo, sitting in front of us, seemed to have similar thoughts as he propped his chin on his hand and lazily joked with a smile. As soon as Doha heard this, his eyes lit up, and he eagerly asked Taehyun if he wanted to work out together. Taehyun freaked out and insisted he could manage his own body, leading to a comical exchange.

“……”

Meanwhile, I noticed Dan Haru silently watching his hyungs, unusually quiet. I wondered if he was still half-asleep, but his eyes were as sharp as ever, though his expression had a strangely melancholic air, reminiscent of the baby rabbit warrior I hadn’t seen in a while.

In other words, he looked like he had a backstory.

“Haru. Let’s go get some udon broth.”

“Oh, yes!”

And I had this affliction where I couldn’t help but ask, ‘What on earth is wrong with you this time?’ whenever I saw a face like that. In movies, the protagonist who watches their comrades’ everyday conversations with that kind of expression always ends up dead, injured, sick, leaving, or facing some other unfortunate end.

Taking Haru to the corner of the snack bar where the udon broth was, I diligently ladled the broth into bowls while irritably calling out to Haru.

“Sparkling.”

“…Yes?”

“Why do you look so gloomy?”

You were all excited about this until just before we left, so why do you suddenly look like the protagonist of a disaster movie with the world ending tomorrow?

Haru seemed unaware of how he looked until I pointed it out, and he touched his soft cheeks with a surprised expression.

“Do I look gloomy?”

“Yeah. All wrinkled up.”

“Oh no, that’s not good.”

Haru hurriedly checked his face in the mirror next to the water dispenser. After examining his face from various angles, his eyebrows, which had drawn a troubled expression, finally relaxed back into a round shape.

“Maybe it’s because I had a dream. I slept soundly on the way here….”

“What kind of dream could make your face turn greener than a veggie juice?”

“Just an old dream. I’ve been dreaming it often lately.”

Both Haru and I knew that at just eighteen years old, he didn’t have any dreams that could be dismissed as “just an old dream.”

Realizing that Haru was talking about memories of past timelines, like the ones Doha and Eunchan had experienced, I didn’t say anything in response, simply filling the third bowl of udon broth.

Haru, who was carefully placing the bowls I handed him onto a tray, finally spoke up again when I gave him the fifth bowl.

“Hyung.”

“Yeah.”

“What if I… hadn’t made that choice back then?”

“……”

“Then would your lives be very different from now?”

It seemed that Haru was gradually regaining his memories as the Chosen Regressor, and with his personality merging, he appeared to be experiencing a belated adolescence. As the little head of the previously bright and determined Haru became filled with memories far beyond his age, it seemed to be causing an overload.

I answered in a nonchalant voice.

“They would be different.”

“……”

“But does it matter?”

As I placed the last bowl on the tray, I replied in a relaxed tone. Haru, wide-eyed, looked up at me as if asking what I meant. I pretended not to notice and playfully took the tray from his hands.

“Think about what I mean. It’s your homework.”

After all, I’m still your mentor. I have to assign you at least this much homework to maintain my dignity.

I simply smiled and walked away with the tray without any hesitation.

—

The campus was in full bloom with flowers in April.

However, contrary to the bright spring scenery, J, a senior at the high school, was having a particularly gloomy day. This was because the preliminary results of the March mock exam she had taken last month were a complete disaster.

“I wish aliens would suddenly appear, take over Earth, and get rid of the college entrance exam.”

“Emigrating would be quicker.”

As the afternoon sun began to feel a bit harsh, J and her friend, also a senior, were wandering aimlessly around the relatively spacious campus, sipping drinks they had bought at the school store. Looking around, they saw other students in various groups also taking a stroll around the school, like trailers on a set.

Some of her fellow seniors seemed to be so focused on their studies that they were using the lunch break for supplementary learning in the classroom, but J couldn’t easily give up her cherished lunchtime walk, no matter what.

“Do you think the scores from the March mock exam will be our actual college entrance exam scores? No way, right? Oh, please. If I get those scores on the real thing, I might as well die.”

Why does nothing in life ever go the way you want?

As J pondered why she had to be born in a time where she had to study for entrance exams, she found some solace in the fact that there wasn’t a particular era in history she would prefer to have been born in, whether it be Korean or world history.

People often said that when you became a senior in high school, you’d find joy and excitement even in seeing fallen leaves rolling on the ground, but that didn’t seem to apply to her, who was now three months into her life as a test-taker.

These days, J found every day dull and depressing. She was only 19 years old, but she already felt like her life was ruined, and the thought made her want to cry. When she covered her eyes with her hands, everything went dark. This made J feel even sadder, as it seemed like a metaphor for her future.

As J sighed deeply and pulled up the blanket wrapped around her waist, her friend spoke up.

“Stop thinking about it and clear your mind. The more you dwell on it, the more depressed you’ll get. You can do better next time.”

“But what if I don’t do well next time….”

“So, are you just going to keep whining about it? If you’re that anxious, then go back to the classroom and study.”

J’s friend, who seemed to have reached her limit, snapped back with a sarcastic tone, and J clamped her mouth shut. J knew deep down that she was in a slump, but in her unstable state, it was hard to maintain a positive outlook.

In the end, knowing she shouldn’t, J blurted out something mean to her friend.

“Why do you talk to me like that? I was just venting because I didn’t do well on the test.”

“Is this the first time you’ve done this? You’ve been going on about it since the day the mock exams ended. My math grade is lower than yours, so should I die?”

“When did I ever tell you to die? You’re the one twisting my words.”

“You started talking weird first. I’ve been giving you hints to stop, but… ugh, I’m just going back.”

While J’s friend stormed off towards the main building where their classroom was, looking fed up, J had to clench her teeth to keep from crying.

As the bell signaling the end of lunch rang, the students and teachers who had been walking around the campus began to head back inside.

Within moments, J was left alone in the once-bustling schoolyard.

“……”

This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.

Nothing seemed to go right.

The bell would ring soon, but J couldn’t bring herself to move. She didn’t want to go back to class. She didn’t want to face the awkwardness with her friend, and she definitely didn’t want to sit through more classes that were just endless reviews of mock exam mistakes.

‘This is the worst.’

That was exactly the kind of day it was.

The worst of the worst days.

A day when so many things had gone wrong that it felt like nothing could ever be fixed again.

‘Seriously, why don’t aliens just invade? Just take over the Earth already.’

– Testing, testing. One, two, one, two. Can you hear me?

The voice of an unfamiliar young man echoed through the schoolyard via the school’s announcement system at that very moment.

The low, lively voice instantly turned J’s otherwise mundane day upside down.

– To all the students and faculty of this beloved high school, good afternoon.

– At the request of the homeroom teacher of Class 1, Senior Year 3, Ms. Yoon Hee-young, we, Kairos, will be temporarily taking over the school.

“……?”

What is this? Unable to comprehend the situation, J stared at the speaker on the field, forgetting that she was supposed to head back to class.

The mysterious voice from beyond the speaker continued.

– Students, please do not rush out of your classrooms… (No, no!)… Instead, follow your teachers’ guidance and proceed safely to the auditorium. That is all!

The aliens (outsiders) had actually taken over Earth (the school).