Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut!

Chapter 330. Our Child Has Changed (1)

In the studio, with its impressive, calm wood-tone interior, four people had gathered.

“……”

A. Lee Doha, who had lost his words, repeatedly sipped on his iced Americano, seemingly too shocked by the youngest’s changed attitude.

“…I woke him up to eat breakfast this morning, and he cursed me out. In that moment, I thought, ‘I’m screwed… no, I’m doomed,’ so I brought him here immediately. There are two sharp-eyed people at the dorm, and I didn’t want to make things worse by running into them.”

B. Lee Yugeon, who got cursed out while trying to prepare breakfast for the youngest as usual.

“……Why? Why did it change? Why now? Why suddenly? For what reason now? Why suddenly? Did you change your mind? Do you want to turn back time again? Is that why you appeared? Didn’t you say the personalities were merging? Why? What is this? The quest didn’t even appear? Then where did the eighteen-year-old Dan Haru go? No, this is ridiculous….”

C. Kang Hajin, despairing while pulling his hair, unsure whether this was Dolja’s prank, the system’s trick, or simply the best effort by the eighteen-year-old Dan Haru himself.

And―

“I’ll tell you, so shut up. I’ve got a headache too.”

D. Dan Haru, speaking roughly with a tone that didn’t match his appearance, pinched the bridge of his nose as if it were bothersome.

Now, here’s the question.

Who is the most shocked and aggrieved by this situation?

“Do I look like I can shut up right now!? The comeback is the day after tomorrow!!”

The correct answer was C.

I had stayed up for over three nights with Lee Doha working on the comeback, hadn’t even slept properly, and then the fandom turned into a mess with antis fighting each other. On top of that, after risking everything to merge the personalities of that damn Chosen Regressor, I had to face this absurd situation where I resurrected, and he resurrected along with me!

However, this cheeky, blackened rabbit warrior didn’t even bat an eye at my fury. Instead, he lazily leaned back, his dead fish eyes turning to Lee Yugeon as he casually asked,

“Got a cigarette?”

“Do you really want to die?”

He didn’t seem to realize he was currently in the body of a minor. If I left him alone, he’d probably suggest we crack open a bottle of soju.

Before a bigger disaster occurred, I needed to get a handle on the situation. I barely managed to regain my composure and opened my mouth. My voice was so dry and cracked from lack of sleep that it split as I spoke.

“Until you properly explain what happened, you’re not getting a drop of water, got it?”

“Wow, that’s harsh. But I’m still the same Dan Haru.”

“You were the one who tried to lock that Dan Haru up in an hourglass. Until I confirm you have no ulterior motives in this situation, I’m not trusting you.”

“I’ve been curious for a while, but what does it matter to you whether I freeze my body in time or not? Why do you always interfere like this?”

“How can it not matter? Because of your stupid antics, I had to take the college entrance exam three times, enlist in the army three times, and get a job three times!”

Dan Haru fell silent, his face weary, unable to come up with a response to my furious retort.

‘Who really ended up tired because of this?’

The more I thought about his ridiculous reaction, the more I wanted to pinch those chubby cheeks of his and get an answer out of him. But Dan Haru sighed shortly and began to explain what he knew about the situation.

“…I don’t know exactly either. What I do know is that Haru wanted to have another conversation with me, and something went wrong in the process.”

“What went wrong? No, more importantly, is it possible to call out the other personality? Then why don’t you just call him back now?”

“If I could do that, would I be like this right now?”

Dan Haru shot me a look that said, ‘Are you an idiot?’ Seeing that look on our soft and sweet rhino Dan Haru’s face somehow made it feel three times more hurtful.

If it had been Lee Yugeon or Lee Doha, it wouldn’t have been noticeable at all. But it just had to be our sunny youngest. Feeling more helpless, I quietly shut my mouth and pulled up a system window above Dan Haru’s head.

[System Notification: The current personality fusion rate for ‘Dan Haru’ is 18%.]

“Even that is eighteen percent…”

But something seemed off.

‘18%? Last time I checked, it was at least over 20%.’

Even if my memory was wrong, considering it had been over a month since the fusion process started, the percentage seemed far too low. As I frowned, puzzled by the unreasonably low figure, the system immediately popped up a new notification as if to clarify my doubts.

[System Notification: If the fusion rate is within 50% and the main personality shifts, the fusion process will restart from the beginning.]

[System Notification: ※Warning. A main personality shift due to a system error has been detected.※]

[System Notification: To prevent errors and secure the system, main personality changes are temporarily disabled. (Estimated recovery period: at least 3 months)]

‘System error….’

As soon as I saw those words, it was easy to guess who was behind this crazy Jekyll-and-Hyde situation.

“…That damn Dolja again….”

This persistent amoeba of a bastard…!

I thought he had quieted down, only for him to pull something like this.

As I grabbed my throbbing head, faced with this massive issue just before the comeback, Lee Doha firmly stopped my hand. Then he quietly said,

“You’ll go bald at this rate.”

At those words, I immediately let go of the hair I had been clutching.

Hmm. That won’t do. My precious scalp, already damaged from bleaching and dyeing, couldn’t take any more abuse. I gently patted my scalp as if comforting it. Meanwhile, Lee Yugeon, who had been sitting on the desk with a completely clueless expression, cut in with frustration.

“So, what the heck is going on? I don’t understand any of this.”

“…Not understanding is normal. Especially for a muggle like you.”

“Mug… what?”

“To put it simply, the Dan Haru you know is B, and this one is A. Originally, B was supposed to gradually merge with A, but something went wrong, and now A is merging with B. And because they haven’t fully merged, their personalities are polar opposites.”

“That’s not simple at all.”

“I think so too. So, I’m feeling pretty hopeless right now….”

If I couldn’t even make Lee Yugeon understand, how on earth was I supposed to explain this to the public?

I didn’t even need to think that far ahead. How would I explain it to the members back at home?

We had a mountain of delayed schedules starting tomorrow. I wasn’t even sure if that delinquent rabbit would follow the packed schedule without complaints. Even if he did, that would be a problem in itself.

As I closed my eyes tightly against the headache, Lee Doha, who had been quietly organizing the situation in his notebook, spoke up.

“…So, you’re still Haru, right? The Haru before the time loop. And right now, the personality of the youngest Haru we know is merging with you….”

“……”

Dan Haru didn’t bother answering, only nodding slightly. Perhaps it was because the fusion process was incomplete, or maybe some kind of defense mechanism still lingered in his mind. It seemed the Chosen Regressor Dan Haru had some resistance to identifying himself as ‘Dan Haru.’

Watching this, Lee Doha continued in a calm voice.

“Sometimes in the past, Haru would seem unusually cold, right? So, that was probably you, too?”

“…Probably.”

“What about singing skills or dancing? Do you remember our new song’s choreography?”

“I don’t know what you think of me, but I share the same senses as Haru. I know and remember most of what Haru knows.”

Dan Haru snapped back at Lee Doha’s words, unsure if he was being questioned or provoked. Despite being unfamiliar with this defiant side of Dan Haru, Lee Doha didn’t seem particularly bothered and just pondered silently.

How many minutes passed like that? After tapping his notebook with his pen a few times, Lee Doha turned to me and said,

“Then isn’t this okay?”

“…What?”

“Whether they merge this way or that, it’s still Haru, right? He says he’s fine with singing and dancing for the comeback. The fact that his personality has changed drastically is a risk…. But we could just chalk it up to adolescence, right? Considering his age.”

“What kind of teenager hits puberty like a storm out of nowhere…?”

“The fans are seeing us for the first time in three months, right? Haru’s grown taller and his voice has deepened a bit, so even if his personality has suddenly calmed down, they might just think, ‘Well, okay.’ Honestly, I think convincing the members at home will be harder than convincing the fans.”

Although Lee Yugeon protested in disbelief, Lee Doha wasn’t entirely wrong.

Since we couldn’t bring back the Sparkling personality right now, we had to find a realistic solution. I tried to regain my composure and leaned forward.

“The fastest solution would be to raise the fusion rate

as quickly as possible. We need to ensure this Dan Haru and that Dan Haru properly merge. From my experience, once the fusion rate exceeds 50%, it stabilizes into one personality, but the problem is that after 50%, you can’t change the main personality anymore.”

“You can’t change the main personality?”

“It means that the main personality would be locked as this A Haru in front of us, not the B Haru we know and the fans love.”

At that, Dan Haru, who had been silent, suddenly looked up and spoke firmly.

“That’s not an option.”

“What? Why not? You said both of you are the same Dan Haru.”

“…No matter what, that’s not an option. This body belongs to Haru. That’s one thing I won’t compromise on. You guys would be more comfortable with the Haru you know too, right?”

Yeah, I figured you’d say that.

Lee Yugeon, who had been about to ask why not, looked even more confused as he shook his head in disbelief at Dan Haru’s unwavering stance. It seemed like his brain had hit its limit, as he eventually got up and flopped down on the plush sofa in the corner of the studio.

‘Yeah, just stay there. This world is too harsh for a muggle to understand….’

I slid my chair closer, filling the gap left by Lee Yugeon, and narrowed the circle between the three of us. Lee Doha spoke sharply to the stubborn-faced Dan Haru.

“Just saying it’s not an option isn’t convincing. Explain it in a way we can understand.”

“…The Haru you’ve seen so far, all his skills and abilities, belong to ‘that’ Haru. If I become the main personality, I can’t guarantee that those will stay intact.”

“But isn’t that the case right now too?”

“It’s different. Right now, Haru’s personality and mine coexist, and I’m just occupying Haru’s body. His skills and abilities are still intact. But if I become the main personality and the fusion completes, everything that belonged to Haru will be absorbed into me and won’t function as well.”

“……”

“You wouldn’t want that, would you?”

Dan Haru articulated his argument clearly, as if he knew exactly what Lee Doha valued and what he’d regret losing. Even Lee Doha, who was usually composed, seemed hesitant at the thought of losing all the skills Haru had accumulated as the group’s main vocalist.

As the strange standoff between Lee Doha and Dan Haru continued, I suddenly intervened.

“Listen to me first. There’s a second option.”

“…What is it?”

“According to the system, it’ll take at least three months for the function that allows the main personality to be changed to be restored. Three months covers not only this comeback but also the next album’s activities.”

“……”

“I’ll find a way to restore the function as quickly as possible. In the meantime, Dan Haru, you need to cooperate with our activities.”

“Cooperate…?”

“Do whatever it takes to not let anyone find out that your personality has changed.”

“You want me to act like Haru?”

“Don’t make it sound so dramatic. After all, you are Dan Haru, and Dan Haru is you.”

What other option do you have?

As I looked at Dan Haru with that expression, he too seemed to realize there wasn’t much of an alternative. He quietly pursed his lips. Doha and I waited silently for Dan Haru’s decision. Of course, if he refused, I was ready to keep him confined in this studio until he agreed.

And soon, Dan Haru nodded.

“…Alright. I’ll cooperate. But I have a condition too.”

“What is it?”

“Stop the fusion process until Haru returns. If it exceeds 50% within three months, it’ll be a disaster.”

“…You really have no desire to live in this body, do you?”

I knew it, but still… this guy’s really something. How can someone have so little attachment to their own life?

It was a mindset I couldn’t understand, as someone who desperately wanted to live as myself, but knowing I couldn’t fully grasp the life Dan Haru had lived, I figured it was natural for me not to understand.

After exchanging a glance with Lee Doha, who seemed to have made up his mind, I saw him nod slightly.

“Alright. Deal. Let’s work together, Sparkling.”

Once I made my decision, there was nothing to hesitate about. I stood up and extended my hand for a handshake. Dan Haru, still looking at me with that sassy expression, stared at my hand for a moment. Then, he finally took it and said,

“One more condition. Call me that again, and I’ll kill you.”

“…Okay.”

……Is this really going to be okay?

Thus, the deal with the blackened baby rabbit warrior was sealed.