Chapter 134. A Small Trigger (6)
[Father ‘Jung Gun-ho’ Deceased (Cause of Death: Natural Causes 病死)]
Among all the events the system had shown, this was the only one Kang Hajin was unaware of.
And it was also the only reason why Hajin regretted viewing this past.
[System Alarm: You can also view earlier events if you wish.]
[System Alarm: Would you like to view them?]
“…No. It’s fine.”
At Thirteen’s words, Hajin shook his head vigorously.
It was an instinctive feeling that he should stop discovering more about what had happened to Siwoo.
‘Jung Siwoo became such a hot topic, and yet, this fact was so thoroughly hidden that it hasn’t been mentioned anywhere. Even the company seemed unaware of it… Finding out about such a thing in this manner feels far too disrespectful.’
It was a completely different feeling from when he had seen the Chosen Regressor’s past.
Seeing that Hajin still couldn’t hide his bewilderment, Thirteen carefully opened a chat window to speak to him.
[System Alarm: …I did warn you. I didn’t recommend it.]
[System Alarm: While I perceive everything as mere events on paper… the meaning is different for you, the Fixed Regressor, who has to face these people directly.]
Yeah. I’ll listen to you better next time.
With a complex expression, Hajin slid off his chair and onto the bed.
Even though learning this didn’t mean he intended to treat Siwoo any differently…
Still, it was true that he felt uneasy.
“You should’ve been more forceful in stopping me…”
Hajin’s words, filled with regret, were met with Thirteen’s composed response.
[System Alarm: While I didn’t recommend it…]
[System Alarm: I judged it to be a necessary process.]
[System Alarm: To find the Chosen Regressor, you, the Fixed Regressor, will need to learn more about other people’s timelines.]
There was an almost palpable weight in Thirteen’s subsequent words.
[System Alarm: Please remember the feeling of what it’s like to interfere with someone else’s timeline.]
[System Alarm: I repeat, learning about someone’s ‘life’ is never an easy task.]
[System Alarm: Especially if a human like you becomes desensitized to such things, it could be truly dangerous.]
Thirteen stopped talking there, but Hajin could roughly guess what he wanted to say.
To find the Chosen Regressor, Hajin would now have to review countless people’s past timelines in this way.
Though this time it was due to error compensation, in the future, he would see even more through various functions of the ‘system,’ including recruiting companions and quest rewards.
“…So you’re telling me not to get too absorbed. I get it now, I understand what you’re saying.”
Just as Hajin had gradually forgotten the meaning of life after countless regressions…
If there came a moment when he began to view someone’s past, future, and present merely as ‘quest rewards’ and ‘text.’
‘Then I might end up no different from that damned regressor or the Chosen Regressor’s kid.’
Hajin didn’t want to repeat the same mistake he had made when he assumed he knew everything about Lee Yugeon just from seeing his stat window.
Hajin nodded as if he understood everything. Seeing this, Thirteen also seemed relieved.
[System Alarm: Then I’ll end the viewing of Jung Siwoo’s past here.]
“Alright. I’ll find out the rest myself once I get closer to him.”
Of course, getting close to him was already a monumental challenge.
As Hajin recalled how difficult it was to find an opening with Jung Siwoo, he suddenly sat up straight.
“Anyway, I still need to do what has to be done.”
Although he unintentionally learned about Siwoo’s past, he still had a clear objective—to gather clues about the Chosen Regressor suspects.
Now that debut was truly around the corner, it was time to narrow down the most likely suspects.
After all the effort he had put in, the last thing he wanted was to regress again because the Chosen Regressor was eliminated during the final.
“Let’s go over everything one by one. We already have a few big clues.”
Hajin began writing down the clues he had uncovered so far on the empty system window.
**Clues about the Chosen Regressor**
– The current life is fake.
– The original life was that of an orphan.
– The base personality does not recognize the regression.
– The base personality instinctively perceives past timelines.
– They are content with their current life and rely on me (Kang Hajin).
Hajin brought up the profiles of the remaining trainees who were still alive, excluding himself, and began to reason calmly.
“I reviewed the infinite regression incident from last time… Doesn’t something seem off?”
[System Alarm: What do you mean?]
“While I was running around like crazy trying to stop Lee Yugeon from dropping out, what exactly was that Chosen Regressor brat doing?”
The Chosen Regressor didn’t want Yugeon to drop out.
So, if they had turned back time to prevent Yugeon from leaving, they should have done something about it.
At that time, he was too out of his mind to think it through, but now that it was all over, he could recall the situation more clearly.
“That day, someone told me that Lee Yugeon was dragging his suitcase toward the emergency exit.”
That wasn’t all.
“I wasn’t the only one who discovered that Yugeon’s scandal stemmed from a specific post.”
Someone was definitely with him at that moment.
The problem was that he couldn’t quite remember who it was.
As Hajin furrowed his brow, trying to recall, an idea suddenly struck him. He looked at Thirteen with a gleam in his eyes.
“Hey. Can’t we check past timelines for something like this? I’m part of the Kang Hajin team now, right? I can just check my past timelines!”
Hajin’s eyes sparkled like those of a certain Western man who supposedly shouted “Eureka” after stepping into a bath.
But hearing this, Thirteen started sweating bullets, trying to avoid Hajin’s gaze as he shrank away.
Knowing that this was his typical reaction when he was in a pinch, Hajin asked with a doubtful expression.
“…Why? Don’t tell me that’s not possible too? Why? I have a high sync rate, don’t I?”
[System Alarm: …….]
[System Alarm: ( ⚆ _ ⚆ );;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;]
[System Alarm: The thing is….]
Thirteen hesitated for a long time, but eventually, he couldn’t resist Hajin’s persistent stare and confessed, complete with the sound of whimpering.
[System Alarm: The Returning One must have tampered with it because the timelines from that period are all shattered and scattered….]
[System Alarm: It can be restored, but it’ll take some time….]
[System Alarm: ๐·°(৹˃̵﹏˂̵৹)°·๐]
“Are you sure it’s safe for humanity to trust you with our time…? Is it really okay for this world to run on such a fragile system?”
When Hajin asked this out of genuine concern for humanity and the universe, Thirteen, who had become nearly transparent, muttered dejectedly.
[System Alarm: We’re not exactly omnipotent beings… This is our first time dealing with something like this too….]
[System Alarm: The system is currently in a state of distress from being unhelpful….]
“…Alright, I got it.”
Hajin frowned as he tapped his fingers, trying to recall ‘that someone.’
“Anyway, here’s my theory. The Chosen Regressor kid must have thought that my actions were crucial to stopping Yugeon’s withdrawal. So, they created situations that would lead me to prevent his withdrawal.”
Looking back now, some things that he thought had naturally resolved themselves might have actually been due to the Chosen Regressor’s influence.
Things like the quick responses from the broadcasting station or the staff.
“And the fact that the Chosen Regressor tried to prevent Yugeon’s withdrawal… makes me think it might have been because of me.”
[System Alarm: That’s right. If not for you, the Fixed Regressor, then maybe…]
“No, I mean, literally because of me. If I had messed up the Blue Flare team’s performance, I might have actually been eliminated this time.”
In the most recent elimination round, Hajin ranked 9th.
That score included the team benefit from the 3rd contest.
The difference in votes between them and the 2nd place Candy Crush team wasn’t significant. If Yugeon hadn’t received the overwhelming highest individual votes, the results could have been different.
‘Not to mention, Yugeon played a significant role in that performance.’
The Blue Flare performance provided a solid stepping stone for all the team members.
Given the outcome, the person who benefited the most from Yugeon not withdrawing was…
None other than Kang Hajin himself.
“Only four people could have figured out that I couldn’t afford to mess up the 3rd contest.”
Hajin carefully reviewed the trainees’ profiles and dragged them to the empty space.
Four profiles neatly appeared on the system window.
“Jung Siwoo, Seo Taehyun, Joo Eunchan, Dan Haru.”
These were all people who were either perceptive and good at reading public opinion or those he had directly shared his concerns with.
Hajin pointed to Siwoo’s profile and said,
“Out of these, the one who tried the hardest to prevent Yugeon from withdrawing was Jung Siwoo hyung. Honestly
, that’s why I thought he was the most likely suspect.”
But if it was Siwoo, the thought that he would have turned back time for Hajin’s sake didn’t sit right with him.
Moreover, the past he had just learned about further reinforced his belief that Siwoo wasn’t the Chosen Regressor.
“If the Chosen Regressor had used abandoned timelines to reconstruct their life, I don’t think they would have left behind a past where their father passed away.”
After some thought, Hajin carefully deleted Siwoo from the list of suspects.
With his chin propped on his hand, he made a thoughtful sound as he looked at the remaining three.
“Joo Eunchan is my roommate, so I’ve often talked about how important the 3rd contest is. Plus, his family background is quite unrealistic.”
He was the second son of one of the top furniture companies in the country. And he was a late child, born much later than the first.
If life were a game, anyone would want to claim such an attractive background.
In fact, Hajin had used that background to drive out the Director and Han Sungwoo, which greatly benefited Eunchan.
And since Eunchan was quite close to Hajin, he had plenty of motive.
“Okay. Let’s keep him on the list.”
After casting a sideways glance at Eunchan’s bed, Hajin moved on to the next candidate.
“Seo Taehyun. I don’t know much about his family situation… but he does have a clear motive. He got a second chance at being an idol because of me, and he’s also close to Lee Yugeon.”
But Hajin knew Taehyun’s past.
When he was twenty-nine, and when he was nineteen…
He had lived out the same choices and paths.
“Compared to the cowardly behavior patterns of the Chosen Regressor, Seo Taehyun has lived far too steadfastly. If he were the Chosen Regressor, he would have turned back time the moment Cha Minseok showed up with evidence.”
Hajin shook his head and deleted Taehyun from the suspect list as well.
And now there was only one candidate left.
“Dan Haru.”
The fingers that had been tapping the bed railing suddenly stopped.
Fragments of memories began piecing themselves together.
“…When did Dan Haru join Miro?”
[System Alarm: Huh?]
Despite Thirteen’s question, Hajin, as if possessed, didn’t even respond and quickly flipped through the profile tabs.
**<Dan Haru>**
– Age: 17 years old
– Birthday: December 31st
– Trainee period: 2nd year (Cast by Ji Suho at 16 years old)
– Position: Vocalist
– Special notes:
– Parents reside overseas
– Appears to be close with grandmother
As Hajin confirmed Haru’s profile, his expression rapidly stiffened.
The pieces of the puzzle in Hajin’s mind quickly fell into place, forming a clear picture.
“…How did I not notice this before?”