Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut!

Chapter 349. Admiration and Salvation (8)

[Persist.]

Once referred to by a name now long forgotten, the *Voice* spoke to Dan Haru.

*You chose to persist in life?*

[Persist.]

Once Haru’s salvation but ultimately his path to ruin, the *Voice* repeated its question.

*They made you covet life once again.*

[Persist…]

Once content with merely observing human time, the *Voice* had now become one that desired it.

The *Voice* spoke once more, though Dan Haru didn’t know to whom the words were directed this time.

[…That cannot happen.]

‘What… are you talking about?’

Dan Haru’s irritated response came in reaction to the cryptic words of the *Voice*.

He had expected something like this would happen ever since the main personality had changed, so the situation didn’t shock him. He had broken the deal with the *Voice* to prioritize Haru’s decision, but he never believed that the *Voice* would simply let him go.

‘So sleepy…’

Dan Haru wanted to say more, but his eyes grew heavy.

‘Is this how I die?’

If that were the case, the death he had feared so much seemed oddly anticlimactic.

But unfortunately, the *Voice* had no intention of offering him such peaceful rest after the deal was broken.

[If you insist on becoming greedy, I’ll have to remind you.]

[I’ll show you exactly what kind of human you are.]

His eyes finally closed.

The *Voice’s* final words echoed in his mind.

[And what your choices will ruin yet again.]

…Somehow, it felt like the beginning of a long nightmare.

* * *

When Dan Haru opened his eyes again, he found himself standing in an eerily empty room. The blackout curtains were so meticulously drawn that not a single ray of sunlight could penetrate the space.

Before he could grasp the situation fully, there was a knock on the door behind him. He flinched and turned around. A desperate voice called out from beyond the tightly closed door.

“Eunchan-ah.”

Eunchan?

At the familiar name, Dan Haru’s body involuntarily shuddered.

“Hey, kiddo. I’m heading to the company now. Are you not going to show your face today either?”

Dan Haru realized then where the *Voice* had dragged him.

This was…

“…It’s okay if you don’t want to come out, but I left your food and medicine by the door, so make sure you eat it. Alright?”

This place was none other than the timeline where Joo Eunchan had *failed.*

[No? No, that’s not right.]

[It’s the timeline where Joo Eunchan’s life was utterly destroyed *because of you.*]

The *Voice* appeared again, helpfully “correcting” the narrative.

Even though it was the *Voice* that had urged Haru to reset the timeline in the first place, it shamelessly shifted all the blame onto him. And yet, Dan Haru could not deny it completely.

After all, the result of his choice to return to the past had indeed been Eunchan’s compounded misfortune, piling up like an insurmountable mountain.

…

From behind him, Haru sensed movement. Without even turning, he knew it was Joo Eunchan.

But Dan Haru couldn’t bring himself to look back.

He didn’t have the courage to face the completely broken Joo Eunchan with his own eyes.

[Closing your eyes in a dream won’t make you wake up.]

The *Voice*, ever “helpful,” forced Haru to see the scene before him. His perspective shifted like a third-person observer in a game, allowing him to see the entire room despite his body still facing the door.

In the farthest corner of the room, Joo Eunchan slowly rose from the ground, coming into Haru’s view.

Through his disheveled hair, Eunchan’s lifeless eyes flickered. His lips, chapped and covered in scabs, remained tightly shut as if he had no intention of speaking, while his fingers were in tatters, clearly bitten to the point of ruin.

“….”

Dan Haru swallowed hard.

Seeing someone who once shone so brightly reduced to this state was far more jarring than merely imagining it. It felt like reading through the torn-out pages of a fairy tale he had been too afraid to finish.

But Haru quickly snapped out of his thoughts. As much as this was his punishment, understanding what the *Voice* wanted came first.

“…So, what do you want?”

Dan Haru spoke in a deliberately rough tone.

He had spent enough time with the *Voice* to know what it was after.

“You want my body, right? After wrecking all these lives, you want me to just hand myself over?”

[I never even said that yet.]

“……”

[It’s so sad.]

As Haru remained silent, the room grew even darker. In the corner, Eunchan’s pupils flashed red for a moment as he slowly stood up.

A twisted smile appeared on Eunchan’s face, one that no longer resembled him. The *Voice,* now controlling his body, approached Haru and spoke.

[You made a deal with me, Haru. You agreed to give me your body in exchange for happiness.]

[It was your side that broke the deal, so why are you making me out to be the villain?]

“……”

[I haven’t even started doing anything truly bad yet.]

“…What?”

The scene shifted again.

As Haru’s surroundings warped, he felt a wave of nausea wash over him. Soon, he realized he was standing in the middle of a bustling crowd at Dreamland.

[Let me show you a taste of what *truly bad* means.]

Amid the crowd, Dan Haru spotted a familiar large ribbon balloon floating above the heads of the masses. It was Joo Eunchan, walking with the staff and security guards trying to clear the way for him.

Despite the warm atmosphere of the theme park, Eunchan’s face was pale with discomfort, and beads of cold sweat glistened on his forehead and neck.

“Please move aside! Back up! You might get hurt!”

“Oppa! I’m your fan!”

“Eunchan! Look this way, Eunchan! Agh, Eunchan!”

“Hey! Watch your mouth! Stop taking pictures and move back!”

“I’m sorry, we’re passing through. Excuse us, please…”

Surrounded by people either trying to see him, touch him, or snap a picture, Eunchan’s complexion worsened by the second. His eyes trembled with anxiety, and his hands clenched and unclenched in helplessness.

“Whoa, hey—!”

“Be careful!”

Despite the bodyguards’ efforts, the chaos escalated, and in the end, Eunchan tripped over someone’s foot and fell to the ground.

“Eunchan-ssi! Hey, stop pushing! Please move back!”

Even as the staff shouted, no one lowered their phones or stepped back for safety. In the midst of it all, Eunchan remained on the ground.

Hundreds of eyes and countless camera lenses focused on him.

“…Stop! Stop it!”

As Eunchan’s eyes began to lose their spark, much like they had in the room from earlier, Haru couldn’t take it anymore. He squeezed his eyes shut and yelled.

The chaotic world fell silent in an instant. Everything froze, like a still painting.

Once again in Eunchan’s ruined form, the *Voice* smirked.

[How does it feel?]

[This is the price for breaking our deal.]

“…What do you want?”

[You already know, but keep asking because you still hold onto hope?]

The *Voice* chuckled ominously, stepping closer to Haru. Its hand, controlling Eunchan’s body, reached out and touched Haru’s chest.

[Your body.]

[Your life.]

[You don’t deserve this precious existence that you don’t even cherish.]

“……”

[You should have stayed content in the happiness I gave you. But now, because you selfishly want to live again, you’ve forced me to act like this.]

Snap.

The *Voice* flicked its fingers, and time resumed. Haru’s gaze instinctively returned to Joo Eunchan.

He was still on the ground, unable to rise.

[You need to decide quickly, Haru.]

[You can’t turn back time anymore if something happens.]

At that moment, amidst the crowd, a figure came into focus as if highlighted by a spotlight. The person, dressed in a dark hoodie, black cap, and mask, concealed their identity completely.

An unsettling feeling crawled up Haru’s spine. The person had their hands buried deep in their pockets, inching closer to Joo Eunchan.

[And you know as well as I do…]

Flashes of memories from a few days ago overlapped in Haru’s mind.

He recalled the incident where someone, disguised as staff, had infiltrated the waiting room and sent a dangerous gift targeting Eunchan. The culprit had yet to be caught.

[Humans are capable of committing terribly cruel and violent acts without hesitation.]

Time slowed to a crawl once more, likely another trick of the *Voice.*

The hooded figure closed in on Joo Eunchan, who was just starting to get back up with the help of the staff. The masked person met Eunchan’s gaze, and then, in slow motion, pulled something out of their pocket and lunged toward him.

Haru’s breathing quickened. He desperately wanted to intervene, but he was painfully aware that he was in a dream, unable to physically affect anything around him.

As he turned

back, he saw the grotesque, blood-smeared face of the *Voice,* watching leisurely as it gestured toward the scene.

[Make your choice, Haru.]

[If you just disappear quietly and give me your body, this incident with Eunchan will never happen.]

“…How can I trust you?”

[Hahaha! How could you say such hurtful things, Haru?]

[I’ve never broken a promise with you.]

[And honestly, isn’t it a bit absurd for you to start worrying about Eunchan now?]

The *Voice* sneered mockingly, gesturing toward itself.

[You did nothing while he fell apart like this.]

[Now you care? Hahaha!]

As the *Voice* laughed, a countdown appeared over Joo Eunchan’s head.

<10:00>

<09:59>

<09:58>

….

[So, Haru, what’s it going to be?]

[Will you turn away from Eunchan’s suffering again, all because you want to live?]

With just 10 minutes left before Eunchan’s *misfortune,* Haru found himself teetering on the edge of a decision.

His breath hitched as he made up his mind.