Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut!

Chapter 350. Admiration and Salvation (9)

“Really, is that enough?”

Dan Haru had made his decision.

No, to be honest, it felt like he didn’t have a choice in the matter.

“If that’s really enough…”

With that, you won’t do anything to my brothers, right?

A sentimental question, one that he could never have imagined asking when his personalities were separated, blossomed in his heart. For a moment, Haru clamped his mouth shut without realizing it and mocked himself inwardly.

‘To die for someone else?’

It was a choice that the Chosen Regressor, Dan Haru, would have never made. Yet, this resolution didn’t come as a surprise to him.

‘…It’s such a Haru-like thought.’

Because he knew all too well that this was the personality of the person he had envied his entire life—Dan Haru.

And as always, only Haru’s choice mattered to him. But that didn’t mean he trusted the “voice” in front of him.

“Show me proof first.”

[Proof?]

“Proof that if I give you my body, you won’t touch them again.”

[…Hahahahaha! Haru, my beloved Haru.]

With that, the “voice,” who had been wearing the face of the shaggy-haired Joo Eunchan, laughed maniacally as its pupils turned crimson. No, upon closer inspection, it seemed like all the blood vessels in its eyes had burst, making it look like tears of blood were flowing. Its face, already on the verge of madness, came closer to Haru and finally exploded in rage.

[Do you think I’m negotiating with you right now?]

“…….”

[That deal was over a long time ago, Haru. You betrayed me first.]

Time, which had paused for a moment, began flowing quickly again. So fast that it felt like some parts were skipped.

No, it seemed like there were indeed skipped scenes.

Just moments ago, Joo Eunchan, who had been frozen in place, making eye contact with an unknown assailant, was now half-unconscious, clutching his bleeding cheek.

[Are you going to ruin this last chance too?]

Dan Haru could tell that the “voice’s” patience was reaching its limit.

Behind him, the screams of people filled the air, and Joo Eunchan, struggling to even breathe, lay barely alive. Above him, a timer blinked, showing barely five minutes left. He couldn’t even regress now, so once that time passed, it would truly be irreversible.

“…….”

Yes, once something had happened, there was no going back.

Eunchan’s car accident, Taehyun’s scandal, Suho’s risk of blindness, and Siwoo’s trauma.

Dan Haru decided to accept all the guilt and debt he had ignored until now. Perhaps this was the most atonement he could manage. He rationalized that this was the right conclusion for everyone’s sake.

Once life became precious, death was no longer something to fear. Compared to a past where life was so terrifying that even death seemed frightening, this was a monumental change.

– I’ll always be rooting for you.

You always said you’d support me.

Only then did Dan Haru realize he had lingering attachments. When he felt those attachments, he also realized something else—he wanted to live. The puzzle of his heart, which he had been avoiding, finally clicked into place as he faced death.

He wanted to live.

He wanted to live as Dan Haru.

Even though his life had been nothing but failure, he still wanted to live.

– Your regression was my opportunity.

Why did that phrase come to mind right then?

– As someone who achieved their dream because of you, wouldn’t it be ungrateful to just sit back and do nothing?

It was a truly strange feeling.

Even Dan Haru, who had grown numb to almost everything, had never felt anything like this before.

It was like recalling something you had completely forgotten.

‘How ridiculous….’

Forgetting Kang Hajin? How could that be possible? But it was true.

Up until just now, Dan Haru had completely forgotten about Kang Hajin. As if someone had deliberately hidden Hajin from him, he had forgotten Hajin’s very existence. It was as though someone had covered up every memory of him with black paper.

‘Get a grip, Dan Haru.’

It felt like he had suddenly woken up from a dream. Regaining his composure, he began to notice things that were different from before.

[Dan Haru, answer me.]

For instance, the state of the “voice” right in front of him.

Just moments ago, the “voice” had seemed furious, having reached the limits of its patience, but now Haru saw it differently. Yes, it was still beyond its limit, and yes, it was still furious, but more than that…

‘It seems… desperate.’

Why?

Why was it desperate?

Why had it erased Kang Hajin’s existence from his mind?

The answer came quickly. Just beyond the “voice,” which had been blocking his view, Dan Haru spotted something completely out of place in this space.

<★☆♣♤EXIT♥♢♡★☆>

…How had he not noticed it before? There was an emergency exit glowing so brightly it was almost absurd.

Dan Haru did his best to maintain his calm and focused his gaze near the “voice,” so it wouldn’t notice that he had spotted the exit. Fortunately, the time he’d spent alive hadn’t gone to waste—his acting skills were pretty decent.

“…Still, I need an answer. At least promise you won’t touch Joo Eunchan.”

[You still want an answer?]

“You know better than anyone how persistent I am.”

Dan Haru turned his gaze towards the future timeline where Joo Eunchan and the timer were.

There were only about three minutes left.

He didn’t bother trying to hide his increasingly unsteady breathing. In fact, he thought showing his agitation might make the “voice” drop its guard.

Meanwhile, the emergency exit, still glowing behind the “voice,” displayed a new message.

…Don’t call me that.

The door was now adorned with floating sparkling CG effects.

But Dan Haru didn’t say anything about killing Kang Hajin anymore. Having experienced it firsthand, he now knew how terrifying the words “I’ll kill you” could be.

Looking at it from the other person’s perspective at this point was ridiculous, but it was the truth.

This time, the message was a bit long.

Dan Haru had to make an effort not to let it show that he was reading it. At the same time, he countered the “voice” with a bold, confident tone.

“You’d better hurry and convince me, too. There are only three minutes left.”

[Haa….]

“What if I choose Dan Haru again instead of Joo Eunchan this time? What if I don’t care whether that bastard’s face gets scarred or not? You can’t take over my body by force without my consent anyway.”

As Haru turned the tables, the “voice,” now almost a demon wearing only the features of Joo Eunchan’s face, clutched its forehead in frustration.

Meanwhile, another message came from Kang Hajin.

At that message, memories of the day when he had first encountered the base personality, Haru, rushed back to him.

Kang Hajin, with a bloody nose and drenched in cold sweat, had grabbed his hand and dashed madly through countless obstacles, heading for a glowing door just like this.

And at the end of that breathless sprint, they had reached a peaceful spring morning.

[Which is why I should’ve dealt with those bastards first…]

<٩(^ᗜ^ )و ´->

The signal flared up, as if announcing the start of a school sports day.

Dan Haru knew the next signal before it even came.

<♡⸜(ˆᗜˆ˵ )⸝♡>

<(Fireworks emoji)>

Even though Hajin had said he’d count to three, he naturally gave the starting signal at “two,” with fireworks and effects bursting in the background.

Unable to hold back, Dan Haru burst into laughter.

“Oh, that crazy guy, seriously.”

[…You…!]

And then Dan Haru ran like mad. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d run so hard that he was out of breath.

Though he felt the “voice” realizing his escape attempt and pursuing him at terrifying speed, Dan Haru didn’t look back. Like a lighthouse beaming out over the sea, he focused only on the glowing door and ran like his life depended on it.

[Where do you think you’re going…!]

Just like before, obstacles appeared, blocking his path. Crowds in the amusement park transformed into thousands of hands trying to grab him, or the rides morphed into monsters chasing him.

But such things didn’t scare Dan Haru at all anymore.

Breathing heavily, he let out his most heartfelt plea, one that came from the deepest part of his being, for the first time in his life.

“Hajin hyung―!”

Please, just once more.

Save me one more time.

As if even his desperation was heard, the

message on the glowing board changed with a lively sound effect.

<❛‿˂̵✧ b>

At that moment, beams of light shot out from the glowing door, speeding past Dan Haru. They looked like chains at a glance, but he didn’t have time to care.

Those chains passed by him and, from the sound of the horrible screams behind him, it seemed like they had bound the “voice.” It was a shriek so chilling that Dan Haru thought, *If hell had a sound, it would probably be like this.*

‘I made it—!’

At the same time, Dan Haru finally reached the door, which was now blazing with light. Transparent, bluish windows passed by him as he sped forward, and out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw the number “12.”

Ah, it didn’t matter anymore.

Without hesitation, Dan Haru took the next step forward.

‘Please….’

Please let me not be too late.

With only that thought in mind, Dan Haru fell endlessly into the light, while at the same time rising. It felt like he was sinking deep into the ocean, only to rocket up toward the surface, defying gravity.

How much time had passed―.

“Hah―!”

Like waking from a deep nightmare, Dan Haru exhaled sharply.

The sense of real gravity surrounding his body was overwhelmingly vivid. His legs gave out beneath him before he even regained his full vision, causing him to stumble.

“―Whoa, that scared me.”

Someone grabbed him quickly, faster than he could fall, their grip strong. Still breathing heavily, Dan Haru lifted his head. His vision gradually cleared as his focus sharpened.

“You did well.”

The first face Dan Haru saw after returning to life was this one.

“You did well, Dan Haru.”

Fierce eyes, a sharp, confident smile, and a scratch on the right eyebrow with a dark tear mole beneath it.

“Welcome back.”

From the beginning until now, the person who had saved him in every moment, Kang Hajin, greeted him.

Dan Haru couldn’t hold back his tears anymore and started crying. Kang Hajin, far from being surprised by the sudden outburst, laughed heartily and embraced Haru tightly as he clung to him.

“There, there. Now you finally look like a kid.”

Rather than calming Haru down, Kang Hajin patted his back, encouraging him to cry even more. As if he knew that these were tears Haru had held back for far too long.