Chapter 117

〈02. Why Did Retty Attack the Mental Care System?〉

The second section header appeared.

To explain this part, there's something you need to know first.

Thirteen laid down a serious-atmosphere BGM.

In the middle of this?

The thought crossed his mind, but it looked pleased with itself, so he let it be.

Then, above the PPT, along with the text 〈Reason for This Regression?〉, the profiles of Yugeon and the rest of the Blue Flare team appeared.

This regression happened because of the Blue Flare team. Or more precisely…. it's something the Selected Regressor did 'for' the Blue Flare team.

What did it just say…?

"So what you're telling me is that the Selreg bastard pulled that insane stunt for my sake — that's the trash-tier, straight-up-scummy thing you're saying to me right now?"

Ah, crap.

A pure, 100%-unfiltered burst of what he actually thought had come flying out.

He hastily threw up a hand to flag an apology to Thirteen, but his mouth — filter still off — kept firing every gripe he'd stacked up, dialed to 1000%.

"What is that guy even, seriously? I don't even remember how many times I've regressed by now, the timelines are all scrambled at this point. Meanwhile — while I was flat on my back with my shin busted — what the hell was the Selreg guy doing? Doing what? The first few rounds I had my eyes peeled trying to spot anyone giving off Selreg vibes, and honestly, I still can't tell! Can't tell! It's repeated so many times I don't even remember which asshole did what anymore!"

Unable to hold it in, he finally floored it — and Thirteen automatically kicked on an air conditioner (this works?), brought over a bowl of ice water (this too?), and finally cut the PPT for a moment to put on ASMR and nature-meditation music of the sort designed to settle the mind.

At this point, might as well take it as Kang Hajin's imagination becomes reality…. Except it isn't reality, and it isn't his imagination either, but whatever.

First, please have this and let it settle. (Panicking over how to break it to him when he hasn't even heard the worst part yet….) ;;;;)

"Wait, this isn't even the end!?"

Ah, oh no! ∑(; ・`•΄)]2; ･´) (Momentarily forgot that even things thought internally are fully visible — panicking….)

"You really do bring it on every possible front, don't you?"

What is it doing?

He was so exasperated a laugh wouldn't even come out.

"Fine, whatever. I'm ready. No matter what you say now, I'm confident I can take the hit. Just throw it out there."

Since it had come to this, in for a penny, in for a pound. Right now, even if the Selreg bastard turned out to actually be his own mom, he was confident he wouldn't be shocked.

……… Well, um. Then, I'll go ahead and say it. "%〉m6)>"

"Yeah, spit it out. Bring it. I'm ready."

Thirteen — which had been hesitating slightly — soon, as if it had made up its mind, made the blue window flap and typed out characters at something like 999 characters-per-minute.

The Selected Regressor is currently unaware that they themselves have been repeatedly regressing…!

And the moment he saw it, Hajin let out a screaming yell.

"What did you just say!!?"

Aaaaagh! Hear me out!! Please, hear me out!!!!

As if it had seen that reaction coming, this time typing at something like 9999 characters-per-minute came pouring up.

Whatever the hell it is that lunatic Retty did — the 'Selected Regressor's' persona and their 'base persona' seem to have completely split apart!!! The one who's been repeatedly regressing is the 'Selected Regressor'!!! But the 'person' currently living out this timeline has no idea that any regressing is going on!!!! The reason there wasn't anyone among the people around you, Mr. Hajin, who seemed suspicious — and the reason we kept struggling to track down the 'Selected Regressor' — was because of this!!!!

"What the — you've gotta be kidding me…?"

This crazy asshole is the one regressing and doesn't even know he's regressing!!!!??

Opposite of before — this time, Thirteen had to work hard to calm Hajin down.

Uh, um, er — s-shall I sing you a song? Or, something sweet? You like chocolate. Would you like some chocolate cake? Th-though you'd have to imagine the taste yourself…! Or… uh…. Ah! How about the comment reactions to 'To You I Declare'!? The reactions this time are absolutely off the charts!

Then, with a swoosh, up went the episode-4 〈To You I Declare〉 stage reactions it had diligently searched up.

- why am i crying watching a survival show stage lol listening to to you i declare and tears just started coming - like tuic and city pop is honestly a combination i couldn't even have imagined and why is it so good > ? whats tuic > to you i declare shortened to tuic > haaa does kpop really gotta be this hard on us - is a studio ver of this not coming out ㅠㅠㅠ please ㅠㅠㅠㅠ it'd be perfect as a clocking-out-song ㅠㅠㅠㅠ > even the original singer was moved to tears so at this point let's just #getitremade title: [am i insane is to you i declare actually charting again] [photo] - yo is this really happening????? to you i declare is like a song from years ago???? - now all we need is the remake starting today i'm praying - haha ㄷㄷㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ lemon chart's already #1 title: [ok but the sad ending team's reception really was destined to blow up] - first off it's the only one of the three teams w/o a boy idol song + on top of that a random ballad - and half the team members didn't even voluntarily pick the song (haru and taehyun picked it, but hajin got there through a battle penalty, and jayden and jaeyoung had no choice bc slots were already full) - and to top it off the original is by that ballad queen ㄷㄷㄷ signature song of hers, notoriously brutal to cover - in that setup - bombed once at the mid-eval + regrouped teeth-clenched and cranked out a legend of a stage - even the original singer moved to tears - maknae jaeyoung's growth arc - taehyun's late-mother trauma overcome - hajin properly stakes his claim as main vocal - haru's first showing as center - jayden even showing off possibility via singing-rap - this was destined to blow up for real ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ > ㄹㅇ and did u see sarin-nim's interview that dropped today? she said after watching that stage she's finding the courage again to prep her comeback, do we need more than that > i saw this ㅠ but honestly...kinda bittersweet. even someone at sarin-nim's level, once she gets pregnant and gives birth she starts thinking about a career break huh... i mean her agency didn't say no albums or anything, she said herself that she was feeling the physical limits, but still smth... ㅠ that's what made the tears really come while watching the stage handle: @kang_HD name: Kangha-D guys this is our alma mater's uniform i just cracked my skull open. kangha-d, laid to rest here. [photo] [photo] [photo] [photo] (Sad Ending team's 'To You I Declare' stage cap) (Hajin's alma mater uniform) (The arts-high Taehyun, Haru attend — its uniform) (Jaeyoung, Jayden's alma mater uniform) engagement: shares 620 · quotes 1,039 · hearts 677 handle: @kang_HD name: Kangha-D to everyone quote-tweeting my private please come out and talk with me not scary or anything i just need someone to talk about miro maze with #MaybeThisIsWhat #Michinso #Means handle: @dohajin_luv name: Harang god-tier singer kangha-d at the very end lifting into full chest voice on that high note is legit electric #MiroMaze #KangHajin [video] (video of Hajin lifting the final chorus into full chest voice) engagement: shares 512 · hearts 599 title: [seo taehyun interview i heard yesterday and started crying at]

"Stop."

Yes sir.

The moment he said it, forehead braced with his throbbing hand, the community post — halfway through appearing — crumpled away like a crushed piece of paper. Pressing at his temples a couple more times, he lifted himself back up from where he'd slumped forward.

Right — I don't have time to be flat on my back from the shock right now.

The longer he stayed in here, the worse the aftereffects when he woke up might get. So he had to hear out this whole report, understand it, and memorize it in the shortest possible time before waking.

"Okay. Let's take stock, then."

Familiar with it by now, he brought up an empty system window. A quick spin of his brain, and pop — a pencil-like thing that looked like it could write on the system window appeared in his hand.

"Ha, are you kidding me. This is ridiculously convenient."

Even if he wanted to delete the Fixed Regressor persona down the line, this feature alone might be too good to let go of.

Th-this feature will disappear anyway once we find the Selected Regressor and the regressions stop! Sy-system abuse — STOP!

He left Thirteen — very nearly on the verge of tears — to fend for itself and started writing out what he'd understood.

Selected Regressor = crazy bastard who's regressed roughly a few hundred plus times ??? = the Selected Regressor's base persona. Doesn't know they're regressing > Unlike 'Kang Hajin's case, where the two personas were integrated by the Mental Care System, the reverse: completely separated. Retty = a former… Time Administrator Reason for luring the Selreg bastard into regressing: unknown Tried to smash my Mental Care System this time > why? What is this guy after?

"Alright, up to here. Right?"

….Um. I'll add one thing.

Then, at the very last line, a new sentence was added.

What is this guy after? + Wants the regressions to keep happening, in some form or another. This is a hypothesis I've been working on while investigating during this endless-regression incident….

Thirteen, hesitant, put up a window.

What Retty is likely after, I think, is 'passed timelines.' More precisely…. 'discarded timelines' — the ones left behind as regressions repeat.

And on the PPT, yet another section header rose up.

〈03. Who Is the Selected Regressor's 'Base Persona'?〉

label: Clues Confirmed So Far (Based on Discarded Timelines) — Orphan — Doesn't know who their parents are — Was especially close with the orphanage director — The director's death was the trigger for regression

"This part is all stuff you already told me last time, right? But among the current trainees, there's no one who's an orphan. The closest thing — living apart from parents — would be Lee Yugeon…. but Yugeon's current life conditions look way too… hard for him to have regressed. Probably not him."

Even Lee Yugeon, currently the best fit, didn't perfectly match this content. And Yugeon seemed to at least know what his parents looked like. He'd have lived with them at least until his younger siblings were born.

Correct. As far as we've been able to confirm, no one matches the conditions. But during this investigation, additional clues about the Selected Regressor were confirmed. ….Take a look.

And with that, new conditions were added underneath.