Chapter 52: I Want to Go Back (2)
52. I Want to Go Back (2)
Everyone stared at Hajin in surprise at the unexpected outcome, but Hajin himself remained composed, silently clapping toward his battle opponent Seong-woo. The other trainees slowly joined in the applause, though they still tilted their heads in confusion, alternating glances between the two.
"Alright, moving on—"
Despite the shocking result, filming continued. Seo Tae-il steadied the atmosphere with a solemn voice as he addressed the trainees.
"Now we'll reveal the new Wings rankings, combining your existing scores with mission benefits!"
〜〚WINGS OF MIRO MAZE〛〜
Jung Si-woo
Han Seong-woo
Lee Yu-geon
Gong Seok
Kang Hajin
Seo Tae-hyun
Yuki
The reshuffled Wings rankings caused quite a stir among the trainees—a significant shift for just the first mission. Amid the commotion, Hajin stood perfectly still, his eyes fixed solely on the display showing his name.
"Congratulations to all trainees who've newly entered the Wings tier, and to those who maintained their positions."
This should have been met with applause, but an uneasy silence fell instead. Then the lighting shifted.
"Newly promoted Wings trainees, you'll now receive brooches symbolizing your rank..."
After a deliberate pause, Tae-il exhaled his next words like a sigh:
"...by personally retrieving them from the trainees who just lost their Wings status: Joo Eun-chan, Dan Ha-ru, and Lee Do-ha."
Damn, these sadistic producers.
Hajin shook his head in amazed disbelief while Won-ho beside him muttered that he was glad not to be in Wings. The spotlight shifted to Gong Seok.
"Trainee Gong Seok, please approach your chosen peer."
Though it was just about retrieving a brooch, Gong Seok hesitated, shuffling his feet. After some deliberation, he timidly approached Do-ha—the one he'd grown slightly closer with during last month's evaluation.
"D-Do-ha... I'm sorry!"
"Why? You won fair and square."
With genuine confusion, Do-ha calmly removed his brooch and handed it over. Gong Seok scurried back like a guilty man, and the lights changed again.
Now it was Hajin's turn.
"Trainee Kang Hajin. Proceed."
After brief consideration, Hajin stepped forward.
'Whoever I choose will cause drama.'
Tae-il watched Hajin's path with quiet concern. While creating narrative threads early was good for the show...
'Neither option paints a pretty picture.'
Moreover, Hajin had lost his individual battle. The scoring might be questionable, but results were results. At least his team won—had they lost too, Hajin would've been torn apart by critics unless the main PD intervened.
'This won't be easy.'
Unconsciously sighing with worry for Hajin's debut prospects, Tae-il quickly remembered they were filming and straightened his expression.
Whether aware of Tae-il's concern or not, Hajin finally stopped walking—positioned perfectly between Eun-chan and Ha-ru.
"Alright."
Both looked slightly tense as Hajin surveyed them. After a beat, he flashed his trademark bright smile.
"To properly celebrate this hyung's Wings promotion..."
He spread his arms wide.
"First come, first served."
"...!"
"...!!"
Eun-chan and Ha-ru's eyes sparkled at the challenge. 'First come, first served'—somehow it felt like losing would mean defeat.
"Me! Take mine!"
"Suddenly I don't want to lose!"
A rare spectacle unfolded as they competitively offered their brooches. Contrary to production's expectations, when both started arguing over who should give theirs, laughter broke the icy atmosphere.
"...Fine, you do it."
"Yes! Thank you!"
Just as their impromptu dance battle for brooch rights began, Eun-chan surrendered to Ha-ru's adorable puppy eyes, deciding the outcome.
"Good grief. I worried for nothing."
Tae-il shrugged in amused disbelief at the trio. Beyond them, staff members seemed entertained too. Is this what they call natural variety sense? He quietly marveled at Hajin's instinctive showmanship.
"......"
Finally claiming his chance, Ha-ru stood before Hajin, glancing between the wing brooch and Hajin's face.
"...Hyung."
"Yeah?"
"You're... really amazing."
With a look of realization, Ha-ru smiled brightly and offered his brooch. His sincere congratulations earned a nod from Hajin.
"Right. Learn from the best."
As the silver wing brooch fastened to Hajin's chest, natural applause and cheers erupted—a stark contrast to the earlier tension.
"We're done."
And outside the camera's view, one person clapped louder than anyone.
"Episodes 1-2 just wrote themselves."
Kwon PD's eyes gleamed like a predator spotting prey as he watched Hajin's face on the monitor.
Post-filming, trainees awaited individual interviews. Seeing his turn was far off, Hajin double-checked his mic pack was off before moving.
"Tae-hyun, take calls if anyone asks for me."
"Where you going, hyung?"
"Need some alone time."
"...Sometimes I don't get you at all."
Leaving a puzzled Tae-hyun behind, Hajin headed to a fifth-floor practice room—the only camera-free space with good soundproofing and heating.
The system window appeared as soon as he closed the door, as if anticipating his intent.
[System Notice: Available information for 'Fixed Regressor' is limited.]
"Then explain what you can."
[System Notice: .......]
"Just try. Your best effort. I need to understand now."
The system loaded briefly before displaying a familiar popup.
[Single Quest 03.]
['Want to Be Special?']
Objective: The trainers still overlook you, a rookie trainee. Stand out by excelling in the monthly evaluation to enter the special class!]
[Quest completed.]
[Rewards: Regression clues & Comrade recruitment]
[Claim rewards? (Select one)
It was the unclaimed reward from earlier. Hajin nodded in understanding and selected option 1.
Fwoosh—
"Ugh, can't they patch this glare?"
Blinding light flooded the space again.
'What will it show this time?'
Bracing himself, Hajin witnessed another's memories unfold.
That child was always unhappy.
An orphan unaware of their parents. Twice adopted, twice returned. Finally, a pitying orphanage director took them in.
Among immature children, being 'different' often meant being wrong.
Naturally light hair and eyes.
Unusually pale, reddish skin.
Parental absence.
Their differences became reasons for bullying.
ㅡAnything happen at school today?
ㅡNo, it's fine.
Yet they always said it was fine.
ㅡAre you sure about skipping college? Even now—
ㅡNah, it's okay. Running the orphanage is enough for you. I'm grateful just for being raised.
Though they couldn't properly attend school, juggling odd jobs to survive, they kept saying it was fine.
ㅡJust live today, and someday tomorrow will become something to look forward to—for you too.
Believing the director's words, they lived day by day, hoping for that brighter tomorrow.
ㅡDamn it, I said let go!
ㅡSir, you can't—
ㅡHey! Who do you think you are?!
That day was especially hard.
At the late-night bar job, a drunkard caused trouble, leaving them battered. While ejecting him, their only pair of shoes got torn.
ㅡUgh, why now...
Rain started pouring at quitting time. The borrowed umbrella turned out broken, dampening their mood.
ㅡHello?
ㅡIt's raining out. Got an umbrella?
ㅡYeah. Borrowed one.
ㅡIt's dangerous this late. Should I come?
ㅡAt my age? Just sleep.
The call from the director found them unusually short-tempered. The rain continued—ten more minutes walking home. Their cheap phone getting wet bothered them too.
ㅡStill, it's risky... Just take a taxi?
ㅡAlmost home. Really, I'm fine. Sleep.
They hung up irritably. Exhausted, a thought surfaced:
'Maybe I should just die.'
If this was life, maybe no tomorrow would be better. Then the director called again.
ㅡI said I'm—!
ㅡExcuse me, how are you related to this phone's owner?
That night, the director passed away.
ㅡI'm sorry... so sorry...
A drunk hit-and-run. The accident occurred in a dark, rough alley—the same route they always took home.
ㅡ......
ㅡYou okay?
ㅡ...No.
They were in agony. Everything hurt. For the first time, nothing was fine. Tomorrow held no curiosity anymore. All their time remained stuck in that uncorrected 'yesterday.'
[Then want to go back? To happier times.]
That was the moment they first heard the voice that could change their fate.