Chapter 75: Someone's Night
75. Someone's Night
Hajin arrived home late in the evening.
'The sun was still up when I got on the train.'
Next time he met Ji Soo-ho, he'd make sure the man came to his neighborhood instead.
With that small resolution, Hajin dragged his exhausted body—drained from crying too much—through the front door.
"I'm home."
"Hyung, you're back?"
"Where's Mom and Dad?"
"Out for a walk."
"Did you eat?"
"Yeah."
Hawon, lying on a blanket spread across the living room floor while watching YouTube on his phone, greeted Hajin in a dry voice. Hajin moved past him, heading straight for his room, then paused and turned back. He crouched down in front of Hawon, who was still sprawled out.
"...? What?"
"Observing my little brother."
"...Something happen?"
"No? Why?"
"Hyung, you only act like this when something's up."
Hajin froze. After living together for nearly twenty years, Hawon knew everything about him.
Afraid his crying might be noticed, Hajin tried to subtly lean back—but luckily, Hawon just glanced up at him from his lying position before turning his attention back to his phone screen.
"Never mind, then."
"W-what would've happened? Nothing. I'm gonna shower."
"Mm."
This sharp little bastard...
Hajin quickly straightened up. He grabbed a change of clothes and headed for the bathroom when Hawon's voice, still glued to his phone, called out again.
"Ah, hyung."
"Yeah?"
"...Never mind, nothing."
"There are two things that piss people off—one is starting to say something and then stopping..."
"Ugh, seriously, it's nothing. Just go shower already."
Hawon even flipped over onto his stomach, as if to say stop bothering me. Hajin pouted in protest before finally stepping into the bathroom.
As soon as the sound of running water filled the air, Hawon peeked over his shoulder. Confirming the bathroom door was shut, he picked up his phone again.
On the screen, paused, was a performance video of Hajin uploaded to YouTube.
"......"
Hawon stared silently at the image of his brother frozen on the screen.
Lately, his hyung had seemed a little down, not quite himself—but in the video, he looked as cool and intense as ever. It was a small relief.
'...I can't just outright say I watched it, so...'
Hawon quietly tapped the 'like' button. He subscribed to the channel and turned on notifications. Scrolling down, he sorted the comments by popularity and gave 'likes' to the ones praising his brother.
'I need to work hard too.'
It was his own way of cheering on the brother who was always one step ahead.
"...Huh. Hawon, asleep already?"
By the time Hajin finished showering, Hawon was already out cold in the living room, his blanket barely covering him.
"What kind of sleeping posture is this?"
With a towel draped over his head, Hajin strode over and straightened Hawon's blanket. He also picked up the phone rolling around near his chest and tossed it carelessly to the side.
After turning off the living room lights—leaving only the entryway lamp on—Hajin finally retreated to their shared bedroom.
"Alright, then. Time to do my thing."
Sitting on his bed, Hajin opened the System window—the very thing that had sent him rushing home in a panic, making him forget that just hours ago, he'd been crying in the middle of the street.
[System Alert: 'Wandering and Drifting' mode has deactivated due to falling below 50%. (Current: 48%)]
"Okay, I get this one. Moving on."
Now that he was home, he noticed something—his breathing felt easier, his thoughts sharper, as if a weight had been lifted.
Like a boulder crushing the corner of his mind had finally shattered.
That was probably the reason.
"The problem is this."
[System Alert: 'Kang Hajin' is reacting to you. (Reaction Rate: 100%)]
['Kang Hajin' is now recruitable.]
[Would you like to recruit? (Y/N)]
"Wait, so all this time, it's been 'Kang Hajin's Team' without Kang Hajin?"
His voice rose in disbelief. He quickly clamped his mouth shut, worried Hawon might wake up, but the absurdity didn't fade.
Sipsam, who should've popped up by now with some 'this is all because of permissions~' explanation, had remained silent since this alert appeared.
'I could go into the Unconscious Space and ask, but the side effects are kinda scary...'
What to do?
As if sensing his dilemma, a new System window appeared.
[System Alert: Sudden Quest!]
[Objective: The greatest ally in this world is yourself.
To believe in yourself, you must first know yourself!
Get to know 'Kang Hajin'.]
[Rewards upon completion: Varies based on achievement level.]
—[Recruit 'Kang Hajin' as a comrade: Unlock designated individual's traits]
—[Confirm 'Kang Hajin's traits: Free skill upgrade voucher]
—[Check 'Kang Hajin's stats: Unexpected Luck]
No failure penalty, all rewards chained together—this quest seemed completely unrelated to finding the Returner.
Meaning, just like Cat's Gratitude last time, this was probably a quest Sipsam had set up just for him.
"Fine, whatever. Let's see."
And for the first time, Hajin felt like it didn't matter where his limits were.
[System Alert: 'Kang Hajin' has been recruited as a comrade. (4/??)]
[Recruited comrades can be monitored for current status and location. Summoning available (Cost: 10 Cash).]
"Like I'd ever need to summon myself."
[Sudden Quest Special Reward]
[Content: You may use the 'Designated Individual Trait Unlock Voucher' (cannot be used on yourself).]
[Would you like to view 'Kang Hajin's traits? (Y/N)]
From the start, this System wasn't Hajin's own ability—it was a temporary grant of the Timekeeper's authority. And judging by everything, the System recognized him not as 'Kang Hajin' but as the 'Fixed Regressor'.
'It always calls me Fixed Regressor. So that's why 'Kang Hajin' can be recruited, and why the trait voucher can't be used on myself.'
Feeling his understanding of the System slowly deepening, Hajin took a sharp breath like he was psyching himself up.
"Okay, ready."
As he nodded, the familiar blue window from his very first encounter appeared before him.
[Kang Hajin (Fixed Regressor)]
Title: Undefined (Insufficient achievements to acquire a title.)
Traits: Fixed Regression
—Follows the timeline of the Chosen Regressor
—Remembers 'passed timelines'
—Experience from 'passed timelines' accumulates
Unique: 'Wandering and Drifting' Mode OFF
Contact with the Chosen Regressor triggers effects from 'passed timelines'. (Déjà Vu)
※Mental Care System temporarily active.※
The trait window he'd finally faced wasn't as impressive as he'd expected.
'What was I even scared of?'
The only noteworthy part was the last line—the same one he'd seen in Ji Soo-ho's trait window.
"...So I have met the Returner bastard."
Who the hell was it?
He quickly dismissed the candidates popping into his head. Tonight, I'm just dealing with myself.
Hajin opened the next reward.
[Sudden Quest Special Reward]
[Content: You may upgrade one of your skills once without penalty.]
[Please select a skill to upgrade.]
—As You Say (LV.10)
—How Much Will It Cost?
—Dragon's Eyes (LV.3)
—What Even Is 'Me'? (LV.4)
"Wow, look at these naming skills."
Seeing them listed out like this really drove home how much time had passed. The System had said skill names were chosen based on what he would understand easiest. Well, can't really complain.
Either way, he'd already decided which skill to upgrade.
"Upgrade Dragon's Eyes. Right now, it's too hard to gauge objective stats—make it more intuitive."
[System Alert: All skills are constructed based on the user's database.]
[System Alert: Do you consent to quantifying 'human abilities'?]
[System Alert: Agreeing will modify the displayed values of skill <Dragon's Eyes>.]
"Wait, so the reason it's been such a pain to read percentages until now is my fault? Because I hate being evaluated?"
[System Alert: Comprehension of skill <Dragon's Eyes> (LV.3) has increased!]
"Wow, I'm ridiculous."
Hajin pressed a hand to his forehead, stunned by the skill's hidden secret. His depression had apparently seeped deeper into his subconscious than he'd realized.
Admittedly, seeing people's abilities graded on a scale was less off-putting than seeing how much of their talent they could still unlock. But...
'Still, I need clearer indicators now.'
If he wanted to find that damn Returner, he needed simpler, more intuitive help. Making up his mind, Hajin nodded without hesitation.
[System Alert: Skill <Dragon's Eyes> is being upgraded...]
"Hey, can't you change the skill name, though? Seriously, no matter how I think about it, it's kinda..."
[System Alert: ...Skill renaming available for 100,000 Cash, valued customer ^♡^]
"...Wow, look who's back—our little miser, Sipsam."
Despite the outrageous price, Hajin couldn't help but smile fondly. Even as he grumbled, he knew this quest had been made purely for him.
[System Alert: Skill <Dragon's Eyes> has been upgraded.]
[System Alert: Changes will take effect immediately.]
[System Alert: Would you like to use <Dragon's Eyes>? (Target: Kang Hajin)]
"Phew. Alright, this is the final boss, huh?"
Straightening his back, shaking out his wrists, and even stretching his neck for no reason, Hajin nodded.
"Show me. My stats."
The blue window appeared instantly, as if it had been waiting. Without blinking, Hajin stared at the text materializing before him.
[Kang Hajin (Affiliation: Miro)]
—Debuff: Certain stats reduced due to Mental Care System effects.
Vocals: A
Rap: A-
Dance: B+
Expressiveness: C+ (S)
Charm: A-
Special: Stage Presence (S)
—During performances, all stats have a chance to temporarily increase.
Appeal Points:
'Despite Everything'
—Leadership, Positive Thinking, Synergy
Better than I thought—no, better than I ever imagined...
Dazedly reading through his stats, Hajin couldn't hide his bewilderment as he hurriedly pulled up the stats of others for comparison.
"The strongest one, the strongest one..."
The stat windows of the 'ideal idol' and the 'most talented idol' by Hajin's standards appeared.
[Seo Tae-il (Affiliation: UPIA)]
Vocals: S-
Dance: SS
Expressiveness: A-
Charm: S
Special: Melody (S)
—Dramatically increases composing and producing abilities.
Appeal Points:
'Everything is in my hands!'
—Leadership, Charisma, Stage Presence
[Seo Tae-hyun (Affiliation: Miro)]
Vocals: B+
Dance: A-
Expressiveness: A
Charm: A
Special: Enchantment (A)
—Charm stat may temporarily increase.
Appeal Points:
'Eyes on me, eyes on me!'
—Vocal Tone, Dance Lines, Stage Expressiveness
Next, the stats of the 'least idol-like idol'.
[Lee Do-ha (Affiliation: Miro)]
Vocals: F
Rap: S
Dance: C
Expressiveness: B
Charm: B+
Special: Melody (SS)
—Dramatically increases composing and producing abilities.
Appeal Points:
'Strong Heart'
—Delivery, On-Stage Adaptability, Performance Realization (80%)
Finally, the stats of the 'hard-to-believe-he's-an-idol idol'.
[Lee Yu-geon (Affiliation: Miro)]
—Debuff: All stats reduced due to unique trait.
Vocals: D (C+)
Dance: B+ (S)
Expressiveness: C- (A-)
Charm: D+ (B+)
Special: Copy & Paste (B)
—May fully assimilate the target of immersion.
Appeal Points:
'There are still twelve ships left.'
—Responsibility, Tenacity, Strong Immersion
Scanning the intuitive comparisons, Hajin muttered in a strangely hollow tone.
"...I'm fine?"
Ha. With a relieved laugh, Hajin flopped onto his bed and closed his eyes.
"I'm fine."
That night, Hajin dreamed. As always, his past memories stained his mind like splattered paint.
But in the dream, Hajin didn't cry anymore.