Chapter 462: Cho Hyejin’s Instruction Manual (7)

Regressor Instruction Manual

‘It’s not like he’s in Cinderella or something…’

I knew Kim Hyun-Sung had been looking for Bitcherella. I didn’t hear it from someone else, but a single glance at his schedule was enough to deduce that much. He suddenly had a schedule for something else aside from training and his work, so it was easy to deduce what he had been up to.

It had been a while since he found out, but after finding out that Bitcherella had moved over to the Union of Kingdoms and was living as a wanderer, Kim Hyun-Sung barely walked outside since then.

He was finally accepting the breakup. Naturally, I wanted to yell in delight because the complicated situation was starting to fade away. Jo Hye-Jin was actually the finishing blow that would end the situation once and for all.

However, I could have never imagined that he would still be obsessed with that shoe.

‘He really has a one-track mind.’

I wasn’t certain, but I had an idea why he was obsessed with it. I was sure he was regretting his mistake rather than being interested in her. A momentary mistake had damaged a good relationship, and he thought that he needed to apologize and take responsibility for it. I wasn’t sure if it were a unique habit of his, but it was undeniable that Kim Hyun-Sung was the type of person who was obsessed with fixing his mistakes.

‘He shouldn’t be stressing over ridiculous things…’

I was already worried about his mental health, so I obviously didn’t want him to stress over other issues at an important time like this. I rubbed my temples when I saw that he was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn’t even notice Jo Hye-Jin entering his office.

At this point, I was sure that Jo Hye-Jin was embarrassed. She dressed up and walked in with confident strides, but he seemed like he didn’t even care about all that.

‘This is going to hurt her.’

Jo Hye-Jin knew that she had changed physically, but the burden of doing something she was about to do for the first time was taking a toll on her.

She didn’t say anything, but I was sure that she was excited to see Kim Hyun-Sung’s reaction the moment she walked in. After all, she had always been acting like a tomboy, but she was still a woman.

Unfortunately, the radio silence from Kim Hyun-Sung instantly destroyed her confidence—no, the injury could be more severe because Jo Hye-Jin wasn’t really that confident from the start.

“It’s over before it even began…” Lee Ji-Hye remarked.

I couldn’t help but nod at Lee Ji-Hye’s comment, but I couldn’t give up here.

“Miss Hye-Jin, try clearing your throat lightly and let’s start by greeting him as usual,” I instructed her.

- …

“Miss Hye-Jin, can you hear me?” I asked.

- …

‘Shit! That damn avatar is malfunctioning!’

I thought this would happen at least once, but I could have never expected that this would happen on my very first order to her.

‘Shit!’

This wasn’t the worst-case scenario, but I was frustrated because I could only watch as Jo Hye-Jin slowly lost her confidence.

“I’m sure he’s thinking about something else. He hasn’t seen your face yet, so let’s focus and try again. Try clearing your throat. I’m sure he’ll react right away. Do it. Are you just going to stand there? Come on! Greet him or something!” I ordered.

- G-Guild Master…

- …

The first try was a failure.

- Guild Master?

- Ah, Miss Hye-Jin.

Thankfully, the second time was a success. However, it was ridiculous how he awkwardly put away the shoe in shock. Kim Hyun-Sung seemed embarrassed as well because he discreetly tried to look as if he were looking over some documents, but the most ridiculous part here was how he didn’t even mention Jo Hye-Jin’s new look.

I obviously thought that he would show some kind of reaction because his personal adjutant was wearing casual clothes rather than her usual armor. In addition, people would usually comment out of respect. Of course, I wasn’t expecting her to say that she was pretty or beautiful, but I thought he would at least say ‘your outfit is different from the usual,’ which would make us feel gratified.

Lee Ji-Hye next to me looked confused as well. Kim Hyun-Sun was acting like his usual self, and Lee Ji-Hye definitely felt like she had just gotten rejected. Jo Hye-Jin’s reaction wasn’t any different from Lee Ji-Hye’s.

“Sit down for now,” I instructed her.

- S-Sit down for now.

- I’m already sitting down…

‘That crazy woman.’

“I’m not telling you to repeat every word I’m saying. Shit. Just follow my words and sit down, Miss Hye-Jin,” I explained.

- Ah! Ah… ah! Okay.

- Excuse me?

“I told you not to say anything, you dumbo! Are you trying to screw me over?” I said.

- It’s… nothing, Guild Master.

- As expected…

- Excuse me?

- Miss Hye-Jin…

- Yes?

‘Did he notice?’

- You look unwell. I was kind of worried because you didn’t come to the afternoon training… Are you okay? Do you have a fever? I think it’s best if you return and rest for today. I can take care of things on my own.

Things weren’t going the way I planned. Kim Hyun-Sung actually sounded like he was worried about Jo Hye-Jin, and if I were him, I would have the same thought.

The woman who usually acted perfectly was not only talking to herself, but her behavior was also completely different from her usual behavior. He was definitely thinking that there was something wrong with her mentally or perhaps she was sick.

Jo Hye-Jin was stupefied by the unexpected banishment order. I couldn’t help but bite my lips when I saw her looking straight at the camera as if she was asking me what she should do.

“Just tell him that it’s nothing and don’t show your emotion so easily like that. Sit down first and behave like you usually do. Don’t do anything else. I won’t give you any additional tasks; just complete this one for now,” I instructed her.

Thankfully, she followed my order this time.

- I’m fine. I’m not in the best condition, but I can still perform basic tasks.

- But—

- I’m really fine. More than that, I’m sorry. It’s so sudden…

- No, it’s fine. It’s not like I can do anything since you suddenly got sick… You need rest as well, Miss Hye-Jin. By the way, do you have any plans?

‘Finally.’

- I do.

- Your outfit is different from your usual outfit as well… I’m sorry if I’m being too nosy.

- N-No, it’s fine.

- You look good. I’m surprised to see you like this.

- Thank you.

‘This is what I’m talking about. I would have been sad if you hadn’t said anything, Hyun-Sung.’

Lee Ji-Hye next to me looked relieved. However, Jo Hye-Jin was still wearing her heart on her sleeve. The way she lowered her head slightly while blushing made it look as if she had just gotten everything that she wanted.

If a third party were here, they might think that she had just gotten engaged to Kim Hyun-Sung.

“Don’t be so happy at every compliment. We knew this would happen,” I instructed.

It seemed that Kim Hyun-Sung wasn’t as slow-witted and dense as I thought. If he hadn’t mentioned Jo Hye-Jin’s new outfit at all, then I would have considered him a dating psychopath.

I told her not to wear her heart on her sleeve, but Jo Hye-Jin was still smiling brightly. I thought of giving her another warning, but this wasn’t so bad because it was way better than looking serious. It felt like her smile changed not only her appearance but the atmosphere as well. I couldn’t help but clench my fist when I saw her sit down with a bit of confidence before she started working on her tasks.

‘Not bad.’

We hadn’t really achieved anything, but it wasn’t a bad start if we ignored the blunder earlier. We succeeded in raising Jo Hye-Jin’s self-esteem, and we also managed to engrave a different side of Jo Hye-Jin in Kim Hyun-Sung’s mind.

I had no idea what he was thinking right now, but it was undeniable that he gave a positive comment. Upon recalling Jo Hye-Jin’s reaction, it was clear that Kim Hyun-Sung didn’t usually compliment her like that.

It was still too early to celebrate, but the beginning had always been the hardest part when it came to succeeding in something.

Jo Hye-Jin and Kim Hyun-Sung were focused on their tasks. They weren’t saying anything, and all I could hear was the sound of their pens scratching the paper.

“Stop being conscious. Act like you normally do, Miss Hye-Jin. We’re doing this to see his reaction. We’re trying to see if his actions will change after seeing a different side of you. We’re also trying to get some information about his thoughts right now. I know it’ll be difficult, but act like I’m not here. Stop being conscious,” I ordered.

However, she remained unmoving.

“Talk to him like you usually do. Do some small talk. There’s no reason to feel embarrassed at this point,” I added.

- This is how I usually act.

Jo Hye-Jin didn’t say it. She actually wrote it on a piece of paper among the pile of documents that she was working to process.

“You don’t talk at all while working?” I asked.

- Our efficiency will go down if we started talking to each other.

“...”

This was more serious than I thought.

Jo Hye-Jin was definitely telling the truth because the two were engrossed in their work.

Of course, they talked once in a while, but they were useless conversations.

They were mostly either ‘would you like some coffee?’ or ‘please hand me that document.’

I knew Jo Hye-Jin didn’t really manage to achieve many things on her own, but the situation was worse than I thought. I felt like I had given an impossible task to a child who couldn’t even walk. At this rate, we wouldn’t be able to see his reaction at all.

I started to feel anxious and awkward about all this.

All I could hear was the sound of pages being flipped. The stupid woman seemed like she was happy with this deadlock, and I could see it on her face. However, I felt a sense of crisis. I felt like I had no choice but to try something different.

Therefore, I started talking cautiously. Fortunately, Jo Hye-Jin reacted immediately.

‘She needs to be more aggressive.

“You still remember how you told Hyun-Sung just now that you had plans, right? If you do, nod,” I told her.

- …

“Go out real quick and come back inside ten minutes later. If you look in your pocket, you’ll see two tickets to the theater. Tell him that you were going to go to the theater with a friend from the Black Swan Guild, but something came up, and they had to cancel. You happen to have two tickets, so go ahead and ask him to go out with you. You can’t decline this—you have to say it no matter what,” I ordered.

- How can I say that to him?

“You’re not asking him out on a date. It’s not a date, so don’t get ahead of yourself. You’re not at that point yet. You just need someone to go with you because your friend canceled. Don’t feel pressured. Say it as naturally as you can. I recommend acting a bit embarrassed,” I advised.

- All right.

I didn’t expect that I would have to use this card earlier than I thought. I was worried about Jo Hye-Jin’s poor acting skills, but it should be easy for her because she was just going to tell a lie without any emotions involved.

Fortunately, it seemed like I had gotten worried for nothing because she acted more naturally than I thought to the extent that I really wanted to applaud her.

However, the issue wasn’t her.

- So… I have an extra ticket. I-If you have time, would you like to watch it with me?

- A play?

- Yes. It’s a popular play. The title is The Sleeping Alchemist, and I heard that it’s popular. I also heard that a theatrical troupe is visiting the Rift Theater.

- Ah… that play.

- Do you know it?

‘Yes, go!’

- Yes, I heard about it. I think Mr. Ki-Young told me that it looked fun, but I still have some work to do, so if you don’t mind… how about you go with Mr. Ki-Young?

‘Y-Y-Y-you grateful bastard who thinks of me more than anybody else!’

I felt conflicted.