Chapter 465: Cho Hyejin’s Instruction Manual (10)

Regressor Instruction Manual

‘Did she eat something bad?’

I couldn’t help but think that way because I had never imagined Jo Hye-Jin taking the initiative. I could feel that she had been kind of proactive lately, and it was actually noticeable because she had always been passive when it came to something like this.

Of course, it wasn’t like I couldn’t understand her at all. She often acted like a tomboy, but she was still a woman. I knew that it had to have been hard for her to take the initiative.

Anyway, she liked Kim Hyun-Sung, and she had been recently going on dates with him.

Honestly, I didn’t really consider their excursions as dates, but I was sure that it was like a dream come true for her, so I understood why she wanted to take a step forward. I was certain that she was finding it increasingly difficult to hide her feelings, and at this point, it had most likely become a struggle.

It wasn’t really strange because that usually happened whenever one had a crush on someone. Of course, people who weren’t picky about their dates and people who were popular enough to have many dating partners wouldn’t understand Jo Hye-Jin.

Jo Hye-Jin had to be feeling frustrated. I was sure that she could see Kim Hyun-Sung’s face everywhere, even as she lay in bed and was about to sleep. I reckoned that she would think of Hyun-Sung even during mealtimes as well.

She wanted to express her feelings, but she was the type of person who could easily fall in danger because she was thinking that her frustration would be assuaged by confessing.

‘Confession is a confirmation, not a challenge, Hye-Jin.’

More than seventy percent of those who struggled to confess would end up spectacularly failing in their confession. Confession was a confirmation of one’s feelings to someone else, and to be honest…

‘She’s an adult…’

I didn’t get into a relationship with Jung Ha-Yan, Cha Hee-Ra, Elena, and Lee Ji-Hye by telling them ‘do you want to go out with me? Today is our first day as a couple, okay?!’

Upon reaching a certain age, people tend to exclude that process. It could be a bit early, but at Jo Hye-Jin’s age, she should have done that. She should have naturally held his hands and started kissing him as though it was natural. Of course, she could have gone all the way with him as well.

By the end of all that, they could then confess their feelings to each other, and they would naturally be in a relationship. Of course, there were people who got into relationships by saying ‘I think I like you, let’s date?’

However, those who would put both their heart and soul into a confession like Jo Hye-Jin were rare.

I was against this kind of confession because their relationship was a bit questionable. I told her indirectly that it wasn’t a good idea, but Jo Hye-Jin looked like she wasn’t going to back down.

‘What if this makes them grow further apart?’

I couldn’t help but think that way. I was confident when I dispatched Jo Hye-Jin to the battlefield, but now, I wasn’t that confident anymore. I had decided to help her because I thought they looked good together, and they also knew each other in their past lives.

Unfortunately, this war was already over, and it ended in our defeat.

No matter which angle I used to look at it, Kim Hyun-Sung couldn’t think of Jo Hye-Jin as a woman. I had no idea what was going to happen in the future, but the conclusion was exactly like that. It was also the current situation.

Therefore, I had no choice but to hurry up and intervene because I didn’t want her to get hurt. It was unlike me to do something like that, but I actually felt bad about using an innocent person to help Hyun-Sung rest.

“W-What’s up with the sudden idea? I honestly think it’s too early…”

“I just… think that it’s the right time,” Jo Hye-Jin answered.

‘What do you mean it’s the right time? You’re just frustrated.’

“What do you mean? We haven’t even done anything. I’m sorry to tell you this, but I think we should wait a bit longer. I’m kind of busy right now, and rather than confessing to him, I think it’s better for you to maintain your relationship with him and then tell him about your feelings later down the road. He’ll naturally grow fonder of you if you two keep seeing each other like this. Things will fall into place naturally…” I suggested.

“Still—”

“Think of the bigger picture and don’t do anything stupid. From the start—”

“No, I think it’s best if I tell him right now. I feel like it’ll help both the guild master and myself. I think it’s the right thing to do, no matter the possible results. And I’m not here to get your permission, I’m just here to inform you. I’m thankful for everything you’ve done for me, but from now on, I’ll do it my way,” she interrupted me.

‘What’s wrong with you?’

Jo Hye-Jin looked like she wanted to put an end to all this because things were about to get hectic. Perhaps she wanted to settle all this, regardless of the results, so that she could focus on her work.

I honestly had no idea what she was thinking, but I could see that her mindset had changed drastically. At first, she kept on denying her feelings, but now, it was clear that she had already accepted her feelings.

She had been suppressing the urge to confess, but it seemed that she had realized that it was about time for her to do something.

In her past life, I was sure that she had kept her feelings to herself because she didn’t really manage to get in the position to confess.

Moreover, it was also possible that Kim Hyun-Sung was seeing someone else, and in a world where survival was the top priority, I was sure that they didn’t have the luxury of a serious relationship.

I was sure that she had only acknowledged her feelings back then when she was on the brink of death.

However, the current Jo Hye-Jin was a bit different from the Jo Hye-Jin of our past lives.

I was certain that she had made this decision after agonizing about it for quite a while now while thinking of Kim Hyun-Sung as a member of the opposite sex rather than her superior.

Of course, she might have also realized that Kim Hyun-Sung had no feelings for her and decided that it would be best to wrap this up as soon as possible.

At first, I thought her remark was ridiculous, but when I thought about it, Jo Hye-Jin’s decision matched her personality. She was stupid, stubborn, and honest. She knew that her chances were low and that she would get hurt, but she was stubborn.

And her stubbornness to walk on the thorny path was what brought her this far…

‘I can’t stop her…’

In the end, I had no choice but to say something…

“Do whatever you want, but all the help I’ve given you up until now will go to waste… There’s a possibility that if we wait a bit—Actually, now that I think about it, there’s no guarantee that your attempt will fail. If things go well, I’ll congratulate you.”

“If that happens, I’ll come and tell you,” Jo Hye-Jin said.

“I’m sure it’ll work out,” I told her.

“All right.”

‘Yeah, there’s no guarantee that she’ll fail.’

It was a bit surprising, but Kim Hyun-Sung had a tender side. Jo Hye-Jin was charming as a woman as well, so rejecting her would be a stupid thing to do.

The continent didn’t mind polygamy anyway, and it wasn’t like she would ruin her relationship with him by not allowing him to have a relationship with other women.

‘Alright, Hye-Jin. Let’s gooo! Hye-Jin Coin to the moon!’

“When are you going to tell him?” I asked.

“Right now,” she answered.

“...”

“I’m asking out of curiosity, but was there a change in your mindset?” I asked.

“Kind of, but I can’t tell you the details. It’s embarrassing, and I haven’t really organized my thoughts just yet… Honestly, I’ve been having lots of fun thanks to you, but it felt kind of unfair. Most importantly, I just had a feeling that I should tell him as soon as possible because I can’t keep spending time with him like this,” she replied.

“That’s true,” I commented.

“The joint training is coming up. We’ll get a lot busier by then, so I think it’s about time we put an end to all this. Thank you for everything,” she continued.

‘Don’t thank me. I actually feel really bad.’

“You don’t have to thank me. I just did it so that everyone can be happy,” I told her.

“It may have been unintentional, but if it wasn’t for you, I’m sure I would have never become courageous enough to confess my feelings to him,” she said.

‘That’s true, but damn it… it’s still too sudden.’

“Well, then…”

“I’m sure you’ll succeed, Miss Hye-Jin,” I cheered.

“Thank you.”

Jo Hye-Jin finally started heading outside after telling me her plan.

I told myself that it wasn’t right for me to peek and eavesdrop, but I checked on her anyway and saw her heading toward the indoor garden behind the tourney hall. The indoor garden had to be their meeting place. On the outside, Jo Hye-Jin looked determined. She was wearing makeup and was wearing a nice outfit as well.

In addition, she hadn’t received any help from Lee Ji-Hye or me today.

‘She does look pretty.’

She took a deep breath in front of the indoor garden, and when she entered, I turned off the magic hologram because I felt guilty. For some reason, I found it cringey to watch other people desperately confessing their feelings to someone else. Of course, the biggest reason was that I thought that it would be rude. I wasn’t usually like this, but I had a feeling that I shouldn’t watch what was about to happen.

‘I wonder if she’ll succeed...’

The chances were honestly low, but at this point, I was hoping that things would go well for her. Kim Hyun-Sung was doing better, but he would do even better if Jo Hye-Jin stood next to him. They also looked good together, and their personalities were similar.

I started to get nervous.

‘I hope it’s going well…’

Otherwise, I would feel really bad. I would look like someone who had destroyed their peaceful lives. Of course, Jo Hye-Jin ignored my advice and made the final decision, but I was still the one who started all this.

‘She should have just listened...’

We were definitely not compatible. She would often disobey my orders, and she was honestly uncomfortable to be around, but I couldn’t say that I disliked her. After all, even the masked scum in the Dark World told her this…

“I honestly liked you.”

To be honest, it was a bit funny that I was worried about her, but Jo Hye-Jin wasn’t the only person whom I had grown fond of. I had also grown fond of everyone else in the guild.

Time went on as I anxiously waited for her. I wasn’t even sure how long it had been since she entered the indoor garden. At this point, I already had an idea about what had happened, so I decided to go to the indoor garden.

I inwardly started using curse words that Light Ki-Young shouldn’t even be familiar with, and it didn’t take me long to reach the indoor garden. I saw Jo Hye-Jin when I opened the door, but Kim Hyun-Sung was nowhere to be found.

Jo Hye-Jin’s confidence was nowhere to be found as well.

She looked like she was crying.

‘Hey, don’t cry…’

To be exact, she was about to cry.

“P-Please don’t cry. Please…”I mumbled.

However, people would usually cry when they were comforted, so she started crying when I mumbled. When I started patting her shoulder, she hugged me tightly. She wasn’t crying out loud, but I could hear her sobbing.

“...”

‘Stop crying, damn it… I’ll make sure you end up with Hyun-Sung. Little strokes fell great oaks, after all.’

“Sniff!”

‘Hyun-Sung, you cold-hearted bastard… You should have just accepted her confession.’

I cursed him inwardly, but I respected his decision.

I was embarrassed, so I continued patting Jo Hye-Jin’s shoulder. She cried for quite a while before letting me go. Three minutes after she stopped crying, I started talking to break the ice and the awkwardness surrounding us.

“Do you regret it?”

“No. Hiccup… I feel conflicted,” Jo Hye-Jin replied.

“See? You should have waited a bit,” I said.

“I understand what you’re saying, but I wanted to tell him myself because I thought that it was the right thing to do. Anyway, it’s all over now,” she said.

‘It’s not over. Just you wait, Hye-Jin.’

“Anyway… let’s head back. Thank you for comforting me,” she added.

‘I’ll get you and Hyun-Sung together if it’s the last thing I do. Shit…’

“How about we get some rum?” I suggested.

“Yeah, let’s do that. I need a drink,” she replied.

It could be just my imagination, but I thought I knew why she had suddenly acted like this.

She might have finally decided to let go of herself.

She had been spending more time wearing pretty clothes rather than her usual armor, and her hand had been spending more time carrying around a small bag rather than a spear. Her tied-up hair had also become lengthy and wavy hair.

We started walking away, and I saw her tying her hair. The hairstyle didn’t really fit her current outfit, but it was the perfect hairstyle for Jo Hye-Jin.

I became even more confident of my assumption that she had done all this because she felt that it was about time to stop. She might have also been afraid that she would become lazy or change for the worse because of the breaks and leisurely activities that she had been enjoying all this while.

Therefore, I was certain that she had made the decision to end all this because she thought that she had to go back to her post and start doing her job once again.

I was sure of it…

She wanted to put an end to this break, and the only way she could end it all was by confessing to Kim Hyun-Sung.

I couldn’t help but nod because I felt like I also had to return to my post and start doing my job once again.

“It’s over…” I mumbled.

“Excuse me?” she asked.

“I didn’t say it to you. I was talking to myself,” I replied.

The break was over, and those who could fight started to gather.